Analysing Indie Magazine Articles

Layout:

The layout is both scattered and well structured at the same as on the right page there is a large image of Lily Allen and on the left page there is a big title in bubble writing with each individual letter having its own small border and the bottom of that page contains the article in a very small text about Lily Allen. The only image in this article is the big image of Lily Allen. In total there is only 1 main article and no sub-stories. I feel that this particular article is aimed at teenagers in particularly girls who are fans of punk rock. I feel that this supports the theory of Stanley Hall because Lily Allen is portrayed as someone who is rebellious which supports Hall's theory of "All young people are depressed, criminals and extremists."

Colour Pallet:

In this article, the background is which instantly tells you that this image is from a studio rather than an action shot. The text colour features a mixture of red, black and white. This mixture of colour gives you the impression that there is a lot of punk surrounding this particular article which is ironc given that it is an indie magazine. Its mise-en-scene gives off an impression that this colour pallet has been carefully selected as it's about Lily Allen. She has dark black hair so you already get the sense that she is a punk-rocker or has that attitude about her.  This represents the target audience as punk fans will want to feel that they are being looked after and cared for by the production crew for this magazine. This also represents the Stanley Hall's theory because of the way its whiteness connotes purity but everything on it is how the article goes against purity and how it could be seen as potentially dangerous.

Imagery:

The main image on this article is a large shot of Lily Allen. This has been purposefully done because the article is based on Lily Allen and readers who just flick through the magazine can instantly tell that the article is about her. Based on the fact that she has a large fan base, dozens of readers will want to read more about what is currently happening in Lily Allen's life.She is positioned in a way to make audiences feel that she is not just a background image and in fact the whole article is based on her. This represents target audiences as punk rock artists like Lily Allen make a point of standing out from the crowd so punk fans would take after Lily Allen in this sense and be inspired by her. This also links to the theory of Hall as she gives off the impression of someone whose in trouble with the police rather than someone who has just finished the homework 3 weeks early.

Lexis:

The articles lexical features show that it has been written in a very informal manner. This has purposefully been done as it makes the readers feel that they are not pressured to take it seriously. Because of her large fan base, people already know a bit about her so it does not need to go into a lot of fine detail. This article has also been typed in the way it has made to signify the difference between a magazine article compared to a broadsheet newspaper. This represents the target audience because this magazine is aimed at teenagers and young adults so therefore they will want to see something that is easy on the eye and not something they have to read closely to. I feel it does not closely link to a theorist, although it does contain aspects of Laura Mulvey's theory as it portrays her as someone with relaxed morales and someone who is care free.

Article Content:

The article is wrote in a way to give the reader a feel of a sort of day in the life style of Lily Allen. It has been wrote in a very similar style to a small autobiography as it gives you an idea about how their life works. Young audiences like this as it appeals to them more rather than a serious newspaper story. It's narrative also goes along the theme of this during to its similar linguistic themes. This represents its target audience as this clearly has not been put together to entertain older adults and has clearly been used to appeal to a younger audience so that more people of there age will want to read this magazine.

Layout:
This article in Q magazine has a similar layout to the one in NME. On the left hand page there is a whole page image of Jay-Z which features a quotation and subtitles over the bottom of the image. The image is also there to signify his popularity it stands out to people who are just flicking through the magazine. Because of his popularity readers will also know instantly that it is Jay-Z and people who will want to learn more about him will be intrigued by both the image and the article. On the right hand page there is a huge letter J coloured in red over the text which has been done as "Q" is a single letter magazine to for continuity purposes, this has been done to signify its importance. This image is both the only image in this article and it is all one big article as supposed to lots of separate sub-stories. I feel that this article is aimed  at boys aged between 17-30 as Jay Z has a slightly older target audience compared to someone such as Lily Allen. I feel that this supports the theory of Stuart Hall who believes that "black people are criminals." I feel that because he is serious he has a similar facial expression to someone who is against a cell wall.

Colour Pallet:
In this article, the background half white and half red which gives you an immediate impression that this is a studio image as supposed to a action shot. The text colour features a combination of red and black which connotes rebellious and disruptive behaviour. It's mise-en-scene tells you that Jay-Z is the exact sort of character to be known for a bad mannered personality. He is black which stereotypically makes him a criminal. This represents the target audience because teenagers and young adults admire these characters as they cause disruption to society and always have a good time. This  also represents Stuart Hall as his criminal connotations may lead to a popular article.

Imagery:
The main image of this article is a large shot of Jay-Z. This has been done as the article is based on Jay-Z and people who only see small sections of the magazine need to see something that will stand out to them. Due to the popularity of Jay-Z, the image is enough to make readers realise who the article is both about and it's significance on the magazine as a whole. He is positioned face on the front so that his criminal connotations will be clear rather than just so you are able to see his face.This represent target audiences as they would not expect to see him in any other manner or pose. This represents the theory of Sarita Malika who claims that "Whiteness is the norm and being anything else is unnatural." This is appropriate because the image has been to stand out his skin colour rather than his identity.

Lexis:
The articles lexical features portray that the magazine is very informal. This has been done as it makes the reader feel at ease when reading such a story. Due to his popularity, people already know some information regarding Jay-Z so the article is able to give you added information about what you already know. This article also has been used to inform people the difference between magazine and a formal newspaper. This represents the target audience as this magazine is aimed particularly at younger adults so therefore more people will like this as it appeals to them. I do not feel that it links closely to a theorist as it does cover several grounds.

Article Content:

This article is wrote in a certain manner which gives readers an impression to the inside scoop regarding Jay-Z. It's been wrote in a sophisticated yet informal manner to attract younger audiences. Young adults and teenagers would like this as they are able to interact more with the article due to it's as supposed to a serious front cover broadsheet newspaper story. It's narrative also goes along the theme of this as it;s linguistic themes are very similar. This represents its target audience as it has purposefully shown an understanding of how older readers are not mainly cared for throughout this article.

Contents Page Analysis

In this analysis I shall be analysing two magazine contents pages from 2 different genres. I require the ability to show how to differentiate two different genres from each other solely from there contents pages. I feel that I also require the ability to make sure my audiences are able to distinguish a specific genre from similar language conventions. These include: imagery, layout, colour pallet and typography. This means as Bentley stated in 1997 “The creative process is the rearranging of the old to create new.”

The target audience of my indie rock magazine is males and females of middle class and below aged between 15-35 of all ethnicities, sexualities and nationalities. This is the same as indie rock genres as my magazines are aimed for indie rock fans so therefore I will need to match the target audience in order to know the right sort of people for my magazine.  I shall also be looking at representation theory and how it supports my points and opinions. 

Top Gear Magazine:

Top Gear magazine is published by immediate media company and was first published in October 1993. Its circulation figure show that 150,884 copies were sold in the second half of 2013. Top Gear magazine is edited by Charlie Turner. It's target audience is mainly men aged from 25-40+ from classes B-E with a secondary audience of men 40+ interested in classic cars.

Imagery:

There is no real main image on Top Gear magazine's contents page, this has been purposefully portrayed via a number of smaller and equally proportioned images that are well spread around the contents page. Because of the many styles of cars and areas within the magazine, by including smaller images they can appeal to everyone reading the magazine in at least one format or another. The presenters of Top Gear are presented down the right side of the contents page with their own small section being equally distributed between the three of them. No props are used nor required as the images of the cars stand out enough already as well as the portraits of the presenters. This links and represents the theory of Sarita Malik who stated in 1998 "whiteness is naturalised and being black is against the norm" as all the presenters are from a white-English ethnicity and the accompanying television show is very English as well. 

Layout:

The layout seems both organised and relaxed at the same time as there is no main image and all the contents appear to be in their own sub-sections. This shows that it aims to appeal to audiences of various classes so by mixing both styles they are successfully able to do this. There seems to be 2 main stories in each section as well as several surrounding articles within these sections. It certainly comes across as a predominately male magazine as all the articles are either about cars or men talking about cars. I feel that this challenges the theory of Richard Butsch who states that "working class men are dumb but they mean well" because all the presenters come across as intelligent knowing exactly what they are talking about. 

Colour Pallet:

The main background of Top Gear magazine is black which connotes that the images are used have all been taken in studios as supposed to images taken on the spot or in action. The text colour features a combination of white, black, blue, red and yellow. This mixture gives you an entertaining feel to this magazine. Its mise-en-scene shows you that the colour pallet has been professionally chosen to attract its male target audience in this way otherwise men will not feel that this magazine is appealing to them if this or a similar house style is not used. I feel that this magazine neither supports nor challenges any of the key representation theories.  

Typography:

Top Gear magazine's typography style comes across as professional and classic showing how important a well-educated reader matters to them. It is still slightly laid back so that the reader can approach it without feeling intimidated about trying to read and this is made more approachable working as a visual aid for them.  The text is in a consistent structure making the adult reader more interested as the text is not randomly scattered across the page. This challenges Richard Butsch's theory as its meant to appeal to men and it does appear as an educated magazine rather than a "dumb" one.

Q Magazine: 

Q magazine is published by Bauer media group and was first published in October 1986. Its circulation figures show that 52,781 copies were sold in the second half of 2013. Q magazine is founded by Mark Ellen and David Hepworth. Its target audience are music fans aged between 30-40 of classes C1-E. 

Imagery:

The main image of Q magazine's contents page is of Adele which has been purposefully done as she is an incredibly well known musician who will attract many readers into reading about her. Because of her global success by using her as a main image you a lot more likely to attract more interest rather than enlarging the other image on the page. Adele is shown in the centre of the page which portrays her to be successful and a significant figure within the music industry. No props are used or required in this image considering her global status. This links back to Laura Mulvey's theory that "women are sexual objects of desire" as Adele is used as an appealing figure rather than a male figure in the same light.

Layout:

The layout is very formal as it's contents page is solely structured around its main image. As its target audience are primarily adults, then they must show the ability to be able to have a structure based on their adult audience. Besides it main story, everything is evenly proportioned in an L-shape around the image of Adele. From this, you would feel that this is a unisex magazine however it is slightly swaying towards being a male magazine. I fee that this also back Mulvey's theory as it's layout is based around the main image of Adele.

Colour Pallet:

The main background of Q magazine is white which connotes that the images are used are all studio images and have been modelled in a specific way for the magazine. The text colour features is black and red which connotes a professional house style. This mixture makes you feel sophisticated when approaching this magazine. Its mise-en-scene continues its professional style and makes it feel unique as if you would recognise this outside of its own habitat. I feel that the background supports Malik's theory due to its whiteness. 

Typography:

Q magazine's typography style sticks its professional layout and mise-en-scene which makes a reader fell professional when reading this. It is organised in every possible manner within its imagery, layout, colour pallet and typography. It is written as if it was a letter or a formal piece of writing with a lined schedule of all the articles and their subtitles. This doesn't challenge or support any key representation theory.

Analysing Indie Magazine Covers

Analysing Indie Magazine Covers

In this analysis I shall be analysing three magazine covers from the genre of indie rock. I need to be able to show my audience that my magazine is from the same genre as the professional ones that I shall be analysing throughout this text. The audience needs to recognise products from a similar media language conventions. This means as Bentley stated in 1997 “The creative process is the rearranging of the old to create new.” I shall be analysing every aspect of its codes and conventions. These include media language, masthead, layout, colour pallet, images, typography and lexis. I shall also look at the connotations and denotations.

The target audience of my indie magazine is males and females of middle class and below aged between 15-35 of all ethnicities, sexualitites and nationilties. This is the same as indie rock genres as my magazines are aimed for indie rock fans so therefore I will need to match the target audience in order to know the right sort of people for my magazine.  I shall also be looking at representation theory and how it supports my points and opinions.

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/feb/13/nme-sales-falling-off-charts-music-magazine-circulation

NME magazine is published by IPC media and its first issue was published on the 7^th March 1952. Its circulation figures showed that 18,184 copies were purchased in the second half of the year. NME is edited by Mike Williams.

NME’s target audience is mainly men aged between 17 -30 of classes C1, C2 and D. This mainly indicates that this magazine is mainly aimed at middle class, working class and lower class individuals.

Masthead:

NME’s masthead only takes a very small space up on the top of the front cover. The typography style of this masthead is very bold and has red and black on it. This represents the target audience as indie music has a rebellious side and red and black connote danger and passion, so by having a small red and black title you are therefore highlighting its indie and disruptive meaning but at the same time keeping it small so that you can highlight the main image more. The masthead fits Stanley Halls theory that “ All young people are depressed, criminals and extremeists” because the colour scheme connotes danger.

Layout:

The general layout is quite sophisticated but at the same time has a big main image as well as a bold yellow title. This shows that indie has some level of class but is middle class enough to represent its criminality side to it. The layout only features 1 main image with several sub stories around the outside. In total there is 1 main story as well as 4 sub stories surrounding the outside of the main image. I feel that there is a mainly a unisex feel about this magazine cover, however it feels like it could be slightly swayed towards men rather than women. I feel that this magazines layout would represent the theory of Sarita Malik because it has a white background meaning that all magazines of this genre should have bold white background with black being a secondary colour. This supports Malik’s theory as it isn’t a black background.

Colour Pallet:

The main background of NME magazine is white which connotes that the main image is a studio one rather than an action shot. The text colour features a mixture of Red, Black, Yellow and White. This mixture of colour gives you a feel of an entertaining yet sophisticated magazine. Its mise-en-scene shows you that the colour pallet has been carefully selected so that it says to you that the magazine has actually been thought about rather than producers and editors who don’t care about the magazine. These represent the target audience because Indie magazine readers want to see their style of magazines to have been made with care, rather than throwing some random images and photos together. I feel that this magazines colour pallet would represent the theory of Stanley Hall as in ways all 4 of these colours are associated with being depressed, a criminal or an extremist. Therefore this has been done because all these colours appeal to youth and the magazine is aimed at teenagers and young adults.

Imagery:

The main image on NME magazine is a close up on the Arctic Monkeys. This has been purposefully done because Arctic Monkeys are one of the most popular Indie Rock artists and a have a worldwide fan base. Because of their large fan base, thousands of people will want to read about the band so by placing a larger, close-up image on the front cover of them then more people will be interested about them. The Arctic Monkeys are positioned in such a way which shows their frontman (Alex Turner) at the front of the image. Because he is the one that is most commonly known individually, big fans and admirers of Alex Turner will especially read to find out exclusives about him. If you put the Bass Player (Nick O’Malley) then less people would read this as he is not as popular as Alex Turner. Props have not been used as Arctic Monkeys are already very popular so their popularity doesn’t need increasing. This links to the theory of Sarita Malik as they are very popular but are all white English. The majority of Indie musicians are of this race and they are publicised more within this genre.   

Q Magazine

Masthead:

Q’s masthead is a very bold and takes a large amount of space in the top left corner. Its typography style is also very bold which displays a bold ‘Q’ on a square red background. This represents the target audience as red connotes danger, indie rock has an edgy ethos so by using red as a bold format you are able to highlight its genre simply by backgrounds. The masthead fits Stanley Halls theory that “All young people are depressed, criminals and extremists” as its colour scheme connotes danger.

Layout:

The general layout is very un-sophisticated as it features writing all over the front cover and diagonally across the image. This shows that indie has a ragged style and has ways against mainstream society. The only image on the cover is the main image so at the same time it still shows a level of decorum rather having half a dozen images being scattered around the front cover. I feel that this magazine has a unisex feel about it because the quotes on the front cover have areas which would attract both sexes. I feel that this magazine has representation theory’s which support Laura Mulveys theory that “Woman are only used as sex symbols.” This is because Chris Martin is used and not in a sexual way, whereas if you had someone such as Pixie Lott on the front, then the cover would like completely different. 

Colour Pallet:

The main background of Q magazine is beige which connotes that the main image is in a studio rather a street or set scenery. The text colour features a mixture of White, Black and Red which connotes that it is a British magazine as well as Red and Black connoting danger and that it speaks oud volumes. The mixture of colour gives you a sense of passion and organisation in one magazine cover. Its colour pallet has been specifically chosen to represent both youth culture and indie rocks rebellious side. They represent it target audience because readers want to see colour pallets that will specifically appeal to them because they will realise that the magazine was meant for them. I feel that this supports Stanley Halls theory as this magazine has been purposefully designed for “Criminals, extremists and depressants”.

Imagery:

The main image on Q magazine is a large image is a close up on Chris Martin. This has been primarily done because Coldplay are one of the top artists worldwide. Because of their large fan base, Coldplay will appeal to thousands of fans across the country. Chris Martin is a very well-known figure worldwide with a lot of controversy surrounding his life so fans of his music will want to learn what is behind the man with the music. The 3 other members of Coldplay are not featured on the cover of Q magazine. This is done because the other 3 are not known that well at all and are only associated via the band and Chris Martin. If you put the other 3 members of the band on their own are on the front, the magazine would lose his appeal. Props have not been used because Chris Martin doesn’t need a popularity increase because he is already a world-wide figure. This would be associated with Laura Mulveys theory because Chris Martin is not use as a sexual figure where as a female pop star would be.

Music Magazine Genres

Music Magazine Genres

1   1)      Hip Hop

The target audience of Hip-Hop magazine readers are people aged between 15-35 of both genders from working class to below.

Hip Hop magazines follow the conventions of any magazine in the fact that it contains a masthead, main image, sub image, title and a bar-code. There tends to be a common theme in Hip Hop magazines because they have dark backgrounds which connotes the negativity surrounding what goes on within Hip Hop music.

You would expect most Hip Hop magazines to have a black man on the front cover as the majority of Hip Hop artists tend to be black. Lil Wayne is a prime example of this because he has a lot of tattoos which means he has a rebellious streak around him. Not only that but his tattoos are not pretty but are very dangerous and edgy. This supports Sarita Malik's theory as 'whiteness' is naturalised so to get the edgy effect they are going for, hence 'Lil Wayne' is used in this clip. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Yd4GG3bed0

2)      Drum & Bass

The target audience for Drum and Bass magazines are people aged between 10-35 of both genders from working class and below.

Drum and Bass magazines tend to have a picture of an artist or producing group such as Magnetic Man or Chase & Status. The magazine is very mixed race in the fact that there is no typical race associated with Drum & Bass music. This follows common conventions in the fact that it has a main image and a masthead.

This magazine highlights the seriousness of Drum & Bass and how people do take this seriously despite it being a laid back and that it is not seen as a serious musical genre. This supports the theory of Stanley Hall who states "all young people are depressed, criminals and extremists" as you can tell that these men are extremely passionate about their music and their careers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPRkYWVinF0

3)      Indie

The target audience for Indie Rock magazines are people aged between 12-45 of both genders from all classes.

Indie Rock magazines tend to have a well-produced studio image of a indie rock band such as the Arctic Monkeys. The magazine tends to have stereotypical English indie rock artists like The Wombats and Mumford and Sons. The image on the front of NME tends to follow a continuous pattern of artists that are carefree.

This also follows Hall's theory as they appear to be characters of a criminal mindset what would take drugs and drink and would follow all young adults' stereotypes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma9I9VBKPiw

4    Pop

The target audience for Indie Rock magazines are primarily girls aged between 13-32 from working class and below.

Pop magazines tend to talk about and have an image of a boy band or popular female singer on their front cover. This is done because women find boy bands attractive and female artists inspirational. Therefore if girls see something they find inspirational or attractive they will want to read it. They also talk about free offers, concerts and exclusive news about pop artists.

This challenges the theory of Laura Mulvey who claims that "women are sexualised objects of desire" as men are being used in this sense so therefore it is not just women who are used as "objects of desire".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WUm0dN3Drs

 5)     Dance

The target audience for Dance magazines are for people of both genders aged between 13-30 from working class and below.

Dance magazines often show DJ’s and artists that tend to be associated with this. People who are interested in dance music will want to see artists on the front of magazines and listeners don’t tend to know much about artists and solely know them through their music. It gives dance listeners the opportunity to learn more behind where the music came from.

This supports the theory of Malik as Calvin Harris is white which makes him look "naturalised" on the front of this magazine as supposed to using a coloured person on this magazine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ACl8s_tBzE

6)       Jazz

The target audience for Jazz magazines are for people of both genders aged between 30-65 from working class and above.

Jazz magazines tend to contain a jazz artist in action such as Frank Zappa and Jimi Hendrix. They also talk about a lot of other artists on the side of the main image which tend to be associated with jazz magazines. Examples of this are shown below as the magazine cover is really built around the image of Hendrix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR3K5uB-wMA

As you can see, Jimi Hendrix is famous for leading an unorthodox lifestyle so Malik's theory is supported here as he does not appear natural and because he is black, this is highlighted on this magazine.






My Genre Decision:

I have decided to make my magazine genre one of Indie Rock as I feel I can relate to this genre stronger than any other genre and it is also one that I am hugely interested in.

My College Magazine Contents Page

My magazine contents page uses real media products as it follows stereotypical conventions of a real magazine contents page. This is shown by its images, article layout and page direction. This therefore would use real magazine layout which would therefore connote that its contents page was produced by a professional publishing company.

My contents page develops conventions of real media products as it uses image layout in a similar concept to other media magazines such as FourFourTwo. This can be developed by categorising my magazine into certain sub-sections that are related with other articles within the magazine. This would help certain readers who only want to read specific sections of my magazine.

My contents page challenges forms and conventions of real media products as it contains large scale images which help give the reader little previews as soon as you open the cover. This therefore would challenge other magazines because if you were to see this contents page compared to one that looks more like a published shopping list, then you would get the immediate impression that this magazine has been specifically made in the way it has to keep you interested after the front cover. All readers want to be constantly interested so I felt that a visual contents page was a good way to enforce this ethos.  

My contents page represents the social groups of college students as its layout is meant to appeal to them rather than a middle-aged upper class adult. I have done this because my target audience are students aged between 11-18 so it is vital my contents page is blatantly intended to be designed for them.  Readers look for magazines that have been specifically designed for people of their age and social class so by doing this within my contents page then readers will realise that this is aimed at college students. 

The institution of colleges and local newsagents would stock my magazine based on its contents page. Based on the fact that my magazine is aimed at college students and their local communities, I feel that my magazine could not be massed produced all across the country but can be modified to suit a wide variety of other colleges. This would make local newsagents and communities happy as it makes it appeal more to them that only local retailers are stocking my magazine. This would make communities embrace its local people as they will have more relatable subjects to talk about with them.

My contents page represents my target audience of college students aged between 11-18 as the articles and images on the contents page are relatable to my target audience. I have purposefully done this because my target audience want to see articles that would interest them and fulfil their expectations and requirements. Students want to know what is going on within their local college so by featuring the key articles on my contents page, I am therefore attracting my audience even if they are nowhere near the article they are particularly interested in. By only featuring certain articles I am also leaving an element of surprise and suspense with the articles that I have left out.

My contents page attracts my target audience as I have used a mixture of text and images to publicise my key articles. I have done this to give my audience more of a visual snippet to some of my articles and to show the style of articles my magazines contain purely by imagery. Audiences like to be able to visualise what their reading rather than staring at words so I feel that I have successfully achieved that in my contents page. 

From the process of this construction, I have acquired a higher level of knowledge when it comes to marketing and producing contents pages. I have also gained a better understanding on layout and stereotypical features within contents pages. By learning these elements I will be able to add more variety when it comes to producing more contents pages for magazines in the future.

My College Magazine Cover

My magazine front cover uses real media products as it has a very similar layout to a real magazine front cover. This is shown by its masthead, main image and by its layout. This therefore would use real magazine layout and would connote that it is a properly retailed magazine.

My front cover develops conventions of real media products as the Bodmin College logo is used to promote that it is a Bodmin College branded product. This can be developed as if I add more Bodmin College branded products onto my magazine cover then I am therefore able to broaden the size of the Bodmin College branding and attract a wider audience of people who are fans of other various College branded products.

My front cover challenges forms and conventions of real media products as it has a broad and direct front cover. This would therefore challenge other magazines as if you saw this magazine front cover compared to a laid back relaxed front cover then you would feel intimidated and attracted to my front cover. It is also contributed by the fact that the main title has both a bold font and a sharp outline on it. Everyone looks for a bold title and if this magazine did not have one then its appeal would be completely different.

My media product represents the social groups of college students as it shows what is happening with college students in terms of their activities and lifestyle choices. This has been done because my target audience is college students aged between 11-18 so they will want to know what people of their age are doing and may see this magazine as either influential or a guideline about teenage fashion. Everyone compares themselves to people on the front of magazine covers so it is important to represent the target audience with relatable people on the front cover.

The institution of colleges and small shop retailers would stock my magazine based on its front cover. This would be apparent as the magazine is aimed at college students so people would only distribute this magazine if they were actually colleges or local retailers to the colleges, as people within communities are also interested in what is happening at their local colleges. They keep communities excited and interested about their local college, otherwise they will grasp a stereotypical negative perception upon teenage youths.

My media product represents my target audience of college students between the ages of 11-18 as the articles on the front of the magazine are relatable for college students. This has been done as the target audience want to see articles and stories that they relate to so by talking about the latest student boy band as well as the latest construction works going on around the students. Students will therefore be able to get to know the students from the boy band better and learn more about the construction works.

My media product addresses my target audience as I’ve used punchy and broad articles and photos.  This has been done because if your magazine has no appeal then no one will want to either reader it nor buy it. Therefore by making my front cover look attractive and appealing it will give readers the impression that I have made an effort to appeal to them and also that it will be equally as impressive on the inside as it is on the outside.

From the process of this construction, I have gained a slightly broader knowledge in regards to magazine layout and expectations. I have also learnt how to appeal to a variety of target audiences after doing different magazines at GCSE level. By learning these key elements, I am now able to add more ability of knowledge to my front cover. I am also able to appeal to a wider range of audiences, classes and social groups.

Flat Plans College Mag

Original Images

This photo has good lighting and it captures the scene perfectly. I should have concentrated more on taking this image as I only took it too warm the camera up. I feel that the image is slightly slanted to the left and if I were to retake the image i would work on contrast between the people and buildings.

In this image of Corey I feel that I didn't plan or focus enough on this image. If I was to re-attempt this image I would look at contrasts more and pick a better pose.

Surprisingly, this image came out a lot better than first anticipated. It was taken as Corey was emerging from behind the shed, this came out very clear with an interesting urban background. I feel that this was a successful image.

This image is the front cover of my magazine. I feel that the image was well laid out with the contrast between light and the shadows. However I am not a big fan of having bike sheds in the background layout. I feel that it may ruin the potential of it being a fantastic image.

I feel that this image has a great pose and layout. However, it is incredibly blurry and out of focus. If I put more planning into the image then i would have had a better understanding about how I would have wanted the image to look like. I also feel that there was not a good level of lighting which should be considered in future images.

Like the image above, this is out of focus and has poor lighting. The only positive I can take from this image is that it portrays a certain variety in poses. I would also change the zoom in this image so that they are not all the same size and positioning. 

Planning My Photoshoot

Equipment List:

Camera- Canon 600D
Tripod- HammerStar 61
Subject/s
SanDisk SD 8GB Memory Card
Mini-Master Studio Strobe K150A
Black Background

We started shooting around the outside of the drama building. We were able to use a brick-wall background to take some images which gave us a good idea regarding layout and organisation. We then went to the steps by the bus-bay, we took a lot of photos of each other laughing whilst on the steps. The lighting was very good here and we were able to consider using a number of images from this particular venue. We next started to walk down green lane where we took some moving shots. We had very good lighting however, some of the images were blurry due to the movement. We then went to the green shed just behind the harleigh building. I took a few photos of my group with them all holding traffic cones that we found whilst on our travels. I managed to get some great images there and one of these in particular I used for for my front cover.

A week later, we were able to have a short period of time in the studio in pairs. I was able to take some portrait images of Corey which I was able to use for my contents page.