Thursday 3 February 2011

Double page spread analysis 2



This double page spread of NME magazine features the band The Teenagers they are an American integrated doo wop group, most noted for being one of rock music's earliest successes, presented to international audiences .The group, which made its most popular recordings with young Frankie Lymon as lead singer, is also noted for being rock's first all-teenaged act. This will appeal to NME target audience as they enjoy listening to rock music and The Teenagers are one of the first rock groups which gained success so they may be easily recognized and identified amongst NMEs target market. As this band consists of three males this double page spread is heavily masculine coded therefore the target audience might be male as there are no feminine features on this double page spread
  On the left hand side of this double page spread is an image of The Teenagers takes up the entire side. This allows the audience to se the picture clearly and all three band members so they can easily identify them and also helps the audience gain an understanding of the band and there rock genre of music as most bands tend to be rock bands. All three members of the group are dressed casual as they are wearing jeans and t-shirts this allows the audience to relate to them and also indicates the rock genre they specialize in as many rock bands dress very laid back and informal. They are lying on a bed this suggests they are laid-back and relates to there casual dress sense and overall image this also reinforces the target audience of young people as they are often stereotyped as being unenthusiastic and chilled out. The setting of this image looks like a teenager’s room this relates to there group name and helps the audience identify the group as the fist established at a young age when they were teenagers. The audience can also relate to this setting as many young people’s room looks quite similar with the posters and small bed, this also reinforces the young target audience.The band members are all looking towards the camera this is a form of direct address which gives the magazine a personal feel as you read through it and can also encourage the audience to buy the magazine as it gets the audience involved as they feel apart of it.
The colour scheme consist of blue white and black these colours are very masculine coded which indicates the target market for this magazine is male as they are associated with these dark colours, a limited number of colours are used to appeal to the male target audience as they don’t like many bright colours the stereotypical male is quite laid-back and prefers simple colour scheme females tend to be drawn to colourful magazines.
There is a small box in the corner which looks like a ripped piece of paper this tries to appeal to the male target audience by keeping the magazine informal and out of the ordinary which tends to attract the young target audience as it is rebellious and informal. In this box information is provided about the band this will help readers that are not familiar with the band to understand them better. This is kept short so the young audiences are not turned of by reading a lot.
The big heading The Teenagers is written in big black font to stand out and catch the audiences eye beside it says “NME loves” this encourages potential buyers to purchase the magazine because if the most successful music magazine in the UK “loves” The Teenagers then they must be good. Under the big heading it states “young dumb and full of filthy tunes” this is short and put at the beginning of the article to encourage people to read on, this appeals to the young target audience as it suggests the Teenagers are rebellious which young people are often stereotyped as being and therefore young people can relate to them.
On the left hand side of the double page spread it takes about popular groups it starts of by saying “everyone’s taking about..” this encourages the audience to read on as they do not want to fall behind on popular music. The background is black which is different from the white background consistently used throughout the rest of the double page spread this suggests that section is separate from the rest of the double page spread as it centers on The Teenagers.




Wednesday 2 February 2011

Double page spread analysis 1



This double page spread consistently draws connotations to USA. This is because the main image is of the British band Florence and the Machine, who have enjoyed recent success in America. Florence and the Machine's sound has been described as a combination of various genres, including rock and soul. Therefore they relate to a wide mainstream audience this is essential as NME magazine aims to appeal to a wide mainstream audience so Florence and the Machine are essential in appealing to the wide audience. Florence is wearing a short black dress and large black heels this attract the female audience as they are often fashion conscious and a growing number of women are more interested in fashion in this day and age they would be drawn to this magazine as Florence is very stylish and on trend . Florence is sitting on the American flag which again relates to the USA and her new found fame there, her bright red hair is similar to the bright red stripes on the American flag this suggests power, passion and strength which Florence and the USA have in common, this may be why she gained success there. The Camera angle of the shot allows the audience to see her full body which gives them the opportunity to see her clothes as she is a fashion icon for many this shot also suggests that Florence is very powerful and in control as she is high up the frame this relates to the red colour of her hair and the American flag as they all connote power and danger.
In the background USA is written in Big bold font this again reinforces Florence and the Machines success there and is also making buyers aware of her new found success abroad which may encourage people to buy the magazine even if they might be unsure of who Florence and the Machine are if they have success in America they must be quite good as it is often hard to gain success there. At the beginning of the article it suggests that Florence and the Machine are internationally successful “with America at her feet” this relates to the use of the flag as it represents America and it is at Florence’s feet.
In the back ground it reads 'You got the love' which draws connotations to one of there most successful songs this helps the audience identify the band and trigger their memory if they previously found it difficult to recognise them, also she is sat on the USA flag, which shows she loves the USA and USA “got the love“ for her which is why she is she is successful there. Even though she was born in England, the point of this magazine being published, she had just had a hit in America, which is the likely reason for her implying she loves America and America loves her. The image takes up most of the spaces in this double page spread is it gives the audience an idea of what the article holds the font used for the article is black this make’s it clear and easy for the audience to read.