Evaluation Question 2

2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My product is aimed towards music fans that appreciate rock/alternative genres, usually associated with a garage scene. The model for my front cover is a teenage boy around the age of 17-19. I chose this age group as it matches the target audience for my magazine, as usually at around this age people take music very seriously and it becomes a big part in their lives, especially those who are fans of rock. The model is wearing very plain and simple clothes, nothing specific; this is too helping the readers keep an open mind about the magazine at first. He is wearing red and blue, these colours were carried on throughout the magazine, this helps it all match and help give my product organisation. In my final product I will try to get my model to wear clothes that really show off the genre, this could be through ripped jeans and baggy hoodies and t-shirts. The expression of the cover is very unusual. This is because only strong fans will understand the facial expression of my model, as at first he seems to be pulling a very serious face, but everything around him, e.g. the writing, the bands and features, all show that the magazine is all about alternative/rock so it isn’t taken quite seriously, so if anything the pose is more of a joke. Then when you compare it to the double page spread we see the true identity of my character revealed. This is because he is pulling quite an angry, crazy face with his arms raised at the camera. I constructed my artist profile to be a young, innovative band the like to do what they do and produce to the best of their ability to make their fans happy. This is represented in the double page spread article really well, as it says about them loving what they do and really appreciating their fans. Also the crazy side of the band is revealed not only with the image but with the stories they tell within the article. I also represent the artist profile through the content on the front cover, with the types of bands I mention and the cover lines I chose. These all generate the style I am going for, and with fans noticing other types of bands that fit the genre it will be reinforced. My contents page is specific to people that love the genre I am aiming for, this is through the bands that have been mentioned and the actual contents. For example the reviews of the top albums of 2011. Generally, fans of pop or manufactured music won’t necessarily care about the quality of music, as a lot of the time it is all about the image of the artist. The use of a female character also appeals to the female gender, as I decided to keep this mostly for men but of course there is no point not having anything for women, as it generates more readers and therefore a bigger profit. I kept it appealing to men by using the strong words on my coverlines, plus the attraction of a female model would pull in men on the basis that they would be attracted to her. This works the same way with the famous rock band Paramore, as their singer is a yuoung attractive woman so they use this to gain a lot of notice and fame.