-Evaluation-

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
When we were planning and researching into ideas for our products we wanted to make sure that there was a link between all of the products e.g. the music video, tour poster, album front and back. We provided a theme of red, white and blue throughout all of our products, this is to represent an American theme due to them being an American group and the song covering American ideas in our chosen song such as dollars, Opera, pledge allegiance etc. We found this effective as a combination because it was a simple theme to follow and you can incorporate many different ideas and miss en scene within this colour theme for example costume, make-up, background colours and lighting.

As shown in these images, we incorporated similar props and messages such as 'Confident' this was done in our music video using the confident signs and also with an image of the group holding the signs for our album cover. This represents a link between the narrative and images and also what we wanted to portray our artists as (confident). We found the ideas for the signs in Fifth Harmony's video for BOSS and also from The Saturday's Headline tour poster. We found this combination of props in our video and ancillary product effective because it provides a link between the products for the audience, stating a clear message/ narrative that we want our artists to give off.

During the chorus in the music video, one of the girls spelled out the word 'BOSS' using sparklers (as shown in the gif to the right), this represents a link between the lyrics in the music video and the song name presented on ancillary products, this is a common convention stated in Andrew Goodwin's music video theory because it provides a link between the products however by using props (sparklers). 

We had a large variety of images to choose from for our ancillary texts and wanted the photos for all of our products to look similar to shots used in the music video e.g. with similar lighting and clothing using similar angles (Long shots, Close ups etc).

These photos (taken on filming days) look very professional and effective due to the lighting and props used, however we felt like the confident signs represented a more obvious link between all of our products instead of the balloons making it more effective.

We also rejected some photos due to the positions the girls where standing in, for example I really like the quality and the lighting of this shot, however only one person is on the ground which looks uneven and therefore wouldn't look as effective on our ancillary products.








For the tour poster we used this image, we really liked this photo because areas such as costume and makeup suit the theme of all the products- red, white and blue and therefore look good with the represented colours of the products. In addition all the girls are standing in equal positions e.g. two girls are on the floor, one girl is in the middle and to people have their arms up. We then went on to incorporate the colours in their clothing onto the background, font, tour name, group name etc in the layout of our products. The fact that the colour blue is incorporated in the group name 'True Blue' also represents a link between all of our products. On the tour poster we used blue font for the True Blue name due to us using a red background, this red background is effective because it makes the image stand out and also the group names, tour dates etc. The combination across all products using similar fonts and colours is effective because it represents a link to the audience between all the products. We also used the same font for the group name True Blue on the tour poster and album cover however in a different colour, this was due to us having a blue background already. We wanted each product to be different in its own way however we still incorporated the same colours and ideas, we did this by switching round areas of the layout using different colours and images.

It is clear to the audience what type of group True Blue are e.g. they are 'confident' emphasising the album name on the album cover. To include an even bigger link between the products we used the same tour poster photo on the album back but used it in a figure/ shadow format. These shadows link in with our main factors of the music video i.e. the different lighting in the video shows shadow effects (black out lines on the wall). On our album back we wanted to create song names that would represent our group e.g. confident, Fearless and Style. The construction of representations in our products provides an effective link between all of the products because it shows the personality of the group which matches with the music video,

when filming we wanted the girls to act in a professional, confident and 'sassy' way to show who they are as artists and what the rest of their album will be like. When looking at artists such as Fifth Harmony who were our main inspiration, we researched into their other products of which they used a similar theme, colours and style throughout their videos and album covers/ posters for that particular album, this helped us follow the conventions of artists in our genre/ target audience. Therefore the representations that we have presented our group as match with our target audience and meet the aims that I originally first had of the group.


The combination of the shadow and lighting effects across all of our products matches our target audience because it is fun/ different and represents colours and brightness which is how we wanted our artists to be. In addition in the music video, the girls are seen wearing similar outfits to those worn in the digi pack products showing a synergy between the products.



The black outfits worn in this image are presented on the album cover and similar outfits worn in the music video in shots where their is bright/ colourful lighting. I think this is effective because it represents a link between the products and also makes other aspects of the product stand out e.g. black outfits on a flashing colourful background makes the group stand out and draws the eye to them.

We also used American themed clothing (the American flag) to represent pledging allegiance and also showing the consistent link of red, white and blue throughout our products. I think that this is an effective link because it represents a narrative and a meaning behind all the products but also the message that the group are giving off.

On our ancillary product for the tour poster, we used an effective range of information for the audience e.g. social media, website names etc. These things look and are effective to use because it also represents the group as social e.g. a girl group with a good fan base who can interact with their fans.

The layout of our ancillary products presents all aspects of mise en scene; costume, make-up, location and props. We used similar mise en scene throughout all the products i.e. we used the same location in the music video to take images of our group for the tour poster and album cover, this helps the audience recognise all the products together to represent their album release.

All of my products have met my expectations and I am very happy with how all the products look together. They represent synergy and look effective all together but also individually. The group are easily identifiable across all products this is due to the use of the images in ancillary products and group shots and 1 and 2 person shots in the music video. You are also able to identify the names of individuals in a group due to the use of signatures on the album cover, we wanted our audience to be

able to identify the group as True Blue but also recognise their individual personalities and identities through the use of their names and miming/ one person shots in the video which is why we created a group/ band biography when we first selected our cast. The products where hard to create with such a large group but I am very proud and pleased with how they worked out and how effective they look due to the use of fonts, images, variety of shots and lighting.

In addition, when creating the inside of our album, we used visual links between the video and ancillary texts due to the use of props and costume. In the music video, some shots involved balloons, therefore I though it was a good idea to use these props in the ancillary products. We also used the same red, white and blue costume in poster and music video, creating this visual link, Andrew Goodwin would suggest this is a common convention of artist products for example he suggests creating a 'mood' or atmosphere in music videos and products is common, the atmosphere of these products would be happy and bold due to the use of mise on scene e.g. bright lighting, colourful clothing and props.