2. 1. Who do you think the core target audience is?
Give examples to support your ideas.
The target audience for the magazine “Hammer” is people that are heavily
interested in metal music, and are dedicated to going to festivals and gigs. This is
because it says at the top “free cd’s!” portraying that music is the key element to
this magazine. There are also pictures of people with guitars, to highlight the rock
conventions. The central image is showing someone stereotypically into metal
music, which is shown through the “rebellion” aspects. For example, he has
long, scruffy hair, and appears to be wearing black leather. The fact that he is on a
motorbike also highlights this attitude. People that read this magazine would
probably follow this edgy style. As there are only men on the front cover, it could
imply that the target audience is mostly male. This is also emphasised through the
dark fiery colours, as colour conventions suggest this is typically more male. All of
the font seems to have an edgy style as well, as they are all bold with
sharp, jagged points. All of this, and the fact that it says “I’m pi**ed of f and angry
again” could suggest a reader that is probably a working class male, and the fact
that it has a busy style shows that it would catch their attention rather than a
classy, organised magazine they might feel uncomfortable reading. Seeing as the
target audience would also enjoy going to metal concerts, then it proves that it is
aimed at an older group of people. The price of the magazine is £3.99, so an older
person with a job would be more likely to get it regularly.
3. 2. What information can you learn about the lifestyle
profile/interests of the core target audience from the front cover.
Give examples to support your ideas.
The typical core target audience would be very dedicated to music, and could
perhaps be in a band themselves. They would be passionate in meeting up
with the band and practicing regularly. They also enjoy going to festivals and
gigs. This is because it says at the top “free cd’s!” portraying that music is the
key element to this magazine. They could also dress much like the people on
the front cover, with a dark, edgy style. It advertises a “free thrash t-shirt” in a
bold, eye-catching circle. Therefore, fans would be very excited to buy the
magazine for the free gift as they listen to this band a lot and want to share
their enthusiasm. As the price is £3.99, they probably have a job and savings
that they put towards cd’s, music magazines and festivals. The typical reader
is probably a working class male, so a free gift would also be exciting as they
may not be able to treat themselves to things much.
4. 3. What music magazine genre codes and
conventions can you identify?
The genre of this magazine is heavy metal, and this is shown through many
codes and conventions. There are also pictures of people with guitars, to
highlight the rock conventions. The central image is showing someone
stereotypically into metal music, which is shown through the “rebellion”
aspects. For example, he has long, scruffy hair, and appears to be wearing
black leather. The fact that he is on a motorbike also highlights this attitude.
The cover is also full of dark, fiery colours with is also associated with heavy
metal.
5. 4. What elements of the house style can you
identify?
The house style of this magazine is full of dark, fiery colours, and metallic
effects. There are repeated pictures of men with guitars, and the same shape
is consistent as well. Therefore, it makes the magazine very recognisable and
distinct in shops. The messy and edgy look of fire is used at the bottom, and
this red colour is also used in text around the page. The layout is very
busy, with writing splayed across the page. All of the fonts are bold and
straight, with some at a slight angle to perhaps represent obscurity. WORKING
CLASS MALES, BUSY REPRESENTS MUSIC.
6. 1. Similarities and differences of the
mise-en-scene
These two magazines appear to be extremely different in appearance when
audiences look at them. For example, the colour schemes are complete
opposites, with Top of the Pops having stereotypical “girly” colours such as
pink and purple. This reinforces the target audience. However, both
magazines have a busy style and layout, with images and text written all over
the cover. For the target audience of Top of the Pops being young girls, they
don’t have a particularly wide attention span, so need to be captured with an
eye-catching style. In comparison with Hammer, although they are both
busy, Top of the Pops looks more organised and clean cut, which reflects the
genre.
7. 2. Layout and style of language
Hammer has a very busy layout, with the background barely even noticeable
as there are so many images, fonts and shapes covering it. On the other
hand, Top of the Pops has a more organised style, portraying the “clean cut”
popstar attitude. However, both magazines have a busy style and layout, with
images and text written all over the cover. For the target audience of Top of
the Pops being young girls, they don’t have a particularly wide attention
span, so need to be captured with an eye-catching style. It also directly
addresses the audience by saying “win a call from your favourite popstar”.
The use of the word “you” sounds personal, and connects with the reader. It
makes the article sound more exciting. Buzz words such as “free” “partying”
and “favourite” gives the magazine a personal feel as well as setting the tone
and mood. Hammer also uses words like “free” as this appeals to both target
audiences, but have used “fast and furious” to give it an aggressive fast
pace, quite like the music.
8. 3. Music genre and conventions
The music genres of each magazine are extremely different, with Top of the
Pops being a pop magazine, and Hammer being heavy metal and rock.
Hammer highlights the “rebellion” aspects, which readers could probably
even relate to. For example, he has long, scruffy hair, and appears to be
wearing black leather. A motorbike is also generally associated with rock and
metal music. The dark colours and use of fire appears dangerous and
wild, which is a lot like the music itself. However, Top of the Pops (although it
has a busy style) has an organised feel to it, conveying the clean cut popstar
feel. The colours are typically girly and there are buzz words such as
“partying”. This highlights the light-hearted fun that young girls would love to
do. It could also give them inspiration.
9. 4. Music artists featured and the
audience they appeal to
Different artists are shown on the front cover to represent their genres.
Britney is one of the biggest selling artists in pop, and represents the genre
perfectly. This is because she has quite a clean cut style, wearing clothes that
could be classed as mainstream and stylish. She is also wearing purple, which
matches the house style of the magazine, and looks girly. The target audience
could aspire to be like her, and perhaps dress the same way. Her blonde hair
and white skin portrays a stereotypical view of a girl that is “perfect”. Her
slight smile represents confidence and a fun attitude. On the other
hand, Dave Mustaine is used to represent the genre of metal and therefore
appeal to fans of megadeth. His style is the complete opposite of Britney’s, as
he has long, scruffy hair and appears to be wearing black leather. He is riding
a motorbike, and the target audience could also follow this edgy style. His
facial expression looks aggressive and challenging, which is also stereotypical
of rock.
10. 5. Special features and articles in both
editions
At first, both magazines seem to have completely different articles and special
features. For example, Hammer is purely interested in the music aspect, and
advertises CD’s. Top of the Pops however, takes a different approach in selling
stories about celebrities, such as “which pop star was a school misfit?”.
Therefore it also clearly identifies the target audience, as younger girls could
perhaps be more interested in gossip stories about celebrities. It mentions
“another bleeping interview” with Eminem, proving that the magazine will be
safe to read and there will not be any swearing. Therefore parents can buy
the magazine for their child without worrying, and it is part of the BBC, with is
a well known, secure company. Both magazines however, use buzz words
such as “free”, to appeal to the working class male of young girl.
However, Hammer has an article which is described as “fast and furious”
portraying the care free attitude of people into the metal genre.
11. 6. Mode of address
As the two magazines have opposite target audiences, the mode of address is
also contrasting to appeal to them. For example, in Hammer there is no direct
form of address to the audience, but only use albums and music to get the
attention of the reader. As it has a very busy layout, the lack of articles isn’t a
problem, and it is still eye-catching and noticeable on the shelf. The man in
the central image is also giving a direct look to the camera, which could show
confidence and could also be seen as quite challenging. As his facial
expression is also quite aggressive, it highlights the rebellion, rock attitude.
Top of the Pops however, takes a different approach, by directly addressing
the audience by saying “win a call from your favourite popstar”. The use of
the word “you” sounds personal, and connects with the reader. It makes the
article sound more exciting.
