Evaluation - Question 3

Question 3 Evaluation - A2 media from CharlDale

Evaluation - Question 2

Script - Evaluation Question 2

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

The combination of my main product and ancillary texts is effective because all 3 products incorporate similar elements.

Firstly a prominent image from my music video which is repeated in the magazine advert is the signs held up by the featured characters in my music video chorus. I chose to replicate this in my magazine advert by displaying the protagonist holding up a sign which displays the advert information – for example the album name, featured songs, and a short album review. By continuing the same imagery through my products, it makes the advert more recognisable to the audience and is an example of synergy.

Synergy is especially important for new artists as it contributes to their branding. Through having all products interlinked by a common theme or branding, audiences can build an image and understanding of the artist helping them to become more known and thus build their profile. An example of this I found through my research was Jessie J who in her early career used the same image and pose throughout her products. The black wig and close-up of her face with an edgy expression is used on both her first album cover and the single for Who You Are. The album image is also used on her first tour advertisement and on a magazine advert all of which an audience will begin to recognise. As this is a format used by many up-and-coming and successful artists, I chose to replicate this idea in my own products. As you can see, my music video and magazine advert closely replicate each other, and the album cover below follows the ‘innocent and hidden’ theme.

Secondly, I have also applied a filter over my footage in the music video making colours more muted. I have replicated this by adding the same filter to my digipak images making all the products consistent. If I were to have used a much brighter colour scheme for my digipak images it could’ve changed the audience’ perception of the artist. This links with how I’ve branded my artist as to make the branding effective, the same themes need to be followed throughout the products. I aimed to make my artist relatable and to an extent innocent. If I’d have used a bright and striking colour scheme for any of my products, it may create the perception that she is more outrageous and edgy, thus changing the branding.

Throughout all 3 of my products, I also followed the codes and conventions of the different texts. In my music video, I ensured the format of the video (e.g. the length and style) replicated a real music video, in my advert I featured elements such as a bold title, an industry review, and album cover image that would all be seen on legitimate music advertisements, and my digipak followed the size measurements and included elements such as a track listing and barcode that would be seen on a real CD digipak. It is important that codes and conventions are followed to ensure that the products replicate real products and maintain professionalism and authenticity. In order to do this however, I had to conduct research into all 3 texts and took inspiration from existing examples.  For example, on the inside panels of my digipak, I featured lyrics from the single Pretty Hurts in a bold text and displayed them in the corners of the panel images. This is inspired by Lana Del Rey’s Honeymoon Album digipak which when analysed I noticed that all the images had a similar theme and lyrics were displayed subtly on each panel. By following an idea taken from an existing media text, it makes my product seem more genuine and that it could exist within the real market.

My main product and ancillary texts were also effectively combined through the connotations used throughout. A significant connotation is the mystery of both the protagonist and the so-called characters in my music video. In the music video, the chorus features people from around the world holding up signs displaying a criticism about themselves which covers their faces. This adds an element of mystery as mystery as the characters are ultimately anonymous with the audience not knowing their name or stories – all that is revealed is their flaws. This follows the self-image theme of the video by connoting the idea that they are defined by their flaw and are hiding themselves because of it. Similarly, in the digipak images, the protagonists face on all panels is not able to be seen. This continues the mysterious imagery and almost creates an innocence perception to the audience as there is a lack of over-confidence branded by many current artists. From my research, the only other big and mainstream artist that has a similar branding is Sia. Sia is notorious for hiding her face both in music videos, performances and public appearances. This creates a secrecy, intriguing audiences but also adds sincerity to her music as it is about the sound as opposed to her identity and image. As previously stated, I continued the branding of my artist throughout my products, this is also done by Sia who’s album ‘1000 forms of fear’ has a bold image of her wig. The album cover is simple but the image instantly makes it recognizable as a Sia album.

Another connotation that follows through the different media texts is the enigma included in the music video when you see the protagonist running. It isn’t made clear in the music video exactly why she is running, some may connote it as trying to run away from her problems, others may see it as a method she is using to achieve beauty, perhaps losing weight that society says she needs to? However, if we follow the first idea of her running away from her problems, it could lead us to the images used in the digipak. The two images of the inside panels, show the protagonist inside what appears to be an art museum and outside on a gate in the middle of the night. The back panel also shows the protagonists feet stood in what could be interpreted as a train station. Therefore, an audience could create the idea that these locations is where the protagonist was trying to run to. Giving such enigma, helps the audience engage with the products as they can create their own narrative for the character and even view it relating it back to their own lives.

To conclude, the combination of my main product and ancillary texts is effective because the outlined reasons show how I have maintained imagery and conventions that builds a strong brand for my artist. It is this branding that brings the products together into a single marketing campaign and helps audiences associate the products to the artist. As explained this is particularly important for up-and-coming artists who need to build an audience and get their name known. I think my products follow the codes and conventions enough to make them authentic to the texts and effective if they were to be real products.

Evaluation - Question 1

Pretty Hurts Music Video - Final Edit

As my music video is for a copywrited audio track, to upload the video to youtube the audio track must been removed or edited. Below is two versions of the music video, the first with no audio and the second features the video with low quality audio.


Music Video Edit - No audio track




Music Video with Lower Quality Audio Track

Digipak Production and Final Product

After researching into existing digipaks for artists such as Lana Del Rey I began to plan the production of my own. I decided to have a four panel digipak as I thought this would be equally as effective as a six panel example but will enable me to keep up to date with my music video production schedule. All the photos included in the digipak were taken by either myself or my actor in order to avoid copyright infringement, which is a potential risk if I were to source images online.

The final photos I planned to use are shown below:

After I had chosen these pictures, I uploaded them onto a free website tool called 'Canva.com.' I had already created the album cover prior to this using the same tool and so decided to use the same layout for the other panels to make the overall digipak consistent. The website allows you to upload photos into pre-designed layouts and then resize photos, add filters, and insert your own text. I chose to add a filter muting the colours to each image and then for my inside covers added lyrics in a subtle white font from the song Pretty Hurts. Similarly, I used the text tool to add the song listing to my back panel. A screenshot from the process is shown below.

After I had created all the panels for my digipak, I downloaded a four-panel digipak template online and opened it into Adobe Photoshop. The template allowed me to ensure that the dimensions of my digipak, replicated the true measurements of real products. This makes the final product more authentic. In photoshop, I also inserted featured from real album digipaks such as a barcode and artist acknowledgements to the back panel.The template is shown below.

My Final Digipak design:

Magazine Advertisement

Shown below is my final magazine advert that I have created in conjunction with my music video and album digipak for the song Pretty Hurts. I have researched into existing magazine adverts to understand and follow the codes and conventions in my own.

Firstly, the background image for my magazine advert replicates the images shown in the chorus of my music video - an example shown to the right. Following through the same imagery throughout all products is an example of synergy and helps make the advert more recognisable for the audience.


To follow the codes and conventions I have also included the album cover, supplier, artist information, song titles and an album review. These are just some of the features that I found on the existing adverts that I studied. This makes the magazine advert more authentic as it is what real music adverts would include.

Finally, I have used a loose-script font to mirror the text that I used on my album cover. This helps the products to flow and acts as synergy. I have also used a light pink block behind the first letters of the album title to make the title stand out, just as a real magazine advert would have a standout title. The light pink is also a theme followed by Beyonce in her music products and therefore is an effort to acknowledge that.

Creative Journey: October-January Diary

Daily Diary of Production:

15.10.16 - I have created a production schedule to try and ensure that my filming and editing is filmed and completed to certain deadlines. This is a rough schedule as other commitments such as employment and exams could affect whether the deadlines are met. I plan to have my whole production completed by the end of January and the final production schedule can be found on a separate post.

29.10.16 - This was the proposed date to begin filming for my music video, however the actor which I had planned to film with suffered an injury prior to filming day making us unable to film. This will affect the production schedule as I need to find a date to reschedule where both me and the actor are able to film. However, I still have a detailed plan of what I need to film and can expand on this further so the next date set should run smoothly.

26.11.16 - Due to delays as a result of my actor being injured and problems setting a date, today was the first day to begin filming. I have successfully managed to get all the footage for the first half of the music video, however because of the weather, outdoor scenes were unable to be filmed. This means that I am still behind the production schedule initially set.

15.12.16 - Due to commitment issues on both parts, me and my actor were unable to set another date to finish filming. As I am now significantly behind production schedule and need to meet deadlines, I have made the decision to begin the filming process again with a different actor. I plan to film all necessary footage over the coming weeks.

08.01.17 - With my new actor, I have finished collecting footage for all the indoor shots however just as previously, the weather has prevented us from getting the shots for scenes outdoors. We plan to get these over the next few days weather permitting. Below is a photo taken on set. As a result of having to film the footage twice with two different actors, I found that the second shoot was alot more successful and more productive. For example I found positioning the camera and ensuring shots were still a lot easier meaning the second set of footage was more successful.

09.01.17 - I have began to cut together the footage I have so far using the software iMovie as it is free and the easiest to use. The screenshot below shows the beginning of the basic edit, however I plan to transfer the footage onto adobe premier in order to use after effects to enhance the shots.

23.01.17 - I have reached another obstacle in my film development as a large amount of the footage filmed has been lost between filming and transferring the footage onto my computer. I plan to re-film footage at the end of the week however means that I have fell further behind on my production schedule.

10.02.17 - I now have all the footage for my music video and can continue the editing process. This will have to be done over half term as I am away for the next week, however I should be able to complete this by the end of the month in time of the deadline.

27.02.17 - My final production for my A2 Media coursework as well as my print products are now complete. I am not completely happy with the final outcomes as I believe that my music video could have been executed to a higher standard but I have ran out of time to improve and create a second draft.

Magazine Advert Deconstructions

Below are three magazine advert deconstructions from artists similar to Beyonce - the original artist for my music video. All three have different approaches and use and challenge different conventions, outlined below.