Star Analysis

Kings of Leon is an American rock band, which was formed in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill, Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill with their cousin Cameron Matthew Followill. The band's early music was a blend of Southern rock and blues influences, but over the years they have included more of an alternative, arena rock sound.

In Kings of Leon’s earliest videos they were showcased as being scruffy, southern boys with their flared jeans and long hair. All of their early videos are performance based and cheap budget, which contributes to their deep southern image. In ‘Molly’s Chamber’ and ‘Red Morning Light’ they are all looking scruffy and showing the conventions of deep southern boys with their actions and appearance.

The image they have developed later on in their career is that they are now clean-cut, wiser and older which is a huge difference from earlier on in their career. The later videos I analysed both were concept based and performance based which is also different from earlier on in their career as all their earlier videos were only performance based. The videos show the conventions of a traditional rock band, which shows how far they have come in the industry. The videos are also much more high definition than the earlier ones which were grainy and blatantly cheap budget.

In their earlier videos, there were close ups of all of the band but in their latest videos the camera more focuses on the lead singer, Caleb. Although there is close ups on all of the other band members the lead singer is the main focus. Their hairstyles are modern but still a little bit messy as they were in earlier videos, their costumes consist of a typical rock band’s outfits; T-shirt, tight jeans and boots. The prop that is frequently used in their videos is a guitar and drums as many of their videos are performance-based; also they frequently use beer, which connects to the typical rock star image. All of these things contribute to their rock star image, which includes girls, beer and tight jeans.

The camerawork used in ‘Red Morning Light’ contributed to their rock star image as the music video was low quality and quite grainy. It also uses angles such as worm’s eye view to create the grungy image they had in their earlier days.

Kings of Leon have always been quite macho with their image; this made them popular at the time, as they were different from other rock bands around such as U2 and Coldplay who weren’t showcased as macho. 

To conclude, Kings of Leon were showcased as grungy, southern rock and rollers in their early years but as time has gone by they have developed into a modern rock band, not losing their southern rock image but it has become a lot more commercial. 

Textual Analysis of a Music Video

Our deal by Best Coast

Directed by Drew Barrymore

The video I am going to be analyzing is by Best Coast and directed by Drew Barrymore. The genre of the music is indie pop and surf pop. The broad characteristics of these genres are normally performance based or they flick from narrative to performance frequently.

The only link between the lyrics and visual is that they are both about a relationship of some kind and people not being able to be together for some reason. In the music video, they are both from rival gangs which means that it’ll be difficult for the both of them to be together, also at the end of the music video she punches him which results in him falling off the side of the building and falling to his death which means they definitely can’t be together. In the lyrics it says “I wish you would tell me, how you really but you’ll never tell me cos that’s not our deal” which shows that she wants them to be together but he wont tell her how he feels because of some deal they both made but by the end of the song she says she doesn’t want any part to play in the deal anymore “that’s your deal, that’s not my deal.”

The link between the music and visuals contradicts itself. The music is quite soft and surfy while the video is quite gritty and to the point. There are solo instrumental bits, which are illustrated by the video, as the song is only 2 minutes and 9 seconds long while the video 3:51.

The record company is looking to sell the track by including stars into the music video such as Chloë Grace Moretz (most famous for Kick-Ass), Tyler Posey (most famous for Teen Wolf), Miranda Cosgrove (most famous for iCarly) and many more. The image that is being offered of the band is that they are romantics. The video doesn’t relate to any of the previous videos Best Coast have done, all of the other videos they have done have been light and soft.

The intertextual references used are of Greece as where the two main characters meet is where they race in the movie Greece, it is also linked with West Side Story as West Side Story is about two youngsters from a rival gang who fall in love and can’t be together. The music video is almost shot in a Greece style and the storyline copies West Side Story.

The music is all narrative based as it has a storyline throughout the whole of the video. Overall this video is completely different from the conventions of this genre and the other videos which have been created by the band.

Final Poster Analysis and Storyboard Analysis

My poster appeals to my target audience as it is fun, over-the-top and silly. It is bright and the main character is the centre of the poster which shows that the film will be mainly about her. The representation I have created in my poster is funny, also it is intimate. The poster conventions I have used are a title, main character, the movie rating, slogan, the film credits and information about the movie. These would appeal to my target audience as it has the an image of the main character which catches your attention, the movie rating so you know who is allowed to go, a funny slogan which is there to entertain, the film credits will allow my target audience to find out who made the film and the title is quick and snappy so it will be easy for my target audience to remember the name of the film. The meaning that the text and image create together is that the movie is funny and should not be taken seriously.

The trailer conventions I have on my storyboard are a title, images, video and sound. This would appeal to the my target audience because the title is fun as it is being flipped through a note book, images because they are fun and keep the target audience engaged, video  and sound because they are main parts of a trailer. I have represented my main character in my trailer as spoilt, selfish and stupid because the film is about girls being ungrateful and thinking the world revolves around her. I want her to be a likeable villain, you’re not supposed to like my character but you do. The difference between the protagonist and the other characters is that they cater to all the protagonist’s needs which shows that she is in charge. The film company I have identified as producing and distributing my film are ‘bigtalk products’, I chose the company because it is independent and they have produced a lot of comedies which is the genre of my film.

Movie Poster Mock-Up

Brainstorm for Movie idea

Trailer Analysis



Film trailers are an extremely important part of film marketing. They are made to advertise the film. They normally have big budgets, as film studios understand that film trailers are one of the most important ways in creating immediate interest in a film. The earlier trailers are known as teaser trailers, which are supposed to tease the viewer with only a few exciting details. Closer to the date, another trailer is released which includes more information and including the release date.

The normal conventions in a trailer are they include key moments, but do not give away any crucial plot details. The title of the film is usually not put on screen until the end of the trailer, which is then followed by the release date. The names of the main stars are put on screen early on in a trailer; it is to let the audience know who they can expect to see in the film. The audience often decide either to see a film or not because of the stars in it. The name of the director or producer is included; this helps the audience make connections between the other director or producers previous and recognised films. Mainstream films will almost certainly use a powerful voice over that draws our attention to the key points of the film. Also, music is essential in trailers as it can suggest the genre, style or plot of the film. The trailers are normally distributed through internet on YouTube or on their film production’s website; they are also distributed on radio by making a voice advert.

The target audience of the film is people who enjoy independent, modern comedy films with a quirky edge.  The unique selling point of the film is that it was made by an independent film company. The trailer gives an impression that is a mockumentary as there is no actual plot in the film. You also see the main character of the film, Napoleon in every scene of the movie which tells us that the film is about him and we see the characters in his life and what roles they play in the movie. It also shows that the movie has won two independent film awards, one at Sundance Festival which is one of the biggest independent film awards in the world.

Through the lighting, settings, music and camera shots, you can see that the genre of the film is comedy. The trailer and film poster are very alike and you come up with the same conclusions as you did for the other. The trailer and film explore the same areas in the film, Napoleon’s life and the people in it.

The film trailer makes the movie more desirable to watch as people may not understand the film poster well as it is weird and kooky but the trailer shows you enough clips from the movie so you understand what the movie is about and how amazing it is.

The advantages of using an internet trailer rather than a poster campaign as it brings more attention and attraction to the movie as more people use the internet.

Poster Analysis

The typical conventions of film posters are an eye-catching image (most likely of the stars in the films), the title of the film, a tagline for the film, the names of the stars, critic reviews and the production blurb. The audience expect to find the stars of the film, the title and when it is due to be in cinemas or if it is already in cinemas on the movie poster.

The genre of this film is comedy, I can tell this as the movie poster appears to have no purpose, and it is just full of hand drawn doodles and images of random people. The tagline to the film is ‘he’s out to prove he’s got nothing to prove’ which shows that the movie doesn’t have a storyline and will be all about Napoleon Dynamite and his daily life.

 His body language is coming off as nerdy and un-cool, nerdy guys in movies tend to be funny, which also tells us that the movie is a comedy, also his facial expression looks un-motivated and bored. The settings in this movie poster are on a hand-drawn background, which shows what Napoleon’s hobby is – drawing, it also features characters featured in the movie. The characters are wearing very out of fashion clothing; which shows what the character’s personalities will be like in the movie. The poster is trying to reflect Napoleon Dynamite’s mind as he is the main character. The title has been designed in Napoleon Dynamite’s handwriting, to make it more personal, also to make the movie poster focused on him, his mind and his life.

The film poster tells us that the film is all about Napoleon Dynamite, the people in his life, his hobbies and overall his life and goals. The audience can expect a personal movie about Napoleon’s life, with a lot of laughter.

I think people who enjoy modern comedy films with a quirky edge would be interested in going to see this film. The unique selling point of the film is at the bottom of the film poster, it says that it has won awards at two film festivals, one of them being Sundance Film Festival which is probably the most famous independent film festival in the world. The main selling point of the movie is that it is different, quirky and independently distributed.

The film company that produced this film were Fox Searchlight Pictures, Paramount Pictures, MTV Films and Access Films. Access Films is an independent film company who created and distributed the film within Fox Searchlight Pictures, Paramount Pictures and MTV Films who are major Hollywood companies. This film poster was placed mainly on the internet and websites, but was also placed on buses, bus stops and billboards to attract viewers.

Finished advert and Explanation

This is the final advert for my brand.

The ideologies I want to be attached to my advert are good quality, cheap and fun. The shade of the lipstick, which is quite bright implicates that she is fun. I've also used a teenage girl as my model which attracts a younger audience. Using a teenager as my model shows the target audience that I have used someone in their age bracket, which is ordinary like them so they can relate to the model. The anguish text at the bottom of my ad is part of my persuasive technique; also I have used personal and social appeal as persuasive techniques. Personal appeal because wearing this lipstick makes you feel and look great. Social appeal because you'll look great for others.

The needs I have addressed in my advert are self-esteem (which teenage girls lack), confidence (which teenage girls also lack), and creativity which almost all teenage girls strive for and respect by others which all teenage girls want. By having a person in my advert, I have tried to create someone that my target audience can relate to. I’ve used an ordinary, teenage girl who seems to not have anything spontaneous about her like other teenage girls out there but with a bright lipstick colour everything changes and she is shown to be fun, almost sultry.

Original image taken for my advert

Pitch for Advet

Advert Mock-Up

Draft of Advert using own image

Advert Proposal

Survey Overview





I found out that 37.5% of the people who took part in my survey would spend £6-8 on a lipstick and 25.0% of the people would spend £4-6 on a lipstick, both of them were the majority votes. This helps me understand what price range my lipstick should be around.

  



I found out that 77.8^% of the people who took part in my survery use the brands that they use because they are good quality, 66.7% of the people who took part in my survey used the brands they use because recommendations and because they are well-known. 55.6% said they buy a lipstick because of good reviews. This helps me understand how to advertise my product to my target audience.

These are the responses to the question in which I asked the people what they look for in a lipstick. Many said 'the colour', others said 'moisturising', and quality. They all mainly said the same thing so it helps me understand what people look for in a lipstick.

 

Questionnaire

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RS9WZD3

Planning My Print Advert

Advert Comparison

This is an image of music artist Taylor Swift promoting the new ‘Covergirl’ foundation.
The model’s facial expression is very posed, but rather soft because they want to promote the ‘flawless coverage’ by having a soft, pure and natural image. They are using direct mode of address because they want the viewer to feel connected with the image and feel they can have flawless skin like the model’s. They also are using a direct mode of address so the celebrity is recognizable.
The person being chosen is a popular celebrity among teenagers which shows the product’s target audience. She is also known as a sweet country girl and she is also young, so this is also linked to the softness of this ad, she also helps promote the ‘Flawless coverage’ caption and they picked the perfect model for this product.
In this medium close up the model has her arm draped over head and her other hand on her ear even though both hands have been cut out of the ad. This is a very soft and elegant pose, which is perfect for the ad.
The clothing the model is wearing is light and elegant, it almost looks like a flower. Her clothing says that she is a elegant, high-class person but it is also serene and down-to-earth.
The setting is a plain white background so the model is the main focus of the viewer’s attention. The lighting is very high-key, the feeling created by the lighting is pure, flawless, natural and serene.
The product is on a small box at the bottom of the ad, with a few sentences about the product. The product is in a normal packaging, it also looks rather normal sized. The advert also is aimed at 'Trendies' who are desperate to have admiration of their peer group.


This is model Lily Cole modelling for Rimmel London.
The facial expression is very posed, it is a direct mode of address which is normally used by celebrities so the viewer feels like the celebrity is connecting with them.
The person that has been chosen to model this mascara is very high-end model which shows that the mascara must be good for an high-end model to wear it, she is also young which shows the target audience of the product. The female stereotype being used is ‘beauty bunny’ which means she always has the best and newest make up.
This is a close up shot of the model’s face so the lashes and model are the main focus. The make up the model is wearing suit’s the packaging of the mascara, so everything on the ad is colour co-ordinated. The background is one of one of London’s most famous tourist attractions as the brand is ‘Rimmel London’ and Big Ben is a well-known attraction in London. It also has a image of the mascara packaging and the brush. The product is quite big on the page so people know exactly what it looks like so they can easily pick it up in a store.
The target audience for this product is young people because the model they used is young and well-known amongst teenagers, also the packaging is very pink and pretty which may be aimed at girly teenagers. The advert appeals to the audience by using a celebrity, direct mode of address and lash enhancement. The direct mode of address can make viewers feel as if the celebrity is connecting with them and the lash enhancement makes some people believe they can actually get lashes the same length. The advert is aimed at 'Trendies' who are desperate to have admiration of their peer group.