Blog 15 - Digipack

A promo pack is the advertisment of a band, DVD or other product by methods of posters, previews, handouts etc. Many bands and their labels will use promo packs to advertise their 'digipacks'.
A digipack is a style of CD packaging, generally a fold out design made out of card or 'heavy paper'. Bands like to use this style because they are more aesthetic to the eye and due to the fold out sleeves, it can contain more information in relevance to the band - i.e Live DVD, concept art, bonus tracks, lyrics etc. They do cost more than the general jewel case, but it gives a good oppotuanity to give fans a further insite to the band and could get fans to like the band more, which will encourage them to buy more products to do with the band. Furthermore, digipacks don't break as easy as jewel cases and are much more environment friendly.




This is Sum 41's digipack for their greatest hits album. The digipack features two CDs with 26 songs on each. The style of the digipak is black and pink. This colour design is typically the colours that would portray a punk band, orignally used by the iconic punk band 'The Sex Pistols'. The punk genre is generally displayed by its reckless and messy actions and attitudes. This is carried throughout the digipak by using off-centred and uneven text and black paint roughly smeered and splattered over a white background.




This is Blink 182's digipack for their album 'Take off your pants and jacket". This is Blink's 4th studio album and is featured in a digipack style. The image of the digipack is basic, with a black background and an image of a hand-drawn plane, a pair of trousers and a jacket in coloured circles that corresponds to the band's logo. The reason for picking this name was a story about Blink's guitar tech told his friend to take off his pants and jacket before entering the house for he was soaking wet. The plane represents 'take off' then the images of the pants and jacket is obviously representing the guitar techs pants and trousers. The band sold individual CDs with the different pictures on each CD, I think this was a great selling point because the different CDs instantly became a collectable and everyone wanted the full set although every album had the exactly the same content on them. This also persuaded fans not to illegally download the album for collecting all three would show their love for the band.

Blog 6 - Video Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A63VwWz1ij0&ob=av3e
Paramore - Brick by Boring Brick

The Genre of this video and song is sort of a cross-breed between rock and punk. The song is targeted at the the culture of the people who listen to this genre of music - teenagers of all ages, from middle to lower class.
The video is based in a fairytale land with hints to the 'Alice in Wonderland' film. As the little girl ventures to this land through a door she's overcome to, what seems to be, a happy, beautiful land with friendly creatures. However, as she travels further she sees this land isn't what she first thought. The skies soon turn dark and thunder and lighting fills the skies where she meets sinister and deadly looking creatures. She then runs away from this land where many creatures of the night try to catch her.
I feel that the meaning behind this video is that looks can be decieving and where the grass looks greener the other side, it may be a horrible place compaired to home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei8hPkyJ0bU&feature=channel
Paramore - crushcrushcrush

The genre of this video and song is the same as the last, the sub-culture 'Punk-rock'. And is also targeted to 13-19 year olds of middle to lower class.
The video shows the band playing in a desert with outland bandits spying on them for afar. To the end of the song the bandits start smashing up Paramore's music set. I feel the song has no relivants to the video whatsoever. The song is about a man having an attraction to the lead singer of Paramore and she decides to play him around and take him up on his offer. The video shows Paramore playing in a desert before a group of outland banits smash up the set. I believe the song and video have no real connection or can relate to each other.

Blog 5 - Target Audience of Artist/Band

Paramore is directed at the sub-cultures 'emo' and 'modern punks', male and female, possible from middle to lower class. However the band seems to attract attention from differnt cultures and sub-cultures too. Paramore have been featured in magazines such as 'Kerrang!', 'Scuzz' and 'Q Magazine', where they are also featured in their own programes too. Paramore features many differnt genres within different songs - the have heavy song, acoustic and emo/punky songs. The heavier songs are generally featured in the heavier channels (Kerrang! and Scuzz) and the lighter songs are shown through the 'Q' channel. Both channels have very different genres within them and this is why Paramore is loved throughout many cultures and sub-cultures.

Blog 4 - Permission

Copyright is important within the music industry for if a certain song wasn't covered by copyright, then anyone would have the right to copy, cover or adapt the song into a new one and make money for themselves.
If any band could copy the song, then a lot of covers will be made of the song and the original writers wont get much money for it will all be going to other bands.

Blog 3 - Song Choice

The song my group has chosen is 'The Only Exception' by Paramore. We have chosen this video beacuse making an interpretation of the it is the most realistic to make, yet interesting aswell. The song's story is of a woman with her struggle of believing in love, due to her past expirences. The video suggest she's dated many men with no hope in loving them, but finds it within one man (her "only exception").

Lyrics.

When I was younger
I saw my daddy cry
And curse at the wind
He broke his own heart
And I watched
As he tried to reassemble it

And my momma swore that
She would never let herself forget
And that was the day that I promised
I'd never sing of love
If it does not exist

But darling,
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception

Maybe I know, somewhere
Deep in my soul
That love never lasts
And we've got to find other ways
To make it alone
Keep a straight face

And I've always lived like this
Keeping a comfortable, distance
And up until now
I had sworn to myself that I'm
Content with loneliness

Because none of it was ever worth the risk

Well, You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception

I've got a tight grip on reality
But I can't
Let go of what's in front of me here
I know you're leaving
In the morning, when you wake up
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream

Ohh---

You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception

And I'm on my way to believing
Oh, And I'm on my way to believing

Blog 2 - Exploring Music Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtXa1lCVzUM&ob=av2e
It Must Really Suck to be Four Years Strong Right Now - Four Years Strong
The genre (or sub-genre) of this song is 'hardcore punk'. It's directed and appeals to the modern, teenaged (14-18), new-born punk; prehaps of middle to lower class. The video itself represents the audience of the band and their joyful, energetic behaviour. As the video progresses it shows the 'fake' band members passing (sometimes stealing) the microphone and satire gutiar props to people passing by. This shows the age of the listeners and their style. I believe a hidden message within this video is that anyone can 'join' in with the band (possibly creating their own) and many people of different ages, sex and race can relate to the lyrics in the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DebypnMTRYc&ob=av3e
Your Body is a Wonderland - John Mayer
The genre of this song is 'acoustic'. It appeals to everyone on the social ladder, but I believe is targeted to middle / upper-middle class people. The song is about his sexual relationship with his girlfriend and the video represents this using many romantic and bed scenes. The video starts with John Mayer seranading his girlfriend that he's written for her (shots of him writting the song show this. During the song, there are flahbacks of the past and the couple's most rememberable times where he follows his partner around filming her, showing that he wants to hold that memory forever and can live it back anytime. To the end of the video the girlfriend takes her jacket off and beacons John Mayer to the bed. When John plays the guitar, in a couple of scenes a bright light outlines him, implying the moment is special, and somewhat magical.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUjdiDeJ0xg&ob=av2e
Taio Cruz - Dynamite
Typically to the chart/pop genre, to make it more appealing for men, they use lots of beautiful women for attraction. In this video they use a male fantasy 'a girly grease monkey' to do this. The whole meaning of the song is to get you fired up for club dancing and parties. The women in the video dancing and enjoying the music gives men the impression, that the places and people who play this sort of music will attract a lot of attention (like Taio Cruz in the video).

Blog 1 - Introduction

For this coursework unit i will be creating a media portfolio in which will include a music video and two print items. I will plan, research and the evaluate the subject at hand, then present it in a blog. My coursework portfolio will include a promotion package for the realease of an album, a music promo video, a cover for its release on DVD/CD digipack and a magazine advertisement for the digipack.