Critical Reflection

 This blog contains my CR essay for this component 3 project 

        For component 3, we decided to choose the music promotion package. As a result we created a music video, a digipak of the artist’s album and an official social media page for the artist. My group and I used the song “pov” by Ariana Grande which is a part of the R&B genre that was released in the Position (Deluxe) album in March 2021. We created a teen R&B artist persona who is warm, friendly, independent and bold. Our target audience is aged 16 to 25, with a dominant reading that love can be expressed through vulnerability and connection which is shown from relationships. This essay reflects how my team used genre conventions, representations and technical elements to build a consistent brand identity, as well as how we engaged with our audience.

Branding is important because it allows the audience to easily recognise our artist and creates a long-lasting impression. According to Stuart Hall’s theory, information is not passively consumed. Now, producers encode the message that they want to create while the audience decodes the message. For our artist, we encoded her persona as creative, passionate, and emotionally expressive through both visuals and language. Our artist’s visuals follow her theme that focuses on vintage aesthetic, which is applied on all products by colour grading. On our social media page, we used a brown and beige colour palette that conforms with the aesthetic we wanted to create. The digipak also uses the same colours but with additional orange streaks that connotes warmth and comfort and also evoke nostalgia. We used a digicam to create a vintage, old camera effect. Across all of the products, we used both cursive and handwritten fonts. The cursive lettering shows femininity and emotional expressiveness while handwritten fonts show our artist’s creativity and passion for art, which reinforces our artist’s persona. We further emphasize this by adding hand-drawn animation to emphasize the mood and help the audience follow the narrative (Fig 1). The repetition of these visuals across all products creates a recognisable brand identity.

Fig 1 (1.1 Music video with hand writing, 1.2 Social media with hand writing, 1.3 Digipak with handwriting and colour palette)

Genre conventions play a significant role in creating meaning and engaging audiences. According to Steve Neal, genre conventions have changed due to producers both conforming to and subvert established conventions. We researched the typical conventions of the R&B genre. From our research, we subverted several of these in our music video. This decision was influenced by our research into the original artist of the song, who is not an R&B artist. The song itself is not purely R&B but rather a mix with pop. This influenced our decision to create a music video that conforms to conventions of both genres. From this, we conformed to traditional R&B conventions, which includes warm tones that create intimacy and nostalgia, close-up shots to emphasise the artist’s emotions, low-key lighting, and narratives centred around love and heartbreak. These conventions are seen in multiple music videos. (Kendrick Lamar - Luther [2025], Victoria Monét's - On My Mama [2023]). In our music video, we conformed to the use of close up shots, filmed through a digital camera. This enhances the nostalgic atmosphere of the narrative (Fig 2). We also followed the R&B convention of love narratives but we subverted the typical lighting by using brighter lighting (Fig 3) reflecting Pop genre convention. However, towards the end of the music video, we conformed to the dark lighting of R&B genre conventions, which we used to show the shift in the narrative’s emotional tone to focus on vulnerability (Fig 4). Our research into the original artist helped in the development of our music video introduction. R&B music video introductions are simple and focus on visuals to help set the mood, instead of brand identity. However, for Pop music videos, they introduce the artist’s, and record company’s/producer’s brand identity. As our music video aims to blend both Pop and R&B, we subverted the typical R&B convention by including an introduction of our artist’s brand (Fig 5.1). This was done to present our artist as professional and create a recognisable brand identity that audiences can identify in future products as her career grows.

Fig 2 - Bright lighting used in music video

Fig 3 - Bright lighting use to subvert R&B genre conventions

Fig 4 - Dark lighting to conformed R&B genre conventions

Fig 5 - Producer company (Fig 5.1 brand shown in music video, Fig 5.2 brand added in digipak)

As for digipak, our research into R&B album covers both older and contemporary album covers. (Bird’s Eye - Ravyn Lenae [2024], Secrets – Toni Braxton [1996]). Through this research, it influenced the choice of colour palette and visuals to understand how different eras communicate their emotion. From our research, we conform to the older R&B following their colours while also combining with the new R&B cover. In our digipak as well we added the same brand inside the album cover to be recognisable and show that they are from the same company (Fig 5.2). We conformed to new R&B digipak covers as they use close up portraits of the artist (Fig 1.3), this allows to create a connection for the audience, which as well this allows to reflect our artist persona being independent. While the inside shows both our artist and our actor which subvert the R&B conventions as well as adding a phone number that allows the audience to engage with our artist. This is done to show her persona being approachable as she is friendly (Fig 6).

FIg 6 - Digipak inside, shows artist and actor together

As technology evolves, new media platforms allow artists to communicate with audiences in more interactive and engaging ways. According to Clay Shirky’s theory, new media enables audiences to engage with content and collaborate instead of passively consuming the content. Our target audience are people aged 16 to 25 who enjoy relationship-based narratives. As our music video is set in Bali, it specifically appeals to the Indonesian audience. Psychographically, our target audience are creative individuals and viewers who enjoy vintage styles, analog aesthetic and nostalgia. In order to represent and interact with our target audience, we showed our artist’s engagement through several social media platforms, such as Instagram, Youtube, and Linktree. In addition to social media, our artists also use digipak as another way to maintain audience interest. This links to the uses and gratification theory of social relationships, about how audiences engage with artists and other fans on the platform. In order to do this, we presented our artists in a natural and authentic way by showing behind-the-scenes videos and photographs taken during the shoot, which were posted on both Instagram and Youtube (Fig 7) By doing this, audiences are able to see the artist’s everyday behaviour, increasing relatability and creating a closer connection with her. On our social media platforms, we use hashtags that follow social media algorithms to help boost our artist and expand our artist’s fanbase. Henry Jenkin’s fandom theory explains how audiences form communities and interact with others who share similar interests, in this case, the artist. This is shown through the comment section, where audiences are able to reply and interact with one another, (Fig 8) as well as share their reactions.

Fig 7 - Behind the scenes (Fig 7.1 shows behind the scene promoted on Instagram, Fig 7.2 shows behind the scene uploaded on Youtube)

Fig 8 - Artist engaging with audience (Fig 8.1 shows artist commenting with audience, Fig 8.2 shows audiences interacting with each other, Fig 8.3 shows our artists engaging through the captions asking audiences, which encourage audience to reply)

Throughout this project, we focused on representing romantic relationships as emotionally vulnerable. Stuart Hall’s Representation theory explains how representation is used to create meaning through visuals and language. We show this in the music video, through a scene in which our artist watches herself sing through an old television screen (Fig 9). This represents her persona as emotionally vulnerable. The way she watches herself reflects her romantic relationship, while the nostalgic visuals of the old television screen reinforces the idea that she is revisiting past emotional experiences. Barthes Narrative Code theory, specifically cultural code, explains that media uses shared cultural knowledge to allow audiences to understand immediately what it is trying to represent. We use cultural codes to represent our audiences who are Indonesians, we use stereotypes  of Indonesians such as Indomie and using motorcycles (Fig 10). This represents their everyday lives which can increase the sense of relatability of audience and artists, as well as it is used to increase authenticity and cultural recognition for Indonesian audiences. We represent audiences of our age group being teenagers and young adults through mise-en-scene of the messy bedroom scene. By showing unorganised space in the background as well as other personal items this allows the setting to reflect a teenager's life (Fig 10.2). This strengthens our dominant reading being teenage relationships are imperfect and emotions are complex.

Fig 9 - Our artist watching herself on an old television

Fig 10 - Indonesian representation (Fig 10.1 motorcycle to show stereotype of Indonesians, Fig 10.2 shows Indomie and teenager lifestyle)

        To conclude, the products we created are focused strongly on nostalgia and passion. These are used to attract our young target audience, who may relate and have their own passion and encourage them to pursue their dreams. By following genre conventions and our target audience, we were able to deliver messages that we want the audience to decode effectively, as it is represented across all our products consistently. If I were able to change anything, I would try to improve communication during the production process because towards the end, it became difficult to clearly define our artist’s persona, as our intended persona was not fully represented in all our products. This affected how clearly our audience recognises our artist’s identity.

Media Language in my Music Video

This blog contains the media language in my Music Video component 3 Project, this was done by myself (Tisha)

Media Language Music Video by Jyotisha

Reflection: Creating this media language allowed me to emphasize on the music video message that was implicit for audience to see. I enjoyed creating the media language as I was able to express my creativeness through this while giving an explanation on why I edited the music video and direct the music video to be like that. Even though this project was to create meaning, I procrastinated doing this project as I was trying to add more on other blogs instead. Which in creating this blog I had to rush to meet the deadline. 

Overall, this media language help me express my creativity but in the future I would try to create this media language with more prepared notes and not do it close to deadline. 

Communication & Organizations

This blog post shows the communication and organisation process of our group’s project (Component 3) This blog post was made by Kimora

During the pre-production and production process of our music video project, we required a significant amount of planning, communication and organisation to ensure the filming and post-production process ran smoothly. Below I (Kimora) will discuss the methods of communication and organisation we used as a team and evaluate how they helped us during the whole project.  

• WhatsApp

We used WhatsApp as our main method of communication throughout the whole project and it played a crucial role in ensuring the project ran smoothly, without it, it would have been difficult to manage many other parts of the project. Below shows the different ways WhatsApp was used during our music video project along with evidence.

Firstly, WhatsApp was a key tool for brainstorming and sharing ideas during the production process. Through our groupchat, we shared our ideas, suggested improvements and built on each other’s ideas, which helped build a developed vision for our music video. We often used polls to gather opinions efficiently and make decisions as a group.

WhatsApp was also used to share important files and resources we needed during the production process, such as links to documents, Google Drive folders and PDFs. This allowed all of us to have access to the materials such as the storyboard, classwork or photo and video folders. Adding these links and files into the group also reduced the chances of us losing them as everyone has access to the same materials in one place, making it easier to stay organised and refer back to any important information when needed. 

 

Lastly, WhatsApp was used to coordinate the filming process such as by organising locations, dates and times. This helped us ensure that all members were informed and are available to film during that time. This helped filming become more efficient and reduce confusions or misunderstandings during the filming day. It also allowed for quick communication of any last minute changes. As a result, it helped us made the filming process structured and run smoothly.

From our experience of using WhatsApp as our main method of communication, there were several advantages and disadvantages: 

Advantages	Disadvantages
Allowed quick and instant communication between all group members	Messages could be missed or ignored if not checked regularly
Made it easy to organise filming	Miscommunication could happen
Helped keep everything in one place, reducing the risks of losing materials

Overall, WhatsApp played a crucial role in communication and organisation throughout our project. It allowed ideas to be shared, filming to be planned efficiently, and important files to be easily accessed, making the overall process more structured and collaborative. While there were some minor limitations, such as delayed responses or overlooked messages, the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.

• Google Docs

Google Docs was used as a key tool for writing and organising blog posts, such as the statement of intent, filming schedule and research blog posts. Through Google Docs, we were able to collaborate as all group members could access and edit the document at the same time, making the process more efficient. This allowed us to share and improve our ideas together and work could be completed quicker.

During the post-production process, we had to work on a few extra blog posts, therefore we created a shared document compiling these extra blog posts. The document included different tabs consisting of the different tasks we had to make. This made it easier for all of us to access each file. This helped keep our work organised and reduced confusion.

From our experience of using Google Docs, there were several advantages and disadvantages: 

Advantages	Disadvantages
Allowed real time collaboration between group members	Requires internet connection
Allowed sharing of ideas and feedback easily	Changes could be made without others noticing immediately
Helped keep work organised in one place

• Google Drive

Google Drive was used to compile all the photos and videos taken during the filming process, which would later be used for the music video as well as the Instagram page and the Digipak. All members had access to the folder, allowing us to be able to view and upload photos and videos taken from each device. The folder is sectioned based on the different locations we filmed in, which made it easier to find specific photos or videos when needed. This helped save time and reduce confusion, as all the files organised and sorted out.

From our experience of using Google Docs, there were several advantages and disadvantages: 

Advantages	Disadvantages
Easy access for all group members	Uploading large files could take time
Allowed all photos and video to be stored in one place	Files could be accidentally deleted or misplaced
Made it easier to organise files by location

• Pinterest

We also used Pinterest, which is a platform used to collect and organise visual ideas, to create a shared board where we collected photo inspirations for our music video and moodboard. This shared board allowed all group members to access the board individually and add ideas to the board. This made it easier to visualise the overall aesthetic of the music video and ensure that we all are on the same page and have the same idea. As a result, it helped us keep the vibe consistent as we can always look back at our Pinterest inspiration board.

We organised the board into four sections; scenes, locations and fashion for both the male and female actors, while also including a general section below it to represent the overall vibe and mood of the music video. We created sections to organise our ideas clearly and make it easier for us to find specific inspirations when needed.

From our experience of using Pinterest, there were several advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages	Disadvantages
Helped visualise the overall aesthetic of the music video	Too many ideas could make decision making harder
Collaboration made it easier as everyone could add their own ideas	Risk of copying ideas instead of being original
Sections helped organise ideas clearly

• Notes App

We also used the Notes app to brainstorm and organise ideas. It was used to create to-do lists or checklists, which helped us keep track of the tasks that were needed to be completed throughout the production process. Other than that, it was useful for planning our Instagram content, such as brainstorming post ideas and layouts. Overall, this helped us stay organised and ensured that nothing was forgotten, making the overall production process more efficient.

From our experience of using the Notes app, there were several advantages and disadvantages: 

Advantages	Disadvantages
Accessible anytime on our personal device	Is not the most efficient for collaboration as we cannot edit at the same time as others
Easy and quick for brainstorming ideas	Limited features compared to other apps
Helpful for creating to-do lists and checklists

• Instagram 

I (Kimora) also used the saved feature on Instagram to collect inspiration from existing artists’ posts. I saved relevant posts into a folder to help develop ideas for our artist’s Instagram feed. I then further organised these into a more structured mock-up by creating another saved folder, which made it easier to visualise how our own Instagram page would look like. This helped us develop a clearer and more consistent style and it ensured that our artist’s branding was well planned and suitable for their target audience.

From my (Kimora) experience of using the Instagram Saved feature, there were several advantages and disadvantages: 

Advantages	Disadvantages
Easy to save and collect inspiration from real existing artists	Some artists have taken down their posts leading to some saved posts disappearing in the saved folder
Allows visual planning of Instagram content
Helps develop the artist’s image / branding ideas

• Physical Organisation

Lastly, we used physical organisation methods such as paper-based brainstorming, which was usually done in class. This allowed us to quickly write down ideas or initial plans for our music video. This helped us develop our concepts more clearly and contributed to the early planning stages of the production process.

From our experience of using the Physical organisation, there were several advantages and disadvantages: 

Advantages	Disadvantages
Quick and easy way to brainstorm ideas	Can be easily lost or damaged
	Can become messy or unorganised

Reflection: I found that strong communication and effective organisation were critical in ensuring that our production ran smoothly and efficiently. Through clear communication using WhatsApp, we were able to coordinate effectively as a team. We used it to share updates and ensure that decisions were made collaboratively with everyone’s input. As a result, we were able to complete all scenes on time.

Additionally, we organised our photos and videos in a shared Google Drive, which allowed us to manage multiple scenes simultaneously. This made it easier to locate specific clips and significantly improved the efficiency of the editing process.

To organise our footage more effectively, I purchased a clapperboard. This method allowed me to quickly identify the correct clips without having to review every piece of footage, making the editing process more efficient and less time-consuming. However, I bought it late and it only arrived towards the end of the shoot, limiting its use. Furthermore, I was unsure whether it could be written on, so we attempted to use a whiteboard marker, which did not work as expected. Hence, we had to improvise by using hand signals to indicate which take it was. This made me realise the importance of preparing and testing equipment in advance to avoid disruptions during production which can greatly reduce our time.

 Even though Kimora was responsible for creating the blog, I actively participated in group discussions and listed all our ideas on paper. This helped to organise our ideas more clearly, making communication more effective and ensuring that team discussions were more structured and easier for everyone to understand. This ensured that everyone had a shared understanding of the footage and how it would be used, which improved our overall teamwork. 

Through this experience, I learned that working together as a team and brainstorming ideas were important, but being able to organise those ideas was equally essential in developing the overall concept of the project.