Magazine advert

For my magazine advert I had decided to stick to the theme of pink to make a feminine image and also to target my audience who are females. The images of the birds are used to relate to the album name which is 'emancipation', this is because it connotes freedom and birds have that freedom to fly. Furthermore, the hand on the face of the artist portrays a vulnerable image and contrasts with the name emancipation. The black and white tone on the artist makes her stand out so she is the centre of attention and so that the audience can become familiar with her as it contrasts with the pink background. In addition, I decided to use a glow around the main image to add a softer touch to the artist and add to the femininity. 

digi pak

Conventions of the magazine advert form

1) What is a magazine advert and what is it's function?

 

A magazine advert is usually on an A4 piece of paper and it's function is to promote the product of the artist/band. You can find it in a variety of magazines depending on the genre, for example, one direction would generally be found in a teens magazine.

 

 

2)What do we usually find on this advert? Does it differ between genres of music?

 

We find that is generally on A4 paper and there is an image of the artist/band or key logo so that the audience becomes familiar with who or what is being promoted. There is also an image of the actual album, however some artists/band may not include this as their magazine advert is just a larger version of their product. Special features may be added to this advert, for example, the making of the video or an interview with the artist which could draw the audience's attention further as there are extras involved. There could also be a consistency of the same image/font/colours from the album added on to the advert to create a sense of identity that the audience can familiarise with. It does differ between genres of music, for example, an indie band may not include an image of themselves on the cover but would have a certain image that represents them, whereas pop artists usually have a close up or just a distinct picture of themselves to show their identity.

 

 

3)Does there need to be connection between the digipak and the advert?

 

There does need to be a connection as the audience need to be familiar with the brand identity. The artist/band will have a consistent convention of either themselves or a logo to create this brand identity.

 

 

Location recce

I had used locations in my music video which set the scene of my lyrics and also the song in general.

• Home: using my own house as a location to film made it very accessible for my actors to get to and also made it comfortable for me to film them. I was aware of the risks at this location and it made it easier for me to follow the risk assesment as I am familiar with everything around me. A home setting is somewhere the target audience can familiarise with also as it is a cosy setting in which a couple would spend time in or just somewhere to be alone. 

•  School: using my own school as a location was also very accessible as I was able to get my classmate to film me during free periods and lunch time. The fact that I used the school grounds to film was a good idea as the scene was suitable to the song and was a natural setting that the target audience could familiarise with.

Photoshop tutorial

I had begun to use photoshop and play around with the software in order to become familiar with it once it comes to creating my own digipak. I am comfortable with using many buttons from photoshop, including the quick selection tool. This is evident in my practice piece as I have cut out carefully a picture of Alicia keys and also a wing which was part of a pair, therefore the quick selection tool allowed me to precisely cut out these images with what I would like to use. I can use the free transform button to move the images in any position and making it fit in with the background. I am also able to insert a background and a text on top of that, editing and altering it to the way I would like it. Practicing using photoshop will really help my knowledge on the aspects of the software when I create my digipak, also it gives me ideas on what to use on my own work.

Digipak research

Conventions of a digipak form

A digipak is is a type of packaging that is used for CD singles or CD albums which include special editions. They consist of having a gatefold which is a book style and includes one or more plastic trays in order to hold a CD or DVD. Digipaks commonly include a DVD, lyric book, artist photo or imagery and list of songs. It is similar to an album cover as they are both used to promote the sales of an artist and the record label as it is marked on both. They also both include a CD, however they differ as an album cover does not include more than one CD or digital extras such as behind the scenes or an interview with the artist. 

A digipak net usually consists of a 4 to 8 plate folded piece with a CD in the middle. The number of faces is decided by the designer and then agreed with the record label, it is important that it stands out so the audience finds it eye catching and therefore contributes to the sales for the artist. On the various faces of a digipak we find that there is a cover which is usually a close up of the artist, we also see the artists name and record label throughout the pack. The list of songs are included and there may be lyrics that come along with this.