Magazine cover analysis

In this blog post I will analyse this cover of Q magazine as this is the style/genre of magazine I will base my own magazine around.
The typical codes and conventions used on this cover are:

• The masthead
• Main image
• Puffs
• Buzz words
• Barcode
• Coverline.      

See this LINK for definitions

2) Q magazines house style consists of 1 main picture taking up the majority of the page of an artist or group, who the main story/ article in that issue is based around. Q also have the famous placement of their masthead, the logo of the red square and white 'Q' along with the sell line are always placed in the top left of the page. All text is to the sides of the page enough to notice, but not too distracting from the main image.

3) The text on the image although it stays to the side can still be seen. The white writing stands out against her eye-catching red/ginger hair. The make up that she is wearing makes her look very pale, like the white writing on the outside. The bright blue highlights, and small text boxes also co-ordinate with the blue eye make up Florence is wearing.

4) The cover appeals to its target audience through its use of the main image. Listeners of the artist would be very tempted into buying the magazine as it shows that some parts of the magazine will be all about her. The audience may also be dragged in by the visual appearance of Florence, the direct address shown through Florence looking into the camera makes it feel as though the artist is looking at the buyer of the magazine. The magazine also has many inside looks at what is happening later on in the magazine. This draws readers in as they want to read more about these stories.

5) Like the rest of 'Q' magazines, the famous mast head of the red background and white Q are placed in the top left corner of the page. This is because, although still noticeable, Q do not have to push promotion of their logo/masthead as the brand itself is already well recognised. The masthead doesn't take too much of the page but is seen in the foreground rather than be overlapped by the artists head.

6) There is quite a bit of text on the cover of the magazine, however as the text is too the side and not obstructing much of the main image it is not too distracting. The text used is to notify the reader about what is inside the issue and also explains the main image. The font used is white, which contrasts with the reddish hair of the artist. The font is quite bold, and rather generic text, there isn't any strange or different typography used. However most of the text is small apart from the buzz words used to entice the reader into buying the issue.

7) From what I can see there is no obvious photoshopping used to edit the image. Apart from possibly adding text and the masthead. Some photoshop may have been used to make the artists skin a lighter/brighter shade, however this could have been manipulated by light rather than the computer editing.

Looking at double page spreads

In my task I have also been asked to look at some double page spreads to gain inspiration for my own magazine. The magazines which I have looked at often use a main image taking up a large proportion of the pages and then use the rest of the page for text about the artist featured in the picture. Some examples can be seen below. 

Indie magazines 1

The genre that I have chosen to make my magazine is indie. This is because it is the type of music that I like to listen to, although I do not read music magazines I thought that it would be easier to research if I were to enjoy what I was reading about. Below are 2 "The Fly" magazines which I will analyse.

The magazines below are both in the genre that I will be basing my magazine around. The key object that we can see on both are the main images. This is because of the plain background behind both of them, this technique can be used to draw the audiences eyes to the foreground of the image, the band members, as this is why they will read the magazine. Another key feature is the bold masthead used on both covers. Although the colour changes, the font stays the same and in a fairly similar place, minus the banner at the top of image 1. Both front covers are fairly simplistic in their looks, with not much typography on either page. Both images show direct address, meaning that members of the band are looking directly at the camera giving a connection with the audience, I must remember to include this into my magazine.

Top 8 Christmas Songs

In this Prezi I have listed the top 8 Christmas songs of all time,and linked the videos to these songs.
Information from http://metro.co.uk/2012/12/04/the-top-10-christmas-songs-ever-fact-3816224/
Merry Christmas everyone!

Magazine Terminology

In this blog post I will be making a list of the main features of a magazine front cover and giving you their definition.

• Masthead: The name of the magazine, usually an iconic logo/typography of the name. This gives the magazine its identity and can always be see on the front cover of a magazine.

• Banner: A banner is a strip of text (usually a different colour) to promote things inside the magazine, ie. interviews, exclusives, giveaways.

• Main image: The biggest image on the cover, usually seen as the background with the typography obstructing some parts of the image. this usually shows an artist who has an article based on them inside.

• Buzz word: words like NEW or EXCLUSIVE. usually placed on the cover to draw in buyers, sometimes in a different colour and are usually bigger to draw the readers eye to them.

• Headline: the main story in the magazine, usually to do with the main image (see above)

• Barcode: The barcode is not always on the front cover, this is almost always in the coners of the page and sometimes displays the price of the magazine.

• Anchorage text: Usually found underneath the headline, explains the main image and headline. Mostly used like a caption. Sometimes even in the form of a piece/ section of the article that the main image goes along with.

• Puff : The puff is usually an extra incentive to buy the magazine, for example a poster or a sticker, usually surrounded by a colourful text box or shape.

• Secondary images: images used on the front cover that aren't as important as the main image. These will contain images related to what can be found inside the magazine.

• Pug: When the corner of the page is covered with a text box or shape, mostly containing Buzz words or sometimes the price.

Positives of Photoshop

Here is a prezi I made talking about the positive affects of photoshop on a magazine cover.

Mock Up Magazine

This is the mock up of the magazine cover I made. I have decided to use mainly red and yellow as these are the schools main colours on the badge. The badge is also placed in the top left corner as a 'puff' to show the relation to the school, giving it a personal feel. The name "Heenan News" comes from the name of the school (Cardinal Heenan High School) and the 'news' signifies that the magazine is a factual. The image portrays a hard working student in a relaxed area for working, this would advertise the school well to parents.

photoshop practice

After being taught how to use photoshop, I was asked to create a poster advertising a collaboration between Susan Boyle and 50 Cent. this is what my final product looked like.
In this task I have shown a variety of skills including cropping, filling, re-arranging layers and adding text to the image.

Photoshop First steps

As I haven't had much practise on Photoshop before I have a very limited knowledge, but this is what I do know.

Firstly you find a picture that you want to edit whether that be from google, or your picture library. Copt and paste this picture onto your blank piece of paper. to begin you will want to re-size your image. you do this by selecting the 'marquee tool'. drag a box around the area you want to use, right click and select the 'free transform' option. with this you should be able to rescale the image to any size you want. when you have reached the size you need you can click the enter button on your keyboard to restore the picture quality.
 You can also crop the picture using the crop tool, simply surround the area you want with the dotted lines and press enter, everything apart from the selected area will be deleted, leaving you with the part of the image you need.
The fill/paintbrush tools allow you to manually draw or re-colour part of an image by selecting the colour you want from the pallet and using right click. The paint bucket/ fill will fill an area connected to the pixel you select with the colour you have chosen, whereas the paintbrush will only colour where you drag your mouse.

Ideology

Ideology

Ideology is the ideas and beliefs we have. These opinions can be consciously or unconsciously displayed through in media. These ideas and beliefs shape our perceptions of things, for instance if we were to make a rap magazine you would expect it to be a darker, more serious than a pop magazine.
These elements can be shown through things like, House style, clothing, seriousness of the picture or even the background of an image.
some of these stereotypical views can seem negative, however some artists take on board these points and embrace them, as it shows through different pictures of them.


On this cover, Eminem, a rap artist, is portrayed as dark and or somewhat dangerous/aggressive. This is due to the dark background of the image along with the stance, both very bold points showing confidence but also some anger. The facial expressions also show his anger. Looking at this cover you could immediately tell what type of music Eminem would create based on these stereotypes we have of artists/genres.
Other genres house styles would vary. For instance Pop magazines would contain a lot more colours and would seem more girly than other genres. As shown in the image below.

Magazine Comparrison

Features and characteristics vary between different magazines depending on genre and target audiences. The two magazine covers below have many differences, but they also have some comparisons, for instance, the first magazine featuring Chris Brown would be considered a hip-hop magazine, whereas the NME magazine with Lana Del Rey on the cover is considered an indie or alternative rock magazine. we can see this difference clearly through its features such as the house style. Magazine one has dark colours in the background and then a bright foreground and masthead, this is completely different to that of magazine 2 with its bright, bold colours, making it stand out more and also gives the magazine a more light hearted feel. We also get this less serious feel through the main pictures. Lana Del Rey, although still keeping direct address has her head tilted to the side rather than a conventional head on medium shot, the hands on her hips and also the tongue being out of her mouth gives a sense of fun to the picture. Chris Brown however is more relaxed with his hand in his pocket, he also looks to be leaning on a wall giving the magazine a more laidback VIBE. The puffs on each magazine are different, magazine 1 keeps its text to the sides and out of the way making the cover look rather formal. Magazine 2 has different text boxes all over the page making it look as though a lot is going on, on the one page in these bright bold colours to make sure the reader notices all of the features they are promoting inside.











        (Magazine 1)                  (Magazine 2)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Magazine Covers

This blog post will be explaining the uses of a front cover and how magazine publishers try to pull in the audience using the front covers. This will be explained through a Voki. The speech has been implemented lower down in the blog for people who would rather read it.



The front cover of a magazine is used to show what is on the inside of the magazine. The cover is used to promote what ever articles and other segments are shown inside the magazine. The front cover is the only thing they can see when the magazine is on the shelf in a shop.This is why publishers try to make the front cover as eyecatching and appealing to its audience as they can. The front cover also shows what genre of music the magazine is based on through its house style, colours, layout and also the artist(s) on the main image.

Negative Effects of photoshop

The models on the front of magazines, posters or most other forms of advertisement are usually airbrushed. This is the term used when the appearance of a human (usually women) is altered to make them seem more attractive to the opposite sex. These effects can change anything from height, skin tone body shape or even the smallest of details such as eye colour or size.

Women can be manipulated into thinking this is the way they 'have' to look in order to gain attention from males, this can lower self esteem of girls who aren't considered thin or pretty. However cruel this tactic may be, it draws in these less attractive women to buy make-up or whatever else they are selling. 

Air Brushing not only demotes the feelings of the audience, but can also lower the models self esteem. Why should their image be altered, should everyone not be seen as attractive in their own way. This editing points out the models 'unattractive features' and changes their overall image. 

 

Men's image of women can also be altered through these images. Most of these women are wearing little to no clothes in these advertisements, this may portray these women as sex objects that have no self respect. This puts a stereotype in these males minds which for most women is untrue. 

Men may also get the image that these women on these posters are everyones image of beauty and that women who do not look like this are unattractive when in actual fact the image has been edited so much that the model is almost unrecognisable. 

The video below shows the transition of a normal picture, to when it would be used on a poster.

Photoshop Evolution Of Women

Analysing A College Magazine

College Magazine-

This is the cover of our school magazine which is given out every term to students to take home. It contains all the recent news and goings on in the school on one page. 

By looking at the multiple pictures we see that the school is very focused on the students enjoyment and the extra curricular activities that they provide. The theme of this issue is christmassy/ winter, we see this through the colours chosen as red and white together usually represents the christmas time. The winter these is also visible through the snow on top of the masthead, plus the headline "christmas concert".

We can also see that the head teacher is very involved in the running and activities of the school, not many head teachers would be as involved as the write an article for the magazine.

However this magazine is not very visually appealing with the pictures placed so central on the letter drawing your eye away from the text. Another bad thing about this cover is that the text is very over powering, if I saw this amount of text on something i wouldn't be drawn in to read all of it, being aimed at the students the text should be in short, quick paragraphs that students didn't have to sit down for 10 minutes to read. Also for a magazine aimed at 11-16 year olds it looks very out dated, if i were to make an improvement i would include more colourful features such as banners to liven it up more. 

Magazine analysis 2

Magazine Cover Analysis

Here i have analysed an NME music magazine cover showing my knowledge of magazine features and how they are used practically

Annotation of a music magazine

This is a copy of Vibe magazine which I have annotated. Some regular features of magazines were not included on this example, for instance a strap line wasn't used. A strap line is a memorable phrase recognisable to a brand. An example of this is "Q" magazine where at the top of nearly all of their issues is the strap line "the UK's biggest music magazine"

Feminism Applied

Feminism Applied

I have analysed the first 10 minutes of this episode of Hollyoaks. I was looking out for how women were portrayed in a show like this (television soap).
the first woman we see is in the dark somewhere, she looks isolated, however the mise-en-scene suggests she is a dark character hiding a secret. The shots we see are neither high or low so we are given no indication of authority.
another woman we see is in an army uniform, this would suggest that she has power and authority, or a higher status in society. Her body language is very masculine especially when she is standing up straight with her shoulders very wide.
The woman we see in the pit/hole is very venerable, especially the way the camera looks down on her, the dark environment suggests that someone is keeping her here against her will, which is emphisised by the screams.

Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task

 

In the preliminary task I have been asked to create a front page of a college/ sixth form magazine. This will include me looking at other magazines as examples to go off and to refer to. I have been told that the main image has to be a medium shot which i have taken myself this also must look professional. Along with this i should have a mock up of a contents page with a realistic layout. This must be completed on publisher, however I can use photoshop to expand my skills.



 i have chosen these examples as they look professional and include medium shots and other key features that i must include when i make my own magazine cover.

Feminism

Feminism

Feminism first became big in the late 19th century when groups of women would come together to overturn rules and laws that put men above women in society, such as voting and freedom of speech for all women. Then a second wave of feminists came in force fighting about gender inequalities such as uneven pay between men and women and also the gender roles given to women as they wanted to lose the label of staying at home cooking and cleaning. In these times women were seen as objects for mens sexual pleasure, which is something women across the world were not happy about. 

Post modern feminist beliefs were the claims of inequality in pay which some women described as exploitation of the women by the males in society who had the more well payed, respected jobs whereas women were the ones who cooked and cleaned, and any man who were to clean up would be seen as feminine or would be questioned of his sexuality. 

However more modern claims of feminism are to do with childbirth and how it makes working mothers feel vulnerable coming back after maternity leave. they would believe we live in a culture of patriarchy, which means everything is run by males. 

One of the more famous feminists is Anne Oakley. She has many theories about feminism including the theory of canalization in which parents show their child the difference between boys and girls while they are young, and would give them gender related toys and do gender specific activities such as boys receiving a football or cars to play with while girls are given play kitchen sets and baby dolls. she suggests that we are teaching children the values of the 19th century in which women are to stay home and cook or look after children. She believes that parents are manipulating their children. 

Laura Mulvey another feminist came up with the theory of "the male gaze" which focuses on how heterosexual males would view females in pictures, movies, music videos ect. She thought of this phrase in 1975 and believes film audiences have to view people in peices of media through the eye of the heterosexual male. She believes that when the camera is showing these women on television they are perceived as objects for men to look at rather than just another person on the screen.


The magazine cover on the right shows a woman who to most males would be classed as unattractive, wearing no clothes. This is someone who does not fit into the theory of the male gaze. Although she is showing off her body, males wouldn't look at her the way they would look at other women they saw like this. this picture could be seen as a statement against models or other celebrities that would usually be seen in these pictures and looked at by males. The caption "Kiss my ass" could be seen as her not wanting to conform to the generic view of beauty.  the picture could also be depicting that every woman is beautiful.

Semiotic Theory

Semiotic Theory

Semiotic theory is also known as the study of signs. There are 3 stages of this theory:

The perception stage - A person recognises a sign

The manipulation stage - A person realises how to respond to this sign.

The consummation stage - The person carries out the action ordered by the sign

Denotations and Connotations-

A denotation is the literal meaning of something or describing something how it is, putting something in its simplest form. Connotations however are hidden meanings behind things. These are things that we aren't told but associate them with these things. 
EXAMPLE: The denotation of a fox would be a small,brownish orange animal with a bushy tail. However the connotation would say that a fox is cunning and sly. Two very different ways to perceive the same object/animal  this is how easily signs can change the way we see things.




On this magazine cover, there are many of these signs, you just have to look closer to see them. One example of this is that all of the group members are giving direct address, which means they are looking directly at the camera this would connote the connection they want to feel with the audience, as though they were looking right at you. The placement of the members would also suggest that the man standing in the middle would most likely be the main singer or front man in the band.

Music Magazine Questionnaire

Audience Research Methods

Audience Research Methods

When collecting data for any purpose you must have audience/customer research to make the data as strong as you can. The two types of research you can use are called qualitative and quantitative.

Qualitative data-
Research that is qualitative is a lot more open ended questions that would require a more extensive answer rather than a simple yes or no. this type of research is used to gain a better understanding of peoples personal views and opinions on the chosen subject. This can be done through telephone surveys, interviews or focus groups.

Quantitative data-
These are simple questions that only require one word or simple sentence answers, usually in the yes/no format. This method is more commonly used to put into a graph or tally chart and can be easily displayed. These questions are also a lot less time intensive so are used more than qualitative when out on streets, for ease. this can be done through questionnaires


Primary Research-
this is research taken yourself, this involves you going out and getting information right from the source. this can be from interveiws or questionnaires. this is reliable as it is fresh information however it does take time and more money to collect.

Secondary Research-
this is information you have sourced from elsewhere such as websites or from other survey results, this is cheaper to collect and less time intensive however some problems may occur as the information could be old or irrelevant to what you want to focus on.

For my research i will use primary research to see what magazine audiences would want, I will collect my research through a questionnaire. also I will look at other magazines and gauge ideas for the layout and look of the front cover, colours, text ect. 

Music magazines

Music Magazines

A music magazine is a magazine dedicated to music only. Music magazines come in different genres such as Pop, Rap, rock and other types of music. These types of magazine have been published in Britain for a long time and one magazine is still producing issues since their first brought out in 1903. this magazine is called BMG standing for Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar and its aim of the magazine is to teach people how to play instruments like these. However, these days we have magazines like Q and NME which suit music lovers who just want to read about different bands and artists, which bring in more readers in than BMG and older types.

Different magazines have different genres and these different genres have different codes and conventions linked to them. For instance magazines suited to pop music would be more likely to be linked to girls aged 8-15. These types magazines would contain things like interviews with people like Cheryl Cole or Jessie J and other types of singers younger girls look up to, these types would also include posters of the latest boy bands for the audience to cut out. Whereas in magazines like Kerrang! am more Rock type of magazine would be more mature and have a darker colour choice, these types of magazine would contain segments on the current bands and events coming up.

Recently magazines have took huge decrease in sales due to the internet and being able to find everything there so people don't have to go out and spend money on a magazine, when everything is conveniently placed on a website that can be accessed for free and on demand.
I myself do not buy music magazines as I can access everything without leaving my house. 

Considerations for my magazine

Some of the things to take into consideration while creating my music magazine are:
All images must be original
I must not be in any of the pictures
They must fit into my genre of magazine
I must organise when and where my pictures will be taken, along with any props and costume needed

Introduction to my blog

Introduction to my blog

 Hello, my name is Kasey Porter and I am a student at Cardinal Heenan Sixth Form. As an assignment for Media Studies, one of my chosen subjects, I must create a blog in which I include:

• My planning throughout the course
• My evaluation
• My research from throughout the year 
• To support the research I will provide videos and images in my blogs 

About me- 

I am currently attending Cardinal Heenan Sixth Form and will be taking 3 A-levels, these are:

• Media Studies
• Business Studies
• Sociology

  Some things I like to do in my spare time are playing football which I also enjoy watching, my favourite team are Everton. I also enjoy quite a wide range of music genres but my favourite band at the moment would be Bastille, one of my favourite songs of theirs is "The Silence" as shown below.