Galactic Express Utopia

Carina Smith

• Codes & Conventions

• Magazine Adverts

• Include branding band name

• Images relating to the product or picture of the band

• Tag line/information about the item being promoted

• Release date of product

• House style colour scheme/theme

• Continual font

• Be unusual/individual

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

• Referred to the codes and conventions of magazine adverts

• The ways in which marketing techniques are included to promote new releases and artists

• Researched similar artists such as Sam Sparro, The Ting Tings and Calvin Harris

• Included the appropriate amount of information, such as the album title, the band/artists name and the release date

• Web address across the bottom of the advert so that the reader can have access to further information about the new act

• Colour scheme which emulated the genre of music, e.g: cartoon characters wearing bright clothes contrasting with the dark night sky background design

• Space-themed font to emphasise the albums theme

• Challenged the typical conventions by including my own illustration as the focal image

• Bold ticker-tape title

• Retro influence

• Dark background (night sky)

• 80s influence - costume

• Colours emulate the style of Andy Warhol

• I Created Disco dance genre

• Colour scheme mixed with greyscale

• Imagery in cartoon style

Advert

• Challenged typical conventions by using my own illustration

• Characters wearing bright colours/statement fashions

• Font used follows the space theme

• Bold and easy to read

• Quirky album and band names - individual

• Large font to emphasise the release date

• Incorporated space theme throughout to add continuity

• Easy to read

• Stars cover a dark background which emphasises the theme

• Doesnt detract attention from the characters who are the focal point of the advert

• Included website for further information

• Target market will be intrigued as to what to find on the website

• Codes & Conventions

• Digipaks

• Name of the band and album

• Continual theme/colour scheme

• Frequent use of the same font

• Image of band/artist or images relating to the theme

• Track list

• Artist information and/or acknowledgements

• Related website to access further information

Outside Inside

• Referred back to the research I did when producing my advert (took influences from the same similar artists)

• Continuity between the graphics on the advert and the Digipak space theme

• Cartoon style was interesting and unique

• Took inspiration from Kanye Wests Graduation instant impact on the audience, eye-catching and subverts the typical conventions of Digipak designs

Kanye West Graduation

• I felt it was important to show images of the band, so I included my own edited photographs on the inside panels

• Adapted the lighting and contrast levels

• Used colour variations to give them a cartoon style

• Always in-keeping with the space theme of the outside covers, advert and video

Original Edited

Digipak Outside Covers

• Alien links to space theme

• Website across the bottom to access more information

• Created a company logo for the record label still incorporating with the theme

• Black and white uniforms contrast with colourful outfit of the dictator

• Simple use of initials rather than bands full name

• Alien is thinking of the song titles

• Continuity of background from advert

• Included necessary conventions (band name, album name, bar code etc)

• Strobe light in background (bringing the light)

• Simple title font focus on character instead

• Taken inspiration from the 80s era

Digipak Inside Covers

• Layered photos of band members add interest

• Used a colour overlay to give a red tint

• Adjusted lighting levels

• Real-life band members juxtaposed with the cartoon images on the outside covers

• Continuity of text from advert and outside covers, in-keeping with the space theme

• Same image of the star used previously (band symbol)

• Simple image of headphones balances out the busier outside covers

• Edited using the colour overlay blue/purple tint

• Continuity of background design from outside covers and advert no clashing colours or patterns

• Codes & Conventions

• Music Videos

• Technical or symbolic (how the camera is used to construct a meaning that is either obvious or beyond what you can see)

• Performance imagery of the band/artist playing instruments

• Can follow a narrative

• Cameo appearances band/artist doesnt perform

• Animation digital or stop-frame

• Variety of shots and angles to keep audience interest

• Editing matches musicality

• Mise-en-scne props/costumes/facial expressions

Video

• Came up with a concept

• Researched a variety of different music videos covering many different genres

• I particularly liked the videos which subverted the typical conventions of music videos, for example:

• • Point of view shots in The Prodigys Smack my Bitch Up eerie edge as the audience are fully immersed into the setting

• • Surrealism of Mobys Natural Blues less conventional

• • Space theme used in The Darkness I Believe in a Thing Called Love related well to my concept and choice of song

Moby The Darkness The Prodigy

Basic Plot for Video

• An other-worldly creature lands on Earth and explores the environment surrounding it. As it observes the natural beauty, it soon becomes clear that a negative influence has taken affect on the world humanity. As the video progresses, we see this influence become more and more dominant (polluting factory, problems with alcohol etc), until eventually the creature leaves to return to its own planet

• Establishing shot of the night sky and the mist surrounding the moon sets an eerie tone to the opening sequence

• Used lighting effects to create the illusion that a space ship is landing in a forest area

• The images relate well to the genre of music (dance/techno)

• Continuation of space theme, taken from advert and Digipak

• Opening sequence sets the plot: a UFO has landed and we follow the observations of the creatures surroundings through its eyes once it has exited the space ship

• Edited to cut to a mid shot of a river

• Shows the natural beauty of the creatures surroundings (positive aspects to the world relates to plot)

• Used the zoom on the lens to emphasise the impact man has on the environment

• Negative force which the creature is starting to be aware of (relates to plot)

• Movement of the birds links well with the beat of the song (musicality of the video)

• Captured the reflections in the water natural environment

• Chose this setting because the bridge shows the border between the natural beauty and the man-made influence of the factory polluting the air

• The creature is observing something abnormal

• Setting is a shop window once again shows the man-made influence

• Dancing/drinking shows the negative aspects of human life

• Setting typical drinking environment (house party)

• Doll creates an eerie atmosphere for the audience

• Camera work pan down slowly (mysterious)

• Draws attention to the eyes (used in a later scene)

• Costumes masks create enigmatic feeling

• Links in with the surrealism of the entire video

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

• House style of the promotional package works well as it follows the space theme throughout night sky background, space themed text

• The main product and ancillary texts link to the genre of music surreal techno/dance

• Subversion of typical dance album artwork and video (more unique)

• Galactic Express are an independent band, therefore are less likely to have an advert in a mainstream music magazine pushed the typical conventions

• Connotations of the type of act/reputation they want to uphold and their individuality

• Successful amongst the target audience, as well as those people older than the target market emulated in the audience feedback

• Combination works well incorporates with the individualism of the band

• Their unique look is obtained through the use of costumes for the photo shoot

• Actors for photo shoot were a good basis for characterisation for both the album and advert artwork their look suites the style of the band and the genre of music

• Poses are interesting so the inside of the Digipak works as a successful balance to the outside panels

• Actors in party scene work well they move to the music and infuse will the unusual plot of the video

• Good relation between sound and editing, for example:

• • - The key change music mid-section is linked to the slow motion movement of the visual imagery in the video (shoppers in the street)

Combination of all Products

How does the combination work together?

• Space theme incorporated throughout

• The package pushes the boundaries of the codes and conventions video is very surreal and ancillary texts adopt a cartoon style which isnt regularly used

• All texts link with the individualism of the band

• Each item successfully attracts the attention of the target market advert and digipak are unique and the video takes a different slant from typical music videos (first person perspective/alien theme

Feedback from target market The use of effects is effective especially cutting between black & white and colour To improve, you could add more graphic detail to the inside photos of the digipak Really interesting from 1 st person point of view The type of images reflect the genre of music used Sometimes the plot is difficult to follow because it is so surreal The ancillary texts work really well together by the use of similar colours and effects Although it looks professional, some scenes in the video are too long Perhaps you could have reversed the final scenes to look as though the alien is leaving? Love the suspense the video builds up and leaves you with

How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

• I researched a number of different music videos covering a variety of genres using YouTube, music channels on the television, special edition DVDs and links on peoples profiles on social network sites such as Facebook

Example: The Darkness I Believe in a Thing Called Love Click to Play

• Similarities between my video and The Darkness

• Space theme

• Unusual imagery

• Unconventional costumes

• Starts with an image of a spaceship night sky

• Strange props (e.g: cuddly monster)

• Lighting futuristic flashing lights

• When planning my video, I drew a storyboard which I have scanned into my blog using a scanner. For the advert and Digipak I sketched some illustrations to establish the design and layout

• When constructing my products I used a digital camera for the photo shoot, Adobe Premiere Elements to edit my video, Adobe PhotoShop, Windows Movie Maker to finalise my video and my mobile phone to organise the photo shoot

• Effects on video:

• Slow motion

• Fades

• Colour overlay

• Greyscale

• At the evaluation stage I accessed my schools Virtual Learning Environment, wrote a blog showing the stages from planning to production, posted my video onto YouTube and received comments from a wider audience

Link to Blog http://03frcsmith.blogspot.com/

What have you learned from your audience feedback? My target audience was young adults age 17-24. After asking those who fit the demographic to look at the combination of my main product and ancillary texts, I received some feedback. For example: Some scenes in the video are too long could have included shorter cuts in when editing The characters isolation is intriguing and adds to the mystery of the video The surrealism of the promotional package makes it less mainstream and more unique Some people may not understand the plot or what its supposed to represent

• By adopting a cartoon style for the advert and Digipak, it gave the promotional package a unique slant

• Character isolation worked well for the surrealist plot of the video

• The chosen actors used in the party scene integrate well in the setting

• The use of point of view shots made the audience feel as though they were part of the video

• For future projects, shorter cuts during the editing process would maintain the pace of the plot

• Although the main product is supposed to be surreal, at times it was interpreted wrong could make the plot easier to follow

• The combination works well with the clearly independent and niche marketing of the band and their music