Q2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Transcript of the voice over that runs through the above prezi:

I focused on creating images conventional to the genre. I had observed from magazines such as NME and Q that the indie genre was most commonly represented through bands (e.g. Kings of Leon, Coldplay). Furthermore, these bands contain predominantly males. Therefore, my cover stars were an indie band that was almost all male, with one girl. Females in indie bands are regarded as somewhat of a novelty (e.g. Of Monsters & Men); therefore I referenced the fact that she was the only female in the band several times in my article.

In the mise-en-scene, I tried to encapsulate the relaxed, laid back style of the Indie genre. To do so, I styled the men in denim jeans, casual shirts and t-shirts. Male indie artists are always represented in the same way, allowing the audience to relate to them by coming across as the ‘everyman’. An example of this is Ed Sheeran, who is almost always dressed in a t-shirt, hoodie and jeans. These are items of clothing his fans are likely to wear, allowing them to identify with him. This impression is particularly important to portray in a magazine, as using the Uses and Gratifications theory, this is one of the reasons why someone would want to buy and read the magazine. I used a beanie on the band’s lead singer ‘Damon’, as these hats are stereotypical of the genre. This instantly communicated the culture associated with indie music, attracting that type of fan base to not only the magazine, but to the band being featured also.

The poses used by my models were quite subtle. Again, to contribute to this idea of ‘normality’, my four models stood in fairly neutral positions. I asked them to do so particularly in the band shots, as this neutral stance is seen in many magazines when it comes to indie bands. Furthermore, my models didn’t smile in the pictures, as this is seldom seen of indie artists. Also, the song content is often a lot deeper and more meaningful than pop music. Therefore, smiles would seem unnatural, as it would conflict with the genre’s representation.

I used an acoustic guitar as a prop for my guitarist ‘Caleb’ and my guitarist/singer ‘Dawn’. Choosing an acoustic guitar promotes the idea that their music is raw and naturally formed rather than produced in a studio for the sole purpose to make money. Fans of the genre often strive to keep music ‘pure’, therefore  the article focused on the struggle each individual had before success and how they all made music just for the pure enjoyment of it, rather than for the fame or the money.

I chose models that I felt represented elements of the genre. Two of my models ‘Max’ and ‘Dawn’ are Caucasian redheads. As redheads are considered unique and individual because it is a rarity, I felt that this portrayed what the genre represents. Furthermore, successful indie artists such as Ed Sheeran are known for their red hair and it is somewhat of a trademark. Both ‘Damon’ and ‘Caleb’ have curly hair which is slightly longer than Max’s. This has a slightly scruffier, casual look which conforms to the stereotype that indie artists don’t care about their appearance and tells the audience that they are ‘all about the music’. Also, this will appeal to a male audience, as they stereotypically are less bothered about looking good than females.

The magazine is targeted at the social class ABC1, who are stereotypically better educated than those of the C2DE social bracket. I have reflected this in the detail of my article, in which all four of the band members explain elements of the music making process and the band’s dynamics when working together so closely. The ABC1 class will be more interested in reading an informative article rather than a gossip article about their personal lives or discussing rumours about them. Also, the overall tone of the article suggests that the band is also made up of a similar social class, following the stereotype that indie artists are ‘just like their fans’.

I have also represented the genre in other ways. The other content described on the contents page suggests a lot about what fans of the genre would be interested in. Firstly, two of the contents page images are at concerts. As live music is an exceptionally important to the indie genre and its audience, I decided to portray this consistently through the magazine. Not only did I display this on the contents page, but the importance of live music was demonstrated through the article also. I mentioned the band doing a soundtrack at Camden Roundhouse. This is stereotypical of the genre, as indie artists usually perform smaller more intimate gigs than pop artists. Therefore, I would not suggest that ‘Tigerilla’ were performing at Wembley Arena or the O2 Arena, as they would be more likely to perform at smaller venues such as the IndigO2 or Camden Roundhouse.

As live music is particularly important to the genre, one of the features I have included is a list of 5 iconic festival moments. Festival culture is very closely linked with indie music; therefore fans of the indie genre will most likely attend festivals.

On the contents page, it is clear that the reviews section of the magazine would be quite substantial. This links back to the genre’s primary concept, that fans of the genre are interested in music itself.

As a young audience, my magazine also suggests they would be interested in social media platforms. However, I have placed much more emphasis on the ‘alternative’ networks Twitter and Instagram as opposed to Facebook. It is intrinsic of the genre that fans of the genre are interested in things that are new, different and ‘alternative’. Therefore, though they may have a Facebook account, they are more likely to be more frequent users of ‘creative’ and ‘expressive’ networks such as Twitter and Instagram. Both of these allow its users more creative freedom with their words or with their pictures, and this is something that indie fans would prefer. Furthermore, I have referenced Spotify several times and YouTube is one of the social media sites mentioned. As both are ways to share music (through playlists on Spotify or videos on YouTube), this conforms to the stereotype of the genre being ‘all about the music’, which is why I felt these were both important forms of social media to include in the magazine (particularly as it is targeted at a young audience).