Evaluation: 2) How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

I feel that the combination of our main product of the music video and our ancillary texts in the form of a CD package and a magazine advert is fairly effective and that we have succeeded in creating a cohesive set of products. I feel that there are clear links between all three of the products, and I don't find anything to be particularly stand out or conflicting about them - I feel that the products fit and work together quite well.

The images that we selected for use in the CD booklet and on the magazine advert were all taken whilst filming, thereby creating obvious links with the mise-en-scene for the video and the images - this ensured that the characters were dressed in the same outfits and had the same appearance as they would have done in the video. This creates an immediate visual link between all three products, as the audience will be able to identify the character as a recurring visual theme across the three media sources. This approach also allowed for a recurring theme of the locations across the three products, as they were all shot at the same time, in the same park. Additionally, the key manipulation of natural light to heighten the romanticism and jubilance that is represented in the flashback scenes is cohesive with the images taken of the girl posing in the park. Both of these ideas are used to play to the conventional generic features that are so often associated with this musical style, such as that of nature, youth and innocence - In the music video, the bright sunlight implies connotations of vibrancy and warmth, whereas in the ancillary texts it is used is such a way as to make the products more visually appealing, playing on the convention of the pretty, young female artist.

Two of the images used in our CD packaging are sourced directly from the narrative itself. On of these images is used as the back cover, which is a shot of the couple sat on a bench, back-lit by the sun to create silhouettes, thereby elevating the conventional sentimental value expressed in the flashback scenes of the video. This images could also be seen as representative of the idea of unconventionality that we aimed for with our video - the images is framed slightly off center, with the bench weighted more towards the left hand side rather than the more predictable or expected positioning of the centre of the frame. Conventionally, the 'standard' positioning may be used in order to make the female actor the centre of the frame, and therefore the central focus of the image, emphasising her stance of authority and implying a possible sense of power, as well as working as a marketing tool to draw more attention to the artist, in order to create familiarity and intimacy. By alternating this typical positioning, we are in some ways undermining this representation, suggesting that the artist is slightly off the edge, potentially creating a marketing point of an off-centre, slightly unconventional style which could become the unique selling point of our artist - it harmonizes with the the more conventional approach of the ancillary texts, which perhaps serves to add extra dynamic to the image and therefore the artist herself. However, this representation of central focus is still somewhat adhered to in this image in the way that the female actor is actually more visible in the off-centre position that the male actor, who is sat more centrally and is less visible due to being silhouetted by the sunlight. This is synonymous with the approach we have taken in our video, by sticking loosely to generic conventions and ideas, but representing them in a more unconventional style, which would still be recognised as being specific to and belonging to a certain musical style.

The second image we used that draws direct influence from the narrative is the inlay shot of the scrabble tiles. Although we cannot see the whole number of tiles, these letters actually spell out 'More Than Friends', thereby creating obvious synergy with the narrative of the video in the playing of scrabble, as well as with the title of the song. The idea of scrabble is a visual motif that is additionally repeated as a form of typeface across the two ancillary texts - the individual tiles were made to spell out 'Gabrielle Aplin', which we then arranged in the editing stages to use as the artists name or logo for the CD cover, and subsequently the advert - we felt it was important that at least one of the textual styles used on the cover of the artwork was directly repeated onto the magazine advert to enforce an obvious visual link between the two. This creates cohesion with the genre style, as well as establishing evident synergy between all 3 products.

The typeface used for the album name on the CD cover, and for the most important information on the magazine advert is written in a similar, cursive handwritten style, as is a common generic feature of the genre. Although I don't think two fonts are exactly the same, which would have been the most ideal, they are extremely similar in style so serve the same purpose of adhering to conventions and creating a link between the two products.

The synergy between the main product and the ancillary texts is emphasised in the CD booklet, where we have included a lyrics page for the song we used for our video. This creates an obvious link with the video, allowing the audience to learn the lyrics to the song, increasing familiarity and therefore the selling potential.

Whilst we felt it important to establish a number of evident links between the three products, we also considered it just as important to have a small element of difference between them in order to establish each product as individual in it's own right, thereby adding more power and authority to 3 products separately, as opposed to replying on the side-by-side combination of the three together to sell the product. One of the main ways in which we conveyed this is through the use of the guitar as a prop. It is not featured often throughout the video - in fact I think in the final video cut it is only shown once, but in that one clip it is portrayed as being significant enough, and of a personal value to the girl - this is demonstrated when the guy kicks it over after leaping out of bed in frustration. This perhaps implies that he wants to express his anger or inner annoyances with her belongings of great importance to her, or alternatively that the guitar has in some manner been a source of irritation prior to the time frame of the narrative. In this sense, there could be seen to be a visual link here, in that the guitar is a prop used in the video, however it is less of a straightforward and immediately recognisable link that other examples may be. It could perhaps be better linked in with the song itself, as the audience would recognise the instrument as being in line with the music and the song as opposed to the visual content of the video.

Overall, I feel that the three media products work well together, both harmonising and contrasting each other in part. There are obvious links between all three products, and none seem particularly unusual, but additionally each product serves to stand as a promotional tool in it's own right.