Media Studies coursework Evaluation Question 4- How effective is the combination of your main product and the ancillary texts?

1. How effective is the combination
of your main product and the
ancillary texts?
-Evaluation Question 4

2. My products…

3. Looking Back…
• When comparing my main product and my
ancillaries, I can see that there are many similar
codes and conventions.
• I have successfully done this by filming the
majority of my video outside, as well as taking
all of my ancillary images outdoors, which
creates an effectively combination of the
three.

4. The Music Video…
I have chosen this particular mid-close up
screenshot from my music video because it
portrays some of the emotions my protagonist
feels throughout the video- fear. He fears that he
won’t be able to give the rose to the girl, or that
he will be caught by the people who live in the
forest. This camera angle allows the audience to
associate with the artist, as he as also been used in
my poster and digipak images, giving it a sense of
continuity. I think this particular scene amplifies
the lyrics of the song, along with the repetition of
“for you” as it shows how the protagonist will do
anything to get this rose to the person he loves.
This message signifies that there is danger in
relationships, and at what cost people will take to
make their partner happy.
We used the technique of
Chiaroscuro, the Italian word for
“light-dark”, which is the use of
“strong contrasts between light and
dark, usually bold contrasts affecting
a whole composition…”

5. The Poster…
The image used in my poster follows the same
conventions found in my music video, as he is
surrounded by trees and nature. The image
makes him look powerful, as I used a low
angle to give this impression. I thought it was
important to have some green on the poster,
because it makes it clearer where he is, and
also gives it a contrast between the light
coming through the trees, and the dark
shadows and the black borders at the top and
bottom.
This image is similar to the beginning of the
video, when my protagonist is looking for the
rose, so there is a sense of continuity between
my poster and my music video.

6. The Digipak…
The photos for my digipak were taken on the
last day of filming the music video. We were able
to use the location for the music video and
helped portray the theme of nature found in our
music video.
I decided to make the images black and white,
because it makes it slightly more sophisticated.
This also makes the reds stand out even more,
particularly with the front cover and the inside
left image, taken from my music video. Again, all
these images were taken outside, and show the
two main themes in the music video: the rose,
and nature.
I followed the conventions found in typical
digipaks, by having the track listing, copyright
notice and website, and barcode at the bottom
of the back cover, having a ‘Thank you’ note on
the inside left image, and by having the title of
the album down the spine.

7. In Conclusion…
• By comparing my products side by side, it is evident
that my music video and ancillary texts have been
effectively produced.
• I have adhered to many of the codes and conventions,
but I have also subverted a number of them.
For example, on my digipak, the front cover image is
often of the artist, but I have used the rose. I thought
this was an important aspect of the video, and
therefore it had to be used on my digipak.
• My digipak doesn’t have an image of the singer
looking directly at the camera either, which also
subverts the audience’s expectations.