OCR Media Studies – AS Level

Unit G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media

Planning & Research

Name: Chloe HaynesCandidate Number: 1141Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic SchoolCenter Number:64135

Set Brief - Print

Music Magazine – Production

Preliminary Task Progression and Planning & Research

Section 1) – Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task Progression– EvidenceFront CoverStep-by-step

Firstly I had to create a background for my front cover page. I decided to have a navy blue gradient background. I chose navy because it is the colour of the school uniform. I also had to place ruler lines to indicate where I want certain features to go.

Then I added the masthead, school logo, web address and issue date onto the magazine before I added my main image.

After I placed my masthead, logo and issue date. I placed my main image on the page and held down shift so my picture stayed clear and didn’t go pixilated. My main image takes up the majority of the page leaving some space for storylines, the barcode and a puff promotion.

Next I used the pen tool around my main image so the cover lines were around my main image and wouldn’t go across my main image. Then I did my main story headline using the text tool and I made the teachers name bigger and bolder so it stood out more, I then briefly explained what she talked about in the magazine.

After I wrote in the cover lines using the text tool and pen tool, I placed some images linked to the cover lines to fill up some of the space on my page.

Then I created a puff promotion to engage readers to win an iPad mini. To make the puff promotion I first had to create a shape, place the picture then add the writing with the text tool.

After I started to create the barcode by adding a shape, then I placed in the picture of a barcode leaving space for social media logos the issue, date and magazine masthead. I will duplicate my masthead layer to then place in the barcode.

Finally I placed in the social media logos making them all of the same size, then added the date and issue to the side of the barcode and duplicated the masthead of the magazine to represent the magazine title.

Preliminary Task Progression– EvidenceContents PageStep-by-step

Firstly I had to create background for my content page. I decided to have a navy blue gradient background. I chose navy because it is the colour of the school uniform and it matches my Front Cover page. I also had to place ruler lines using the ruler tool to indicate where I want certain features to go.

Then I inserted a banner in the schools colours with the schools logo and added the title (using the text tool) with a stroke and outer glow around it so it stood out on the page more. I did this by right clicking on the layer and choosing blending options.

Then I added a shape (using the shape tool) for the upcoming stories, articles and interviews that will be in the magazine and I filled the shape in dark blue.

Afterwards I added the features in the magazine with a logo beside it in a bigger font and then wrote headlines and storylines in smaller font for the content that will be inside of the magazine.

Then I copied the layers by pressing alt key and dragging the layers down while the layers were linked so all of the content information looked the same and was aligned. I also edited the text to the correct information.

Then I added in notices and titles onto to the page using different fonts and colours to make it look more effective on the page, once everything else is added.

After I placed the titles/notices, I then placed the pictures in the photo gallery and house patron pictures with colour stroke around them to identify the colours of the houses.

Then I started my editorial by placing my picture and adding a drop capital and started to write my editorial paragraph using the text tool and the pen tool, so my text would look neat and go around my picture and drop capital.

I had already added my editorial information so I just needed to add my magazine masthead into my editorial and my signature as the editor.

Finally I added social media logos so people know where to find us. I also added the page number and web address for battle brains.com.

Section 2) – Log Book

Music Magazine – Genre researchMusic magazines are about latest music and worldwide popular artists of various different music genres like pop rock R&B and classical. The magazines are all about music but are very different in the ways of aesthetics e.g. color text and pictures depending on the audience the music attracts, so vibe (R&B magazine) differs to Kerrang (rock magazine). Within the magazines there is reviews on music, news about music, photo shoots, interviews and concert reviews and sometimes they have promotional give aways in it such as winning free concert tickets.Due to so many music websites some music magazines can no longer be published as no one is buying them anymore. Blender, the music magazine founded by Felix Dennis, needed lots of fans, including 768,000 paid subscribers towards the end, but quickly decreased. Ad pages at Blender fell 31% then another 57% from January- April of 2009, from Publishers Information Bureau and the Media Industry Newsletter.

http://adage.com/article/media/a-guide-magazines-ceased-publication/132779/

Established Magazine for my ResearchMain ImageThe main image is very important part of the magazine front cover especially if it is ‘star appeal’(Richard Dyer).

MastheadThis is one of the first things you see on the page when looking at a Q magazine cover. This represents the magazine.

Main Headline This is the biggest code verbal on the magazine so emphasizes that Amy Winehouse is an important or main feature in this magazine issue.

Cover LinesCover lines are very important for the front cover of a magazine as it gives the reader an overview of the magazine, who and what will be featured in the magazine.

Barcode, Price & Date issued in the corner to avoid attraction to it.

StraplineThe strapline is situated underneath the masthead as it is a important part of the magazine as that is what they aim to do.

LayoutAmy is looking straight at the reader of this magazine so it connotes stories will be told about her. Also the background of this magazine is quite dark so it sets a serious mood so it connotes the stories in the magazine are quite serious.

I think that the target audience for Q magazine is young adults in there 40s as the median age who read it are 34 years old (Hartley). This audience would like to be regularly kept up to date with the latest music news and celebrity stories, because of the way the magazine is presented is quite sophisticated and has a constant theme of the same colors white, red and black so maybe older people who have a routine or are in a working carrier as 70% of readers are in employment and 71% of Q readers are within class A,B&C1 (Maslow).

I think the USP from the magazine I have researched ‘Q’ is people who are interested or listen to Amy Winehouse and if they listen to pop music because on the front cover it advertises other various pop artists. It also tells the reader that it is the “worlds greatest music magazine” so draws the reader in at the first look to want to see what is so great about it. Also someone who likes more than one genre of music as the magazine alternates between different music artists. The audience who read this magazine will be in the category of ‘surveillance’ (Katz) as the magazine says it is the worlds greatest music magazine, so the articles and information inside the magazine will be useful and top quality knowledge of what is happening in the world.

Target Audience

Publisher researchThe founders of the magazine are Mark Ellen and David Hepworth. Q magazine is Published monthly by Bauer consumer media and it is an alternative music magazine and there is normally a main image of one celebrity with cover lines of other celebrities stories around it.There main connotation is to answer peoples questions which represents there logo Q. Furthermore their slogan is “ we think popular” which connotes they have a high readership considering they are popular. Their theme colours throughout are red white and black and the magazine is presented sophisticatedly which suggests that their main target audience is for people who are in their late early 20s to 40s they often give out promotional gifts such as CDs and books. Q magazine was down on readers this year, by 5% to a combined 50,161 (including 2,383 digital), but was up on the previous six months, by 3.7%.

Q magazine can be bought at supermarkets newsagents and WH smith and you can also subscribe it online.

http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/

Conventions of a Music Magazine

Promotional giveawayThis would persuade readers to but this as they are getting something for reading the magazine.

The main headlineThis is the biggest verbal code on the page and is even bigger than the masthead, which illustrates this is the main story within the magazine.

Main imageThe main image is ‘star appeal’ Richard Dyer of Amy Winehouse. She is facing to the reader which suggest the want the reader to engage with them and feel they are on the same level as them.

MastheadThe masthead stands out against the black hair in the background this connotes the importance of the magazine advertisement.

Cover linesCover lines are on the front cover to give a idea to the readers hat the magazine and the content that they will find inside to read.

Colour theme in this particular magazine issue there is a consistent colour theme of white black and red.

Barcode, date, issue are hidden so not focused on that instead of magazine cover.

This line gets the reader drawn in straight away by saying ‘ have your say’ and makes you want to get involved .

The target audience for NME is mainly men from the age of 17-30 (Hartley) for people who have a interest in music for the people between lower class and middle class (Maslow). It has lots of different well know celebrities that will target and audience from different countries all around the world. NME also tell the readers about up coming gigs/concerts that will be very important for some of the readers who regularly go to these popular music events because it keeps them updated on the most popular gigs to go to and who is performing. The audience are put into the category of ‘diversion’ (Katz) as they are able to relax and escape from everyday life such as working by reading reading magazines. Furthermore, they could also be put into the category of ‘personal relationships’ (Katz) as they use media to fulfill their personal relationships with friends or being part of a certain group.

I think the for USP this NME music magazine is the focus on the main artist and with the surrounding stories of the other news interviews and the promotional give away of the Amy Winehouse poster. It also involves you with the magazine as it says ‘NME voting awards is go! Have your say’ as soon as you read it at the top of the front cover.

Target Audience

Publisher researchNME music magazine is published by the company IPC media one of the UKs leading publishers for magazines and websites and is published on a weekly basis. The magazine features a variety of different genres of music and many different celebrities, the theme colours of this magazine are red white and black. They often display the main celebrity in the middle to feel like you have a connection with them. NME stands for ‘New Music Express 'which suggests they get the latest music new for everyone. There slogan is ‘the past, present and future of music's suggests the keep up with the new and old music news.

The magazine costs £2.50 and can be purchased in supermarkets and special additions even get sold on eBay. At the moment here sales are decreasing by 20% annually but they are expected to be given a circulation boost to 300,000 with the help of TimeInc.

From this pie chart data you can see NME is the 3rd most popular magazine to read.

http://www.timeincuk.com/brands/nme/