How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Evaluation Post 2Lucy Billington-Groom

When creating my ancillary texts I made the decision that my poster would promote the album and the album would focus of the representation of the artist rather than embodying the music video. I felt it was important to present the artist’s personality through the ancillary texts rather than solely promote the video as this would have been the introduction of the artist to the audience. I have included aspects of each production that are similar and therefore link the products together but the differences between the ancillary texts and the video are quite noticeable.

The black and white theme is consistent throughout all three of my productions. I felt the use of a black and white filter would be identifiable to my artist if I used it continuously. The black and white filter in my video meant that the focus of the audience would be on the actions of the character rather than any bright colours or patterns that could possibly be a distraction to the message that I am trying to convey to the audience. I originally used the black and white filter on the photographs I incorporated into my ancillary texts to add a sense of darkness and mystery to the promotion, this aspect then carried over into my music video, by using the filter like this for each production it became an identifiable theme that links each of my products. I believe this aspect of my production was effective as it was the most identifiable aspect that joined all three products together.

I decided on the image of shattered/smashed glass for my digipak and poster to represent the instability and fragility of the character I am trying to convey through my video. The use of this image over both ancillary texts creates a sense of familiarity for the audience as they are able to connect both products. The image is dark with features of a bright (almost luminous) blue. These colours contrast against each other and therefore catch the attention of the audience. I purposely constructed my ancillary texts to be bold in order to make the initial statement of the artist. By focusing on an audience that is stereotypically associated with dark and sullen themes I was able to incorporate aspects which appealed to this stereotype. I believe I have used the idea of shifting loyalties in my advertisement as the mysterious mood to the ancillary texts lead the audience with an inclination to discover more, therefore becoming more loyal to my artist and their brand.

The combination of my ancillary texts and my music video is very effective in that my music video has no incorporation of my artist therefore the introduction of my artist to the audience comes from the ancillary texts. It is important to present the artist as a relatable figure as this will aid the brand in becoming popular with the target audience. I was very obtuse when constructing the image of my artist as I was reluctant to incorporate the female gaze theory into my production as it does not fit the conventions of how a rock artist is usually represented. There is very little correlation between a rock artist and being sexually appealing to women. Its for that reason that I feel that my choice of clothing my artist to the extent their identities are hidden is justified.

The consistent use of the same font across both ancillary texts is effective in the sense that branding must be compatible with each other especially when introducing a new artist and product to the public. The font I used was a conscious decision made on the obvious military style lettering and the bold aspect. This font is effective in that it is relative to the convention of Rock making an impact upon the audience as well as demanding attention. The fact that the font has military connotations represents the strong, united front of the artist to the audience which is appealing. I wanted the font to be white against a dark, preferably black, background to compliment the black and white aspect of the music video and the complementary contrast of the colours.

I believe the combination of my ancillary texts and music video is inclusive of the Binary Opposition Theory. Levi-Strauss inferred that the human mind thinks fundamentally in Binary Oppositions. Binary Oppositions are a pair of concepts that are the extreme opposite of each other. I have used binary oppositions in my work such as the black and white theme in my video, I have used this opposition to highlight the extremities of which the mind can stretch to. The argument against this theory is that every opposition has a medium, e.g. black and white would be grey. I have also incorporated this into my video with the use of a grey background and overcast skies. I believe this theory is relative to my production as I wanted to present the binary opposition of the state of mentality to the audience and to do this I used the black and white colour scheme. I think this was effective as the oppositions are very obvious which means it is easier for the audience to interpret the message I am trying to convey.

Dyer’s Star Theory is also applied in my work especially when creating the image of my artist that I wanted to present to the audience. The construction of my artist began with choice of outfit which I wanted to be very simple. I chose black trouser with black tracksuit jackets. I felt although the outfit was simple it conformed to popular fashion as chosen by the public which made the idea of my artist being ‘relatable’ even more appealing to the audience. As my promotion of my artist centres around the idea of them being newly introduced and ‘Anonymous’ there is little inclusion of aspects that reveal their character and personality. There are hints in my ancillary texts that lead the audience to believe my artist is a serious player in the music industry and that the band have a message to share but apart from that the mystery surrounding my artist is intact. It was difficult to conform to every aspect of Dyer’s Star Theory but where I have challenged his theory I believe I have still been successful in the introduction and promotion of the artist.

Overall I feel the combination of my ancillary texts and music video has been very successful in that the aspects of each production support the downfalls of the other. I wanted the ancillary texts to focus on the artist and the actual album as the product rather than the simple promotion of a music video. The video compliments the ideas portrayed through the ancillary texts as it presents a strong message and the style of the video is in accordance with the mysterious air that surrounds the artists. I also feel the artistic nature of my productions helps with appealing to the audience which was my ultimate goal. I have incorporated conventions of the Rock genre as to not confuse my audience and to target the correct demographic.