CCR ESSAY

 Creative critical reflection:

Candidates must write an evaluative essay of around 1000–1500 words. This critical reflection of their work should be guided by the following compulsory questions:

• How do your products represent social groups or issues?

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

• How do your products engage with the audience?

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

My music video illustrates the subject of a young teen facing the education System and the issue of dealing with stress and with deadlines, it follows an artist who struggles with her work and procrastinates. She takes headache pills, at the end of the Music video she starts working but ends up burning herself out immediately.

As we talked about or  represented youth in our music video. We representing the youth and how their issues go overlooked by most mature media, most mature media often misrepresents the problem youth faces in the education system, particularly the stress of meeting deadlines, such as reducing Academic stress to a stereotype, many films and TV shows depict School stress in exaggerated or comedic ways, such students pulling all-nighters, cramming for tests, or having nervous breakdowns played for laughs. The emotional toll of constant deadlines, competitions, and burnout is rarely explored seriously, this really makes or shows that media mostly doesn't take problems faced by youth seriously. Moreover mainstream media rarely shows how academic pressure leads to anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts, and when mental health struggles are depicted, they are often linked to  personal shortcomings rather than structural issues in the education system and therapy and mental health resources are rarely portrayed as accessible or helpful solutions.

Relating it to myself, a person like me facing problems of ADHD, Executive Dysfunction. I usually struggle with time management and deadlines, the difficulty estimating how long tasks will take, leading to procrastination and feeling  overwhelmed by assignments, and , making it hard to start them. Moreover I face the problem of impulse control and emotion regulation, as I feel extremely frustrated over minor setbacks, and my mood swings affect my productivity and self-confidence.

However the problem of ADHD is misrepresented by media, in way in youth is that many ADHD characters are shown as many slackers rather than struggling with Neuro divergence, and the assumption that they "just need to try harder,"  ignores the actual neurological difficulties. Moreover ADHD often coexists, with anxiety,  depression and self-esteem issues, but many media narratives separate them instead of acknowledging the overlap.

The elements used in our production worked together to establish a strong brand identity that aligns with both the themes of my music video and digipak, as well as my creative vision for Sahama._Productions. This is achieved through a cohesive blend of visual aesthetics, cinematography, and strategic promotional materials.

The colors which repeated the most in our music video are green, yellow, orange and blue convey a range of emotions and psychological states of the young teen struggling with stress and deadlines in our music video. The color scheme can define as, Green –  symbolize growth or pressure to succeed. It represent nature as an escape or, in a more sickly shade, stress and burnout, Yellow – associated with energy and optimism, but in excess, it can feel overwhelming, mirroring the teen’s anxiety or racing thoughts, Orange –  represented as dynamic color that can reflect both motivation and chaos. It  highlights moments of inspiration or, conversely, frustration under pressure.The contrast between warm hues like yellow and orange and cooler shades like blue and green effectively captures the teen’s shifting emotions throughout the video. Warm colors can emphasize feelings of stress, urgency, or frustration, while cool tones can evoke exhaustion, isolation, or brief moments of peace. This interplay creates a visual representation of the internal struggle between pressure and the desire for relief.  We used these colors the most so we can convey our idea and message of a teen's struggle and thoughts throughout the music video.

In the music video we captured the teen’s vibrant energy through activities like painting and jumping, symbolizing her struggle with stress and impending deadlines. The dominant use of green, yellow, orange, and blue reinforces this theme—green representing growth or pressure, yellow and orange conveying urgency and chaos, and blue reflecting exhaustion or moments of reflection. The dynamic interplay of these colors visually depicts the teen’s emotional turmoil, oscillating between creativity, anxiety, and the burden of expectations.

Moreover the liveliness in our music video is represented through the teen’s energetic actions, expressive movements, and the dynamic use of colors.This combination of movement, color, and pacing creates a visually rich portrayal of the teen’s emotional state, making their struggle feel lively rather than static or weighed down. 

The digipak is colorful yet cluttered aesthetic perfectly captures the internal conflict of a teen dealing with overwhelming pressure—balancing creativity, deadlines, and emotional burnout. The contrast we made between vivid energy and quiet exhaustion makes it an engaging and visually rich representation of this struggle. And I made the logo for our social media page using different apps such as Canva and Instagram etc, I combined all the colors which were mostly used in our music video together to convey the idea of our music video and make it unique and different using green, yellow, orange and blue together combining it also gives the color pink and red.

Our music video was, itself made to engage the audience, as it represents the youth and their struggle of dealing with anxiety, depression and difficulties in meeting the deadlines which is overlooked by most mature media these days.It really makes people engage with the idea and talk about it, as there are many young people facing the same sort of struggles in life, and no one really talks about it.

Our music video about a young teen struggling with stress and deadlines can engage the audience as we made it  experience relatable as many of the young teenagers face the same reality and is visually dynamic, and is emotionally impactful in a way that it reminds them their traumas that they faced due to education system and meeting the deadlines and having stress and depression due to it which took alot of healing time.

Our music video represents relatability & emotional connection as many people, especially students, relate to stress from school, deadlines, and personal expectations, and we showed teen's emotions—anxiety, exhaustion, frustration authentically so that the viewers will connect with the character. We illustrated strong visual storytelling through a dynamic Editing as used quick cuts, jump cuts, and the showing the character doing different activities in on frame.We represented symbolism as  there were colorful papers all around the floor, or the character using paint on her face represents her stress she's reliving. Show the difference between carefree moments and the crushing pressure of work to emphasize the emotional weight.

We did  unique cinematics as the lighting and colors were vibrant and desaturated colors for stressful moments vs warm tones for relief. Camera Movements we Handheld shaky shots during anxiety peaks and smooth shots when the character was starting to study again. We showed the resolution in a way that endings was realistic (accepting stress as part of life), uplifting (finding a way to manage it), or open-ended (letting the audience reflect).

My research played an essential role in developing my music video, Digipak and Social media promotions. I took inspiration from Cologne by Beabadoobee, as this song and Jumping Fences by The Olivia Tremor Control have very different sonic and stylistic approaches, but they share some thematic and aesthetic similarities. Both songs convey deep emotions without being overly dramatic, the Cologne through its intimate delivery, and Jumping Fences through its wistful, fleeting energy. Both the song inspires a loose, free-flowing narrative that feels personal yet slightly detached from reality. Cologne has a soft, melancholic, and somewhat surreal atmosphere, reinforced by its desaturated color scheme and intimate framing. Jumping Fences, though more upbeat and psychedelic, has a hazy, dreamy quality to it, almost like a fleeting thought or memory.

However creating a music video that portrays a young teen's struggle with the education system, stress, and deadlines requires a nuanced understanding of Gen Z's media consumption habits. This demographic, known for its brief attention spans and preference for authentic content, engages deeply with material that resonates with their experiences and values. We represented Authentic Storytelling which uses real-life scenarios and emotions to create a narrative that Gen Z can relate to, fostering a genuine connection. Moreover employed quick cuts and varied pacing to reflect the protagonist's fluctuating emotional states, maintaining viewer interest.

We can relate our music video with the 'Niches to Riches' Theory , it's the long tail theory by Chris Anderson. He says something about how targeting a bunch of niche audiences at once can over time end up creating more profit than blockbuster films. Our music video about a young teen overwhelmed by the education system and deadlines taps into a very specific emotional experience—academic pressure, burnout, and the feeling of being lost in a rigid system. This theme, while not universally experienced in the same way, speaks directly to, Students (especially Gen Z) navigating school, college applications, and expectations. Mental health advocates concerned with teen well-being. Former students who reflect back on the system critically. 

It’s niche in the sense that it doesn’t aim to entertain everyone—it resonates most with those who’ve lived through this exact emotional and psychological pressure.This niche might be small compared to, say, a general love story—but the connection with the audience will be deeper, more personal, and potentially much more impactful.