Elleah Stanton

EVALUATION 2HOW EFFECTIVE IS

THE COMBINATION OF YOUR MAIN AND

ANCILLARY TEXTS?

In my video, album advert and digipack, the image of the mannequins was used as part of the branding I created for MAX. In the video, the whole narrative was based around the idea of being controlled. So the whole mise-en-scene of the video was sculpted around the image of the mannequins in-between each location change.

These images are then repeated in the album advert in order to combine the branding for my artist and create an image that when the audience sees, they will linkthe three products together thus helping to gain fans and to becomewell known.

I also used the images of the mannequins in my digipack, on both the front cover, back cover and disc, combining the three products together and ensuring a brand is created.

MANNEQUINS

The theme of love is evident in all three of my products in different forms therefore the combination of my products is effective as it creates a brand identity.. In my video, it is shown via narrative and through images of the couple together or the girl playfully controlling the boy. The narrative consists of a girl putting the boy into whatever situation she likes in a light hearted way that shows the playful relationship between the two. Then through visuals, the girl is shown to like the boy through close up shots of her smiling and laughing. The boy also laughs back as he starts to realise what is happening to him, portraying a trusting and fun relationship.

Then, in my album advert the image of the mannequins is used and they are positioned in a loving way, suggesting they are the couple from the music video, linking to the final shot in the video where the girl creates a female one to portray herself and puts it next to the male mannequin.

LOVE

In my digipack, more images of the mannequins were used on the front, back and cd in romantic and loving positions. On the CD design, the two were stood together appearing to hold hands in front of a hand drawn heart, symbolising youthful love. The images on the front cover shows one mannequin leaning its head on the other, creating an intimate moment. On the back cover, the same image from the album advert is used, creating an effective combination of ancillary products.The song titles used on the back cover also related to love, encompassing all aspects of the branding so that one of the main focuses of the three products is love.

All three of my products are made up of bright and colourful colours which is made clear among the ancillary products especially. In the music video, I purposely created an extremely colourful environment using props such as oil paints, pencils, chalk, crayons and any other arty material I could gather. These colours were extenuated through the use of editing; the contrast was increased along with the brightness in order to make all the colours jump out to the audience. For the rest of the video, the colourful paintings used for the transitions between the girl and the boy carried on this theme. Again in editing, I then put a slightly blue tint over the shots of the boy in all the different locations in order to create a more colourful dreamlike atmosphere.

BRIGHT COLOURS

This theme was then carried on into my digipack and album advert, but changed slightly. The idea of whacky and outrageous colours in all three products creates a branding identity for MAX, creating an effective combination:

In my digipack and album advert, my audience chose a blue, pink and purple colour scheme. Both products have the same colour scheme, making sure that the branding identity is fulfilled, making the combination of ancillary products effective. To do this I used the photos from the same photoshoot and edited them using the Photoshop hue tool, making them turn blue and purple. I decided that this eye catching combination of colours would be appealing to my target audience as it looks modern. I then inserted the pink via MAX’s logo, the text on the album advert and the spine in the digipack to tie it all together and create a bold brand identity.

I would say that the combination of my ancillary products is a lot more effective than the combination between my video and ancillary products, simply because the ancillary products have the exact same colour scheme and look visually almost identical, whereas the link between colours in the video and print products is less obvious.

BLUE, PINK AND PURPLE

In the print products, my artists logo is one feature that illustrates an effective combination, simply due to the fact that the same image is used on both products.

In hindsight I could have included the MAX logo somewhere subtly in the music video as an ‘Easter Egg’, or maybe at the start of the video the logo could have came up on a black screen to introduce the artist.

MAX LOGO

The theme of playful manipulation is present in both my digipack and my music video. In the digipack, the idea of manipulation is shown symbolically through the use of string like shapes. Inside the cover and for the CD tray, I inserted an image I created on Photoshop consisting of loads of wiggling lines overlapping each other. The idea behind this was to visually represent the way the girl is controlling the boys movements in the video, much like a puppeteer holding strings controlling the puppet below. This is where the combination is shown between the video and digipack. Personally, this is my favourite link between products as it is more sophisticated and subtle as the audience has to interpret what the lines in the digipack mean.

STRINGS AND MANIPULATION

I believe that the combination of my video and my ancillary products is quite effective and strong due to the linking themes of love and manipulation, and the more visual features such as the colour scheme, logo and mannequins.

I made sure that a brand was created for MAX by including all of these features.

If I was to improve the branding, I would maybe make the music video more similar to the ancillary products in terms of colour scheme. I would use blue, pinks and purples among the mise en scene by including some props of those colours, or having my characters wear clothes the same colour as the print products. Maybe within the editing I would use the colour tint a bit more harshly so the blue can be seen more clearly and it would visually link to the print products.

CONCLUSION