Reflection

 1. How does your product use or challenge conventions AND how does it represent social groups or issues?

Conventions are used in our product as we tap into some recurring themes in the music video. To meet the "typical" Christmas music video that one could see in western media, snow has been added to the establishing shot. In an effort to tie the music video into a theme, our editor also employed the same color palette as the majority of Christmas music videos. The video is filled with bright and vibrant reds and greens. As the actor, I made sure to use angles and actions in the music video that are really playful and almost childlike. Our music video challenges conventions because it doesn't have background characters singing and dancing as a high-end, high-budget Christmas music video would. We also portray a man as the main actor which also is not common in a Christmas music video as it challenges gender roles that come with being a male.

2. How does your product engage with audiences AND how would it be distributed as a real media text?

Our video engages with audiences through uses of angles and movements with the camera work that our film maker performed. As the actor I wanted be as visual as possible in the video and be interactive. This came in forms of me pointing at objects such as Christmas trees and stockings in the video while the same objects are brought up in the lyrics. Throughout the entirety of the video I made it a point to be looking at the camera lens whenever I was singing too. Another trick I used in the video was pointing at the camera when Mariah Carey said "all I want for Christmas is you" this is to give the audience the feeling that I am talking to the them specifically. The last thing our group did to engage with the audience was a job for the editor, Elton. While editing he made sure to show the more fast-paced and active shots at the same time fast-paced music was playing in the song. This, will create the notion that the video is exciting, therefore making it enjoyable. Our product would be distributed as a real world media test in the form of a video able to be bought or to be streamed on YouTube.

3. How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

My production skills developed throughout the project. I gave good directions to fit the theme of our music video and the product reflects both me and my groups challenging work. I feel I've have gotten better with picking angles to film from to fit the lyrics of the music video. Another thing I believe I have gotten better at is being comfortable on camera while filming. Our filming location was well thought out as I knew galleria mall would have tons of cool filming spots for our music video. Galleria Mall was completely covered in Christmas decorations that I incorporated into the filming. At the mall Elton and I even bought a costume for me to where while acting, I felt the costume was a good fit for a last-minute resource and ultimately made the video feel like a Christmas music video.

4. How did you integrate technologies - software, hardware and online - in this

project?

I intergraded technologies in the filming of the video by using an iPhone to film/recorded the entire process of making the video on my online blog. I used online resources to find out how to edit the sound in the video. Our editor also spent a lot of time editing the video. Using video software like cap cut to edit all the clips together and align the video footage with the sound to make it a music video. The editor also edited in lighting and environment to really make the music video pop. For example the snow in the establishing shot of the video. My blogs written throughout the process of filming and editing is another example of how technology was intergraded.