A2 Media Evaluation

1. How effective is the
combination of your main
product and ancillary
texts?
Evaluation Question 2

2. Why is it important for all three
products to be successful together?
All of my media products including my music video, my magazine
advertisement and my digipack need to be cohesive in terms of visual aspects
and following conventions. This is so that each product individually will fulfil
their purpose such as a music video needs to be able to entertain the audience
and make the audience want to hear more from the audience and purchase
their music. A magazine advertisement is used fully for persuasion, as it is an
advert it is aiming to persuade the target audience to purchase in this case, an
album by the featured artist. Finally, the digipack is created to attract the
target audience, this needs to be visually appealing and stand out to the
audience yet be clear through conventions as to who the artist is to ensure
promotion of the artist. All three products need to work well together to
ensure that the artist and album is promoted powerfully, there needs to be a
prominent theme between each product so that the target audience will be
able to identify that they are all linked together through continuity of the
product or theme. My aims were to guarantee that all of my media products
were identifiable as belonging to the indie rock genre whilst following
conventions to make certain that my target audience would consume the
products as intended.

3. Digipack

4. Front Cover for Digipack
The artist is displayed on the
front cover of the digipack.
This follows conventions as
it ensures that the target
audience are aware that this
is the artist.
The photograph was
taken in the same
location as the most
prominent location in
my music video. This
creates continuity
between both products
as they relate to each
other, reinforcing their
ideologies.
The font is a slightly distressed, bold font
which has alternative genre connotations .

5. Analysis
The front cover of my digipack is the first part of the digipack
that the audience will see, therefore it is extremely important
that it will appeal to my target audience. I followed genre
conventions by using a sepia style luminosity effect which has
connotations of vintage and alternative genre. To reinforce this, I
added a noise effect which emphasised the indie genre as this is
a common genre convention as it makes the image appear old
and worn which will appeal to my target audience. Furthermore,
the text font I used had a distressed type style which I felt would
help support the indie rock genre in my product. I followed
some formal conventions however I broke the formal convention
of displaying the artist’s name on the front cover. I chose not to
do this because I did not want the text to overpower the image
and I also liked the minimalistic look which foregrounded the
image of the artist. To ensure that this was the correct choice, I
created a 4th draft using this feature by displaying the artist’s
positioned at the top of my front cover. Despite this, my
audience feedback alarmed me that the preferred version was
the previous, without the artist’s name. Although I may have
broken this convention, I featured an image of the artist on the
front cover which follows conventions as this promotes the artist
and also reveals to the audience who the artist is which is helpful
for me as I have not stated the name of the artist. Finally, I took
this image in a location I used throughout my music video, this
reinforces the continuity between both products as my target
audience would be able to recognise the similar setting between
my digipack and music video.

6. Back Cover for Digipack
Image of artist used on
the back cover to ensure
contiuity
Conventional use
of barcode to
follow conventions
of a real media
products
Compact Disc icon and
own record label logo to
reinforce realism
Album
tracklist

7. Analysis
I used the exact same effects as I did for my front cover to
ensure that their was a continuous theme running through
the digipack. I followed conventions when creating my back
cover as I wanted it to look like existing media products. This
included displaying the track list of the album in a column
structure so that it is clear to the audience to read as well as
appeal to them as they will expect to be able to see what
songs are featured on the album. I also followed conventions
by using a barcode on the back cover placed in the
conventional bottom right corner as this does not cover any
important parts of the main image. I also pasted my own
original record label alongside the bar code as this made my
product realistic and professional. Furthermore, I also added
the Compact Disk Digital Audio logo as when I conducted my
research into existing digipacks, this icon was frequently
displayed on the back cover.

8. Discs and Side for Digipack
Artist featured on
first disc
Abstract images of
trees on second disc
Landscape image
used for side

9. Analysis
For the inside of my digipack I decided to use a black and white effect as this
is a genre convention very similar to the sepia effect used on my front and
back cover. I used this effect as it fits in with my magazine poster which also
uses a black and white effect which means that there is a cohesive link
between both products. I also felt that the effect helped the product look
vintage which will appeal to my target audience. I conventionally used an
image of the artist for the first disk as this reinforced the presence of the
artist as well as the promotion, I made the background black and white
whilst keeping the artist in colour which made the artist the focal point of the
image. I also did this to add some creativity to my digipack as I did not want
it to appear simple based on the minimalistic front cover. The second disk is
another photograph I took, it is an abstract image of some trees and
branches against the sky, I though the pattern it created was quite
interesting and the abstract effect fits in with genre conventions of indie
rock. Finally, the side picture was taken in the same location which helps
maintain the continuity throughout all media products as this location has
been used in my music video, my magazine advertisement and my digipack.

10. Full Digipack Analysis
In conclusion, my digipack displays a
clear, prominent alternative theme
throughout which is conveyed
through the images and editing which
I thought carefully about. I follow
most formal conventions of digipacks
and album covers through the range
of features I included such as a
record label icon, barcode and album
track list. However, I also challenged
some conventions for example my
front cover does not display the
artist’s name, only the album name.
Despite this, I believe that as a
digipack it looks very realistic and
would appeal to my target audience.

11. Magazine
Poster
Advertisement

12. Features of Magazine Poster
Existing indie
rock magazine
reviews
Image of the
artist for main
image
Cover line of the
artist’s name
Conventional
information and
music shopping
logos of existing
brands and website
Featured image
if digipack cover

13. Main image
I conventionally used a photograph of the artist as the main
image because this will draw the audience’s attention to the
advertisement and because the purpose of it is to promote the
artist and album. The image can be matched with my digipack
as the front cover of the digipack is very similar, however it is
not the same image. This is important as for all of my products
to be successful, there needs to a cohesive link between each
product so they can be identified as all belonging to the same
artist. I used a black and white effect to convey the genre
conventions of indie rock I discovered as well as a noise effect to
create a film-like effect which I used in my music video. The
photograph was taken in a park which was featured in my music
video and digipack which also helps emphasise the continuity
throughout each product.

14. Magazine Reviews
I included a four and a five star rating of the album
from two existing indie rock magazines, Mojo and
NME. This is a formal convention as positive ratings
are displayed on advertisements to help persuade
audiences to purchase the product, in this case being
the album. The ratings are also very good for the
promotional aspect as they help the artist appeal to
it’s target audience as they may be impressed by the
ratings. The reason why I chose to include Mojo and
NME Magazine is because these are two very popular
music magazines that include lots of indie rock and
alternative music therefore my target audience will
recognise these labels and hopefully be impressed.

15. Headline
The headline for the magazine poster is conventionally the
artist’s name in a very large and bold font. This instantly draws
the audiences attention because of the size of the headline and
also the contrasting font style. It is important for an
advertisement to promote the artist well, ensuring that the
audience are aware of who the advert is and making sure that
the advert is memorable which is why I decided to make the
headline extremely bold against the image. The font used for
this is also the same font used for the digipack on the front cover
and spine which is an example of the continuity from my
digipack followed through to my magazine poster
advertisement. This will be useful for people who have seen the
digipack, they will recognise the font when seeing the advert
which may remind them of the main media product.

16. Cover lines, logos and image of
digipack front cover
To ensure that my magazine poster advert looked realistic, I used conventional cover lines so it
read as if it were a real advertisement. This included one of the most frequently used lines ‘OUT
NOW’ which refers to the digipack. The effect of this is it has connotations of urgency as if the
audience need to buy the digipack, also the font reflects the genre convention as it is looks quite
eroded and distressed which will reveal to the audience the artist is alternative and indie. Next,
more lines which I found were used in lots of magazine advertisements for albums was the
second cover line ‘Includes hit single’ which appeals to the audience as they will be interested to
know what the single is, followed by the name of the song ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’. This is
conventional as it is not only promoting the album, but in particular the single relating to the
music video I created for it. The font for the line ‘Includes hit single’ visually reflects an
alternative genre due to the range of letter sizes as some are very small and some big, it
reminded me of an anonymous hostage letter which conveys the alternative side of the poster.
The font used for the single is the same used for the headline and digipack which I did to ensure that I didn’t use too many
different fonts as I had already use three which worked well as they all complemented each other and look similar but too many
types could complicate the theme of the advert and formal conventions. Moreover, I decided to include two popular music
shopping brand logos to continue using formal conventions. This is because the famous brand logos will help promote buying
the song as it reveals they are selling it. The ‘hmv’ and iTunes logo are conventional as it lets the audience know where they are
able to purchase the song. Next, I decided to add a website for the artist as this additionally helps promote who the artist is and
where to find out more about their music, as I found that many magazine adverts used this feature. Finally, I also added an
image of my digipack front cover as the advert is advertising this product which therefore should be including in the poster.
Furthermore, this instantly relates both my digipack and my poster advert to the same artist, which makes the combination of
both my ancillary texts very strong.

17. Music Video

18. Artist
The artist (Freddy Josh) is featured
throughout the music video as he the male
lead role. I have broken formal conventions
as usually the artist will be the protagonist in
the music video however, bands such as
Arctic Monkeys use this method in videos
such as ‘When The Sun Goes Down’ where
they appear in the video but do not have a
lead role. However, I felt that it was
necessary for the artist to be featured in all
three products because otherwise they would
not all work well as products promoting the
artist. Also, I needed a male lead as part of
my narrative which was a way I could
incorporate Freddy Josh into the music
video. As the artist is quite a prominent
feature in my music video, the audience will
be able to recognise him across all three
products which is important for the
promotion of the artist.

19. Location
In my music video, the main location
is a park which is used for both the
past and the present scenes. I felt that
this would be an effective location to
use when taking the photographs for
my ancillary texts as they will
immediately relate to my music
video. As it is the main location in my
music video, the narrative is
reinforced through all of the ancillary
texts as the audience will recognise
the location in my digipack and
magazine poster advertisement.

20. Film and Black & White Effect
I have edited my music video to use a film sepia effect and a black and white effect throughout my
music video. Both of these effects are used in both of my ancillary texts which emphasises the
cohesive theme across all products. In my music video, I use a black and white effect to convey the
present, unhappy scene whereas the film effect is used to portray the happy memories from the
past. Next, in my digipack, I used the sepia grain effect for the front and back cover to follow genre
conventions as well as a black and white effect for the two discs and one side of the inside of the
digipack. The main image for my magazine advertisement also is black and white and has a noise
effect added onto it to make it look vintage. This reinforces the genre conventions of indie rock
which are portrayed across all three products and additionally creates a theme which my artist
should be related to.

21. Audience Feedback
This is the audience feedback I got concerning whether my ancillary texts worked
well with my music video. All of the feedback was positive and supports what my
aim was across all three products.

22. Summary
Overall, to ensure all of my media products are successful in terms of
promoting the artist, I believe I have been successful. I have created a
black and white and film theme throughout all of my media products
as well as following conventions so that my target audience will be able
to consume the mediums as expected. Despite the artist not being the
protagonist in my music video, it is obvious to the audience through all
of my media products that the artist is the main focus as I have
featured Freddy Josh over all three products. Additionally, I have
followed conventions to ensure that they will persuade my target
audience to want to buy the digipack through the formal conventions I
have used in my magazine advertisement as well as the genre
conventions used to hopefully impress the audience in my music
video. Also from audience feedback, I found that I used the best
versions of each products that I possibly could for my final outcome
and that all three media products clearly promoted and represented
the artist in a positive way.