How effective is the combination of your main product with ancillary texts?

The music video (main production) and the print productions (ancillary texts) create a good combination because they both target the same audience through having links to the music video. The target audience is of folk/pop genre and there are several links to them in the music video so I wanted the same effect on the print productions. The ancillary texts sells the main product to the target audience and my ancillary texts give the audience a hint at what is in the music video by repeating similar themes which are repeated in the music video. While creating my advert and album cover I made a few direct links to the music videos so the target audience would feel more inclined to watch the video. By having these links the target audience will be drawn in by the ancillary texts and when they watch the music video they will see these links being repeated there as well.

From the album cover the audience is able to gain a sense of the artist’s style and a hint at what the music video is going to be like. From the advert target audiences can get a sense of the type of music Shannon Hurley will play because the target audience will link the advert and album to other artists with similar styles; Laura Marling, Kate Voegele, Ellie Goulding ecterera.

When it came to editing the album cover I wanted to have similar links to other artists to promote Shannon Hurley to the target audience because the audience will recognize these links and be more inclined to listen to her music. With the album cover I used a paintbrush to create the sense of water to link to the waves that are included in the music video, and the golden background which I have added a photoshop technique too called noise is linking to the sand of the beach. I want the album cover to represent the music video so the techniques I have used on photoshop for the album cover are reflecting the melancholy and romance of the beach. The noise I have used on the background also targets the folk audience because it’s different, creative and has a vintage quality which links to the audience’s interest vintage aspects. The vintage quality was how I linked the album cover to Arctic Monkeys - Humbug because I want that same quality they have with their album. The photo featured on the album cover is showing audiences and these potential buyers of the album who the artist is and gives the album a friendly quality because the artist is portraying themselves to an audience and not remaining private. The photo I took links to the artists who I studied like Kate Voegele and Ellie Goulding who portray themselves on their albums so I wanted this quality so then my album cover was a mix of qualities I have learnt from different albums and targeting my audience. The photo I have chosen for the album cover is linking in with the music video, which I took at the beach, because of the way the wind is blowing the artist’s hair and the natural background all links with the romantic and melancholy themes of the music video. The album cover is giving the audience an idea of what the music video will be like and an insight into the artist’s style of music. The album cover ties in with other albums with the same target audience that I have so this audience will see that Shannon Hurley's music is their kind of music and will be more interested in listening. The album cover shows what age group and gender (females, 16-24), the whole production is aiming at because the female artist is looking natural and feminine, the light colours, the womanly font and the same themes I have already mentioned which the album connotes. The artist on the cover of the album is of the same age as the target audience which helps the audience relate to the artist and makes them feel more connected with her. With the album cover I did want to include aspects of Laura Marling’s album cover because the target audience for Laura Marling is the target audience for my music video so by including these aspects (such as the creative elements) this is showing the target audience that they should buy the album. The creative aspects which Laura Marling's album has inspired me to include is the paintbrush around the photo of the artist because it creates a 'wave/sea' quality without using a photo of the sea.

(Final Product)

The advert has all the same themes that the album cover has. The advert has carried on with the same golden background with the sand texture, and the use of the feminine font and the background of the advert is a photo of the artist. The photo of the artist I have decided to feature is similar to the album cover’s because you can see that the wind is blowing the artists hair which links to the melancholic feeling of the music video, but I like how the artist is looking away which gives the target audience the sense of a break-up in a relationship because the artist is looking thoughtful like she is reminiscing. The other reason I have included a photo of the artist looking away is so the target audience feel interested in who she is and wanting to know more about her so they feel more inclined to research her. The advert and the CD cover work together to sell the artist to the target audience therefore the target audience will watch the music video and listen to the music of the artist. I have used the same font because I want the advert to be an extension of the album cover by carrying on the same decorative themes to target the target audience. I want the target audience to see these recurring themes and then recognize the album in the shops and the ancillary texts will become fixed in the target audiences mind. With the same recurring themes the audience will constantly get these visual repetitions everywhere they go and know they are linked so they will remember to research the artist. I have spread the font across the photo of the artist and the advert because I wanted it to be eye-catching, bold and the information on the advert is more important than the artist’s image. I wanted the font to be eye-catching so that the target audience would remember her name and then see the artist’s album so they would be more interested in purchasing the album. From purchasing the album the target audience will see who the artist is because the album features the artists full face, so the advert is luring the target audience into viewing the album therefore going on to see the music video.

(Final Product of Advert)

In conclusion the album cover and CD cover work together to target the folk audience’s to watch the music video. The ancillary texts all foreshadow what is to come in the music video, and because of the this audiences are more interested in watching the music video. The ancillary texts also make audiences want to watch the music video before purchasing the album, so if the ancillary texts sell the artist the audience will research them further. The advert also makes the artist seem like a mystery so the audience will want to know more about the artist therefore watch the music video then lead them to buying the album.