Complete Promotional Package - Nirvana Music Magazine Advert, Digipak and Music Video

Nirvana's Nevermind Deluxe Edition - includes two CDs. 

Harmonising blue colour scheme with black and white text. The blue colour carries on the underwater feel of the image. The front panel relates very much to the magazine advert of the album, showing the viewers instantly that this was what was being advertised. By the same use of image, colour and text

The Back panel has the underwater image as the background and the content of the album. It also had the barcode, the record label's logo and the band's website and logo.

Outside panels- Front Cover & Back & Inside

Inside panels - CD & booklet

Compact Disks are even covered in two shades of blue, this shows the consumer instantly their connection to the album and makes them less easily lost without their cover.


Inside panels- without CDs and booklet out of sleeve

The artwork for the album of the baby swimming in a pool towards the dollar with a fishhook through it, is obviously very important as it is repeated three times within the digipak - upon the cover, on the cards and upon the booklet.

Cards of Nirvana's singles

Cards reverse side= puzzle of the album cover image

The four cards = puzzle of album image + (reverse side) advertise the bands singles and artwork for :

• In Bloom
• Smells like Teen Spirit
• Lithium
• Come as you are

Nirvana-Come as you are - Directed by Kevin Kerslake, who got inspiration for the video from the artwork cover and was chosen for his impressionistic style.

" Impressionism-a movement in the late 19th century in French painting, characterized by the goal of reproducing an impression of a subject by use of reflected light and color and the blurring of outlines"
 http://www.thefreedictionary.com/impressionism

 The first shot of the video is of a gun floating slowing in water for the first eight seconds with Kurt Cobain playing a solo guitar riff. Cobain was known for encoding messages within his song lyrics for the audience to interpret in their own way, this image relates to the lyrics within the song "And i swear that i don't have a gun", which can be be understood as you wont be judged for who you are and that there is nothing to hide from anyone : "Come as you are". 

The second shot slowly fades in from the shot of the gun, to a pan of dark room where the dominant element is of a guitar and one of the band members behind it. The shot of the gun then again fades back in, this as an opening to the video sets quite a moody and subdued atmosphere, very similar to the effect of the music. 

The third shot which again has the fade effect, features the main singer lip synced to the lyrics with falling water in front of him blurring his face and creating a quite uneasy, disorientating feel for the audience. This effect carries on for nine more seconds with a cut in of a band member playing the guitar and swaying to the rhythm of the music.

The camera is on a fixed position in this shot of Cobain swinging on a chandelier with his guitar, this conveys his carefree attitude and how all he really needs is to be himself with his guitar.

This image of the dog with a cone collar struggling to walk down some stairs links with the lyrics "Take your time" and we as an audience recognise the dog is wounded and therefore we sympathise. The dog could be a metaphor for how the band feels about the world being broken. In this video water is used repetitively throughout the video, this relates to the artwork of the album. Also Krist Novoselic, the basest used distortion and chorus pedals as the main effects which generated the 'watery' sound.

This distorted image of the lead singers face projected on the wall, carries on the uncertain and uneasiness of the video. The dark location and the huge shadow creates the moody effect.

At fifty one seconds the cutaway shot of a cells and living organisms appear, images like this appear repetitively later on within the video. This suggests the song has someg to do with life.  In the foreground on the right you can also see the faded washed out image the singer.

This jump-cut again has this faded image of Kurt Cobain in the foreground upon the shot of the band playing, again this is very disorientating.







At one minute twenty five the underwater low angle shots of the US dollar and then the baby appear. These images instantly relate to the artwork of the album and show the songs connection to it.

This image then grandually fades into a clip of cells multiplying at an incredible rate.

The ending of the video is of a shot of the band lying down on the ground and looking into the lense, and Kurt Cobain leans forward to kiss the camera and therefore their fans goodbye. This is a intimate ending showing their love and appreiciation for their viewers and fans.

Music Magazine Advert- Q - Florence & the Machine

The Florence and the Machine’s album advert uses contrast within the colour of the advertisment which creates a quite striking and interesting image. The vocalist and songwriter Florence Leontine Mary Welch is promoting her new album, being the star upon the advert.  The dark black of the background contrasts with the white of her skin and the bright colour of her hair. This shows the costumers instantly whose products they are buying.   

Typeface use for ’Florence and the Machine’ is in a quite curly feminine font implying, this is also like the artists personality. The colour of the text is in a light brown working with the colour of Florence’s hair, this also sets a soft tone to the image. The dress she is wearing is covered in black sparkly sequins which harmonise with the background of the image and reflect the lighting. This conveys her stardom and glamour. However because she is in the dark suggests that she does not get too carried away with the celebrity life and likes to keep private; keeping her personal life to herself. The use of her mirrored four times within the image suggests there are many aspects of the artist for the audience to enjoy. The way Florence is also shown within the image with relaxed body language and closed eyes portrays her as controlled and peaceful.  Suggesting this is also like her music which is indie-pop in style and genre.


The layout of the whole advert is generally quite simple, however the compostion of the image which is very clever because of its different angle use makes up for the simple layout. The advert shows the name of the artist, her website, the album name and the record labels logo.


Web Dictionary - "

cer·e·mo·ni·al

noun /ˌserəˈmōnēəl/  ceremonials, plural The system of rules and procedures to be observed at a formal or religious occasion - the procedure was conducted with all due ceremonial A rite or ceremony - a ceremonial called the ghost dance adjective /ˌserəˈmōnēəl/  Relating to or used for formal events of a religious or public nature - ceremonial robes - the solemn, ceremonial air of a procession of monks - presented at ceremonial occasions (of a position or role) Involving only nominal authority or power - originally a ceremonial post, it is now a position with executive power "

The title of the album suggests how the album is something special, implying to the costumers that the album is memorable and worthy of buying.

Music Magazine Advert- Q - Coldplay

This is an advert for Coldplay’s new album ‘Mylo Xyloto’. The aim in the advert is to appeal to a wider range of audience through the magazine in which it is published.  By doing this, Coldplay are advertising to a certain target audience, this also increases the recognition of the band.

About Q magazine:  “Brand Description:

The UK's biggest selling monthly music magazine, Q is the arbiter of quality music. The magazine sits at the heart of a cross-platform brand that discovers great music of substance for its consumers. The Q brand has developed a worldwide reputation as a trusted and premium quality voice of musical authority amongst fans, musicians and the music industry alike - one that is founded upon Q's unrivalled access, world-beating exclusives and outstanding production values. This reputation is extended not only through the magazine but also across online, radio, TV and on into Q's unique events, which encompass exclusive, intimate live shows with major stars and the world famous annual Q Awards.

…

Audience Profile:

Q's audience is composed of passionate, engaged and open minded music fans driven to continually discover new music - and to use this lust for discovery to influence their friends. The audience is split 75% male to 25% female and is affluent (with 68% ABC1).” (http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/Brands/Q/)

Therefore by advertising their album within this magazine this suggests their music is considered quality and worthy of the magazines reputation. The choice of magazine also suggests the targeted potential consumers are majority  male and are music intimate people. 

Advertisements use the feature of containing the name of the brand and the product promoting to their costumers so they know instantly what they are buying. However Coldplay’s choice of album name has challenged conventions as it seems to have no definite definition or meaning. ‘Mylo Xyloto’, pronounced “my-lo ze-letoe”.

The typography within this advert is in a graffiti bubble-writing style, this communicates to the audience that the band are modern and are up to date with the young generation. This typeface is used also on their album, videos and website. The graffiti pop art work, look and style also all go with the artwork of the new album cd cover, videos and website.

The art work is full of bright rainbow colours and is in the style of due to the sprayed handdrawn drawings and wording in different harmonising colours.

The text stands out from the art work as it is a bright white colour and is centered within the page.

Information for the release date of the album is printed just below the album's name in the a smaller font size and their website and record label and logo is shown. This promotes their record label and band to the buyers and give them recognition.

Secondary Research-Questionare

Secondary Research - Current Best Sellers At HMV - Albums

Artists and their album's in which are popular - 27-09-11

Secondary Research - Current Popular Artists On The BBC

Secondary Research - Background on Pop Music

Web definitions of  pop music

• music of general appeal to teenagers; a bland watered-down version of rock'n'roll with more rhythm and harmony and an emphasis on romantic love

wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

 

 

There is no particular style of music that can be clearly identified as pop. This is because pop music is always changing. It can be identified as the most popular mainstream music of the time. Since the 1950's, this has been the music that has evolved in the wake of the rock and roll revolution of the 1950's.
The most consistent component of pop music has been the concept of the pop song. Most pop songs range in length from approximately 2 minutes to 5 minutes, and they frequently include a verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus structure or some close variant. Longer compositions are rare in pop music.
Pop music has been and continues to be a melting pot of styles. The genres most frequently drawn from are hip hop, R&B, rock, and country. However, influences have been pulled from music as widely variant as classical and African drums.

http://top40.about.com/od/popmusic101/g/popmusic.htm

An Article on Pop Music ( taken from articlesbase.com:

Pop Music - History and Facts Revealed

Posted: Sep 29, 2008

One genre that appeals to most everyone is pop music owing to its light and catchy qualities. Pop music is so aptly called because it is a categorization that is largely based on the popularity of a song. There is no clear and distinct parameters to classify a song as pop music. For the most part, its popularity should translate to records sold and radio air times.

Pop music is a combination of various styles influenced by the evolving music forms. The development of pop music is one that is progressive, rolling over from generation to generation to snowball into its current form. As this is so, pop music has taken so many forms through each decade to reflect the musical preference of a particular generation.

Rich Vocals
During the 50s, popular tunes were those that were vocally rich with a string accompaniment and a vocal chorus back up. Country music and American folk music were great hits along with variations of standard formats. Great American songbook classics, crooners and big band singers adopted other musical techniques to give their music a modern twist. The listening public lapped these enhancements up and caused songs like Mack the Knife and Singing the Blues to top the charts. In contrast to these classics, rock and roll likewise rocked the American music industry with fast and infectious beats of Rock Around the Clock, Heartbreak Hotel, and Tutti Fruitti. These tunes not only rocked the airwaves, they also rocked the dance floors.

All in the Band
The next decade brought in what is called as the novelty song characterized by humorous lyric combined with melodies that are simple yet catchy (i.e. Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, California Girls, and Good Vibrations). Worthy of note is the fact that the vocal harmonies and lyrics of these songs revolved around Californias surf, girls and cars. Thus the label Surf pop. Other popular music during the sixties were youth-oriented band music in up-tempo beat, I Want to Hold Your Hand,Cant Buy Me Love, Downtown, and To Sir With Love." African American music likewise joined the popular music scene with its doo-wop style that gives prominence to melodic sounds and vocal harmonies. Rhythm and blues as well as Motown soul music were also chart-toppers during this period.

Cacophony of Sounds
From the 1970s to the present, pop music is as diverse as they come. A slowdown in musical tempo was seen in the early seventies when folk-based artists took center stage. Popular during these times were songs written by the singers themselves. Tempos picked up again towards in the second half of the decade when disco-dancing became a favorite pastime among the youth. Dance tunes Play That Funky Music, Staying Alive, and YMCA dominated the airwaves and the disco scene.

The 1980s and 1990s music scene was composed of music soundtracks, international hits, rock and roll, and pop icon duets. Another music development in this decade is the advent of charity records where artists put their talents together to raise funds for a cause. Particularly characteristic of the last two decades are the prevalence of songs by female artists like Mariah Carrey, Celine Dion, and pop icon Madonna. The new millennium kept with soulful ballads, hip hop pieces and dance tracks. Movie soundtracks remained chart-toppers.

Pop music is a genre that will always be around. People will always listen to music and music labels and radio stations will continue to track what songs people are listening to. For as long as people are playing and listening to music, there will always be a chart-topper.

(http://sayidaksa.articlesbase.com/music-articles/pop-music-history-and-facts-revealed-582463.html)

 

Secondary Research -Artistdirect.com Video Interview with Bruno Mars

"Bruno Mars sat down for an exclusive video interview with ARTISTdirect.com editor and Dolor author Rick Florino about It's Better If You Don't Understand, songwriting and more wisdom from Cee Lo."
http://www.artistdirect.com/video/artistdirect-com-exclusive-bruno-mars/84029


This video is useful as Bruno Mars' is in the genre of popular music, within this project my aim is to produce a music video of that genre. Therefore information from such artists is helpful to acknowledge certain conventions and codes used within their work.

Secondary Research - Review on Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad Album

http://www.thesituation.co.uk/reviews/07/rihanna.html

Plan for Tuesday 27th & Wednesday 28th September

• Primary Research - Analysis of Music Magazine Advert 
• Audience Research -  Produce Questionare
• Secondary Research - Articles, Auidence Research, Info on Genre of Pop Music

 

 

Primary Research - Analysis of Music Video - The Kooks - She Moves in Her Own Way.

The Kooks- She Moves in Her Own Way Video

 Opening frame is a track shot of the band's tour bus travelling along a road. The colours used are quite neutral and calm, working well with the acoustic genre of music as the Kooks produce quite relaxed songs.

This as an introduction to the video suggests they produced it while on tour. 

 

The close-up shot of the guitar being played goes with the music and rhythm in the video, the fact there is someone in the background in the shot with very relaxed body language suggests the music is going to be quite placid and easy to listen to.

 

This shot of vocalist and guitarist from the band carries on the carefree feel to this video due to their lack of eye contact and comfortable behaviour towards to camera ( as if it wasn’t even there).

There are different insert shots within the video that suggest things about what the band got up to on the tour and different aspects of their personlities, for example with this shot; humour.

This shot of the band on the beach, messing around and having fun relates to the lyric in the music "she moves in her own way". It implys that the band look at themselves as individuals and do not 'follow the crowd' and or certain conventions. 

This low angle shot shows the whole band and the roles they play in it. The angle use makes them seem quite superior to the auidence and idolises them . The location of the shot implys they are party type people who love to have a good time, carried on by the prop use (the disco ball) has the connotation of joy and dancing.

The video as a whole is about how the band themselves are trying to send a message across to their audience that individuality and independence is important and good to be influenced by.

Secondary Research - Red Hot Chili Peppers

http://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/red-hot-chili-peppers-im-with-you

Secondary Research - Wretch 32 - Black and White Album Review-Joe Wilde

http://www.contactmusic.com/album-review/wretch-32-black-and-white

Primary Research - Analysis of Music Video- Ed Sheeran- A Team

Ed Sheeran’s video for his song called ‘The A Team’ has a storyline about a girl who lives on the streets in London and has got into prostitution to pay for her drug addiction. This is a very emotive song about a tragedy written by the singer and songwriter Ed Sherran.

The whole video is in a monochrome colour effect giving the video an artistic and dramatic effect.  There is no music within the introduction of the song (twenty seconds), instead there is the non-diegetic sound of tweeting birds. This over-shadows the whole video, showing the audience what happens at the end of the story (death is the result of her drug taking and life-style) at the start of the storyboard.  The performance of the whole video has quite a documentary style to it, as it focuses on subject and tells a story about her and her life.

This is the first shot of the video; this close up shot with looking space reveals the distressed body language and expressions of the character.  The shot shows her fidgeting and being uncomfortable; looking around as if she doesn’t want to know. She is also holding her hand to her mouth in shock and despair.  This as an introduction to the video entices the audience and is there for shock-value. The low key lighting portrays the dark and negative atmosphere.

For about nine seconds of the introduction the extreme close up of the dead girls face appears.  The use of eye contact with the lens is hard hitting and sets a quite ominous feeling.

The technique of the camera movement slowly zooming out and gradually using a soft focus until her face is completely unfocused is used.

At the end of the first 20 seconds the music to the video starts, and a jump cut of the girl sleeping on a bench in a park is revealed.

 This contrasts with the previous shot of the girl due to the difference in shot type, lighting and composition.  The long shot reveals the setting and the high key lighting suggests it is day time.  The props used, for example the bench and the blanket suggests the character lives on the streets.  The character is very much in the centre of the shot showing her importance within the shot.

This point of view shot and slight low angle shows us the subject’s perspective and also makes us relate and empathise with her as she looks quite child-like and innocent.

This screen-grab of the subject suggests certain things about her as a character due to her body language and the fact she is taking up most of the frame.  She is facing the sky with her arms outstretched like she is flying, almost echoing the lyrics “It’s too cold outside for angels to fly”. This frame could also be seen as a metaphor for her being against the world. This jump cut sees the subject in a positive light, as she takes up the most of the frame it suggests power and importance.

The rhythm of the shots within the video all go with the rhythmic timing of the music.



The shot of the subject with the prop of ‘The Big Issue’ provides background information for the audience and provides evidence for their suspicions of her being homeless. The Big Issue is a magazine is which the homeless can buy for a pound and sell for two pound. It is a weekly magazine in which offers entertainment and current affairs.  The organization has both a limited company that distributes and produces the magazine and then a registered charity in which gives aid to the people to help them face and resolve the issues that made them homeless in the first place.

A star image is shown within the video. Ed Sheeran only makes a cameo appearance for ten seconds within the whole video. He is the only one who is seen buying the ‘The Big Issue’ magazine from the girl whist other people on the street are shown just walking past and ignoring her existence. This makes Ed Sheeran himself seen in a good light to the audience and makes him seen as friendly and giving.  The proxemics within this shot show that the female character is not as important as Ed Sheeran as she is lower than him in the frame. However a few seconds later in the video Ed Sheeran comes down to her level. This portrays how actually she is just the same as he is and that power and status are un-important.

 The word “Angel” is shown in a couple of the shots within the video and also within the lyric of the music at the same time. This repetition of angel around the character suggests that apart from the obvious, this character could or is a metaphorical angel.

Definition of angel:  A spiritual being believed to act as an attendant, agent, or messenger of God, conventionally represented in human form with wings and a long robe

§  - God sent an angel to talk to Gideon

§  - the Angel of Death

A person of exemplary conduct or virtue

Used in similes or comparisons to refer to a person's outstanding beauty, qualities, or abilities

(Taken from - http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=define+angel&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&ie=&oe=&safe=active&redir_esc=&ei=7O15TvXcNai-0QXNsemxAQ#hl=en&safe=active&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&q=angel&tbs=dfn:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=7O15To3_OenK0QWor_jBAQ&ved=0CB0QkQ4&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=915f94398d240d77&biw=1366&bih=572)

Both shots use the technique of time lapsing. This creates the feeling that the world is going on around the character and that she is stuck in one place almost like limbo. This makes the audience empathise with the subject and see how she as a character is feeling

The costume use shows how the character has to try keeping herself warm, due to many layers and the blanket. The fact she also has her hood up implies she is trying to hid her identity or is ashamed of it.

Again you sympathise with the character, as the close up shot reveals her emotions of sadness and anxiety.

This point of view shot is of the girl analysing herself in the mirror. In her face she reveals anger and hatred towards herself. Her messy make up show how she has been crying and also reflects her life as a whole, she is generally in a big mess. 

The soft focus use in this close up portray how she is not really thinking straight as she gets ready to go out and earn money (prostitution).  The loss of focus could convey her loss of hope. 

The fixed camera movement in this shot reveals the action taking place. The character takes of her coat to reveal herself to the person within the car; portrays how she has to convince her ‘costumers’ that they want to hire her. The dark ominous lighting also suggests this is a negative situation taking place.

At the end of the video the main character falls onto her bed backwards after hitting a glass pipe of drugs. The falling shows her ecstasy and relief she feels when she finally cures her craving, the low key lighting and darkness of the shot also suggests how the drugs take her away from her life/reality and even finally kill her.  “For angels to die”

The video as a whole challenges certain ideologies within society and the views and expectations of homeless people.