GCSE Media

Monday, 5 November 2012

Magazine Analysis

This is my almost complete magazine cover analysis- I will finish it soon.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7Qgz6SeTj3NQnNnUk14V3J5d3M

Learner response: Urban drama/horror

Costume:
The costumes are suited for an urban drama because the front characters are dressed in school uniform which would be quite stereotypical for teenagers in an urban area. Also, one of the characters (right) has headphones around her neck which is also something that a teenager in an urban area would wear and it is a common stereotype. Furthermore, the character in the background is there for the horror element because a character in a horror would be expected to be dressed in a scary and mysterious way and the character in the background satisfies the criteria.

Lighting:

The scene is in daylight which is typical for an urban drama because there is usually a lot of background to show and no darkness needed to create suspense or mystery. In this case, because it is light and the scary character is in the background, it falls under the convections of a horror because there is the element of surprise because there is a mysterious character, and in a horror, there is a lot of mystery.

Actors:

The actors in this shot are teenagers therefore they are likely to actually live in an urban area so they make the urban drama more realistic and are the stereotypical type of actors you would expect to star in an urban drama. Moreover, the characters are dressed relatively smart but not too smart which is another way you would expect young people in an urban area to dress, therefore the shot is full of conventions of an urban drama. Due to the fact that there is an unknown character in the background, it creates suspense and adds to the overall pressure and suspense we feel from the argument between the front two characters. Because the character is mysterious and covered, it would draw a parallel in the mind of the audience to a typical murderer or abnormal dangerous being in a horror.

Make-up:

There is no make up on the characters to make them seem more realistic and to make them more stereotypical so that the audience gets what they would expect from young people in an urban area. Also, the fact that you cannot see the make-up on the background figure's face is scary because you don't know what to expect and whether they are even human which is exactly the sort of questions a horror would make you ask.

Props:
There are not many props used but the characters are wearing a scarf and headphones to show that they fit into the urban area and the urban drama because they are casual. The items are what is expected of a character in an urban drama hence they add an urban feel. Also, the cape worn by the mystery figure is a prop to create suspense in the drama is a prop to make sure the aspect of a horror is kept because even though the figure would have probably been enough to create suspense, the cape adds to the scene and creates double the suspense.

Setting:
The setting of the picture is in an urban area with a building in the background which shows there is a lot of people in the area. Also, it is a school therefore it creates the impression that it is quite busy and that adds to the element of an urban area because it is usually quite crowded.To add to this, the horror element comes in because the playground is abandoned apart from the three figures that are in the photo which takes away from the feeling of safety of the setting but rather makes it seem that they are trapped and abandoned.

Thursday, 11 October 2012

Magazine research

NME is a magazine that is focused on Indie music produced by groups but does cover some pop at times. NME features artists such as The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and The Libertines. The audience are mainly young adults to middle adults (20-40) because the type of music that the magazine is about attracts mainly an older audience but there is a secondary audience which could be other Indie fans, fans of pop or older teenagers who like the genre.

Mojo is a magazine that focuses on Classic Rock. Artist such as Bob Dylan and John Lennon have previously featured and it was the first UK mainstream magazine to feature The White Stripes. The audience for this magazine is older teenagers and young adults (16-25) because teenagers and young people tend to listen to classic rock more. Also, the secondary audience might be parents because they want to know what their children are listening to and maybe they might like classic rock themselves.

Q Magazine focuses on pop/ rock music. Its audience are the older generation of listeners because they tend to listen to bands such as Oasis which feature in the magazine. The magazine has a secondary audience of younger readers who are interested in rock and pop or just genuinely like the newspaper style.

The Vibe magazine focuses on hip-hop and R&B music which means that the target audience for the magazine is likely to be teenagers and possibly young adults (14-20) because they are the sort of people who listen and can relate to the music more than older people, however, sometimes the magazine can have a secondary audience of older adults because they see the music around them and therefore they listen to it too and hence read the magazines that come with it (or they just like the music).

Wire is a music magazine that started of having a Jazz genre but now includes hip-hop, modern classical, free improvisation, post rock and electrical music. This magazine has quite a broad audience and perhaps mostly older adults (25-45) because not many young people tend to listen to Jazz or modern classical because they find it boring and unexciting, however, it can attract younger people because it does include electrical music and hip-hop which are more popular among the younger generation.

The Situation is an urban magazine that focuses on Rap and R&B. It has a young audience- most likely teenagers- because they listen to this type of music more and therefore are more likely to read a magazine that talks about the style of music that they listen to because they will find it most easy to relate to. Also, the magazine features some big names in R&B and rap which makes it interesting for young people/ teenagers to read.

As you can probably tell by the logo, Kerrang is a magazine that focuses on rock. Some of the feature artists include: Black Veiled Brides, Rage against the Machine, Slipknot , DragonForce or The Defiled. These bands attract a young audience for the magazine because rock is associated with rebellion and young people tend to be rebellious, however, some older people might be interested in rock and also buy the magazine and therefore they might become the secondary audience.

B&S (Blues & Soul) Is a magazine that focuses on Blues and Soul artists. Some of the featured artists include Rita Ora, Tinchy Strider, Ne-Yo, Leela James and Lemar. This magazine is aimed at older adults- middle age adults (30-40) because the magazine has quite dull colours that go with the theme as well as the fact that young people don't tend to listen to blues and soul because they can't identify with it unless they are very passionate about it.

The source is a magazine about hip-hop music politics and culture. The magazine is aimed at older teenagers and young adults (16-24) because hip-hop music interests the younger audience but the politics and culture aspect interests the older part of the target audience but also creates secondary audience of older people.

This magazine has a genre of rock and rap and features artists and groups such as U2. The magazine is aimed at an older audience because the website looks quite mature and subtle and also has advertisement for charity which is the type of things that would interest an older audience rather than teenagers.

The BBC Music magazine focuses on classical music although it covers Jazz and World music as well. This magazine is most probably aimed at adults in their middle years to older people because the BBC Music magazine is quite posh and sophisticated therefore younger people won't be drawn to it because the'd find it boring. Also, older people tend to enjoy classical music more than younger people because they can relate to it more and know more about it.