Evaluation Q2
- 1. Q2: How effective is the combination of my main product and ancillary text?
- 2. Genre Links My music video and print productions both have a very clear link to the genre of indie folk. In the music video, many of the scenes feature natural imagery – forests, a beach, lakes, etc. – which I found is a convention of the genre. This follows Andrew Goodwin’s first feature of music videos, which states that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. Similarly, my digipak cover follows the theme of the four seasons, which I chose as an idea so that I could pursue the theme of nature and organic imagery which is prevalent in the genre. Both my print productions and my music video are very similar in this way, as they both reflect broad genre characteristics.
- 4. Narrative Links • My music video and print productions have one very clear link in narrative; the secondary protagonist, Lucy (played by Saffron), appears in all productions. I chose to do this to establish a clear brand identity through implementing a recurring character across the artist’s work, which is a common motif for artists of all genres. • Another advantage of having a recurring character is that an audience member could look at all 3 productions and tell that they are from the same artist. This means that the artist’s fans can better identify with Samuel Ford and his style. U2 for two of their albums (‘Boy’ and ‘War’) used the same actor for both cover designs. This is similar to my idea for the reappearance of Lucy throughout my productions; she would likely appear again if I were to make another album cover for the same artist.
- 5. Narrative links One of the main plot points in our music video is the corkboard and photographs which are featured heavily. Whilst creating my digipak, I kept this part of the narrative in mind and decided to use photos which look picturesque and nostalgic, as if they themselves would be on the protagonist’s corkboard. This creates a direct link of narrative and ensures that both productions can be associated with each other. Branching from the narrative, memories are also a primary theme in our production, meaning that the corkboard becomes a thematic and symbolic link as well as a narrative one.
- 6. Thematic/symbolic Links • Because of our chosen artist’s genre, there are certain themes which are appropriate which I have implemented into all three of my productions. These main themes are nature, strength, hope and love. • Nature is an evident theme throughout my productions, however strength and hope are more subtly encoded. The image of the female character on a hill, arms stretched and overlooking a vast, organic landscape is symbolic of hope and power, and is meant to portray the featured character as an empowered woman who is in control of nature. This portrayal of her character is consistent within my music video too; in almost every scene, Lucy is surrounded by nature. • Hope and strength in my music video is also a featured theme. The two characters, despite being separated when we first see them, possess the hope that their love is not over and so strive to reclaim it. • My intention with the themes of my productions links to Stuart Hall’s theory of encoding and decoding; I have purposefully encoded messages (the themes and symbols) into my productions in order for the audience to decode them. Although I had specific intentions for the encoding, the audience may take their own interpretations based on their own ideologies.
- 7. Audience Pleasure/Interpellation • Louis Althusser, a French neo-Marxist, argued that texts and cultural events call to individuals. This is called interpellation, and is the moment the audience becomes the subject of the ideology of a text. • This essentially means that audiences identify themselves as the subject of a group. • Interpellation is relevant when talking about media texts because it talks about how audiences identify with certain media. My productions have a clear sense of interpellation and audience pleasure, primarily due to how I have attempted to make them as conventional to the genre as possible.
- 8. Are my print productions an effective promotional package? My music video, and the accompanying print productions (the digipak and magazine advert) are an extremely effective combination in the promotion of the artist and the album. This is because the productions heavily fit the conventions of the genre, making narrative, thematic and ideological links directly to the genre of indie-folk in order to appeal to my target audience. There is a clear, established design throughout my productions which means my print productions easily associate with my music video, making them an effective package in the promotion of the artist.