Analysis - Album Promo Videos

Album Promo Video 1 - Kerrang! The Album 2009
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m97xqCkVXuw

This promo video looks at the Kerrang Album but it is advertised through its fans. Rather than having a voice over all the way through, it uses only a small amount of professional coverage and the fans that this album is aimed for are shown trying to sell it to more people. I think this is a clever selling tactic as it uses the average customer to sell it. There are alot of special effects that gives this album a more professional look with lots or effects and animation. It also feeds it tailored genre, its a clearly a punk/rock/metal album and this is shown through the dark colours and background music used. Its a very busy advert which means theres alot to take it which in turn keeps the viewer attached to the video it keeps them watching it. I think this is a good promotion video to take ideas from because of how busy it is and the way they used the fans to promote it.





Album Promo Video 2 - Scouting For Girls
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiLglQ_-NbQ


This video is quite a good example of how they have incorperated some of the countries biggest newspaper and magazines to help sell the product. We have The Sun calling it, 'An Instant Winner', and NME magazine saying, 'Lusting, gallopy Indie Pop'. Having respected puplishers advertising the album in such a way automatically tells its consumers that its a very good album. We first see the bands name and a quick introduction to one of their songs which straightaway lets the potential customer know what kind of music their buying. Along side the tracks played we see the video that accompany the songs made by the record company. This shows the viewer the popularity of the songs that will be on the album too. The colours used are quite pastel, very light and this compliments the comments that NME stated the band as being 'Indie Pop'. Its clearly a light-hearted kind of album, nothing to heavy etc. We also see a cartoon scribbled effect when a new song is playing as it fades into the video that goes with it. This effect is quite simplistic however it suits the promo video as a nice way to jump between the different videos and songs that are being advertised on the album. Unlike the Kerrang! video, its not too busy but yet enough to keep the viewer enticed. A good promotiona video which we could take a lot from.





Album Promo Video 3 - MUSE
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-vDho2OhDs


The advert is particularly interesting because you have no idea what it is when you first see it. We dont hear alot off the new album its alot more about the special effects. We first see a satellite moving and flashing a light to the sky. In the next seen we see the camera viewing the sky through blinds, which you then see ufo-like objects apearing out of the sky. Camera zooms in then out as they get closer. You can hear Muse playing lightly in the background but then the 'lights' hit the tv screen in view and Muse gets louder accompanied by a buzzing noise from the tv. It then goes straight into a video the band have and it plays the song louder. The radio starts to buzz and we here an announcer say..'supermassive blackhole', then the song changes to Supermassive Blackhole by Muse. We then see the light zoom out to the sky where you see a galaxy forming above a city that has a large building with MUSE written on. This then zooms out, almost disappearing and then explodes to reveal the new Muse album.
I think this video is very clever. It automatically gives the viewer an 'out of world' experience, and makes the music appear haunting and lurring. You automatically want to know whats going on and what i like the most is that you have no idea what the advert is at the beginning, its almost an advert for a movie or tv show. The video has no voice over, the music almost speaks for itself and you only realise who the advert is advertising for officially when the bands name appears near the end. From this you cannot really pinpoint an exact target audience because the advert is so peculiar. Because the advert is different to other promotional videos, you straightaway want to watch it. As we see alot of special effects, its easy to suggest a lot of time and effort went into this video which questions did the band put the same amount into their album, almost selling it to the consumer.





Album Promo Video 4 - Girls Aloud - Tangled Up
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nyA23Rfuow


We see the advert go straight into one of their songs, similar to the Scouting For Girls promotional video, with the bands name shown straightaway. The colour scheme used is very feminin, with colours like pink and purple used. This tells us what kind of audience they are targeting. This is more noticable with the female voiceover too, indicating that the bands fands are more likely to be girls then men.
The album is called 'Tangled Up' so we see alot of ropes and such which is a good play on the band album name. The ropes offer a special effect, where the screen splits when their is a new video to be played. Also, the voice over says nearing the end of the video, 'Get tangled up with Girls Aloud', tieing the adverts effects and the albums name all together. The video is quite bland compared to the Kerrang! and Muse promotional video is there isn't alot going on at all. However this doesnt stop the fact that i think this video promotes the album quite well. Its girly, feminin and it gets the point across which suits the band well. Because it gets straight to the point its a good video to use when getting ideas for my own promotional video later on.





Album Promo Video 5 - Oasis - Dont Believe The Truth
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r65s30HDb2Q


This video is completely shot in black and white, which instantly ages the video, it adds almost like a class to it. We first see the bands name on a black screen with no music, the music kicks in and the screen zooms out to the band standing in front a large billboard that has the albums name on. There are a lot quick cuts, zoom, and a shakey like effect which works well with the black and white theme. It stops it from being boring almost. It has an old movie like feel to it, like a movie reel affect with a shakey screen and such. We also see a section of the video that flashes all the names of the songs that are on the album in a very quick shot, then cuts to the band performing Lyla, infront of a crowd. We dont see a voice over till the end which simply states the bands album and that its 'Out Now'. Just like Muse, the video speaks for itself with the songs playing instead of advertising all the videos. It plays Lyla throughout and then cuts to the video for Lyla but only the performing on stage section, emphasizing the british rock genre that the band holds.
I think the video is a nice simple promotional video and sells the album very well. It suits the band, it seems like something they would do rather than having a pink video to promote their album, it all ties in nicely. The video is shot in black and white just like the album itself is black and white so this ties in together nicely too. I think this video would prove to be quite successful as it definetly sells the album well, you can see what kind of target market the band has too with this video with the laid back feel it has.





Album Promo Video 6 - Led Zepplin - Mothership
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmC8uZpJsUY


This video is all shot in the same animation that is used on the album. (Like how Oasis video is shot in black and white because their album is black and white). This video i imagine took quite a long time to do, being that it is also double the length of average promo videos at 1 minute long. The video jumps straight into their biggest hits such as the Immigrant Song, it has a very old fashion theme to it even if it does have a red-cream and black colour scheme. We see the 'ufo/mothership' flying across, reflecting in windows etc, then shots of the band peforming in animated form on posters and in shop window tv's, then it cuts to the mothership in the sky with the band playing on top. What i really like about this promotional video as its classic, it really shows the band in its form. Even if is is animated it has a legendry feel to it. There is no voiceover until the very end and what i noticed ffirst was that his voice was very monotone rather hyped up and enthusiatic like we saw on the Kerrang!, Scouting for Girls and Girls Aloud video. In my opinion his voice has a very, self explanatory tone. Its almost as if hes saying, 'Its Led Zeppelin, theres no explaining to do its Led Zeppelin'. Because of the popularity this band already has, the video sells itself and i think its this that even without voice over work, you hardly notice the advert is on for a 1 minute.





Album Promo Video 7 - Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3mYc1m3lsM


The video is very simplistic there is nothing there about from the band members and a few special affects. But i think this signifys the band quite well. The video itself at the beginning has a very dark appearance with the minimal lightening even though the song itself is quite light. We see Chris Martin singing, surrounded in a blue/pink/yellow hazy fog. Then as soon as the song kicks in theres a bright flash and the video is very colourful which suits the song perfectly, it offers the viewer a different mood as to what was represented earlier at the beginning with the dark tones. Throughout the video the members are in black and white which corresponds to the colourful effects making it seem transcendant and supernatural, with ambient affects, dark yet colourful. There is no voice over only text that states when the album is availabe, again following the Muse idea where the music speaks and sells for itself. A good special affects video which can take a lot from when i make my own promotional video.