Q3- How effective is the combination of your main

product and ancillary texts?

Colour SchemeIt is clear to see that I have conformed to a continuous colour scheme, that being red, black and grey. The reason behind this is predominantly due to the connotations they portray and how effective this is regarding the message within my video. The video itself shares the same representations as those within the digipak. For example, my reasoning behind using the maroon colour within my colour scheme is due to the fact that it connotes the idea of love, passion and in some ways danger. My music video combines all three elements to create a powerful narrative. In some ways the red could also be perceived as blood, representing just how much the main characters heart bleeds for his lost loved one.

I also incorporated the colour grey into the scheme due to the fact that it conformed to the stereotypical conventions of the majority of Indie Rock music videos, as a result of this I thought my product would look a lot more industry standard and reinforce the solemn atmosphere of the video. The black also reinforces the depressing aspect in the colour scheme in relation to the fact that it reinforces the main characters mental state. The black also connotes a sense of mourning, making it clear for the audience to establish the talent is in a constant state of mourning as a result of the situation he appears to find himself.

Music Video:

Ancillary Texts:

Outfit

As shown in both the music video and digipak, the male talent is shown to be wearing a black pullover with white shirt and black tie in combination with black formal trousers. The exact outfit was also worn when taking photos for the digipak to ensure it was accurately presented within my work. I feel as though this is an effective way of presenting my material due to the fact that it gives the products and easily recognisable identity from the perspective of the audience. It also reinforces the connotations of the main artist constantly being in mourning due to use seeing him in the same outfit it all three aspects of production. The depressive tone of the video is also carried over onto the digipak to make the ideologies within the video clear to the audience. The sheer fact that the main character appears to be constantly mourning suggests that the content of the video will be somewhat sensitive and not neccassarily suitable for those aged 13 or below.

Music Video:

Ancillary Texts:

Artist ContinuityDue to my video relying heaving on the Narrative aspect (Sven Carklsson – Aspects of Narrative) I am expected to have a character within the video to embrace the narrative and tell a story. In this case I decided to conform to this convention as I thought the narrative would be a lot more significant with the presence of a male character.

With regards to stereotypes (Tessa Perkins) the female is often associated with being romantic and more consumed when it comes to love, however I decided to apply a roll reversal to my video with regards to using a male character as the main talent. This is due to the fact that I believe the narrative will be a lot more powerful due to it not being an expected action and as a result the severity of the situation is enhanced.

Using the main character in the music video, digipak and poster is a convention of music artists so conforming to this convention was obvious, as I want my product to look as industry standard and professional as possible.

Ancillary Texts:

Music Video:

Font – ethos of video

The font on both the digipak and poster reflects the mood of the main character in relation to the fact that it is distressed and eroded. The eroded aspect of the font connotes the idea that the character is falling apart, making it clear to the audience how hard it is for him to cope with his current situation. This makes the audience a lot more emphatic towards the main character as without even watching the video we are able to grasp an insight on the life of this character and understand the struggles he goes through on a daily basis. In combination with this. We are able to conclude that the distressed element of the font reflects his mental state- he is stressed, distressed and depressed.

His mannerisms support the identity created for him through the use of each element within the digipak and poster as shown in the image to the left hand side, below the digipak images. This fulfils the created representation (Richard Dyer – Representation Theory) as he is conforming to the identity created for himbyboth the digipak and poster.

Ancillary Texts:

Music Video:

Digipak and poster relationship

Poster:

Inside Panel; With regards to the relationship between both ancillary texts, I ensured the continuity was obvious to the audience, making it even more identifiable. Each piece uses the same image on a different scale, immediately making it easily associable with one another. Also the fact that the images have a black overlay placed over the top makes them even more unique and somewhat more so recognisable as it may be considered unconventional to create a poster without the artists face but it is recognisable as a result of the already existing identity portrayed by the music video and album panels.

The black used on these two pieces connotes the idea that the artist not longer exists, it highlights the harsh reality of his actions as a result of his sorrow. His identity becomes questionable due to the fact that it seems as though he was already insignificant so appeared to go one step further and make that insignificance reality.

The bandage-like effect used on both pieces over the eyes of the artists reinforces the idea that love is blind. It has blinded the main character to the extent that he is no longer alive, he was blinded so much that he became unaware of his actions consequences, therefore resulting in death.

Why is this effective/important?

The reason behind an effective combination between a promotional music video and ancillary texts is due to the fact that it creates an identity for the product making it easily recognisable to a potential audience. The recognisability of a product is key within any promotion as it helps enhance the products popularity as a result of it being associated with other subsidiary products that have also had a positive response.

The continuity used throughout my products is possibly the most important factor as it unites each products as a package, making it even more of a success as a result of the already positive response. If each three positive elements are joined together it is likely the product will be superior as a result of their effectiveness as a combination. This also makes the product a lot more industry standard and therefore more professional as a result.