Question 2

A V O C E T ‘ I N T O A M O N S T E R ’

MAIN PRODUCT; PROMOTIONAL VIDEOTo view the main product please select the below link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d607hISMYo&safe=active

ANCILLARY TASK 1: DIGIPAK

Front cover Internal cover Back coverCD design

ANCILLARY TASK 2: POSTER PROMOTING DIGIPAK

The three media products are effectively combined to introduce the artist ‘Avocet’ as a young, gothic, indie-rock artist with a

mysterious and ominous yet innocent public image. This is elucidated through the uniform dark colouring, black costume,

monstrous makeup, typography and camera angles. Uniformity in the production of media products is essential for establishing

the artist’s public image and allowing an audience to recognise the relationship between the artist and the commercial products.

The construction and planning of the main product and ancillary tasks utilised the visual and design conventions of posters,

digipaks and promotional videos in order to develop three individual products with distinctive characteristics that an audience will

recognise as related through the use of mise en scene, effects and camera shots.

Colouring uniform is a typical convention used in indie rock music videos.

The main product has a distinctive colour scheme. The colours black and blue

are predominant in the video, particularly the performance aspects.

However, there are scenes in which the colour scheme is not utilised

such as the opening sequence whereby a black and white effect has

been applied to the visuals. Nevertheless, the absence of the branded

colour theme emphasises the scene in which the selected colour

scheme dominates the visuals.

Alternatively, the album design utilises the generic colour

scheme but also incorporates a green colouring to

advocate the album title ‘The Monster Experiment’. The

green has a harsh, cold impression which effectively

communicates the dysfunctional emotional concept which

may be recognised in the leading single ‘Into a Monster’.

The ancillary texts and the main product utilise Andrew Goodwin’s theory by using a common motif to develop a

strong connection between the three products. This technique ensures that the audience will be able to

recognise the relationship. The calavera makeup is present in all three products. The sugar skull imagery

elucidates the strong gothic theme which is incorporated into each product. The focus on the peculiar and vivid

makeup design effectively highlights the bleak, intense, and nostalgic connotations in the music in addition to

producing a strong visual link between the products.

THEORY

INTERTEXTUALITY

The artist’s multifaceted public image is reflected by performers such as The Pretty Reckless’ lead singer ‘Taylor Momsen’. The artist previously modelled the stereotypical young blonde ingénue appearance until her late teens in which her rebellious gothic portrayal arose. The contrasting depiction is apparent in the video as the generic ‘good girl gone bad’ image is a recognisable and popular trait amongst contemporary female indie-rock artists.

Intertextuality refers to the way in which existing texts have

influenced or been incorporated into a medium. The music

video ‘Into a Monster’ contains noticeable elements which

have been included in established promotional videos. For

example, the calavera makeup is similar to the skull makeup

used in Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ music video. The

pronounced use of intertextuality enables the audience to

distinguish the key characteristics of the brand as the viewers

are familiar with brand features i.e. the gothic, skeletal

makeup.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A BLACK BACKGROUNDIn this shot the performer is isolated by the dark

surroundings.The shot informs the audience of the gothic and dark concept as

black is often associated with morose, death and evil. The

combination of the skull monster makeup upon the artist’s face

and the black connotations may illuminate the supernatural

features in the music video, and digipak.

The contrast between the artist’s light physical

features and the deep black background subsequently

accentuates the detail of her facial appearance.

THE BLACK CLOAKThe black cloak which is worn in the photographs used in the digipak, and the music video was inspired by the music video ‘I’ll

Follow Rivers ‘by Lykke Li. The video displays the performer in a pure black cloak which covers her face and body. The lack of exposure encourages the audience to continue to view the music video as the viewer may feel inclined to witness the reveal of the performers true identity. This technique is employed in the opening lyrics of the main product , the event poster and the back cover of the digipak in order to promote the artists through mystery and ambiguity.

,

The black cloak reinforces the supernatural elements in

the texts. Popular examples of black cloaks include the

infamous fictional character ‘Dracula’, and the well-known

Harry Potter’s wizard characters. The popularity of black

cloaks as the costume of supernatural characters

effectively depicts this concept in the three media texts.

CAMERA ANGLESThe close up shot creates a dramatic, detailed and intimate effect which reflects the passion and

intensity of the music. The front cover displays the ‘monster’ version of Avocet, whereas the close-

up shot used in the early stage of the music video depicts the singer’s natural appearance. This

provides the audience with an opportunity to compare the two presentations and recognise the

artist’s multifaceted public image. Moreover, the contrast supports the narrative as the difference

illustrates the development of Avocet becoming a ‘monster’.

The close up shot used for the front cover features the artist looking upwards, this is to

accentuate the feeling of being trapped by the monster façade as facing skywards

connotes the idea of the singer ‘wanting to be free like a bird in the sky’. Alternatively, in

the close up shot used in the music video the performer engages in direct eye contact to

depict the idea of this presentation being her true identity. The contrasting poses builds an

intimate bond between the audience and artist because the viewer may feel sympathetic

towards the emotional turmoil presented in the front cover and will be engaged by the

intense, passionate eye contact in the music video image.

BIRDSThe lyric analysis revealed that a need for freedom was an apparent

connotation in the song ‘won’t you just let me be?...you’ve stolen all

my identity, a person that I don’t want to be’. Therefore, using this

idea, the theme of birds was employed in the construction of the

media products.

The singer is shown to be facing upwards in the shot to

communicate the idea of her wanting to be free like a bird. This

is reinforced by the two bird wings projected onto her body.

The theme of birds has been applied to the logo which is present on the poster

and the back cover of the digipak. The design was inspired by the black and

white colouring of an avocet as well as the bird’s long beak. The similarity

between the logo and the appearance of an avocet is used to accentuate the

idea of freedom which is associated with birds.

Below are examples of birds which inspired or appear in the music video. The avocet’s black and white features, the fragility and elegance of the swan

and the shot of several birds flying away into the distance, is used to communicate the singer’s delicate and innocence image to the audience.

The black and white effect in the

opening resembles the colouring

of an avocet , and is utilised to

indicate that the scene occurs at

a time before the performer

becomes a monster‘, where she

is ‘free like a bird’.

EDITINGUsing a range of editing technologies including Adobe premier pro, Pixlr.com and Adobe Photoshop,

the visuals used in the digipak and music video were manipulated to produce a powerful and stimulating image. For example, the front cover conveys a close up shot of the performer looking upwards to symbolise her need for freedom . However, a whitening effect is applied to the iris of the eyes to illuminate the supernatural and gothic elements in the text. Moreover, a darkening effect is used to intensify the deep colours and add a harsh, poignant and vibrant effect.

A different range of effects were employed in the production of the

music video. Similarly to the digipak, a darkening effect was

applied to the majority of clips. For example, using the ‘Levels’

video effect, the dark colours in the below screen shots were

increased to highlight the sinister themes and conform to the

rock genre convention of dark imagery. As inspired by

alternative/indie promotional videos such as ‘Little Talks’ and

‘Young Folks’, a gradient effect was applied to two of the

mages below. The function produces cartoon-like graphics

which effectively demonstrates the surreal and supernatural

concept. These editing techniques are combined to

successfully communicate the abstract

No effect

No effect

No effectLevels and gradient effect

Levels and gradient effectLevels effect

No effect

FRAMINGThe image used for the front cover of the digipak is also present on the

inside cover. The framing of the photograph was transformed

into an extreme close up shot. The effect used on the image

depicts three cropped versions of the image which are combined

to emphasise and isolates the presence of the performer’s eyes

to further elucidate the significance of the pose. The monster

image is also advocated by the repetition; the unusual makeup

used on the performer’s mouth in addition to the close-up shot

that accentuates the sinister and monstrous artist’s image. The

framing design in the music video changed in correspondence

with the conceptual idea present in the shot.

A zoom in effect was applied to the shot which

initially presents the singer from a far distance

in order to depict her isolation and emphasise

the idea of her being imprisoned by the

monster persona

The below shot was changed into a mid shot to

illuminate the passion in the singer’s facial

expression.

The above midshot was altered into a close up shot in

order to engage the audience through the clear

and direct eye contact in addition to increasing

the intimacy between the viewer and performer

TYPOGRAPHY

The use of fonts is consistent in the

digipak and poster. A ‘Wood

Cutterfence’ and’ impact label

reverse’ font is apparent on both

products and is utilised to produce

differing effects.

Similarly to the front cover image and the below shot

of the performer in a small space, the artist’s title is

centrally positioned to emphasise the singer’s

importance as the conventional central placement

attracts the audience’s attention and connotes the

idea of power and eminence which is essential for

establishing an artist’s image and status in the

industry.

The ‘Woodcutter fence’ font used for the album title on the digipak and poster is employed to resemble the wood scene in the music

video. The design resembles the harsh and coarse twigs and branches on the trees. The performer is shown to be walking in the woods

during the second verse of the music video and the scene portrays the performer discovering the cursed flower which turns her into a

monster. A linear narrative is present in the music video and the scene signifies the beginning of the developed gothic and monstrous

artist image. Similarly, the performer’s title is placed at the top of the poster to reflect the idea of the wood scene being the beginning of

the transformation.

The ‘impact label reverse’ font style

adds a powerful effect to the

information. The title is eye-

capturing through the bold

colouring, large size and unusual

design. The reviews for the album

use the font to accentuate the

information and convey the rock

genre as rock posters typically use

capitalised lettering to mirror the

raucous and boisterous music.

MARKETING AND BRANDING: USPBranding the artist is an important process for promoting a new artist. Creating an artist brand uses an appealing platform to

summarise the artist and displays their appealing qualities to the target demographic. A unique selling point is vital for

publicising a new artist in the music industry, Avocet is a young , white female who is also a trained ballet dancer. The

debut single features the typical ‘girl next door’ appearance turning into a gothic monster creature. The performer may be

viewed as an unconventional adaptation of the generic ‘good girl gone bad’ presentation which is famed by artists such

as Rihanna.

A typical artist branding technique includes logos, the Avocet logo conforms to the multifaceted artist image and

employed in various products in order to build a consistent visual style and reputation for the artist. The innocent

young girl presentation is a typical singer archetype which is presented in the logo (the bird-like design accentuates

her fragility and elegance) and the music video (white dress to represent purity and vulnerability). The modern

feminine youthful representation provides fans with an identity that is recognisable and relatable. Alternatively, the

monster characterisation embodies adolescent angst and rebellion. Thus, providing an outlandish, outcast role model

image which numerous young people will be able to identify with. The capital A in the centre of the logo elucidates this

representation through the eerie, sharp font style.

CONFORMITY BRANDINGConformity branding refers to marketing techniques

which adhere to societal norms. Audiences are

accustomed to these techniques and the

generic branding traits have been incorporated

into ‘Avocet’s’ artist image in order to

successfully appeal to a wide audience range.

The lead singer has short blonde hair which imitates the typical ‘blonde

bombshell’ look which has been adopted by numerous contemporary female

singers such as Rihanna, Pink, Pixie Lott and Miley Cyrus. The modernised

hairstyle effectively displays the products as relevant to a modern audience.

Similarly to several modern popular female alternative singers such as Kate Nash, Florence Welch and Leslie Feist, ‘Avocet’ (Aimee) has a tall, slim frame which conforms to the typical societal expectations of beauty. The performer is an aesthetically tall (5”8) young, white female , which is an artist presentation that is conventional in the indie-rock genre.

A considerable amount of modern female singers are marketed through their

youth. Popular examples include performers such as Demi Lovato, Selena

Gomez and Lucy Hale. An evidently young appearance effectively promotes an

artist as relatable and relevant to a young niche demographic.

HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE COMBINATION OF YOUR

MAIN PRODUCT AND ANCILLARY TEXTS?In conclusion, the music video, digipak and poster are effectively combined to promote market the purchasable

digipak and the artist’s multifaceted image and to appeal to the target audience of young people with a

preference for rock and indie/alternative. The consistent use of makeup, framing and colour imagery

distinguishes the artist’s public image. The consistent presentational design enables the niche audience to

identify the performer and recognise the singer’s relatable and appealing elements such as youth, modern

fashion sense and eccentric music style.