Evaluation Question 2 - How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

External link to my video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCx-RsniUgc

Script:

My Digipak and Poster were the first thing that I created and I wanted there to be links between all three of my products so naturally the themes from these texts influenced the look and style of my music video. I knew that I wanted consistency throughout my media products so that it would be clear that they were all part of one promotional package as opposed to three individual pieces. Whilst keeping the images similar I still wanted it to be easily identifiable as separate pieces of work. By keeping the three pieces to a consistent style it created synergy between the products. It should clear be that all the products were from the same promotion and all for the same artist. If my products weren't linked in terms of style then it may not be clear to audiences that they were promotions from the same artist/ album, additionally it might cause them to be confused as to the image of the band. If they were different then people buying the album would not likely make the connection between that the poster and the music video. It would neither look professional if all the three pieces looked different as it would paint an unclear image of the bands style and would be less memorable to the consumer/ the bands audience. By paying attention to synergy it has helped with the convergence of my media products bringing together the different platforms, for example on my poster it gives a QR code linking to the Mojokings website, it also references other online platforms such as their social media accounts which allows the audience to take their experience of the bands music even further (these links are present on the back of my digipak too).

When creating my products there were a few things which I used and included to make it clear the advertising was for the specific artist and would appeal to wider audience of the Psychobilly genre. The font used in my music video and ancillary texts was consistent throughout. Typography was a key feature that helps link my products together. I used a 1950's movie poster style font called TrueCrimes linking back to the roots of the genre. This font was used as the cover on my digipak and throughout as well as the titles on my advert, this also links to my music video as the same font was used in the television screen at the beginning and end of the video. The text was formatted to appeal like it is coming out at the viewer specifically in my poster in the line "NEW ALBUM OUT NOW!!!". This was also done with the text in the bottom-right-hand-corner "PUNKED UP... JUNKED UP... ROCK 'N' ROLL!" which is one of the Mojokings original slogans referencing their origin. Initially in my rough-cut I had used a different font style but I decided to change this for my final-cut as it looked more typical for the genre plus it was the same as I chose for my poster & digipak. It was important to keep consistent with the fonts in order to keep the product looking professional again this creates the idea of synergy throughout the products.

As my video was a performance based video I wanted to be a bit more creative and concept based for my ancillary products. I decided to use a female character as the icon of the album and advert, creating a star-motif for the album and the band. It is quite common for bands of the Rockabilly/ Psychobilly genre to use women as the brand/ icon for an album for example The Rhythm Shakers album "Voodoo" and Hillbilly Moon Explosion with their first album. The use of the scratches/ scribbles is a reference to a band The Peacocks who used this style for their 2010 album "After All" this element shows off the frantic and 'rough round the edges' style of the Psychobilly genre. The idea of having the torn edges contrasts the main image which is very pure and untouched in terms of overlaying graphics but by having a ripped effect it gives the rough look it contrasts to the clean cut of a normal album cover making it stand out.

The way in which the face is partially hidden links to the conventions of the genre. By having the face concealed it adds to the element of mystery which many characters featured on Psychobilly albums have; and you could also say that the unseen face is a metaphor to the genres references of going against society and rebellion, not being confined by convention. The character featured is dressed in a 50's vintage pinup look which is a typical look for Rockabilly/ Psychobilly women. In addition this look references the genres root from 1950's Rock 'N' Roll." We can clearly see the Rockabilly/ Psychobilly style with the bands t-shirt featured again as well as vintage style jeans and 'suicide roll' hairstyle. This is continuing the reference to the look of female Rockabilly/ Psychobilly followers. The background for my poster & digipak is a plain wall which acts as a contrast to the text and the character stood up against it. For the advert the wall was given a patterned background which is in the style of classic 1950's movie/ music posters.

The use of a female character goes against typical representation in the sense of the audience of the band. The main fans of the psychobilly stereotypically tend to be middle-aged men (as gathered from my audience research), so to show a younger female character on the front of my digipak shows a more accurate mixed age and gender fanbase to what is stereotypically a male dominated music scene as oppose to the image of the female character being simply for the pleasure of viewing for men being seen as an object as stated in Mulvey's Male Gaze theory it goes deeper promoting the more diverse music genre of both male and female, old and younger audiences who all identify as Psychobilly.

My ancillary texts do however still reference the music video production with the use of colour. The colour-scheme is different and controversial as I deliberately subverted from the genre convention which typically use warm colours such as red, orange and yellow which is keeping in with connotations of fire. To keep my work the same I went for a blue, black and white colour scheme for my ancillary texts as well as making it the main theme in my music video. For my poster/ advert I have attempted to reflect the same style throughout so that they go together as a whole package, this has proven a successful strategy for other bands such as The Graveyard Johnnys with the release of their album and promotion for Dead Transmission, they also went for an alternative blue poster promotion which is mainly where I took my inspiration for the use of colours. The inside of the digipak links to the video as it was taken from the same performance. Overall through the use of text and filters I have attempted to recreate a vintage-style poster which is the main look for adverts/ promotions for the Rockabilly/ Psychobilly genre. An example of having reference to old style movie posters is an advert for the Psychobilly Mayhem event. My digipak is reflective of the live performance style of the music video which can be seen in the inside cover of CD.The image itself was selected at is is capturing the energy and enthusiasm each member of the band put into their performances. It is a good quality picture which shows all the members individually clear enough as well as an action shot of all three members. The effects used on this image are the same style as the ones used in my music video with the rougher looking blue static filters. Also with my digipak I used another photo which is reflective of my music video, this is on the inside right which is where the CD would be placed. It shows the kick-drum which is featured in my music video frequently as it is a key motif of the bands live performance image. Staying on the use off effects I decided to keep with the idea of using vibrant colours and the rough garage style as it references the bands punk influences. By having the pieces link up this creates a shared-narrative across the work. It is clear that the shots on the inside of my digipak are similar to the music video, and for my ancillary texts while the images are slightly different it is clear the photos on the front & back of my digipak are the same style as the image used as the main feature on my advert creating a split between referencing the video and the concept of star motif with the female character.