Media Coursework

1. COVER PAGE
ANALYSIS
LUCY ELDRIDGE

2. COVER
1

3. Cover 1
Graphic features of the ‘POSTER SPECIAL!’ – showing two small images of what two of the
posters to add interest to the text and give a preview of what posters are inside.
Colour Scheme- Colours are yellow, white and blue for the text. These colours are very bright
and fresh, they stand out and communicate to a young audience.
There is a pug with a call out saying ‘WE WONT CONFORM’, this text adds to the rebellious
view of it being a rock magazine
The main image- One of the band members is at the front, and the rest are in a triangle
formation behind him. They are all staring directly at the camera- which makes it feel as if
they’re looking right at you- makes it feel more personal. The one at the front is wearing dark
clothing with a leather jacket and chains- this sets the tone and helps to add to the view that
this is a rock magazine

4. Cover 1
Mode of address- Lots of buzz words used to draw the reader in such as ‘WORLD
EXCLUSIVE’ which makes it sound even better than just ‘EXCLUSIVE’ as they are the
first magazine in the world to get this information. The word ‘PLUS!’ at the bottom
of the page in big bold yellow writing- draws attention and conveys that there is
even more great content. There is also the call out of ‘THIS IS ALL WE HAVE!’ from
Lost Prophets, which draws the reader in and makes them want to know what
they’re talking about.
The cover line is slanted across to bring attention to. It is also nearly as big as the
title and right in the middle of the page, so it’s the first thing our eyes are drawn to.
Anchorage of the bat to ‘BATS! BOOZE! BUBBLES’ this is also alliteration used to
interest the reader.
Masthead- follows conventions of being biggest thing on page, looks like the text
has a shattered/broken effect added to it- again adds to the rock magazine feel- it’s
not clean cut

5. COVER
2

6. Cover 2
Variety of fonts and text sizes - ‘THE AUTOMATIC’ the text of ‘the’ is significantly smaller than
the ‘automatic’, so your eyes are drawn to the ‘automatic’. The text of ‘automatic’ is also in
bright yellow which is the first thing the eye is drawn to. The text is also layed out quite
‘messily’ which gives the convetion of a rock magazine. The masthead doesn’t follow typical
conventions here as the cover line is a lot bigger. However the text of ‘NME’ stands out
against the black box around the text and the white outline around the red which does draw
attention.
The mode of address -There is a call out from ‘The Automatic’ insulting people from Big
Brother and calling them ‘dicks’. This instantly draws in the reader as we want to read the
‘gossip’ of them starting a fight. Also the teaser of ‘how their monster hit nearly killed them.’
which is slanting the story as NME assume the readers know what their monster hit is. It is
also anchorage to the image as they are acting slightly crazy in the image- two are pulling
strange faces. Buzz words are also used ‘the ultimate review’ which gives the opinion it is the
best of all the reviews out there.

7. Cover 2
Use of mise en scene in illustrations- one of the band members of ‘The Automatic’ is wearing
glasses which slightly goes against the ‘rock’ feel as he looks quite well presented. The central
man and one to the left are wearing dark black clothing which follows conventions.
Framing of shots. The central image is one of the band ‘The Automatic’. They take up the
majority of the image and the central man is streching out his arm in an effect that makes it
look as if he is holding the words. It almost looks as if he is trying to shove it in our face-
which follows the conventions of stereotypical rock (rudeness, craziness etc). It follows
typical conventions and they are all looking into the camera, makes it feel more personal.
Layout and page design- The cover line is in the central of the magazine- which means this is the
first thing the reader will read. There are plugs at the bottom and around the top which
signify they are of less importance.
Integration of illustration and text- Graphic features of photos are used to support the plugs on
the page, such as the my chemical romance album cover above the words about the album
review. This makes the plug feel and look more interesting and we get a taster of what the
album looks like, before we read the actual review.

8. COVER
3

9. Cover 3
Integration of illustration and text- There is a puff with ‘special report’ inside. This adds to the
look of the magazine and makes it look more interesting to look at as it’s not just plain text.
It’s also finished with a tagline of the authors name- which makes it seem more personal
Variety of fonts and text sizes- The masthead of the ‘Rolling stone’ is in bright red and different
text which draws readers eyes- despite the fact we can barely see it at all. The fact that we
can’t see the mast head at all is quite a risky move, however this suggests that the magazine
must be so widely recognized and it must have so many loyal customers that the mast head
need not be seen.
Use of mise en scene in illustrations, Pink is wearing a black leather jacket with a dark patterned
scarf tied around her neck. This mise en scene connotes quite a rock feel, which looks quite
grungy and young- all of which appeal to the readers of Rolling Stone magazine. She also has
many ear piercings including a nose piercing which again connotes rock and appeals to the
rebellious theme of the magazine.

10. Cover 3
Mode of address ‘The Dark Side of Pink’ – anchors to the background and the central image (as
they’re both very dark). It is also in bold grey which stands out against the black background.
It anchors to the central image as she looks quite edgy and rebellious- suggesting (as the
cover line says) that she does have a dark side. There is then a call out underneath from Pink:
‘Screw anybody who doesn’t like it!’ which appeals to the rebellious theme of the magazine
and again connotes the rock theme. However the magazine doesn’t particularly address the
reader in a personal way- by using rhetorical questions etc, which leaves the central image
and the text the main focus.
Framing of shots- There are no graphic features- other images on the page, just Pink as the
central image. She is taking up the whole page and staring into the camera with her mouth
open and her eyebrow raised- suggesting it is somewhat aimed at males, as they would find
the pose attractive. She’s also pulling back her coat to reveal her chest- again appealing to
males. She is positioned infront of the mast head- which almost suggests she is overtaking
the magazine.

11. COVER
4

12. Cover 4
Layout and page design- There are plugs down the left side of the front cover in a red box. The red
box is used to stand out from the background. The plugs are also all supported by graphic features;
this makes the magazine look very interesting to look at, as there are lots of photos, much more
interesting for the reader than lots of text. The cover line is at the bottom of the page, which isn’t
usually a typical convention of a magazine, but this is used so the first thing we are drawn to is
Manson’s face. There is a list of bands along the top and the bottom of the front cover, this
emphasis how the focus of the magazine is on these bands and artists. The main colours for this
month’s magazine is red, black and white which are colours that signify anger, depression and
violence. This is probably used to link to Marilyn Mansons genre of music and representation.
Mode of address (use of language)- ‘World Exclusive’ –buzz word, suggests that Manson is
very hard to get interviews from and that this magazine are the one of the first to do so
which gives the impression they are a very well respected magazine. They also use expletives
‘At home with the god of f**k!’ which again suggests the rebellious side to the
magazine, swearing on the front cover. To write this they most know their target audience
well and know they would find this kind of language acceptable. They also use lots of bands
names to emphasis how packed this magazine is with information and content- lots for your
money, however they don’t specify what they will be featured in which creates somewhat
mystery for the reader.

13. Cover 4
Framing of shots- Staring very moodily at the camera, matches the moodiness of rock. However this
slightly distances the magazine from the reader as we feel as if he is glaring at us. He takes up the
majority of the front cover.
Integration of illustration and text- The central image represents the text (anchorage) ‘AT HOME
WITH THE GOD OF F**K!’ as it sounds quite a rebellious pull quote, so it is matched with a
moody, quite scary looking Marilyn Manson, it would look very odd if it was matched with a
smiling, friendly looking celebrity.
Variety of fonts and text sizes- ‘Marilyn Manson’ is in big bold white letters, which contrasts
against the darkness of Manson’s hair and eyeliner, draws the reader. The buzz words are in
red ‘AND MORE!’ and ‘PLUS!’ which puts more emphasis on just how much extra content
they are offering.
Use of mise en scene in illustrations- wearing thick dark eyeliner and has black hair, appeals to
the rebellious/individual side of the magazine. He also looks quite gothic which appeals to
many of Kerrang’s readers.

14. COVER
5

15. Cover 5
Layout and page design- Breaks conventions as the cover line takes up the whole page- this is the story
being focused on. There is one plug going along the bottom of the page ‘The verve- how it all went
down’- this would probably be seen last on the page, shows its importance. There is a graphic
feature- an image of reading festival seen at the top of the page to support the ’15 page guide of
the worlds greatest rock festival’.
Variety of fonts and text sizes Doesn’t follow conventions the masthead is smaller than the
coverline, this suggests that ‘The Killers’ are what will draw the audience in the most- as they
are a well recognised band and NME knows their customers/killers fans who have never read
the magazine will be drawn in by it.
Use of mise en scene in illustrations: Wearing a plain dark colour shirt- which suggests that it is
the rock genre again as he is not wearing anything ‘bright or glitzy’.
Audience- Know their audience well as they know what festivals they would be interested in
‘Reading, Leeds’ etc and what type of bands.

16. Cover 5
Mode of address- The audience is asked a rhetorical question ‘CAN BRENDON FIND THE
PLOT IN TIME FOR READING & LEEDS?’ this reveals information about what the article is
about and also directly address the reader, and entices them to want to know more about
how he has supposedly lost the plot. This is also an example of slanting the story as Reading
and Leeds festival are two popular rock festivals- NME know a lot of their readers will be
going, therefore the reader wants to find out if this is going to affect the festival they’re going
to. To back this up this question there is a call out from Brandon himself saying ‘Im having a
personality crisis right now’. This assures the reader that this is actually true. This also follows
the whole rock genre of the magazine of rock stars going a bit wild/crazy.
Framing of shots- The main image integrates the call out of ‘I’m having a personality crisis
right now’ (anchorage) as there is three images of him acting very differently. The last image
seperates us from him as he is wearing glasses and is aimed away from the camera. Although
the middle image follows conventions as he is directly staring into the camera- which makes
it feels as if he is looking at us. There is also two tear/rip marks surrounding the middle image
which again strengthens the rock feel to the magazine.

17. Evaluation
I have learnt that puffs are very important conventions to the front covers of rock magazines aimed at the young
generation, as they add to the look and make it more interesting. The younger generation appreciate and like things
like this, as I have found, the page is usually made to look as interesting as possible
Another convention I have found is that a lot of the time the image is placed infront of the masthead. This is quite a
risky move, though suggests that the magazine must be so widely recognized that the masthead can’t be seen but is
still recognised as that magazine. However I would not be able to do this in my magazine- obviously, as it wouldn’t
be recognised.
Mise en scene is also a very important factor when shaping the magazine and deciding the conventions. I have
learnt that in rock magazines, the celebrities on the cover are typically wearing black leather and dark eyeliner to
connote the theme of ‘Rock N Roll’.
Mode of address is also very important key on front covers. I have found it is typically more effective to directly
address the readers as it makes them feel more involved and personal to the magazine. I could do this on my cover
by using many buzz words, call outs and rhetorical questions.
Also with plugs there are typically graphic features used, such as interesting images used to draw the reader in
further.
I have found that with rock magazines, that the coverline takes up the majority of the page or a third (following rule
of thirds) and is usually at the bottom with the plugs either going down the left sides. I was surprised to find this in
my research as I thought that typically coverlines were at the top with plugs underneath.
Overall this has been extremely useful in deciding the layout of my front cover, especially. I have found out how to
best target my target audience and I am really pleased with the amount of knowledge I have gained from this
research.