VIBE Contents page No.2

Pretty Ricky is featured on this contents page in Vibe music magazine. The main image here being used is portrayed as a sex object. The fact that he is completely naked with just a hat covering his lower half and takes up over half the page, shows how it should be seen upon as theme of seduction. This is more likely to relate back to a female audience. However it can also relate back to male target audience, to look at the masculinity.

As you see in previous Vibe magazine contents pages the word ‘Contents’ is squashed in the corner of the page. The title is in caps lock, but the rest of the writing is in lower case. This could imply that this magazine is both women and men, because of the layout being all jumbled up, but yet it having a sex object could be used for the female target audience. The use of colour again interprets that this is mainly for a male target audience. The use of white and grey gives the magazine a dull, plain and depressing look. The background is white and grey and therefore Pretty Ricky’s body almost contrasts this making him the main feature of the page. Also this then tries to make the text blend in with the image. This is in contrast to the colour of the header which is black and so that gives it is dominance and powerful authority. The text used is very small and then would not be eye-catching to the reader and possibly quite difficult to read.

Double Page spread analysis No.2

This is a double page spread looking at the R&B group N-DUBZ. Firstly image is taken at a low angle, relating back to the headline ‘Who the hell do N-DUBZ think they are?’ as if they were higher authority and have the almighty power over the audience. The headline is in bold blue text for N-DUBZ, where the rest of the font is in black. So if the main group is highlighted it’s going to attract more fans of the band to buy the magazine. Under the headline there is a sell line, ‘The sound of young Britain, init?’, this gives an indication of what the younger generation’s language is now being spoken in society, and how groups like N-DUBZ have made an impact on it.

The artists are dressed quite casual and specific towards the genre of music they are trying to portray, which also gives them their gimmick. One of the artists has the finger pointed out at the reader, again shows the audience is inferior to the artist, and they don’t care what other people think of them.

The puff in the middle of the image ‘The haters come at you to plunge a big metal ting into your leg or neck’, this can be interpreted as what all artists say about their music, but here they are not just talking about their music but they are talking about the people who don’t appreciate their music or N-DUBZ.

The text is broken down, with one big gutter breaking down the text, this will make the audience consume a substantial amount with reader, without losing their attention to boredom. The mise-en-scene of the article is white, with all three artists placed with girl in the middle, giving a dominant pose.

VIBE Music Magazine Front Cover No.2

The main image on this music magazine front cover is a very sexual pose of Ciara. The way her lips are slightly parted, shows that she is seducing the male reader. The fact that, her head is facing the audience, but she is looking from a side, shows her figure, which is the main aim. Her tight fitted, short length outfit, shows her fabulous figure, which relates back to, the header. The colour of her dress, pose and gesture that she is intending, creates impact of what R&B music is all about. Ciara’s chunky bracelet, gives that R&B image, of being laid back and sophisticated.

The question ‘Don’t you wish your girlfriend was Hot Like Me?’  And the mode of address ’New music’, ‘NEW BODY’, ‘No Bow Wow’ gives automatically tells the audience, the article is about Ciara’s new figure.  Furthermore, the words ‘NEW BODY’ is written in capitals, to show what the main attraction is about Ciara. In addition, it is clever the way the word’s ‘Ciara’ and ‘Hot like me?’ are  deliberately in yellow and bold compared to the rest of the writing which is smaller text, and light blue against a dark blue background, which is aiming to directly sexually seduce the male target audience. Also, it is going to grab the reader’s attention straight away, with big bold text. The header ‘VIBE’ is again in yellow and in bigger and bolder font, to match the rest of the writing.

The starburst on the right hand side is eye catching. ’31 WAYS TO BALL IN MIAMI’, can be interpreted as different ways to do ballroom dancing perhaps.  The size of the text around the image is of different fonts and has kept to the two main colours of yellow and blue. Again as previously seen in other Vibe music magazine front covers, Ciara’s head is covering the letter ‘B’ of the word ‘VIBE’ which again shows the powering, dominant, and careless attitude of R&B artists.  

Double Page Spread No.2

The article I have chosen is the singer Solonge Knowles. The article features some of the conventions that a music magazine should contain such as, gutters around the columns of text, which give it a more professional look. The text is not too much nor too little, so it will keep the article will be kept engaged with its target audience, would not make them bored. The bold lines that separate the row of pictures to the text reflect of the type of theme, being more posh, and so making it look neater. The main headline is in two different colours, keeping ‘SOLANGE KNOWLES’ in turquoise, which straight away to the audience gives it a more feminine look, and addresses the reader who the article is about. It also tells the audience of her success, without the other members of the group, which shows her achievement, and therefore would give a good and positive message out to the reader, that success can be achieved. 

The image is dominant, even though it only takes up a certain part of the page, the fact that it is the only thing that bright and colourful and the dress is red it complements the whole page and embraces it. The row of images of Solonge Knowles, in black and white relates back to it being historically orientated of its fashion sense from its colour. In addition, you could also interpret the row of images, as a more 1920’s style to the article, as the pictures are in black and white and so giving so making it look as if it was in the Jazz ages or roaring 20’s.The pull quote is very emotion as if it is something close to heart. The ‘feathered eyelashes’ and people thinking she is trying to be different but all she wants is people to relax and listen to her music, creates indication to the audience that she is a woman, with morals, pride and dignity, and that she does not just do things to impress and make herself look good, but does things to prove to herself, that she can accomplish and get over hard situations in life.

Contents Page No.1

The Vibe contents page here is aimed at male dominant audience. This is shown through the main image of ‘Ciara’. The fact that she is lying on her back, gives a very sexual gesture. Her facial expression, giving that her mouth is partly open, gives a seductive effect and teases the male reader. Her legs are shown nude, in a shape of a ‘V’ relating back to the name of the magazine which is Vibe, shows how it is still loyal to his readers, and grab the male gender’s attention. Also, it is almost like her legs are being pulled by strings, to says that ‘Ciara’ is wants to be controlled, however we can say by giving a sexual pose to the reader, she is also making herself look very innocent and defenceless against the reader, if the position of her legs look as if she is being controlled.

The colours of the page and ‘Ciara’s’ clothes are grey, which is a perfect example that this is a male music magazine. The colours show very dull, masculine and aggressive tone, to the reader.

 The text is in black and small, which also reflects the male dominance. The header ‘contents’ is in upper case, bold and white, which grabs the reader’s attention. The fact that it is all jumbled up like on three lines, gives the reader a sense that is for men, creates impact and reflects that men, don’t care if it is like that, and are not fussy on the layout, as they are male, and treat themselves as higher authority. The text on the page is all in one column on the right hand side. There isn’t a lot of text which is good, as it would not bored the reader.  Furthermore we can say that the magazine is male dominated as it tells the reader that there is ‘fashion’ included in the magazine on male R&B artists, and it features male R&B artists, such as ‘Pretty Ricky’.

VIBE Front Cover Analysis No.1

This Vibe music magazine front cover is aimed at a male dominant target audience. The main image of ‘Lil Wayne’ creates an effect of a careless, powerful, moody and serious attitude to the reader. This image is more likely to attract the male target audience as it shows how males act and consider themselves to be the one with all the power and high authority over women.  

The outfit that he is wearing reflect on the image that ‘Lil Wayne’ is trying to portray. The ‘bling’ that he is wearing represents a very repulsive, aggressive and pimp like image.  The word ‘RAPE’ on his belt creates strong effect, because it is in upper case. Here it shows power of the male gender over women. Furthermore it again reflects on his careless attitude, of what people think of him. The mass amount of tattoos imply on the genre of R&B. The fact that the tattoos are on show with the jacket zip undone creates impact that ‘Lil Wayne’ is not ashamed of what people’s opinions are of him and of his body, and that he wants everyone to know that he is above all the rest, by looking at his facial expression. His mouth is open and his eyes are looking down on the reader giving the higher status look and making the reader feel uncomfortable.  The gold chain around his neck gives a more gangster image.

 The colour of his jacket is pink, which creates an impact of ‘Lil Wayne’ being masculine with his pose to the audience of a very serious gesture, but can also be described as feminine. This is because of the writing of ‘Lil Wayne’ being in upper case, pink font and bold, and the rest of the writing in black, upper case and normal writing. The words ‘loving Trina’ can be interpreted as his idol as she is an African America rapper.  We can say here that he is showing some respect towards women, if he saying he’s ‘hating the hot boys and loving Trina’. The fact that ‘Trina’ is underlined shows the passion that he has, which would grab the reader’s attention straight away. The constant use of pink through the fonts and his clothing can suggest that maybe he is not completely someone who wants high authority, but someone who has dignity for the opposite sex, and isn’t afraid to show it. Adding on to this, we can say that the pink font, can relate back to that ‘Hollywood’ look. The header ‘VIBE’ is in uppercase, big, bold and black, showing a very aggressive colour, for a male target audience. Again this shows that it is a male dominant music magazine. The position of ‘Lil Wayne’s’ head covering the letter ‘B’ his male dominance, high authority and tyranny.  The low jeans, showing most of his boxers, gives a sense of black culture, as it is their image. Plus, it shows ‘Lil Wayne’ is shameless, in what he is showing, as shown from what the reader gets of his personality which is a very serious and careless attitude. The use of mode of address is shown as male dominant. ‘JAHEIM, A THUG’S PASSION’, the word ‘thug’ is very masculine, aggressive and repulsive. This gives a powerful effect.

Questionnaire

Please complete all of the following questions.

For all the multiple choice questions, please tick as many that apply to you.

Please answer honestly. Thank you

1.)  

           1.)  Which of the following is your favourite type of music?

o   Rock

o   Classical

o   Heavy Metal

o   RnB

o   Pop

      2.)    Who is your favourite artist(s)/band(s) and why?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3.    3.) Do you often attend gigs or festivals, if ‘Yes’ how often do you attend and where do you go?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4    4.)  What articles or topics would you like to see in a magazine?

o  Health and Beauty

o  Concert/gigs information

o  Celebrity Relationships

o  The latest albums

o  Celebrity’s personal life

o  Promoting latest product and items made by your favourite bands artists, in stores near you.

5   5.)  If you were to go into a corner shop, how much would you be willing to pay for a music magazine?

………………………………………………………………………………………….

 5  6.)   On a music magazine front cover, which of the following is more eye catching for you?

o  The Heading

o  The main image

o  The cover mount (the free gift attached)

o  The other little images

Other        Please specify…………………………………..

     7.)    Are you a big fan of music

o  Yes

o  No

8   8.)  Do you play any musical instruments?

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9.  9.)   What type of music magazine do you like to read?

o  Vibe

o  Mix- Mag

o  Kerrang

o  Top of the Pops

o  NME

o  Q

     10.)  .Please give a brief description of why you listen to music?

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Thank you for completing this questionnaire, it is most appreciated.

 TAP AND MISSION STATEMENT

The name of my R&B music magazine is called P.I.M.P, which is going to be sold in all supermarkets, corner shops and high street shops at £2.50. The magazine will promote/celebrate the music genre of R&B. In addition the magazine will explore black artists such as Beyonce, Ciara, Rihanna etc, music culture and how they portray R&B music to their audience.

Furthermore there will be a variety of different topics and subject matter featuring in my music magazine such as, competitions for the public to win tickets to go and see R&B singers at gigs and concerts live, the latest concerts or gigs coming out over the country for the public to go and get tickets, to read about interviews with R&B celebrities talking about their career so far and other areas of their life. Health and Beauty tips will also be included, with stories and advice from singers to help the reader chose the right treatment for them.

Additionally my music magazine will feature articles on singer’s professional career and how they cope under the pressure of living up to the camera, and aiming to please their fans. I promise to provide gossip, the latest information from the R&B music world, and what the R&B genre celebrates in order to satisfy my target audience’s needs.

The values and beliefs of my music magazine are to celebrate black female artist’s music and culture. The magazine will reflect the cool, brooding and sexy personality of R&B music, and suggest the audience’s passion for all things R&B. Because it is aimed at a largely female target audience, it will have an air of ladylike sophistication and will show a celebration of female R&B acts through the colours and images shown. The mode of address will be quite a friendly and sophisticated tone, but yet there will also quite sexual language, to help the female audience feel better about themselves.

The type of people who will be reading my music magazine, will female, in the age range of 16-25. They will like R&B music and people who do not like it who will pick up my magazine, and they may want to consider reading it, to see whether they like it. My audience maybe still in school/college or have left school/college to go to University. Their professional status maybe, has just started working in their new job graduating from University. Or school/college student, are possibly in part time jobs. Their marital status will most likely be single or in a relationship. They would probably not be married, as they maybe still are a bit young. The personality of my audience will be quite cool, relaxed, Jazzy, open minded and possibly try to act like someone of the black culture.

My target audience’s hobbies, maybe reading, going out with friends, sports activities such as netball, basketball, swimming or cheerleading, listening to music and going on the computer i.e. MSN, face book, music websites. In their spare time, they may want to go out with friends, study for exams (considering their age), and going to the gym/youth club, going to parties or clubs. The kind of music they’ll like listening to, would be a mixture of R&B, Jazz and dance, which all three come under the black culture of music and therefore express their views, opinions and beliefs.

R&B music will play a big part in my target audience’s lives. The music would be something to listen to get away from all their problems probably they have from School or College or Work. When they go to parties or clubs, R&B music is the kind of music they would listen to. The music they listen to in their leisure time and spare time would be R&B on an MP3 player or I-pod etc. Furthermore, R&B music represents my target audience, because R&B artists show events and issues of everyday life that happen to teenagers, such as racism, love, bullying, drugs and sex, which are revealed in their songs, so this music magazine will be more of a friend to my reader, as it will help them express opinions and feelings.

My target audience will listen to other media texts such as: The Internet: looking at Face book, Bebo, My Space, and MSN. Films: maybe love films, films which involve R&B music and themes which are in their songs involving racism, sex and violence such ‘Step up 2 the Streets’ Stomp the Yard’ etc. Listen to ‘Kiss 100’ on the radio. They will obviously also read the Vibe music magazine.

Original Brief 

The task I have been set this year, is to create a plan and a computerized version using Adobe Photoshop CS4, a music magazine of my choice. I was told to pick a specific genre, which I had decided to choose R&B for a female target audience. I am going to carry out, analytical research to help me get a more in depth insight into the genre that I am going to be presenting. I will be doing this by analysing a two Vibe music magazine front covers, contents pages and double page spreads, because it is an R&B music magazine. Furthermore, I will be looking at the main images, Masthead, Banner, use of text and colour etc and outline all the key aspects that give a basic set view to the audience of its aims, purposes and beliefs.

Secondly, I am going to be creating a TAP (Target Audience Profile) and Mission Statement, which will cover all the areas of what my music magazine will be like. The information that will be contained will be points on the name of my magazine. How much my magazine will be on sale for? Where it will be on sale. What kind of music genre does my magazine celebrate? What type of articles will be included? What I will promise to deliver to my target audience. What are the values and beliefs of my music magazine? The style of my magazine. Who exactly is going to read my magazine? In addition, there will be questions answered on my target audience, such as the gender of my target audience. Their age range and professional status. Their marital status in life. What is their personality going to be like? What are their hobbies and how do they spend their leisure time? What is the kind of music they like listening to? How much does music play a big a big part in their lives? And finally what other media interactions and texts do they use and enjoy?

Thirdly, I will be carrying out a questionnaire on 10 people in the age range of 16-25. This will be done to see what my target audience like listening to and what their views and opinions are. The questionnaire will be handed out to people who are more likely to still be in school, college or university. There will be questions asking them who their favourite artist or band is? What is their favourite genre of music, why do you like listening to music? After I have carried out the questionnaire, I will be analysing the results on Microsoft excel to conduct graphs and charts, so it shows what my target audience had responded, and what they would like to see in my music magazine. I will be then using this information to help me conduct my music magazine, ensuring me I meet the demands and aims to my target audience.

After I have carried out the questionnaire and produced my analysis, I will be brainstorming the codes and conventions of the genre of R&B. I am going to be looking at poses, gestures, body language and attitudes R&B artists create. To continue, I will also be carrying out costume research and looking at ideas of what female R&B artists wear, to give me a broader and fresher view, of their clothing and jewellery. Here, I am going to be looking at what colours, designs and patterns etc female R&B artists wear and why they chose to wear it, also how this would make an impact on their target audience. To add to this, I will also be creating a locations list, which will be looking at mise-en-scene for example settings, props, body language and facial expression of R&B artists. Then, I will be carrying out reconnaissance, which will look at locations that I will actually be using in my music magazine. Next I will be deciding on which ‘artists’ I will be using, by choosing appropriate actors. I will also be carrying out taking practise shots, and when I do this I will take about 2 or 3 in case I do not like them and just for experimental purposes as well, so at least I will have more than one shot. Afterwards I will be producing mock-ups of my front cover, contents page and double page spread. Finally I will be carrying out a post-production questionnaire.

Once all the planning is completed, I will be taking all of my real shots and producing my front cover, contents page, and double page spread on Adobe Photoshop CS4. This will be carried out over a few weeks. Finally, I will be doing an evaluation, linking back to the aim of this project, which was to create an R&B music magazine for a 16-25 aged target audience, and seeing whether I have met their requirements.