costume and prop research
TRANSCRIPT
The main image is the graphic example of the sell lines content, and one of the key elements of appeal.
The costume in the fitness genre is very specific, it is mainly sportswear for the lower part of the body. The most common items are sweat pants, sport shorts and some<mes jeans. However this is not a strict rule about costume followed within the genre. There can be a wide varia<on in this aspect among different <tles because, as a genre conven<on to create meaning it is insignificant. The major focus needs to be on the upper part of the body, and this is most of the <me uncovered. This conven<on is very important within the genre because it is the item in which magazines portray the usefulness and quality of their content, models need to show off their sculpted, inspiring figure to seduce the reader and intensify the appeal towards his needs and wants. Any costume that covers the upper part of the body and therefore interferes with this magazine objec<ve needs to be got rid off.
These two front covers confirm my point. Moreover, the sell lines (which are all fitness or figure related) would not be as effec<ve in the reader if they did not have a main image to build up on and accompany their meaning.
Here we can see the jeans and sport shorts we’ve men<oned as most common costume within our genre (fitness). Sneakers and trainers are common as well but only in ar<cles inside magazines, we would never see them in a front cover mainly because it is a medium-‐long shot what is used the majority of the <me to display the main image. In the case that the use of costume in the upper part of the body is present, (this usually happens when the main image used is a celebrity) it takes the shape of plain tank tops or slim t-‐shirts, as we can see.
There is not a great use of props within the genre. The only purpose of these is to accompany the main image or images within ar<cles and emphasize their meaning. The most common are within the gym seman>c field: weights, cufflinks… (any conven<onal figure sculp<ng item).