Media Evaluation

Media evaluation

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Contact Sheets

Final Double Page Spread

Final Contents Page

Final Front Cover

Planning for Front Cover, Contents and Double Page Spread

Kerrang Double Page Spread Analysis

This is a double page spread from 'Kerrang' a Rock music magazine. Immediately from taking one glance at this double page spread, it is easy to tell what genre it is. It features plenty more images than in other music magazines, and everything appears to be quite hectic and a stereotypical Rock ’N’ Roll view. The 2 pages give the impression of roughness yet edginess and almost a messy lifestyle of the artist featured. Rock ‘N’ Roll is usually presented with tattoos and ripped shirts, and clearly this is shown here which could embody a rebellious approach.  The use of angled photos of different sizes creates an emphasis of genre and sense of rock music. The page contains hardly any text, which is sort of pushed aside possibly suggesting the photos of the live show tell the readers everything they need to know. It also gives us an impression that the readers aren’t intellectual and prefer photos to text.

Vibe Double Page Spread Analysis

This double page spread from Vibe looks very professional and is more advanced to the basic conventions of a double page spread in a music magazine. It has a large photo of the artist, but also consists of of several small photos; which appear to be sexy dancing images of the artist and portray a positive image of her and the article. The main image is in colour, whereas everything else is black and white, with a hint of light blue. This allows the reader to emphasis on the photo first and then read the text behind the image. This is stereotypical for vibe magazine as R&B is obsessed with body image and appearance. The colour scheme is also basic which entices a male and female audience. The artist's posture appears self-assured and striking which again is never the less always the case in an R&B genre magazine; as women are generally embodied as being feisty. The use of the light blue is evidently to highlight the significant factors such as the artist's name. The double page spread contains quite a bit of text, which is rare for this genre, but perhaps because of the artist there is more to address.  

NME Double Page Spread Analysis

This NME double page spread has all the simple conventions that a magazine would feature. It consists of a main headline; which can be eye catching but informal, fairly large photo and either an interview or text about the artist. Lily Allen is a famous female known for her music, or perhaps even because of her attitude. The way the headline is formatted, for instance cut out newspaper letters seems a little all over the place portrays the artist. The cut out letters could also represent attitude towards the readers. The image however appears to be quite positive as Lily strikes a pose, she seems confident and is projected as if she is coming out to the readers. This could show that Lily is keen to open up to the readers and connect with them. Lily's clothing is quite stereotypical for an Indie/Rock girl but red, black and white is for a male and female audience. The layout is basic; which makes it easy for the reader to navigate through the page and it is an effective, yet easy way to present an article to the audience. The background is white, so the image and text are the main focus with not too much going on.

How does Plumline construct and reflect its intended audience?

Plumline draws its intended audience through the title ‘Plumline’ which is pun from the name of the school ‘Plumstead Manor’. So therefore the title could entice students but also adults such as teachers and parents/carers. Plumline also reflects its intended audience through the future image of the school building; which can convey readers that the school’s preparation and gives a positive vision of the school. The contrasting colours are used to differentiate between the different articles; so could perhaps act as a guide for different reader’s specifications.

The font used is Times New Roman which is formal to appeal to a wide range of people, adds consistency and appears quite serious. There are also additional fonts used such as Arial for headlines and fancy fonts for ‘Plumline’ imaginably to make it stand out, seem flowy and catchy. All of these individual elements have been used to create a sense of shared experience for the audience. Plumline is designed to appeal to different audiences and contains an article for different audiences, such as students, teachers and parents.

The newsletter is also colourful and various photos are used to attract the reader and display a shared experience and identity in the audience. The newsletter also features the school colours; red and green, which applies to students and can be used to be easily identified. The plumline is white on a red background and the green for the name of the school.  

Analysis of an Image

This image seems to address its readers through the actual photo used. Lady Gaga known for her outrageous clothing reportedly wore a raw meat outfit to the MTV Video Music Awards. The picture immediately grabs the reader’s attention as it takes up the majority of the page. The background is dark and dull but you can almost make out an audience as they are not significant. Gaga is in colour whilst the background is black and white to embody she is superior. Another reason the background could be black and white is to convey the audience’s feelings towards Gaga, which appear to be dull and none the less non-existent.

The headline also addresses its readers as its eye catching, big, bold and contrasts the background. ‘I’m no piece of meat’ ‘Er, you bloody well look like one’ anchors the text as Gaga is in fact wearing meat but states she is no piece of meat, and the humour is emphasized. Gaga’s pose portrays a confident female, and that she is trying to almost make a point. The photograph also proposes and addresses readers that everyone’s main emphasis is on Gaga. The lighting also adds to this, as it appears she is in the spotlight, focused and zoomed in on her.

How do magazine front covers use denotation and connotation to attract their intended audience?

Look magazine entices their intended audience in several ways. The magazine is called 'look' which accentuates the action 'look' and directly invites the audience to see, signifying a voyeuristic nature and fashion wise it also suggests 'get the look'. The 'look' is big, bold and eye catching; as it is bright pink. The colour scheme for this particular issue is pink, white and yellow; so it's quite feminine, girly and appeals female readers. The selling line ‘Britain’s best-selling fashion weekly’ reinforces the title look once again, projecting that this magazine interests women who are obsessed with their image. The language used such as ‘wow! ‘amazing!’ and ‘buy me now bags’ portrays the informal mode of address, and constructs the readers as a bit imprudent, and obsessed with clothing and celebrities.

The magazine also includes images that are colourful and attractive to appeal to a female audience and is filled with cover lines and bright colours. The photo is of a famous celebrity, Cheryl Cole. She is posing, smiling and appears to be attracting the readers through eye level. The photo was taken on the red carpet and gives the impression that it is quite a natural shot which makes us feel equal. The photo is close up and you cannot see the background; which allows the readers to be concentrated only onto Cheryl. The editors of look magazine could have used a photo of Cheryl and chose the main headline to be about her, as she is regularly in the public eye. Cheryl Cole is presented to us as a role model, an icon, as women adore her and men fantasise about her. Cheryl was also going through a rough stage in her life and women feel empathy for her, and would want to keep up with the latest news about her.

In addition the magazine also draws its specified audience by evidently featuring a celebrity in a swimsuit and how they can achieve that perfect body too. I think this magazine is intended at women aged 15-30; as women in that age category are more concerned about their body image.

My Front Cover Draft

This is my magazine front cover draft, which is a mixture of Indie and Rock music, which I have created on Publisher. The title ‘Crowd’ symbolises a crowd at a live gig; as Indie/Rock music is projected more to be focused on live performances. The word ‘Crowd’ is correspondingly very bold, eye catching and informs the readers what genre it will be. The ‘D’ is angled to the right slightly to represent Indie/Rock music being somewhat different to mainstream music. The ‘D’ could also personify a person at a gig ‘moshing’.

The artist is English, so I used the colours of the Union Jack to embody her ethnicity. The photo appears to be very relaxed but a Rock ‘N’ Roll typecast image of the model, with a cigarette in her mouth. This once again relates to the genre and my target audience. When planning on constructing my front cover, I looked for examples of Indie/Rock magazines to get concepts on how to approach my target audience. When looking through the magazines, I found that a few of the artists on the front were featured with cigarettes, so I thought my model should have a cigarette to add to the genre.

The text I have chosen to use reflects the Indie/Rock genre well as I’ve used headlines such as ‘I’m so glad I have people who give me constructive criticism’ which is similar to something that would be presented  in this genre magazine. To improve my front cover I would transfer it from Publisher to Photoshop to convey a professional look. As on Photoshop I can advance the cover in various ways. I would set a better background that covers the entire page, smooth the photo by removing blemishes and overall just give it a proficient image.