Title Block Analysis

From this title block you can assume that the genre of this music magazine will be a Rock ’n’ Roll style. This is indicated by the font and colour scheme of the title block, it connotes an old fashioned Rock style. In addition the intertextual reference which comes about from the title block is the reference made about the famous Rock ‘n’ Roll band The Rolling Stones and the song titled ‘papa was a rolling stone’. Both these reference indicate the genre of the magazine will be of a Rock style. However the red, black and white colour scheme   is a quite traditional set of house colours and it suggests that maybe it’s a mainstream music because it’s something people are used to seeing.

From the style of this title block we can make the assumption that the genre of this music magazine will be of a rock and metal styling. This is suggested by the style and colour of the title block. The font used is big and bold, and the letters appear to be shattered and destroyed which is a common association with Rock artists who are known for destructive and behaviour i.e. smashing guitars. It is also suggesting a care free reckless life style which is fitting to a person who follows Rock music’s lifestyle which suggests the audience of this magazine will be people who are into rock and metal music. The colours used are also supportive of this point, the black and red colour scheme is very dark and to a certain extent mysterious, in addition the black is more suggestive of a gothic styling as this a typical association we make in the media when it comes to Metal music. The title ‘Kerrang!’  is an onomatopoeic word which reminds us of when a guitar is being played, also it has an exclamation mark at the end to indicate that word is being said in such a way that it is loud which is emphasis on the idea that the magazine has links to metal and rock music.

The title and style of this title block is very simplistic and vague, this could mean it focuses on a certain specific genre of music however not. The colours used are and how they are used is also quite simplistic; blue and white. The blue to a certain degree connotes a tranquil, care free atmosphere, and the white adds more of an emphasis on the vague plain simplicity. This care free style could be suggestive of the idea that that the magazine will be about people who are known for their controversial lifestyles such as the Gallagher brothers who are carefree, bold, and blunt and outspoken characters.  The font is big, bold and easy to read, again we could say it’s simple however the frame of the title block is square cut which implies that the music could be simple however edgy. The word itself ‘mojo’ suggests having something that other people don’t, referring back to old slang where mojo is used for this purpose.  This suggests that magazine has a certain something that other magazines don’t have, e.g. features of certain artists etc. From this title block I would assume that the target audience would be older people as the younger generation are more attracted to magazines which are more vibrant and brighter, whereas a more mature person will look to buy a magazine like this.

This title block is simplistic however it is also quite vibrant and eye grabbing, which suggests that this is maybe a mainstream, more popular music magazine, as the colours or fonts don’t connote any specific genre styles. The colours used are white and red mainly, but a small amount of black for shadowing. The colours have been used in this way in order to highlight the actual title ‘Q’. The font used is quite elegant, classy and sophisticated which suggests that these people are more sophisticated music fans.  The title Q is very simplistic however can be interpreted as an abbreviation of a question, which may mean that the magazine covers different genres of music with different artists in each issue, so much that it leaves the audience guessing. Another interpretation of this idea of the magazine title being questioning is that the magazine itself consists of all the answers to the questions a music fan would be keen to know i.e. When is the new Arctic Monkeys album being released? The target audience for this magazine are people who are interested in all kinds of music and have a passion for it, as the colours and the simplicity show that the magazine addresses all sorts of people and genres of music

Based on the title block I would assume that the genre of this music magazine is one of rock music. This is indicated by the colours of the title block. The strong use of bold black, red and white connote to typical colours of Rock Music, the use of black is very dark and mysterious whilst red brings along the idea of a more dangerous style, similar to one of a rock star. The font of the title is very square and straight it is also written in capitals in bold writing and to some extent there are similarities to the title block of a newspaper, this idea is supported by the slogan underneath ‘New Musical Express’ which makes the magazine seem like a musical newspaper. The title may indicate the audience are of a younger generation. This is indicated by the words ‘New Musical’. These suggest that the music featured are the latest new waves of music which the younger generation are more interested in then most people are.

The reasons that I have done this particular research is to gain knowledge of how various big name magazine publishers attract their particular audiences and how they make it accessible for the reader to identify the genre of the magazine almost instantly.

Plan for my music magazine

The target audience for my music magazine will be students aged around 16-25 who generally have an interest for Indie and Hip Hop music and the hybrid of the two which would be Indie Hip Hop. For this reason my magazine will be of a Indie Hip Hop genre due to the fact that people of my target audience would tend to be interested and hopefully purchase my magazine as it features articles and stories about the music that they are interested in.

My magazine will be released every fortnightly as the people of my survey voted mostly for the magazine to be released every week and in order to maximise sales and to keep the readers interested and posted with the news of the music industries.

My magazine will be priced at £1.99 one of the reasons for my decision is that people voted for it to be priced between £1.50-£2 and also a lower price in magazine may result in us selling more issues on average than a substitute magazine such as NME and XXL which both are priced above £1.99

I will be making the magazine out of glossy paper despite the fact that regular paper would be a cheaper alternative as I think the readers will be more attracted by bright and glossy paper.

Analysis of results

Reasons for which I created and asked people to fill out this questionnaire was that I found it a useful method to finding out what readers of magazines of a similar genre would find more appealing as a whole, such as what title of magazine would appeal to them and so on.

As the majority of the users which took this survey said they were willing to pay between £1.50-£2 I am pricing my magazine at £2 in order to maximise profits.
 


Based on the results of the survey people thought a weekly magazine would be a good idea as shown on the results chart and I feel this is correct as it will keep the reader up to date and more interested.

Regarding bands feature in the magazine out of the options available the readers mostly went for Lupe fiasco, MGMT and Jamie T. For this reason I will be featuring all 3 of these artists/bands in my magazine.

The survey asked the people what they thought would be the best title for the magazine. Over 80% went for the title 'Kicks'. As well it being the most popular I think this title would be most suitable for the genre of my magazine.

Questionnaire for Indie Hip Hop Magazine

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GRYCJRV

Evolution of Britney Spears Task

This is the first analysis of a magazine as part of my AS course and I done this task in the hope that I can analysis the conventions of a magazine to make it easier as and when I create my own magazine.

Evolution of Britney Spears

      Britney Spears has been framed as the centre of the magazine, the centre of the reader’s attention; all the other puffs of the magazine are positioned around her. The type of shot used is a high angle mid shot; this image has been used to highlight her fantastic figure and good looks. This type of shot you would see featured in a ‘lad mag’ such as Zoo and Nuts.

Britney's costume in this image suggests that she is trying to break free of her innocent school girl image this is suggested as she is wearing a school girl like white blouse and the buttons are all open which makes the implication she is trying to ‘open up’

The props used in this image convey her innocent school girl image through the use of the prop of a telly tubby doll and she is on the phone which is another suggestion that she is trying to break free from her innocence as a connotation of this is that she is on the phone to boys.

The setting of the image is the bed in which she is laying on connotes that she is trying to prove that she is not an innocent little girl anymore as she is seen lying on the bed in a provocative manner

The intertextual reference being made in this image are; that she is a young girl through the use of the telly tubby doll however through her school shirt being open to imply that she isn’t as innocent as people make out.

The colours used in this are in contrast with each other as the dark colours such as the pink and black suggest Britney's emerging sexuality whilst the white school shirt makes reference to her first music video where she was represented as childlike and innocent

      Britney Spears has been framed differently in this magazine. More sexual references are made in this image as this photo reveals Britney's voluptuous curves to an extent where the puffs have been positioned to fit around her bum. A long shot has been used to show her from her bum upwards.

Britney’s costume and pose suggest that she has broken free from her innocence completely. Her underwear are now shorter and more revealing than last time and the shirt she appeared to be wearing open in the previous magazine is now taken off and she is holding it, she also isn’t wearing a bra. This suggests that she wants a more desirable relationship with her audience

The setting of the image seems as if she is standing between two walls which suggest that she may be being trapped through her by the media and may be isolated as a result of her crazed fans and increasing media attention.

The lighting in this image is high key and this effect has been added to the photo to highlight Britney's body.
 

The colours used in this magazine cover are mostly whites and this is a contradiction to the general idea and connotation of white representing purity and innocence.

      The reason that this image has been used is quite significant to its title. At the time of the shoot for this image, Britney is said to have been in the prime of her phenomenal career, in addition the photo has been edited to black and white in order to create a dull, depressed, low key atmosphere, also due to this photo being taken when Britney was at her highest point and the black and white effect connotes that all the life has been drained out of her with the colour being metaphoric to her reputation, name and fame.

The photo has been cropped and framed in this way as the audience are intended to only see Britney’s face for this reason a close up shot has been used. This has been used because it supports the article of Britney in this magazine, a close up on Britney’s life. Also the image on the cover is at a slightly low angle so that Britney’s eyes make her look quite sad and depressed. Furthermore a direct mode of address which is used in this image suggests that she is crying out to the audience, suggested by the look in her eyes and her emotion.

The image suggests that Britney wants to have a closer relationship with her audience; almost as if she was ‘crying out to them’ to an extent the photo evokes sympathy and empathy from its audience as if she were something to pity supported by the mise-en-scene of the photo, the use of the black and white effect creates a depressed mood which evokes more empathy. The image has been supported by its title as the word tragedy connotes that something bad has occurred and the context that it has been used in suggests the Britney from a few years back who everyone saw as a beautiful, talented singer’s career has taken a turn for the worst.

                                                 

Whilst doing this research, I learnt how certain celebrities images and mise en scene are constructed differently in music magazines and how the star is portrayed to give off different connotations. This will help me in producing my own music magazine as I now know how to construct a magazine to portray a certain theme.

Brief Magazine Analysis

The reason that I have done this task was to gain a simple understanding of the elements of a magazine front cover and the different codes and conventions so that when I begin to create my own I will have knowledge of what needs to be included and so on.

Preliminary Task

Contents Page



Magazine Cover

Above you will find the original photos taken before they were used on the contents page and Front cover. With these photos, using Photoshop I added text and editted the blending options on the texts and inserted them in different positions in order to create my front cover and contents page.