Wednesday, 31 March 2010

Neo Magazine Issue 70

Neo is very much a cult magazine which covers China, Korea, Hong Kong but predominantly focuses on Japanese culture, in particular anime, manga, music, food, fashion and cinema. I have chosen to analyse this magazine as what is most refreshing about it is that despite the notion that Anime and Manga are consumed by mostly males, there is equal coverage of material which will attract audiences of both males and females. As well as this there is a relatively equal amount of females working on the magazine as males; including the editor.

Layout/Aesthetics

  • Front Cover - Main feature inside magazine - Large title at top of page with a slogan banner above - Title quite hard to see and so may be difficult to pick out in store - quite a lot of text, possibly too much, nearly all of features listed at the sides of the main image and on a banner at bottom of page - bright and eye catching however no set colour scheme for front every week - lack of continuity may prevent people picking it out in store.

  • Contents page - too text heavy, likely not to be read - seperated into tow clear sections, new features and "The Regulars and Reviews" - the larger the image the larger the feature

  • Red and white colour scheme on introductory, news pages - signifies Japanese flag

  • Colour scheme for main features themed around subject matter

  • Features columned with use of extra boxed off/highlighted information - trivia

  • Use of stylized first letter of first word to lead readers eye to begin reading

  • Bold First Paragraphs

  • Trivia boxes "nuggets" on main news items

  • Opinion columns Highlighted in contrasting colours from red and white scheme - instantly grabs attention

  • No clear seperation of sections of magazine - no title pages - use of advert pages for this purpose - can be quite distractiong

  • Stylized regualr articles like Anime Expose - striped/brightly coloured background, good balance of images and text, captions and trivia boxes - Manga Snapshot very long with possibly too much text, adverts seperating pages can be distracting - "Bambi and Popi" article, pink and white colour scheme, text heavy but quite short, watermark graphic in background

  • Title page for manga extract - again colour scheme themed to suit the manga - front of cover situated to right - immediately attracts attention, bright and high quality - snapshots of parts of manga create border along bottom, space filling - Section of text on left side of page describing the manga, promoting it, Main information i.e title, label, genre and price highlighted at top of section of text.

  • Title page for Reviews section - marks change in Layout and style in coming pages - familiar red and white colour scheme - contents page, scoring process and awards in column to right of page - images of reviewed items with page numbers in corner - main attractions

  • Reviews - main reviews situated on first few pages - longer and more text heavy than less important features - use of highlighted first letter and bold first paragraph - captions and box offs of additional information - Important background information in star bubbles above first section of text, leads eye to read first - main information i.e price, label etc boxed off to side of main text at the start, acts as introduction - text is columned in style of newspapers, subtitles used which define a new subject within the text, makes it easier to find certain information - summary of opinion and score out of 5 in bottom corner at end of text, read last

  • Reviews colour coded: Anime red and white colour scheme, Manga yellow and white colour scheme, Film and books blue and white colour scheme, Video games green and white colour scheme - directory style, easy to maneovre

Content

  • Editors letter - personal, images of all the team are important in cult magazines to create a bond with the regular audience who can easily be distracted/diverted away from the magazine - captures attention through humour - sets up friendly and agreeable atmosphere which makes magazine more accessible in current and future issues

  • Background knowledge of Anime manga, famous old franchises etc and knowledge of Japanese culture is needed in order to understand some of the features and articles.

  • Audience participation - "Cosplay Corner" Photos printed of readers dressing up - Recipes to try - printed letters which are answered - forum community, debates and polls held

  • Up-to-date lists of releases of film, manga and anime in the UK, problems with downloading as released in Japan much earlier

  • Casual read - some tips for budding manga artists but presents it more as a hobby than a career.

Audience

  • Possibly dominated by males however rise in popularity and interest in Asian culture has seen more females join niche communities such as Neo magazine

  • Students, 18 - 25 year olds, quite sophisticated language and debate presented

  • Appeals to a minority, growing popularity means a gap in the market may appear

Institution

  • Published by uncooked media monthly- not widely known

  • First published in 2004 - not long established

  • Funded by adverts

Researching this magazine has enabled me to consider how to promote audience participation in my own design for a magazine and also other ways in which to consider the layout and aesthetics.

Tuesday, 30 March 2010

"Married" by Walter Sadler 1869


To practise further analysing images in terms of composition, content, semiotics and context in this post I will look at this oil painting by Walter Sadler entitled "Married".

To start with the framing of the painting is open as we are aware of what is in the background which is highly detailed, the arch way framing the garden and hilly landscape behind the couple. If we distinguish the composition using the rule of thirds we see that neither person is either central or to the left or right of the image, this creates a focus upon the space between the couple, emphasised by the distance in the garden in the background. The shape created by the positioning of the mans arm is very guarded towards himself, and his flat hand creates a barrier between him and his wife emphasising the need for space and no disturbance. From the couples luxurious surroundings, large garden, well kept flowers we can interpret that they are relatively wealthy, upper class people. This is also evident from their dress, Victorian fashion which would have been acceptable to society at the time. Etiquette and apperence was of paramount importance in Victorian society even during leisure time, as the couple are here they are well dressed, sat up straight and a safe distance away from each other.

The image is not of a happy, newly-wed couple as there is no intamacy on what I think is just on the mans part. This is because if looked at closely the woman appears to be looking at the man from the corner of her eye, in particular his hand which from her perspective somewhat bridges the gap between them. The hairbrush and flowers, discarded on the ground at her feet, signifies her frustration with the keeping up of appearences and her wish to be closer to her husband. The line of the couple is rather harsh compared to the natural, elegant flow of the flowers and trees situated in the background and foreground which emphasises this cold atmosphere between the two. The colour scheme of the two, the woman more at harmony with the natural colour around her and the man cold and shadowy in contrast highlights the lack of warmth he has for his wife.
At the time, many men and women married out of necessity to people of equal class, wealth and a large estate were desirable qualities for men and women to have (women of course inherited wealth and status). It was therefore common for men and women to not marry for love, with women even marrying men far older than themselves so they could be "kept well". This is a subject which the painting describes, the man who is the beholder of the wealth as by him reading books we see his educated and therefore probably a business man and the woman does not carry such status and is portrayed as warmer as she is possibly greatful towards her husband for keeping her, her feelings might not amount to much more and she has a delusional perception of what love is . The woman is portrayed as the fairer of the two through use of white, light golden colours and delicate objects such as the silky cover and cushion which enshrouds her. This may have been done just for the simple fact that the common perception is that women are more nuturing and gentile than men.

Edge Magazine, Issue 213, April 2010

As part of my research into the market for magazines and different designs I have decided to look at Edge; a well established gaming magazine. Below are some analysis notes I have made:

Layout/Aesthetics

  • Front cover - stands out - black, contrasting colours of text (Red and White) - Image- led/ no overload of text - quickly, sharply states what is inside to grab and retain attention. Main feature on game displayed on front/selling point - realistic image of man with gun/would excite a male audience more than female as it connotes action and suspense.
  • Title page for each section in magazine before first item
  • Image - led contents page, simple introduction to magazine, aesthetically pleasing, better format than just text as screenshots excite the reader and make them want to read on.
  • Very simple, masculine design and colour scheme, white backgrounds except for main features, black text approximate font size 12 - easy to read, no strain
  • Good balance of images and text on pages - informative and attractive
  • Captions used on screenshots highlights main features discussed on the game
  • Larger boxed captions which contain added information which did not fit in main bulk of text.
  • Bold Highlighted quotes - attract reader on first sight of page, creates an enigma so audience reads whole article.
  • First letter of main bulk of text highlighted to make it easier for audience to begin reading - leads eye
  • Small summary of feature under title
  • Main information about game boxed off in top left corner of page ( Title, Format, release date etc.)
  • Perceived more anticipated/popular games nearer to front of magazine and longer feature.

Content

  • Coverage of Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, PC, Handheld , Coin-op and online games (stated on front)
  • Male Games e.g. main features of shooting games “Vanquish” and “Bodycount”
  • Contents page highlights main features of the month, regular articles appearing every month, “Hype” (previews) and Reviews
  • Not just a casual magazine - interest specific
  • Contacts with industry come in handy - interviews with experts e.g. Microsoft’s director of product management - new product information - promises of new information in further issues encourages people to buy again.
  • Entertainment in terms of small sections of trivia e.g. old games selling on eBay for thousands of pounds, website of the month and internet game of the month
  • Issues within industry such as the purchase of games online instead of boxed and what this means for the industry
  • Very little coverage of DS or Wii games which females are more likely to play as it is assumed female gamers are only interested in the “casual games” available on Wii and DS which are not necessarily of high quality. Internet forums and magazines have been filled with debates on the lowering of standards of games due to the rise of a mass market for games. Games are no longer a niche market of predominantly males and Edge fails in many respects, to acknowledge the benefit’s a mass market will bring to the industry. Despite some drop in standards there are many high quality games which would not have been funded to be produced if not for the demand of a wider market.
  • Scoring in reviews out of 10 (highest) - despite anonymity writers opinionated - shows some of character
  • “The Making of” features
  • Articles on game industry in specific countries/areas - Articles on studios and schools of video game design - possible path/job spotting
  • Input from reader in terms of letters page and forum topics online - typical of most magazines today - thought provoking - sphere for debate

Audience


  • Aimed at males - metallic palette (greens, blacks, steel blues) - “but still we receive complaints from readers that we’re too entrenched in the apparently dirty business of promoting games in which characters shoot stuff” (FPS traditionally male games)
  • Older audience ( 18 - 40)- use of more sophisticated language - background knowledge of technology and making of games needed (Codeshop article - tracking developments in development) - useful for those interested in or a part of the games industry and those who specialise in it e.g. university lecturers - Up-to date industry news and debates

Representation

  • Women - only 2 “contributors” - video game journalism, a male dominated industry
  • Due to wide scope of formats the magazine claims to cover, extensive features of only mainstream games make the magazine and so representation of each console is not equal.
  • Dominance of Xbox 360 features - possibly a focus is created on the console which is releasing the most material that month

Institution

  • Future Publishing - reputable, “targeted magazines” - not mainstream
  • No editors letter, just general comment from presumably all of the team.
  • “Edge” franchise well known - industry contacts, longevity (first published in 1993), monthly
  • Distinctive 3rd person, anonymous writing style - creates a barrier with reader - impersonal
  • Personalization - “Edge’s most wanted/most played” - collective - makes institution appear close knit and slightly inaccessible
  • Some personalization in terms of games - producers and developers featured discuss inspirations etc

Following this research I believe I have found a gap in the market within video game journalism. As stated above Edge magazine does not seem to acknowledge that video games are now reaching a mass audience; in particular more females. Although more research will have to be done into how accomodating other magazines are I believe that it is likely it is assumed that the new found audience are content on a diet of "Imagine Babies" and other low quality games. However surely it is upto magazines and other mediums of video game journalism, to educate people about games and introduce them to new, exciting material. This reseacrh has also given me some ideas as to the layout and structure i may use for my own magazine design and will refer back to this blog when I come to produce it.

Sunday, 28 March 2010

Ashita Genki Ni Naare - Miyavi Music Video



I find this music video by the Japanese artist Miyavi, interesting as I believe it successfully overcomes boundaries of language to communicate through a series of semiotics and visual codes.

The song, we can interpret is about the coming of spring, from the english lyric "With Spring wind, breathin' in a breeze" and despite the video being filmed in Japan for a Japanese audience we see predominantly western ideas of spring.

The video begins with an image of a large field and lying in it a box with an umberella and pinwheel. The umberella signifies showers which in western culture have been dubbed "April Showers" however the weather in Japan at this time is pleasently mild and relatively dry.
The pin wheel relates to the lyric stated above as traditionally in Britain and Japan spring is breezy, once the pinwheel begins to turn Miyavi jumps out of the box, relating to a perhaps global perception that spring signifies new life and energy.

The very natural setting of the video with a very green, earthy palette is also widely recognisable and associative with spring as new plantlife begins to grow. What is quite surprising is the absence of cherry blossom trees which are synonymous with spring in Japan, it is therefore clear that a worldwide appeal to the video has tried to be captured.

Within the video is also the very spring-like image of blowing on the dandelion parachute balls which people in Europe and Asia will likely remeber from childhood.

The peace sign, carried on a flag by Miyavi, is again internationally recognisable and in this context can be considered to represent a fresh, care-free, playful atmosphere which spring brings. This fun, energetic theme is emphasised by the child-like movements of Miyavi and the clothes he wears, a long skirt , a straw hat and bear feet which are very simple yet colourful are codes which we relate to the hippie movement wich had an emphasis on enjoying nature and a care-free outlook on life. Again this is interpretation is worldwide and enables people from many different countries to understand and enjoy the video.

Link to the Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz5N5euM2ic

Wednesday, 24 March 2010

Grazia Magazine - Issue 262 Analysis

As I am considering designing a layout for a magazine for my media product for this module I think it would be useful to research the market for and the content and layout of some popular magazines.

Grazia is a full colour, glossy magazine aimed at women aged 18 - 35 with major competitors in Cosmopolitan, Glamour and Elle, as such there isn't a niche in the market for this type of magazine due to heavy popularity in what is already available.

It is assumed that the readership, of working women, has a generous amount of disposable income due to its large focus on designer goods, expensive perfume and makeup through articles on latest fashion trends, hair and makeup tips and the many, many adverts for high end products. The magazine is very image heavy with the bulk of the text within the main story, this may be a result of the notion that the audience is easily distracted and images are used to attract and retain attention.

This particular issue has incorporated augmented reality technology, allowing the reader to interact with the front cover, the fashion editors and a collection of clothes. This is a very innovative, interesting idea which extends the life of the magazine after it has been read and allows the reader to be more involved with the magazine which is a very attractive prospect for the audience.

Like most magazines the first page holds a letter from the editor which adds an element of personalisation, a friendly, chatty atmosphere is created which will persuade the audience to read future issues as well.

A main focus throughout the magazine is on celebrity culture, the main stroy for instance is about the singer Florence Welch which is a vehicle for advertisiment of her album and her tours. With this comes a very predictable sob-story of how her parents split up and her boyfriend broke up with her, in an attempt to portray the album as something all the more special for it. Accompanied with stories of Cheryl Cole, Kate Winslet, Sandra Bullock and Mark Owen involving affairs, divorce, the supernatural and arguments it is clear a certain amount of tabloid laundering has occurred which means stories reported by the tabloids have been taken and investigated further. Hermes (1999) suggests that the pleasure of celebrity news operates via two approaches: "The extended family repertoire" the sense that news gossip brings the powerful down to the level of the ordinary and "the repertoire of melodrama" brining a deep sense that the world is unjust and enjoying it when things go wrong for the rich and famous.

Celebrity problems may seem very distant from the lives of the public however the magazine creates associations with features on real life stories, such as "my husband cheated on me while I was pregnant". This sort of story appeals to a mass audience as people enjoy the fact their lives are not as bad as others.

Along with this theme of celebrity, some relatively serious stories such as compensation for 9/11 rescue workers and "do we really want to hear from the wives of party leaders" , however it is debateable if this is valuable as there are far more serious issues that could be considered.

Sunday, 21 March 2010

FRUiTS Photography by Shoichi Aoki

FRUiTS is a Japanese magazine which documents trends of new and emerging Japanese street fashion, concentrated in particular in the Harajuku area of Tokyo. Aoki began taking Japanese fashion photography in the early 1990s and focuses on trends being initiated by the wearer not by the designer through customisation and innovative mixing of traditional codes and signifiers.

Aoki's work is very unique as unlike other fashion photography, professional models, studios and studio lighting are not used, instead young people are picked and photographed on the street; the main stage for the showcasing of such fashion.

I find these photographs in particular inspirational as the fashion styles are quite radical, fresh and colourful. The subjects of the photographs are positioned in the centre and are able to pose in whatever way they want, this emphasises the fun, spontaneous theme the magazine wishes to achieve. A wide shot is used in all the photographs by Aoki to show full bodies and therefore the full outfits the people are showcasing. Wide shots are also used to place the central subjects in relation to their surroundings. This includes the hustle and bustle of everyday city life and the use of conventionally dressed people in the background along with the grey, gritty blandness of the buldings, frames the main subjects making them stand out. The surroundings, some containing such things as street signs and billboards, make the site of the shoot known, Tokyo, a very distinct city with its clashes of traditional Japanese and westernised architecture and design. The photographs therefore promote the city and the main subjects of the photos as tourist attractions.

What is also interesting about these photographs is that their names, ages, inspirations and where they got their clothes is displayed which personalises the photographs adding interest and adds to the theme of identity and uniqueness running throughout the magazine.

Saturday, 20 March 2010

Journalism work


For this post I've decided to take one of the first items I wrote for the Bradford Student's union newspaper and analyse it. I can then compare this to a more recent article I have written to see how my writing has developed. This is a scan from a page I did on my interest in journalism, in my visual diary last semester which included an article on something which I find annoying and a review of a video game.

As I was appointed as reviews editor I havn't had much opportunity to write any other articles apart from reviews. Recently however I have been asked to write a feature on distraction burglary which will involve shodwing the student liason officer and interviewing a victim. This "Pet Peeves" article is quite personal and so creates a personality for the reader to identify with when reading future issues of the paper, this is quite important with the sort of laid back, entertainment orientated style. The article is also quite short which again is important due to the target audience of student's as they would be less likely to read it if it was exessively long with no images to accompany it.
The subject of the article, general rudeness of the public in everyday life, is very easy to understand and empathise with, which again has an appeal to the audience. It may also be quite interesting for foreign students to read as it gives a small insight into British etiquette.
The language used is informal and chatty, very similar to articles seen in tabloid newspapers and is suited to the young and distracted target audience.

The first review I did, for the game "Professor Layton and Pandora's Box" is again in this chatty language style and as the number of words permitted is limited to approximately 200, I tried to structure it into an introduction, the gameplay, the graphics and a conclusion so that the review was quick to read and straight to the point.

A certain amount of background knowledge of games, films or music in terms of technical aspects and franchises is quite important when reviewing to justify your opinions and also gain a certain amount of trust from the reader.

I think this review has been successful in terms of impartiality, accuracy and critically analysing the product allowing the reader to fprm their own opinions around what has been written.

Monday, 15 March 2010

Final Fantasy XIII - Visual Language in Video Games



As I found the lecture on the Visual language of Video games really intersting I decided to look at this trailer for a new game which came out on the9th March on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.Final Fantasy XIII is the next installment in the long standing, successful RPG (Role-playing game) franchise produced by Square-Enix and has a large fanbase worldwide.

As there have been so many installments the franchise contains some conventions of its own creation. The most noticeable ones include creatures such as "Chocobos" and "Moogles" and the currency "Gil" which recurr throughout the franchise; this adds to the attraction the games hold to the audience.I found the fact that the visual language of games must be must be understood in a split second by the player very interesting. I will explore how certain conventions in games enable decisions to be made by the player, look at the camera positioning, colour conventions and how a high quality is kept by art direction; by using this trailer.

If knowledge of previous games in this franchise is taken into account, the player will expect a diverse set of landscapes each containing many different foes of all difficulties, of which the trailer does allude to. The landscapes have both similarities and differences, as it is a fantasy game, to the real world which affects the way the player reacts to the environments in the game, for example lava is hazardous to the player.

This sort of extrinsic knowledge covers characters as well, those which are friendly and hostile. First of all, from the trailer we see that the first two chracters are friendly due to the light tones of their attire and features, as well as the bright, open surroundings they are in. From the language they use and the focus upon them throughout the trailer we can tell that these are two main charachters who are searching for someone dear to them both. What is also interesting about the friendly, main characters is that they tend to always wear simple, battle clothing and come from humble begginnings, this is evident throughout most of the franchise. In the franchise the most important character, named Lightning in this case, usually has some tragic past, there is always a funny character to lighten the tone of the game, an outgoing motivator, a bubbly young character, a reserved and unconfident character and a mysterious sometimes suspicious character. From the trailer some assumptions can be made as to the assignment of these roles.

Conversely the hostile characters, in particular the main enemies tend to be those in power, controlling armies and create a large obstacle for our protagonists to overcome. The perceived enemies wear dark clothing, dark or silver hair and in the trailer have dark, shadowy surroundings. The lesser enemies, foes which are encountered often throughout the game in the field, are usually non-human apart from the commanded troops which always wear armour and the weapons/machinery they use. The beasts are very fierce, ugly and mutant to the player.

Similarly rewards and clues are highlighted in such a way for the players to understand immediately how to react. For example chests=rewards and glistening or lighted areas are aspects to examine.

As can be seen from the trailer, the combat sequences within the game are conducted in real-time as opposed to the traditional turn-based combat many came to expect from the franchise. The players therefore do not have to wait turns to complete actions, it takes only as long as the action takes to be readied. In the combat scenes the camera is always fixed on the leading character of the party with the ability to rotate the camera manually. If players have previous knowledge of the franchise they will notice some similarities in combat mode such as the ability to summon beasts to aid you and names of magics. While previous knowledge may help understanding it is not compulsary, making the game more accessible.

The games camera is positioned in 3rd person with the ability to zoom in and out and rotate manually, to a certain extent. Also camera settings can be altered within the menu to e.g. invert the axes. 3rd person perspective is used as the identity and actions of the characters are an important feature of the plot and so as the audience we must be aware of them and feel as though we know who they are on a personal level. The surrounding landscapes are also important and so to be appreciated some freedom of the camera has been allowed but at the same time restricted so as not to alter the feel of the game.

Within the game, as with previous titles in the franchise, there are many cutscenes which break up the gameplay to show key moments in the plot and also alter the feel of the game, examples can be seen in the trailer of the stunning graphics which are a definate attraction of the game and blur the boundaries between games and cinema.

The game, in terms of graphics is very sophisticated and realistic which brings a serious tone to the game. Along with this, the complicated processes of enhancing abilities, equipment and the use of weapons like guns makes the audience take the game seriously. This challenges the view commonly held that games are primarily for children.

Games are very heavily visually styled and crafted and are a major force in visual culture, it is therefore very interesting to analyse games in terms of visual language as it is used in a specialised way.


Link to trailer:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJPbozRomX4

Monday, 8 March 2010

Diane Arbus - Child with toy hand grenade in Central Park (1962)





After attending the lecture on "Elements of composition" this image really interested me and so as a starting point for my blog I will analyse it in terms of its visual attributes, composition, context and signification.

The framing of the shot is open as we see beyond the central figure to other figures and a park landscape of trees and open space. The fact that the figures in the background are distorted and no specific detail can be made out focuses the viewers attention on the figure. However we are aware of some aspects of their identity, as a family and as American citizens with western values common in the 1960s, in particular patriotism, wealth and materialism.

If The Rule of thirds is used to view how the image is composed (see above) in a more technical manner we can see the child is positioned centrally which means the viewers eye is instantly led to him. The upper right section holds the family group which are out of focus but would soon cross paths with the child and his grenade as they are heading down the path towards him. The Upper row of sections highlights the much brighter lighting in the background encompassing the faceless figures, however the child very shadowy which conforms with the rule of relative contrast where there is more contrast in the foreground to create detail and less in the background to create a sense of distance.

By seperating the photo in this way, a shadowy figure behind the child also becomes more distinguishable. As the figure is more or less directly behind the child and appears to be facing in the same direction as him this suggests a connection between the two. By observing the larger height of the background figure and the fact that the direction of the leaves' shadows on the pavement appear to spread out from the figure to the child, suggests that the relationship is possibly controlling and manipulative. The Two trees, also more or less directly behind the child, can give a sense of height and strength to the object in front of them however a stark contrast is made between the two is made as the small, feeble child bears no inclination to any natural strength, only the manufactured weapon he wields. This possibly sends the message that anyone can manufacture strength through weapons, however what is truly strong and beautiful is nature itself.

The camera has neither been positioned at a low or high angle which means the viewer is at eye level to the child. This creates a more profound focus on the child and makes the image more personal to the viewer as by making eye contact with people we are more susceptible to their emotions and body language.

The expression on the childs face is one of hostility and anger, something rarely seen in images of children and which makes it more striking and even frightening. To emphasise this the boy is dressed in very innocent, traditional American children's clothing. Although we are told that the grenade is a toy his expression and tense body language, his claw-like gesture, his drooping strap and the manic expression on his face, makes it appear more real and creates a feeling of fear for the approaching family but also sympathy for the child who is clearly disturbed.

To put the image into a historical and social context explains why the child appears in the image this way. In 1962, when the image was taken, the Vietnam war was into its third year which explains the militaristic theme of the grenade in the image. It does not however glorify the war like a lot of media products at the time would have, instead it expresses the importance of conserving the innocence of children by teaching them that violence is wrong, for the sake of peace so that in future wars may not occur. The angst and tension on the face of the child may also be a result of the climate of paranoia and fear of communism present at the time due to the Cold War between America and the USSR.