Analysing CD Covers- Genre of Pop

Mise-en-scene/Image Connotations-

The facial expression of the artist in this image is quite relaxed and sensual as she gazes into the lens of the camera. Her hair is shown to be slick back showing a ‘polished’ look which could be seen as quite formal. This puts the main focus on the illustrations on the face as the hair is not directing attention away from the ‘robotic’ features. It also looks quite futuristic supporting the albums name ‘Bionic’ which relates to the future.

The artist is also wearing heavy make-up (red lips, false eye lashes and eye-shadow). This is in contrast to the simple hair and pale face, putting the focus on her features, acting almost like a blank canvas which blends into the white background. This could also attract a younger female audience as they can relate to wearing make-up as majority of women wear make-up to ‘boost’ their self-esteem and confidence.

Illustrations have been added to half of the artists face to suggest that she is ‘robotic’ beneath the surface, which could portray her album as getting to the root of her identity and being a different person to who people see her as.

The image has been taken from head-on giving a simple view of her face and the fact that it is close-up allows the audience to concentrate of her face and perhaps think about why half of her face has been illustrated on.

Colour- Black and white has been used throughout the album cover, both simplistic yet bold. White connotes purity, sophistication and may be seen as futuristic as it is quite modern. Black on the other hand is seen as mysterious, formal and dominating as it contrasts with the white background. Red is used for her lips and ‘Aguilera’ which connotes desire, danger and passion. This intense colour adds depth to the album cover and stands out from the basic surrounding and also detailed surrounding of the illustrations. Most of the colours are unisex, however the red mostly relates to femininity, possibly directing to a female audience rather than male.

Image Denotations- The image is a close up of Christina Aguilera, a female solo artist. Illustrations have been drawn on half of her face and neck and she is shown to wear heavy make up. Her hair is slick back and wearing retro, modern clothing. There is a black border around the white background and the artist name in the top right hand corner, followed by the album name beneath.

Lighting- High key (artificial) lighting has been used to decrease the amount of shadows created on the artists face and flatter her features, not highlighting flaws. However, imperfections could be removed by air brushing suggesting vanity as she is afraid to express her true self.

Font- The font is quite small and formal written in a mixture of capitals and lower case letters. Some letters such as ‘R’ have been over exaggerated, adding detail to a simplistic and sophisticated font.

Audience- Typically, the audience will be directed to people who are interested in pop music. Because the artist is female, the artist is more likely to attract a young, female audience who are able to relate to her music. On the other hand, males may only be physically attracted to her and may watch her videos due to this.

Analysing CD Covers- Genre of IndieImage Denotation- This is an album cover of the Kook’s album which is taken in black and white. The band members are shown to be holding/playing guitars and the drummer is standing in the background next to a set of drums. The and is all males who sing songs to the genre of indie.

Mise-en-scene/Image connotation- The album is very simplistic possibly to suggest getting to ‘the roots’ of the band and presenting themselves as they are behind the limelight and attention of the public. The image is a wide shot to show all the band members and taken from a slightly low angle therefore the white background takes up half of the shot. The image almost looks like a snapshot, taken while the males were on tour. This could portray realism as it shows what the band do away from the public eye. The fact that they are playing instruments could also show the making of the songs, showing the effort that has been put into the making of the album. This relates to their passion in music and desire to produce songs for the audience’s interest rather than purely producing music for money.

The drummer is shown to be at the back of the shot, signifying his position in the band, which is away from all the attention that the main guitarists receive. This is opposed to the two males who are sitting nearest the camera indicating that they get most of the attention and the main members of the band. This could have a negative connotation however, as it could suggest that they are ‘hogging’ the attention away from the following males. They are also shown to be communicating with each other signifying that they are particularly putting a lot of effort into the making of the songs/ albums.

They are all wearing casual clothing suggesting that they are relaxed and laid back and that producing songs are part of their daily basis.

Colour- Because the image is in black and white connotes simplicity and the album being raw, keeping it real and that the album is going ‘back to basics’. These colours are also unisex, directing their music to both genders, an as large audience as possible. The colour also looks slightly contrasted, adding to the realism of the shot and stripping it bear. Red on the other hand, has been used to highlight key words such as ‘Inside in and inside out’. They have been highlighted to signify importance, fro example, these words could represent the music from being within and a way of expressing themselves. Red has the connotation of passion, supporting the passion put into their music. It is also a dominating colour and contrasts with the black, standing out from the white background in the image.

Font- the font is sans serif, bold and written in upper case. These factors, grab the attention of the audience but are also simple, supporting the theme of ‘back to basics’ which is portrayed throughout the image. The font may also be in bold to make a statement signifying importance in their album, as bold fonts are used when people are trying to make a statement.

Lighting- It is difficult to identify what type of lighting has been used as it could be suggested low key lighting has been used to create shadows on their facial features although it could be argued that naturalistic lighting has been used to add to the realism of the image.

Audience- The band is all males which could attract both genders. Females may feel physically attracted to the males and males may feel like they can relate to the songs. It also may attract people who play guitars and share a passion in the creation of music similarly to the members of the band.

Analysing CD Covers- Genre of R’n’b/ Soul

Image denotation- This is a medium shot, taken from the waist upwards and shows two dividing sides of the solo artist, usher. Both sides of his persona are split by his name and album name and the artist is also portraying different expressions. In addition, on the left side, he is shown to have his arm illustrated in tattoos and wearing a watch, however, on the right his arm and wrist is bear although is wearing a ring on his finger.

Mise en scene/image connotations- The words ‘Raymond’ are presented as a reflection of each other as one is written in the opposing direction. This shows that the artists personality is also reflected, on one side his ‘rebellious’ attitudes are portrayed and on the other a more mature side is portrayed. This can be seen by his expressions as on the left he is shown to be frowning directly into the camera possibly to intimidate the audience and show hostility towards them. Conversely, o the right side, the artist is simply glaring into the camera, presenting innocence. This could show two sides of his personality or gives the audience an insight into what the artist sees when he looks in the mirror. For example, in reality he may seem intimidating and perhaps aggressive but when he looks in the mirror, he sees otherwise. Props include a watch and a ring. The ring is only worn on the right reflection which could be representing marriage/engagement which also supports the fact that he is mature, sensible and committed for a long-term relationship. Tattoos, shown on the left hand side, could suggest that he is unafraid to express himself  and wants to come across as individual. They could also show meanings and symbols which are factors in his life. His clothing differs on both sides, as on the left he is wearing a white t shirt underneath a black shirt as on the right he is wearing a black shirt with a black tie. This is quite formal and sophisticated whereas on the left it is more casual.

 Surrounding the font, looks like smoke, which could add to the intensity of the name also helping the artists name to be the main focus, making it priority.

Colour- Dark colours have mostly been used in this album cover, such as black and browns with the colour of white, which contrasts with the dark colours. The colours could also symbolise the different personalities as black is mysterious and important relating to the  Usher on the left side, and white links to purity and innocence relating to Usher on the right side. White has been used for the artist’s name, to not ‘blend in’ with the background, grabbing the attention of the audience that he is well-known and iconic artist and recognised on a global scale. These colours are unisex, not aiming at a certain gender which is therefore creating a larger audience.

Font- The font is a serif font, adding extra detail to the tips of each letter. Its is quite simple and easy to read, not over complicating the image and increasing the formality of them album. Beneath the artists name, the font of the album name is slightly different as there is added detail to letters such as ‘R’ which seem to ‘carry-on’ or ‘trail off’ beneath each letter. This adds eloquence to the name possibly symbolising his lavish and wealthy life style.

Lighting- On the right side, low key lighting has been used to add intensity to his expression which is frowning which also supports the fact that he is intimidating the audience and dominating them as he stands with his head tilted slightly downwards. Although, on the right side, high key lighting has been used to create a more joyful ambience, being able to connect to the audience as he holds a friendly expression.

Audience- the artist is shown to be a young male who releases songs of the r’n’b/ hip hop genre. This obviously attracts people who are interested in the particular music genre. However, could attract both gender as females may be physically attracted to the artist and males can relate to the type of music by the lyrics within the songs which majority are written based on females.

Conclusion of analysing album covers-

After analysing the different genres of certain album covers, I concluded that they each have certain aspects which make them individual from on another. For example, albums representing pop have the following characteristics:

•The image is shown to be over-exaggerated, detailed with illustrations and other unrealistic features compared to the following album covers.

• Airbrushing and artificial lighting is used to flatter the artists face also decreasing the realism of the image, this could be attract the opposing sex, making themselves more attractive by almost ‘perfecting’ themselves.

• The camera shot is a close up, making the main priority the artists face and attracting attention towards it.

•A simple white background is used to not draw attention away from the face and create a ‘blank canvas’ which can help features of the album cover such as the album title stand out.

•Heavy make up has been used to attract the audience instead of a more ‘natural’ look. This makes the artist look quite artificial and in someway ‘fake’.

•The font is not overly simple and is recognised as different from typical serif or sans serif as it is unique and has been specially created from the album cover.

• Bright colours have been used to make the album cover more vibrant to appeal to a more younger generation of audiences.

However, indie covers are more realistic rather than artificial, for example indie covers have;

The theme of realism is mostly portrayed by the cover through the colours, lighting and the image used.

• Low key/ naturalistic lighting has been used,' going back to basics’ stripping back from the use of artificial lighting which adds a sense of perfectionism.

•Used black and white which could be related to getting to the roots of the band members themselves, allowing them to express their feelings through the production of their songs.

•Casual clothing which perhaps has not been specifically chosen for this image, creating a relaxed atmosphere, possibly indicating that it was a simple ‘snap shot’ which revealed their real life style behind the public-eye.

•The font is very basic and bold which adds the other simplistic features used.

•The colours are quite a powerful combination (black, red and white) which dominant the image. They also contrast with each other and do not clash making it easier to distinguish between the colours.

• Props include the use of instruments such as guitars which could inspire audiences are help them to be viewed as an idol as they create their own songs and share a passion in music.

On the other hand, Wealth is mostly portrayed in r’n’b/soul and uses editing to appeal to the specific audience targetted.

R’n’B/ Soul covers-

•The album cover is quite modern and sophisticated as wealth is illustrated by the use of expensive props such as watches.

•Dark colours such as navy blue and black have been used to signify importance and elegance. It also comes across quite sophisticated.

• The came shot is medium/long showing the body language of the artist to portray a certain feeling such as anger or calmness which is illustrated in the image by both sides.

• The font is large and written in serif, dominating the image. This could show the artist to be well known and globally ‘large’, recognised on a large scale by a global audience.