Textual analysis
- 1. Textual Analysis Lauren Evans
- 2. NME Front Cover. Mise-en-scene: There is an urban background to emphasise the band as being urban The members of the band are all dressed individually, stood in a triangle to emphasise each Member of the band. There is lots of bright lighting around them to make them stand out on the front of the cover to make them more appealing to your eye. The members are all dressed in typical clothing we usually associate with rock bands. That Combined with the graffiti on the wall in the background gives them a rebellious image which once again you can associate with typical rock bands. The symbol for the band ‘The Who’ is also seen in the top right hand corner of the image It is shown to look like graffiti on the wall to keep in style with the image however is tying In with the sub-heading and article next to the image. Camerawork: They have used a medium long shot with a direct angle to make them the focus of the image. They also take up majority of the image leaving just enough room for the masthead. With the focus on the middle member looking away from the camera it makes him appear more distant and unconnected which intrigues the reader into looking more Into him and the band itself within the magazine. Colour: The colour theme throughout the cover appears to be the usual style for NME of red and white. The wall behind the band is mostly white with a streak of red appearing In the corner of the image with red and white texts surrounding the masthead. Language: The language used across the cover is informal. It is also used in short Sentences or single words to make them stand out and emphasise the articles inside. They also use simplistic language and shorten words for effect which also makes the reader intrigued and want to read more about the articles inside. The headline is situated across the image giving the reader the image that the band portrayed on the cover is called ‘Julian Casablanca's + the Void’
- 3. Images-The main image is a concert setting to portray the bands image. The sub images are used to help to inform the reader of what is going on in the article. It also helps to break up the text to make it easier for the reader to connect with and understand. Layout-The text within the spread is laid out within 5 columns. Drop caps are used to help the reader to realise whenever a new paragraph is introduced, it also helps to break up the text so that the reader remains interested in what the article is talking about. Drop caps also help to make the article more attractive to the reader and more pleasing to read and look at. The images that are relevant to the text are spread across the columns that they are mentioned in or relevant to with the text about the images situated in-between the images so not to disrupt the article. The language used within the article is a mixture of formal language used to portray the story of what the article is about but it also includes some informal language whenever a quote is used from one of the band members. For example the pull quote is written in the informal way it was spoken. Pull Quote- The effect of the pulled quote being laid out on top of three colours that are completely different from the pages theme colours draws the reader to the quote. Camerawork-most of the images are medium long shot images so that you can see either every member of the band or you can see the context in which the image has been taken. The main image is a long shot so that the audience can see the concert arena and the bands stance within a stage/concert situation. NME’s readership is mainly male therefore the editors have chosen a band that male audiences can associate with. As the band is an all male band, men are more likely to interact and connect with an article written about them in contrast to a girl group. In keeping with the theme of the front cover, the arena the band are playing in looks quite rockish and urban.
- 4. In keeping with the double page spread, the writing is organised into columns with clear headings so that the reader knows exactly whereabouts in the contents to look for what they want. There is a list of all bands and artists talked about within the magazine and also which page you can find these articles or references. The ‘features’ section helps the reader to be able to see what is in the magazine that is new within this edition. The main and only image on the page is to show the reader which poster is in the magazine so they can see the poster clearly without having to search through the magazine to look for it. To help keep its readership, the magazine includes some of the same features each edition so that their readers are familiar with what they are getting within the magazine. These are things such as reviews and crosswords. This shows that the editors know what their particular readership like to see within the magazine and have decided to keep these features within the magazine to keep their audience happy. Bold headers in black and white help to break the contents page up which helps the reader to understand where certain things are both within the magazine and on the page itself. This is also in keeping with the bold headers on the front cover of the magazine which is keeping the house style. The band list is set out in an easy to read layout. The bands or artists are written in black within a grey textbox so that they are easy to read, then the page numbers are written in red (in keeping with the house style) so that you can easily distinguish which page they are talked about or referenced on within the magazine. The same NME logo is used in order to make sure that the page is easily recognisable and associable with the magazine.
- 5. Q Q have a mainly male readership and so to relate to this they have a female artist that is known by many people to be sexy and desirable, this will attract the male eye and intrigue them into the magazine. The main image is the only image on the page and is spread across the whole page. The brightness of Cheryl’s lips contrasts the rest of the image which is dull and very simple colours, this helps them to stand out and make the image even more appealing to their male audience. ‘Cheryl Cole Rocks’ being written in black and white keeps with the house style all across the page of red and white. The masthead and all of the buzz words and cover lines being written in red with a white background or visa versa. The masthead is the first thing that catches the readers eye as it stands out from the dull image by being in a bright red and white and just being a single letter everyone knows the magazine by. The barcode and price are written smaller and are placed with the cover lines so not to disturb anything within the cover. They are just below the masthead and so they are a necessity and need to be somewhere people can see but do not disturb the overall layout of the cover. They are written smaller than the rest of the text as they are not necessarily attractive to the reader. The use of the buzz word ‘Best’ helps to attract the readers eye which intrigues them into the magazine. The sexualisation of the way Cheryl is positioned helps to attract both male readers who are going to be attracted to her but also female readers who are likely to want to look like her. This gives the cover something for all their readers to help them keep their readership and make more readers. The layout of the cover is very simplistic with the main and only image in the middle of the page and cover lines just placed around the outside of the image on the edge of the page in a smaller font so not to interrupt the main image. This makes the magazine appeal more to the older market and teens rather than younger market who will look for bright colours and imaginative layouts.
- 6. Like the front cover, on the double page spread Cheryl is stood in a revealing way with slits in her trousers and a low cut top showing off her skin once again sexualising her in a way that males will like. Cheryl’s initials are ‘CC’ and so the drop cap used is a C and there is a big bold C written in red in keeping with the house style. The main image is set out in a simple way in black and white with Cheryl having bright red lips once again. Plain black clothes are used with spikes to show Cheryl being shown as dangerous and once again desirable. Cheryl’s stance and positioning in a medium long shot is very open, she has her arms out and is looking away which intrigues the reader as they want to know more, they are curious by the way she is stood and they way the is looking away from the camera and not towards it. The article is written in a column style to help the reader be able to read it simply. The pull quote is written in red next to a smaller image of Cheryl once again being sexualised within the image in revealing clothing and an open medium long shot stance. The caption to go with the sub-image is situated within the image itself so not to disturb anything within the page. Even the sub-heading has a black and white colour scheme running throughout it to keep with the theme with Cheryl’s images and articles being very dull and sexualised. The page numbers are printed very small yet readable at the same time in the same colour scheme of red and white.
- 7. The same image of Cheryl Cole is used in the contents page as in the article about her itself in order to link the two together The issue number of the magazine is shown next to the masthead in the same red and white theme that is carried on throughout the magazine. The page numbers next to the main articles in the magazine are written in white and black and are very large and very bold to stand out and draw the readers attention to the main articles within the magazines issue. The colour red is usually associated with love and lust and is used throughout the magazine very much, this ties in with the lust side for the male readers of the magazine and the love side of the colour for the female readers. There are lots of sub-images on the contents page to help the readers to understand what may be happening on each page of the magazine with their being none to help on the cover page. The cover image is referenced again on the contents page to help tie them together and keep the magazine linking right the way through. The main image and sub-images are featured towards the middle of the two pages whereas the articles and page numbers are featured smaller around the outside. The page doesn’t completely reach the edge of the page to keep the page looking neat and organised and also to ensure that none of the information is lost when the magazine is printed.
- 8. Kerrang! The header is in yellow which makes it stand out and eye catching to the reader. Also, using phrases such as ‘everything you need to know now’ and ‘everything’ and ‘now’ being written in bold entices the reader to want to know this information and they begin to feel as if they need desperately to know it ASAP. The main image is very playful with the members making themselves quite with the sub heading that reads ‘secrets of a rock phenomenon’ This makes them link together intriguing the audience. The masthead is not fully visible giving a sense that it is such a well known magazine that its readers and the general public do not need to see the entire masthead to be able to tell that it is Kerrang! Magazine The cover uses a lot of yellow which is usually associated with danger which fits the magazines rock theme. Yellow is usually associated with warnings as well e.g. police tape which gives the reader a sense that they are being warned about the contents within the magazine itself. The main headline is written in red which is the same colour as the masthead to keep with the magazines house style. It is also written in all capital letters so to make it stand out and eye catching for the audience. As the main readership of the magazine is quite young people, adding cover lines and sub-stories in about festivals and new music and gigs helps keep in touch with their readership as they know these are they things they enjoy doing, reading and listening to. Using buzz words such as ‘BIG’ intrigues the reader as it stands out from the rest of the information on the page Also the fact that this sub-heading and image are on a blue background suggests that the article is maybe more calm than the rest of the magazine as blue is normally associated with being calm and cool compared to the warning signs of the yellow used in the rest of the cover. Yellow however, is still used which makes the sub article stand out even more. The barcode and price is something that occurs on the cover of every magazine however, it is written in a smaller font giving a sense that it is maybe not as appealing to the readers as the rest of the cover. You can also associate the price with the market they are aiming to reach. As they have a younger readership you may assume that their price will not be over expensive in order to cater for their situation.
- 9. The pull quote is in a big font and spread across almost a full page to make it stand out. The language used within the pull quote also makes the reader more intrigued into asking questions and wanting to read more within the articles. The pull quote also uses the house colour of yellow, which once again the reader associates with warning signs, as it is quite emotional language in the pull quote you would associate this also with warnings. The drop caps are used to break up the text to help make it easier for the audience to read and take in. The drop caps are written in yellow to make them stand out however staying within the house style and colours. The main image spreads across both the pages making it stand out and unusual for the reader. The green background in the image matches the colour of the hair of the artist. She looks vulnerable in the image which also intrigues the reader into finding out what has happened and what is wrong as to why she is looking so vulnerable and huddled up. It is almost as if she is closed up however opening up at the same time. The extra article is off-topic and unrelated to the article that covers most of the double page. This attracts the readers attention to it more making them want to read it more than if it was just on another page. Multiple pull quotes make the readers even more intrigued about the story as they try and put it together just using the pull quotes. This makes the article more appealing to the audience.
- 10. The issue number and cover date are written smaller as they are not as important as the rest of the information on the page however, they are still wanted and needed by the readers so they can be sure which issue they are reading and when it was released/published The main articles and their page numbers are bigger that the others making them stand out from the rest which intrigues the reader making them want to find out what is so special about these articles. The contents are separated into sections to make it easier for the reader to find what they are looking for straight away. It also makes the page more eye catching rather than just a list that is boring to read and look at. Pictures help to keep the readers interested in the page and they also help to break up the text to make it easier for the reader to understand and to read. There is a little note from the editor of the magazine which gives it a personal touch to the reader helping them to stay loyal to the magazine as it gives a sense that the editor really cares about the readership of the magazine. Special recognition to the people who helped to write and edit the magazine once again help with the readership as they know who is writing and editing their magazine, this helps it be more personal to them and makes them feel even more like a family. The same house colours of yellow and black are used to keep the style of the magazine that the readers are used to. This helps them recognise that it is Kerrang! Magazine and keeps them loyal to them if they can recognise it. The layout of the page is in columns with pictures overlapping this so it doesn’t look to formal and/or bore the reader or make them loose interest.