Individual Digipak - Miss Georgiou

I have created an individual digipak to promote my artist further as she is a debuting artist. Unlike a normal jewel CD case which has 4 sides, a digipak has 6 sides therefore providing more information or opportunity for visible artwork for the artist. The reasons to why I have made a digipak because it allowed me to add further aspects such as a personal message and images of the artist, so that the audience feel as if the album is special to them. By having additional images, and a personal message this allowed my artist to further express herself through visuals and not only the songs included within the album. 

The colour scheme I went for, for my digipak is a naturalistic theme that involves colours that connote nature such as green, brown, beige and blue. Green is seen within the location that the artist is in; 2 sides showing her in a field. The colour connotes freshness, nature and growth which could supplement the representation of the artist growing up as she is a teenager and being new to the industry as it is her debut album. The connotations portray as something fresh and new therefore making her interesting, grabbing the audiences attention. Green is conventional to the indie genre, especially through the field setting as it portrays realism and a naturalistic setting, which makes it relatable to the audience as they understand whats being shown within the photographs.The colour blue is seen throughout the digipak; front cover, 2 images, personal message and track list cover. Dark denim blue which is seen through the artists costume of a denim shirt in the front cover, personal message and track list connotes the representation of the artist being strong and rough due to the texture qualities of denim which are hard wearing and strong. In contrast, the lighter shades of denim blue that the artist wears in the 2 photographs in the middle; denim jacket and mom jeans, could suggest that there is going to be a sense of sadness included within the songs in the album, as light blue usually is associated with water and tears. The use of blue, especially light blue could help create sympathise from the audience towards the artist, as it symbolises a sense of sadness which the audience can easily spot out. Brown is seen through the trees seen in the pictures of the artist in the forest, and connotes a sense of darkness towards the artist due to the darkness of the colour. Also, since the colour brown symbolises nature, this could also accompany the use of realism being portrayed with the location, therefore making the digipak conventional to the indie genre. The colour beige is seen on the front cover, specifically being the colour of the artist's name and album title. I gained the inspiration to use this specific colour from Birdy's magazine advert as she had the similar colour for her name. The reason why I decided to incorporate beige within my digipak is because I believe it gives the connotations of ageless and being natural due to the naturalness of the colour. The connotation of ageless through the colour beige could represent the artist's youth of being young and portray her as youthful and living. Therefore, appeal to the target audience of 17-25 year olds as they can relate to her youth, as they stereotypically do the similar things. Also, the colour beige could portray the artist as being ordinary which is conventional to the indie genre, as they rely on realism to convey themselves in relations to their life so the audience can relate to them. 

The images used within my digipak consist of mid shots and long shots of the artist in the locations; forest and field. For example, the front cover, personal message and track list have the image of the artist in a forest, shot from a mid shot to accompany them. The purpose of this is so that the audience can see her facial expressions so they understand how she's feeling and what emotions could be expressed within the album. For example the track list illustrates the artist as being quite frustrated through her facial expressions and body language of putting her hand through her head. The forest could symbolise a sense of freedom and being lost in a mystery as its a isolated place where you could easily get lost in. This could imply that the artist in lost in her life, however the fact she's alone and doesn't looks scared, this could suggest that she's brave and intrigued in mysterious. This appeals to the audience as it creates enigma and makes them want to follow her journey through this mystery through her album. The other images used in the digipak are the photographs of the artist in the field; one of her standing still and other walking away. The setting of a field connotes freedom and tranquility as theres space around the artist. This could suggest that the artist is taking time for herself, especially through the image of her walking, as if she's taking a journey for herself and no one else. This appeals to the audience, as they could feel that she is bringing them along to her journey through the image of her walking in an open space and isn't afraid to share her experiences with them through her music. The use of the two settings are conventional to the indie genre because they are realistic therefore portray realness and shows authenticity, which indie artists tend to portray because they express themselves personally. Overall, the images used in my digipak are similar so that it incorporates continuity, so that the audience understand what she's portraying and what the digipak is about. Another image that is seen in my digipak, specifically CD is a pile of polaroid photographs. The images on the CD show the memories of the artist and links with my music video for wings, as the artist in the music video is looking back at photographs of memories in her past relationship. The reason why I chose to have polaroid images as the image for my CD is because I think it gives it a sentimental feel and implies that the artist is sharing her memories with the audience. Also, polaroid pictures are fun to create and this illustrates that they're personal to the artist therefore giving a personal touch to the album,which could appeal to the audience as they feel the artist is letting them into her life. 

The layout for my digipak is overall simplistic and naturalistic, but effective. The order of the sides is as following; front cover, image of artist 1 , CD , personal message, image of artist 2 and then track list/back cover. The front and back cover's typography are aligned in the centre so that it gives them importance and grab the audiences attention. The 2 images have typography on them, for example the image of the artist standing has one above her and below, and the other one of her walking as them below her. These typographies are lyrics that are included in 2 songs of the album. The reason why I positioned them into the middle is so that they link with each other and show a sense of continuity which the audience can easily tell that they're pictures with lyrics on them. The design of my digipak follows a green/brown filter on all pictures, as I believe it makes it look rare and vintage which is conventional to the indie genre, as it portrays the artist as naturalistic, ordinary and old fashioned. This could be seen as subversive to the artists age, as she is young and expected to be out going and flamboyant, so the use of dull colours within the filter takes away the spunk but instead showcases how the artist really is. Therefore, showcasing her as different to normal teenagers and grabbing the audiences attention as they do not expect to see such dull colours associated with a teenager. 

I used a variety of fonts when it comes to typography in my digipak. Firstly, for the front cover and the CD, I included a font that looks quite quirky and irregular for the artists name;Sharna Rae. The one for the front cover is in the colour; beige and the other on the CD is in the colour black. Both had a 3D effect on it, where I applied on photoshop through the blending options of the fonts. This technique made the font look as if it was in 3D, and the purpose was this was to make the typography stand out more and grab the audiences attention. The front cover font's 3D colour is in black and the CD typography 3D colour is in white. Also, I believe the technique on the typography represents the artist as quite quirky and artistic because it looks irregular but fun which could also portray her youthfulness. This could appeal to the target audience of 17-25 year olds due to its fun, creative look. The second typography that is seen in my digipak is on my personal message page. The font is a handwritten cursive format which illustrates that it is handwritten. The reason behind the choice of the font is so that it makes the personal message more sentimental for the audience, and makes them feel like the artist themselves wrote it therefore making it special for them. The next typography is seen on the 2 images of the artist in field. The font is white and italic and the reason why I chose to include this is because the italics could suggest that they're her personal thoughts, making them seem delicate and sacred. As italics are used in a way to emphasise key points in a printed text or to stress on what the speaker is saying, this appeals to the audience as they feel she's allowing them into her thoughts, building a connection between the artist and audience. Last but not least, the typography for the track list is a white bold, capitalised font which is aligned in the centre. I was inspired by Lana Del Rey's font that she uses on her CD's because I thought it was effective in promoting herself, however mine promotes the songs on the album unlike the artist. The use of the font is to make the track list clear and stand out, therefore making it easy for the audience to read. Also, the font could have connotations of bravery from the artist, as the songs are about her personal experiences and the fact the typography is eye catching, this gives the impression that the artist isn't afraid to share bits about herself with the audience. 

The style of language within my digipak is simplistic and straightforward as theres no adjectives to describe anything. The fact that theres not describing words included within the digipak could represent the artist as not big headed, as she doesn't use descriptive language to promote herself. This is conventional to the indie genre, as artists tend to not care about the fame but just putting their music across to their fans or their enjoyment of singing. The majority of the language is informative, as it just gives the audiences the important things they need to know such as the title of the album, track list and artists website (seen at the bottom left of track list page). However, the personal message included within the digipak diverts away from the informative language seen elsewhere and presents a personal, informal approach to the audience. For example the artist signs off her name which has an 'x' next to it. The informality of this portrays the artist as genuine and down to earth because it looks like she's actually aware of her fans and wants to engage with them through her music. 

I believe there are many ways in which my digipak conforms the conventions of the indie genre, firstly through the location. The settings of a field and forest is conventional to the indie genre due to it connoting nature and being a real setting it portrays realism. I thought it was vital for me to include this particular convention because the setting is important,as it gives the audience an insight of how the artist is feeling or the hidden themes included within the album. E.g theme of being free is illustrated from the outdoor settings in my digipak. Another convention that I conformed within my digipak is the use of the mid shots and long shots. These were used to show the artists facial expressions and body language. This is conventional to the genre as it gives importance to whats being shown, especially with the artist. As for the mid shot of the front cover, this is an example of how it gives importance to the artist, because she's positioned in the middle and the mid shot only shows her face, which the audience need to know because its her debut album. Another convention that I conformed was the use of polaroid images shown on my CD. The convention itself is the theme of memories and this is illustrated through the images shown on the CD. I think this is effective and conforms the theme of memories because it visually shows some of the memories and gives a personal touch to the digipak. In addition, I think the use of the polaroid pictures appeals to my target audience, as the age group are prone to use the camera's themselves because of the vintage look they give and it makes photographs look like memories. Therefore, appealing to the audience as they understand the concept of the polaroid pictures and can relate to the artist more. Another way in which my digipak appeals to my target audience is through the artists costume as it is not seen as girly or formal, but instead edgy and cool. This appeals to the target audience, as what the artist is wearing is trendy and they can relate to what she's wearing, also the costume portrays her as not caring and cool which they could admire. 

My strengths when working on photoshop were blurring, adding new fonts and adjusting the images onto layers. I found blurring really easy to do, as I watched a youtube clip to help me do it, and then I started getting the hang of it and did it on my own. Blurring involved duplicating the layers, then blurring one image, to then erase what I didn't want to be blurred. My next strength was adding new fonts, this was because I didn't like any of the softwares fonts so instead I went on dafont.com to get my chosen fonts, as I found them conventional to my digipak and genre. This required simply installing the new fonts and adding them onto the list on the software, therefore being able to use. Lastly, I found that adjusting the images I wanted to put in the square canvas for my digipak was super easy. This required me just downloading my images, dragging them onto the canvas, then simply adjusting their sizes by pressing shift whilst moving the mouse to control it. However, I did encounter weaknesses during the editing process of my digipak on photoshop. For example, duplicating the artist on the layer was very difficult that I had help from an IT assistant to guide me on how to do it. At first I did duplicate the artist myself, however the background was not all the same and it did not create the gradient fade I wanted to show. But once I got help from the IT assistant, he helped me by showing me how to do it, then I made my own adjustments to the duplications. 

Meetings - Miss Miller**

The reason why It was important for me to meet with my group regularly, is so that we could discuss each others ideas and include our own individual inputs towards the planning and making of our music video. Also, having meetings made sure everyone was up to date with what was going on at each different stages, therefore making sure everyone was involved and informed about any changes made in relation to our music video. If we were not to have these meetings and discussions about our preparation and making our music video, it would be chaotic when actually proceeding these actions as everyone would be tying to get their ideas across at the same time, therefore slowing our time actually filming our music video.The way we organised our meetings and discussions was that we would come into lessons and discuss what we wanted to include in our music video. However, as school hours were not enough, we did make a group chat so that we could communicate outside of school, therefore making sure everyone knows what is going on and the schedule we had. To make sure we discussed everything, we made a meetings table which showed the different actions or aspects we had to discuss about so that we were organised and on top of everything. For example, a discussion was made when we were analysis the lyrics for our chosen song "wings" by Birdy.

Overall, I believe our group did work well together especially in our communication, as we all respected each others views and listened to the different ideas we had. For example as seen in the screenshot, Bettie asked what was going to happen on that day, and Rishika simply informed everyone the details and what they had to bring. This accompanied the discussion about the photoshoot in the table, as Rishika made sure briefly to everyone on what we were doing. This made sure that we knew what was happening and organised our filming time well, as we all knew what to do. Therefore, by having good communication skills, we were able to successfully negotiate and incorporate the different visions and ideas brought within our discussions to our work. I feel that even though there were times where some of us could not make it to filming or weren't in lessons, we still made sure everyone knew what was going on through our communication outside of school. Recording our discussions and meetings into the meetings table was beneficial, as it reminded us briefly of what we had discussed and envisioned to do when it came to the actual action. Also, the meetings helped the whole group understand what was going on in our production, therefore making the actual filming less time consuming as we would all be on the same page on what we were filming, and have no chaos. 

Photoshoot - Miss Georgiou

The reason why I needed to take pictures, was so that I could capture photographs that will be used for my ancillary texts; magazine advert and digipak for my artist. The photographs, taken in the photoshoot will be evaluated and only few will be selected to be included in my magazine advert and digipak. The reason why I needed to take pictures, is so that I had a variety to choose from, which is good as the more I have, the less stress I will have if one goes wrong and I do not have a back up. In addition, the photographs I take will act as a back up plan, if the photograph I planned to have for my ancillary texts does not suit well, then I will have another to choose from. The importance of taking a variety of different pictures, is so that I have a wide range of different shots that could possibly be used, and also it keeps me open minded on what would work with my ancillary texts and what doesn't. Therefore, by having many photo's to pick from, the better as I can experiment with some shots to see which suit my ancillary texts best and decide if I need to change what I originally planned to have on there. 

This picture conveys my artist looking back whilst walking, carrying her guitar, through a forest. The reason why I chose to capture this particular shot, through a long shot, is so that it conveys the artist fully and her surroundings. Furthermore, the image shows the artist's body language; walking and clearly shows her surroundings; forest which helps the audience establish what the artist is like through costume, body language and setting. I intend to use this picture for my magazine advert, because it shows the artist fully but also creates enigma through the setting that she's in, therefore grabbing the audiences attention due to the suspense created in the picture of her walking into the 'unknown'. The image is conventional to the genre through the setting of a forest. This conforms the convention of artists being isolated places in the indie genre, as we only see the artist in the image, making them the centre of attention. In addition, a forest is conventional to the indie genre, as it portrays the artist in a realistic setting which conveys realism so that the audience can relate to the artist. I've chosen this image because it illustrates her as free willed as she's in a open environment which could portray her as being open to her audience, building a relationship between the artist and them, because they're entitled to what she's expressing through her album. Also, showing the artist walking through the artist could represent her as being lost, but finding her way through this journey, and her looking back into the camera could suggest she's inviting the audience to come along with her. This could imply that her album is about her journey that she wants to share with the audience, and the forest setting makes it seem like a mystery, which appeals to the audience as they want to solve this mystery through listening her album. I think this photograph is good, because it demonstrates her in a mysterious setting which appeals to the audience as they want to solve it, and also it shows the artist in a long shot which implies she has nothing to hide. Therefore, the image promotes the artist and album through enigma and the isolated setting making her the focal attention. 

The next picture I took in the photo shoot, is an image of the artist through a mode shot staring at the camera. The reason why I chose this particular shot to shoot, is because I wanted to convey the artists facial expressions and the setting she's in, so that the audience understand more about her. By having a mid shot of the artist positioned in the middle, this grabs the audiences attention as she's centre of attention. This emphasises her being alone as she's in a isolated setting;forest, which looks gloomy and mysterious. Therefore, the mid shot creates enigma as you cannot see the bottom half of the artist. However having this shot is conventional to the indie genre, as it establishes the artists face which is important because indie artists tend to be unknown, therefore by giving greater emphasis to their face, this promotes how they look like to the audience. I intend to use this image in my digipak as the front cover because I believe her facial expressions and body language appeals to the audience as she is not showing much emotion, which intrigues them to find out what she's feeling through her album. Also, I believe this shot will be efficient when promoting my artist because you can see her face, and she is debuting so the audience will be aware with who she is straight away. I believe this shot will help build a relationship between between the audience and artist because it shows the audience her face, which could suggest the artist is not afraid to bare all and allow them into her life experiences through the album. 

This image shows the artist walking towards the forest carrying her guitar. The reason why I took this particular picture is because when actually taking the picture, it was quite windy and I thought it was a good opportunity to get the artist walking away whilst wind blowing. This shows how Im using natural situations to help with my ideas when it comes to shooting. Furthermore, I decided to take this picture as I believe it portrays how the artist is on a journey and is focused on this journey because she's looking straight forward into her path. This could connote the artist as being determined which the audience could admire as it gives them an impression of her being strong and focused on what she wants to do. Also, I think this shot is good as it creates enigma within the picture as the audience cannot see her facial expressions therefore leaving them wondering what her emotional state is, whether its happy or sad? they will open up more in the digipak to find out. Therefore I intend to have this image in my digipak as one of the photographs showing the artist. I was inspired by Gabrielle Aplin's digipak to include an image that portrays the artist on a journey, as in hers she's walking along a beach holding balloons. So I wanted to incorporate the idea of the artist being on a journey by taking this shot of her walking away with her guitar. The guitar helps in conveying that she is instrumentally talented, but also it could suggest that it comforts her and helps her cope. Also, instruments are conventional to the indie genre, especially acoustic guitars as they produces sounds that is suited to the indie genre and also indie artists tend to be instrumentally talented and like to express themselves further with playing instruments to give further meaning. I think this photograph will help build a relationship between the artist and the audience because she is showing other elements to her with the guitar, therefore showcasing bits of herself to her audience so they get to know her more. Also, by walking away from the camera this could suggest that she's inviting along the audience to join her on this journey and that she has no regrets of it because she's determined to get to the location, in consequence making the audience intrigued to follow her in this journey to experience what she's feeling through her music, building a relationship between the two. 

Last but not least, this image like the ones seen before was taken in the forest and shows the artist expressing herself through a mid shot. The image illustrates how the artist feels frustrated or fed up through the body language seen in the shot. This could link with my music video by foreshadowing how the artist is feeling because she's in a complicated relationship therefore there are going to be times were she feel frustrated. I intend to use this picture in my digipak as I believe this image is good as it shows the setting and continues the theme of the digipak of being vintage due to the filter seen throughout. Also it conveys the artists facial expressions and body language, so giving the audience an insight of how she is feeling. The image is conventional to the genre, especially through setting,costume and hair. The setting is a forest which is a real setting, therefore connotes realism which is conventional to the indie genre. Also, the oversized denim shirt is conventional to the indie genre, as artists within this genre usually wear casual clothing and show no signs of voyeurism because they don't convey themselves as glamorous but instead authentic and relatable to the audience. Also, linking with the point of indie artists not caring overly about their appearance, the artist's hair is in its natural state of waviness which portrays the artist as being natural and real. This connotes her as authentic, genuine and also ordinary, which helps build a relationship with the audience as they may feel she's not trying to seem better than them. 

My overall experience of taking photographs at the photoshoot for my ancillary texts went well. I found it quite easy taking pictures for my ancillary texts because I already envisioned what I wanted them to look like and where it'll be. What I felt went really well was the communication and directing towards my artist when taking pictures. We were confidently able to corporate with each other and understanding my visions for what I wanted the pictures to look like. Also because the artist is a close friend of mind, it wasn't awkward trying out new poses and shots in the photoshoot and having her feel comfortable letting go and expressing herself the way I wanted to, really helped during this process. What I struggled with slightly was the lighting that was in forest as it was quite dim. However, I continued taking the pictures regardless of the minimal lighting I had, as I knew I could adjust the brightness through the photoshop process when editing my ancillary texts. 

From the pictures from the photoshoot, I believe the overall representation of the artist that comes across from the images, is that the artist is only human and is relatable to the audience. This is through the emotions expressed in the close ups and mid shots showing her facial expressions and body language, and also is seen through mise en scene; costume,hair and makeup and setting and iconography. All the different elements portray the artist in different ways for example; blue clothing portrays her as being sad which links with what she feels sometimes in our music video for wings, body language of her walking away portrays her as being on a journey which people could relate to if they had a certain journey they were personally going through and the setting of a forest could convey the artist as being free and mysterious because she's in a realistic setting. Therefore, there are many elements that portray the artist in different ways that the audience could relate to her. 

Individual Magazine Advert Analysis - Miss Georgiou*

A magazine advert is a form of synergy that helps artists further promote themselves through the media, specifically magazines. The reason why I've created a magazine advert is to promote my artist; Sharna Rae's debut album featuring the single 'Wings' by Birdy, which I will be making a music video for. The purpose of the magazine advert is to accompany the advertising material for my artist, so that it attracts a wider audience than she usually does to her niche audience. By having a magazine advert, this appeals to a wider audience as her authenticity of being new to the scene will attract them and hopefully get them buying her album and following her as an artist. Therefore, having a magazine advert further promotes the artist and the album, increasing the sales for it especially as she's debuting, so the audience check her out through the information provided in the advert. Not only, is the advert being created to attract a new audience, it appeals to the niche audience of my artist of 17-25 year olds, as they are prone to buy magazines, therefore by having a magazine advert I am promoting to the artists target audience/fans. 

For the layout and design of my magazine advert, I was inspired by Birdy's advert, which was similar by having the artist aligned to the right and the typography on the left. However I made changes to this formant, by having the artist's name "Sharna Rae" positioned at the top, the typography on the left and image of artist on the right. The way in which the layout and design for my magazine advert appeals to the audience is through the positioning of typography and image of artist. The image of the artist is a long shot, showing the artist from head to toe, appealing to the audience as they see her fully. Also, the typography of the artist's name positioned at the top appeals to the audience because it is the first thing they see, which makes the audience aware of her name. This positioning is conventional to the indie genre, as seen in Lana Del Rey's magazine advert, because it establishes clearly who the artist is but as my artist is debuting, this gets her name out there to the audience. Also, by having the text that states her album title 'Illuminate' and single 'wings' next to the picture of the artist, informs the audience clearly on who the magazine is talking about and what she looks like. In addition, this makes it understandable and clear to the audience who the magazine is about and what it is for, as the writing accompanies the image of the artist. Furthermore, it could be said that this layout portrays the artist as neutral and genuine through the same level positioning of the typography and image of the artist. This could appeal to the audience as it gives them the impression that the artist is not big headed  and is genuine through the unbiased layout and design, therefore making them admire her honesty and making them want to buy her music because they believe she's authentic. 

My chosen image for my magazine advert is of my artist walking through a forest, whilst carrying a guitar and looking back to the camera. As planned, I followed the majority of my plan for my magazine advert when it comes to chosen image, however the changes I made were the setting and positioning of camera. I changed the positioning from a side view long shot, to just a long shot instead and the setting from a field to a forest. The reasons why I changed it from a side view positioning to just a normal long shot, is because I believe the shot conveyed the artist in a more interesting way, as it gives an impression of the audience following her whilst she's walking as the camera is positioned behind her. Also, the long shot establishes the artists body language and setting which is of her walking through a forest whilst looking back. The setting was changed from a field to a forest for my magazine advert, as I believe a forest is conventional to the indie genre as it is a real life setting, therefore portraying realism. Furthermore, the forest creates enigma and suspense which could appeal to the audience as they feel like they have to solve the mystery or see what the artist is about, therefore making them want to buy the debut album to find out more about the artist, since she's in a mysterious setting. The body language and setting of a forest appeals to the audience, as it connotes the artist as being sneaky, daring and brave because she's in an isolated area and her facial expression of being daring whilst looking back conveys her braveness. This could also connote the artist as being free spirited and being open to the audience, as the isolated place open environment could suggest she's open to her audience. Therefore, connoting a journey that she's on and that the audience is following her on this journey, which creates a relationship between the artist and audience, due to her looking back into the camera. 

The colours that are dominant in my magazine advert are: Lilac, off beige, white, blue and green. Firstly, we see the colour Lavender in the typography 'SHARNA RAE' and 'presents'. The reason behind I chose the colour Lavender for this typography because of the softness of it and how it resembled the clothing that the artist wears in the image; denim jacket. Lavender connotes youthfulness and romance which foreshadows what the artist's album is about as she's young herself and sings about her love experiences. Also, lavender connotes fragility and sensitivity which could portray the artist as vulnerable due to the lightness of the colour. In addition, the colour off beige is seen in the typography that states the album title and single. The colour off beige connotes warmth and quietness, which could represent the artist as being warm and shy. Also, it could portray the artist as delicate and foreshadow the music video narrative of her being the vulnerable one in the relationship she's in. I was inspired to use this font from the Birdy magazine advert, as she had an off beige  font for her name. Therefore, like the Birdy magazine, the colour portrays the artist as natural and ordinary which is conventional to the indie genre as colours that are dull, ordinary and associate with nature are usually used to convey realism. The next colour that is used in my magazine advert, is white. This is used on the typography at the bottom which states the ratings and the artists website "Billboard" and "www.sharnaraeofficial.com". The reason why I chose the colour white is because it is a bright colour that contrasts from everything else seen in the magazine subtly, therefore making the text seen but not a distraction. Also, white connotes purity which could connote the artist as being pure because she is debuting as a new artist, which draws the readers attention as they see that she is new. The next colour that is seen in my advert, is blue. The colour blue is seen through the artist's costume of a denim jacket and mom jeans. Blue denim connotes being strong and tough as the texture of this material is strong, therefore could suggest the artist feels strong within that moment. However, the colour blue it self connotes tranquility and peacefulness which could suggest that the artist is in a peaceful state of mind and is content with where she's at. Also, the colour blue connotes sadness, which foreshadows the narrative of my music video as she is grieving from a relationship that is broken due to her partner not wanting to be out in the open with her, therefore there are scenes where she is sad. The last colour that is evident in my magazine advert is green; this is seen through the leaves and trees. The green connotes nature and growth which could imply that the artist is natural and is growing up from a teenage to an adult which is a inevitable process of nature. Also, the colour green connotes freshness which could symbolise how the artist is fresh through debuting her self to the world, therefore it represents her as something new and interesting to the audience, grabbing their attention. This may lead to building a relationship between the artist and the audience, as they feel that they could relate to her through the natural colour;green, therefore conveying realism. 

The language in my magazine advert is simplistic. Phrases such as "her debut album" and "featuring no.1 single" are straightforward and get to the point of what they're trying to express. The reason to why I kept it simple without any exaggeration and is understandable for the target audience of 17-25 year olds and less time consuming to read, which makes them pay attention to the advert as its not complicated to understand. This follows the convention of the indie genre of relying on realism instead of escapism like the pop genre, because it gets the message intended across easily. In addition, the style of language promotes the artist and album through the phrases above, as it tells them what they need to know such as the album name and successful single. By having "featuring no.1 single", it states the success the new artist as she has a no.1 single on the charts, which shows that she is becoming popular, this appeals to the audience as they tend to follow whats popular in music. However, when the company Billboard  state in the quotation "British Sensation", this describes the artist as loved by Britain. This is accompanied with 5 star ratings. The rating from Billboard, and their use of language especially "British", represents the artist as patriotic. This is because the word establishes that she is British and connotes that she is proud to be from there, therefore appealing to the niche audience of British people. 

Moving onto typography, I have two types. Firstly the typography "Sharna Rae" and "presents"  is in a quirky styled font ;Dk Yellow , in the colour lavender and is in capitals. The purpose of it being in capitals is so that it gives importance to her name and attracts the audience. The typography is positioned at the top of the magazine and is in the middle, therefore again placed in the centre to gain the audiences attention as its the first ting they would see. The text "Her debut alum" and "featuring no.1 single"  are in a quirky, curly, bold font called Luna, in the colour of an off beige. The typography colour stands out from the rest of the texts. Also, it could represent the artist as being quirky and different due to the abnormal typography, therefore making the artist stand out from the rest as the text is different. The following typography "Illuminate" and "wings"  are in capitals and are the font that Birdy uses for her magazines and albums which is called Blake. The reason why I chose this particular font is because it looks eccentric but normal at the same time. This is due to it being straight and not slanted like the other fonts. The use of this font is to make it stand out from the writing above them, therefore giving more importance to what's being shown, which is the album name and the single. The rest of the typography is located at the bottom of the magazine advert, and is in the colour white. The typography states "British Sensation" and "www.sharnaraeofficial.com" in capitals. The purpose of having these texts at the bottom is so that the audience are not distracted by them and put their main focus on the image of the artist and the typography in the middle. Also, by putting them at the bottom it concludes the magazine advert and makes sure the last thing they read is the website for the artist. This makes them want to find out more about her, as there is limited said on the magazine advert, therefore the audience may search up her website after looking at the advert.

I believe my advert does follow conventions of the indie genre and conforms them. For instance;the quirky font e.g Dk Yellow for 'sharna rae' and 'presents' connotes originality and youthfulness of the artist is conventional as it appeals and is relatable to the target audience who are young adults (17-25 year olds). Also another convention is the use of a real location which is a forest in my magazine advert and this is conventional to the indie genre as it portrays the artist in a real place therefore conveying realism and makes it believable. Furthermore, the artists costume is conventional to the genre as it is not glamorous and flamboyant like pop artists would have, as it showcases the artist as normal and ordinary, which appeals to the audience as they feel like the artist is one of them. In addition, the artist's costume is conventional to the indie genre. This is because the clothing is recognisable to the audience. Also, denim clothing connotes rebellion, which is stereotypical for her age group as they're labelled as this. Therefore, I decided to include this as it makes the artist look relatable to the target audience of 17 - 25 year olds as they can empathise with her through her clothing and the label added to it. Also, to connote the youthful and rebellious sides of the artist so that it engages the audiences attention and makes her look 'cool'. 

Here is an example of my layers used to create the blurry background effect. As you can see there are two images that are the same and the copy is the one with the artist erased out. This was to make sure she wouldn't be affected by the blur. By pressing the eyes next to the layers, this allows me to see all layers at the same time, therefore showing the blurry background and the artist clearly. 

When it came to using the software photoshop, It was quite a challenging process but one which got used to quickly. A strength of mine when using photoshop was blurring the image. This was easily done after the assistance I had from my teacher, but after I got the hand of it and was able to blur my image by myself. This involved using the blurring tool and erasing the part I wanted to be sharp,which was the artist herself as seen in the magazine advert. I believe the use of blurring on my magazine advert has helped make my magazine advert successful, as it eliminates the setting and makes the artist the main focus which is useful because it further promotes her. However, blurring my image was once a weakness of mine too, however I overcame this by watching a youtube video to teach me how to do the editing technique. Another weakness I had whilst using photoshop was trying to grasp the concept of having different layers on one thing, this was because I had never used the software before and I was new to using it. Therefore, I did not understand the layering process, but I did get it at the end and simply continued to layer different things in order to create my magazine. Now I know how to make something through layering different aspects of the media through layering whether it is added text or pictures.

Music Video Inspirations - Miss Miller*

It is important to gain inspiration from other productions, in my case music videos as it helps you develop your own ideas to incorporate in your production. Therefore, analysing and picking out inspirations from music videos I researched will help with my planning of my own music video, as I will have inspirations that I may consider including within my music video. Also, it helps demonstrate the uses of the inspirations and how they were successful in the music videos I researched, and helps me understand further on how to use the aspects into my own. 

In my what is a music video post, I analysed the music video, Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey. The inspiration I got from this video, was the use of the editing style; time lapse. The time lapse in the video shows clouds moving in the sky at the beginning of the video. The use of this time lapse opens the music video with a narrative due to it having dialogue accompanied with it. I found the use of the time lapse inspirational as it introduced the music video in a nostalgic way, which grabbed my attention therefore succeeding on capturing the audiences attention. This has inspired me to include a time lapse in my music video at the beginning, however mine will be rewinding the whole music video from finish to start quickly. This introduces the narrative in an interesting way and also implies that a story is going to told after it. Also the time lapse at the beginning will suggest that the music video is a past event that has happened to the artist, which makes the audience get an insight of her life, building a relationship between her and the audience. The use of the time lapse is conventional to the indie genre, as it illustrates time passing by and by having my time lapse of glimpses of the narrative rewinded, this portrays the theme of memories which is conventional, as artist's within the indie genre tend to sing about personal experiences. 

Another video that I gathered inspiration from is Lorde - Yellow Flicker Beat in my research into chosen music genre post. From this video, what intrigued me the most was the camera technique; tracking, that she used when singing in the middle of the road in the forest. Tracking was used and this was shot from a low angle. The use of this particular cinematography made the focal attention be on Lorde in a fascinating way and made her look superior in the frame as the audience were placed below her. This was inspirational, as I think it made her singing scene look more interesting and also the tracking showed the artist fully by going around her, which helped promote her further. The way in which this camera may be used in my music video, is to introduce the artist in the video as this is because it shows the artist personally and puts the spotlight on her, which will help create a relationship between the audience and the artist. For example, I may consider using this cinematography when my artist is singing, to show her unstably and further connote the lyrics that she is singing which will be sad. The use of the tracking is conventional to the indie genre, as it follows the artist around, therefore giving the artist a further insight on what they're singing about. 

Couple in bedroom not speaking (negative side of relationship)

Another inspiration from this post, but in the music video Panic Cord by Gabrielle Aplin, is the style of video. In this music video the style was primarily narrative based, with a narrative about her ending a relationship because she was bored in it and she thinks she maybe the one to blame for the end. This inspires me to include relationship based narrative in my music video, however mine will be about how two girls are in a secret relationship but one wants to make it public. Both my idea of a narrative and Aplin's narrative show the struggles in relationship which is conventional to the indie genre, as artists usually sing about life experience so that the audience can relate to them. I was inspired to consider having a bedroom as a location in my music video, through Gabrielle Aplin's music video 'Panic Cord'. This is evident throughout the video as we see the artist in a bedroom with her partner play fighting, looking like they've had an argument and also when she is playing the guitar whilst singing. The use of this location also follows star dyers theory of how a star presents themselves as ordinary and extraordinary within a music video. 

Playing guitar whilst on bed

Gabrielle Aplin follows this as she is seen as ordinary by having a real life setting in her music video e.g. bedroom, kitchen etc. These locations portray her as ordinary because they are recognisable by the audience and they can relate to what happens in there. Also, she is portrays as extraordinary through the use of her playing her guitar as it presents her as being multitalented which the audience may not relate to. However, she is primarily represented as ordinary throughout the music video through costume, setting and natural lighting which helps convey the realism that is expected to be in an indie music video. This is because she plays it  This has inspired me to consider having a bedroom in my music video ad it conveys a realistic setting and shows the artist in their natural form. Also because bedrooms are seen as  a private area were everyone can be themselves, this implies that the artist is allowing the audience to see them as being authentic and real, which is why I want to consider including a bedroom in my music video as it'll help convey a relationship and intimacy of a narrative I'll possibly having. An example of when I would have the location of a bedroom seen in my music video is when the artist is looking into her memory box at the images of her and her partner. This will be following the convention of having real settings in the indie genre as the bedroom connotes privacy and conveys that she's sharing with the audience as they see her in her personal space. 

In the music video Cut by Plum, the use of iconography especially photographs caught my attention. The photographs are seen throughout the music video, for example when the artist is singing and playing on the piano from 2:15 -2:20 and they are seen on top of the piano. The photographs are also used in the video through zoomed in close up shots and jump cuts to show the footage behind the pictures. 
This is evident from 1:28 - 1:40 where we see an image of a man driving a car come to life through the camera shots and editing. The use of the iconography of photographs is conventional to the indie genre, as it represents memories for the artist and convey that they're meaningful to them which makes the audience empathise with what she's feeling. This has inspired me to consider using photographs in my music video to convey a narrative that is based around the artist looking back into her past. This will be evident in my music video when the artist is looking into her memory box and the images of her and her partner. What I found inspirational from the video and its use of the pictures as iconography, is the way it used editing and cinematography to zoom in and showcase the activity shown in the image. The reason why I am intrigued by this is because I believe it will be conventional to the indie genre, as it shows the artist sharing her past with her audience which tends to be included in an indie music video, as artists usually sing about their personal experiences or something close to them. Therefore, the photographs will help build a relationship with the audience whilst being conventional to the indie genre by giving the impression of the artist expressing themselves through the iconography.

The style of video of a performance in Nina Nesbitt's music video 'The Hardest Part' has made consider having a performance in my music video. Through the music video of The Hardest Part, Nina is seen playing an acoustic guitar whilst sitting down and singing through a mic. This follows Goodwin's theory that there is a performance, narrative or concept in a music video and in this case there is a performance. The performance is seen through the use of the acoustic guitar and mic that Nina uses in her music video. A performance is conventional to the indie genre, as it further expresses the emotions or feelings that the artist is showing to the audience. Also I found this inspirational as in the video it follows Goodwin's theory that visuals and music match and this is seen through the use of the guitar, as Nina is seen playing it in time of the music. This gives the impression that she is playing the music live which makes the video look more authentic and believable. This further showcases her talents and makes the audience admire her for being multitalented. This has inspired me to show a performance like Nina's in my music video, as I think it is conventional to the indie genre but also gives the audience further knowledge about the artist as in what they are good at other than vocals. Also, the inspiration of having a performance in my music video is inspirational to me as I think it'll convey the artist in a different light and make her look more extraordinary which catches the audiences attention whilst watching. I am considering incorporating a performance alongside my narrative so that it gives the impression that the artist is telling a story through the performance as well as the narrative which makes the music video more interesting to watch. I will incorporate it by having the artist sing whilst playing an instrument e.g. acoustic guitar or piano, especially when its the chorus. 


The artist representation of being reminiscent inspired me from the music video Panic Cord by Gabrielle Aplin. This is seen through the use of iconography, specifically a memory box that is evident throughout the video. This was inspirational as I believe it conveyed the artist as ordinary and relatable to the audience as she is seen looking back at memories. This inspires me to use the representation of my artist being reminiscent as it'll portray her as thoughtful, deep and reflective which is conventional to the indie genre. I will consider using this inspiration in my music video when the artist is looking back on the memories that she and her partner had, also following the memory theme convention. This representation will help build a relationship between the artist and audience, as they'll empathise with what she's doing and also feel as if the artist is allowing them into her life due to her sharing these memories with them. Therefore creating a relationship between the two and this could lead to longevity, as they will follow artist to find out more about her through her music career. 


An idea that I will definitely put forward to my group members, is the use of iconography especially photographs in our music video. This is because I believe it is conventional to the indie genre and is an interesting way to convey memories or experiences that the artist has had within our narrative. Also another idea that I will forward to my group members is having the setting of a bedroom within our music video, as it is a recognisable location that the audience can relate to, but also shows that the artist is allowing them into her personal space which builds a relationship between the artist and audience. The way I will communicate these ideas across to my members, is that we will have a group discussions of all the ideas we all have and then note them down on a mind map, which will help develop the base of our music video. Also by using inspirations from music videos, it'll hopefully help my group produce a more successful music video as we will have more understanding and knowledge on how certain elements should be used in an indie music video and the effect it'll have on the audience. Therefore, our final product will be conventional but also unique as it'll have our own interpretations in it, hopefully increasing our artist's longevity.