Analysis of Existing Products (Pop Video, Digi-Pack & Website

Music Video AnalysisSong: This is What is feels like

Producer: Armada TVRelease Date: May 3rd 2013 – UKLength: 3 Minutes 36 Seconds

Source: YouTube

The music video starts off in a remote desert. With the performers signing, this shows a utopian experience as they have two nice cars and seem to be enjoying themselves. The camera angle shown of the two cars in an Ariel shot, which also shows a lot of space around them. This enhances the idea that they are alone and free to do as they please.

They then meet a pretty girl who is with an ugly older man, this shows the typical representation of women; that they are pretty and cant take care of them self, the two performers look at the woman so they get kicked out of the restaurant she is in by her boyfriend. The camera angle of the woman is an extreme close up which shows her facial features, we can see she is wearing makeup but at the same time she is naturally pretty, this shows that she is vein and showing off her body to the two men while serving them. This identifies with Laura Mulvey’s ‘Male Gaze Theory’, that women in the media are portrayed in a provocative and sexual manner aimed primarily at a male audience.

One of the performer then takes the girl in the car and the two men race with her. This again relates back to the utopian theory as they are care-free and having fun with no one to tell them to slow down or not have fun. The way the woman is standing and what she is wearing is very provocative as her stomach is showing as well as her upper legs, she is also revealing her body shape and holding her hands up in a care free way, this is how women are usually represented in the media ; as sexual beings for a male audience.

Towards the end of the narrative the woman gets into the car of her boyfriend and leaves the two men behind. This shows she was just playing around with the men for fun. This portrays her as a care free person who is very vein as she made two men chase after her even though she wanted to go back to her boyfriend at the end. This is a stereotypical representation of women; that they are vein.

In this Full Shot, the woman is the centre of the image, making the audience look at her legs and back, this shows her as a sexual being who is made to look at as an object by a male audience, this term ‘Male Gaze’ was coined by Laura Mulvey relating to this specific representation of women in the media.

This image shows the man is driving and the woman is standing and enjoying the drive. The man is driving has he is portrayed as the care-taker, the woman cant handle to drive or take care of herself so she sits in the passenger seat as women are portrayed as inferior to men.

The next image shows the three people walking along the train track, the woman is walking in the middle, between the two men, this symbolises that she is being protected by the men which is a stereotypical representation of women, that they need to be protected by men.

This image shows the woman is now leaning on the car in a provocative way which entices the male audience to gaze at her, as Laura Mulvey suggested the ‘male gaze’. This is enhanced by the fact that she is wearing a short skirt and and a short sleeve t shirt.

This final shot of the two performers looking at each other in a synchronised and mischievous way shows that they know the women they just saw is trouble like the last women. The fact that another pretty women shows up right after the first woman leaves, shows that women are expendable and easy to replace (like objects) for men.

This image shows an entirely new girl who has not been seen before, she looks at the men and twirls her hair, the two men then look at each other and the narrative ends. This could mean that women are juts objects that come and go from men's lives and they have to real value, they are just nice to look at.

Strengths & Improvements…The video had a lot of positive areas such as the originality of the plot as well as the location. The lyrics tied into the plot which is a general convention so it may come of as dull and overused, but it worked well. The performers were also good as the plot was slightly funny which is not something most music videos incorporate.

To improve this video to increase the view ability and entertainment value I would prefer if there were more choreography scenes as opposed to the entire video being based around the artists. There was no dancing at all which subverts entirely from the genre, and this time, it didn’t work well as the scenes became dull after a minute. The storyline was not very upbeat as the song belonged to the dance genre. Most dance music videos elaborate on the dance scenes and including a variety of locations.

Digi-Pack AnalysisArtist: AKON

Album Title: Freedom Source: HMV retail outlet

Release Date: November 25, 2008

Price: Average £15

The Title of the artist and album name is written in a simple, yet effective font. This matches the background; minimal and simple.

The artist (AKON) is wearing a pinstriped suit which is very formal attire; this subverts from the typical costumes of artists on album covers; they are usually dressed in more informal clothing to relate to the audience. This is also a new look for the artist as he usually wears leather jackets, t shirts or hoodies. This new look could be his expression of ‘Freedom’ which is the album title.

The artist is also turned around which could mean he wants the audience to have a sense of mystery about him. He is also looking forward which means he wants to be free and go where he wants.

The artist (AKON) is wearing Smart Attire, which is a new style for him. This represents him as a positive person as he is not wearing tracksuits or casual clothing. A suit emits the impression that a person is serious and well cut which helps boost the image of him.

Across the Album, there are coloured lines around which adds an edgy style to the look as well as makes the images and fonts stand out.

There is a sticker at the bottom left which was added by the store, it shows Additional information about the artist/songs, which doesn’t necessarily match the album however it is vital information.

The background features a sunny blue sky with minimal clouds, this creates a cooling and calm effect on the audience. The fact that there is along shot of the background shows that the artist is alone and free.

In the booklet on the interior cover, Akon is wearing smart attire again. This can elaborate on his new look as well as free identity.

The lines continue on this page however they seem to not match the rest of the page, this may have been added as it continues on the next pages.

The background is plain white with an effect all across the page, this is a simple page as it diverts the focus on the artist. This is a mid shot which allows the audience to focus entirely on the artist rather than the location or any props.

This close u up of the artist shows his serious facial expression and sunglasses; which shows a hidden identity as we don’t know more about his emotions as he has an almost blank expression. This ties in with his mystery image shown on the front cover.

The Conforming lines are present in all the pages which makes the pages seem less dull.

The back page of the Digi-Pack shows the list of songs on the CD, this is not present in all albums however is still a general convention. It allows the audience to know what kind of songs they will hear. They can also identify songs they like or have been recommended which may entice them to buy the album. The font is plain black and is not too big, this makes it easier to read and allows the audience to focus on the artist rather than the visual distractions.

The barcode is present on nearly all products including albums, this is not a very aesthetically appealing feature however it is vital.

This close up of the artist is of the same time but the camera angle is different, this creates a sense of unison with the album as it is the same background, artist, props and costume. The close up of the artist from behind creates another sense of mystery as we cannot see his full face, the artist looks as though he has a slight smile, but it is difficult to interpret.

At the bottom right, there is additional information such as the record label, release date, sponsors etc. The font is in plain white and is simple, this is due to the fact that this information is not vital to the audience but is just there for legal reason.

Strengths &Improvements….This Digi-Pack is efficiently laid out as there is not too much clutter of words or images, everything on the album is relevant to the artist or audience. The colours (mainly blues) have a calm and cool effect on the audience which implies that the new songs will follow. The colours also work well together and makes the artist appeal to a variety of audiences rather than having a cover with him wearing hoodies and t shirts, wearing a suit allows him to identify with new demographics such as business men and adults as well as his younger audiences.

On the other hand, this is a new style from the artist which the target audience may not appreciate, as they expect and like a certain type of representation from him, shown in his previous work. His previous albums shows his costumes as being more informal (t shirt, hoodie, big jewellery and props), this time, he is simple, mature and looks like a business man.

Website AnalysisArtist: Calvin Harris

Source: www.calvinharris.comWebsite aesthetics rating: 3/5

User friendly rating: 3/5

The main writing has a Simple house font, which is not very appealing as it is basic with no ‘flare’ which is expected from an artist such as Calvin Harris.

On the top left of the page, all major social media websites are accessible such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. This is a great feature as it allows a greater audience reachability.

On the other side of the page there is the ability to share website with friends via Facebook, Twitter or email. This feature also takes advantage of web 2.0 as someone in London could share this website with someone in America with a few clicks.

The background of the first screen is all black, which matches the artist’s new album release. This is a very boring and simple look as the target audience would be aged between 16-25, these age groups would prefer a background with more colour or images.

On the bottom left of the page there is an open to download the song on ITunes or Listen to it on Spotify, this is an effective marketing strategy as it is easy to access as well as instantly available. This is designed to combat the use of Piracy.

The background on this page is completely white and basic. This conforms with the background of the other pages. The brick design is present on the artists previous albums which means it is a symbol and identifier of the artist.

On the ‘Live Dates’ The information is clearly laid out and clutter free however it seems slightly too basic as the target audience is use to more bold and loud pages. The font is plain which doesn’t distract the audience however it also not a font that related to the audience as they would be young and interested in bright colours and a range of fonts such as graffiti.

The calendar is neatly laid out and information is clear to see, this would appeal to an older and more formal audience however as the artists genre is Dance, having a formal website may not be the best way to reach out to the audience.

The font of the title is minimal and it is a house font, that is present on nearly all of his albums and products. This simple font is contradictory to the conventions of a dance genre, which may indicate the artist is more interested in his music and wants to share it with the audience rather than having visual distractions.

The images are from live performances from the band, which allows the audience to feel as they are part of the crowd.

The font is very basic and doesn’t seem to have a style to it. This is something that makes the page look for formal, although it looks neat and ordered, it may not appeal to the targeted audience as they would be young and wanting to see colour, boldness and loud images.

The live tweet feature is interesting and helps promote the artist if people around the world are reviewing his work. It allows audiences everywhere to see what other fans are saying as well as giving their own opinion. This allows for a more intimate feel from audience to artist, which is not something many artists usually promote.

The events timeline at the bottom is effective as it is simple yet it provides vast information of what the artists is doing over the next few months, as well as where he was in the past. The timeline gives information such as album releases, new singles, live concerts, CD Signings, tours and general whereabouts of the artist. This helps the audience to plan when they want to see them in concert and can book tickets early.

Strengths & Improvements….This website is well networked as it features live tweets from fans as well as links to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter; making it much easier for the target audience to follow them. The website is also simply laid out and is not too loud or bright, which is a useful design idea as there is a lot of information on the website.

On the other hand, as the target audience would be a younger group, having such a simple and clinical website may not be appealing to them. There are no bold or bright colours as well as a lack of font variety. The target audience would usually expect a bright, colourful and loud website as the artists genre and music videos are usually related to the dance genre, this type of website design would suit genres such as jazz, classical music and music aimed at an an older audience.