Main Task: Front Cover Textual Analysis 3

Denotation

The magazine cover consists of a coloured main image photograph of a female looking directly at the camera. It is a medium long shot showing her head down to her knees. The background is not clear in the picture however it appears that she is sitting on something, perhaps a chair. The photograph of the females takes up the whole front cover. The masthead is behind the photograph and in front of the picture are 5 cover lines. The cover lines are in white and yellow. The barcode is visible at the bottom right of the magazine.

Masthead

The masthead is very bold and distinctive. It is written in sans serif which brings a more youthful vibe to the magazine; this suggests that the target audience is of a young age. The masthead is written in gold which is a very rich colour which suggests that the magazine is rich and of good quality. The magazine title is called ‘King’ and the colour gold connotes royalty which ties in very well with the theme of the magazine. The ‘K’ in the word king is very visible as it is on the left third of the magazine which means it can easily be spotted by its consumers. The gold against the black background also stands out which is what a king does; stand out from the crowd which connotes the fact that the magazine is more superior than its competitors.

Character

The cover photograph is of a female R ‘n’ B singer ‘Ashanti’

Composition

The female appears to be in a glittery black robe showing a lot of cleavage. This is a very sexy and suggestive picture which would suggest its target audience is for males.  She has also crossed her legs showing a lot of skin on the thighs.

Costume

The female is wearing a glittery black robe showing lots of cleavage on her chest and legs. As the cloth is revealing a lot it will be very eye-catching for men who will want to pay money for the magazine. However her robe is long so it looks elegant as oppose to it being short and looking tarty, so even though the picture is quite sexual it is also quite moderate and she looks stylish. The only jewellery she is wearing is earring so therefore it suggests that the focus should be on her body. The colour black also connotes danger and strength, as oppose to the robe being pink as it would make her look very girly and quite weak which will not support the theme of the magazine.

Non Verbal Communication

Her non-verbal communication is quite seductive however looks powerful. Her body and outfit and her body language is quite provocative and sexual however her face is also sexy but looks quite intimidating. She has a straight faced emotion which makes her look powerful and strong however her body language is very sexual which supports the cover line by her name calling her a ‘boss lady’ as her face supports the look of a boss whereas her body supports that of a sexy lady. Her head is also tilted and not straight on which also shows rebelliousness.

 Lighting

The lighting is low key as the shot looks like it is shot at night time. This type of lighting makes the shot look dangerous and scary which is what the photograph wants the audience to feel as she is supposed to be a woman of power according to the magazine.

Setting

It is not clear where the setting is however it is clear that she is sitting on a silver chair or table. The background is black with different dark coloured circles that look a bit like space.

Cover Lines

The cover lines are not all about music there are a few of the cover lines that are not related to music but news. This suggests that the magazine is reliable as it looks at issues around the world as well as music.  The cover lines are also quite aggressive which attracts the consumers more but which also give the magazine cover more edge.

Target Audience

From all the points I conclude that I think the target audience ranges from 15-19 and it is more targeted at men rather than females. This is because the front cover image looks very suggestive and sexy which attracts men and it is an R ‘n’ B/ Hip Hop magazine and this genre of music is very popular within these age ranges hence the reason I think they are the target audiences for this magazine.  

Main Task: Front Cover Textual Analysis 2

Denotation

The magazine front cover consists of a coloured main image photograph of a male looking directly at the camera. It is a mid-shot showing his head down to the bottom of his stomach. In the picture the background is of a tiled wall which looks like a shower room. The photograph of the male takes up the whole front cover. The mast head is behind the males head and in front are 7 cover lines.  The cover lines are in red and white and the barcode is located at the left third of the magazine.  

Masthead

The masthead is very distinctive as it is big and bold. Fthe writing is in red and is written in sans serif. This gives the magazine a more youthful and urban look. The writing is in red which also makes the magazine stand out.  the colour red connote love, passion, danger and fierceness and those connotations match the main image nicely. Due to the writing of the masthead I would assume the target audience is teenagers around the ages of 15-19 who are interesting in black R ‘n’ B or ‘HipHop’. The word ‘vibe’ is very straight forward which suggests the magazine is straight to the point. The word is also mainly used by teenagers which again is evidence that the target audience is looking at teenagers.

Character

The cover photograph is of a male R ‘n’ B singer ‘Trey Songz’

Composition

The male is topless showing his 6 packs. This photograph is quite provocative and very sexy. We can also see the top of his boxers which also connotes seductive behaviour.

Costume

The male is topless showing the top of his boxers and a little bit of his grey trousers. Many girls are attracted to this singer and by having him topless on a front cover it is bound to have the target audience running to get their hands on the magazine. His boxers are also Calvin Klein’s which a famous brand for males, this raises the sex appeal of the picture.  He is also wearing no jewellery at all which suggests that the main focus should be on the body!

Non Verbal Communication

His non-verbal communication is a hard, dangerous sexy look. His face is not subtle but hard which makes the picture more masculine but also very sexy. His head is also tilted downwards which makes the male look fashionable and photogenic. His eyes are also squinted which connotes focus which can be seen in a provocative way.

Lighting

The lighting is front lighting however it is not high but not low as it is supposed to look like the picture was taken in the evening.  This type of lighting allows of to focus on the male rather than the background which suggests that the  body should be the main attraction.

Setting

The setting looks like a shower room with tiles and because there is water/stream on the males face and body we assume he’s in the shower room and not a kitchen and from the way he’s dressed to.

Cover Lines

Most of the cover lines are based on music apart from one which is basketball and one about Haiti. This makes the magazine seem more reliable as it looks at issues from the news and around the world, which may get respect from its audience. It could also be there to educate its target audience as teenagers are not stereotypically known to watch and understand current affairs in the world so to have this is a popular magazine is really good.

Target Audience

From all of the above points I assume the target audience is teenagers around the ages of 15-19 but mainly females as the cover is sexually attracted females. This is because girls drool over men with Hench, 6 pack bodies especially that particular singer; ‘Trey Songz’.  It is also teenagers that listen to ‘Trey Songz’ more than adults so therefore I conclude by saying the target audience is between the ages 15-19 and the reason it starts from 15 is because the type of lyrics in ‘Trey Songz’ songs are quite mature and the picture is far too sexually for younger teenagers. 

Main Task: Front Cover Texual Analysis 1

Denotation

The magazine consists of a coloured main image photograph of a male looking directly at the camera. It is a mid shot showing his head down to his stomach. We can also see both his hands as it is placed on his chin overlapping one and other. Although it is not visible it looks like he is sitting on a chair. The background is black and does not give any hint of a setting. The photograph of the male takes up the whole space on the magazine. The masthead is behind the photograph and in front is 5 cover lines. The cover lines are yellow and white and the males name is in yellow.  There is a free CD at the left third. The barcode is also visible at the bottom right of the magazine.

Masthead

The masthead is very distinctive as it is bold and stands out. The colour of the masthead is in yellow which connotes a bright atmosphere; the background is black so therefore the colour yellow could represent dominance as it plays the part of the sun which gives the newspaper light against the dark background. The contrast of this allows the masthead to stand out and attract the targeted audience; this also connotes the status of the male in the photograph. The masthead is also written in sans serif which connotes a more youthful vibe and a more modern vibe which gives a sense that the targeted audience is for teenagers around the ages 15-19. The title of the masthead is ‘HipHop Connections’ this shows that the magazine is very urban and is music based. Also the use of the word ‘connection’ makes the Hiphop audience feel invited and part of a community and connotes that the magazine brings people together.

Character

The cover photograph is of a successful rapper named ‘Jay z’

Composition

He has a very serious face on and his hands are on his chin which suggests dominance and control. He is also blacked out which could suggest a thug kind of look which also relates to the whole hard and dominant theme.

Costume

His costume is all black with a NY cap. He looks like he is wearing a black coat with a black top inside. He has a long silver chain on with a ring which is also silver but with blue. His hap is not worn straight forward inside it is tilted to the side, this not only plays with the lighting on his face it also connotes boss material and rule breaker as every male wears their caps the right way whereas he is tilting his.

Non verbal Communication

His non verbal communication is very strong and connotes power, his face is straight with no smile or angry expression however he is looking straight at the camera. His hands are also on his chin which connotes a high status.

Lighting

The lighting used is side lighting. This is used to create two shades on the subjects face so in this magazine one side of the males face is light whereas the other side is dark. This could connote power and secretive behaviour as the lighting suggests he has a dark side waiting to come out. This could intrigue the target audience to buy as he looks very powerful against the contrast of the magazine.

Setting

There is no hint of setting in the front cover as the background is just plain black which connotes confusion and emptiness.

Cover Lines

The main cover line links to the photograph as it says “Jay Z, He’s Back” this explains why he looks very dominant in the picture as he is coming back fighting to become a better rapper.  The are 2 cover lines that relate to other people in the same music industry however there is 1 cover line about an Englishman in New York this shows that the magazine is music based but also looks at issues related to news. This makes the magazine seem reliable and more valuable.

Target Audience

Considering all these points I would assume that the target audience for this magazine is teenagers from the ages of 15-19 mostly targeted at males than females. They understand hip hop more than any other age group and like to be in power or dominate which is what this magazine represents.

Preliminary Task: College Magazine Contents Page

Preliminary Task: College Magazine Front Cover

I have created a college magazine front cover and contents page. The title of my college magazine is 'Colleges The Key'.  Here It Is:

Introduction

My name is Damilola Roachford and I attend Christ The King Sixth Form. I am currently undertaken Psychology AS, Applied Science AS and Media AS. The purpose of this blog is to display all my media work done in college so that it can be accessed by different people.