Evaluation Question 1 Draft

In what ways does your media product use, develop or

challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Music video
Mise en Scene - actor element
BTSs I Need U (original version) and Run music videos were highly influential for
a lot of elements of the mise en scene for the actor parts. One of my location ideas came from
I Need U where one of the members of the group is in a hotel room. I thought that having
part of the music video set in a bedroom location would make my music video relate to more
people as everyone has a bedroom of some sort. This relation suggests that these kind of
feelings can happen to anyone at any time, making the audience realise and reflect upon their
own lives. Another location idea came from Run which is the field that the members are
seen in throughout the music video. I found that this would be a good location idea as my
narrative is about him finding his path in life and I thought a location like this would be a
good idea to show these kind of thoughts. So in this sense, I used the convention of having
the location connect to and help create the narrative.
In terms of lighting, I mostly got my ideas for the reality element from BTSs I Need
U (original version) and BEASTs Ribbon. I found that the lighting of both of these music
videos were very similar in the sense that they were dark. For the reality element to be
effective, I thought that dark lighting would help to reflect the dark thoughts that the
character is having. For the fantasy element, I mostly go my lighting ideas from BTSs
Blood Sweat & Tears as the lighting throughout is much lighter than the other music videos
I used as inspiration. I thought that there should be a clear binary opposite between the
lighting for each element so that the audience can easily understand that these two elements
are separated from each other and present different ideas. However, I havent seen a music
video that uses both types of lighting through out - it is either one or the other. In this sense, I
have challenged the lighting conventions as it seems most music videos use just one lighting
idea and use it throughout. But in my case, I thought that it would create an easy way for the
audience to understand the difference between the elements in my music video.
For the colouring of the music video, I had to change my ideas as my music video
developed. At first I used BEASTs Ribbon as my main inspiration for the reality element

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as the colours are dull and BTSs Spring Day for the fantasy element as the colours are
much lighter and brighter. However, I found that these didnt create enough of a binary
opposite for the audience to clearly see the difference between the two elements. So I
changed the colouring of the reality shots to be more like BTSs Run as I found them to be
more desaturated and I thought that these colours might work better. It turned that it still
wasnt enough to create the clarity it needed. So I made a decision without looking for much
inspiration and made the reality shots black and white. I found that BTSs I Need U
(original version) used a few black and white shots at the end of the music video, not
throughout like I have. Having developed this convention, I found that it created the clear
contrast that I was struggling to find before.
For the reality elements of the music video, I tried to use costumes that are worn by
most teenagers and young adults. This means that I consciously tried to choose casual or
smart casual clothing stapes for these parts of the music video. I thought that this would mean
the audience can relate to the music video more since they may wear these kinds of clothing.
It also gives the sense that a lot of people go through these kinds of feelings since a lot of
people wear this kind of clothing. The idea to use this clothing style came from a variety of
music videos since a lot of narrative music videos use this clothing style, such as SHINees
Tell Me What To Do and BTOBs Pray (Ill Be Your Man). So, in this sense, I used
conventions of other music videos since a lot of other music videos use this styling. In
comparison to the reality element, I tried to create a different style for the fantasy element.
However, this was hard to do since we couldnt change costumes on a few locations. But the
white shirt symbolises hope and purity since he doesnt have the negative thoughts in this
element. I found that this would have created a contrast for the audience to recognise. But I
found that it didnt create the contrast that I was hoping for. The idea of having a smarter
styling for the fantasy element came from BTSs Blood Sweat & Tears since they all wear
smart costumes throughout. I found that it worked quite well for their music video. So I tried
to use this convention, but it didnt turn out the way I would have liked it to.
For his hair, I kept this natural and never added or changed anything. I understand that
K-pop music videos often have their hair perfect and styled in certain ways. But I found that
leaving it to be a more natural look would allow the audience to connect to the music video
more since they are more likely to have hair styles like this where they leave it, especially for
boys. I found that leaving it natural looked better anyway. So in this sense, I challenged the
conventions of K-pop music videos because his hair was not styled in any way like most K-
pop music videos usually are.

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 In order for the music video to make sense and have a clear narrative, the use of props
was needed. However, there are not many K-pop music videos that use props. But I got the
idea to use a notebook from BEASTs Fiction. I found that it allowed the audience to relate
to the music video more since a lot of people write something every day, whether that is a
diary like the music video or not. The use of props also made it easy for the audience to
understand what he was doing. So I used the conventions of some K-pop music videos since
not a lot use props in this way.
In terms of facial expressions and body language, it was hard for my actor to achieve
what I wanted since he is not an actor and doesnt have loads of confidence in front of a
camera. But I think it turned out well and he got better the more we filmed. I tried to create a
contrast between the two elements. It didnt turn out as distinct as I would have liked it to but
I understand that it is not easy to do. So I tried to create a lower mood and atmosphere for the
reality elements and a happier mood for the fantasy elements. There are a few shots that are
easy to detect through the facial expressions and body language and I found that it worked
well. But there are some shots are not so easy to tell the difference (this is why I made certain
shots black and white and other coloured). I think that I used and challenged conventions
with this because both BTSs Run and I Need U use this idea of having the difference
moods and atmospheres but they used them in a different way. Both of these music videos
used all of the lower mood shots after each other and the happier moods all together to create
certain sequences for the different moods. However, with mine, I used both throughout. This
may be why it is harder to detect the difference with my music video but I found that the
narrative developed better this way rather than having all of the happier mood shots at the
end like BTSs music videos did.
In terms of composition for the shots, I tried to make it different for each element of the
music video but I found that that idea wasnt working as well as I had hoped. I tried to make
it so my actor was either on the left or in the centre of the frame for the reality elements and
on the right and sometimes in the centre for the fantasy elements. I thought that doing this
would help the audience to see a difference between the two elements. However, this did not
go to plan as I would have liked it to because of the locations and flipping certain shots didnt
look right in terms of other shots on that location because I would have broken the 180 rule
and the lighting would have been different. I also found that not many music videos look at
composition like this and just seem to film them mostly in the centre. So in this sense, I tried
to challenge conventions but this didnt go to plan as I wanted it to, meaning I used the
convention of having the actor in the centre of the frame for most of the music video.

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 I tried to use a range of different theories from different theorists. One of the theorists
that I tried to include was Goodwin. He states that there should be a relationship between the
lyrics and visuals. I found that I created this idea well since I got the narrative from the lyrics
of the song. It took me a while to understand the lyrics and the narrative doesnt follow the
lyrics of the song exactly but I think it is possible for the audience to understand that the
narrative and the lyrics are related. This is a convention for any narrative music video, like
mine. So I used this convention in my music video. He says that there should also be a link
between the music and the visuals. I think that I achieved this through the moods and
atmospheres that were created in the music video since the slower paced parts tended to have
the lower mood shots and the faster paced parts had more of the happier mood shots. I found
that this worked well and it suited the song. This is what many other music videos do,
meaning I used this convention. Goodwin also says that the record label will need to have
close ups in the music video. I used a few different close ups throughout my music video, so I
used this convention too. He says that there should be intertextual references. However, as
much as I am aware, I didnt include any intertextual references, at least not intentionally. So
I challenged this convention, but someone may find a way to link my music video to a film or
other music video that.I didnt notice. Sven E Carlsson said that binary opposites can be used
to drive a narrative. I definitely used this convention since this is what my whole music video
is based upon. However, I havent seen any K-pop music videos that use binary opposites in
the way I have to create and drive a narrative. So I used the convention but for K-pop music
videos specifically, I developed this convention. Steve Archer says that there should be a link
between the narrative and the performance elements of a music video and the main way to do
this is through the use of cross cutting. This cross cutting creates a stronger connection
between these elements and I think that the audience will understand that they are connected
since I used cross cutting frequently. I use this conventions since I was cross cutting between
these elements throughout the music video. This convention is also used in many K-pop
music videos since most songs have a dance or performance for them.

Music video
Mise en Scene - dancer element
For the locations, I used BTSs Just One Day as inspiration as their dance
performance element was set in a plain white room. I found that having the dance element
placed in a plain background made the dancer stand out more, especially since I wanted to

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use bright colours and black for the costumes. So I used this convention of having the
location as a plain background. However, I had planned to set a few of the shots in a dance
studio will a few mirror shots, which was inspired by BTSs LOVE YOURSELF Highlight
Reel. I was unable to film these shots since her dance studio doesnt have a mirror wall and
the one I had found was too expensive to rent. So I planned to have a different location such
as a field or building, like other K-pop music videos have. But I couldnt find one that was
close enough. Also, because of the drop in temperature and the costume being shorts and t-
shirt, I didnt want the dancer to be too cold and become ill because of it. So I had planned to
develop the convention for the different locations, but I was unable to. But I think having two
different plain backgrounds for the locations worked out well.
Lighting was easy because most dance elements for music videos use high key lighting
since low key lighting would make it hard to see the dancer clearly, although Taemins
Sayonara Hitori (Goodbye) uses low key lighting and it works quite well. However, I
wanted to use high key lighting, like K.A.R.Ds Rumor since it would have been a balance
between the narrative shots and their lighting and it would be easiest to see the dancer. So I
used this lighting convention as I think any other option would have ruined these shots and
the music video wouldnt have looked right.
For colouring, I tried to make these shots bright so that they would contrast the reality
element of the narrative. This was inspired by K.A.R.Ds Rumor since that music video is
very bright and uses a lot of colour. I think that bright colouring makes it easier for the
audience to see the dancer clearly and easily see the dance itself. So I used this convention
and I think that it was the best option I could have chosen.
As I have said previously, I planned to have another location and costume but I couldnt
film these. This costume would have contrasted the others since it was a pair of shorts and
not a skirt like the others are. I wanted to use a pair of shorts for one of the costumes because
a few girls use shorts in their costumes such as Minzys Superwoman. But because I wasnt
able to film this, I used two different styles for the other costumes. The first was a crop top
and floral skirt. A few girls in K-pop wear crop tops, so I thought that it would be a good idea
to have one of the costumes include a crop top and if the dancer was comfortable enough
(which she was). But I havent really seen any that use patterned skirts, certainly not floral
like mine was. So I used and developed the costume convention with this costume. For the
other costume, the dancer wore a black lace bodysuit and plain black skirt. The plain black
skirt part is conventional since a lot of girls wear plain coloured skirts in their music videos.
But I havent really seen any bodysuits or lace tops. But I think that it went well with the

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plain skirt. I wanted to use flowers for the costumes as I had planned to add flowers to the
fantasy element of the narrative, but this didnt get used as much as I would have liked.
In terms of hair, usually girls hair is simple and easy to do, most being left down or
ponytails. I used this convention since one of the dance scenes had her hair down. But the
other one had her hair in French plaits into ponytails. I thought that plaits and lace go really
well with each other so I chose to pair these two together. The reason why the plaits end in
ponytails is because my dancer doesnt like to have plaits all the way down when she is
dancing. I have seen full French plaits in some K-pop music videos before but never like this.
So in terms of hair, I used the conventions but I also developed them to suit the dancer and I
think it turned out well.
For composition, I tried to keep her in the centre of the frame. However, the dance is
not always in the centre, so she moved around the frame more than I was expecting her to. I
could have cropped the footage in the editing process but then the audience wouldnt have
seen all of the dancer. So she is mostly in the centre and to the left of the frame. This is using
performance conventions since most dancers are placed in the centre of the frame for most of
the dance.
For theorists, I didnt use many since a dance routine is not the usual way to use a
performance element in a music video - this would usually be the artist or group playing
instruments. However, I did use Goodwins idea of there being a connection between the
music and visuals since the dancer had to be in time to the music. So this would allow the
audience to focus on the song and the visuals at the same time. I also used Steve Archers
idea of creating a link between the narrative and performance through the use of cross
cutting. I used cross cutting throughout the music video. This created a strong connection
between the narrative and dancer. This is a convention for K-pop music videos that have both
a narrative element and performance element. This means that I used this convention. I think
it wouldnt look correct if this convention was to be challenged, so I used it in order to fit in
with the other K-pop music videos.

Digipak
The style of digipak that I went for is very unconventional, certainly for K-pop
digipaks. Most K-pop digipaks use the classic book-like style. However, I found this idea to
be very interesting and unique. I think having a unique digipak would make my artist stand
out from the other digipaks. So in the sense of style, I challenged the conventions since I have
not seen a K-pop digipak that is styled this way. But I did use the convention of simplicity

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and minimalism. After doing some research, I found that a lot of digipaks of all genres were
mostly minimalistic. I personally think that minimalist digipaks are the most effective and
interesting to look at. Doing a minimalistic digipak design also means that I didnt need to
have an additional photoshoot with my actor, since we struggled to find time to film the
music video anyway. I think that not having the artist on the front of a digipak makes for a
more interesting digipak to look at as there is not one way to look at it (meaning it would
symbolise different things for different people). I decided to use a photo of the moon behind
the folded parts of the digipak because I thought it would create a nice dreamy motif and
symbol that is created in the music video, meaning there is a connection between the digipak
and music video. I found that a lot of digipaks have no or little connection to the music video
for that album. But I wanted to create a connection because I think that connections between
products is always a good thing in the music industry so that the audience can easily know
its all for the same album. So in this sense, I challenged this convention because connections
like this are not usually made. The back cover contains all of the legal requirements for a
digipak to make it seem more genuine. I kept these small like on other K-pop digipaks so that
the audience is not distracted by these as their attention should be on the actual digipak
contents and not the legal requirements. So I used this convention as it would be odd if I
challenged it. The CD itself is also conventional because all of the CDs that I looked at were
simple and clearly related to the digipak design. I found this best to do so that the audience
can easily tell which CD is for which digipak if they take the discs out of the packaging.

Magazine Advert
I decided to use the convention of K-pop magazine adverts by including the artist logo
at the top of the magazine advert. I found that doing this is a good idea since that would
probably be the first thing that the audience sees. Seeing this first means that the audience
clearly knows who this magazine advert is for. I think that it is important for the audience to
know who the artist is before looking at the information so that they clearly understand who
the artist is and the future plans for releases. I then put the name of the album beneath it so
that the audience clearly know the name of the album for this release. And then I listed all of
the other details about the release of this album. I think it is important that magazine adverts
have a simple and clear design so that the audience can easily find all of the information
without having to look too hard to find all of the information. I also kept the company logos
towards the bottom of the magazine advert so that the audience doesnt focus on these since
they are typically not what the audience is looking for but is a legal requirement for magazine
adverts. In terms of image, I challenged the convention since most digipaks will have their
artist or group members where I have placed the moon photo. Because of time constraints, I
was unable to do additional photoshoots with my actor. So I used the same image from the
digipak. I think that doing this creates a strong connection between the two products. I think

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it is important to create a connection like this between music products so that the audience
can easily know the artist that released the album and the album that will be released. In
terms of colouring, I developed this convention since there are a few that have dark lighting
and costumes, but there are not all black and white like mine is, even one of K.A.R.Ds
Rumor magazine advert has blue for the information and black and white for the image. I
found having everything black and white would make it stand out since not many other
digipaks do this, so it would create a unique magazine advert. I think it is important to create
a unique magazine advert so that readers of the magazine will be more likely to stop and look
at the advert as they would be interested in why it looks different.