How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
During my production stage of developing my sublimary tasks i had to consider the effect of using similiar texts therefore the consumer can recognise a "house style effect" (using the same colour, form and text style time and again). By doing so it gives the oppurtunity for a consumer to recognise a music poster for example before he concsiously realizes who the band is. This therefore becomes lodged within a consumers mind e.g the style and form of the text so therefore he will remember and associate with it. Many music production packages follow suit by implementing the same background within the cd package and also the advertisments that will feature within music magazines. Therefore it creates a house style effect for the consumer to recognise and therefore can relate to that background pattern towards that band.
The combination could have used abit more flow in terms of following the same style. As the poster is seen as dark and more serious than the CD cover. This therefore portrays two ideals towards the media consumer. With the poster the consumer would pick up that the band is serious and might think the bands music follows the similiar tone. Wheras the CD front cover shows a more vibrant, colourful picture of the band. This in terms of a first time listener picking up the album in a shop would gather that the music follows a happy more fun theme. These conflicting themes may attract two audiences, yet doesnt portray one ideal, something thats vitally important within a music package.
The video itself works in synergy with the print productions as it gives off the band as young and works well by attracting the target audience. By using artist shots it creates additional attention on the lead singer, something that bands do all the time. This therefore gives the band coverage by using a "front man" to promote the band. By using more than one front man, people who have only listened to the band a few times and then see the band with a different frontman may be confused by the idea as they dont recognise the frontman seen in previous videos. Ive worked this concept well within the ancillary texts as the frontman is alsways depicted within the middle of the shots to draw attention to him. This is seen throughout as the poster only depicts the lead singer and within the CD cover package the lead singer is seen in the middle and is the main feature within the booklet provided.
All in all i think that my products work well and insync with each other in terms of promoting the band. The video and poster work well in terms of creating a more serious tone within the album, yet the album cover itself promotes a lesser tone by using pop art to showcase a more fun and vibrant sound. Although this is one of the bands songs and therefore it gives off the vibe that the album follows a more happier tone than that one song suggests.

Here i have created a flickr page to display my photos that i shot when i conducted a photoshoot with a local Jersey band. 

please click on the link below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mediacoursework

Evaluation 

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Throughout my media project I researched the codes and conventions within the products I was creating. By researching similar traits that each product offers between them I was able to conclude with a list of similar conventions that most CD covers follow for example. By researching into my project first I had some further understanding of how to develop and plan specific media products. When planning the task I decided to follow suit to many of the conventions I found that ran throughout the products in which I researched. In doing so I am able to gather a simplistic yet effective way to design a layout towards my products.

For example the CD Front Covers that I researched each had the artists name as the main forefront to the CD almost viewed as a brand or company advertising, this was nearly always found centered at the top of the cover or shifted to the left. My CD cover followed the forms and conventions I found, by doing so this allowed for my CD cover to look professional, as its similarity was high to that of other Covers that would be on the shelf. In making mine stand out it simply comes down to the image used, its this that’s the forefront of the CD cover that grabs a consumer’s attention. Most CD Covers that I viewed had an effect placed on the forefront image to differ it to that of a standard portrait. I followed the same form to my CD cover by creating a pop art effect of a local band to give the CD cover some originality. Sub titles I found were always pictured below the artists name therefore a consumer can easily recognize that that’s the albums title. Therefore it seems obvious to follow suit to make my layout look like an actual CD cover. With the CD cover there was a sort of unwritten rule to follow as each Album follows the same sort of rules, yet just differ slightly towards image, placing of artists name and title.

The poster in which I created had the same basis for a layout that other posters I researched obtained. Many of the posters viewed had the artists name placed at the top heading of the page, therefore this is easily viewed as these posters feature within the pages of music magazines therefore readers tend to look at the top of the page for an article heading therefore it’s the first thing that they would have viewed, the artists name. I developed the information provided within my poster, many that I viewed stated the date in which it was to be released; yet I just offered an “OUT NOW” in big. Bright, bold font that’s easily displayed. The information I provided challenged many forms of music posters. As I produced mine in much larger font, placed at the center of the bottom of the page to allow for the image to be portrayed clearly as that’s my forefront image. Many music posters found amongst the pages of the likes of NME and Rolling Stones found that their information text (i.e. release date, album title, formats) was depicted at the top below the artist’s name. I found this to be crammed and didn’t split the page up well, i.e. having too much blank space within the bottom of the page. I challenged this form of displaying the poster due to the previous point made, it didn’t split the page up well and I believed having text displayed within the bottom and top and leaving the space in the middle for the forefront image to shine through would work best and I believe it did so.

Within creating my main task, the music video I kept referring back to previous videos that I looked at and wrote down notes on similar conventions they all follow. One main key that shone through was the depiction of the artist within the music video and the amount of times they appeared. This was split up by mid-shots to close ups of the character to almost distinguish that this is the artist/lead singer. With having chosen a band video I knew that I could go down two routes, have one video with a narrative story and nothing else or split a narrative story up with shots of the lead singer singing using various shooting techniques. I decided to use narration broken up with an artist singing, this way it breaks up from the story line, doesn’t let the story take over from the song and also creates more meaning and sends across a more powerfully message if the story is based on the lyrics of the song, a relation I discovered through Andrew Goodwin’s Theory that there is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics. Having looked at various types of music videos I found that mid-shots and close up shots of the artist are mostly predominant throughout. Within my music video I created various shots to gather the flow of the artist moving around, this was obtained through cuts and fades in place. Most music videos have short yet many different clips of the artist singing, as mine was a slow song with a simple tempo I decided to challenge this convention. I used slower transitions and longer shots to get that slow tempo feeling to place it in time with the music. By including direct address by the artist towards the audience it allowed for more powerfully meaning of the lyrics and highlights the fact that the singer is a performer. This was definitely a common trait that ran throughout all music videos analysed and was a must to be included into my own task.

Within my actual narrative of the story I had to follow codes and conventions of a film in a way, yet focus on the main points I wanted to get across i.e. I had to really highlight the fact that he gets bullied to make it a primary message towards an audience. During the post-production stage I had to determine what shots to use and how to place transitions and cuts ect. By looking at most music videos it’s clear to see that the main transitions are determined by the cut, cross fade or fade to black. In honesty I believe this work the best as the other look tacky and cannot be placed within a music video as the ones offered on imovie for example were for fun ect such as the Wipe. Using various shots to distinguish a story line, such as close ups of characters face to project emotion, or objects such as the mobile phone to show that’s the alarm clock ringing ect tells the story and almost feeds the audience information.

CD MAGAZINE PRINT ADVERTISMENT - THE MAKING OF ...

Having already set my design layout i was able to get started fairly easy and confidently of what i was making. First things first i had to set up a photoshoot with a local band called "The Dirty Trades", turning up to one of their weekly band practise i was able to gather some great shots that could all have easily been selected but i decided to use the one featured below.



Once i magnetic lassoed the image i then had to tidy it up due to fragments of the original sources background involved. To do so i continued to use Photoshop CS3 and opted for the magic wand tool. This tool selects particular bits in the image that are the same colour throughout without any disturbances. Therefore when selecting bits of the background i dont want in the photo with the magic wand tool, i just press delete and it turns it into white, projecting just the image that i have selected. Example shown below.



After the image is then all tidied up, by continuously using the magic wand tool supplemented by the use of a tiny rubber once zoomed in to smoothen it all out aswell as the blur tool around the edges to reduce the pixelation to avoid any rough edges being noticable.
The next job was to actually start on the poster now that the image has been cut and edited. Opening a new Photoshop document in A4 size, the same size as magazines where it will be advertised, i placed the image accordingly onto a custom black background.



The next stage was then to produce the text form and information that was to be produced on the print advertisement. Looking at my previous design layout i opted for the text form to be to the right hand side, slightly centered, a common trait running throughout that i discovered investigating the codes and conventions of a print music advertisement. Trying out different types of text i finally went for an apple text called "Braggadocio", the text was different, it was blocky yet extremely bold in context which allowed it to stand out clearly above the strong central image.



Going for "The" in color overlay red allowed a strong dominance over the black background that was provided in the top right corner. With using white for the artists name "Bravery" it allowed for it to stand out over the colored image and also allowed for that image to keep its powerful orange style. Now i needed to edit the text, using photoshop i took advantage of their text tools effect and it gave me a drop down list of the different type of effects i could use. Eventually choosing the "inner shadow" effect which brightened the colour contrast within the actual text itself allowing for it to be brighter. With an opacity of 100% it maximized the visuals of the text allowing for the consumer to see the text clearly.



The final job for was to include the text form at the bottom section of the page. I choose the font "Gill Sans Ultra Bold" to achieve maximum width within the text to make it more visible to the consumer. I chose to keep this text the same throughout the additional information to allow for added simplicity running throughout. Each text form acquired the same text effect, this being "drop shadow" which creates a shadow around the text to make it stand out off the page thus being able to read it better. "Inner Glow" which brightened the whiteness within the text so that the text form doesn't become bland or dull. And also for every second information produced in the bottom center i added a stroke effect which lines the text which colour, choosing the same red used throughout the CD package allowed for the consumer to recognize this and other products by The Bravery alike. This effect just was in place to break up the plain white text used throughout, alot of print advert use different colour to do so, yet i felt there was already a diverse enough pallet on show due to the image to be able to do so.





CD MAGAZINE PRINT ADVERTISMENT - FINAL PRODUCT

CD INSIDE COVER (OPENING SIDE) - FINAL PRODUCT

CD INSIDE COVER (CD SIDE) - FINAL PRODUCT

The Making Of My CD Spine_

Looking at my design layout for the production of my CD spine and with the researching into the similar codes and conventions of a few CD spines i analyzed, i was confident in beginning the designing phase due to knowing exactly what i wanted and why. To begin with i created a blank document on Photoshop CS3 with the dimensions of (width) 11.8cm (height) 0.8cm. These were the guideline dimensions that a CD spine represents. 

With having the correct dimensions to begin the process of designing my CD spine, i went about the layout of the product. I used the paint-bucket 

tool within photoshop to create a simplistic black la

yout to cover all of the space within the CD

 spine. Having done so i then needed to think about text form and placement. Havi

ng chosen "The Bravery" to be depicted in the top right of the spine as th

is being the main element of an album- the artist. With this i used a simple arial font, featured in regular with a size of 12. The color i opted for was a simplistic white to provide contrast to the black layout to make it easily visible.

With having the simplistic text form produced i then had to find an effect tool within photoshop that would allow for me to produce the effect that i longed for. By clicking on the text layer within Photoshop it comes up with a toolbox option that allows for you to define the layer style of the text. By providing a check list of all th

e different effects that can be put in place through the blending options. I opted for the outer glow tool, the effect is pictured within the next screen shot seen below.

Having produced my artists name i then had to move on to create the layout in order to produce the albums title, the second key feature within

 a CD spine as this tells the consumer what they're buying. Having a black background throughout i decided to stick with the white text form as it allowed it to contrast to the black to provide for easier visualization. Although simplistic it proves extremely effective due to most CD spines dealing with simple block colors in order for their spines to be easily visible on products such as CD shelfs. This time round i opted for the same handwriting effect seen

 within the CD front cover and also Back Cover to allow for the same text combination to allow for consumers to recognize the product. 

The last thing on my list of things to include within the CD spine was to produce a record label company to go alongside the artists name and the album title. This was a key featured that was produced within the CD spines that i viewed. Having 

already created it on Photoshop, a simple black and white image using simplistic text and a curved arrow tool using the custom shapes tool within Photoshop i was able to create the image to the standard in which i wanted it to be produced. With the image i created all i needed to do was to place the image within the white space to allow for the product to be completed and finalized, which is seen by the following steps:

CD SPINE - FINAL PRODUCT

The Making Of My CD Back Cover_

For my back cover i knew that i wanted to split the layout into two sections. One big section taking up approximately 4/5th of the page. This was to include the main image which was to act as the central focus point to gather attention and to also promote the band. The next section was to include information about the record label, the small print that states copyright information and also the bands website. I went about creating this section first. To do so i sectioned roughly 1/5th of the whole page in order to work with and using the paint-bucket tool within Photoshop i painted it red using the color picker tool to create a flow of the same shade red that was used within the Front Cover production.

I then had to gather the image to place into the section that obtained 4/5th of the page layout. The photo that i used is of the lead singer used in an action close-up shot of singing portraying that the CD is music related, basically stating the obvious to feed the consumer with information. 

Using the original photo i used iPhoto, a simple programme with apple mac that allows for picture quality to be decided upon through effects such as saturation and contrast. I placed the simple effect of black and white to allow for the back cover to not be "loud" i.e too much color therefore the important things such as track listings wont easily be visible.

Next i simply produced some small text form within the confounds of the red section that i created earlier. This was to act as the small print basis for my back cover about copyright information. This usually states the companies that own the brand, the established date and copyright laws ect. I simply just used a basic font, arial, to produce this in roughly size 2 writing to add authenticity to my product. And to make it resemble the connotations that apply within the formation of a CD back cover.  

To produce the albums title, Dreams Of A star i used a font called Garamond Premier Pro that was a default text that featured on Photoshop. I chose this as it was vastly similar to the Dakota text that i previously used to create the text form on the Album front cover. The reasons i changed this text style was due to previous mishaps in trying to make the text stand out through base layer effects such as drop shadow. I found that this text worked better in  order to portray the albums title visually.

With the text form produced i then went on to select the suitable text effects and base layers to feature onto the albums title. With having selected the checklist on Photoshop to view the best, most suitable effects i then chose them. These were Drop Shadow, in order to allow for the text to stand out for the overpowering stature that the image behind it gives, therefore it becomes more visable to a consumer. An outer glow was produced to further enlighten the outside contours of the text to bring it to the front more. This was important again due to the background image and to also create a visual effect within the text to allow for it to be more visually pleasing. The last base layer used on the text was bevel and emboss was to really focus on bringing that text off the page. By choosing an inner bevel it darkens the insides to produce a much bolder outer layer to the text due to the contrast in dark and light on both sides of the text.

Heres what the final masthead looks like:

After i was finished with the production of the masthead i moved back onto the lower section. In order to give it that CD feel about it i need to build up this box with lots of information. To begin with i just enter a website address and placed it directly above the copyright text featured in white. Just using the simplistic arial tool to create an easy to see website that is produced clearly and matches the color tones of the layout of the back cover as a whole. 

The next step was to place a barcode within this section in order for it to be scanned at a till. I simply created this barcode within Photoshop simply by using the pen tool to create varying thickness within the lines of the barcode and then using the text selection tool to place numbers directly underneath these lines. I believe the end result is exactly how a barcode would look like.

I then simply placed the company logo that i created thats in place within my CD spine design to create an authentic CD cover feel by having a record label for the band. This is always featured on artists which have associating companies to work with as it gives them credibility. 

With having finished the bottom section and included the title and main image into the larger section all that was left was to place the track listings that were to feature central running down the page. Using a basic arial again to keep the transition of text similar to create ideology and a synchronized layout through text form. I then placed the same effects by clicking on the text layer to bring about the base layer effects that could be applied. Again using the effects of drop shadow, inner glow and bevel and emboss to bring the text forward to make it stand out from the powerful image portrayed behind. 

A final idea that i had was to prodive some sort of symbolism to match the albums title "Dreams Of A Star", therefore i wanted stars to be depicted running diagonally through the side of the back cover, again synchronizing this design layout with the front cover therefore media consumers can relate and recognize that the product designs flow and to also provide recognition and a sense of house style towards the production of the CD package. 

To produce these stars i used the custom shape tool within photoshop and allocated the correct shape to match my requirements.

Having now found a custom shape that fits my stars requirements i then had to individually place them to match its suitability with my front covers stars. By making each star individually through the use of the layer system within Photoshop i was able to change the width or height of the star accordingly and thus creating a good visual effect to add some creativity towards my Back Cover. Heres how the final production of the star placing looked.

CD BACK COVER - FINAL PRODUCT

CD FRONT COVER, HOW IT WAS MADE...

To start of with i had to produce an image to work with. In my planning designs i stated that i wanted to use a classic band pose image and created a simplistic shot of band members popping out behind a tree all with smiles, laughter ect. I decided to stick with this idea as it was a good basis for a front cover, it allowed for a consumer to see the band as fun and entertaining whilst being mainly aimed towards the teenage target audience of around 13-20. Having gathered the tree shot i then had to edit the image to create a pop art type effect. In doing so i used Photoshop effects to create this effect. By lowering the threshold of the image, i then duplicated that image and edited the blending options. This allowed for me to paint over in a dark grey and white the areas that i wanted the pop art effect to be in place as this was an underlying layer. Therefore when the original image was placed over the top it contained the editing i had included to create a pop art type effect that looks artistic.

Having then just simply used a dark red background using the paint bucket tool on Photoshop to create a strong colour for the image to project out of. Looking back on my design plan layouts i wanted the artists name to appear in the top right, a common trait for albums to have.

For the font i chose Apple Chancery in size 4 font in strong. I felt that this font offered something different and unique to other CD covers in which i've viewed. With this text if offers a sort of flow effect were by the writing is visually pleasuring to the consumers eye. I found this an effective yet simplistic way to display the bands title. To gather the effects that i created i had to change the formation of the text form using photoshop. Having many pre-set functions made this easily accessible to produce exactly what i wanted.

Above is a screen shot of the effects that i put in place within the text. A drop shadow was put in place to lift the text from within the page, it places a shadow around the letters contours to allow it to be produced in bold. The outer glow is what causes it to shine therefore making it more visually appealing. The inner glow is used to synch this shine to create this glow both inside and out to appeal to the consumer. The bevel and emboss effects simply places the text to make it bolder and more visual to a consumer. By placing these effects within the text form i belive it makes the bands title stand out and differs from the colours used within the front cover making it eye-catching.

The next step to include was the albums name, titled "Dreams Of A Star", my design layout stated that i wanted this to be produced underneath the bands name to give it some familiarisation as to that is the albums title. This was to follow a different text form to make it differ from the bands title therefore a consumer can associate between the two, i.e which ones the bands name and which is the album titles.

I placed the text form in black therefore it splits the colours up between the two. This being important so that a consumer can recognise that it isn't part of the same text, i.e the bands title and can associate with it being the albums title due to the smaller text form and with it placed below "The Bravery". With this text i used the same chancery text to establish the link between the two through using the same text style. With this i didnt include an inside or outside glow jsut simply a drop shadow which pretrudes it from within the 2d dimesions of the page using Photoshop.

FINAL PRODUCT_