Music magazine brief

To produce the front page,contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text must be original, produced by you- minimum of four main images used.

Evaluation

What have you learned from completing this task?
From completing this task I have learned the conventions of a magazine cover and how they are important to the success of the magazine. The conventions of the front cover are what makes the magazine attractive to the buyer and so they are very important in showing the buyer what they are getting by buying the magazine. Another thing I have learned is how semiotics are important to advertising and how they are used to make an advertisement successful. I have learned that different advertisements use different semiotics. I have also learned how to edit a photograph in Photoshop for use on the magazine as i did not know how to use Photoshop before doing this task. I have learned the camera framings used in photographs for media and how the have different effects on the media text by using different angles to take the photograph. I have also learned how mise-en-scene affects the photographs used in media and the impression the photograph will then give the person who sees it. I have learned how to use Blogger to post my coursework for my preliminary task which is important as it allowed me to post all of my coursework online. I have learned how to manage my time better so that I can submit all of the task on time whereas I would not have been able to do that before I completed this task as I wasn't very good at managing my time effectively.
How have you used technology?
I have used Blogger to post all of my coursework for the preliminary task which allows me to submit all of my work by posting my blog address on the college website. I have posted documents with images which have all been converted to jpegs so that I could post them on this blog.I have used Photoshop to edit all of my photographs for the magazine cover by changing the lighting and effects on my photographs I have been able to change the photograph to make it look better and more suitable for the front cover of my magazine.I have used a professional camera to take the photographs used on my magazine cover which made them better quality which therefore makes my magazine cover look more professional . 
What conventions have you used? why?
The conventions i have used on my magazine cover are,

• Medium close-up, I have use this as it allows you to see enough of the person in the photograph without it becoming difficult to see the person.
• Masthead title piece, I have placed the masthead title piece at the top of the page in the left corner as it stops it covering the main image.
• Subtitles, I have used subtitles under the main feature headlines as it gives more detail about whats in the magazine
• Main feature headline, I have made the main feature headline larger as it makes it stand out more showing that it is the main feature.
• Smaller feature, these are all smaller to show that they are not the main feature.
• Colour, I have followed a house style of purple and green with a few other colours too to make the magazine stand out as colourful.
• Barcode, I have added a barcode to the magazine to show it will be sold in a shop.
• Date,price,issue number, all of these are in the conventional places on the cover as this makes it look professional.
• Font, all of the main font is the same style to add to the house style.
• Graphics, I have added a graphical advert to draw attention to the main advert.
• Adverts blurb, i have added an adverts blurb to draw attention to the main advert on the magazine cover.

What would you change if you were to do this task again?
If I were to do this task again I would take the main image in a place with more light so the photograph seems less dark.This would make the photograph better quality and make the magazine overall look more professional.I would also try to make the cover less busy as it has a lot of features on one page which can be confusing and then therefore look less professional which would make the magazine less successful had it been real.I would change the length of time that i spent on the front cover as i didn't spend much time on it and therefore it is not the best work i could have produced.I would spend more time on it to make it look better and my coursework would then be better and it would look more professional. 

Final magazine cover

front cover and contents page draft

This is a draft of the cover and contents page for my magazine.

Magazine cover (unedited)

Screenshots of Photoshop editing

These are screenshots to show the editing to the main photograph i will use for my front cover that was done in Photoshop.

Semiotics

Semiotics of an image in an advertisement are symbols and signifiers that suggest something within the text. For example, for a movie advertisement the main character/characters will usually be featured on a large part of the advertisement which suggests that they are important. Another example is the colours used in a media text which can suggest genre or mood. The lighting of a piece of media text can also be an important signifier as to the mood of the text, for example, If the movie advertisements lighting in the images is dark then this suggests that something bad is going to happen in the film. The clothes and scenery can enforce stereotypes about the genre of a media text which makes it easier to recognise the genre making it a successful advertisement. Even the expression of a person in a photograph can suggest something such as a happy expression suggesting a happy theme to the media text that is being advertised.
Semiotics are important in media texts that are advertising as they help the audience to understand the subject and the message of the advertisement easier. If the semiotics didn't fit in with the subject of the advertisement e.g. a sad movie poster with happy people featured in the pictures, it would confuse people and the advertisement would be much less successful.

Mise-en-scene and location ideas

These are some mise-en-scene and location ideas for the images i may be using for the front cover of the magazine and the contents page. As the magazine is for the college the mise-en-scene and location will be based on the college campus.

mise-en-scene
I think the photographs for the front cover should have a fairly plain setting with no objects in the background as this will take focus away from the person on the cover. The person on the cover should be wearing average everyday clothing however i think that there should be some colour to draw attention. If the person is a girl she should be wearing minimal make-up as this will make the magazine cover look more professional and not like a models photo shoot. The person on the front cover should be smiling to show they are happy to be at the college. For the contents page the photographs should vary from pictures of large parts of the college with lots of students and some of students in small groups.

location 
The location of the photos for the front cover should be somewhere in the college with a fairly plain background such as the wall of the library or outside when less people are around. This assures that the attention will be focused on the person on the cover and the message they are giving about the college by their expression. The photographs for the contents page that are of a large part of the college should be high angle taken from the "bridge" or somewhere where a large part of the college can be easily photographed. The photographs of groups of people should be taken where it is obvious that it is at the college such as outside by the main sign or outside one of the buildings.

Feature story ideas for the front cover

These are some ideas for the cover feature stories of my college magazine that i think are appropriate for the subject of my magazine:

1. interviews with new AS students to find out how they are settling into the college.

2. A2 students preparing for university applications.

3.The college becoming cash free and using parent pay.

4. Tips on using free periods effectively from teachers and second year students.

5.Interview with the Principal.

Photographs for front cover (unedited)

These are some photographs i have taken for possible use on the front cover most are not good enough and the ones that are need editing before i can use them. Most of them are not the conventional medium close up or the lighting is not good enough for use on the front cover.

These images are too dark to use for my front cover.

There are too many people in these images.

I like this image as the lighting is good and she is smiling.

Photoshop practice

Photoshop practice image   

This is the first time i have used Photoshop and so i created a practice image to gain some basic skills before i use it to edit images i will use on my magazine. This is what i did to create this image.













setting up a file
To set up the file in Photoshop I first opened up the program and selected - file-new. I then changed the settings of the new file to preset international paper with a 300 pixels/inch resolution and RGB colour. The file then was opened and I could start editing my images.

psd&layers
The Photoshop file is in the format PSD which allows the editor to come back and continue editing the image as it isn't compressed when it is saved like it would if the file was saved as a BMP or a JPEG. The layers are a way in which the images opened in Photoshop are organised. Each image opened has a separate layer which can then be worked on individually and then combine the finished images when needed. Using layers I opened the images of the sand dunes, the astronaut, the Eiffel tower, and the bear and edited them separately so that I could then change them without it affecting the other images. When I was finished I dragged the other images onto the sand dunes and the whole image was finished.

scaling an image(hold down shift key)
Scaling an image allows the image to be manipulated without the quality of the image being affected. This means you can change the size of the image and I would not become pixelated and bad quality. To do this I first named the layer the image I wanted to edit was on which unlocked the layer and allowed it to be selected. I then selected edit-transform and while holding the shift key changed the size of the image.

saving your file
When I finished editing the images I needed to save the file in two formats. One in PSD and the other in JPEG. I saved the file in PSD so I could edit it again later but I also saved it in JPEG so that I could post it on this blog for my media coursework. To save the file I selected file-save as and then chose the format I wanted to save the file in and named it. I then clicked save and the file was saved.

selecting your image
To select an image that I had opened in Photoshop I first had to name the layer that the image was opened on by double clicking on the layer and changing the name. When the layer was unlocked I then clicked on the select tool at the top of the tool bar which allowed me to select and move the image.

polygon lasso
The polygon lasso tool allows you to cut around an image easily by drawing lines around the image you want to cut and then deleting the selected part of the image. I used the polygon lasso tool on my images by right clicking on the lasso tool and selecting the polygon lasso. I then drew around the image and double clicked which allowed me to delete if i wished to do so.I then clicked on select-inverse so that the area around the selected area would be deleted instead of the selected area.

Framing images

These are some examples of different camera framings:

extreme close up

close up

medium close up

long shot

high angle

low angle

two shot

image framed to the left

image framed to the right

central image

Colour scheme ideas

1. The masthead title piece could be the same purple as the wyke logo with the feature headlines the same shade of purple and the subtitles and offers could be the same pale green as used on the college motto logo.

                         









2. The masthead title piece could be a bright red to symbolise determination to achieve and the feature headlines could be black with the same shade red as the masthead title piece for the subtitles and offers.

3.The masthead title piece could be the same green as the college motto logo with the feature headlines the same shade of green and the subtitles and offers could be the same purple as used on the wyke logo.

Magazine name ideas

As it is a magazine for Wyke sixth form college i think the title of the magazine should be based on or relevant in some way to the college. I think the magazine name should be simple and short as this will make it memorable. Here are some ideas for the name of the magazine:

1. F2A (freedom to achieve, the college motto)

2. campus 

3. student life

Mood board (student interests)

This mood board represents what i think is important to students. The subject of my college magazine will be the beginning of a new college year and how new students are settling in and second year students feel about being second years.

Contents page layout draft

Labelled magazine conventions

These are three examples of college magazines and their conventional features.

Magazine front covers, conventions

masthead title piece

The masthead title piece is usually in the top left corner of the magazine. It is the magazines title and should be the biggest piece of text on the cover to show what the magazine is called. It should also fit with the theme of the magazine and be one of the main sources of attraction to the magazine. It would normally take up the top part of the page up to the point where the main image starts. in some cases the main image overlaps the title however this should only be done if the title is still easily readable.

magazine price
The magazine price is how much the magazine costs and is usually found by the bar code or the date of the magazine being released. This should be small so it doesn't take up too much of the cover leaving room for other, more important things such as advertisements and the features of the magazine.

date
The date of a magazine is usually from Saturday to Friday, monthly: a month ahead and is usually found at the top of the magazine underneath the masthead title piece. It shouldn't be too big or it would take attention away from the features of the magazine.

issue number
This is the tally of the number of issues of the magazine that have been released. The number on the front of the magazine should show what issue the magazine is and is usually found underneath the masthead title piece or by the bar code. It shouldn't be too big or it would take attention away from the features of the magazine.

bar code
The bar code of the magazine is read electronically and decoded into a usable format. the bar code is usually found on the bottom right of the magazine and shouldn't be too big as it would take up room needed for more important features in the magazine.

teaser
The teaser of a magazine is a one word/phrase that acts as an attention grabber to the consumer. It should be relevant to the magazine and big enough for it to be easily noticed by the consumer.

main feature:headline
The headline is a phrase that may summarize the main point of the main feature. It is usually in large print, a different style to the rest of the text, and bold colours in order to attract the attention of the reader. The colours however should also try to remain the same as the house style

subtitle
The subtitle is a smaller headline that may summarize the feature it is relevant to. It shouldn't give too much information as that would mean the consumer wouldn't need to buy the magazine and the magazine would lose money.

smaller feature
The smaller features are features that are not the main headline that are covered in the magazine. There are usually at least 3 of these on the cover of the magazine and should only give an idea as to what happens in the magazine so that the consumer still has reason to buy the magazine.

font
The font of a text is the style and size of the type face. The house style of a magazine contains only a few different fonts (although this can differ depending of the subject).The style of the font should remain consistent across the cover of the magazine.

images
The images on a magazine front cover usually consist of a main image and sometimes some smaller images. The main image is usually a close up or a medium close up. The images make the magazine look more interesting and gives the first impression as to the subject of the magazine.

colour
Colour on a magazine cover should be consistent with a house style which fits with the subject of the magazine, for example. if it were a magazine for young girls, the colours on the cover (and most likely the contents page and main article) would probably be pinks and other colours considered to be quite girly.

Graphics
Graphics on a magazine cover are usually graphical shapes and are used a lot to highlight the main features of a magazine. They should be relevant to the subject of the feature they are highlighting for example if it involved a celebrity the shape may be a star.

offers/adverts blurb
The magazine offers/adverts blurb is a banner style shape featuring free products or promotions which there is more detail about in the magazine. They should not give away too much information as the consumer would the not need to buy the magazine and the magazine would therefore lose money.

Preliminary task brief

To design a college magazine front cover and mock up original (taken by you)
,your preliminary task counts towards your course work. If this task is incomplete you lose 20% towards your overall grade therefore it is vital you complete this task to the best of your ability. This task must be completed by the 26th of September at 4:00pm.