HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE COMBINATION OF YOUR MAIN AND ANCILLARY TEXTS?

PRODUCTS

WHAT ARE THEY?

The main product which we created was a music video to accompany the song ‘Electric Feel’ by MGMT. The music video could be any one of the three categories for music videos:

• Narrative

• Concept

• Performance

The ancillary products which I created were a Magazine Advert and a Digipak for the music video. We used the created band name ‘A.W.E’ to replace ‘MGMT’ on our products. The two print products had to clearly link with the created music video in order to create a consistent campaign.

RESEARCH

Magazine AdvertIn order to create a successful magazine advert, I had to research other adverts that where created by mainstream media companies. Once I had found some in my chosen genre, I then started noting down all the key conventions found in each. Things like font, colour, star image, placement of logos and websites and also the main image used. I found out that a magazine advert usually has a medium close-up of the star on the front. This is to make sure that the reader knows who or what is being advertised.

DigipakI had a similar task of researching other digipaks that had been creating for real bands and artists, however I was looking for different conventions. I wanted to see what the typical synth pop digipak looked like compared to an average pop digipak. I found out that electronic music tends to use a lot less imagery of the artist and focusses more on bright colours and computer generated imagery. MGMT use a lot of cartoons for the front covers of their digipaks. I wanted to replicate this, so I drew some shapes and rearranged them into an easily recognisable logo.

RESEARCH

Music VideoIn order to create a successful music video, I had to do some research into existing synth pop music videos. I looked at conventions, codes and key features of all the videos. This helped me to gain ideas for what I could include in our video.

I discovered that using special effects such as green screen helps to create an entertaining music video. Audiences like to see things that they don’t see on a daily basis. Popular music videos included fantasy lands and exotic locations. And so we used a green screen to replicate a ‘not so real’ fantasy land.

THE DIGIPAKThe front cover of the Digipak I decided to use computer generated imagery. The logo was designed by using triangles and the artist name was pasted on top. I did this to create an ‘electronic’ feeling and therefore link with the synth pop genre. The name of the album also relates to electronic music. The spine of the digipak has both the artist name and album title on it. This is conventional of all digipaks.

The back panel was also designed using a computer. It uses the same stretched colours/photo over 3 panels which is conventional for most digipaks. The font used for the track lists is curvy and indie. It matches the synth pop genre by being electronic (looking like a neon sign) and yet also indie (handwritten font). The website, company logo and barcode are in the conventional places.

The CD case for the digipak contains a shot of the star from behind. I feel this shot breaks the conventions for normal digipaks since you would usually see the star’s face. I used a shot from behind so that you could see the bright jumper. It also created a more subtle effect. Rather than having the star stare right at you, he is simply walking away from you. This is a unique approach to digipak CDs

THE ADVERT

The album title was placed at the bottom of the advert and was in the same font used in the digipak. The blue, neon effect relates to electronic/synth pop music and the font is indie yet also has a ‘neon light’ feel. It is conventional to find all the business parts of an advert at the bottom. Features like the record label logo, website and shops where you can buy the album are placed there. This is why I decided to keep it conventional and put them in the same place. I also inserted text that specified that the advert was for a special edition digipak. This links the products together, and audiences will understand what the advert is actually advertising.

The magazine advert uses many conventional features of other adverts. For instance, the artist name is placed at the top of the advert. This is often the first thing that readers will see when they turn the page. This way they instantly know who the product is promoting.

Another feature that I wanted to include was a medium close up of the star. This was to help create a star persona for the artist. Instead of using computer generated imagery like on the digipak, I used a shot from the actual video. However, to create a clear link, I used a posterize effect which made the actor look ‘digitalised’ and cartoony. I also replaced the background with a better shot of the street and added a rainbow. This created a psychedelic dream world feeling and therefore linked to the music video.

THE MUSIC VIDEO

The music video also contains many conventional features that make it an effective music video. It also is effective because it is engaging and entertaining for audiences.

The music video has a purple tint over it, this is replicating the green and blue tints used in the MGMT video. We chose the purple tint as it replicates happiness and joy. The tint allows us to make raw footage look more psychedelic and more visually appealing for viewers.

The repetition of certain shots but in different location was an idea that we had early on. It emphasis the narrative of the video. The actor is searching everywhere for this girl. The repletion of shots shows the passing of time. He goes to different locations looking for her. It is conventional for music videos to go back to the same location they did before, however we thought that this would feel too repetitive

THE MUSIC VIDEO

To add to the narrative, we created a scene where the female actor fades away. This not only added to the story of the video, but it allowed us to be created with the colours. After she fades away the colours become less saturated and more muted. It also engages the audience as they have to decide why she disappeared and weather she is real or not. In the very first shot of the video, and in later parts of

the video, we decided to use multiple time lapse shots. We used time lapse shots to show the transition of time. We also used time lapse shots to create a fantasy experience and also engage the viewer. Time lapse shots are often conventional in indie videos, they take time to perfect and can be used to separate shots and scenes.

A2 MUSIC VIDEO MGMT

HOW DO THE PRODUCTS LINK?

All of the three products link because of repeated use of shots and angles. All three products also use

the same fonts, colours and iconography throughout.

Here are some ways my products link and why they are effective in doing so.

As you can see, there is a clear link between the magazine advert and the music video. The magazine advert uses the same shot and angle to the music videos opening scene. Audiences will recognise this and link the products together. Thus creating a strong brand image. The backgrounds are also the same, however on the magazine advent the colours have been increased and the strong purple tint removed to make it clearer to see.

MUSIC VIDEO

MAGAZINE ADVERT

MAGAZINE ADVERT DIGIPAK

The same font and colour were used for the album title on both the magazine advert and digipak. This helps audiences identify that the two texts are linked and that they are all part of the same package. The blue neon text with the swirly font will become part of the artists brand image. The more times you use it, the stronger that brand image becomes. I feel that this is effective as it is very conventional to see repeated use of fonts for the album title on products. Most often than not, the album title isn’t just a name; the font and colours become part of the product and this is how audiences remember it.

DIGIPAK MUSIC VIDEO

There are also links between the digipak and the music video. Although the images are different, fans who have watched the music video who then go out and buy the digipak will see the connections between the products. For instance, the first image is taken from the digipak and shows the two actors standing beside each other. This was a memorable scene featured in the video. This will cause the audience to remember this scene and therefore remember the video. This could tempt them into buying the album if they see it in a shop. The bottom left image is an image that is similar to one featured in the video. It is a closer shot of the star standing beside a tree. Experienced fans will be able to see that this is where it is taken, and almost offers a ‘behind the scenes’ or additional content feeling to the digipak. They get to see never before seen images that were taken when filming. This is effective as it engages the audience and persuades them to buy the album.