Characters and Narrative events

On the front cover of Lana del Rey’s ‘Born to die’ album cover, there is only one character which is Lana herself. She is directly addressing the camera and the effectively the audience, which gives off a powerful and stern vibe from Lana. Her simple yet effective image gives her a classy look due to the way her hair is

style, makeup and the piece of clothing we can see, this allows her ‘pop’ label of genre to be questioned as this cover suggests she’s an indie artist as much isn’t going on within the mise en scene whereas with

a pop artist, their front cover is usually technologically enhanced with a computerised feel to the image and the overall album. However, there is a slight element of hyper reality as her face has been airbrushed and this is clear due to her flawless and dewy looking skin. Additionally, the outline around her hair looks

too pristine whether this has been touched up in Photoshop in unclear or whether a lot of hairspray was used to avoid flyaways, the overall image of Lana looks hyper real but as is every artists front cover of an

album. Her placid and innocent expression could indicate a contradiction with the album title ‘Born to die’, as she could possibly be waiting for the moment of her death to become apparent. Narrative isn’t specifically applicable to this image as the image doesn’t necessarily tell a story about the artist, apart

from the fact that she has a vintage vibe and approach to the music itself. An element of vintage is present as she is wearing classy clothing and her makeup is classy due to the simple makeup yet

including a red lipstick which adds a slight edge to the album and eventually the music, as the way Lana sings and performs is rather 1960’s as it is very much spoken word. The vintage aspect is continued through the mise en scene as a vintage and retro car is placed just out of camera shot, but what is viable

it suggest the car is dated. Due to the vintage look of the album cover, it sets her out to be separate from other artists and follow the lead of more indie artists that cater to a niche audience, such as Florence

Welsh and Marina and the Diamonds.

Setting

The setting of the front

album cover looks plain which could be the reason why it has been chosen as

the main element that stands out is Lana, secondly looking

at the background and the vintage car which connotes to her genre. The boldness

of the blue sky allows the text to stand out against the

blue sky and the white cloud behind it; however the blue shade could have been

enhanced using the brightness and contrast to

enable the text to stand out. The colour of the sky has been used again as the

colour for the title album and is one of the main colours of

the overall album.

Technical codes

The text is large and spread across the top of the front cover, in bold capital letters

and it stands out form the background, allowing it

protrude through the background and creating an impact. The text is seen as

informal as it is spaced out and taking up quite a bit of

area space on the album cover which grabs the audience’s attention.

However, the text for the album title is smaller and

has been made to fit where the area on Lana, where the background is white, yet

again allowing the text to stand out but also

reinforcing the use of the 3 main colours. The main colours of the album or

digipak are red, white and blue as seen on the front

cover and throughout the album, this could be to show her national identity

and be patriotic to her country, as the American

flag is also featured in one of her videos, called ‘Born to die’ as is the album.

There is high key lighting to highlight Lana’s features,

making her appear youthful.

Iconography

The most obvious iconography used on the front cover would be the vintage look and this would appeal to consumers who

enjoy this style of music yet with a more modern aspect to it, as she is also labelled

as a pop artist. Her overall appearance is rather vintage with her makeup done so plainly, the way her hair is styled and her

clothing, giving off a classy feel yet some of her songs can be risqué and rather pop

like considering the content, causing a binary opposition. Regarding the colour scheme for the album, it is clear to see

there is some iconography with the American flag as there is evidence of this

on the front cover, with the white text and top, blue sky and blue text and red lipstick. Red could suggest love, lust and passion

also.

Iconography

Iconography is present within the mise en scene of the ‘Born to die’ CD, as rose suggest love and

passion and you usually give a rose to someone that means a lot

to you which could suggest that by having roses on the CD, it is an indication of how she cares deeply

for her fans and sees a CD as a present to them. The continuous

colour of red is also used again to show her passion towards her country, being patriotic as two of

the three main colours on the flag and her album are present on the

CD itself. The red roses represent love and lust which are also presented through her lyrics of her

songs.

Technical codes

On the CD, there is no text or any title showing that the plain appearance of the CD may not

correspond with the tracks one the CD. The fact red roses are

apparent on the CD relates back to the title of the album as some people have roses at

their funerals.

Iconography

Iconography is displayed again with reference to the American flag with the blue and white. Linking in with the American flag, a few songs

reference to her patriotic sense of her overall album, such as ‘National Anthem’ and ‘Million

Dollar Man’. On her other album ‘The Paradise Edition’, similar to the ‘Born to die’ apart from having 2 disks and an alternative

CD appearance, the back cover is more contrasting in colours suggesting a more x

rated version of her album and songs due to the songs featured especially ‘Cola’ in which she expresses some sensitive issues, whilst

this album is more pure and innocent.

Technical codes

The text is the same font and colour as the text on the front cover, making it iconic to the album and Lana del

Rey. The text is the same proximity of the text on the front cover, again

suggesting an informal approach to the appearance of the album and to her attitude to music. Her title of the

album is also the first song featured on the album, and with the text being

blue it indicates how when you die you arrive in heaven which is supposedly situated in the sky. An

element of simplicity airs within the back cover of the album, keeping

everything to the bare minimum with no images within just the track list visible as well as the institutional

information at the bottom.