HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE COMBINATION OF YOUR

MAIN PRODUCT AND ANCILLARY TEXTS?

WHAT WE HAD TO DO• As well as our main product, a music video; we had to create our own

individual ancillary products, in which must be easily distinguishable to go along with the main product. I personally decided to create a digipak and a magazine advert to go along with my main product, as I felt that these were both the most interesting to do in the set brief.

• The combination amongst all three of my products had to have one major aspect in order for it to be effective, this was the concept of synergy; they must all have something in common that allows people to distinguish them as a whole.

MY ANCILLARIESMagazine Advert Digipak

SYNERGY 1 - MAIN CHARACTER• The first point to consider is the fact that our main actor, Ben, who plays Jake Bugg in the main product is in

all three of my products. This is typical of a musical artist’s portfolio, as it distinguishes synergy amongst the products and therefore means that it is easily recognisable to people who might potentially be wanting to buy the products. This I feel is very effective in my products, in which Ben plays the performance character in the main piece, a picture of him is the main cover of my digipak, with other photos of him making up the other panels and a picture of him walking away from the camera on my poster with his guitar on his back being my Magazine poster’s main picture. It helps my products gain a form of identity and the synergy amongst them all allows it to be easily distinguishable as a whole to potential customers.

DigipakMagazine Advert Music Video

SYNERGY 2 – BLACK AND WHITE/SEPIA THEME• The second evidence of synergy amongst my products would be the gloomy atmosphere that is

established through the use of a black and white/sepia theme on both of my ancillaries. This isn’t used in the main product as the lighting is already low key in the first place so we didn’t feel the need to use it. However, on a personal level I felt that it would be beneficial in my ancillaries as a selling point, as it gives off a gloomier feel, which is what Jake Bugg’s first album is essentially looking to achieve. Also to mention would be the fact that during the research stages, I noticed the fact that the people who created Jake Bugg’s marketing material of his first album had also used a filter that made it look black and white, so therefore my ancillary products both stay true to the artist.Magazine Advert DigipakJake Bugg Album Cover

SYNERGY 3 - FONT• Another use of synergy that is present in my ancillaries is the use of font. I used the exact same font for

both of my Ancillaries in order to establish the synergy and continuity amongst the pieces. This therefore also helped to establish an identity to all of my pieces, as with the same font on each of them, it gives the marketing material their own identity.

Magazine Advert Digipak

SYNERGY 4 – DRESS CODE• Another way I feel that the combination of my products is effective is the code of dress in which was

chosen. In all three of my products, the main character, in which Ben plays, wears exactly the same clothes, including his same red guitar that’s used throughout. This is also pretty effective as it furthers the identity of all of the three products that has been established.

Magazine Advert

DigipakMusic Video

SYNERGY 5 - LOCATION• I also feel the combination of my ancillaries and my main product is effective is by the use of location.

All three of them feature the use of Mote Park as a location, and therefore allows the audience to become familiar with it. This therefore makes all three products a lot more memorable and therefore helps establish synergy in the link that the location gives between them. Therefore I feel this is effective.

Magazine Advert Music Video Digipak

SYNERGY 6 – RECORD LABEL• The last way in which I feel I effectively established synergy amongst my products, and therefore making

the combination of them all effective, is the way in which both of my ancillaries establish the use of a record label. I made my own logo for the record label in order to make it seem genuine and authentic, as on most magazine adverts and digipaks that are created professionally all feature the record label’s logo in order to promote it. However, this was not featured in the video as in professional music videos, this never is featured. I do feel that this adds to my ancillary pieces in making them look professional.

Magazine Advert Digipak

OVERALL REFLECTION• During the creation of my ancillaries, I considered very carefully as to how I would

make connections between each of my individual products, and this is why I believe that the combination of all 3 work so well.

• I focused on each product specifically and made sure that at least two of the products used synergy to connect at a time. For example, the black and white/sepia theme is not used in the main production, however both ancillaries include this so therefore it allows them to be easily connected. However, the main production uses the same male character that features on both my digipak and magazine poster, so therefore they all do connect and show synergy between all three products.

• So overall, I feel I have used common themes amongst all three of the products in which I have created, therefore making the combination of the three effective.