Ancillary text 1

Ancillary text 1

This is a DVD cover I have created for the release of my music video.

I used conventional tropes of professional DVD covers such as: stating the names of the actors involved, and including an award nomination that one of them has received; having a synopsis of the music video on the back of the cover; naming the Directors and Producers as well as the video's production company (including the company logo on the back and side of the cover); showing positive reviews and star ratings; the single and DVD cover image and title is large on the front of the cover, and small on the back and spine of the cover, so as to focus people's attention to the images and title of the video; a barcode for the DVD is included on the back of the cover, along with the DVD, HD, and 'U' (universal - suitable for all) symbols - these icons are also all on the side of the DVD, and the U is on the front of the cover to allow audiences to immediately identify the video's rating; on the back of the cover there is also a small image of the cover of Gabrielle Aplin's debut album 'English Rain', that the song 'Home' is included in; the back of the cover has screen fitting information - a 'Widescreen' stamp; I have also added still shots from the music video and minimized them, to make a horizontal sequence along the back of the cover, in order to give viewers teasers as to what sort of characters, and storyline, unfold within the music video; and, the iTunes, DVD and YouTube logos (on the back of the cover) indicate the formats that the video can be found, streamed and bought on.

I put the music video's highest ratings, including five star reviews, at the top of the back of the DVD cover - the best quote from a high-profile news company was centred, higher than the other reviews and put in a larger font and image size. The blue stars, and red text linked to them, contrast well with each other and the pale, creamy-yellow background of the DVD cover. The red-brown title of the music video also contrast with the background, making it memorable - this is why I put the actors' names, and the chosen cover quote from the song, in this colour as well. The spine of the DVD cover has depth - it has gradient colours going from a light pink to the pale yellow. The pale pink complements the pink-brown of the text boxes and the red-brown outline of the text boxes and images on the back of the cover - black text was used here to make the information clearly visible. 

The font I used for the top text box on the back of the cover is Garamond, size 11.5 because it is clear and professional. I also used the same font in various sizes again for the names of the reviewers, the positive feedback quote and the names of the actors on the front cover. However, I used Gill Sans NT Condensed, size 12, in capitals for the second text box, as again it is professional and clear. For the title of the music video a different font was used - Bradley Hand ITC (on the front cover it is size 54), and for the song lyric shown across the bottom of the front of the cover I used Monotype Corsiva, size 14, as it is elegant and so suits the song and video.

The design of the image on the front of the DVD (which can be seen minimised on the back and spine of the cover as well) is meant to evoke nostalgia as it shows three old, retro, Polaroid pictures. Even though the second two photographs are not fully seen they are actual stills from the music video that I added in order to maintain authenticity. The first photograph, that can be seen, is relevant to the music video because it is a field of sunflower's in the Sun - in the music video a sunflower symbolises the couple's renewing love. The low angle shot here makes the sunflowers seem powerful and so reflects the symbolism in the music video. The bright yellow of the sunflowers is also complemented and seemingly heightened by the pale yellow background of the DVD cover.

Ancillary text 2

Ancillary text 2

I created a magazine advert for my music video - this would be featured in most popular magazines, (so will be in A4 format) such as; NME's magazine, Country Living, Hello! and Vanity Fair.

I used conventional tropes of professional magazine adverts such as showing positive reviews, including the production company name, the single and DVD cover image, the date of release 'May 2017', the artist and media format, and where it will be released - 'iTunes, DVD, and YouTube'.

The colours I used are calming, the pastel pink tinted red-brown  complements the tea-stained colour of the Polaroid frames, and contrasts with the bright colours of the photographs in the main Polaroid picture. The main Polaroid is a field of sunflowers with the sun shining down - this is symbolic because throughout the music video a sunflower represents the love that the couple feel for each other. The font used suits the piece because - Garamond, which I used for the main writing, looks a bit like a vintage typewriter text, Bradley Hand ITC, which I used for 'Home', looks like hand writing on the Polaroid, and Monotype Corsiva, which I used for 'May 2017', is dainty reflecting the melody of the song. The black text and black stars also contrast well with the background of the advert.

The main image of the advertisement connotes memories and a sense of belonging as they are old images of something seemingly important, such as a home, as they seem to have been kept for so long; they provoke nostalgia and love.

Ancillary text 2 research

Ancillary text 2 (magazine advert) research

• The colours of this poster are striking – the black contrasts with the white and the gold making Jessie’s name, and song information stand out.
• The artist’s website can be seen near the bottom of the advert – allowing those who want to know more about the album and artist to access more information for themselves.
• Advertising another artist, who featured in one of Jessie J’s singles (B.O.B) will also make fans of said artist inclined to buy the album.
• The name of the artists, the title of the album, and a couple of singles can be clearly seen on the advert – this gives the artists immediate credit for the songs and also show audiences some of the music that has already been made popular in order to draw people into buying the whole album. 
• The fact that “Price Tag” became a #1 international hit is clearly stated to show that the artist already has popular, international recognition and therefore her debut album is worth buying.
• The logos of supporting companies (including the record label) can be seen in the bottom corners of the poster/magazine advert to promote who produced and marketed the album.
• The central image of the artist is also captivating as it looks as though Jessie J is staring at you – this attracts your attention to the advert, which means you will most probably read it, and even if you don’t buy the album you will have heard about it and perhaps promote it buy word of mouth to others. The artist is also wearing intricate make-up and clothing therefore this may appeal to some as they will link their clothing choices with her music style and perhaps be inclined to buy from someone who they deem as ‘cool’ or different/similar to them.

• This poster has immediate connotations of love due to the pink treatment that has been used over the image of one of the artists, who is looking straight into the camera which again grabs people's attention.
• Five star reviews of the song by creditable media outlets such as The Guardian, and a quote "Breathtaking" from NME has been added to emphasise the high quality and popularity of the music.
• The bold, black text that states the title of the song and the artists contrasts well with the pink and eye-catching background, and makes it clear what the song is called and who it is by. The smaller writing also indicates that the song is available now and in a smaller font supporting businesses and the record label are mentioned.

• This, like most magazine adverts, uses the album cover image for the advertisement. This makes it simple to identify the album when looking to purchase it.
• The font used is retro - it is like an old type writer and so follows the vintage theme of the advert; the clothes Aplin wears in the pieces are old-fashioned and the dismal, simplistic and beautiful beach setting has a retro treatment over the top making it seem like an old image. 
• The umbrella pose is light and dainty suggesting innocence, this is reinforced by the rainbow coloured umbrella and the colour co-ordination of the font and the setting suggesting a childish happiness. This connotative that the music will be nostalgic and so will probably be mostly acoustic.
• The name of the artists, and the release date are all in large front to give readers the main information they need first.
• Hit singles and information on release formats and deluxe editions,a s well as the artist's website are near the bottom of the advert, in a smaller font, giving those who are interested in Aplin's work more information about the album release.

The screenshot from Ed Sheeran’s website (from when he released his first album) advertises his music as well as his tours, merchandise and music videos. Music videos are often promoted online rather than in magazines, this way teaser shots can be shown rather than printed stills. Music videos are usually released after singles as well, meaning that people will already know the song by the time the music video is released and so posting the video at this point is more immediate than promoting it.

Ancillary text 1 research

Ancillary text 1  research

Film DVD cover

Above is an example DVD cover, it is for ‘Catching Fire’ the second Hunger Games film.

Conventions of DVD covers: -

·         Includes photographs of the character specifically taken for the cover, as well as or instead of stills from the movie.

·         Includes the title of the film, and the either the main actors’ names or a line that links to the film, perhaps directly from the film or previous film if it is a sequel.

·         The DVD logo has to be shown somewhere on the cover – usually the back but sometimes the side and front too.

·         The film rating must be on the back of the cover, it is also usually on the front and side.

·         The definition of the film - 'standard' or 'high' - will be on the back of the cover along with the running time, screen size, the producing company logos and Director, Producer and Music director credits.

·         A synopsis of the film, or a teasing summary will be shown at the top of the back of the DVD cover, along with the protagonists' real names and one or two other credits they have been in or awards they have been given or nominated for.

·         Reviews of the film will be put on the back or front of the cover to show that it is already popular.

·         A bar-code will be on the back of the cover.

·         Side of the DVD cover will have the title of the film on it and sometimes a smaller version of the main cover image.

·         If the DVD can be downloaded onto another device the DVD case will say so, this information is often displayed on the back of the case.

Music video DVD cover 

Conventions of music video DVD covers: -

·         DVD logo usually on the back of the case.

·         Producing label logos on the back of the case.

·         Title of the DVD – live shows, music videos concert performances – on the front, spine and back of the case.

·         Name of the artist in bold letters on the front cover of the case.

·         An image of the artist, on the front cover.

·         A photograph or photographs from the tour (will state which tour)/music video/cartoon related to the artist - on the back of the cover.

·         Songs played/video footage featured will be listed on the back.