Textual analysis
- 1. Textual AnalysisTextual Analysis of existing music magazinesof existing music magazines
- 2. A plug is located in the right third, bottom strip of this magazine cover under the barcode. In this you can see the issue number, the date it was released, the price and the Kerrang website. The issue number is important to the audience who collect the magazine and by including the website the audience is drawn to have a look and it suggests that there’s more to it than just the magazine. As well as that it’s a way of promoting the website. The masthead is made to look like it’s been smashed which links to the idea that the sound ‘kerrang’ is like symbols being hit together. This also suggests the style of music that this magazine talks about and that it’s quite loud and dramatic. As well as that, the white cracked masthead is well known in the music magazine industry and the majority of people would know what magazine this is even if a part of the masthead was covered, like in this example. Also the white colour of this text stands out against the green and the dull colours around it, making the audience aware what magazine this is. The main image is a mid shot and a three shot of the band ‘Green Day’, this suggests to the audience who the main article of this edition is about. The way that the men are looking directly at the camera with their eyes wide open creates a type of eye contact with the audience and it could suggest that they can relate to each other somehow. However the fact that their eyes are this wide creates a slight feeling of intimidation which shows that this magazine isn’t for very young people. As well as that there’s quite a dark and depressing feeling towards the image which could suggest the style of the music that they create. The member with the dark hair in the middle is suggested to be the lead member of the band as the rule of thirds is used to define him from the other two and he’s stood in front which shows his importance. The top strip/banner is used to create more attention as to what else is inside, it’s one of the first things that the viewer sees as it’s on top and that’s where you would typically start reading from. The use of the red starts between the words shows that there’s different points to it and more than the audience originally thinks. Also the use of the red for the stars stands out from the white and black around it making it more appealing to the audience. The word ‘exclusive’ shows the reader that you will only find this studio report in this magazine which makes it special to them. This plug makes the audience feel like they’re getting more out of the magazine than they originally thought they are which encourages them more to purchase the magazine and have their favourite band on their wall. The bold white text also emphasises the fact that you get free posters to catch the audiences attention. The fonts are fairly bold but basic and no silly or inappropriate ones have been chosen, this could suggest that the writer of this magazine wanted the audience to focus on the contents of this and actually absorb what they’re trying to tell you rather than be distracted by different font designs. The use of alliteration for this story is quite appealing to the audience as it creates a rhythm and a particular mood. Also the use of ‘S’ in this alliteration could suggest some snake like qualities about this article so it could imply that perhaps Marilyn Manson is a sly character and shows danger. This would be more appealing to older audiences or goth-like audience as Marilyn Manson is a dark and gothic person so it could relate to them. Also the colour scheme in this is quite interesting as it alternates between the colours green and white after a certain point and the word ‘Satan’ stands out as it’s white and surrounded by green and black. The other images have been placed at the bottom half of the cover so that the audience aren’t distracted too much from the main image. As well as that the two images in the centre and the right third at the bottom are both samples of the free posters that you receive in this edition so if those posters appeal to the audience then it gives them more reason to purchase the magazine. KERRANG! Front CoverKERRANG! Front Cover
- 3. KERRANG! Contents PageKERRANG! Contents Page As well as that, right under the title ‘contents page’, there is the issue number and the date that this specific edition was published. This is helpful because just in case the front cover is lost then you can still see what issue it is etc. this would appeal more to the collectors of this magazine. The main image for this contents page is of a band holding the United Kingdom flag. This suggests that they’re a British band and that they’re proud of it. The top image on this page also has a bold title of the name of the band just in case the reader has never heard or seen the band and wants to find out more about them. This is helpful because the reader can quickly find what they’re looking for. The editor of the magazine gives a message to the audience which gives the magazine a personal element and the reader can find out what she was intending to do with this edition. As well as that there is a picture of the editor which allows the audience to put a face to the creator of it and makes the reader realise that she’s just a person too. All the articles and pages in the contents page of Kerrang are all separated into different categories like, ‘feedback’ ‘news’, ‘live reviews’, features’, ‘albums’, ‘gig guide’ and ‘the K! quiz’, by doing this the reader can easily find what they’re most interested in and can find what articles are in that section and the page numbers (which are all to the left of each of the article headlines). As well as the, under most of the article headlines there is a little section with extra information about the article. This is in a small grey font to not draw too much attention to them as they’re not the most important feature of the contents page or the articles. All of the important cover stories have their own small symbol next to them to show the audience that these articles are big at the moment making the reader interested and forces them to read those pages first. The contents page also gives the reader an opportunity to sign up for a monthly subscription of the magazine and delivery, this allows the reader to keep up to date with the monthly issues without having to leave the house to buy one from the shops. This has a different coloured background which is very dark to contrast the white and make it stand out more and so the reader gives it more attention than they would if the colours were all the same. But it also keeps with the colour scheme of the magazine; red, black and yellow. The title for the contents page is bright, bold and yellow with a similar cracked effect that the Masthead ‘Kerrang’ has, this links the contents page to the actual magazine so they fit together. As well as that the contrast between the yellow and black makes this title stand out and the reader would be attracted to this page fast and would instantly know what this page is about.
- 4. KERRANG! Double Page SpreadKERRANG! Double Page Spread The main image is a medium close up of an ex-actress and now singer which takes up the whole of the left hand side page and a bit of the right hand side page (2/3 of the whole double page spread) which instantly suggests that this is the main cover story of this edition of the magazine. The image is placed on a black background which makes a huge contrast between the singers bright blonde hair making the whole image stand out catching the readers attention immediately. The singers black eye make-up also contrasts with her hair and face making it look like her actual eyes are black, making them pop out at the reader and catching eye contact with them, which makes the reader feel like they can connect with her and the story feels more personal to each reader. The reader can easily get an insight into the article just by looking at the image as she looks careless and rebellious which is also reflected through the article’s headline, “Wild Child”. The heading of this article is “Wild Child” which may confuse the reader if they know this woman from The Grinch as the innocent little girl. They will question what she did that now she’s considered a ‘wild child’ and see what’s changed. The ‘wild’ part of the heading is almost in a care- free font style which adds to the fact that the reader can instantly assume what the article is actually about and what is happening. The colour scheme of this double page spread is black, pink and white. These colours combined create a girly yet rebellious look which reflects the actual content of the article. As well as that the white not only allows the reader to be able to read the article easily but it also connotes her innocence and that it still could potentially be there but she’s just trying to cover it up for a better image. The editor has included a pull quote in the corner under the main image so that the reader can see it first and can get a rough idea about what they’re about to read. They have used the same colours for this as they have for the rest of the article but the way that they have used it makes it stand out because it’s all on her black jacket background and the fact that the word ‘mistakes’ is filled in a black colour shows that her mistakes are bad and potentially reckless and it’s almost as if she’s admitting it to herself too. The editor has included a rhetorical question which makes the reader feel more involved with what is going on and will be drawn to read the whole text to see what their decision is. In the first paragraph of the text, it’s all in a while colour except for her name and her band name which are bot in pink. This stands out from the white text and the reader can immediately identify who she is and what she does. As well as that they have included the bands name in the top right hand corner so that the reader can immediately see who this article is about without even having to look at it properly. The style of this article is an interview which is easily defined by the fact that the interviewer’s questions are in pink and her answers are in white. This is done so the reader doesn’t get confused and so that there is more white text than pink as it’s easier to read white over a black background rather than pink.
- 5. The NME masthead is huge compared to the other texts around it and it uses the colour white which makes it stand out from the black background. This attracts the buyers attention as it’s clear what type of magazine they are getting. As well as that the letters ‘NME’ stand for ‘New Musical Express’ and this is stated right under the masthead just in case the audience isn’t too sure about the meaning of it. This is quite useful for a naïve reader as they cant get confused otherwise. The use of a puff word such as ‘free’ and ‘new’ draws the readers attention as it excites them to think that they’re getting something for such a great deal. Also the fact that this part of the text is in red makes it more appealing for the audience as its such a bright colour compared to the black and white around it. The logo for the ‘T in the Park’ event stands out from the black background as it’s in a yellow rectangle and so it’s very eye catching. Also the fact that this logo goes against the typical colour scheme of this magazine (which is black, white and red) shows that this event is a pretty big event in the UK and that no one should miss it. By creating this contrasting logo, the people that have attended or will be attending this festival will be drawn to purchase this magazine and see what the review says and whether it matches their own thoughts on it. The main image for this magazine cover isn’t like the typical magazine cover where a band have been told what to do and how to pose in a studio setting whereas in this the performer is photographed on a stage where he was most likely just performing and so is in his natural habitat. This links well to the festival ‘T in the Park’ as it’s from a live performance just like you would see in a festival. This is quite appealing as it links the main stories that stand out on this front cover together. As well as that the expression on Eminem's face isn’t a fake expression or a put on one so it shows that he’s genuine and probably bewildered and exhausted after his performance. The white and red sub-articles catch the viewers eye easily as they’re put against a black background. This is effective as the people who are fans of ‘Jim Morrison’ or ‘Bombay Bicycle Club’ would see this instantly and would want to get this magazine to find out more. As well as that the colour red is an alerting colour and in this case it adds extra information to the original sub-article but without giving away too much. The title of the main article in this edition is very eye catching as it’s yet again white and red, the colours of this also link to an emergency vehicles which link to the actual wording of this article ‘rehab’ and ‘recovery’. This makes the viewer wonder and worry about what had happened to Eminem prior to this and hope that he’s okay now, which also makes them want to read more about it. The necklace that Eminem is wearing is of a cross which shows his belief and faith and that he never stopped believing that he could recover. This shows that he’s a strong character and that he will carry on no matter what to make his fans proud. Eminem is a well known artist in the rap industry and his fans will be more likely to purchase this magazine if they see someone that they look up to with a very inspiring story to it. NME Front CoverNME Front Cover
- 6. NME Contents PageNME Contents PageNME magazine usually puts a band index on the left hand side of their contents page, this shows the reader the wide range of bands that NME magazine writes about and by doing this it attracts many different audiences with different music tastes and therefore this magazine would be fairly popular and sell more because of this. It also gives the target audience an idea of where to look for to find the genre of the music, band or artist that they’re into. Also the red and black fonts stand out against the white background making it more visible to the audience. The magazine masthead is very bold by the fact that the shape fill is in the colour red, the shape outline is white and the background is black, this quickly reminds the reader what magazine they’re reading and because of this they will remember it. As well as that, by having the masthead in the contents page it links it to the front cover of the magazine so the pages are similar. Also it says ‘THIS WEEK’ next to the masthead which appears in each weekly issue and emphasises that these stories are of current events. The articles in the contents pages of the magazine NME are typically on the right hand side and have different categories and headings which makes it easier for the reader to find what they’re looking for and by the use of the black on white colours it makes it easier for the reader to read the titles of the articles. The short article that is included in the contents page gives the reader a taste of what’s inside the magazine and attempts to convince them to buy it. As well as that, the article and the main image of this contents page link together making it more interesting. The contents page is the page that every reader of a magazine is typically going to look at so by including an advertisement for a subscription in this it enables the advertisement to be noticed rather than it be hidden within the magazine and to interest more people to become a monthly subscriber so that the company would make more money. This advertisement cut out is in a bright yellow colour to make sure that it stands out against the other colours of the page. The buzz word ‘the UK’s No1…’ over exaggerates the specific article but it also attracts the reader to have a look at it and see if they agree. They have also included arrows pointing to the articles that were on the front cover so that the reader can easily find what they were first attracted to and read them. They have also included some information about each of the articles under them in a smaller and lighter font just to give some extra detail about the stories but without distracting the reader from everything else.
- 7. NME Double Page SpreadNME Double Page Spread The main image takes up half of the double page spread which catches the readers attention quickly. It is a medium shot of Lily Allen and she’s looking directly into the camera, creating an intense connection between her and the reader, by doing this the reader can feel involved in what she’s saying. Her hair is styled into a punk-like image and what you would stereotypically associate with punks and emo. This links to the title of this article as it’s about people thinking she’s attention seeking and typically it is said that punks and emo are people who seek attention. Lily Allen is a performer that represents the pop and rock culture, this is represented by the way that she’s standing and her body positioning, with her chest and shoulders out, which seems to appeal to the male audience more. However it’s not patronising towards the female audience as she’s not wearing anything revealing and her outfit choice is sensible. Also she isn’t very made up and fake as she’s got very little make-up (except for her eyes) but otherwise it’s very neutral. This makes the reader focus more on the words and what she has to say rather than what she looks like. The headline of this article is also a pull quote as it’s taken directly from what she’s said. This makes the reader want to find out more as they will start assuming and questioning it. The font of it has connotations to bands such as the ‘Sex Pistols’ and other punk rock music styles because of the newspaper like cutaway letters. The font and style choice of this headline attracts the reader to stay on these two pages and read all about it as it’s very different to normal and it makes it even more eye catching than if it was just written in a normal font. The letters are also varied in size and disjointed, this could reflect what Lily Allen is like as a person and perhaps that she changes a lot. The text is in the form of an article and is the main part of this two page spread, linking to the image and title very well. The text is in a small and simple black font which makes it easy for the reader to read and since it’s the main part of this it needs to be very clear. There are four columns used to separate the text out which makes it look neater and the reader won’t get confused as to where they should read from as this is obvious. As well as that it follows the usual codes and conventions of a music magazine as most of them are set out similarly to this. Each individual page has the page number, the brand of the magazine (so NME) and the date that the copy of the magazine was issued. This is an important small detail as it allows the reader to instantly see what it is and if the pages ever got separated then they would still know when it was released and by who. The colour scheme of this article is mainly white, black and red. These colours go well with each other and compliment each of them. The red highlights all the important detail in these two pages for example Lily Allen’s name is in red so that it stands out from the white and black and so the reader can see who she is immediately.
- 8. The use of a puff saying that you receive a free CD with this magazine encourages the audience to purchase this magazine for that and it will draw more attention to the fans of ‘The Rolling Stones’ or the collectors of the Mojo magazines or just CD collectors in general. Also the plug is very affective as it draws the ‘Free CD!’ sign away from everything else and it’s almost separate from the actual content of the magazine. Also the fact that this is in the top left hand corner of the magazine suggests that the viewer will look at that first rather than anything else. The masthead is fairly simple and similar to the other headings as its all the same font but just different font size. The masthead is a plain white colour with a slight 3D effect to it to make it a little different from the other texts and the colour of it makes it stand out from the dull background and it’s quick and easy to find what the title of this magazine is. The main image of this magazine cover is a medium close up of a member of The Rolling Stones. The camera is mainly focused on his face and his body is slightly blurred, there is a chiaroscuro effect on his face with the further away half being dark and the half closest to the camera being light. This could suggest to the audience that this character has two personalities, one light and good and the other dark and dangerous. As well as that the expression on his face is somewhat confused and clueless so that could show that he’s not with it 100% which makes the viewer worry about whether he’s okay physically and mentally. We can also see huge bags under his eyes which could show that he’s tired of the fame and can’t deal with this kind of career anymore. The facial expression of Brian Jones in the main image and the chiaroscuro effect links to this heading as the dark part of his face and the huge eye bags could be his ‘fall’ and the bright side could be his ‘rise’. This shows that the fall came after the rise as there’s still imperfections in the bright side of his face which could suggest he couldn’t get back up to the top after that. This heading also makes the audience wonder what Brian Jones did to fall so badly after he rose up. This album cover is taking up quite a lot of space of this magazine cover so it suggests to the audience that this is fairly important. As well as that this is the ‘free CD’ that the audience is receiving so it would excite them quite a lot to know it’s not a scam. The photo for the CD cover has been taken from a low angle which makes the members of The Rolling Stones give off the effect that they’re looking down at the audience and it potentially makes them feel small and irrelevant. However the fact that the album is called ‘The Roots Of The Rolling Stones’ could suggest that they’re not looking down at their fans but at their roots and where they started off before they got big and well known. There is a simple structure to this magazines layout which makes it easier for the viewer to read and take everything in. The cover lines are all placed in the right third to show that they are important headlines but not as important as the main topic (which in this case is Brian Jones) so they’re kept out of the way and by placing them here, the viewer has to go through everything else on this cover page before it gets to them so they’re not loosing the main story. MOJO Front CoverMOJO Front Cover
- 9. MOJO Contents PageMOJO Contents Page By including the issue number it shows the reader that this is a very successful magazine as this is the 193rd issue and this magazine is only a monthly release so it must be very good and popular. The main focus of this contents page is of the man in the suit as he’s the one that stands out the most because of the contrasting bright red colour of his outfit against the faded light green background and his pale yellow skin. It’s also a high angle shot and he’s staring straight into the camera as if it was the reader which makes them feel more involved and creates a sense of intimacy and forces them to read the article about him. The image has been made brighter as if there’s light coming down at him, this could perhaps suggest that life’s getting him down (due to the high angle) and the light representing that it’s all about to change. They have made the masthead ‘MOJO’ very large at the top of the page so that it’s clear to the reader and so they can instantly see it. They have used the usual font of the text that they normally use for this masthead so that the reader can immediately associate the font with the magazine MOJO. Also MOJO magazine always includes the cities that the magazine is iconic for it’s music inspired articles, always placing ‘London’ first followed by two other cities. This gives the reader an insight into where the music comes from that MOJO talks about. This is always done right under the masthead so that the reader can immediately see it. MOJO magazine is aimed at an older audience so by using the colour scheme of black, grey and gold for the text, it would appeal more to them rather than if very bright and vibrant colours were used and overall it is easier to read. They have used the gold for the main titles of each section (‘features’, ‘cover story’) and for the numbers so that you can instantly see where it is without it blending in with the other text. They used a bold black font for the article headings and used a smaller grey font for the extra information below each sub-heading. This keeps the reader from getting distracted and not understanding what it’s about. In general, this is a very easy structure to follow when reading. They’ve used a pull quote with a different font style at the bottom of the page so that it pulls the readers attention to it and makes them interested in the story and forces them to go further into the magazine. Each page in this magazine has the magazine’s name written next to each number page. This small detail is very memorable and reminds the reader what magazine they are reading.
- 10. MOJO Double Page SpreadMOJO Double Page Spread The title for this article is spread across the two pages and the large orange writing stands out against the dull black and grey background, making it jump out at the reader when they’re flicking through the magazine. As well as that, the phrase “Best of both worlds” could suggest something exciting, for example that the fans are going to receive something from two different bands or artists all in one. The colour scheme for this double page spread article is grey, white and orange. Due to this the orange colour stands out from the rest and highlights the important detail such as the names of the people involved and so the reader can instantly see what and who this article is about even if it doesn’t make it as clear in the title. The fact that the two people photographed on this article are each on their own page rather than both being on a single page spread could suggest to the audience that they are hiding something either from each other or the audience and the cheeky grin on the man on the right supports this and the fact that he’s facing away from the camera and avoids the readers eye contact. As well as that the man on the left page presents the audience with an innocent look but because he’s squinting his eyes it could suggest that it’s a fake innocent look and the reader is in for a surprise. Each page in mojo magazine has the name written right after the number on in the corner. This allows the reader to recognise what magazine the articles are written in without having to loose the page to go to the front to find out. On this double page spread this follows the colour scheme of the article and so it doesn’t look out of place which makes it more appealing to look at. The text is the main part of this double page spread even though it’s not as eye catching as everything else around it as the font size is small and the colour Is white against the black background but it’s the main reason that the reader has looked at this page for it’s contents and is in the form of an article which will include a lot of detail within it to satisfy the reader. It is set out in two columns, with each of them being on either page, making it easier for the reader to find their way around the article.