Macy Swales A2 Media Blog: March 2018

Photos
For the photos used in my ancillary tasks I have used both pictures from on set and a picture of the protagonist that included a separate photo shoot that we did in the dark room using artificial lighting. For my poster and the back of my digipak I have used the same photo of the protagonist as I think this photo turned out the best due to the positioning of the protagonist and how the light perfectly highlights her face and doesn't hit the black screen behind leaving a clean outline which meant that I didn't need to edit the image as much. I chose to pose the protagonist in this way as she is perfectly positioned to the right meaning I could then position the text around her. For the photo shoot I made sure that the actor was wearing the exact same outfit, as well as hair and makeup so that it kept in keeping with the main product and I used the same photo for both the ancillary tasks for the same reason, to keep them both recognisable. The other images I have used for my digipak are images on location and shots that we have included in the video to ensure that I got exactly the same setting and lighting throughout both products. The aim of this was so that all three products linked and the images directly reflect those in the video.

Using Photoshop
To create both my ancillary tasks I used Photoshop which allowed me to edit both my products appropriately and to a professional standard. I imported a template from the internet so that I was able to plan out my digipak and could

see where everything is supposed to go. By using Photoshop I was able to crop each image how I wanted, making sure it fit the template and changed the images to black and white so it kept in keeping with my main product. I could also change the brightness and contrast of the photos as well as the levels so that they were all similar and one wasn't darker than the other. It allowed me to add font and ratings to my poster so that it was similar to poster so it looked realistic.

Research
To help me create my ancillary tasks I researched existing media products before creating my own so that I was able to see how the layout as well as the typical conventions used. This was especially helpful when it came to my poster advert. I researched posters with the same indie/alternative genre such as Florence & The Machine, Lorde and Bombay Bicycle Club and I found that they all follow the same kind of conventions of a simple deign that is straight to the point. This enabled me to find out what kind of information to include and how to design it to fit with our genre to catch their eye. The research helped me to make sure that all three pieces of my work link together by keeping the font and colours the same to show consistency.

My poster in comparison, it includes a lot more text and reviews to grab the audiences attention and make them want to watch and buy the album.

Codes and Conventions
I found that the conventions commonly used in both digipaks and posters are:

One still shot of artist or protagonist (always a close up)

Social media information ('follow us on')
Large, eye catching font with artist and album name

Star rating reviews from magazines with same target audience
'Debut album'

Consistency/visual link to video
Font links to genre- stays consistent

It is important to include codes and conventions so the audience can easily recognise the genre and can identify what they are.

Digipak

I have chosen to use these photos as they reflect the footage used in my video, as well as my genre. I used the photo on the front as it reflects the autumnal setting we have used throughout the video as it is an important aspect of the video, while also representing the title of the song. I used and black and white filter on all the images so that it matched with the video and the aesthetic aspect. I used the photo of the protagonist on the back o anchor her importance and so that both my ancillary tasks matched.
Below on the top is my first draft and the bottom is my final digipak:

Poster

Again, for my poster I have used the same photo of the protagonist as my digipak to keep all two products easily recognisable and I have kept an 'in house style' by also keeping the font the same throughout my products. I have kept with the black and white theme so that it matches the videos style. To keep it realistic I have used ratings from magazines where you would expect to here about new music, especially of this genre such as NME and Rollingstone, as well as social media app icons so our audience is able to keep up to date.

All three media products:

Overall I do think the combination of all three of my products is effective as they are all easily recognisable and each product reflects the others. By keeping each product black and white with a similar contrast, and keeping the font the same has helped. I do think that I could have experimented more with the poster as there were so many different images I could have used from the footage, but I wanted to keep it simple and to the point by just using an image of the protagonist as she is an important aspect that represents all three products. Despite this though I am pleased with how my products have turned out and as they both reflect the music video and work well together.