Presentation1

Task 2: A Power Point presentation to explore how effective the combination

of my main product and ancillary texts is?

• The pop video is a media text of promotional purposes that in order to be successful must be the explicit and unashamed promotion of the artist’s “image”, whether aesthetically, generically or ideologically, according to Keith Negus. Though the video is the pedestal tool in the campaign, the campaign, cannot and must not end there. Instead it is necessary to synergize the ‘pop promo’ with other ancillary texts in order to maximise the expanse of clientele.

• It is the main function of the Digipack to epitomize the band as a rebellious, anti-social movement that captivates a creative frenzy within their work in just four carefully constructed sides. The Digipack, or; the CD cover and its inner contents are likely to be the last contact the customer has with any media declaration relating to the product before purchase. It is for this reason that the Digipack, synergized with the other media texts developed in the advertisement campaign for the group is highly important.

• The magazine advertisement, like the Digipack, has been carefully formulated to ‘sell the band’. It has primarily been designed to entrance the niche section of the target audience, a more specific audience who procures music magazines, suggesting they are the more solid fan base, there for (if successful) accepting the media text that has been presented to them. The synergy between the Ad, Digipack and video creates a solid campaign; one that attracts and entertains audiences.

Carlsson states that 'Music Video is a form of audio - visual communication in which meaning is created via carriers of information such as; the music, the lyrics and the moving images.' He talks about music video being a combination of performance and conceptual clips, and lyrics being combined with images to create meaning to the audience. Carlsson also states that the director will suggest several ideas for a music video; and these ideas will be repeated and varied throughout the video. Re-arranging these visual motifs is said to be the key to the success of the video. He says that a music video is a combination of the provocative modern art tradition and a cultural interpretation of the teenage rebellion.

• One of the key features identified by Levi-Strauss was the universality of myths.

• Myths are narratives which belong to cultures rather than individuals and which tend to be passed down through generations. The origins of myth tend to be obscured by history. Levi-Strauss believed that myths were more than just ‘entertainment’ for a culture. He said that they perform a valuable social function by embodying values and ideas which are important for particular societies, often in the form of binary oppositions by dealing with these values through the fictional forms of myth, a society can defuse potential conflict and tension – a kind of safety valve.

Levi-Strauss’ theory resonates predominantly with the band due to their primary aim which is to distort the order in society. This notion must be presented through the main product and ancillary texts in order to ensure commercial success.

In relation to ‘star image’, theorist Richard Dyer believes that a star is an image, not a real person; that is constructed (as in any other aspect of fiction is) out of a range of materials (e.g. advertising, magazines and films). Stars are commodities that are produced and consumed on the strength of their meanings which in this case are rebelliousness and creativity, therefore the displaying of these meanings through the Dig pack, Ad and Pop Promo is essential.

• Common values of music stardom that the band hold are youthfulness, rebellion, sexual magnetism, an anti-authoritarian attitude, originality and a disregard for social values relating to sex, drugs and polite behavior.

• Fundamentally, the star image is incoherent, incomplete and ‘open’. Dyer states that this is because it is based upon two key paradoxes. Paradox 1 is that the star must be simultaneously ordinary in the sense that they human and a figure in which the audience can relate their every day problems and anxiety, yet also extraordinary i.e. they are placed on a pedestal where in which they are examined as ‘godlike’ in their super talent and envy instigating mannerisms.

• Paradox 2 is that the star must be simultaneously present and absent for the consumer. This means that they must exist within the public sphere, i.e. radio, interviews, and dc’s etc. but they must also be dislocated between consumer and product because “people always want what they cant have”.