How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Evaluation Question 2

Why is it important for all three products to be successful together?All of my media products including my music video, my magazine advertisement and my digipack need to be cohesive in terms of visual aspects and following conventions. This is so that each product individually will fulfil their purpose such as a music video needs to be able to entertain the audience and make the audience want to hear more from the audience and purchase their music. A magazine advertisement is used fully for persuasion, as it is an advert it is aiming to persuade the target audience to purchase in this case, an album by the featured artist. Finally, the digipack is created to attract the target audience, this needs to be visually appealing and stand out to the audience yet be clear through conventions as to who the artist is to ensure promotion of the artist. All three products need to work well together to ensure that the artist and album is promoted powerfully, there needs to be a prominent theme between each product so that the target audience will be able to identify that they are all linked together through continuity of the product or theme. My aims were to guarantee that all of my media products were identifiable as belonging to the indie rock genre whilst following conventions to make certain that my target audience would consume the products as intended.

Digipack

Front Cover for DigipackThe artist is displayed on the front cover of the digipack. This follows conventions as it ensures that the target audience are aware that this is the artist.

The photograph was taken in the same location as the most prominent location in my music video. This creates continuity between both products as they relate to each other, reinforcing their ideologies.

The font is a slightly distressed, bold font which has alternative genre connotations .

AnalysisThe front cover of my digipack is the first part of the digipack that the audience will see, therefore it is extremely important that it will appeal to my target audience. I followed genre conventions by using a sepia style luminosity effect which has connotations of vintage and alternative genre. To reinforce this, I added a noise effect which emphasised the indie genre as this is a common genre convention as it makes the image appear old and worn which will appeal to my target audience. Furthermore, the text font I used had a distressed type style which I felt would help support the indie rock genre in my product. I followed some formal conventions however I broke the formal convention of displaying the artist’s name on the front cover. I chose not to do this because I did not want the text to overpower the image and I also liked the minimalistic look which foregrounded the image of the artist. To ensure that this was the correct choice, I created a 4th draft using this feature by displaying the artist’s positioned at the top of my front cover. Despite this, my audience feedback alarmed me that the preferred version was the previous, without the artist’s name. Although I may have broken this convention, I featured an image of the artist on the front cover which follows conventions as this promotes the artist and also reveals to the audience who the artist is which is helpful for me as I have not stated the name of the artist. Finally, I took this image in a location I used throughout my music video, this reinforces the continuity between both products as my target audience would be able to recognise the similar setting between my digipack and music video.

Back Cover for DigipackImage of artist used on the back cover to ensure contiuity

Conventional use of barcode to follow conventions of a real media products

Compact Disc icon and own record label logo to reinforce realism

Album tracklist

Analysis

I used the exact same effects as I did for my front cover to ensure that their was a continuous theme running through the digipack. I followed conventions when creating my back cover as I wanted it to look like existing media products. This included displaying the track list of the album in a column structure so that it is clear to the audience to read as well as appeal to them as they will expect to be able to see what songs are featured on the album. I also followed conventions by using a barcode on the back cover placed in the conventional bottom right corner as this does not cover any important parts of the main image. I also pasted my own original record label alongside the bar code as this made my product realistic and professional. Furthermore, I also added the Compact Disk Digital Audio logo as when I conducted my research into existing digipacks, this icon was frequently displayed on the back cover.

Discs and Side for Digipack

Artist featured on first disc

Abstract images of trees on second disc

Landscape image used for side

AnalysisFor the inside of my digipack I decided to use a black and white effect as this is a genre convention very similar to the sepia effect used on my front and back cover. I used this effect as it fits in with my magazine poster which also uses a black and white effect which means that there is a cohesive link between both products. I also felt that the effect helped the product look vintage which will appeal to my target audience. I conventionally used an image of the artist for the first disk as this reinforced the presence of the artist as well as the promotion, I made the background black and white whilst keeping the artist in colour which made the artist the focal point of the image. I also did this to add some creativity to my digipack as I did not want it to appear simple based on the minimalistic front cover. The second disk is another photograph I took, it is an abstract image of some trees and branches against the sky, I though the pattern it created was quite interesting and the abstract effect fits in with genre conventions of indie rock. Finally, the side picture was taken in the same location which helps maintain the continuity throughout all media products as this location has been used in my music video, my magazine advertisement and my digipack.

Full Digipack AnalysisIn conclusion, my digipack displays a clear, prominent alternative theme throughout which is conveyed through the images and editing which I thought carefully about. I follow most formal conventions of digipacks and album covers through the range of features I included such as a record label icon, barcode and album track list. However, I also challenged some conventions for example my front cover does not display the artist’s name, only the album name. Despite this, I believe that as a digipack it looks very realistic and would appeal to my target audience.

Magazine Poster Advertisement

Features of Magazine PosterExisting indie rock magazine reviews

Image of the artist for main image

Cover line of the artist’s name

Conventional information and music shopping logos of existing brands and website

Featured image if digipack cover

Main imageI conventionally used a photograph of the artist as the main image because this will draw the audience’s attention to the advertisement and because the purpose of it is to promote the artist and album. The image can be matched with my digipack as the front cover of the digipack is very similar, however it is not the same image. This is important as for all of my products to be successful, there needs to a cohesive link between each product so they can be identified as all belonging to the same artist. I used a black and white effect to convey the genre conventions of indie rock I discovered as well as a noise effect to create a film-like effect which I used in my music video. The photograph was taken in a park which was featured in my music video and digipack which also helps emphasise the continuity throughout each product.

Magazine ReviewsI included a four and a five star rating of the album from two existing indie rock magazines, Mojo and NME. This is a formal convention as positive ratings are displayed on advertisements to help persuade audiences to purchase the product, in this case being the album. The ratings are also very good for the promotional aspect as they help the artist appeal to it’s target audience as they may be impressed by the ratings. The reason why I chose to include Mojo and NME Magazine is because these are two very popular music magazines that include lots of indie rock and alternative music therefore my target audience will recognise these labels and hopefully be impressed.

HeadlineThe headline for the magazine poster is conventionally the artist’s name in a very large and bold font. This instantly draws the audiences attention because of the size of the headline and also the contrasting font style. It is important for an advertisement to promote the artist well, ensuring that the audience are aware of who the advert is and making sure that the advert is memorable which is why I decided to make the headline extremely bold against the image. The font used for this is also the same font used for the digipack on the front cover and spine which is an example of the continuity from my digipack followed through to my magazine poster advertisement. This will be useful for people who have seen the digipack, they will recognise the font when seeing the advert which may remind them of the main media product.

Cover lines, logos and image of digipack front cover

To ensure that my magazine poster advert looked realistic, I used conventional cover lines so it read as if it were a real advertisement. This included one of the most frequently used lines ‘OUT NOW’ which refers to the digipack. The effect of this is it has connotations of urgency as if the audience need to buy the digipack, also the font reflects the genre convention as it is looks quite eroded and distressed which will reveal to the audience the artist is alternative and indie. Next, more lines which I found were used in lots of magazine advertisements for albums was the second cover line ‘Includes hit single’ which appeals to the audience as they will be interested to know what the single is, followed by the name of the song ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’. This is conventional as it is not only promoting the album, but in particular the single relating to the music video I created for it. The font for the line ‘Includes hit single’ visually reflects an alternative genre due to the range of letter sizes as some are very small and some big, it reminded me of an anonymous hostage letter which conveys the alternative side of the poster.

The font used for the single is the same used for the headline and digipack which I did to ensure that I didn’t use too many different fonts as I had already use three which worked well as they all complemented each other and look similar but too many types could complicate the theme of the advert and formal conventions. Moreover, I decided to include two popular music shopping brand logos to continue using formal conventions. This is because the famous brand logos will help promote buying the song as it reveals they are selling it. The ‘hmv’ and iTunes logo are conventional as it lets the audience know where they are able to purchase the song. Next, I decided to add a website for the artist as this additionally helps promote who the artist is and where to find out more about their music, as I found that many magazine adverts used this feature. Finally, I also added an image of my digipack front cover as the advert is advertising this product which therefore should be including in the poster. Furthermore, this instantly relates both my digipack and my poster advert to the same artist, which makes the combination of both my ancillary texts very strong.

Music Video

ArtistThe artist (Freddy Josh) is featured throughout the music video as he the male lead role. I have broken formal conventions as usually the artist will be the protagonist in the music video however, bands such as Arctic Monkeys use this method in videos such as ‘When The Sun Goes Down’ where they appear in the video but do not have a lead role. However, I felt that it was necessary for the artist to be featured in all three products because otherwise they would not all work well as products promoting the artist. Also, I needed a male lead as part of my narrative which was a way I could incorporate Freddy Josh into the music video. As the artist is quite a prominent feature in my music video, the audience will be able to recognise him across all three products which is important for the promotion of the artist.

LocationIn my music video, the main location is a park which is used for both the past and the present scenes. I felt that this would be an effective location to use when taking the photographs for my ancillary texts as they will immediately relate to my music video. As it is the main location in my music video, the narrative is reinforced through all of the ancillary texts as the audience will recognise the location in my digipack and magazine poster advertisement.

Film and Black & White Effect

I have edited my music video to use a film sepia effect and a black and white effect throughout my music video. Both of these effects are used in both of my ancillary texts which emphasises the cohesive theme across all products. In my music video, I use a black and white effect to convey the present, unhappy scene whereas the film effect is used to portray the happy memories from the past. Next, in my digipack, I used the sepia grain effect for the front and back cover to follow genre conventions as well as a black and white effect for the two discs and one side of the inside of the digipack. The main image for my magazine advertisement also is black and white and has a noise effect added onto it to make it look vintage. This reinforces the genre conventions of indie rock which are portrayed across all three products and additionally creates a theme which my artist should be related to.

Audience FeedbackThis is the audience feedback I got concerning whether my ancillary texts worked well with my music video. All of the feedback was positive and supports what my aim was across all three products.

Summary Overall, to ensure all of my media products are successful in terms of promoting the artist, I believe I have been successful. I have created a black and white and film theme throughout all of my media products as well as following conventions so that my target audience will be able to consume the mediums as expected. Despite the artist not being the protagonist in my music video, it is obvious to the audience through all of my media products that the artist is the main focus as I have featured Freddy Josh over all three products. Additionally, I have followed conventions to ensure that they will persuade my target audience to want to buy the digipack through the formal conventions I have used in my magazine advertisement as well as the genre conventions used to hopefully impress the audience in my music video. Also from audience feedback, I found that I used the best versions of each products that I possibly could for my final outcome and that all three media products clearly promoted and represented the artist in a positive way.