Main imageThe main image of this dps (double page spread) is of two men aged between 25-30 years old, posing opposite the camera taking up a page each. There are a couple of points of interest with this shot, the first is the filter used; the filter exaggerates the yellow tone of the image and makes the black, fine detail such as marks in the background wood become more pronounced than a normal filter would. This also creates a very harsh light on the faces of the two members, removing any distinctive facial features they may have had. This also draws attention to their dark facial hair and sunglasses which contrast the harsh lighting. This could be a clever imagery device used to contradict the group name @Scars on Broadway where in this image the lighting is so bright it may even be hiding some scars on the performers; this train of thought would appeal to the target audience who seek the abstract talent that this magazine can provide them with, details of which they wouldn’t pick up upon without these pictures or articles; this is itself a selling point for the magazine.A popular convention in music magazines has been broken with this image, there is a mixture in terms of direct and indirect mode of address in the image, and the left character is diverting his view whilst the right character is looking into the camera. This eye-contact is blocked however, the sunglasses he is wearing prevents us seeing his eyes, the effect this has on the audience is the creation of distance. Not being able to see the member’s eyes makes the shot appear much more serious and less emotionally driven than conventions typically provide in a dps. This is further built on with the lack of facial expression in the shot, neither member is displaying either happiness or negative emotions, they are simply neutral. The Background of this shot is similar to a shed, worn and barred; the shed in fairly monochromatic but features a close variety of shades, this is likely further exaggerated with the use of the yellow/gold filter on the camera. The light in the main image fades as you move lower down the image, this would have been created using artificial lighting, and evidence for this is on the right member’s left-side of his face, where the shadow blends to a more mellow light rather than a harshly obvious shadow the filter would usually produce with only the key light. Reasons for this darkening main image is likely in order to make the text easier to read by giving a more monochromatic background that the white text can easily be read from.

The Article

The article itself is unfortunately hard to read in this scan however, in summary it talks about the comeback of the band and how hard it has been as of late. The language used is in parts metaphorical, this is likely to help explain concepts and scenarios to the less educated readers on the subject of music careers. The article is mostly made of quotes from the group and then the writer either explains this quote or gives an opinion of his own on the subject. This also guides the audience to the writer’s point of view; this is mainly because of the way the writer words it; he uses words such as “probably” which voice his opinion but not in an aggressive or forceful tone, rather a suggestive one which appeals to the more timid readers that are the target audience.

Font

There are 3 different fonts used in this page, each with their own purpose. First is the font of the heading, this font is quite retro and it’s the likeness of this to the old spaghetti western fonts in film that make it appear retro, the “R” being especially unique and therefore recognizable in this font. The effect of this on the audience is that it sets the mood of nostalgia. The band itself has fallen apart quite a few times and was originally formed in 2003 making it 12 years old now, a recognisably long life span in the experimental rock genre.

The font used in the quote is again all-caps, demanding attention from the audience however what makes this quote stand out is the spacing between it and the article text, the spacious layout highlights the difference in font size and so makes the quote appear bigger and more outstanding than it really would depict on its own.

The smallest font used in the article is easy to read and well-spaced in its paragraph format. By using 3 thin columns the article can take up the space of the graphical box in a very tidy –looking format whilst also creating space in the box for the eyes to wonder.

LayoutThe layout of this dps is very central based. Features of the page that are of interest are placed in the centre where the audiences eyes will naturally fall in order to try and maximize the chance that it will pique the audience’s interest and be read. In order to even further highlight the key features the page designers has literally drawn a white box around the text to further highlight it against the darkening main image. While obscured by sunglasses and harsh lighting the layout of the page evidently makes the member’s faces the subject of the main image. This evidence does not follow typical conventions such as the rule of thirds however; the device the editor has used is brightness and light dispersion of the page. We naturally seek out lighter images and portions of a page and by making the top-side of the main image much brighter than the lower half our eyes are drawn upward.

Small Image

The small graphic below the headline is very peculiar and not something I have seen in many other magazine dps’. One of the reasons it stands out so much is because it is literally the exact same people featured in the main image, even in similar poses yet there was something different about it and this grabbed mine and would have also grabbed the audience’s attention; the sunglasses. Unlike in the main image the right member’s not wearing sunglasses, the picture is so small however that we cannot still make out his eyes or detailed facial features, this teases the reader to look further into the feature in hopes of finding a bigger image to satisfy the desire that this small graphic has left the reader with.