Digipak Analysis

TEXT

Name of the band/ artist

The name of the artist grabs your attention straight away as the style of the text is large and stands out from the image behind it. This tells us immediately that it is the name of the artist and is highlighted specifically. 

Name of the album
The album name is shown below the name of the artist which makes it clear for us to identify what it is. The font gradually gets smaller from the name of the artist to the album name which tells us its not as important as the larger text, but is still bold and large which is highlighted as an important factor of the digipak.

Track listing
The track list on the back of the digipak is cleverly positioned to follow the way in which the artist is flicking her hair which is very unique and so would catch the audiences attention. The track list is in the same font as the name and album on the front which stands out from the backround imaging making it bold and stand out.  

PICTORIAL

Pictures of the band/ artist.

In all three parts of this digipak for Marina and The Diamonds album there are close up pictures of the artist herself. The images are very eye catching and all very individual, for example the picture of her flicking her hair is different and so will attract the audience. The photographs of the artist are also portrayed as sexually appealing, which is a common convention we see when looking at alternative pop artists.  

Barcode

There is a barcode placed at the bottom of the back cover of the digipak. This is not a main part of this digipak but is seen in nearly every digipak.

Website banner
Within most digipaks you will see a website banner, CD/DVD logo etc to promote the artist, but in this particular digipak we do not see this.

DESIGN

Colour and style to fit

This digipak has a very modern and contempary feel to it due to the photographs and colours used. One of the images is in black and white which stands out as it is contrast to the back and front cover. The way that the writing is postioned on the images is very clever as it does not cover up the artists face, especailly the back cover of the digipak. The track list is postioned on the artists hair as she is flicking it upside down which is very different to what you usually see on a digipak, and is very eye catching to the audience. There is also a lot of emphasis on the artist due to the photographs being close ups of her face on the front and back cover, and a medium shot in the middle picture.

Artists genre.

The photographs of the artist are very unique, showing the artists personality and relating to the genre of alternative pop.

Jessie J: Magazine Advert Codes and Conventions 2

We have chosen to analyse a magazine advert of one of Jessie J's albums 'Who You Are'.


1. Name of band/ artist and album
The name of the artist stands out in both magazine adverts, it immediatly catches your eye. We can see that the name of the artist is a very important factor to the magazine advert and should be as clear and eye grabbing as possible which this advert clearly highlights.

2. Date of album release
As you can see from the adverts above the one of the left hand side clearly states in bold capitals the release of the album 'PLATINUM EDITION OUT NOW'. And although the advert on the right does not state the release date it is still advertising the album including album name and who the album is featuring.

3. Band/ Artist Image/ Style
The image of the artist is represented in sexual way- the close up of the artist emphasises her make-up and facial expression grabbing the audiences attention. The image of the artist is very bold and unique which links to the genre we our focusing on 'Alternative Pop'. The fact that its just the artist looking powerful echos the fact of being independant which again links to our genre of 'Alternative Pop'.

4. Featuring Songs
Both adverts above highlight the songs featuring other artists like B.o.B and David Guetta. The advert on the left illustrates the featuring song at the bottom of the page in bold colour black but it is not in block capitals like the other details on the advert which questions whether its the most important factor of the advert. Although, the advert on the right clearly states the featuring track in bold font and emphasising the featuring artist B.o.B in a bold colour.

5. Form of Release
Both articles advertise the release of the hard copy of the album which is clearly stated in block capitals. But neither disply any release of online downloads.

6. Either photograph or artwork as main image
In these magazine articles the main image is the artist - Jessie J. It is a very bold picture of the artist, and the way she is positioned portrays a powerful image. This relates to other alternative pop artists as it shows their fierce and independant personality. It is a statement photograph and so is very remeberable to the audience. Her image is very different from other artists, for example her black lipstick and her jet black bob haircut.

7. Record Company
Her Record Label 'LAVA' is displayed at the bottom of both magazine advert. It is displayed very clearly, especially the advert on the right as it is placed on a black background and so the white logo stands out well.

8. Bands website
The artists official website is shown on the magazine advert at the bottom in white writing. It is against the black background so it stands out very well, making it clear and easy to read. The website takes you to the artists official website, which tells you lots of information about the artist, for example her tours/gigs etc. It is printed in quite small font as it is not a major part of the advert, but it is still there for the audience to see.

9. Critical notes/ratings

10. Set colour scheme
The colour scheme for the advert on the left is based on three colours; black, white and silver, which links to her releasing her 'platinum album'. It makes the advert very distinctive and quite simple so that the audience can focus on the important parts of the advert.

Delilah: Magazine Advert Codes and Conventions 1

We have chosen to analyse a magazine advert for Delilah's new album 'From The Roots Up'. There are certain codes and conventions that we would typically find in a proffesional magazine advert such as the image above- we will discuss the different codes and conventions.

Name of the band/artist and album
The name of the artist is clearly shown in this magazine advert followed by the album name highlighted underneath. It is evident that this is the main feature of the magazine advert and which should attract the audience to want to read it; it should be eye catching and stand out. The font that is used on this magazine advert is also used on her album cover which makes it obvious to the audience who the artist is.

Date of album release
The date of the album release is clearly visble to the auidence as its right underneath the artist herself. It is also not surrounded by any other writing so that it stands out and catches the audiences attention. The font that is used is simple so that it is easy to read and the colour of the font stands out from the black background which catches the eye.

Band/Artist image/Style
The image of the artist is represented in a unique way; this highlights her genre of 'alternative pop'. She is portrayed as a powerful individual by the way in which she is positioned in the picture. This relates to some of her songs in her album as the female characters in her music videos are shown as independent and in control.

Featuring songs - N/A

Form of release -N/A

Either photograph or artwork as main image
In this magazine advert the main image is the artist herself; Delilah. She is also placed inside of a white triangle which stands out from the dark background, showing the audience she is the main aspect of the magazine article and drawing more attention towards her. The photograph of the artist stands out a lot in this advert, as the colour of her skin is very contrasting to the other colours in the advert. It is also a very bold photo of the artist, suggesting to the audience she is very much in control and independent.

Record company - N/A

Bands website
There is a web address on the magazine article which leads you to the artists official website... delilahofficial.co.uk. This website then tells you more about the artist, news about her, tour dates etc. This is placed at the very bottom of the magazine advert to the left hand side in small font. This is because it is not an important part of the advert, but it is there to give the audience an opportunity to find out more about the artist.

Critical notes/ratings
There are critical notes and star ratings at the bottom of the magazine advert

Set colour scheme
This magazine advert is based on just three simple colours; grey, white and black. This makes the photograph of the artist stand out and catch the viewers eye. As the background is dark and the writing is highlighted by the bold, white text making it clear and easy to read for the audience.

FINAL MUSIC VIDEO

Textual Analysis 2

Textual Analysis 2

Breathe: Delilah

The music video which I will be analysing is called “Breathe” by the British singer/songwriter Paloma Stoecker known as ‘Delilah’ who is currently signed to Atlantic Records. Her first single ‘GO’ was officially released in September 2011 and her new first debut album ‘From the Roots Up’ was released this year in July. “Breathe” is the third single recorded by Delilah and was released on You Tube in April 2012 it was produced and written by Delilah herself and was able to be in the top 100 charts. Delilah style of music is under the genre of alternative pop, which is new and fresh to the music industry and recently in the last few years this genre of music has become very popular with the likes of Katy B and Alex Clare. The track “Breathe” falling under the genre of alternative pop has key elements of the genre pop such the use of a narrative in the music video however the alternative side makes the video emphasis its indie aspect for instance alternative could also consider it to be concept- base and other characteristics which would take away the pop part would be the bright colours and dancing etc…

The relationship between lyrics and visuals are generally illustrative, the visuals on screen explain the lyrics and illustrate them. For example in the chorus when the artist sings “I cannot breathe (yeah) Let me be free (yeah) from myself” the actress is showing emotion of distress and hiding behind the door whilst the  actors are trying to get into the apartment, illustrating that she wants to be free she’s not happy with the environment she is in. The visuals shown give the audience an idea to what the song is about; relating the visuals to the lyrics creates an explanation. Near to the end of the music video when the lyrics read “I must survive, this wonderful punishment called life” the woman actress packs her bags and leaves her boyfriend in the flat, which visually creates a moral of the story that life isn’t all great and the audience can relate to this.

The relationship between music and visuals compliment well together, the genre of alternative pop has some aspect of dub step which you can tell as the bass compliments the actions of the characters. The video does mainly stay the same pace all the way through, however, the tempo varies throughout the track so the music video in fact challenges Goodwin’s theory which is evident in the scene of the boyfriend and girlfriend, when they are arguing and fighting during the slow part in the track highlighting that the music is contrapuntal towards the visuals.

In this music video the artist Delilah is not in the narrative aspect she is between the scenes singing the lyrics of the song, therefore there are many close ups and medium shots of the artist herself showing the audience her emotion, representation and most importantly reflecting the words of the song from the lip syncing. The track “Breathe” was released in a digital download format on You tube hinting that the record company were looking to sell this track to a young/youthful target audience who are up to date with technology and have new interest of alternative pop. The image Delilah portrays in her music video is young, trendy and soulful which seems to be a motif that she uses throughout all her three singles released and perhaps that is the demand of her record label to show that stylish/ causal side so that the target audience can be influenced and relate to her music.

In this music video there is a lot of reference to the notion of looking, in a very stereotypical and traditional way. From the start of the music video the audience can make out that the woman is the object and she’s in a vulnerable way this is illustrated not just from the relationship between the music and visuals but also from the camerawork. The angle of the camera looking down on the woman from high angle shot shows that the male character is the dominant one and in the video the men are portrayed or seen as the ‘gangsters’ which are causing trouble with the female character for example in one scene the male characters are looking through the window and then the screen shows her in binoculars as if that’s what the male characters can see. What’s more, the close ups on the woman actress emphasises her distress emotion and how she is feeling. However there is no intertextual reference in this music video, it doesn’t relate to other music videos but could relate to real life issues and the problems people face on a normal basis. The moral of the music video is that if you’re in an abusive relationship you can walk out and you don’t have to keep living in that way. Furthermore, this music video is mainly narrative-based as explained above; there is a story being told throughout the course the mise en scene of natural lighting and realistic location gives the audience an idea of what the lyrics really mean. For example one of the first scenes in the music video is in a flat- portraying a realistic feel to the narrative that this can happen on a daily basis. Not only does the mise en scene add to the effect of the alternative pop music video but also the editing it has continuous slow motion transitions and darkened colour correction highlighting the mood of the song  and visuals.

In conclusion, after analysing the music video “breathe” it is evident to say what the key characteristics are and how the genre is illustrated through the relationship of music and lyrics, relationship of music and visuals, how the artist is represented, notions of looking and what type of music video it actually is.

Roughcut And Feedback

This is a roughcut of our music video. We are going to gain constructive criticism and positive points from our other class members in order to make any changes to our video before we complete the whole production.

FEEDBACK
Constructive criticism
-The lip sync could be clearer at the beginning
-Quite dark lighting in the narrative kitchen scene
-More of the short shot duration would be good to keep the audience engaged
-The singing overlaps in one part of the field scene

Positive feedback
-Engaging music video
-The switch between the narrative and performing keeps it interesting
-Good miming
-The different shots that are used are good (long shots, close ups, over the shoulder etc)
-The slow motion is good and effective
-The locations are varied so keeps the audience wanting to watch more
-Good mise en scene

Codes and Conventions in Hip Hop Music Videos

The genre I have chosen to analyse is Hip Hop. I have selected two music videos to help me understand the codes and conventions within this genre.



In Hip Hop music videos the location is usually set in a party, or a club with the use of alcohol shown and no narrative. The artist is usually focused on and very involved in the video, showing off their expensive jewellery with attractive women around them and close up showing off their assets, establishing shots and long shots are also used to show the location and what is going on around them. Recognised brands and clothing are occassionally shown.

I chose to analyse Rihanna - Don't Stop The Music as this is a Hip Hop video that conforms to the codes and conventions. There is no storyline to this video as it  is in a club. There is no alcohol really shown in this video, but the audience would presume there is alcohol as people who go clubbing stereotypically binge drink and get very drunk.The limelight is only on Rihanna in this video, with a  few other dancers on the dance floor who are occasionally shown. The camera focuses on her shoulders up jewellery a lot, perhaps to show that she is well off.
There are lots close ups of rihanna's face to show she is attractive and that she is the main focus in this video. Examples of establishing shots are also used to show the location of the video and the different areas of it, such as the toilet, the dancefloor and the seating area. We can see that she is dressed to go out as swe see right away that he has heels on and a dress. The artificial lighting and darkness also tells us straight away she is  in a club.







The other Hip Hop video I chose to analyse was Beyonce - Party as this video also conforms to the codes and conventions of Hip Hop videos.

There is also no storyline in this video. Straight away we can see that Beyonce is getting ready to go out, as she is cooking, getting her hair done but also all her make up is done as it shows us in close ups. We can see there is a use of alcohol as she has a cup in her hand whilst dancing with her friends. The next scene, there is an establishing shot of everyone dancing telling us its at a party. We also see another establishing shot of beyonce in a swimming pool, with everyone around her drinking from red cups, which tell us its alcohol.