2. HOW DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT REPRESENT

PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS?

In my production I have two main representations I based my production around. The first is ‘rebellious teenagers’ as well as adults who label themselves as alternative e.g. punks, goths, etc (these relate to the teens too). By focusing on these two social groups I was able to create a magazine that appealed to these groups. In my work I represented these groups through the costumes used by the models. Most of the clothing was black or very dark colours, one of the key traits when it comes to rock music. Black symbolises rebellion and mystery. As well as this I asked the female model to wear a corset with accessories such as chains and heavy boots all appealing to a rocker look. I represented alternative adults through the way I constructed the articles in my magazine. I made sure all the secondary images I used were focused on how adults take their individuality and make it their own in later life. For example there’s an image of an older man with blue spikey hair. This a perfect example of how I am appealing to an older audience as well as a younger one through the use of advertising older artist as well as brand new ones.

SOCIAL GROUPS

STEREOTYPES In my production to create the right images I had to play a lot on the stereotypical

rocker look e.g. black clothes, corsets, big boots, chains, red lipstick etc. Nowadays there are a lot of different ideas about rockers and how they dress and there tends to be no set style anymore. Some people prefer bright colours and outrageous costumes others prefer to go back to basics and go for jeans and a tshirt. I decided to go down the more vibrant route as it made for a better and more exciting image.

I used a colour scheme of red, black and white in the structure of the magazine itself to create a big contrast between colours as well as to represent the genre of music the magazine was based around.

For my ‘band’ I used a duo which is rarely seen in the industry today. I subverted the stereotype of a normal ‘4 piece’ band which you usually see in the main article of a magazine to create something a little different. I wanted to make an article that was more personal to the band which the ‘fans’ could relate to, appealing to my target audience.

CASE STUDIES I have done a lot of research into representations of different social groups both

through my portfolio and in exam prep. There are many different factors which can contribute to how a group is represented in a media text.

There’s huge emphasis on the text itself and what angle the piece is coming from. Some shows and magazines can, very cleverly, turn around a whole narrative and make the main antagonist of the film feel like the victim. A good example of this would be Pulp Ficiton. We see the gangsters as the two main characters and yet when something bad happens to them we feel sympathy even though what they do for a living is morally wrong.

In my research I found that some of the magazines I looked at focused on a softer type of rock music compared to the magazine I wanted to make. I focused on heavier rock and the connotations the musicians were seen to have during interviews and such. In the softer rock magazines the style and layout was very similar to that of pop magazines, very vibrant and colourful with ‘edgy’ models on the front cover. However in the heavier rock magazines there was a lot more emphasis on darkness and issues likes Satan and death.