2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

A number of different shots and different angles were used throughout each production in the project, from posters, front and back CD cover, inlay cards and the music video itself. These were used in order to create variation so that the audience can view the artist from different angles and in turn view him as more than just a one dimensional figure. It also gives the effect of being cool because we audience see him in medium shots, close ups and low angle shots, having different poses, different clothes and different settings that serve to compliment and enhance his image all of which gives him an aura of spontaneity and the aura of not being safe and boring. Whilst we made him appear spontaneous, aloof and cool we needed him to have a baseline consistency from which the audience can recognise him. We achieved this by making the audience associate the colour blue with the artist, at the same time the colour those suggests and is seen to represent coolness, a slight detached manner and its colour variations can imply spontaneity.

The song chosen that we used for our music video was somewhat of a cross between two genres; R&B and Hip Hop. At the most basic level the hip hop aspect of our music video was represented by the rapping performed by our artist. However, we used a conventional R&B concept of boy/girl romantic narrative in order to bring the lyrics of the song to life.  In order to give the music video a more hip hop vibe, the chipmunk voice in the background was used to contrast with the mellower R&B beat of the song. In our ancillary products we also tried to use elements of both R&B and Hip hop. For instance, our inlay cards; one of the inlay cards has a threshold effect which is associated with the hip hop scene. Our poster on the other hand, was a mixture of Hip hop and R&B; the Hip hop aspects included the font which was strong and rough in appearance, as well as the territorial imagery of London and specifically Wembley gave an old school, ground roots Hip hop feel. The R&B poster was represented by the colour scheme which was brighter than the usual dark black and white colours associated with Hip hop.

On the front of the CD cover, the artist is shown in profile looking off to his left as if in thought or pondering which gives the impression to the audience that the artist is a character with a lot to say than what his image or genre suggested. The music video carries on this theme by having the artist in clothing which is jeans and t-shirt which still retain the element of street style rather than having the artist in oversized clothing such as hoodies and major bling. The music video also gives the impression the artist has something to say by making the artist in the video literally saying his words to the person of interest.  It is quite common for an artist to be shown in profile for reasons not pertaining to metaphor or audience analysis. For in stance the music company my choose to place an artist in profile because that is the angle from which they look best; moreover having the artist in profile mean s that half of their face is hidden which adds a sense of mystery and an element of danger that is associated with the Hip hop genre. The city of London, acts as the backdrop on the cd cover. This is to imply to the audience the artists background as a ‘Londoner’ it is also quite a territorial image as well. Furthermore, the ‘parental advisory’ stamp is included to show the audience that explicit content is used within the songs which is stereotypical to many Hip hop and R&B CDs.

On the back of the CD cover we are again shown scenery of London, but it was of the ‘London eye’. The whole image is taken at night with a few lights around it. This gave a calm feeling and does not look rough like many Hip hop CD/back CD covers. This is in contrast with the front of the CD cover which is more indicative of the conventions expected from an R&B Hip hop artist. The use of both a soft image at the back and a rougher image at the front implies a duality to the artist thereby trying to market him as the usual stereotype found in the R&B Hip hop genre but at the same time suggesting that the artist disregards these stereotypes and is his own artist. An image of the artist is shown but looking upwards, this is to show that he wants to aspire to the stars. We replicated the calm feeling in the music video by making the video have a relaxed feel since that was the nature of the sound and lyrics. Furthermore, the duality of hard and soft was represented in the music video by having the artist rap on his own during the ‘rougher’ elements of the song which gave the impression that he rely on himself and also reinforces the fact that he is his own artist. The softer element was shown by interaction that the artist had with his love interest suggesting that there is a softer side to the loner hard man image.

The promotional poster shows an image of the artist once again looking into the distance as if pondering. The fact that he is glowing shows that he is a saint (irony of his stage name ST). Along the bottom of the poster, there is a silhouetted image of London which once again shows the audience that he is a ‘Londoner’. Also, in the background is a tube map with a station of Wembley on top, this is to show the audience that Wembley is his territory. The use of graffiti is a street element that is quite pervasive in Hip hop and Grime CD covers, this is to give a sense of rawness and realism. London was integral to the promotion of this artist and we carried this on by filming the video in suburbs of London in the artist’s home area, once again reinforcing the idea of home territory.

The inlay cards show images of the artist in different angles such as side views, close ups and low angle shots which was replicated in the music video to give consistency. One of the inlay cards that show the artist from a side view shows once again that his pondering. The inlay card with a close up of the artist with threshold effect shows a stereotypical image as this effect is used in many Hip hop and Grime CD/back covers and posters/ inlay cards, this is used to show a rough effect which is a street element, however, we did not use this in the music video because the music video is a soft Hip hop/R&B music video, however, we did use this effect on the actual CD. The third inlay card consists of the artist sitting on a wall looking down which shows that he is larger than he really is in real life. This was necessary because the artist was a smaller stature and generally size and bulk is associated with masculinity and is a strong ideal that runs through the Hip hop genre.