IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

VIDEO

Following Conventions• Fairly conventional to have a

title appear near the beginning of the video

• Reference to the notion of looking (as stated by theorist Andrew Goodwin)- this was done with an extreme close up of eyes and also through screens within screens

• Variation of shot lengths- from extreme close ups to longshots

• Cross cutting between two timelines of narrative and performance. Our actor who plays the lead singer of the band who also plays the protagonist in the narrative (like Dan Smith) so two different outfits were worn for each role to avoid confusion

• Active camera movement in a music video

• Ambient shots set the mood for the scene. These bright, sun soaked shots imply optimism and warmth.

• Close-ups of actor/ singer to achieve star appeal- this was a convention according to Andrew Goodwin

• Bastille have a theme of running away in their videos- most notably seen in Bastille so we replicated it. The idea of a man running from his problems supports David Gauntlett’s theory of masculinity in crisis which suggests with the increasing power of women, men are losing their identity. The fact the male protagonist finds comfort in a strong female also conforms with his idea of girl power.

• There is a relationship between visuals and music(Andrew Goodwin)- shots are cut to the beat or the action within the shot is e.g. the foot comes down and makes contact with the step at the same time as a synth beat. As the music drops out slightly just before It explodes into the chorus we used a fade to black transition which illustrated this fade in music. The general colour scheme of the video brightened as the song progressed. Once the final chorus (i.e. the climax) initiates, the visuals move completely away from any dull greys of the city and towards all nature shots which are full of light greens of the trees and orange/ yellows of the sunlight. It reflects the positive mood change

• An intertextual reference is made to other Bastille videos. This is through their fabricated company ‘Wild World Communications’ which features in other of Bastille’s video from this album. We referenced it by having the protagonist watch one of their news broadcasts in the intro. The company’s logo can be seen in ‘Fake It’ (bottom left) and ‘Send Them Off’ (bottom right)

• Andrew Goodwin proclaims that intertextuality is a convention of music videos.

Challenging Convention• We challenged the convention of there

being an establishing shot at the start of a video/ action sequence set in a new location. This was because we felt it was more important to jump straight to the action.

• Conventionally, most filming is done in focus and with a steady camera. We made a stylistic choice however to blur some shots and use a shaky camera effect. The camera was purposely out of focus to show the lack of identity and individuality in contemporary society. The shaky POV shot suggests he is unprepared for the journey and that it was a spontaneous reaction to the situation. Also, generally, it is more immersive for the audience.

Narrative Theories• Claude Levi Strauss suggests that

any narrative will contain binary opposites. This is true to an extent for our video. The most obvious being the contrast between sadness/anger and happiness/ comfort from the start and end. Man v Nature also has relevance because it begins in an urban, city setting with a emphasis on the presence of technology and eventually transitions into a natural forest setting. To an extent there is also an opposite in the battle of grey vs colour.

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• Our video develops Todorov’s five stage structure theory. I would argue that our narrative hits 3 of the 5. I don’t believe we have his first stage of a state of equilibrium at the outset. Ours skips this part and starts immediately at the second, a disruption to the equilibrium by some action. I’d also argue that there is no recognition of this disruption (third). The protagonist’s attempt to repair the disruption (fourth) is to run from his problems. The fifth stage is also met when equilibrium is restored shown by him finding comfort in a loved one.