Assignment 2 - Analysis

The artist I will be looking at is Laura Marano. She is an American actress and singer born in California, and is best known for her starring role as Ally Dawson in the Disney Channel series Austin and Ally. She signed a record deal with Big Machine. Big Machine uses magazines, the internet and radio to market Laura Marano. I will be analyzing her music video Boombox as well as her album cover. The target demographics for the music video album cover would most likely be young female teens around the ages of 13 to 15. The genre of the music video is pop, this would definitely appeal to young teens as they'd probably be attracted to the explosion of colors and different choreography going on in the video. They would probably aspire to be like her because of her fashion sense or personality.

The setting in the video is a music studio, which is very colorful, crowded and lively. There's also a lot going on in the background in terms of backup dancers, the directer, costume and makeup designers etc. The artists NVC changes throughout the video in the scenes where she is singing she gives direct contact to the audience, this means that she's singing to the audience, this gets the audience really involved, in other scenes she's focusing more on her surroundings, as there is a lot going on. The lighting is mainly quite high key, which is one of the conventions of a pop music video so you can see the bright colors and choreography.  As any pop music video the costumes that the artist wears are really colorful, glittery and quite casual. As for props, because they're at a music studio, there is a boombox and different brushes and makeup on the dressing table.

The artist is characterized as a dancer in a studio. she's represented quite stereotypically as she is wearing lots of colors and does quite a bit of dancing, which are the two main connotations of a pop music video.

The video mainly consists of mid shots, so that you can see the artist and a little bit of what's going on in the background.














There are a couple of close ups to really focus on the artist as well as her facial expressions from time to time. You can also see her lip movement while she's singing the song.








The cuts from one shot to another are quite fast this is definitely a main stereotype for pop music videos, they're fast, colorful and vibrant. The colors in the video are mainly bright and happy, this connotes conventional pop music videos.

As for the album cover, the setting looks slightly different, as the setting in the video has a lot going on however in the album cover the setting is quite plain. The costume on the other hand is very similar to the costume in the video they are both very stereotypical towards pop costumes as they're both colorful, bright and quite modern. Her dress is short this again shows that she's confident as she's showing her skin . Patterned all over her dress are music notes which connotes that she's lost in the music. In the album cover the artists NVC is staring directly towards the audience this connotes confidence which we can see throughout the video as well. The lighting in the album cover is quite high key and almost looks like a spotlight is shining on the artist. This suggests the importance of the artist which again supports her confidence really well.

The artists name is written at the bottom of the album cover in red fancy writing, it's very clear and vibrant so that the cover is very recognisable. The name of the cover "Boombox" is written at the top in it's original black font, this again makes the album cover very recognizable. The name of the album boombox connotes loud upbeat music, definitely a pop convention.

The artist is represented as very confident and bold on the album cover very similar to how she's represented in the music video, she's represented as a stereotypical pop artist as she's wearing a colourful dress and her pose is very fearless, not very feminine and laid back at all.

The album cover "Boombox" definitely consists of all the conventions of a typical album cover, such as the title which is written clearly at the top, a picture of the artist posing and lastly her name, which is written in fancy writing at the bottom.

The music video is meant to be aimed at young teenagers, and was posted on youtube, as teenagers go on YouTube quite a lot. The video also came on Disney Channel, and alot of young teens watch Disney Channel. The album is also available on Apple music and was sold in many stores.

Synergy is definitely created between the album cover and video, firstly they both include majority of pop conventions such as, they're both very colorful, vibrant and bright. Also the artist is represented as quite an upbeat and bold person in both the video and album cover. The outfit the artist is wearing in the album cover is very similar to the one she wears in the music video.

Overall, I think the album cover and the music video are very effective in promoting the artist as she is represented as quite a stereotypical pop artist in both and follows all the conventions. Also the target audience would probably strive to be like her or have a similar personality; confident, not very feminine, energetic, dauntless, fearless etc. They have also made her wear quite modern, colorful and unique outfits that really stand out. The setting and background really help support the artists image making her more effectively promotional. Therefore all these key factors really make the two products very capable in advertising the artist.

Terminology
Media production
Representation

Assignment 1 - Print advert

My fragrance print advert is aimed at demographics of young females around the ages of 16 to 25.

My advert is very feminine and floral. It has a strong idea behind it based on the greek goddess of youth and nature called Hebe. This would definitely appeal to young female demographics. The model is represented as the goddess "Hebe".

Assignment 1 - Analysis

In the Dior advert you can immediately get the fresh, night-time sense the advert is giving off. The different shades of blue in the background connote that the model is in her own little world of nothing but success and royalty, with that we can see that the target audience for this advert are females around the ages of 20 to 30. Maybe the lady in the advert could remind men about their partners therefore men would make a great secondary audience to buy the perfume for their partners on valentines day or other occasions. 

The Davidoff advert looks quite adventurous and fun, it looks like the male model is discovering new places almost like he's taking a fresh start in life. This could persuade target demographics of males around the ages of 20 to 30 to buy the perfume.

In the Dior advert, the model is wearing a really elegant and flowy midnight blue dress, this connotes that she could be at a party or a formal event, which adds quite an effect as it matches with the overall theme and name of the perfume. Her dress is quite open around her chest, this could show us that she's really confident to show some skin. The model seems to be in some kind of different universe we can tell because there are no signs of normality, or she could be in an ocean or the sky as those places are mainly blue. The lady's NVC has direct address which means that  she's staring directly at the audience, this adds quite an effect as it's like she's telling the audience to buy the perfume. The lighting in the Dior advert is quite low-key, the lighting connotes mysteriousness and darkness and also matches with the name of the perfume and the overall theme. The Dior advert is a medium long shot and is taken from a high angle to show the hard focus on the models face. The model has a controlling and successful look on her face we can tell because she looks very serious as her eyes are locked on the audience. The colour has a very effective link to the title of the perfume, the word midnight has connotations of dark blue skies and late night parties. The word poison connotes evil and death, however in this case the midnight poison seems like a good thing as it's almost like it changes everything into a fantasy. the colour blue connotes the sky, the ocean these places could represent peace, no wonder she looks very relaxed yet controlling. The brand of the perfume "Dior" and the name are written very clearly in white, this is easy to see as the background colours are quite dark. The model in the Dior advert looks very powerful and controlling like she's the ruler of her very own kingdom we can tell because no one else is there. She looks tough and strong without a man therefore this advert is against the stereotype of men being stronger. These representations of the model being powerful without a man would definitely appeal to women, as they'd want to be like her, just as tough and powerful as her. 

In the Davidoff advert the model seems to be wearing a white button up shirt, he has kept some buttons open at the top this could tell the audience that he is confident and proud of who he is. His shirt is made out of thin cotton which is perfect material for the exploring and adventuring. It looks like the model is in some kind of dessert or mountainous area, we can tell this because there are mountains in the back and the rock, he is leaning on connotes desserts and mountains, this could suggest how daring and courageous he is. The eagle flying in the sky adds an extra mountainous effect as you don't find eagles everywhere, and so that proves that the man has really traveled out of his comfort zone. The mans NVC is looking at a faraway distance, he looks very focused and clear minded, this could suggest that he's still discovering, and that his journey isn't over yet. The lighting is quite soft and natural, one side of the models face is brighter than the other side this could be because of the sun, this definitely adds to the natural effect as it's not too bright and harsh. The photo is a mid-shot, so that you can see the model and quite alot of the background. There is a hard focus on the man so we know he's the main focus. The colours used in the advert are quite pale and dull to resemble cloudy skies and dark mountains, they are definitely not artificial.The name of the perfume "Davidoff Horizon" is written in dark brown and is seen very clearly on the light sky. The slogan of the perfume "discover the fragrance" is written at the bottom and matches the theme of the advert, where the model is discovering and adventuring. The male model is represented as an innocent young man who seems interested in the world around him, this could definitely appeal to males who want to be like the model, just as confident and adventerous.

Terminology
Media language
Audience