Here I am analysing a magazine advert for the album cover of the artist Bob Dylan.
There is only one image on this advert and this is of the artist himself Bob Dylan. The colours used are block colours with only black and orange; also the image is grey scale, which gives the advert an effect of ‘ageing.’ The font is San Serif and it is therefore more modern and controversial.
There is not much detail shown on this advertisement. Although, there is a logo in the bottom right hand corner of the record label which helped finance and produce the album. On the left bottom corner there are websites and in the middle at the bottom there is a logo of the shop where you are able to purchase the album.
With Bob Dylan being popular around the 60’s he is targeted towards the older generation that were teenagers at around that time when he was popular. The advert is very redundant, as you know it is an album advert as the word “Album” is written on the advertisement.
The layout of the advertisement is traditional with the name of the album at the top and detail of who produced the album and where it is you can get it at the bottom of the advert.
This advert is for the release of Florence and the Machine’s album ‘Lungs.’
The main image is angled in the centre of the advert and this connotes a link between the main image and the name of the song. With the image being a leather set of lungs and the album being called ‘lungs’, the image fits in well with the advert. The colours used in this advert are dark, however there are flowers placed around the lungs and they are bright and more colourful which contrasts against the dark blue background pattern. The images contribute to the creation of the artist by the classiness of the background pattern, jewellery that is entwined around the set of lungs. The artist is very unique and artistic and this advert is far from normal, for example there is a dead bird that is far from ordinary to see which represents her controversial presence.
The detail in this advert is very non-original with the font being serif the wording is shown as traditional, this then contrasts against the image of the lungs which is a non-traditional image to have on the front of an advert for an album. There are no explanations as to who produced the album or what record label the artist is signed to. The information is only about the albums name, what is included inside the album. Although, ‘Abby Road’ is named in the advert and that is where Florence recorded the album.
The advert is a full A4 size page and this is because the images are very detailed with the background pattern and the scattered flowers.
The target audience for the album is not only the artist’s fans but also young people, from the ages of 16-25, although the age range is varied and people over the age of 25 also enjoy her music. This advert appeals to her target audience by her use of juxtaposing images of a dead bird and a set of leather lungs, which are strange images to see, but the artist herself is strange and not controversial.
The advert is very entropic, as you would not know why there is a dead bird present in the image unless you understood the quickness of the artist. Although the advert is redundant in the way in which the image of lungs represents the name of the album.
Here I am analysing a music video that has the same genre as the artist which I will be using for my music video which I will be creating.
The artist i will be using for my music video is Sally J Johnson and her genre of music is very unique, indie, abstract, classical and heart felt. I think that the band City and Colour are of the same genre and therefore I am going to analyse their video "Coming Home."
With the grayscale you feel the deep emotion that the artist wants to give across. You are able to realise the genre as the artist is using his guitar while singing which is common with the indie genre.
The quick shots fly from one to another showing artistic images of "home."
With this scene you as the audience are able to realise what the story of the video is, the whole idea of a girl and man living in different cites and missing one another. The effect of the building being projected onto the bed connotes the place in which the girl wishes to be.
Here is a close up shot of the singer. It is a montage of him and the guitar. The guitar symbolises his passion for music and with his eyes closed this connotes the closeness he has with himself and the meaning behind the song.
Here is another image of the girl, however, the artists is also dissolved in the background and shows the effect of his and her actions and how they are linked together. The shot is a slow cut to the other scene, this juxtaposes the beginning of the video when the scenes are quick. This connotes that the video becomes more emotional as it goes on.
I am using the band Guns and Roses and their song 'Sweet Child O' Mine' to analyse redundancy which is what is expected in this music video and what is understandable and also analysing entropy which is the meaning of when something is not expected and goes against the norms of a music video.
Redundancy:
With this being rock song it is obvious that the instruments are used and shown in the video. for example, in the opening shot there is an image of the guitarist giving a guitar solo and his instrument is fully in view. The bands are therefore shown with their instruments and this is a traditional concept with the genre f rock as the band members are the main focus in the video. Also, with the positioning of the band members, i note that the singer is positioned in the middle of the set and this connotes a sense of importance and the image or main attraction of the band. The outfits being worn are very unique and they also give off the impression of the rock genre because of the use of leather jackets and band members chilling out and smoking.
Entropy:
The introduction of this video is of the film crew and this is a very different take on the beginning of a rock video as it is unclear as to what the crew are doing and who exactly it is that they are filming. Also, the crew are being filmed while filming the music video so it is a layer upon layer of film and that is very controversial.
In Andrew Goodwin's book 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' he points out characteristics and features that can be found in music videos. I have put together this power point that explains his idea that 6 features are in music videos.
I have used the music video by Nirvana and the song 'Smells like teen spirit' and analysed different parts of the video, commenting on the shot type, the edits, music and lyrics and also movement.
ANALYSIS:
Lyrics: Instrumental at the beginning of the video with only the guitars and drums playing.
Shot type and Movement: The shot in this video is a long shot and shows the band in the background and the cheerleaders in the foreground. With this, he cheerleaders are also facing the audience and this gives the impression that they are part of the band.
Edit: The cuts to a shot of a drummer at the end of this shot with the drummer acting aggressive shows that the genre is alternative rock.
Analysis: This video is a performance based video with the band being the main attraction and the audience in the school gym looking down at them. The long shot shows the band in the background with their instruments and this suggests that the genre is rock as with rock videos the band are usually the main attraction. Also, with the dim lighting it gives off a "smokey" and "mysterious" effect which connotes feelings of fear and horror.
Lyrics: Musical break with a guitar solo from the singer of the band. Shot type and Movement: The singer is in the mid ground with the cheerleaders still positioned in the foreground. Also, the audience are now visible and are positioned looking down onto the band. Edit: This scene then cuts to a shot of the audience watching the band and listening to the music. Analysis: The shot shows the cheerleaders still in the foreground and this connotes they are the main attraction. However, the singer has a light beaming onto him and this also connotes a sense of importance.
Lyrics: "Load up your guns; Bring your friends, Its fun to loose and to pretend" Shot type and Movement: Close up of the main band member which is the singer. Edit: The camera moves around the singer with a zoom in and out effect. Analysis: The shot is a close up of the singer and there is still a beam of light that is directed onto him which connotes a sense of importance.
Lyrics: "Hello, hello, hello, how low" Shot type and Movement: The shot is of the audience and cheerleaders in the foreground and the band with their instruments are in the far background. Edit: The camera still uses the zooming effect to zoom through the cheerleaders. Analysis: The long shot shows there is no distance between the band and the cheerleaders, which once again connotes this idea that they are part of the band.
Lyrics: "With the lights out, its less dangerous, Here we are now; entertain us" Shot type and Movement: The shot is behind the singer and makes him the foreground and the audience are now in full view of the camera but are positioned in the background. Edit: The movement becomes speedy and zooms in and out of the audience and singer. Analysis: The long shot is behind the main band member who now connotes a sense of now non-importance and the camera is angled looking onto the audience. With the band members and the audience being in sync with their heads moving to the rhythm of the music, it shows that the genre is rock.
Lyrics: "I feel stupid and contagious, Here we are now; entertain us"
Shot type and movement: The movement has now picked up speed as the song has reached the chorus and the camera now zooms into and out of the drummer and audience. The shot type is a close up of the drummer.
Edit: The camera jumps to close ups and middle shots of the drummer.
Analysis: The close up of the drummer shows him moving in rhythm of the music. Also, his appearance connotes the genre of rock/grunge. The mise-en-scene in this shot is the drums as they are the main focused instrument.
For my A2 media I will be posting on this blog information about the coursework which will include promotional material for the release of a new album, this will include: a music video, a digipak and also an advert for a magazine. The artist we are using is Sally J Johnson and her song is called Dreaming out loud.
Here is a copy of us asking permission to use Sally J Johnson's song for our music video:
