STATEMENT OF INTENT-NEW

My magazine Tropix will use media language to construct a fashion magazine predominantly on culture for women of ethnic minority backgrounds who have a passion for individualism, ethnic culture and self-discovery, within the sophisticated 16-25 year old AB demographic. Tropix will be distributed by Bauer; a professional entertainment network of multi-platform brands which have a gap in the market for a magazine of ethnic culture.

It follows the typical layout of a fashion magazine such as having a powerful shot of the fashion model on the front covers. I will be styling the models in outfits that stand out in order to explore my theme which is a cultural appreciation towards ethnic minorities. The front cover will consist of my model being centred which follows the regular format of magazines.

Mise en scene:

One of the shots used for the front cover of my magazine will be a long shot of my model Ria; who will be wearing western clothing with a twist along with Asian attire. She’ll be holding onto a silk scarf (commonly known as a Dupatta in south Asia) covering a lot of her upper body. Through editing I will enhance lighting to make it look more dramatic. This idea fits with my concept really well as the theme of my magazine if representing the minority of the UK and my model is mixed heritage (India and Jamaica) so overall represents both aspects of her cultural identity. Similar themes will also be repeated for the contents page as the theme of cultural hybridity will continue; having more models of ethnic backgrounds styling them to embrace their culture or others. However, my magazine is more focused on ethnic cultural vibrance. Other types of angles I will explore for my magazine will be low angle and close up shots of my models in order to make them seem powerful, dominant and in control which are essential characteristics for fashion models.

This magazine represents individuals through visual creativity as I’ll be experimenting with a variety of locations around London such as Dalston market, Shepard’s bush market and a lot of studio work exploring gel lighting to enhance colours and costume.

Media Audience

The target audience for my magazine are ethnic minorities and those that appreciate individuality and culture.

The message received from my magazine would be self-empowerment and knowing that being ethnically and culturally different is something to be proud of.

Once building a high rating of viewers the magazine would be sold in popular stores such as urban outfitters and Topshop around central London and Shoreditch to reach that culturally aware audience but also inner city areas such as Hackney and Brixton newsagents so that it’s accessible for the target audience of ethnic minorities and also those who have an interest for ethnic culture.

I intend to use digital convergence, which is the interlinking of a brand through digitalisation to reach a wider audience. The other platform will be a website which will include a similar layout to my magazine by using similar images; reinforcing the theme of cultural appreciation and the same font so it’s visibly obvious. Another aim of the website is for it to be easier to access and just as visually pleasing for the audience. This media convergence is effective as it creates synergy such as through a segment of my magazine called the ‘BollyHood series’ which will be presented in both platforms.