Assesment essays...

Identity of artist...

How we created an identity for our artist through factors such as gender, youth etc and how we challenged or subverted to these...

For both our print products we constructed a strong identity for our artist. To conform to the codes and conventions of our genre we decided to challenge gender stereotypes. All of the CD covers that we analysed that used women such as 'Avril Lavinge' or 'Pink' challenged gender stereoypes by giving the women status and power, in contrast to the stereotypical ideologies of the gender role of a woman being a housewife and being subservient to men.

With women often being represented as being part of a context such as family,friends and colleagues,and working as part of a team we really considered the way that women are represented when thinking about ideas for creating our products. We seek to challenge stereotypical ideas about women.

We also challenged gender stereotypes within the artists name, we thought about Pink and how she challenges the connotations of her name, it's quite ironic which perhaps also links to post feminism. We wanted to do the same with our artist name but as we are determined to challenge gender stereotypes to conform with our genre we want to use male connotations and make this 'edgy' like Lady Gaga.

We decided on our artist name, as before we thought about a name with male connotations, with a 'feminine edge', we almost don't want the artist to fit the connotations of the 'artist name'. We chose the name 'Syd Marie', the name Syd immediately connotes a male persona however the name Marie feminises it.

We also considered gender and gender equality and how women are represented, all of the CD covers that we analysed for Pop Rock had a strong, independent woman, who was usually in some way involved with a male however ended up not needing him, she realised that she didn't need this figure in her life. We challenged ideas within the feminist theory, we thought about how women are constructed in a text and thought about analysing gender equlality and the promotion of womens rights, interests and issues.

The whole idea of the woman shutting the man out, literally with the door reinforces her getting her life back. By the fade out shot at the end of our video we create a very strong identity for our artist,we are showing this emotional male who has had to walk away, his world has crumbled apart and there's a strong sense of a male in crisis, he is suffering and has lost his 'mojo'. A proppian analysis would highlight the artist as the hero and the male as the villain, a strong role reversal. We're almost giving a message or a guide to young women on how to be empowered and how to get out of these sort of relationships, saying that you don't need this male figure.

The female on our CD cover is represented as a strong, independent woman through a direct mode of address, and strong poise, central to the frame. The direct mode of address especially links to the uses and gratifications theory and the audiences need to relate. We chose for the artist to dominate the frame purely to reinforce this challenge of gender stereotypes.

We have encoded our CD cover to say to these women that they can be this strong female figure, we are living in a post feminist age and can be anything that we want to be. We are challenging ideas about gender and getting away from these ideologies of women only being good for having kids, staying in the home and that we are too emotional and irrational to be an independent woman. We are emancipating all of these women from their relationships, subverting to narrative structure with a woman in control.

This woman on the front cover has fallen out of this domestic sphere that women are placed in, we are conforming to the codes and conventions of our CD covers that we analysed as the women challenge gender stereotypes, they seem out of control, they aren't these timid, subservient characters we expect them to be as women.

We have especially engaged our target demographic through the attitude that our CD cover gives across, it shows a strong independent character who is unique and doesn't need to depend on others. We have also engaged our target demographic through costume, the red and black colour scheme on the clothing suggests a rebellious side to the artist, the red especially connoting a dangerous edge. The central framing ensures that all attention is focused on the artist.