Magazine Textual Analysis 2 (Cover)

This is a music magazine published by the magazine company NME in 2008. The mast head and some feature articles follow the rule of thirds as they are on the left hand side of the page. The main headline is positioned in the center of the page as well as an image of the band 'The Wombats.' There is a big range of colours used on the cover. At the top and bottom of the page, there are the names of other famous bands to be featured in the magazine. There are also several cover lines on the page, both on the left and right hand side. Also, there is an advertisement for the Glastonbury festival at the very top of the page.

There are a wide range of colours displayed on this cover, most of which are bright. The use of bright colours is to make the magazine as a whole stand out and to make it more eye engaging for the readers. From the use of The Wombats as the main image of the cover and also the images used for some feature articles, it would be clear to say that this is a magazine aimed at 18-30 year old men. The cover does not seem classy at all, so this magazine would be for more middle class/working class people rather than rich/high class readers. In the main image, two of three of the band members eye gaze are focused on the readers, however all of them seem somewhat childish with the gestures they give. The clothing the band members wear are clothing that you could see the average person wearing. This could help the magazine relate to its readers by showing bands like the Wombats dressing how we would. There are no actual props used in the image, however the band member with the green hoodie does have a lot of accessories on his arms/wrists. Its is hard to tell where this image was taken but a plausible answer could be a regular house or bedroom depending on what appears to be a wooden door in the background. The fact that the entire cover seems somewhat immature or even childish definitely brings all elements, like the colours and clothing, together.

I would say that this image is a Medium Long Shot (MLS) as you can see all of the band members torsos but only goes down to their knees. Due to the shot distance, i would say that the camera angle would be almost a low shot as the boys faces are not in the centre of the page and you have to look up to see their heads. Everything in this shot is in focus and nothing is blurred out. The image has a very smooth film stock and all is in colours. Plus, the whole image has a high contrast in colours. The lighting appears to be all natural, however the lighting in this does not define or express the mood, the image itself does that on its own. The main caption in the centre of the page is in big bold and bright writing to make it easy for the reader to see. other feature headlines are also in bold bright writing, but are scattered around the page. 

The language and use of words used on this cover page also contributes to the overall childishness of the page with lines such as 'Why Britain's gone SILLY for the lords of the indie dance floor.' The mag also gives direct quotes from the bands themselves. This can be used to make the readers feel closer and more engaged with the bands and their stories. The overall preferred reading from the cover is to make the readers feel closer to the bands and to make them feel as if their lifestyle is somewhat similar to the bands themselves. In terms of the overall target audience, i would say that this magazine title is aimed at the more younger generation of music listeners. This is because NME is commonly known to be one of the less serious magazines and does not really deliver its contents in a posh or formal matter. This is a magazine that commonly uses rude terms and does not take itself seriously at all, a thing that a music lover aged between 13-18 would really enjoy to read. The image of the band 'The Wombats' just backs up this concept as the band members just appear to be playing around and the shot was taken.