2 - Representation

Representation

Many factors have been considered in the constrution of my magazine in relation to the representations of the featured artists. Across the board, themes include rebellion and youth; these perceptions are created through elements such as costume, mise en scene, colours, fonts, editing and camerawork.

The artist featured on the front cover and double page spread of this particular issue of 'AMP' magazine is Kate Whinnett, whom is a seventeen year old female artist. It may be suggested that expectations of the young woman may be that she is feminine and quiet because this is often how women are thought of as behaving.  This stereotype has, however, been disproved in several ways due to its replacement with connotations of strength and attitude.

A 'grunge' style has been made for the artist from the specifically chosen clothing worn for her costume. On the front cover, the artist has been photographed wearing a plain grey sweater; this clothing promotes the artist's carefree attitude becuase it is casual and the colour is subtle and appears cool and laid back. In the other photograph used, which is situated on the double page spread, she is wearing a simple black shirt with dark skinny jeans and a pair of black Dr Marten boots. Again, this simplicity further connotes the woman's laidback attitude. The Dr Marten boots that Kate has been photographed wearing are of a stereotypically rebellious brand, having been adopted by various groups of alternative individuals in the past; an example of this would be punks. The association with these people leads to the assumption that the musician possesses similar qualities, therefore her style will be presented as originating from the alternative genre. The harsh black colour and leather material connote darkness, whilst the heavy nature of the boots will reflect that of the aggression that Kate possesses. This attitude can be expected from teenager of Kate's age, therefore her appearance is conventional and the musician is represented as being an adolescent rather than being falsely marketed as being older than she is like some other musicians are. This ensures that her 'raw' music remains so, and that the artist comes across as genuine and relatable, encouraging readers to listen to her music and read what she has to say in the interview. 

Also connoting Kate's wild nature is her unruly hairstyle. The loose waves that fall over the musician's shoulders appear slightly messy, representing her reckless side and further adding a 'rough' feel to the young artist's look. The natural shade of brown again accentuates how raw the artist is and adds to the carefree vibe affiliated with the musician. Makeup has been left minimal to create a natural look for these reasons.

 



Example of other female alternative musicians wearing Dr Martens


Ashley Riley, another artist featured within my magazine, is also represented as being cool and carefree through the use of clothing; he is photographed wearing a simple white and grey outfit consisting of a plain tshirt, hat and scarf. This outfit appears casual due to the loose fit style and subtle colours of the clothing.This suggests that the artist ossesses a laid back nature; this is a theme that dominates a large portion of current alternative music.The fashionable scarf and earring represent the musician as being fashionable as well as talented so that fans will look up to him and listen to his music. The outfit posseses some maturity to ensure that the artist is taken seriously and to demonstrate the integrity of his music. The beanie hat worn by Riley brings the costume together with a sense of youth in order to remind the reader of the artist's age of seventeen years. It was important that the artist's age was represented in its true form because his recognisable age makes him more relatable to the target audience of his music, and more importantly, 'AMP' magazine. The musician wears minimal jewellery and no makeup in order to maintain an image of masculinity that matches the themes of strength and determination often associated with both the male gender and the alternative genre of music. This will also cause young men to look up to and relate to the artist. Below is a moodboard made to demonstrate te inspiration behind Kate Whinnett and Ashley Riley's costume design. It is evident that these styles are of an indie genre:

Costume alone is not enough to strongly represent the artists in a way in which is appropriate and noticeable. For this reason, body language has been considered in the planning of outfits to be worn on the photoshoot. On the contents page, artist Ashley Riley is photographed with a casual stance which again connotes his laid back nature and  cool attitude. His distant stare creates mystery, making the musician more intriguing so that the readers will be encouraged to find out more about him from the interview within the magazine. His facial expression is that of deep thought, representing both the artist and his music as possessing themes of intelligence and meaning; these themes are often found in alternative music therefore the musician will be recognisably from this genre. Readers will also look up to the young man's intelligence and will believe that he has important and insightful thoughts to share within his interview.

Though connoting similar themes, Kate Whinnett's body language across the double page spread and front cover of 'AMP' differs from that of Ashley Riley's in that her persona is that of a slightly more aggressive and edgy nature.  On the front cover of the magazine, the artist is photographed with a striking facial expression that exaggerates her 'snarl'. This aggressive action means that she comes across as moody, which further promotes the themes of her music and the lyrics that she writes. This 'moody' persona distinguishes Kate Whinnett from the rest of the alternative music industry and builds a brand around the musician that is recognisable and will appeal to the rebellious, cool young adults that 'AMP' magazine's target audience will mostly consist of. Her cold stare causes a feeling of hostility to be emitted from the page so that the artist is again percieved in this aggressive way that dominates much of the alternative music scene; the striking blue shade of her eyes further attract attention and the feature sets the woman's appearance apart from the other female musicians of her genre. This makes people notice her so they will want to read on to listen to what she has to say in the interview situated in a double page spread within the magazine. Though a theme of aggression is present in Kate Whinnett's appearance and facial expression, it is counteracted slightly by her laid back posture; this is to ensure that she will not come across as too angry so will remain likeable and relatable. It also promotes her care free personality, causing her to come across in this way to appear 'cool'. A mid shot has been used for this photograph to ensure that the musician's facial expression can clearly be recognised in order to project the themes intended to represent the musician to the reader.

Kate Whinnett's body language remains similar in the photograph that resides on the double page spread; this ensures consistency in the carefree persona created for the artist so that her identity remains recognisable and genuine. The casual seated position represents the young artist as being relaxed and the distant stare causes the musician to seem to be deep in thought so as to be taken seriously and appear to possess the intellegence put across in the lyrics of her music, as quoted within the interview. A long shot has been used to capture this photograph so that Kate's entire body can be seen, thus exaggerating her strong body language.  Another reason this type of camera shot has been used is so that the setting surrounding her can be observed; this is important because her environment promotes these themes even further.

On the double page spread, Whinnett has been photographed sitting on some worn concrete steps in a remote, deserted area. These stairs have been used as a prop to create a dramatic impression as they feature in the centre of the page and empower the artist. They empower the artist because she is shown to be sitting relatively high on the stairs. Observing her as being near the top of some stairs causes her to come across as 'high up' and so she is respected by the readers and comes across as, combined with her body language, as being effortlessly powerful and cool. This means that her fans will further idolise the musician and will keep listening to her music.

On both the front cover and the double page spread, the mise-en-scene adds a sense of mystery and attitude. On the double page spread, the area surrounding Whinnett is deserted, creating the impression that the artist possesses independance and is, perhaps, a loner. This further imposes the image of moodiness put across by many other aspects and will make the artist and her work relatable to much of the target audience of adolescents, many of whom may be outcasts due to their alternative lifestyle; this culture is rather different from mainstream genres such as pop music, therefore this is how many adolescents who listen to alternative/indie music may feel. The bare trees and unruly greenery combined with the dull, old appearance of the steps and fence connote that the artist is 'rough' so will be regarded again as being rebellious. The white colour of the sky contrasts with the darker browns and blacks present in this image and help to tie it in with the other pages of the magazine due to the colour being included in the house style present throughtou 'AMP' magazine. The dull weather is recognisably British, making her nationality recognisable. It also reflects upon her mood, representing her as being meaningful.

Less of the background can be seen on the front cover of the magazine, however just as much impact has been created. This background consists simply of a crumbled wall that has been covered in colourful graffiti. This graffiti connotes urbanisation, which contributes to the image of Kate's attitude. The old appearance of the concrete wall makes the reader assume that the area is rough and perhaps dangerous, meaning that the musician's reckless attitude is accentuated. The colourful backdrop contrasts with the casual grey of the musician's costume aswell, and so this creates an impact and also brings a sense of youth and fun to the photograph. This means that her relatively young age of seventeen will be represented and so she will, even when her hostile facial expression, be considered as possessing an element of fun within her persona. Below is a photograph of the deserted area in which the photographs were taken:

The mise-en-scene is equally as effective in the representation of Ashley Riley's attitudes in that the setting is also deserted and so creates the impression of independance and distance to society. This relates tot he themes in alternative music of living on the edge of society in that many artists of the genre are non conformist and do not follow mainstream fashions and mannerisms. The surrounding greenery is typically British, therefore connote the musician's nationality; this will cause the artist to be relatable to the readers of 'AMP' magazine, most of whom are British. The weather comes across as being cold; this is due to the dull sky and the red of the musician's nose. This connotes that the artist posseses an element of hostility, just as Kate Whinnett has. 

Riley's body language appears just as cold, featuring a look of annoyance in his facial expression. His distant look suggests that the musician is deep in thought, lending an impression of intelligence to the artist and his music. It also adds mystery and makes the artist further seem cool so that the impressionable adolescent readers will look up to him. The rest of the artist's body appears relaxed; his position is that of a casual posture so he seems laid back; this is a trait possessed by many young adults, so he will be relatable to the target audience and represented accurately as being seventeen years of age. This photographed has been cropped so that the resulting image is a mid-shot. This mid-shot allows the artist's face to be recognised so that fans of his music will recognise him and also so that his facial expression can instantly be read so that he can be represented in the intended ways. It also means that his body language and surroundings can be explored; this is for the same reasons. The photograph has been edited so that the edges appear darker, creating a further sense of moodiness. 

'AMP' magazine uses a variation of ways in which artists included are represented, some of which are through the the colours and fonts surrounding the images. An example of this is the red, white and and black colour scheme surrounding the image of Kate Whinnett on the double page spread. The vivid red colour features on the font used for the heading, the questions asked of the musician by the journalist, the kicker and the outline of the page. This is effective in that the colour offers consistency as well as providing the page with a sense of rebellion and danger that Kate possesses. This is because the colour is universally associated with these themes due to its patterns and connotations of danger within nature as well as its use by cultures such as the punk movement throughout history. The black  colour of the majority of the font is harsh and, in the case of the standfirst, bold. This reflects the boldness of the musician's personality and alternative, slightly heavy style of alternative music that she writes and performs; these same effects are also created through the colour schemes of the costume worn in the relating photograph of Whinnett, meaning that the two aspects support and accentuate each other to put the themes across more powerfully and ensure that the audience understand the musician's strong personality.  The font used for the heading and standirst, which is titled 'Impact', is also bold, further encouraging this perception of strength surrounding Whinnett. This font is also used in the caption of the photograph of Ashley Riley and is also written in a bold black shade. The vibrant red colour is also featured on the border of the photograph, creating a sense of danger around this musician much like the other artist, Kate Whinnett's. Below are some examples of red's connotation of danger within nature:

As well as fonts and colours, the mode of address present in the text used on the double page spread is also responsible for the representation of Kate Whinnett. With powerful descriptive language such as "the fiercest new artist" being used in representation of the artist, it is no surpride that this is how the woman is percieved as being. Whinnett talks of how 'wild' her life has become and talks of the partying that she has been doing on tour. This is an example of the musician's recklessness and causes reader's to see her as a fun, exciting person with a lot to tell. This means that they will be encouraged to read the interview and will look up to the powerful, distinctive artist.

Though less text relates to Ashley Riley, language has still been used to create certain impressions; in fact, it may be argued that this text creates aven more of an impact than that surrounding the featured artist, Kate Whinnett, because even less text has been used in order to create just as much of an impression. With words such as "fresh", "new" and "exclusive", a vibe of excitement is created regarded the young man. He is represented as being new on the alternative music scene; this raises interest in the artist because readers will be intrigued and may read about the artist in order to understand the hype. The words used also connote youth, therefore accentuating the artist's relatability towards adolescents of a similar age.

In conclusion, both artists featured throughout 'AMP' magazine have been represented appropriately and effectively in the alternative music genre though the use of several techniques such as costume, body language, mise-en-scene, the lexis surrounding them, and fonts and colours.