Foundation Portfolio- Main task

As part of the main task. I looked at the key media concepts, Language, Insitution, Ideology, Audience and Reprsentation and applied these to different music magazines.

Language- The layout of the magazine, the font which is used for the main headline, the plugs, the date and the strapline. Is the font bold or just in a normal font? Is it being used to emphaise anything in particular?
The main photograph which has being used. Is the photograph digtally airbrushed, is the photograph in black or white, or is the photograph in colour.
The text that has been used. Is it in a bold font, or a normal font, is it underlined, is it in colour (bright or not), is it in a black font. What size is the font?
The plugs, what are they been used to advertise, which fonts are they written in, colour or not.
The masthead, what is it been used to advertise. Is it in a regular colourful font or a boring black font. What is the article actually about and does the font represent this.

Insitution- The different types of music genres are published by different magazine publishers. Here I am going to identify different magazine publishers and the music magazine they publish.
EMAP (Bauer Media)- EMAP publish Kerrang Magazine. The Bauer Media website says that Kerrang Magazine has 'Metallica to Muse, Foo Fighters to Fall Out Boy, the UK's premier multi-platform music destination bringing you the best in rock online, on TV and in print'. The audience for Kerrang Magazine is 'individually minded, independant of thought and musically experienced, an audience defined by attitude, passion and loyality'.
IPC Media publish NME which I would say is a rival to Kerrang Magazine. NME is more of a independent music magazine, but Kerrang is more of a rock genre. IPC doesn't publish a magazine on rock magazine. Just like EMAP (Bauer Media) doesn't produce a independant music magazine. IPC Media describes NME magazine as 'the longest published and most respected music weekly in the world. Every week it gives it's readers the most exciting, most authoritative coverage of the very best in contempoary music'. IPC Media say that ' almost two in every three UK women and over 45% of UK men read an IPC magazine. That's almost 27 million adults'.

Ideology- The idea behind NME magazine is to inform fans of idependent and contempoary music the lastest news on contempoary bands and to promote the indie/ rock music genre. And to also give readers some entertainment whilst reading the magazine. My own magazine will have a similar ideology as the NME magazine does and will also promote the same genre of music and may also have the same target audeince.

Audience- My magazine will have the target age audience 16-25. My magazine will be on a certain genre of music, so anyone who is interested in that type of music will the audience of my magazine.

Representation- The type of social groups who will buy my magazine will be represented by the pictures in my magazine. The type of bands which will be featured in my magazine will represent the people who will buy my magazine. For example, dance music is represented by women in bikini's whereas indie music is represented by under 25's male and female and mainly male bands.

Evaulation

In what ways does your Media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real Media products?

My magazine has all the conventions you would see on any other magazine. It has plugs, a title, a price, date and issue number, strap line, barcode, main headline, main photo and more plugs.
I have used plugs which will directly appeal to students (NUS card and the benefits, UCAS application forms, Party pictures)
I have also used a headline which will directly appeal to students (Exam Stress article). The main headline is in a bold font and written across the main picture which covers nearly all of the magazine, this is a feature you would normally see on a real magazine.

How does your Media product represent particular social groups?

My magazine represents the student social group as it is a college magazine and the minority of people who will read it will be students.
The plugs and headline which I used on my magazine also represent students. The NUS card represents students as liking to get a discount on certain items as that is what the NUS card is for.
The Halloween party pictures shows that students like to go out and have a good time after college hours.
The exam stress article shows that nearly all students who have any upcoming exams do worry about them and feel pressured to do well. And once they have passed their AS levels and are thinking about going to university they will have to fill out a UCAS application form (which is another plug on my magazine). Students may be struggling to fill out this application form, so I thought the article would help.
So basically my magazine represents the student social group as liking to get discounts on certain items, liking to have a good time, stressing out over exams and once that’s all over going to university.

What kind of Media institution might distribute your Media product and why?

A publishing company might publish my college magazine. I would have to take my magazine to a publishing company who doesn’t already a publish a college magazine because if they already publish a college magazine the two magazines may be in competition with each other. I have looked on the internet and I have found a magazine publisher called ‘S&G magazines’ they publish over 300 different magazines and are based in South Wales. To get my magazine published, I would take my idea of a college magazine for Wyke College students and if they liked the idea of a college magazine, then my magazine would be published.

Who would be the audience for your Media product?

The audience for my magazine would be Wyke College students both male and female, Wyke College teachers both male and female and the parents of Wyke College students. The target age of my audience would be 16-19 year olds because that is the age of most students at Wyke College. Year 11 students who are coming to Wyke in the next college year may also be interested to read the magazine as it will give them a idea of what Wyke College is like and what events happen at the college.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my audience by putting on plugs which I knew would relevant to most students. I used the NUS card and the discount students get as a plug, because most students don’t have that much money so I knew that advertising the card would appeal to a lot of students as this is a card that will get students money off clothes, food and to the cinema.
I used the UCAS application forms as a plug, because second year students will have started applying for university and to get into university you need to have filled out a UCAS application form correctly. Some of the second year students could be struggling with this, so I decided to advertise help that will make sure their UCAS forms are all filled out correctly.
I used the Halloween party pictures as a plug, because as most students did actually go to that party they will want to see the pictures which have being taken and if they are in any of them.
I used ‘Exam Stress?! Top distressing tips inside!’ as a main headline and had a picture of a student looking stressed, because all students feel pressured and stressed to do well in exams. And some worry more than others, so I decided that this will appeal to students as they will want to see what distressing tips are inside and if they will work.
The colours which I used for the plugs at the top of the magazine are written in pink and blue. To show that the magazine is for both male and female students and these colours represent that.
I decided to call my magazine ‘Chatter’ as it is a ideal name for a college gossip magazine and a magazine which makes sure the students get all the information they need about upcoming events at the college and all the pictures and stories from past events which have already happened at the college.
I used bright colours to catch the readers eye. I think that most people would like to read a magazine which is colourful rather then a dull coloured magazine. I know that people read magazines for their content which is why I made sure the plugs and headline was in bright colours too, catching the readers eye again.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I have learnt that Photoshop isn’t as easy to use as it looks. In class we did get a class on how to use Photoshop which was helpful. I’ve learnt that Photoshop is better for editing and resizing images, but Publisher is better for actually making the magazine as it is simpler to use. And I think the end product looks better. I made a magazine cover in both Photoshop and Publisher, and the Photoshop copy looked like a poster but the Publisher copy looked more like a magazine.

Looking back at the preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

I have learnt from the preliminary task, how to use Photoshop properly. I learnt how to edit an image and make the quality of the photo look better and also if the person in the picture has bad skin, I’ve leant how to use the cloning tool. To use the cloning tool you clone a bit of the person’s skin which is clear and then apply it to the bit of skin that isn’t clear and it gets rid of the person’s bad skin.
I have also learnt how to make the picture look bigger then it is without pixalating the image. I have learnt how to use the cropping tool as well.
I’ve learnt that Microsoft Publisher is better for publishing and making magazine front covers, the Photoshop. Well that’s just my opinion, but Photoshop is better for editing the image whereas Publisher is better for making the magazine because it is a lot simpler to use.
I’ve also learnt that you don’t need to put a lot of fancy writing and colour onto a magazine to make it look good. Often the simpler fonts and less colour make the magazine look more realist then fancy fonts and lots of colour. Also you do not need to put lots of plugs on the magazine to make it more appealing, if you just put a few plugs which will defiantly appeal to students, for example student discounts, UCAS application forms and pictures from parties.

Final Contents Page

This is my final contents page.
At the top of my contents page, I have the title of the college magazine written in the same font as on the front cover of the magazine.
Underneath this I have the words 'Contents Page'. The word 'contents' is written in a bold purple font and the word 'page is written in a bold green font. Next to this I have where the magazine is published in a purple font, who published the magazine in a green font and the student who is on the front page of the magazine in a purple font.
The four plugs which are featured on the front cover are all on my contents page with pictures next to them.

Final Front Cover

This is my final college magazine.
I have four plugs at the top of my magazine which are written in both blue and pink font. I have used these colours because the magazine is a unisex magazine and both male and female students will buy the magazine. The plugs at the top say 'stories', 'pictures', 'games' and 'more...'. I used these as plugs as students may be interested to look at the pictures in the magazine, for example any sports pictures. Or read any stories about the college sports teams or if anyone has done really well in a certain subject and is featured in the magazine.
Underneath the plugs, I have the title of the magazine which is called 'Chatter'. I have used a bold Comic Sans font for the title and the word 'Chatter' is written in both a green and a purple font. I used 'Chatter' as the name of my college magazine as it is a ideal name for a college magazine. And also people go to college to learn and also use it as a good time to 'chatter' to their friends.
Underneath the main headline, I have the issue number in a pink font and the date in a blue font. I used pink and blue again as the magazine is a unisex magazine.
Underneath the strapline I have the main picture which I took of a student surrounded by books and she has a stressed look on her face. The main headline which is written across the main picture says 'Exam Stress?! Top destressing tips inside'. This is written in a purple font, I used this as a main headline because a lot of students at college will be stressing over exams and this article will appeal to them.
I also have three other plugs written on the main picture which are giving infomation on the Halloween party which was at Welly, giving infomation on the NUS cards and the benefits of having one and how to fill out a UCAS application form.
Also on my front cover I have the barcode and the price.

The Pictures For My Front Cover

I took two pictures for my front cover. I wanted the picture to be a picture of a student who is stressed because of the exams and all the pressure which gets put upon students. I used some props in my picture, these were some books surrounding the student.
I decided to not use the first picture as you couldn't really see the books which surrounded her. Also the student didn't really look that stressed out about the exams, you also couldn't really see her face and the expression on her face. You could only see her eye, which didn't really give off any idea as to what the expression on her face was.
I decided to use the second picture as you could see the props around her and also she looked more like a stressed student then she actually did in the other picture. You could also see the stressed expression on her face. To get all the books in which surrounded her, I took the picture from above the student.

Idea For My College Magazine Front Cover

This is my idea for my college magazine front cover.
At the top of my front cover, I will have four different plugs which will promote the college, have infomation which students who attend the college need to know (for example, parents evening, UCAS deadlines) or to give infomation about the other subjects at college.
Underneath these plugs will be the date of the magazine and also what issue number the magazine is.
Next will be the title of the magazine. My idea's for the title of my magazine are Wyke Weekly, Freedom, Chatter, Chit Chat, Achieve, In the Know. Also underneath the title is the strapline which will read 'The Wyke College Magazine'
Underneath the title of the magazine, will be the main headline which will reflect the picture I will put on my magazine. Also to the right of the main headline will be the barcode for the magazine.
Underneath the main headline will be the main photo, the main photo will reflect one of the subjects which you can take at Wyke College. For example, if I wanted to do a article on Science I would take a photo of a science student in their lab coat and in a science lab doing a experiment or taken after a experiment.
Underneath the main photo they will be four more plugs, which will once again give infomation to students who attend the college.

Textual Analysis of Three Magazine Front Covers

I am going to look at three magazine front covers, the third one is,
Hello! Magazine.
At the top right hand corner of the magazine is the title of the magazine which is 'Hello!'. The word 'Hello!' is a bold whit font and is also on a block of red colour, once again to make the word stand out more. Underneath this is the date the magazine was published and the price of the magazine.
The front cover of the magazine is taken up by the main photo which is of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and their new baby twins. Both Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are looking at the twins.
At the top of the front cover on the left handside and in small bold black font is the words 'The biggest Exclusive of the year'. The sentence is underlined to emphaise these words.
At the bottom of the cover is the main headline which is in bold black font. The first section of the headline reads 'Faboulous first pictures of all the family as'. This sentence is in a smaller bold black font. The second section of the headline reads 'Brad and Angelina introduce twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline'. This sentence is in a bigger bold black font.
Next to the main headline is the barcode.
People will be attracted to this magazine cover as the main photo is the actual front cover. There isn't much writing just the main headline.
The target audience for this magazine will be teenage boys and girls and also any fans of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Textual Analysis of Three Magazine Front Covers

I am going to look at three magazine front covers, the second one is:
NME magazine.
At the top of this magazine is a plug which the first two words of the sentence are in yellow bold font and reads 'Studio News:' The next words of the sentence are in bold white font apart from the word 'and' this is written in a normal white font. The words which are in bold white font are going to attract the attention of any fans of Franz Ferdinand and The Courtneers. The plug is on a red background and the colours yellow and white stand out more.
Underneath the plug is the title of the magazine which reads NME and words are in a bold red font with a white outline around the words and also a black outline around the white outline. At the top of the letters which make up NME is a shadowing around the top of the letters and the right hand side of the letters. This makes the title of the magazine stand out more.
Down the right hand side of the magazine are four plugs which are all in bold red font and underneath the bold red words are bold black sentences which seem to explain what the plugs mean. Basically what I mean is the plugs which are in bold red font are used to catch the audience's eye and the bold black words are used to explain what them plugs mean. There is also a plug which is above the four plugs going down the side of the magazine, this plug is in a black circle. This means the plug which is in bold yellow font stand out more. The sentence which is underneath is in normal white font,so it doesn't stand out as much.
Next to these plugs is the main photo which is Alex Turner out of the Arctic Monkeys and Miles Kane out of The Little Flames. Across the main photo in bold white font is the names of the two men and underneath that in normal red smaller font is the words 'First major interview as' then underneath this is a bold red bigger font is the words 'The Last Shadow Puppets' then underneath this is a normal white smaller font is a quote from the interview.
Also on the bottom of the main photo is the strapline which has been put into a box with the barcode. This box has the date the magazine was published and the price of the magazine.
The target audience for this magazine is anyone who is interested in music, teenage boys and girls and also any fans of the people shown on the front cover of the magazine.

Textual Analysis of Three Magazine Front Covers

I am going to look at three magazine front covers, the first one is,
Heat Magazine.
On this magazine there is a plug right at the top of the magazine which in bold black font and also in capital letters reads 'Scandal' this is going to get the audience's attention as they will be interested to know what this 'scandal' is. There are another two different coloured fonts in this plug. White and yellow. The words which are written in yellow are seen as the words which will catch the readers attention. The plug reads 'Gav spends the night with Charlotte's friend!' The words 'Gav' and 'Charlotte's friend' are written in bold yellow font, these words will catch the readers eye and make them want to read the article about Gav and Charlotte's friend. The rest of the plug is written in a white font. The full plug is in capital letters. Another target audience for this article is any fans of Charlotte Church or Gavin Henderson. Underneath this plug is a picture of Charlotte Church and Gavin Henderson.
Also underneath the plug is a strapline which is in bold black font. Underneath the strapline is the date the magazine was published and the price of the magazine.
The title of the magazine is underneath both the strapline and the date and price. The title is in bold red font with a black outline and reads 'Heat'.
Underneath the headline in a box with a black background and in white bold font is a sentence which reads 'Doctors chilling preditation for shrinking star...'. This is going to make the reader interested in what the doctors preditition is and how the shrinking star actually is. Underneath this sentence is the main headline which is bold red font and reads 'Posh's bones could be brittle and her body in pain-' then in a bold black font the words 'this is really serious'. The word really is underlined. This has been done to emphaised the fact that Posh's bones being brittle is serious and could cause her pain. Next to the main headline is the main photo. Which is a photo of Victoria Beckham posing for the camera. The target audience for this article is anyone who is a fan of Victoria Beckham and also anyone who reads gossip magazines each week.
In the main photo of Victoria Beckham is the barcode for the magazine and the issue number.
There is another plug at the bottom of the magazine which is promoting a new magazine. The plug is in yellow bold font which reads 'Free inside' this is going to catch anyone's eye because most people like a freebie. Then underneath the words 'Free inside' is another sentence which is in a smaller white font and reads 'The brand new magazine everyone's talking about!'
The target audience for this magazine is going to teenage girls and also boys. Or anyone who likes to read celebrity gossip magazines. And also any fans of the people mentioned on the front cover of this magazine.

Textual Analysis of 'Secondary Teachers Magazine' Front Cover

This is my denotation of 'Secondary Teachers Magazine' Front Cover

On the front cover of the magazine, there are three plugs on the top of the magazine. The plugs are in bold red font and bold pink font. The headline is in a greeny blue font the word 'Secondary' is in a bigger font than the words 'teachers'. The picture on the magazine is a boy sat at a table with a pen and a purple folder and paper. The boy is wearing a school uniform and has one hand on his desk and the other is up in the air. He is smiling at the camera. The picture is taken as if he is sat in a classroom. The plugs which are down the side of the magazine are in bold blue font, underneath this is more writing in a smaller bold black font. Towards the bottom of the cover there is a plug which is a bold pink font.
On the other side of the front cover, is the same style of magazine and plugs. But the plugs on this cover are in bold pink font whereas on the other cover these are blue. And also the plug towards the bottom of the magazine are blue instead of pink on the other cover. The picture is also different, this picture is the girl holding a pencil and sat at a desk. Once again the picture is taken as if she is sat in a classroom. This time the girl is looking to a side as if she is looking at the boy on the other cover.
The colours also represent the male and female side of the argument. On the cover with the girl, the writing is a bold pink font. On the cover with the boy, the writing is a bold blue font. It gives the covers a more masculine and feminine feel.
On the front cover the plug reads 'Do boys and girls learn differently?' The publishers have put a girl and boy on the front cover, so the cover is going to appeal to both boys and girls who will look at this cover and go to read the article. The audience for this magazine is clearly going to be teachers, the magazine may be placed in the staffroom so when teachers have any spare time, they may read magazine. The article is going to catch the target audience's eye as it is implying that both boys and girls learn differently, this is going to interest the teacher as they may be keen to know what the article says about boys and girls different learning styles.