Preliminary Task: Contents page

This is a mock up drawing of the contents page for my college magazine.

Wyke college Magazine

Preliminary task
To produce a school/college magazine front page splash, that will appeal to the target audience, of students.

My Magazine Double Page Spread

For my double page spread I kept with the colour schemes that I have used on the other two pages, the main focal point of these pages is the image, so I spread the images across a full page and kept the text on the oppposing side. The reason for this is that in music magazine usually when an artist has a double page spread the image used is large and covers most of the spread. the images used on this page have been manipulated so that both have a red tint, but these have been done in differnt ways the reason for using the colour red is because it connotates fiery, and this is the impression I wanted the image to have, this also matched the facial expression, as in one she is looking away from the camera, and the other she is looking straight at the audience with a bit of a fiery glare, I used a thick black border around the page because this draws the eye to what is inside the border I used the black because it is the stereotypical colour of the genre and also matches the other pages of the magazine, all of these aspects add to the representation of the punk rock genre.

My Magazine Contents Page

For my contents page i wanted to keep the theme of black and white constent throughout each of the pages of the magazine to create the idea of continuity. However with the contents page I also wanted to add some colour to balance the blank page. For the images on this page I used ones that linked with the photographs on the front cover. For this page i used minimalistic features so that the images would stand out. By using images as the main focal point, instead of writing the articles this will then attract a wider target audience, as visual elements are what the reader will see first.

the text used as the the column headings is similar to the text used on the front page splash. To add to the representation of the genre, the punk rock attitude.

My Magazine front cover

This is my finished magazine cover, the genre I chose I was punk rock so for the mast head I chose to use a name that had a link to this type of genre and authority can be seen as having power, and this is what made me decide to use the tag line "the power to inflict" the reason for this is that people can be influenced by what by they see and what they read, which also links to the image of the two fists which also indicates that power. Another way of representing the genre was by he use of mise-en-scene for this i chose to stick with the stereotypical colour scheme of this genre of using black grey and white. So I used a white background which could be connetate s a blank canvas, I then used all black text so that it would stand out to the audience. The main image I manipulated as originally this was a black and white photograph so to change this I added tints of colour which also made this the focal point as it is the only part of the front cover splash that is in colour, which will draw the readers attention to it. I also used coloured text to highlight the artists name so this will create continuity between image and text.The text i decided to use a pink font as this would make it jump from the page, i also used wrap points around the text to give a ripped effect, which could be another way of representing the genre, of bad attitudes. I chose to have the artist looking down and not directly at the camera, the reason for this is so that it connotates mystery and also hidden/stealth, as the audience do not know what she is looking at which adds suspicion to find out more. for mise-en-scene, the outfit i chose the model to wear is a plain black strap top, the reason for this is so that it stands out from the white background and also i chose a plain top so that the focal was not what she was wearing, but her facial expression. to match the costume I also used black eyeliner which will also add to the dramatic image of the of the photograph, it also adds to the idea of stealth in the way it is accentuating across the eyes like a cats, which stereotypically are known for stealth. This then links to the bottom of the page in which i gave switched the colour scheme around to have a black background and white text the reason for this is that there is some contrast across the page, also by using a black and white image of "the Kings of Leon" I wanted this to stand out and I feel that if I had this image on a white background then it would mesh together and would not give the impact that I wanted. I then overlapped the text across the image to give a collage effect, to show the rebellious, not needing to be neat. This i believe also links in to the genre that is being represented through stereotypical views of punk rock artists having a bit of a bad attitude.

Evaluation

Before starting to create my magazine I researched other magazine that represented the same type of genre to see what conventions I would need to use in order to create the same effect, and also to develop the ideas used in real magazines and make it into something unique. Now that i have finished my magazine, I can see the similarities between the real media products and the differences in which i have developed the ideas. Similarities that I have used in my magazine and in magazines such as NME are the the use of plain colour schemes and having a bold image which stands out I have also used text that has a colour background, which has a ripped effect. In most magazines I analysed the use of overlapping images was a constant convention so I also used this on my magazine, in all of the pages. I have also used a main large image in the centre of the page and this is a convention of any typical music magazine, and added smaller images around it to show other features of the magazine. On my contents page I also used the convention of overlapping images, to give a rebellious view, which could also be included in the representation of genre, by doing this I created continuity (flow) throughout each of the magazine pages. Another typical music magazine convention for contents pages is by using a list of the artist that are being featured and images of these, this is so the reader can find what they are looking for easier. In most magazines the contents page also has a small paragraph about the editors of the magazine, so i also used this on my contents page by using a small section about the editors "visiting the beach". The reason for doing this is so that the appearance of the magazine matches that of a real music magazine.



My media product represents a stereotypical punk rock social group, but also targets the teenage audience, I know my magazine targets a younger audience by using the idea of a teenage feature artist, which could be seen as representing the audience. This will also attract a younger audience as they can relate to the feature of the magazine. I have represented the stereotypical view of a punk rock social group by using a "messy" layout, as this can be a representation of this type of social group as they appear to have a messy/unorganised lifestyle, I have also used a stereotypical colour scheme for this group of people, by using black and greys as black is seen as the colour of rebellion, by being dark and mysterious. This can be seen on my main image which I took on the front page splash were the girl is wearing black clothing and also is wearing thick black eyeliner, which is another stereotypical image of targeted audience by using the idea of dark accentuating black eye make up. On my contents pages I have also used images of teenagers which will link in with the front page splash, on the contents page i ave used the same features as the front page but used different photographs that have been manipulated in different ways, this is to add variation to the magazine as you would not want to read a magazine that only featured one photograph of the main article, so on this photo i have used a close-up shot, but have kept the idea of the dark cat-eye make-up but i have changed the angle that the shot has been taken, so in this picture the artist is looking directly at the camera, which could represent the idea that the model is inviting the audience into the picture, which in order will make the audience read the article. In the double page spread it also uses images of the teenage featured artist, which keeps the continuity of using the target audience as the main ideas behind the magazine.





The types of media institution that might distribute my media product are television advertisements, as this is how many magazines are publicised, the television channel that advertises the magazine may have links to the magazine such as the type of music that is featured on both. So Punk music channels may may distribute the magazine on their channel. As it will target their audience, and the channel will also benefit from making a profit, for advertising the magazine. Music stores may also distribute music magazine if they both relate to the same types of music. for the same reasons as the television channel, it will publicise the product which in order will create profit for the music store that sells the magazine.





The audience for my media product are young teenage people that follow the punk rock image and lifestyle. The reason for choosing to do a magazine for this audience is because it can reach a wide range of people, as punk rock music is very popular with people of all ages, the reason for targeted teenagers, is because they will be more interested in keeping up with modern trends which in order will always make the magazine sustainable as there is always new artists and fashion trends to create articles on. I also chose this age group as I am in this age group, which made it easy for me to relate to the audience and feature articles that the audience would like to read. I created a questionnaire to find out if the magazine would appeal to people of this age group and this is what the results came out as.
Do you believe that my magazine represents the chosen genre?
All answered yes

What could i have done to improve the magazine front cover?
Shown more features that would have been included in the magazine.

What could i have done to improve the contents page?
add more detail, include more pages as it is very brief

What could i have done to improve my double page spread?
Included more appropriate questions that would interest the reader


I attracted/addressed the audience by using ideas that will appeal to them, by using features that are up to date and modern such as the colour schemes and the way the magazine has been laid out, by also using language that is modern such as slang modern terms, this is another way of attracted an audience as they can relate to the language used. Examples that i have used of slang language is on the front splash, were i have used a tag line that says "tha onli music mag you need" by using words like mag which are abbreviations, this appeals to the target audience as they will use abbreviated language. Language like this is only used on younger generation magazines and would not be found in magazines about classical or old folk music.



I have learnt by creating a magazine about using technology from the processes of constructing this product.The main programs we used to construct this magazine is Publisher and Adobe photoshop, with using these I already know the basic skills, but I developed these by using tools on the program Publisher, on this program I created the main front page splash, contents page and double page spread. i learned how to use tools such as how to edit wrap points around an image, which enables to be able to fit text around the image. I also learned how to overlap text and images, to create a collage effect. Also I learned how to apply different thickness of borders around images to make them stand out. For my photographs I used a photoshop program were I could manipulate the original image to give a unique effect, on this I changed the tones and and tints of the image, either changing the image to be black and white, or adding tints of colour to brighten an image in certain places to add contrast. As with the main image on the front page splash I added a pale orange tint around the image, whilst giving the model a sharper edge by altering the brightness and contrast. After editing the images I used the wrap point tool on publisher to make the images fit the page without having extra white borders around them. This helped to make my magazine feel more original and give the effect that i wanted to achieve, as i would not have been able to achieve this if i did not use these programs.



Looking back at my preliminary task, I feel that during the progression to create the full product I have learnt how to use the Publisher program to the best of my ability, I have also thought more about my main task and put more effort and with the added research I feel that I achieved a better result, then I did with the preliminary task, as the music magazine looks more realistic than the college magazine. With my college magazine I believed that the more features I put on the front page splash the better, but I have found with the music magazine that to make it more realistic not to make the front page to busy as this will just confuse the reader, as they will not be able to focus on the main image/article. I have progressed in skills on photo editing as with my preliminary task, I only cropped the photograph to make it able to fit the page and this was the only editing skills that I knew how to use. So I have progressed positively as my music magzine images I was able to use different tools such as contrast and brightness editing to make the most of my overral image. With all the added research and analysing other music magazine front pages, content pages and double page spread I feel I had better knowledge on what conventions I had to include in my magazine, so this made the construction easier. I believe that the added knowledge of computer skills has also made my music magazine to the best of my ability.

time management

To complete this magazine i have had 7 months, during this time i have had to manage my time, this includes setting deadlines in which a certain part of the process has to finished, however these deadlines have not always been kept as there have been complications as the photgraphs took longer to be taken, due to working round my models schedual. This has then caused other problems as i could not start my magazine without the photographs, which in effect limited my time to complete it. Time management on this project i found difficult as i had the pressure of other college subjects to also complete, which meant that less time could be focused on my magazine, however i did use time outside of lessons to try keep to deadlines that i had set myself. I started my magazine with basic IT skills in which during the process of completing the magazine i have developed such as using Microsoft Publisher and each of the programs used in this that was not taught at GCSE level, an example is wrap points around an image. I used a digital camera to take the images for the magazine front cover and contents. From this i used Adobe Photoshop program to manipulate the images, i change the brightness and contrast to give an edgy look to the image, as i wanted to percieve an punk rock appearance, in which i believe i achieved, i did this to to most of the images, however on some i added tints of colour in certain areas.

Analysis of Kerrang's double page spread

This is a double page spread from the magazine Kerrang. This varies to the double page of NME as this has much more text, which is also set out in columns. The article also various images that are set at the bottom of the page, this is to show what other artists are involved with the feature. The main text on the page is set differently to the NME double page spread as it is on a slant this could be to represent the idea of having a punk attitude, showing rebellion. The text is also slanting towards the image and the main headline is overlapping the image of Gerard Way the lead singer of the featured band. The text is still in columns which is the same as the NME double page spread, and both articles have a relatively small amount of writing, this may be to keep the reader interested by keeping it short and manageable without adding an unnecessary information. the whole page looks as though the image was the main feature and then the text and smaller images have been placed on top, in a messy way, which could also represent rebellion. The image shows the artists performing on a stage we know this through the lighting and they way he is not looking directly at the camera he also has a microphone showing that he is performing, the photograph also shows movement as it is blurred at some parts. His outfit is authentic and represents the music he delivers. with the jacket representing either bones, or a military image, his clothes are black and white and this is also continued on the article as this is also has a black background with white text. The image is of the lead singer the photo is shot at a live performance, with the lighting highlighting his face and hair, the image only focuses on the lead singer and not on the rest of the band this may be to show that he is more important or plays a more recognisable role out of the group. A convention that is used on both double page spreads is the use of a large heading, on this article they have used a plain bold white text, to stand out against the black background, the white text could also represent the image as the artist stands out in the lights of the stage.

Analysis of a double page spread of NME magazine

This is a double page spread from the magazine NME. the typical convention found on a double page are, that it is feature off the front cover that has been advertised. usually double page spreads have a large amount of writing either in a form of interview or written as a story, another convention of a double page spread is, that they will have a photograph or image that has some association with the article. On this double page we can see that there is a large heading, which is is the same type of text as the main front cover, with a thick black outline, the text also appears to represent a newspaper style headline, however this has been manipulated so that the letters are all different sizes, this could be another way of showing what Lilly Allen, (the main feature of the article) is about and her attitude towards peoples opinions of her. From this we understand that she has a strong attitude, also the type of text indicates that she may be sort of reckless. Therefore this represents the ideology behind this article. The image also connotates this as with the text she is also dressed in a punk, reckless, not bothered sort of clothing, the camera angle is a straight face on image, she appears to be leaning in, staring straight at the audience leading them into the article. The audience that this article is trying to attract is young people that are rebellious, this is represented in Lilly Allens costume and hair style, also the dark eye make up, which is done in a rock/punk sort of way. This may then attract an audience that have the same attitude and appearance as her.

Analysis of NME magazine cover

Another example of a magazine that features classic and contemporary rock is NME magazine, the music genre is alternative and rock music. NME stands for new music express, the magzine is a weekly magazine the mast head connotates the mast head as it is showing that the information is new, its a music magazine and also express meaning that it is fast, which could be why the magazine is published weekly. The stylistic features that represent the genre is that the overall image of the magazine is like a scrap book with the images at the top representing a collage with the images overlapping one another. The content that is typical of the genre is alternative and rock music on previous cover of NME magazine they have featured artists such as Kings of Leon, Pete Doherty and scissor sisters. The conventions that are shared between both NME and Mojo magazine, are that they both have a masthead, the reason of this is that it is continuous through every copy, this is done so that we recognise the magazine. Both magazines also have a main image, which is related to the main issue, usually the image fills the page. Another convention that is used on both covers is the use of small amounts of texts, advertising other scorelines that are including in that issue of the magazine, this is done so that people only know a small amount so that they have to buy the magazine to find out the rest. Both magazines have aimed at the type of rock audience, in my opinion i believe this magazine is targeted at both males and females. As the colours used on the front page are red and yellow and these are not really linked to any specific gender. Along with attracting both genders the magazines have to aim for an age group, NME and Mojo magazine are both in my opinion aimed at teens and older, this is because of the language that is used in the magazine, as in some articles the may include swearing. Also the way in which they write the articles, using up to date terms, also colloquial language, which a younger audience may not understand. An example of 'slang' text that is used on this front cover is "in their San Fran studio" the San Fran being a abbreviation of San Fransisco.

Main Task - Producing a Music Magazine

For the main task i will have to plan and produce the front page and a double page spread of a music magazine. I have to decide on a specific genre for the magazine and i have to aim this for my target audience. The genre i have decided to base my magazine on is present rock music.

Analysis of a music magazine front cover

This music that is featured in this magazine is classic and contemporary rock. Other magazines that are similar to this is Q, Rolling Stones and NME. Mojo also has a DAB radio station, which also broadcasts on sky television. The music genre's that are represented in this magazine are rock and pop, as the main image is of a pop rock singer but she can also be grouped as having a jazz influence. The stylistic features used on this front cover is the white background with the black text this is used because these are contrasting colours also the white represents a clean canvas and the black text conveys the idea of being dark and having a sort of rock effect as this is the colour that is most associated with rock stars. the gold text that is used may be to break up the black and white colours as these are quite bold, gold is associated with wealth, so therefore all the featured artists names are in gold text on the front cover, this may be to show their wealth and importance. The use of the centre image shows that she is the main feature of the magazine, this is shown by using a full page image and also by having her name in large text across the middle of the magazine, the image is in black and white to also fit in with the colour scheme. The content that is typical of the genre is classic and contemporary rock music, on previous covers of Mojo magazine, they have featured artists such as Oasis, The Beatles and Queen, these all fit into the genre of classic and contemporary rock music. Elements that have been chosen are, there are a range of fonts that are used, but mainly the ones that are used are serif fonts hich connotates a classic/traditional image, examples of this is the main text Amy Whinehouse, this shows the importance she has to that edition of the magazine, and also tries to give an image of the sort of music she produces as being quite classic, as she is a 60's soul singer. The elemens of the page are laid out in three sections there is the cenral image and at both sides of this is the sell lines. By the absense of colour, the black and white colour scheme gives the appeal of being classic and tadititional. Te eye navigates around the page starting from the central image as this is the main feature then the eye travels around each of the sell lines.