Evaluation Question Two Written

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

When I was designing each of the elements for my ancillary products, I was careful to consider correlation between each of them, consistency to my theme, and features which would appeal to my target audience. 

I asked people who fell into my target demographic, what they would expect to see on the front of an album cover or on a poster, and the main responses that I got were; “something alternative, arty, something that would stand out to me but not necessarily because it’s covered in colour or shocking cartoons”; “keep it simple and chilled out”; “something different, something that reflects the ideas in the video”. 

My original plan was to use Maria as the ‘poster girl’ for all of my texts, as she was my performer in the video- this was a clear idea to jump to, however, I was unable to collaborate with her for a photoshoot due to locations and timings, and so I had to use a completely new model. This is something that I would change were I to do it again, but none the less I am more than happy with the results I got. When it comes to the two posters there is a clear difference in tone. The tour poster is very different to the album release poster, and yet both of them relate back to my digipack, which in turn, relates back to my video. The overall theme of my music video was very clinical, whitewashed almost, and so I replicated the mise-en-scene in my photoshoot by having my model wear very casual clothes, and by using very bright, white, directional lighting just as I did in the main product. The style of photography used reflects the mood of a lot of the songs on the album, there is a running theme of emotional detachment if you read between the lines, and this was something which I endeavoured to use as a base for my products. 

Additionally, a concept which I planned on exploring right at the beginning of my video was the idea of ‘old school’ 3D image layering. Using red and blue toned layers in order to create a quirky, alternative effect. The idea was that it would not only reflect the nature of the genre codes I am conforming to- I have mentioned in an earlier evaluation question the use of light and effects used to create a warped or distorted ambience, but would also tie in to the idea of the character in the video and her two sides of emotions. Two personalities almost. Equally, it would play into the underlying theme of emotional detachedness. I chose to use this effect on my album release poster, as it gave opportunity to really catch onlookers’ eyes and advertise the band as a whole, not just for the single album. 

I think that all of my final products work together well due to the consistency in theme and how it ties in with the mood of many of the songs on the album, songs such as Lisbon and Turn too Dust have very similar codes within them to the song I made the video for, and just as the album tracks tie in together, the ancillary products do as well. Saying this, there are a few bouncier, more pop-rock based songs such as You’re A Germ, Freazy and Bros, thus, I felt that a slight variation in aesthetic would be a good idea- hence the differing posters. The idea of the blue band running across the album design is a way of creating a house style almost, I used a semi opaque blue due to it’s calming and serene nature, in order for it to play into the hands of indie fans.