Monday, 24 March 2014

*Analysing my product by GENRE (homework)

My magazine falls under the genre of a classic woman's fashion magazine. However it also contains some elements of rock (in the text) and indie (from the double page image). This is known as a hybrid and the reason I did this is to include both of my other products together. My website is typically feminine and my billboard comes across as subtly indie-rock. By combining the two genres I have created a magazine that would typically attract men through indie and rock conventions but I have added feminine features such as the model and colours, which attract females more. The front of the magazine, at first glance, looks to be a typical woman's fashion magazine as it includes conventions like the colours pink, black, and white that are commonly found in a fashion magazine for people aged 16-25. However, the double page is portrayed as more indie than anything else. This is because it uses the same black and white but replaced the pink with red. Red is mostly associated with the punk/rock genre. By incorporating these colours in the double page spread I have displayed a second genre in my magazine. This could be seen as a hybrid that combines two opposing and unexpected genres together. Altman explained how genre never stays the same and it always changes through time. I think this theory applies to my work because there never would have been a feminine indie/rock fashion magazine in the 20th century. As times have changed it is more common to find the rock/indie genre in a range of magazines that you wouldn't necessarily find in certain magazines. 

Buckinghams theory is similar to Altman's in which he thinks genres adapt to certain situations and time periods. The genre of indie and rock is becoming more popular especially with females so I decided to make a hybrid of classic feminine indie rock. I think my magazine belongs partly in the classic and partly in the experimental phase as suggested by Metz. It is classic because the front cover contains all the conventions of a stereotypical woman's fashion magazine as my model is in feminine clothes looking powerful and bursts of pink surround her. On the other hand there are different conventions in my double page spread which is the part that contains the genre of indie/rock. My model wears a red plaid shirt with jeans which is becoming more popular in the genre of indie. The other side of the page shows my model wearing a black and white stripy dress which is quite feminine and therefore fits in with the experimental theory. I have tried to create an unusual genre which could prove to become quite popular within time. My magazine contains these unusually put together genres because I think that it creates an original and interesting new genre that is becoming more popular in the 21st century. 

The double page as a whole is coming away from the typical feminine look but I have still included a male gaze element (Laura Mulvey) by putting my model in a revealing dress which shows some flesh more than the other images. From this I can say that my double page contains features of a classic womens magazine but twists the connotations into being indie/rock. The 'rock' genre comes from the use of my chosen colours (red, black, and white) and the text. In the text I have mentioned Oliver Sykes who is part of the band Bring Me The Horizon, a punk-rock band. I incorporated the fact that Rebecca, the model, has worked with him on some level. I then explained some clothing lines she created which contained hints of punk. The right hand side image on the double page shows how she has not got as much femininity as she wears jeans and a red plaid shirt, stereotypically worn by men. My contents page is quite simple and doesn't have an image, however the connotation of this page would be that it follows the pattern of a females fashion magazine due to the colours pink, purple, white, and black. This is an example of a classic genre. 

Gunther Kress' theory comes into my product as well as he states that society is ever changing and so genre changes to suit. My magazine has combined two opposing genres that have unexpectedly joined together and created a new 'look'. The reason why these oppose is because the classic version would be very girly and have the colours pink and purple all over, but the punk side is mostly black and white and when combining the two it creates a whole new look for a fashion magazine. I would class my product as an experimental genre as well because I'm trying to create a very unusual and rare type of magazine that would hopefully be more popular in the future as genres change. The magazine's contents page is typically a classic in terms of layout and colours. I purposefully used the feminine colours to suit the front cover of the magazine and to carry the theme throughout that eventually alternates into the indie/rock genre. Metz also introduced the deconstructive genre which can include lots of different genres together in small parts. I have considered that my product is this genre as well, but I think, with having two genres, my magazine fits into the classic and experimental genre the best.

Overall this combination of differentiating genres creates an original magazine that has used conventions of a fashion magazine to attract multiple audiences. It can be argued that the feminine and indie/rock genre do not suit each other well, however I would disagree as both genres are becoming increasingly popular in the 21st century. More magazines are combining two genres together that wouldn't have necessarily been seen before. An example genre is soft grunge. This is the combination of a feminine look with a pop/punk look added. This is also similar to indie/rock with a few fashion differences. 

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