RC - Evaluation Q2

Q2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

• I feel that the ancillary texts a long with our main product combine to great effect and work well to compliment each other
• It was our desire to create an alliance of texts that subverted to the forms and conventions of the indie genre, for example:
  
• Creating a product and ancillary texts that raise the question; is it art or is it an advert?
• Creating a product and ancillary texts that add to the meta-narrative of the band
• Providing a polysemic effect; allowing different audience reading
• Breaking with the conventions of the mainstream, pop videos
• Creating a band image that suits the indie genre; showing independence/individualism and idiocrasy
• Conveying a low fi look to all texts and the main product
• Creating enigma and narrative fuzz around the band's image; using Dyer's theory on star image as a framework
• Creating texts that include intertextual references as a way of homing in audiences
• Using post-modern elements such as pastiche, nostalgia and playfulness
  
  Here is our main product:
  
  
  
• I believe that our main product was the source of inspiration for all our ancillary texts because it seemed that the development of our music video took shape quite a while before we began on the construction of our media texts.
• We had to ensure that our ancillary texts anchored the semiotics of our main product
• We knew that there had to be some correlation between all our work otherwise it would not have been successful in constructing the band's image
• The intention was that our ancillary texts would 'add value' to our main product by reinforcing any ideas, forms/conventions evident in this text

Below is my advert (which is 13 by 10 cms):

• 

• The photograph itself can be seen as unconventional;
• the low angle shot portrays the band members as being superior, a notion which most indie bands don't set out to achieve
• The use of lights exudes a glamorous appeal, one of fame and stardom, as if the band is being spotlighted, which again challenges the indie genre
• it also juxtaposes with the main product
• However, the lights also give the impression of a stage setting; a familiar/natural place for a band to be
• The rule of thirds is very much conventional, with the whole text having a 'central' feel to it
  
• This idea of everything being central could be viewed as unconventional because indie bands don't necessarily want to be the centre of attention
• The black and white colour scheme exudes a low-fi, natural feel; stripping down the band members to their most natural form
• this low-fi effect is similar to the aesthetics of our main product
• The leading path is quite easy to follow;

• 
• it is quite simple, which I think is conventional of the indie genre
• Using Dyer's theory I think there is an element of the band being present yet absent;
• they are obviously in the foreground of the image, however, there isn't a strong connection between the band and the audience because of the lack of direct mode of address;
• there is an element of the band being ordinary yet extraordinary because although they are human like the rest of us they are being spotlighted and the camera shot shows them to be superior, which makes them extraordinary to audiences.
• the colour scheme (or lack of colour) also adds an air of mystery around the band, which provides distance between the band and the audience
• the black and white colour scheme also provides a post-modern effect, this is because it is unusual for adverts not to be coloured and therefore exudes a sense of nostalgia
  

• The font is bold and makes a statement;
• however, it is also disjointed in some parts; maybe adding to the humility of the band by showing that they are not perfect?
• this theory is reinforced by the inclusion of the white banner/strip, where there seems to be rips in some parts
  
• the reviews add to the meta-narrative of the band
• I see my advert as appearing in magazines such as Q and NME, because they are magazines that are more focused on the indie culture rather than mainstream pop

Below are the other two ancillary texts created by my colleagues:

• As you can tell there is an evident link between all our texts, where we have all used the same colour scheme; grey scale and blue
• we are all clearly focusing on the construction of our band image and how that adds value to our main product
• each text offers a different insight into the band's persona;
• the digipak is playful with the cartoon effect, which highlights the artistic side to bands of the indie genre;
• Josh's advert is also artistic in its own right with the use of the CU photograph of the guitar, this emphasises the band's interest in music and creates an 'intruding' effect
• the lack of people in Josh's advert underlines the fact that they don't see the need to get attention;
• this is also evident in our main product where most of the video is about conceptual characters rather than the band;
• even in Casey's digipak there is no direct mode of address, and although the drawings show there to be three men it doesn't actually state if they are the band or not
• there is a sense of uniformity in Casey's digipak, which I think is also evident in my advert as well as the main product with both the band and the characters
• the digipak is the strongest link between mine and Josh's adverts, where she uses both the fonts that we have used, wheras Josh and I use completely different fonts
• Similar to mine the digipak also inludes a banner

I think that our ancillary texts and our main product combine to create an impressive product altogether being that they are all rich in connotations, drawing upon many social myths, and they all primarily reinforce the values and beliefs of the indie culture.