Planning, IDEAS, sketches, Analysis.
Welcome to the process of my AS Media Music Magazine
Preliminary Task Analysis
Codes and Conventions
Chill Magazine
Front Cover
- Large Title
- Inset Pictures
- What's Inside
- Colour Scheme - red,black,white
- School Logo in Corner
- Informal Language
The font on the front cover of this magazine allows the audience to read it. The colour white on the red background makes the writing standout from the magazine drawing the reader in. The use of the white font allows it to become more visible and readable. The use of quotations also allows us to see what is inside without turning a page. This is a good technique as your attention is captured for the rest of the magazine from the front cover. As a lot of people don’t look at this type of magazine, it is important that editor of the magazine to try their utmost to capture his audiences attention straight away. The colour of the background is very bright and in your face. This is a typical convention of a school magazine as it involves children which we normally associate with bright colours. However the use of black behind the photos is a very good technique as it allows the photos to stand out from the background making them more visible to the reader.
Using a colour scheme of only 3 colours helps simplify the front cover as too many colours can be seen a cluttering the page. It could be that these colour are the same colous of this schools' uniform, which would identify this magazine to anyone outside the school, which school it belongs too. The three colours also go together, this makes the first glance of the front cover appealing and easy to look at.
There are a number of photos on this school magazine. This is not a normal convention for a magazine as there is no main picture that takes up at least 2/3 of the front cover. Instead the use of smaller pictures allows the intended reader to view more of what is inside. This is an advantage as a school magazine changes its content all the time unlike a music magazine which always contains the same genre of writing. The photos are all taken in a mid to long shoot so the viewer can see exactly what is happening in the picture and what the article could be about just from the photo.
The students used in the photos are all involved in some sort of activity making the magazine livelier. They are all also looking directly looking at the camera, this gives us the impression of them actually being there and it makes the picture stand out as the looking directly at us through the photo.
The rule of 3rds applies to this magazine, however not all the conventions of it are the same as what we normally see. We do read the front cover from left to right, going from the title of the magazine in one corner to the photo of girls in the bottom corner. We can see the division of the magazine, this helps the magazine as, the rule of 3rds appeals to people when they view the front cover, and with it being a school magazine that not many people will want to read, having an appealing front cover, all ways helps the rest of it along.
The contents page for this school magazine is very informative, however the language used is still informal, inkeeping with the front cover. The title 'whats going on?' is'nt what you'd normally find on a contents page, however as it is a magazine desinged for school children, this is what you could expect to find.
The informal language used helps relate to children who will be reading the magazine, it allows them to understand what is bing said as it contains more of their language. The title 'Chill' express how much informal language this magazine contains. The language modernises the magazine which can be seen the 'download free' in the top right corner. It shows that the school knows how many children's homes now contain a computer and instead of using paper, it can be downloaded onto their screens at home.
Contents
- Large title
- One picture
- Page numbers and their contents
- Colour scheme - red, black, white
The contents page for this school magazine is very informative, however the language used is still informal, inkeeping with the front cover. The title 'whats going on?' is'nt what you'd normally find on a contents page, however as it is a magazine desinged for school children, this is what you could expect to find.
There is only on photo on this page, which is common on most contents pages, however normally they are larger. Like the front cover, it gives a sneak peak to what is inside of the magazine. This again captures the designed audience for the magazine
The normal connation of a contents page is that it tells you exactly were everything is in the magazine. For instance the page number. This is purely to help the reader find the article they may want to read. However it isnt just a page number and the title of the page thats there. Today under post page titles give a preview of what article you could expect under a certain page title.
The colour scheme is exactl the same of the front cover. This inkeeping the design of the magazine throughout. Again the black is to make text or pictures stand out from the bright red background we associate with children of a school age. The white font is there just because it makes it easier to read what has been written.
The normal connation of a contents page is that it tells you exactly were everything is in the magazine. For instance the page number. This is purely to help the reader find the article they may want to read. However it isnt just a page number and the title of the page thats there. Today under post page titles give a preview of what article you could expect under a certain page title.
The colour scheme is exactl the same of the front cover. This inkeeping the design of the magazine throughout. Again the black is to make text or pictures stand out from the bright red background we associate with children of a school age. The white font is there just because it makes it easier to read what has been written.
School Magazine Evaluation
Front Cover
Contents
What did I learn?
This preliminary task helped me to improve and practice all the skills I had learnt. It also opened my eyes up to how a magazine needs to be thoroughly planned. I had to take a medium - close up shot of a student in any background I wished. I learnt a couple of things from just this shot. Firstly as it isnt a full close up you can see more of what the student is wearing, so mise en scene came into play as I had to dress my model. Also with it being a medium - close up, the camera doesn't have to be right infront of their faces. For example, if I put the camera onto the manual setting, I could adjust the zoom lense and the focus lense till I got the shot I wanted without having to be physically close to the student. I used natural light for my photographs because this is a school magazine not a professional magazine, therefore a common convention of school magazine was to have natual light instead of articficle light.
I constructed my magazine using a program called photoshop. In this I was able to adjust and modify my photos and create my magazine pages. I was able to layer my magazine, which made it capable of changing a small detail without messing the rest of the page up. Eg moving a picture. I also used effect such as a Gaussian Blur, which created a shadow behind a word, making it stand out from the page. I used the effect alot as I thought it created a nice look to my writing. The tools I used included one called the 'magic wand'. This allowed me to be able to remove an unwanted background colour from my logo, so it left just the logo outline. I also used a tool called the 'healing tool' which allowed me to get rid of a few spots from my models face, as it takes the pixels from the area surrounding the blemish and copies and pastes them over the top of the spot.
- 3 Colour Scheme - orange,white,blue
- Large title
- Large Photograph
- What's Inside
- School Logo in Top Corner
- Issue
- Imformal Language
Contents
- Large Title
- Small Photos
- Page Numbers and their Contents
- 3 Colour Scheme - orange, white, blue
What did I learn?
This preliminary task helped me to improve and practice all the skills I had learnt. It also opened my eyes up to how a magazine needs to be thoroughly planned. I had to take a medium - close up shot of a student in any background I wished. I learnt a couple of things from just this shot. Firstly as it isnt a full close up you can see more of what the student is wearing, so mise en scene came into play as I had to dress my model. Also with it being a medium - close up, the camera doesn't have to be right infront of their faces. For example, if I put the camera onto the manual setting, I could adjust the zoom lense and the focus lense till I got the shot I wanted without having to be physically close to the student. I used natural light for my photographs because this is a school magazine not a professional magazine, therefore a common convention of school magazine was to have natual light instead of articficle light.
I constructed my magazine using a program called photoshop. In this I was able to adjust and modify my photos and create my magazine pages. I was able to layer my magazine, which made it capable of changing a small detail without messing the rest of the page up. Eg moving a picture. I also used effect such as a Gaussian Blur, which created a shadow behind a word, making it stand out from the page. I used the effect alot as I thought it created a nice look to my writing. The tools I used included one called the 'magic wand'. This allowed me to be able to remove an unwanted background colour from my logo, so it left just the logo outline. I also used a tool called the 'healing tool' which allowed me to get rid of a few spots from my models face, as it takes the pixels from the area surrounding the blemish and copies and pastes them over the top of the spot.
Diary Entry, Week 1
11th February
This week my task was to create my preliminary task; school magazine. As a far as practice goes it came in very useful to help me become more at home with using photoshop. I learnt when and where to use certain tools eg. opacity tool and how to create a shadow behind certain pieces of writing to make them stand out. This is called gaussian blur. I have only used photoshop a couple of times, so this was excellent practice for me. Having a deadline to meet was also a good taster. It showed me how much, and which pace I'd have to work at in future. The pressure that is put on us however is something I'll have to deal with, as I get stressed very easily.
At the beginning of the week, I started out by planning exactly how my magazine would look eg. a rough draft. Then I moved on to taking the photos I would need for my magazine. In this I learnt that you need to adjust the shutter speed in certain lights. Making my magazine, was pretty easily after that as I had my plan and a rough picture in my head. I found that this preliminary task was very helpful, and a good starter for me.
This week my task was to create my preliminary task; school magazine. As a far as practice goes it came in very useful to help me become more at home with using photoshop. I learnt when and where to use certain tools eg. opacity tool and how to create a shadow behind certain pieces of writing to make them stand out. This is called gaussian blur. I have only used photoshop a couple of times, so this was excellent practice for me. Having a deadline to meet was also a good taster. It showed me how much, and which pace I'd have to work at in future. The pressure that is put on us however is something I'll have to deal with, as I get stressed very easily.
At the beginning of the week, I started out by planning exactly how my magazine would look eg. a rough draft. Then I moved on to taking the photos I would need for my magazine. In this I learnt that you need to adjust the shutter speed in certain lights. Making my magazine, was pretty easily after that as I had my plan and a rough picture in my head. I found that this preliminary task was very helpful, and a good starter for me.
Magazine Analysis of 5 Front Covers
NME
Looking at this front cover for the first time I noticed that a lot was going on on the page. There is a lot happening which makes it quite interesting. The first thing I noticed was 'Paramore' written in a bold font, capitals and a bight colour to capture your attention.The pink colour doesnt tie in with the colour scheme of black, white and red. This makes it clash with the front cover, emphasising that this band is featuring in this issue. The Capitals symbolises how important this band are in this issue, showing us that this is the feature band this week. The title 'NME' is the next thing you notice. Being in the top left hand corner it is automatically the first thing you read. The red stands out from the page, however it doesn't stand out more than 'Paramore'. The editor may have done this to make sure that his reader know it is the magazine they are looking for but the feature band is what makes his readers pick up and buy the magazine. This feature of using a sans serif font runs throughout the whole of the front cover. It is quite a modern font indicating what the target audience for this magazine is. In my magazine I will try incorporate the large band name over the bottom 3rd, going across all 3 3rds vertically.
The image of the band allows you to see who is the frontman of the band.. in this case Hayley Williams. The structure of image is in order of importance. Also with Hayley being the only female in the band, having her in the front of the picture balances it out.
Q
I really like this Q magazine front cover, regarding what they have done the magazine logo. The way they have made it look like the lead singer of MUSE is smashing the magazine logo with his guitar, portrays just have much this band can get away with anything. The bold, white 'MUSE' stands out from the grey background making it clear this 'MUSE' is the feature band in this issue. The magazine logo 'Q'is written in white with a red background, although these two colours do go together in the context the class allowing the captial 'Q' to be seen from a distance. The feature articles that are inside this issue are written on either side of the magazine. This isnt something that every music magzine does, however as it is inkeeping with the rule of 3rds, it works. The banner at the top of the magazine fills in what would be an empty space. This is filled with some comment which make the magazine sound grand and popular. This is a selling point for the magazine. The barcode is on the other side of the page from the NME front cover. This adds abit of difference to this front cover.
The Mojo magazine is aimed at a slightly older audience. For instance the feature band for this issue is 'The Beatles' which are an older band. This magazine has used the image to hide the magazine logo, which is common in alot of magazines not just music magazines. It is very inkeeping with the sterotypical magazine. The title is in white and capitals, this is purely to catch the readers eye. The colour scheme is also in keeping for what is traditional for a magazine. Only using three colours (White, black, grey) adds a variation but not to the extent where the magazine begins to look messy. The magzine maybe design for an older reader however this front still shows signs of the modern day. The font style is sans serif which is commonly used on mordern magazines. The editor may have used this as he could be looking for a newer audience which is younger .The magazine still satisfys the older readers, but by having a modern font, invites a younger reader to the magazine. Again like previous magazines, the feature band in this case 'The Beatles' takes up all three 3rds vertically. This front cover also contains in the top left hand corner a 'free' inside bubble. I may use this in my magazine as in the corner it is out of the way but still has the sterotypical 'free inside' part which most magazines have on their front covers.
The Word
The Word magazine is designed for a much older audience. For older indie/rock fans from the 60's/70's. You can tell this just by looking at the image used on this front cover. The black and white image implies that the whole aura around this magazine is old. The bands featured in this magazine are also of an older generation. For example 'Maddness' and 'The Beatles'. I do however like this magazine. The font of the title is in serif which gives it an old, worn out look. However with it being the only splash of colour on this front cover, it stands out from what could be seen as a bland photo. This magazine does comply with connotations of a magazine. For instance, part of the photo is obscuring the magazine title and the feature singer is in a larger font to show the importance of them to this issue. There is no writing in the bottom thid of the front cover. This could of been done because when you first look at a magazine you look at the title and the head of the image. All the writing is around these to features meaning the reader will read them straight away. I however don't like this on a front cover because it makes all the writing look clumped together and cluttered.
The Rolling
Looking at this front cover for the first time I noticed that a lot was going on on the page. There is a lot happening which makes it quite interesting. The first thing I noticed was 'Paramore' written in a bold font, capitals and a bight colour to capture your attention.The pink colour doesnt tie in with the colour scheme of black, white and red. This makes it clash with the front cover, emphasising that this band is featuring in this issue. The Capitals symbolises how important this band are in this issue, showing us that this is the feature band this week. The title 'NME' is the next thing you notice. Being in the top left hand corner it is automatically the first thing you read. The red stands out from the page, however it doesn't stand out more than 'Paramore'. The editor may have done this to make sure that his reader know it is the magazine they are looking for but the feature band is what makes his readers pick up and buy the magazine. This feature of using a sans serif font runs throughout the whole of the front cover. It is quite a modern font indicating what the target audience for this magazine is. In my magazine I will try incorporate the large band name over the bottom 3rd, going across all 3 3rds vertically. The image of the band allows you to see who is the frontman of the band.. in this case Hayley Williams. The structure of image is in order of importance. Also with Hayley being the only female in the band, having her in the front of the picture balances it out.
I really like this Q magazine front cover, regarding what they have done the magazine logo. The way they have made it look like the lead singer of MUSE is smashing the magazine logo with his guitar, portrays just have much this band can get away with anything. The bold, white 'MUSE' stands out from the grey background making it clear this 'MUSE' is the feature band in this issue. The magazine logo 'Q'is written in white with a red background, although these two colours do go together in the context the class allowing the captial 'Q' to be seen from a distance. The feature articles that are inside this issue are written on either side of the magazine. This isnt something that every music magzine does, however as it is inkeeping with the rule of 3rds, it works. The banner at the top of the magazine fills in what would be an empty space. This is filled with some comment which make the magazine sound grand and popular. This is a selling point for the magazine. The barcode is on the other side of the page from the NME front cover. This adds abit of difference to this front cover.Mojo
The Mojo magazine is aimed at a slightly older audience. For instance the feature band for this issue is 'The Beatles' which are an older band. This magazine has used the image to hide the magazine logo, which is common in alot of magazines not just music magazines. It is very inkeeping with the sterotypical magazine. The title is in white and capitals, this is purely to catch the readers eye. The colour scheme is also in keeping for what is traditional for a magazine. Only using three colours (White, black, grey) adds a variation but not to the extent where the magazine begins to look messy. The magzine maybe design for an older reader however this front still shows signs of the modern day. The font style is sans serif which is commonly used on mordern magazines. The editor may have used this as he could be looking for a newer audience which is younger .The magazine still satisfys the older readers, but by having a modern font, invites a younger reader to the magazine. Again like previous magazines, the feature band in this case 'The Beatles' takes up all three 3rds vertically. This front cover also contains in the top left hand corner a 'free' inside bubble. I may use this in my magazine as in the corner it is out of the way but still has the sterotypical 'free inside' part which most magazines have on their front covers.The Word
The Word magazine is designed for a much older audience. For older indie/rock fans from the 60's/70's. You can tell this just by looking at the image used on this front cover. The black and white image implies that the whole aura around this magazine is old. The bands featured in this magazine are also of an older generation. For example 'Maddness' and 'The Beatles'. I do however like this magazine. The font of the title is in serif which gives it an old, worn out look. However with it being the only splash of colour on this front cover, it stands out from what could be seen as a bland photo. This magazine does comply with connotations of a magazine. For instance, part of the photo is obscuring the magazine title and the feature singer is in a larger font to show the importance of them to this issue. There is no writing in the bottom thid of the front cover. This could of been done because when you first look at a magazine you look at the title and the head of the image. All the writing is around these to features meaning the reader will read them straight away. I however don't like this on a front cover because it makes all the writing look clumped together and cluttered.The Rolling
The title of this magazine is a pun on the band 'The Rolling Stones'. However it is very inkeeping with the genre of music they publish inside. 'The Rolling Stones' are quite an older band but this magazine isnt. They're featuring band is the 'Kings of Leon' which are a very current band. This indicated towards the sort of articles that maybe inside. Current and up to date.
The rule of 3rd is visable with this front cover. The image is set out in 3rds, making it appeal to the target audience. The writing is also set out in 3rds. The title takes up the top 3rd while 'Kings of Leon' takes up the bottom 3rd. What's inside is in the last 3rd vertically. This means the image takes up alot of the page. This is a good selling point because if your audience can see the band they love on the front cover, they will be more willing to buy your magazine. I like the way they have structured this front cover. Everything has its own 3rd and it works. The front cover doesnt look too cluttered or messy. I will try to use this in my front cover.
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