How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Evaluation question 2

Front Cover: Dominant ImageThe dominant image of Q magazine and the dominant image of my magazine, Alpha.

I have chosen to compare my dominant image to one from Q magazine of Adele. I chose this image as I believe it is similar to mine as it shows an indie artist with many other similarities to my model.The body language in both images are quite similar as they show the model side on to the camera with their arm on their face. I chose to have my model side on with their arm up as I felt it would imply a sense of mystery, as you cannot see all of the model, and so you wonder what she may be hiding. When looking at my front cover my audience would see someone quite powerful, as the body language (with the head angled upwards) suggests this. I used an eye level, medium shot with direct mode of address as I wanted the audience to feel as though they were connecting with my model, and this is achieved best with eye level shots. You cannot see much of the outfit that the model is wearing and I also chose to have minimalistic makeup as I wanted my target audience to aspire to be like the model, and feel as though they could relate to her. I used high key lighting in a studio setup as I wanted my photographs to look professional so they were more appealing to my audience. I used the facial expression ‘invitational’ as I wanted my target audience to be attracted and have my magazine catch their attention.

When creating my magazine I wanted it to mainly appear to older teenagers and younger adults who were interested in indie music. I decided upon this from doing my research as I found it was mainly older teens who were interested in indie music. I will be targeting my magazine to both males and females as when doing my research I found that both genders would buy my magazine as long as it included recent and popular indie artists. I aimed my magazine towards the working class/lower middle class and I did this by making my magazine relevantly cheap at £3.20, as this would be affordable by all. I also did not want my magazine to be expensive as I am aiming it towards teenagers mainly, who would either just be working part time or unemployed. My Model:I chose a black dress as my model’s costume, although you cannot really see it in the image, as it is minimalistic and would appeal to my target audience as it is simple but can still be classy. I wanted my target audience to feel as though they could relate to my artist as they themselves could dress like her. I also chose very simple makeup and a bold red lip as I felt it was just a little bit different, which is what indie music is all about. I chose red as it is one of the dominant colours throughout my magazine and so I felt it all tied in, also red connotes strong emotional feelings which would stand out to my audience and make them want to buy the magazine.I chose an eye level shot as I wanted my magazine to be quite personal and for my target audience to feel as though they could relate to my artist as she is not looking down on them/making them feel inferior. I did chose to have the model tilt her head up as this shows power, but in a way that my target audience would aspire to have. Fans of indie music would look up to my model as they may see themselves in her, as I tried to make my model looks as ‘down-to-earth’ as possible, with minimal makeup that anyone could recreate at home. I believe my artist represents the everyday girl who has been given an amazing opportunity to become an indie artists and so my target audience would look up to her and it would inspire them to go for their dreams.

My Model