Article Analysis Homework

Aim: To create a detailed deconstruction & analysis of a music magazine double page article – in the style and genre of my own

magazine.

I have decided to analyse Kerrang’s article on ‘My Chemical Romance’ for this homework.

Main Image

Captions

Drops cap Heading

SubHeading

Page Number

Collection of Images (photoBanner)

ColourScheme

Pull quote

Analysis Of Conventions

• Colour scheme-there is usually a simple and consistent colour scheme used throughout the article e.g. reds and blacks. • Captions-these are used as a brief context setter so the reader knows where and when these photos were taken and who they were taken with. • Index tab- this is used to indicate to the reader that they are reading the article genre that they are interested in. • Pull quotes-a quote from the interview is presented in the headline, by the picture or is even used in the text to break it up. The quotes are usually

controversial or shocking to the reader. • By-lines- these are sometimes used in magazine and are put under images to give credit to the photographer or writer. • Main image-the image is normally used as a direct address from the band, helped with eye contact from the artist or band. This (in some cases) can

take up the whole two pages of the spread and the text and other images will be placed over it. • Banner of images (photo banner)-these break the text up; they make the text more attractive for the reader to read. • Heading-this is usually the largest text on the page and will often go through the page divide or ‘gutter’. • Sub-heading-the sub heading briefly explains what the article is about, the name of the artist or the band and is ALWAYS positioned underneath the

headline. • Drops cap-this is often used at the start of the article so the reader will know where to start reading.

Deconstruction of Conventions on the Double Page Spread

• The double page spread denotes a large picture of the main singer of the band “My Chemical Romance” and includes the other members of the band in a photo banner along the bottom of the spread which ‘bleeds’ into the gutter of the page. The text is located in the middle of the second page, surrounded by the pictures and information of new work from the band.

• The title of the article includes the name of a band in a quotation from them, denoting what the story is about. • The text is shaped around the photos and there is a small part of text entitled ‘new MCR tracks-The lowdown.’ In comparison, the text seems small

compared to the other features of the article. They include quoted text from the band and is used at the start of paragraphs to attract the reader’s attention to them.

• The colour scheme on the spread is similar to the colours included in the pictures, with the addition of red to attract the reader’s attention as it is a very vibrant colour.

• The pictures of the band take up most of the spread, which is a deliberate marketing ploy in order to attract more readers to the article, which is comparatively small. The picture on the left shows the singer in a “singer’s pose”, looking down whilst gripping the microphone stand, seeming as though he is about to sing or has just sung. The photo banner on the right denotes the band members in typical “band poses”: playing the guitar, conferring with each other in a recording studio and singing into a microphone in a dramatic pose.

• The lighting is very low key, which we can assume that it would fit into the genre of rock/alternative as dulcet tones are normally used in these genres.

• On the double page spread we can see a man posing with his hands gripping his mic stand, perhaps presenting that he is ensuing a great effort in his performance . There is a very large title beside the image and it is in white and red with a black background colour. The title most of the second page and a little of the first, making it almost equal to the image. The text on the page is split into two sections and the sub heading is also below the title.

• The title “We’re being the best MCR we can be!” suggests that to the reader that the artists are trying their hardest to be a successful band, which is reinforced by the main image on the first page. This may suggest to the reader that they are working on their acts and music to improve for their fans, denoted when the sub heading says “…invite Kerrang! to their recording studio.”

• The colours that have been used are red, black and white. This has been used for effect of the magazine and if the rest of the magazine pages have very bright/dark colours, seeing the double page spread in the middle of the magazine on a black background will stand out massively. The white text suggest some formality so can tell that it is a strong type of magazine and it isn’t for children. The colours of white, black and red also show us that what we are about to read is important because if it wasn’t so important, then it would have been in duller colours.

• The text (in comparison to the image) is very small and almost insignificant. This tells the reader that the main focus is on the band, rather than on what they have to say; as the main image covers most of the first page of the spread.

Analysis of Double Page Article

• Lay out- in terms of the layout, it is a basic one: a piece of text centered on the second page with a large collection of images surrounding it.

• Columns- the columns within the article are very important because they are one of the things that helps the reader to read the article and follow the pattern easily. In this case (like many), the columns have a set width with a certain space in between them and they are positioned to effectively use the space between the shots.

• Font and type size-in this text they have used a sans serif for clear identification of the text pieces. The effect of this font makes the article seem more polished and more professional, adding to the appeal of the article.

• Colours- all of the colours seen in this article are normally associated with the genre of rock s they reflect the emotions of the genre e.g. anger, sadness etc.

• Also, we see the colour white in the text which may used in the title, paired with the black background makes the white text stand out more.

• Page numbers- on both pages, the page number is on the bottom of the pages, helping the reader identify the relevant pages and articles when quickly flicking through the magazine.

• Headline- the headline is used like a masthead ad but this always like to the article on the page.