IN WHAT WAY DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP AND CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?
USE.
URBAN SETTING:
Through my research, I discovered that a lot of dance videos use urban setting as this genre of music is youthful. I decided that I would like to use this setting in my video as it would link to my chosen demographic. I used locations that featured bright walls and shops. I used a wide range of locations in Bristol that feature a more individual vibe.
PERFORMANCE
Carlsson suggests that there are two categories that music videos fall into, performance and narrative. The Dance genre often falls into both categories as artists tend to employ actors in their videos to dance and create an engaging visual. Mona and I decided that we would use the same actor in ours as the chosen song featured allot more singing than that of other dance songs. Many Beyonce videos often fall into this category as she sings and dances in the videos Mona and I wanted to capture this sort of feeling in our own video.
EDITING
In dance videos, fastpaced editing is an extremely popular element. We decided that this was a crucial element that we should include in our video to make clear links to the Dance genre. We edited to the beat of the song which proved difficult at first as we chose a very fast paced song but it was well worth the effort when you look at the final video. the use of fast-paced editing is in keeping with the dance genre while keeping the audience engaged.
LIGHTING
Mona and I used allot of high-key lighting. We did this as the dance genre is light-hearted and We decided that if we used too much low key lighting that it would be too depressing and would look more like a rock or alternative video. The lighting represents the genre of the video well as it is apparent that the artist doesn't take life too seriously. The high-key lighting also highlights the feminity of the video giving her independence and power.
PROPP THEORY
Propp theory is the ideology that narratives possess certain character types. My video only has one character a hero which is MRS. BEE as she is doing what she wants and is not limited by society. Which brings me to the villain, society. It is set up to make life difficult for the hero. This style of narrative fits in well with the dance genre as often they hold a political message about independence or equality.
develop.
LOCATION
Mona and I developed on regular locations that are typically featured in dance videos. Often dance videos are shot in studios in front of mirrors and show a struggle or progression. Mona and I decided that it would be better if we shot our video completely outside and include are performance and narrative in similar locations. We did this for a few reasons. Firstly, our access to studios is limited. Secondly we decided that our video would be more relatable to our chosen demographic if we set it in a urban and youthful space.
EDITING
Mona and I chose a fast-paced song and so we decided that it would be good to edit on the beat. we did this for the majority of the song but we also felt that it would be nice to do some offbeat editing to make the performance side of the song shine through. When looking back at the video it is nice and clear what MRS.BEE is saying and her dancing is highlighted. Often dance videos are one shot with the use of a dolly to create interesting shots. We were unable to do this with our range of locations instead we used a cropping tool called "ken burns" to make our longer shots more interesting. Another thing that I did was colour correct all of the graffiti shots. I did this to make the colours really bright and shine through.
NARRATIVE
Vernallis states that Music videos should not be only performance. He says this because audiences get bored of the video and switch off. Mona and I obviously did not want that so we included a lot of shots of Charlotte dancing in interesting locations to split the video up a bit. This is another reason why we have many locations to keep the audience guessing. we still used allot of performance shots but we felt it important to take this theory into consideration.
SIMPLICITY
I think one way that I managed to do well was keep my digipak and poster simple. Normally dance digipaks are full of bright colours and strange images but I decided that it would be better to give it a more minimalist appearance while including MRS.BEE's key branding colours. I think that this made my digipak look more professional and tidy rather than complex and cluttered.
challenged.
MALE GAZE THEORY.
Mona and I decided that we would challenge Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory. This is the ideology that females are placed in videos for the attention of men. Women are often sexualized in music videos to engage a heterosexual male audience. Mona and I decided that we would challenge this by placing a strong female lead in the video. MRS.BEE is doing her own thing uncaring about what people think about her. we felt that by putting a strong independent female in the video that it would empower female viewers. Often dance videos use women to dance provocatively ad we decided that we wouldn't do that we felt that it would better to put forward a clear message that women are not objects. A way that we challenged this is through the use of camera angles. We used lots of low angles shots to give MRS.BEE some power and dominance over the video.
NARRATIVE
Mona and I challenged narrative stereotypes in our video. Normally there is a storyline about a struggle and overcoming that struggle. instead, we decided to use an empowering storyline that would motivate viewers. We also used a narrative that involved the artist rather than an external narrative. Often in Dance videos, there's a separate storyline that involes people seperate from the artist and song.
PROPP
Mona and I challenged Propps Character types. Propp puts forward the idea that in every video there is a hero (MRS.BEE) and then there is a princess and a villain and a fake hero and a dispatcher. Now we conformed to this to a certain level as we used one character in our video but we felt that we did not need a princess as this would clash with the idea of female independence that we have carried throughout the video. We challenged it as society is the villain it sets up society to be against females and make it as difficult as possible for them to succeed.
LIGHTING
Mona and I used mainly high lighting. Often Dance videos include low key lighting to give the video a more edgy feel. we did this to give it a more light-hearted feel which links to the view about not taking life as seriously. we felt that viewers could use our video as a form of escapism to take a minuate away from their lives and engage with MRS.BEE's