Question 1

Media Essay

Front Cover

The masthead I have used is very simple yet effective. I have based it on similar mastheads such as ‘Q’ and ‘NME’ as these too are typical indie magazines. The word ‘AMP’ is typical in Indie music as many amplifiers are used to create the music that is associated with the genre. The drop shadow adds emphasis and this draws attention to the magazine. The colour red is strong and bold and also connotes danger or romance. A tenuous link lies with how the reader will feel excited reading the magazine and feel an emotional connection when reading it.

The medium close up shot I have used for my main image is used to draw attention to my magazine. The lighting shines on his face adding emphasis to his ‘cool’ and relaxed facial expression. Two emotions the readers will feel when reading. My models eyes are looking away from the camera. This is due to him being and up and coming star, he looks in to the distance as a metaphor for looking into the future, to see what his career entails. This does and does not conform to typical Indie magazines. Some such as NME, predominantly feature the cover model looking directly at the camera, attracting the audiences attention. 

The button I have used is black, contrasting with the white text. It gives the name of a famous Indie band that many readers of my magazine will be influenced by. By putting it at the front it draws the readers in and sells the magazine. The other sell lines are of other big indie band s our festivals. Due to the fact that it is an autumn issue, there are pictures of the summer’s festivals. This is a USP as many people who visited the festivals will want to recollect their memories of the summer.

I have included a bar code due to the fact that is essential on every magazine and without it then the magazine could not be sold. The website is located under the title so it is not spilling onto the page, yet subliminally being messaged onto the reader.  The slogan is used to attract attention to the magazine and be a recurring phrase in the readers head, constantly associating it with the magazine.

Contents Page

The model sits in the centre of the contents page surrounded by text. This is so that the model is the focus of the reader’s attention. It is important to include the date and issue number in my contents page as to keep up a common appearance throughout my magazine, that a monthly reader will recognise.

The web address on my magazine and the fact that there are links to websites allow for different people to access the magazine in ways they prefer. This increases the audience as it relates to more people. As well as that, Facebook and Twitter are located in the corner as most teenagers (target audience) are obsessed with the social networking ‘craze’, once again allowing for a wider and more general target audience.

The plug, ‘Bands Index’, is used to allow the reader to easily search for the bands they like and then locate them without having to scan the entire magazine. The black and white contrast one another making the texts stand out.

The main image is of my mode who also features in my article. By focusing the entire magazine on him, it means all the readers reading about him will become excited. I have taken pictures of him in a quiet location to capture good images. He is standing/leaning, against a brick wall. The wall implies simplicity yet could also stand for the building blocks to his career.  He is also looking away to suggest he can see his future. The fact that he lacks facial expression, exemplifies that the future is ambiguous, causing the reader to feel nervous. This relates back to the colour red connoting excitement and nervousness.

Double Page Spreads

My first double page spread is very simplistic. It contains an image of my cover model. I have taken the picture landscape to fill the entire a3 page. The cover model is on the left of the picture wearing typical Indie clothing: Skinny Jeans, Polo, Vans. I have not centred him as I wrote a pull quote on the left hand side of the magazine. This is very simple but creates excitement for the readers who have eagerly anticipated the magazine. On the top of the page there is a gradient which is prominent throughout this article. This implies that the article is separate and more important than the rest of the magazine.
My next double page spread is the opening article to my magazine. It begins with a few simple ‘get to know’ questions. It then elaborates and I ask about his career and go onto ask about more personal aspects of the musicians life. My model is a typical Indie singer.

Everything I have spoken about in this evaluation conforms to the typical Indie music magazine. Magazines such as ‘NME’ and ‘Q’ are my magazines inspiration and I have used the colours, layout and some of the content very similar to these magazines.