Group Magazine

 Group Magazine

As a group we sat down and considered each members adverts and decided to share different ideas and designs between the group. My group and I also considered the codes and conventions of alternative music and evaluated each magazine advert which can be seen to the right.

Ryan Hall's

I like Ryan's advert as although it is simple it uses the colours necessary to conform to the genre we are focusing on. The image used of the artist is natural, fun and not edited too much so that the target audience are able to build a relationship with the artist. The magazine is conventional to our music genre as there are simple colours, the same colour scheme, its not too much or in your face. The type is in a font of which is easy to read however is effective with the outer glow created on photoshop allowing it to stand out from the background. The magazine could be improved if the writing at the bottom half of the advert was clearer to read, it also could of been more creative with a greater use of photoshop.



I really like Harry's advert due to the simplicity of the structure. The first image the audience can see is

Harry Chick-Hewitts's

of the artist attracting their attention immediately, with a natural shot showing a close-up of his face. The text is in grey therefore softer on the eye, and the font is nice and easy to read. By having the words 'out now' written in red it really attracts the attention of the target audience and promotes the artist's album effectively. The advert is conventional to the alternative pop genre due to the simplicity and the natural photograph as well as there not being too many colours on the advert. The advert could possibly be improved by using the rest of the space possibly with another picture or bigger font writing.

Adam Taylor's

Adam's advert is good because it gets straight to the point with minimal words and images allowing the audience to know exactly what the advert is about without having to go into too much depth about it. It is conventional because it is quite plain and uses the right amount of type and a good image of the artist however this advert could be better if Adam was a little more adventurous with photoshop and maybe changed the font or had more images of the artist.

Olivia Smith's

My advert conforms to the codes and conventions of the music genre we are aiming to reach as it uses the photoshop correctly by making the image of the artist stand out more by making the background black and white and leaving the artists face in colour with a glow around him to make his face more appealing. The writing is easy to read and used the same font throughout the advert to keep it flowing. With minimal writing, and just what you need to know it is obvious without having to look at it for too long to know what the advert is about. Having the album cover in the bottom corner also promotes the artists album that little bit more. The colour scheme is something I have stuck to throughout just using black and white and the natual colour of the artists face. Although extremely simple and to the point, with a lot of white background, the advert is effective and still creative.




The magazine my group and I have chosen to submit is my one. We did this because as a group we realised it conforms more to the conventions of the genre, as it is simple like the others but the space in the advert is used better and the use of photoshop on the image allows the artists face contrasting from the background to stand out more from the whole advert, therefore making it easier to see what the advert is about. My group and I thought that the target audience would be able to relate to advert because of the image that I have selected to use and this is because our artist looks friendly and inviting.



Magazine Reflection

  Magazine Reflection

    My magazine advert is conventional to my music genre due to the colours, connotations, images and layout. I designed the advert to be simplistic and to the point as that is a common stereotype for the alternative pop genre. The audience can identify that the artist is alternative due to the natural background of each image used.

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  For my advert I decided to use a simple image of my artist and as the background and faded it a little bit to make the rest of the writing stand out. By making the writing black and then giving it an outer glow makes the writing stand even more against the background. By having a minimal amount of writing on the advert, it maximises the importance of the words that have been written. The content is straight-forward and to the point. The simplicity of the advert conforms to the alternative pop genre therefore will appeal to the target audience that I am looking to attract. By having the artists name in the top half of the advert, written in a bold much larger font than the rest of the advert, it will immediately attract the attention of the target audience I am looking to appeal to. The rest of the text is much smaller and is placed above and below the picture. By having the album cover as a small image in the bottom left corner it also promotes the artist. By having the background being nature, it follows the conventions of my alternative pop genre. If I could change my advert I would make the artists face smaller so I could have more detail about the album on the advert. When creating my second draft I will be more creative when it comes to using photoshop and be more daring when using the tools possibly adding contrast and changing the structure alot.

This draft is more conventional than my last to the alternative pop genre as the colour scheme is simple yet effective. By using just black, white and grey its matching with the image in the middle as I made the background of the image blurry and black and white making the image of the artist stand out and catch the attention of the target audience we are looking to appeal to. By putting an outer glow but more so on this image just makes the artist stand out even more. The font type is effective and used just for the title however is the same as the font in the album cover in the bottom right corner. The advert includes the record label in the top left corner, the website at the bottom on the advert and the main important information in the middle just underneath the image of the artist. The image I chose to use for this artist makes the artist looks friendly and inviting as well as natural and not too posed. If I could change this advert, I would of made more use of the space available. Possibly have been more adventurous with photoshop for the background and font.

Cinematography

When I create my music video I will use a varied amount of shots to help convey the feel of the song. One of the main shots used will be a close-up which can be seen in alternative pop music videos. The point of a close-up shot helps to portray the emotion of the artist and by showing the expression on the artist's face it can help the audience to determine how he/she feels about what they are singing. Close-up shots are also a camera shot that is seen a lot in alternative pop music video's therefore conforms to the genre.

Another shot that I will use frequently will be an establishing shot. Establishing shots help to set the mood and the scene of the whole music video by showing the audience the place and setting of which the artist is at, therefore are extremely important. As my music video is going to be filmed in a series of places, there will be a lot of establishing shots helping to show how the artist has gone through a journey.

Long shots will also be used throughout the music video. Using a long shot will help to show the whole of the artist in the frame as well as his surroundings, therefore for our locations using busy towns and cities such as London, I can show my artist being still whilst the rest of the frame is moving or vice versa. As the artists clothing can be seen as a mood-changer, long shots allow the audience to see exactly what the artist is wearing. Long shots are another convention to the alternative pop genre.

Finally, another shot going to be used in my music video is going to be a mid-shot. Most music genre's use mid-shots allowing the audience to see the artists face, showing emotions like the close-up, but also half of the body so also showing the artists clothing and top half of the body. This shot suits most music genres as well as alternative pop as it shows off not only the artist but also the location.

Analysis of Digipak

Front Cover

The images on this post are that of which feature in Jason Mraz's digipak for his album 'Life on Earth'. The album cover is a good representation of the artist as it shows that although at a first glance he may seem plain and just black and white, his tracks are full of ideas, emotions and his life so far shown by the explosion of colour coming out of his head. It's not over the top, its simple and concise and perfect for the image they are trying to convey. The primary purpose of the digipak is to promote the artist and his album.

The background is white which has connotations of purity and cleanliness. The image of Jason Mraz looks hand drawn, still sticking to theme of it all being simple something most alternative artists wish to convey. The colourful images on the front leak to the left and follow then on to the back page. With a background still being white and the colours so bright its not necessarily something seen on an alternative artists album due to the colours being so bright. However is eye-catching and does exactly its purpose by being attractive to an audience possibly not just of the target audience they were looking for in the first place.
By having the barcode and the track list all in the top third on the back cover of the album keeps it neat, out of the way and still enables the audience to see the mini colourful images.

Back Cover

The font on the album covers is simple to read yet a little bit edgy, an image the artist is possibly wanting to portray. The style of language is informal, the font is easy to read and well laid out.

Analysis of Magazine Adverts

Jason Mraz is one of the most successful artists in the alternative genre. This poster promotes the artist and shows him in a conventional way to his genre by him being shown at centre of the stage with an instrument in front of a band, which is a typical characteristic to have for alternative artists as most of their music videos are performance based. Jason Mraz in this image is shown to be an active artist pouring his emotions into the song which is something the audience wants to see to know that the artist is passionate about music. The artist takes up three/quarters of the poster as the poster's primary purpose is to promote the artist and his upcoming gig.

The main colours used are brown and light blue which contrast nicely together but aren't too bright and don't take up too much room on the poster. The light blue is a soft colour that has connotations with tranquility, nature, and earth. For a contrasting colour, brown is a softer and warmer colour than black and also has connotations of autumn and an earthy feel. The spotlights above the artists head portray how the artist is now successful as all the lights are on him. The large splat of colours on the board behind him shows he can be spontaneous and that although most of his songs have a slow tempo, he can also be a lively and active artist.

The layout of this advertisement is typical for an artist in a magazine as it is eye-catching, to the point and giving the audience all the information they need without going into too much detail. The large title of the artists name at the top of the advert immediately lets the reader know what the advert is about. The image of the artist in the middle of the poster of him performing with his arms spread wide holding onto his guitar is an image you would typically see for an artist of this genre. By placing this specific image on the advertisement it allows the reader to see that Jason Mraz gives everything he can into a performance, making it worthwhile going to see him at a gig. The bottom half of the image is all the information the reader needs to know about attending the gig. It's short, sweet and straight to the point. By using the colour cream it isn't as harsh as white but still stands out against the brown. Being all in capitals again catches the attention of an audience. Having some words larger than others emphasizes the importance they hold.

The font is informal yet readable and is fluent throughout the advertisement. The artists name is a different size to the rest of the type as it is what the advertisement is about therefore drawing the artist into reading more about the poster. It's longer and in the blue colour possibly leading to connotations of the artist. Closer to the bottom of the poster, the text is in different sizes due to importance. However although when the tickets are on sale is important it is in small font although in a cream box making it stand out that little bit more than the rest of the text.  The poster is not misleading in this way to somebody flicking through a magazine as the audience understands exactly what the poster is about without having to read  much into it. Although there is little text it really is just the vital information. The language used is simple and straight forward as well as being easy to read as it is just standard english with no specific register.

The advert promotes the artist in various ways, the first by the first words you read being his name. Being the largest words on the whole of the poster it draws your eye straight to it enabling the audience to know exactly what they are about to read. For something flicking through a magazine looking for this poster it is ideal as it would be difficult to miss. It also promotes just the artist in the way of which just Jason Mraz is standing right in the middle of the long shot. By the artist being the only visible, interesting character to look at it just overshadows the background making you concentrate solely on the artist which is standing right at the front of the stage during the performance of which he has given showing his all. This poster promotes the genre as it shows exactly what a concert would be like with the artist. By Jason Mraz standing right at the front of the stage, singing and playing his guitar it is exactly what the audience of this genre want to see. The artist making his own music and performing it naturally with no added techno beats, just the artist and his instruments.


Ed Sheeran is an artist of the same genre, the reason I'm analyzing this advert. This poster is of an image of Ed Sheeran smiling looking away from the camera in sepia. The sepia effect gives the same feel to the advert as the brown used Jason Mraz's. It's soft and brings warmth, linking into the expression on his face. By smiling Ed Sheeran is bringing a positive attitude to the poster allowing the reader to see that the artist is just being himself and natural and not being something he is not.

The only other colours used in this poster are orange and white. The use of white against the brown is effective as it makes it stand out. Orange is used as it is the colour of his album therefore makes sense to include on the poster. The type is small and a little difficult to read due to the font. The poster's primary purpose is to promote the artist and his album. The lighting in the image focuses on the artists face which is a mid shot. The style of language is simple and to the point. By having an image of the album cover on the poster its just promoting the artist a little bit further. This poster promotes the music genre as it is simplistic and therefore the artist is the centre focal point of the advert.

Copyright

Copyright is a legal act of which protects an original company/persons product, ideas and in the music industry, espeically songs, beats and lyrics. This act restricts anyone from using whatever it is that has been copyrighted without permission. Copyright law lasts for 60 years from the release date of a specific song although can be renewed at anytime by the artist. Many song's that have been released in the past ten years are old songs however were never copyrighted therefore free to use and mould into your own as an artist.

As my group and I will be using Jason Mraz's song 'I Won't Give Up' for our music video it is vital that we apply for copyright to Atlantic Records, the record label our artist is signed to. Applying for copyright is essential because the consquences can be a fine for a large sum of money unable to be paid by students only by a large corporate company such as a record company. To use this or any song that has been copyrighted without permission is an illegal offence.

Researching about the copyright act has enhanced my knowledge and allowed me to see the importance of it and the highly damageable consquences linked to it. Understanding how important copyright is gives me an insight into how serious the music industry is and how they will take action if necessary.

Planning Lighting and Colour

Lighting and colour is vital for our chosen music genre as it represents emotions more evidently and control the mood of the entire song. The brighter the lighting the more happier the theme of the song is whereas darkness can connote sadness, evil or danger.
Due to our genre we wanted to stick with natural lighting, making it easier for the audience to connect to the artist as they will not feel as though the video is unrealistic or unconvincing. Experiences through the artists life is sometimes shown as a journey so the more realistic we as a group can make the video by using natural lighting, the more the audience will feel as though they are taking the journey with the artist. A location we have chosen to use in our music video is London due to bustling city life and also the quiet and natural parks, Hyde Park. Using natural lighting for these shots will be ideal as at this time of year the sky is dull and gloomy possibly connoting the mood we may try and put across to the viewers. This can be linked to an emotion or worry of the unknown future or an adventure unknowing what the future beholds for the artist.

Grey tint is something to be considered to use in our music video as it is an easy way for the audience to see that its representing the past or a flashback from a previous time when he was with his love interest. However usually flashbacks are can be for a positive or negative period in their life. A grey tint can also show the audience that the artist is full of uncertainty about a decision to be made or they are having a hard time.
Sepia is largely similar to the grey tint however can be seen as a more positive flashback rather than negative showing a good time in their life of what they are looking back to as the brown of sepia isn't as dull as the grey tint. This colour also can make the relationship of the audience and artist more intimate as they understand the feelings and emotions the artist is feeling at the time and also of past as they are shown flashbacks helping them to understand the artists situation or problem they are facing. Sepia isn't used as much as a grey tint or not using a tint at all as it is not conventional of an alternative music video to have this effect, although as a group we may use it to help us portray the emotions we want to put forward to the audience.

Planning Artist Image

How is your artists going to be represented?

As a group we plan to represent our artist in a precise style that applies to the alternative genre.  Artists in this genre usually portray their emotions more than other genre's through their costumes, the lighting and props. Sometimes in the Alternative genre the audience is shown the artist looking more thoughtful than a more obvious emotion like happy or sad. As a group, we want to present our artist as a typical artist from the alternative genre by using various props such as a guitar; as this genre shows a lot of performance, 'indie' accessories such as a leather/other wristbands, scuffed trainers, a trilby hat and Raybans.

The lyrics in the song convey negative and positive emotions but we are trying to create a certain atmosphere which will allow the audience to decide for themselves. The music video will take the audience on a journey with the artists conveying these positive and negative emotions throughout. This allows the target audience to build a relationship with the artist as they feel are taking the journey too through the montage that we plan to show through the music video from a beginning to end through visuals. We plan to use a few close-ups as these specific camera shots help to show the emotion that the artist is feeling.
Specific clothing has been chosen by my group and I. This includes, chino shorts, a long sleeved shirt and a pair of old vans/blazers. This costume will mainly remain the same for different shots however vary slightly as we don't want to take away the theme we are trying to portray to the audience.

Music Video Prop