How effective is the combination of your main products and ancillary texts?

1. HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE
COMBINATION OF YOUR MAIN
PRODUCT AND ANCILLARY
TEXTS?

2. FROM MY OWN RESEARCH...
 After I researched and analysed a few digipacks
and advertisements from the folk and indie genre
I found the following elements:
 House style
 Main theme
 It has to advertise
 It has to portray the artists work
 There has to be a visual link between the
products, so that they tie together and the
audience can recognise the brand image

3. PRINT PRODUCTS – DIGIPACK

4. PRINT PRODUCTS - ADVERTISEMENT

5. HOW EFFECTIVE ARE THEY?
• The main element of my ancillary texts was to ensure
there was a visual link between all three. This
ensures that all three products tie together and the
audience are able to associate each product to one
another.
• To do this, I used the image from the poster and
album cover which is very similar to the first scene of
the video. This is an important visual link between all
of the products.
• The first scene that we see in the video is of the
house, it is the first image that we associate with
video, so when the audience sees the advertisement
and CD they are able to make the link between the
products – they recognise the image and are able to
associate it with the band and the song.

6. HOW DO THEY LINK?
 There are a few key aspects that I wanted to display in my
print products that are key elements in my music video too.
 The first is the use of the couple’s home which is the most
used and exaggerated element that can be seen throughout
all of my products.
 In the video, the first scene begins and it is a long shot of
the house.
The still is very similar to the print
products which helps to create the
visual link for the audience as the house
is the main element seen in the
advertisement and digipack.

7. WHY THIS THEME?
 The home theme is very important in all of my products because it is a characteristic that is
common in the folk genre especially. The English countryside is a popular convention of this genre
and this boasts the home life that features in it. I wanted to use the home as the main setting for
all three of my products which is seen in the digipack in the inside panels in the top right hand
corner – it is an image of the living room which is also featured in one of the final scenes of the
video where the couple are asleep on the couch together.
 Home life is a popular convention of the folk genre which is why I wanted to use it for my
products. First of all, it was the most idealistic plan to develop as it was the most accessible route
I could have taken. This is because all the locations were easily accessible and all of the internal
scenes were shot in my house. There was never any problems with locations as I have access to
them at all times.
 The home theme also matches the themes of the song which discusses love and long term
commitment as one of the lyrics reads ‘I would do it all again for you’. Even the beat of the song is
very calm and keeps to a simple rhythm which is evident throughout the video, with the use of
black and white images and slowed footage. The video keeps to a simplistic theme by exaggerating
the couple’s every day home life, which is a quiet and calm affair.

8.  Not only does the digipack feature an image relating to the opening still, but it
also features images of other scenes of the video which is an effective way to
emphasise the home theme. This can be seen in the digipack’s inside panels
which features images of the living which also happens to be one of the final
scenes
 This inspiration is taken from Mumford and Sons’ Babel album as my front cover
shows the first scene and on the inside panels we see indicators of the final
scene, which ties the products together even more so as the digipack shows us
the video from satrt to finish.
 The album title is another indicator as it is simply called ‘Home’. The home
theme demonstrates the heartfelt meaning behind the video and products as it is
the couple’s lives whose are portrayed in the video. We see an intimate, almost
voyeuristic side to the video as we get an insight into their past as well as the
present in their home and local surroundings and through the use of old
photographs too.

9.  The technical reason behind this code is because of the low value
production that is often associate with this genre. All the locations I
filmed in were easily accessible and I know them well so I knew
which locations would give the best aesthetic setting and lighting
opportunities. Filming in a lot of outdoor settings gave amore
realistic feel to the video as there is no use of a stage or artificial
lighting or weather conditions. This is because of the low value
budget, it is better to film in these locations as they contain no
artificial elements which helps to keep the video simplistic and calm,
keeping in with the home theme. Furthermore, I wanted to film in
these settings because I thought they would appeal to my target
audience who would expect to see a development of the low budget
code as it is a common code in the folk and indie genre. To use this
code in my products, my audience’s expectations are met and they
are able to determine what genre my products are featured in.

10.  The home theme is the main theme, however
there are other parallels that can be made
between the products. For example, there is the
use of the imagery which links visually to other
scenes in the video such as the greenery used for
the CD. This is another convention that is
heavily used in the folk/indie genre as it
emphasises the use of English countryside.

11. HOUSE STYLE
 Another small feature of the environment is the use of
blue skies in the ancillary products which was
another emphasis on the environment. It is used for
the advertisement, CD cover and CD back panel
behind the disk. This creates a theme for the digipack
whilst visually linking to the advertisement as well.
Although the use of blue skies isn’t heavily endorsed
in the music video, I wanted to use it as a colour
scheme for the ancillary products so that they would
link together effectively to create a theme. This colour
scheme helps to create the visual link as the audience
would see one of the texts and would later recognize
the house style when they see the other ancillary text.

12. THE PRACTICALITIES
 The advertisement has to advertise and sell the product so to encourage this I
included a few elements that would do so. This includes a release date, a
website, the mediums it is available in and a sneak peak of the track list. This
is an extremely important factor for all ancillary texts in the music industry as
it provides the audience with vital information for how they can obtain the
album, where they can obtain it from, and what platforms they can access it
on.
 The digipack, on the other hand, has to portray the artists work and in doing
so it has to look professional in order to sell the brand image. As I’ve already
mentioned, there is a house style that runs throughout the product which the
audience can recognise and then associate it with the other products. They will
recognise the theme of the product and will be able to make the visual links
between the ancillary texts and the music video. In order for the products to do
this, there must be an effective combination of all three of them. The audience
must be able to make the visual link between them all them to establish the
connection between the products. In my opinion, the combination of my main
product and ancillary texts is very effective as there obvious links between the
visuals, the house styles and the common themes of the digipack and video;
therefore it is effective because it works. The audience is able to make the link
between the products.