Feature Analysis

After I analysed pop magazine front cover and there contents pages, I now am going to analyse the feature articles to see how I can make a successful feature article by finding out the common conventions. Here is some of the work I have created on Prezi:

http://prezi.com/lepjlevlxef3/pop-music-magazine-feature-articles/ 

This magazine feature article is a question and answer, this article is from We Love Pop magazine and is aimed at audiences from 12 - 15 year olds who are straight white British females. The audience demographic band of this magazine are C1 to E

Masthead/Typography/lexis
The masthead follows some of the common conventions by having it at the top of the page however it only spreads across one side of the page and most mastheads will spread across both the pages if there is two, but when you turn onto this page your eyes immediately get drawn to it so it fits its purpose because its bold and colourful. The masthead is a quote from one of the question and answers making the potential reader want to know what they are talking about. The writing is on top of the pink and it gives off the effect that its being highlighted with white making it stand out on the pink background. The masthead is all the same size and they have used the same font making it look professional and tidy, they changed the colour of 'never' to purple so it stands out they have used purple as it appeals more to girls than to guys. For the semiotics, the lexis is used for the colour of the 'Never' as it hits the target audience and it also stands out on the page and emphasises the word, this links to the Hall and Holmes theory (1998) 'Any media text is created for a particular audience and will usually appeal most to this particular audience.' The font that has been used on this magazine feature article has been kept to the same style to keep it looking professional. The questions that they are asking are in a different colour to the answers so its easier for the readers to look at and understand what each part is. As there is two people answering the questions they have the names next to the answers in bold so you can clearly see who is answering what question and you don't have to guess. Just above the interview there is some small text used telling the readers about Jordan and Perry just incase you didn't know them but still want to read the interview anyway. They have stuck to the same colours through out the interview. In the bottom left hand of the page there is a yellow circle with speech marks around it and in the circle there is black writing with a bit from the interview, this will attract readers as they would want to find out more. 

Layout/Text boxes
The layout includes a masthead which is at the top left of the page. It sticks to the common convention of having a large image in the centre of the page which captures your attention, The picture is of the people who are being interviewed so the reader can identify who they are. The text has been placed into columns and there is are circular yellow text box with a quote from either of the boys who are being interviewed, this gives the potential reader an idea about what the interview is about and looking at the columns could get a bit boring and tedious. The whole Question and answer has been put into white text boxes to make it stand out on the page. The background alternates, as its stripy pink and white with the white text boxes. They have only used the page number on the left page but not on the right page obviously presuming the reader would know what number the page is by looking at the left page. There is also 2 more yellow circular boxes on the right page giving the reader information about the chance to win a dance lesson and the other with a QR code.

Colour
The magazine Feature article follow the common conventions by having a colour palette using yellow, white, pink purple and black. The denotation of yellow is optimistic and cheerful which connotes the magazine as these elements and shows that its a happy article and wont leave you feeling depressed.
The denotation of white is purity and innocence which could link with the readers of the magazine and goes against Stanley Hall's theory (1904) of 'Adolescence is inherently a time of storm and stress when 'all' young people go through some degree of emotional and behavioural upheaval' and he uses the colour black to back up his theory. Black is only used in this article though for text and in terms of iconography its what you expect to see as the colour of the font. The denotation of pink is harmony and emotional balance, encouraging common sense connoting that this magazine isn't a load of rubbish. The denotation of purple is It can be creative and individual or immature and impractical this could relate to the people they're interviewing as they are creative as they dance.

Images 
there is one main image on this double page spread and that's of the two boys that are being interviewed. in terms of iconography its what you would be expecting to see so that potential readers will know who is being interviewed. As both are young males they will attract female readers. The mise-en-scene used is the clothes as they are in fashion and its what you would see boys wearing if you walked down a street this would link to Blumer and Katz Uses and Gratification theory (1974) 'The media user seeks out a media source that best fulfils the needs of that user'.  There is 2 medium close ups and that is of both the boys who are doing the interview and this is used so you can clearly see who they are, and in terms of mise-en-scene you can tell they are dancers as they are dressed in baggy tops and loose jeans which is the stereo typical thing fir dancers and young boys to wear.

Conclusion
In conclusion this feature article of interview appeals to the target audience and has used a bright colour palette which is a common convention throughout this magazine. The layout is professional and isn't to busy and in your face and it would appeal to the target audience. The images that have been used link well to the topic and fit together nicely and have been well positioned so its not all crammed together. Having the question and answer in different colour fonts is something that I will use when I make my own article as its easy to look at.


Feature analysis 2

I am now going to review this feature article which is a reviewing article that reviews film, music and book, and it also features an interview. This feature article is from Mizz magazine and is aimed at a target audience of teenagers ages between 11-15 who are straight white British females. The audience demographic band of the magazine is C1 to E.

Title/Typography/lexis.
The title for this double page spread fits to the common conventions as its been placed at the top of the page however it only fits over one of the pages. The title says 'Review it' and by using this lexis it appeals to the audience as they know what this feature article is. They have also used an exclamation mark to emphasis it and make it stand out on the page this would be something I will use when I make my own feature article. The typography the title consist is a big and bold capital letters to stand out, its also bright pink which will attract the target audience as pink is seen as a feminine colour. In terms of semiotics the lexis that has been used when it 'Tyler n Steveie' appeals to the audience as they are stereotypically known for texting and shortening words. The subtitles keep the same style across the double page spread to make it all fit together. They all start with 'Must See' and by using the lexis of 'must' as a doing word informs the audience to do something and read what the magazine is telling them to. When I create my own magazine I will use this lexis to persuade my audience. The typography that's used is kept similar so it links together will. The font is kept the same throughout all the subtitles used on this page which is bold and has a small flick and it appeals to the target audience as it gives it a feminine look. The text for the rest of the writing is all in the same font when I create my own I will make sure I have similar typography. Theres a small interview on this page and on the previous feature article I analysed I found that it used two different colours to show the interviewer and the person answering the questions, the person interviewing had a bigger text that would in capitals to make it stand out more, I also noticed that after each review it would write the release date underneath giving the reader information about when the product is released, I will also do the same with my magazine.

Layout/text Boxes
The layout fits to the common conventions by including a title at the top and having larger images There are two images which are of people that are going to be interviewed and they have been placed either side of the text, as that breaks conventions it gives it a unique look as its not what you normally see so I'm thinking about how I can make mine look more unique to sell it to my audience. The little images are used to show you what the magazine are reviewing and it helps the audience recognise it if they decide to buy it, Images would attract the audience more this would link to Blumer and Katz uses and gratification theory (1974) 'The media user seeks out a media source that best fulfils the needs of that user' I am going to follow this theory when creating my feature article. On the first page it is mostly white as there is a huge amount of text on it with the interview so it doesn't make it look too busy, It then has a long thin text box on the right with a maths book effect. This would link to the audience as they go to school and would use those kind of books. The subtitles are placed in a text box to make them stand out and capture the readers attention. On the next page it also uses the square maths book affect to make both the pages flow together also the background of that page is also still white but you can't see it as much as there is bright coloured text boxes used to split up each section of the 'must see' to make it more appealing to the audience. For each topic that is being reviewed the name of it is placed in a text box such as 'despicable me' this is to make it stand out and its easier for the audience to see if something appeals to them. Also they will read the smaller writing and hear what the magazine has to say about it. When I create my magazine I will make sure I will use text boxes as its an effective way like to get my audience to read what is on the review page. At the very top of the page is a black rectangle shape that spreads across both pages and on the left hand side it says 'Reviews' which helps show clearly to the audience what this page is about. On the right hand side is the magazine web address so the audience can go on there, this is something I could use when creating my own.

Colour
This follows the common convention by using a colour palette with colours of yellow, red, blue, green and pink. Also black and white are both used, white for the background and black for the smaller text which is what you would be expecting to see in a magazine. The denotation of yellow is joy and happiness which would connote the audience of this magazine yellow is also used as its a bright colour and would capture your attention and for this feature article it is used quite a bit for the text so it was probably used to get the audiences attention. Red connotes passion and love which could connote the audiences love for music as most of the reviews are music related. The denotation of blue connotes to wisdom, trust and loyalty which would probably represent the magazine to show the audience that what they are looking and reading is trustworthy information. The denotation of green connotes freshness and stability which could represent the magazine as the reviews have the freshest latest releases. Pink connotes to femininity and as most of the target audience is girls this is the perfect colour to choose.

Images
for the images there is two long shots that have been used and are the biggest images that have been used on the double page spread. You'd expect this to happen as its an interview and the audience will want to see who is being interviews if they don't recognise the name. The images are in black and white which isn't what you would normally see in a magazine. In terms of mise-en-scene and iconography it is what you would expect to see as the two males in these long shots are dressed in the latest fashion young men would wear and this will make them appear attractive to the audience.
This goes against Laura Mulveys theory (1975) 'Women are seen as erotic objects of desire for the spectator within the auditorium' because the males are seen as this instead. Also it links with Dick Hebdige's theory (1988) who says 'youth is fun and youth is a trouble maker' because in terms of mise-en-scene the costume the male of the left is wearing is stereotypically the chavy troublemaker as he's wearing a snapback, trainers and tracksuit bottoms which is popular for young males to wear this. These photos have been taken in a studio with a white backdrop so that these photos could look professional and be photoshopped. In terms of iconography the poses that they are doing is what you'd typically see a teenager do if you suddenly placed a camera in front of them. The minor images that are used is to show what things the magazine is reviewing and this appeals to the audience because they can see what the magazine is reviewing. When creating mine I will make sure I use just enough minor images to attract my audience. These minor images are of books, CD's, DVD's and clips of films. They are used as teasers so it will persuade the audience to invest in it. I will also do this for my magazine. One of the films they are reviewing is a cartoon and will appeal to the audience as at that age they would be interest in cartoon film. Two of the album are medium close-ups, one of a man wearing sunglasses and a suit which fits in with mise-en-scene that shot would have been taken in a studio, the other album cover is of a female who is posing by pulling a silly face which will appeal to the audience as they would think she is funny and kind. This image was also taken in a studio as you can tell by the lighting as it shines directly on her face. The next album cover is of a band and if I chose to include an image of band in mine I would probably do it like this magazine as by using this shot you can clearly see all members of the band, in terms of mise-en-scene they are wearing clothes that connote they are young which will make them appear attractive to the audience. Also on the other page some album covers with two clearly set outside and has props such as bikes included in the long shot. In one of the images that are shot from a film is a medium close up of a male and female posing by looking at each other and holding a glass each which suggest the setting of the shot must have been in a house as they are sat down, that they are a couple and it would be a romance film. This would appeal to the audience as they are becoming interested in boys. Even though it is not about music, by using other interests the audience will persuade them to read the magazine and enjoy it which is what I would need to do when creating mine.

Conclusion
To conclude this feature article style of review would appeal to the target audience and it even includes a small interview too which would want to make even more people read it as the people they are interviewing have a fan base. The colour palette that has been used is structured layout that the audience would be attracted too, so I would have to pick the colours wisely when making my magazine. The images are high quality and appeal to the target audience. The images also create a perfect teaser to what the magazine is reviewing and the typography is eye catching so it attracts the readers.