HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE COMBINATION OF YOUR

MAIN PRODUCT AND ANCILLARY TEXTS?

• I think the combination of my main product and ancillary texts is quite effective. I chose to use digital vector drawings for the artwork on my ancillary products rather than the possibility of using photographs of the band as it gives a more digital feel and the graphics can then link with the game idea of my music video.

• What I could have thought more about was the colour scheme. Although both my ancillary products link together, and although I think the plain, almost white background works well with the images, I could have used colours that fit with my music video. For example, greens and browns to match the forest theme, or possibly blues and purples to match the cloak, which is iconic in my music video.

• On my digipak I chose to have a panorama image to cover the inside panels. This panorama image links with my music video as I created an image of the members of the band playing video games. I wanted to include the video game theme in my digipak, although I also wanted the ancillary products to focus on the band members (as is conventional for many band products). I therefore thought this idea would be perfect for the digipak and I really like the outcome.

• My print advert doesn’t have a strong link to the video game theme (only the digitally drawn artwork which is also seen on the digipak) and this is something I could have included in order to improve my products. Had there been a strong theme (in this case; video games) throughout my products, the audience would have possibly been able to see a stronger link between the products and would therefore make it a more successful promotional campaign.

AUDIENCE – USES AND GRATIFICATIONS• My products should work together to entice the audience and get them interested in buying the album.

The print advert would be the first product that the audience would see and so it’s purpose is to inform the audience of the upcoming album. The key signifier is the image of the lead singer which takes up the majority of the print ad, this is done to grab the attention of my target audience – fans of the band and young females (around 16 – 18) who would appreciate the digital artwork. The print advert then informs the audience of the band and their new album. The audience should then watch the music video or take a look at the digipak when they’re released. As online presence is a lot stronger, it’s more likely that the audience will first watch the music video.

• The video offers entertainment and is meant to provide an escape from reality by using a theme that the audience should be interested in – video games. My target audience is a niche audience and they should be people who enjoy digital entertainment such as RPG video games as well as fantasy or adventure films; the combination of the two to create my music video will then be able to interest the audience and get them more interested in the music. The music video should also provide social interaction as it will be available on the bands YouTube page, meaning that fans of the music can interact online through the comments of the video and discuss the song and video.

• The album would be released online (through sites such as iTunes) as the audience will be infatuated with the online world. However, as they are a niche target audience they should also be more interested in buying band merchandise, which the digipak can fall under. The album will also be released in stores for the fans to purchase, and also for the digipak artwork to grab the attention of shoppers who were until then unaware of the band or album.

• I used the same typography for my digipak and print advert. I used the font Dead Font Walking as this is the font associated with the band (they use that font for their logo). Their logo also includes having the ‘N’ of ‘Nearly’ being a bright red. I also included this in both my digipak and print advert. I could have linked this to my music video by using that font throughout my video, and although I first created the load-up screen (shown at the beginning of the video) with this font for the title of the song (and game), but decided it didn’t work with the forest/elven theme and changed it to one better suited for the video.

• I also used the same image of the lead singer for the print advert and front panel of the digipak. This was to establish a strong connection between the two ancillary products and also to keep the attention on the lead singer of the band, which is something many bands do for their products. This was something I found out through my pre-production research when observing other similar existing products. Although there are some exceptions, the music videos in particular often showed close up shots of the lead singer. My music video was not a performance video and so I did not include the band members in my music video, therefore I made them the key signifiers in the ancillary products so as to further promote the band.