2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

The track we decided to use for our music video is from the dance/techno genre of music and so we decided that for our music video we would keep our video simple along the lines of what you would relate dance music too – a club. We made the Barbie dolls we were using look like they were dressed to go out for the night, with one of the dolls having silver looking trousers and multi coloured hair, showing she has a creative persona. As we were making an animation video and we used dolls, changing the makeup to match the representation of a nightclub we wanted was impossible, however their clothes worked well and as they have bright coloured lipstick on the dolls the vibrant dance look was still noticeable in the video.



For our digipak and adverts we came to the decision that we would use a font that would be easy to connect with dance music and the clubbing atmosphere that comes with it. For both the digipak and magazine advertisement we kept the same fonts for the band and name of the album to keep the continuity throughout our work. This makes it easy for our audience to associate them both media texts together.

We decided that the colouring of the advertisements would also be important as it would represent the CD so that once people had become familiar with the magazine poster they would instantly be able to spot the CD due to the same types of colouring being used. As our genre of music is dance, we decided that bright, bold colours would work best for giving the vibe of a new exciting sound.




The above image shows how we kept the continunity in both ancillary products by using the same font 'Display' for the titles so that the audience could relate the two.
We also stuck to a specific colour scheme in order to show the poster and the CD covers connection to one another. The use of colours used portray what types of colours are popular for lighting in nightclubs and so represent our style of genre perfectly.


We have made an effective link between our main product and the advert by including images of the dolls in the new music video. This allows the viewers to know what the song is and what to expect from the CD if they have seen the video or if they know the song but not the video, they will know what to expect due to the image on the advertisement.

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

As we researched a variety of music videos, we discovered that the majority of them present the same functions and objectives. They generate maximum interest in the artist as some of the videos had related to the artist themselves in one way or another. Also, some artists have a specific style that they keep throughout their videos which keep the audience entertained. Many of the videos researched signify the genre clearly through the use of mise-en-scene (Location used, props, costumes and makeup), camera shots and angles used.

As a group we decided that we would use the original music conventions in animation videos in a variety of ways. The main way in which we used these conventions was by creating a stop-motion animation video that developed the ideas already put forward by similar animations on Youtube.
For the location, we decided to create a set using 3 pieces of wood which we would decorate according to the scene.
The mise-en-scene for our video was an important feature to include when sticking to dance music video conventions as we wanted to keep the video looking as realistic as possible but instead of using real people, we would use Action Men and Barbie’s. The mise-en-scene was an extremely important part for our video as we had to create a setting that looked both realistic and fitted our genre of music. This proved to be harder in some aspects as we could not find any work online from preious students who had created a nightclub scene using stop animation to do so.
As we wanted to have a brief idea of what nightclub settings looked like in dance music videos we used Youtube in order to research some of the work of producers/artists in dance music industry. We felt that Basshunter would be a good choice of artist to look at because he is a well known mainstream dance artist and his music videos typically take place in nightclub settings.





This however allowed us to develop our own ideas into animation video and we created a mise-en-scene that would accentuate the events that would take place there. E.g a black background for the nightclub allowed the coloured filters to show more brightly than if there was a more detailed background.

To develop music conventions we had seen on Youtube videos which had been created for both fun and for media projects we decided that we would have the dolls as part of a story to create the verisimilitude we had seen in existing videos.

Our research into theorists like Vladmir Propp gave us an insight into what a conventional story should contain, even for a music video:
The villain — struggles against the hero.
The dispatcher —character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off.
The (magical) helper — helps the hero in the quest.
The princess or prize — the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable to marry her because of an unfair evil, usually because of the villain. the hero's journey is often ended when he marries the princess, thereby beating the villain.
Her father — gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero, marries the hero, often sought for during the narrative. Propp noted that functionally, the princess and the father can not be clearly distinguished.
The donor —prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.
The hero or victim/seeker hero — reacts to the donor, weds the princess.
False hero — takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess.

By considering the information by Propp when we create our music video we can stick to the conventional components of a story and produce a music video that our audience find interesting.

Because we had to create a story within the music video we decided that a variety of camera shots and compositions such as tilts, pans and focus pulls would keep the viewer interested. From the use of these camera shots, we managed to edit about 3 seconds the video manually; by having the camera blurred we managed to create a focus pull effect. The rest of the editing was completed on the Mac where we used straight cuts from picture to picture.

Comparison of Existing Promotions

View more presentations from Frankiedee

Analysis of final products

View more presentations from Frankiedee.

Phase 3

The last scenes that we shot were the most difficult as they took place in the nightclub where most of the movement from the dolls was required to make the video look interesting to the viewer. To create the feel of a stereotypical nightclub we used coloured filters to go over the lighting in order to create the effect that the lighting in the nightclub was continuously changing. We gathered a large number of coloured lights and then took photographs of all the colours to pick out which ones we believed worked best and created the best feel for our nightclub.




We chose that in order to create a simple yet effective inside of a nightclub, we would spray the entire set black so that it was easier to work with. Our original idea was to include posters in the background of the setting in order to make the club look like it was advertising itself and upcoming events, however we later decided against this as it may of been unnecessary as the set was so small and had a large number of dolls to work with, so the posters would not of been in view.
After several scenes including all of the dolls dancing we decided that to make the video easier to create and to make a story that would be easier to follow for our audience, that we would focus on one/two certain characters in each scene so that we would be able to make those scenes contain more detail. An advantage of using many different scenes including different characters was that we was able to use many different angles and camera settings in order to keep the viewers attracted to the style of our video.

Planning: Phase 3

As the third phase is the main part of our music video, we have to make sure that we have everything we need in order to complete it effectively.
From our previous research into nightclubs we were able to know what to include to make the scene feel like a nightclub.
We need to make a list of props that will be needed for the scene, including a disco ball and coloured filters. We will have to work as a team to make sure that we can rely on each other to produce the props that are needed as one person may be busy when other members of the team are not.

After the props have been bought and have been made to scale with our set, we will be able to start creating the nightclub and placing objects in the scene to make it look and feel like a nightclub through the images we produce.

We are also going to have to discuss how we are going to move the dolls to create realistic dance moves that our audience can relate too, making them laugh.
As there is going to be more than one doll moving at a time because they are all dancing we need to come up with a way to keep our work simple yet effective in what we do as it will be complicated for us to try and pull off complicated movements which could not look as effective as they could if we took our time and focused on certain characters.

Phase 2

For the second part of our music video, it is set outside of the nightclub where most of our video will be filmed, so after doing our research into stereotypical nightclubs we was able to find some images we could edit to create a night setting in our video. As most buildings have brick work outside of the building we had to use the Internet to find an image of bricks that were small enough to look normal when placed in a miniature setting. As we have progressed in project we have become more aware of what is needed in order for our work to look more convincingly real.
After finding a background which would work, it needed to be edited using Photo shop to create a dark look on the brick work to give the effect that the scene was taking place at night.
Once we had our background, as we had previously decided through researching into nightclubs, we needed to add fliers and posters to the set to stick to the conventions of a typical nightclub.
Jamie was able to create posters using Fireworks software and once they were created asked the rest of the group for approval.
Once all the props were printed and we was ready to film, we had to cut out all of our images ready to stick onto the walls.

Once the set was completed and the dolls were positioned for the first shot, we placed a lamp from all different angles around the set and took a number of images to see where produced the best lighting for the night scene we was looking at achieving.

The part of the scene which involved the Barbie's was fairly difficult to complete as we had difficulty taking still images without the support holding the Barbie's upright showing. To resolve this we had to place one Barbie in front of one another so that they hid the backs of each other as they walked towards the nightclub.
The males were much easier to maneuver as their feet were flat, whereas the Barbie's were not.

Taking the close up images of the Barbie and Action Men's faces proved to be more difficult than expects due to the light making the images overexposed. To resolve this problem I used a flash on my camera, which made the background dark but also added more detail to the faces of the dolls. Creating a sense of becoming known to the characters involved in the video.

Research into Nightclubs

The majority of our video takes place in a nightclub. Therefore, as a group we feel that it is appropriate to research into nightclubs in the UK and generic conventions of nightclubs. By doing research into this entertainment venue, our video will be made more authentic and believable - which is particuarly needed in a stop-motion animation video which requires a greater emphasis on real-life places, actions and lifestyles.


Through researching several of London's top nightclubs - we have found that the set up and architecture remains fairly consistent. The dancefloor is usually what takes up the greatest amount of space in the middle of the grounds, with a bar normally on the left side and various chairs, tables and lounge areas surrounding the dance floor.

Also through Internet research, we found that PR is also prominent in/outside a nightclub. Posters advertising drink offers and events are particularly prominent and something that we feel we should use as part of our mise-en-scene to make it as authentic as possible.

We are also going to construct the outside of the club (doors, queue etc.) as we believe it will add extra realism to our video. Therefore, I have researched the exteriors of popular nightclubs and found some generic conventions. Doors are usually double or sometimes just an open gap, bouncers are ubiquitous at nightclubs and queues usually consist of red rope and gold stands. As well as this, we found that clubs usually boast logos across brickwork, and sometimes extravagant lighting - depending on the importance of the event.

From doing this research into nightclubs and finding out the basics of what needs to be included, we now need to find a way of interpretting these conventions to a smaller scale and creating/ buying the props and mise-en-scene to look both realistic and appropriate for a nightclub atmosphere.

Planning: Phase 2

Now that the first two scenes are completed, we need to focus on the build up to the main scene in the nightclub. We have already had a meeting to discuss what is going to happen in the next scene we need to film, but we cannot start filming until we have made a prop list and found all the items we need to make the set.
As a group, the date that we need to start filming has to be decided soon
so that we don't become behind on any filming work that still needs to be completed.

Once we make a prop list, we need to arrange a date and time when the whole group is available to go out and find the items we need, however some of the things we need to have before we start filming need to be made, so we need to organise who is going to make which props and be able to rely on them to have them ready before we start filming.

When we have got all the props for the set up of the next two scenes, we can start putting the set together and experimenting with where we want decorations and the dolls to be placed, working out the best camera angles for the scene etc.

To make sure we get a realistic feel in the set, we are going to research into the exterior and interior of nightclubs so that we have some insight into what needs to be included to make it clear to or audience where the video is taking place.