Preliminary Task - Media Studies
- 1. Preliminary Task: School Magazine Emily Hopwood
- 2. The masthead: ‘independent school parent’ shows exactly who the magazine is aimed at and who should be reading it, for the type of information they may be interested in. The children in the background are shown to look happy as well, this shows that the school has a happy and comfortable atmosphere that's welcoming. She is also showing direct eye contact- this engages the reader and draws them in. The cover lines appeal to the target audience as they are all about how to improve your child's school life or help with it. Image shows an enthusiastic young girl, who looks happy to be at school. She is wearing many badges which suggests she is well behaved and wishes to help her school community. Her uniform is smart and the target audience would be appealed to. The colours on the girls uniform is linked to the colours used on the cover of the magazine, this shows that the image and content are linked and there is a steady colour scheme throughout.
- 3. The sticker showing ‘new’ also draws the reader in, it makes the reader focus on the magazine more because the sticker is red and this contrasts to the overall colour of the magazine The cover lines are also appealing to the target audience, this is shown through the information that parents would regard as important and relevant to them. For example, ‘what is different about academy schools?’. The font of the masthead shows that the magazine and the school are sophisticated, smart and serious. However, this is healthily contrasted by the smiling children in the image. This shows that the school is sophisticated but can also allow children to enjoy education. The environment shows a bright and colourful classroom with the displays of children on the wall, this shows that the school is proud to show the work of its students, again drawing in the target audience. The colour of the background is linked to the colour of the children in the images’ shirt colour, showing that the to are linked and this shows meaning.
- 4. The little pictures show children having fun, this will also encourage people to read the magazine as they wish to find out what happened to make the children feel so celebratory The setting of the main image shows the intellectual level of the students at the school, as they are on a school trip to china, the children must be well behaved or smart- assuring the parents of this. The magazine clearly shows that the distinctive school colours are red, this is shown through the group photo taken and the surrounding images. Also, the background is shown to be red. This shows that the school and magazine must be easily recognizable and presents a statement. The school logo is clearly shown next to the masthead, making it easy to recognize to the target market. It is also shown in the right upper corner- this shows supremacy.
- 5. The simple layout allows all aged parents and students to follow the structure and understand fully the magazine. There are clear sections used to separate information. The font is not too serious and comes across to the reader as modern and sleek. This shows that the school itself is approachable, yet sophisticated as the other fonts on the cover are serif. The different images appeal to the target audiences as it appeals to the parents of all year groups as it displays all different aged students on one cover, this also allows many different children to see themselves on the cover and want their parents to read the whole magazine. In all pictures, the children are shown to be happy and enjoying themselves. By selecting these images, they are showing the readers the opportunities the school offers and how enjoyable they are. The masthead is clearly shown and is easily recognizable. The colours shown clearly link to the school as all colours are worn in the uniform of the students attending this school.
- 6. Target Audience Research It is important to carry out audience research, this is due to needing your magazine to have the certain characteristics that will appeal to the specific audiences the magazine is trying to target. Therefore I have carried out research to see what things people would expect to find in a school magazine. I have asked 30 people who are constant owners of school magazines. This also gives the designer and producer an idea of what needs to be included in the magazine and thus, mentioned on the cover. Things that the school magazine should include: Tally: Specific student achievements III New updates to do with the school IIII Pictures of students in the school III Ways the school has been improved II School updates IIII Key term dates IIII Letters and announcements from teachers IIII The schools contact information III Pictures and work from students III
- 7. AS Media Studies Preliminary Task – School Magazine Front Page Proposal Form Target audience: (age range, interests) Although it is a school newsletter you still have to think about your audience and how to appeal to them. My target audience will range from 16-18 years old. This is because my magazine is aimed at students going to secondary school. This means they will all have similar interests as they all have lessons in the same or similar subjects. This means that the content will have to intellectually written but still understandable to the lower aged students in the school. The cover should appeal to all students, this can be done through the use of school colours to not show a definitive audience has been targeted. I would also like for parents to be able to read the magazine. Possible title ideas: (masthead / title block) What is your magazine going to be called? The magazine is going to be called ‘The ‘6’ Former’ this is to show that the magazine is specifically about students and for students. This appeals to the audience as it shows that the student is getting more information than they do normally regarding the people they know and are friends with. Main image: What will be the focal point of your front page, remember, your work “must include a photograph of a student in a medium close-up” My main image will be of children working in a classroom or outside. This is because students will see the image and be able to associate their experiences with the cover model. It will be a medium close-up shot as it will need to show the student fully as well as the setting of the photograph. Main cover line: What will be the main story? The main cover line will be ‘Universities: What can you really expect in the future?’. This will make the reader wish to be a part of the magazine as it includes direct address. It also appeals directly to them as it has adverse affects on the specific target audience. Additional key images: What other images will be on your front cover? Remember, it is a school magazine. If any, i will add pictures of other students working in a separate environment to show the diverse sections of work the school offers. However, i would prefer to only have one main image as the target on the magazine is the older years of the school, this means the magazine would not look tacky and therefore appeal to more people. Additional cover lines: Other features, stories or selling points which will be inside the magazine, these need to be audience appropriate. I will include other cover lines like: ‘Your new head boy and girl are revealed’ Another may be: ‘Resolved student issues that will make our school better’. Both of these coverlines will appeal to the audience and will both entice the reader as again, the content will completely benefit the reader. Typography: (style, size, colour of copy) Think about the writing and the style of the writing on your front page. The background will hopefully be light so that the title can be dark and bold and stand out completely. The size of the masthead and the coverlines will not overpower the image. This means that the font should be big enough to be eye catching, but small enough so that the audience can clearly see the setting and the model in the main image. Background colour/image: What will be in the background, remember you don’t want to take the focus away from the main image. In the background I would like for my model to be placed working outside in a playground or working in a classroom surrounded by other children, this can look messy and not as professional as an image taken outside. This will also not distract the audience from the main image as it will still clearly show and feature the model. Technical considerations: (equipment, setting, props, costume, lighting) Be realistic and creative, think about what you have access to and how you could use it. I will use the outdoor areas so that the lighting is natural and creates a happy vibe for the audience of the magazine. This also will make the picture bright and more appealing. The props I will use will be school based meaning that the model will be holding a book or doing work. The models costume is going to be a smart uniform to allow the audience to affiliate themselves with the model.
- 8. COVER LINE COVER LINE COVER LINE COVER LINE COVER LINE MASTHEAD MASTHEAD IMAGE IMAGE IMAGE IN THE MAGAZINE IN THE MAGAZINE MAIN IMAGE DATE AND ISSUE NUMBER
- 10. Production I used an online software called PicMonkey to create the cover for my magazine. This has allowed me to explore different programs to create my music magazine. I was able to change the font, size and colour of all of my texts. This means that I was able to match all texts and make the magazine look professional. I chose to use the colour scheme of black and white for the cover of the magazine so that it did not contrast with the background of the image I took. I also felt that the image was colourful enough to have black and white texts. I also felt that as there was a bright white background at the top of the image, it would be bold and eye catching to have a bold and black masthead. It also matched the model's clothing. I used the simple and sophisticated font ‘Tahoma’ to ensure the clean-cut and professional looking magazine. There were some issues with the black text and cover lines due to the complexity of the background colours, in my music magazine I wish to ensure that there is only one main background colour so that I can make my magazine more colourful and matched to the genre I chose. I added a banner by using shapes and text at an angle, this was to create excitement and subvert the rest of the magazines image. The white background of the text also makes the black text on top bolder and more eye catching. I kept all sizes the same so that it was big enough to read but didn’t clutter the page. This is the same with the date and issue number. I may chose to change the sizes of the texts on my music magazine in order of importance to attract the audience to particular parts of the contents. I may also crop my music magazine main image so that it is more of a close up shot, this is to ensure that the intensity of my magazine is evident and different to this school magazine as this is clearly an educational magazine and will not appeal in the same way to my audience.
- 11. Notes During Production Below are some of the pictures I took to be on the cover of my magazine. All were suitable as they fitted the criteria that I wanted for my magazine. This is because they were all taken in a classroom or outside area where the models were reading or working, this shows the audience that they can relate to the cover model and look the same as them, thus coming to the conclusion that the magazine is aimed at them. I decided to use the last image as it was the clearest, brightest and looked the most professional. The remaining image of the girls reading were used as images in my contents pages.
- 12. A Brief and Learning Process For this preliminary project, I had to fully construct a cover and contents page of a magazine. This had to consist of a self-taken photograph for the main image and other images for the contents page. This has been practice and preparation for my music magazine and has allowed me to understand further what is required in magazines and how to make them look professional, sophisticated and suited to my target audience specifically. I now know that an effective masthead is needed to attract the target audience at first sight. I am also now aware that a cover image needs the right colours, age group and model to appeal to the correct and targeted audience. The contents page must also draw the reader's attention secondarily as this is where the audience turns to decide if they will purchase the magazine. Also, through conducting the research for this school magazine I know how to target a niche market in order to find out their interests, dislikes hobbies and personal requirements when buying a specific magazine. I have also learned how to successfully manipulate Photoshop and PicMonkey in order to create and edit new images and texts.