Question 2 - Media

Question 2 - Media

• 1.
  Text I chose touse the same text as used on the back of her other albums about bonus content. However I decided on a different layout for the song titles that was less confusing. For my main fonts I used the two Florence + the Machine uses to contribute to house style. This is is HGPMinchoL in bold and block capitals, which is a sans serif font and a personalised F+TM font downloaded from DAFONT.com In my music video I decided to use a block font similar to the one on my digi-pak and poster. I used Arial Bold, as I thought it stood out well. I also used the same for the poster as her poster for her lungs album and the same line over and line under text format.
• 2.
  Posture and Proxemics Themedium shot of Lucy doesn’t show it particularly but she is in a standing position with her hands behind her back. I chose to use a medium shot as I felt that her facial expression was the most important feature in my products. I mimicked the shots commonly used in my chosen genre (see image below). Her standing position projects strength and her relaxed posture highlights that she is at ease. Her smile and posture is welcoming and therefore relates to the personal relationships section of Blumler and Katz’s uses and gratifications theory. Overall I have made her poster very friendly in order to conform to the posture used by the alternative genre. On the digipak the image of hands holding fire is just below central but I have made the image translucent as the it serves as a background to the track list. As she is the only person featured in my product she is centralised, and therefore obviously the focus point. Butterflies them emerge from the middle out around her, almost framing her overall. This again emphasises that she is the most important part of my products.
• 3.
  Posture and Proxemics Inseveral scenes of the video I used posture to signify religion. At some point all of the actors have their body in the position of a cross which links directly to the themes of Christianity in my music video. This is seen in a lot of music videos in the genre that I have chosen as religion is often a prominent theme. I also utilised the proximity of the actors to create a threatening atmosphere within my music video. The close proximity of the three actors in the screenshot shown highlights a threat to the boy in the middle. The position of the tribal people on either side of him highlight that he is trapped. This medium shot shows the sacrifice tied to a tree and his hunched over posture suggests that he is highly vulnerable. This goes against typical male stereotypes as he is shown as the victim instead of the ‘Hero’ which Propp’s narrative theory would usually suggest. Here I think posture is the key to highlight the fear that the boy feels as it puts the viewer in his shoes slightly.
• 4.
  Colours My main colourscheme is white, black and red; all of which are strong, tribal colours. All of the colours I chose had powerful connotations such as death and sacrifice, I did this to signify the ceremony in my music video. In my music video I stuck to these three colours, however as you can see in my print products I used a variety of other brighter colours to represent the lighter spiritual side to my chosen genre, such as yellow. I used two different colours for the face-paint as a distinction between the two tribal members, however they are both dark colours and have menacing connotations. All costumes involve black clothing as it signifies loss which is prominent in my music video. In my digipak and poster I used tones of green and blue to add a calmer note to the print products. Spiritualism involves both good and evil and I felt it was important to show both through the colours I used overall and this is why I did not stick to the same colour scheme in my music video and prints.
• 5.
  Props and Costumein Print I decided to use a mainly black and white colour scheme which is in keeping with the common juxtaposition of good and evil in my genre. The colour theory highlights how white connotes life and purity where as black connotes death and mourning. I also added an image of hands holding fire. This is representative of humans being able to control nature. The juxtaposition of butterflies and fire demonstrates how fragile nature is, again conforming to common concepts in my genre. I chose a yellow dress for Lucy’s costume to separate her from the tribal people in my music video. The bright colour still symbolises a spiritual side to life without the connotations of death and sacrifice which are present in the other costumes I produced. Lucy goes against Laura Mulvey’s gender theory as she does not conform to ideological stereotypes. I did this to show she is a strong, independent figure in a spiritual capacity. In my digipak, I used symbolism in the form of rune stones and they represent the spiritual side to the genre I have chosen. The images of butterflies also signify nature and the production of new life which is a common theme within the alternative genre. The medium shot of Lucy has been used to emphasise both her facial expression and costume choices. The shot also allows the viewer to appreciate her dark eye make up which is symbolic of an inner evil. I utilised Photoshop to add mechanic imagery into Lucy’s face. This links directly to the name of the band I am mimicking ‘Florence + the Machine’. Even though the mechanic imagery goes against the themes of nature in my genre I felt it conformed well to juxtaposing ideas throughout my media product.
• 6.
  Props and Costumein Print As an artist, shown in this promotional poster Lucy does not conform to a voyeuristic male gaze. This goes against Mulvey’s gender theory. I have not sexualised her in any way because conforming to my genre I wanted her seen as a strong female figure. Lucy’s direct eye contact with the camera is used to attract the viewer. This links to Blumler and Katz’s uses and gratifications theory as the eye contact allows the public to form a bond with the artist. This was often used in the genre I am focusing on. I chose a yellow dress as a costume to emphasise spirituality, as demonstrated in colour theory. The black outlining on her dress mimics the outlining of her eyes and suggests a sinister undertone. This links in well with my music video which has a fairly sinister tone. The fact that Lucy’s hair is down and flowing also connotes freedom which is a prominent theme in my genre. I decided to use several images of butterflies to symbolise themes of nature in my poster. Florence and the Machine used rabbits in Cosmic Love which is something I have tried to replicate here. The audience would connect butterflies to nature and new life, demonstrating the hypodermic needle theory. The three butterflies in the banner of my poster are used to emphasise the power of nature overall. I feel like using repetition of the butterflies image I am creating a logo for the band, something that is easily recognisable. This is in common use with several artists now.
• 7.
  Props – MusicVideo As fire is one of the Earth’s elements and very close to nature I decided to use it as a prominent prop in my music video. Fire itself connotes destruction and therefore is symbolic of the sacrifice in my music video. It conforms to Barthes’ action code as it puts highlights danger. The candlelight itself also provides perfect lighting for a sinister tone. Fire was also used in several spiritual ceremonies and therefore I thought it fitted in well with the key ideologies in my genre. I constructed the skull mask prop out of paper mache. The skull itself symbolises death and the afterlife which is precisely what occurs in the narrative of my music video. The colour juxtaposition of white and black within the mask and the costume is used to demonstrate the thin line between life and death. As face-paint is commonly used in my chosen genre I felt a mask fitted in just as well. The two props used in this scene is a tambourine and a fetish stick, both have tribal connotations. Musical instruments such as tambourines were often used in tribal ceremonies and I therefore thought their inclusion was important. Both objects are also made of wood which has connotations of nature; also prominent in the alternative genre.
• 8.
  Costume – MusicVideo The dancer in my music video wore a long black dress made of chiffon which I created myself. The colour has connotations of death and mourning which is a common theme in my video. The material itself allows the dress to be float in the wind and highlights the freedom of the dancer. Her hair is down also allowing it to move freely and connoting a lack of restrictions. The block face-paint around the eyes of my actresses is similar to that in the video of Dog Days by Florence and The Machine (see below image). The focus on the eyes highlights the eyes being the window to the soul, therefore the darkness of the paint demonstrates a darkness in the tone of the video. The feathers in Elspeth’s hair symbolise freedom but also the demise of the birds. Unlike the dancer’s hair Elspeth’s in curled and tangled, representing a wilder side. The costumes of the two tribal members include black dresses as well. The material is more restrictive than chiffon though, which connotes a lack of freedom. Again, the colour black suggests death which is a key theme in my video and the genre in general.
• 9.
  Lighting and VisualThemes in Print In the photos of Lucy I have utilised natural light to bring out the natural features of her face. The natural light has also allowed her darker eye make-up to become more prominent. The mechanic imagery in her face is also brought out by the natural lighting in her face. It means that certain features are emphasised which produces a professional looking photo as the finished product. The natural lighting on my artist also allows realistic shadows to fall in areas such as on her collar bones. The creates a juxtaposition between the real person and the mechanic parts which also adds to the realism of the image. Some of the butterfly images use natural light but to produce a faded background I made the butterflies translucent in parts of the digipak and the poster. This means the butterflies can stand out and blend exactly when they are needed to. To emphasise the symbols on the runes I used more professional lighting which makes the image really clear. Without this detail I feel my photos would not look as professional as they do. The white background on the poster lightens the whole product and makes the other images a lot clearer as there are no clashes in colour.
• 10.
  Lighting and VisualThemes – Music Video In my music video I used a combination of natural light and enhanced light. In the castle scenes where close-ups are used I utilised natural light to highlight facial featured. This created stark contrast between the dark face-paint and light skin tones. I used this juxtaposition to symbolise the battle between good and evil. In certain scenes I used candles as a prop to create a dim candle-lit scene. This provided the eerie atmosphere I needed in sacrificial scenes. The circles of candles demonstrated a tribal ceremony but in this scene I relied totally on the candle’s light – no other lighting was used. In the church lighting was dim and provided by stain glass windows which did produce a glaring light effect to symbolise the presence of god. However in some areas artificial lighting was used to highlight the dancer as without it the scene would have been far too dark.