Images -
The band Franz Ferdinand is the main image. This is an iconic image of the Indie-pop genre because of the Mise en scene as they are all wearing sun glasses because they are all indi-pop (short for independent pop that have low budgets). Also the tattoos on one of the male protagonists neck and arm infers the reckless behavior of pop stars. Also it portrays the strength of the artist through the intake of pain thus th stereotypical representation of men. The graphics of the arrows create a style for the front page to follow the bands brand. The facial expressions and body language is all quite serious or relaxed I feel this follows the representation of stereotype males. This is reinforced with the hand gesture of the male protagonists closest to the right as it is like a gun. This is because weapons connote power and men are supposed to be the most powerful sex. Or he is just pointing at us again to say "oi you buy this". but then again the fact that the front cover is dominated by males emphases the representation of stereotypical males.
Colours The title is red which could connote death but I think that Bauer wanted to imply that the magazine was bright and vibrant. This is reinforced by the bright yellow and the white dots around the top arrow as the white dots signify lights and yellow; the sun so the band are like stars. The blue top arrow also connotes masculinity and the purple arrow signifies royalty- it's as though the band is royalty or another interpretation is that people that buy the magazine are as rich or as important as royalty.
Font -bold and in capitals for the title of the magazine. This is in fact the same with the rest of the fonts they are all just different sizes and colors. Thus keeping the brand known throughout the first page. This is all the same type of font clear thick and easy to read. The only word that changes font size in word is look which is cleverly done as if you look at something and it appears smaller its is though it is further or far away so draws the customers attention.
Layout - the repetition of arrows emphasis the importance of the band as the bands CD paper cover has arrows on it. Or it could be interpreted that the magazine has high importance thus its trying point and to say to the viewers "LOOK!". The place where the CD is glued onto the front cover has nothing important under it just one of the male protagonists shirts. Therefore, the CD doesn't cover anything the reader needs to know and is left plain and simple so is not busy.
language "look! Free Franz Ferdinand CD" exclamation mark means it is shouting and emphasizing something to the audience thus it is direct address persuading people to buy the magazine because there is a free CD providing the fans of with something for nothing can increase circulation of the magazine therefore increasing sales. Also if the customer enjoys the content of the magazine they subscribe or buy further issues increasing profit.
The "back with a bang" is catchy because of its alliteration -of b and so interests the audience.
The quote most music means nothing infers that this bands music means something and their lyrics and symbol has meaning and more meaning and importance than other bands. Therefore promoting the bands cd and the magazine. "Plus" it conveys that there is even more awesome, amazing and inspiring information inside the magazines convincing the audience 2 buy the magazine.
Images there is a bigger picture of one of the page six's smaller photos which is a screen shot of the band arcade fire's songs Reflektor. This is conveyed through the fact that they are holding props of instruments through the mise en scene. However, if you look closely at the photo you can see that the are prosthetic heads so they co not have to lip sync during their music video. No true facial expressions are seen and the body language is difficult to read because of this.
The photo with 10 typed next to it is of all fans for NMEs music festival. Which is described under it through language. The facial expressions and body language is happy and is excited. Due to so many people being in the crowd it conveys how popular the festival was.
In the red subscribe box which catches readers eyes there a photos of front pages of NME persuading people to subscribe as it guarantees they buy it every week but they can also save money on it which is revealed through language.
The Franz Ferdinand photo of the CD case emphasises the importance and excitement of the new album this is reinforced by the feature pages on page 29.
according to the descriptions of the articles there is a photo of Angel Haze who is wearing quite mainstream clothes and sunglasses like the band Franz Ferdinand with the same relaxed but serious posed facial expression and body language. This seems to be a convention throughout the whole magazine because all the other photos of starts are exactly the same for all the other stars as none of them smile in the images except the fans. This includes a band called The Strypes another music artist Eleanore Friedberger and Kanye West all have serious looking faces. I think they are trying to imply that they are professionals and thus serious about their careers. therefore this may not be a positive representation of males that I thought in the front page but a possible connotation for all magazines or at least this genre of magazine.
Font: "inside this week" is the biggest font to make sure the audience knows its out every week which entices them to buy every week for the important music news they can read about their favourite bands or up and coming band of the future, thus making them bang on trend. Quotes under the images are in different font to the explanation of the article it relates to as the quotes are bigger sometimes bolder and the middle one is in italics to emphasize its importance again because not only is in in the middle its the first main or feature page and has a big bold font for the red number next to it but it also has the biggest font for the quote and longest quote possibly because its the biggest story and bit of gossip of the genre for the week. Each explanation is in a small bold font which is in capitals so still has some importance as the capitals symbolise shouting.
Colour: the red black and white all compliment each other and are appealing to the eye as they stand out to engage the audience. As I do not think they are trying to connote love or death but attract the eyes of the readers. Also The black text and whitish beige background resembles a newspaper which NME used to be but it has now modernised into a magazine which has a really colourful glossy front cover and a bit of colour on the in inside. However the brand is once again continued for Franz Ferdinand CD cover uses the same colours for their new free album Evil Action that came with the magazine. Also are all wearing dark coloured clothes in the screen shot of the music video "Reflektor". The Stypes are also wearing mainstream clothes such as Jeans.
Layout- all the numbers of pages are all over the place for example if it was to be read like a comic left to right it goes 30, 6, 29, 40 17, 19 a list 4, 6, 19, (again?) 21, 24, etc see contents page basically it's all muddled and some numbers are missed out then there is a subscription advert in the bottom right corner. the reflector screen shot is aligned in the centre along with the title of the contents "inside this week" the fact there is a list of page numbers with no images portrays their lack of importance I think its because there are only single paged articles. Also the advert pages aren't even mentioned hence enhancing the importance of the other articles but almost devalues the adverts. The fact the contents is on the first right page of the magazine means that it is persuading readers to buy the product as this is the first page they psychologically look at when the flick through and read it instead what comes correspondingly to the front page - the first page to the left where an album advert is displayed.
The photo with 10 typed next to it is of all fans for NMEs music festival. Which is described under it through language. The facial expressions and body language is happy and is excited. Due to so many people being in the crowd it conveys how popular the festival was.
In the red subscribe box which catches readers eyes there a photos of front pages of NME persuading people to subscribe as it guarantees they buy it every week but they can also save money on it which is revealed through language.
The Franz Ferdinand photo of the CD case emphasises the importance and excitement of the new album this is reinforced by the feature pages on page 29.
according to the descriptions of the articles there is a photo of Angel Haze who is wearing quite mainstream clothes and sunglasses like the band Franz Ferdinand with the same relaxed but serious posed facial expression and body language. This seems to be a convention throughout the whole magazine because all the other photos of starts are exactly the same for all the other stars as none of them smile in the images except the fans. This includes a band called The Strypes another music artist Eleanore Friedberger and Kanye West all have serious looking faces. I think they are trying to imply that they are professionals and thus serious about their careers. therefore this may not be a positive representation of males that I thought in the front page but a possible connotation for all magazines or at least this genre of magazine.
Font: "inside this week" is the biggest font to make sure the audience knows its out every week which entices them to buy every week for the important music news they can read about their favourite bands or up and coming band of the future, thus making them bang on trend. Quotes under the images are in different font to the explanation of the article it relates to as the quotes are bigger sometimes bolder and the middle one is in italics to emphasize its importance again because not only is in in the middle its the first main or feature page and has a big bold font for the red number next to it but it also has the biggest font for the quote and longest quote possibly because its the biggest story and bit of gossip of the genre for the week. Each explanation is in a small bold font which is in capitals so still has some importance as the capitals symbolise shouting.
Colour: the red black and white all compliment each other and are appealing to the eye as they stand out to engage the audience. As I do not think they are trying to connote love or death but attract the eyes of the readers. Also The black text and whitish beige background resembles a newspaper which NME used to be but it has now modernised into a magazine which has a really colourful glossy front cover and a bit of colour on the in inside. However the brand is once again continued for Franz Ferdinand CD cover uses the same colours for their new free album Evil Action that came with the magazine. Also are all wearing dark coloured clothes in the screen shot of the music video "Reflektor". The Stypes are also wearing mainstream clothes such as Jeans.
Layout- all the numbers of pages are all over the place for example if it was to be read like a comic left to right it goes 30, 6, 29, 40 17, 19 a list 4, 6, 19, (again?) 21, 24, etc see contents page basically it's all muddled and some numbers are missed out then there is a subscription advert in the bottom right corner. the reflector screen shot is aligned in the centre along with the title of the contents "inside this week" the fact there is a list of page numbers with no images portrays their lack of importance I think its because there are only single paged articles. Also the advert pages aren't even mentioned hence enhancing the importance of the other articles but almost devalues the adverts. The fact the contents is on the first right page of the magazine means that it is persuading readers to buy the product as this is the first page they psychologically look at when the flick through and read it instead what comes correspondingly to the front page - the first page to the left where an album advert is displayed.
language "inside this week 21/9/2013" is promoting the fact that it comes out every week so people should buy next weeks and the week after and so on. Moreover, the numbers signify the date on which the person bought the copy at risk of buying the same one again. There is a "Plus" in this again like the front page this repetition of the connective expresses that there is a large amount of information persuading to buy the magazine. Quotes such as "I tried to commit suicide eight times in my life..." encourages the readers to read the articles because of the sympathetic effect it gives. Also rhetorical questions like "best festival? Best Headliners? Worst Toilet Traumas?" creates a comical effect and engages the audience who have had experiences at music festivals. Under the quotes are descriptions of the photos which encourage people to go to that page for example "Exposing the traumatic upbringing of Angel Haze" the combination of the sentence structure being short and the use of dramatic adverbs such as "traumatic" engages the reader and makes them want to read on.
Images - There is a huge photo of of people upside down in what seems to be water because they are holding their noses and their hair is waving. using the mise en scene again their body language is relaxed but because of their hand gestures it is as though they are being blinded by the reflection of the sun which links to the title of their new single. The masculine prevalence is seen throughout the magazine including this feature page as the the band has 3:1 ratio of women to men and three other photos of men who took part in the making of the single; James Murphy, Richard Parry and David Bowie. Richard Parry's photo is in low key light as it has no difference in light as it is day light thus inferring he is on the positive side. he is also wearing a t-shirt and a hoodie which conveys he is quite relaxed. Whereas James Murphy is wearing a suit probably because he is a producer but his shirt is tucked out, top button is undone and he is wearing shades like the band on the front cover. This also portrays that he has a laid back persona but his facial expressions and body language suggest otherwise as he is smiling and leaning forward implying that he is excited. There are three more screen shots of the "Reflektor" music video just like the contents page. The image of the iconically British telephone box with letters in a scrambled code to spell "Reflektor". They did this to create further suspense about their new album.
Layout - I like how some of the images e.g. James Murphy (album producer) are scattered between the columns so the text has to go around the photo which gives a chaotic effect. However a border is used as there is a thin black line where there are no pictures this creates structure and a contrast between the chaotic images.there are no conventions that stand out throughout the magazine in structure terms except maybe the fact that all the feature pages have columns.
Font - a convention of feature pages is that when an interview is written the questions are in bold whereas the answers and introduction is in normal. one of the screen shots used for a big image in the contents is a lot smaller in the feature page with two other screen shots which are the same size - the width of the column and the length of the image of David Bowie possibly conveying his importance in the issues discussed in the article. Hence the music video is not important but Bowie is. Or this could have just bee don to be visually appealing. I think this is why they put the reflektor album and the singles art work over the top of each other to provide an edgy effect.
Colour - the mellow blue information boxes labeling the pictures accounting on events. This reinforces a positive stereotype of males. The text is black so that it is clear and stands out from the creamie white paper. The paper is creamie white because NME used to be a newspaper hence it has developed to form a magazine with a glossy front cover and matt pages, which is probably cheaper. The notion that David Bowie is wearing a dark green coat in a high key light (significant difference in light from one side to the other) connotes jealousy and that he is on the bad side. Additionally, the white blazers connote purity and read connotes love or death am not sure which interpretation is correct because I do not know many of their songs. I have watched Reflektor in order to have a better understanding of the article but unfortunately it confused me more.
Language: "upfront" this portrays that the readers are going to read a detailed exclusive about "what's happened and what's happening in the music this week". This is the same synergy seen in the contents that there are following editions for the next weeks. However "Upfront" could because it is the first story of the magazine but the event column in the blue box says "front row" and the other stories also have the same language in the top left and right hand corner in the same font just different sizes.
Arcade Fire: "Bowie threatened to steal 'reflektor' from us!" this is the headline for the article which says the band arcade fire said that the artist David Bowie may steal their song reflektor from them. The exclamation mark conveys that the band is angry about this as the audience infers they are shouting it together to emphasise the tone. The use of the phrase "threatened to steal" implies a very negative representation to David Bowie leaving him very isolated with the word "us" as he is left out and separated from the group. However, this does not make the audience sympathise it makes them turn against Bowie because the headline is followed by the summary of the double page "the band Richard Parry lifts the lid on autumn's most hotly appreciated album". This means that David Bowie wasn't interviewed but Richard Parry was thus the audience only receive his point of view.
The song Reflektor is about questioning the meaning of real which is quite interesting as this is what we are studying for our media exam currently. It is asking whether society "reflekts" media or vise versa. Creating suspense and tension for the new album "Arcade Fire finally lifted the veil secrecy surrounding their new album.". using a drama term anti-climax it releases the tension relaxing the audience. It informs like a news paper "October 28" with dates.
Images - There is a huge photo of of people upside down in what seems to be water because they are holding their noses and their hair is waving. using the mise en scene again their body language is relaxed but because of their hand gestures it is as though they are being blinded by the reflection of the sun which links to the title of their new single. The masculine prevalence is seen throughout the magazine including this feature page as the the band has 3:1 ratio of women to men and three other photos of men who took part in the making of the single; James Murphy, Richard Parry and David Bowie. Richard Parry's photo is in low key light as it has no difference in light as it is day light thus inferring he is on the positive side. he is also wearing a t-shirt and a hoodie which conveys he is quite relaxed. Whereas James Murphy is wearing a suit probably because he is a producer but his shirt is tucked out, top button is undone and he is wearing shades like the band on the front cover. This also portrays that he has a laid back persona but his facial expressions and body language suggest otherwise as he is smiling and leaning forward implying that he is excited. There are three more screen shots of the "Reflektor" music video just like the contents page. The image of the iconically British telephone box with letters in a scrambled code to spell "Reflektor". They did this to create further suspense about their new album.Layout - I like how some of the images e.g. James Murphy (album producer) are scattered between the columns so the text has to go around the photo which gives a chaotic effect. However a border is used as there is a thin black line where there are no pictures this creates structure and a contrast between the chaotic images.there are no conventions that stand out throughout the magazine in structure terms except maybe the fact that all the feature pages have columns.
Font - a convention of feature pages is that when an interview is written the questions are in bold whereas the answers and introduction is in normal. one of the screen shots used for a big image in the contents is a lot smaller in the feature page with two other screen shots which are the same size - the width of the column and the length of the image of David Bowie possibly conveying his importance in the issues discussed in the article. Hence the music video is not important but Bowie is. Or this could have just bee don to be visually appealing. I think this is why they put the reflektor album and the singles art work over the top of each other to provide an edgy effect.
Colour - the mellow blue information boxes labeling the pictures accounting on events. This reinforces a positive stereotype of males. The text is black so that it is clear and stands out from the creamie white paper. The paper is creamie white because NME used to be a newspaper hence it has developed to form a magazine with a glossy front cover and matt pages, which is probably cheaper. The notion that David Bowie is wearing a dark green coat in a high key light (significant difference in light from one side to the other) connotes jealousy and that he is on the bad side. Additionally, the white blazers connote purity and read connotes love or death am not sure which interpretation is correct because I do not know many of their songs. I have watched Reflektor in order to have a better understanding of the article but unfortunately it confused me more.
Language: "upfront" this portrays that the readers are going to read a detailed exclusive about "what's happened and what's happening in the music this week". This is the same synergy seen in the contents that there are following editions for the next weeks. However "Upfront" could because it is the first story of the magazine but the event column in the blue box says "front row" and the other stories also have the same language in the top left and right hand corner in the same font just different sizes.
Arcade Fire: "Bowie threatened to steal 'reflektor' from us!" this is the headline for the article which says the band arcade fire said that the artist David Bowie may steal their song reflektor from them. The exclamation mark conveys that the band is angry about this as the audience infers they are shouting it together to emphasise the tone. The use of the phrase "threatened to steal" implies a very negative representation to David Bowie leaving him very isolated with the word "us" as he is left out and separated from the group. However, this does not make the audience sympathise it makes them turn against Bowie because the headline is followed by the summary of the double page "the band Richard Parry lifts the lid on autumn's most hotly appreciated album". This means that David Bowie wasn't interviewed but Richard Parry was thus the audience only receive his point of view.
The song Reflektor is about questioning the meaning of real which is quite interesting as this is what we are studying for our media exam currently. It is asking whether society "reflekts" media or vise versa. Creating suspense and tension for the new album "Arcade Fire finally lifted the veil secrecy surrounding their new album.". using a drama term anti-climax it releases the tension relaxing the audience. It informs like a news paper "October 28" with dates.
