Magazine advert analysis

Magazine advert analysis

The purpose of a magazine advert is to promote the artist and their music to a targeted audience.To inform the audience of the music genre, the magazine advert follows generic conventions of the type of music genre the artist belongs to. Mise-en-scene elements are important within the magazine advert as it portrays various meanings. Different colours mean different connotations such as red symbolised love or evil. This is conventional to see in a pop music genre. Elements such as clothing is important as it promotes the artists personality attracting the audience. 

In James Morrison's Magazine advert, the artist is represented as an 'Ordinary' person. This is done through mise-en-scene elements such as costume. The artist is seen to be wearing casual clothing such as jeans and a jacket. This is effective in appealing to the audience as it portrays the artist's personality as approachable and friendly. The audience therefore don't feel as though the artist is superior to them in anyway. Through these elements, the advert highlights the music genre of the artist as it is conventional to see pop artists in casual clothing. This means that the artist conformed to Dyers star theory as the artist is represented as ordinary.

The magazine advert  looks almost sepia as the artist is seen to be wearing a brown jacket and the writing is also in brown. This is effective as the colour appears warm and inviting for the audience encouraging them to read the magazine advert. A long shot is used to show the artist sat on the pavement which the artist is placed in the middle of the advert. This is effective as it connotes the importance of the artist whilst making the artist the main focal point. Underneath the artist the artists name is written in large font and is bold. This is effective as it highlights to the audience who the artist is and those who are a fan of the music genre will recognize his name. It also establishes the artist and further connotes the importance of the artist.

The colours used within the magazine advert is sepia with brown writing. This is a gender specific colour which is effective in attracting a male target audience. However the colour brown have certain connotations that relate to the lyrics of his songs one of them being a break up. Therefore this gives the audience an insight to the type of music the artist creates. The choices of images used in the advert are effective as the artist is seen to be sitting on the pavement. This is effective as it is simplistic allowing the audience to focus mainly on the artist and writing. The connotations of the image also reflect the album and how he is 'ordinary' like Dyers star theory, rather than being in a more popular location. This represent the artist as being down to earth and casual which further promotes the artist.The artist is further promoted through the camera shot in which the artist is seen to be looking in the same direction.Therefore the audience can see the artists facial expressions enabling them to build up a relationship.

The artist image is shown as a large image at the right corner of the page. This is significant as it connotes his importance as he is the artist that created the album. The image consists of a mid shot which is effective as it shows iconography and costume. The artist appears to be formal as he is wearing a suit and tie. He is seen to be looking away from the camera holding a microphone as if performing. This highlights the fact that the artist is talented. The camera angle creates shadows across the artists face making the poster more about the music and performance rather than the artist himself.

Above the image the artists name is written in large font. This contributes to the artist importance making his name stand out. Therefore the magazine advert promotes the artist. The colour of the text is written in red which creates a contrast with the black background. This is effective as it is eye catching for the audience drawing their attention to the advert. The only other text that is written in a different colour is the name of the advert. This is shown to be white making it stand out against everything else on the poster. This is effective as it makes the title more memorable for the audience. On the magazine advert, the text promotes the album by stating that its the multi- platinum album of the year followed by stars placed next to song titles. The stars connote the quality of the album and therefore ensuring the consumer that it is worth buying.

The colours used within the poster could show a correlation to the meaning of the songs. For example the colour red could connote love or anger implying that he has been hurt. This contrasts with the black background reflecting the sadness, depressed emotions felt by the artist. This helps promote the music genre and it is conventional for the lyrics to be related to the artists emotions or relationship based. The magazine advert  attracts the target audience as it stands out. The colours used within the poster are bold and stand out. Therefore the audience are more intrigued to look at it and are encouraged to buy the artists album.

This research is going to assist me when I create my magazine advert as it highlighted the importance to conform to the conventions of the pop genre in order to attract the target audience. When i create my magazine advert I have decided to used  a large image and font size of the artists name to connote the artists importance. This is effective as it promotes the artist and their album which is effective in encouraging them to buy the album. I am also going to use bright colours to create a contrast making it stand out; this will in turn draw the audiences attention to the advert.

Include a summary at the end of your blog to show how you will use your research to inform your planning and creating your own advert for your own artist.