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

It was essential for me to maintain a certain level of consistency between my main product and ancillary texts so that the audience were aware the texts linked together at all times. Due to the fact that my music video is promotional, which means that it is only designed to make the audience aware of the song and not to make money, the digipak and magazine advertisement are the main products that will make the money, through advertising the single, gaining 'fans' therefore popularity ensuring plenty of people buy the album/single. The more advertisements, the more likely people are to recognise and familiarise with the artist, which in the long run means a wider spread audience and more units shifted. The points I have listed are the main reasons why it was so essential for me to closely link my main product and ancillary texts, it is important for the audience to recognise and link the advertisements with the music video. I think that I have kept a strong link between my main product and ancillary texts, therefore ensuring a successful music video.

The shot that I chose for the front page of my digipak is not linked with any of the shots I have used in my actual music video, this is because I felt it would be boring for the audience. However, I think it is key to stick to similar conventions for both my music video and ancillary tasks so here is what I did for the front page of my digipak. There are no shots in my video of the artist against a brick wall, however for my magazine advertisement I used quite a similar image. As you can see, both images are titled in the same direction which gives a small link between both texts, they are also edited with a cool setting, this creates familiarity. I chose the cool editing technique as I felt it matched with the artists lyrics, creating tension and feeling for the audience. It was important for me to give the audience links between all of my texts as I believe it allows them to associate better with my music video.

For the middle section of my digipak, I decided to use three different photos. After looking at other examples I noticed that this was a very common technique, I believe that it really helps the draw the audience in as they feel like they know more about the song/artist and how they are portraying their feelings across in the music video. The first shot is of the two characters holding hands and walking away from the camera, this is a key link between the digipak and the music video. This is the final shot I used for my music video before fading out into the 'past'. I think using the same images as I have shot in my music video creates such a strong link between my texts, therefore grabbing the audiences attention and giving them what they expect.
I have also included a shot of the artist playing the piano which represents her as a musician, reinforcing her passion for this genre of music, it allows the audience to know a little bit more about the artist. After researching other digipaks I noticed that a lot of artists use this technique, Ed Sheeran has a picture of himself playing his guitar for one of the inside pages of his digipak, this was what made me want to use the image of the artist playing the piano, I believe that it empahasises the genre of music, they compose their own songs which is a key reason why their audiences enjoy their songs. I also decided to include the lyrics to the song on this page of my digipak, I thought this would be a good idea as I have seen it in other examples, it is a key convention of a digipak and is why a lot of people choose to purchase an album. The final image is a simple shot of the artist looking over her shoulder in the same field setting that I used for part of my music video.

For the back page of my digipak I chose to use a similar shot as the final one I talked about for the inside page. I thought this would link well as the setting is the same as I have used in my music video. It is simple which again connotes the genre of the artist/song and suggests the artists calm personality. I have used the same editing technique, which is warming the image up, I think this emphasises the location of the shot. The artist is leaning against a tree and looking away from the camera, it is obvious she is in thought which makes the reader want to know more and listen to the rest of the songs I have listed on the back page. This is a key convention of digipaks which is why I have used it. It allows the audience to see how many songs are on the album and the names. Overall, I think I have kept my links throughout all of my texts therefore creating a successful digipak.

Here is the final copy of my digipak, placed together.

Above-left is a shot from my music video and above-right is a screenshot of my final magazine advertisement. As you can see I have deliberately chosen an almost identical shot for my magazine advertisement as I have used for a section of my music video. I decided this would be a good way of linking my texts together. During filming I realised that I wanted this particular shot for my magazine advertisement so I took a lot of photos after shooting the video and ended up using this particular picture. It shows the artist who looks deep in thought, which matches the genre of the song itself and also connotes the brand of the singer. I think that the simplicity of these shots really emphasises the artists personality and genre, she is calm and collected which is exactly what the target audience would look for in the magazine advert. I have edited the colouring on the magazine advertisement as I felt that it helped it to stand out and therefore catch the readers attention more successfully but that is the only difference between the two images.