Alternative Rock Research

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Magazine Case Study

Record Label Case Study

Artist Case Study

Nirvana

Formed in Aberdeen by singer and guitarist, Kurt Cobain, alongside bassist Krist Novoselic, Nirvana is widely considered one of the most influential rock bands of all time, despite having cycled through various drummers and only releasing three albums.

The band established itself in Seattle, 1989 with their first album, 'Bleach' for Sub Pop. Their sound was dynamic, with quiet verses and loud choruses, which helped set itself apart from mundane music. 

Nirvana's second album, 'Nevermind' (1991) was their best-selling, with the popular single 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', which popularised Alternative Rock and grunge music. Two years later, a third album. 'In Utero', was released. Another commercial success, although not as popular as its predecessor, due to a less mainstream sound overall.

Unfortunately, Nirvana's short-lived career ended with the suicide of Cobain in 1994. On the bright side, the band was loved by many and had released 75 million records, so saying that they surpassed their collective goals is an understatement.

Linkin Park

Hailing from Agoura Hills, three students; Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon and Brad Delson founded Xero in 1996, two years after the end of Nirvana. The trio along with a few friends started recording in Shinoda's bedroom, but tension rose as they found no success, and members began to leave.

After the lead vocalist's departure, Shinoda searched for a replacement. He was eventually lead to Chester Bennington, the vocalist of a post-grunge band named Grey Daze. His unique style inspired the band, and at this point, the band renamed itself from Xero to Hybrid Theory, due to the chemistry between Shinoda and Bennington. Upon releasing new music to the internet in 1999 and striving for professionalism, the band was again renamed, this time from Hybrid Theory to Linkin Park. This was a play on 'Lincoln Park', and was misspelled so that the band could own the website domain 'linkinpark.com'. After the band received several rejections, Jeff Blue - who helped Shinoda find a lead vocalist in the first place - eventually managed to get the band signed to Warner Bros. Records.

Linkin Park has since shifted aside its grunge roots to make space for (and fuse its style with) Nu Metal, Hip-Hop and Electronic music. They stick to their alternative style while borrowing from other genres, and it has worked well for them, having sold over 60 million albums and gaining two Grammy Awards in the process.

School Magazine Cover and Contents

Photoshoot

For the front cover, I found a white male with glasses and smart clothing.
I tried to experiment with different angles and poses to see if a happy accident would occur but most of them weren't really appropriate for what we were aiming for, and kind of gimmicky.

We settled with a safe image of the model, Alex simply leaning on the frame as planned. While the smart clothing was useful, we decided that to help him look relaxed we should loosen his tie and unbutton the coat for a casual effect. The gritty surroundings that the picture was taken in were more for convenience than actual choice as it was on school grounds and was actually taken on a slope, which is how I got low-angle shots.

For the contents page I wanted to use images of students working on something practical instead of just a cover pose.
I made use of my Product Design class and wanted to add a prominent depth of field to make the photographs look more cinematic. These images are for decoration for the contents page, so I can be more flexible with them,

I captured a variety of scenarios from different angles. What made things more difficult was the light bulbs in the room. No natural lighting in here.

After taking about a dozen photographs I put the camera away, but I haven't yet decided which photographs I'll use.

School Magazine Concept

Concept

My school magazine has a target audience consisting of students above the age of sixteen, so I thought it would be fitting to use the theme of becoming independent and making a living.

Image

Mise-en-scene:

A young, white male with glasses and formal clothing leaning on a short fence, looking at the camera with a prestigious look on his face. He is standing in the centre of the image - on what seems to be school grounds - in natural lighting. This makes him look like a typical successful man, while still showing that he is juvenile and comfortable.

Camerawork:

A subtle, low angle mid shot of the model to make the model look superior to the reader, who aspires to be as successful as the model is being represented.

Typography

The Masthead, 'PROACTIVE' beside the model's head in large letters.

The Leading quote; "Forget Dreams, Pursue Reality" sitting in front of the fence that the model is leaning on, as if he's the one saying it.

The Sell Lines promise advice on how to improve the lives of the readers, persuading them to buy the magazine. This will be supported by the Button which displays information about a competition.

Additional information, such as the price, date and bar code will be at the bottom of the cover.

Magazine Front Cover Analysis

This is a front cover of a magazine called 'Garage'. I chose it because it has a clear target audience of young people, much like a school magazine.


The Masthead, 'Garage' is used to appeal to young men, who are often interested in cars. It could also refer to typical bands consisting of urban youths.
It has always used this font - which makes it easy to recognise - and it's large, as to stand out from the rest.

A tagline and date sit directly below the masthead on opposing sides, to provide additional information about the magazine.
"The modern guy's guide to style" not only directly tells the reader that this is a fashion magazine, but the colloquial language indicates that it's aimed at a younger audience.

Two sell-lines are used on this cover simply to persuade the audience to purchase the magazine. The large number '200' in bold font is used to catch the eye of the reader; to make them read the sell-lines in the first place.
These in particular are selling information on how to make the reader look better, which is useful as people will be more likely to buy something if it helps them improve themselves.

Strangely enough, the Plugs are much more prominent than the headline on this cover. A photograph of a celebrity named Mario Maurer is in the centre of the page, so one would think he'd be the main focus of the magazine as well, but this doesn't seem to be the case.
There's a small headline that reads "Exclusive: Mario Maurer comes of age", but this is overshadowed  by a very large plug that covers the lower half of the image.
It's almost as if the plug for the 'Philippine Fashion Week' that says "Travel in Style" has become the headline, and the actual headline has become a sell-line in stead. Even the button that brings attention to the 'New Season' is easier to spot than the information about the model. The magazine is trying to promote its cause, while using the model as a face to attract readers, namely young men who aspire to be like him.

At the bottom, there are more celebrity plugs, such as Justin Timberlake - another role model for young men - and a bar code, which is needed to actually buy the magazine, but is crammed into the corner because it's not important to the magazine itself. This is similar to the price, which is also conventionally obscured in magazines as the price of the magazine isn't what companies want to bring attention to.

The colour scheme generally consists of teal, green and white, which are stereotypically associated with males. It's useful to also take not of the colours used on a magazine as they are conventionally visual indicators to the target audience.