Miranda Lambert Platinum Album Release

Promotional Package

Album CoverThis is the album cover which goes with the new release. This cover has a theme of silver because the album is called ‘platinum’. Platinum is associated with silver because it is expensive. The idea of platinum originates from the artists hair colour, platinum blonde. This is meant to portray her as a country Barbie. That is why she keeps her clothing black to make a statement and show there is more to her than blonde hair. These setting is a trailer. Living in moving homes is often associated with being a gypsy. In country music being a gypsy is considered admirable and above all the stereotypes made by programmes such as ‘Big FatGypsy Weddings’. It is simply someone with a love of music and freedom that lives in a trailer. The dress has a split in it, not only to show the artists cowboy boots but also to add a sex appeal. The use of long shot here makes the artist seem taller than she is which creates a statement for power to the women. This gives her a broader fan base of women and young girls who will idolise her. The typography is bold and simple but the triangle in the writing gives it an edgy effect. This makes the artist appear to be unique and have her own admirable style. The use of animation from the guns and angel wings is a personal relation to he artist because she has a tattoo of this on her arm. This IS Known as her ‘logo’ because as she says ‘a little bit tough, a little bit sweet’. This is conventional for country music because the artists are stereotypically male with traditional housewife females keeping the house. When the mould was broken in country music women had to make a stand and stay strong against the men who fought for tradition. That is why the majority of Miranda’s target audience is women because they admire her strength.

Music Video AnalysisSound: The lyrics in the video represent a flash from the past and Miranda has tried to recreate a traditional set of lyrics to reach out to an older target audience now that she is getting older. The first verse is – ‘Quarter in a payphone, Drying laundry on the line, Watching Sun Tea in the window, Pocket watch for tellin' time, Seems like only yesterday I'd get a blank cassette, Record the country countdown 'cause I couldn't buy it yet’. These all relate to old traditions that we done before technology. Payphones are no longer popular due to mobile phones, laundry is often dried in a tumble dryer, we no longer brew tea in the windows, pocket watches have been replaced with mobile phones or wrist watches and blank cassettes are no longer used because sky allows the television to record shows itself or they can be watched online. The chorus is as follows – ‘Hey, whatever happened to waitin' your turn, Doing it all by hand, 'Cause when everything is handed to you, It's only worth as much as the time put in, It all just seemed so good the way we had it, Back before everything

became automatic’. The chorus is trying to make the statement that since the development of technology we no longer do the simple things for ourselves. It suggests that things that once amazed us like a camera that prints automatic pictures you have to shake, are no longer necessary. It also connotes that this is sad because we take for granted what is given to us. This is conventional for Miranda’s target audience because they are all of similar ages to her. If they are younger they’ll have relatives that relate to the song. It is like a trip down memory lane and conventional for the authenticity image that country music creates.

Camerawork: Camerawork is used in the video to create the effect of looking back at a pastime and as it’s a personal video, to appeal like it is someone watching over the artists shoulder. That is why there are a lot over the shoulder shots to create the sense that the artist is sharing something special with her audience. This is engaging and will allow them to relate it to their own personal lives.

Music Video Analysis

This is an establishing shot to show the country setting. This is a shot of some sort of barn yard or log cabin styled house. This is a traditional place for a country person to live because it blends in with the surrounding country. In the shot is also an old truck. Trucks are associated with country music because they are used on farms and can be used for work and a lot of country females find them attractive as they represent a working man. It is much more likely to see a truck in the countryside.

The high angle shot here is used to portray an image of the artist thinking deeply or dreaming. It shows all her symbols of memories around her with the props. So this shot is to connote that she is thinking about old times whilst looking into the sunlight. This is still a happy scenario as she is enjoying thinking of the old times and not regretting the change in the world. She is reminding herself of how she had to work for everything and started from the bottom to get to the top.

Editing: This is a fade to white to make the sunlight appear brighter. This portrays the video as a message from the heavens because it is so light. It is then delivered to the fans as something much more meaningful. A lot of country artists say their inspiration for songs is from God, so this could be trying to create the image of delivering a powerful message.

Music Video Analysis

Eyeline match is used with many of the symbols from her memories case. This cassette is just one of them. It is the country countdown and connotes that at one point it was recorded so that it could be kept. Now its hard to even find an appliance to play tapes. This shows the development in technology that the singer is preaching about.

This is a fade to black at the end of the end of the music video. This connotes that a time has passed and that it is now back to reality and that part of her life is personal and secret to her. It shows that she shared something with her fans. It is a slow fade to show suggest that it is hard for her to let go of memories from the past and that they are always there no matter the darkness.

Music Video Analysis

Mise-en-scene

The settings used are old back roads from a town, an attic and a front porch. Country music is known for singing on a porch because its connecting with the family. The back roads are because many songs are written about cruising down a back road for escapism and especially because its in the countryside. The attic is to relive the memories the song is trying to create.

Props: handmaid blankets, chest box full of memories, old thread machine, guitar, perfume bottle, mirror, tape player, etc… These are all examples of dated traditions which the song is trying to represent.

Costume: denim, bandana, floral colours all represent country style. It is a mixture between farmer and hippy.

High-key Lighting with plenty of sunlight to show that the video is cheerful, although it is criticizing modern technology its doing it in a way to say that the finer things are worth it, turning a negative into a positive.

Website advertisementThis image is a print screen from Miranda’s website where she is advertising the new platinum album. The font used is the same as the traditional one used in most of the album advertisements, to keep to a theme. This is a mid shot of her, to show off half of her body and her face but most of all her hair. The album is called platinum because of the ‘platinum blonde’ hair colour. So he hair is bright so that it stands out, this is why the lighting is also bright to give the image a cheerful but reflective effect. Miranda is wearing dark coloured clothes that are not dominant colours to also high light her hair and not take any attention away from it. She is wearing a tight waistband to show her figure and add a sex appeal. This is not only to attract a male target audience but also to encourage her female target audience to look up to her.

Facebook advertisementThis a Facebook post onto Miranda’s fan page. To say that the new album is available. There is a URL to download and to order a CD. There is an image of the album itself in the right hand corner which is a correct use of route of the eye. The post starts at the top with the artists name and the hair helps the eye to move down towards the ‘Available online and in stores’ writing and the album cover. The image used in this has an overall blue tone to it. This makes the artist seem very light. This connotes that she is a star or in country music she’d be referred to as an angel. However the image of the album cover, of her wearing black gives her a mysterious side. It suggest towards her alter ego just like her tattoo. This is targeting the audience because country music women are traditional but do like to break the mould in order to get their say.