Analysis of Contents pages and DPS at AS level

1. Music Magazine –
Contents Page and DPS
Textual Analysis
Name: Feargus Bracken
Candidate Number: 4009
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic School
Center Number: 64135
OCR Media Studies – AS Level
Unit G321: Advanced Portfolio

2. Subline –
The names of bands or stars are
the prominent features of the
contents pages.
These are followed by sublines
that contain a brief summary of
the article. Verbal codes such as
‘Unholy alliance’ creates audience
appeal due to the empowering
language used.
House Style –
The house style consists of a white
background, with black and red text
to contrast. This creates on the
written text and allows for easier
reading.
The usage of darker colours ‘signifies’
(De Saussre) a darker theme and
content of the entire magazine due
to its entire colour scheme being
based on darker colours.
Page number –
The page numbers exist
in the same font style as
the rest of the content,
but differ in font colour to
provide a clear
distinction, differentiation
and create legibility.
Main Image –
The largest image contains ‘star
appeal’ (Richard Dyer) due to
recognisable star Rob Trujillo
(Metallica). The rude gesture
cements star power for the metal
sub-culture and denotes how the
genre is rough and rugged, which
is how it attracts its audience.
Graphics –
There are a number of additional sections in which different font styles are used. These
alternative, eye catching fonts are useful as they attract attention to smaller articles not on the
main contents list without using the same amount of space, for example at the bottom of the
page.

3. Pull Quote –
The centered pull quote stands out to
the rest of the text, which encourages
further reading. The verbal code
“Overshadow” connotes a sense of
fear. By italicising the title of ‘The
Blackening’, its shows how they fear
all their work being compared to their
most successful album.
Drop Capital –
The drop capital serves to draw
attention to the first sentence of the
article and to encourage further
reading. Whilst easy to make , in
Photoshop with the pen tool and in
InDesign with a specific tool , it is a
eye-catching feature.
Main Image –
The non-verbal code of the main image demonstrates a stereotypical convention of
the genre and of the frontman’s personality, which is of the form of a ‘conqueror
and visionary ( ‘Its been my vision for 22 years’) The inclusion of the throne
connotes his power and hold over his fans.
Graphics –
The non-verbal code of the graphics are
dark themed to match with what the
band the article is about. These graphics
serve to create an emphasis on the text
and the image. The dark colours appeal
to the target audience, as dark is a
stereotypical convention in the metal
genre.
The purpose of the article is for the
reader to learn (‘surveillance’ – Katz)
about the history of the band and
draws in old and new fans.

4. Main Image –
The main image , matched with the content of the article,
creates a character for the frontman of relaxed and laid
back.
Typography –
The use of differing font styles for the
text of the main image and the text of
the article itself allows it to match the
article. The main body of the text is
written in a legible, smart font.
Layout –
The layout is simple, with the
main image taking up one
page and the main body
consuming the rest.
House Style –
The house style of the article is reliant
on a binary of black and white, with
the inclusion of dark pink and red for
additional highlighting purposes.
Questions –
The question and answer nature of
the article allows a reader greater
familiarity with the celebrity being
interviewed. The formatting of the
questions is so that the questions
are highlight with a white
background, giving greater emphasis
against the black text and grey
background. The font size for
questions is also of an increased size.
The page number and name of the magazine are present at the bottom of the
page, with a miniaturised version of the masthead next to the number.

5. Conclusion
• A feature I wish to ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) is the numbering of images to match with the
content on the contents page, as it creates a more eye catching view of the article and
creates a sense of continuity for readers to follow.
• I intend to ‘repeat’ the convention of having my main feature reflect the content of my text in
the means of house colours/image related to the content. This will revolve around a play on
words in relation to the image and band name, which will create attention.
• A centred pull quote of a differing colour to the text, of a
interesting subject matter, creates interest. I aim to ‘repeat’ this
feature to a similar extent in my own DPS with a phrase that
would similarly attract attention, and cause the reader to read
the article for context.