Hi, I'm Jasmine and this is my A2 Media Studies Coursework Blog, anything found here is my own creative genius...unless stated otherwise. So read and enjoy! :)
How effective is the combination of your main product and your ancillary texts?
The most useful aspect of my Similar Product research is that it allowed me to develop an understanding of real-world promotional packages. Whilst conducting my research I realised that when releasing an album most artists tend to follow a set theme creating what is known as their
'House style’. This style extended throughout their work from their Music Video through to their Digipak covers and their Magazine features creating a means of semiotic communication whereby the artist is able to communicate with his/her target audience or fan base simply by using an image, text font or colour. The artist I created is meant to be a clash of different musical genres drawing inspiration from different cultural backgrounds. The 'Urban scenes' of any country are always seen as some of the most culturally diverse places in the world, as they combine the elements of dance, art, music and sport to create something new and refreshing. However the 'Urban scenes' tend to fight back and criticise societies for their weaker points; materialism being one of them.
As the song I chose was called 'Strip me' I interpreted it to mean the artist is asking to be stripped of all the wealth and materialistic objects within her life-including money. Therefore I chose to use vintage-retro urban scenes of city skylines to show the stark contrast between what the artist is and what she would like to be seen as. The city skylines form the basis of the House style I have created for the promotion package. The use of bright bold colours and paint splashes convey a sense of rebellion and non-conformation against accepting and enforcing the materialistic mentality, and they are present throughout my work. On the other hand the dull outer colours of the Digipak connote the Artist's struggle to hide her true self and feelings behind a state of confirmation however her rebellious streak is conveyed more openly through the music video where she jumps and stamps her feet and once again in the Magazine feature where she openly defies this ideal in complete colour. For me to measure how successful the products were I asked for feedback as to whether the running theme between the three products was clear.
In what ways does your Media Product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Whilst producing my Music Video I had to keep in mind that the final product had to reflect commonly used conventions of Music Videos.
The main task for my A2 course was to create a Music Video, I also had to produce an accompanying Digipack (CD Cover) and a Magazine feature/advertisement in order to make my product appear as realistic as possible. My music video is very much a technically enhanced performance based video. Whilst replacing the green screen with colour, I took care to take into account Ferdinand de Saussure’s model on ‘The Sign’. The model is often described as a Dyadic/two-part model as it refers to the two parts of a sign; the signified-the form the sign takes, and the signifier-the concept behind the sign. I used different coloured lense flares throughout the video to connote the mix of emotions felt by the artist wthi the video all of which would be considered symbolic signs in accordance to with the theory on Semiotics due to the specific connotations each colour holds. For example the colour red would symbolise passion and the strength of the emotions, blue to symbolise the peace the artist lacks or needs and green to represent the wealth upon which she is being judged on. The opening shot of the artist has red tinted lighting to symbolise the importance the music video holds as a personal track. I also brightened the lens flares as the video progressed, this way the lens flares could be seen as a representation of the Artist's enlightenment. The narrative style of the music video is not in-line with the theory proposed by Propp in terms of different characters as the Music video revolves solely around the artist’s performance. However despite being a circular narrative-the music video starts and ends with the same clip with red lighting, it may also be said to follow the narrative theory visualised by Todorov. The music video begins with a sense of equilibrium with the artist and various other people seeming happy enough (‘lalalala’ clip). This shifts when the artist begins singing the 1st verse as the audience is introduced to the inner conflict felt by the singer, thus presenting the video’s disequilibrium. This continues to grow throughout the course of the song and is displayed by the artist’s increasingly active body movements-she is stamping her feet and holding her hands out, as well as the tempo and beat of the song which is reflected through the length in clips and the camera angles. The as the narrative comes to an end, the video returns to a new equilibrium which is displayed by the return of the ‘lalala’ clip and the opening clip is used once more as the closing clip. The change in depth of field as the artist goes out of focus helps to retain the so-called intimacy of her song.
Andrew Goodwin theorised that all music videos follow a set of conventions such as a relationships between lyrics and visuals and/or the music and visuals. Although my music video does not show an explicit relationship between lyrics and visuals the stronger the lyrics get, the more expressive the artist becomes in terms of her facial expressions and body language. The relationship between the music and visuals is much more apparent, as I stated earlier the clips match the rhythm of the song changing in turn with the beat. I also used the camera angles to match the highs and lows of the song. Goodwin also theorised that the audience takes on the role of a voyeur when viewing music videos; particularly in terms of viewing the female body through the male gaze-Laura Mulvey. My music video partially subverts and enforces this convention. Despite dressing the artist in feminine clothing-dresses and skirts up to the knee, which emphasise her curves and female figure as opposed to the stereotypical ‘Video hunnies’ seen in many music videos today who are dressed provocatively or in a vulgar manner. The action of ‘viewing’ is voyeuristic in itself; therefore the use of split screens or screens-within-screens stresses this aspect of conventional music videos further; whereas the personal insight into the singer’s life creates a certain intimacy which is also related to Goodwin’s theory.
Sven E Carlsson stated that a music artist is a ‘modern mythic embodiment’ who embodies a series of characters or faces. This is true with many music videos e.g. in Taylor Swift’s You belong with me the artist takes on three roles 1 the geek, 2 the cheerleader and 3 the reformed geek. In my music video although my artist begins happy and then gradually becomes more serious as the song continues, she does not appear to switch faces or characters significantly. My music video also subverts another aspect of Carlsson’s theory in that the artist does not fit into the persona of the ‘commercial exhibitionist’ he describes.
In order to produce a realistic Digipak and Magazine advert I conducted 6 pieces of similar product research looking at three different genres of music. As each genre produces its own unique style it was paramount to the development and understanding of my work to analyse current existing products. As I was interested in creating a Digipak with a conceptual theme I looked at Musicians who I thought were similar to the character of the artist I was creating. Another aspect of Digipaks I found important to research was their design and the meaning behind it. The more niche a music genre was, the more of a message their Digipak carried and the more exposure a genre received, the more superficial their Digipak was. Covers such as Madonna’s Confessions on a dance floor are used to publicise the image of the famous Pop Queen, whilst Madonna’s Digipak was reflective of her genre/style of music the pose she has been photographed in is symbolic of the dance routines she incorporates within her music videos. As an artist Madonna would probably fall into the category of COMMERICAL EXHIBITIONIST. Meanwhile the Digipak covers such as The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night and Paramore’s Brand New Eyes were two conceptually themed Digipaks with different aims and ideas both of which I thought were extremely effective. A Hard Day’s Night explores the different aspects of each Beatle’s personality. Whereas the Paramore album reflects on new beginnings within their lives, using symbolism in the form of the disembodied butterfly. I looked at these two Digipak ideas and thought of trying to merge their aims into my Digipak. The design I have created is based around the Artist’s personality whilst also symbolising a period within their life- something that is also reflected within my music video. However I challenged each cover also in the sense that my Digipak was neither simple in its design nor in its message. The outside of the Digipak emanates the Urban/ Indie culture of the artist in dark, muted colours whilst the inside resembles a piece of Urban graffiti street art is bright, bold colours. I purposely chose darker colours for the outside of the cover as the message of the Digipak was to show how despite the change in her lifestyle, within herself the Artist still remains firmly grounded and true to her roots. Aside from the overall conceptual design, my Digipak firmly adheres to the codes and conventions of a normal Digipak; stating both the name of the artist and the title of the album and listing tracks and institutional information at the back.
The Magazine advert is strongly related to the design of the Digipak with buildings and paint splatters covering the length of the poster. Unlike the muted colours used on the outside of the Digipak the Magazine Feature was bolder and brighter creating a house style in order to create recognition for the Artist’s album. The use of critical reviews and labels for social networking sites and stores such as Itunes allowed the feature to look more realistic and conformational to the conventional magazine feature.
