CCR Reflection Essay

A youthful image is portrayed as a key theme as the band is displayed as carefree and energetic. Facial expressions such as the guitarist sticking out her tongue gives the audience the impression that she has an upbeat attitude.

Their costume is free as they wear baggy and loose jeans and t-shirts, the loose clothing mirrors their personalities which aren’t strained to anything. Their costume and facial expressions create an easy going atmosphere and this has purposely been done to appeal to the audience who look to see a fun going band. This links to the star image created for the band showing that just like everyone they are regular people having fun. The music video is  fast paced cutting to the beat which generates hype and an upbeat atmosphere highlighting their livelihood.The doodles on the digipak show their youthfulness and playfulness as the free flowing lines run through the covers and around the polaroids. Additionally the front cover shows their adventurous side symbolising their path as a band and their growth in life.

The polaroids in the inside hold a yearbook sense which re-emphasises the youthful image of the band and relates to the audience as they are still in highschool. The digipak is created in a playful sense as it links to the campaign showing their personality.This is a stereotypical representation that adheres to young bands in the pop rock genre. The representation mirrors the target audience I am trying to reach as they are girls aged 16-17 who are in their adolescent ages. The band represents what teenagers stand for which is being full of energy. This has positive connotations as for the target audience they see a band that they can relate to. As your teenage years are when you begin to explore to find yourself and ‘Buzzkill’ gives teenage girls the thrill and energy they are looking for at that age. However this also has a negative connotation as parents could interpret their personalities as influencing their children negatively through the energy they generate in the music video.

The main social group I present is gender. Subverting from the gender stereotypes of a female on the digipak she is placed equally with the boys. Close ups show more of her talent rather than her body. Through long shot duration she gets the same screen time as the boys showing equality reflecting the audience's ideology as it’s an age group that believes that women and men should be equal. Her costume is just as loose as the other three boys instead of her dressed in a dress.  Throughout instagram and twitter she is posted just as much as the other band members are. This is because it plays into the concept of the band being close friends. This connects to the star image of them being friendly approachable normal people. Overall our social group doesn’t conform to Mulvey’s male gaze theory as our audience isn’t expected to be male therefore the camera isn’t used through a males view.

Pop rock genre holds an upbeat atmosphere that reflects teenage girls aged 16 to 17. By using a handwritten font and a jade and purple on the digpak it creates a lively and vibrant mood. This mood is mirrored in their instagram and twitter as the posts hold the same colour generating energy between the two products. This is shows the brand of the band and the kind of playful personality they have. The polaroid style is carried out between digipak and instagram showing a sense of youth allowing the target audience to relate to the band as they feel in a sense represented.

This makes the audience more invested in the band generating a bigger audience for them. The front cover of the digipak doesn’t have any band members on it showing that they are trying to sell the music instead of the actual people. This links to the star image as it shows down to earth personality. It also links to the brand I am creating as it is their attitude and their ideology that the audience are looking at. This attracts their audience more as it emphasises the band's humble personality which is the brand that I am trying to create. The doodles of the band playing around on the front cover of the digipak mirrors the music video as an element of them playing with a game console is displayed in the video.This fits into the genre as it is full of energy reflecting the band’s personality.  Our target audience fits into the E section of the Jicnars scale as they are underage teenagers that aren’t working and are still in school. Creating products that are full of life mirrors the brand our audience is looking for as the band portrays an image of them being regular people that dress like everyone else. The long shot duration shows the band's talent and how much they enjoy creating their music.The star image created is a market-worthy image that the target audience would be attracted to as the band’s rhythm and music create a tone that makes them want to follow the band.

To reflect the female teenage demographic elements such as having animations on all four panels creates a playful sense that is also shown on twitter. This gives the audience a feeling that they are all part of the same journey and using the polaroids from the digipak as countdown posts on instagram re-emphasises this. The doodle of lips on the digipak is a reference from the guitarist sticking out her tongue in the music video which makes the audience feel familiar with what they are seeing creating  a sense of safety as they become familiarised with the products. The social media allow the audience an insight of the bands life through behind the scenes shots which makes them feel unique and a part of a community. They create social media as it plays into the campaign allowing them to show how approachable they are to the audience.

To engage our audience we use ‘uses and gratification’ theory on personal relationships and identity. Personal relationship applies to my products as the band’s social media creates a friendly atmosphere that makes the audience feel invited. This is shown through their post of them hanging out more specifically on the post of the band helping one of them to get up showing their friendship.

Creating posts showing the audience where the band started off makes them feel as though they are being let into this personal journey which creates intimacy. Using a question tag on their instagram allows the audience to interact with the band engaging them which makes them want to know more. The music video also creates a sense of a personal connection as the audience is able to see the band’s world through their eyes through their garage setting. Sharing an experience and emotion creates a bond between the band and the viewers. The concept of the band making it allows them to feel like they’ve grown with these people, like they actually know them.  This links to the start image and the concept of the band as I want to create an image of a band that makes people feel comfortable with them even though they’ve never met. This allows the band to grow their base as they begin to attract more followers. On the digipak the polaroids have a sense that it's from the band especially to the audience and no one else. They create a yearbook feeling that engages them more as they feel that this is something they relate to as the audience is still in high school.

McQuail, Blumler and Brown also identified Personal identity which is when the audience uses media texts to reflect their own lives and values.This is displayed through the band hanging out while playing video games and messing around. This reminds the audience of what they are currently doing at their age and this engages them as they’re seeing what they do. The use of the Vhs filter creates this nostalgic feeling and at this point Vhs cameras and effects are what are popular with the audience. The concept of the band making it towards the end makes the audience feel that just like the band at some point of their life they will also make it.

The doodles on the digipak hold the connotation of youthfulness as it’s a reminder of youthful years. This engages the audience as they are currently in those years meaning that they are being reminded to live their life freely just like the lines. The idea of the band hanging out in their parent’s garage also engages their audience as they give their audience an insight into their personal life. Creating links like these between the band and the audience engages the audience as they begin to be more invested in the band for example buying their merchandise or going for their concerts.

From my research I looked at the band Blink 182 and from this I was able to see the key symbolic conventions in a music video. I followed the convention of having a performance element showing the band's talent and the kind of energy they have.This links to the whole campaign as it shows that their energy isn’t only on social media but in their music which keeps the audience constantly engaged. A filter is used over parts of the music video to create an aesthetic atmosphere making it memorable. The colour scheme is more bright than dark mirroring the band’s personality and their music. Less serious facial expressions which are captured through mid shots are used to evoke emotions in the audience and to highlight their personality.

Their costume is casual and laid back telling the audience that they like comfortable clothing which is what I also found in my research of pop rock bands. Technical conventions such as close ups and long shot duration are used to show the lead singer and this is because he defines the band’s image and personality. A wide shot is used to capture the setting of the video allowing the audience to see the concept of the music video. Following conventions makes the audience feel more familiar with what they are seeing. Following these conventions ensures that the concept of who the band is being put across and interpreted in the right way. However I also decided to subvert some genre conventions for example instead of having a boys band I decided to have three boys and one girl. This allows the products to stand out from other products in this genre and makes it more relatable to the  audience . Having a girl creates a connection between the band and the audience as they feel a personal attachment as a sense of representation is felt.

The key convention of social media is having the band hanging out while they play video games and them showing

their personality. This re-emphasises the relationship between the audience as they relate to the things that theband do as they also do the same things as them.  It creates a cool sense that the people they look up to also do regular things. On social media their use of emojis creates an informal atmosphere as their audience don’t feel like they are reading something their parents wrote but rather someone their age.

On the digipak the font creates a feeling that links the audience to  the band as the font looks handwritten making it feel more personal and it becomes more of a from the band to you.This links to the polaroid on the social media has they both have a personal feeling. However, having done research Andrew Godwin’s theory states that all music videos have typical conventions no matter the genre. Our video adheres to some of these conventions like having close ups of the band and having a performance element.