G324 Research and Planning Example

1. G324 – A2 GROUP COURSEWORK-
EXAMPLES OF LEVEL 4 RESEARCH & PLANNING
The following slides demonstrate a clear attempt by each
candidate to support individual claims with specific
references to key moments/examples taken from a range
of similar media products.
Also clear attempts are made to link findings back to
production and generic codes and conventions, audience
appeal and the marketing of artist

2. TARGET
AUDIENCEWho typically buys this genre?
How do you know?
Arfa Shah Candidate Number: 4739

3. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
• The Dykeenies are signed under an
independent music label called "Lavolta
Records" therefore, naturally, indie rock
bands go back to basics and rely on
touring, gigs, word-of-mouth and radio
promotion. The band have a laid-back,
playful almost childish image which
suggests that they tend to attract a
younger more developing audience such
as young adults aged from 15-24 due to
the indie rock genre being a genre that
strays from mainstream culture meaning
that it is free to explore sounds, emotions
and factors of social concern that allow
them to appeal to their target audience.

4. TARGET AGE GROUP
• An example of the target audience is
on a group page called "The
Dykeenies" on social networking site,
Facebook. The print screens show that
most of the fan base consists of
teenagers and young adults aged at
least 15-24. Furthermore, the fact that
"The Dykeenies" promote themselves
on social networking sites such as
Facebook and MySpace proves that
they appeal to a younger audience as
these networking sites have become
more popular amongst audiences aged
13-29, a relatively young audience as
the next slide shows.

5. EVIDENCE OF TARGET AGE GROUP
• A survey by "Clickymedia" found that over 7
million users, both males and females, on
facebook in the UK are aged between 13-29, a
perfect avenue for indie rock bands such as
"The Dykeenies" to aim their music to.
"Clickymedia" also compared their findings to
other age groups and found that "13-19" year
olds and "20-29" year olds were the dominant
age group. The fact the most dominant aged
groups are aged "13-19" and "20-29" tells us
that we should be appealing to those age groups
in order to pull in a more modern and young
audience that can relate to "The Dykeenies"
image and music.XFM is a radio station that
plays host to bands who hail from alternative,
rock, indie and brit-pop backgrounds. An XFM
Ofcom report in the Manchester area found
that 15-34 year olds favour bands that are
"credible, youthful and committed to
challenging the aesthetics of mainstream pop
music".

6. SUMMARY
• To conclude, young adults both males and females
aged 15-34 are more likely to buy this genre as it is
youthful, goes against mainstream culture and the
band's image appeals to this target audience as it is
youthful, fresh, original and relaxed.

7. Hannah Ram - 4730

8. THE ENEMY MAGAZINE ADVERTThis poster emulates a train station
timetable, which ultimately emphasizes
the name of the album ‘We’ll live and die
in these towns’, as it is linked to the idea
of leaving a town or city. This idea is
reinforced by the text at the bottom of the
advert as it says ‘arriving’, which again has
connotations of a train timetable board.
This idea, like Indie music itself, is quite
anti-mainstream and would therefore,
appeal to The Enemy’s target audience.
In this advert the band members are not
shown, despite the fact that it an
advertisement for their debut album.
This could be perhaps because they want
to be taken seriously as musicians and
want people to focus on the music rather
than their image, or it could have been
done to reflect that anti-mainstream
ideology that characterises the Indie
genre.
The font used for the name of the band
is quite simple, but it stands out because
it is in yellow. This suggests that The
Enemy are quite a simple band in the
sense that they focus simply on their
music rather than mainstream gimmicks.
The yellow font used could perhaps
signify that as a band they stand out
from the all of the other Indie bands on
the market. Moreover, the use of yellow
and white font on a black background
makes the advert quite eye-catching.
The font style, colours and background used in this magazine
advert is replicated on the album cover, billboard posters and
the tour date posters, which helps to create a brand identity for
the band.
There is also a connection between the
album cover, magazine advert and the
music video for their song ‘We’ll Live
and Die in These Towns’ as in all thee
the backgrounds are quite dark (on the
album cover and magazine advert the
background is black and the music video
is set at night so there is dark lighting).
Also in the music video includes lots of
shots of road signs, which links to the
train timetable format of the advert and
album cover as they both refer to
travelling to a different town or city.
Ultimately, both the music video and
the album cover and advert are all quite
simple, which creates an image that
they are normal people that their target
audience can therefore, relate to.
The text at the bottom also says ‘featuring the hit singles...’,
which is likely to make audiences want to buy the album as it
suggests that they are quite a well known and popular band.

9. KAISER CHIEFS MAGAZINE ADVERT
There is an obvious connection
between the album cover and the
magazine advertisement as the
advert contains a pack-shot of the
album cover. This could have been
done so that when their target
audience goes into a music shop it
will be easy for them to identify
the album and buy it. Also, much
like The Enemy’s album cover and
advert, the Kaiser Chiefs use a
bright colour like yellow on a dark
background to make their product
stand out.
The same typography is used for
the word ‘Employment’ on both
the album cover and the
magazine advert in order to help
their target audience make the
connection between the advert
and their album.
The Kaiser Chiefs do not appear in this advert for their album. This could possibly be because by the
time that this album was released the band was already well known and established, so they didn’t
necessarily need to appear in the advertisement as their target audience already knew who the band
members were.
The whole advert has a late
1970s and early 1980s feel to it,
as the font and layout is arguably
quite dated because it is
reminiscent of the style of old
advertisements. Furthermore,
the pack-shot in the centre of the
advert has connotations of old
vinyl records, which is reinforced
by the worn looking edges of the
album cover. This is then
therefore, a way for the Kaiser
Chiefs to subtly incorporate a
reference to their musical
influences that were famous in
the early 1980s; by doing this
they create an image of
themselves as being an authentic,
anti-mainstream, Indie group
that is aware of how and when
Indie music developed. This
image would appeal to their
target audience as it highlights
that they are aware of their roots
and take their music seriously,
which would appeal to their
target audience as it shows that
they aren’t just another
manufactured band.

10. KAISER CHIEFS MAGAZINE ADVERT CONT.
This tag line gives the album a
mass appeal by suggesting that
there is something for everyone in
the album. By including this text
on their album cover and poster it
highlights that the Kaiser Chiefs
are aware that Indie music is now
becoming much more mainstream
and it therefore, allows them to
appeal to the widest audience
possible.
The phrase ‘Does exactly what is
says on the box’ is an intertextual
reference to the phrase ‘It does
exactly what is says on the tin’,
which is a popular phrase in the
UK that originated from
advertisements for woodstain in
the early ‘90s. This adds a slight bit
of comedy to the advert, which
according to XFM’s audience
research is a ‘key interest’ to the
Kaiser Chief’s potential target
audience.
Album Cover
The music videos for ‘Every Day I
Love You Less and Less’ and ‘Oh
My God’ also include retro mise-
en-scene (e.g. wallpaper in the
former and costume in the latter),
which reinforces the image of the
Kaiser Chiefs being an authentic
Indie band that has musical
influences from the past. Thus,
there is a connection between the
album cover, magazine advert and
some of the music videos for
songs contained in this album.

11. STEREOPHONICS MAGAZINE ADVERT
The band are shown in this magazine
advert in order to establish their image
and brand identity. The mise-en-scene
used in this advert highlights that they
are an Indie band, as their attire is
reflection of the conventional Indie
style of clothes (leather jackets and
blazers) therefore, their target audience
will able to relate to them, as they will
wear similar clothing themselves. Thus,
this then creates the image that the
Stereophonics are a cool and relatable
group. Also, the majority of the band
members are looking away from the
camera in this shot, which suggest that
they are a laid-back band that are not
overly confident or arrogant - this idea
is reinforced by the fact that they do
not dominate the shot.
The album name ‘KEEP CALM AND
CARRY ON’ is an intertextual reference
and historical allusion to the WWII
poster used by the British government.
Since 2000 the phrase has somewhat
come back into mainstream use and by
using it as their album name they are
reflecting the new mainstream
popularity that Indie music is
attracting. This will therefore, appeal to
their target audience as it reflects their
mainstream desires and attitudes.
Furthermore, the font style that the
album name is written in emulates the
font style of the WWII poster, which
reinforces the intertextual reference to
the poster.
The typography used for the band’s
name is quite clear and simple which
reflects the idea of the album title of
being ‘calm’, as the font is clear and
easy to read. Also the use of the bold
font and underline grabs the
audience’s attention straight away.
Similarly, the fact that all the text is
written in capital letters also helps
them to get their target audience’s
attention.
Like the other magazine adverts
that I have analysed this
advertisement contains all the
relevant details on how to obtain
their album in a clear and concise
way, in order to get the message to
their audience in the quickest way
possible.
Furthermore, the background image of this advert
would immediately grab their target audience’s
attention as it is quite comical and unusual and
would thus, stand out from the other adverts in
the magazine.
The paralanguage created through the use of this
image suggests that the Stereophonics are an
interesting band that like to stand out from the
crowd. This would therefore, help them to
reinforce their band’s image.

12. STEREOPHONICS MAGAZINE ADVERT
War poster issued by the British Government
during the beginning of WWII to raise the
morale of the British public in the case of
invasion.
ALBUM COVER
There is a very strong connection between the album
cover and the magazine advertisement as the same
picture is used as a background in both of the media
products. The font style and colour used on the album
cover is also replicated in the magazine advert, which
helps establish a brand identity for the band as
audience’s will be able to recognise this picture as being
to do with the Stereophonics.

13. STEREOPHONICS MAGAZINE ADVERT
SCREENSHOTS TAKEN FROM THE STEREOPHONICS MUSIC VIDEO FOR ‘INNOCENT’
After watching the music video for the song ‘Innocent’ by the Stereophonics it became clear
that there was a strong connection between the album cover and the music video, as within
the music video there are historical allusions to the ‘KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON’ World War
One poster (as shown by the screen grab on the left) that gives the Stereophonics album its
name; this therefore, creates an immediate link between the two media products.
Furthermore, the band is shown performing in the middle of a street that is holding a massive
street party. The clothing that they are wearing during this performance is quite similar to the
clothing that they are wearing in the magazine advert and album cover (e.g. dark jeans,
leather jackets and blazers), which again creates a connection between the music video and
the advert.

14. MANIC STREET PREACHERS MAGAZINE ADVERT
The typography used throughout
this advert is reminiscent of the
type of writing you get when using
a stencil; there are two possible
reasons for this:
• Firstly, this stencil-like font has
connotations of, retro, 1980s
England, which would ultimately
appeal to the Manic Street
Preachers’ target audience because
it gives the band an air of
authenticity by showing that they
are aware of when
Indie/Alternative music started.
•Secondly, the disjointed and
broken lettering could be a
reference to the fact that since
their band member Richey Edwards
vanished the band are no longer a
complete group, despite the fact
that they are still together.
This magazine advert contains three reviews from magazines and newspapers. Both ‘Q’ and ‘NME’ are magazines that Indie/
Alternative music fans would either read or know of, so they would therefore, trust their review of the album. Moreover, ‘The Times’
is likely to appeal to their slightly older target audience who may have been fans of the band since their formation in 1986. Thus, by
including these reviews the Manic Street Preachers are instantly attracting their target audience by highlighting their popularity and
success in the music industry.
The mise-en-scene used in this
magazine advert has connotations
of the 1970s and 1980s. For
example, the Polaroid camera and
the rocker hairstyle (slicked back
quiff) all have retro connotations.
Furthermore, the advert is in black
and white, rather than colour,
which again has connotations of
old-fashioned and retro
photography. (Also by making the
magazine advert black and white it
is more likely to grab the reader’s
attention, as it will immediately
contrast with the full colour
spreads found in magazines). Thus,
the mise-en-scene used will meet
the Manic Street Preachers’ target
audience’s needs and desires by
creating the image that the band is
an authentic, anti-mainstream
group, that is aware of the roots of
Indie/Alternative music.
This advert also contains the
band’s website details and the
record label's logo.

15. MANIC STREET PREACHERS MAGAZINE ADVERT
ALBUM COVER
As with the Stereophonics, there is clearly a
connection between the magazine advert and
the album cover, as the same picture and font
is used in both. However, there is one obvious
difference between the two and that is the
layout of the picture, as in one the man is on
the right hand side and in the other he is in
the centre.
Unlike all of the other adverts that I have analysed so far, this is the first advert that explicitly refers
to downloading song through iTunes. This reflects the changing methods of media consumption
and is more likely to appeal to their target audience than details of what format you can purchase
the song in, as teenagers and young adults are now choosing to download music rather than buy a
physical copy of it.
The band do not appear in
this magazine advert for their
album ‘Postcards From A
Young Man’; this could
possibly be because they are a
really well known band so
their target audience will
already know who they are
and what they stand for,
therefore, they do not need to
appear in the advert in order
to establish their image.

16. Analysis of Digipaks
Hannah Lenane

17. Biffy Clyro -Puzzle
This is the front and back cover to the Biffy Clyro, Puzzle digipak. Immediately we can notice the
Layout- unusually the front cover has no text on it and instead the album name and artist name are
on the back cover. This is unusual as artists usually include this information on the front cover in
order to attract audiences to the product and allow them to recognise immediately who it is. It is
possible that as Biffy Clyro are already a well known band who do not need to establish themselves
or their image they were able to put this information out of sight and focus instead more so on the
album cover artwork. The band members are not included in any of the images on the front and
back covers of the digipak, this is again unusual but possible for a well known band such as Biffy
Clyro. The images are ambiguous and there is a repeated motif of the puzzle piece. It is
possible that the artists wanted their audiences to be thoughtful about what message they
are trying to portray and to take their work seriously.

18. Here are the inside pages of the
Digipak. We can see again that
The band are not the focal point
For any of the images and have
Instead chosen to display artistic,
Meaningful, ambiguous photos
Instead. The structure of the
Inside pages is simple. On the
Left hand panel there are lyrics to a song from the album typed up in full for audience members and on
the right hand panel is a photograph. Although there is no direct link between what is written in the
lyrics and the photograph accompanying it, both are passionate and meaningful and will cause
audiences to think about the messages being delivered to them and the band’s purpose. The font used
is bold white lettering. By using such a simplistic font the band do not take away from the album art
work or the message being portrayed in the lyrics. They have used a bold font so that all lyrics can be
read easily and are not disrupted by complicated and intricate fonts. The colours used here are dark
and dull, there are only a few bright colours highlighted such as the flames from the man on fire. These
dark colours coincide with the serious and professional theme/feel of the digipak.

19. Kate Nash- Made of Bricks
There are noticeable differences
Between this digipak and the last
Analysed which arguably are a
Result of the artist’s gender. Firstly
Take for example the font, here the
Font is feminine, handwritten and
Delicate when compared with the
Simplistic bold font seen previously.
This perhaps has strong connotations
Of gender expectations –women are
More likely to focus on personal touches (such as hand writing their text and are expected to be very
pretty , delicate and feminine instead of bold and strong. Linking to this is the image on the front
Cover- we can see the artist in a red dress, the colour drawing attention to her and the colour perhaps
Connotating her as passionate, lustful and feminine. We can also see behind her a homely house and
neat garden. This again suggests the idea of typical femininity –focused on a neat, pretty home. The
colours both on the front and back page are bright yellows, reds, blues and greens and white. This
again contrasts to the darker, more imposing colours seen in the male artist digipak seen prior to this.

20. Moving on to the inside pages of the digipak we can see that the feminine motif’s focused on, on
the front page are continued through the inside- the colours are again bright, light and colourful.
Many shades of pink, red, yellow, blue and purple can be seen here making the page visually
stimulating for audiences. Again the artist is included in the image in a scenario that is very typically
A feminine stereotype –she is in a bathroom where clothes have been hung up to dry and she is
doing her makeup in the mirror. These factors all emphasize her femininity to audiences making her
appealing to both men- who are attracted to her and women who want to be like her. The structure
of the inside pages of the digipak are the same as the digipak of Biffy Clyro. On the right hand panel
there is an image (here of the artist instead of an aristic photograph) and on the left hand side panel
is a typed copy of the lryics to one (or two here) of the song(s) on the album.

21. MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS OF
“AMERICA”
O BY

22. Razorlight…
Razorlight is an English-Swedish
indie rock band that formed in
2002. Their song “America” is the
second single to be released
from their self titled album
“Razorlight”. It was written by
the band members of Razorlight.
The performance music video is
about a lazy couch potato’s
feeling of alienation and
boredom by American culture
when compared to coverage on
America.
(Source: Wikipedia)

23. Genre Characteristics
The key characteristic of the Indie genre is
a performance element in the music video.
In “America” by Razorlight, the first few
shots of the music video immediately
introduce a performance element where a
member is playing the guitar. The medium
shot of the band member playing the
guitar introduces the audience to the
settings, members and instruments.
Another characteristic of the genre is it’s
independent from mainstream culture. For
example the location of the music video
seems to in a isolation venue, possibly
underground which further highlights their
rejection of mainstream culture. Popular
underground music venues emerged in
America and elsewhere in the 1980s and
1990s. Another characteristic of the Indie
genre is the “Do-it- yourself” ethic whereby
band members play their own instruments
on their own terms and in their own
location. All these characteristics are
demonstrated in the music video.

24. Relationship between lyrics and
visuals.
There is a very strong relationship
between the lyrics and visuals in the music
video. For example the whole song is
based on America therefore various
images of America’s bridges and
motorways are shown. Furthermore,
when the lead singer sings “I light a
cigarette”, an over the shoulder shot is
used to show the cigarette and its fumes
on the screen. Since the whole song is
based on a couch potato’s alienation from
American culture, a medium shot is used
to show a man sitting on the couch with in
front of him an empty pizza box and a
cigarette. Furthermore, to further
highlight America’s use in the music video,
images of places in America are
continuously played on a screen behind
the lead singer.

25. Relationship between music and
visuals
There is a constant relationship between the music and visuals in
the music video. For example, when the lead singer is singing a
medium close up is used to demonstrate this. Also, when the lead
singer is also playing the guitar, a slight high angle long shot is used
to highlight this. Furthermore, when the drum intro kicks in at 0:47,
a medium shot of the drummer is used to introduce him and his role
in the band. Also, when the music becomes more upbeat we can see
in the music video that the lead singer begins to move more to the
music and begins to bounce on the spot.

26. Demands of the record label…
Goodwin’s theory highlights the fact that
in order to meet the demands of the
record label close up shots need to be
used in order to introduce the band to
the audience. For example a medium
close up shot of the lead singer is used
to introduce him as the lead singer. A
medium shot is used to introduce the
drummer of the band and a medium
shot is also used to introduce the band’s
keyboardist in the music video. The
record label also demands that the band
have their own image therefore most of
the band members have adored a
typically indie style- floppy hair with side
fringes, casual laid-back clothes. The
exception to this style is the member
who is playing the keyboard in the video.

27. Notion of looking and voyeuristic
treatment of the female body.
There is no voyeuristic treatment of
the female body present in the
video. As highlighted before, the
inclusion of this element would
prove disastrous for the band as it
may alienate their female fan base.
There is a notion of looking present
in the music video. For example a
screen within the screen is used to
portray the various images of
America and when the lead singer
asks “How does it feel?” the screen
is used again but this time with the
band members directly in front who
are holding signs which demonstrate
how they feel.

28. Intertextual references
There are no
intertextual
references in the
music video. This
could mainly be due
to the fact that the
band may want the
audience to
completely focus on
their song, music
video and image and
not something else.

29. Intertextual referenceIntertextual reference
We also looked at “Love The Way You
Lie” by Eminem feat. Rihanna as it was
another music video based on
relationship abuse. We were inspired by
Megan Fox’s eye contact with the
camera in the music video therefore the
female lead in our music video, Veena,
looked straight at the camera in order to
establish an emotional connection with
the audience. We chose to go against
convention because my group and I
wanted to include more than just a
performance element in our music video.
We wanted to include a narrative that
made subtle references to other media
products in order to make our music
video more captivating, memorable and
emotional.
“Love The Way You Lie”
music video
Veena looking straight at the camera
in our A2 media production in
reference to Megan Fox’s character
in “Love The Way You Lie” music
video by Eminem feat. Rihanna