MUSIC MAGAZINES

• QUESTION: How far do MOJO and RNR use different media language to create different connotations? (CONNOTATION meaning: an idea or quality that a word makes you think about in addition to its meaning.)

  Answer on your blog. This is a high-value question and should take all lesson to answer. You can use the class blog search engine for more examples of how to analyse music magazines.

• In your answer you should have 2 paragraphs:

• analyse the media language in MOJO and RNR magazine. 'Media language' includes the placement of the main image, the type of photography, lighting, colours, fonts, how busy or restrained the cover is, the layout (such as alignment to the margins), how serious or playful 
• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far the media language is used differently in both extracts to create different connotations. Are there similarities in both covers? What sorts of audiences are they targeting? You could think about MOJO's rock aesthetic of living loud and dangerously compared to RNR's folk, rock, blues vibe.   

The covers reflect the mood of the music genres they write about. For example RnR's cover has a soft brown colour on the background and white text which makes the cover seem relaxed like a blues song. The cover mount is also a soft brown, keeping the theme the same and keeping it organised. The puff has smooth edges and is in the corner out the way of the musicians face making the layout look more organised and not too shouty. Christy Moore's face is lit slightly warmly and he wears a soft smile conveying that he doesn't pose any threat to the reader.

On the other hand, MOJO is a rock magazine and so the cover is a lot more chaotic like the music. The man on the front cover is in a fighting stance and is baring his teeth with the band name Foo Fighters showing he is ready to fight. He has long hair which tells us he is a rebellious rock star and doesn't need to fit in with a short formal haircut. There are many bright colours such as neon yellow, blue and red to catch the readers attention. The cover mount is neon green like toxic waste, with a skull to show that the musicians fight and die for their music.