Critical Reflection

• How do your products engage with the audience?

• How did your research inform your products and the way they use or challenge conventions?

• How do your products represent social groups or issues?

• How do the elements of your production work together to create a sense of ‘branding’?

The products I have created, the music video, the digipak and the social media page are destined for a particular target audience, the teenagers that listen to this kind of music and are based in Europe.

The music video was designed to be flashy. Having aggressive transitions, a rapid beat and eye catching visuals. In the short space of just over a minute and a half the video also incorporates a story, harder to see at first glance, of a 'drug deal'. All these elements have been done on purpose to make the video very engaging with the audience and to respect conventions that I found through my research

The social media page was created to appeal to a young audience. Combining both well established conventions, such as having a bio, posts teasing a product or the brand new feature of Instagram, having a song on the profile, as well as a decent amount of personal touch, it sits at the centre of the products created. The page features several posts, as well as a highlights section, an aspect that isn't found on many pages of popular rap singers that have huge numbers of followers, but that is very popular among the target audience I want to appeal to.

The digipak features a bold, golden, logo and a pair of trendy sneakers, worn by teenagers who listen to this kind of music and come from a upper middle class, these sneakers are seen predominantly in Europe, from UK to Italy, Germany and even Romania. When creating it I had one goal in mind, thinking about teenagers scrolling through a vast library of album covers and settling on the most eye-catching one.

My research into Pashanim's music videos, and his social media page helped me understand many of the conventions present in his work. His videos often have recurring motifs, such as the urban settings always present, the emphasis on fashion, the recurring actors, who are his real life friends, the non-performance based videos, that focus more on the image than the artist directly. Some of his videos, especially his firsts, had minimal editing, only containing simple cuts and slow motion, not special effects that are so often used in rap videos nowadays.

The social media page differs greatly from a mainstream's rap singer's one. He didn't create his page to advertise his upcoming concerts or albums and post only carefully selected, edited photos that don't reflect reality. In fact he has the same page from before becoming famous, there still are some posts of his when he was just a normal teenager. Another important aspect of his social media page are the highlights, these are full of 'random' stories, that cover everything from food to sneakers and to cars.

His music has a distinct style, that is very unique. He has tracks that are radically different from one another, from trap to techno. But the message stays the same in all, be close to your friends and enjoy life to its fullest.

My products use many of these conventions, but also challenge some. Firstly my music video follows to a great extent the conventions, such as urban settings, emphasis on fashion. The video also challenges some. I wanted to lip sync a great deal of the song and I've used video transitions quite often. For the social media page I followed Pashanim's example by creating story highlights that are very varied in content. I also have some posts that don't relate to the products I've created, and are there as lifestyle posts. There are also some challenging of conventions present. I uploaded a full music video reel, a sort of a sneak peek for my followers to see what I was working on. There is also a post that teases the upcoming music video, by having a photo of the actors between two big logos.

My music video represents young people living in an urban environment. Inspired by artists like Pashanim, I aimed to show the sense of community that comes from growing up in the city. The two characters present in my music video get along very well. The characters are shown hanging out, exchanging money, taking photos, shadow-boxing and doing pull ups, emphasizing freedom, lust for an active life and avoiding a boring lifestyle. This challenges negative stereotypes of youth as static or apathetic, and instead shows them as active and socially connected. I also touched on the issue of gentrification, subtly showing how the city around them is changing, and how that impacts their space and culture. One of the locations was in a sketchy place, in the back of some blocks and full of graffiti, then another location is shown, a white house entrance, signifying purity and a higher social class. By presenting both locations I aimed to show that youth don't really care where they are as long as they are close to their friends.

I made sure the branding was consistent across all three products. The music video, digipak, and website all use the same color scheme, and the 'Shababs' logo is present in all three of them. Urban location imagery can be seen both in the music video as well as the social media page. The actors are styled similarly in all images, and recurring symbols like the Air Max Plus sneakers, shoulder bags or graffiti help create a recognizable identity. This kind of synergy helps reinforce the brand and make the products more memorable to the audience.

The digipak features a collage of a pair of sneakers that are also seen in the music video as well as the social media page. The golden 'Shababs' logo was used heavily, especially on the social media page, the product with the most powerful influence on the audience. The logo can be seen on the profile picture ad on a post.

The entire process of planning, shooting and creating this project was an eventful journey.

There have been some setbacks but I've managed to overcome them all and push forward every time. Right from the start I knew that i would do a music video by Pashanim. I listen to him a lot, and I love his style, whether it's his music videos or Instagram. Looking back I can see how much my knowledge of the music industry conventions has grown, I started the project without knowing much about it at all. The constant posting on this blog, the preliminary project, the minor tasks and finally the major task, the music video have helped me to become more media literate.