Planning of Contents, Double Page and Contents Pages

Research into Target Audience

The music genre for my magazine is R&B, therefore my target audience will be aged between 16-25, targeted both males and females. After conducting my research and analysing different front covers, contents and double page spreads I have discovered many R&B generic conventions. On most magazines with this genre show images of artists such as females, wearing minimal clothing and posturing in sexual way in order to attract both females and males by looking attractive to show that they care about appearance. Therefore, females will look up to these images as role models. In terms of male artists, men are shown to be wearing ‘chains’, ‘caps’ in order to look cool, they also have their jeans below their waist which informs a sense of fashion for the male audience. Taking into account the generic conventions, I will be taking images which are long shots to show the complete outfit of the artist wearing sexual clothes that are revealing to attract both genders. The posture of my character will also be very sexual as this is also a generic convention in which I should take into consideration. The colours used for this genre are mainly black and white, red and blue. These colours contrast well as they stand out to gain the audience’s attention as well as having a meaning.

Camera Angles

This is a mid-shot of an R&B/Hip-hop band.  The image consists of a multiple focus as the artists are looking different directions in which allows the audience to look at each artist individually. The mid shot allows us to see the facial expressions of each member in which are all sophisticating. The fact that the woman in the band is placed in the middle highlights Importance as she is the only lady in the band which shows uniqueness. The artist on the left, ‘Dappy’  is shown to be the ‘cool’ person throughout the use of his clothes, cap and tattoos whereas the man on the right ‘Fazer’ is emphasises as being more formal and professional as he is wearing a suit and a stylish watch. The women who is called ‘Tulisa’ is wearing sexual clothes as her body is  quite revealing in which she is also wearing make-up and has her hair styled out which enforces the idea that she cares about beauty and appearance. The characters are holding micro phones, highlighting that they are all members in the same band and also are performing live which could be in a concert. This is shown through the lightning as it is very bright and natural, which empathises that they may be outside. The fact that there are equipment in the background which are blurred out implies that they are performing, and also through the use of ear monitors and facial expressions. The look on Tulsa’s face suggests that she is singing as her mouth is open as she looks very serious and into her role. Overall, a mid-shot has been used for this image to show the facial expressions and the main focus is on who the characters are.

This image is a long shot of an R&B/Hip-hop artist called ‘Dappy’. The image allows us to see what the artist is wearing as well as looking at facial expressions. The artist is dressed smart as he is wearing a shirt and tie in which he looks very stylish, sophisticated and sharp in. His posture suggests that he is very confident as he has one of his legs slightly bent, hand in his pocket and of his arms bent over his chest with his hand closed in. This highlights the artist’s personality as shown to be ‘cool’ and happy. The fact that his facial expressions is shown to be serious emphasises that the image may be taken for a photo shoot. Also, depth of field is created as we are able to see what’s behind and to the sides of the artist which is clearly empty. The fact that the character is placed in front of a white background makes the character stand out as the main focus, also suggesting that the image is a photo shoot. The artist is wearing ‘shades’ which implies that they are in fashion grabbing attention from the audience as they look up to celebrities towards the latest fashion.  However, we do not see many people who wear pumps/trainers with a suit; therefore this highlights uniqueness as well as being stylish. 

2nd Double page spread

This double page spread is from a Vibe magazine which is based on R&B and Hip-hop. We know for a fact that this page is from that magazine because it is stated on the bottom of the page in which the page number is indicated.

The image used is of an R&B/Hip-hop artist called ‘Solange Knowles’. The artists name stands out on the page as it is in bright blue which tells the reader straight away that the article is going to be about her in which also shows how important she is.  This draws the reader’s attention into reading and looking at that section of the page. This is because the name which is in blue contrasts against the black writing and white background, therefore the reader will immediately distinguish who the article is about.

The posture of the main image shows innocence that she has as her hands are behind her back, this also emphasises that she has confidence in which the way she has been positioned.  The image grabs the reader’s attention as the model is giving direct eye contact which makes the audience feel personalised. This will draw attention into the article as well as making the reader feel at ease with the artist. The fact that the image is placed on the left side of the pages and is in colour makes it stand out from the rest as they are in black and white. This lets the audience know what to look at first and tells them what and who the article is about.

In terms of the image in colour the clothes worn by the model imply different ideas. In terms of the red dress, the implications of the colour red are: love, romance, passion, fire and sexiness. This may signify her personality which also suggests that what she is wearing is fashionable and d stylish. Therefore, this will interest the audience as young women like to know what’s in fashion and up to date with what celebrities wear. The colour red also contracts with the black and white background which will again gain the audience’s attention towards the artist.

The black and white image at the top of the page gives the reader an idea about the artist’s personality as they discover a better representation of her. Also, the images show a positive side of the artist as she looks active and excited in all of the images through different poses as well as showing her background in which may make the reader feel at comfort. The fact that there are black lines through the page horizontally, divides the page into two between the text and images which allows the reader to focus on the images carefully rather than having difficulty looking at images and reading texts that are dispersed all of the pages.

In terms of text, the page starts off with a small statement which relates to the artist (partly why the name is written in a different colour) which is bold capital letters. This is short, sharp and straight to the point which is used to engage the reader as it gives the article first impressions and a dramatic and secretive effect to it. The texts are written in columns which make the page look well organised and professional as articles are mainly 

written in columns.

The text in bold which is placed next to the image on the right hand side stands out, as the section of this text is in bold black writing which will attract the reader to read the most important part of the text as it may be the main part.

2nd Contents Page

This Contents page is from the R&B/Hip-hop magazine ‘Vibe’. This magazine is read by both genders that are in their teens and upwards. The white outline which is the letter ‘V’ is the name of the magazine name which is shortened. This links in with the main image which takes up most of the page as the image itself is a model that has her legs in the shape of a V. Therefore, this might highlight what the magazine will be about in which the model shows that she may be the main article inside. Her sexual pose, high heels and insignificant clothing is a convention used to highlight the R&B music stereotyping. The fact that she is lying on the floor with her legs up brings her body language to look as though she has had many indiscriminate or casual sexual relationships. Also, the fact that she is looking at the reader and giving eye contact makes the reader feel subjective as well as being the main focus. The way she is positioned also implies that she is self-confident.  This affects the audience which is women as she looks as though she is happy with her appearance in which the audience will therefore look up to her as a role model and read the magazine as they will be Inspired and would want to read about her. Ciara’s clothes, layout of the page and the colour scheme contrast well together as they make the page look professional and formal. The image is of a music artist called ‘Ciara’ who is popular and therefore attract more readers. Both males and females are targeted as males can look at the image and admire the model or females can feel negative about the image as they do not appear to look or feel as good as her or even idolise the model.

The model is wearing silver and gold which suggests that she is wealthy, stylish and elegant. It also indicates that the magazine itself is classy as the model is imitating this to the reader. The lightning of the image is been put thoughtfully. This is shown through the way the model looks, as though she is blooming as the colour around the glow is black which is used on the outline of the models legs/clothes and image itself. This fact that a glow has been used represents ‘angels’ and ‘innocence’ in which the magazine is highlighting but also may be stimulating and deceitful.

The colour of the masthead, ‘Contents’ is in white which contrasts with the background as it is dark and uses shades of grey at the top and gradually moves lighters towards the bottom. This is done to get the audience’s attention as it stands out and is the second main focus of the page.  The masthead is also unique and different to other contents magazine pages as it looks very fashionable which Indicates that the magazine it targeted at of a younger audience such as teenagers.

The contents page is split into two sections, ‘Features’ and ‘Fashion’ which are two headings. This also shows that the reader is familiar with this type of magazine as all ‘Vibe’ magazines contain the same headings on the contents page.  By splitting the contents like this, makes it easier for the reader as is less confusing. It also lets reader find what they want to read as they may only be interested in the fashion section or the features section. Both sections include page numbers with sub headings and information about the story which allows the reader to get an insight about the article. The text which includes words that are in bold letters stand out as they are key words that give the reader an impression of what the article will include.  

Double page spread

This double page spread comes from the magazine called rock sound. The double page spread contains one image which is large and the characters come from the rock band called ‘PARAORE’. The fact that the women is placed at the front, compared to the men shows that she is the leader in which her name is ‘Haley Williams’ and also indicates the reason why she is in colour. This also highlights the fact that she is the most important member of the group as she is the only female singer which is why she gets the most attention.  The title of the band is written in colour and is placed on the left hand side across the page. The fact that it is tilted makes the name of the band stand out more as it is unfamiliar and appealing because you don’t often see the title been placed in this way. The title and Image approve stereotypes against rock fans/people as the title doesn’t link in with the image. This is because the image is taken from a low angle and the title looks flustered in which makes the band look higher, in control and unapproachable. There is not much writing used on the page which indicates that the main attention is the image which is placed in the background. As the background is black and white, it contrasts with the colour of the text as it is white and therefore easier to read. Lastly, there is an explanation of the image on the top right hand side corner to and pull the readers and make them tempted into reading the article which is place on the left hand side on top of the background image.

Contents Page

The contents page comes from a magazine which is called ‘Vibe’ and is an ‘RnB’/hip-hop magazine. The name of the magazine is placed on the right hand top corner of the page. This tells the readers where the magazine comes from and to also remind them the genre so that they do not have to flip back to the front cover but instead carry on reading. The colours used are red and black which are dark colours and also white. However, white is not a dark colour which is used for the name of the page which is ‘Contents’ so that it is clear to the reader. I like the way the image used is unusual and it is not seen often but also attractive because it takes up most of the page and is fascinating, this makes it the main focus for the reader when they first look at the page as it grabs attention. The image is of a character called, ‘Algernod Washington’, also known as ‘Piles’ and is a well-known rapper. The character sings hip hop music which is therefore similar to the magazine because it is an RnB/Hip Hop genre type of magazine. The text on the left hand side tells the reader what is in magazine which is in small writing and therefore could be hard to read. However, the list is put into two categories which clearly states ‘features’ and ‘fashion’ as sub titles. This helps the reader find what they are interested in and may be looking for as a way to make it easier for them, so that they do not need to read through a list to classify what each one is about. Also, the text is written in an alignment which makes the page look neat and professional.