Digipak Analysis - Live from the Royal Albert Hall by The Killers

The Killers are represented through their trademark logo, which consists of white circles assemble to make the letters of The Killers. It's possible the themes can be relating to subjects such as melodies, as this among other patterns all fit to create a melody that has a relatively peaceful outlook. Ideology of indie rock, that's the genre of this digipak, is everything's experimental and that's generally what the digipak is trying to say.  The Royal Albert Hall is the focus of the cover and the mise-en-scene presents it as this unique, important venue and it can be seen across the digipak, especially through the inside photographs, which show the luxurious seating areas. Las Vegas is where The Killers come from and this shows in personal touches on the front cover, such as the placement of a cactus and palm trees. Overall the message is The Killers are performing at an important venue but for their demographic; they're adding touches that are consistent with making the band unique.

There's a limited style in the composition of the colours. Purple is the colour that dominates, presumably conforming to the conventions of media language as there has to be a style that takes over. Since Roman Emperors and magistrates used to wear that colour, purple has commonly been associated with royalty and this really gives the digipak a style that's perhaps making references to concepts such as dominant ideology, especially as The Royal Albert Hall was opened by Queen Victoria. On the back, conventions are followed as there's a list of the content of the CD and DVD, while the style partly converges with the front cover because of a use of the same colour palette across the circles. So far gendered consumption would be balanced between males and females as there's no specific indication of which gender is targeted.

Both the CD and DVD designs are quite basic as, at a glance, both are dominated by the colour grey but have elements of the limited palette, denoting a different message than what has previously been said. It could be that as royal people are stereotyped for being old, the grey reflects this. A circle of colour surrounding the hole on each product has a different style though, for the CD being dark purple and DVD light purple, which can be seen as more of a closed text as they don't stray from the conventions of CDs or DVDs. I consider that they are intended to be a product and not represent anything else.

This is the first digipak analysis and has been incredibly helpful in learning about style and the codes and conventions, which are going to inform the product.

Magazine Advert Analysis: Classic Rock - Aftershock by Motorhead

Through this advert there's an understanding of the style of the band's genres that's stereotyped to be heavy and fast. The headline at the top says "100% OFFICIAL FANPACK EDITION" and because the styling is gold and fanpacks usually offer incentive, it immediately strikes an impression. Centered in the middle is "Classic Rock Presents" that has the traditional masthead of the magazine and acts like product placement, hinting they've struck a deal with the band, Motorhead, for advertising. Some magazines do this for extra profit and so companies can give them publicity. The logo for the band has a stark white colour, which as well as representing one of the variations of the logo, white has been used for a lot of magazines to make the font more striking. Beneath the logo is a puff, encouraging fans to pre-order the album and giving a website address inside the circle that's attempting to encourage them. These elements are in the spirit of Motorhead as they connote the genres of the band, one example being the logo, which hasn't changed from fangs seemingly appearing as well as spikes, boar tusks and chains, all representing the macho image of heavy metal.

Ian Kilmister is the figure that has been photographed in a medium close-up, directly addressing readers through his costume as an example, which features a cowboy hat, crucifix around his neck, epaulettes on  shoulders and braids on his sleeves, reflecting a pseudo-military theme common to previous songs. He looks as if he's saluting but instead has one finger stuck in his right ear and presumably is reflective of the "Aftershock" title. The background is bleak as there's just darkness, putting Kilmister in a further position of Aftershock and the mise-en-scene works really well in the advert because it promotes the themes of the album, such as the use of blues.

The album cover, centered on Kilmister's chest, is presumably set in the aftermath of a battle, showing a worn-down tank and the horned-fanged demon that is a regular feature of the band's logo. Many of the band's themes are represented through this cover, as the demon is a good showcase for themes including good versus evil. Sometimes covers are placed in the advert to give the audience a better idea of what to expect from the album, and this also assures them the level of graphic input they're known for is being maintained. A good job is made of the advert appealing to my age range and fans of Motorhead as it's clearly going after a mature audience and my age range is older.

The main heading is "THE AFTERSHOCK FANPACK" that is the same styling as the heading at the top, to maintain the status of Kilmister as a type of military figure, as the gold ties in with the military braid. Each subheading is representative of Motorhead being in kinship with the audience, as they're known for interacting with the audience at gigs. A particular example is one towards the bottom, where equal importance has been shown in the form of a personalised poster when the fans pre-order the album at a specific website, by using the same style of gold as the main heading and the word "Exclusive" to enforce the feeling of value. The other subheadings are in white, being consistent with the style of "Classic Rock Presents" and the logo. This magazine advert has been designed to be consistent with their reputation of being involved with the audience as Kilmister is directly addressing them by making eye contact. There's hints at what to expect from the contents of the album and advertising codes and conventions are followed.

Magazine Advert Analysis: Kerrang - Fortress by Alter Bridge

This has been selected as it's different from the previous one and is further in the direction of where I want to take my advert. The masthead at the top is quite a vivid font and the trademark typography for Alter Bridge. The colour which is red symbolises distortion and has a masculine quality, keeping in line with also looking experimental and masculine in appearance, while it keeps in touch with what alternative and heavy rock and heavy metal are about.

The background is bleak, with de-saturated colour and a house that barely stands, the clouds at the top having an aggressive appearance and it sets up an uneasy atmosphere. So far the audience would be in line with heavy metal and hard rock, part of Alter Bridge's genres as it conforms to some of the codes and conventions and it's debatable whether this would appeal to an age range of people sixteen to twenty five. This is as it gives the impression of being one of those niche bands.

The first subheading "THE STUNNING NEW ALBUM" has sharp typography and a clear white colour, contrasting the ethos of heavy metal and hard rock because it doesn't give much of an impression of being fierce. that goes against the ethos of heavy metal and hard rock because the impression isn't fierce. The main heading is "FORTRESS", the name of the album and it has a similar style that could be expected from Alter Bridge, as it has the look of wanting to make a strong appearance. The font for that as well as the masthead have an experimental overview and it follows alternative rock going against the norm, as most of the typography is different to what normally might be expected.

Another subheading says "FEATURING THE SINGLE 'ADDICTED TO PAIN" in the same style as part of the gig venues, adding a sense of continuity and adding enough interest to make sure the readers may invest in this album. There's an unclear question about whether it would appeal to my age range as although the advert is striking, it conforms to codes and conventions of the two genres to the point where it's clearly going after a niche audience. Next to the amazon pre-order link is an offer of a free guitar pick necklace with the pre-order, adding incentive to Alter Bridge's target audience and people who have ambitions of being a rock guitarist.

There is information featured about the release date and gig dates and this type of information is a convention of music magazine adverts. Websites are listed too, especially amazon.co.uk where an offer is made to receive a free guitar pick necklace if pre-ordered so this acts as a puff. The other websites are of the band and record company (Road Runner Records). To summarise, the advert acts as an enigma code because the background sets up the atmosphere but doesn't really give anything away about the album, other than it features a single. How the advert has been constructed is appealing because the aesthetic is reminiscent of all three genres, so will likely be successful in attracting the audience of alternative, heavy rock and heavy metal.

Magazine Advert Analysis: Classic Rock - Dream Theater by Dream Theater

"Dream Theater" is more simplistic compared to the other magazine adverts I will analyse but the skill of the designers has made it simple yet striking. The logo of the band, "Dream Theater", has a slightly updated font as the colour, which is largely white, resembles the band as it's expressive and looks drawn on, in the signature font of Dream Theater. The background is bare as most of it is dark, although there's a planet viewed in the foreground, overall contributing the aesthetic of a dream awareness. It references how conceptual themes are used in progressive metal, as the result of having a dream aesthetic and progressive metal is the genre of the album. It features heavy use of the enigma code with the use of conceptual themes and the advert feels like a build-up to the album. They appear to be going after their usual audience as the advert resembles codes and conventions of progressive metal, including a synthetic appearance and it could work well in my age range as it's quite a modern advert.

There's a chrome symbol in the middle, featuring the number twelve in roman numerals, clearly expressing the band's desire to make a statement. It's possible to relate it to progressive metal as a result as the genre is known for merging the aggression of heavy metal with experimental influences of progressive rock. The main heading "THE BRILLIANT NEW ALBUM" has a simple, bold white font and the use of an adjective contributes to the bold feeling. This follows codes and conventions as this style of writing is used in magazine adverts to help them stand out. A subheading is featured beneath "IN STORES 23 SEPTEMBER", and it's tradition to have the release date as well as in a larger size as this is what they ultimately want to divert your attention to.

Information is spread around the rest of the advert, an instance being the contents of the digipak and gig dates where the songs of this album can be seen being performed live and this is another code and convention, because it acts like a puff where important information is given. Other information includes links to the record company and one of the pre-order sites. An example of the slight variation of styling is the first line of digipak contents being a light blue and these types of styling work as it's enough to hold the reader's interest. This has been a useful advert in knowing how to create one that doesn't give away too much information, but also have a clear visual aesthetic.

Music Video Analysis: Sing For Absolution by Muse

This has been selected as the genres of alternative and progressive rock of this have elements in common with "Mr Brightside", my target song, due to the complexity of the musical structure. "Sing For Absolution" opens on New Earth; a gloomy palette being portrayed and the sad instrumental music as well as restrained composition all combine to symbolise how hopeless the environment is. Environmentalism is a key theme in this song, alongside a science-fiction theme, in which environmentalism is often portrayed so this adds a different flavour. The story is about a team of astronauts that's trying to colonise a planet, with a Cryo module that has humans, the lyrics set up to be deep in themes and already target a mature audience so it has the potential to appeal to a large age range, including mine.

"Lips are turning blue, a kiss that can't renew" are the first lyrics and said by the pilot; him thinking about someone he loves and because the environment is cold and lifeless, it adds meaning. As the video goes on, the background music becomes more aggressive and apparently guitar power-chord focused, a theme used in alternative rock and it goes well with the lyrics because the team feel there's no going back.

A variety of shots are used, establishing shots an important one as well as close-ups that particularly express the drama. The video is very narrative-driven, meaning there's more of a cinematic feeling, which provides a different kind of music video, appealing to a wide range of people in addition to Muse's target audience that is people around fourteen to twenty. The analysis of music videos by bands who are targeting a younger crowd makes it useful.