Summer Homework - Analysis

Take That – The Circus Live
This is the cover for the DVD version of Take That’s latest live concert ‘The Circus’. True to the title of the tour the cover has an overall circus-like theme.
The background stretches over all 3 panes and is a simple picture of a bright blue sky. This gives a blank canvas to add text such as track listings and logos. The brightness of the sky seems digitally enhanced to make the colour more vibrant and fitting to the colourful theme. Balloons are also a main feature of the picture that appear also on all 3 panes in a variety of bright primary colours which are very eye-catching. I like how the balloon clusters on the back pane of the DVD are more subtle yet keep an ongoing theme to the disk as a whole.
Unlike many other pop band adverts and DVD covers, the band themselves are not the main focus. Other circus related objects are featured on the cover like a hot air balloon and an elephant. These objects will appeal to fans of Take That as they are recognisable from their live shows.
The text on the front of the cover is white to stand out from the rich blue background. The text is thin and subtle to keep the older sophisticated side of Take That, that they are trying to maintain. The title and band name are divided by a crisp white line, also keeping the clean appearance. The text has flourishes so it is a serif font. The font is quite traditional and plain making it clear and easy to read rather than a more abstract modern font used by many pop bands. The track listings on the back pane are centred giving a stylish look and leaving the rest of the space to contain the sky and balloons.
The spine of the cover is very basic, which is effective in making the whole disk flow as one picture. The text on the front cover is repeated to keep an ongoing theme. Subtle logos such as the band’s record label are also featured on the spine; I think this looks better than them cluttering up the back pane of the disk.




Adverts for Take That’s album ‘The Circus’ were featured in magazines and on billboards as an enlarged cover of the actual CD. An advantage of this is that anyone who had seen this advert would instantly recognise the album in a shop.
Very much like the DVD cover for Take That, the CD advert keeps the bright blue sky as the background. The band however, is the main focus on the picture wearing coordinated blue outfits. These match the colour scheme of the whole advertising campaign and make the band look connected. The fact they are in casual matching clothes keeps their band identity alive. The content of the advert is unusual, therefore attention grabbing, and not something a conventional ‘boy band’ would usually go for. The advert shows each member walking on a tightrope all in similar poses. This obviously fits in well with the ‘circus theme’ that the band has created for itself and contributes to the brand image. Another example of repeating brand image is the title and band name. This appears on the CD and also the DVD. When making my adverts and covers, brand image will be very important and the band logo will feature throughout.

Take That – Up All Night
I have chosen to analyse this video from Take that to round off my research into the band. The main video does not appear to have a storyline as such, the main idea of the video is showing a street party in a working class estate. The time period seems not completely modern and would offer a sense of nostalgia to viewers who used to be involved in street parties in the 70’s etc. This is a good move by the director as the band has fans from all different age groups. The video opens with a close up of a hand written sign saying ‘road closed’ which looks quite child-like and shows that this video isn’t going to be the usual hi-tech video produced from a pop boy band. This is followed by a pan up shot which turns into a really effective establishing shot which sets the scene for the next three minutes. Throughout the video many different types of people are shown from babies to old women. The sheer variety of ages, heights and ethnicities in the video is a key factor to this video appealing to a range of demographics. The way the street residents are shown on screen dancing and laughing is very realistic and very good at making you think that this is an actual street party and that these people are not actors being filmed for a music video.
The bands is positioned on a lorry and are dressed in scruffy clothes which supports the ‘rugged’ image that the band are trying to achieve. The clothes also suggest that the band are part of the street and are no better or different to the rest of the crowd. Viewers would feel comforted by this when watching. The performance is dispersed well and the ratio of band to narrative is balanced. The feel of the performance is happy and lively which encourages people to get involved.
There are a lot of different camera angles in the video and the scenes switch quickly making the video fast paced to match the tempo of the song. Many of the shots of the party are right in between the crowds of people which make you as a viewer feel like you are there dancing with the residents. Close ups of pianos being played by fingerless gloved hands are nice inserts to keep the scruffy image running. There is also a lot of camera movement in the entire video cutting from aerial shots to tracking shots, this adds to the fast paced vibe.