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

My media product uses several forms and conventions of real media products that also fall under the category of Rock as a music genre. A form that features prominently in a variety of music videos is the concept of the angry young man associated with protest artists such as Bob Dylan. This character appears in many Rock videos, including The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony, The Offspring's The Kids Aren't Alright and several Enter Shikari music videos, including No Sleep Tonight, Destabilise and Arguing With Thermometers. The convention of the rebellious artist (a feature of 1960’s music scene…) appeals to my target audience demographic (British males aged 18-25) because they are at an age when they challenge authority or institutions. A prime example of this being true is the protests against rising university fees that occurred in London in 2010. This character is also often combined with one of several other themes to create a new meaning. Such themes that have been utilised by Rock bands in music videos include political undertones, for example Rage Against The Machine are widely known for their politically opinionated songs, and, spirituality, a very evident theme in Here We Go Again, by Shelter, an American Krishnacore band. Depending on how this character is portrayed, different connotations of youth can be seen. In my video, I chose to show the angry young man as less extrovert than is shown in other productions, such as the British film Eden Lake. This is due to protagonist role shown within the music video, as opposed to the antagonist roles featured in the film.

Another common, yet less obvious convention found in Rock videos, and one that I have chosen to heavily incorporate into my own music videos, is walking. Its use is typified, in this case, as walking away from his past or, more specifically, his ex-girlfriend. When walking is considered as a metaphor for progress, its combination with previously mentioned themes creates a platform for artists to promote their ideas and opinions on a relatively large stage. An example of walking in combination with political ideology can be found in Enter Shikari's No Sleep Tonight, possibly promoting the idea that the Government, here represented by a rich businessmen, can't ignore the voice of the common people when they come together. However, it can also be used to show a personal progression, as seen in the video Not The Only One by The Rumble Strips, as well as being implemented as a conveyor of emotion within music videos, and this is what I have chosen to focus on. I discovered this specific combination of theme and convention when I noticed it in several Rock videos, including Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day and October and April by Finnish band, The Rasmus. These videos utilised walking/progress as a means of escaping negative feelings by ignoring them and moving on, again referencing progress, albeit ambiguously.

This generic feature of Rock videos allowed me to incorporate it into my own music videos to tap into the already established audience that was available. I used this aspect of the genre convention by frequently showing the main character walking along, interspersed with flashbacks to provide context. The main character can also be seen as representing the angry young man that is more frequently found within Rock videos. The familiarity that the audience may find within the main character, specifically young white males who feel like the whole world is against them, particularly when they are experiencing relationship trouble, as is also represented in the music video, as stated in Lacan's theory that the audience may seek, or enjoy seeing a mirror image of themselves within the music video, was helpful in creating a music video that would appeal to the fairly wide audience.

Although a large portion of Rock videos include a band performance, typically as the main way of promoting the band, a good example being The Pretender by American band Foo Fighters, it is not always a feature at all, such as Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve. It is this video that inspired me to break from one of the most prominent conventions of Rock in favour of a less obvious one, i.e. walking. Some close-ups were used to help promote the character within the video. As the character is also featured on the digipak cover, it will increase the awareness of any fans who want to buy the album. Genre convention is also challenged in my print productions, preferring to heavily promote the individual in the music video, rather than an entire band. This is due to the music video only featuring a single major character. By featuring alone on the entire digipak it emphasises the importance of his role within the band. However, a downside to this is that it would devalue the rest of the band. This can either imply that he is the singer, or that he is the mascot of the band, in a similar vein to Eddie and The Guy, used by Iron Maiden and Disturbed respectively. The black and white feature of the second panel is a reference to the black and white scenes within the music video, which are themselves a reference to Rock music videos from the 1960s, as well as Strauss' theory of binary opposites, and the film Control which partly influenced my decision to focus on the angry young man.

In terms of a relationship between audio and visual, I was able to edit the video in time with the music, which makes the production more aesthetically pleasing. However, I decided not to directly use the relationship between the video and lyrics, instead implying that the “elegant war” is the relationship between a man and a woman. This furthers the implications of genre convention, as referring to the themes of the song. The magazine advert that advertises my digipak continues the theme of featuring the lone character. The continuation of this theme may increase the connection individuals feel with the character, as they can relate to his loneliness.