The document discusses how the author's ancillary texts (digipak and magazine advert) effectively combine with their main product (music) to create a coherent promotional package.
The images used in the ancillary texts are taken from the music video for the main product. This links all of the pieces visually and narratively. For example, panel 1 of the digipak features an image of the performer that is key to the music video's storyline.
Overall, the ancillary texts and main product are well-integrated because the images reference important scenes and themes from the music video, like confusion and guilt. Locations also link the pieces by reinforcing the local nature of the project. This cohesive presentation
1. How effective is the
combination of your main
product with ancillary
texts?
BY SORREL GRUNDY
2. Digipak – Panel 1
My ancillary texts combine well with my main product to create a coherent
promotional package as the images used in my ancillary texts are from my
music video. This is the first panel of my digipak, the image I chose to use
was a powerful one of the female performer lying on the road.
I chose this image because it is shown throughout the music video and so
will be familiar to the audience, also it is a striking image which I was able
to enhance during editing. This links not only to the visual of the music
video but also to a key part in the storyline as at this point the female
performer had just been hit by a car and so brings up many questions
about whether she is injured or even if she survives.
This image is linked to the main product as it links to the representation of
the drivers guilt which is reflected in the recurring flashbacks to the girl in
the music video. This image is striking in that it has been reversed which
further reinforces the recurring flashbacks experience by the traumatised
driver.
3. Digipak – Panel 2+3
These are my two central panels which includes the
disk tray for my CD. The images for these panels are
both taken from my music video and edited. I chose
these images because they link both to the main
product but also to each other well as they will be
seen together I thought that this was an important
aspect of these two panels. Both images are overlays
and include a shot of Earlham Park which is a popular
park in Norwich and so reinforces the locality of the
main and ancillary products. Both images link to the
themes of confusion and guilt from the music video.
The confusion is shown through the use of overlays
and so the distortion of the image and the guilt is
shown through the images of a road in panel 2 and a
car door in panel 3 as this links to the car accident.
4. Digipak – Panel 4
This is the final panel of my digipak and includes both a track list and
bar code. The image I have chosen for this panel is also from my
music video although it has been changed through editing. I decided
to keep the image in mostly black and white even though all of the
other panels are in full colour so that it would stand out and get the
consumers attention. I chose this image because of the composition
as it worked well with the track list. I also chose this image because
of the placard as they were a vital part of the music video and so
links the ancillary text to the main product once again which
increases the relation to the audience. This image also links to the
other images of the female performer in the digipak as in all of the
images a road is part of the composition of the image which
reinforces the themes of guilt and key parts of the storyline.
5. Real Productions
These are examples of real productions for artists who are similar to
Scarlett Parade. The cover art for their albums is modest and does not
have an image of either the performers or artist on them. The font
used by the Arctic Monkeys on their cover art for “Leave Before The
Lights Come On” is stylised, this is done to catch the eye of the
consumer as there is no underlying image on this cover art. The cover
art for the Arctic Monkeys is commonly abstract, an example of this is
their cover art for the album “AM” as they have used an image of a
sinusoidal wave which could be interpreted as many different things.
However the cover art for Marcus Foster, who is also a similar artist to
Scarlett Parade, for the album “Nameless Path” uses an image of a
house which seems to be in the middle of nowhere. This has a strong
connection to both the title of the album but also many of the tracks
on said album.
The convention of having the performer or artist on an album cover
seems to be, from my research, used more by mainstream artists than
independent ones. This is shown through the album art for Ed Sheeran
on his album “+” and Rhianna on her album “Loud”. Something which I
found interesting about this was that both album covers were using the
same convention and yet the image of Rhianna is both erotic (Mulvey)
and voyeuristic (Goodwin) whereas the image of Ed it not.
6. Magazine Advert
This is my magazine advert for my main product. This
links to my digipak and my main product in relation to
the title of the track and the title of the album and the
composition of the images that I have used. The title of
the track is “Summer Song” and this links all of my
ancillary texts to my main product as in all three
mediums the trees are in full leaf and the sun is out
which are connotations of summer. Another link
between my ancillary texts and my main product is the
title of the album which is “Betrayal”. In my digipak the
final panel has the female performer holding a placard
which says ‘betrayal’ and the image on my magazine
advert has the two performers sitting apart and not
looking at each other which also signifies betrayal.
I used a screen shot from my raw footage for the image
on my magazine advert which is a convention of film
posters as shown by the “Black Swan” poster, this is an
image shown throughout the film and it an important
part of the story. I chose to do this for my ancillary texts
so that there was a clear link between them and my
main product.