Friday, 15 November 2013

Magazine Advert Analysis: Evanescence - The Open Door



Codes:

Text:
Main Text: Once again, this magazine advert uses the absolute minimum in terms of text. One element that is different is that this is an advert for an album that is yet to be released. This means that it is essential that 'Out November 2nd' stands out from the page.
Additional Text: Underneath this, slightly smaller, is the mention of her single. Obviously here, the creator of the advert has decided that this is not as important as the date of the release but it still needs to be there to attract the audience.
Font: All of the font is a serif font. Similar to the Paramore advert, this suggests that the audience and the album is more a more sophisticated style of pop.

Layout:
Image: Much like the Jessie J advert all the important text is in the lower half in the centre of the page. It is difficult to tell where the main focus point is as there is a lack of material in the middle. Certainly, the image of the girl, on the left hand side attracts the readers attention as it stands out from the rest of the seemingly dark advert.
Motif: By placing the Evanescence motif slightly to the right it is complying with the rule of thirds which should mean that the reader finds it more pleasant to look at this placed here rather than right in the centre. Another reason for placing it here, would be so it works with the image. The motif would not have such a good effect if it was placed over the main part of the image. Therefore, the sensible idea would be to place it slightly off centre.
Logos: Again much like both the other adverts, the two record label logos are in both the bottom corners, so it is likely that the reader will view them last and as it has been said that one's memory best remembers items placed first and last this could be a good decision.

Colour:
Main body: The colour scheme used is very limited. It is mainly black, white and gold used. This largely dark style reflects perhaps the type of music normally made by Evanescence, but at the same time it fits in well with the setting of the image. Much like the Jessie J advert the gold suggests luxury music.
Logo: The 'Virgin Megastores' logo stands out profoundly on this advert. By not conforming to the rather dull colour scheme, the logo although rather small catches the readers eye and is instantly recognisable as one of the Virgin brands.

Conventions:

Images:
Main Image: The image on this advert is interesting. It is difficult to tell whether it is a real photo or not but due to the slightly bizarre angles and perspective of the photo, one would assume that it is computer generated.
Character: From the others that I have analysed this is a unique element and there is a noticeable absence of an image of the main singer, although the image is of a girl indicating the gender of the artist. Another reason for using a girl would be firstly to attract the female audience as they have the potential to be able to identify with the topic of the songs. However, Male Gaze Theory would suggest that using a girl would also attract a male audience as the image of a woman would attract their attention and get them interested in what is being advertised. Long shots, as used in the advert, are a key feature of this theory so that the male audience can see the full body of the female.
Album Front Cover: In addition, it is unclear what the front cover of the album looks like, it could be that this image is used as well but the reader would not be sure.
Logo: The only real element of this advert that makes it recognisable as Evanescence, is their own 'logo' of sorts. If you look at other merchandise a similar style will be used for the bands name and title of the album. This will be effective in catching an Evanescence fan's attention. Also, when the reader sees this elsewhere they will instantly recognise it's unique design.
Image Design: Another unique element of this advert is the use of a texture design. If you look closely you can see that although it would physically be printed on a smooth page in a magazine, the image includes the look of a rough texture. This gives the advert an old fashioned feel which could be another indication to the style of the album. The only other images on this advert are the logos for the record companies. Once again, these will have been used solely to promote the companies as they attempt to attract a wider audience and potential new artists.

Setting:
The setting of the main image is somewhat surreal, as the audience would not come across this setting in everyday life. The large door that reveals the dark sky outside is another indication of the style of music that this advert is promoting.

Costume:
The dress worn by the girl in the photo is, as you would expect, very unusual. The dress is not something that would be worn everyday by the audience, but something that you would more likely find in a fantasy film. Again this is important in portraying the alternative style of pop music that this poster is advertising.

Representation:
The main representation here is purely the representation of the style of music of the album 'The Open Door'. Without a clear picture of the artist it is difficult to represent her personality. With Jessie J the audience gets a clear idea of what she stands for. However, with this advert there is no interaction between Evanescence and her audience so this cannot be established. All the codes and conventions already explored all work together to make a representation of the album style, which would come under the label of alternative pop. 

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