Evaluation Task 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Keith Negus, a theorist on Star Image, proposed a list of conventions of how a music video should be. Following this list helped me create the ideal music video, and one that is sure to match genre and target audience conventions as well. Here are Negus' generic conventions of a music video:

• Clear promotion of the desired artist's "image"
• Appearance of the artist in the video
• Large variety of shot types
• One key theme followed that provides the structure, other smaller themes reoccurring
• Occasionally a narrative structure 
• Performance 
• Not always realistic 
• Shots cut to the beat of the track
• Special effects sometimes used (often lighting)
• Specific and carefully planned mise-en-scene
• High impact to compete for airplay

These are seen throughout many music videos. One example is Britney Spears's 'Baby One More Time' that features these elements frequently. 

This shows the close-up shots used in the video of the artist to sell her star image. These are mainly featured in the chorus which is the main part of the song that audiences usually remember and therefore they will associated the chorus with the artist. Furthermore, the audience will remember the artist. 

This highlights the element of lip sync in this video. The singing has been previously recorded and the then matched to the lip movements of the artist later in the editing process. This gives the appearance of a live performance and, in the case of this video, also enables the artist to perform a live dance number. 

There is almost always an element of performance in music videos. In this case it is a live dance routine performed by the solo artist along with extras and back-up dancers. This is to add something extra to the music video which attracts people to spend time to watch and acknowledge it and the artist.  

Lastly, there is usually a narrative in a music video. In this case, Britney Spears's music video is about her imagining life outside the classroom and the sense of freedom that comes with it. It follows the sequence of her sitting in the classroom daydreaming to then being let out outside the classroom and then finally her back in the classroom in the same position as the start of the video where it is then revealed that the whole situation is a dream.