First magazine cover using In Design

 

Research of a front cover

 

The model on the cover, Rita Ora, is looking right into the camera. This is a convention of magazines as it is as if she is looking at the viewer. The medium long shot highlights her costume, a short, pale pink dress. It looks relaxed and playful. This cleverly matches the colours on the background and on the fonts. Her make up is natural apart from the eyeshadow and lipstick which is pink to match the mise en scene. The photograph is perfectly central and is in front of all the text, representing her importance. The masthead is right at the top and it in a different pink hue. This highlights the readers attention to the brand. All the fonts on the page are san serif which is neat and easy to read for the older teen and young adult target audience. All the text on the cover is in the same font and is one of three colours, black, white or pink. This creates synergy on the cover. There are also faint divides between the articles on the cover to separate it. The "H" at the bottom shows the publishing company Hearst. In addition to this, the only £1 in the white circle stands out because it is cheap for a magazine. This also links to the target audience of teen girls as this is easy to afford. 

Changes to Music Videos

 There are three types of music video:

1) Performance:

When the band / singer is performing. Usually the star exploiting their power.

2) Narrative:

Fragmented, small sections of a story.

3) Concept:

Ideological power and themes.

1975 - Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

This is one of the earliest music videos. As you can see from the two images, it is performance all the way through. There is no hint of story in it at all. This was done to promote the band which is clear through all of the close up shots. It was also done to allow people to see the band performing as if it was live as in the 1970's, bands and artists such as Queen didn't tour and do shows as often as modern artists. 

1980 - The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star

This music video also contains performance. You can the the singer overlaid on the background on the image. This is still done to promote the band, as later you see other members of the band performing. The difference with this video is that it is conceptual as well. It highlights their concern for the industry with the introduction of video, saying it will "kill the radio." This is also seen through the futuristic mise en scene.  

1984 - Madonna - Material Girl

This music video changed peoples perception on what a music video could be. It incorporated Narrative with the performance. The performance includes choreography to match the music. This is highly voyeuristic. The narrative part works with the lyrics as well. The start of the video contains dialogue and not the song which was something completely new which has been continued until today. 

 

1999 - Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way 

This video highlights the rise of the boyband. There is a very minor narrative with the airport but it is mostly performance. This is seen through the close up of the singers and the choreography to match the music. This is still done to have the same affect as in the Queen video, to advertise the band and please the fans. This can be seen at the end of the video when all the fans join in the video. 

2009 - Lady Gaga - Telephone 

The video, like Madonnas, starts without the song and complete music. This narrative lasts for almost three minutes. This is when the performance and concept start. It is highly voyeuristic which would attract a certain type of audience. The music and the video work together with choreography, with Gaga by herself and with other dancers. This video also contains allusions. The clear one is to Kill Bill with the font at

the start and the car they leave the prison in. There are more subtle references, such as the big shoulders and dance moves which link to Micheal Jackson.  

Photograph analysis

 

In this photograph, the horizon line is in the upper third of the photography where the eye is first drawn to. The eye follows this along to the land on the right hand side which leads to the foreground. The wooden pillar is just of the centre to the right, following the rule of thirds in composition. The shutter speed is low on this photograph which makes the water blurry, creating the feeling of speed and action. 

Framing is used very effectively in this photograph. This sun can be seen through the archway. This creates a silhouette of the person walking down the stairs. The curvature of the stairs creates eye movement from left to right as if the viewer was walking down the stairs. 

Shot Types Photoshoot

 Close Up Shot:- 

A close up shot is very good at showing the fine details of something. In this example it shows the emotion of happiness. You can clearly see the wide smile and the emotion through the eyes. In addition to this, you can see the position of the shoulders which are at a slight angle which suggests excitement as well. 

Medium Shot:-

A medium shot not only shows facial expressions but also body posture and actions. This example shows a funny example where you can still see a smirk on the face but you can also see that the subjects posture which is slightly crouched and holding up the arms. This is useful to show a bigger picture than a close up shot. 

Long Shot:- 

A long shot shows the whole person in the frame. This shows everything that the person is doing so can reveal more than a medium shot. In this shot, you can see the subject is slouched over which implies boredom and tiredness. This is further shown through the lack of facial expressions. A long shot also shows the persons feet which can reveal whether they are planted and stationary or positioned as if they are about to move, creating action. 

First Elements 11 Practical

 

Whilst making this advert I learnt many different skills. I learnt how to import and crop a picture to make sure it was the correct size. I then learnt how to adjust the light levels of an image. In addition to this, I learnt how to add different layers, which can be seen with the text and the symbols. I also learnt how to delete a background off an image which can be seen with the noodle pot in the bottom left. 

Cultural Context in Media

 

There is a clear cultural context in the cover of this Billboard magazine regarding women. The pink background and flowers link to traditional stereotypes of women which are still very prominent today. The emphasised make up and red lip stick continue this. However it highlights the independence and equality women have gained. I’m addition to this, it highlights how women can be competitive and even better that men in a certain job or field highlighting a complete change in culture. With Billboard being an American magazine, it could suggest that in a western culture women are still viewed as traditional. Even the text continues this idea referring to her as a "Queen of pop." However, I think Katy Perry has chosen to represent herself like this to prove to people she can be anything she wants to be, even if that means following stereotypes. This could make her more close and relatable to some fans but could distance her from others. But in the past she has portrayed many different personas and this is another one.