Target Audience - Main Task

My magazine will be aimed at people like myself a male, aged 16-24. The reason why I have chosen to target this audience is because I feel it is the segment of society in which most people read music magazines. I am 17 and I am a huge follower of NME. I intend to use NME magazine to inspire me. The outcome that I want to achieve is a magazine with indie/rock traits. Therefore, I feel that I have to target my magazine at mainly the male gender. I think this because the indie/rock scene is male dominated. Furthermore, I will make sure that my magazine attracts people from the C1 and C2 section of the social demographics scale. This is because this is the segment of society which contains the most people. To ensure that I attract this audience, I have to make the content of my magazine quite easy to read and view.

Conception Ideas - Main Task

For the main task I have thought up a few ideas, obviously some of them will depend on certain factors, but i think it's important that I have a several ideas as back up in case my first choice doesn't go to plan. Below is a list of ideas, in order of preferance:

• Myself, in my back garden, holding a guitar. Hopefully, if all goes well, it is supposed to snow this weekend, i think that it will look effective. I will use a high angle shot to fully encapture the snow. The snow should connote peace and tranquility.
• Myself, lounging on a deck chair, holding an acoutic guitar. I think if the photo depicts me being slightly more laid back, it should mirror my target audiences attitude.
• Finally, if the weather is not great outside, i will take a mid shot of myself, again, holding my acoustic guitar. However, it is a last resort because i want to encapture the outdoors in my photo.

Magazine Cover Analysis 2

Empire magazine is a magazine which chief focus is on up-coming movies and new releases. It is published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media and distributes across the UK. The first issue was in 1989. It is currently the UK’s biggest selling film magazine and consistently outsells its closest rival Total Film. Empire is populist in its approach and coverage rather than more serious and conservative film magazines like Sight & Sound. Its primary focus is on both mainstream movies and art movies. This is a huge advantage for the magazine because it means that it can appeal to a vast target market. The front cover gives clues as to the articles and features that will be inside. It is quite obviously going to have at least a double page feature on Megan Fox and Transformers 2. Also, the front cover indicates that there will be exclusives on three other movies: Wolverine, Star Trek and Angels & Demons.

I think that the target audience for Empire magazine must be wide because in this age directors create movies which appeal to every niche market possible. In order for Empire to attract all of these niches they must feature articles on them. Therefore, we can conclude that Empire has no specific target market and aims there magazine at anyone who likes watching films. However, the content is very reader friendly which suggests that the magazine is aimed at people who are in the band C1 and C2 of the social demographics scale.

The central image on the magazine cover is of actress and movie star, Megan Fox. The shot is taken at a slight high angle. This gives the feel that she is fragile and defenceless, it is stereotypical women attributes. This theme is furthered by the way she is kneeling down and covering her body. However, the fact that she is looking straight at the camera contrasts to this and connotes that she has some sort of power over the reader or men and not afraid of other people’s thoughts of her. In addition to this, the central focus of the image is Megan Fox’s back and especially her tattoo. The back is typically the sexiest part of a women’s body and the tattoo signifies a sense of freedom and free speech. I feel that this is important because Megan Fox is known to be a very sexy and forthright woman. The central image suggests that the magazine wants a close relationship with its reader because of way in which Megan Fox is looking straight at the camera; it almost feels as if she is addressing the reader directly.

The individual in the image on the front cover is Megan Fox. She is an actress who has featured in many starring roles and been in huge blockbusters. Her first major role came in 2004 when she played Carla Santini in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, since then she has shot to stardom and won numerous awards for her acting career. On top of this success, she has also become a favourite in men’s magazine. She is seen as a sex symbol to many men. However, on this particular cover Megan Fox is on the cover because the magazine features an exclusive interview with her, focusing on the up-coming release of Transformers 2, in which she played a leading role.

The anchorage text says ‘One on one with the most wanted woman in Hollywood.’ This is very appropriate because it has a double meaning. She is most wanted in real-life and Hollywood because she is a sex symbol and the perfect women. Also, she is most wanted in Hollywood because she is a great actress and every director would love the chance to work with her. Moreover, it could be an indication on the type of film Transformers 2 is. The fact that she is ‘wanted’ could suggest that the new movie is a crime thriller. After watching Transformers 2, it came to my attention that a lot of the movie focuses on her being wanted. In the movie she is being chased for her love when she becomes resistant to admit she loves Shia LaBeouf, who plays her partner in the movie.

The magazine cover and central image itself are representing women. Megan Fox is revealing her body, showing she is not afraid to reveal herself. She is proud of her body and femininity. By revealing her back she is revealing the sexiest part of a woman’s body. Also, the fact that some of the writing is in the colour silver suggests desire for wealth. This perhaps suggests a woman’s drive and desire for wealth. Silver is elegant and sleek. These are all words you would expect to be used when describing an idyllic woman like Megan Fox. Furthermore, the use of the buzzwords ‘Hot’ and ‘sizzling’ in big writing, again, links to Megan Fox’s representation of women.

The title block is very prominent; the reason for this is because it is very bold and uses the colour red. Red connotes energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. These are all words which you would like to see in a good movie. Therefore, the title block is representative of the magazine as a whole. The font used for Empire is fairly simplistic. However, the use of it is effective, because it is neither elitist nor populist. It is middle of the road, therefore, it again implies that the magazine does not have a specific target market and aims its magazine at anyone who enjoys watching and reading about movies.

The title of the magazine tells us a lot about the type of magazine it is in general. Firstly, Empire connotes a sense of unification and conjunction. This is exactly what the magazine would be hoping to achieve; the whole of the film market unified by one magazine. Secondly, the title itself can tell us a lot about the general brand image of the magazine. The word ‘Empire’ is a very grand and bold word; it applies to a whole nation. This is an indication to the type of brand image the magazine wants to achieve because it wants to be seen as the being on top of the film industry, be the grandmaster if you like. Empire magazine is definitely top of the table in terms of film magazines; therefore, the title does mirror its image and achievements. I think that the style the title Empire connotes could be interpreted in different ways. Either the language is very grand and elitist, or, more likely, the language and style is created to appeal to the whole empire and a wider audience.

There are four main colours on the magazine cover; Red, white, blue and silver. The danger, strength and power of the red used in the main title contrasts with the elegance and sleekness of the white, silver and blue. This works really well because it actually underlines the plot of the movie that Megan Fox is going to talk about in her exclusive. In Transformers 2 there is a main theme of action and danger. However, underlining this is a story of love and passion. I think that these colours have been chosen purposely to represent the theme of the magazine.

Magazine Cover Analysis 1

Kerrang is a weekly magazine featuring stories and articles on current rock artists. It is published by Bauer Consumer Media and distributed throughout the whole of the United Kingdom. Its articles focus on the genre of New Wave of British Heavy Metal. This particular edition has a feature article on Biffy Clyro and Paramore’s, Hayley Williams. Also, the magazine has free posters inside; it is another way of attracting consumers.

From the magazine cover I can infer that the target audience for Kerrang is14-20 year olds. I get the impression from the cover that the magazine is also aimed at mainly males because of the use of simple colours like black and white and no bright, eye-catching colours, which you would associate with a female target audience. However, it could be aimed at women with a masculine nature, which in the modern age are becoming more frequent.

The central image on the cover is of Simon Neil, who is the lead singer and lead guitarist of the popular rock band Biffy Clyro. The way in which the shot is taken gives a very sinister and vicious feel. Simon Neil is looking straight at the camera which is very intimidating. This is furthered by the low angle shot which gives Simon Neil a sense of domination over the reader. Furthermore, his facial hair and his hand are covering part of his face. This gives a sense of anonymity; a stereotypical rocker is very reserved and clandestine. It addresses the magazines audience because Simon Neil is representing a very stereotypical rocker. This suggests that the magazine wants a close relationship with its target market because the central image and colours used are closely associated with them.

The men on the front cover are Simon Neil, James Johnston and Ben Johnston the three members of the popular Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro. Since forming Biffy Clyro in 1995 at age 15, the band have been nominated for six awards at various award ceremonies and released five popular albums, the most recent album, Only Revolution, reached number three in the UK album charts. The reason why they are on the front cover is because the magazine features a exclusive interview with the band. Also, by putting their faces on the cover of the magazine, Kerrang are appealing to their target market and giving the consumer an incentive to buy the particular edition.

The anchorage text says ‘Unfold the puzzle of life.’ This edition was released in 2007, just before the release of Biffy Clyro’s forth album ‘Puzzles’. As you can see there is a clear connection between the anchorage texts. From this we can assume that the exclusive interview will be based on the release of their new album. Also, the fact that the anchorage text uses the word ‘unfold’ the consumer can predict that somewhere within the article, a new piece of information could come to light, most probably shedding light on their new album which could promote them as a band.

The overall message that Biffy Clyro are giving off is perhaps an indication of the type of music that there new album contains. The way that Simon Neil is posed is very mysterious and sinister. This could be an indication of the type of music that they create. What adds to this mysterious feel again is the word ‘Puzzle’. People finish puzzles to find out what the image creates. This could mirror the experience that Biffy Clyro wants to promote for their imminent new album.

The magazine cover and central image itself are representatives of ‘rockers’. Kerrang always uses simple colours such as blacks, whites and reds. These are stereotypically rocker colours. Also, the font that the title uses would be very appealing to the magazines target group. The font is not pretty and girly; it is hard, bold and dark; again representative of the so called ‘rockers’. Simon Neil himself is also representative of ‘rockers’ because he creates music which appeals to that group and could be seen as an idol to a member of that group. Overall the magazine is successful in representing their target group; this reaffirms the magazines close relationship with its consumers.

The title block is very prominent on the magazine cover. It uses two very bold and strong colours; black and white. By using bold, black colouring on the white background it makes the word ‘Kerrang’ stand out. It is one of the first things you see when you look at the magazine; this makes the magazine easily identifiable. Furthermore, the title itself has a unique font. The word is broken up with random, diagonal white lines through the text; it makes the title look different and memorable. This could mirror the content of the magazine, as it appeals to a niche market within a large musical world.

The title of the magazine, ‘Kerrang’, tells a lot about the magazine itself. Firstly, it conveys a sense of rebellion. I get this impression because the font is very gothic and dark. This tells me that the readership of the magazine is very similar in feelings. I get the impression that people who read Kerrang magazine are rebellious and gothic people. Secondly, the title itself can tell us a lot about the general brand image of the magazine. Again, because the title conveys to me a sense of gothic, I feel that the magazine would continue this theme into the magazine itself. Kerrang magazine seems to have a close relationship with its audience; one way of doing this is appealing to them through the image it gives off. I believe that the title is successful in adding to the gothic image the magazine tries to create. Lastly, the sense of its own unique style is given off by the title. The fact that title uses an original font could suggest that the style is created to appeal to a niche market.

There are three main colours on the front cover; black, white and red. I think by using only three colours on the front cover the magazine is sending a message across to its readers. This suggests that the content will be simplistic and easy to understand. This would appeal to the magazines audience because it would appear that the magazine is more reader friendly and accessible. The use of simple colours like red, black and white adds to this feeling. Furthermore, there are no bright colours. This reflects the male dominated target market. It also adds to the sense of gothic that the magazine generally portrays. I think that the colours used are suitable for the magazine because they fit in with the brand image of the magazine and appeal to the intended target audience.

AS Media - Tasks

Preliminary task

Using DTP and an image manipulation program produce the front page of a new school/college magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid-out text and a masthead. Additionally candidates must produce a DTP mock-up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate their grasp of the program.

Main task:

Create the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine.

Candidates will evaluate and reflect upon the creative process and their experience of it. Candidates will research, plan and evaluate their work electronically as a blog. Research and planning may be presented in electronic format, but can take the form of a folder or a scrapbook at AS level only.