Thursday, 4 October 2012
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Fifth Textual Analysis - Rolling Stone
This issue of 'Rolling Stone' magazine features the well known music artist 'Bob Dylan'. The simple typography on this front cover and colour scheme of greys, white, black and red makes up a typical conventional alternative magazine front cover layout and 'look'. The headline and cover lines are all black and white, keeping it simple and readable this simple typography and black and white colour scheme also makes it easy to read. The layout of the cover lines are structured around the main cover photo, again, to keep this the main focus.
The white background creates a flat surface and therefore makes the main cover photo of Bob Dylan Stand out and instantly connotes that he is the main focus and feature of this Rolling Stone magazine issue.
His costume has many connotations to both his personal image and his music. For example his grey top hat, top hats are now seen as old fashioned and only worn on occasions however Bod Dylan has decided to wear a top hat and a suit in this photograph. This connotes his serious attitude towards his music and the publicity of both his music and his personal image. His dress code also appeals to his 'fans' and elder target audience, this is also Rolling Stones' magazines target audience so this therefore enhances their sales as they have chosen a popular artists among that age group and audience.
Bob Dylan's facial expression is also very serious and his eyes are squinted and at a direct camera gaze, this connotes he is in deep thought and adds a mysterious and interesting look to his overall image engaging and drawing the audience in as it looks as if he is looking directly at you.
His neat grey mustache also has a lot of connotations, particularly that mustaches are associated with sophisticated and upper class men, however it is also associated with wisdom; this connotes Bob Dylan has a lot of experience and knowledge about the music industry and his particular genre of music as he is and older man and therefore grew up in a different society and a different upbringing of music.
The fact he is wearing a suit and is looking at a direct at the audience could suggest he is 'showing off' his wealth and knowledge and his gaze and as a result might make some of the Rolling Stone magazine readers see him as intimidating and patronizing. However, most of the target audience will be drawn in and interested in this unique and old fashioned iconic artist and will buy this magazine as a result.
Fourth Textual Analysis - NME
Textual Analysis 4 - Front Cover
This NME magazine issue features the new British band 'Palma Violets'. The main cover photo fills the whole page and therefore this is the main focus of the magazine front cover.
This cover follows the conventions of an alternative magazine front cover by its simple layout, and its colour scheme of yellow white and red; the colour red is the most typically used eye catching colour on alternative magazine covers, and as it is only used for the masthead typography it connotes that the title of the magazine is the most important piece of text and as a result this is the first piece of typography the audience reads. There are minimum cover lines to keep the main focus on the large cover photo which is also a typical convention of an alternative magazine.
The main cover photograph itself is busy and chaotic as it has been taken during a performance in front of a small audience. The low ceiling suggests that they are performing in a small venue, connoting they are a new band; this is reinforced by the quote 'best new band in Britain' under the large headline of the name of the band 'Palma Violets'.
The guitars act as 'props' in this main cover image and connote the alternative electronic music the band produce and were performing in this moment. The main guitarist of the band is leaning towards the camera and is the largest figure in this main cover photo this connotes he is the main focus of this magazine cover and is also of the most importance in the band.
His body language suggests a number of facts about his thoughts and feelings. For example he is not stood in a posed position looking in a direct camera gaze unlike on other music magazine front covers, instead he is in mid performance. This therefore connotes that he wants to be known and recognised to be passionate about the bands music, a good performer and music artist and is not necessarily worried about the 'fame' side of the music industry. His hair is also sweaty as is those in the audience, the audience's arms are also up in the air and they are in mid dance, this connotes that the band have been performing for a while and are also lively and energetic performers.
Another key body language which supports this connotation is his closed eyes and emotionless facial expression; many well known artists in the music industry perform with shut or closed eyes which suggests to their audience that they are 'lost in the music' and therefore demonstrate a more emotional attachment to their music and as a result, so do their audience and 'fans'.
The overall effect on NME's target audience, who enjoy finding out about new bands or watching live performances, will make them want to find out more about the 'best new band in britain', 'Palma Violets' and will therefore buy this particular music magazine as a results of all of its connotations.
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
Third Textual Analysis - Artrocker
Textual Analysis 3 - Front Cover
On this Artrocker music magazine front cover it features the popular alternative band 'The Horrors'. The alternative looking and unique front cover image is clearly the main focus and attraction. The greyscale portrait images of each individual band member connotes the "retro" and alternative influences and inspirations from previous artists and bands in the music industry which have contributed to the sound of The Horrors music.
The multi-coloured stripey graphics create an interesting and quirky contract across the greyscale images, the graphics connote the well known VCR pattern and helps to reinforce both the overall retro and alternative look of the cover image and The Horrors identity. The main image is also structured in a collage format as it look unfinished, messy and handmade, this connotes The Horror's alternative image, their identity and personalities to be carefree and reckless.
The entire main colour pallet consists of black, white, greys, black and pinks; Artrocker have chosen appropriate pastel and dull colours which are associated with their alternative music genre. The masthead is bright pink which is in contrast to the grey scale images . The typography of the headline 'The Horrors' looks handwritten, aged and Gothic which reinforces and connotes their alternative identity that they are trying to convey.
Three members of the band in the main cover image are wearing sunglasses including the lead singer Faris Badwan, who also has the largest grey scale portrait image, suggesting he is of the most significance to the band. Sunglasses are an indexical symbol of this front image as they connote the band members to be 'mysterious' and 'cool'. Sunglasses are used as a costume prop across all music genre's and act as a 'fashion statement' and usually always have the same connotation. They suggest the band members of having an 'anonymous' or a 'hidden identity' which leaves the audience wanting to find out more about them. Like other alternative band poses in magazines, The Horrors also have emotionless facial expressions which reinforces their cool, hidden, and mysterious personalities. This 'seductive' look attracts their female audience.
Second Textual Analysis - Q
This Q magazine issue features Noel Gallagher on its front cover for the main image. He is standing with his arms crossed to the side, crossed arms shows self-confidence and arrogance in terms of body language, this connotes Noel's personality and attitudes towards music and publicity. His direct gaze down at the camera communicates with the viewer and is very over powering and intimidating towards the magazines audience, it suggests that he is of more importance and therefore makes the viewer look up to him as a possible idol or a good music artist.
The choice of costume also has great significance, for example his leather jacket. Leather jackets are associated with the rock music genre which Noel is closely associated with as he was a member in the British rock band Oasis and also his own, more recent rock/pop music. Leather jackets are also associated with bikers and deviant behavior, this reinforces his choice of 'defensive' and 'arrogant' body language. He is also wearing very casual clothing such as his jeans and suede shoes. His costume connotes his attitudes and his personal image which he is trying to convey; a 'deviant' behaved and 'hard' rock/pop music artist with strong opinions.
His Strong opinions are 'voiced' by the stereo speaker that acts as a prop, the chosen quotes are very opinionated and shocking, which Noel is known for. For example " Get Oasis back together? Not even For Starving Children..." this quote will be shocking for many readers, however at the same time engages the reader to want to find out why, and also more about what he has to say. The way in which his quotes have been placed across a speaker connotes that he wants to get his opinions and thoughts across on a large scale, through publicity, and the speaker acts as a metaphor for this Q magazine.
The colour scheme of this front cover includes black, reds and pale grey. The pale grey background acts as a flat surface to emphasise the main focus on Noel and the surrounding headlines, which are very significant features on this particular magazine cover. The colour red is used on the title and important cover lines for example 'Green Day' and 'Madness'. Red is used as this is the most vibrant and attention grabbing colour used on alternative music magazines. This Magazine front cover consists of the alternative music magazine ideologies in terms of typography, colour scheme, layout and main cover image.
Magazines
Over the weekend i have purchased another alternative magazine for my second textual analysis. However, I found there is not much variety of alternative music magazines therefore i will have to look online or go to another store to purchase more.
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