Jimi Hendrix is the artist being represented. He is being represented by Uncut Magazine, a british music magazine which specialises inold album rveiews, such as Jimi Hendrix albums, one of which is advertised above, as well as interviews with film directors. Jimi Hendrix is represented by this institution in a way which makes him look like a rocker, from his own time period. The photograph is either edited or actually low-quality, reflecting the time it was taken perhaps, and the use of a guitar for a prop connotes him to be a guitarist. This is an important use of mise en scene, as the prop is the only thing to stand out. Guitaring is what Jimi Hendrix is best known for, as well as his lively performances during live concerts. This seems to have been captured by Uncut magazine as he appears to be in the middle of a live performance. In addition to this, he is wearing a flamboyant top and black jeans, the latter of which is iconic of rock 'n' roll due to the connotations of rockers being poor, and the working class wearing them because denim is hard-wearing, etc. However, the top he is wearing is clearly an element of self-representation by Jimi Hendrix, and is possibly something he's normally wear for casual wear during performances. He is being represented this way for two reasons.One reason is that he wants to be represented this way, but also to convey his most popular attribute, which is guitaring as a rock artist. Even though he sings, he is better known as a guitarist and therefore the audience is shown him playing the guitar, and not singing in front of a microphone. This representation, in my opinion, is fair and accurate, however other spectator's may have a different opinion. This is because he is mainly a singer, and that isn't represented in the above advertisement. The element of mise en scene, however, cannot be argued as unfair and inaccurate as he is self-representing himself. Furthermore, the institution, mostly the photographer, is representing Jimi as dominant and skillfull, through the use of a low-angled shot. This conveys a sense of power to the audience, as he is a "master" of guitar playing.
Genre:
The above text belongs to the music magazine advertisement genre, which is advertising a rock album release. The generic conventions of the type of text is seen in this text, with a large, dominating photo of the artist, if it was a band, the lead singer would be the most likely to appear rather than the entire band, but in this instance it is Jimi Hnedrix who is a solo artist. Like most other magazine advertisements, the title of the album is situated at the top of the page, as well as a tagline underneath it. This is conventional as it is the first place where the audience will set there eyes upon, and if they recognise it to be Jimi Hendrix, and they are a fan, then they will be instantly drawn in. Furthermore, the large photograph of Jimi Hendrix, and the emboldening of his name (which is also situated at the top of the page) will attract the audience, drawing them in. Less-important information is given, in paragraph-style, on the right hand side of the page, which explains the contents of the CD collection. Underneath, representing that it is a modern advertisement in a modern magazine, the formats of the release is clearly visible underneath the majority of the text, allowing the audience to know where they can get it from, such as their local HMV store or supermarket (CD format) or whether they can download it online (MP3 format), the latter of which can be seen to be not availabledue to it being a large CD collection with a bonus DVD. Another conventional feature is the lack of a price tag on the advertisement. This has always confused me as to me the price is one of the most important aspects of a CD/DVD digipack. However, after some research I have concluded that it is due to the prices not always being consistent everywhere. For example, in a HMV store in London the price could be the standard £12.99, but a Tesco store in Hull may have it on offer and it may cost £7.99, a large difference to London. Also, London's CD prices, as well as housing prices and general cost of living, is a lot higher than they are in Hull because London is a capital city. The generic conventions are, therefore,fulfilled and the audience wont feel cheated looking at the text because it gives all the right information in the right place. Another convention which I see a lot in music magazine advertisements is the addition of a photograph of the front cover of the CD it is aiming to sell. The release date is also clearly shown, as well as an exampleof where the audience can buy the product, in this instance, Amazon.co.uk, and also shows the logos of the institutions in which the text belongs to. Another convention used on the advert is the use of a star. The forboding image of Jimi Hendrix, playing his guitar, is expected in a music magazine advert selling his items, as he is the star, and therefore will attract and draw in the audience. He is also iconic of the rock genre, making the text fit nicely in with the Uncut magazine.
Media Institutions:
The institutional source of the text is Jimi's record label, which owns his music, which was Legacy Recordings. This label is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment, a large conglomerate company. The text has been influenced by the institutionin very minor ways, such as the release date, cover art of the album shown in the advert, and the distribution method. For example, the audience wouldn't see the text shown in Uncut magazine, if the institution didn't wish it.
Media Audiences:
The text is aimed at a middle-aged older audience, aged 25-45 years. This is because the magazine tagets this audience criteria and therefore the advertisement does so, also. The audience will be older males, who used to listen to rock music in their youth, such as the above Jimi Hendrix as well as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few. The audience is assumed to be highly interested in Jimi Hendrix and the compilation album which is advertised, as it issituated at the beginning of the magazine, with only one article and the usual contents page before it. The audience will also be a large size, although not bigger than the mainstream audience, rock music played a large role in the popular culture of the 1960s/70s and 80s, and therefore most 25-45 year olds will be acquanted to rock music. As an audience member myself, although i'm not in the targeted audence, I evaluate the product as uninteresting and irrelevent to my musical taste. However, out of the context of coursework, I would be reading Kerrang! magazine and NME magazine, which is aimed at me, and not Uncut magazine. This evaluation, on my part, is largely influenced by my age and background, as I was largely influenced by modern pop-culture and not older icons, unlike people who were teenagers during the success and popularity of Jimi Hnedrix.
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