In this task I had to evaluate a few previous students 3 piece magazine packs, this involved analysing the camera work & Photoshop, Mise-En-Scene, language and the creative use of DTP and describe the pros and cons of the work and decide whether it meets the assessment criteria.

Camera work and Photoshop:

The camera shots used in the three pages are as follows:

• front cover: is a group mid shot
• contents page: is a close up
• album review:  is a medium close up

The use of the group shot used in the front cover suggests the three stars are a union and are dominating the media platform, the fact that the male is central with two girls by his side could be considered sexist and implies that men have more authority then women. The camera angle is a slight low angle this suggests that they three stars are more dominant than the audience who are looking up at them.

The close up of the star on the contents page is to allow the audience to see the star’s facial expression and emotion, in this case the star looks quite smug and obnoxious. In the album review the star looks pale this suggests she’s purified.

the use of Photoshop in the front cover is good although I wouldn’t have placed some of the text central of the frame as it takes away our eyes from the image. The typeface for the contents page is clear and legible and doesn’t cover the star so we still can see his emotion. Finally in the album review the text slightly covers the face which is rather eye catching and takes our eyes away, although the overlapping of shapes and text contrast and compliment each other very well.

Mise-En-Scene and what it communicates: 

Mise-En-Scene was used very well throughout the magazine especially when it came to:

• facial expression and body language
• costume

Considering that the shots used in the press pack ranged from medium close up to close up limits the connotations behind body language however the use of the contents star with his hand on his chin conveys his smug persona.

The use of the front cover having the three stars juxtaposed next to each other creates the rock feeling and shows dominance.

The dull and glum colours used in the press pack suggest a deep and dark feeling which we associate with rock as it’s iconographic to the rock genre.

The choice of words that engage a specific audience:

I believe that the text that the students used was very captivating and energetic. The use of the plugs and pugs are a clever device that they used to attract the readers attention and capture the audiences eyes.

The brief and quick use of text engaged the readers as it wasn’t long and boring, audiences don’t like reading long paragraphs and prefer small confined pieces of text with more compact text as it gives the reader a sense of freedom.

The grammar and structure of the text was legible and understanding this also attracts the audience as they know the students would have taken time and care in making sure their press pack was of a good standard.

The creative use of DTP: 

The use of InDesign in this press pack was well constructed, from overlapping text with images to incorporating snappy and audacious cropped images such as ‘censored’ to create a sense of risk and menace. The students also had to ensure that the colours didn’t clash and destroy the value of the press pack.

The typeface in the press pack also linked to the genre and were the correct size so didn’t make the image too cluttered.