Music Magazine Interview Analysis

In our lesson this week, we looked at magazine interviews.

They all involved the same artist and we had to identify the codes and conventions of each page.

Some similiarities include an image featuring the artist. This might sound silly but without an image, the reader would not have any way of knowing who the article was talking about. The headlines stand out as well which catches the readers eye. Both interviews have quotes around the text box. This also grabs the readers attention as it allows them to be drawn in .  In both magazines, the interviews were split in to sections where they had the image on one side and the text on the other.

Some differences include the style its written in. One is friendly and the other is formal.  In one magazine, there is a white empty space which isn't very typical of interviews. The image also doesn't look straight at the camera whereas the other one does. In one image, she is dressed up smartly and in a dingy setting but in the other she is out and about in London, acting like she isn's famous.

Double Page Spread Research

This cover is one of my favourites. It uses bright colours within the image and catches the attention of the reader. The image is bright and creates a feeling of power. The image takes of most of the page and is the first thing you see. The text at the top is feminine and girly which boasts the style that the featured artist works in. The faded text in the background is big yet not as visible. This may be because the featured artist isn't from the USA but the image she is in shows that she supports them. The big letter D at the beginning of the paragraph is the same font used at the top which shows a  clear style. This is typical of all magazines as it uses the big letter so it draws the attention to the writing or text. The background is grey which isn't very appealing but it works within this page. The editing shows that the image is supposed to capture what the artist is about, feminine, powerful and succesful. The link between her and the USA could be that she represents Lady Liberty.

The dark colour scheme of this double page spread suggests a consistent house style. It is also reflective of the featured Band. The page is black and the image is well photographed but doesn't capture the eye of the reader. The fact that the central image isn't looking straight at the camera is unusual but it works with the style of the magazine.The fact that there is more than one image creates a personal feel to the double page spread. The use of the red and white and black fonts draw the readers attention to the text.The font at the top is quite edgy and reflects the style of the band.  Once again, the big letter at the beginning of the text draws the attention to the text. The quote at the top is the title for the piece and this attracts the attention as it is often personal or uses humour. The callout box at the side is also typical of double page spreads. It often provides the reader with more information which shows that there is a lot for their money.

This double page spread looks very busy. This is effective as the reader wants the most for their money and this page provides them with it. The image takes up the whole half of the page. This allows the reader to feel closer to the band. There are other different images on the page but this one stand out more as it is bigger and better. The band look quite casual and the setting is casual too. This gives off vibes that the band is cool and casual. The other images are action shots which show that they do exsist and that concerts and gigs are happening. The blue boxes on the pages stand out and are consistent through the whole double page spread. They draw the readers attention closer. As always, the big letter at the beginning of the main block of text is appealing the audience and consistent with the font style. The main body of text is structured well on the page as it looks nice to read. There isn't a lot of text but its in a smaller font so it appeals to the audience as there isn't a lot but its detailed.

Contents Pages that I like

Part of our task is to make a contents page as well as a front cover. In order to make a decent as well as proffesional looking cover, I did some research. Some criteria I am looking for include the following:

• The lighting has to be different as bright images will capture the attention of the audience and when a potential consumer buys a magazine, they look at the contents page.
• The image has to be unique and relfective of the cover page as I would like there to be a certain theme and this will make the magazine more proffesional as it will be linked through images, text and layout.
• I would like there to be a level of humour or "fun" about it.

I like this contents as the image is central but interesting. It grabs the readers eye. The lighting is bright and creates a shadow which I like as it presents a level of realism and also suggests that the image has been shot recently and is therefore fresh. The fact that it seems that there has been no photoshop suggests that she is relatively "normal". The expression on her face is fun and flirty and fascinating.

The next contents I liked was this one. It is quirky and unique and this is the style I'd like to achieve. The only problem is the fact that it is quite plain. The use of different coloured texts makes the page seem very proffesional. I don't like the way that the Mushroom stands out more than the star at the bottom of the page. It could also be representing drugs and thats not the message I want to send out to my audience.

I like this cover as well as it uses different fonts and heading and this is typical of magazines as it looks as if it shouldn't look nice on the page but it does. The different colours make it look patchy yet proffesional as its the house style of the magazine. The images on the page are well taken and show that there is a lot of variety within the magazine. The text at the top of the page is different and I will not include this on my contents as it doesnt feel very music magazine.



My Media Pack

For my Media project, I created a Media pack. Media packs are released by the magazines to potential advertisers and people who want to know more about the magazine.

Magazines are funded a lot by the advertisers so making an appropriate pack which appeals to the audience.

This is my cover page, I chose to use a central image as it catches the eye of the potential advertisers. I used the title going up the side of the page as it is similiar to Mojo. I also like the dark image as it isn't plain and boring.

This is my typical reader profile. Most magazines release what they think their ideal client or reader is like and this helps them to judge what content they should put in the magazine. In my case, my reader profile is of a man called Charlie. The text reads "

Charlie is 19. He studies History at University and his passions include writing and music. He taught himself how to play guitar and whips it out at every opportunity.

His music tastes influence his lifestyle  choices  and he's always up to date with the latest chart topping bands as well as discovering new ones .He’s up to date with his work so he always has time to party through the night. On the side, he DJ’s  at a local nightclub and his favourite past time is going to gigs. He knows how to have a good time. He’s not a  likes to call his style edgy and unique and vintage and that’s what SWITCH is all about." 

I chose this chatty style as it appeals to a wide audience.                    



Covers so far

So far in Media, we have been making front covers. Below are some of the covers I made and my own evaluation of them. None of them are finished yet but I have drawn several ideas from each of them.

This is an image I like. I have drawn the idea of layering the main text and put that on to an image I like. I have also taken the title and emulated it as I found that it stood out. The grey background also inspired me as it isn't just plain and also doesn't wash Lady Gaga out rather it makes her stand out.
This is a cover still in the making as it is still quite plain whereas the Q cover looks busy.

I also played around with the text and the positioning of the headline. I think this looks good but I prefer the one above. I tried the text without a background and found the image on the right looks a lot better is gives the image some defenition. I took inspiration from the Lady Gaga cover by layering the text once again. The figure also looks a like more realistic too.


 I decided to play around with the backgrounds too. I found this useful as not all magazines have white backgrounds and some do. In the examples of music magazines, they tend to have a coloured background. I chose to use lots of different colours in order to find something realistic and proffesional. Below are some examples, I have chosen to use a plain white background though as none of the colours look right with my striking central image.

 The yellow is too bright. It wouldn't look right although it would stand out, the yellow though it compliments the figure contrasts against the red box



This pink appeals to females and my target audience is males
as well. It doesn't compliment any of the image.

I like this colour as its not too striking and compliments my image but once again, a coloured
background wouldn't suit.

This green goes well with the red in the image but
a coloured background wouldn't get the right kind of
connotations of denotations.

Conclusions

• My background will be white with a tint maybe.
• The image has to stand out and catch the attention of the reader.
• The text will be layered over the central image as this gives it a proffesional feel.
• The magazine will be proffesional looking and have an edge to it. 

Going red all over makes the central image seem dull
and boring and doesn't work with any of the colour
schemes.