Media Essays

Text:Empire

Question:Audience Appeals

Essay: Everything that is on the cover of Empire magazine is film related. The colour scheme automatically hints at it being targeted to a male audience. This is through the use of dark blues, and reds. The film featured on the front is also stereotypically associated with male audiences. For example, Sci-Fi, fantasy and superhero. The age of the reader would most likely be from the age of 20 to 40. The reason for this is because the films referend and discusses will have a personal connection, especially those who are in a specific era. Such as the time n which trainspotting was released. Enthusiastic fans who were around when that film was released will be satisfied with the collector’s additions of Empire promoting T2 Trainspotting. When considering a certain type of audience there are several media models that can help categorise the audience. The first being the 4C’s model. One of the categories that Empire audiences fit into is The Explorer. The Empire media pack gives and audience profile of a man named rob, he would also fit into the explorer category. Rob would be the first in his social group to buy an iPad. He is a sponge for new information and is always up for trying new products. He is actively online and is culturally aware. Empire meets up to The Explorer’s needs in several ways. With there not only being a physical copy but also a digital version. Which in turn will benefit the Explorer (Rob) as he can use the new technology to access this. Empire magazine is jam packed with new information about directors, actors and films in general. Meaning that the explorer can always be provided with new and exclusive information. Another category is The succeder, these tend to have a disposable income, they are tech savvy and most likely to be living and working in London. The amount of information that is available in Empire will allow them to better themselves in knowledge of film. The consumption of this type of media will be something that will help him relax, it would be different from work. Considering the Maslow Hierarchy of needs there are several that stand out for the Empire audience. For example, the need for aesthetic sensations. The magazine itself is image heavy, made up of stills photoshoots and head shots. The Empire magazine has high production value leading to it always have high quality, glossy paper. The need for prominence is also one that would be associated with Rob the Empire reader. This is because he will know a lot more facts about film perhaps than his peers. Rob would most likely be a technophile, attracting Rob to the magazine as Empire now harbours a QR code in which you can scan to gain more content. The target audience would be male dominated due to most interviews and features being with actors and more focussed on career than appearance. The reviews use play on words, ouns and intertextuality, hinting that the reader would have a sense of humour. For example, a still of La La Land with Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling dancing and the caption reads ‘Who doesn’t enjoy pretending to be a plane? ‘Second audiences would be classed as students aspiring to study media or film around the ages of 18 to 20.