What Goes into a Magazine Advert

A slideshow to sum up what we concluded a magazine advert should include:

What Goes into a Magazine Advert

View more presentations from Jem Rowlston.

LAYOUT:

• Picture
• Band
• Album
• “Out…”
• Cover of album/product
• Description
• Website
• Logo

IF PICTURE BARES NO RESEMBLANCE TO THE ALBUM COVER THEN INCLUDE PICTURE OF COVER

Magazine Advertisement Research; Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett – Celebrates 80

VERY DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHIC

Full page Ad for Album

• Lots of pictures
• Lots of products
• Clear header with artist’s name – not bold colour – simple font and ad that appeals to Target Audience
• Log of distributer (HMV)
• Logo of record company
• Reviews of material
• Simple black background
• Vibrant colours
• Pictures of Tony Bennett

Magazine Advertisement Research; Punk:Attitude

Punk: Attitude

Mojo Magazine (DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHIC)

Full page Ad for DVD Film

• Uses same image in the background as on the DVD cover – iconic image
• Colour scheme is simple black grey and white but title is yellow – stands out
• LOT OF WRITING – don’t do this.
• Distributor logo (VIRGIN)
• Banners – match the box’s continuity – bit tacky
• Has a review by a credible source

Magazine Advertisement Research; Pixies

Pixies – 2004 Reunion Tour DVD

Mojo Magazine (DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHIC)

Full page Ad for Tour DVD

• HUGE band name
• Small picture of the band on stage – relates to the content
• Complimenting colour scheme- warm and homely – country – tells us of genre
• Distributor logo (VIRGIN)
• Use sell words such as ‘reunion’, ‘sellout’
• Colour scheme relates to the picture – smoke filters into the beige header
• Information is small and there is too much of it too read – simple is the way to go

Magazine Advertisement Research; Mozez

Mozez – So Still

Mojo Magazine (DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHIC)

Half page Ad for Debut Album

• Image relates directly to the album cover
• Iconic and interesting image – drawn – art
• Simple black and white colours
• Logo of distributor (HMV)
• Only other colour is the green of ‘So Still’
• Font is basic and uninteresting
• Writing is small and all on one side – too scrunched up

Magazine Advertisement Research; Cream

Cream

Mojo Magazine (DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHIC)

Full page Ad for Album and DVD

• Psychedelic colour scheme – reminiscent of the 70s when the artists were at the top of their game
• Logo of distributor (VIRGIN)
• Title and image all blend in with the background
• Almost monochromatic colour scheme
• Striking primary colours
• Information is small – too small.

Magazine Advertisement Research; Slipknot

Slipknot – All Hope is Gone

Kerrang Magazine

Full page Ad for Album

• Iconic image of band – each posed in their own unique way – characters? Heavy costume – the band’s trade mark
• Field hints at ritualism
• Band name is their logo
• Overlaying of images – the band in the field, the log of slipknot, the pentagon faded in the background
• The sky has been photoshopped – stormy – epic
• Hints at the type and genre of content
• The name of the album isn’t very clear – not as important?
• Logo of distributer (HMV)
• Information gets smaller the lower and more you read – less important stuff

Magazine Advertisement Research; Dragon Force

Dragonforce – Ultra Beatdown

Kerrang Magazine

Full page Ad for album

• Iconic image of band – higher status then the reader
• Typical style of this genre of music – colour scheme, poses, font
• Contrasting colours used – blacks/deep blues and vibrant pink
• Photo is highly styled and lit
• Has the cover of the album as the poster doesn’t make reference to it – the band is more attractive then the graphic art used as the album front cover might be? – more recognisable?
• Band name is their logo

Magazine Advertisement Research; Biffy Clyro

Biffy Clyro – Mountains

Kerrang Magazine

Quarter page Ad for Album

• Iconic image – relates directly to album cover
• Simple colour scheme – blues and white
• Band name right at top – information put in order of what is most important/attractive to the target audience
• Writing slowly becomes smaller the lower you go down
• Has the three most important bits the clearest and biggest
• The colours of the text follow the pattern of the colour in the water image – white to deep blue
• Logos at the bottom – record company and distributors
• Website is at the very bottom – record companies and band website
• SIMPLE and the most effective

Magazine Advertisement Research

After looking at the demographic for Feeder, we looked at magazines that we thought would appeal to these people. This included NME and Kerrang! We also expanded our research to Mojo and Rolling Stone Magazine in order to get a well-rounded idea of what the conventions of these adverts are. Here are some of the adverts we looked at:

• Simple Iconic Image
• Simple colour scheme - 3 colours - a bit dull?
• Text is easily readable
• Artist is the clearest text
• Has reviews - all outstanding
• "Out Now..."
• Information is clear - website, tour dates, instructions
• Logos at the bottom

Digipak Research Final

In our research we did find another blog stating this:

DigiPak/CD Covers should contain:

• Band, Song and Record Label logos
• Titles - Band, song/album name
• Track listing
• Copyright Protection logos and information (©, ®, ™)
• Barcode & Price
• DVD details - age certification or 'Parental Advisory: Explicit Content' label
• Pictures - front, back, middle (inside and outside)
• 4-Sided with 2 Spines- 2 pics outside (front/back covers), possibly 2 inside
• 6-Sided with 3 Spines- 3 pics outside (front, middle, back covers), 2 inside, with Production pics or a "Production & Artwork" booklet
• Collector items
• Competition entry forms
• Limited Edition - 'Exclusive DVD included', 'Bonus tracks', or 'uncut version'.

[http://snc-a2media09-ckenworthy.blogspot.com]

We intend to do our best to recreate these elements.

Digipak Research; Google Digipak 3

Here is a more elaborate form of digipak, featuring an outer casing as well as the structured inside disk folders. This has a strong atmosphere and idea behind it, giving strong messages of the type of content it holds. There is a monochromatic colour scheme that is heavily photoshopped. This may be too elaborate for our product, but the simplicity of it has a strong impact.

Digipak Research; Google Digipak 2

This is the simple four panel digipak. It has an iconic symbol instead of an image and gets across the meaning and atmosphere to the audience/reader. It also uses complimentary colours although there are more than the usual 2 or 3. The image on the CD is strong and could be another reason to try do this in our digipak. The simplicity mixed with the detail in this product makes it strong and memorable. The idea of using heavy photoshop techniques on the photograph picture (the boy) also gives this digipak a modern, artistic edge.

Digipak Research; Google Digipak 1

GOOGLE DIGIPAK 1

This digipak uses more images, but has the same simple colour scheme as others. The CD also fits nicely into the packaging with the printing over the top. This digipak also has sleeves in which flyers and even disks could be placed - all the extras - which could be a interesting idea to play with.

Digipak Research; Distorture

DISTORTURE; REVERE

This again uses simple, primary colours with a single graphic and a single picture repeated over and over again. A question we might ask is whether we want to do a three side digipak, or a simple two side digipak.

Digipak Research; Pearl Jam

PEARL JAM; SELF-TITLED

This cover is very simple and also includes iconic images. It uses only two main colours and an avocado. The symmetry between the avocado at the front and back is interesting and something we might explore. It gives the atmosphere of the album and hints at the disposition of the band.

Digipak Research; Pink

We looked into what makes a digipak, looking at examples from Pink (‘Greatest Hits…So Far’; 2010) Pearl Jam, as well as miscellaneous digipaks on google:

PINK; GREATEST HITS...SO FAR!!!

This album has a high continuity with House Style, using only three colours (pink, white and grey) to create their product. It also uses iconic images that are strong and give us an idea of what Pink's music is like and what the album is alike as well - edgy, angry, sombre, pink.

Textual Analysis of Existing Videos

In order to figure out the conventions of music videos we looked at a variety of videos. Here are a few:

OK GO – Get over it

PERFORMANCE VIDEO

SYMBOLIC VIDEO

• Opening shot before the music starts – 1 sec
• Cuts on each beat of the drum to focus on an object in the room they play in
• Lots of angles used giving the plain colours interest
• Plain colours
• Don’t always have the performer in the shot – whether it is the lead singer or a band member
• Cut to images of key words ‘milk spill’ and ‘hey’ (being translated to hay visually) making it symbolic and adding an element of quirkiness - fun
• Close up on back of legs with other members in the background – interesting shots and legs normally are doing something expressive – plays with the lead’s natural style of performing
• Play with focus – pulls focus as well as uses depth of field with the tight close up of the lead
• Instrumental has a shaky camera – symbolises power of guitar etc – LOUD SOUND
• Pause in song – cut to ping pong – pause is elongated and something happens in it
• When the song slows down slow down – fades, longer cuts, slow zooms, still fast cuts – less than a second flash of image on the key words (‘cow’ etc) and beats of the drum
• ‘HEY’ have lead saying it to camera almost all the time
• Lighting increase toward end of video (back light) – more dramatic – could symbolise a realisation/epiphany to ‘get over it’.
• Back to original shot of them bored on the sofa at the end – rounds the video off – could be symbolic of they need to ‘get over’ being bored.

OK GO - HERE IT GOES AGAIN

PERFORMANCE VIDEO

• Single long shot for whole thing, but interesting actions and video concept thus making it watchable
• Low budget – tin foil background
• Started a trend
• Dance plays with lines and symmetry – has flaws in performance (such as when members loose balance) which makes it more genuine and interesting - awesome
• This video was a fad – a new genre that everyone copied at the time of release – used the power of the internet and youtube – theory of technological convergence (please see theory notes)
• Performance becomes more dangerous during instrumental (jumping around and standing on the tops of the treadmills) – keeps interest in something not visually interesting without adding another concept
• It is a video in one take (something that has now become OK GO’s ‘trademark’ – whichever song we choose we must look into the bands motifs and trademarks
• Have little elements that are different from singer to make it individual and more interesting
• Clothing is stylised – their style as people and also an image – 70/retro slacks etc
• This video is something that had no genre at the time of release, but was successful do to its originality, interesting ideas and quirkiness as well as fun. It also suits the music style and genre.

EMINEM FEAT. RIHANNA - LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE

PERFORMANCE VIDEO

NARRATIVE VIDEO

SYMBOLIC ELEMENTS

• Opening CU of Rihanna – 5 seconds – purely her voice – fire out of focus which symbolises the ‘burn’ in the song as well as compliments her red hair and style
• Fire throughout – links to lyrics as well as the emotion and type of relationship being described
• Fire in the narrative scenes surrounding the people – unnatural – symbolic of the fire that burns within them
• Narrative scenes are played by two major Hollywood stars – Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan
• Eminem is in a field – away from the fire, the house and everything for majority of video - could symbolise how it is not his story (the song is allegedly based on Rihanna’s relationship with Chris Brown) – there is camera glare creating interesting pictures with glare
• Camera is always moving/unsteady – shows the unsettled nature of the story and emotions being portrayed
• Chorus – shows a strong difference between love and hate within the narrative scenes, juxtaposing scenes of intense love and intense hate – uses fire a lot more, on the characters and in symbolic CU shots of things in the house burning
• Sunset in field & Sunset in narrative & Night with Rihanna – symbolic of how she’s lived this story ALREADY (is at the end of it all) but Eminem (who is narrating the narrative through his lyrics – Rihanna sings mainly of the message of feeling) and the narrative is still living it at its highest – also makes for a fiery lighting and mood – both romantic and violent
• Narrative within narrative – bar and alcohol shop – the narrative characters meeting – Whenever there is a visual of the outside it is daytime – symbolic of the beginning, when everything was light and happy – also lends for more boring images which could symbolise how the relationship ultimately makes their lives more interesting
• These shots are mixed with his anger – shows his thought and what is making him angry
• Touching moments – teddy bear – allows audience to relate – more impact of story
• Rihanna gets revealed as the song goes on – tight close ups steadily going out to long shots with Eminem in the background – his presence here toward the end of the video could symbolise how he is singing with her now and thus is involved
• Field – grain is in the foreground – separate Eminem from us
• Silent forgiveness
• Panning through house – open walls – seems unreal but shows strongly the barriers between them
• Put narration outside same location as Rihanna – outside the burning house – both fighting and kissing (hate and love juxtaposed again) in slow motion
• Narration look right into camera in unreal shots – being on fire
• Return to opening narration shot at the end.

PARAMORE - ONLY EXCEPTION

PERFORMANCE VIDEO

NARRATIVE VIDEO

• 5 second track sideways open shot to her – she’s the main character
• Move through rooms - shows narration
• Symbolic use of shots – the letter ‘I’m sorry’ – is a key part of story
• Shows only key moments in narrative – hugs, takes photo, looks at photo, dates, runs, meets guy etc
• Pulls focus etc
• Performer is Narrative – she acts out her own song but includes element of Performance through the black ‘jazz’ set up shots
• Letters – symbolic of the scale of her relationship
• Pan up and away to show scale
• Good girl image in letters – soft colours
• Punk image – room and normal
• Shows a story symbolically
• Change of clothes – seem less
• Interludes band members throughout scenes as other characters in the narrative
• Symbolic run out through wedding doors – runs from relationship
• Raving in crowd at concert – shows how she met him
• Slow motion at rave – ‘when their eyes met across the room’
• Back track through scenes show previous with the guy being part of it
• Meet then symbolically run through marriage doors – wants to be in relationship
• Return to opening scene but happy – TYPICAL TODOROV NARRATION

GREEN DAY - 21 GUNS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r00ikilDxW4

(Embedding Disabled)

PERFORMANCE VIDEO

NARRATIVE VIDEO

• 5 second opening clip
• Symbolic start main song with bullet
• Preparation for song is shown through camera positioning too – ECU on drummer’s hands
• Tight CU on Lead
• Slow motion narration
• Performance and Narrative in the same room – at different times, but in the same room – same thing is happening to the both of them- narration and performers
• Dusty
• Slow cuts to match pace of music
• Shows key moments in narration again
• Close up on things like hands on neck of guitar and drummer’s foot
• Iconic style images – iconic style of song (rock ballad) – walking toward camera with bullets flying through wall
• As the main rock-out part in song comes - sped up cuts and more camera wobble
• Lights down on ballad ‘SHOOOOOOOOOOW!!’ – dramatic
• Narration is softer – feathers
• His is harsher - fireworks
• Same camera circle around them in same place with same light
• Slower as music slows
• When the normal chorus comes back - back to normal light
• Plays with focus
• But because it repeats the chorus he is still in dramatic light – not as dramatic
• Symbolic – gold fish – he survives all the carnage – tank go boom!!!
• Slow motion with performers as well
• Ends with iconic image of lead in dramatic light holding guitar – it’s done pose

NICKLEBACK – ROCKSTAR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmeUuoxyt_E

(Embedding Disabled)

PERFORMANCE VIDEO

• 4/5 second opening
• Mix of normal people with rock stars and celebs etc
• All in different scenes – performance and symbolic as any and everyone wants to be a rock star – reflects the song!!!
• Americans and others – Brits with landmarks or it’s a California/New York street – all ages- all ethnicities and shapes and sizes
• Censures swearing – hop in track – silence of vocals – ‘ass’, ‘drugs’, ‘pills’,
• All synced
• Cutting slows with pace of song
• Setting like they’ve just been stopped – just people walking about it – they all know ‘the song’ – not the actual lyrics - symbolic
• Goes to actual band in the end
• 94 sets of people – half being rich and famous – mostly famous. Half being in a bikini.

ALESHA DIXON - DRUMMER BOY

PERFORMANCE VIDEO

SYMBOLIC ELEMENTS

• Opening rift – 1 second opening
• Titles in opening – ‘Alesha Dixon’ ‘Drummer Boy’ etc
• Her, Drummers, Paint people
• All performance – symbolic
• COLOUR
• Shaky camera - style
• Flares on lens
• Images cross over each other - ghosts
• Dances, Performance to camera
• Normally mid to long for performance
• Flash of close ups
• Slow motion
• Dixon leads a group of dancers – she’s the main
• 7 different scenes – outfits for her
• All different angles
• Out of focus shots
• On stage
• Active
• Revealing clothing
• Perform outwards – not always to camera
• Lots of drums
• Plays with pull focus
• Flashy flashy flashy flashy
• Drummers throw sticks at end – symbolic for –there you go!

INITIAL IDEAS/RESEARCH

In order to decide what kind of music video we want to create, I have compiled a video of all the music videos we have looked at so far.

They don’t follow a specific genre of music or video at this stage as our group’s tastes are so diverse. However, this could prove helpful as we could draw on aspects of all these genres in order to create a cutting edge video. Although genre is an important thing in order to appeal to the target audience, work to their expectations, and give them security, we intend to work to Knight’s theory that “satisfaction is guaranteed with genre, the deferral of the inevitable provides the additional pleasure of prolonged anticipation” (1994) and thus plan to work to which ever genre we choose to its genre strengths, but also defy these conventions somewhat in order to create something interesting to the viewers.

Initial Research: Inspiration

A collage video of various music videos I watched for initial inspiration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KWP2C59ee4