Textual analysis - Contents pages.
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The document provides details about the color schemes, photography, writing styles, text to picture ratios, fonts, and publishers of several music magazines, including NME, Q, and Kerrang. For each magazine, the color schemes using dark colors like black, red, and blue are described. The types of photographs on the contents pages show musicians and concert scenes. The writing styles range from formal to informal, and headlines are written in capital letters. Images are placed alongside text with separation. The intended audiences and publishers of each magazine are also summarized.
Textual analysis - Contents pages.
- 1. Textual Analysis Contents pages
- 2. NME
- 3. Colour scheme The whole page uses very dark colours, black, red, white and some edited blue lights faded in the background. That the blue lights are faded and the whole background is faded, gives the reader the feeling that when the man in the photograph, who all the focus is directed on, when he plays his music nothing else in the world matters in addition to his facial expression telling the same by his closed eyes and soft expression. The man in the image is sitting on a chair that is by both lightning and editing made to seem red as well as his guitar, this red draws a line between the text and the image. Moreover the red is mostly located to the left in the photograph listing up what’s inside the magazine, making it easy to discover and see for the reader if this is something or someone they want to read more about in an further article. The white is basically a background for the texts and writing on this page with either a black or red writing, although some placed the have swished it around where the black is the background and white is the colour of the text, this creates variation and differences which makes it more interesting for the reader instead of just having the same colours all over. Furthermore the black in the picture is the colour that repeat it self the most, though the text, the background colour for some text but also very much though the photograph where the background of the man with the guitar is sitting in a dark almost black room, he has a black suite and shoes on. These colours are though of as rock colours and the whole contents page has a very consistent use of those though the page.
- 4. Photography The photograph is taken live form a concert and is very naturally. There is a man sitting very causal and naturally on a chair with is guitar, centred in the middle of the image. The background is very faded and in dark colours creating a focus on the man telling the reader that he is the attraction and main focus in the photograph. The image is taken from a low angle, where the reader is looking up at him while he is closing his eye giving the reader the impression that he is in his own world when he plays his music. He is wearing a suit, which shows that he is dressed up and taking the concert serious, the suit is also black giving either connotations to funerals or work, which again shows the seriousness.
- 5. Writing style They have on the left side a long stripe downwards filled with the contents of the magazine, on the top of this stripe they have in big bold words: What’s inside, which is a casual way of telling that this is the contents. Both the stripe and the big headline to it make it easy for the reader to see what the magazine consist of. The magazine is also using words like snapshot and special…offer to attract attention from the readers. They have also picked out a small article giving the reader a preview of that they can read about further.
- 6. Text/picture ratio & Fonts The photograph is placed on almost the whole page leaving a space to the left to introduce what the magazine consists of. They have also put a shot paragraph referring to the picture where the text is exactly not covering any parts of the man in the photograph. The big cover line, snapshot, is letting the reader know that this is a snapshot and is not to see other place that in this magazine. What is more, there is a stripe on the bottom of the page letting the reader know about a special Christmas offer. Arial Black is the main font used, this creates attention because of the big capital letters, that is in a way “in your face” and easy to notice the words. Furthermore are they using Times new roman in the article to making it easy and straightforward to read.
- 7. Publisher With information gathered from NME’s media pack we learn that they are the longest published and most respected music weekly in the world. They reach millions of music fans every week. Their average age market is 25 yrs, 73% of their readers are male and there target market is male 17-30. The publisher of NME is Tracy Cheesman. She is currently also publishing uncut magazine, it is a movie and music magazine with modern indie, rock, classic indie and Americana. Uncut is like NME’s cooler, older brother. There average readers age is 37 and 86% of their readers are male.
- 8. Q
- 9. Colour scheme The page has a white background colour giving a feeling of purity as well as the black text against the white makes it very ordinary, telling the reader that they are a serious magazine and are saying the news straightforward as they are. The photographs are dark and with very little colour in them making the page concrete and simple.
- 10. Photography There are three photographs on the page. There is on which is staged and posed in a studio, it is an very interesting picture since it is taken with an establishing shot, that shows the whole scenario and the studio as well. They have staged it as if it is raining and the man in the picture is standing in the middle of it, they also use a black background to reflect on the dark and sadness rain brings with it. The man in the picture is wearing a black suit giving either connotations to funerals or work, which shows the seriousness and dedication. There is another going slightly on top of the on with the rain shower, picture that is edited so that there is only a man standing without any background, just cut after his body form. This cut photograph is of a man singing with his microphone, the picture is exiting because of the way that man is acting, he is deeply singing and feeling the song by screaming out and acting and feeling the song. The last picture is slightly underneath the one of the cut man. This is a two shot taken with a mid angel from their waits and up, the photograph is in black and white again reflecting to the black and white text and background. There are two people in the scene, one man with a cigar and a woman with a cigarette. They both have a posed attitude and are also both dressed formal.
- 11. Writing style The way the magazine writes is very formal and seems slightly posh using words like features and full stops often. They have picked out some of the articles that they think will attract the reader the most and written their names and headlines in capital letter to make it easier for the reader to see what they want to read.
- 12. Text/picture ratio & Fonts The magazine has separated the pictures and the text by left and right. The text is located to the left and the photographs are placed on top of each other down the right side. There is also a few sentences on the rain shower picture referring to the man/artist in the photograph.
- 13. Publisher Q is a popular music magazine that is published monthly in the uk. Their target audience is an open mined, engaged and passionate music fans that is continually want to discover new music and to share their music knowledge with others. They have a reach of 75% male and 25% female and with 68% ABC1. Their publisher is the Bauer Media Group, which also publishes Kerrang.
- 14. Kerrang
- 15. Colour scheme The colours that are used are very strong and bright. There are all in all four colours repeating themselves though the front cover, black, white, red and yellow as it did on the front cover. Giving the reader again the view that Kerrang is a rock magazine so that readers that like rock will know instantly that he or she has chosen a magazine that fits his or hers view in music.
- 16. Photography The contents page has a lot of images like the front cover also had. There are two small images from a double page spread form further inside the magazine, this shows the reader what he or she will find further in the magazine and also that the rock style is maintained throughout the magazine. It is also a way to tempt the reader to read the article up close. Furthermore there is a big photograph of Marilyn Manson, it is shot from an low angle, making him look powerful which enhances the scariness of his character. In addition to the costume enhances this with his dark costume, black nail vanish and the black make-up around his eyes. The grainy background and the red sofa increase the view of his as a rock artist. To the bottom right there is a picture of the editor, it is shot with a medium close up which makes the image more personal, by the look of her, the dark hair, rather pale skin and her being dressed in black shows the editor’s own rock personality.
- 17. Writing style There are different under points beneath the “Kerrang this week”, categorising and making it easy for the reader to find what they want are looking for within the magazine. Under this under points again there is either a word or a short sentence describing what you will find. The only thing that requires a bit more reading is the editors note. The language that is used both in the categorising and the editors note is simple, informal and not with big complicated words in addition to referring a lot to the reader.
- 18. Text/picture ratio & Fonts Half of the top page is covered with images, while the other half has only some small images but mostly text. Making a clear divide in the middle of the page, and splits the magazine into two sections, this helps organize the page, and fits the column pattern. They have used the same fonts from in the contents page as on the front cover, which shows consistency in genre that magazine covers. However, the contents page has also under titles written in black, simple font. These under titles are vital for telling more about the content of the magazine, and their simple style is important for giving the page a more organized look. For the editor’s signature, her real signature has been used, something that gives a personal feel to her editor’s note.
- 19. Publisher With information gathered from Kerrang’s media pack we learn that they are the worlds larges uk weekly music magazine. Their reader are usual young, their median age is 22 years, have a younger target market has shown to be a big advantage for Kerrang, as young readers usually are expensive and elusive to reach but their issue contains of more things attracting them, like film, games and mobile technology. Teenagers are often more open to a wider range of genres inside the world of rock music where each Kerrang issue have a balance of bands and scenes to guarantee that they give the readers what they want, giving them a variety in their music but also introducing them to new music. Their publisher is the Bauer Media Group, which also publishes Q magazine.