Magazine Advert Analysis

This presentation is about the four magazine adverts that I have analysed:

Magazine Advert Analysis on Prezi

Ex Student Magazine Advert Analysis

I have chosen to analyse this magazine advert from one of the ex student's in our school because it is the same genre as ours. This will give me help me on what we could include on our music advert. 


Magazine Advert

Digipak

The use of the same image, simple fonts, red and black colour from their digipak are effective as it makes it easier for us to identify what the poster is about. Their main colour scheme is red and black; this is evident through the colour of the fonts they have used, the logo and the stars at the top left corner. It also implies that she is targeting at goth and emo people because these are the colours that we stereotypically see on them. The use of red as their colour scheme grabs the audience’s attention. It also connotes as danger, blood or romance which reflects to the theme on their music video. The use of framing the artist on the wood makes the audience feel that she is in prison and she can’t get out of the lonely place.  I like how they used the lighting on the main artist because it makes you focus at her and also it creates the black edges which makes you feel the situation she is in. Black also portrays how the female artist’s life is dull and it links back to the album title “My Happy Ending”. The use of high angle siginifies that she is asking for someone to help her on how to get out of the dim place. The use of ratings from one of the well known music magazines in UK and one of the quotes is really good as it causes the audience to buy their product. The font they have used within the magazine advert is simple which lets the audience to read the texts easily. They have used capital letters on the album title, artists’ name and the release date which makes it stands out from any other texts and these are the important things that the audience wants to know. The website placed at the bottom right corner on the page and the use of red makes the texts makes it easier to see what they have written on it. They have placed the logo at the bottom left corner because it is not that important but it is also what we normally see in a magazine advert. 

Overall, I like how they have composed their magazine advert as it stands out and it reminds you from the music video and their digipak. The use of rope on the wood and around the artist neck is very effective because it establishes the type of character she is. They also picked the right colours as it matches the theme and genre of their magazine advert.

Inspirational Digipak

Front Cover

This is one of the digipak that inspires me because I think it has covered the generic conventions of a pop digipak and it has targeted the audience they are aiming for which is what we want to accomplish in ours. The use of simple background and mid shot makes Madonna stands out even though she is placed on the side of the page which is what we are expecting to see this on a front cover of pop digipak. I like how they have used blue as their colour scheme and this is evident through the colour of top she is wearing and the colour of the background. Also the title is "Ray of Light" which matches the bright blue colours they have used as their colour scheme. The female looking straight towards the camera portrays that she is directing to the audience and it makes you buy the CD. Madonna stares directly at the camera also implies that she is mainly aiming to the male audience as she looks seductive and pretty which would attract the audience's eyes. 

Inside Cover

The inside panel has got a booklet that contains track list  lyrics and some photos of the female artist which is what we would expect to see in a digipak. I like how they have got different poses of her inside the booklet which keeps the audience interested while they are reading thought the lyrics. I like how they have used white and simple font styles because it helps the audience to read the texts inside it. The bright blue colours grabs the audience's eyes and also it stays in their mind even though they are looking at different ones.









Back Cover

The back cover looks unique from any other pop digipaks as we normally expect to see a full shot of the artist or band members but this one isn't showing that and they on capture half of her body. This creates an enigma to the audience as they might think about what is the reason behind it? Or maybe they want the audience to focus on the clothes she is wearing and the background they have used because they have used too many close up and mid shots on the front cover and inside panels. I like how they have placed the bar code at the top instead of placing it at the bottom of the page where her dress is as it will just take away the main image. All the company logo and copyright information are really small at the bottom of the page because they are not that important. I like how they have placed the numbers on the right instead on the left because it makes their digipak look unique and interesting to look at. 

Conclusion:

After looking through this digipak, it gives me some ideas on what we could have on our digipak as they have portrayed and used generic conventions of pop genre. For example, it would help us where and how we would place the female artist on our digipak. And how we are going to represent our female artist or what clothes would she needs to be wearing? I found out that we could use bright colours and a close up shot of the female artist as this would attract our target audience. The use of simple fonts and different font styles keeps the digipak interesting which is the type of font we could possibly use for our digipak.  

4th Digipak Analysis

Beyonce - Greatest Hits

Front Cover:

The use of close up shot on Beyonce's face makes the audience focus on her sexy and feminine looking. This implies that she is aiming on male and female audiences. The use of close up shot also makes the audience grab the CD immediately as they can see clearly on who the artist is. The use of big, bold, gothic type of font on the artist's name makes it stand out and it also reflects on the artist emotion as she is not facing directly at the camera which implies that she is embarrased. The use of white on the album name and the artist's name represents her innocence and purity character. 

Inside Panels:

On the left side of the inside panel, it shows information about the female artist which some audience might find it interesting. They have placed her past albums at the bottom of the page which some audience might identify what they are. The use of black clothing on Beyonce and the black background reflects on the gothic type of font they have used in the front cover.  It portrays that she also has the other side of her which everyone has but they are just hiding it. The wet look type of clothing and the heels she wears clearly shows the nice shape of her body which implies that she is targeting at male audiences. The use of different styles on the disc keeps the inside panel attractive. The close up shot of the female on the centre and right side of the panel makes the audience focus on her facial expression.

3rd Digipak Analysis

Rihanna - Loud

I have chosen to analyse this digipak because her songs are mainly pop genre. 

Front Cover:

The use of extreme close up shot on her face makes the audience see the sort of pain and the emotion on her face. However, her glossy red lips can be interpreted as sexy which would grab the male audience's eye. The colour scheme they use is red which signifies that it might be about love/romance. The use of simple and capital fonts makes it stands out and easy to read. The use of white implies that she is innocent. 

Inside Panels:

The use of close up shot on the female artist's face gives us the feeling that she is going on an emotional journey with this album as she still looks a lot more vulnerable than the front cover. She is also holding the rose as it was a cigarette in a message to say this is relieving her stress off her shoulders. The female artist also portrays herself as putting on more of an act as to say “I'm okay” but she really isn't, this is indicated by the fur jacket she is wearing, this also gives people the message that its not just Rihanna who puts on these act’s, it can be other people too.

Back Cover:

They have used a medium shot of Rihanna looking down with her hair hanging over her face makes her look depressed. Also you can see a much more sense of vulnerability than on the front cover when you could sense toughness and strength. The use of Arial font on the track lists makes it easy to read for the audience and it also implies that Rihanna represents as simple woman. They have place the female artist on the left hand side so the fonts won't take away the main image. They have placed the bar code and other texts at the bottom which is what we normally see on the back cover of a digipak. They have used small font size on other texts but made the fonts nigger for the track lists as this is the main important text at the back cover. 

Conclusion:
I like how the whole photo gives an opportunity to speak for itself and make you want to listen to the album and hear Rihanna express her feelings.

2nd Digipak Analysis

Britney Spears - Femme Fatale

I have chosen to analyse this as the second digipak because her songs are mainly pop which could give me some ideas on what my group could include in our digipak. She is mainly aiming at younger audience which is the same as our target audience. 

Front Cover: 
The use of close up shot and the female artist seductively looking towards the camera appeals more to the male audience. The use of plain background makes Britney stands out even more to the audience. The use of white clothing represents Britney as innocent and pure. The use of gold on the album and the artist’s name works well apart from the area where the writing is on her hair, which you can’t really see properly. 

Inside Panels:
The idea of not having a lot of photos from the female artist makes the digipak look unique because we always see lots of photos of an artist inside the digipak. The inside panel looks really simple but the use of black background makes the gold writing stands out and grabs the audience’s eye. The photo of Britney inside the panel is quite revealing which implies that she is aiming on females. This also resembles a fashion image as you may have seen this in a fashion magazine. The photo they have used is quite dark which matches the black background. 

Back Cover: 
They have challenged the outside cover on this digipak as the theme they have used inside contradicts with the light colours they have used at the back. They have placed Britney on the left hand side of the cover so that the track lists is very clear and it wouldn’t take away the image of the photo.  They have used black for the texts which is different from the front and inside panel. This makes the texts stands out and understandable to the audience. The bar code and company logo is at the bottom of the page which is what we would normally see in back covers of a digipak.

Conclusion:
I like how they have used the close up shot of Britney’s face because she is an artist that people recognise so this would draw someone into buying it as it is clear who the artist is. The idea of simplistic signifies that it could appeal to older audiences. 

1st Digipak Analysis

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream

The first digipak that I am going to analyse is Teenage Dream by Katy Perry. I have chosen this because it is the same genre that my group are doing.

Front Cover:
The front cover is filled with Katy Perry’s body, this is because they want to promote the artist to sell the album and for the audience to can associate with the song and Katy. The artist is presented provocatively and revealing as they have used none clothing on her. Her sexy look and looking towards that camera grabs the audience’s eye. They have used one of the generic conventions of Pop genre as their main colour scheme is pink and baby blue which are bright colours. The use of candy theme implies that they are mainly aiming for young teens and it also appeals to the children. It also implies that Katy Perry represents as sweet like the candy floss but also innocent. The candy floss at the background also gives a dreamy kind of effect which links back to the album title 'Teenage Dream'. The use of medium - long shot of katy perry laying on pink fluffy clouds by herself, she stands out from the light blue colour backgrounds because of the pale colours of her skin , the clouds and the sky with her black hair which makes her look like she wants to be someones teenage dream. The “teenage dream” writing which is supposed to be candy canes and the clouds meant to be candy floss, this personifies how this picture is meant to have a “sweet” vibe to it, which kind of has a message about Katy herself who comes accross as the “american sweetheart” in most of her songs on this album. 

Back Cover:
They have placed the barcode at the top right hand side of the back cover and the copyright information at the bottom of the page which looks really professional and this is what we normally see on the back cover of a digipak. The use of candy font and pink is very effective as it is very colourful and unique. The blue backdrop and the candy floss contrasts with the writing which makes it easy to read the texts. I like how they did not use an image of Katy Perry at the back as it would look too much on the back cover.  In my opinion, the font style of the tracks fits in with the pop genre as it looks cute, girly and pink. I like how they use blue for the bonus tracks as it stands out from the track lists and it would be easier to see which ones which.

Inside Panels:
The use of close up shot on Katy Perry’s face and the plain black on the background stands her red lipstick and make up which implies that she is sweet. The use of red lipstick, mascara, eye liner and none clothing makes the artist look pretty and revealing which would grabs the audience’s eye. Her serious face and looking towards the camera implies that she is directing to her audience and we should buy the album as we feel the same way as her. The candy floss background stands out the female artist more which signifies that she is the main focus. This photo appeals more to the audience because it has so many meanings behind this photo and really gives the audience something to think about when listening to her album. 

Conclusion:
I like how they use a candy floss theme as it looks girly and unique. It also gives a dreamy type of effect which links back to the title 'Teenage Dream'. They have used generic conventions of Pop music and it is clear who they are targeting for.

Ex Student Digipak Analysis

The digipak that I am going to analyse from one of the ex-student in De Aston is My Happy Ending by Avril Lavigne. This is because they have got a romance theme which fits into the genre that my group are doing.

Front Cover:

I like how the composition of their front cover as it is very professional to look at. I like how they placed the font on the wood as it stands out and very easy to read for the audience. The vignette effect on the front cover is very effective as well as it highlights the female artist, props (wood) and fonts. The high angle shot and the use of lighting on her face implies that she is isolated and she is the main focus to the audience. Her eyes looking towards the camera shows that she is directing to the audience and makes you feel how melancholic and lonely she is. The use of simple and handwritten font fits with the basic and rebellious image. The black and red colours that are used with the fonts fits in with their genre as red connotes as love which is the genre that they have in their music video. Red also connotes as blood and danger which links back to the main title “My Happy Ending”. They have made their female artist look like Avril Lavigne as she has got eyeliner and red lipstick. This is also a stereotypical type of Emo/Goth person which most of Punk genre music video have.

Back Cover and Spine:

The use of vignette and silhouette effect looks very nice and it leaves an enigma to the audience. For example, they might think why are they covering and hiding he’s face, who and what kind of character he is in their music video. The font style and size stands out and very clear for the audience. The use of red on the fonts signifies that this male character might be dangerous and harmful. Also this is one of the colour schemes that we would normally see in Punk/Emo/Gothic genre. The bar code, company logo and copyright at the bottom look very professional and this is what a digipak looks like. I like the how they have used the back cover background on the spine as the artist name and title stands out. 

Inside Panel:

The use of black background contrasts with the red petals makes the white colour they have used on the lyrics stands out and easy to read for the audience. The red petals also connote as romance/love and it is quite feminine which implies that the female artist is girl but has the connotation of innocence. However, the red petal with green stem on it makes it difficult to read the lyrics. The red, white and black colours they have used in here, reminds me of what the female artist was wearing throughout their music video. I like how they placed more petals on the right hand side of the page and the lyrics on the left hand side as it doesn’t take away the main image on the inside panel. 

Conclusion: 

After analysing this digipak, I thought that it looks professionally done and they have mainly used the generic conventions of Punk/Emo/Goth theme. This lets me compare and improve the ideas that we have got for our digipak. 

Ex Student Music Video Analysis

The music video that I am going to analyse from one of the students who has done it before is When You're Gone by Avril Lavigne. This is because they have relationship/heartbroken theme which is the same as our music video and I can compare it to see if there are improvements needed we could add in our music video. 

Things I like: 
The use of connotations on the clothing throughout the music video is excellent as it reflects on the theme of the song and the role of the characters. For example, the female character was wearing white and black clothing which black connotes as sadness because her boyfriend died and also white connotes as innocence which links back to the lyrics of "When You're Gone". It also portrays that her life is boring because she lost her boyfriend.

The male and female actors were very good at performing which made it look professional. The female actor is good at expressing emotions of breaking up and sadness which makes the audience feel the same way as them. The image below is the scene where the female accidentally runs over into each other and then she dropped the books on her hands. The accidental of the male character holding onto the female's hands implies that he likes her and this is what a stereotypical boy can be when they like a person. 

They have used variety of shots and techniques such as close-up shots, mid shots, different angles and framing which keeps the audience watch their music video. However, they are mainly using close up shots/ mid shots to show the characters happy and sad expressions within different scenes. For example, the image below makes the audience to focus on her melancholic and depressed face which makes them to sympathise on her.

They have used variety techniques of editing which is effective on most parts of the music video. For example, I like their concept of fades/dissolves when the male is sat next to hear whispering some words which makes her feel that he is beside her but when she looks on her side, the male character suddenly disappears. This would make the audience think that she must have missed the male character so much and they will be able to identify the situation of the male character is not with her any more. 

Also the black and white effect of the past memories with her ex makes it look old which helps the audience to identify the scene. 

In 3:53, it shows a contrasts of what is her imagination and what is in reality because it shows the female stood on her own, hugging herself but the reflection she sees in the mirror is showing her ex hugging her. This makes the audience think that she must have been missing him so much and it matches the mood of the song.

I like how they made the audience clearly that their music video is going to be performance and narrative based. As we can see at the start of the music video, the female actor is walking through the woods on her own and then as soon as the music starts, the girls started to sing. They have used natural key lighting which implies to the audience that it's part of daily life.

Some of the actions and locations matches the lyrics of the song like in 2:08, the words she sang were "And the clothes you left, they lie on the floor" and we can see the female was getting the male's top from the floor. 

Also the use of different locations such as park and school for the past memories matches the romance conventions as this is a place where the couple would go for a date. 

Also the editing at the end is very effective of showing that the female actor needs to move on by forgetting her past memories. As we can see they have used black and white effect for the flashbacks of different locations with her ex, then they use dissolve transitions which shows that the memories are fading away away and it comes up with a close up shot of the female's face which implies to the audience that she has to forget about it and move on. 

Things I don't like:
I don't like some of the camera shots and movements because their are some parts that are shaky which ruins the atmosphere of the music video. They could improve it by changing it into steady one. Also the tree scene at the start of the video where she was touching something, they could have used a close up shot of what she was doing so the audience would see what it is. 

I think they have used the same locations throughout the music video which makes it look boring to look at. For example, the image below is the location that we always see and it is quite repetitive which makes it look uninteresting video. 

They don't have continuity because the female actor had a straight hairstyle in the beginning but she had curly/wavy hairstyle through the rest of the music video. This will make the audience think if it was the same girl performing throughout the video.


Before

After

Overall, I like how they composed their music video because it looks professionally done and the actors were really good at performing. The use different conventions and connotations is excellent as this is what you would expect to see in a real music video. Also I like how they made the female character wore dark eye liner which looks the same as the real Avril Lavigne. In my opinion, they need to improve on the locations as this makes the audience feel uninterested with their music video. 

3 Different Pop Music Videos and the Conventions of Pop Genre

I have analysed three different Pop music videos so I would be able to determine the conventions within our chosen genre. This would help our group to have some concepts on what we could include in our music video.

Music Video Analysis

I have chosen to analyse one of David Archuleta music videos because it is pop genre and it would be able to give me some ideas on what I could have for our media project. 

David Archuleta - Something bout Love on Prezi

Ideas & Chosen Song

These are the music videos that we have been researching based on 'Pop' genre:
After researching on different songs of Pop music, we ended up with two songs which are called 'Finish Line' and 'On My Own'. They are both sung by Yasmin and it lasts about three minutes long. Both of these songs are not very popular which means that it is less competition for my group with other people who want to re-make the music video. It will be easier for our group to complete our music video on time because the song is not that long and we can cut some of the parts.
Yasmin - Finish Line

Yasmin - On My Own

Conclusion:

In the end, my group and I decided to do 'On My Own' song because the tempo is upbeat which is what everyone likes. The song lasts about three minutes and 56 seconds so we are planning to cut the end bit off of to make it shorter and it would be easier for us to complete the whole video on time. Moreover, it would be easier for us to do this song because we already have some ideas in our minds that we might include for our project.

This is the lyrics of Yasmin - On My Own:

 

We have looked at the lyrics to analyse so it would give us more ideas of what we could base the music video on. My group are thinking of performance and narrative based is the best choice for the music video as we could show the actor singing in some parts and also a storyline behind the song. This would make our music video interesting as it is not just the female singing throughout the video. The lyrics ''Although the road is frightening, I'm gonna make it on my own'' portrays that we could have the female by herself and not having anyone on her side which shows that she is going to achieve the upcoming trials and proves to everyone that they are wrong.