Creative Critical Reflection

Creative Critical Reflection

How do your products represent social groups or issues? 

My products, especially the music video for “Die With A Smile” by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga represent the emotional complexity of young people navigating relationships. The story in the music video is based on the tension between two people who care for each other but struggle to communicate. This reflects the issue of emotional suppression and miscommunication among teens and young adults, especially in environments like school where there's social pressure to act a certain way. By choosing to tell this story in a school setting, the story is grounded in a place that feels familiar and realistic. It emphasizes how these kinds of emotional struggles aren't distant or dramatic, they happen in everyday places with people who might not know how to express themselves. The characters inability to send a simple message to each other shows how even small things can feel huge when you're young and unsure of your feelings. Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga helped guide the tone of our video to be about vulnerability, but also about choosing love in the end. In this way, we wanted to represent real social dynamics between young people, especially those who may feel misunderstood or stuck between emotional tension and connection. 

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

 Everything from the album cover, the digipak, the music video, and even the Instagram page was made to feel like part of one connected universe. I used the same color palette, fonts, and visual symbols, like the vintage car and yellow background, across all platforms to make sure it was consistent. The lowercase spelling of  “discovery.” makes the album feel more relaxed, while the use of the vintage car on the cover gives the album a nostalgic vibe. Even though the band is completely original, we take listeners on a personal journey like a drive through memories or emotional experiences. The car appears in different colors throughout the design to represent the different moods or stories in each track. On Instagram, I made sure the posts flowed together visually. For example, the tracklist reveal, the car art, and the teaser for the album are all visually linked, making the profile feel more like a gallery or brand page than just a random feed. Even the story highlights (DISCOVERY, TOUR, ABOUT US) are meant to build a world around the band and project. All of this branding helps the audience recognize the band’s style, tone, and story before they even listen to a song or watch the video. It also shows that the band is serious about its image and how it communicates with fans. 

How do your products engage with the audience? 

My music video connects emotionally with the audience, especially young adults who may be going through similar situations. The music video story is really simple, but it's powerful because it shows two people who care about each other but can't seem to say it. I think a lot of people can relate to that, especially in high school, where there's a lot of pressure to act cool or not show feelings. By placing the story in a school setting, it instantly becomes more relatable. Most young adults or teenagers spend the majority of their time in school, and emotions like confusion, longing, or frustration are intensified there. I also chose to shoot the video at our actual school, which makes it feel real and grounded, not like a Hollywood-style elaborate production. On social media, I engage the audience by teasing the album and creating a sense of anticipation. For example, one of the Instagram posts says DISCOVERY TRACKLIST COMING SOON, and then the next post reveals it. I used visual storytelling to draw people in, like artists such as Tyler, the Creator or Billie Eilish, who build anticipation through visuals. By keeping the captions short and using familiar language, I made it feel more like a conversation and less like a brand talking at people. This helps followers feel like they are part of the process and more likely to stay engaged. 

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

Research played a big role in shaping my decisions I made for making my products. I looked at the music video for "Best Interest" by Tyler the Creator, and his album cover for the album "Igor". This inspired me to use a minimalist design for the digipak and social media posts clean layout, bold colors, and a few recurring symbols like the car. This kind of design makes it easier for fans to remember your style and associate it with the music of an artist. When it came to the music video, I also looked at how Tyler uses a simple narrative to build an emotional impact in "Best Interest". Instead of big-budget effects or elaborate choreography, his video focuses on feeling and connection. That's why I chose to keep the story small and intimate, just two characters and their emotional journey. It follows the convention of emotional realism, but it also challenges the idea that a video needs to be flashy to be memorable. Finally, the choice to represent emotional tension and communication struggles, especially through male vulnerability, subverts common stereotypes. Typically, male characters in media are portrayed as either overly confident, emotionally detached, or even stoic when it comes to expressing their feelings. These portrayals often reinforce the idea that men are supposed to have everything figured out or that vulnerability isn't part of masculinity. However, in the music video, the male character, played by me, breaks away from that stereotype. He struggles to express how he feels about the female character, showing hesitation, uncertainty, and emotional vulnerability. This portrayal highlights that men, too, can experience emotional conflict and have difficulty expressing love or affection. It makes the character feel more human and relatable, offering a more honest view of male emotion.