Question 2: How effective is the combination of the main product and ancillary texts?

The combination of my main and ancillary texts hinge on the key of three key factors; the guitar, photography and the notepad with handwritten lyrics.

It is important to have consistency throughout the productions as this is what connects them together, and such connotations and themes linking together. For my production I have aimed to keep an original and first hand approach from the artist, which I believe I have kept flowing by using the guitar to represent inspiration and a way of expression, in all of my media products. The intended audience therefore can identify this guitar as a reoccuring theme throughout each media text and can connect them together and realise such connotations as expression and inspiration from the guitar and further establish further connotations by how each texts expands in its unique way (for example the sketchbook approach, which is kept consistant by the use of the notepad in the music video. The words on the pages (such as the lyrics pane with the lyrics written as they are in the video and inclusion of A4 paper on this pane) allow the audience to realise the connection between the two and gain the same intended representation and connotations from them). It is for these reasons that makes consistency and coherence important to combine my media texts.

The guitar was used in the music video as a way for the male character to express his thoughts and feelings, and as previously discussed as a way of inspiration and comfort. By using the guitar in the ancillary texts, these are continued into the presentation of these ancillary texts. I expanded these connotations in the digipak by the reoccurence of photography that featured key lighting and also with the inclusion of the artist playing the guitar. This reinforces the significance of the guitar and shows how the guitar conveys the artists words (for example, each note played on the guitar as a word), thus encouraging the target audience to be take inspiration for his expression (and perhaps be expressive themselves as the guitar may be a common feature of the target audiences lifestyle, through their guitars) and be comforted by his music and lyrics. The expansion of the book cover I felt could represent the guitar case, how the guitar is stored and how there is a message to be told by playing it. This connotes to my intention of how the cover of the book acts as a guitar case, and how by reading the words on the page you learn, you're inspired and you take comfort, which is just like reading a story and by listening to Cohen's music. This is the link between the two.
From previous research into the music genre of acoustic rock, other texts from this genre centralise around a key element of the genre (usually musically influenced), in this case, this would be the guitar. This helps me to establish conventions of the genre and connect with my target audience (the guitar perhaps being a common interest to make this connection). The guitar itself is a humanly played instrument. Therefore I chose the notepad and pen in the music video to adopt the human touch approach that I was aiming for to give the impression that just like the notes from the guitar, the lyrics from the pen stemmed from Chris Cohen himself. This made it easier to influence my approach on my ancillary text to design the sketchbook approach. It allows these lyrics to also be written down just like on the notepad, and allows me to use a handwritten font to continue this theme through my ancillary texts, and keep another theme of originality flowing and become further established.

A second key factor shared between all texts for coherence is photography. In the music video a photograph of the two main characters (the couple) was a centrepiece within the video that was always referred back to that helped the music video flow and has familiarity. By using photography and Polaroid graphics in the ancillary texts I feel helps with this coherence in the video (of which is also helped by handwritten font that was written on the photos in the video and as flourishes on the ancillary texts). Another reason why Polaroid establishes a personalised point of view is the point of view of Chris Cohen in this instance. The point of view in the music video is of the male character, whom that Chris Cohen broadcasts his opinions and beliefs through by the lyrics he conveys in the song (by lip sync in the video of the male character). By broadcasting his messages through ulterior personnel (being the characters in the video - which effectively act as figureheads in his place), it gives the effect that the male character in the video is that of the target audience, who adopt Chris Cohen’s view point in this way. Which means that the photography and Polaroid that feature in the ancillary texts should mean the target audience adopting what Chris Cohen sees, for them self through this personalised human touch approach I have gone for. This also adds coherence again through repetition of themes.