Planning: Magazine Advert Analysis (The Chemists)

This advert for a debut album by The Chemists features a minimalistic style and simple color scheme. While the album cover itself does not take up the majority of the image, the art style is consistent between the album and the advert which makes it easy to identify when trying to purchase it. Information such as a comment from Kerrang! and a release date are provided in simple, small font which draws your attention to the album itself and the artwork to compliment the album, making the viewer intrigued about the content of the album - such as the singles mentioned - rather than the reviews, of which only one is provided.

Planning: Magazine advert analysis (you me at six)

This advert is very eye catching with a wide range of colours across the page. You are originally drawn into the picture due to the striking image of bright colours, however you are then drawn to the band name in bold in the middle of the page. This is useful as once drawn into the picture you then associate it with the band name and want to read on. The picture is of the album cover, which is being advertised as the album is coming out soon. With our album cover we may follow a similar idea with a striking image and a bold font drawing the attention of readers. Although our picture will be a lot more darker and creepier in comparison to this. This picture has also  been made on a computer however we intend to take a picture then edit it.  

Planning: Magazine Advert Analysis (Blink 182)

This is the magazine advert for Blink-182's album. It's very simplistic in the way that it is only black and white and just has the information that you need about the album and the picture of the album cover. This could be a way of us organising our magazine advert as it gives the details in a simple way and is quite eye-catching in a minimalistic sense. The fact that the main focus is on the album cover is good as it makes sure the person looking at the advert knows what the album looks like in case they want to go out and purchase it. Also, it's not boringly simple due to the typography that links with the image. We could use just black and white to create the creepy effect we want and also keep it simple by just putting the details.

Planning: Semiotic analysis of Pendulum - Crush single cover

 

This single cover by Pendulum, a drum & bass band, connotes horror and also a degree of mystery. While human figures are identifiable on the image through the shapes of hands and faces seemingly screaming or in pain, the viewer is unable to view them in any detail due to the "thick glass" effect, which seperates the viewer from the characters preventing them from sympathising like they would with horror movie characters due to the surreal angle they view it from. This also leaves it very ambiguous what is actually being depicted, with the camera focus being on unneccessary detail on the glass such as scratches rather than the details beyond. The dark, monotonous colour scheme also creates a gloomily surreal atmosphere which furthers these horror connotations. Overall the viewer is kept disconnected from the cover which may make them naturally curious to watch the video, yet aware that there are horror connotations at play.

Planning: Semiotic analysis of Bring me the horizon album cover

This is an album cover from the band bring me the horizon. The album cover is eerily stylised which fits with our genre.

Denotation: 

A female is in the center of the album cover grasping what appears to be her own intestines. Her face expresses no emotion or pain, which gives the cover a paranormal as you would expect her to be in pain. The reverse side of the cover has a close up image of the female’s hands and waist, which are drenched in blood implying a wound. The track listing and barcode covers up much of the detail of the wound. In comparison, the typography on the front cover is transparent which does not take attention away from the detail and gore of the female.

Connotation: 

The theme of horror is clearly established by the gore and surreal lack of emotion portrayed by the female. This connotes that the music or any music videos may be less mainstream due to the violent theme suggested. The contrasts of black, white and red connotes that the scene is synthetic rather than natural. The emotionless expression on her face connotes that she is disconnected from the world and may be supernatural due to the fact that a human should be in intense pain. The close up of the blood drenched hands symbolizes the horror that we wanted to incorporate in both our single cover and our movie. The track listing and barcode covers up much of the detail of the wound this connotes the sense of fear of the unknown, which can create fear as you don’t know what is hiding behind it. Overall we like the idea of the female protagonist looking creepy and suggestive and we would like to incorporate this theme in our single cover.

Planning: Semiotic Analysis of Prodigy Album Cover

Denotation: The main image on the front depicts a face which is frozen in mid-scream. It is questionable whether it is a mask or a real person. The typography for “Prodigy” seems to be bent and almost 3D like whilst also in black and white. The overall colour scheme of the whole album is gritty with a lack of bright colours. On the back, there are photos of the band and a track list beside which seems simplistic and common for an album cover.

Connotation: This album overall connotes horror and terror. The main photograph clearly depicts a person either in extreme pain or full of rage. This would indicate that The Prodigy’s music is both intense and absorbing whilst also making you feel emotion. This is similar connotations to that of the 3D text which makes it seem that it is coming right out at you and you have nowhere to hide. The gritty colour scheme connotes a lack of hope and a world of terror due to the fact that there are no bright colours which could symbolise hope. The fact that it is unclear whether it is a mask or an actual person also connotes a sense of the unknown which further creates a sense of fear and horror; theme which we would like to portray in both our ancillary text and music video.

Planning: Semiotic Analysis of Stenchman Album Cover

As we are steering towards the Dubstep genre, it would be appropriate to analyse CD cases from similar genres. This free online album by Stenchman conveys an urban yet creepy feel.

Denotation: The main photograph depicts a character in a mask which hides his/her identity standing in an abandoned, dirty warehouse. The font colour is white and stands out against the gritty colouring of the warehouse. The typography is simple yet the words utilised link to the photograph in an effective way. In the background, there is a bright beam of light shining towards the lens which lights up the unknown character whilst also creating a red tint across the opposite side of the single cover.

Connotation:The theme of horror is established through the unknown character masked in the center of the photograph. The fact that he is wearing a mask connotes a sense of the unknown and alludes to iconic Horror films where the psycho-killer wears a mask (for example Halloween). This removes identity and creates fear which is a key theme for our music video. The abandoned dirty warehouse gives connotations of isolation and decay (as does the character’s mask). This creates a theme of death and gives associations of murder which leads to fear. The gritty colours of the album cover connote a dark, niche genre of music which may typically aim for an “underground” audience. These grimy colours contrast with the white typography which connotes innocence and purity. However, the text reads “Stenchman” which, in itself, connotes decay and stink. The lighting of the photograph removes the binary opposition of light vs dark as the fearful character is in the light which would seem to indicate hope and life. This is an interesting reversal which also could create fear as it suggests that nowhere is safe. Seeing as our music video aims to have a disturbed, creepy theme we could gain inspiration from this album cover for our ancillary text to make links between our video and our single cover.

Planning: Skrillex - First of the Year (Equinox) (Textual Analysis)

Textual Analysis of Skrillex - First of the Year (Equinox) Music Video

Planning: Alice in Wonderland (Textual analysis)

Textual Analysis of Alice in Wonderland

Planning: 30 Seconds to Mars - The Kill (Textual Analysis)

Textual Analysis of 30 Seconds to Mars - The Kill Music Video

Planning: The Prodigy - Take Me To The Hospital (Textual Analysis)

Textual Analysis of The Prodigy - Take Me To The Hospital Music Video

Planning: Crystal Castles- Untrust Us (Textual Analysis)

Textual Analysis of Crysal Castles- Untrust Us Music Video

Planning: The Prodigy Breathe (Textual Analysis)

Textual Analysis of The Prodigy- Breathe Music Video

Planning: The Pitch

This is The Pitch for our Music Video. It contains slides on our inspirations, ideas and the codes and conventions of our chosen genre. 

Planning: Email to request use of Kill Everybody

This email was sent requesting the permission to use Kill Everybody for our music video, as it is a commercially released and therefore copyrighted song.