Wednesday, 30 September 2015
JD: De-constructing a Digi Pack and Magazine Advert
The Digi pack which I am analysing is that of Mumford and Sons [sigh no more] I have decided to investigate this as it has a similar package to that which we are hoping to achieve. the six pane design allows a large enough space for a flow of ideas, however it it not so large that the package becomes more important than the music that it holds.
It will also allow me to investigate how the package affects dyers star image, as well as the effect the ad will have on the artist in the long term as it contributes to the stars meta-narrative. the advertising space will also be useful as it can teach us about the dominant reading path. something which will be vital in the production of our subsidiary media.
The first, noticeable attribute of the album is that the album cover shows the band's instruments. not only are these instruments associated with the artists, thus promoting them, but they are also representations of iconography. As they are musical instruments which are associated with the folk genre.
Looking at Dyers star image theory, we can see that the present/absent paradox has been created, this has been done through the positioning of the artists, and reading path. the bright white building is the dominant feature in the image, immediately drawing our eyes to the building and then down to the window where the band are stood, making the band the first thing we really notice. however the band members are not breaking the 4th wall. meaning that, although they are clearly present, they are also absent in the fact that they are not engaging with the audience. as the reading path is followed all the way down to the bottom of the Digi-Pack it then presents the name of the band, and the name of the album.
Mise-en-scene in also used in the cover to promote the album through further use of iconography, this being the clothing which the band are wearing. the old-fashioned clothing is a common feature of the folk genre, similarly the serif font used on the cover promotes a 'vintage' look, another common feature of the folk genre.
It will also allow me to investigate how the package affects dyers star image, as well as the effect the ad will have on the artist in the long term as it contributes to the stars meta-narrative. the advertising space will also be useful as it can teach us about the dominant reading path. something which will be vital in the production of our subsidiary media.
Front Panel
Looking at Dyers star image theory, we can see that the present/absent paradox has been created, this has been done through the positioning of the artists, and reading path. the bright white building is the dominant feature in the image, immediately drawing our eyes to the building and then down to the window where the band are stood, making the band the first thing we really notice. however the band members are not breaking the 4th wall. meaning that, although they are clearly present, they are also absent in the fact that they are not engaging with the audience. as the reading path is followed all the way down to the bottom of the Digi-Pack it then presents the name of the band, and the name of the album.
Mise-en-scene in also used in the cover to promote the album through further use of iconography, this being the clothing which the band are wearing. the old-fashioned clothing is a common feature of the folk genre, similarly the serif font used on the cover promotes a 'vintage' look, another common feature of the folk genre.
Back Panel
The back of the Digi-Pack has maintained the simple colouring which has been visible from the front panel. the colour scheme gives the package the look of being a professional production, this look is created through minimalism, as overcrowding can create an inappropriate, 'too much to say' look. The colour could also be said to be conventional of the folk genre as it is not vibrant, and is almost a 'rural' colour. The conventional serif font is also carried through to the back.
The image of a window that is used is a similar window to those on the front panel of the package, giving the impression of the back of the pack, being the back of the building the artists are in. a clever design, almost representing the fact that having the album allows you to have the artists in the package.
The layout of the track list is conventional, and can be found on many albums, it is arranged in a manor that allows all the tracks to be listed without the need for a font size that is too small, which is what you might find in an album that has listed the tracks one after the other in a more 'list like' format. The bar code is also located on the back, a vital part of the package. there is also a very small proportion of the package back dedicated to the copyright information, however due to its minimal size, it does not detract from the other information.
Inside the Package.
The package consists of 6 panels, the far right panel has a plastic casing which is used to secure the CD, the centre is an image of the band, creating continuity throughout the package, and the far Left panel is a sleeve containing information on the band and the songs contained on the disk.
The disk has been coloured in contrast to the rest of the case, making it stand out, as it is the most important part of the package. the writing on the disk in the opposite colour to the disk making it really stand out. the font is also the same as it has been on all of the panel, showing continuity of the package.
The artists are shown on the centre panel, with a window for each of them, they are all in relaxed positions, and breaking the fourth wall, thus promoting activity with the audience, drawing the audience in, the relaxed body language connotes the 'chill' vibe which is a common in the folk genre. it also identifies the individual artists as individual people, with their own personalities, thus adding to the meta-narrative of the band, this is an important tool to the band to get their message across.
Magazine Advert for 'Sigh No More'
There is a clear reading path for this advert, as the white writing is heavily contrasted on the solid black background. thus meaning as soon as we look at the advert, our eyes are immediately drawn to the largest white writing, which is the artist being represented, 'Mumford and Sons' our eyes then head down to the name of the album in question. then down to the image of the artist. and finally down to the review of the album. this means the advert has a very simple straight down reading path, making the ad appealing due to its simplicity. At the very bottom, the most popular songs which are on the album are listed, thus increasing the likelihood that someone looking at the ad has heard to song(s) and are increasing the likelihood of an album being purchased.
Dyers paradox of presence and absence is also utilised on the advert, as all the artists are shown in full on the print, giving them the air of being present, but the fourth wall is un-interrupted, meaning they do not interact with the audience giving them the air of being absent. thus drawing the audience to purchase the album as they want to know more about the album. the star image effecting paradox of ordinary, extraordinary paradox is also explored, as the artist are shown in ordinary clothes, however, the location and fact they are carrying their instruments makes them seem extraordinary. again adding to the mystery of the artists, adding to sales of the album.
Monday, 28 September 2015
TW: Deconstructing digipak and magazine advertisement
lcd soundsystem are an electronica, alternative dance, dance-funk group; similar to Mark Ronson and his group - The Business Ltd. I have chosen this digipak as it heavily contributes towards Dyer's paradox star theory, adopts an interesting method towards images across more than one pane, and includes some signifiers. The magazine advertisement also includes some interesting techniques to contribute to meta-narrative and affect the dominant reading path.
How is the genre of the track/artist evident?
-The use of a discoball on the digipak front pane is a symbolic sign of the dance music genre. This immediately reveals the genre of the artist. This is aided by the use of white space, which attracts attention towards the image.
-The rough texture of the digipak, denoted by the faded title and the difference in shades of the colour black - has vintage connotations, which is iconographic of the funk genre.
-Furthermore, the blurred nature of the magazine advertisement fits in with the electronica sub-genre of lcd soundsystem.
What visual techniques are used? (two-thirds, texture, colour, tone, mise-en-scene)
-White space is important in affecting the dominant reading path. This is particularly evident on the front pane of the digipak, whereby white space contrasts with the black coloured title. White space is also used as it forms half the colours of the discoball. This use of integrating images into the background is an idea which I like.
-The use of centering the lead performer on the two-pane image in the digipak contributes to his meta-narrative through portraying him as important. Lighting also achieves this contribution to meta-narrative, as other performers are subject to low-key lighting, whereas James Murphy is subject to more high-key lighting. This juxtaposition has connotations of James Murphy being the musical brains behind the band.
-This use of lighting also contributes to Dyer's paradox star image theory - whereby he poses that a star must be simultaneously present and absent. The use of low-key lighting intrigues the audience to research the band more, therefore contributing to lcd soundsystem's star image.
-The rough texture of the digipak, denoted by the faded title and the difference in shades of the colour black - has vintage connotations.
-The magazine advertisement does not break the fourth wall, this has connotations of artist integrity, furthered by the fact the artist is pictured in the stance of performing live. Furthermore, this lack of contribution towards para-social intimacy relates to Dyer's theory, as the lack of connection with audience means the audience will strive to complete the star image, resulting in continued consumption. This soft sell is also more conventional with regards to the funk genre, as listeners tend to be purposeful listeners, therefore a hard sell would be less effective and likely be received as corny.
-The use of image rotation in the magazine advertisement makes it unclear at first that James Murphy is clearly dancing on stage. This leads to repeatability from the audience to properly understand the image.
-'Rule breaking', as labelled by Archer, is evident in the magazine ad. As the artist's positioning utilised the rule of two thirds.
-The use of lighting in the magazine ad means the artist casts large shadows, which is a symbolic sign of being powerful. This relates to meta-narrative, as their last album was a defiant stamp of approval of their musical brilliance.
What linguistic devices have been used?
-The typography in the digipak is a symbolic sign of the electronica sub-genre 'lcd soundsystem' delves into, due to the computer-typed connotations having connotations of computerized sound.
-The reduction in size and clarity in titles on the magazine article encourages the audience to read all the information, as more genuine interests will make the effort to read the words at the bottom.
Is there any intertextuality / references to popular culture?
-The typography in the digipak could be an intertextual reference to other electronica bands.
-Otherwise, the lack of intertextual references have connotations of artistic individuality and integrity.
-The main intertextual reference on the digipak is the discoball, which is a symbolic sign of dance music.
How are the band represented? How does this add to their meta-narrative?
-When looking at the difference between how James Murphy is represented in the first album digipak and a magazine advertisement for their final album, the use of costume stands out. The digipak has connotations of authenticity and being down-to-earth, due to the two pane image being taken from a live gig, showing James Murphy wearing casual clothes. The meta-narrative develops hugely by the time of their third album, with Murphy's tuxedo having connotations of the album being a big finale, as well as being an iconic sign for their success over their musical career.
-The use of costume in the magazine advertisement is not only iconographic of the funk genre,, but it contributes to the artist's meta-narrative through connotations of formality and has links back to the tuxedo clothing style normally associated with the funk genre.
-The understated tones and colours in the magazine advertisement are indexical signs of the modest nature of the band, therefore contributing to their meta-narrative in a decisively positive way.
-The stance of James Murphy in the magazine advertisement is largely voyeueristic, as it shows him performing live, suggesting authenticity rather than commercial fetishism.
How might this print text be consumed?
-The soft sell nature of both prints suggests the text will be consumed by a pre-consolidated fanbase.
-The lack of emotive language and ratings from publications in the magazine advertisement furthers the strength of this interpretation.
-However, the use of the iconographic discoball on the front pane of the digipak means this text may be consumed by all audiences. This fits in with the audience's meta-narrative, as this was necessary to expand their audience in their first album.
How this has influenced my own ideas for our print work?
Digipak
-the use of spreading one image over two panes is a technique I liked, as it utilised the 'fold-out' nature of a digipak
-use of iconic signifiers of music genre immediately poses music genre upon audience
-the use of white space to affect dominant reading path
Magazine advertisement
-inter textual references often detract attention from artist, whereas a lack of them suggest artist has artistic integrity and strengthens their meta-narrative as a musician, and not a 'pop star.'
-lack of emotive language and ratings from publications on the magazine advertisement portrays the artist as genuine, a connotation we also aim to achieve.
 |
| Front pane |
 |
| Pane two and three |
 |
| Pane 4 |
 |
| The front and back pane |
 |
| Pane 5 and 6 |
 |
| Magazine advertisement for lcd soundsystem's final album |
How is the genre of the track/artist evident?
-The use of a discoball on the digipak front pane is a symbolic sign of the dance music genre. This immediately reveals the genre of the artist. This is aided by the use of white space, which attracts attention towards the image.
-The rough texture of the digipak, denoted by the faded title and the difference in shades of the colour black - has vintage connotations, which is iconographic of the funk genre.
-Furthermore, the blurred nature of the magazine advertisement fits in with the electronica sub-genre of lcd soundsystem.
What visual techniques are used? (two-thirds, texture, colour, tone, mise-en-scene)
-White space is important in affecting the dominant reading path. This is particularly evident on the front pane of the digipak, whereby white space contrasts with the black coloured title. White space is also used as it forms half the colours of the discoball. This use of integrating images into the background is an idea which I like.
-The use of centering the lead performer on the two-pane image in the digipak contributes to his meta-narrative through portraying him as important. Lighting also achieves this contribution to meta-narrative, as other performers are subject to low-key lighting, whereas James Murphy is subject to more high-key lighting. This juxtaposition has connotations of James Murphy being the musical brains behind the band.
-This use of lighting also contributes to Dyer's paradox star image theory - whereby he poses that a star must be simultaneously present and absent. The use of low-key lighting intrigues the audience to research the band more, therefore contributing to lcd soundsystem's star image.
-The rough texture of the digipak, denoted by the faded title and the difference in shades of the colour black - has vintage connotations.
-The magazine advertisement does not break the fourth wall, this has connotations of artist integrity, furthered by the fact the artist is pictured in the stance of performing live. Furthermore, this lack of contribution towards para-social intimacy relates to Dyer's theory, as the lack of connection with audience means the audience will strive to complete the star image, resulting in continued consumption. This soft sell is also more conventional with regards to the funk genre, as listeners tend to be purposeful listeners, therefore a hard sell would be less effective and likely be received as corny.
-The use of image rotation in the magazine advertisement makes it unclear at first that James Murphy is clearly dancing on stage. This leads to repeatability from the audience to properly understand the image.
-'Rule breaking', as labelled by Archer, is evident in the magazine ad. As the artist's positioning utilised the rule of two thirds.
-The use of lighting in the magazine ad means the artist casts large shadows, which is a symbolic sign of being powerful. This relates to meta-narrative, as their last album was a defiant stamp of approval of their musical brilliance.
What linguistic devices have been used?
-The typography in the digipak is a symbolic sign of the electronica sub-genre 'lcd soundsystem' delves into, due to the computer-typed connotations having connotations of computerized sound.
-The reduction in size and clarity in titles on the magazine article encourages the audience to read all the information, as more genuine interests will make the effort to read the words at the bottom.
Is there any intertextuality / references to popular culture?
-The typography in the digipak could be an intertextual reference to other electronica bands.
-Otherwise, the lack of intertextual references have connotations of artistic individuality and integrity.
-The main intertextual reference on the digipak is the discoball, which is a symbolic sign of dance music.
How are the band represented? How does this add to their meta-narrative?
-When looking at the difference between how James Murphy is represented in the first album digipak and a magazine advertisement for their final album, the use of costume stands out. The digipak has connotations of authenticity and being down-to-earth, due to the two pane image being taken from a live gig, showing James Murphy wearing casual clothes. The meta-narrative develops hugely by the time of their third album, with Murphy's tuxedo having connotations of the album being a big finale, as well as being an iconic sign for their success over their musical career.
-The use of costume in the magazine advertisement is not only iconographic of the funk genre,, but it contributes to the artist's meta-narrative through connotations of formality and has links back to the tuxedo clothing style normally associated with the funk genre.
-The understated tones and colours in the magazine advertisement are indexical signs of the modest nature of the band, therefore contributing to their meta-narrative in a decisively positive way.
-The stance of James Murphy in the magazine advertisement is largely voyeueristic, as it shows him performing live, suggesting authenticity rather than commercial fetishism.
How might this print text be consumed?
-The soft sell nature of both prints suggests the text will be consumed by a pre-consolidated fanbase.
-The lack of emotive language and ratings from publications in the magazine advertisement furthers the strength of this interpretation.
-However, the use of the iconographic discoball on the front pane of the digipak means this text may be consumed by all audiences. This fits in with the audience's meta-narrative, as this was necessary to expand their audience in their first album.
How this has influenced my own ideas for our print work?
Digipak
-the use of spreading one image over two panes is a technique I liked, as it utilised the 'fold-out' nature of a digipak
-use of iconic signifiers of music genre immediately poses music genre upon audience
-the use of white space to affect dominant reading path
Magazine advertisement
-inter textual references often detract attention from artist, whereas a lack of them suggest artist has artistic integrity and strengthens their meta-narrative as a musician, and not a 'pop star.'
-lack of emotive language and ratings from publications on the magazine advertisement portrays the artist as genuine, a connotation we also aim to achieve.
Sunday, 27 September 2015
BJ: Technical Analysis - Rudimental - We the Generation
|
Shot Type
|
Mise-en-Scene
|
Duration
|
|
Medium low angle shot
|
Man holding Marshall amp
|
3s
|
|
MCU of girl’s face handicam
|
In a newsagents with girl’s face filling almost the whole frame.
|
2s
|
|
Mid tracking shot slow
|
In a kitchen with 3 people, one man in centre as focus of image.
|
1s
|
|
Mid shot
|
Girl chatting to guy with both in frame however girl is main focus of
the shot.
|
2s
|
|
Over the shoulder shot
|
Girl out of focus in foreground, guy in focus in centre. Slow
handicam tracking movement.
|
3s
|
|
Mid shot
|
Through window of shop at band with all of band visible at level.
|
1s
|
|
Close up
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Girl’s shoes. Fast handicam movement.
|
2s
|
|
Close up. Handicam
|
1s
|
|
|
MCU. Handicam
|
Girl singing with shallow depth of field so she is main focus of the
shot with supermarket shelves in background.
|
5s
|
|
ECU. Handicam
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Guy’s hand playing keyboard. Very close up so hands are positioned to
fill whole frame.
|
1s
|
|
MCU. Handicam
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Tracking guy carrying cymbal. Dark lighting.
|
1s
|
|
MCU. Handicam
|
Guy fitting cymbal to kit. Still very low-key lighting
|
1s
|
|
Mid shot
|
Again looking through window to see whole band performing.
|
3s
|
|
Mid shot
|
Man brushing dust off cymbal. Still very low-key lighting.
|
3s
|
|
MCU. Handicam
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Handicam close movement of guy playing drums. Still low-key lighting
|
2s
|
|
MLS.
|
Handicam again of lead singer girl singing
|
2s.
|
|
MCU.
|
Close up of hands chooping a mushroom, hands filling all the shot.
|
2s
|
|
Mid shot
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Two shot of two people in frame aligned with one another.
|
2s
|
Key Frames
Saturday, 26 September 2015
JD: Technical Analysis of a Music Video
The video I have chosen to study is 'On Top Of The World' by Imagine Dragons. I have chosen this video as it has a strong narrative element, interjected with some performance. this is a useful analysis as it gives the opportunity to focus on a video with a narrative as ours will have, whilst also having an imposed element like the performance. as we hope to interject images of flames into our video.
The font colour change represents the time in the video. the white text represents the first minute in the video. and the red text shows 2:33 to 3:33.
The video has vibrant colours throughout the video, making it appealing. something which we can apply to our video to increase the repeatability.
Shot Type
|
Mise- en-scene
|
Duration (seconds)
|
Low Angle, Tracking shot.
|
Shot following a child on a tricycle, cycling up to a group of people
|
4
|
High angle, medium longshot
|
Young tricycle rider working his way through the crowd to see into
the shot.
|
5
|
Mid-shot zoomed into the young boy
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Shot shows the boy reach the window of the shop, and look up and in.
|
6
|
Mid-Shot
|
Shows old TV with something forming in the screen
|
3
|
Medium Close up
|
Closer view of the TV screen showing the formation in more detail.
|
2
|
Medium Close Up
|
Man Facing the camera, putting his jacket on, looking over the camera.
Wearing smart clothes, in a well decorated room.
|
1
|
Mid-Shot
|
Man Kisses his wife and child goodbye. And leaves the shot.
|
5
|
Medium-Close up
|
Man starting his car and begins to drive off.
|
1
|
Eye-Level long shot
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Man drives away in mustang, while family wave him goodbye.
|
4
|
Medium Close Up
|
Another man dressing himself in a close shot. This time putting a
headband on. This man is wearing ‘hippie’ clothes in a converted bus
|
4
|
Medium Long Shot
|
Hippie waving goodbye to his friends in a rural setting.
|
2
|
Medium close up
|
Female ‘hippie’ blows the hippie man a kiss goodbye
|
1
|
Establishing shot
|
Hippie getting into his car, similar to the first man did.
|
4
|
Medium close up
|
Another character sidles up to face the camera, this character
positions his cravat. ‘Texas’ attire in a house with a back wall covered in memorabilia.
|
3
|
Medium Long Shot
|
Again the character is positioned with his family before he leaves
the house.
|
3
|
Medium close up
|
The new character gets into his car just as the other characters
have.
|
1
|
Establishing Shot
|
2
|
|
Medium close up
|
Bearded ‘biker’ puts helmet on, whilst looking directly into the
camera
|
2
|
Mid shot
|
Biker puts clothes on, and starts bike, maintaining eye contact
through the camera.
|
5
|
Medium long shot
|
Biker drives through the frame in a rural setting.
|
2
|
multiple
|
Flash to tv screen again, and people watching it. Including the young
boy
|
5
|
Mid-Shot
|
All four characters walk through the frame on a zebra crossing, the
third character is bare-foot. A nod to the Beatles album cover.
|
6
|
Zoom Out
|
Camera zooms out of the telly. Showing the
characters putting the US flag on the moon.
|
5
|
Mid-shot
|
Happy crowd jump and dance at the shot of the
successful moon landing
|
4
|
Medium close up
|
Juxtopositioning of grumpy director to the
happy crowd in the previous shot. Making a joke of the fact the moon landing
has been staged.
|
2
|
Mid-shot
|
The man who looks to be funding the shot is
juxtaposed to the director. He is very happy. The director is not.
|
4
|
Mid-shot
|
Moon buggy is pushed through the shot and
‘astronauts’ jump for joy.
|
4
|
Close up
|
TV shows the original real footage of the
real moon buggy going around the moon.
|
3
|
Medium close up
|
Happy partner of one of the ‘astronauts’
watching the TV
|
1
|
Medium long shot
|
Astronauts shoot a synchronised golf shot
into the distance. Poking fun at the idea of a staged moon landing
|
3
|
Medium close up
|
The director clearly becomes increasingly
distressed the more the ridiculous things the characters do.
|
1
|
Medium long shot
|
Astronauts become increasingly sporadic.
|
2
|
Medium Long Shot
|
Helmets now partially removed, the astronauts
have become the band, and are playing the song on the moon landing set.
|
2
|
Medium close up
|
Shot of the lead singer singing into the
microphone
|
2
|
Mid Shot
|
People behind the camera begin to dance.
However the director becomes more disgruntled.
|
3
|
Close up
|
Space gloved hand playing the guitar
|
0.5
|
Medium close up
|
Shot of the guitarist singing along to the
song.
|
1
|
Close Up
|
Shot of the Bass being played by a space
gloved hand.
|
0.5
|
Medium close up
|
Shot of the bass guitarist singing to the
song. The band is appearing in the reverse order that they did at the
beginning.
|
1
|
CCTV shot
|
People rushing into the filming facility.
|
1
|
Medium close up
|
Drums being played
|
0.5
|
Establishing shot
|
Huge mass of women storming the filming
facility through a corridor.
|
3
|
Medium close up
|
Shot of lead singer singing into the
microphone.
|
0.5
|
Long shot
|
Group of women reach the set, which now has
low level coloured lighting, and begin to dance.
|
0.2
|
Medium long show
|
Lead singer looks confused as the group of
women breaks in, however does not stop singing.
|
1
|
Mid shot
|
Man funding the operation looks confused as
well, and gives the thumbs up to keep going. The director maintains his look
if general displeasure throughout.
|
3
|
Medium close up
|
Lead singer really goes for it.
|
1
|
Pan Up
|
The director get lifted up in his chair by
the audience. As he has done throughout the video this seems to cause him
mental pain.
|
3
|
Multiple
|
Shots follow showing the party, and people on
both sides of the TV dancing to the music.
|
10
|
This frame shows a character in the centre of the frame with other, taller characters positioned behind, and above the shot. something we want to repeat with the bailiffs scene.
The close up of the face produces a personal perspective look of the character, giving a background to build a narrative off.
The high angle shot can be used to give another perspective on a shot, something we can use if we need to increase the cutting rate of our video.
This shot is good for creating an atmosphere, something we can use when the character is coming home to find her home is ruins in our video. it has a powerful image as the character(s) walk towards the camera.
This performance shot is similar to what we want to accomplish, as it is affectively a filler shot which we will use to fill cuts in a running scene. however instead of an instrument we will show the image of fire burning. (in case of fire)
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