1. In what ways does your
media product use,
develop or challenge
forms and conventions of
real media products?
2. Digi pack
Front cover
• We choose to call our album
‘Dead Pegasus’ because it is a
development from a pervious
concept that My Chemical
Romance used in their past
album concept, it was the name
of an oil company in there
futuristic world and it will grab
the attention of any of the fans
making them feel as though they
are buying in to the extension
from there previous work. MCR Pegasus
logo from music
video
3. • The cover of our digi pack has an
image of a toy Pegasus hanging
from a tree, we choose this image
because, firstly it fits with the title
‘dead Pegasus’ which is the name
of the album but also because it
has an ironic tint to it because the
Pegasus could have flown away
but now its dead. As well as this, in
one of there first albums you can
see a dead body hanging in the
back ground so it keeps a sense of
continuity.
4. • The hanging of the toy represents the restraints of
modern society on an image of past mythology
which are now restricted to the story books of little
children where as once they where the beliefs of the
general population. We felt that the image of the
light coming it with the rainbow effect of the sun had
a nice effect because it is shining light on the Pegasus
and obscuring our view as thought the gods are
reclaiming what they had once owned, they are
reclaiming the abandoned remnants of their world
from the darkness that surrounds the Pegasus toy.
We felt that this image would have been used My
Chemical Romance because they are very in to the
challenging of social constructs in an obscure way
which is what we have tried to do in our imagery.
5. • . We choose the font because it is very similar
to past font used by the band. The word
‘dead’ is at the top and in a larger font then
the Pegasus, it’s the first thing that you read
when you look at the cover and is very dark,
the font colour is black because it is meant to
show that this is evil, this is contrasted with
‘Pegasus’ which is written in white, the white
shows gives of connotations of purity and
intersects which is what the Pegasus’s is trying
to show, to continue in the style of MCR the
size of the letters are varied which is used in
there logo, this is something that MCR fans
would pick up on. The wings on the edge are
simply there because they are aesthetically
pleasing spreading the text to fill up the dark
space around it as though it is about to fly
away.
6. Back cover
• On the back cover we have used the image of flames, we did
this because images of fires are commonly used in this
genre. It also has powerful connotations of anger or passion
about a subject and the ideas of something being
permanently destroyed. In the fire it is also possible to see
the text of a news paper, this is to represent to destruction
of modern society and the control which the media has over
people in current society, this is a development from there
previous ideas of society being destroyed. Other then this
there is the text which is in the same style as it used on the
cover to keep up continuity through out the entire digi pack.
There is the copyright information across the bottom of the
pack along with the commonly found logos such as that of
the producers and band to give it a realistic look. In this
image the side of the digi pack can also be seen, this is
simple because the side of the box is only a small space and
it needs to be clear and easy to read so people who might be
reading the spines of the box will be able to read it easily and
recognise it a MCR.
7. Inside cover
• This is the first cover that would be seen on
opening up the box, it is the image of the
Pegasus which is slightly blurred. The image has
an almost realistic effect to it making the toy look
almost like it could be a real Pegasus flying
through the sky, the sun that comes in at the
middle of the image gives is over bright and
draws your attention to it. Over all the image
seems to be one which is bright and happy, this
is in contrast to the other images but still it could
be seen as the Pegasus fading away because it is
starting to loss its clarity. Once more we where
trying to capture the slight way in which society
changes without people really being aware of
these changes, it is a representation of how we
let the past slide away without really being
aware of it. The use of this softer and innocent
ideas is because in our research we saw a
development throughout there career to which
the change to a very female dominant audience
can be seen by the slowly feminine covers.
8. CD and DVD covers
• This is the page for the CD and the DVD of our digi pack, we choose to have one
image across the two pages, this has been done in past MCR digi packs that we
researched. The image we used was that of the Pegasus toy which you can see
the colour of the wings, on the disk images we have mad it so they are starting
to loss the colours but this is only on the disk so if you remove the disks the
image would be unedited, this is an effect that is not commonly seen so we
thought it would stand out from other digi packs. Also, it follows the common
theme through out the digi pack of the fading of fantasy in to the past.
9. Inside cover
• We used this image on our digi
pack because the low angle of
the shot connotes the idea of
power and majesty of the
Pegasus, then we have the
repeated theme of fire in the
back ground which connotes
the idea of destruction and
change. This image ties in with
the other images shown in the
digi pack creating a combined
effect through out.
10. • This is our magazine advert. In it there is the Pegasus toy
which is there to represent the idea of fantasy, at its feet
Magazine advert
there are matches thrown about and the corners of the
cardboard have been singed, these are the destructive and
social challenging points which are the common conventions
of MCR. The brick helps to add to the idea of rebellion as it is
something that is often connected to violence and rebellion.
We also choose to have a more rustic effect with the entire
image, instead of having computer text we just wrote on the
cardboard, this makes it seem less produced and more of the
sort of thing that an independent band might do. This would
draw in the attention of people passing on the street or
flipping through a magazine because it is something that isn’t
often seen so people would want to stop and read it. The
contrast of the image has been edited so that it is higher then
the original because it makes the blue of the Pegasus really
stand out from the shot, drawing your eye straight to it but it
also has a stark realist style to it that contradicts the idea of
fantasy. In the bottom of the page there is the links to two top
social media sites, twitter and Facebook, these are important
on modern advertisement as people are very much interested
in using technology to there advantage, to not have these
things on in current times would have a negative impact on
the advertisement. It also means that we can cut down then
number of words on the advert making it appear more
approachable. One of the things that we have used from the
MCR advertisement campaign is the use of information across
the bottom.
11. Music video
• We choose to have shoots of the band playing the
song throughout the video as this is one of the
characteristics of the MCR videos which we
choose to continue using. Fans are interested in
seeing images of the band as many idealise the
band members.
• This is another shot from our music video, we
where using Goodwin’s theory of correlating the
lyric to the song to try and get the attention of
the audience. And it also fits back to previous my
chemical romance videos which fans of the band
would pick up on.
• We choose to challenge the common conventions
of the typical MCR songs by adding in the
cardboard signs heeled by the members of the
band and fans. We felt that it is an element that
the fans would appreciate in our work and that it
isn’t to much of a deviation from the conventions
of MCR.
12. • We also had a narrative in our music video; this is
one of Goodwin’s sections in music videos. We
choose to do this because it is something that is
commonly seen in the MCR videos and id makes
it easier to challenge social conventions which is
the aim of our music video (showing the
problems of bullying but also how two people can
help to reveal the best in one another)
13. How effective is the
combination of your main
product and ancillary texts?
14. • One of the important parts of creating a group
of media products is trying to create a style
which is synergistic through out so that there
is a clear style that can be seen by the
audience.
15. • We tried to create this continues style through our work by using elements
such as the image of Pegasus, which is in both the digipak and the mag add.
We also created a continual effect through the use of cardboard which is in
all three of our pieces. The next main connection that we have is the use of
wings next to the word Pegasus which means that it is really easy to tell
when it is part of the MCR package. There is also the repeated use of the
brick throughout our work, we pulled this idea from the words in the song
that we where using, “Brick in hand”, this is a type of media theory that is
discussed by Goodwin. Our final continual element that we have used in
our work is that of the message that we are trying to show which is one of
social problems such as violence mixed with the idea that we are leaving
the past behind, this combined concept and narrative we have used is
created to interest the view as well as make them see the problems in
current society. It is really important that these element are there because
the viewer will begin to see the continuity of our work so will be able to
pick our products out from the work of other people, and it is individual to
our own work so it is clear that all three products relate back to this album
rather then there past work.
16. • The continuity also will help when it comes to
selling the products. We have created a group
of products rather then individual ones with a
style that will be appealing to the fans of MCR.
This means that they will want to get and
experience all of the products instead of just
one. It also means that there is the potential
for future profit through merchandise with
elements such as Pegasus and the stylised text
we have used.
18. • We used two methods of audience feed back in our work to try and get a better understanding of
what the audience wanted from the music industry. When doing this we question we tried to get
people close to our target audience but our main focus was on girls of around 17 because this is the
main target audience and we don’t have the time nor funds to get a larger sample though this would
be preferable.
• Interview
we used our interview as a chance to get a close look at the type of people what would be buying our
product and what they would like to see in future products. One thing that we learnt was that our
audience was interested in seeing new ideas and concepts what they haven’t seen before and that
they want it done in a creative style. We tried to achieve this by using a lot of concepts through our
work like the image of the Pegasus and the interested cutting through out our video in which we move
backwards and forwards through the work. Another point that we have found through our research is
that the audience wants some relevance to the song in the video, they see is as important that there is
context to what they are watching. On the front of the type of people that we are targeting, we found
that they enjoy some music TV but are more likely to go online to watch and listen to there music. For
our magazine advert we found that the most important thing is to have dates and information that is
important, it is a pet hate of the viewer to have no way of finding out more. One thing that we found
but choose not to use was that the viewer wanted to have a image of the band, we felt that this was
to traditional and that we needed a new way to get the attention of the audience.
• Questionnaire
In our questionnaire research we found that our audience was interested in alternative music, there
top three bands being you me at six, bring me the horizon and my chemical romance. Live
performance, band shots and some plot are the things that are wanted in music videos. We give them
some options for names for our album to be called and we found that 100% wanted it to be called
Dead Pegasus. In the album they wanted, album artwork and pictures of the band as well as special
content. We did all this except the band images which we did not feel fitted in with our work.
• After we finished our work we created a survey and conducted a short interview to see what people
through about what we have created.
19. • The interview
when we asked about what they enjoyed about the music video it was clear that they liked our base idea,
enjoying the narrative and the contradiction of stereo types. As well as this they enjoyed the use of the
live band playing and the fact that we made it clear that it wasn’t some big production. Following this we
asked if they thought there was any problems with the music video, the main problem there was that
some of our shots could have been better staged and others could have been better lit. Other then this
they seemed to be positive about what they had seen which as good. Next we questioned about there
view on the magazine article, they where very positive about the image that we had chosen to use and
the style. They did say that it could have had more information on it and the My Chemical Romance logo
would have been nice. When asked about our digipak they said that they enjoyed that the images where
different and that it would stand from others and they felt that they fitted with the constantly changing
effect of MCR.
• Questionnaire
the first question that we asked was about how people felt about the use of the image of Pegasus
because this was one of are more risky decisions are it was new and moving away from the stereotypical
idea of what is the ‘norm’ on alternative covers. What we found was the about 87% of people enjoyed
this imagery and they found it to be new and different which stood out from other digipaks and adverts.
Next we asked if people understood the connotations of the digipak and the images, this unsurprisingly
was not all positive because people who are not fans of this genre or who have no knowledge of past
MCR work would not understand the use of the Pegasus but still most got the connection to fantasy and
the idea of destruction. 87% of the people that we questioned said they would by the digipak based on
the images that were used. We also found that 87% of people did think that it fitted in to the alternative
genre. 87% of people said that they would buy the digipak based on the magazine advert, this shows that
there must be a connection between the two if people are connecting these things. 87% of people also
thought the magazine fitted the genre. When questioned about what the connotations of our music video
was almost everyone seemed to get the basic idea of what we were trying to show. 100% of the people
we interviewed saw the connection between our works which is good because it shows that we have
achieved synergy between products. Everyone seemed to think that we had managed to achieve a very
interesting group of products that challenged the bonders of our genre but also stayed close enough to fit
in to these areas. How accurate this interview is to people actual response is questionable because the
people responding to these things where people who are friends with our group so will be bias towards
our work.
20. How did you use media
technologies in the construction,
research, planning and evaluation
stages?
21. • We have used many different types of technologies through out our media project to help us
gather our research, conduct our research and produce our products. When we first started our
media course work we spent a lot of time researching in to different genres and our band,
doing this we spent a lot of time on the internet on Google and Youtube, these where the best
ways of getting a good over view of what we where trying to achieve throughout our entire
work allowing us to look at there past music videos and work. All the things that we found out
we collected together so that we could publish it on our blogger accounts which have been
very use full because it allows us to gather together many different types of medias all in to one
place so that it is clear what we have been doing and can connect different sections together.
After this we had to do our audience research and planning. For the audience research we use
survey monkey to gather simple information through the internet that would be easy to
convert in to statistics and get our audiences views on our ideas, this was particularly useful
because after people had done the survey (which each person could only do once) it has a
device which converts the information in to a more approachable style which is easier for
everyone. We also used a video camera to conduct an interview with a few of our target
audience, which we then uploaded on to final cut pro so we could cut together different areas
of the interview, then after uploading it on to YouTube we were able to upload it to our blog so
the examiner could see what had happened alongside the analysis that we did. In the planning
stage, this involved a lot of drawings and other images which we used a scanner to put on to
the compute, I then choose to put all this information to a power point so that it would be
easier to put it on to the web using slide share which is a website which converts power points
in to a web friendly format. Following this we had to do the actual production stage, this
comprised of two main types of technology, Photoshop which we used to create the digipak
and the magazine article as these where still images and Photoshop allowed for the best
editing, such as being able to create layers, resize and move images, edit the colour and more,
and easy to use instructions so that we could get the desired effect on our products. For the
video we used final cut pro, which is a video editing software that allows clips to be cut and
matched up with music so that we could create an adequate music video, it also has the
possibility or editing such as fades and other eliminates like this but for our style we choose not
to use this effect.
