How Does Your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms and Conventions of Real Media Products?
The first media product I used as a guideline for my music video was the video for the song that I used, Dry Your Eyes by The Streets.
In the video Mike Skinner can be seen looking dejected in a number of locations, including a pub and an ice rink. We used this concept in our video, where I can be seen walking down the main road, drinking a pint in the pub, and sitting in places where flashbacks of the couple take place. By changing the locations, and including flashbacks of happy times and the in-song argument between the singer and his girlfriend, I am comfortable that we have elaborated on the concept enough to be our own. I also took inspiration from other videos where the main character is seen in various locations, such as the video for What’s Up Fatlip? By Fatlip. This video was also directed by Spike Jonze and, looking through some of his other videos, it is clear to see that this kooky, simple approach is a recurring theme.
I also feel that we have challenged the conventions of other British rap videos, which frequently contain shots of big, intimidating crews or scantily clad females in club environments. By making our video narrative-driven, we have taken a step away from the typical grime video conventions. In fact the main criticism of our video, the lack of miming, further reinforces this fact, as it’s very rare to see a video with no shots of the artist singing the lyrics. For example, compare our music video to that of grime group Boy Better Know for the song Too Many Men.
Their video is what I would describe as a typical grime music video, featuring large groups of men flashing bottles of expensive alcohol and gesticulating towards the camera. Although Dry Your Eyes is a much more downbeat song, had we done a video in the same vein in a slightly different way it may not have looked too out of place.
