Contents page analysis

Contents page analysis

• 2.
  Masthead Page numbers Features inside Sub heading Dropcap and brief view of article Main heading Date Main image – direct address Colour theme Mise en scene Medium long shot Border around image
• 3.
  We can seethat down the left side a column is used to list of bands that are featured inside the magazine – a colour theme of red, black and white is used on the contents page to attract the audiences’ attention to certain aspects, for example the sub headings. Rule of thirds has been used on the right third of the contents page - we can see that it is separated from everything else and it shows a list of other things in the magazine. 2 important things that are on the hotspots on this page are the bus (mise en scene) and the drop cap featured article – this means that this will catch the audiences eye. Therefore, we see that the rule of thirds has been used to make the page look organised; however, this rule hasn’t been followed on the entire page – this gives the contents page a slightly informal look which would feel more welcoming to the target audience.
• 4.
  On the mainimage, we see that the person is showing direct contact – she is looking at the reader. This shows an acknowledgement of the audience and will make them feel as though they are a part of what is happening in the picture. To further emphasise the feeling of being ‘at home’ the language used is quite informal and talks directly to the reader. For example, the brief version of the article inside starts off with ‘Thank god the sun has disappeared, eh?’ This type of language talks to the audience directly. Throughout the contents page, a smart font is used. However to make certain parts stand out (ie ‘Touring Special’) the font is different – it is quite faded and stands out against the background – this attracts the attention of readers. The masthead is a very bright red – this stands out against the black background and is easily recognisable. This means that readers will automatically know what magazine the contents page belongs to, and to non regular readers it is a very easy logo to remember. The main image is in the centre of the page and it is bordered to make it stand out. Mise en scene is used on the contents page to relate to the sub headings. For example one subheading is ‘Touring special’ and the coach in the background relates to this. In addition the colour used continues the theme of red, black and white – the bus is red and the person in the image has a white top on. The image looks quite bright and this creates a light, happy mood. A medium long shot is used to capture the female and the bus in the image. The page numbers and subheadings also continue the colour theme – the red down the left side shows band names – this brighter colour will perhaps attract the audiences’ attention first compared to the page numbers which are in black. On the right side of the contents page it is the other way round – the page numbers are in red and the subheadings and features are typed in black/white.