In my country magazine “Bonafide” I followed a majority of
the codes & conventions typical of that of the major magazines within the
industry. Evidence of this is explained
in the following. Most obviously the usual features have been utilised such as
a front cover and masthead etc however
however more notable are subtle features like a Super Imposed Main
Central Image which is a conventions of making the main central image to
overlap the masthead giving a sense of high importance.
Super Imposed Main Central Image.
I have also utilised social media which is expected of in
the magazine industry even in the country demographic to have in order for a
magazine to be successful, utilising Web 2.0 the reader can engage with
“Bonafide” outside of the magazine using proliferated hardware and apps etc.
Also rather than using a full stop for a ending sentence to
an article I followed the codes and convention of the major magazines and used
a tombstone or ending of article proof mark, this tells the reader the articles
has come to a conclusion via a company logo or a Black Square as i have done
so. (This technique is evident in major magazines such as the NME as seen in my
exosting research of magazines)
In order to make the demographic feel part of a community or
a club whom only ‘listeners’ will be able to understand and comprehend I
utilised colloquialism or slang related to my demographic. This information was
found during my demographic research area of the task. I utilised a slang term
in my double page spread in two articles; the interview and fact file. For
example I wrote in the text for the editorial “Y’all” this is a abbreviated or shortened
term for “you all” utilised in America particularly the South in which country
music is heavily listened to and produced along with major Record Labels are
stationed from. This is following a convention from major magazines as they utilise
colloquialisms to cater to their audiences and demographics also e.g. using
words like "Sick" in a rap magazine such as The Source. The editorial shows some of the slang language used.
Also I have utilised a band or artist
index which is a modern developing convention used by major well known
magazines such as the NME. It showcases the artists featured within the
magazine to attract attention using major artists as a selling point such as
Country Superstar "Taylor Swift" who has reached out to a colossal
amount of music listeners outside of the Country demographic such as Pop and
Dubstep listeners. By using ubiquitous Artists who cater to more than one demographic and is placed on your magazine banner on the front page, the magazine reaches out to
thousands of more potential subscribers and frequent purchasers of your
magazine.
However I have broken some conventions both within the major
magazine industry and the country music demographic magazines. Firstly I have
used a unusual un-formulaic masthead which is not typical of the magazine
industry. It is a wooden signage masthead with the text “Bonafide”.
Also I utilised iconography which is a convention, the iconography
used is the wooden banner symbolising the Wild West and the country music
demographic Wild West Heritage staying loyal to its roots. Also a community of
country listeners again is being catered to via the use of the word “ Bonafide”
this means genuine or real which is used majority of the time by Americans and
only the Country listeners will identify this colloquialism making them feel
like a close knit society of country music listeners which is vital for a
successful magazine.
Another breaking of the conventions this time is within the
demographics’ magazines itself as via the screen print of the magazine cover of
‘Country Weekly’ and Bonafide it is easily notable that I have avoided making
my magazine cluttered but still added many side articles to give a packed full
of content feeling to the cover. ‘Country Weekly’ has more than 3 images on the
cover whereas mine only has one in comparison which is the main central image.
Another point to mention is the fact that I abided by the use of
another convention which is the use of Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs. My main central image features a fictional artist with the
stage name Jack Jameson Jr. A segment of Maslow's hierarchy of needs is called
"Self Actualisation" which is a human desire to reach your optimum
potential. Though actually achieving this is nearly impossible my Main Central
Image emulates exactly that as he is an inspiration to middle aged country
listeners (majority of country listeners middle aged via my research- Country
Questionnaires) as the main article of the magazine states, He was an
Alcoholic, his lifestyle had a huge negative impact on those around him if it
be family or friends etc however he defeated the odds and is now a highly
acclaimed Country Superstar. As you can tell this is a "Redemption"
type of article and is inspiring (particularly to Country
listeners/demographic) as it involves religion heavily and religion and faith
with some aspects of Conservative views is present in the Country demographic. Via the utilisation
of a "Redemption" type fictional artist I have successfully used the
theory (Maslow's) and catered to the country demographic simultaneously. My
main central image can be seen below.
Yet another convention followed is the appliance of Mise En
Scene in photos and images which are utilised in magazines. Mise En Scene is
"everything on scene" and this reveals subtle and obvious elements of
the photo which can connote, symbolise and use iconography to reveal stories
and hidden meaning within that one image. My main central image utilises heavy
usage of Mise En Scene which cater and appeal to the country demographic, as
you can see the model above is wearing black clothes which connotes to Johnny
Cash using semiotics and symbolisation as Johnny Cash is a well known American
songwriter and artist who performed Rockabilly and various other forms of music
genres which reach out to the country demographic. He was known as the
"Man In Black", this is instantly recognisable via his clothing
connoting that.
Another piece of Mise
En Scene utilised is the Artist's acoustic guitar stating "This Machine
Kills", using iconography and semiotics this guitar is replicating Woody
Guthrie's guitar that stated "This Machine Kills Fascists", he was a
famous country artist who is immediately recognisable by Country demographic
and hence makes the readers feel like a community of country enthusiasts with
specific content tailored for them, this also gives a sense of belonging and
love which can be linked to Maslow's Theory. The fictional artist even talks to
the readers who do not recognise the icon he is trying to replicate as a
tribute, via this the magazine caters to a much older audience of country
listeners and blends it together with the modern country listening audience and
using the Juxtaposition of these two elements the magazine has brought an old
icon into a modern context.
Another piece of Mise En Scene utilised is my image of the
fictional artist sitting down, tilting his head toward the ground and Hypereality
utilised also to fade the legs and give a sense of victory or emerged from the
darkness type feel (all of those photos can be located in the Double Page
Spread sections of the Bonafide magazine) ( Hypereality catering to yet another
convention used to perfect Humans in a fictional way with almost impossible
human aspects like the "perfect body" with no visible flaws or seams,
found in majority of front cover main central images within the magazine
industry). Sitting down with a high angle shot using camera techniques tells
the reader this man was once weak and is humbled, head tilted down shows a
element of shame in his persona for his acts in his "dark age" of the
man's past, finally the low angle shots show dominance and power clearly
suggesting this man is successful and has superiority over his drinking problem
adding to the inspirational and redemption themed article atmosphere. Via the images below it is clear who I am trying to replicate in order to make my fictional artist appeal and cater to the country music demographic.
It can be argued that "Bonafide" magazine is
formulaic in its use of codes and conventions within the magazine industry
however within the country demographic it is abstract and a new interesting
form for the listeners to enjoy. It has codified content that has been pre
determined to cater and appeal to the Country demographic varying from via
language, use of colloquialisms specific to the demographic and imagery all the
way to Mise En Scene and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
No comments:
Post a Comment