Research into Album Adverts

Sourced from www.
nuwavepony.com 

Lorde - 'Pure Heroine'

'Pure Heroine' is the debut album released by Lorde in September 2013. Preceding the release of the album, several different versions of the 'Pure Heroine' album posters were released in order to promote the album. In this version it features the profile of Lorde herself.  This is a typical convention of pop artists and solo artists. Using her face to promote the album creates an association between her and the album.
The poster is highly saturated with high key lighting creating a white 'wash'. This could link to the title 'Pure Heroine', focusing on the 'pure' as the key word. White is a colour connotation of purity, sterility and goodness. It links to the title, however not so much to the tone of her music. White is also used in the text. White is typically only used with a darker background however by placing it over Lorde's portrait it is visible.
The photo has been edited to add two extra features to it. The first is the dark translucent streaks falling from her eyes. Though the at first do not look like anything in particular, however they can be seen as representing tears. It contrast with the white background and crown that portray a happier tone. The crown also appears as if it has been added whilst editing. Crowns are representative of royalty which links to the first song on the album called 'Royals'.
Album release posters often have the date of which the album is being released. In this case it is stated at the bottom of the poster in the same font as the rest of the text but in a smaller size.

Important features I have discovered on this poster are as follows:

• The title and name of the artist/band are in a big font and typically in block letters to make it easier to read from after.
• Other information includes the release date.
• Features the artist's portraits
• Some effects and props link to the tone of the album or specific songs.



Sourced from
www.alicehoarlcmedia
1213.blogspot.co.uk

Florence and the Machine - 'Lungs'

'Lungs' is the studio debut album from Florence and the Machine and it was released in July 2009. It has since become a five times certified platinum album by the British Phonographic Industry. To promote the album this poster was released. It used the album artwork to advertise it is an image that would easily be associated with the album due to its unique qualities. It features a set of artistically interpreted lungs on a piece of string hanging from the lead singer's neck. The prop links to the name of the album as well to various pieces of artwork used in the album.
Florence Welch in the face of the band so therefore by using her face it creates an association between the band and the album.
The text on the poster uses two different fonts. For the main body it uses large block letters in varying sizes to emphases what information is the most important. The band name is in a different font which is looks as if it is hand written. It is a font typically uses by the band so therefore by using it on the poster it creates a strong association.  The title of the album is in a big font and also is underlined. This is because it is the most important piece of information so therefore it helps to try and draw the eye to it.
The information on the poster includes a release date, the format it will be released in, the website URL for the band as well as a list of featuring songs. This information is all in a smaller font as it is not the first piece of information that needs to be seen.


 Important features I have discovered on this poster are as follows:

• The title is written in the largest font to draw the eye of prospective customers.
• Includes the release date.
• Includes the formats it will be released in.
• It features the profile of the leader singer and the face of the band.
• Includes a list of featured songs.
• Logos are added to create association with the band.
• Metaphorical imagery for the artwork that creates a link with the album.



Sourced from www.hermoine
pratt.BlogSpot.com

Ellie Golding - 'Lights'

'Light' is Ellie Goulding's studio debut album and it was first released in February 2010. The album was re-released in November 2010 under the name 'Bright Lights' and it featured six additional songs. The poster art is from the same photoshoot as the album artwork therefore has a similar look to them. The artwork features Ellie Goulding herself to identify that it is her album. The image has also been edited to warm yellow tone as well as adding additional lens glare to link it to the album title 'Lights'.
Ellie Goulding's name is featured in a large font with a golden outline to it. It continues the yellowy tone and the sense of brightness. Underneath it in a smaller font is the name of the album.
The information included on the poster is the record label's information, review quotes, a list of featuring songs and the stated fact that it was the number one album in Britain at the time of release. An unconventional feature that is added is a picture of the album.

Important features I have discovered on this poster are as follows:

• The artist's name is displayed in a bigger font than the album name.
• Features the singer's profile.
• Includes a list of featured songs.
• Includes reviews.
• Features the a picture of the album.
• Include record label information.
• Poster artwork is similar to that of the album.

Analysing and Researching Websites

Before creating an advert or website of my own I researched into artist and band's websites and how they are used to promote any products the bands/artist release. Whilst researching I analysed a few websites to investigate what features they use. Links can be found below of all analyses:

• Analysis of Ed Sheeran's website
• Analysis of Daughter's website
• Analysis of Bastille's website
• Analysis of Taylor Swifts's website

I found that the most common features of a band/artist website are as follow:

• Legal information in the footer
• A menu that links to additional pages
• Links to social media
• Advertisement for upcoming or just released albums
• Information on live events and performances
• Images
• Videos
• Links to album/song purchases

Less common features include:

• News bulletins
• Stream links
• Official mailing list subscription
• Language options

Analysing Ed Sheeran's Website

Ed Sheeran's website is under the URL edsheeran.com. As the site is under his name it makes it easier to find and identifiable as his. The site uses many of Ed Sheeran's motifs such as the green 'x' associated with his album artwork, the typewriter font used in all of his albums and advertisement and the iconic paw print logo.


On the homepage snippets of other page's can be found. For example the first item on the home page is one of the videos found on the 'videos' page. However the most identifiable feature is the advertisement down the side of the site. It mimics adverts on Facebook, which is a feature that most are aware of. In this section is promotes his album 'X' and gives a direct link to iTunes where it can brought. At the bottom in displays some of the items found in the Ed Sheeran store such as a physical copy of his album 'X' and the mp3 single of 'Sing'. The section also promotes Ed Sheeran's Twitter and Facebook page.

Other links to Ed Sheeran's social media can be found at the top of the home page. The official logos of each site are replicated but are put into Ed Sheeran's handwritten style. Ed Sheeran's social media accounts include:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace
• Youtube
• Soundcloud
• Tumblr

In addition to this, there is also a button that says 'launch music player'. When clicked it open Soundcloud pop-up starts playing his '+' album. It also features a 'buy' button where fans can purchase individual songs or the whole album.








In the top right corner is a series of buttons that represent different countries and their flags. This section is where fans can go to change the language of the page as well a regional information. For example the American site promotes different places to buy Ed Sheeran's albums to the British site. As Ed Sheeran is a more world renown artist it is ideal for his site to have different language selections to accommodate all of his fans.

On the left hand side of the page there is a list of pages and direct links to them. Included in this list are; news, live dates, photos,videos, lyrics, contact & links and store. When hovering over the titles the text turns green to highlight what title is being selected.

Underneath this section is a black box including information on the official mailing list. It gives the option to either sign up with Facebook or with your email. By putting in in a black box it makes it stand out from the rest on this information. At the bottom of the box in small font is three titles - 'T&C', 'Privacy' and '+sign-up'. The links direct to sites that feature all legal information to do with the mailing list.

At the bottom of the site are links to all legal information and credits. This includes; 'Terms & Conditions', 'Privacy Policy', 'Help and Support Centre', copyright information and details on cookies.

Analysing Daughter's Website

The website for Daughter is found under the URL ohdaughter.com. Despite it not being their band name it is a name they commonly use for social media. When first clicking on the site the reader is brought to the home page. This page features a slide show of images that fill the screen and are on repeat. These images are pictures of the band and additional band artwork. It gives the home page a personal feel as you can see the band members in their element - playing instruments and making music. The images seem to have a grainy feel that is associated with polaroid and older images. It creates a homely tone as if the images are family photos. It gives it a personal feel that imply that the band's focus is purely on music and not their image.

Around the gallery slide shown is a white border. Additional information is found in this area such as credits to the photographer who took the home page photos, links to their social media and submission area for an official mailing list.

The links to Daughter's social media accounts are in the form of black initials that represent the following sites:

Facebook

Twitter

Spotify

Instagram

Youtube

Bandcamp

Social media accounts are uses to share important information such as song releases and gig dates but are also used to create an interest in the band. You can see different aspects of them that show them as humans. It gives the opportunity to create a bond with the band which promotes interest in the band and their products. 

Links that direct the reader to other pages on the website can be found by clicking a symbol on the right hand side of the page as shown on the left hand side of this post. In clicking this button a transparent page appears over the home page which lists all available pages. These pages include; the home page, news, store, live, releases, video, people and the 'freespace' page. When hovering over the page buttons the text changes colour and a circle appears on each end of the word. The circles are a signature image of Daughter and is a feature they even use in their logo. The words also change to colours such as blues, reds and greens. It is used as a way of highlighting which title is about to be clicked.

All legal information is found under the 'people' title and it includes information about the record label, management and licensing, booking companies for each country, publisher and press. 

The 'freespace' is a section that includes free to use videos and music for people who want to create remixes or video edits.
In the 'releases' section it lists all songs, EPs and albums that have been released by Daughter. It uses the album artwork to identify each album and when the reader clicks it information on the album appear including links to where it can be listened to. Typically it opens up iTunes when the reader clicks on the 'mp3' title and if they click 'stream' it opens up Spotify in another tab.
The 'video' section lists a select number of music videos and live performances. Thumbnails of the videos are used to identify each video and in the corner of each picture a play button is found in the shape of a diamond. When playing the video through the site there is also a button at the bottom of the page that links to youtube. 

Under the 'live' section, all upcoming tours and gigs are listed and additionally there are links to where you can buy tickets. The section is rather bland and has no images or illustrations as it gives more room for information. 

Analysing Bastille's Website

Bastille's offical website is found under the name of bastillebastille.com. Unlike Taylor Swift's website, it is harder to find due to their name being duplicated in the website URL. When the site is first opened it shows the main page. It seemingly has a completely black background however when the mouse is hovered over the background the image of hands forming the band's signature triangle appears where the cursor is. The the centre of the page is the band's name and logo to identify the site as theirs.

At the bottom of the page there is a header that has direct links to other pages on the website. This includes links to; the home page, the live section, videos, music, Instagram, the official mailing list and to the store. The buttons are in the same font as the title and logo to continue the aesthetic. When hovering over the buttons they are highlighted in white to identify which one you are about to press. The page you that the reader is on is permanently highlighted to show the reader what page they are on.

In the top right corner there are symbols that link to the band's social media profiles. The icons are representative of the official logos of the social media companies so therefore and identifiable by most people without the use of labels. They are also in black and white to continue with the website's theme.

In the top left corner there are four buttons that link to different albums on the Bastille Spotify page. It features the album artwork of the three Bastille albums including two versions of the 'Bad Blood' album and the 'VS' album. There is also a green button with the Spotify logo which says 'Follow'. It is an easy and direct way for fans to follow the band on Spotify and listen to their music.

Lastly in the bottom left corner is the legal information. It only features three pieces of information which includes the Universal Music Privacy Policy, Universal Music Terms and Conditions and lastly the Virgin EMI copyright.  This information is a legal requirement for the site so therefore it needs to be placed on the website somewhere.

Analysing Taylor Swift's Website

Taylor Swift's official website is under the name taylorswift.com which makes her site easier to find and to search for. When first clicking on the page, you are greeted with the most recent advertisement. In this case it advertises the '1989' using the album artwork as well as a direct link to iTunes where the album can be purchased. This image promoting the advert is on a rotating loop that also advertises and directs the reader to her recent music video 'Wildest Dreams' and to a link for a her upcoming show dates. All items are promoted using their retrospective artwork so that the reader can create an association which helps with marketing her products. The rotating adverts can be selected using three dots at the bottom of the section, shown in the picture below.

Below this section there is a photo gallery feature that just like the previous section, alternates on a loop. The uses of arrows on both the left and right are used to navigate through the image selection which can be seen in the picture below. When clicking the section it brings you to the 'media' section. There is an archive of videos and photos from old albums and new. Some are professional taken but some are photos and videos from Taylor's Instagram and Twitter. By adding this feature it shows Taylor Swift in all aspects of her life. It creates a bond between her and her fans, making them feel for her. This promotes her fans to buy and share Taylor Swift's products.

The next section features a 'news' sections where all Taylor Swift's recent events are documented in short bulletins such as "Taylor has 50 Million followers on instagram and is the most followed individual user on the platform. http://Instagram.com/TaylorSwift" After each bulletin it has a 'read more' button which links the reader to the 'news' page. It creates an interest in Taylor Swift herself, and therefore her products.

The footer of the page features links to legal information such as 'Terms of Service', 'WU Privacy Policy' and credits to the designers who designed the website. At the bottom of the section there are a series of icons that link to Taylor Swift's social media. The symbols are associated with particular social media companies and therefore do not need to be labeled.

At the very top of the page it includes links to all the pages previously mentioned as well as a link to join the mailing list. It is a small but neat section which helps the reader navigate the site with ease. When hovering over the buttons a neon line crossing out the word appears. It links with the aesthetic of the title and the pink accents shown throughout the rest of the site.

Researching the Target Audience

Before having any ideas of my own and planning the production of my music video, I researched into my target audience and what they like in a music video. This information will help me later on when deciding what aspects to feature in the video.

To find out the information I required I created a questionnaire composing on the following questions and sections:

The first question I asked was what gender the participant identifies as. Their gender is not that relevant but however it is a good question to ask to get a general idea of what gender prefers what aspects. I would have preferred to add an 'other/ prefer not to disclose' option as I am aware that many people do not identify as either male or female.

Question number two was about age groups. I did not think that anyone under the age of ten was going to watch music videos such as this so I did not go into specifics like I did for the other ages. I did the same with the over sixties for the same reason. I placed ages into groups so that there are less options, however the groups are very similar in age so hopefully should have similar interests.

This question was asked so I could discover whether people actually watch music videos. The more they watch them the more interest the participant likely has in them.

I wanted to discover the most popular platform for music videos so that I can post it there. It means that it would be more accessible than say if I posted it on a site that no one uses. I also included an 'other' option so that the participant can suggest other sites or platforms that I am not aware of.

One of the most important questions is what genre of music is most popular and what my target audience would prefer to listen to. I gave a variety of genre types so it the participant is more likely to find their personal favourite. In the event that their favourite genre is not on the list I have also included an 'other' option so they can list some genres I had not thought of.

The last question was more to do with the visual aspects and the contents of the video itself. I listed a few features that are considered to be the most important features and asked the participants to pick one. Before giving them the questionnaire I did state that they could also pick a second one if they wished but to emphasis which one they consider to be the most important. An 'other' option was used so the participants could list some more features they found important that I had previously not thought of. 

To sum up the results I created an infographic to display the numbers in a neat and visually pleasing way.  In the picture it shows the results in the form of diagrams and is accompanied with text explain the results and what I would do with the information.  

(Made using piktochat.com)

Choosing a Song

After choosing my artist I had to chose a song for my music video. I had narrowed down the choice to three songs.

Lifeforms

'Lifeforms' is the fifth track on the 'If You Leave' album and runs for 5: 35 minutes. The song consists of gentle guitar and vocal reverb to create a relaxed and quite sound. It is not until four minutes into the song when drum is introduced to build it up to a climax. Additional electric guitar is added to create atmospheric tones.

The lyrics of the song are in true Daughter style with metaphors to create images that can be interpreted in anyway by the listener. The lyrics are as follows:

From the beginning

Small lifeforms

They can kill without warning

So you don't explode

Stop you growing limps and thinking

That you love them now you're blinking

And reminding her of him

Oh you steal his features

And your mother is a bleacher

She don't even feel the heat no

She don't even want to speak to you

But you, you always find another place to go

(Oh you) you always find another womb to grow, to grow, to grow

Well you can try to sink down deeply

And find the children lost at sea

Find the children who discretely

Were killed in infancy

To stop them holding you and screaming

That you'll lose your wildest dreaming

Still reminding me what I feel

How he left without reasons

But you, you always find another place to go

(Oh you) you always find another womb to grow, to grow, to grow

You can try to forget me but I won't let you easily

You can try to forget me but I won't let you easily

I'm floating out in the water and washed out to sea

Drifting away this time you'll regret you've conceived it

Clean up the dead you leave behind

Just like insects

Clean up the dead you leave behind

(Lyrics from azlyrics.com)

The lyrics have been perceived as everything from evolution to abandonment. Many different perceptions can be found on the song meaning website. It is good that the lyrics have different meanings as it means that I can find more conceptual ways to create a music video for it. However the song is too long which is a downfall. There is also a lot of repetition which can create a mellow and emotional tone but could also be boring.

Smoke

'Smoke' is the B-side track to 'Youth' from a limited edition version of the 'If You Leave' album. The song runs for  4:40 so is shorter than 'Lifeforms'. Electric guitar features heavily throughout the song but there is also drum, bass and piano. Just like 'Lifeforms', guitar reverb is used to create an atmospheric tone. The use of swelling music in the choruses means that the music video can also build and become more fast-paced. It creates an interesting effect that keeps the interest of the audience. 

The lyrics for 'Smoke' are less ambiguous than 'Lifeforms' but are still full of metaphorical language. The lyrics are as follows:

In a smoke filled room

With your father watching me

There's three doors and no keys

It's rising, it's choking me

In a smoke filled room

In a smoke filled room

There's a man with no face

Just a blurred out portrait

In a photo frame

I'm losing again, I'm losing my friend

He's face down on the pavement

Then a woman, she screams

It's a terrible night

As the mood changes to dark from light

Tell the doctor what's become of me

So you can analyse, analyse my dreams

Of a smoke filled room

Of a smoke filled room

And then we kiss and his lips turn into sand

And the whole of him cascades through my hands

Making a castle on the floor

Then I'm alone again

No keys and three doors 

And a smoke filled room

Now we're both in the room

And we're breathing the fumes

No doors this time, just a gap in the roof

Life floods in, heaven, we're blind

And slowly suffocating, we're dying

In a smoke filled room

We're dying in a smoke filled room

We're dying in a smoke filled room

(In a smoke filled room)

In a smoke filled room

In a smoke filled room

In a smoke filled room

(Lyrics from azlyrics.com)

There seems to be a theme among interpretations that it is about reflecting on a negative event. The 'smoke filled room' seems to be representative of being trapped or confined or possibly even to do with how she envisions the event in her dreams. Due to a stricter idea of what the lyrics are about it would give me less freedom to create a music video. 

Human

Human is the seventh song on the 'If You Leave' track-list and runs for a shorter time of  3:32 minutes. This song is rather fast-paced compared to the other chosen songs which makes for a more interesting and captivating music video.  Drums feature throughout the entire song unlike some other Daughter songs. Even the guitar is faster - paced and uses strumming rather than fingerpicking to make it sound louder and more impacting. 

The lyrics are often interpreted as something to do with hopelessness or being trapped in a certain mind-set. The lyrics are as follows:

Woken up like an animal

Teeth ready for sinking

My mind's lost in bleak visions

I've tried to escape but keep sinking

Limbs lost to a dead weight stake

Skull cage like a prison

And he's lost faith he'll ever see again

So may he once thought of me then

Underneath the skin there's a human

Buried deep within there's a human

And despite everything I'm still human

But I think I'm dying here

Woken up like an animal

I'm all ready for healing

My mind's lost with nightmares streaming

Woken up (kicking screaming)

Take me out of this place I'm in

Break me out of this shell-like case I'm in

Underneath the skin there's a human

Buried deep within there's a human

And despite everything I'm still human

I think that I'm still human [x3]

Underneath the skin there's a human

Buried deep within there's a human

And despite everything I'm still human

But I think I'm dying here

The Male Gaze Theory

Sourced from
www.londonandmedia
conference.com

Published in 1989, 'Visual and Other Pleasures' was a collection of essays on the theory that reflects on feminist film theory written by Laura Mulvey. The 'Male Gaze' theory is a term that was coined by Mulvey in the late 60's/ early 70's which is the way film is used to out the audience into the perspective of hetrosexual males. The concept rebels against the the 50's 'housewife' ideal in which a woman was to be attractive and sexualised by her man.

The theory consists of how women and men are portrayed in media and the repercussions it has on our society. Typically women in film and music videos are portrayed as:

• Passive
• Weak/ vunerable
• Submissive
• The 'damsil in distress' role
• Plan characters that have no role
• An object to further the plot of the male protagonist
• Hot/beautiful

Whereas men typically are portrayed as:

• Strong
• Charismatic
• Leader
• Intelligent
• Handsome - not as a 'pretty' figure, but as a ruggedly handsome character.

However if women are portrayed as strong it often falls under these stereotypes:

• Butch
• Demanding/ Bossy
• Sluttish/ Promiscuous
• Their fighting is fetishized
• Manipulative

In doing this there is an unrealistic portrayal of women that can impact the way we seem women in everyday life. Everything from the way they appear or how they are treated can affect can cause a negative affect on women viewers who believe that is the way they should be. In a video by the Representation project it shows the way women have been portrayed in media and the effect is has.

Mulvey also discuss the roles women have in media stating that there are only two roles in narrative they hold. They are:

1. An erotic object to the male characters 
2. An erotic object to the male audience 

This refers back to the 'visual pleasure' mentioned in Mulvey's essay. This is similar to Scopophilla which literally means 'the love of watching'. Women often are portrayed as objects of pleasure. The way they are filmed emphasise. Things such as the curves of a women are accentuated using certain camera angles, deliberate cuts and slo motion to recreate the way 'the male gaze'.

In a post by the New York Academy, gender inequality in film is a highlighted issue. It presents statistics showing the role of women in films and in the film industry. Though it may be for film, the idea also expands to music videos.

(Images from nyfa.edu)

The full infographic can be found here.

There are a lot of examples of the 'male gaze' in music videos. To demonstrate the 'male gaze' effect I chose 'Blurred Lines' by Robin Thicke as an example due to its highly critiqued music video and negative response.

The 'male gaze' features throughout the entirety of the video with shots and compositions that emphasise it. For example at the right beginning there is a shot with Robin Thicke with his arm pressed across another woman.



This is image conveys Robin Thicke as dominant and confident whereas the woman because she is underneath him it suggests that she is passive.

The 'male gaze' is often shown by Robin Thicke who is shown looking in appropriately looking at the female cast.

The video also feature the women being sexualised through the use of camera work. There are many examples of this in the video however it is shown mostly through close ups and the deliberate cuts-aways.

Criticism of the Male Gaze:

There are also criticisms to the 'Male Gaze' theory that state that:

• Some women enjoy being looked at it this way.
• Some women like to dress in the way that they are portrayed in music videos and have freedom to wear whatever they wish.
• The 'Male Gaze' also works for the other gender
• The gaze is not always sexualised