This document summarizes how the media product represents a particular social group of males and females aged 14-20 who are interested in metal music. The front cover uses images of males holding guitars to represent the male dominance in metal. However, the contents page features females to challenge stereotypes. Colors like black and red are used to represent the rebellious nature and dark aesthetics of the social group. Features in the magazine also focus on typical metal interests like interviews and reviews to specifically cater to this audience.

1. Question 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

2. Photos – Front cover The front cover image is MCU of a male (Rory) holding a guitar in his hand and actually biting the guitar. The fact that I used a male figure for the front cover connotes male dominancy in the music industry. The way he is griping and biting the guitar connotes rebellion and power. This relates back to the social group (who are both male and female aging from 14-20) as they are all about rebellion and over powering mainstream music. Because Rory has long hair and is wearing a black band t-shirt it reinforces the dominant ideology that people who listen to metal music look like this. Also because I’ve shot the photo close up it shows the importance of males in this certain social group. The other images are also of males but this time they are LS. Because the photos on the front cover are all male it shoes that the dominant representation of the social group are male. I am also in a way being stereotypical as people normally associate metal with men.

3. Photos – Contents page Unlike the front cover the photos on the contents page are women. Here I am challenging the stereotypical views of ideology that men are the only ones listen to metal and being more realistic by saying that women too can listen to metal music. The senior editor of the magazine is a female (Laura) which is also going against the stereotypical views that men are in control. This picture is taken at a angle and she has her arms crossed over looking down at the camera which connotes power. Her facial expression is a ‘I don’t care’ look which connotes rebellion also and this represents the ideology of the social group the magazine is aimed at. The clothes she is wearing are black, red and pink. The colours connote femininity but her stance gives off an attitude and goes against the idea that women are sexual objects as she is covered up The other image shows is of a different female (Sarah-Jane). Now because this image is a MCU of her face it shows that the shot is about her appearance but because haven’t sexualised her appearance I’m going against ideology. Because I gave her black lips, dark eyes and pale face I am reinforcing the stereotypical appearance of that social group as they wear dark clothes, dark make-up, long hair sometimes different colours.

4. Title, Colours and Fonts The title Thrash connotes metal, fighting and struggling. It is basically saying that the social group this magazine is aimed for are rebellious against the rest of society. The colours I used for the cover was a traditional black and red. This is because it connotes darkness and anger and it is also the traditional colours for metal. This relates to the social group as it represents their personality and reinforces ideological assumptions about the particular group my magazine is aimed for. The font colour I used for the mast-head was a bold red. This connotes anger and rebellion which is what metal is about and is a stereotypical colour of the group this magazine is aimed for. The font I used was called ‘Action of time’. I chose this font as it gave the magazine a more edgy and harsher look to connote metal music and to relate it to the social group, which themselves have a edgy dangerous look about them.

5. Features The features of the magazine are very typical of a metal magazine as it includes interviews, reviews, competition, gig guides etc. This is because these are the type of things that my social group is interested in. The features themselves are mainly all male features and this reinforces dominant ideology that metal music is more masculine.