Tuesday 22 September 2015

Conventions of CD covers



Learning objective: To deconstruct the codes and conventions of CD covers

Key words: Genre, target audience, conventions, fonts.

If you are creating a CD cover you need to produce the front and back cover plus the spine and at least one page of an insert for the first CD of a new performer or band.

You are advised to use imagery that you have created yourself when completing Media production coursework.

1. Be sure of the genre of your new artist/band the name needs to reflect this to attract the target audience.
2. The colour and imagery needs to appeal to the same primary target audience.
3. The track list needs to deal with the issues faced by the target audience.
4. The font and graphics should also reflect the genre.
5. You can use an existing distributors that are known for the genre or invent one yourself (with logo)
6. The artwork and photography needs to be your own work.
You can manipulate your images in P-shop










Textual analysis:
‘Investigate how genre conventions are used in the CD cover ROCKFERRY by Duffy’

This is for analysis of :

The CD cover contains many recognized codes and conventions.

Main image
A large black and white image of the star Duffy dominates the text set against an out of focus background which includes the carriages of an old fashioned train. 
The photograph has been taken with a shallow depth of field. The image is typical of the soul genre of the Sixties and has connotations of that iconic period in popular music which includes the promotional images of The Beatles and models photographed by David Bailey. 

Duffy looks as though she doesn't want to let go of her youth, is she afraid of the journey she is about to take possibly to adulthood which would be identified with by a teenage audience.

The cover reminds us of the sixties British white soul singer Dusty Springfield: (Fig 2).


(Fig 2)

Duffy is looking down and looks a little sad about the journey she is about to take.
The photo is taken at eye level and is a naturally lit mid-shot taken in a realistic setting.
We can see from Duffy's body language, holding on to her coat that she may be apprehensive.

The symbolic codes of dress which include a bold black and white coat and bleached blonde hair. Again this reminds us of the Sixties and iconic singers like Dusty Springfield who is reknowned as one of the greatest white, British, female soul genre singers. Duffy's style of singing has been called Blue eyed soul.

The presence of the train could suggest the star is about to take a journey. Rockferry is a small working class town on the Wirral and a well known narrative of 'rags to riches' is being constructed. 
There are connotations of the English North /South divide which exists today as it did in the Sixties when the Beatles traveled from Liverpool to London in the film A Hard Days Night.

Graphics:
The title of the album is in capitals and the serif font STENCIL has been used.
Stencils are used by rail companies to identify their cargo, so the lettering has connotations of train travel.
Above the main image is the signature of the artist. It can be described as feminine This will appeal to the target audience who may feel they are buying something unique or collectible, like the autograph of Duffy the celebrity personalising the CD for fans.

In conclusion, the codes and conventions used on the CD are typical of the British soul genre which was reborn through artists like Duffy in the mid noughties.
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Task1:
Write the codes and conventions of CD covers into your Orange books.

Task 2:
Using the template provided, rough out a cover for a new CD promoting Nirvana's greatest hits to a new audience of young people aged 15 - 25.


Peer Assessment.

Use the handouts provided to assess the work of your peer.
Award 20 marks for each of the success criteria indicated above giving a final total out of 100.
The assessment focus for this task is: CD cover - codes and conventions


Year 13 written tasks success criteria:
Knowledge of the concept of audience/representation/narrative
Awareness of relevant theories
Uses examples to draw on relevant issues
Use of media terminology/key words
Quality of written communication


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