RESEARCH

DIGIPAK, POSTER & MUSIC VIDEO RESEARCH... 

Norah Jones- The FallThis album was released on the 17th of November 2009 by EMI's Blue Note Records. This was Norah Jones forth album in seven years however in this album she experimented with different sounds and styles. Her music style is very much jazz but also has acoustic, country and soul elements to it also. Her voice has been described as easy to listen too and beautiful. The image she gives across it a very simple but quirky image. In her first few albums the artwork was very simplistic but still beautiful. However, The Fall has a slightly different image.

Although a little different it is still classy and elegant (like her other albums) just more elaborate.

The packaging for The Fall is a digipak.

The digipak has two folds making there three sides. The front cover has the artists photograph on  it along with the title of the album. The album title could have two different meanings. It could mean fall as in drop or fall as in an alternative word for Autumn. Looking at the mise-en-scene of the artwork, the one which seems more likely to be the reason for the title is the Autumn option due to the backdrop in the picture. It is a collage of the a forest and the sky. However, the dogs within the photos are slightly random. None of the titles of the songs have any reference to dogs so this seems slightly random. The whole mise-en-scene is very quirky and different from what you expect from Norah Jones.

On the digipak, there is obviously the title of the album along with the artist name. On the back, there is the tracklist.

On the opposite sides of the digipak there are similar images to on the other side. However, the image on the right is blurred. Over the top of this there is writing about the extras on the CD. The  image seems to be out of focus so that the buyer focuses on the extras available. In the middle there is the information about the people involved in the album including the producer. The image on the left is an image very similar to the main image on the front. There are two slots on the left and right where the disc is kept and where the lyric booklet is inserted. 

The font is just a simple white font with the titles in the same font as the album title and artist name. 

The promotional poster is very similar to the digipak with almost the same images once again. This keeps the synergy the same throughout. It has the name of the artist along with the album title and the release date. The poster is visually appealing with plenty going on and it is interesting so it would draw in an audience.

The first video from the album is very unusual also although it has nothing immediate link with the artwork on the digipak and poster. Although it is a very imaginative and post modern video. Once again the beautiful side of Norah Jones is shown with the close-ups of her but the concept of the video and the ideas behind it are unusual.

The song is called 'Chasing Pirates' and this is clearly shown throughout the video. When Norah falls asleep she transports into a different world. Although this seems a bit cliche it still seems original as it is done in such a different way. the pirates element comes in as she starts to sail a boat. However, it is not a boat but a block of flats which appear as a boat. It is very imaginative with a lot of careful details put in. For example, the anchor and other things found on ships.

Some of my favourite shots include the first shot with the slow zoom in as she opens the door and picks up the bottle. It is almost as if she is inviting the audience in too.  Another favourite shot is the shot of the bottles with the close up and focus pull on the bottles. This shows all the little details but you can still tell whats going on in the backgroud.

Muse-Absolution

Muse are an English rock band who have been around since the mid 90's. The band are very energetic and have a very unique sound. The released their third album, 'Absolution' in September 2003. The album was very much on trend with the other albums and is very similar to their previous.

The artwork on the digipak for the album doesn't display any pictures of the band like on other covers (Black Holes and Revelations). It is very abstract but expected from a band like Muse. The Front side just contains the name of the band along with the album name. The artwork is continuous along all of the 3 sides and is an almost electric fire. The colour palette of blues and purples against the shocking white implies that the band are making a statement and breaking a mold. The style is very different from other artusts covers but this shows how unique the band are. On the middle side of the digipak there is the names of the tracks in basic white font along with the official things like barcode and company names.

The first single they released from the album was 'Stockholm Syndrome'. Although a very well earning band and from an hit album the video for the single seems a little amateur. It is basically the band playing ther sonand being videoed but they have placed a solorized setting over the top to make the normal shots seem abnormal and strange. There are quick shot changes and no sense of continuity throughout the video which makes it seem even more stange. The changed settings on the shots make the band appear in a mixture of colours but the promonant ones are blue purple and white which are the colours from the digipak. Therefore, there is a consistent synergy.

[inser video]

Katy Perry-Teenage Dream

Katy Perry is a very well known international star whose music is of the pop genre. Her previous album 'One of the Boys' launched her career to unbelievable heights. 'Teenage Dream' was released in the Summer of 2010 and was loved by millions worldwide.

 

The digipak for the album is very typical Katy Perry and is very imaginative, The whole concept is closely linked with the first music video from the album, 'California Gurls' which is a very fun song. The whole concept looks at the concept is based around candy and sweets. The cotton candy clouds and lolli pop decorated cd case shows the fun and enjoyable side of Katy Perry's music and style. On the front of the digipak there is the name of artist along with the name of the album. The fonts for each of these are different and both stick with the theme of candy. Katy Perry is written in floaty almost balloon like font with contrasting colours of blue and hot pink which empahsises the name. Teenage Dream is written in candy cane style font with the colours red and white with an outline of blue to match the previous font.

Also, there is the track names and all of the important information on the back of the digipak. The artwork is the same as on the front with the cotton candy clouds and blue skies. Then font alternates between blue and pink with the o's in the track names being replaced by pink flower symbols.

On the of the digipak, the background is black with photographs of the artist within. The pictures seem quite serious but this is juxtaposed with the extravagant outfit that Katy is wearing. This once again shows her less serious side.

The music video for 'California Gurls' is a very fun video in which Katy Perry collaborates with Snoop Dog. The whole video foccusses on the candy idea but takes it to another level. Katy Perry and her friends in the video seem to be stuck in another world which is covered in candy. There are even gummy bears which are alive. The video at times seems a little inappropriate but this is often the case with the confident Katy. 

[insert video] 

Other posters...

Chistina Perri-Love Strong

The poster basically shows the artist in a very basic medium close-up shot. This may be as she is a new artist and she want to be recognised. Along the top Christina Perri is written in black typewriter font on the white background and to the left the is a pink star which has again type write font in it saying the release date of the album along with the name of a previously released song. This entices the audience as they know of her previous single. Her music style is very pretty and angelic and this comes across in the poster.

Taylor Swift- Taylor Swift

This poster is a bit more interesting than the previous one. It includes picture of the artist which fits with the artwork on the album cover. Its a very simple but effective picture of the artist sitting in a river wearing a white dress which has connotations for innocence and purity which is definately the image that Taylor Swift goes for. The poster includes her name logo which is kept throughout her merchandise and her other two albums. The poster also contains the logo for her record label along with additional information about the album (album release date).