This is a textual analysis of a professionally made front cover of a magazine.
Audience Profiling
This is an audience profile for the music magazine ‘Rock Sound.’
We used YouGov to find information for this task.
I think the magazine matches the target audience, the colours and design of this magazine stand out a lot and could attract a larger audience. The colours of this magazine stand out because the green is very bright in contrast to the background.
Conventional design features of a magazine
This post is all about the features of a magazine, all of these features are widely used by every magazine around the world. These features are commonly used because they do what they are intended to do, which is maximise the customers who will buy the magazine.
Magazines use these different features on the front covers of their magazines, each feature has a purpose. Features such as the plug, pug or inset can be used to draw people in, if the main cover isn’t what the audience wants to see something else on the insets etc could be what that audience member wants to see. Features like the masthead always stand out, it grabs peoples attention, the picture of the cover star also can draw people’s attention. The price and barcode are always put in the bottom corner and made very small because it isn’t what the audience want to see and won’t draw people into the magazine.
So… How can an image communicate meaning?
An image can communicate a meaning through various different techniques such as mise-en-scene and camera framing.
Costume can be used to show a characters status, someone like a servant or maid will not be wearing the nicest clothes compared to someone with higher wealth such as a lord who would be wearing nice clothes such as suits. Costume can also show what era the setting is in. Costume can show unity between people such as the military when they are all wearing the same uniform.
Lighting can be used to show how the model is feeling if they are sad/angry they could be pictured in a dark setting whereas a more joyful model could be pictured in a bright setting.
Acting and Proxemics can be used to show authority when a person is raised over another person it show that the person above has more power and authority over the person beneath them. How actors open themselves to each other can show how they feel about each other, if actors are very open to each other it shows that they are friendly with each other and maybe friends whereas actors who are looking away from each other/blocking each others view of them they are most likely not friendly and could even dislike each other.
Make-up and hair is similar to costume where it can show the status of someone, if someone is wealthy they will have nice hair and look good whereas a poorer person won’t have nice hair and won’t look as good as the wealthy person.
Props can be used to show what an actor is doing in the scene, without a prop the audience might not be able to tell what is happening. Without props some scenes wouldn’t be possible.
Setting can be used to show many things about the actor/model such as where they are from, what they enjoy doing, where they work etc. Setting is one of the most important features when taking photos or filming a video.
Your camera framing can be used to show how the actor/model is feeling. If a the model is feeling vulnerable the photographer could take a picture from a high angle or if they are feeling joyful they could be pictured from a medium/closeup where you would be able to see there expression to tell they are clearly happy.
The Camera Talks
- Medium/long shot through a window. Alone in a room/locked in. Isolation.
- Medium/long shot from behind. Playing the piano in a dark room. Solitude and peace.
- Medium through a door. Looking through the door potentially spying on someone. A range of different emotions and feelings could be given off from this image.
- Medium high angle shot. Stood at the bottom of the stairs looking away from the camera, could be waiting for someone.
- Wide angle long shot. Stood in the middle of the hall. Lonely
- Medium/long extreme high angle shot. Walking down the stairs. Vulnerable.
- Long shot slightly high angle. Crouching in the middle of a hallway, possibly just received bad news.
- Medium/long of model sitting. Looking out of the window. Contemplating.
- Close extreme high angle down stairs. Vulnerable.
Cameras can be used in many different ways to give off a meaning in a picture or video, such as using many of the different settings or angles. These meanings/feelings can be emphasised by the different camera angles, settings or mise-en-scene.
Technical Camera Terms
When taking our pictures in our photo shoot we had to take various features into account such as the distance, angle and composition. The distance of the image can show the setting around the model, if the image is from far away you can see everything around the model but if it is a close-up you know the main focus is on the model. The angle of the photo can give off different feeling from the model. If an image is taken from low down looking up at the model it shows they have authority and power, but if the image is taken from above them it can make the model seem vulnerable. The settings of the camera can completely change the image, you must have the right amount of exposure in the image so that you can see the image clearly. You also need the right depth of field, if it is completely off the whole image can be a blur, you can use the the depth of field to focus on the model.
My image that uses mise-en-scene to communicate meaning.
Mise-en-scene.
- Costume
- Lighting
- Acting and Proxemics
- Make-up and Hair
- Props
- Setting
Our group did our photo shoot based on the rap genre. We took around 40-50 pictures to try and catch a photo that showed off what a rap photo that could be used on an album cover or magazine looks like.
This was the photo that I have chosen to use as my final photo.
This is a photo we took but decided to not use. The ‘flexing’ of the ring, bracelet and watch is a big part of rap, it shows off how much money you have which almost all rappers do. But I believe that without facial expression and with it being in a bright place it doesn’t quite show off rap as much as some of the other images.
Print Media that Communicates Meaning
Overall the design of this tour poster give of a grungy/punk rock look but is also very bright and in your face to draw your attention. It also put extra information on the poster to draw you in more such as the ‘special guest’ line. The poster also makes the information that isn’t going to grab your attention smaller such as the time & place of the concert.
So… I’m a media prosumer
- Almost everyone is a media prosumer, a prosumer is a combination of a consumer and producer.
- To be a media consumer all you have to do is something as simple as watch t.v or listen to music.
- To be a media producer you can do something as simple as post a picture or like a post.
Uses and Gratification:
- Media has four uses which are information, personal identity, integration and social interaction and entertainment.
- These four aspects can satisfy certain emotions/feelings such as if you want to escape you can watch some t.v which would be in the entertainment category.
- Many types of media such as the news can be used to gain information, other medias such as instagram or snapchat can also be used to gain information.
- Types of media such as social media’s can be used as a personal identity to represent yourself.
- Types of media such as t.v. or sports can be used for integration and social interaction, these topics give you something to talk about with friends and maybe even people you don’t know at all.
- Media such as t.v/netflix and social media can be used just for your own entertainment and nothing else.
- Many different types of media fit into more than one category of uses and gratification theory.
Media Ecology
The Media Ecology:
The media ecology is a few factors of media that depend on and affect each other. Everyone one of these aspects affects each other. These aspects are all vital, it functions just like an actual ecosystem where if one part of the system fails so will the rest of it.