- The print productions and music video for the indie band share some visual and thematic links but could be strengthened. - Visually, they share the same font and composition techniques, but differ in color with the video using bold colors and prints in black and white. - Thematically, they both represent the theme of love in a negative way and feature a recurring mask image representing concepts of identity. However, the themes are not as directly linked between the pieces as they could be. - Overall, the links provide a coherent message and brand identity, but could be improved by more directly visually representing the themes, like including ocean imagery related to the song title.

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

2. Generic Links The indie/alternative genre is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that range from indie pop
to indie rock. Therefore, it was not too challenging to make the genre of the music clear
across my productions. Some CD covers, such as ‘If you wait’ by London Grammar and ‘Jake
Bugg’ by Jake Bugg, attract their audience by using photography of the artist.
My print productions and music video do not include the identity of the band members,
which may not work in their favour for gaining popularity. In indie music videos, it is a typical
convention to include shots of the band performing in between another story – a parallel
narrative. Including an image of the band’s members on the CD cover/advert can be effective
in gaining popularity because their appearance can register in the viewer’s mind so they
remember. However, people like music because it transports them to a place different to
reality, making them feel a certain way, and an artist’s print productions and music video can
help to achieve this. Mine are very conceptual so I believe the effects and designs I used
certainly help to achieve this. I also feel that the reoccurring image of the mask in both of my
productions resembles a brand identity, as it will begin to look distinctive to my audience.
There are many other Indie musicians who follow the same intention, and have become
successful because of it. For example, the XX have adapted to using an ‘X’ on their albums as
it is how they want to be identified by, making it instantly recognizable.
There is not normally a link between the music video of a song on an Indie album to the front
cover itself, but there is a noticeable link between the music video of ‘Do I wanna Know?’ by
the Arctic Monkeys and their AM album. My music video and print productions have a
similar relationship. My album cover is facing directly above the mask, the negative space in
the eye sockets acting as the ‘windows to the soul’ – in this case, they are the windows to the
band’s music, including Tidal Wave. In my music video, the female character’s face is hidden
but her eyes shine through the sockets of the mask – the scenes of her looking at the viewer
makes the relationship between the production and consumer more personal. Indie artists
closely associate characters and narratives in their music videos, which helps to demonstrate
the lyrics as well as enduring their target audience to watch it throughout.

3. Generic Links
My video, digipak and advert reveal imagination.
The design of the CD covers of indie artists helps
to engage their target audience by exposing their
thoughts and individuality in a creative way. The
word ‘indie’ is derived from the word
‘independent’, meaning it possesses a ‘do it
yourself’ attitude and are normally low budget.
Therefore, the low budget costumes and locations
featured in my music video are a generic link to
this genre convention, and my print productions.
My digipak and advert required minimal costs
because I originally had the software and products
before this task. The simplicity of my drawings
makes them attractive to my audience, because
they appreciate the subject of art and the various
styles you can create.
A lot of musicians from a range of genres
(including indie) use the front cover of their album
for their advert. This makes it easier for consumers
to discover and notice the artist’s album in a
record store. My print productions challenge
coherent packaging to an extent, because my
album cover is on my advert, but further down the
canvas so the faceless image grabs the attention of
the audience first. I did this because the drawing
distorts with realism, grabbing the viewer’s eye.

4. Visual Links
There were no visual appearances of tidal waves to relate to the song
title, but the waves are replicated in different ways – through the
curving lines in my print productions, and the hallucinogenic
vibrations in my music video. Together, they shape a psychedelic visual
style.
Colour-wise, there is not an obvious link between my print
productions and my music video. The video contains bold and vibrant
hues, but my print productions are black and white. The colours in the
music video reflect the strong and passionate mood felt by the lead
protagonist, suggesting the key theme of my productions. Black and
white would not be suited to the video’s narrative because it is
compulsory for the effects to include the colours, as this makes the
audience feel they are hallucinating themselves. It also suggests
sadness, which is not the convention of love I tried to demonstrate in
my video.
I did not include colour in my print productions for marketing
purposes. As described by ‘The University of Chicago Press’,
‘consumers tended to focus on the basic product features when there
was no colour’. This is positive for gaining sales, but a disadvantage if I
want my audience to think or feel something about my album cover
and advert.
(http://press.uchicago.edu/pressReleases/2015/January/150127_JCR_
black_and_white_advertising.html).

5. Visual Links
The same font is used as the title in my music video, and as the headings for my print
productions. This is because it stands out from other fonts with a sans serif, as it is not
found on Microsoft and adobe programmes - enhancing its uniqueness. Indie artists use
different fonts to categorise important texts from others, and this can develop a logo for the
artists to be identified from.
Using a tripod in my music video helped me to alter the composition of the shots to my
preference. I filmed from a variety of angles such as medium shot, close up shot, walking
shot, low angle shot. I feel as though this made the ‘chase’ aspect of my narrative more
intriguing and interesting to watch. For my print productions, I also followed composition
carefully by moving the content of the album work into the centre and so the lines could
connect at the bottom. I also made sure the title of the advert was aligned properly, so I
could draw the horizontal lines accurately – constructing a ‘frame’ around the drawing.
The shots in my music video are cut smooth so they flow in tune with the music. This can be
visually referenced to my album panels, as the lines flow into the following panel & shift
into a different image. There is also a strong link between my album and my advert,
through the media used and the face – her face is blank because the mask is on a separate
piece of production, but there is a coherent message that links the advert to my music
video, described later on.
In relation to Goodwin’s theory, there is a visual connection between the lyric ‘ripples in my
hair’ and the scene when this lyric plays. It also connotes to my advert, as the illustrated
hair looks similar to ripples.

6. The thematic motive that reoccurs through my work is the theme of love. The
representation of love connotes to my narrative. Despite this, not the entire
album is about the same theme, so I aimed for my CD cover to display an image
that does not immediately & directly suggest this vibe. This means that my
album cover and advert can attract my male dominated target audience who
are uninterested in cheesy/mainstream music. The faceless image of my advert
relates to the female character feeling incomplete and exposed without the
mask, so she could only reveal herself at the end of the music video. Without
the mask, she is unable to take power over the male character. This makes a
reference to love in real life because some people have a feature about
themselves that makes people fall in love with them – I saw the mask being a
suitable replication for this. My music video and print productions display love
in a negative way (e.g. the narrative, mask and black and white). This analysis
does not apply to every relationship but Tessa Perkins says stereotyping has
elements of truth.
I attempted to create a psychedelic theme through the lines within the
illustrations being long and close together – as seen in the examples on the
previous slide, this technique can distort a vision. This makes reference to the
narrative in my music video as my male character hallucinates throughout.
The object replicating a substance in my music video does not create a bad
image for the band because it represents love. A lot of other artists follow in the
similar route of using substances in their music videos, but they do not get
negativity for it because their target audience see it in an inventive and creative
way. There is a consistent representation of teenage groups, and the age of my
actors constructs this. A theme of love can make both male and female viewers
relate, the age may exclude older people but love does not change depending
on age – it’s the same principal.
Thematic Links

7. The mask represents false identity and Bahktin’s theory of consistent &
fluid identity, sharing the same coherent message throughout both of
my productions. There is juxtaposition between the created idea and
interpretations by the audience. The mask can view in different ways;
some may find it uncomfortable because it was based from a Halloween
mask, although I personally do not think my illustration heightens this
thought. If extra detail was added to this, it would alter the reaction of
the image.
Thematic Links
I feel as though my productions are linked to an effective level. I would say it’s
easier to depict the links through the visuals than themes/representations
because the assets of my music video and print productions can be interpreted in
different ways, but I do not see the narrative as being complex to follow. If I did
this piece of coursework again, I would make the thematic links and
representations more noticeable through the visuals e.g. including the ocean and
waves into the mise-en-scene. I see my productions as being very promotional
packages for my band, through the inter-textual references, lyrical links, eye
catching designs and the absorbing narrative.
Conclusion