OCR Media Studies – AS Level

Unit G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media

Preliminary Task, Log Book and Evaluation

Name: Joseph GibbsCandidate Number: 6409Center Name: St. Paul’s Catholic CollegeCenter Number: 64770

Set Brief - Print

Music Magazine – Production

Preliminary Task Progression, Log Book and Evaluation

Preliminary Task Brainstorming

Preliminary Task - Ideas

Name:- Must include the

school name – St. Paul’s.

- Target audience is students so must appeal to 11-18 year olds.

- Will include current school news.

Ideas:- St. Paul’s Today- St. Paul’s Now

Content of the magazine:- Puff- Interviews with teachers and A* students- Revision tips- Exam results – focusing on success- School news

Must include on the front cover:- Masthead- Strapline – present

a USP, e.g. ‘best source for St Paul’s news’

- Headline – use language devices, e.g. alliteration

- Medium close-up image of a student, related to the headline

- Convergence- Barcode, price, date

and issue number- Cover lines

• I decided on the name the magazine ‘St. Paul’s Today’ because I felt it was more appropriate for what the magazine would cover – recent school news and information. The verbal code connotes that the information is up-to-date (‘Today’) and therefore that the magazine is reliable as the name of the school is endorsed in the masthead.

• In my preliminary task front cover (see next slide), I presented the masthead in a bold, colourful way so that it stands out on the page.

Preliminary Task Brainstorming

Preliminary Task Progression– EvidenceFront CoverStep-by-step

1

I began with a blank canvas, with the dimensions 21 cm by 29 cm, which is the size of an A4 page. I used the ruler tool to create gridlines to help with aligning certain codes and conventions on my cover.

2

I used the colours of the school for two banners at the top, which I created using the ‘shape tool’ (U). I duplicated the logo using Cmd + J and placed it in each corner with the help of the light blue gridlines (Cmd + R).

3

I used the ‘text tool’ (T) to produce my masthead.

I used the font ‘Abadi MT Condensed Extra Bold’ to create a headline that stood out on my front cover. After that, I added the headline and sub-headline in the font Fragment Core, which I downloaded from dafont.com. I used this font because it looks professional and was therefore suitable for my magazines ambitions of providing informative coverage of day-to-day life at St. Paul’s.

4

Preliminary Task Progression– EvidenceFront CoverStep-by-step

Preliminary Task Progression– EvidenceFront CoverStep-by-step

5

The next step was to add the website near the top as a form of convergence, as well as the barcode, issue number, price and date. Once this was done, I added social networking links to involve the reader and encourage viral marketing, which will in turn appeal to my target audience of 11-18 year olds.

6

I then used the text tool to create the strapline and the cover lines for the bottom banner. I used this language in my strapline because it will present a USP (unique selling point) to the audience.

7

I added in the main image and edited out the background using the quick selection tool, before adding drop shadows and outer glows to the text so it stands out on the page. I also added a puff appropriate to the target audience using the shape and text tools.

8

Finally, I added the cover lines to the left of my main image. I used the pen tool in order to make sure the text is aligned with the image perfectly, with no overlap. I made sure these were appropriate to the target audience and therefore they were appropriate to what students would like to know from their school.

Preliminary Task Progression– EvidenceFront CoverStep-by-step

Preliminary Task Progression– EvidenceFront Cover

Completed coverTo the left is my completed front cover, after taking into account my feedback from my teacher.

This feedback suggested that I change the colour of the drop shadow for the convergence next to the barcode, in order for it to stand out on the page.

Furthermore, I added a smaller copy of the masthead above the barcode using Cmd + J on my keyboard so it can ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) another convention of a typical magazine.

1

I started off my contents page by creating a new canvas that was the same size as that of the front cover. I then duplicated certain conventions over from the Front Cover such as the logo and the masthead so they are ‘repeated’ (Steve Neale) throughout my magazine.

2

I then added text in the form of the title for the page as well as convergence for the top and bottom banners. I used the same font for these as I had on the front cover – Fragment Core – in order to create a brand identity for the magazine.

Preliminary Task Progression– EvidenceContents PageStep-by-step

Preliminary Task Progression– EvidenceContents PageStep-by-step

3

Next, I typed up the editorial, relevant to my target audience, on a Word document (in order to check spelling and grammar) and pasted it in over a square made using the shape tool. Yet again, I used the pen tool to align the text at the bottom with my image. I then added contact details, a picture of myself (cropped using the elliptical marquee tool) and my signature which was scanned in.

4

I then added the subtitles for the cover lines on the page, using the same colour scheme and font plus the school logo to fit the topic of my magazine.

Preliminary Task Progression– EvidenceContents PageStep-by-step

5

The next step was to add the text for my cover lines. I typed the title of each page as well as a sub-line giving a small description of each story. I also added the relevant page number.

6

Finally, I added the original images to my contents page as well as their respective page numbers in order to anchor the text. I used the marquee tool in order to crop the images to the appropriate size.

Preliminary Task Progression– EvidenceContents Page

Completed coverTo the left is my completed contents page, after taking into account my feedback from my teacher.

This feedback suggested that I changed the pictures around slightly so I don’t include the same image as that of my front cover, so I repositioned and changed my images.

Additionally, I made changes to the layout of the sublines and page titles to better suit the contents page and the new layout of the images.

Section 1) – Log Book

Established Magazine for my ResearchBold masthead with only two colours connotes that the magazine is targeted at adults

Headline with bold font to stand out to the reader.

Main image which denotes “star appeal” (Richard Dyer)

Cover lines

Barcode, date, issue number and price

Names of artists convey “star appeal” and denote that the magazine is for the indie/rock genres

Target Audience – Katz, Maslow, Hartley and/or socio-economic needs

The target audience for Q magazine can be denoted as males, aged 15-30 (Hartley’s seven subjectivities). They could be seen as ‘explorers’ (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) because of the ‘comprehensive reviews’ in every issue, recommending new music to the readers. This would also ‘inform and educate’ (Katz) the readers on new music.

The graph below denotes that the majority of the readers of Q Magazine are males aged 15-24. Furthermore, 70% of the readers are ABC1 in the socio-economic needs scale, as denoted to the right. This connotes that the readers of Q Magazine are intelligent and higher earners than those who read Top of the Pops magazine (see slide 15).

What is the USP of this magazine?From the research completed into this media product, I think the USP is the fact that the magazine is there to ‘inform and educate’ (Katz) on brand new music. This will entice the reader into buying the magazine as it will give in-depth reviews to songs and albums which many music magazines, such as Top of the Pops don’t actually offer. For example, the review denoted in the picture to the right is incredibly in-depth, presents ‘star appeal’ (Richard Dyer) as Coldplay are a successful band, and it gives a star rating and certain tracks to download which will attract a pass-along audience.

Publisher research

Sources:http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines/detail/Qhttp://www.bauermedia.co.uk/brands/q

• Q Magazine is published by Bauer Media, whose website states that the majority of readers of the magazine are in the 15-24 age group and are males. Therefore, this is the target audience.

• The website denotes that “Q’s audience is younger and more affluent than any other music monthly”, connoting that the magazine appeals to its target audience well, making it “the UK’s number one actively-purchased music magazine”.

• The readership figure for 2012 was 377,000, with the circulation between January and June 2013 being 58,980.

Hyperbole to entice the target audience in

Examples of features in each magazine

Music Magazine – Genre research• Music magazines are magazines which

are dedicated solely to a particular genre of music, e.g. pop music, which I will be creating my magazine on.

• Current pop music magazines include Top of the Pops and We Love Pop, as well as American publication Billboard and the now defunct Smash Hits.

• Typically, pop music magazines are aimed at a younger audience, and this is indicated through the use of bright colours.

• Other music magazines include NME, Q and Kerrang.

• All pop music magazines present a form of ‘star appeal’ to the reader, in which a current and successful pop act is featured on the front cover to appeal to the target audience of young people.

Conventions of a Pop-Music MagazineBright, colourful masthead which connotes happiness and will stand out against the background.

Headline with bold font to stand out to the reader.

Main image which denotes “star appeal” (Richard Dyer)

Cover line

Strapline with superlatives (“biggest” and “best”) to grab the reader’s attention.

Barcode, date, issue number and price

Names of artists convey “star appeal” and denote that the magazine is for the pop genre

Target Audience – Katz, Maslow, Hartley and/or socio-economic needs

The target audience for Top of the Pops magazine can be denoted as girls aged 12-18 (Hartley), who would be ‘survivors’ (Maslow), wanting the security of knowing about their favourite artists rather than ‘exploring’ new ones. In addition, ‘TOTP’ readers could also be denoted as being able to have a ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) with the artist or band presented in each issue, wanting to be like them and forming a close bond through the ‘star appeal’ on the front cover and relevant article.

The graph below denotes that the majority of the readers are skilled manual workers, semi or unskilled workers, or unemployed people and students, which fits in with the target audience of 11-15 year old girls, who would fit into the E category of the socio-economic needs scale, a clear contrast from Q Magazine..

Source http://www.mediauk.com/magazines/36265/top-of-the-pops/readership-figures

What is the USP of this magazine? I think the USP is the use of the non-verbal code of colour on the front cover of the magazine. Bright, contrasting colours connote happiness and a vibrant feel to the magazine, making it stand out on the page. Furthermore, the free gifts or incentives are a USP for ‘TOTP’ magazine, as they offer something other pop music magazines do not have and therefore entice the target audience with something extra, for no extra money, such as a lipstick.

Publisher research

Notes1 http://meganmediablog.wordpress.com/2012/11/13/top-of-the-pops-target-audience-research/2 http://www.mediauk.com/magazines/36265/top-of-the-pops/readership-figures

• Top of the Pops Magazine is published by Immediate Media Company, and on their website, the average age of readers, and therefore the target audience, is 12 years old. Furthermore, my research showed that the target audience of the magazine in terms of gender (Hartley’s seven subjectivities) is girls. Despite that, 15% of the readers are boys.1

• In terms of socio-economic needs, the readers of Top of the Pops magazine are generally in the C2-E categories.2

• The circulation figure for ‘TOTP’ magazine is 98,030, and the readership figure is 298,000. 2

• In June 2012, it was shown that 161,000 adults had read the magazine, despite the target audience being 11-15 year old girls.

• The reason I chose to make a pop music magazine for my coursework was because it’s a genre I feel confident talking about, and is suited to my own musical tastes, meaning I could talk more in depth and be more enthusiastic about the task.

• This is why I am choosing to repeat certain conventions from ‘Top of the Pops’ instead of ‘Q’, because it is more relevant to the genre I have chosen to create a magazine for.

Genre research

Questionnaire and Survey Monkey Evidence

Questionnaire Survey Monkeyhttp://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GFDGHKD

Questionnaire Results

Questionnaire Results

Questionnaire Results – Analysis• In my results, I asked 7 male and 3 female people, which is not entirely representative of

my genre which typically appeals to young girls, but will give a wide range of responses.• Most participants are aged between 16 and 30, meaning that they fit my target audience,

however there is a small selection of people that are either under 16 or over 30.• Pop music was given by 4 people as their favourite genre of music, a higher proportion

than any other genre, meaning it will have a wider appeal across many people.• Half the participants said they would prefer to buy the magazine once a month, so I need

to take this into consideration when planning my magazine in order to appeal to a casual audience. Half also said £2 - £2.99 for the price range, and I need to consider this also.

• Music reviews came up as the most interesting part of a music magazine, with competitions being the least interesting, so I need to focus on each convention appropriately – I should not give too much focus towards competitions as they are not as interesting for a causal reader.

• ‘Star appeal’ (Richard Dyer) came up as the most interesting part of a front cover for a music magazine, so it is important that I include a well-known artist to use for my front cover.

Survey Monkey Results

The results of the first question here contradict what I expected for pop music fans. Typically, pop music magazines are aimed at girls, but out of the 10 pop music fans I asked, 7 were male, so I could consider aiming it at both genders. The age question, however, did fit my expectations, with 100% of people being in the 16-30 age category.

Survey Monkey Results

The most important convention for my front cover going by these results is ‘star appeal’ in the main image, so I must make sure I include an appropriate image of a star in my own music magazine. Posters were the most popular free gift for my target audience so that would be an important convention to include in my magazine on the front cover and/or contents page.

Survey Monkey Results

News and gossip emerged as the most interesting aspect of a music magazine, so that will be an important thing to focus my magazine on. Competitions were the least interesting, so less focus will be spent on that aspect, but it will still be included as it’s an important convention of other magazines in my genre.

Survey Monkey Results

‘Once a month’ is the most common answer for how often my target audience would buy a magazine, so therefore that’s how often my own music magazine will be released, in order to appeal to the genre. £2-£2.99 is the ideal price going by my Survey Monkey, and is good in terms of competition also, as it will be cheaper than many other magazines in this genre, e.g. Top of the Pops charging £3.50 for a Justin Bieber special issue.

Survey Monkey Results

Every person who answered my Survey Monkey agreed that there should be recommendations for new music in a pop magazine, so that’s a feature that I should definitely include in my own magazine. The majority also said that there should be a letter from the editor, so that will feature on my contents page.

How did my questionnaire and Survey Monkey help me?

• Firstly, it helped me decide my target audience. I aimed my survey at pop music fans and got a higher proportion of males answering, therefore proving that there is an interest amongst males when I had initially thought of aiming my magazine at females only. However, it did show me that 16-30 is the optimum age group for pop music magazines, as I had initially thought.

• The mode price for the magazine as found out in my questionnaire and survey was £2 - £2.99; therefore this tells me that the price I include on the front cover should be within this range in order to appeal to my target audience.

• The majority of people in my survey agreed that there should be an editorial on the contents page, so this convention will be included in my own Pop magazine.

• My questionnaire showed that most people would be interested in music reviews, so this could be a convention to include in my contents so it appeals to both my target audience and a pass-along audience just perusing through the magazine.

• Finally, the overwhelming response in the survey for what is most important and expected on a front cover was some form of ‘star appeal’ (Richard Dyer), therefore it is very important that I ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) this on my own front cover to appeal to my front cover.

Brainstorming

Main Task - Ideas

Masthead must:- Be related to my

music genre – pop

- Reflect the content of the magazine.

- Be appropriate to my target audience.

Name ideas:- Rhythm – relevant

to music but not genre or target audience specific. Doesn’t connote pop music specifically.

- POP! – direct and straight to the point, but is very similar to another non-music related magazine called ‘Pop’.

- Pop Now – current and appropriate to the target audience.

Story ideas:- Recent song and album reviews

- Singles: P!nk, Tom Odell, JLS, Little Mix- Albums: One Direction, Lady Gaga

- Chart news – interview with #1 band OneRepublic- Interview with Ellie Goulding – cover story- Competition – win tickets to One Direction’s stadium tour- New music

Brainstorming

• I eventually decided on the name Pop Today, which, despite being similar to my preliminary task title, is suitable for this also because it connotes that the magazine has all the recent gossip and exclusives, which is appropriate for what would suit my target audience.