Making a magazine front cover 1

I chose this image due to the texture behind the wall and the composition of the photo. The model looks happy and contempt with herself which is what I wanted her to look like when taking the photo. I wanted the model to portray these traits as she represents how a model student is supposed to be which reflects the genre. This image will appeal to the target audience of 16-25 years old as she is an attractive young model who is a college student, which many people in the target audience will identify with. I chose a bold font style in 'Rockwell extra bold' as i thought it worked nicely against her bold look and the textured background. I used a mixture of reds, yellows and blacks to grab the audiences attention. The red was used to highlight the most important features of the magazine such as the plug and the exclusive interview. The yellow was used to highlight the interview points which the target audience may be interested in and the black highlights some of the models key points of the interview. I chose to include an interview as many students would like to know how to manage their time efficiently while also keeping their social life. The plug was used to further encourage the target audience to buy the magazine by offering them a free item they wouldn't obtain anywhere else.
The masthead would appeal to the target audience as it is not harsh in font and it is quite big. This would appeal to them as 'Lifestyle' is a topic the target audience would be interested in. I included a circle puff around the plug to highlight the importance of it. I used red to do this as it is a striking colour which catches the audiences attention. I think the size of the puff works well on the magazine as it doesn't cover the model and it is just big enough to grab attention.
I think i have created brand identity through synergy as the red and yellow work nicely together through contrast. If I was to only use red for the synergy it would of looked too violent so the yellow tones the colour down slightly which creates a good balance throughout the magazine. If I was to keep using the synergy it would definitely create a brand identity. The use of media language helps create representations. Buzz words such as 'free' and 'exclusive' further grab the attention of the target audience. This links into the representation of teenagers as they like to hear about gossip and they don't have much money so they would appreciate free add on's.
When I create products for my 03/04 production I would do everything I have already done as well as adding more pugs such as bar codes to create a more authentic magazine cover. I would also make sure the text is all level to make the cover look professional.

TA Research of my images

For this caption the student is telling me that they would like more light to be cast on the models face, while overall saying they like the picture. This helped me to realise that in the future, if we use a back lit background, we should bring a light reflector with us to balance out the image for future photos. The comment also helped me realise that I maybe should choose a different image for projects such as websites and magazine covers instead of this one due to the lighting.

For this photo the comments helped me realise that her pose looks slightly awkward and that if I was to take future photos like this I should make sure to pose her correctly during the shoot. The comments also helped me realise that I should possibly use this photo for projects such as websites as they say they like it.

For this image the comments are telling me that they like the composition however the rule of thirds is slightly off. If I was to crop it slightly so the eyes would rest 2/3 of the way into the photo then it would be a good photo. The comments have also made me realise that I should possibly use this photo for a magazine cover as students like the photo.

Selection & Rejection of Photographs 1

Selects

This is one of the best photos of the group we took as the lighting is well balanced and we had experimented with the use of depth of field. The photograph has a main focus point of the models face which doesn't change with the depth of field being in use. The fore ground starts with the leaves at the right hand side, then the mid ground is the models face and body and then the background is the bush behind the model. The colour palate is very neutral with greens, browns and blues complimenting each other. I like how the models pose looks relaxed yet mysterious and how the white balance is accurate. the rule of thirds is used nicely in this picture as well as the models eyes are in 2/3 of the photo and in the middle. The way the model is looking into the camera is also a convention which is used in magazines so this could be easily used for a front cover.

I liked this photo as the rule of thirds is used well and their is a depth of field in the picture. I placed the model behind the few branches so the photo wouldn't look as staged. The branches on the right are used as the fore ground which then make the audience look towards the mid ground (which is the main focus) and then the background of the bush. The bright blue works nicely to create contrast against the grey of the fence behind the model as well as to grab the audiences attention. The model is also again looking into the camera which creates a convention which is used for magazines and front covers. The rule of thirds also works nicely here as the models eyes are in 2/3 of the way into the photo which is where most of the audiences attention is focused on. When I was taking the photo I wanted the model to look innocent and beautiful like nature is and I think she did this quite well. However if I was to take the photo again I would position the models legs a little bit differently as it comes off as a bit awkward to the audience.

For my final select I chose this one which I really like due to the composition. The lighting is perfect and doesn't create any harsh shadows on the models face. The rule of thirds again is used as the eyes on the model are in 2/3 of the way into the photo. The way the blue jumper harmonises with the green grass and the fence creates a great colour palate which overall makes the photo look pleasing for the audience. There is also a subtle use of a lead in line with the fence which guides the audiences attention towards the main focus, the model. The model is looking away from the camera which would break conventions if it was to be used on a magazine cover. I like how the hand on her shoulder makes the model seem more closed off, as if the model is holding back information to the audience. Although if I was to publish this somewhere for a website or a magazine cover I would photoshop the tree behind her out of the photo as it does distract the audiences attention slightly from the main focus.

Rejects

I didn't like this photo as the lighting was very dark and didn't produce a clear image. Their is also a grey colour palate used for this which isn't pleasing towards the audiences eye. The main focus of the model is slightly lost as the model is too far away from the camera. The use of the lead in line is alright but it distracts the audiences focus of the model slightly. I don't like how the model is slightly out of focus too. The lamp to the right also distracts the audiences attention from the model too. The use of the rule of thirds is also lost as the model is off centre and the eyes aren't 2/3 of the way into the photo. Overall if I was to retake the photo I would use a complimentary colour palate and light boxes to bring more light into the picture.

I rejected this photo as it was a candid shot of the model and it didn't look serious and actually looked quite comical. The main focus of the models face is lost as her glasses are falling down her face which makes for a blurred photo. The rule of thirds is also lost as the eyes aren't in 2/3 of the picture. There is no use of a depth of field or a lead in line so the photograph looks quite boring. The convention of the model looking into camera is also lost as she is looking at her glasses falling down. If I was to take the photo again I would have took a candid photo of the model while she was walking or dancing. 

I rejected this photo as it doesn't look pleasing for the audience. I tried to add texture behind the model by using a brick wall however the white balance ruined the effect of this. The photo does follow the rule of thirds, with the models face being the prime focus, however the model looks slightly awkward in her pose which creates an awkward atmosphere for the audience viewing the photo. If it was to be used on the front cover of a magazine I don't think it would grab many peoples attention due to the composition of the photo. Overall the photo is not bad, however the white balance and the posing of the model ruined the photo for me and the audience.

Research: Advertising and Branding

Q) How is America and American teenage life represented in the adverts?

A) In the first Levi’s advert American teenage life is represented as fun and exciting. The bright lights contrast with the night time sky creating a beautiful and perfect party scene. Lots of young people are shown to be there too in the shots which produces an idealised image of teen life in America. The girl is seen to be attracted to the guy across the floor due to them both not being heavily influenced by their phones - which implies that most teenagers are obsessed with technology-, and as the advert goes on they become closer until they finally kiss and fall into the pool. This series of shots create an idealism that you will find love in America and that when you are young you are free and able to express yourself. The mies-en-scene of these shots also allow the audience to be immersed in the atmosphere. The girl is dressed in a casual yet edgy styled outfit with simplistic makeup, implying to the audience that teenagers don't all wear a lot of makeup or go all out on their outfits in order to look attractive. The guy is also shown in a casual outfit which matches her style. This advert targets mainly a girl teen audience as it focuses on her falling in love with a guy, which links back to old sex stereotypes of that women should find a man to marry.

In the second advert lots of people from different ethnicities join together to dance and have good time together. Everyone smiles and enjoys themselves throughout the outfit implying to the audience that no matter who you are or where you come from you should be accepted and treated correctly without any hate. In todays modern world there is still a lot of bad stereotypes and representation of age, sex, race and religion, and what this advert tries to do is send a message to the world that we shouldn't stereotype. Many people who don't live in America would view this advert and think that America is accepting of all people, which creates a friendly atmosphere for the audience. At the end of the advert they use many tag lines including all of the different representations they accept and hope to unite, this ends the advert nicely obtaining their main objective of uniting.

Q) Why/how might this representation be seductive or attractive to teenagers living in Britain?

A) Both of these adverts attract the British teenage audience as they want to be able to have fun with lots of people their age. The first Levi’s advert attracts them by idealising relationships and that if they were to be in America and leave their phones for a while they would be able to mingle with new people and find someone for them. While in the second advert many different people from different backgrounds come together to be one and enjoy themselves. This seduces teenagers in Britain that if they was to experience life in America they would be appreciated and accepted for whoever they are. This advert attracts to every teenager as they all want to be accepted for who they are and they may not feel welcome where they live. Although this is giving the audience a positive outcome of American life it is only an ideal image of what it could be. This misleads British teens into thinking that everything is perfect and that the ‘American Dream’ is real.

Q) Do you think adverts like this erode cultural differences? Give reasons for your answers.

A) Personally I feel that yes these adverts do erode cultural differences to some extent. With the second advert it defiantly erodes cultural differences as lots of people from different ethnicities come together and enjoy each others company through dance. This implies to the audience that we should aim to accept everyone no matter what their sexuality, race, sex or religion is. This also reminds the audience that we are all human and we shouldn't stereotype people which destroys the negativity around cultural assumptions. However in the first advert they mainly focus on two white people getting together in a heterosexual relationship. This doesn't expand to all people meaning it doesn't erode any cultural differences. Instead it still enforces the idea that all women should find a boyfriend in order to be happy and succeed in a modern way, influencing teenagers around the world that this is the normal. Overall I feel that company's like Levi's are trying to erode cultural differences however they could try harder to create more adverts like the second advert. 

The first Levi's advert 
The second Levi's advert

Research of Institutions carried on: Bauer Media

Research of Institutions 2: Bauer Media

Homepage:

The use of cross media codes to allows the website to introduce the audience to a slidely. This grabs the audience’s attention by the use of the bright technical codes while also introducing niche topics to a mass audience to gain more popularity.

Although slidely doesn’t stop changing this banner is consistent, advertising their success of the institution to the mass audience.

Alongside the slidely there is another banner, which presents more information to the audience about the chosen media companies. These are such as ‘empire’ and ‘magic’. In this they also advertise companies such as “The academy” and “absolute radio” which appeals to a niche audience.

Links:

On the website there are many links which makes it easy for the audience to navigate around the site. This allows for a mass audience to occur with its simple navigation as well as a broad selection of information. The colour scheme of the site relies on deep blues and whites which link into the colour scheme of the logo, which is easily recognisable.

Technological convergence:

At the bottom of the homepage there is also a twitter link that you as an audience can interact with for Bauer Medias twitter page. This allows for a branch to occur reaching out to a larger audience who may be interested in the institution of Bauer Media. There are also links to job options in which you can work for the institution as well as a help link to help you find an audience for your own company if you have one.

Genre of texts:

Most of the texts are based around the genre of entertainment however within the categories (such as music and radio) there are sub genres which appeal to different target audiences. Kerrang and Heat are good examples as one appeals to a younger target audience who like the punk rock genre of music, while the other appeals to a woman based "group c" audience who like to read up on celebrity’s gossip.

Audience

Bauer media covers a mass audience with niche topics, mostly appealing to the younger audience. As Curran and Seaton once said “Newspapers and magazines respond to the concerns of their readers if they are to stay in business”, Bauer does this by appealing to a mass target audience including loads of individual magazine brands with different topics to gain more popularity. 

The History of The Big Issue

The history of the big issue from AbbieTutty

Textual Analysis of a Magazine Cover

"Bird Watching"

Audience

This magazine came out in August 2012, which is a part of a monthly line for a niche audience. The target audience for this niche topic is most likely middle aged men and over who are part of the Group C class. This is due to the stereotype of that the hobby of bird watching is only for old men. The magazine captures the target audience by using technical codes such as a bright colour pallet with complimentary text colour. This technical code allows the audience to know exactly what type of magazine it is before they even red the text. It also supports the text by adding more depth. All codes have a denotation and a connotation, in this instance the denotation of this cover is to grab the audiences attention by using vibrant colours while the connotation is to tell the reader that this is a bird watching magazine and that it is a rare bird the audience may be interested in.  The main colour used (green) creates an inviting, friendly feel while the bird with the vibrant blue and reds creates a beautiful contrast for the audience, drawing them into the cover. The way the background has been blurred allows the bird to be the centre of attention, straight away telling the audience that this is a nature magazine. 

Mise-en-scène

The magazine cover uses a prop, the branch, to assist the center focus of the shot, the bird. The prop makes it clear what the main focus of the cover is, the bird, as well as providing context to the shot. It also makes the shot seem more natural in a way that the audience has just stumbled across this bird sitting on a branch in a tree. The atmosphere generated is peaceful due to the off guard photo of the bird as well as the positioning of the bird. This links into Barthes theory of Semiotics "the audience look for signs to help them interpret the narrative". In this case the signs are how the bird is positioned and the colours.

The use of the medium long shot gives the audience an idea of what type of birds they would be looking into if they bought the magazine. This creates an effect much like how an ellipsis would intrigue an audience to read on to find out more detail. The framing of the bird in the center also makes the target audiences eyes draw there attention into the middle of the cover, much like when a person creates eye contact for a magazine cover to draw the audience in. This is a convention which is used throughout the “Bird Watching” magazine series. The way the bird looks as well seems to be quite tropical which raises the thought in readers minds where the twitchers found the bird. This also links into how the magazine cover grabs the audiences attention.
The expression the bird conveys through the photo is peaceful. The birds mouth is open and tilted back implying that the bird has just called out to the same kind as them, communicating about something that as an audience could find out about if they read the magazine. 

The lighting used is soft daylight which compliments the birds vibrant feathers as well as making the background look kind and inviting. This also creates a daytime scene for the cover possibly suggesting that this issue contains bird which aren't nocturnal. 

Main Body

The masthead remains a convention with a bold white text covering the top of the cover. Underneath the masthead there is a catchy selling line “Attract-Find-Identify-Enjoy” which gives the target audience a quick summary of how the magazine is structured providing them the details they need in order to decide whether or not to buy it. 

The lexis used in the main cover line “bird of many colours” relates to the main focus image and suggests that this a one of a kind bird. The deixis used of “the” in “one for the life list” also implies to the target audience that this isn't a topic they want to miss out on, intriguing them to buy the magazine. This main cover line has a textual colour of yellow which grabs the audiences attention from the other white cover lines and works nicely with the vibrant bird pictured next to it. The way the bird is positioned looking to the text makes the audience look towards the main cover line as well.

The language used is informal and not vulgar compared to how a gossip magazine would portray their articles. The cover lines are mostly statements as in “Eastern birds that go west to nest” and “identify birds by family” which interests the target audience into reading on further.

The cover also includes another convention further exploring the idea of selling the magazine to the niche target audience “In every issue… 4 hotspots near you” this suggests that the audience cant find all the information they provide to you anywhere else, almost like they restricting the audience from purchasing this information from another brand or online. The use of the lexis “near” also implies that this is a magazine most likely centered around the countryside in Britain, even though it suggests that you can find rare birds all over the world from the use of the vibrant bird on the front page.

The use of the contrasting blue and red banner (the same colours as the bird) at the top pulls the audiences attention away from the main image. These are used to bring forth more information to the target audience without overloading the page with cover lines. The page numbers are added by the side of them as well in order to create a simple and easy experience for the consumer.

The representation of this magazine cover shows a middle class countryside portrayal of middle aged men. This stereotype stems from how the upper class thought that people from the countryside had no intelligence or worthy hobbies and therefore spent their time doing nothing important. Sadly this stereotype carries on today with the majority of the target audience still being countryside men and women.

Overall this magazine cover is coherent and pieced together wonderfully with the use of cinematography, positioning and textual design.

The History of Magazines - Research post

The history of magazines 2 from Abigail Tutty

Research: The Media Industry and Magazines

Media Industry: Magazines from Abigail Tutty

Research: Media Forms

What Types Of Media Forms Are There?

Firstly media comes in all sorts of forms where communication holds them together. As humans we have wanted to express our opinions to mass audiences for centuries and media is one of the best ways to reach such a mass audience. Over the years technology has improved greatly to the point where it takes a couple of seconds and one touch of a screen to get our opinions out there. However some media had to start off somewhere and one of the greatest media forms is books and literature.

Print

Back when there was hardly any technology books and prints were the fastest way to convey opinions on the world and topics to a mass audience. The print form originated in the fifteenth century and before this period books and novels were either printed manually or copied by hand which was extensive labour. Due to the slow production time of print in these times word hardly was spread much and only reached the rich who could afford them which wasn't the ideal situation writers had. Spoken communication only got so far before the information died out so media wasn't such a great platform back then. We owe a lot to the Print Press made by Johannes Gutenberg as it was the first invention that allowed print to be further available to larger audiences. This invention also brought enlightenment on science meaning without it there would be a knowledge-based community like we are now.
In our modern day Print is still one of the best and most frequently used forms of media used with many people reading newspapers and books daily. It's proven that regular readers of print media tend to be more likely to be politically active and more aware of the opinions and surroundings happening around the world. Also most of the other media forms are follow ups from print media - such as newspapers and magazines - which are broadcasted on the TV or on the Internet.

Broadcast
The radio was the first broadcast media to be presented to a mass audience and the first transmission was sent by the Italian, Marconi, in 1895, and he also sent the first transatlantic radio signal in 1901. When the radio was introduced the first means of communication was by Morse Code -used by the Titanic for an example- which changed shipping massively. Since the 1980's talk radio was one and sill is a massive way to convey opinions -especially political - to the world. Many radio broadcasts have a talk host to firstly make the listeners feel engaged and then present their viewpoints whether they're biased or not. Once the radio was a core communication of media the television broadcasts soon came afterwards which shocked many when they witnessed moving pictures. This new form of broadcast allowed many mediums to be presented to a large audience such as film, music and news. Television is the biggest media form to reach mass audiences with mostly every family owning a TV in the twentieth century it's definitely an improvement from the fifteenth century.

Internet
The Internet is such a big platform for communication to the world, it is very accessible to anyone and mostly everyone can convey their opinions in blogs, websites and apps. Websites can provide audio, text and video information, all of the ways traditional media are transmitted. It's one of the biggest information, if not the biggest, outlets in the world and wasn't expanded for popular use until the 1990s due to it being firstly used for the military. The Internet is slowly taking over newspapers which were the main source of news for television broadcasts, now most news channels rely on news posts in order to create their news broadcasts instead of newspapers. The technology spread like wildfire, and soon a personal computer became as much of a necessity in a home as the TV set. Blogs are also one of the key parts to the internet that make such a big effect on a mass audience as they range from a very wide selection of topics and hobbies and almost everyone can find a blog they're interested in or influenced by.

Images and Sound
Without the invention of photography we wouldn't have been able to document and share important events with the world or even create films. Together images and sound create stories and present opinions to a mass audience quickly and effectively, almost better than reading from a book due to the imagination not being used for the witness to understand the point. This heavily links into broadcast media with radios and TV networks and without images or sound broadcast media couldn't exist.

Overall there are loads of media forms that make it so easy to reach a mass audience, however the internet beats all of the forms due to it having such a wide skill range to reach the whole world.