1. 1. In what ways does
your media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of
real media products?

2. • In our media product, our group developed and challenged many
forms and conventions of our music genre. For example, we created
a jazzy production that consisted solely of performance and we felt
our visuals made the performance look both effective and original.
• The first thing we did was we referred to media theory when
brainstorming our ideas together. This was so we could therefore
develop and use media theory that allowed us to produce the best
production possible. We highly benefited from using various
different types of theory within our video because of the fact that it
was used as a guideline to how we wanted to utilise these particular
theories into our production.
• Throughout this slideshow, you will see how we applied these
different theories, in order to make our product genuine and
believable.

3. Synaesthesia
The first theory our group implemented into our research and development
was synaesthesia. This consisted of our group listening to the different lyrics
and soundtracks that TGFA had produced through his singles. This allowed
us to imagine what images we would utilise into this particular video to make
it seem effective and original. Overall, this was done in order to help us build
knowledge in developing a media product with interesting,but effective
visuals.
For example, while our group was producing our pre-production storyboard,
we thought that the best way to make our visuals look effective was to close
our eyes, listen to the song we were using, and then imagine the visuals we
felt would look the most effective for example, one member of our group
came up with the idea that we should put a red rose into our pre-production
storyboard as it signifies love and would ultimately complement the lyrics of
our song – ‘I Feel Love’. We also thought that by including this image we
could use it as part of our Digipak because it helped to capture the type of
atmosphere we wanted to portray in our production, so we could therefore
engage our audience in the most appropriate way.

4. Moreover, there were various visuals we separately came up with to
highlight different signs. I.e. In one of our shots we had our artist playing the
piano in front of all his loving fans to show that he has a crowd of people
that love and support his music.
Although, it was very time consuming putting synaesthesia into practice , it
was a worthwhile theory in the long term as it gave our group insight in
creating ideas from the spot which could be later implemented in our music
production.

5. Ferdinand De Saussure (1980):
Types of signs used in productions
Our group had related to the theory by Ferdinand De Saussure on the types
of signs we wanted to portray to our audience. These particular signs could
have been either singular or plural, which composed of either two or three
types. The two signs that our group thought would highlight our music video
in the most effective way to our audience were the iconic and symbolic
signs. This was because our pre-storyboard highlighted that we wanted to
produce a jazzy music video that would draw in the attention of the
audience and represent our artist in an interesting and original way.
We displayed iconic signs throughout the various images that we
implemented within our production, i.e. the couple holding hands, while
overlooking the river. Symbolic signs were displayed through the imagery of
the rose which symbolises romance. Furthermore,
In our media product, we aimed to create messages to the audience about
the concept of love which was focused throughout the lyrics of the song we
used in our advanced Portfolio. Our group aimed to produce a performance
video which would challenge Ferdinand de Saussure theory on signs, as not
all real media products utilise signs within their productions. This was a gap

6. Sergei Eisenstein's Theory on
Montage
Sergei Eisenstein’s montage editing technique refers to the use of
developing quick cuts between various shots in any video. This is what our
group wanted to utilise within our media product in order to create
excitement, fluidity and originality. Our group had decided to challenge
forms of real media products as the majority of real media products are
usually slow paced productions, as opposed to montage related.
From our pre-production questionnaires results, the audience stated that
they wanted to see montage editing in the media product we were creating,
as they thought it would make it look ‘more unique and effective’. Overall,
we felt this technique was utilised in the best way possible. As the results
from our post-production questionnaires displayed that our use of montage
editing made the video look more genuine and realistic.
However, our groups music production could have been said to contain
some elements of the theory amplification, such as the shot of the rose
within our production, which complemented the lyrics within the song.
Although, throughout the video, there weren’t that many related
conventions towards love, which could ultimately create a sense of
disjuncture from Eisenstein’s theory.

7. Richard Dyer’s Theory
Our group implemented the use of an additional theory from the book called
Heavenly Bodies: Film stars and society by Richard Dyer.
In Mr Dyer's book, he describes how the star quality of your performer is
created and if there is any element of Utopia.
• From Dyer's theory, our group started to develop and use his concepts by
gathering elements of Utopia, which consists of the abundance of
enjoyment and heart which our group developed and used throughout our
Advanced portfolio. This was displayed through TGFA’s performance and
the dancer in our foundation portfolio. Furthermore, other elements of
Utopia include the use of energy, and intensity which we also developed
and used as a group which is shown through the dancer and
TGFA’s characteristics.
• The star quality is also implemented across both portfolios from the use of
the star image which is shown through clothing and their performances.
As, TFGA our music artist faces the challenge of being a successful Indie
artist overtime, it's vitally key that TGFA reflects upon Dyer's theory in Star
quality in order to progress in the music industry through the significance of
image and star potential. Artists that are signed up to major labels have an
advantage in being heavily promoted in their star image.

8. • Andrew Goodwin continues to develop Dyer’s theory on the star
system by explaining the ways in which star-texts intersect with
video clips. The purpose of a music video according to Goodwin, is
to promote and sell CD’s and especially maintain the star image of
any artist. The audience must now be encouraged to identify with
the performer and consider the conventions that have helped to
create this ‘Romantic visual’.
• In different ways throughout our production, we have applied
Goodwin’s theory, as our audience understood and identified the
conventions of our music video, such examples can be shown
through the visuals within our music product such as the rose and
the picture of the couple looking over the sea. These particular still
shots created this ‘romantic visual’ that was needed to enhance
meaning on the concept of ‘love’ throughout our product. We
wanted to achieve this because we had had negative feedback from
our audience, which highlighted that various parts of our video
lacked elements of interesting visuals that were needed in order to
fully engage the audience’s 100%. By gaining this negative
feedback, we were able to make improvements on our video via

9. Intertexuality – Julia Kristeva
(1980)
• Our group's research and planning for our foundation and advanced
portfolios had been constructed through the use of the intertexuality
theory constructed by Julia Kristeva.
• When putting this theory into practice, our group gathered many
intertextual references through the use of watching various YouTube
videos of classic films and real music videos. These existing references
from real media products gave our group ideas that could be developed
further in our planning stages for our media products.
• The intertextuality references played a key importance in helping our
group determine what genre to choose, implementing a narrative or
performance based video, the locations chosen, synathesia references
for our music video and lastly the Mise en scene.
• Example changed the way u kissed me
• Madonna

10. Intextuality references for
Research and Planning
• Our group referred to many forms of intextual references from the
technology of You tube. Firstly, we watched Madonna’s music
called Frozen in class and as a group we engaged to complement
use the synathesia theory whereby , we heard the frozen
soundtrack and we would write down the visuals that we came up
with. By developing are synathesia skills, it helped are confidence
ilistening to the song I feel love in order to develop visulas which
would later be used in our pre storyboard.
• Example - Changed the way you kissed me video was used for
intexual research into the black and white effect.
• Katy Perry – California gurls video was researched for the use of
watching the lip synching quality.

11. Advanced Portfolio Challenges
• One convention our group gathered from our research
and planning for our advanced portfolio is that we could
challenge real media products by creating better
lip syncing. From research we found out that the minority
of music videos implement bad lip syncing and as a
group we felt we could challenge other real media
products by making our lip syncing more effective and
accurate in order to create a perfect media product.
• Our groups advanced portfolio had consisted of a variety
of locations which were unique and different which
challenges existing real media products which have
minimal locations and are quite dull.

12. • The choice of song is one which is catchy, unique and repetitive within the
soundtrack and the lyrics. Our Advanced portfolio had created and developed
a much more exciting video as an end media product. Real media products
are a success down to the success of the lyrics and the soundtrack.
• As a group we felt we had matched existing real media products
and entail had challenged a minority of major label music products in
comparison to our music product in which we felt our group achieved and
created a very successful music video, even through our group’s lack of
funding.
• In addition, our Advanced media product could be said in challenging existing
real media products when it comes to the lighting of our music video. Our
Advanced portfolio had implemented a use of lighting which was not just
colour but also consisted of black and white filming.
• This to a large extent may have challenged real media products as they only
do one or the other. Additionally, our group also implemented a use of variety
of camera angles and shots which had been developed over both portfolio's
which created more emphasis upon our media products. This
challenges existing real media products to sum degree as some real media
products don't implement a variety of camerawork.