Analysis of Props, Costume and Location

I selected my props, my costumes, and my locations with the greatest of care to ensure that the band fitted the criteria that I’ve surmised from various discussions with members of my target audience to ensure that the band are appealing and to ensure that their look is in fitting with the magazine’s identity. The identity of the magazine is, of course, paramount. All successful professional music magazines ("Mojo" and "Kerrang" to name the two I would cite as influences for my magazine) have a distinct identity that echoes throughout every aspect of their product. "Kerrang" is a rock/metal magazine; everything about it is tailored to this. While my magazine is not anchored in a genre as such (because my audience listen to a diverse range of music – the collective attribute of the music they listen to is that it’s underground music), my magazine is anchored in the idea that I’m focusing on the underground music scene; and, of course, along with ideas of the underground come ideas of rebellion, of being on the cutting edge, on the fringe of society in terms of taste.  My target audience are rebelling against the mainstream, shunning what they would see as "the monotony of the masses" (a statement lifted from my audience survey). Rebellion and an alternative feeling are all that matter if I want to create a magazine that my audience will be happy with.  Below this are a list of props/locations/costumes paired with explanations of why I chose them.

Leather jacket (as worn by "Kelly Bruku" – the girl on the right hand side of my double page spread and on Iconoclast Inc in my second double page spread):

I chose this jacket because, firstly, it’s an item of clothing that has had connotations of rock stars and rebellion since the 50s, it also has connotations of "being cool" – the fact that it’s black adds to these ideas a great deal. In terms of Kelly and Iconoclast Inc as characters, I chose the jacket because female musicians who wear black leather jackets, to this audience, tend to be seen as strong, powerful, and punkish in their attitudes; they’re not dainty, they don’t say "please", they don’t get doors held open for them, they don’t stay at home, they’re not merely groupies – they are independent musicians capable of doing everything that men of the industry do. Musicians such as Alice Glass of the Crystal Castles,  Lydia Lunch or Joan Jett (retro music being as important to my audience as music in the present – genres that have been neglected by mainstream culture, like the No Wave music scene during the '80s, are almost sacred to this demographic because they have influenced some of the more current musical acts that they like) are prime examples of this; women in my target group model themselves on these musicians.

Neat apparel (shirts, ties, shoes not trainers – found on ‘Dave Sticks’ and others) :

I chose to put Dave Sticks in neat clothing, wearing a jumper, a tie, a shirt, pressed trousers, neat loafers for two reasons. Firstly, it fits with his character: he dresses neatly because it’s not expected of him, he’s in a punk band, one might expect him to be wearing ripped up jeans, distressed clothing, he feels the mainstream media expect him to look like an absolute mess, which is why he doesn’t. He’s rebelling against the image people expect him to have, and this is something that the magazine’s target audience would not only understand, but something they’d admire him for. The Streakers (his band) are in essence an Art Project, akin to a band like Japanther (a punk band popular with my demographic) and everything they do is a statement. Also, he dresses in stark contrast to the other half of his band to hint at a rift in the band (one of my double page spreads is an interview about their breakup).

A shattered Jack Daniels Bottle (seen on first double page spread):

This prop was chosen for a couple of reasons; primarily I chose it because the use of alcohol and drugs is a fairly prominent feature in the image of rock and roll (this is a link that the majority of society would make, not just my target audience) – true it’s a cliché to some degree, however the fact that it’s a cliché doesn’t negate the fact that drugs and drink (and their abuse) are a romanticised part of the rock star image. Drink is perceived to be cool, drugs are seen as cool, by my target audience, and that’s why I felt that the inclusion of the bottle was needed. Also, the fact that it has been shattered suggests the destructive elements of this lifestyle, again this is a cliché evident in countless stories of the rock and roll lifestyle, but again it’s appealing to my audience so its inclusion is warranted.  The fact that it is used as a background to my double page spread about the break-up of a band adds extra meaning to this prop because the image reflects the bands breakup.

Choice of Location:

I chose to have buildings present in all of my pictures because my magazine is read by people who live in trendy sections of sprawling urban cities like London; it arguably allows the audience to further identify with the magazine because they will think the magazine and it’s creators come from the same environment that they do. Cities and urban locations have always had associations with grittiness, with being ‘real’ and down to earth, with being current; if my magazine and the artists featured all seem to come from this area, then by association they have these attributes that my target audience would value.

All of these factors accomplish two things in essence. They all in some way strengthen the identity of the magazine (by association to the artists and images used) and this identity allows my target audience to appreciate and relate to the magazine more, making them more likely to buy it.