AS Media Evaluation

1. AS Media Evaluation By Toby Emery

2. ICON Magazine Introduction • ICON magazine solely focuses on the rock n roll genre of music. I have taken inspiration from existing entities such as Rolling Stone and Classic Rock to produce my three pieces. The genre of rock proposes themes of attitude, living in the moment, not tolerating authority, and pushing the envelope on what's acceptable. Therefore, I had to bring theses themes and ideas to life throughout the style of my magazine to be real, authentic and stay true to the history of genre and culture of the music. My goal was to capture this through every aspect of my work from the way my subjects our posing in the photographs to the language and stories in the text. I named the magazine ICON as the aim is to celebrate the careers and legacies of the ‘larger than life’ stars of past and present who personify the very essence of rock n roll. Moreover, it is such an impactful four letter word as for a person, in the music & entertainment business, if you are to be considered an icon by your peers and by the people, then that title holds the performer in extremely high regard as that person is representative of a generation, a time, a genre or even of music as an art form itself. And that’s the elite group of rock stars that ICON magazine celebrates- the biggest names of the genre. That’s what I wanted my magazine and its title to represent. • Dictionary definitions of Icon: • An image, picture, representation • A person or thing regarded as a symbol of a belief, nation, community, or cultural movement • A person regarded as a sex symbol or as a symbol of the latest fashion trends

3. Cover

4. Contents Page

5. Double Page Spread

6. Forms & Conventions • -The three primary colours I have used for the magazine are black, white and orange. The idea for these colours came naturally from the colours of my subject. His long ginger hair makes an emphatic statement in the photographs so I went along with it for and dropped it in and certain text I wanted attention drawn to. It goes really well with simplistic and timeless combination of black and white. In addition to this I have followed the forms and conventions of real media products through using the black and white yet contrasting it with a striking colour. This is called colourization. • -I have used alliteration and power of three in my sub-heading below the masthead as the magazines catchphrase/slogan. • -I have used an issue number and month/year on the cover • -The main story features a superlative as people want to hear about the best which is very fitting for ICON magazine • -The barcode and price stand in the bottom right corner as you would see in the majority of printed magazines • -The front cover image consists of a head and shoulder shot which has been used many times in the past • - I have challenged forms through the way I had edited my images. The image on the DPS is very grainy due to the fact that I wanted an old, raw and retro look and feel like you would see on a rock band tour poster. This is also evident in my contents page where it is laid out in a tour date like form, once again trying to replicate that feel of the rock n roll culture.

7. Social Groups/Audience • My magazine is aimed to a older audience of men. However, as my magazine is celebrating the biggest names of rock history, then that would undoubtedly appeal to a mainstream audience as it can be argued that 10 year old kids today sing along to ‘Livin on a prayer’, a song released nearly 30 years ago. Therefore, although the magazine is aimed at men aged in there 30s & 40s (as this is the music they grew up with), you can not ignore the crossover appeal to young and old and men and women, simply because of the music and how that has passed down through generations. On the other hand, the magazine does address taboo themes of drugs, sex and contains strong language so it would be deemed inappropriate to the youth generation.

8. Distribution • The magazine would be sold in shops and local news agencies due to the fact that rock n roll is still a heavily popular and mainstream genre of music so its not going to be a free give away at a concert venue. • As the magazine we are addressing who our the greatest guitarists of all time.. A very important and prestigious list that spans across 50/60 years of musicians. This story alone would appeal to a mass market because even if you're not a big fan of music, you still want to pick up a copy and flick to see who is number 1 as it would cause such great controversy and debate. Moreover, it is in our human nature to want to see, listen, know and read about the best. • Sell the magazine at a price is crucial to the growth of the magazine as with the must read, compelling stories/articles, the issue would no doubt draw huge profit.

9. Technology/Progression • -Photoshop • -In design • -Photo shoots • -Paint • -Pixlr • I have learned how and why magazine editors do what they do in order to release the best possible product. Through constant editing and moving layers around I have developed not only skills but my patience on working with different software. I am now confident with Photoshop on a basic/intermediate level.