PLANNING FOR MY ANCILLARY TASK

When previously filming for my music video, I also took some images of my artist to use for my ancillary task for future use. After looking and reviewing the images that I took I have decided that I am going to use one of the images and create a surreal image to use for my digi pack and poster to relate to the style of the artists and album. 

From the images that I have taken I plan to use for my digi pack and poster. I have taken photos pf my artist in the same setting and location as the music video, wearing the same clothing and make up etc. This will show a link between both my music video and ancillary tasks, which is a typical convention in the music industry including marketisation and advertising.  

CONSIDERING THE LIGHTING 

From the images I have taken, I like the way the lighting enables the audience to focus on the artist. The black background and harsh lighting focusing on the artists reflects the importance oif the artists and the significance that they have according to the record. It is clear to see that the images i have taken are low-key lighting images, as they show high contrasts, which means a good white as well as plenty of blacks. Low key refers ri a style of photography that utilizes predominantly dark tones to create a dramatic looking image, which i have achieved in the images shown. To create these images i have used the same lighting and setting that I used in my music video, in the process of taking the photos i had to consider shadows as the primary element of the composition, one that defines the mood of the entire photograph. Then manipulating the lighting and positioning of the artist, this way the shadows fall in the right places, creating a main focus being the artist.  

The low-key lighting relies on shadows, deep blacks and darker tones, with very few whites and middle tones, creating a mysterious and moody tone, dramatic or even ominous, identifying the artists face and no other objects or setting. 

As the back ground of the images are of a solid black colour, I feel that I could take advantage of this and create a piece of artwork or illustrations that I could place on the digipack, ultimately creating a piece of art that my target audience will be interested in. By including illustrations and symbols as well as the artist combines the two main conventions of a digipack, as shown in my previous research studies on digipacks. 

THE ARTIST PERSONA AND STAR IMAGE

In my music video the artist shows a distinctive star image and persona of insanity and madness. When I taking photos for my ancillary task I wanted to also show this particular persona. I made my artist act reflect their persona to me and began to take images. The artist, sometimes shows a black expression reflecting his feeling of insanity and numbness. The artist shows direct eye contact with the camera which will effectively have an affect on the audience, as they will feel more connected whilst helping the audience to concentrate on the significance of the artist. The artist therefore, is directly addressing the audience creating an impact on both, the audience and the digi pack's significance.
The shadows of the image help to contribute to the artists persona. The shadows covering half of the artists face suggests a secret or hidden identity, relating to the meaning of the album and the tracks on the record. This term is often referred to as, 'chiaroscuro', an italian artistic term to describe the dramatic effect of contrasting areas of light and dark in an artwork, particularly in paintings.

 However this technique can be used in film and media to connote a sense of secrecy and mystery. The face half covered by a shadow, is a good way to emphasize a character's sinister side, this can also overlap with hidden eyes which is seen in some of the images that I have taken.

In the image where the artist has his hands held out in front of him, directly addresses the audience whilst portraying a sense of hysteria and madness. I feel that this image could bring up a lot of questions as to why he is 

holding his hands in a certain way, whether it may have some significant or just solely due to the fact that the artist portrays an insane star image. Half of the artists face is completely covered in this image which, as i have just discussed represents a sense of secrecy creating a sinister atmosphere. 

I have taken the images as profile shots as i feel that this enables the audience to focus on the character of the artist, allowing the audience to understand the importance of the star image and personality. It is also important to note that my artists main feature is not only their music but their star image and personality which helps to intrigue audience's into purchasing and investing in the artists work. 

In this image the artist appears in a very sinister, and almost freakish way. I feel that this image could be a very promising image for my poster, as I have shot the image as a portrait shot, enabling me to have more flexibility when editing my poster for the ancillary task. The image also, i feel portrays the artists star persona very successfully.

It is clear to see from this particular image that I had to play around with the camera settings and lighting to achieve an effective image, regarding colour and lighting.