Production: reviewing music magazine images

Here is a screenshot of the selection of images I have collected for my music magazine. The aim of this exercise is to identify what I could do to improve my selection of images as part of the production of my magazine.

Research:music Magazine discourse and semantic field

The magazine should have a clear sense of discourse and brand identity.

Linguistic devices:

Create a meaning and relationship between the reader and the text.

Most magazines have a coherent presence or mode of address.

Use lexical language.

Typography should be consistent regarding the colour and type of font used.

What kind of relationship with the reader?

Lexical cohesion:

Links or themes running through the text e.g.
Fashion:Toyshop, New Look.
Band: Little Mix
Artist: Rhianna

Mode of address:

Semantic field- belonging to your genre e.g. charts, top 100, single, release, album.

What is the story behind your article?

New release

Purpose: 

Aspire to the artist

What are you encouraging them to do?

Merchandising 

Representation:

Gender, race, class, age, genre

Planning:Flatplan of music magazine

 Flatplan for my music magazine

Research:music Magazine screenshots

Here is a selection of music magazines. Including a front cover, a contents page and finally a double page spread. The colours are all very bright and provide a pop for the target audience. Furthermore, they all link in well with the genre of pop and the models on each page represent this really well.

Research:Lexicon of words

Lexicon of words for the genre 'Pop'

album (noun): a collection of songs released as a digital download 

boy band (noun): a group of three or more boys or young men who sing and dance

catchy (adjective): enjoyable when first heard, and difficult to forget 

(the) charts (noun): lists of the best-selling songs of the previous week 

chorus (noun): the part of a song with the same melody and words each time it's heard 

contemporary R&B (noun): recent R&B that mixes soul, pop and hip hop 

dance-pop (noun): up-tempo pop music with a dance rhythm 

formula (noun): a method or plan that's believed to succeed 

funk (noun): a dance-music genre that combines R&B, rock, soul and jazz 

hit (noun): a best-selling song on the pop-music charts 

pop song (noun): any song that follows the pop music formula 

rapper (noun): an artist who performs raps over a hip hop beat

singer-songwriter (noun): a musician who writes and performs his or her own songs 

single (noun): a song released as a digital download, or as one of two songs on a 7-inch record 

soul music (noun): a genre that combines elements of gospel music, R&B and pop 

verse (noun): the part of a song with the same melody but different words each time it's heard

Research:genre of music, connection to subculture

These are the main sections of genres in the music industry:   Link here to lists of genres

However, there are also different types within these main sections.

This video denotes the differences regarding the sound of individual genres.

Blues,Classical, Country, Electronic, Jazz, Latin, Pop, Metal, Punk, Rap, Reggae, Rock.

Music Subcultures

One of what ways in which subcultures define themselves is of course through their taste in music. Some examples of groups that have been formed are Skinheads, MODS, Punks, Rockers, Emo's and Ravers.

Punk...

This subculture was first seen in the UK around the 1970's. The way in which they differentiate themselves in terms of identity is through their choice of clothing. The stereotypical punk has a brightly coloured hair with the heavy use of chained accessories and ripped clothing. They are also known to have tattoos and spikes attached to themselves. and  Furthermore, they are centered around listening to loud aggressive music called punk rock, it is evident that other subcultures such as Asians, Blacks and Latinos have also contributed to the growth and development of this subculture.

Interview...

Monica Sklar published the book titled: 'Punk Style.' She has been associated with the Punk subculture since being an adolescent and and has also written about the different sub-genres. Here is one of the questions quoted from an interview:

What do you think are some of the most common popular misconceptions / inaccuracies about punk?

There are three misconceptions that immediately come to mind:

1. that you have to dress iconically punk to be punk (there are tons of styles and subtle cues that are punk, and the book emphasizes it is very much in the wearer’s opinion if they are punk not in the specifics of their dress;
2. that if you are dressed punk that you are, in fact, punk (you might not be at all; it can be all trend and devoid of meaning, except the meaning of being part of the mass culture);
3. that punk is exclusively for the young; the book discusses how many have aged and still incorporate punk aesthetics and ideals into their lives.

Emo and Goths...

         
This YouTube video is an insight on how the stereotypical identities of subcultures get viewed as being 'too different to fit into society' just cause of their choice of clothes and music taste.

Skinheads
This subculture was originated from working class youths in the UK during the 1960's. They are most well known for their shaven head, tight Levi's and high boots. It is close to what we call hoodies or a chav in the modern day. In terms of music genres they are associated with Soul, Ska, rocksteady and early reggae.




Hoodies...


Over the years there have been many varied subcultures but one of the most well know recent one is 'the Hoodies.' This identity came about in 2000 and is also know as the 'Chav.' They have gained a negative perception of themselves due to being associated with crime and violence and more often than not being of a lower in social class. A BBC TV documentary suggests that 'Chav' is simply just a development from the original subculture of Skinheads.

Research:Textual analysis 3

Click here for slideshare

Research:Analysis 2

This is my third textual analysis of the music magazine called 'Q'

music magazine from Ella Chapman on Vimeo.

Research:Analysis 1- music magazine using GLARN

Link to two media packs here:

Link here to B&S:
Media pack click here

Genre- The main genre of this particular music magazine is soul. However, at the bottom there is a list of genres including: R&B, Hip-Hop, Northern, Jazz and Blues. This variety means that the magazine applies to a wider target audience. 

Language- The language used is not at all formal due to the use of hash tags to engage with the audience and promote the featured articles. It is also very modern which links in with how the model on the front is acting regarding the central image. Imperative commands are included as a way of direct communication as well as a declarative at the top of the page to promote the fact that headphones and speakers can be won. Furthermore, capitalism is evident on the main featuring artist in the magazine which produces the effect of emphasis for the reader. The  brand of the magazine uses the technique of initialising which shows originality against all of the other music magazines in competition.

Audience- In my opinion, I feel as though this music magazine applies to a target audience of an older teen demographic. The man presented on the front central image is also fairly young and the way he is blowing out smoke from his mouth is portraying a relaxed and artsy atmosphere aimed at the youth of today. This imagery also links in with the declarative hash tag #smokinghot which could potentially be a subtle use of anchorage.

Representation- The way the music is presented on the front is almost old school which makes it look more unique. The colour palette is more on the darker side which creates a sense of mystery and is also consistent towards the brand name. The main featuring article title is in a bold white which stands out vividly against the black background as well as the opportunity to win headphones and speakers being underscored with a row of stars for emphasis. The fact that there is a competition running is also a USP of the article and would also be an incentive for readers to purchase it. The logo in the top right hand corner shows consistency across the brand as this is what they tend to do on all of their magazines.

Narrative-The main narrative on the front cover has the aim of promoting the featuring artist, he is being heavily featured on this particular issue. The music genres are featured on the front to provide inspiration for the target audience to read the issue and maybe even attend some of the upcoming gigs. 

Genre- The mainstream style is carried through to the contents page. However, there is a lack of images which portrays that the text is the aspect that should be concentrated on. It is still evident that there are a range of genres involved in the magazine. The brand identity is also transferred over to the contents page regarding the colour palette of black and red, proving consistency.

Language- The masthead/sub-heading stands out in terms of the typography due to the fact that it is in red and bold and fits in with the overall house style. The layout is more on the professional side which suits the psychographic reader to engage with. There is a few words from the editor which is also presented with an ellipsis to prove that by reading the passage, more information will be revealed. At the bottom of the page, Twitter names have been mentioned which backs up the less formal type to show that it is a magazine on the modern side that is interacting with the modern day social media.

Audience: In regards to the layout, it is made to look more on the simple side which is an incentive to the audience so they can easily navigate their way around the magazine and know what is involved. However, bold typography is also used at certain points within the lines of the contents list. This livens it up a bit but without taking away the aspect of looking professional. 

Representation: The contents page is packed with articles and activities that lure the audience in and follows on from how B&S are represented as a mainstream musical magazine brand. The wide variety of choices to read is showing how the magazine has a wide audience and is well know within the music industry. There is a smaller image used that corresponds the front page to ensure the audience are reminded of the current issue they are reading.

Narrative- The contents page is making the life of the readers a lot easier by making sure that they are all fully aware of what they have to come in terms of information. They can skip to the genres that they wish to indulge in the most as they will be listed on the contents page along with a page number.

Genre- The genre of this main double page spread is more towards the modern side of the music industry. This can simply just be identified by the vivid masthead and bright colour palette techniques used on the featuring image. Era Istrefi performs a variety of genres but her top one is pop music, which generically the most popular genre across the younger generation.

Language- It is evident that the language techniques used are very modern and relaxed. This is due to the fact that the narrative is in interview form so it is how the artist is literally speaking. In the stand first, there are fillers and ellipsis to portray the literal tone. Many interrogatives are used also which demonstrates the aim of the interview with this popular artist.

Audience- As I have briefly mentioned prior to this, this particular page is typically aimed at a target audience of a teen girls demographic. A micro detail such as her clothes decides this for me as she looks very modern and individual regarding her fashion statements and the way she has staged herself. There is also a direct mode of address included here to engage with the audience and allow them to feel the need to escape through reading the information, this would be an example of psychographic needs. The fact that there is also an overlap in media regarding the social media shout out to her Twitter also interacts with the teenage audience.

Representation- The way in which this magazine is interviewing artists that have done well for themselves within the music industry is a good representation of them as a company. Ensuring that they maintain their brand image. Furthermore, it looks professional which is also a good thing meaning that people will trust and make time for what they have to say. The colour pink tends to be of an occurring pattern across the spread, after searching the artists name on Google it is clear that this tends to be her unique statement and the magazine has ensured that this is presented within their say about her too.

This is the extra image that I discovered of her online by just simply typing in the name.

Narrative- Just purely because of the typography, the readers can evidently tell that the narrative of the spread is an interview. The pink coloured sub headings make this easier to identify, connecting up with the fashion statement that she is also wearing.

Research-media packs

                                                                         

Link here
This is the media pack for one of the music magazines that I decided to study. I found it really helpful to look at this before doing the actual analysis due to the fact that I could then get a feel for what kind of genre the product is as well as the kind of audience who are most likely to be loyal prosumers. In addition, I think that the pack represents the brand really well in terms of the overall house style as well as getting across all of the information that is required. Just from the image I have included above, there is links to the social media pages available as a reliable source of marketing. 

Link here
The second media pack that I discovered online was the 'Q' magazine. The layout is however, a lot more towards the simple side of things but the information is still conveyed well. Furthermore, it was again helpful to study this media pack before carrying out analysis as I now know a great deal more regarding the background information on this particular brand. 

Research:Media studies the basics book

CHAPTER 1
1. Regarding communications, not long after the first telephone was created (1876) photography was further developed in 1898. This meant that moving images so existed in the form of film. In terms of the historical narrative, it tells us that people of the time were scared to watch a train coming towards them on a screen due to the fact that they couldn't tell the difference between reality and the moving images. In addition it took 300 years to make the transition from printing press to photography so it is interesting to see that the time interval has significantly decreased as the years have passed by. As it only took 80 years to develop photographs into moving images.

2. Due to the fact that everything we see is a sign which tends to always carry some sort of meaning that the majority of people can recognize we refer to this as the signified. Where as the more complex meanings that people give to signs is called the signified. An example that is highlighted in the book is if you're watching a reality TV show e.g. Eastenders, a phone conversation between two of the characters in different rooms can only be interpreted correctly due to the media language used. This involves the camera angles, non verbal performance, dialogue, lighting, editing and of course atmospheric sounds.  This then means that the audience will have the ability to understand easily what is going on throughout the scene.

3. Quotation on the theory of creativity: 'The web has enabled people to cast off the primarily slumped, passive model of the twentieth century 'leisure time', and given them the opportunity to embrace a more social and connected life of creative exchange.' By Gauntlett.
If we produce our own versions of media texts but stay faithful to the conventions of 'real media' is this creative or just imitation? As pro-consumers are now making their own media daily.

4. The media does not determine our identities, but they play a role and various academic ways of studying how humans negotiate identities offer important methods for connecting media to the broader tapestry of individual, local, collective, national and global culture. Leading on from this, there is further more recent study into possibilities for anonymous activity which involves subversion of identity in online spaces. (Buckingham).

5. Super-powerful companies in the media include: Microsoft, Google, Time Warner, Disney and News Corporation- each one of these specific companies has a market share of between $5o billion and $150 billion. Most of the media is owned by large corporations such as all the major Hollywood studios also own companies producing and distributing television, music, newspapers and publishing games. This is explained by Press and Williams.

CHAPTER 2
In pieces of media that is produced, the sound can be of two different types. There is diagetic sound which is sound that is present on the screen for the audience to see, an example would be a character speaking. Also, you can get non-diagetic sound which in contrast you cannot see. An example of this would be the background music in a film or even a narrator telling the story.

Regarding camera shots, there are POV (point of view) shots that allows the audience to feel as though they are part of the scene.
High pov= a character having a higher superiority
Low pov= showing weakness in a character

Also,jerky shots can be used to provide a sense of tension and involvement as though you are in the complicated action yourself. Or even a focus shot which is used to highlight at important part of the unfolding narrative.

When editing media you can have fast or slow pace to show representation of what is happening:
Fast pace= action is taking place such as in a superhero action film.
Slow pace= unfolding drama such as in a romance film to provide build up.

Mise en scene is the overall atmosphere/ ambiance that is created in a scene, so it is basically everything in front of the camera. This leads to verisimilitude which means that a logical sense of realism is created. E.g, in the lord of the rings, if a main character was standing there with an Apple iPhone in their hand then it wouldn't look as realistic and wouldn't fit in with the conventions.

Chapter 3
In 2011 it became apparent that there was a widespread use of phone hacking by tabloid journalists. A prime and well known example is the case of The News Of The World hacking into the voice mails of a murdered school girl. Reading her messages and giving her family false hope that she was still alive.

There is a widespread agreement that the 'power' of newspapers is declining as more people are now turning to 24 hour/online news which means less people are spending money on newspapers.

Heavy influence takes place on the audience of media, this creates stereotypes in regards to the representation of people. The cultivation theory suggests that the media audience will stereotype people and make assumptions, e.g. gay people are camp.

According to Whittam Smith(2011) the media and financial markets are are the two 'big powers' that take on governments and win.

Political economy is macro and it concerned with the factual, institutional understanding of how media is produced and circulated. Where as analysis of ideology is micro and is more textual, decoding and deconstructing media texts.

Research:Youth subcultures and death of the music press

link here

 Youth subcultures, what are they now?

1.YouTube provides the ability to expand your creativity skills. Helena states: It's a whole creative process behind the videos as well, which is what I enjoy about it. Choosing the right music, going from the filming to the editing. Sometimes I even storyboard things, because I want certain shots, how I can present different items and things like that." 

2. At Secondary School during the mid 80's, the uniform codes were so relaxed that it was easy to identify what people liked. All of them wearing their tastes on their sleeves, so everybody had a unique individuality about them.

3.People of the day are too worried about their futures in current financial climate to be creative.

4.Dr Ruth Adams of King's College London thinks it might be linked to the speed at which "the cycle of production and consumption" now moves. Fashion and music are easy to get to and are also faster. Teenagers had to make more commitment to music and fashion, because it took more of a financial investment. 

5. We now live in the culture where teenagers are much more interested and likely to want to make a an online persona of themselves. It is easy to do and of course it is also free.








link here

The death of the music press

1. There are been a worrying collapse with the NME (New Musical Express) to around 20,000 a week which is demonstrating a decline with the music industry throughout the UK.

2. NME has followed newspapers in producing a tablet version for the digital age, but shockingly this has only yielded 1,200 subscribers.

3. Nowadays, people don't tend to want to fork out for a paper copy music magazine when everything is given to you for free online, it is easy to access when on the go and in general just a lot easier for the younger generations.

4. There was an argument that both Melody Maker and NME lost readers when they ditched the irrelevant writing and long features in the late 90's. There was an assumption that young people didn't want cultural studies essays or thick pieces on politics.

5. Due to the fact that  the music press has not been picking up younger generations of readers in the way it used to, the music magazines now are generally aimed at fortysomethings such as Moji and Uncut. They continue to sell relatively well compared to NME.

Production:My own Sixth Form magazine

ANALYSIS (FRONT COVER)

Central image- I have chosen to stick to a mid shot of my Sixth Form model. It connotes a girl standing in smart school uniform carrying a folder full of work. Leading on from this, it denotes a striving pupil who is using a direct mode of address to engage and almost lure with the target audience. She is smiling to prove that the school is a fun and inviting place to be at. This is an incentive towards the reader to take the advice and knowledge from this student. The school logo is also evidently present to make sure that the representation of the school is of a high achieving standard.

Masthead- The typography used is simple yet effective. It does not dominate the majority of the page as I do not believe that it should be the focus of the front cover. There is subtle alliteration in this title block to show a creative side and the fact that thought has been put into the overall discourse. There is also an underscore line presented underneath the title which is simply used for emphasis and well as an exclamation mark which acts as an exclamatory effect. Furthermore, I have decided to print the slogan/tagline in a smaller more subtle font as this is not the main focus of this area. I believe that this particular one shows professionalism: 'Go above and beyond!'. The language of this phrase proves that this is a school that ensures the very best you can achieve, maintaining the almost branding and opinions of the school.

Colour palette- The main colour used is green which is expected as this is the colour of the uniform worn at the school therefore, linking in considerably well. The red tones of the berries in backdrop allows it to look more interesting and full of life. The shades of the red contrast well with the greens. In addition, I have made sure that the typography and colours of the masthead are vivid enough to be identified easily over the background. They are also outlined in black to ensure this, as well as the featured articles surrounding the central image as it is vital that the target audience recognise what the magazine involves. These articles as a USP of this magazine as it is unique to this particular issue.

Target audience- It is clear that the audience that this is aimed at is a demographic of Sixth Form pupils (16-18 year olds). I believe that the particular feature articles I have included around the edge are a good way of luring them in. Interrogatives and imperatives are a language technique that I have included to engage with the audience. The phrase 'A -LEVELS' has been capitalised to also highlight what is involved in this magazine; as well as acting as a crosshead.  Also, the fact that the model on the front cover is of this age group, it is automatically a giveaway for who should be indulging in the magazine. Finally, social media logos have also been subtly included as this is what the majority of teenagers of today associate themselves with, so engaging with their interests is also an incentive for them to purchase the issue.

Date line and barcode- This particular aspect has also been displayed at the bottom right had corner of the page. This supplies extra information towards the reader regarding which copy they are reading and also the price. The typography is small as it is not a main focus but at the same time supports the professional branding of the magazine.

ANALYSIS (CONTENTS PAGE)

Central/general images-The images that I have included are more towards being long shots to demonstrate the overall look of the school uniform. They both convey a direct mode of address as well as the pupils in the bottom image denoting a sense of friendship and happiness through them smiling. The green leaves in the background also connect in with the solid green background shade. Where as the image towards the top is linking in with one of the main feature articles regarding the Sixth Form fashion.

Masthead- I have carried over the house style regarding the font onto the contents page which I think is simple yet still looks effective. There is an underscore beneath it to prove consistency against the front cover, making sure it stands out.

Colour palette- The colour of the school is green. Following this, the background shade is a solid green shade, this is good because it is denoting the branding of the uniform. This background shade is also the same across the front page as well which I believe looks professional.

Target audience- The references to the page numbers ensure that it is easy for the reader to navigate through the magazine. They will then be able to choose which featuring article that they decide to read depending on their psychographic preferences. 



Planning:Why use Indesign?

I am going to use InDesign to produce my magazine due to the fact that all of the properties that it provides will be useful regarding the criteria that I need to produce. It is stated on the description that it is suitable for multi-page documents, master pages, automatic page, numbers and typesetting. In addition, this fits well with having a front page and also a contents page. In addition, InDesign is good for any work with large amounts of text which is why it is suitable for designing a magazine, as  I want to make it as in depth as I can to promote a Sixth Form for example. InDesign has good typesetting features available, and it integrates with Adobe Digital Publishing Solution,  allowing you to create fully interactive magazines.