Research- Generic Conventions

Purpose 

 

Includes key information such as release dates for the audience to be aware of

Promotes the album for the artist

A form of synergy to promote the artist and album

Reminds the audience of the artists existence and the album, especially if they are an artist who is not regularly in the public eye, for example, Michael Buble, who only creates an album every christmas, therefore the advert is a reminder for the audience. 

What are the generic conventions? 

Album title 

Artist name 
Release date
Key singles
Where you can buy and stream 
artist image 
parental advisory logo if required. 

Analyse two examples that are similar to your genre/artist

 

How has this research given your group ideas on what to include in your advert? 

 This research has been beneficial for my group and I as we are now clear on how an advert should be portrayed to and audience and what is included within an advert to ensure the artists newest album receives ultimate success. We are also aware of the importance of an advert as it is form of synergy that advertises and promotes the album to the audience before the album is released. Therefore, it is almost like a taster of the final product. As a result, it is important to make an advert stand out to a mass audience to ensure they are intrigued and they await impatiently for the album. We have decided that we are going to follow generic conventions to ensure our advert meets the audiences needs and make it suitable to our target audience through the way in which we portray the information, the colours we use and the layout of the advert. Like the existing adverts we analysed, we will also use dark colours revolving our main image as it is more effective and creates tension and suspense which is what we want our audience to experience when they read the advert. 

Reaserch - Generic convention and analysis digipak

The purpose of the Digipak

Purpose of a Digipak for the artist, is to be able to promote the album through the use of the cover, which also allows them to promote their morals and beliefs. Artist such as Rihanna, Chris Brown etc. also use digipak to enhance their star image, by using pictures of themselves in the covers.

Purpose of a digipak to the audience is that it provides concept and theme for the audience so that they are aware of what to expect from the artist. The digipak allows the audience to have something timeless that they can hold on to forever, it allows them to build a relationship with the artist.

The generic conventions of a digipak:
- Track list
- Artist image/ name
- Parental advisory
- Bar Code
- Company name
- Critical inform stickers






Analysing Two examples

 

 

 

 

What I have found from looking at digipak ideas was that they all had the basic, things such as ....

 

• Album Title
• Artist Name
• Artist Image
• Track list ( mostly at the back of the digipak) 

This research has been helpful because it has allowed our planning process to be smooth, as we now understand how and why digipak are so important, we understand that digipak are a marketing tool used to sell and promote the album to the audience and allow the album to be pleasing to the audience. The general finding on  all of the above digipak is that they all hold a mysterious feel to it due to the theme which is going on throughout the digipaks is that they all we.... have decided that we will be following the generic conventions of a digipak, and during our creating process we will make sure that our digipak looks professional, by making sure that we use similar fonts in all the four images, we have also decided to use dark colours so that we can promote the dark mood and unique persona of the artist, and only include relevant information to prevent boring the audience.

 

  

Planning - Advert Information

What information will you include in your advert?
In my advert I will include the information that the fans will want to know, obviously I will make sure to include the basic information such as the launch dates. I will make sure to include information about NYX, such as catch phrases, so that people who don't necessarily know about the artist can develop a curiosity around her. Also including a captivating picture of NYX, that will represent her originality and also capture peoples interest.



Planning: Drafts and adverts
The drafting process has been important because it has allowed us to gain feedback from people, also we have been able to develop ideas and knowledge from previous drafts this has allowed us to  finalise our advertisement and ideas for our adverts.
























This draft process has been beneficial because It has helped us to plan ahead and choose what we thought would be necessary for the presentation of the advert.

Reaserch - Creative Brief for adverts

Who are they?

NYX is a British songwriter and singer who began her career signing and performing three nights s week in Central London’s most prestigious and popular clubs and bars including GAY bar, ROADHOUSE and SCALA. As she become more recognized and her reputation grew, there was a higher demand from customers attending these venues for NYX to perform more frequently, therefore, she began performing six nights a week until one day her unique talent was identified by the studio director for Warner Bro’s Records, who decided to sign NYX to their record label. As a result, NYX started to perform in more well-known locations in London and outside London including the O2 Indigo arena, Barclaycard arena and Sheffield arena, as well as performing in other countries, including New Zealand, Switzerland and Spain. This increased NYX’S popularity immediately and within 2 years, she become globally identified by a mass audience, ages 18-28 from different ethnic and social background and developed a strong, international fan base. Due to this fame, there has been an increasing demand for her new album release.

 

The album concept

The concept of NYXs album Reaction, will be to connect her to her fans and the rest of the world,from ages 18-28, from different ethnic groups and social backgrounds, particularly those from working class and skilled working class backgrounds, who will be more likely to relate to particular ideas and the Alternative R&B genre. it will allow her to express her authentic self through the use of her music, which she also took a part in producing. The album reinforces NYXs ideas and beliefs, allowing people to get a clear picture of who she really is as a person. However we will ensure to make the album and its content appealing to the mass media, by including artist who are already in the spotlight. This album has not only just been created to increase her popularity but also to allow her to create a path for other niche artist out there like her, however we are creating the album to increase NYX’s popularity within the music industry making her more internationally and globally well known like other successful artists and boosting her star image. Moreover, this album will increase her chances of reaching top 10 in the music charts.

 

Why are we doing it?

NYX's album will bring success to an international and possibly global scale and the creation of an advert will support her in doing so. The designs of the advert will mirror those of her digipak, the specific characteristics have been created to please our audience visually, the typography, font and colour scheme have been clearly thought out by our team and also NYX herself in order to represent her to the audience The themes within the album will include, love, relationships and fulfilling your desires, with the mood reflecting this. Therefore, the consumers will be able to understand the Alternative R&B genre through the album, encouraging them to listen to her music.


Comparable products

 

 
 

  

Audience

We want the audience to have a clear understanding about the artist and what she portrays, the audience is expected to enjoy her music and relate to her songs and messages. NYX being so out of the ordinary, we want our audience to be able to listen to NYX as form of escapism, allowing them to relax and release themselves from the stress that the everyday world can bring. overall We want positive reaction from the audience as NYX is such a niche artist we want her target audience to be able to turn to her and build a relationship with her that other artist don't have with their fans.

How will we know that it worked?

The number of sales, and the sale figures the album receives will determine the success of the album, allowing us to decide if the album is popular and appealing to a mass audience. We will also host a focus group allowing a group of consumers that reflect our target audience (aged 18-28, different ethnic groups, working class/ skilled working class) to look at our first drafts of our advert design provide us with feedback, which will allow us to make the required changes and develop on the criticisms, making the final draft appealing and suitable to our target audience meeting their expectations and interests. Making the advert appealing to the target audience is crucial, as this factor determines the ultimate success of the album, therefore, we will ensure we are fully aware of the information revolving around our audience, including similar products they like and what they like about it, their average earnings, their hobbies/ interests etc. Understanding these factors will help us to make an album that the audience will like and will be able to afford.




Launch dates

NYX’s campaign dates:

Press campaign: 6th January 2016
TV Launch: 10th January 2016
Album Release: 30^th January 2016

Planning - Pre- Production paperwork

Before going ahead with our filming, we created pre-production paperwork that is relevant to our music video, and is an essential part of the process. The paperwork is important as it  includes letters which consider authorisation from actors and the council or location owners. Also, it includes explanations of our decisions and takes risks that may occur into consideration. Completing paperwork beforehand is highly significant as it prevents problems occurring in the long run, and when we are filming. Highlighting possible risks is also important as we are able to ensure we come up with possible solutions to prevent any accidents or health problems. Therefore, now that we have completed the pre- production paperwork, we are able to film our music video safely and legally due to us doing things the right way. If we ignored this process and went ahead, filming our music video, we could be at risk of facing potential issues or problems that could put the actor and cast in danger. 

This is evidence of the paperwork we created: 

The location recce form: 

Location release form:

Client release form: 

Each of our actors have signed this agreement. 

Production schedule:

Risk assessment form: 

Planning - Lighting and colour

Lighting and colour

The lighting and colour used in music videos are extremely important as they represent the themes and the atmosphere within the videos, for example, low lighting and dark colours reflect a negative atmosphere while high key lighting and bright colours reflect a positive atmosphere. Therefore, we analysed various music videos from various genres in order to gain a clearer understanding regarding lighting and colour. Below are the existing music videos that we have identified as having similar lighting and colours that we also want to include within our music video, some of these videos have also given us new ideas in the way they portrayed certain colours and captured the lighting, that we did not consider before watching the video. 

 Fine by me - Chris Brown

Lighting

The lighting in the 'Fine by Me' music video is low key throughout the video, which symbolises danger and the reflects the violent fighting taking place. The use of the low lighting also makes the overall look very interesting for the audience, as it increases the suspense and tension for them. The lighting in this video also includes top and back lighting revolving the character, enhancing the characters power and aggressive natures. Similarly, like this music video we will also use low key lighting during the fighting scene, when the male characters are fighting each other, which will enhance the danger and violence in the fighting scene and will be supported by top lighting, allowing the audience to see the male characters emotions clearly. We will also use this type of lighting when we capture the tarot reader, choosing her cards and using her power to connect with the male characters in order to accentuate her movements.

Elastic Heart- Sia

Lighting

Natural lighting is used within this video, promoting the purity and innocence of the two characters, suggesting they have nothing to hide. Similarly, we also want to use natural lighting on the males when they are in their situations, before they feel a connection with the tarot reader, in order to highlight the innocence of the males and the fact that they are innocent victims of the tarot reader, and have no say or choice in the tarot readers decision. 

Liquor - Chris Brown

Colour

In this music video the use of  purple and black colours are used in order to represent the power of the liquor and to enhance the mystery of the woman who spiked the male male characters drink. This creates excitement for the audience who cannot predict the outcome due to the negative connotations the dark colours reflect. Similarly, we will also use dark colours including purple and black to surround our artist when she is performing and the male characters representing mystery, wisdom and the power the artist has over the males in the music video. 

Kanye West Ft. Vic Mensa – U Mad

Colour

A dark red colour is used throughout this music video, in order to represent the violence, danger and the unpredictability of the characters. I really like this music video as it connotes all the themes we want to portray in our music video throughout the fight scenes (danger, negativity, violence and desperation from the boys). Therefore, we have also decided to use a dark red colour in the same way this video does to promote the themes in the same way, enforcing the same effect. 

Overall, the lighting and colour used in each of these music videos are effective in the way are used and portrayed. As a result, we have also decided to use similar colours and lighting in order to ensure our video gives off a similar effect, having the same impact on the audience. It is important that we follow these videos as they are successful as a result of them using these colours and types of lighting. 

Planning - Artist image

Genre ideas:

Our genre is Alternative R&B, therefore, we intend on following conventions as well as challenging certain conventions, by making our artist conventional to other alternative R&B artists, such as SZA who has her own original style of performing. Similarly, our artist will also reflect originality as does the genuine artist of our song, FKA Twigs. However, we will also challenge stereotypes by allowing our artist to fulfil her emotions and morals through the song and themes, which is not evident in all alternative R&B music videos, due to artists following conventions. By challenging genre conventions, is likely to make the artist more successful and popular due to them becoming more noticeable by their fans, and the mainstream audience. 

Morals and values:

We want our artist to portray subcultural ideas through her character, in order to appeal to subcultures and a niche audience. It is important that the artist is able to portray her spiritual values and morals, as her character will need to pursue this through the use of a psychic mystic ball and tarot cards. She should also be able to express her true self to the audience by expressing freedom through her image and performance as she will be encouraged to behave normally as well as acting and committing to her role as a tarot reader. 

Media perception: 

Our artist will be perceived similar to FKA Twigs in the media, as she will be identified as a good performer in the industry rather than a fully established star. This is due to her lacking ultimate popularity and not being noticed by a mainstream audience. As a result, our artist will be perceived as niche, rather than mainstream, as she will confidently express her different views and values which may be viewed as controversial by certain audiences. Also, she will not be in the public eye as much as the mainstream artists, due to her being relatable to the audience though her normality and lack of consistent fame. Moreover, our artist will be perceived as expressing her true self to the audience, rather than being portrayed as 'fake', which is important when it comes to the audience forming an opinion about an artist. FKA Twigs similarly expresses her true self to the audience through her unique image which is evident in the media, through newspapers and magazines. 

Similar Artists:

These solo artists, including Grimes, Sia and Lady Gaga have helped us in planning our artist representation as they each portray their own unique/quirky style through the use of their music and image in their music videos. Although they all look different, they have similar morals and values as they all represent originality and may create controversy at times. 

In our music video, we want our artist to dress differently reflecting an existing character like these artists do in their music videos. We will dress our artist in all black clothing like Lady Gaga supported by a black bandanna over her head to represent the darkness and mystery in her character as she controls male characters fighting over her love. Her make up and hair will also reinforce this image as she will have exaggerated make up (smokey eye shadow, fake eyelashes and dark lipstick). This reflects the alternative R&B genre as genre characteristics suggest that alternative R&B artists challenge stereotypes to make their music video unique and intriguing for the audience.

These existing artists are all niche and do not appeal to mainstream audiences due to their originality which is  reflected in their music videos. I want my artist to be portrayed in a similar way by promoting herself as different, however, we also want her to appeal to a mainstream audiences by ensuring we do not portray her originality in an extreme manner. This is because in her other music videos she is seen as more 'normal'  and appears in this way through social media, radio chat shows and public appearances.

We are hoping to fulfill this type of artist image through mise en scene and cinematography. If we succeed, we believe it will enhance the star image of Carlie Cokell-Smith, making her more popular and interesting to watch on screen. By following theories we will also enhance this image.

Our artist: 

We have decided to use Carlie Cokell- Smith as our female artist, as we believe she will be able to reflect FKA Twigs' characteristics, but she will also express her own values and opinions through her persona and her performance. She will reflect a tarot reader, therefore, she will wear a black costume, consisting of a cloak and bandana with exaggerated hair and makeup, which will make her look like a real tarot reader. However, her niche representation will not prevent Carlie from expressing her subcultural and spiritual morals and vlaues.Carlie is also the right age as she is 18 years old, therefore, she will be relatable to the audience through her niche performance and by expressing herself to the audience through a pure  and truthful representation. Carlie also has current experience in acting and dancing, and therefore, she will be able to reflect these skills in her performance and acting, making our artist image successful and genuine.                                                                                                                          

Link to Theory:

Goodwin: Close ups, Extreme close ups and Mid shots are used to portray the artist clearly to the audience and make the audience feel anxious whilst watching her on screen. It will also enhance her star image.

Mulvey: We will not be taking Mulvey's theory into consideration as we do not want to portray our artist in a sexual manner.

Popular Culture: As the artist is a Tarot reader, she will not engage in popular activities. Instead, her actions will be more spiritual and controversial.

Dyer (Star Theory, Audience and Industry): Our artist will not be a star, but will portrayed as a good performer in the industry. This is because she is not in the public eye regularly like other popular artists such as; Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Rihanna and Taylor Swift. However, despite her not being a star, she will reflect her spiritual and religious values through her music video.

Hebdige: Our artist will appeal to subcultures as she portrays niche conventions through her persona and music. Also, her spiritual and religious views will attract particular subcultures. She may also convey controversial ideas which may not appeal to mainstream audiences, however, we will try to make our artist and the music video more mainstream to gain success.

Conclusion: 

Planning our artist representation has been extremely beneficial for us, as we now have a clear idea of how we want our artist to be portrayed, which is to express her spiritual and subcultural morals and values, which is important in making our female artist different but relatable. We are also now more aware of which similar artists we want our artist to reflect which is Lady Gaga, Sia and Grimes who all differ from mainstream artists and can crate controversy at times through their truthful and varying representation.  Now we are aware of this, we will ensure our artist is portrayed in the correct way, making her niche but also mainstream, through media perception which will allow the audience to notice her and the fact that she has her own style of music and an original persona. creating the right artist image is important in the long term as the audience should be able to identify the artist from the offset, identifying their beliefs, values and persona, which should not continuously change as it could turn the audience against the artist. Without planning our artist representation we would not be able to link our artist to certain theories such as Goodwin and Dyer who promote important factors within their theories, that should be evident within all music videos. Therefore, by planning our artist representation, we have now identified which characteristics our artist will follow and which theories will apply to her role.

Planning- Characters

Male character 1:

Name: Matthew 

Age: 18

Ethnicity: Carribean 

Gender stereotype of role: Matthew will take on the role of a professional dancer who is training. He will be flexible when dancing and fighting with the other male characters. 

Costume: He will wear a black top and tracksuit bottoms as he needs to be comfortable when dancing. This outfit is also conventional for dancers to wear. 

Body language and facial expression: He will have a determined and eager facial expression when dancing and fighting, however, when he connects with the tarot reader he will have a confused and helpless facial expression promoting his confusion. 

Role within music video: He will play one of the tarot readers love interests. He will be dancing until he feels a connection with the tarot reader. He will then fight against the other three boys, promoting his passion and determination to win over the tarot reader. 

Male character 2:

Name: Kayne 

Age: 17 

Ethnicity: Carribean

Gender stereotype of role: He will take on the role of a sporty yet normal student who is active and lives a stereotypical lifestyle, until he feels a connection with the tarot reader causing him to 

Costume: Black tracksuit, to promote his casual attire as he is jogging. 

Body language and facial expression: He will have flexible and bendy body language as he will be sporty, which will be supported by his tired and breathless facial expression. This will also be promoted when Kayne is fighting against the other boys. 

Role within music video: He will be another one of the artists love interests, he will be jogging when he feels a connection with the tarot reader. he will then fight against the other boys, fighting for the tarot readers love.

Male character 3:

Name: Josh 

Age: 18

Ethnicity: Asian

Gender stereotype of role: 

Costume: He will wear a black shirt and tie to promote a smart attire, with glasses highlighting his 'geeky' characteristics. 

Body language and facial expression: 

Role within music video: The geek 

Male character 4:

Name: Sandro 

Age: 19

Ethnicity: African 

Gender stereotype of role: He will take on the role of a conventional male, who is living a normal life like the other boys until he feels a connection with the tarot reader and finds himself fighting against the other three boys for her love. 

Costume: Black T-shirt and black jeans, promoting his casual persona.

Body language and facial expression: 

Role within music video: He will simply he watching TV until he feels a connection with the tarot reader leading to him

Planning - Location

Intro: 

Location is an important aspect to consider and plan when creating a music video as the location is a main factor determining the success of a music video. The locations chosen in a music video must fit the scenery and the narrative. For example, if the shot consists of a couple expressing their love, the location should reflect this through its cosy and warm surroundings, therefore, it should be a house or a conventional place that couples go to, such as a park. My group and I decided on our locations after planning our storyboard properly and finalising our idea, ensuring that we considered all small aspects and had a clear idea. We decided we wanted different locations and ones that challenged stereotypes to make our music video more interesting, creating suspense and tension for the audience. Carrying out a questionnaire also helped to finalise our decisions on our chosen locations, as we asked our audience "What locations do you expect to be evident in an alternative R&B music video?" Our target audience said they expected to see alternative R&B music videos shot in the streets and inside homes. As a result we decided to follow what the audience wanted by deciding to use the streets as a potential location. We have also considered potential advantages and disadvantages of our chosen locations, as it is important to identify what problems could occur or how the locations could be adapted. 

Chosen locations:

• Underpass: 

• Empty room:

• Dance studio:

• Drama room: 

• Streets: 

Conclusion:

Overall, we have decided to use various locations in order to make our music video more interesting and of higher standards. Certain locations we have chosen are conventional to the alternative R&B genre, such as the streets and the empty room. However, the underpass and drama studio are less conventional as other alternative R&B music videos are not shot in poorer and less stylish locations. All of our chosen locations are relevant to our narrative and our target audience, therefore, we are hoping these locations will be beneficial and our scenes will be shot accordingly. However, we have also identified potential disadvantages and how to overcome them as this is important when planning, as we must ensure each location will be relevant and can be used.