Planning

Good research into similar texts. Some research into audience, but no analysis of findings. Graphs were needed. Some basic drafts.

14/20

Construction

Proficient use of software to construct pages. Good manipulation of images and text. The colour of font on the content page makes it difficult to see. More photos could have been included on the contents page.

52/60

Evaluation

Some very basic attempt to address the seven set questions. Minimal critical analysis. The use of bullet points is not acceptable here. Not enough detail or insight.

8/20

Overall

74/100 Grade B

Questionnaire

1. What colour scheme would you prefer for the front cover?
   
2. What do you have to do with the school?
   
3. What is your favourite part of the school magazine?
   
4. What should be included in the next edition?
   
5. How often do you read the school magazine?

Results:

• 70% said they preferred a bright front cover
• 65% were students
• 42% said sports
• 55% said they wanted there too be puzzles
• and 77% said that they read the school magazine once a week

Target Audience

The target audience for my magazine would be many both students and their parents. Therefore the magazine would need to target both groups. This means that the magazine has to be both fun and interesting, yet informative and serious.

Planning The Task

Using paint i quickly and very simply planned out the basics for both my front cover and my contents pages.

How Was The Magazine Cover/Contents Page Produced?

Front Cover:

• First of all i took the photographs that i would need to complete my front cover using Mr.Winn's camera.
• Next i editted the picture i had chosen for my front cover using iphoto on the computor and changing conditions such as the contrast and the sharpness.
• I then imported the picture into photoshop and fitted it to be the background.
• I made my masthead using the text box tool in photoshop and then adding effects such as 'shadowing' to give it some definition.
• After i had put the masthead in place i used the magnetic lasoo tool to cut out a picture of an individual in medium close up that i had previously taken. I then imported this onto my background in photoshop and poistioned it in the bottom left corner.
• Finally i added the main cover line and the other coverlines ( incluing the date line) using the text box tool again.

Contents Page:

• Firstly i again took the appropiate photographs that would be needed for my contents page.
• Again the main image was editted using iphoto and then imported and used as my background in photoshop.
• I inserted two text boxes in collum shapes and wrote the contents out in them. I then coloured the writting as too make it clear and easy to read.
• Finally, using the magnetic lasoo tool, i cut out out the college crest, inserted it into photoshop, and poistined it along with some writting by the side of it.

The Preliminary Task

Evaluation And Analysis

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

My media product uses the conventions of other school magazines including:

• a clear Masthead,
• a dateline,
• a main coverline/other cover lines,
• and a main image

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

• use of colour - bright 'happy' colours,
• articles about school life and school itself,
• and simple layout

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

• the school - it is a magazine only relevent for those at the school itself, or for those who have something to do with the school e.g. parents,

Who would be the target audience for your media product?

• students,
• parents of students,
• and teachers,

How did you attract/address your audience?

• bright and attractive colours,
• relevent and interesting articles,
• and interesting pictures,

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

• i learnt how to use photoshop,
• and i also learnt how to use iphoto on the computor.

Right, my rehearch into the codes and conventions of magazine covers and contents pages is complete. I now understand how magazine publishers target their magazine to a certain group of people and how they make the covers appealing to the public.

Front covers generally have the following features:

• A masthead,
• A dateline,
• A main image,
• A model credit,
• A coverline,
• A main coverline,
• Cover lines,
• And a selling line.

Contents pages generally have these following features:

• A clear title,
• Well set out, clear information containing page numbers or bullet points,
• A perview of the main story.

Now that I have looked into and analysed the codes and conventions of front covers I need to touch upon the contents page. This contents page of NME is a good example. Across the top of the page it reads 'NME this week'. This lets us know that we are veiwing the contents page, this is very simple. The main feature story o this magazine is shown in the middle of the page with a large image and perview of writting. On the right hand side in a collum you can find the rest of the magazine contents, shown i seperate sub ections to make the readers life even easier. Down the left hand side anther collum lyes. This collum contains a 'Band Idex', telling thereader which bands are featured in this months copy of NME. This contents page is incredibly simple yet very effective, and it gets the information over in an easy, excessable way.

Nuts magazine has a target audience of men aged from 16-25. This becomes inherently obveous when y0u see the image of a women posing in her underwear spread across the majority of the cover. Magazines like nuts have become know as 'lads mags', a term used to explain magazines that exploite images of naked women. Nuts magazine accurately attracts its target audience usd certain codes and convenions on the front cover. The masthead of the cover, like in most other magazines, is the most obveous piece of writing on thecover itself. In large type and bright colours this text is vey easily identified by the reader. Nuts magazine contains simply information and storys on women/sex, cars and sport. The cover shows this through the images and writting. In the cenre of the cover it reads 'Britain's 50 sexiest single babes!', the text s surounded by images of women, thus advertising the women section ofthe magazine. Across the bottom of the magazine there is a range of photos of various cars and football games, this avertises the other prominant sections of the magazine - Sport and cars. The cover is very busy which creates the illusion that the magazine is full to the brim all the way through.

This is the front cover of heat magazine. Heat magazine is generally targeted towards middled aged women and younger girls in their twenties. It is a gossip magasine and therefore contains information and stories about relationships etc. The title of the magazine is in red bold font across the entire width of the cover, this makes it very obveous and clear to the customer. The use of colour also makes it stamd out further. The front cover in general is quite busy, showing a range of different sections, pictures and writting. The set out of the cover is cleverly done to keep it informative but still attractive. For example, the whole of the bottom half of the cover is split into two different collums, the collums are marked by the images behind. One collum is used for advertising 'free' give aways by the magazine. The word 'free' is in a noticably larger font and different colour when compared to it surrounding writting. This is done to attract the readers attention towards the word free, and therefore intise them into buying the magazine and obtaining the 'free', in this case, stickers. The coluum to the right hand side displays images of 'Stars who hate their bodies'. This is an insight to what the magazine contains and is done so the reader can perview the magazine before purchasing it in the store. This is likely to be an insight into the main feature of the magazine. Also across the top of the magazine a bright yellow strip attracts your eye sight. This contains another headline and also a stamp reading 'celebs without makeup'. This is done to attract the target audience into the magazine.

This is the front cover from a magazine called 'Dirt Bike Rider'. It is interesting and attractive so as to attract the attention of customers. The cover includes an action shot as the background picture which grabs your eyesight and draws you into the magazine itself. Minimum writting is used on this cover, meaning that it appears simple and therefore much less confusing. The main writting on the cover is that of 'EURO THRASH!' across the bottom. This is incredably obveous and attracts the consumers attention straight away as it is written in capitals and a bold font. The colour choice is also effective, the use of white writting contrasts with the darker background and therefore makes the writting itself a lot clearer and more eye catching. Understandably the main title is the most prominant feature on the cover, it is again in white bold font. It cover the entire top section of the magazine and is very clear to the customer. Also the editor of the magazine has used the front cover to advertise the new '2010 thor kit'. This is to attract people who may be interested in buying a new 'kit' and they would therefore buy this magazine.