For this project, I will be analyzing a magazine for it main features. The features I will be looking for and analyzing are the codes and conventions, mise-en-scene, target audience etcetera.
Front Cover (Digital)
There are many physical features for a magazine, the dominant image for this cover is Charlie Cox dressed up as "the man in the mask" or "Daredevil", this is used to show that he is the main protagonist but looks more like a vigilante, this will immediately attract an audience from the Marvel fan base, which was last reported to have the majority market share of the superhero franchise. Another thing about the costume is the colour, it is black maybe to show that he is trying to blend into the night and the Urban environment. The mask has no eye holes maybe to represent that he either blind or it hides more of his face or both. The mask could also be a sign that in his personal life he has loved ones and the mask is to hide his identity to keep them safe. The mask also creates a sense of mystery as we want to see who is behind the mask and what he looks without the mask. This also also uses "Hermeneutic code" as the mask keeps his identity a secret and creates the mystery of who is the man behind the mask and why does he wear the mask. Another thing about the mask is that it is that it also uses "Proairetic code" as the mask creates tension as it imply that he wears the mask to strike fear into people and to let people know that he is not to be messed with. The bottom of the mask has been cut off probably to make it easier to breathe in as well as to stop his voice being muffled when he is interrogating people. From the way his mouth is positioned, we can see that he has no emotion and is very neutral behind the mask and is always very serious when it comes to wearing the mask. The man in the mask has been placed in the foreground, this is to signify that he is the main protagonist of the show. This is also used to show that he is important either in the mask or in his everyday life.
There are multiple qualities of Mise-en-scene in this front cover, for example the background shows part of the Empire State building which tells the audience that this show is set in New York City. Some of the lights are on in the building which implies that it is dark, we also can see it is dark as the background colour is a dark grey indicating that it is the night. Another fact that he is standing in front of a dark background, could suggest that he only wears the mask at night so that he can blend in to the darker areas of New York. The background colour has been lighter than his outfit so that the jet black clothes stand out on the dark grey background, this into make him more noticeable for the dominant image. There is the use of low key lighting, this could be used to show that most of the show is set at night or it could also hint that this show has some dark elements and could also just be trying to tell us that this dark as a whole. As part of his outfit, he has a scruffy, stubbly beard which could indicate that he does not care about how he looks and actually prefers to have a scruffy beard. The stubble could also be used to try and make him look tougher as it looks like he's had a rough time and that is a symbol of his suffering. There are red circles coming towards the reader, it looks like radar and that is kind of how Daredevil sees, he uses sound which allows him to see which acts very similar to radar. This could also suggest that he is looking directly at the reader. There is a distinct light pointed straight onto the man in the mask, it is angled from above this light could be used to represent the moon which could also link to the background and about him only wearing the mask at night.
In front of the dominant image, the magazine cover has the main title from the TV series with the font used on the title in opening sequence on the show. This is called the "main sell line" this has been used for the audience who have either seen the title somewhere or have actually watched the series as they will instantly recognize it and it will draw in an audience of fans who enjoyed the show. Unlike most of the cover, the shows title is in a colour that does not match the colour scheme of the magazine as all of the other text is either white or blue but the sell line is red. This is also to draw in an audience as the different colour will be appealing to an audience. They have also used the title from the TV show to let people know that they are talking about the TV show and not the film, it is a link to the TV show so anybody who enjoyed the series can read a bit more on the show and maybe how it was made or what it is like on set. A reason for the title being all capitals a part from distinguishing that it is the show's name, is so that it is big and bold which attracts to multiple people so it could be used as a hook to pull people in to read this magazine.
The masthead for this magazine is placed at the top of the magazine and has been created differently compared to most of the other text on the cover, as it is in a larger size and the white writing has a blue glow behind it. Also the masthead has been designed in a different font as it also helps the title of the magazine stand out. The colour's that are used on the masthead are blue and white, this has been done to match the colour scheme from the colours used on the rest of the cover. The dominant image is overlapping the masthead to represent that he is more important than the title of the magazine both physically and figuratively as more people will recognize Daredevil more than the masthead.
There is a mention of Paul Walker on the cover of this magazine which could bring an emotional impact to readers as they will recognize the name and remember what happened to him and will also remember his portrayal of Brian O'Connor in the Fast and Furious franchise. The franchise is the sixth most successful movie franchise which has earned over $5 billion worldwide and it shows the popularity and the mention of Paul Walker will draw in an audience as he was integral to the franchise.
There is a list on the bottom right of the magazine which includes a well known film corporation, 20th Century Fox, this name is just like Paul Walker as everybody knows this company as they have made so many films that pretty much everyone has seen. This piece is mentions their top 50 films, which links to everybody knows the films as their list will probably have very well known and very successful titles included. This has been included as it will draw people into reading the magazine as they will want to know what 20th Century Fox's top 50 films are. This creates a bit of mystery because they only give what the page but not the specific content of the films or where in the list a film is located between 1 and 50. This text also follows the colour scheme of white and blue to help stand out against the dark background, the reason for this like the rest of the white and blue text on the dark background is to stand out and draw in an audience.
In the bottom left, there is a list of actors/actresses and well known titles of movies. These are also used to draw people to read the magazine as they will either recognize 'Margot Robbie' as a name and 'Pitch Perfect 2' as a movie title, like most of the other smaller stories on the cover of this magazine, this story has been used as a lore for an audience. This story also sticks to the colour scheme of this magazine cover as the colours stand out against the background and it also allows reader's to know that the story is in this issue of the magazine, not a different issue.
There is a story on the side about an Australian festival which is most likely an annual event in Australia but, there is no mention of it being a film festival we can only assume that it is due to the fact that they placed it on the cover a film and TV magazine. The word 'sensation' is used on the cover for this story, this could indicate that it is the first festival that the Australia is doing specifically for movies and TV shows.
At the bottom of the magazine, there is mention of Danny Elfman and Tim Burton this is could suggest that the two of them making a movie together as Tim Burton is one of the most famous movie directors of all time with his speciality of creepy/dark films. Another way that we know they're working together is the that the word 'music' is used, this is a reference to Danny Elfman as he creates soundtracks for films and even makes original new songs for some of his films.We can only imagine that these two artists working together would make a dark film with a sinister soundtrack to go with it. On this part of the magazine most of the writing is in white except for the Danny Elfman's name which is in black, this could be to make the line stand out a bit more as it does not follow the regular colour scheme of this cover or it could be to represent that Danny will have a lot to do with making this film darker than Tim might want it to be.
Right at the top of the magazine there is a small brief about one of the stories inside this issue of the magazine and it mentions 'TV highlights' and 'shows adapted from films' this, is a reference to the dominant image (Daredevil) as the Netflix original series began April 10th 2015 and the article is talking about that year. The article also mentions shows from a film and after Marvel made a Daredevil movie in 2003, the film was not a success and they decided to sell the character off to Netflix not knowing how popular and successful the show would become. Marvel still have an input about the show and actually include 'Easter eggs' in the show from other comic books or even names to character and references to the films. They also stick quite closely to the comic books and their stories and they chose a cast who portray their character's immensely and even add a bit more character or character development to their characters which could allow us to believe that this is how they are in the real world which proves they are amazing at their job.
Right underneath the title for the TV show Daredevil, there is a line that says "Marvel and Netflix stage a TV take-down" this could be trying to convince readers to watch the show as the make it sound like this show is dominating Netflix's viewer count as the show could be the best the Netflix original series that has ever been made but they don't say that as a "TV take-down" makes it sound more intense and gripping for any reader or person that sees the magazine and reads this line could instantly want to read this magazine and even watch the TV series as the cover and possibly the make them interested about what happens in the series.
Double Page Spread (Digital)
On this double page spread, we can see Daniel Craig back as the famous British spy 007 AKA James Bond. We can see him in the traditional spy attire, a suit and tie he is also standing in the iconic 007 vehicle, the Aston Martin Db5.
As we can see, Daniel Craig is standing in the foreground gazing at something but we don't know what which gives off the the feeling of mystery, he has one hand in his pocket this could indicate that he trying to grab something or he just having a moments relax and the hand in the pocket is how he is choosing to do it. We can see that he is standing in the middle of the country with nothing around but still chooses to wear his suit and have his tie all tidy. This makes him stand out a lot more than he probably needs to be since he has been trained to blend in to a crowd and the clothes and car go completely against his training about camouflage and trying to blend in like he wants to be seen and noticed.
The phrase "Something old, something new" is also a reference to the dominant image as 'something new' is referring to Daniel Craig as he is the latest James Bond whereas 'something old' is a reference to the car which is the original 007 vehicle which has been part of the franchise since its first appearance in the first James Bond movie "Dr. No" which was released in the year 1963. The Db5 was also released in September 1963 which makes the car the same age as the the 007 movie franchise.
There is not a lot of text on this double page spread which would appeal to the younger readers as they do not want too much and would prefer to look at the picture of James Bond rather than read about him. Whereas older readers would not prefer this as they would probably want to know about the character, actor and maybe what it was like on the set of this film.
There is a small paragraph which mentions the "future of the franchise" which indicates that the creators of the franchise still believe that they can make multiple future films and can continue their success with new films and eventually new actors to portray the super spy. The paragraph also mentions the success of the previous film to Skyfall, Quantum of Solace which was actually a disaster compared to previous Bond films, the word "mauling" was used which suggests that Quantum of Solace was probably the biggest failure of the entire franchise.
Right next the Daniel Craig on this image we can see the title of this James Bond film "Skyfall" with the number 1 above it in a blue box this could suggest that this is either part of a list and has achieved 1st place. Another thing that this could represent is that the number 1 could also be a placement but this could be that this film reached best film of the year and the number just represents it's number 1.
Front cover (Print)
The masthead is very direct for this cover as it is literally called "Martial Arts Illustrated" but it is also good because it allows reader to know exactly what the magazine is about. The included word "illustrated" tells readers that there is pictures and maybe original drawings which is not normally seen in large titled magazines especially martial arts magazines.
The dominant image shows a man looking as if he is in an intense fight but he is seen to be wearing gloves as if he is trying not to hurt his opponent which sends off mixed signals to any reader who might not understand what the gloves are for. You can also see his right and hand moving as if he is either going for an attack or a block to defend himself from an enemies impending attack.
Just to the left of the dominant image, we can see the bar code which is a unique place as they can normally be seen either at the bottom or the back of a magazine not near the top and centre of a magazines cover. We can see the release date just under the bar code and it was released April 2014 we can also see the volume of the magazine and the issue number which is eleven. Also the month and year included could suggest that this is a monthly magazine that goes through stories during each month to give readers more to read and enjoy. Next to the bar code we can see the exact price of this magazine which is £3.95. On the far right of this small panel with the bar code there are small icons of famous social media, these icons are for Twitter and Facebook, this is a clear indication that they want their readers to follow them on social media for updates on stories and upcoming events even before the next issue is released.
At the very top of the magazine, we can see the words "packs a punch" which also tells us that this magazine is about martial arts because it can mean fighting and can also mean that it has an effect on our lives either mentally or physically.
Just beneath the dominant image, we can see the words "pack a punch" again but this time it has the word "how" which could suggest that this magazine instructs readers on how to punch properly without us hurting ourselves in fighting situations.
There is a story about a man named 'Roy Baker' who has been promoted to "Vice President of WAKO Europe" which instantly tells any reader that there will be a big story on this promotion, it could tell us why this man has been granted the title of 'Vice President' and could also include an interview from either the President of WAKO or from Roy Baker who is telling us himself why he was promoted and how he feels about his accomplishment. This story could also tell readers what Roy intends to do with the rest of his career at WAKO.
Just below the story about Roy Baker's promotion, there are three small lines about extra stories inside this magazine with the word 'plus' in front of them. The 'plus' has been given the background colour of red to go with the very minor colour scheme of red and white but also with this background colour it helps the word stand out which will encourage readers to either pick up this magazine or purchase it.
Right at the bottom of the magazine in the left corner, we see a man called Luke Howard doing a Karate move towards the reader/camera. This could be done to make it seem like nobody is safe against this man as he is very experienced in his martial art. We can also see the phrase "Welsh Warrior" which immediately tells the readers which country this man is from and also makes us feel a bit closer to him as we now know a nickname that has been given to him by his peers. We can also see the "Exclusive" which instantly allows readers to know that there is an interview with Luke Howard somewhere in this magazine which would be very interesting to many readers. Both of the words "Exclusive" and "Welsh Warrior", follow the colour scheme of white writing with a red background to attract a readers attention as the red background has white behind it making it and the word inside of it completely noticeable. If you look on Luke Howard's uniform, we can see that he is wearing a black belt which tells anybody that this man is very experienced and has mastered his martial art and looks to be very proud of himself for doing so.
To the right of Luke Howard's story, we can see two men fighting and next to them in big white words we can clearly see the word "Spartan Training". This is interesting as many martial art teachers tell their students not to fight unless necessary but with a word like "Spartan", we get the opposite feeling as the Spartans were aggressive and violent people who fought for everything including their country and their king's and queen's. The picture matches the word "Spartan" as it looks like one man is putting his opponent down hard and making sure that he stays down. Beneath the words "Spartan Training", we can see the words "Strength and conditioning methods" which, could tell the reader that inside this magazine there are tips on how to become stronger and work out in a way that makes your muscles more defined.
Double Page Spread (Print)
The title for this double page story is called "The Tyson Factor" which has been named after the infamous boxer Mike Tyson. The word "Factor", could tell us that this entire story could be about the life of Mike Tyson or just include some facts about his boxing career which a lot of people would probably find interesting to read as they want to know about Mike.
We can see that the dominant image for this story is a pair of boxing gloves or just one glove that has been mirrored to look like a pair to fill up more page space. But, this has been done to tell readers that this story is specifically about boxing and no other form of martial art. Even though the gloves are sideways, they look to placed in the way that a boxer would use his hands when protecting himself from an opponents parry of attacks.
We can see a drop cap just underneath the gloves and this will instruct any reader new or old that this is where they need to start reading from for this story.
Throughout the entire story we get the odd word that has been made bold either to for names or descriptions of a person or an action. This is quite important as most of the bold names are very famous fighters e.g. Mike Tyson and Bruce Lee's names are mentioned as well as the words Kung Fu which also reminds the readers that this is a combat magazine and an instructive magazine also informative as we are learning about a infamous boxer.
Top right corner of these pages, we can see a picture of a poster and we can see the date of "March 26th" and the location of "Madison Square" this is telling us the time and location of boxing match but there are no names to be seen which leaves that feeling of mystery and suspense as we want to know especially from a poster who is fighting in this match.
The page numbers have been included in the usual spot, at the bottom of the page and also have been done in bold this is so that they stand out to the reader, to inform them what page number they are on out of however many pages are in this magazine.
Just underneath the last small paragraph, we can see the name John Broughton, this is obviously the by-line for this story and since we now know who wrote this piece, we can expect that he created the phrase "The Tyson Factor" as he probably did all of his research and probably spent a lot of time researching collecting facts coming up with the phrase and then writing this piece for the magazine. The purpose for his story is to inform people about Mike Tyson and tell us a bit more about the boxing legend.
Evaluation
Positives (Digital)
With digital magazines there are multiple positives such as they are free to get and can be used anywhere. Another positive is that digital magazines is that they're flexible meaning that you can not just use them anywhere, you can use them anytime because they're either on your phone or tablet etc. Digital magazines are inexpensive as they do not cost to print and distribute copies all over the world which saves a lot of money. A great perk about digital magazines is that the publishers can go further and can include videos which obviously can't be done on print magazines. Digital magazines are also environmentally friendly as the do not require paper to be created which saves trees.
Negatives (Digital)
Like most things, there are flaws in digital magazines such as that to access them you either have use your mobile data or be connected to the internet to be able to access and read them. Another disadvantage for digital magazines is that they can sometimes be harder to read, so the readers need to be able to zoom in and out to be able to read it on either their phones or tablets. Another disadvantage to digital magazines is that some companies use outdated which modern technology can't access or run properly.
Positives (Print)
One advantage of print magazines is that they give a physical texture which many older readers would prefer over digital magazines. You also don't have to wait for each article to load and once you have read one article, you can move straight onto the next article without waiting for the next article to load as well. Printed magazines will most likely be taken a lot more seriously by sources. One huge advantage to print magazines, is that when you're going through articles trying to find an interesting article to read, you can come across promotions as well as opportunities that you could take part of and even win awards.
Negatives (Print)
Print magazines have a negative which is a positive for digital magazines, which is that they destroy nature specifically tress to acquire paper to be used for the magazine to be printed onto. A huge disadvantage for printed magazines is that they only appeal to one specific audience whereas digital magazines aim to appeal to every type of audience across the globe.
Overview
Overall, both digital and print magazines are better than each other in their own ways but also have their disadvantages which could work in their rivals favour e.g. how print destroys nature whereas digital saves nature since it is all done on technology. Also print appeals to an older audience so it still gives old people something to do and read whereas digital magazine appeals to younger readers as every young person uses some form of technology mostly mobile phones which they can read magazines on especially into more subjects for example cars, fashion, games and movies etc. It is fair to say that no form of magazine is better than the other as they're unique in their own special ways.
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