What I have learnt by completing the preliminary activity...

By completing the preliminary activity I have learnt how to use fireworks correctly by using guidelines and grids to help plan my work and then by adding and re-sizing photographs by holding down the shift key so it does not narrow or squash the photograph. I have come up with a range of names for my music magazine that I think are catchy and I have created a variety of mastheads and have chosen my favourite one which I think is the most professional. I have also learnt how to build upon my original ideas to improve them, by stating the good and bad points of each convention and then developing each draft. I have got more familiar with media terminology and their meanings, so I can use these key terms in my work to show my understanding. For example; media form is the type of media a text is using to communicate and media language is the photos, camera angles, costumes, form, conventions, genre style, tone and content of the media product. I am now able to identify a magazine's target market and explain what conventions a magazine has which appeals to this audience through research and looking at existing magazines (e.g. 'Q' and 'NME'). I have also improved my photography skills  and organisation skills by planning and carrying out a photo shoot which allowed me to experiment with different shots, angles, locations and lighting, this is an important skill which I will use throughout my media work. 

Contents pages with grids and guidelines

The grids and guidelines helped me to layout my contents page to make it look organised, the guidelines helped me position the columns and photos and the grid helped me to place the text onto the page so it was inline and to ensure it wasn't overlapped by other text or underneath images so it cannot be seen clearly.  

Contents page 2

For this contents page I have followed the first plan layout, with the main photo being of 'Monochrome' as the girl duo is my main feature/article in the magazine. Then I have added two smaller images down the right hand side of someone doing their homework and a photograph of the school library, the numbers correspond to the photos and to the pages of the magazine. There is a red banner which contains the pull quote so it stands out more to the reader, the actual quote is in a larger bolder font than 'says the girls of Monochrome' so the reader is more drawn to it. The page has the heading of 'Contents'and it has the outer bevel effect which has a white outline around the red and black letters which emphasizes the word, this makes it clear to the reader so they know what the page shows. Column 1 contains 'Features' which are the main headlines and the page numbers are in large red font to portray their importance. Underneath the headlines there is smaller red font which are the straplines/subtitles which gives the reader a bit more information of what is included in that particular feature. Also in column 1 there is 'Every Week' which tells the reader what will be included in the magazine in every issue, the page numbers are in black font and are still bold however they are not in red because they are not as important as the main features. In column 2 there is a 'News' section which informs the reader of the main news topics. The month and year of the magazine issue is placed in the bottom left hand corner so it can be seen clearly so the reader knows how up to date the magazine is. 

Contents Page

For this contents page I have followed the second plan layout, with the main photo being of 'Monochrome' as the girl duo is my main feature/article in the magazine. Then I have added two smaller images down the right hand side of someone doing their homework and someone at school out in the quad carrying out a science experiment, the numbers correspond to the photos and to the pages of the magazine. There is a circular starburst which contains the pull quote so it stands out more to the reader. The page has the heading of 'Contents' and it has the outer bevel effect to emphasize the word, this makes it clear to the reader so they know what the page shows. There is also a stroke underneath 'Contents' which underlines it and separates it from the rest of the page. Column 1 contains 'Features' which are the main headlines and the page numbers are in large red font to portray their importance. Underneath the headlines there is smaller red font which are the straplines/subtitles which gives the reader a bit more information of what is included in that particular feature. In column 2 there is 'News' which tells the reader the main topics of Plantsbrook School news, the page numbers are a little smaller and in black, as well as the 'Every week' section at the bottom of column 2 which tells the reader what is included in the magazine every time. 

Contents page plan 2

Contents page plan 1

Key Media Terms

Media text 
Any text or message used in the media production (a specific media product). For example through adverts, newspapers (The Sun), magazines (Vogue), and music videos.
Media form
The type of media a text is using to communicate, for instance: The Sun is a newspaper, Hello is a magazine.
Media language 
Is the words and sentences in specific sequences to give a certain meaning. These act as codes in visual, written or audio media, for example; on the radio (capital FM), on the television (adverts like compare the market.com), and in magazines (Cosmopolitan, Elle, Kerrang!).
Media institutions
Are organizations that gather and create media for advertising, entertainment or distributing information and then selling it with different perceptions of people (e.g. Rihanna, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Coldplay).
Media audience
Is the target market who watches, reads or listens to different types of media. Before creating media, companies research whether their idea will catch the interest of their supposed market (e.g. by using questionnaires and focus groups) and mainly focus on age, gender, race and location.
Media representation
Is understanding everyone's individual interpretations. For example; a photo in a magazine - the image may reflect a certain appearance or personality that everyone can see or it may have a deeper, more personal meaning to each individual. Also in films media representation can be used to portray a character either positively or negatively to a large mass of viewers by make up, lighting and the type of music used.
Denotation 
Is deconstructing the media, it's describing what can literally be seen, e.g. a monkey swinging from a branch in a forest.
Connotation
Is the association with the media by giving it meaning e.g. the monkey was cheeky.
Serif style font
A font using hooks, brackets, feet traditional, conservative, formal e.g. Times New Roman.
Sans-serif font
A font that does not use hooks, brackets, feet traditional. It's more contemporary, informal and youthful e.g. Arial.
Media conventions
Are all the characteristics or ingredients put into the media e.g. Magazine - masthead, photo, strap line. Conventions allow the audience to identify the genre e.g. soap opera - houses, cafe, pub.

Conventions of a contents page

Columns 

There are normally two or three columns on a contents page, this keeps the layout looking organised and structured so it's easy to read and follow.

Page numbers

Are numbers put next to the headlines on the contents page, they are usually non chronological, this makes it a lot easier to find a specific page quickly.

House style 

This means keeping the colour scheme the same throughout the whole magazine, which enables the reader to make connections and links between each page and it makes the magazine look more professional. 

Headlines

To show the reader what the titles are for specific pages, this gives the reader an insight into what the article/feature is about and will catch their interest. 

Images

The smaller photographs on the contents page make it more interesting and eye catching so the reader is drawn to particular articles/features within the magazine.

Subscriptions 

Sometimes are featured on a contents page so the reader is informed that they can receive the magazine each week.

Font emphasis

The font can be varied to add emphasis, this can be done by; making the font italic, bold, changing the style, colour or the size. This will make the text stand out more to the reader and draw particular attention to the information. 

Editors letter

Is a message from the editor of the magazine, it makes the contents page more personal to the reader.

Page heading 

Every contents page has the heading 'Contents' at the top where the reader can see it and it's normally bold and the largest text on the page.

Final front cover for school magazine

This is my final front cover, I have edited the photograph so the colours are enhanced to make it look more professional. Outer bevel has been used on the main headline, the text is white with a black outline which matches the house style and colours which gives it prominence. The strapline 'monochrome' doesn't have the outer bevel effect as the main headline should stand out the most. The bar code has been kept in the same position as it looks best in the bottom left hand side so it doesn't look cluttered. The slogan 'music never dies' has been moved so it's beneath the masthead so it is noticeable, and the text inside starbust/pug has been changed from 'first issue' to 'new' as I think one short word creates more of an impact. The smaller headlines and pull quote have been moved from the centre to the right hand side which is where headlines are more commonly placed, and they are the wall of the backdrop rather than the people which makes it a lot more clearer to read. The masthead and banner have been kept in the same position throughout the improvements.

Music magazine front cover - Idea 3

This is my third draft for the magazine front cover, I think this backdrop of the graffiti alleyway wall looks best because the text stands out more as its a simple but an effective background. I have kept the headline and strapline white with the outer bevel outline. However the smaller headlines are overlapping the photo which means that they cannot be read very clearly, there needs to be more space. Also the slogan 'music never dies' isn't in a good position in the top right hand corner because it's quite obscure and the reader won't be drawn to it.

Music magazine front cover- Idea 2

This is my second draft for the magazine front cover,  I have made some improvements by making the strapline 'monochrome' slightly smaller in size. I have used outer bevel on the headline and strapline which I think adds more emphasis and I prefer the text being in white rather than red, but the outline colour around the letters works well. However the masthead isn't as clear because the red 'PB' doesn't stand out from the backdrop (brick wall) and the masthead is the most important convention as it represents the whole magazine therefore it must be seen. Plus the photograph isn't a close up or medium close up so their faces cannot be seen in detail which may not engage the reader as much.

Music magazine front cover - Idea 1

This is my first draft of my magazine cover, it includes all of the conventions; the headline is very clear and bold and all of the text can be read easily. However I think that the masthead, slogan, pug and headlines are too close together which make it look crowded. Plus the main headline 'Upcoming school stars' looks the same size as 'monochrome' which is the strapline.

Photoshoot

These are potential photographs to use for my front cover. I went to different locations and used a range of backdrops including; a brick wall, greenery, a red shed, church doors and graffiti alleyway walls. The backgrounds had to be simple so when I add text over the top of the photo, it can be read clearly.
 
The costumes were kept the same throughout the photo shoot, both girls wore leather jackets to give the impression of a girl band/duo.

Different angles were used when taking the photos, from directly in front, or from the right hand side however at all times their eyes are looking at the camera which engages the audience with eye contact.

My favourite backdrop was the graffiti in the alleyway because it gives the photo a urban, modern, edgy look which will appeal more to my target audience. Also a close up (CU) or a medium close up (MCU) will be best to use on the front cover as it exaggerates facial expressions which conveys emotions therefore the reader will be drawn into the photo.

Rough draft for front cover and planning a photoshoot

This is my music magazine front cover draft without a photograph, it shows the layout of the text. It includes my chosen masthead of 'PB unplugged' which is simple and it's in the largest font to represent the magazine. There are two types of  font used in my masthead,  'PB' is in red and uses century schoolbook font which is sans-serif style text and 'unplugged' is in black and uses harlow solid italic font which is serif style text. Underneath my masthead there is a slogan that says 'music never dies' which is short and catchy and supports the idea of the magazine being about music. There is a pug/starburst which is a black circular shape, inside it reads 'NEW' in white trajan pro text, the bold shape draws attention to the text and emphasizes this information and intrigues the reader. There are two straight black lines which act as strokes to separate the headlines so it doesn't look overcrowded, the strokes make the information look more organised and clearer to read. A pull quote is also included, 'it's our time' which is in bold acts as a lure, this will stand out and capture the audience's attention to interest them in reading the rest of the article or feature in the magazine. The main headline is 'Upcoming school stars' which is in copperplate gothic bold font, it's the second largest text on the front cover and gives the reader an insight into what the magazines main topic will be about. Underneath the headline is a strapline, 'monochrome' which allows the reader to discover a small amount of information before reading the full article or feature, in this case it's the name of the upcoming girl duo. There is a bar code which makes the magazine look more professional and adds to the appearance. Finally there is a banner at the bottom, which is black with white copperplate gothic bold font, it says 'exclusive interview inside >>>' which again captures the readers attention and urges them to read on. 

I have organised a photoshoot to take place on Tuesday 1st of October 2013 at 3pm, I have asked my friends Kathryn Powell and Josie Wood to be involved and they will feature on my front cover and contents page. I will use a range of locations including my garden, by the church, and an alleyway near by. Kathryn and Josie will act as a girl duo called 'Monochrome' and they will wear a matching item of clothing.