What is the overall graphic/visual theme – what as TA are we supposed to ‘feel’ from looking at it?
How does it appeal to the TA?
How does it reflect on the artist/band and the genre?
Has the CD cover reflected the ‘ethos’ of the band?
It is a simple promotional cover [i.e. an image of the artist] or is it more of an artistic comment on the artist [a Photoshop effected or illustrated design], or a combination of both?
This cover has a very abstract design, giving both artistic and emotional feel. The use of colour also gives the design of the cover a very punky style, the fact that there are no solid colours, they all look very washy and have a lot of texture, almost looking like tattoo styled art. As a target audience we would look at this and feel in some way relatable to it. This is because of the aggression and punk impression emitted from the imagery. The Story So Far are a pop punk band, like blink 182 and sum 41. Therefore the fact that this is a punk styled cover helps it to reflect the style and ethos of the band. There are a couple of text elements on this cover that both slightly break the codes and conventions of a CD cover outlining the ethos of the band. This suggests that they are quite rebellious and therefore again suggests to us that this is a punk rock cover.2. Text
What text is visible: name of album, any promo text, band name?
How has the font and colour of the text effected meaning to TA or reflected its meaning?
The band logo which is just the band name in this particular font is present at the top-centre of the cover. The album name ‘what you don’t see’ is also present at the bottom of the cover in a similar font. The fonts used are supposed to look like they have been hand drawn, this again suggesting a rebellious ethos to the band as it appears almost like the cover has been drawn over, this also gives a very raw style to the band as it is suggesting they don’t want it to look perfect, and nicely presented, this is not what punk rock or rock in general is about. They don’t want to give a false identity, there music is not clean, the guitars are very loud and over driven, th singers voice is not sung its more shouted and again loud, therefore if the band were to use perfectly round and well-presented fonts, it would be suggesting that their music will also be like this, well sung and presented.
3. Band branding
How have the band/artist been represented through the logo design and style of cover?
How has the band logo achieved this? – Font, colours, design, effects?
Has the album name reflected the band branding and ethos?
This cover represents the band as very raw and true. This is done by the text elements aswell as the image present. The image is quite clearly not trying to glamorise the band in anyway, it is more so trying to convey the genre of music. the band logo is the text element at the top which states the band name. This has purposely been given the effect that it has been hand written, and each letter is slightly off line to the next. This suggests rebelliousness as this is unconventional, and again helps us to understand the genre of which the band originates, which is rock (pop punk). The album name ‘what you don’t see’ again sort of gives the feeling that the band is rebellious and edgy, as it makes us think, ok what what are they going to talk about in the lyrics? Are they going to be exploiting things they shouldn’t? about certain people?
4. Graphics & Photography
What are the graphics?
What effects are used and what is the result?
What colours and why? – meaning?
Is there any photography [might not be of the band/artist, but of something else]? – What is it, what style, what effect on TA, what reflection it has on the artist’s ethos and image?
Any other ‘graphical furniture’ i.e. extra images [photos are computer generated] – if so what, why?
Is the photography and /or design inspired by the name of the album or the artist/band or something else?
What is the pose/facial motivation of the artist or image subject, mise-en-scene, lighting etc?
As this is a graphics cover the image has been drawn by hand by most likely a graphic designer, the graphics are very flat, they have not been edited to for any animated images, and it appears as if it have purposely been left in this rough edgy way to help convey the genre of the band. This imagery does have a very punkie feel, with the rough edgy lines, not trying to look neat and finalised, which is not how people of this genre dress. The image is of a face, with rose vines and roses growing through the eyes of the face. This gives off quite an aggressive vibe, therefore suggesting that the genre and target audience are also of this nature, as it needs to be relatable to the TA. The graphics of the face and rose vines look like they are imitating a tattoo styled art, this is due to not only the use of colours, but also the thick black line that outlines the drawings. This again suggests to us what to expect from the target audience, as this would not be portrayed in this way if it was not relevant to the target audience. The text that is present on this page, also has a very edgy look to it, and has a hand drawn look to it. again this has been done as it appeals to the target audience, an audience of this genre would not want to see a highly finished font with neat lines that was imported from Photoshop, as this is not what they are about. This is what you would expect to see from a pop artist, as they are very image based and care a lot about appearance. Having a rough font such as the one on this cover, suggests that they are not image based, they are more about the music, and this is evident through the live performances that the band perform, which are very close to, and very audience oriented.
I am producing a music video for my A2 Coursework.
I understand that you are the owner of the copyright of the track “Empty Space by The Story So Far” and I would like to ask permission to use it for my video.
Since we are on a limited budget and the video will be shown only to students and the administration of our school, we are hoping that you will allow us this use without any charge. If this is not possible, please let us know what fee would be required for this use.
Your signature below, under “confirmed by,” will indicate that you will agree to permit this use without payment of a fee. Please let us know if you have any questions concerning this license. Also would you please let us know as soon as possible if this song cannot be licensed so that artistic changes may be made in the songs to be included in the production.
This advert appears to be from a newspaper, it is quite old dating from 1993. However it could also be from one of the early NME magazines as they used to be printed onto news print paper. The artist advertised in this advert is ‘Guns n’ Roses’, and it is advertising a tour that took place in Milton Keynes in 1993. There is a list near the bottom of the advert of the songs that they will be performing.
1. Overall Design
What is the overall graphic/visual theme – what as TA are we supposed to ‘feel’ from looking at it?
How does it appeal to the TA?
How does it reflect on the artist/band and the genre?
Has the advert design reflected the ‘ethos’ of the band?
It is a simple promotional advert [i.e. an image of the artist] or is it more of an artistic comment on the artist [a Photoshop effected or illustrated design], or a combination of both?
What is the most obvious and noticeable element? Why?
The overall graphic/visual theme could have a number of meanings, but to us as a target audience, you look at this and you see how it resembles you and your style and conventions. The tearing of the paper is suggesting that the band is rebellious, which is a common theme throughout rock music. The newspaper articles could have been saying bad things about the band therefore they have purposely tried to deface the articles to again show how rebellious they are suggesting a lot of aggression and violence as a theme of the band. However, on the other hand, this could be the band glorifying themselves, by including articles from newspapers that they have been in, suggesting they are the best, you won’t be disappointed if you come and watch this band. By reading some of the article headings in the background of the advert, it becomes clear that guns are roses have included these particular article in their advert as they are articles suggesting, quite literally, how rebellious the band are. This is quite important, as it lets us know that not only are we supposed to know that the band is rebellious, but also suggests that the band want us to know how rebellious they are, they are not trying to hide that bad things they are done, almost as if they are proud of the bad things they have done. This article is very appealing to its target audience as it follows all the codes and conventions of rock music. The tearing of the paper, suggesting rebelliousness and aggression, the writing at a weird angle again suggesting rebelliousness as it is unconventional, the colour codes red and black, these are colours that are strongly associated with rock, all of the elements within this advert are suggesting rock, therefore it is very appealing to its target audience. This is far from a simple advert; there is so much attention to detail.
2. Text
What text is visible: name of album, band name, release date, gig dates, special promotions, review quotes, competitions etc?
How has the font and colour of the text effected meaning to TA or reflected the band/artist or album’s meaning?
How has it been laid out and aligned? – Order of importance?
This advert has quite a lot of text on it; even the background holds some significant information. The text in yellow down the left hand side is a long list of songs which the band performed on the night of the gig. In red writing on the right hand side of the page, there is some text stating when the gig is, reading ‘Saturday 29th May 1993’ and just above this is what appears to be a logo of where the venue is taking place, ‘the national bowl – Milton Keynes’. Also the articles in the background are specifically chosen articles that describe bad things the band have done, this gives the audience/viewer a taste of what the band is like and can strongly suggest that this is hard rock music. The font that has been used to state the band’s name ‘Guns ‘N’ Roses’ is one that was commonly used for the band name, however on this advert it has been placed and different angles to purposely go against the codes and conventions of article/advert design. This again suggesting that the band is rebellious, aggressive, rude and rock and roll.
3. Band branding
How have the band/artist been represented through the design and style of the advert?
Does the advert reflect or incorporate the album design, or is it based around the band’s existing branding/image or is it a different photograph or graphic?
Other that the text font that was commonly used for the guns and roses heading, there isn’t really much band branding in terms of logos, guns n roses did have a logo but it is not present in this advert, it could be that this advert from 1993 was made before the band had their logo or it could be that the designer simple didn’t include the band logo. However Guns n roses have been represented through this advert in different ways. Axl Rose was notoriously known for being a rule breaker and a generally rude and stubborn person, not a bad person but a typical rocker who talks how he feels and isn’t afraid to speak out about it. And this personality that runs through the band is represented through the design of the cover, with the unconventional text, the clour of text, giving it that hard, aggressive feel being black and red and the tares in the newpaper.
4. Graphics & Photography
What are the graphics?
What effects are used and what is the result?
What colours and why? – meaning?
Is there any photography [might not be of the band/artist, but of something else]? – What is it, what style, what effect on TA, what reflection it has on the artist’s ethos and image?
Any other ‘graphical furniture’ i.e. extra images [photos are computer generated] – if so what, why?
Is the photography and /or design inspired by the name of the album or the artist/band or something else?
What is the pose/facial motivation of the artist or image subject, mise-en-scene, lighting etc?
The over all graphics of this advert appear to look like a newspaper article that has been vandalised and lots of different element of the news paper have been mashed together. there is a graphic of ‘The National Bowl’ logo on the right hand side of the page, this is just a visual reference of the arena that was hosting the gig. The articles in the background are all articles about the band, mainly of which talk of negative things the band have done. Therefore the tares in the articles gives the idea that they have done this to state that they dont care what people think of them, almost mocking the newspapers by being so accepting and open about what the newspapers have tried to reveal about the band. This suggests that the band has an aggressive and violent ethos that adds to the rebelious nature of the band. There hasn’t been a massive use of any colour in particular but the use of red, black and yellow have been used for the text. The colours red and black are quite aggressive colours and are very common colours used amongst rock articles, as they give the impression of aggression and violence. The use of yellow I dont think has much representation in terms of suggesting the genre of rock, but there are a few reason as to why it has been chosen. One of which is simply that graphically it looks good and fits well into the page, as there is yellowish stain to the newspaper articles in the background and it just helps the page fit together well. It could also have been used as it stands out well from the dark backgroundwhich it covers.
He says that he thinks that entertainment is an industry where you can advance and excel socially, economically but he does not agree with this. He feels that yes with famous you will become rich and thought highly of, but in the end its all down to giving yourself to others, sharing with them everything you have to give, and this is strongly suggested through the lyrics
‘We’re here to fulfill every one of your dreams.
A small nominal fee, it only costs you your soul’.
The narrative is quite hard to pick up, but when linking it to the lyrics it becomes a little more obvious. I still am not too sure on the narrative, but I have an idea that sort of makes sense when linking it to the lyrics and the interview that Jason gives, this is what helped me a lot to understand it more.
Right at the beginning of the video we see two young children watching a performer on the TV, eating popcorn. This is substantially important as it straight away suggests that they want to be entertained, and from the interview I have linked above, we know that the song is about entertainment, so we know that these children are going to want to be entertained. But they switch the channel over as they clearly weren’t entertained enough, and this is when letlive appear on the screen. Now it’s their turn to entertain and they children are laughing and clearly enjoying it. However in the meantime, we see another story, one that revolves around the other musician that was on the TV first, and it shows how he is getting more and more money for his work in the entertainment industry, again one of the things that Jason stated in his interview, how you will excel economically. So as of this point the narrative is fairly easy to understand, but it’s when the money starts getting blood on it and the mysterious character starts playing a very strange roll, I may be wrong but I think he might be a visual metaphor of the devil from the lyrics as the lyrics talk of hell and the devil, but also ‘only costs you your soul’ police kill him-hasn’t entertained enough
How is the artist or actors conveying this?
He is putting quite a lot of energy into his performance, he is sweating a lot and clearly looks tired by the end of the video. He is also giving quite an entertaining performance, as we can see two young children watching the video al laughing at the screen whilst eating popcorn, it is almost as if the band are living in a digital world and are having to exhaust themselves in performance to entertain the viewers, which is what Jason talks so strongly of in his interview.
In actuality, how important are they to the particular visual forms and narratives in the video.
the visuals that we see in the video are directly linked to the video so they are quite important. The lyrics, particularly for this video, help massively to understand what is going on within the narrative, without them this video is quite confusing and unclear.
Is the narrative abstract or obvious: how, why?
What is the theme or themes… are they relevant to lyrics and/ or the artist themselves? [love, war, politics, loss, sex, partying, teenage angst, death, drink/drugs, money, fame, power, revenge, a particular story – stalker etc]
Costume/makeup:
How is this affecting the meaning of the video?
The band are wearing typical rock clothes, you can tell from looking at them that they are a rock band, their style is very raw. The singer is wearing black skinny jeans with an oversized t-shirt with a number of holes in it. He is also wearing a sleeveless jacket that looks like a bikers jacket, this suggests aggression and violence as bikers are stereotyped as aggressive people, around the sleeves of the jacket, you can see how rough it has been cut, this has been purposely presented like this as it suggests that the band are a raw band that don’t want glamorise themselves, it also gives them the scruffy look that comes with rock. All of this makes us feel that the video is quite aggressive and allows us to realise there is a strong message behind the video, as the scruffy clothes makes our attention draw more towards the lyrics and music as a pose to indulging into the artist.
How does it convey meaning about the artist?
The artist comes across as a genuine man trying to share his message, this is due to the lack of glamorised clothing that the artist is wearing. If he wear wearing many different desirable costumes throughout the video then our attention would be drawn away from the narrative and lyrics, and focused more on his costumes, like a pop artist. His beard is also rather controversial again the clean urban style to the video, this again suggesting the band have not tried to present themselves as something they are not, further suggesting how raw this band is, and how raw rock is in general.
Is it relevant or related to the narrative, performance or location scenarios?
The entire band are wearing clothes that you could expect to see on younger audiences today. Their clothes are not fancy, they are stylish, but nothing out of the ordinary that you would only expect to see when performing for a music video. The general style of the video is quite urbanised, with a greyish was over it making it look like quite clean and modern. And contrasting with this are the band members, although wearing rather urban clothing, their cloths are quite scruffy and damaged. The singer has a scruffy looking beard that makes him look edgy and in some ways quite aggressive. This gives us the impression that again the band are not trying to be any different than you or me, they are just palying their music and getting their message across.
Performance
Artist/band acting a narrative part.
Band performing ‘live’
Actors acting the narrative parts
Combination of both
How is this relevant to the narrative, lyrics, and artist…what emotions are conveyed: why, how?
From my idea of what the video stands for, I think that the band do have an acting role in the narrative of the video. As Jason (the letlive singer) stated before in the interview, the song is about his idea of entertainment. And in this video I feel that in order to stay alive you have to give it your all to entertain, and if you are not entertaining enough you won’t survive. So I think that the band do play a role as they are acting as themselves in the industry, performing to the two younger children. When you see videos and photos of rock bands, they are most commonly presented in a natural environment such as on stage or somewhere outside that has some meaning or portrayal of the band. This is because rock artist evolve themselves around the music side of industry, whereas pop artist or rap artist sell themselves based on their image.
4. Camera/lighting
What camera angles and framing is used?
Are the camera styles driven by the artist, narrative, or performance… how, why?
Throughout the video there are many quick cuts, mainly on the clips of the band, there is also a lot of lens flair and some shaking of the camera. This is purposely introduced to emphasise the aggression of the band, but it also help describe to us that this is rock. The fact that there is lens flairs and shaky cameras makes us think that the filming/editing isn’t very clean, which is a strong representation of the genre ‘rock’. It suggests that they don’t want everything to be prefect and clean, as rock is not a very clean styled and portrays the conventions of rock music. This again helps to strengthen the fact that rock music is very raw, original and about the music.
Tracking, panning, dutch, close up, situation establishing, location establishing… how does the camera work aid the style of the video?
5. Edit, Special FX and overdubbed sound
Is there any CGI, colorization [black and white etc] of the film, non-music sound elements [filmic style opening sequences or audible clues to theme/narrative … setting the scene – effect is what? ], change of sound source [from radio/TV to actual recording for example] etc?
The very opening images of the video shows a vinyl spinning on a player and we can hear the crackling of it has been exposed to us. This is quite effective as, although not having much relevance to the narrative or theme of the song, it gives a strong contrast between this and the actual song when it starts and is actually quite surprising when it happens, this immediately draws in attention and grabs the focus of the audience. There is also a bit of singing at the beginning that sounds as if has been dubbed slightly, this gives the effect that it could be coming from the vinyl, as it is not a clean sound, it sounds quite rusty and old, therefore suggesting it is coming from the vinyl. During the video, nearing the end, the camera starts to pan 360˚ around the singer, and there is a black background with some strong white light shining down on him. This gives the effect that he is singing on a stage, probably at a concert. This is important as it suggests they enjoy playing live music, therefore suggesting they care about the music which gives it more meaning. It also fits into the conventions of rock, rock fans tend to go out to live gigs/concerts to watch their favourite bands therefore this scene helps highlight who the target audience are.
Slow/fast motion, reverse.
There are a few parts in this video which are in slow motion, the most obvious is the scene when the young artist drives off in the car and we see cassette tape in someone’s hand at this point the video goes into slow motion. I’m not too sure as to the purpose of this in term of the narrative, however the slow motion has been used to but the audience’s attention on to the cassette as it must hold some significance within the narrative. Another use of slow motion that works very effectively within this video is the scene where the police are holding a woman back from running towards her husband’s/boyfriends body. This is very effective as it allows us to really understand the overwhelming emotions that the woman is feeling, it is almost as if she is so shocked and is not thinking straight and isnt in control of her emotions, therefore the slow motion is like an out of body experience.
How does this aid meaning of narrative, performance, artist etc?
How is the pace of edit: with tempo, against tempo, contradicting narrative and style… why, how?
6.Representation:
Is there any Voyeurism, exhibitionism and star iconography?
Is it designed for the ‘male gaze’ or ‘female gaze’ or neither?
Based on the fact that rock is stereotypically a males genre of music, as it is rough and edgy, not a very feminine feel to it, I would say this video is for a male audience. Especially considering this song is quite heavy rock. Also the overall image of the band strongly suggests a male audience, as they have tattoos, rough clothes, they have a look that mainly male rock fans would be attracted as they will dress similar and be attracted to that. The clothes and style of music strongly suggests rock and shows a rebellious side to the band, as they are, as stated before, very scruffy and rough, also the lead singers beard is very edgy and rough, everything about their image to me, suggests rock and in some ways aggression and rebellion. Another strong factor towards this view and representation is the lyrics within the song, their attitude and ethos is very rock styled, they use swearing, references to the devil and hell, and quite unpleasant language, which all lead to a style and representation that rock artists are so notorious for, an aggressive, loud, rude and violent attitude.
How the artist/band is represented? – Through their costume, attitude, narrative, live/acting performance, locations, props, roles in the video etc?
Is the target audience represented too? How and why?
7.Target audience:
How does the video attract its audience? What in particular will attract them?
Is it similar clothing, locations, morals, social/cultural influences etc?
It is clear that this music video is directed at rock fans, this is evident through the clothes the band wears, the fact they are quite rather scruffy and baggy symbolises how raw the music is. This is clearly a band that are trying to get a message across to the audience and the fact that they are not dressing to impress highlights the point that they are trying to get the music across as a pose to their image. This strongly attracts rock fans as they do not care so much about their image, obviously there is a style of dress behind rock, but not one that is used to sell an image, but one that strongly symbolises who they are and what they are about. So the fact that the band is dressed in this certain way attracts its target audience. Also the fact that the band are performing live within the video would also attract the target audience, these elements are specifically introduced in the video to attract the target audience and help give the band the representation they want.
Inter- text- uality:
Is there any references to other texts, ideas: what, why, how?
Does it aid the narrative and/or performance: how, why?
Who will ‘get it’: what particular audience types?
Is it to attract a target audience and/or suggest a way of life or attitude to something?
benjaminfyfe 