02 STATEMENT OF INTENT

Brief 4: Music Video and Online

How do you intend to use the four areas of the media theoretical framework to communicate meaning and meet the requirements of your chosen brief?

Music Video:

While I have applied Neale when investigating codes and conventions, the most important theorist I have applied to my research is Jenkins. I felt that his work on participatory culture was very important as a way to engage a wider audience, but also to encourage spreadability; this is especially true of my 16-25 year old middle and upmarket MEDIA LITERATE audience. My music video's aim will be to promote diversity, self-love and community, so will feature a wide range of representations crossing lines of gender, race and age.  The core performance of the video will not feature my artist as a reference to the idea of fan created content. The video will have a homemade feel to it and will be shot entirely on mobile phones to ensure that this effect is clear. The aim is to show the cast as their authentic self-such as wearing what they want and the location of their own homes. The main focus of my music video will be the representation of a young women expressing herself through alternative makeup and fashion and her teaching others how to love themselves for who they are. I will use a range of camera shots and a lot of choreography to create an upbeat and inclusive atmosphere for watchers. The young woman, who is the main focus of my video, will be lip syncing parts of the song to help project the desired message across to the audience despite her clearly not fitting the voice of the artist, this is on purpose because the song artist will briefly appear in the video at the beginning and middle to highlight equality by not giving the artist the most screen time.

Website:

The homepage of the website will be very obviously designed to attract fans of the artist. There will still be some features that are meant to promote participatory culture (like links to social media) but the front page will be quite generic, with clear representations of the artist, like a gallery etc. tour dates etc. I will encourage interactivity by having a series of fun facts that appear when the audience hovers over an image. There will be a rolling video element with a different Labyrinth instrumental song on my website that will loop changing every few loops. The idea here is that this would change regularly to encourage fans to return. The hyperlinked page will be focused on the music video, with references to the performers, bloopers etc. I want there to be a distinct difference between the two pages, with the homepage giving a more slick and professional representation of the artist and the representations of the fans on the second page encouraging audiences to feel that they can connect with fellow audience members, which will further encourage participatory culture.

 

How do you intend to link your media products to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the digitally convergent nature of your media production?

Applying Jenkins has really helped me to plan convergent elements. So, the music video will include several Easter Eggs, for example, my artist website will be featured on a laptop in the background to link both the website and music video together and there will be a shot of the artist lip syncing in the same location as the tour date poster. I will dedicate my hyperlinked page to interactive features (like asking for questions for a podcast) and to features that encourage the audience to watch the video, like a blooper reel and a gallery of the people involved in the production.