Q2. HOW EFFECTIVE IS YOUR

COMBINATION OF YOUR MAIN

PRODUCT AND ANCILLARY

TASKS?

• Throughout the entirety of the research, planning and production of the music video A2 text, it

has been important to use consistent elements of media language across the texts in order to

create and develop a continuous and cohesive look and representation. All of the ancillary

tasks I have created also need to all look of similar presentation and are easily connected

towards an audience.

• In real music media production industry, all areas of the production and planning would be

created so that they are all connected so that they are all linked together and collectively

create a strong, memorable and recognisable representation for the artist throughout all of the

different media platforms. It is important that all of the different media product are connected

and resembled the artist’s style and overall look.

• I have done this within my own media work, creating the music video, digipak and magazine

advertisement to all resemble and connect with the general style and themes, incorporating

recognisable and consistent visual effects used in my music video and links that portray the

artist in a certain way with the same connotations. Creating continuity also helps with

promoting an artist as it creates an overall look and appearance that, collectively, all contribute

into promoting the artist in a certain light and to a specific audience.

ROLAND

BARTHESFrench literary theorist, Roland Barthes, developed and created the theory of

Semiotics, which is the study of certain signs, symbols and imagery that all have

certain denotations and connotations. Denotations is what something actually and

literally is, and Connotation is what something may stand for and connote. An example

of this is the iconic image of the smoking pipe, which is actually just a piece of paper

with a drawing of a pipe (denotation) however it does connote that it is a pipe, even

though it is not actually there (connotation).

I have used this theory within my own work as I have used many different semiotics to

connote various amounts of different things. Connotations are also something that can

later become and turn into motifs for an artist.

Within my own work, I have included semiotics that are often connoted and connected

to the alternative genre, as well as my sub/hybrid-genre of horror/thriller. I am going to

be analysing and giving examples of these within my ancillary tasks.

COLOUR

CONNOTATIONS• The colour red is used dominantly and continuously throughout all 3 of my media texts.

The colour red has many connotations, most specifically blood, horror, romance,

sensuality, danger, hate and lust. I used red on all of my media texts to connote the theme

of horror and that my artist is alternative in presentation. In my music video, I use the

colour red in two different ways – one is the lipstick, which is connoted and linked to

glamour/beauty and sexuality and as the ‘blood’ which is connoted to the themes of

horror and despair. However, the lipstick is shown in an alternative way by smearing it

across the artist’s face and not typically just putting it onto his lips.

• The red lipstick connotes the element of androgyny as, although my artist is male, the

lipstick is a typical connotation towards women, which adds a contrasting element.

• On my digipak, the colour red is used alongside a contrasting blue, edited onto the sign

of my artist, which makes him appear more alienated and unusual, and translates the

horror genre as well as the alien theme.

CLOTHING/STYLI

NGMy artist is shown wearing the same outfit

throughout the entirety of the video, as well as

in the digipak. The outfit is a full-black, turtle-

neck/long-sleeved shirt with matching black

trousers. The all-black outfit connotes a

mysterious and gothic feel to the artist, with the

colour black also being associated with the

genre of horror. The fact that the only areas that

are exposed of the artist is his face and hands,

makes it seem like the artist has something to

hide/or is hiding something.

My artist’s overall style and costume is very

reserved, showing very little amounts of skin

and is overall very conservative. The artist is

shown almost very much like a blank canvas,

with also the fact that he has a shaven head

adding to the very simplistic look and basic look.

It is very similar to that of Lady Gaga’s outfit in

her ‘Applause’ video where she is shown

wearing a very similar all-black outfit to also

connote that she is a blank canvas.

MAKE-

UP• Alternatively for a male music artist, make-up plays a big part of my music video

and digipak. Most male artists are featured in very heterosexual ways, however

my artist is constantly represented in a way that would be classed as androgyny

and somewhat feminine.

• My artist uses bright red lipstick in the video, which is somewhat a typical

iconography and image for women’s make-up in general. My artist also does

place the lipstick onto his lips at the very beginning of the video, before twisting it

and presenting it in an alternative way by smearing it across the whole of his

face.

• The red lipstick is not so much translated onto the digipak, however the essence

that it is still there, due to me editing the face of my artist red for the majority of

the different images.

Being applied

normally (left)

and in an

unusual

manor (right)

ICONOGRAPHY/MOTI

FSThe main iconography used within my main

product and ancillary tasks is the constant

repetition of the artist’s hands. The ‘blood’ used is

actually a semiotic, with the ‘blood’ actually being

simply just food colouring however audiences

would view it and connect it to actually being that

of real blood. The ‘bloodied’ hands are repeated

constantly throughout my main product music

video and digipak, with the hands being featured

on the actual CD disk. Seeing this, audiences

would associated the bloodied hands with my artist

and with the video throughout the whole of the

promotion for the album.

The hands, featured in the

video (right) continuously

throughout and in the digipak

itself (left) on the album disc.

FACIAL

EXPRESSIONSBecause my artist’s representation and genre

style is alternative, my artist is seen showing a

very bizarre, blank and intimidating facial

expression throughout all of the different media

products. In the music video, my artist is shown

for the large majority with a glaring, intense

facial expression, making direct eye contact at

the camera. and to the audience watching. In

the bath and lipstick scenes, despite having

lipstick smeared across his face, the artist never

loses his gaze towards the camera. The look

and expression of the artist may cause a slight

discomfort and maybe awkwardness to the

audience, which connotes the alien theme and

style as well as creating an essence of

suspense. There are scenes where the artist is

seen alienating himself to the audience by

having him look away from the camera, such as

the mirror scene where he instead looks at his

reflection. This is followed on through to the

digipak layout, where the many images of the

artist use follow a similar composition.

In the digipak, my artist is also presented with a similar facial expressions as seen

within the music video. In the first image (left), the artist is shown with a similar eye

expression as in the video, which is very blank and intimidating, and staring directly

into the camera. The only difference is that his mouth is open, with an almost

menacing smile. A similar expression is shown within the video where the artist is

smearing the red lipstick around his face. The image almost looks quite haunting and

almost like he is some sort of paranormal spirit. The image in the centre features the

artist with half of his face covered, and although he is facing the camera, his eyes are

not focused to the camera, which alienates and adds a mystery to the shot. The last

image (right) shows the artist in side-profile, showing no indication of acknowledging

the audience at all, which ignores the audience and almost gives off an obnoxious-

vibe.

BODY

LANGUAGE• There isn't a lot of body language featured in my products, instead focusing more

directly on close-up shots of the artist. The scene where the artist is shown in the

bath does have an essence of the artist portraying himself being cold and lonely,

shown with his arms across him. This positioning could also connote the body

language of that of a vampire that sleeps in a coffin, which is another typical

horror/thriller villain and plot.

• On the digipak, most of the photos are of close-up/profile images of the artists,

however the hands are featured in a very angelic and strongly postured manor,

similar to what is seen during the scenes with the ‘bloodied’ hands.

The positioning

of when the

artist is in the

bath is similar

to that of a

vampire, as

seen in horror

movies.

The hands shown in the digipak are

in a similar positioning to that of the

hands that are featured fluently

throughout the video.

CAMERA ANGLES &

SHOTS• The main camera angles used within my music video is mainly close-up shots,

however there are some elements of longshot and mid-shots. With my ancillary

product, I use entirely close-up shots.

• By featuring so many close-up shots, it familiarises and makes the audience

establish the artist’s overall look and representation, and although the digipak is

quite heavily edited, I have made sure that the close ups used are still

distinguishable and recognisable to an audience for if they were to see the album

being sold in stores.

• The large array of close-up shots also makes the audience gain a better

relationship with the artist, and because my artist makes often and constant

notions to looking at the camera, makes the audience gain a better connection.

I have also included a varied amount of establishing and none-featured artist shots

of things like the sink and bath. Within these shots I again use the semiotic of ‘blood’

(aka red food colouring) within these scenes and use water to make the bleed and

move in interesting ways and movements. I have added these into the video to

make the alternative and gothic/horror sub-genre more dominant, and also adds a

refreshing element to the video instead of just constant close-up shots of my artist. I

also included artistic imagery on my digipak, featuring heavily edited images that

reflect a very out-of-the-box/other-worldly/extraterrestrial look. I used effects such as

the blur and smudge effects which make the images of my artist appear as if they

are being abducted/melting which connotes, again, the quirky and alternative genre.

FONTS/PLACEMENTS/COLOU

RINGFor my digipak product, I wanted to make sure all

of the elements looked and connected together,

with a sense of continuity and all look like they

are from the same distributer and production

team. The font I used was a font entitled ‘Disco’

which I think adds a very professional and

dynamic essence to the different products. It also

contrasts well with the general style of the

products with the red and blue neon colouring

and adds a sense of normality. I also spaced out

the letters in the font to make the texts look much

more cinematic.

IN

CONCLUSION…I believe I have created a strong combination and

final product of both my main product and ancillary

tasks, creating products that interlink and create

continuity both between its representation of the

artist and overall look and presentation. The media

product, together as a whole, all contribute to the

artist’s alternative genre and sub-genre themes and

include and distribute elements and conventions that

are all instantly recognisable and understood with

audiences.