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Candidate number:8450 Centre number:71615 I am Katie McCreesh and I am studying media for my A levels. This subject interests me because I like reading magazines, newspapers and learning about the media. I love playing Camogie for my local club and also love listening to music

Thursday, 11 December 2014

Monday, 1 December 2014

Analysis of Q magazine- Ed Sheeran

Analysis of Double Page Spread- Rolling Stone

This is my analysis of the Rolling Stone magazine. I really enjoyed analysing this as it had lots of techniques that I would like to use when I'm making my music magazine. I also got an idea of the layout of a double page spread and how it caught my eye once I read it.


IMAGE: The image on the second page of the double page spread is a full page image of John Oliver. It is a comical photo as he is holding a baseball bat and ball running towards the camera. This reflects John Oliver as he is a comedian and the readers of Rolling Stone would be familiar with this. The photo is black and white which accommodates the house style of the magazine and the front cover of John himself as he is wearing a black and white suit. In this photo he is wearing a top saying New York City, which is ironic as he is a British man who works in New York. It is a long shot of him and fills the entire right page and is accompanied by no other images, therefore instantly drawing attention. In the background there are a lot of cars so it is shot in the middle of the road which again entices the audience into a dramatic effect. The fact that it is black and white adds to the old school effect, the magazine has. Also he is wearing his glasses which are an iconic feature of his and people would easily recognise him when he has them on. This article would appeal to all age groups who like John Oliver’s work particularly older people as they would recognise him more. Rolling Stone magazine have a mixed range in their magazine, not just music and having a interview with John Oliver proves this, so more people would be enticed to read it. Sine the image is a long shot, it creates a sense of equality between the artist and the readers which will appeal to the readers and fans of him. Also John is looking into the camera which will again draw readers into this article.

TEXT: This article centres on John Oliver and how he went from a stand up comedian in Britain to a sensation in New York. He presented the “Daily show” and “John Oliver’s New York Stand up show” and “Last week tonight with John Oliver”. There are lots more shows that he mentions and he tells Rolling Stone magazine he is currently supposed to be shooting his 16th episode of his HBO show but his staff hasn’t finished writing. The masthead of the first page of the double page spread is huge and fills half the page, “John Oliver is Mad as Hell” this masthead stands outs and it is black writing which accompanies the house style. From the masthead, we can tell that the writer is employing a light informal tone throughout and the writer also address the reader as an equal, as if this is a friend to friend conversation between stars and such a literary style not only appeals to the Rolling Stone target audience who expect to be treated in such a manner but also allows for a serious discussion of the stars history and success without being boring. The slogan underneath the masthead”As the news gets worse, he gets funnier. Inside TV’s most hilarious new show by Brian Hiatt” this slogan really would entice the reader into reading this article as it a positive and informal which would appeal to all the target audience. There is very little text on the first two pages of the spread but on over the pages there are 4 more pages filled with gossip about John Oliver. The text is separated into columns and the text is separated by a drop cap at the very beginning spanning over a number of lines. This adds interest to the article and is a common feature of this type of magazine. There is a lot of white space on the first page where the masthead is. This is so that the magazine is not too overpowering with things and also having just writing at the top will not distract them form reading it. There is a pull quote on the second column of first page, “I don’t see this as a fake news programme,” says Oliver, in New York in August. This is a quote from an interview he did with Rolling Stone magazine and it is included in the article to give the audience real life quotes of what he actually says. It makes it more realistic. The page number is printed along the bottom of each page with the name of the magazine, the website and the date it was published.

COLOUR SCHEME: The colour scheme depicted in this DPS is entirely reflective of Rolling Stone distinctive House Style. The black and white image of John Oliver is in keeping with the style and the white background employed across the page with the black writing also complements the house style. The muted tones of the striking image are then contrasted with a band of red across the top of the other page establishing a sense of symmetry due to the fact that the image on the right-hand side also fills the page. Undoubtedly the most recognisable shade featured in the magazine, black is used for the image, article title and the text itself and is therefore immediately recognisable for readers. The contrast created between the dominant colours of red, black and white is evident in any issue of Rolling Stone, creating a dynamic, edgy look that signifies the stylish, sophisticated look the target audience are attracted to. Similarly, the polished colour scheme seems to reflect the fact the article is a serious journalistic piece which will also appeal to Rolling Stone readers, eager to find out the latest about their favourite artists, comedians, actors etc.

HOUSE STYLE: Aside from the image, colour scheme and indeed the article itself, the distinctive Q House Style is evident in the bar along the top of the page which features the logo for this issue and the colours of Rolling Stone magazine. Along with the full page black and white image, it fits well with the colour scheme and the front cover of the issue. Overall the magazine matches throughout whether it be the colour scheme throughout or minor details, it still fits in with the house style.

LAYOUT: very simplistic and fits in well with Rolling Stone traditional, clean cut look and well thereby appeal to regular buyers. The large image filling the page also stands out and would appeal to the target audience.