Textual Analysis Of A Music Magazine Front Cover

The mise en scene techniques of the front cover of "SPIN" consists of the following:

Props:

In this magazine cover photo, we can see that there are no props given to the band members. I think this has been done to show a natural picture of the band without props rather than a fake looking photo with too many props.

Lighting:

The lighting is very high key and emphasises the light around their faces, also showing some shadows. This is done for a professional look and for a clear photo.

Costumes:

The band members are dressed quite normally considering they are on the front cover of a music magazine. The lead singer has coloured bands around his arm. I think this is done to show that he is the main member but also to show that this band is different from other bands. It also shows their individuality as a band, not only through fashion.

NVC:

The non verbal communication clearly shows the band are posing, but as they all have straight faces and are staring into the camera, as if to be staring at the reader, suggests that they are trying to tell the audience something. This could also be used as a way to sell the magazine because this photo will attract readers and therefore the sales of this magazine will go up.

Setting:

We would imagine the setting of this magazine is in a photo shoot studio, as the backdrop is white and there are no clear indications of where it is set. However, the white backdrop suggests that the magazine is professional.

Introduction

The next pieces of work that i will be uploading to the blog will be my main task work. I will be producing a front cover, contents and a double page spread of a magazine.

Evaluation: Preliminary Task

Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

When designing and creating my own college magazine cover and contents page, i did follow the conventions of real media products. For example, my masthead was at the top of the page, typically like a real magazine. I had a central image like most real magazine covers do, and text on the front page. I also believe i followed the conventions for a contents page, however i think my contents page broke the conventions slightly of a real magazine as i didn't use just text, i used shapes to help form my page. Also i changed the rotation of the writing making it look less like a real magazine.

Question 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product mainly represents a teenage, young, social group. I used an image of a student in the college on the front cover. I decided I wanted him to be posing with a book as this would appeal to other college students, so that it was clear it is a college magazine. He was dressed in his own clothes, which were stylish and would attract young readers. I did this deliberately so that the magazine would appeal to young readers such as college students. However I believe that the magazine could also appeal to a slightly older audience too, as teachers or adults who take college courses could read it. For the contents page, I also followed these conventions. I included pictures of students within the college, all with happy expressions, which is typical of most real magazines. In these images, the models also had props such as books to show that they are students and that studying can be fun too, as their expressions show they are happy.

Question 3: How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my audience by using different fonts and colours within my magazine. I didn't use a typical, standard font for the front cover as I thought this would be boring and wouldn't appeal to younger readers. So, instead I used a more appealing font, which would catch the readers' eye. The photography also would persuade a young audience to read the magazine as it includes images of students of the same age as the targeted audience, so they would relate to the magazine. I used standard English for my pages as although I was targeting a young audience I thought it would be inappropriate to use slang, as it would look unprofessional. It is important to use the right fonts when designing a magazine because they need to appeal to the correct audience. For example if you were creating a magazine for small children you would use something big, bright and fun looking, not a boring, plain and dull font. The use of clothing, jewellery, styling, hair style, are also factors in attracting your audience to your product because they should be dressed appropriately and look interested in what they are being photographed to do. For example if you had a model who was very scruffy looking and had a blank expression on their face, this would not help to attract your audience. It is also good to have the model at a similar age to the target audience because this makes the audience more inclined to purchase the product. People look for something eye catching an interesting to read about. We know that 40% of all magazine purchases are determined by the content of the front cover, instead of brand loyalty. So, this shows that the cover and contents pages are the most important and need to be interesting as well as suitable for the target audience.

Question 4: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Throughout the process of creating this product, i have realised that it is very important to have a suitable and well photographed image. For example, it can't be at a strange angle, with poor lighting or of something that doesn't relate to the subject at all. The lighting needs to be correct, giving enough light to see the subject but could also include shadows and highlights to make it a more interesting image.
Photoshop is another important element which is included in creating the product. I used photoshop to manipulate my image, making it more suitable. I used the 'magnetic lasso' tool to cut the background out from my image as i thought it would look better and stand out more without the background. I also used some of the 'filter' tools, such as 'render' to adjust the lighting of my image.
The technology was enabling enough for me to create my product. However i think there were a few thing which limited the creative process. For example it was hard to make the images on the contents page look professional as the technology didn't provide enough tools which could help me blend them well.

Audience Feedback:

"It looks really professional."

"the colours and images work really well together and the layout has been put together well."

"It looks well constructed."

Magazine Contents Page

This is the contents page for my college magazine. Here I also used the same colour scheme as on the front cover to keep it professional looking. I also used photos and text to make it look like a real college magazine.

Magazine Front Cover

This is the front cover of my college magazine. I have used an image of a student to make it clear that it is a college magazine. I have also used different sized fronts to make it look professional and like a real magazine cover. I also used text and information which you would find on a real college magazine to keep it as realistic as possible. Here i have used a minimal colour scheme of blues and whites to make it look professional.

Photos

this photo is a possible front cover shot.

this photo is a possible contents page shot.

this photo is also a possible front cover shot.

Draft Magazine Covers

These are my draft magazine cover ideas.

Audience Research Results

This tells me the majority of people who took this

questionnaire were female. Therefore i should make

my magazine appeal to females more than males.

However it should be a magazine that both males and

females can buy.

This tells me that the majority of people who took this questionnaire are sixteen and seventeen, but no one was eighteen. Therefore I should make my magazine appeal to people of that age group.

This tells me that the majority of people who
took this questionnaire would read a college magazine, therefore it would be a good idea to create one.

This tells me that the majority of people who took this

questionnaire would like to see examples of student’s work in the magazine, however they would like to see news about the college and news on student activities in the magazine too.

This tells me that the majority of people who took this questionnaire would be attracted to a college magazine by a nice picture. They also would like to see bright colours and large font too.

This tells me that the majority of people who took this

questionnaire would be willing to pay for a college magazine, therefore it would be a good idea to charge a small price for the magazine.

This tells me that the majority of people who took this questionnaire would by the magazine once a week, therefore it would be a good idea to produce a weekly college magazine.

This tells me that the majority of people who took

this questionnaire would like to see information about

activities/meetings happening outside of college, therefore I think we should have a section in the magazine where student groups can write this information to tell everyone about what is happening.

This tells me that the majority of people that took this questionnaire would like to see coursework deadlines and exam dates in the magazine, therefore it would be a good idea to include these regularly.

Audience Research Questionnaire

Question 1:
Are you male or female?
Yes No

Question 2:
How old are you?
16 17 18

Question 3:
Would you read a college magazine?
Yes No

Question 4:
What would you like to see in the magazine?
-News about the college
-Examples of students' work
-News about student activities

Question 5:
What would attract you to the front cover of a magazine?
-Bright colours
-Large font
-Eye catching picture

Question 6:
Would you be willing to pay for a college magazine?
Yes No

Question 7:
How often would you buy the magazine?
-Once a week
-Once a month
-Once a year

Question 8:
Would you like to see information about activities/meetings happening outside of college?
Yes No

Question 9:
Would you like to see coursework deadlines and exam dates in the magazine?
Yes No

Media Textual Analysis

The mise en scene techniques of the front cover of "Ridgewater College" consists of the following:

Props:
The props in the picture make the reader understand that the girl is in a college environment without needing to read anything. For example the globe is associated with learning. The globe has also been used to link the image with the text on the front cover, where it says ‘Global learning’, this keeps the reader’s attention. There are chairs and plants in the background which let us know she is in a college environment.

Lighting:
The lighting is very high key and allows us to see everything in the image. The lighting is specifically draw to her face so that we notice her expression.

Costumes:
The girl is wearing casual clothes, such as, a top and jeans which lets the reader know she is a college student as she is not in uniform. It also makes the reader feel that she is relaxed and comfortable in the environment which is probably what they would like to feel in college.

NVC:
The non verbal communication is very clear in this picture because the girl is turned to face the camera, as if she is looking at the reader of the magazine. She is also smiling which is very important as it tells the reader she is happy and enjoying where she is.

Setting:
The setting is in a college room, possibly a relax room, where students can take a break, or even in a library. This helps students to understand that it is a college magazine aimed at them. They can tell this even without having to read anything.

Introduction

I will be using this blog to submit my AS Media Studies coursework. The first piece of work i will be posting is my introductory work, which is to create a college magazine front cover and contents page. I will also be posting my audience research and my media textual analysis of a college magazine front cover.