Research; Music Videos

The music video ‘Save Me’ by Darren Styles starts with a long shot of himself, the artist Darren Styles, looking out towards a blue sky. This creates anticipation towards the audience as they are not shown the artist’s facial expression, just the back of his body, also covering his identity connoting mystery.

The key colours used within this first frame are not typical dance genre colours, as the light sky blue connotes a calm and relaxed feel, unlike what the atmosphere of dance music is about. The rule of thirds is also used within this shot, which emphasises the importance that the artist has upon the video. Within the next frame, the same shot is used, but the artist is positioned on the other side of the frame, which builds up more and more anticipation as the audience are left waiting to find out who this man is.

Although the audience are yet to see this mans face, even after 40seconds of the video, it is communicated to the audience that this person is very important, as along with the rule of thirds being used, the camera is using tracking movement to follow this man, which builds up the mans significance and noteworthy presence.

The slow motion of the multiple different shots of the man, such as extreme closes up of body parts and medium shots from behind create a very tense and anxious atmosphere, which links with the music as it feels like it is building up to something. This is not a typical convention of the dance genre as most music videos tend to be upbeat from the start. The mysterious man the jumps off the edge building and a low angle long shot is seen of him freefalling down the building. This connotes to the audience a feeling of freedom when listening to the music and enables them to get away from reality, which dance music tends to aim to do. This effect of escapism and freedom is positioned very powerfully towards the audience, conveying it is a main theme throughout the video and really tries to connect with the target demographic with doing this.

The lighting within the framing is unlike most music videos as it is seemingly set in the daytime, which is unlike the typical conventions of dance music videos, as they tend to be based at night time within a club or a party. The bright, natural lighting used adds to the sense of freedom which is being created throughout the video. However, the plot and storyline surrounding the video links well with the title of the music video ‘Save Me’ along with the lyrics which relate to what the artist is doing, therefore engaging the audience into the situation, making them feel like they are experiencing his experiences.

When evaluating this video, it was clear that it didn’t tend to focus around the typical codes and conventions of the dance genre within the music video as the other video’s did. It did not have a night time setting, or feature a club-like setting throughout the video, maybe portraying the artist is trying to gain a new target demographic towards his music video. As well as not having the conventional setting, it does not involve a woman wearing revealing clothing and seductive movement, gesture and facial expressions.

The music video does consist of a woman, who looks to be in some sort of flashback. There is a close up of a woman’s face, who looks ‘naturally pretty’ with blonde hair, connoting a sense of innocence and naivety towards the audience, which challenges the dance genre and dance scene as it does not link with the innocence or naïve people. The females costume was typically everyday-like, and unlike the women’s clothing worn in other dance music videos, and her facial expressions, gesture and movement not as sexual or provocative as the typical conventions go within a dance music video.

There is use of extreme close ups of this female character, who is unknown to the audience but slightly implying of a girlfriend or past girlfriend, allow the audience to gain some form of identity towards the character and enables them to relate towards her, gaining an understanding of her feelings and emotions. This contrast’s with what the women have been like in past videos as she is not being seen as a sexual object, as many of the women are in the dance music videos. This would also gain audience as the women seems a lot more down to earth and friendly, therefore allowing the audience, as in the women, to relate to her situation.

It is clear to see this video does not follow the codes and conventions of a typical dance music video, but seems to be trying to engage within a new target demographic, as it focuses on relating to the song itself, instead of having the audience in key mind, making the video seem effective but possibly not to the audience demographic of dance music.

Research; Music Videos

The music video ‘Now You’re Gone’ by Basshunter start by showing a contrasting shot of a woman and man in the same situation. This is done using the iconography of a phone to allow a smooth transition between both settings. The settings used are bedrooms, which seem to be a conventional setting for the start of many dance music videos, which could be a possible setting to use within my dance music video. This setting also appeals to the target demographic, as it would be a place they would listen to this type of music, but also to the younger audience, as they would be able to recreate the scene within the music video.

The contrasting shots of the man and the woman at the start of the video portray to the audience they are linked someway, creating enigma as the audience want to know who they are. There is then a close up of a woman’s face. Her facial expressions convey that she is sad and upset, which challenges the ideology that dance music makes everyone happy and creates a good atmosphere. As well as this, she has dark brown hair which is unconventional to the blonde haired women seen in many of the other dance videos.

There then goes on to be multiple close ups and medium shots of the man and the woman in separate settings, but composed with the same movement, gesture and facial expressions, which challenge the ideology that with dance music comes happiness as within the frame they portray a depressing and upset tone and atmosphere. The use of extreme close ups upon both of their faces allow the audience to read there emotions clearly and gain a sense of their identity.

You then see a long shot of the two people with their friends, contrasting images and different settings, getting ready to go out. This links with the conventions of dance music as it is played at night in night clubs and at parties. This also builds up tension within the music video, which links with the pace of the music, as the audience anticipate where the man and the woman are heading to.

The use of costume within this shot is of a common convention when relating to the dance genre. The woman is wearing a short, revealing, shiny black dress, which accentuates her features, along with her friends who are wearing mini dresses and mini skirts with a bra-top. This is a common convention with the dance genre as a lot of skin being shown and little clothing tend to appear multiple times, within album covers of dance music and other videos, possible suggesting that this could be a feature we could use when creating our dance music video.

The use of a two shot of the women applying makeup and doing there hair also are conventional aspects of the dance genre, as the women are always wearing heavy makeup, and they hair is all perfectly done. This connotes femininity within the women, but with the costume they wear as well, could be seen as seductive and is done so they are able to use their looks to get their way.

You are then shown a medium shot of a silhouette shape of a woman throwing her head back to flick her hair very seductively. There is then a tracking shot of the woman’s body, where she is playfully dancing, which is a typical convention of the dance genre. This creates mystery towards the audience as they are unsure of the woman’s identity and want to find out who the woman is, therefore creating enigma. The bright yellow light within the background grabs the audiences attention from far, attracting them within the frame and therefore towards the mystery woman.

The next setting within the music video changes to a club, which is a typical convention of the dance genre as it has appeared in basically every dance music video I have watched, and it is also relatable towards the target demographic. Also the medium shots of a dj reinforce the dance genre and remind the audience about the music being played.

The next shot is a close up of a mobile phone, which is important iconography as this prop has been used all the way through the song to link the man and woman together, and to allow smooth transition edits from each setting. The audience will also be able to relate towards the mobile as they are likely to own one and use it for communication with a friend of boyfriend, such as within this video.

The use of a two shot of the man and the woman with the club background blurred out ensures clear focus of these two character, portraying importance towards the audience. The lighting with the frame is reflecting on the key feature upon their face, which also adds to the importance of the both of them. With the use of the two shot it enables the audience to see the facial expressions of both characters clear, which connote happiness, but you are also able to see that both characters are very good looking, which may appeal to the audience as they may aspire to be like this man or woman within the frame.

When viewing the video, I believe I would be able to apply Todorov’s narrative theory towards this music video. I believe this as the video begins with the sense of a equilibrium, which is then disrupted by the break up via text between the man and the woman, then a sense of a re-establish of the equilibrium when they meet on the dance floor and their relationship is repaired. This works in the audience’s favour as Todorov’s narrative theory will enable Basshunters, Now You’re Gone video easier to follow.

I also felt that Propp’s theorem could be applied slightly towards this video as I found elements of a ‘princess’, ‘hero’ and possibly ‘villain.’ I feel with the use of this theorem it would allow the audience a to get away from the reality of like and escape into the narrative of the music video, engaging the audience and keeping a constant link between the music video and the audience.

Research; Music Videos

The music video by Cascada ‘Pyromania’ opens with a blur of colour like a mixture of strobe lighting which is a typical convention with night clubs where this song would be played. It then fades out into a medium shot of three men with helmets on. This is not typical of the dance genre as females are normally used within the videos, therefore maybe trying to engage with the female audience’s, however the use of helmets on the three men connotes mystery within the frame.

There is then use of jump cuts, showing close ups of the male faces, although hidden by the helmets. The effect of a strobe light is given when the males open there mouth, linking with the club-like atmosphere and portraying this within the music video. There is clear lighting within the frame at this point and the audience are not established to the setting, creating an enigma.

There is a blowing of fire effect to switch the person within the frame from the males to a woman, who is the artist of the song. The rule of thirds is used as we are given a close up of the artists face, showing clear facial expressions, allowing the audience to relate to the artist. The artist uses seductive facial expressions as she sings and the use of excessive makeup links her to the dance genre as this seems to be a typical convention for the women.

The use of straight cuts separates two scenes which are interchanging within the video of the female artist signing and the male dancers with the helmets. This creates a dance-like feel towards the video. The lighting is then dropped to give a darkened framing, which connotes a night time, club-like feel, which the dance genre is clearly related towards. The lack of lighting within the frame now connotes a mysterious and mystifying setting which creates an enigma to the audience, therefore keeping them interested.

There are then multiple close ups and medium shots of the female artist, connoting she is very importance within the music video. This also allows the audience to identify with her and feel like they are being directly spoken too. Then is then a long shot of the female artist, allowing the audience to see her costume and gesture, which is a dress, which would be a typical costume for a woman to go out in if they went clubbing and also high heels, which would also be classed as typical costume.

The use of the male dancers in a separate frame to the female artist is unlike many dance videos as it shows some separation with the dancing and the music, but could be used as the female is trying to become the dominant and challenge the stereotype that women are weaker than men.

The use of a long shot of the female artist, using the rule of thirds, adds to the importance of her. Also the fact there is a graphic of bright lights which you would see in a club adds to the conventions of night clubbing and dance music. The use of constant edits between the female artist and the male dancers creates a link between them, conveying that the music the artist is singing goes with what the dancers are doing.

The multiple close ups on the female artists face attracts the intended target audience as it allows them to identify with the artist and allows them to feel as if they are able to communicate with the artist also. The female artist is conforming to the typical codes and conventions of women within the dance genre as she has long blonde hair and is wearing a short, slightly revealing dress. However, compared to the people used in other music videos, she has a slightly larger body shape, which possible could increase her intended audience as larger women would gain confidence to go out to clubs etc. where her music would be played.

There is constant use of fire throughout the music video which could portray that there is a slight danger element with the genre of dance, however, the dancers who are dancing in the fire do not seem afraid, therefore doesn’t portray a bad image towards the audience.

There is a long shot of the five dancers now, but they have removed the helmets, which has lessened the mystery of them therefore enabling the audience to identity with the dancers, although some mystery still surrounds them as the lighting is dark and is tends to be quite hard to interact with them.

Near the end of the clip, there is a medium shot of the female artist and the dancers in the same frame, showing that they have conformed together, which portray a clear dance vibe upon the song and suggests a club-like atmosphere and mood within the music video.The use of quick edits within the music video distort the audience’s view but this increasing the enigma and interest within the video as they audience are intrigued by what they see and want to know more about what is going on within the video.

There doesn't seem to be any elements of Todorov's narrative within this music video which seems to be coming a stereotype of some music video's as they don't have clear conventions of Todorov's narrative theory. When looking into Propp's theory, 'Cascada', the artist, could be seen as a princess, but there is no other clear Propp character functions within the music video.

Research; Music Video

The music video for ‘Inna, Hot’ starts off with a medium shot of a woman’s legs, pulling up tights, which conveys to the audience that she may be getting ready to go out somewhere. The next shot is a medium shot of three women getting ready, which establishes the setting for the audience as you can clearly see they are in some sort of dressing room. The costume of the three women is very revealing and alluring, which fits with the conventional costume seen in other dance music videos and dance album covers. The use of the colours black and red of the costume connote mystery, possibly love but also possibly danger of there night ahead.

The rule of thirds is used within the shot with the blonde woman, portraying that she may have importance in the rest of the video. The iconography of a blusher brush connotes femininity and the smiling facial expression conveys a happy mood and tone when listening to the song. The use of a close up via the mirror of the woman’s chest conveys a very sexual approach and links with the typical conventions of dance music and women.

When the beat of the song kicks in, there is a straight cut to switch settings. You see a medium long shot of a woman dancing on what seems to be a raised podium, which allows the audience to relate to the music video as this would be typically what the audience would do if they were in a club and this song came on. There are a lot of fast jump cuts switching between three different scenes, which create an effect of the stages you go through before going out clubbing and also, the edits link with the time of the music allowing a smooth transition between the edits.

There is then a close up of a woman’s face, who would be seen as the artist as she is singing, with a relatively sad facial expression. This challenges the stereotype of dance music, but when listening to the lyrics, fits with what is being said. This also challenges the stereotype of the dance genre as the woman has dark brown hair, which is curly, unlike the typical blonde hair, straightened look which appears on most of the dance album covers, such as ‘Clubland.’

Then next shot shows the artist within the frame, using the rule of thirds and posing seductively in a close up shot of her. Her facial expressions and body movement convey she wants something or someone which she cannot have and the makeup, such as her smokey eyes, connotes mystery towards her.

The setting then switches to the same woman with her two friends in a medium shot with a bunch of red roses. The colour red of the roses connotes passion and love, which could link to the dance genre as it is quite passionate music.

We then get a shot of this blonde woman dancing excessively again, which could portray passion for the dance music, and also engages the audience as this woman is in a nightclub and this would be what the audience would be doing within a nightclub. The lighting of the frame is clear so you can engage with this woman as you can clearly see her facial expression and she is looking at the camera.

The lighting when the frame switches to the setting of the darker haired woman, the artist, is key lighting which reflects off her key features on her face and accentuates her features also.

Next within the frame is the first really shot of a man. There is a quick close up of his face, so the audience can grasp what he looks like, although he is wearing sunglasses, which connote definite mystery, as he is inside a club at night. There then goes on to be a close up of a glass with a drink in, possibly alcohol as they are in a club.

The scene then quickly changes to a new setting where there are over the shoulder shots of two people, a man and a woman, arguing over something, which could connote that too much clubbing can cause arguments within relationships and break-ups. The facial expressions and body language of these two people is very angry and distressed. This may be shown within this video as to say, you can calm down and relax when listening to this music.

There then goes on to be multiple changing shots of close ups and medium shots between a child, who is drawing, and the dark haired artist, conveying that maybe they have a link in some way. There seems to be key importance of the child within the frame as there are multiple medium shots and close ups of her, maybe suggesting that even if you have a family at home you can still enjoy dance music and can still go clubbing.

The shot then changes into the blonde haired woman dancing, but being placed in what seems slow motion, therefore still representing the night club theme throughout the song. The video seems to be portraying the sense of a story in the way of relationships and music, along with if you listen to the lyrics being sung.

There are repetitive shots and scenarios when coming to the end of the video such as a medium shot of a woman getting red roses and a close up of a mysterious man drinking which could connote a repetitive dance scene, but the beat of the music portrays an upbeat and lively scenario. Close up shots of a man dj-ing etc. all conform to the conventions of the dance music genre and clubbing which allow the audience to relate to the music video.

Near the end of the video there is a over the shoulder shot of a man and a woman hugging, with the repetitive iconography of red roses, which conveys that dance music can create relationships and allow happiness into peoples lives.

Todorov's narrative theory could be applied to the music video as there is an equilibrium, which is then disturbed by family arguments, which follows by a possible break up. The equilibrium is then realised by the male father character and he also tries to repair the disruption. A new equilibrium is then realised and restored near the end of a video with the father giving roses to the mother, showing he is the secret admirer and creating a new connection between the two people, connoting love. This could also link to uses and gratifications theory as it enables audience's to relate to the music video for identity or relationships, therefore possible use of comfort for the audience.

Research; Music Video

The music video of Ultrabeat, Pretty Green Eyes, starts with multiple extreme close up of different parts of a woman’s torso, face, legs and hands, which exposes the woman to the audience but restricting the audience from relating to her completely, which creates enigma.The amount of flesh on show whilst these extreme close ups of her getting ready for what seems like a night out are occurring reflecting minimum clothing on the woman, which links to the conventions of a night club, where this genre of music is played most.The use of costume such as fish net tights and a revealing backless top conform to the conventions of typical dance music, and also suggest a very sexual hyped scenario. Although the woman is dressed in very provocative clothing, I feel the opening to this music video would engage a universal audience, as the men would be enticed and allured by the attract woman and lack of clothing, but the women could possible relate to the situation of the woman, for example a close up shot of a makeup pallet, connoting femininity.

The setting at the start of the video is unclear to the audience, as there are a lot of extreme close ups and seeming to of used a blurred effect on some shots, this does not allow the audience to gain an establishing shot of the setting, which could create enigma with the fact the audience are curious about where this woman is.
The use of an extreme close up shot of the woman’s eye enables the setting and mood to switch and this is done by her blinking. Her eye has excessive make up on which is a convention of the night clubbing scene and therefore dance music. The music begins to kick in as the setting changes and fits with the nightclub setting shown. The use of quick, straight cut editing enables this to become successful and smoothly transition into a new setting.

The lighting within the frame then gets much dark to portray a night time setting, which could link towards a club and also connotes a mysterious scenario. Again, there is provocative, extreme close ups of parts of the woman’s body which then transitions into an extreme long shot of 3 attractive woman in what looks like close to underwear. The lack of lighting within the scene restricts the audience of a full view, but which intrigues and engages the audience into watch more, therefore creating an enigma. There are no men dancers within the frame, just woman, which portrays dominance with woman within the dance genre but portrays that they have to use there body to gain identity.There are then multiple medium shots of the women dancing playfully, using there body to engage the audiences attention, also dancing in beat with the music and using the tracking camera movement, portraying they are the importance within the frame. The use of women with little clothing is a key convention within dance music as they are trying to suggest realistic situations that the audience would be in, for example dancing in a club to this genre of music.

There is then a close up, two shot of the male artists of the song, who looks directly into the camera view maybe to try and engage with the audience and show his importance. However, he only appears within the music video on a few occasions, maybe portraying that to sell the song, this video needs to be dominated by woman, as they are the main target demographic, but also entice the men, therefore creating a larger demographic, which would tend to be around the age of 18-26 as these are the people which can legally go out night clubbing and tend to be free to do what they want with not tie downs.There are then multiple jump cut edits which link to the beat of the music, where you can see a medium shot of girls dancing with the setting of a night club, which fits with the genre of the music. This connotes the style of the music and the typical setting where the music would be played. The flashing lights also add to the night club element within the video, but also create mystery within the frame as you don’t get a clear view of what’s going on, which also occurs because of the fast edits.

This goes on for an extensive amount of time during the video, swapping from different women and using close ups of different parts of their bodies, but also the use of a flashing close up of the artist’s face every once in a while, which could be used as a reminder to the audience of the artist’s of the song.Through the flashing lighting and multiple jump cuts, you see smouldering facial expressions towards the camera off the women dancing, portraying they are using there femininity and sexuality to entice the audience. The fact the women are also dancing together, very closely, and there are close ups of the woman touching each others face and waists, could create an enigma into if there is a relationship between them or their sexual orientation which could be situations the audience could be going through.The club theme is clear throughout the whole of this video and linking dance music and clubbing together which is a key convention of this genre. The use of the flashing lighting and fast edits, all fitting with the beat of the music, engages the audience and the women within the frame also.

There is a medium shot of the woman’s top being undone and the end, which links to the medium shot of her top being done up at the start of the clip, showing it’s the end of a night, possibly leading to sexual situations as it was some else taking the top off.The way the music video had been put together I feel works very effectively as the plot to the video is a typical situation the audience may find themselves in, but it was slightly repetitive and the fact of lack of lighting which interrupted the audiences view could have made them lack in interest slightly.

There is no obvious sign of the use of Todorov's theory within this music video as it is constantly fixed on a club-like scene and a woman dancing. However, this woman could be seen as a 'princess' when looking at Propp's theory and the close up of the mans face we see, could be seen as a 'hero', but this is not clear towards the audience.

Research; Album Covers

Album Cover; Discolights The Album, Ultrabeat















- This album cover does not follow the typical codes and conventions of a dance album, such as the ‘Darren Styles, Skydivin’’ album. Typical conventions such as a provocative female model are not used on the front of the album and the colour scheme used lacks the upbeat and bright approach that comes with dance music.

- The main colour scheme used within the framing are blues and white, which connote a subtle and calm environment, which is the complete opposite to dance music, which could portray this album cover has been created for the soul purpose of commercialisation and less related to what the genre of dance music is about.

- The copy within the album cover is positioned in the bottom half of the frame, below the artists’, and is spread across the how album cover. By having a large and capitalised title for the album, this links to the typical conventions of dance albums as the title copy tends to be very eye catching. By having the title of the artists’ slightly larger than the album name, it allows higher commercialisation as audiences would recognise artists’ names easier that album titles.

- The use of a fade colour from blue to white on the album copy of ‘ULTRABEAT’ portrays the feel of day to night, suggesting that the album suits any point within the day, or night. It also fits with the overall colour scheme of the album cover of the blue and white.

- The format of the album is very structured and set out very clearly to portray the main purpose of the album. This challenges the conventions of a dance album, such as ‘CLUBLAND’ as they create there album covers to look hectic and chaotic.

- The lighting used within the album cover linking into the typical codes and conventions of a dance album as they convey a nightclub scene, from the use of blue strobe lighting across the frame. The use of high key lighting upon the two artists’ faces allows the audience to clearly see the artists’ and possible recognise them, intriguing the audience towards the album.

- The facial expressions, gesture and movement of the artists’ on the front cover of the album challenge the stereotype of dance music. The man on the right conveys a bored and unexciting look across his face and this is reinforced by the leaning and resting his hand on his head, which is typically done when bored. This is the opposite to what dance music is all about which could confuse the audience on first glance of the genre of the music.

- The man positioned in the left of the frame looks intrigued but somewhat sarcastic as his expression seems over performed, therefore does not seem believable and genuine to the audience. However, the positioning of the two artists’ conforms to the rule of thirds and portrays to the audience that they are important and key with the creation of the album.

- The two artists’ are not hugely attractive either, which would not gain the audiences attention when viewing the album, therefore failing in this area and showing its ineffectiveness. There is not a clear view of the persuasive techniques used to sell this album, it seems more based on the audience recognising the artists’ and linking to their liking.

- This album portrays somewhat of a contradicting view towards the audience as they are trying to sell a dance album, yet there look do not fit the genre of music, which may confuse there target demographic, meaning in the loss of audience.

Research; Album Covers

Album Cover; floorfillers 2010, Various Artists

- The colour scheme within the frame of this album cover is multicoloured, which portrays a happy, party scene of nightlife, for example disco lights and strobe lights, which fit directly into the genre of the album which is dance.

- The use of the brightly coloured dots, acting as spot lights and possible strobe lights present the image of clubbing and partying upon the album, therefore conveying these type of actions when listening to the dance music.

- The background is quite simple, as it just consists of different coloured dots on a black background, but because of the brightness of the album cover it is bound to attract the audience’s attention as they walk past, therefore giving the album a high commercialisation.

- The target demographic of the album, I would say is universal, however maybe slightly more females as the colours of pinks and purples are more continually used on the album cover, unlike the blues and greens. The fact this album cover has tried to gain the target demographic of both men and woman suggests they are looking for the largest demographic, meaning the largest sale.

- The copy within the album cover dominates the frame. The title ‘floorfillers 2010’ is placed across the whole of the middle of the frame, trying to gain as much attention as possible. The large copy is a typical convention of a dance album cover however; this album chooses to use lowercase which challenges the typical convention of dance albums, maybe as it is such a well known company.

- The fact that the ‘2010’ copy has the colours of yellow, pink and purple, which have been consistent typical conventions of dance albums, focuses the audience’s attention and instantly tells them the year of the songs so they know what is expected upon the album.

- Copy dominates most of this framing, and the use of white writing on the black and multicoloured background stands out to the audience, intriguing them about the album. The use of the recognition of the various artists also persuades the audience to buy the album. The many artists who appear on the album cover will be popular artists of the audience, allowing them to buy an album of various artists, instead of many separate albums. Also, the fact within the copy the word 'dance' is used, reinforces the genre of the album to the audience and this is clear for them to see.

- There is no costume within this album cover but there seems to be some high key lighting upon the copy, which makes the copy glisten and attract the audience’s attention when walking past, therefore upping the commercialisation of the album towards the audience.

- With the use of no image upon the front cover and a few artists who are complied into the album, this creates an enigma towards the audience to wonder what other artists are on the album.

Research; Album Covers

Album Cover; Scooter, Under the Radar Over The Top













- The key colour scheme used within the frame of this album is a mixture of blue and dark green. This creates the feeling of mystery but could also represent the night time, as dance music is mainly played at night in nightclubs and at parties.

- Although the colour scheme of blue is used, the colour used on the artist’s name is in bright yellow. This is a convention and repetitive colour which has appeared on a few of the album covers I have looked at. As the artist’s name is in yellow it draws the audience’s attention towards it, as it is used to stand out on the album cover.

- By doing this, it commercialises the album as the target demographics attention would be caught upon the album and the name recognised, creating interest in the product.

- The copy underneath the name of the artist is less eye catching, but still prominent in the way it is capitalised and of large font. The use of the colour white on the dark blue background makes the copy stand out.

- There is use of copy with a bubble to the bottom right of the frame. By using a brighter green as a background colour within the bubble it adds to the audience’s attention and by naming certain songs on the album, refresh the audience’s mind about the artists music and makes them want to buy the album.

- The artist’s picture is placed upon the album cover. This also could contribute to the commercialism of the product as target demographic would also recognise the look of the artist. Following this, the facial expressions used by the artist link with the genre of music, dance.

- The artist is placed in the top left corner of the album cover, linking in with the rule of thirds, conveying to the audience that he is a key member within the album. The gesture of his raising his arm up is a typical convention within dance music, and links to what the audience would be doing on a typical night out when this genre of music would be playing.

- The use of high key lighting is used to accentuate the artist’s facial expressions and create impact on the audience, linking with the moods and atmosphere that buying this album would subject to you. It also reinforces the importance of the artist.

- Unlike many dance albums there is not a woman within the album cover; however the movement and gesture, along with such aspects of lighting relate towards the ‘party’ and dance scene that a female is not needed, as the audience gain the sense of what the album is about.

- On the bottom of the album cover there is live pictures of someone djing, which link with the night time scene and therefore dance music, which this album is trying to sell. Also, there seems to be a microphone in the hand of the artist, which relates to night life and dance music also.

- The target demographic would be universal, both men and woman, as it doesn’t directly focus on one gender, allowing the largest demographic for the album. The sue of a ‘parent advisory’ shows that not anyone would be able to buy it, meaning the age ranges would vary from teenagers to mid twenties.

Research; Album Covers

Album Cover; Darren Styles, Skydivin'











- The artist is framed in the right hand side of the frame, with the use of a medium close up. The rule of thirds is used, which creates importance within the frame of the album cover.

- The main colour theme used upon the artist’s album cover is black and white, which suggests a more serious message, unlike the typical codes and conventions of a dance album. However, the decision to use much more subtle colours on the album cover relates to ideas that the artist does not want to relate this album to the ‘hardcore’ dance scene, therefore trying to gain the largest audience demographic possible.

- The use of the colour pink is used to highlight key parts of the album cover the audience should be directed too, such as the album title ‘skydivin’. Also this album does not follow typical codes of conventions of dance music, the use of pink is seen within several other hardcore/dance albums which links the genre together.


- This album follows the codes and conventions of solo artists with a key image of the artist, unlike various artist dance albums, which tend to use an attractive female to engage the audience.


- The facial expression and movement within the album cover challenge the stereotype of dance music, as he has a saddening or comtemplating expression upon his face. There is also no eye contact with the audience therefore he doesn’t connect directly with the audience, connoting mystery, which could engage the audience’s attention.


- The font used is quite small for a typical dance album as it doesn’t clearly attract the audience and isn’t as ‘in your face’ as most of the other dance albums. However, the use of the pink font colour would attract the audience’s eye, which would help with the commercial aspect of the album.


- With the use of pink, I would say the audience demographic for this album would be women, as pink is seen as a very feminine colour, and also as there is a male artist on the cover. The album is relying on the recognition of the artist for sales, as there is no copy of songs available on the album. Also, as there is a ‘parent advisory’ on the album is would be suggested that the target demographic is teenagers to mid twenties.


- The use of high key lighting within the frame is used to highlight aspects of the artists face to attract the audience’s attention towards the album. This also emphasises the importance of the artist, as it is his music. The costume used on the album is everyday, as he is wearing a black t-shirt, which could convey slight mystery towards the album. The use of the pink pattern on the t-shirt is used to catch the audience’s eye and engage them with the album.


- This album challenges a lot of the common facts within a dance album, as it is quite formal and subtle, whereas hardcore dance albums are the opposite of this. However, I feel it will still be of high commercial value as it has conventions, which attract the audience of the music industry.

Research; Album Covers

Album Cover: Clubland 15, Various Artists

- Gender is clearly used upon this album cover to attract the audience’s attention. The woman’s gesture exposes her breasts and arms, which are conveyed as provocative, maybe sending a message that you can become like this when buying the album.

-They use the key stereotype of a woman to persuade the audience into buying the album, and possibly as women are related more towards this genre of music. The woman used is white and she also has long, blonde hair which links with the phrase ‘blondes have more fun’ and also ‘let your hair down’, two elements which would be portrayed throughout the party scene.

- The use of a slim, attract woman with revealing clothing and a sexy facial expression increases the audience’s want towards the album and therefore gaining their attention. The woman is placed within the frame using the rule of thirds, showing that she is an important part of the cover.

- There is use of a medium close up slightly to the left of the frame, positioned in the forefront of the frame. She is also leaning into the frame slightly, conveying she is slightly dominant, but in a sexual way, as some parts of her body are enhanced for the audience’s pleasure. The movement she is being portrayed to be doing is a dancing movement, connoting a carefree approach and the reason behind the CD, creating a positive atmosphere.

- The title of the album ‘CLUBLAND 15’ is positioned directly underneath the woman’s face and just above the woman’s breasts, cleverly as these two aspects of the album cover would gain most attention, therefore dragging the audience’s attention to the title of the album cover and the songs on it.

- The font used in the title upon the CD cover is clear and bold to grab the audience’s attention. The word ‘CLUBLAND’ looks as if they are spot lights, which connotes dancing and partying, which the music is all about, reinforcing the genre of music being sold.

- Also the title is in very large font, which means it is clearly visible towards the audience’s eye. If the audience was watching past just browsing, they would notice this album, therefore allowing it to be very commercial. The use of smaller font, naming popular artists incises the audience’s attention as they can listen to all their favourite music on one album. This also commercialises the album as it persuades the audience to buy the album.

-The background of the album cover seems to portray a nightclub, which links together with the genre of the music and the atmosphere produced by the music. The strobe lighting on the cover also attract the audience as it is a convention of dance music, as well as using the colour pink and purple, which connote that the target audience of this album is girls and woman.

-The may be challenged by the female on the album cover as many men would be interested within the album as woman are portrayed as objects within the media as the media is male dominated and is being used to try and create a larger audience demographic by gaining male attention.

-The image on the album cover represents that the genre of ‘dance’ music is quite seductive portrayed through the image. This is a common theme when looking through dance album covers and suggests it is a key convention within the ‘dance’ genre.

Music Video

For our a2 Media Coursework we have to create a promotion package for the release of an album. It must include a music promo video, a cover for its release on CD and a magazine advertisement for the CD.

During this task i will be working with Josh Brazier, Jennie Cullotty and Elysia Wright. We have chosen the genre of 'Dance' to base our promotion package on.