Analysis of Music Magazine Double Page Spreads...

This double page spread looks professional and realistic as the overall house style is very simple and simplicity continues within this. I think the main image of Jay Z is effective to reaching out to the audience because rather than the image being laid out on one separate page, it starts at a midpoint from one page and continues along to the middle of the spread which is different to other magazines. Also the close up shot of him entices the reader to read this spread as it is very noticeable and appealing. Looking at the headline 'Jay - Z is fascinating as well because the 'J' seems to look like it is the white background and it is the staples of the spread but it is actually part of the image and it is splitting the image from the main text on the right third of the spread. The writing also has a sense of simplicity as it starts off bold then becomes regular and its on the right hand side of the spread so when people are flicking through pages in a magazine, they always look at the right hand side and not the left to see what else is coming up so the style of text on the right hand side is very effective.

 I don't think this magazine double page spread is effective because to start with, the black colour scheme is not effective as it is one dull colour but this was backed up by the yellow font for the audience to see the text more clearly but yet the image on the top right doesn't improve this. I like how the text is on the right hand side instead of the left which will make readers notice this instantly and I also like how the black and yellow colour scheme is meant to relate to what Lupe Fiasco is wearing but I still think this isn't effective.

I think this magazine double page spread has more potential that the Lupe Fiasco spread because it looks more realistic and when the readers turn to this page, they will feel the urge to read about this person. I like how the main image is laid out as readers will look at the model's face then follow what she is pointing at even though there is nothing to see. I like how the text on the spread is merged with the main image so the text is not overlapping or the image. I think the headline is meant to compliment the clothing she is wearing along with the 'Acapella' at the bottom. I think what is not effective is where the text has been laid out. As I have mentioned before, when the readers are flicking through pages, they are curious to see what is coming up hence they look at the right side of the pages instead of the left so the text layout is the only let-down that will not be effective on this spread.

I think the most effective double page spread is the Jay-Z one because it has met the conventions of a magazine and it is more realistic and effective. The simplicity within the spread makes it more professional which will entice the audience to read this spread. I also like how the 'J' has been made to look like the page splitter and this is really fascinating.

How technology has changed in the Media...

Technology in the news media is an important thing as the news around the world has to get to people throughout the world. We rely on the news to broadcast the information on many topics that relate to us in life. Throughout the years,  media technology has changed dramatically. One of the ways that news media technology has changed is through the weather. Weather forecasts are vital in life for social and business plans. Although weather is tough to predict with new and better technology, meteorologists are able to do this effectively.  Second news media technology that has changed is through how we get financial news. Financial news such as the stock market which many people make their living on. They need to know how their stocks are doing and need the equipment to do so on the spot trading and buying. Another way news media technology has changed is through the Internet. Internet technology has also changed a great deal over the past years and many people use the Internet to get their daily news rather than watching the news on TV. People who read magazines and lifestyle magazines, they have access via QR codes for smartphones and android phones which are scanned by them and this directs them to the website for the magazine and they are able to find out the latest information from there. This QR code is starting to be used more than barcodes which are used in the shops. So QR codes seem to save money rather than purchasing the magazine for a price.

Music Magazine Contents Page Inspirations....

 

Analysis of Music Magazine Contents Pages....

Vibe Magazine Contents Page

 The title of the page appeals to the audience so it will be attractive and it informs the reader what the page is. The font is capitalised and bold so the title is noticeable even from a short distance. However, the title is not simple like other magazines are but instead the design is much more different as the alignment is going the wrong way which entices the human eye to react and literally follow the letters as if it is hypnotising.

The outline of the 'V' behind the 'Contents' represents and blends in with the whole magazine and the 'V' relates to the name of the magazine which is called Vibe. The 'V' appeals from the background but doesn't overcome the title to represent what the page is about so it won't attract unwanted attention.

The page is very enlightening and is simple to read to find out what the stories the magazine will contain. The main headings on top of the stories are in a elegant bold font to show that it is a main heading and what stories will be included in relation to the main heading. This helps readers be directed to whatever they want to read.

The artist is in direct mode of address to the audience that is reading the magazine and is appealing as the artist will entice the reader to read further in the magazine. The direct mode of address is modest and mysterious which will immediately attract the reader to read this magazine. Her dress also relates to the colour scheme in the entire page itself which doesn't take the attention off the magazine or the contents page.

The artist's legs lead to the title of the contents page which is effective as although her legs will attract people to turn to this page because it has the connotations of being seductive, promiscuous and sexy but they still have a meaning behind this as to why they are leading upwards to the 'Contents'. It basically attracts the audience to the main purpose of the magazine which is the title of the page. The artist's legs also make a 'V' towards the end to promote the magazine.

Overall, I think this magazine cover is more effective than Q's magazine contents page as it differs from simplicity and Vibe chooses to be different from other magazines. The title 'Contents' is more different to a simple one like Q's and it literally exercises the human eye to follow each letter like a trail and even though it may have less text than Q's contents page, it is limited and works around the main image and the main image itself looks more like a contents page image as it is medium-sized and not over-complicated.

Q Magazine Contents Page

The headline of the magazine relates to magazine's masthead 'Q' which has white text with a red background to appeal to the audience and is more noticeable. The 'Contents' is in bold and is all in the same size to make it simple to read. In a simple plain grey layout, the date of this issue is stated which is 'Nov 05'. This magazine is a monthly magazine so simplicity is really all that is needed.

The main text on the contents page starts with a main heading to show what stories are coming up within the magazine but also relating to the heading. The page numbers are in plain bold red relating back to the masthead of the magazine 'Q'. The main headings are in white text with a black background and the stories are in a smaller font to show that they are stories and shouldn't be as noticeable than the headings. This makes it easier for the reader to pick the story they are interested in by finding the right bold title, go to the page via the page number rather than going through paragraphs of information.

This particular issue is a Lennon Issue which is a tribute to the late John Lennon and the text is in its own silver lined box with silver page number letters and this is appealing as it is a special part of the magazine and it is different to the page as it hasn't got the same colour scheme as the other text which cuts it off the rest of the page.

The main image in the contents page is James Blunt and this image is fairly large for the contents page as it looks more like a front cover image and it uses up the middle and right columns in the rule of thirds. as it is distinctively large, the audience will most probably wander towards it and the eyes of James Blunt shows direct mode of address which is another way of enticing the audience to have a look at this magazine. At the bottom of the page, it shows the regular things that feature every month in this magazine such as subscriptions, Q Mail, Cash for Questions and The Crossword. These are in every issue of Q and the reader can establish from this section what s new in the magazine and what is normally featured in this magazine.

There is a banner which runs along the bottom of the page indicating a special feature of a well-known artist including the page number. The editor of this magazine picked this story as he thinks it will be very popular and essentially created a shortcut.

In general, this contents page is very simple as it is not all over the place or too messy but easy to read and follow. It has a simple title with a basic listing of the stories within the magazine on the left third but the only let down is the rather large yet dominant image of James Blunt. This is a let down as it looks more like a front cover image and I think contents page images do not have to be that big but should instead have to 2 or 3 medium sized images to redeem this mistake. But yet it is a simple contents page as readers don't want to spend too long on a contents page so this is simple, easy to read yet detailed enough to find exactly what you want and remaining an attractive page to look at.

Examples of Media Stereotypes...

First Example- The Simpsons:

The Simpsons is a conventional TV show and the stereotypes are portrayed within half an hour of the show's broadcast. In the show, the character Apu is exceedingly discriminated and stereotyped as he is represented as an Indian immigrant who prays to Ganesh (Indian God) and holds a highly noticeable and different accent. This is a stereotype because it is observed by young children and is amusing in their point of view; they apply this knowledge towards those they meet in real-life. Viewers of this show think this information is accurate as they hold little or no knowledge about that particular group. Though the stereotypes shown on TV are usually misrepresented, they are quite well accepted by the audience as the truth. The viewers who watch these shows on a regular basis do not recognize the prejudiced content which is being presented. The Media grabs the interests of their audience through comedy, drama and action which causes the viewers to ignore the immorality behind the content. Hence, the effectiveness of using such stereotypes contributes to the popularity of TV shows.

Second Example - 7th Heaven:

7th Heaven is an old sitcom show which involves the Camden family of 7 children and the father of the family is a pastor called Reverend Eric Camden. The pastor's oldest daughter Mary Camden decides to go to a party. As Mary is inside the party, one of the girls in the party recognizes Mary and says, “Isn’t that Reverend Camden’s daughter?” The group of girls huddle up and start discussing how shocked they are to see Mary at the party. The girls are shocked because it isn’t typical to see a Christian pastor's daughter at a party as they believe the family is religious. 7th Heaven must address this issue of partying in order to make the show seem more like the realistic situations high school and college students face every day. By putting Mary in this situation, the show supports the belief that a pastor’s daughter does not make decisions like the one Mary made about sneaking out. This belief is common in reality because the media makes it so obvious by showing us how we should act when situations like these occur.

Judgment is an issue between young adults because often we do not look past their family ties before we decide a personality on them. In our perspective, if a person is the son/daughter of a famous ethical leader then he/she mustn't drift from acting fairly at all times. We think that because of who her father is, social decisions are already made for her. As her peers, we must find a way to minimize this judgment and common belief. We can do this by treating each person on an individual and personal basis so equally. By doing so, we shouldn't let a person's father’s occupation describe their personality or let it describe how that person should act within a social community. 

Music Magazine for Inspiration.....

My Music Magazine Moodboard...

The Hustle - Analysis of Gender...

I am going to analyse the following in this 4 minute clip of The Hustle to show the representations of Gender. Here is the link to the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1QbJNsdmeo&feature=player_embedded
I am going to analyse the:

• Camera- shots, movement, angle and position
• Editing
• Mise-en-scene
• Sound

Gender is the socially constructed roles and relations between men and women. The representation of gender portrayed in this clip falls into stereotypes, putting men in the more dominant roles and materializing females proving Mulvey's theory of the male gaze. The opening shot of this sequence is an establishing shot so the audience know where the scenery is and what the situation is about. There is an unusual twist in the gender representation where the store assistant appears to be quite self-keeping which connotes feminine gender traits within the character as his dialogue is very gentle and soft and he is helping out women rather than men. He also seems to have more time with the blonde woman who is higher classed compared to the woman with scruffy grey hair who is dressed quite casually in the red coat which connotes that he is selfish for money rather than the equal opportunities of his customers.

The two women in the store relate to Levi-Strauss’s theory of Binary opposition/opposites as the women are opposites by wealth and status as the higher classed woman is dressed smartly in a grey suit, all in black and looks elegant which connotes she is rich and has high status. This differs from the other older woman who is dressed more casually and is wearing more knitted clothes opposed to the silk which connotes that she is more lower class and not as rich as the blonde woman and shopping in there is more of a luxury to her because she was gobsmacked by the price of the black dress and the assistant makes her feel low due to his selfishness for money. The blonde woman may see the store as a casual everyday shop because she is very posh and formal because when she tried the black elegant dress, she did not hesitate in accepting the dress for the price.

The blonde woman in black conveys typical female traits as she appears to be a blonde bimbo and is portrayed as a kept woman who cares for no-one but herself. Later in the scene, after she tries on the dress she says she's late for her hairdresser appointment, and also says "My husband will kill me." This connotes that her husband has authority over her which instantly shows that he is the stronger and dominant gender. When the woman loses the ring, this shot has followed her with a hand-held camera to create a very frantic and panicked effect so the audience can feel and see the action from her point of view.

When the man with blonde hair, the one who was going to buy something for his girlfriend walks in, a low angle shot is used where the camera uses a tilt movement to show a full view of his body which connotes that he's more superior than the woman who lost the ring because she just sort of sneaks in behind the other woman suspiciously whereas the man just walked in generally although it also shows that he is a more prevailing figure than the shop assistant because he looks down to him. In this particular scene where the two men are talking there's a lot of shot reverse shot camera movements and over the shoulder shots, this has been done to demonstrate the audience the scene from both their points of views and it connotes that because they are both from the male gender; they are both at similar levels. They also use a close up of the ring, which represents that it's a significant part of the narrative and showing a close-up to the main object in the scene.

Transitions are used at the start of the scene as editing to where the two men are sitting at the bar which is wipes show parallel narratives which are happening at the same time. The use of wipes helps the audience identify that they're both happening at the same time but also when it shows the men in the bar the non-diegetic music stops which connotes that the men are taken more seriously than women. The men are using their intelligence to get their prize whereas the women are using their sexuality and body to get the prize which is seduction also when the woman looks at herself in the store mirror, an over the shoulder shot is used to show the audience what she is seeing from her point of view.

The scenery of the clothing store is white with lots of mirrors and all the clothes are organised neatly and pristine which shows it is a posh and expensive store. The mirrors show that the people who shop there care about their appearance and their image. The majority of the clothing in the store is black which connotes sexiness, elegance and class. This has been contrasted to the men in the bar where the two men are talking because even though they both appear to be in posh places, they have been portrayed in different ways and the location of the bar seems to be portrayed as posh in a more traditional way as opposed to the more modern setting of the shop which has more dark wood and royal green colour which makes it appear as a warm, homely and private place which connotes that the men are more greater.

The two men in the bar appear to be drinking whiskey in the middle of the day which is very old-fashioned yet expensive and appear to be dressed smart, very clean cut which portrays that they are motivated about getting the job done. Diegetic sound is in this scene which mainly focuses on them talking and their voices seem very hoarse. This shows that they are the dominant gender and all the non diegetic sound stops exactly when they start talking represents that they are essential but it also shows that they are quite enigmatic and look as if they are plotting something. The lighting in this scene is focused mainly on the older man to show that he's a significant character.

Throughout the whole scene, there are a lot of two shots which have been used to show the relationships between the different characters and to show that a conversation is between only two people. Close ups and diegetic sound have been used when the woman enters the store and then again when the man enters the store. This has been done to really attract the audience into what they are saying and it emphasises and shows the hustling that they are doing. Throughout this clip, the majority of the characters are male which connotes men are stereotypically more stronger and powerful in gender and intellect and they have been put in the "Hustle group" because of their intelligence because they can hustle better than women whereas women have been used for seduction such as their body and good looks which relates to Mulvey's theory of the male gaze.

The Links to the Clips of Skins and The Mentalist:
http://youtu.be/aGR2XedwX0I
http://youtu.be/Fl0YoYFFN8o

Mise-En-Scene Analysis of Fast and Furious Without Sound Analysis

Mise en Scene Analysis of Fast and Furious Original

Portrayal of Gender

Christina Aguilera Bionic CD Cover Denotation and Connotation Analysis...

The main image is a close up of Christina's face however Christina's face is cut in half. It looks as if her skin has been peeled off on one half of her face revealing a bionic woman. This image suggests that she is a robot and works mechanically. The only part of her face that has not been peeled off is her lips and the other half of her face which makes her human. Her lips join her bionic side with her human side, showing that she is human that works mechanically. In the top right hand corner there is her name in black and pink and the effect used on the text is like blood dripping which drips to the title of the album. The title is in brackets and with wavy dashes making the title in a robotic way. Christina Aguilera is pop singer but this album cover doesn’t have the conventions of a pop CD cover. The blonde white hair against the white background makes her robotic side and red lips stand out more. The bold black border also makes the image stand out. I think the album cover is not according to the Pop conventions as it is relating to the title of the album “Bionic".

Michael Jackson Dangerous CD Cover Denotation and Connotation Analysis...

This album Dangerous by Michael Jackson are these random range of images which I think is showing what’s in his imagination. Even though there’s a lot going on in this front cover the main image is still Michael’s eyes in some form of masquerade mask, however we only see his eyes and a lock of hair down the middle of his forehead. By the time this album was released, fans and the rest of the world knew who MJ was, so it wasn’t a necessity for his whole face to be shown on the front cover like on his previous albums such as Thriller and Bad. He may have chosen to just show his eyes because he felt he had to hide from the real world, and this was a symbolic way of portraying this. His name is also central on the front, unlike the title of the album which is slightly hidden amongst these images, “Dangerous" which makes up part of the picture is above a gate which leads to a much darker part of the picture with the world at the centre. Even though there is a lot going on the front cover, there is still a range of colours; reds, blacks, gold’s and blues. The fact that there is so much going on, it feels like you will see something new each time you look at it as it looks as if it has some sort of surrealist artwork on it. There is a possibility that Michael's pet chimpanzee Bubbles is on the front cover above Michael's eyes which could connote that him and Bubbles hid from the world.

Representation of Women...

Jessica Alba is an example of a good representative woman in Machete because she portrays a strong character. she is pretty and makes the men think shes all easy to get and sweet but really shes hard to get and tough. the main character in the film is Danny Trejo who she sides with to capture the criminals, but he is a strong male character but so is Jessica Alba. Many people will think as soon as they see her she is this sexy character who is just there to entice people to watch the film but actually they are tough. This film is a perfect example to portray strong and tough characters so this also suggests that not only men can be the strong and tough character but also women. Jessica Alba's posture is sexy but also defensive as she is making direct contact with the enemy instead of looking down and both her hands are raised up which shows strength and courage.

Representation of Men...

Pierce Brosnan is a good representation of men because he is a very masculine as he is smart and cunning and in the James Bond series his profession is a top-secret spy who works for MI6 codenamed 007. his profession makes him cunning and smart and it is a mans job as  it requires skills which in total makes him a real man. his posture  in the image on the right is in direct mode of address looking directly at the audience view. The gun is also aimed directly in the audience's view and Brosnan's face is not too intimidating but also not too serious but sly which puts the audience in a hotspot and makes them think of him as a real male character.