Before I began to compose a basic outline for how I intend my double page spread article to look, it was highly beneficial to me that I conducted some thorough background research into my chosen area, more specifically upon mainstream magazines and the double page spreads they contained within. This would allow me to gain a basic understanding of how to structure and orientate my work, preparing me in advance for what I am expected to produce to conform with standard industry expectations.
The first text I looked at in the Radio Times was
the spread for celebrity chef Paul Hollywoods new programme 'Paul Hollywoods
Pies and Puds'. The convention that instantly grasped my underlying attention
in rapid succession was the enlarged image of Paul himself occupying the entire
left hand side of the production, in concept it is so bold and large that for
it to fit into the layout of the spread it must overflow onto the adjacent page
which contains the article detailing the show. The photograph is in an almost
3D like effect as the pie Paul is throwing gives the illusion it is coming
completely out of the page and into the audiences range where they must reach
out to grasp it to prevent it falling to the floor. I feel this is a clever
technique used by the editor to create an emotional connection between the
spread and the reader, by creating the appeal Paul is trying to get to know
them better (hence throwing his cooking to provoke a reaction kind of response)
it illustrates a bond can be formed as the person in question who the article
is focusing upon is attempting to 'make friends' with the audience
illiterately, therefore they can see him as more of an existing and normal
individual then a mainstream chef who wants nothing to do with them - it
personifies that Paul is capable of having average emotions and isn't as
selfish as the reader can anticipate him to be because of his high professional
status. When referring back to my own double page spread product for my
documentary 'The Girls Who Wouldn't Eat' I feel it would be beneficial for me
to mimic the effectiveness of what is used in the image above, moreover if my
model in the photograph of my own production could connect with the reader in
some way this would allow that personal relationship to be strengthened. Under
my circumstances a 3D like effect as witnessed in Pauls article wouldn't be
appropriate for addressing anorexia, however I feel an emotional response
rather then a physical would be the best course of action, in this instance I
will probablies be relying more on the model body and emotional language to
grasp, intrigue and revoke the audiences immediate attention.
I feel the colour scheme employed is the
second most important aspect of the product. The blue contrast nicely with the
lightened shade on Paul's shirt, effectively portraying this article will be
entirely orientated around him as they indicate inter-linkage and succession
from one another. Another idea I had was that the blue signified a male themed
production, this is further heightened through the use of the image of Paul to
suggest this spread is aiming at attracting a male audience as well as a
female, men can admire Paul's expertise in the kitchen and how successful he
has been whilst women can not only admire his cooking skills, I feel the older
generation of females may see Paul as attractive, furthermore this adds a
generated 'sex appeal' to the product indicating it is attempting to appeal to
as many different sub categories of audience members as possible in doing so it
would generate the largest reading population as what can be achieved to ensure
there will be a great number of individuals watching the show when it is to be
broadcast. Regarding the colour scheme for my production, it would be most
appropriate to relate it to the nature of my documentary - hence why I desire a
black and white theme as ultimately this contrasts and relates to the death,
destruction and despondence created by the anorexia, with further emphasis upon
the 'black and white' thinking of an anorexic brain, in this mindset they can
not distinguish what is right or wrong. This debate can be seen in the article
of my spread as it contrasts between the positive and negative elements of the
condition, directly related to the 'black and white' thinking.
The headline for the article is most interesting,
the use of 'Man Enough' suggests to me that because baking is traditionally
seen as a feminine role, males aren't expected to conform to the job in the
kitchen preparing of food etc yet because Paul has took a very dominant role
here as a chef, he is defying stereotyped judgements of how men and women are
expected to behave in society. Moreover it implies that Paul is worthy enough
to bake hence the 'man enough', he is indicating to men how superior he is
which reinforces typical patriachial views. For the headline for my documentary
double page spread I am intending to employ a rhetorical question referencing
to the anorexia itself, in this instance it will hopefully provoke a range of
thoughts from the reader as I want them to have an internal conflict with
themselves revolving around the illness - in essence why won't it let people
eat?
The colour scheme is consistent throughout
with the dominant shades revolving around blue, black and white. To me the blue
highlights the masculinity in the article, how it is focused solely upon a male
and with blue being a very stereotypical boyish colour it corresponds well
besides Paul in connotating masculinity ideas. Interestingly the blue of the
studio background contrasts efficiently with the light baby colour of Paul's
shirt, the use of two blues in essence creates the link that Paul is directly
involved in this article a his clothing relates to the backdrop, however I also
get the sense that it brings a very nostalgic feel to the piece. Soft blue is
typically associated with the younger generation of boys, such as infants and
toddlers, I get the impression that through this colour in particular it
emphasises the notion that Paul has reverted back to his childlike persona from
many years ago, baking is obviously a passion to him and has been ever since he
was a boy so I think this colour specifically references back to all the good
times with food he had when he was younger, which understandably brings out an
enthusiastic version of himself (you can see this in his joyous expression)
which breaks down the walls of his steely hard overtone that many people see
him as. Essentially it creates the message that Paul truly has a passion for
cooking, the audience can clearly identify this which connects them more
throughly with him as they can see there is a softer side to him which was
previously unknown. The blue is used again on the headline 'Man Enough' to
reference to the male quality of this production, black is employed to
dramatise the remaining words of 'To Bake', creating the association that
although cooking is typically seen as a very feminine role, that a man is up to
the challenge and can produce equally as good food if he sets himself out to
be. The boldness illustrates how it is not a task males simply flop at and if
they are prepared to really can take on the role of baking in the household.
Since my article for my documentary 'The Girls Who Wouldn't Eat' is
predominantly focused on very bleak, dismal colours I think it would be
difficult to conotate ideas effectively as what has been done in this spread (a
direct reference back to Paul's shirt and the background), however I believe it
may be appropriate to dress the model in dark shades of clothing despite the
theme orientating in black and white. The deeper palette on the items they are
wearing will be more throughly emphasised through this background theme,
moreover it relates to the models mood - as I want them in a distraught, pained
expression the colours of the clothes highlight the mental distress they are
subjected to because of the dominant and brutal nature of the anorexia nervosa.
Drop caps are employed to distinguish the most
vital segments of the article, this way the audiences gaze is immeditelly drawn
to the interesting sections of the text, to keep them enthralled and interested
in the product itself, this gives a greater chance of them finishing the entire
piece rather then them being discouraged to read it. Moreover my favourite
aspect of this double page spread is the employment of an addditional box of
text named 'Paul's Verdict' in this it details Paul's personal opinion over
some of the recipes he has made and what mistakes to avoid doing when cooking
in the home enivornment. This provides a further point of interest to the
reader, the more conventions that are present the more appealing the article
will look, not only that but it emphasises the personal nature to the spread by
including the thoughts of Paul himself it reduces subjective views by the
editors, therefore the audience can identify that this is indeed authentic and
true life statements that have been said. There is a clever use of a kicker
placed directly underneath the main title, the text itself isn't of a serious
nature but more of an informal style. It describes how although Paul Hollywood
is a famous chef with a stressful lifestyle, he is almost content if someone
gives him his favourite scouse meal and allowed him to watch an episode of top
gear he would be perfectly at home. This creates the impression to the reader
that yes he is a high demand man with a hectic workload, yet despite this
aspect of him he is at the end of the day a 'normal' person with average male
interests, displaying to them Paul is of equal status to them - in reality he
is no different to an ordinary individual with only his job role being the
major point in identifying him as a velebirty. Likewise it allows them to
realise that he is the same as them, creating a stronger emotional connection
between `paul and his reading audience as they will be able to recognise that
their lives aren't that much different, it destroys the barriers that would
separate them based solely upon media recogniton. With them identifying he is
no different then they are more likely to engage with the article as he may
have similar interests and loves to them, which strengthens the personal
relationship. Additionally the date and time of the broadcasting hours about
the programme is specified above the first drop cap of the main body of text,
this indicates to the reader when and where the show will be on the network,
this technique created by the editors ensures the largest viewing audience will
be obtained as they have an understanding of where to watch 'Paul Hollywoods
Pies and Puds', guaranteeing they won't miss it. All of these conventions
mentioned above (the drop caps, review box and kicker) are to be placed and
positioned correctly in my double page spread for 'The Girls Who Wouldn't Eat'
as I feel conforming to these typical aspects will allow my production to
appear as authentic and realistic as to what is expected from a magazine
article such as this. I am definitely employing the use of the unique 'verdict'
box, instead of it being focused upon one of the girls I am intending to use it
for a completely neutral opinion on the documentary itself, in this instance I
guarantee it will be most appropriate to use an independent reviewers thoughts
as this eliminates subjective interpretation on the programme whilst also
expressing anothers view who has no knowledge as prior to the effects of
anorexia.
I deconstructed the double page spread composed to
detail the events of a new real life TV programme named 'Goggle box'.
Interestingly the first feature I identified as unusual in the layout of the
product was the rather radical method of image distribution, commonly in a
spread production the editor lays out the photographs in a way so that there is
a dominant photo on the left hand page with the writing of the article
accompanying it on the right. This spread in particular defies this traditional
design as the image is placed central to the page, with it overlapping into
both the left and right in equal length. I feel this is to personify the
positioning of both the male and females of the house on the sofa, it is
noticeable that the man and woman are either sitting on the left or right of
the furniture with the crease line of the magazine separating them onto
different pages from one another. This draws emphasis upon them creating the
notion they have engaged in some form of dispute so are attempting to separate
themselves from one another with this particular crease further illiterating
the idea further. However I feel the unfounded separation is due to the nature
of the show the article is detailing , 'Gogglebox' composes of a camera being
placed into a regular household to observe their opinions and thoughts over
authentic TV shows broadcast to us, with this in mind it seems more plausible
to me that this married couple are at opposite end because their opinions over
the shows they are reviewing for the public are entirely different from one
another, this therefore can cause the 'dispute' we are witnessing on the page
as they can't come to an agreement over their opinions so are distancing
themselves to heighten their displeasure to one another at this time. Moreover
this highlights the differences both men and women have over television
programmes as it is common somewhere in our lives we will have had an argument
with the opposite sex over the matter, from this I believe the audience will be
able to identify that this show in particular will have some form of conflict
in it, but in a comical way rather then a serious - the body language on the
two people in the photo is that of a righteous sense of pride, even though they
have argued it isn't taken seriously as they still hold their postures high
which indicates towards an element of comedy in 'Gogglebox'. Although the
unusualness of the image positioning is intriguing and interesting to view,
this style wouldn't be efficient in my own spread as I feel I could lose that
dramatic emotional emphasis on the 'pained' posture I intend my model to
create, spreading the image over two pages is normally to create a 3D styled
effect where the person or object jumps out of the page to elicit a rapid
response from the audience. This would defy the sympathetic nature of my own
spread as a topic regarding mental illness does not conventionally intend to
provoke a physical movement from the reader.
It is noticeable from the onset of reading this
particular article that the 'question and answer format' is clearly identifable
from one another. The 'questions' that are asked to the interviewees are
highlighted in a profound bold black to draw attention and immediate emphasis to
them, this allows less of an opportunity for the audience to by pass this
essential form of information. Secondly and most significantly it separates the
'question' from the 'response', this way two sources of information are
unlikely to be confounded together, the reader can simply tell the two apart,
this makes it easier on their eyes to read and in essence look extremely
professional and smart for the overall look of the production. If I was to
incorporate an element concise to what I have observed in the 'Gogglebox'
article, then I would indeed use a format that allows two different bodies of
text to be distinguished from one another for the reasons I stated above,
overall I want my product to seem as appealing as possible and by having this
level of separation it makes the entire spread look more formatted and
presentable, so topic areas can be more easily read without the words engaging
in conflict with one another.
The text of the article works its away quite
elegantly around all of the images in display, each paragraph is very neatly
aligned and the kerning is precise so that the spacing between the words on
individual lines matches up to the alignment on the previous, this emphasises
the consistency within the editing of the double page spread making it appear
more professional and interlinked rather then if the text had been randomley
positioned all over the place. The rolling style of the text where it seems to
flow and continue from one another creates the impression of TV credits in my
mind, as the paragraphs themselves are displayed in such a way that they appear
to reference to the style of wording you would commonly see in the credits at
either the beginning or end of a TV programme, this directly references to the
nature of the show. Essentially this has aided me in regards to how to
appropriately distribute the paragraphs of my own article, obviously I desire
the main body to be exclusively located away from the image on the right hand
side of the spread, however I need to enable an element of continuity in my
work with the spacing between each body of text in proportion to one another so
it is not to seem unprofessional or messy.
The use of 'The Real Royale Families' as a headline
is a pun upon the popular 90's programme 'The Royale Family' which focused upon
the lives of a downtrodden under- privleged family with most of the filming
orientated in their living room whilst they watched mainstream television. I
feel this is a very sophisticated reference to this show as realistically
'Gogglebox' is attempting to recreate the content of 'The Royale Family.
however instead of using actors they have asked genuine real people to take the
role instead and are therefore analysing authentic viewing habits of the
general public themselves. This realistic vibe could potentially attract a
large number of audience members as through my background research I discovered
average people want to witness true to real life events rather then staged,
with normal people being used this strengthens the desirability of the
'Gogglebox' show as it is conforming to the expectations the public intend to
see on the network. The format of the text is very basic, a main body occupies
the left hand page as it details a brief introduction of what the reader will
anticipate from reading the spread and entails a preview of what will be
described in the content, with a standard question and answering layout
following there after, the question being displayed in bold above the response
which is in a semi-dark colour, allowing them to be distanced from one another.
Essentially this enable the audience to recognise the more important elements
of the wording (e.g the questions), drawing their attention instantly to this
vector enables them to engage with the more critical and appealing sections,
this ensures their interest won't waver and will be more then likely absorbed
with reading the content. The insertion of a secondary image in the bottom
right hand corner accompanies the main one in the centre of the two pages, the
use of which helps to elevate the fact there will be more then one family
focused upon in the show which provides a greater variety in what is expected
to be shown to the audience. Having more then one focus point prevents the
viewing public becoming bored and uninterested, so by keeping their attention
elevated by having a few households it discourages them from abandoning viewing
'Gogglebox' keeping the viewing numbers fairly stable. By therefore displaying
this photograph in addition, it entails the range of content to the readers.
Similarly to the Paul Hollywood spread the 'Gogglebox' feature contains a
kicker,which addresses the audience directly yet informally, this chatty style
creates a more personal connection with them rather then speaking to them in a
professional tone, an informal code of conduct creates the illusion the writer
is speaking to a friend rather then an accomplice, which bonds the audience and
editors further as if they were 'friends'.
The colour scheme chosen in this particular spread
relates to the natural world and concept of the animal kingdom, with the photo
shoot of the two presenters having been taken in the African desert, the
remaining palettes selected for the text and backdrop correspond extremely
efficiently with this idea of the wilderness and beauty of the animal kingdom
beholds. The background is a simple basic white tone, although it isn't overly
appealing, I get the impression it was incorporated to allow the brightness and
spectacular awe of the naturalistic colours of the desert in the photograph to
be highlighted to the audience. From a distance what you immeditally notice is
the vibrant green hues of the trees and the umbrella, with the dark muddy brown
of the dirt also being significantly eye catching, its this mixture of dark and
light that overall directs the readers gaze to the photograph as the initial
starting point to grasp attention. With the backdrop being white it prevents it
from being too appealing, therefore it won't compete with the more important
elements (such as the images for example) for the majority of the audiences
viewppoint. If these convention were to conflict then there would be an
overload of points of interest which can be off putting as the public will not
know which area they are to focus upon the most. In essence it reduces the
appeal of the spread and can discourage people to read it, so I feel the use of
basic colours in the layout has been beneficial for this double page product in
particular. The headline recycles the same swampy, army coloured green that is
in the image (on the umbrella and trees) this creates a direct link to the
photograph, emphasising that the title is describing what is occurring in the
image, furthermore showing continuity in the production. This green allows us
to relate to nature itself , as it is a colour we commonly expect to see when
in a human free environment that is left to develop into its natural
expectations, green signifies grass, therefore purity is represented through
this solitary shade, critically emphasising how the programme will be focused
upon nature that is untouched by man so in that respect is 'pure'.A bolder
version of black is used in the remaining segments of the headline allowing it
to be highlighted significantly against the accompanying words of the article,
it indicates that it is of major importance to the reader as it will be giving
some impression and detail of the content of the spread, therefore giving a
'preview' of the story of what is to come to the audience. Two drop caps are
evident in this production, reflecting back to what I observed in the 'Man
enough to bake' spread, this is another technique used to grasp the audiences
attention to the more important and intriguing vicinities of the product, it
ensures that if the readers is enthralled by a particular section (hence
willing them to continue reading). The colours of the drop caps contrast
perfectly with the green and black hues presented in the images which
symbolises the flowing continuity throughout the double page spread.
As what has been displayed in all of the double
page spreads I have chosen to deconstruct, the 'Africa 2013' presentation
contains a kicker to allow further details of where information regarding where
the programme is set and most importantly which presenters are co-insiding with
it. This gives the audience a further insight as to what to anticipate from
reading the article and if they are interested in the show then they will have
an understanding of which mainstream presenters will be joining in with the
filming. This is vital as it ultimately determines whether or not the audience
decides to read the product or is deterred from it. Certain individuals may not
like this category of documentary (e.g nature), could have a deep disliking for
the presenters or the show may not appeal to them in general - if that is the
case then the kicker will inform them of this information so as to prompt them
to continue reading or disengage. However it is a critical tactic by editors as
it may be so that the kicker appeals details to intrigue people who have a
passion for this category of programmes or may be interested in general so the
information displayed may actually create more potential readers then what was
expected.
The construction and placement of the images
present in the 'Africa 2013' spread mimic that of traditional magazine
conventions with the main photograph occupying the entire page on the right
leaving the left to exhibit the essential body of text detailing what the
article involves. The central image displays the two presenters of the
programme, Simon King and Kate respectively, who can be identified as the main
people in the content as they are essentially who the editors want to draw the
main focus upon, this highlights their significance to the plot to the audience.
The photo has in some respects avoided mainstream notions in the sense this is
not a studio based shoot but one that has been adhered to upon location,
importantly where the programme has actually been filmed in the wilds of
Sfrica. This creates a powerful strong link to the nature of the programme as
it indicates to the reader that the photographer has gone to extreme efforts to
represent to them the actual environment its to take place in, therefore
personifies the sense that 'Africa 2013' will be indeed be shot and recorded in
Africa itself. It allows a trustful relationship to develop between the editors
and audience members that they will be indeed witnessing on screen the images
that have been displayed towards them. I am intrigued mostly by the two
presenters holding up the umbrella between them as if it prevent rain falling
upon them, yet it can be clearly identified there i no rain present. Although
it is obvious the underlying message is there is no chance of horrible weather
in Africa, it is pretty much sunny all year around so they are making a joke of
it by holding up the umbrella to personify the superiority of the climate, yet
despite that I feel it is also an indication to british weather as well. In
Britain we are commonly known for our abundance of rain and lack of sunshine,
due to this programme being aimed at a british audience entirely, it seems to
be pun towards them in that viewing this show the audience can disengage
from the awful weather around them and immerse themselves in a 'dreamlike'
state with the magical weather conditions seen in Africa. It importantly
directs the audience away from their bleak, ordinary, dull lives and gives them
the opportunity to create a fantasy of their own about an ideallic world,
removing them from their average mediocre lives. I feel this is a very well
developed emotional connection with the audience and if I could recreate a
similar concept within my own product - for example creating that connection
between the anorexic girls and the reader - then there is a higher chance they
will be able to sympathise with their detrimental situations.
