DVD Elton John - 'Dream Ticket' Cover

Elton John’s music DVD ‘Dream Ticket’ strikes me as a brilliantly crafted piece of media. The background colours snatch one’s attention boasting bright shades of blues, reds and pinks. The background image is of an aeroplane taking flight from off of a runway. The blue shade is used for the runway and red for the sky. In the distance an array of spotlights are shining high into the rose-red sky, suggesting the destination of Elton John’s live performance(s). The spotlights being white turn a patch of the red sky a light pink shade adding more depth and detail to the piece.

The use of bright bold colour give the piece an abstract feel like that of pop art and the works of Roy Lichtenstein. The most affective colour is the intense yellow used which is central on the cover. A yellow box that resembles a flight pass/ticket is the centre piece which reads like a flight ticket containing information regarding the locations of the performances/shows, and what each disc consists of.

The piece is a four disc set featuring performances at New York, London and Ephesus with a disc for each live show. There is also a fourth disc which contains a look back at Elton’s work through the time he has been in show business, as suggested by the ‘flight ticket’ which reads ‘DVD 4 | Elton In four decades 1969-2004’. This flight ticket acts very much as a contents page if you like informing a buyer/the audience what the DVD contains, however in a clever format maintaining the house style of the piece.

The black font used on the yellow contents/ticket stands out very clearly making it easy to read. These two colours used against each other in this way resemble those used on the bill/line up posters for the hugely popular British music festival that is Reading and Leeds. Perhaps this was a deliberate ploy to attract younger audiences. A reason being after the initial interest caused by the Reading/Leeds appearance attracting one to the piece, they purchase the DVD for a parent upon realising their parent(s) enjoys Elton John . . . no?

Back on planet Earth: A Sans Serif font has been used for all the text. A white font has been used for the artist name (Elton John) alongside a washed grey for the DVD title ‘Dream Ticket’. Below the titles is a brief insight as to what the audience is looking at or what a buyer is considering purchasing; Four Destinations Four DVDs.
‘Four Destinations’ is seen in the washed grey colour below the artist name (Elton John, white in colour). ‘Four DVDs’ on the other hand is written in white so a check board style pattern makes the title/info stand out and easy to read.

Below the flight ticket/contents is further text which reads ‘Flying time seven hours – over seventy songs’. The ‘Flying time seven hours’ adds to the house style and main theme of travel relating to the main title ‘Dream ticket’. This also adds a bit of enjoyment and excitement for a buyer, as if to say if they watch the DVD they actually will fly to and from each destination.

‘Over seventy songs’ is a great use of statistics to draw the public in and persuade them to buy. With seventy being such a high number this works well. This alongside the mention of Four DVDs contributes to alerting the public of what the DVD contains and what is in store for them.

Overall the entire piece has a brilliant captivating house style and a blend of vivid eye-catching colours to lure an observer.

Mood board

Here we have created a mood board. The idea behind the creation of a mood board was to spur ideas and inspiration during the development process. The concept behind the mood board is that we wanted to create a piece one could expect to find upon the bedroom wall of a member of our target audience.

Ideas stage

Here are the lyrics to our chosen song 'Seventy Times Seven' with which we have noted and sketched ideas regarding the shape and form of the video.

Storyboard

Here is the storyboard to our music video. This is just a loose idea we will revisit and refer to when developing and creating our music video.

AD Arctic Monkeys - 'Humbug' Album Release

The magazine advert for the Arctic Monkey’s new album release ‘Humbug’ appears simplistic with both limited colour and detail. There is a central image of the bands heads merged together to create one circular silhouetted image. This central image is what captures a reader’s attention as it is a bizarre concept one is not used to seeing.

The band’s cartoon-like logo also features in the central image as if the letters have been cut out from the silhouetted image. With a bright yellow/beige base/background colour this stands out against the burgundy/maroon shade of the circular silhouetted image.

At the top of the page the album title ‘Humbug’ is on display in a Serif font in the same maroon colour as the circular silhouetted central image. Below the album title lie the words ‘The Album’ in a more vivid pink shade. This mixes the colour scheme up slightly adding more variety to the piece. This is also informative and lets a reader know immediately what it is they are looking at.

Towards the bottom of the page is a picture of the album cover. This helps readers by giving them an insight as to what they are to look for if they go out to purchase the album. Also it is just pleasant for a fan to see what the album artwork is like. I believe you can gain an understanding of what the music will be like from an album cover and it’s artwork. If it is bright and colourful perhaps you are to expect upbeat positive songs where as if it is dark and dingy you can expect heavy or aggressive songs. It is very dependant on the genre. However I believe this theory is not always a good one to follow. In generalities it is correct but not always. A band may be ironic and have a cheerful looking album cover and a track list consisting of the heaviest most depressing songs in the history of music. The main use of the album artwork featuring on the advert is so that shoppers are aware of what to look for in stores.

Beside the album cover is information as to when the album is available, the words ‘Out Now’ are published. This is straight forward and to the point again for the aid of readers and buyers.

At the very bottom of the page are two website links one is the bands’ website the other is the record label’s site. (cross-media convergence). Alongside these website addresses is the label companies logo. This helps promote the record company, if fans enjoy Arctic Monkeys and their music they may be intrigued to hear other bands by this label.

This is my least favourite advert out of the selected few I have analysed as it seems dull and lifeless, where as others have seemed charismatic and pleasant to look at with the use of many concepts and mediums to grab ones attention.

This advert still achieves it’s purpose I just feel it is a tad bare and minimal. On the contrary the fact the advert reads ‘Out Now’ suggests there may have existed an original advert before the release date which contained more information during the build up to the release, and this advert is a more recent ploy to round up anyone who has not yet heard or in fact purchased the album.

AD Doves - 'Kingdom Of Rust' Album Release

The Doves have scored a corker with this magazine advert insert. It has D&G written all over it with it’s simplistic and minimal style; lack of colour (variety), straight forward text (straight to the point), and a flattering quote to top it off. This shows from my judgement that Doves possibly have an older target audience than that of The Used of Panic at the Disco whose adverts I have already looked at. Doves are targeting an older more sophisticated reader.

To reiterate, the advert consists of three main colours, black (dark shade) as the background, a tainted rusty yellow for the main logo/image and white for the text.
The main logo reading ‘Doves Kingdom Of Rust’ is situated in the centre of the page. Each word is on it’s own line and has been adjusted so that each word takes up the same amount of space (length ways). For instance ‘Of’ consists of two letters so to take up the same amount of space as say ‘kingdom’ a seven letter word there is a large space between the two letters – ‘O F’.

The font used for this main image/writing is thick, it’s chunky. It is sharp and razor like at the edges. This creates a solid like image, as if made from Iron or Steel. This is definitely a deliberate affect as the name ‘Kingdom of Rust’ has connotations of metals.

Inside the letters is an array of images displaying gorges joined by large steel bridges, birds-eye (high angle) shots of steel works and industries, rail bridges and city bridges which at a glance could easily be confused for construction cranes or electricity pylons. These images create a great eye catching pattern behind the title which draws you in as a reader/observer. In an amongst this collage of steel and bridge-like frames, on another layer if you like, is another eye-grabbing element. There appear to be street lights and/or car lights scattered around the image. They could also be sparks which could relate to a steel works/industries. These lights/sparks are similar colours to that of the main image tainted yellows and oranges forming a nice blend.

‘The new album out now CD/LP/Download’ is the only information given about the album. This is positioned below the image, centralised in a classy, sophisticated font like that of Verdana or Century Gothic. Below this information regarding what/where/when? Is a quote saying nothing but praise about the album from Q magazine. Again Q is aimed at more of an up market older society thus relating to the idea Doves are targeting a specific older generation. At the foot of the page is a reference to the Doves web address.

To conclude, the advert for Kingdom of Rust, The Doves latest release is presented with sophistication and class through it’s simple layout and minimal yet striking colour scheme, attracting older readers/listeners.

AD Panic At The Disco - 'Pretty Odd' Album Release

Another album avert I stumbled across was that of Panic At The Disco and their new album ‘Pretty Odd’. Take away the bands name/logo from the advert and you can still hazard a guess that it belongs to the colourful, vibrant Panic’. The advert still has an air of ‘cartoony circus art’ as I like to call it relating back to their debut album ‘A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out’. It’s almost like they have created their own house style if you like.

The background colour is a shade of purple/lilac. The page is bordered with a golden frame like that from an old story book, or child’s fable. In each corner is a floral triangular pattern sitting nicely with the border.

The central image is what one assumes to be the album cover or at least some of it’s artwork. The image is host to yet more flowers and horticulture. The image appears tattered and worn contributing to the possibility of resembling an old children’s story book.

Incorporated into the central image is the album title ‘Pretty Odd’ which sits in a yellow cartoon-like font upon an orange fairytale style banner. This contributes to the children’s fantasy/fable feel. The sentence ‘Welcome To The Sound Of’ positioned above the banner creates a build up to the album name and creates a kind of ‘world’. A sense that ‘Pretty Odd’ is not only an album of music but a world which you can enter. Possibly a secret world behind an old wardrobe, beneath a small rabbit hole, or beyond the gates of a mysterious factory!

With this concept of Children’s stories in mind, at a glance the stories of Alice and Wonderland, Thumberlina and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory all seem apparent. (Charlie’ more so down to the use of purple as the dominant colour, however the Tim Burton version was on the vibrant and colourful side, then again the idea of a Tim Burton film relates to the title of the album ‘Pretty Odd’).

The bands title sits at the top of the page in a quirky, cartoon-like font. With shades of purples, pinks, blues and reds the letters stand out on the page (all of which are found in the central album artwork). The words ‘Panic’ and ‘Disco’ appear large and are very unique and diverse; each letter stranger than the last. The words ‘At’ and ‘The’ sit in white with a light violet drop shadow giving a 3d effect.

The usual What, When, Where? Is located below the central. The words ‘The New Album’ followed by it’s release date are in a large white Serif font. Despite being Serif the font is slightly rounded making it friendly on the eye, like everything else on the page! Below the release date is information as to where you can get the album (website) and a mention of a single which is included on the album.

Further website addresses feature below this and then endorsements and the label name.

It appears the key things to incorporate on a magazine advert apart from the obvious release date and album name would be a single which features (obviously would be the song I make a video for Seventy Times Seven), website addresses, references to other merchandise (possibly) and limited edition versions for instance double disc versions or DVD packages, signed artwork for first one hundred reserved copies etc things along those lines.

After in depth analysis Panic’ have a clear house style which worked awesomely well for their first album and will no doubt follow suit. They have created a friendly on the eye piece which totally resembles the album name ‘Pretty Odd’ triggering connotations of fairytale lands and children’s stories.