Print Production Ideas

Initial Print Production Ideas

Audience Theory in 5 Seconds of Summer's 'Don't Stop'

     5 Seconds of Summer are a pop rock/pop punk band formed in 2011 from Sydney, Australia. Don't Stop was released on 9 May as their second single, reaching Number 2 on the UK Singles Chart; it is also the second track off their self-titled debut studio album  released in June 2014.

         

 
    The primary audience is 15-22 year olds as the performers themselves are in the 18-20 age range, as well as the fact that the video doesn't have a serious tone and thus may appeal to this age range as something easy and fun to watch. The audience would most likely be predominantly female, despite the band also having a large male fan following, as the topic of the track is centred around being attracted and longing to be with another person - a focal point of which may appear to be more appealing to a female audience. Whereas the idea of superheroes - and subsequently the comic books and films they are featured in- are stereotypically considered to be geared towards and consumed primarily by a male audience, and thus these references to superheroes in the video may aid in appealing to their male fan base.















     Lasswell suggested that media texts have certain functions for individuals in society, one of the prominent aforementioned functions is entertainment.  Many music videos by pop punk/rock artists are fairly light hearted and may not have a serious tone, thus making it an entertaining and easy to consume text. In the opening of the video -of which mimics a superhero movie trailer- the intention to entertain the audience is set up with the use of the 'Green band trailer' screen of which is present in many online trailers for upcoming films. By mimicking this convention of film trailers but with a humorous tone - evident in the text 'By the association that does that sort of thing' and '...vulgar amounts of spandex'- helps to reinforce the style and tone of the band, as well as the purpose to entertain the audience.

 
    The intention to entertain the audience is reinforced throughout the video, by the running self-mocking tone portrayed throughout the text. This is evident in the portrayal of the characters not being very good superheroes, with scenes of picking up litter and finding a lost cat rather than grand heroics you would see in a superhero movie, although this changes when the group come together. Similarly, the use of the intentionally obvious green screen editing at the end of the video paired with the amusing group shots reinforce the self-mocking and playful tone intended to entertain the audience. The use of these features is similar to fellow pop punk band Blink-182's video for 'All The Small Things'- reinforcing the light hearted approach of bands in this genre.

     

     Similarly, the use of intertextual references is an audience pleasure of which could attribute to the entertainment factor of the video for the audience. The video itself -as previously mentioned- mimics a superhero film trailer, with a broad reference to comic books and films of which this type of character frequents. Whereas there are a few features of the video of which specifically references 'Kick Ass': a creator-owned comic book series written by Mark Millar and illustrated by John Romita Jr, published by Marvel Comics under the company's Icon imprint; following the story of Dave Lizewski, a teenager who sets out to become a real life superhero. The comic was adapted into a 2010 film of the same name directed by Matthew Vaughn, starring Aaron Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong and Nicolas Cage; followed by the sequel 'Kick Ass 2'.

       One aspect reinforcing this intertextual link is the similarity between certain costumes in the video to that of Kick Ass and Red Mist, utilising the same colour schemes of green & yellow and red & black as well as the similarity in design. 












      
   
     Furthermore, the scene in which the group comes together mirrors that in the film 'Kick Ass 2' where individual self-proclaimed superheroes decide to come together to create a newly formed superhero team - much like that portrayed in the video.

 

      Similarly, the use of the exterior, performance location of a building rooftop strengthens the link to superhero comic books and films as images of the protagonists looking out at the city from atop a building is a common motif seen in both medias. This is also similar to the location of Ling Tosite Sigure's video for 'Abnormalize', in which you see the cityscape from atop a building where the performance takes place. 

    Blulmer and Katz stated that individuals might choose and use a text for certain purposes such as diversion, personal relationships and personal identity. In terms of diversion the themes of the films and comic books referenced as well as the video itself could be a text of which viewers use as an escape from their everyday lives and problems, for example if someone feels helpless or as if they don't have a sense of control in their lives then the theme of superheroes may be an appealing type of escapism as they are commonly depicted as just, valiant and helping those in need. In regards to personal relationships, one of the most prominent audience pleasures of a text is feeling part of a group, for example substituting individuals or groups in media texts for the audience's own family life and social life. As previously mentioned, when the individuals in the video come together they achieve more and there is a strong sense of togetherness and camaraderie, of which one may expect to feel from a personal friendship and thus the audience may utilise the video for this. This links to the idea of personal identity as individuals may be drawn to the characters in the video due to an identification with them, or a sense of aspiration in which they harbour a desire to be somewhat like them, beit to the superhero characters or the actual performers themselves. 

     
     In regards to audience reception, as it is a fairly simple video of which intends to entertain the audience, it would be plausible to suggest that the video would largely receive a preferred reading. This is because this video appears to have drawn upon audience expectations by using certain codes and conventions relating to aspects such as genre, such as the energy and use of humour that has been utilised in videos by other bands of the same genre such as Blink-182, All Time Low and Fall Out Boy. 

Research into Print Production: Genre

    
    Katie Wales notes that 'genre is an intertextual concept', similar to John Hartley who suggests that 'we need to understand genre as a property of the relations between texts' - and thus research into existing album covers and posters for other British bands of the same indie pop/rock pop genre was important as to help me develop ideas for my own print productions.


The Smiths

       The Smiths were an English rock/indie pop band formed in Manchester in 1982.  The Smiths’ album designs are always understated and usually a sort of duo-toned color. They often featured film or pop stars due to Morrissey’s fascination with them.

     The imagery is intensely intimate as it usually focuses on an individual, and the viewer appears to be the sole witness of that occuring in the image. The complementary colour schemse creates more contrast beyond the dramatic lighting of the photos. The hierarchy of the design is very effective, with the artist name being top centre and capitalized places higher importance in your recognition of the band than the album name. The consistency of their album art strengthens this concept, unifying the band’s work and creating familiarity in their fan base.

 
   
The magazine advert for The Smiths follows a similar formula to their album covers, with their name capitalized and placed at the top of the page once again placing a high importance in the recognition of the band. They also use images from their albums or of members of the band themselves, of which would be an effective marketing approach and thus an idea I will try to incorporate into my own work.

The Stone Roses

     The Stone Roses are an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. The band released their debut album, The Stone Roses, in 1989. The album was a breakthrough success for the band and garnered critical acclaim, with many critics regarding it as one of the greatest British albums ever recorded. Many of the band's artwork was influenced by Jackson Pollock's paintings, created by the guitarist John Squire. 

     

     
     The use of paint and artistic influence seen in these album covers, similar to the magazine advert, links to the title of the track 'Paint' by Cast of Lions that I am trying to promote. Similar to The Smiths advert and album covers, the name of the band is capitalized and placed in the center near the top of the page, drawing attention to -and subsequently effectively promoting- the band itself.