How does your media product represent particular social groups?

1. Bethany Vaughan 4137
Centre Number 64135

2. My magazine represents similar social groups to ‘KERRANG’ because it contains
content which reflects that of the rock/punk genre, therefore there are many
similarities due to the shared target audience. In the image used by KERRANG the
mise-en-scene figure expression and positioning of the three men is very similar to
that in my main image. The positioning of one band member in front of the others in a
triangle formation is a popular way of presenting the band as it connotes power
therefore due to the similar target audience I felt it was effective to repeat in my
magazine. The social group typically represented in ‘KERRANG’ is white males and
females aged 20-30, however I challenged this in PUNKED by using younger models in
my images aged 18-25. I felt this was an effective way to attract a younger audience of
14+ year olds as they are more likely to find people closer to their age attractive and
relatable which would encourage them to buy the magazine. In the same way as
KERRANG I used white males and females as this is the stereotypical social group of
the rock/punk genre and exploiting stereotypes like this was important in making the
magazine’s genre explicit.

3. The two main images both represent the
punk rock bad boy aesthetic through the
aloof facial expressions of the two band
members stood at the back, which suggests
they don’t care, and the confrontational
slight frown of the male at the front making
them appear tough and powerful. In
KERRANG shadows have been used to make
the band appear moody and dark however I
decided against this as I aimed for a slightly
more light-hearted altitude toward the band.
I represented this ‘bad boy’ personality in
the band as it is stereotypical of the genre so
would be easy to identify by fans of
rock/punk music. The image on the bottom
left of PUNKED also denotes this rule
breaking attitude as the tongue stuck out
and red streak in the hair connotes
rebelliousness and someone who doesn’t
play by the rules which conforms to the
social group I aimed to represent.

4. The hairstyles of the two magazine
covers contrast, in KERRANG the band
members have quite messy unruly hair
however PUNKED the first image the
band members have, styled on trend
hair. The male on the left has his hair
tied back suggesting he is quite vain
and cares about how he looks and the
male on the right’s hair is clean cut and
tidy, finally the man in the centre is
weiring a bandanna which has
connotations of rebelliousness but also
suggests that he takes pride and care in
his appearance and fashion. The
hairstyles represent a clean cut and
professional band compared to the
unruly look seen in KERRANG and
therefore represents a younger group
of rock/punk bands as the clean cut
and styled look has become more
popular for young bands in recent
years such as Bastille and Arctic
Monkeys, as I aimed to represent
younger social groups than seen in
KERRANG it was important for me to
also consider difference in styles due to
the age difference and current trends.

5. I used a low angle mid shot in my
main image as it causes the band to
appear powerful and dominant on
the cover which is a typical them
associated with rock and punk artists
and therefore represents them. In
my contents page I also used amid
shot as it allowed me to highlight the
guitar and microphone which
represents the genre and social
group of musicians. Furthermore the
thumbnail image at the top left of
the contents page reinforces the
punk/rock social group as the
running makeup conforms to the
emotional and dark themes
associated with the music genre.

6. The costumes worm by my models was
very important as it was vital in
highlighting the genre and representing
the punk/rock social group. I used
clothing that is in fashion right now and
popular with the genre for example the
denim jacket and bandanna in the mail
image, the Plaid shirts worn by both
myself in the editorial and by ‘Emma
Blackery’ in the contents, and by the
black jacket worn over a hoodie in the
double page spread. All of this is typical
punk/rock fashion so represents the
social group which connects with the
target audience as they are casual
clothing which they would own
themselves. The clothing isn’t branded
so it can target a wide audience
however it is of high quality so looks
attractive and professional, this
suggests that the magazine aims to
attract middle class people which may
be reflected in the magazine's price.