Music magazine

At the minute I'm quite undecided on what type of music i want to produce my magazine on, so instead I've research a different variety of magazines and music types to help me make my decision.

The pictures above all represent the theme of trance music. Trance is generally represented by logos, pictures and tags. The pictures above show the theme of nudity which is used a lot when advertising trance. Tattoo's are also very common within the theme of trance as you can see from Carl Kennedy at the top. I picked out these pictures as they show a good representation of trance so when i come to photographing my front cover i can justify why i did what i did.

Virtual music magazine shows a good overall look of how trance is shown and what theme it follows.

I have found ideas of magazine covers and spreads from both trance and other magazines that have inspired me.

This page spread inspired me because i like the way they have used dark colours as if it was at a festival and the way they have included a picture from a concert. As people are used in the image it shows what kind of atmosphere you experience when at festivals. I also like i the phrase 'for the love of house music'.

In this spread i like the way the image is on half of the page whilst the writing is on the other. This is promoting the DJ and also the writing is giving us an insight into his thoughts as he is writing it himself. This has inspired me to do a double page spread in my magazine from my DJ's point of view. I also think the border used makes the magazine look more appealing.

I like the images used as they are very seductive and fit in with the male gaze theory, which is the theme trance magazines tend to follow. The images make the magazine more appealing and this has created extra ideas for my front cover. I like the Vanity Fair page as Madonna stands out and is the first thing you look at.

I like the magazine cover on the right, the U2 one. I like the way their name is bigger than them, And as U2 are a very famous world wide band this is showing how big they are as a group. I like the colours used, they stand out and look attractive.

This contents page appeals to me because it has a variety of colours which makes the page look more attractive. It is also set out clearly, it includes images and summer blast dates. Its informative yet it isn't writing in long paragraphs.

Music video analysis

I chose a music video that i thought we could apply the Male gaze theory to. At the very begining of the video it features a girls stomach where a close up shot it used. This is used to grab the attention of the audience as it appeals to many males. A long shot is also included to show a girl walking towards the camera, she is wearing a very small bikini which shows off her body. She also has a small tattoo towards the lower abdominal part of her body, this draws attention to her stomach. This is effective as it captures her whole body and shows her figure off. Both women and men want to see this as women aspire to look like that and men want their girlfriends to look like that. When she enters the gates the man on the door stares at her, and this is representing a stereotypical male. This is relating to Laura Mulveys theory as she said the media is viewed from the propspective of a hetrosexual male.

Seven areas of representation

There are seven areas of representation... Gender, sexuality, class and status, age, ethnicity, regional identity, and physical ability.

Shameless

We watched a clip of a series called Shameless. We had to analyse different characters to see how they were represented in series one and how Mise en scene is used.















Many binary opposites occur within Shameless as Fiona is a shy girl, who doesn't speak much and likes to do things herself. Her best friend is very loud, obnoxious, very forward and dresses very differently to Fiona. This is contrasting the two characters. Fiona and Veronica have a night in the town, Fiona is wearing a red dress which symbolises romance. Fiona dances on her own and the clip is slowed down to show Steve watching her, this is using the male gaze theory again as she is focused on to give her the attention from the male (Steve) who is watching her. Veronica is very different as she dresses in a shiny black dress and she has bleach blonde hair. She likes to dance with the boys and she speaks her mind. She calls the bouncer a 'fat twat' showing she is very outspoken and forward. This again contrasts the two characters as binary opposites. There is also Lip and Ian who are two brothers. They are very different to each other as Ian comes across as very insecure and innocent. He also hides the fact that he is gay from his family so he is shown as very secretive. However his brother Lip is very intelligent when it comes to physics, he is also very resourceful and is capable of looking after himself. He is very out spoken and doesn't hesitate to speak his mind. Again this is contrasting the two characters as Ian keeps himself to himself yet Lip speaks out.



The 39 steps




We watched a clip from the film The 39 steps. We analysed the two main characters from what we could see being represented. Josh Hannay is the main character. He is very well dressed as he wears a suit which we generally associate with upper class people. He is very well spoken and is seen as a bit posh as he has clear pronunciation of all his words. He comes across as a very 'manly man' as he is running away from spies and the police. He also comes across as unfazed that the spies are shooting him. The camera work used when filming this scene is clever as it uses a point of view shot which enables us to see the action from how the character would see it. This is effective as it involves us in the film more. He is shown to be a city boy but as it is shot in the country side we are left with the question as to why he is there. As he is alone he comes victimised and vunerable which lowers that 'alpha male' aspect. Victoria Sinclair is also another main character, she is one of the only women seen in the clip we watched. This highlights the time when the film was set, as women were very inferior. Victoria is a very strong minded, stuborn character as she likes to speak her mind. She believes very strongly in women rights as she is seen arguing for women rights in voting. She uses her feminity a lot throughout the film to get her way, however she shows masculine trates. For example she lifts her dress up to climb over a wall.

Camera Angles and filming

Long shot
When telling the audience where the film is set, a long shot is used. This lets you show all the important information.
Medium shot
The most commonly used shot, this is used to show any character interaction
Close up
This is used when there is something important to show/tell the audience.
Reverse shot
This is used for dialogue.It focuses on the character talking and the camera is positioned over their shoulders.
Tracking shot (parallel)
The camera is perpendicular to the action and follows the subject or action.

High angle
A high angle shot connotes power over the object you are viewing to show status. e.g. a giant over looking a human,
Low angle
This is designed to make an object appear stronger.

Editing
Continuity (Hollywood editing) follows the shows A to B
Montage (Soviet)
When shots are connected in different orders to have an effect on the audience, and make us think and fill in the blanks.
Montage (Hollywood)
The way the narrative is presented. A lot of action compressed into a small number of shots.
Transition
The move of one shot to another. E.g. one shot to a different one, or one faded into another. This sets the mood or the pace.
Cross cutting/ parallel editing
Editing that alternates shots of two or more lines of action occurring in different places, usually simultaneously.
Dissolve
Transition between two shots. First gradually disappears, second gradually appears.
Wipe
another shot comes across like a picture.
Action editing
the pace gets quicker.

i applied some of these techniques when filming my prelim. For example i used a reverse shot to film the dialogue. This was effective as it enabled the audience to see both sides of the conversation and who was speaking. I also included a long shot of me walking towards the computer room. This enabled the audience to get an idea of the scenery and where the film was taking place.

Valdimir Propp

Valdimir Propp was a theorist that studied ancient Bulgarian story tales. He analysed over 100 Russian fairy tales, and he believed that characters have certain functions and roles.

He stated that every story has certain characters within it...

• the hero = the one who seeks something


• the villain = the opposite of the hero


• the donor = helps the hero by providing the magic object


• dispatcher = sends the hero off


• false hero = falsely assuming the role of the hero


• helper = gives support to the hero


• princess = the reward for the hero, also to be protected from the villain

We watched a Disney Pixar called 'Boundin'. We had to analyse the film and determine the roles of each character.