magazine research

The next stage of our coursework is creating a magazine advert promoting our dvd. I have done some research into which type of magazine i would promote it in linking the genre and came up with NME and Q. But on terms of the band being a local upcoming band NME would be a better choice as alot of the adverts in this magazine are not known or mainstream bands that haven't quite made it. Also alot of NME is used to promote bands CD's/DVD's/GIG's which is what i want to do. The size of the adverts range from a full page to some smaller ones to fit more on one page. I have decided to do mine on a full page to match what has been done in NME. The dimensions i will use will be 24cm wide and 30cm long this is the measurements i got from a gig advertisement within NME. On terms of content of the adverts they range from a variety of things, some with just plain backgrounds and merely the writing on the advert, to some with a variety of graphics and images, some promoting the album artwork and some with just the band themselves with details. This gives me a variety of ideas on what i can do with mine because technically they are all from the same Indie genre just depends on the representation they want to achieve. Primarily though the advert was promoting the album or the band upcoming tour which meant the advert was the album artwork in order to make the reader go to the gig or buy the album. NME's target audience ranges within ages and genders, which means none of the adverts are aimed at one particular sex or age which means i can do the same thing to give me a wider range of people buying my DVD from the advert. Thats the art of NME it has such a neutral audience however it may not stereotypically be aimed at 14 year old girly girls as they may not like this type of music, it just aims to please anyone that likes going to gigs and likes indie rock and roll, which is why the audience is so big as it aims to the niche music audiences and the mainstream.

This advert is promoting Muse's Wembley gig on DVD. The artwork is the same as the DVD cover itself to instantly be recognisable. And as you can see they have stuck to the sam colour scheme in order to keep it simple and tidy (yellow, greys, white and black). However the largest font is the name of the DVD and not the band and in this case that is acceptable as Muse aren't and upcoming band, Muse are more mainstream so thy already have a loyal fanbase and are already known. This is different in my case as the band aren't known so i will probably make the bands name the largest font in order for people to know who they are. Also Muse have hidden their identity as again people already know exactly what they look like. However the majority of the adverts in NME don't have the band on the album cover or on the advert so in this case i think i will do the same. However if the reader sees the advert and decides to buy the DVD then they will see the band on the back cover and then know what they look like, either that or if they check their web 2 pages then they will be able to recognise the band for their name and what they look like. On Muse's advert they have added the names of the songs it features, this is so it can appeal to different range of audience as some of their fans may like ' supermassive black hole and hysteria' whereas some may like 'feeling good and time is running out' so its appealing to individual personal preference.

Os vampiros

My video seemed to be of the interest of the band, as to my surprise they had uploaded my video onto there myspace page.

Another bonus i recieved was when we were filming in the car park i decided to take a few photos when we were in the tunnel and they have uploaded them to myspace and facebook and using them as there profile pictures allowing others to see them.

digipack the killers live at the royal albert hall

This digipack is for the killers live from the Albert hall. This is clearly shown as the main part of the digipack is the building which is the royal Albert hall. What i have noticed with the 3 digipacks is that because they are live at a special arena, part of the arena or crowd or something to represent the place is on the front. All 3 have used different types of medium or colour schemes, Muse had a black/silver/gold colour scheme without any real photos just silhouettes or computerised. Kings of leon involved a real photo of the crowd with simple artwork underneath with a orange filter over it all. The Killers have used a variety of bright colours but in the style of a mosaic. So to compare Indie music live DVDs there are no limits of style or colour scheme however all include part of that gig in the cover. I could potentially borrow some of these idea however use it in the correct context for a local band. The killers have used purple as a main colour and this represents the band as what they are like now, as there more modern music is flamboyant and this is shown in their music videos. So again i could borrow this idea by using colours to represent the bands fashion style. I am also aware that the mosaic style and colours link to one of The Killers music video. There is a clear distinction within this Killer's video 'human' and the DVD digipack itself which could be of the live tour promoting this album. Similarly to the DVD advert alot of bands used the same artwork/design on the CD/DVD digipack as the advert promoting it to create that link which will be recognised. The same has been done here the fans of Killers will know the video and will then see the DVD digipack and know instantly who it is.

digipack kings of leon live at the o2

This DVD cover has a orange filter over the front with the black background even has a slight orange tinge in it. This shows a clear and obvious colour scheme throughout which is what i think i might do, showing consistency throughout the product. The digipack is split into 2 halves. The top half of the digipack cover is a crowd at one of there shows, this is using a similar convention to Muse as its adding the live performance venue onto the front differentiating it from normal videos and live performances. The crowd also have an orange filter over the top showing a continuous colour theme. The lower part of the DVD is a round orange circle with a black dot, this is more of a abstract picture as no one knows exactly what it is. This graphic is confusing however could suggest that it links to the actual venue as this is promoting a show at the O2 and therefore is an O with 2 circles together, it could have some sort of hidden meaning behind it which isn't so obvious to the audience but is actually relevant to the Digipack. 

Linking to previous CD covers the band have used 1 specific colour scheme matched with abstract artwork. The title is printed in the middle in reasonably small font with a changing colour throughout from white to light orange to dark orange, matching with the orange filter throughout the front cover. Again contributing to the consistency as it wouldn't make sense to change it to a different colour. 

Digipacks Muse-HAARP

 The back ground is a strong black block colour which runs in the title to show silhouettes of the band playing them playing their instruments so not actually showing the band are, but Muse are a well recognised band therefore they don't have to show themselves. The name of the band are top and central of the DVD to recognise who they are and is there trademark logo so therefore loyal fanbase will instantly recognise the logo. With the same colour of font the name of the DVD is central and in larger lettering with several interferences, like the silhouettes and what looks like lights or some sort of stage setting, however by overlapping these things it joins it together. This is the largest font as this is the name of the DVD and is what they are trying to sell. The same black back ground, gold writing and white abstract artwork runs throughout the DVD and onto the back. I think the white abstract graphic artwork is to represent Wembley as this is the live DVD of them performing at Wembley. Looking at other Digipacks alot are promoting live performances and consists of the venue in which they played on the front to make the distinction that this is where they played and to differentiate it from normal CD's or DVD's of their videos. And alot have stuck with the same colour scheme i think when it comes to making mine i will have a colour scheme, i won't be able to follow the convention of having the live venue on the front as my DVD is not promoting live performances and therefore isn't necessary. If i was creating a DVD promoting a live performance then yes that is what i would. 

The libertines CD cover deconstruction

The libertines have a smiliar sound however are much more raw and rock and roll than Os Vampiros. Os Vampiros are huge fans of the libertines and feel that they also influenced them to start a band and start writing music. The libertines CD cover says alot about the band and well i could use similar tactics to represent Os Vampiros in a way they want to be represented. The thing that stands out here is te photo itself. This photo somes up the rock and roll lifestyle in one picture. Pete and Karl both good friends together Pete looks drunk as he isnt facing the camera. Pete has a cigarette in this hand encouraging smoking. He also has his forearm out facing upwards looking at it, this could suggest the use of drugs without the drugs actually being there, as The libertines fans know that Pete takes heroin. Also with several tattoos on show, one of which saying 'libertine' shows dedication but again all contributing to the rock and roll lifestyle. The lighting here is very high key on Pete and Karls faces, making them the main focus and lower level lighting on the background, making the foreground much clearer. The logo is central to the CD and the font is quite large however it looks like uneven lettering due to the white writing being on a black uneven background. The lettering isnt straight but all capitalised which again shows mess and uneveness, which again could contribute to the rock and roll lifestyle.

strokes-is this it CD covers deconstruction

The strokes had a heavy influence on Os Vampiros on the kind of music they wanted to make and felt that this band inspired several of their other songs. This already creates a link between the strokes and Os vampiros and therefore i could potentially borrow some ideas. This album cover is bright and abstract and is hard to make out what it actually is. The colour scheme is bright blues and firey oranges and yellows, these colours are in contrast to each other and make the cover stand out. It has no obvious link to the band therefore the audience may pick it up unaware of who it actually is. The logo is quite small and discreet compared to the background and isnt easily seen. This isnt the Strokes trademark logo and therefore may not be easily recognised, however at this point they may not have had a logo. The logo here is small in size, a very average font and quite thin in size making it not stand out. Yet the audience may already know who the band are and don't need them to be on the front cover to know who made this CD. 

There is another alternative cover for this album which was actually banned which could be the reason as to why they made another one. The second cover is of a ladies bum with a black glove on her hand, posing. Although there are nothing visually explicit, it's just what it is implying. They have used light greys and whites to emphasise the solid black glove. this piece struck me firstly because of its contrast in colours/lighting, this is due to the simplicity of the shot. 

Arctic monkeys-whatever people say i am thats what im not CD cover

This is Arctic monkeys debut album, Os Vampiros sound is similar to arctic monkeys, therefore by seeing how arctic monkeys CD cover artwork is presented may give me a few ideas.

Looking at the artwork in the Front cover is a close up shot of a male, which isnt in the band this creates some sort of enigma as fans of The Arctic Monkeys would begin to wonder who he is. The front itself is in black and white and alot of my music video is done in black and white therefore would link well if i were to borrow the same colour scheme. The idea that the male is smoking with his fingers in the 'V' shape which creates this rock and roll image of the band themselves, its like they are encouraging smoking and swearing, and within my video there are several smoking influences throughout. There logo is also on there to show who the band are, which again is in black and white, the font is different as its quite curly and soft and contrasts with the way the image is representing them as a rock and roll band. Also on the actual CD itself the logo is stuck on over the plastic, not actually printed as part of the artwork which is interesting for them to change it up a bit. The lighting is quite dark and is to conceal the mans identity in a way, as no one knows who he is anyway. This is similar to the back cover, the man still has the cigarette in his hand yet his face is turned away, again hiding the mans identity.

Research for my Digipack

I will be looking into a few bands within the same genre as Os Vampiros, to give me an idea on the way they are represented and to help me how to represent Os Vampiros. I will also be looking into CD's by bands that Os Vampiros claimed inspired them and aspired them to create a band in the first place, again giving me ideas on who Os Vampiros consider similar to themselves or who they would like to be like. I will be looking for specific styles, and specific representations of the bands shown through the CD artwork.