About my Music Genre: Alternative Rock/Nu Metal

Rock music is a very popular type of music which originated from Rock n'Roll and first started in the 1950's in the United States. As time grew on Rock n'Roll adopted some of the other types of music such as classical and jazz but also liberated a number of other genres.

Now that we know the origins, if we skip a  few years then we get to 2009 where Alternative Rock aka. Nu Metal came into the picture and bands such as the famous Linkin Park and Fall Out Boy rocketed up in the music industry. Most people think that Alternative rock relates to Heavy Metal which is understandable but there is a clear distinction between the two so most bands get mistaken for the music they compose. The stereotype for this kind of music is more emo and goth related but in modern day that stereotype has been demolished so people can listen to this genre without being judged. While its true that emo and the goth community do listen to this kind of music since it does originate from the heavy metal

Alternative rock then fused with other genres such as rap, electronic and trance which improved it's popularity by a huge amount and now its common to find teens who listen to alternative rock just as much as teens who listen to rap or hip-hop. Also going back to Linkin Park, they are supported by the record label Warner Bros which is a huge and successful record label as well as Machine Shop who is nearly as popular, whereas Fall Out Boy is supported by Island, Fueled By Ramen and Uprising Records. At the current moment Linkin Park currently holds the title of most popular band.

Even though Alternative Rock is already a sub genre to Rock n'Roll, it still leads to it's own sub genres such as Brit-pop and Indie Rock which we recognize in most alternative rock songs.With regards to the popularity of the genre, alternative rock has become really common among the teens of the modern day, it has really earned it's spot in the chart of music and helps teens subvert from the norm of hip hop and rap. You wouldn't say that the genre is necessarily mainstream but it is growing in popularity.

 
Alternative Press is just one of the more popular Rock Magazines and it has featured a lot of the recent uprising bands but when you compare this magazine with another magazine just like it, say for example Kerrang!,  it's really hard to decide which magazine is more fit for you. Kerrang! has been a very well known and successful magazine for a long time now whereas Alternative Press has just started to rise in power.

Music Magazine Planning

What genre/s of music will your magazine cover?
My magazine will cover more of the Metal Rock genre, I'm not so keen on full on Heavy Metal so that's why I choose Metal Rock.

Who is the target audience? How old are they? Where do they live? What are their interests?
Young Adults round the age of 15-20 either based in America or the united Kingdom. Interested in Metal Rock, Skateboarding Rock Concerts and are interested in rock bands such as Bring Me The Horizon, Pierce The Veil, Sleeping With Sirens or any other band that fall into that category of music. Suitable for both Female and Male gender.

What is the name of your magazine? Why? Connotations?


What will your masthead look like? Do you have any ideas for fonts?
The font will be very edgy with a sharp design. Bold, big and outstanding.

What will be the focal image for your front cover and why?
A well known person or band to show popularity.

What photography will be required? Give details of shot type, angle and composition.
The photo will have to be shot at an eye-level single or group mid-shot or shot from a low angle to shoe power or superiority.

What mise-en-scene will be required? Location? Clothing? Make-up? Lighting? Use of colour?
It would have sell lines such as "Get all your hit songs here in this latest issue" or "Exclusive interviews and images of the band." Something that will draw the audiences' curiosity.

What items and feature articles would you  need on your contents page?
I will need features such as interviews and some exclusive pictures or some competitions that you can win by answering quizzes in the magazine.

What is the focus of your double page spread?
My focus of my double page spread is going to be a mass interview of the band. But only two of the members will be shown on the double page.

What photography will be required for the double page spread? Give specific details.
The double page spread is going to be a bit similar to the cover page concerning using the same models but it's only a close-up two -shot with the band leader and another member in profile.

Case Study "Life on Mars"

From what I can see at the start of the clip of "Life on Mars", I can clearly de-notate that the character wakes up in  rather dull and gloomy room with not much light. this may suggest that the character is very withdrawn at home and prefers to be isolated form the outside world. Also it's rather messy and untidy throughout the apartment so we can clearly tell that the character lives a rather disorganised lifestyle, this is backed up by the fact that we see alcohol present in the room in the first few frames. As he approaches the mirror we see him step side to side repeating the words "Real" and "Unreal" which can be con-notated as split personality or he might be a kind of person to put themselves in a mind frame of fantasy. In the next scene, it's set in a local leisure centre and a grown man attempts to escape form the company of three other men which is unusual to see in that kind of setting. This could be comprehended as some kind of crime or maybe the man running has done something wrong to aggravate the other three men. As the men capture the fleeing man we find out that they are undercover police officers and we see same man in the first scene pull out a police badge which is a symbol of authority and law. The lighting is also gloomy due to the weather which is typical English weather and we know this due to the accent of the men and the surrounding building and layout. Another thing is that since we see the main character run rather faster than the other officers we can prove that maybe in his free time he works out to stay physically fit and thus may explain the rough and disorganised lifestyle of being a hard-working police officer.

Contents Page

school magazine front cover

 This contents page is set out as a double page spread so there isn't too much information put onto one page. The pages have the same design on the outside edge to give a consistent look plus at the top of the page are pictures corresponding to features in the magazine. On top of the image is the page number which makes it quicker and easier for the reader if they are looking for a particular feature and we can tell which image is for the main article in the magazine as it is the biggest on the page and therefore draws the reader's attention to it. The pages are displayed in categories, with the heading for each in a bigger, bolder font. this makes it easier for the reader if they are looking for something specific. the images used to correspond with the features are mostly close-up shots of people. By not including the background an unnecessary parts of the image, it means the reader can tell what the image is about just as quickly glancing at it as there is nothing else to distract them. All of the text on this contents page is black but the images are in colour. This provides a contrast and makes the text stand out more. the photo graphs use simple colours which is in contrast to the pattern on the side of each page.

School magazine analysis

Here we have the St.Angela's School magazine, The first thing we notice about the magazine is it's front cover as it stands out with it's bright colour theme of orange and yellow and white. In a way this is a bad idea because even though these colours are very appealing, smacking them against a dull background kinda undermines the whole image. Another obvious feature is the big, bold masthead "Angels" which is appropriate since it relates to the schools's original name "St.Angela's". Something that works well with the image is the headline "Survival guide for GCSE Technology" because of it's reference to the student on the front cover who is holding Technology equipment and it wearing a Technology apron which shows that the thing that the magazine is trying to represent is accurate. Further more, the sell lines are more approachable to the audience of secondary school students by adding in entertainment "Towie, Bieber, Lil Twist" bringing up the latest trends of the year 2011 along with the banner exclaiming winning of "topshop vouchers, albums" etc, yet again bringing entertainment and involving the aim of teenagers who like fashion and music. Overall the front cover signifies that the content of the magazine will involve information and entertainment for the target audience which is for 11-15 years.