My chosen magazine genre!

The genre I choose for my music magazine after much deliberation was technical equipment. After seeing other examples of magazines from this genre, I decided that I could do a good job and attract a younger audience instead of the older one it was drawing before.

Conventions I will be using

• Features like musicians, gear of the year, letters , reviews, what's on , events, concert guides, downloads, what's new , advice , learn and play , recording tips , experts , news, music scores and CD reviews.
• Cover stories: Exclusives on specific singers or bands
• Lots of cover stories
• some banners in the middle, some to border text or exclusive feature 

Photo conventions of this genre I will use

• Modern genre representation ( Dyer )
• The props are instruments and microphones 
• The costumes are tails, suits, casual , dresses , make up, hair , jewellery and colour
• Locations are usually studio shots. Usually the front cover image overlaps the masthead. Smaller images and DPS are studio, location or concert - lots of attention to mise en scene 

Seymour distribution

Seymour distribution from Jshepherd1460

Virtual check-list of things I've done and have left to do

What I have done

• Wrote my DPS article 
• Arranged a photo shoot for my DPS
• Done two DPS analysis 
• Done two front cover analysis 
• Done one contents page 
• Changed all post titles
• Started to read through all posts for errors 

What I have yet to do 

• One DPS analysis
• One front cover analysis 
• Two contents page analysis 
• Proof read all posts I am writing 

Planning: My TA survey

Questions- a brief survey about music, magazines and media

1) Out of the following instruments what would you prefer to learn? ( Please tick one )

• Guitar
• Drums
• Bass
• Piano
• Other ( Please specify )

2) What articles would you like to see in a music magazine that has a focus on the instruments?

3) Do you find bad language offensive?

4) What freebies would you want out of a music magazine 

5) Out of these mastheads which four do you prefer? ( Tick next to it) 

 6) Do you like competitions where you could win a prize?

7) Do you go to gigs?

8) Favourite band or bands? 

9) Do you prefer male's or females on the front cover of the magazine? 

10) Do you like it when there are ads in the magazine?

11) what colour schemes do you like?

12) do you like it when before an interview there is background information given about?

13) What makes you want to buy a magazine?

14) Would a free download interest you if it was offered? 

15) Do you use spotify , Itunes or any other music provider?

16) Do you prefer a weekly or monthly magazine?

17) What appeals to you when you look at a front cover of a magazine?

18) Would you like a main article that helped you learn a instrument appeal to you?

19)  In a music magazine would reviews of instruments interest you or help you make a decision if you were looking to buy an instrument ?

20) What is the one thing that makes you think a magazine is good after you have read it

Research: DPS Q 2

This is the DPS from Q from the issue of July of 2014.


The masthead 
The mast head for the DPS is a bright white piece of text which reads " Battle Cry" with a red back ground banner . The red banner promotes synergy as it matches Q's signature red colour scheme and format. The masthead serves the purpose of informing the viewer what the article is about, the masthead for this DPS does that efficiently as by having it in the large sans serif font it makes it blocky and eye grabbing so the viewer of the text straight away makes the connection to what its about. The masthead is also quite rock and roll in its design which reflects the bands new direction.


Puffs
The puff used in this DPS is one with a black bus with the text "On the road with war paint" surround by a red background. By once again having it with a red back ground it matches the banner that the masthead is placed on as well as Q's signature house style of red which is reflected all the way thought the magazine creating synergy either with the colour red and the letter Q. A puff serves the purpose promoting features in the magazine, this puff breaks convention by not being on the cover but on the dps and informs the reader about how the article was written.


Cover lines
Traditionally the cover line serves the purpose of referring to the main points of the article. This cover line does this and draws focus to the bands change in attitude from seeming "airy-fairy" to " more rock'n'roll" .It also attempts to update their audience as they try to attract a older one as they use more adult term's like " A mushroom trip".




Language 
The language off the double page spread is shown as being written in the style of being a casual register domain, as the article is written by the author as she travels along with the band and she writes as if she as speaking to a friend. This has the effect of making the viewer feel connected to the writer and that they are there with them experiencing the thing's the writer is.


The image
The image is a wide group shot and also breaks convention by having the masthead interrupted by one of the band members hands. The shot also shows them in a urban environment which shows to the audience without trying to that they are just like everyday people instead of having them posed in a studio. The shot could off also been taken like this as it was taken on tour.

Theory
Dyer and Mulvey can be applied to this DPS. Mulvey "The gaze"  is applied to the cover , the fact that they want to look pretty follows Mulvey's  despite the image lacking voyeurism. 

Dyer can be applied to this DPS " A star is an image, not a real person". Their star image is a natural one which makes them look appealing to other young people and then enables their TA to relate to them.


How this has influenced me 
This has influenced me as it has given me ideas for poses I can make people do when it comes to shooting my DPS, as well as ideas for how i can lay out my page.

Research: Acoustic front Cover 6

This is the front cover for acoustic magazine featuring The Band Perry from February of 2014.

The main image
The main image of the cover is a wide shot - long full body shot  with a white background. The lead singer ( Kimberly) facing forwards to show us how she is the singer of the band, this meets conventions as she is looking into camera and developing a relationship with the TA. The shot also shows their guitars, their music is important to them and personalised. These are also symbolic signs [ Barthes] signifying their calm and collected star image.

The font
The features are displayed in a serif font in bold this combines with multiple features of both font types, such as the boldness and eye catching of the sans serif and aesthetically pleasing style of the serif font. The majority of the font is gold, this symbolic sign signifies wealth and quality.


Features of the magazine
There are multiple features in this issue of the magazine. One such feature is the cover line on the cover line. The cover line serves the purpose of referring to important or main articles inside or high light something that may be a selling point. In this issue  the cover line serves the purpose of informing the reader about the change in the bands attitude but does it in a way to generate interest. " Channelling their inner arena rockers"

One other feature of the magazine is the multiple banners that it is used on the cover, their is one located at the bottom of the magazine. This banner is used to highlight what pieces of equipment have been reviewed as ultimately the magazines genre is technical equipment so they need to have be a main part of the magazine. The other banner serves the purpose of looking aesthetic to make the cover line stand out more to the human eye.

The final banner is located at the top of the page. It informs the viewer about what bands have been interviewed in the issue. It also located at the top of the magazine as when it is being sold on  rack that is all that can be seen is the top of the magazine and it's mast head, leaving that as the only thing that can be seen. This is to try and entice the reader to reading it.

Genre Theory
Mulvey can be applied to this cover " Male gaze". The lead singer Kim is facing into the camera with her make up done to draw attention to her eyes this also serves the purpose of enticing the readers attention to the magazine with the gal of selling it.

How this has influenced me
This has influenced me by giving me ideas on how I could apply banners to my front cover, and how to make them effective. as well as showing me properly how ceratin colour represent certain things.

Research: Dyer

RICHARD DYER
That a star is an image that has been made from a range of materials (e.g. advertising, magazines, films etc.). He goes on to say that stars depend on subsidiary media such as Tv, radio and so on, to allow themselves to create a certain image and attract their target audience by being made up of a variety of meanings which bring the audience to them. Overall, the star is incoherent incomplete and open. Due to the incoherence of this star image will mean that the audience will strive on understanding or completing the overall star image.


How is this achieved?
A continued consumption of the star through their products. 

 He explains 2 paradoxes:
Paradox 1: 
The star must be ordinary and extraordinary. This will attract consumers to the star due to the originality. 
Paradox 2: 
The star must be simultaneously present and absent for the consumer. 

Hegemony
Dyer explains this as the star is used to position the consumer in relation to the dominant social values. However, this depends upon the artist. Either the audience is positioned against the mainstream, within the mainstream or somewhere in between.

Below is a quote that Richard Dyer said summarising his theory.

“In these terms it can be argued that stars are representations of persons which reinforce, legitimate or occasionally alter the prevalent preconceptions of what it is to be a human being in this society.  There is a good deal at stake in such conceptions.  On the one hand, our society stresses what makes them like others in the social group/class/gender to which they belong.  This individualising stress involves a separation of the person's "self" from his/her social "roles", and hence poses the individual against society.  On the other hand society suggests that certain norms of behaviour are appropriate to given groups of people, which many people in such groups would now wish to contest (eg the struggles over representation of blacks, women and gays in recent years).  Stars are one of the ways in which conceptions of such persons are promulgated.”