This is description of Dyers stars theory and how it will link to my AS Media music magazine cover.

1. Audience Theories.
Dyer‟s star theory.

2. Dyers star theory
Dyer‟s star theory states that icons and celebrities are
constructed for financial benefits by institutions. These can
be built for specific people or groups of people and can be
split into three groups;
Audience and
institutions,
cultural beliefs.
constructions and

3. Audience and Institutions
 Stars have only one purpose and that is to make money.
Then the institutions modifies or changes the images to
suit the target audience. They are „artificially made‟.
 I can use this in order to change the images I have taken
for my cover and manipulate them into the image I
desire that the chosen target market (Rock fans, aged 16
or above) would find attractive. This is a way to appeal to
the target market by following Dyers star theory the
images will fit the needs of the target market.

4. Constructions
 The star is „built‟ for the audience and is not actually the
real person or what hey would normally be. Its used
specifically to set them apart from other stars, its their
signature and significant feature. For example, Lady
Gaga‟s fashion choices.
 This can be transferred to my magazine by making the
main subject of the photos almost outrageous to set the
cover apart from all the other music magazines and
magazines of the same genre. This could be how they
are dressed, their hair colour or something they are
holding or doing.

5. Hegemony
 We admire certain stars because they have aspects of their
personality or appearance that we admire or even have in
common. These attributes are sometimes replicated by fans
or followers of the said famous individual as they are seen as
role modals or icons. This replication can be good or
extremely negative; like self harm or drugs abuse. These
could be an issue whilst choosing appropriate images for
the cover and throughout the magazine so it does not
promote any negative aspects that some audiences will
find un-necessary. Avoiding doing so would mean that
hypothetical fans of the celebrity featuring on the front of
my magazine will not promote any or replicate any
negative things.

6.  Dyer proposed that “a star is an image not a real person that is
constructed out of a range of materials”. They are constructed
and are nothing but artificial images meant to represent real
people going through real emotions. This helps the audience
connect and be bound to the celebrity. Their artificial image
can be made by a single item or certain attribute.
 By including something involving a well known celeb- whether it
be a problem they are going through or anything involving
them at all- will allow the audience to bond to their icons and
become curious to read the magazine. So a character can be
„constructed‟ and be used effectively to replicate a real
celebrity on the front of the magazine, in the contents or the
two page spread.