Magazine Analysis #2ROCKSOUND

On the cover of Rocksound, the main colours used are silver, gold, black and white. These colours give the cover a premium, but unfortunately dull look. To the audience these colours connote order, a sense of premium quality and value for money. Rocksound’s masthead is simply a bold font and appears to change depending on the house colours of the issue’s cover, as it is denoted as gold copy to match the rest of the gold on the cover. As the masthead’s last quarter is all but covered up, it can be assumed that this is a well known brand that doesn’t necessarily need to advertise itself. It is made clear what the genre of the magazine is, as many famous rock band names are mentioned on the cover, such as avenged sevenfold and My Chemical Romance. The main cover line, which denotes the name ‘My Chemical Romance’ confirms the facts that this is a music magazine, as it’s summary lines mention ‘rock’s finest hour’ and is also anchored to the main image as it is positioned over it and literally denotes the band. The main image denotes the band ‘My Chemical Romance’ by using a medium long shot and features each band member standing confidently and providing direct address. The lead singer is leaning towards the camera and gives the image a sense of depth, as if the singer has chosen an audience member, the reader, to view a special article. This element is used to entice the audience and make them want to pick up and read the magazine, this is also true with the free cd included, which can also be used to deduce the genre of the magazine, music. When looking at the cover, mainly the main image, the audience would likely feel a connection between them and the singer, giving them a sense of fulfilment and happiness, as they feel special. The band is wearing all black from head to toe and have black eye shadow on. This represents the band as mischievous and slightly depressing, providing the audience with a somewhat negative representation of the band and rock itself. This is reinforced by their dreary faces, as not one of them is smiling and are all providing sharp glares. However, the lead singer’s hair is white and he isn’t wearing any eye shadow which contradicts the mischievous representation, instead replacing it with one of a group of honest musicians. However, as the lead singer’s face is also quite depressing, this representation still sheds a negative light on the band and also conforms to one of many common stereotypes about punk rock music and bands. The rule of thirds is used in a very encapsulating way on this cover, as the top two hotspots are taken up by the eye line of two band members, with the lead singer in the middle of the page between all 4 hotspots. This reinforces the idea that the lead singer is the main focus and is in fact being used to create a further connection with the audience. The primary visual area is also being filled by the black parade album logo, to entice and fans of the album to pick up the issue. The tertiary/secondary visual area is taken up by the barcode and price, as it is a legal requirement and is the thing most people prefer to see last on the page, so that they can consider if what is featured on the cover is worth purchasing.

COVER

CONTENTS PAGE

Colours used prominently on the contents page of Rocksound include red, white and blue-grey. These colours connote passion, order, calm and relaxation. In comparison to the cover, the red certainly makes the contents page more lively and brightens it up. The contents page features a smart, professional column layout which details each article by a white red heading and provides red, stand-out page numbers anchored to each article. This gives an impression of a calm and collected genre, which is organised, a positive representation which subverts common stereotypes to do with rock, as most involve rock being a loud and violent genre of music. The name of the magazine is mentioned in the main heading ‘in Rocksound this month’, however the logo itself is not seen on the page, an unusual choice which reinforces my previous point about the magazine already having a large following. There is no editorial present either, which is unconventional as usually something is used to replace the gap such as a social media section or subscription advertisement. Below, three two page spreads can be seen, however they are not anchored to any of the taglines or summaries on the page. This may leave the audience feeling disconnected from the magazine, contrasting the effect of the cover. By representing rock music with a variety of colours on the previewed pages represents a diversity of people and styles within the rock genre. This is a positive representation to have as the use of colour, lighting, clothing and facial expressions show different aspects of rock. These include happiness, energy, order and sadness which all resonate with large pockets of the audience. In two out of three of the previewed spreads, the singers are not providing direct address, rather indirect address as they are looking in the opposite direction to the camera, as if their focus is on something other than the reader. This reinforces the detachment from the issue that the audience may be feeling. I believe that this contrast has been provided to make them try and find these articles without telling the audience where they are. This may cause them to find something else in the issue that interests them when skimming it before purchasing the issue.

(Main) 2 PAGE SPREADThere is a variety of font, including the serif, 3D font protruding from the back of the hall and the smaller sans serif font used in the introduction and article. The variation of font says a lot about the audience. An older audience may prefer to read serif font as it seems more sophisticated, whereas younger fans may want to read more simple and modern sans serif font. By doing this, the magazine promotes a mixed age audience. On the main two page spread of Rocksound, there is little colour used. Alongside the cinema-esque background it seems as if the black and white colour scheme is being used to connote age or at least make the band seem old or dated. This is backed up by the fact that the album being celebrated as a theme throughout the issue is ten years old. The main image denotes the band in all black providing direct address and is likely done to create an unsettling atmosphere which is felt by the audience. The lack of direct address from the lead singer contrasts earlier pages and adds to this unsettling atmosphere, as it shows a disconnection to the audience. The only genre indication provided by the image is the copy pasted over it, giving the band’s name and providing the audience with confirmation of who this is. Also, the black clothing and eye shadow, as well as the unsettling tone could also lead the audience to stereotypically see this as a Rock group. The representations given on this spread contradict those given earlier in the magazine. For example the gang-like presence of the group provided by the steely glares provide a violent and sadistic representation of Rock music. Another negative representation provided may be that those who listen to or produce rock are disrespectful, as the lead singer seems as if his mind is else ware, meanwhile his fellow band members are lounging over the cinema furniture. Primarily in this spread, there is a very negative representation of Rock provided by the magazine.

The featured band ‘MyChemicalRomance’ is featured on each page and acts as a motif throughout the issue.

There is always a mix of serif and sans serif copy to show that this is a diverse magazine and to make it more visually appealing.

On each page, direct address is used in at least one image to capture the audience’s attention.

Each page utilises a minimal colour pallete, usually utilising white and only one or two other colours, as Rock is represented as a relatively bleak and darker genre.