ANALYSIS OF ARTICLES- DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD 1 NMEMISE EN SCENE

The use of Mise En Scene in this article relates back to the genre of music that Dizzee Rascal makes and also relates to the title of the article as it mentions ‘Tags’. It shows how before Dizzee was a famous artist he wasn’t particularly innocent. The graffiti background relates also to the target audience as it wouldn’t be targetted to upper class adults if there is graffiti in the background.

MAIN IMAGEDizzee looks rather suspicious in this image and this is because he is graffiting a wall which looks like it’s in somebody's neighbourhood. This use of facial expression conveys a story behind the image. He is wearing baggy jeans and a bright red modern coat and is wearing a few rings which shows he cares about what he wears and about his reputation.

PAGE NUMBER/LOGO/DATEThe page number is there so you can find the artist or article you are looking for on the contents page and find the number and then find it easier. The logo is there as a copyright symbol saying that it was them who wrote this article, took the photo and edited the page. Also if you just found an image of this double page spread you would know it was NME magazine. The date is there so that you know if you are up to date with the magazines and also to tell the reader when the event or interview was given with the artist.

COLUMNSEven though an article is usually the most important part of a double page spread in this magazine style and appearance seems to come first as image and the headline covers the majority of the pages. The columns are spread around the second image of the radio which shows that the images are more important and the article is centred on Dizzee and his lifestyle. The article is spread into four small columns with very small font and as it’s such a small space in which to have an article it seems that the rest of the article will be on the next side.

SECOND IMAGE/BACKGROUNDThe second image includes bottle of alcohol with a stereo and it looks messy and busy. The use of the image of bottles knocked over and plastic cups could relate to gigs because of the mess after a gig or a festival and the fact that people always drink alcohol. There is a radio that looks quite old and vintage which could suggest that when he wasn’t famous he used to sit around and listen to music and drink. The general background is a similar colour to the wall on the main image and it has paint drops that create the effect of graffiti which relates back to the main image.

BYLINEThe byline is there to show that the writer and the photographer is important to the magazine and that they like their team to be recognised and appreciated for their work. Instead of using the accurate words ‘Writer’ and ‘Photographer’ they use ‘Words’ and ‘Pictures’ which makes it less formal and therefore attractive for a young adult audience.

CAPTIONThe caption is important because it tells the reader who this article is about and if you didn’t know what he looked like then you would be able to find out. Also you could find the article easily by just looking at the tops of the pages and finding the artist you like.

HEADLINEThe headline is written in block capitals in bold black writing which stands out just like Dizzee’s image. The writing isn’t completely in line and the general layout of it is to an angle which emphasizes how Dizzee Rascal doesn’t follow the rules.SUBHEADINGThe subheading gives that little bit more information about the article before the reader reads it. It entices the reader to read the article but also just gives a very brief outline to what this article will be about to see if the reader would like to read it. DROPS CAPSThe use of the drops caps effect is simply for style and makes the first sentence of the article stand out to the reader. This style is used throughout the magazine and is also used on the contents page and this consistency gives the magazine it’s own image.

Analysis of written article

The article itself is basically about...How Dizzee Rascal went from a trouble making teenager to a hugely successful British rap artist. It speaks of his problems as a teenager and his attitude towards life and how he turned this all around and became the best he could possibly be. The use of mise-en-scene and the overall layout and colours matches the attitude of Dizzee Rascal and relates to the article well.

The style of the article is.......Generally colourful and informal. The image, the heading and the background images relate to the graffiti that he used to do as a teenager. However, the copy is generally in a formal layout perhaps to how Dizzee’s serious attitude towards his previous troublesome lifestyle however the writing itself is rather informal.

It is written in 4 short columns each of approx75-100 words...The text is put into 4 short columns to make it clear to read and easier to follow. The lines next to each column makes it easier to find where to read next. The short columns make the article more attractive to read because it looks shorter and therefore less like a boring essay and more like an interesting article.

The main heading/headline is quite dramatic......The headline is dramatic because of the use of big bold black writing in different styles and layouts to normal headlines. If there was use of a small title then it wouldn’t have been as effective as the big bold title used in this article.

ANALYSIS OF ARTICLES- DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD 2COLOUR SCHEMEThe colour scheme used in this article is red, white and blue. This is because this is the colour scheme for the band featured – My Chemical Romance – and also they are an American band and red white and blue are the colours of the American flag. This shows that this band are proud of their nationality. Also this colour scheme matches his bright red hair and his red, white and blue t-shirt.

MAIN IMAGEThe main image is of the lead singer of the band My Chemical Romance – Gerard Way. He is wearing a red white and blue t-shirt which makes the colour scheme of the page and it also shows his love for the country he is from. He also seems to be wearing leather trousers which relates back to the fact that this is a rock magazine and they have a certain image which makes them stand out a lot more. The lead singer also has red hair which is unusual for a male and shows individuality and this again relates back to the fact that rockers are rebellious.

PULL QUOTEThe pull quote was said by the man in the main image ‘Gerard Way’ and this shows relevance to the article. What is actually being said would be interesting for a reader as it shows how at one point he didn’t want to carry on with the band and that would be really important to a reader who loves this band. The way the pull quote is set out is that it’s written is bold red capitals which stand out on the black background and go well with the colour scheme. The small image next to the quote is the logo of the band’s newest album so the reader would know that this is a new article. It is important to have the lead singers name written underneath in block capitals so you know exactly who said it and if the reader specifically wanted to know how he felt then they would want to read the article.

DROPS CAPSThe drops caps at the start of the article itself is very large and in bright red which stand out and matches the colour scheme. It is the same font as the pull quote and is in italics which make it stand out even more. It isn’t the same colour and the text itself and this is to show where the article starts and makes it easier to read.

FIRST WORDS OF PARAGRAPHS IN REDThe first couple of words in each paragraph are in red. This is for two reason; one to stand out and show where to read next and to make it clear that there is a new paragraph and two to give the reader an idea of what they will be talking about for example on the final paragraph it says ‘By January’ which shows that this is going to talk about what happened in the end and the conclusion of the article.

COLUMNSThe article is split into 3 columns which are all very long especially the third column. The font is written quite small and therefore the article looks extremely long however it is still made to look attractive with the use of colour at the start of the paragraphs and the main image being in the centre splitting up the article. If all the articles were put next to each other it would look far too long and wouldn’t make the reader want to read it.

PAGE NUMBER The name of the magazine is in the corner with the page number and this makes it easier for the reader to know what magazine it is and easier to find the article. It’s only written in small as they believe the music is more important.

Analysis of written article 2The article itself is basically about...How My Chemical Romance dealt with their troubles and created a new album after falling out. This is shown through the eyes of lead singer Gerard Way mostly and the image shows him looking down and sad which shows how troubled the band was.

The style of the article is.......Generally written to excite the audience for example in the first line it talks about a show they did. It’s not too informal but not formal either.

It is written in 3 long columns...To ensure that the whole article is on the two pages so that it doesn’t take up too much of the magazine. It is still made to look attractive with the colour at the start and the change of subject each time it starts a new paragraph.

There is no headline, just a pull quote...This is to show the individuality in this magazine and to show that this band doesn’t need a headline because the fans will read it as soon as they see the image. It could also show how this band is extremely famous and they don’t need a headline as you’d know who it’s about straight away.