A2!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel my AS media exam went okay! I was so glad that we got gender :) I probably could have planned my time better because i was a bit rushed at the end of the exam. I also found the music industry essay went well because we had done a practise question that was similar to the question we got in the exam. I am also really proud of my coursework for AS! I love the finished items because i think they look professional and appealing. I found it interesting to see how my skills (using the tools i had) had progressed from the pre-liminary task.

Final contents page!

I have finished my contents page :) i really like the design of this and so do my class mates. i like the way the images are in the background but they still catch your eye.
the only thing i found hard about making this contents page was making sure you can see enough of the pictures so it is clear what it is.

contents page mock ups

I decided I needed to create some mock ups for my contents page because they really helped me with the design and codes and conventions of my front cover and double page spread. I asked several people that fit into my target audience (including my family and classmates) what they think of each one and which one they think should be the layout for my contents page.

I decided to go with the first design shown here. I think this is the most effective and unique layout and it will make my target audience want to read on to find out what all the pictures (as the background) are about.

Second contents page analysis

This is my second annotation of a contents page. I find this page a bit boring because i think there is too much text on it and not enough colour. this has helped me to decide that i dont want alot of text on my contents page becuase it could stop my target audience from reading it. I also thought it was bad that one of the band members isnt looking at the camera when all the other are; it makes him look like he is not really a part of the band.

Contents page analysis

I decided to analyse a contents page from an existing music magazine to help me understand the codes and conventions of a contents page. I think this contents page is really effective and unique because even though there is not much colour used on the page, the colours that are used are bold and bright so they catch the readers eye. I also like the way the images are all different sizes because it doesn't make it symmetrical. However i think the layout of this magazine could be improved by putting the page numbers in order; this will make it look more organised.

Final Double Page Spread!

I am really pleased with my double page spread :) I particularly like the main image on the left because I think it draws the readers attention to the page because the image is so unique and different. I chose to keep the sky as the background because I wanted a simple background but not white. It was difficult to make the sky merge onto the next page but I found a good way to do it on the software I used to edit my pictures which was Photoshop; i manipulated the background by creating clouds with the air brush tool.

I decided to delete the music note after the heading of this page because I think it made it look a bit 'childish'. I also chose to put pink dots around the images and around the quote to make them stand out more and also it makes the page look a bit more feminine because this interview is all about a female.

I thought about using the main image of this page for the main image on my front cover because I really like it; however I then decided not to because it fits in with the interview and it wouldnt of worked with the layout of my front page. It fits in with the double page spread because the quote is 'I haven't changed as a person and the image shows her still having fun etc. I also thought keeping this image on my double page spread would shock the reader when they turn the page to see this image on the double page spread :) Also if I had put it on the front cover I would have had to change my double page spread background and I didn't want to do this because I like the sky as the background.

Second Photoshoot

I loved taking these pictues! It helped that it was a really nice sunny day too :)

The only problem I had when taking these images was I kept getting a sillouette on my model from the sun when she was jumping on the trampoline and if I changed the angle, we would get the houses in the way (as you can see on the first image of this shot.) However, I actually like the sillouette! I think it gives off an effect of sun and makes the image look more natural.

Overall, I think these Images will look amazing on my double page spread and contents page :)

First draft of double page spread :)

This is my double page spread for my music magazine. I really enjoyed editing the pictures and moving them around to see where they looked best. I chose the main image to go on the first page because that is the first page the audience will look at, so they will instantly know who it is about.

I found a simple bold font for the title of this page because i didn't want it to seem too busy and overcrowded to look at. I decided to add the yellow music note in to keep the theme of music running throughout the magazine.

I chose a grey background because i tried a white one and it was too plain, so i tried a patterned one and it looked too 'fake'. Then i tried this light grey background and i am really pleased with how it looks :)

The interview was also really fun to wright up. I enjoyed thinking up different answers that i thought a R'n'B star would say.

Overall, i think it looks proffesional and interesting to read.

Double page spread layout

I decided to make a layout for my double page spread to help me when it comes to putting my double page spread together! even though this layout is fairly simple i really like it because instantly my target audience can see who the interview is with and (from the quote) what it is about.

Edited images

I decided to edit these particular images because i didn't like the background on them. I think they look allot better and more professional without any background at all. But then i thought it all looked too 'fake' so i added in a background with patterns on to see what that would look like.

I like the blue pattern background but it still looked too 'fake' so i added in a neutral grey background and i really like how that has turned out!

Second double page spead analysis

This is my second one. I Found lots of similarities in both of the two I analysed; the images are both big and on the right page, the text is all in columns and the title of the page is at the top on the left all where the audience woul expect it to be.

I think I am going to have my main image on the left page along with the title; this should make the image stand out more and it will be the first thing the audience see.

I am really looking foward to making my double page spread now!!

Double page spread analysis

I decided I needed to analyse a couple of existing music magazine double page spreads to help me understand the codes and conventions of the images and text etc.

Analysing this one really helped me to decide that I would have a 'happy' image as my main one to show the audience that the interview is a happy one. It also reasured me about using columns for the layout of my text. This makes the page look more organised and proffessional.

Final front cover!!!!! :)

Ahhhhh! I have finally finished my front cover and I am so pleased with how it looks :)

The only things I found difficult was adding the image in without making the cover lines disappear! Also I wasn't sure if I wanted the image to go over the masthead or for the masthead to go over the image but I remembered my codes and conventions and I chose to put it like this because it shows the audience that my magazine is confident enough to cover up the name of it.

I also tried putting the '150 albums to give away' in lots of different colours and shapes but I think this one looks different and unique (because normally you have a yellow circle/star.)

Cover lines and incentives

To finish making my front cover i thought i needed to experiment with what cover lines were going to be on it. I thought of a variety of different cover lines and incentives; i then asked my media class which ones they likes the best. This helped me pick the 5 best cover lines that i san use on my front cover.

I then thought i should experiment with the colour and font of the cover lines and incentives. Again, i asked my class which colour and font they liked the best which helped me to decide 2 different fonts and the colours of them which are red yellow and black. I chose these colours because they make the cover lines stand out.

Recipe for a music magazine!

Recipe
100g of images
200g of text
50g of buzz words
300g of colour
5g of incentives
20g of interactive things for the reader to do
500g of pages

Method
Cut buzz words out and mix in with text
Add 50g of colour to the text
Add 200g of colour to the images
Cut images and text to the 500g of pages
Mix the 20g of interactive things to the 500g of pages
Mix 50g of colour to the incentives
Add incentives to the 500g of pages

Music magazine title

I decided it was time to give my magazine a name!
I thought of lots of different words that had meanings connected with music and narrowed those down to 5 different words. I then undertook some quantitative research by asking my friends and family (so i know i could rely on them to be truthful) which name they liked best for a music magazine - The result was 'Tempo'.
'Tempo' is a good name for my music magazine because it doesnt relate to just one genre of music, it relates to a hybrid of music genre's which is the same as my magazine.
I then found a font that i liked and typed in 'Tempo' but i decided it looked better with no capital letters.
After this, i came up with the idea of adding in a music note as the logo of the magazine. So i experimented allot with where to put the music note. I thought that the 'p' being a music note looked to much like a 'q' and the 'p' and 'o' being a music note looked to much like two P's! I decided to go with the 'o' at the end being a music note :)
Then i experimented with different colours for the title and i also asked my friends and family which one they liked best; the result being the blue, green and red one.
After starring at my title for ages i then thought that the 'o' being a music note looked to much like a 'd' so i tried to change it to the m being a music note again but designing it differently.
After starring at this one for ages i decided it didn't look right because the 'm' was to spaced out etc. so i went back to the 'o' being a music note!

I am really pleased with my title for the music magazine, i think it is catchy and looks effective.

Second front cover analysis

This is my second front cover analysis. I analysed this with 2 of my class mates. We all found this a really good way becuase we would learn from each other, and what one person forgot or didnt see, another person would.

If i had more time to organise this, we could do it again for a contents page etc.

Music magazine front cover analysis

I decided to analyse the front cover of a music magazine to help me see the codes and conventions. It also made it allot clearer as to why certain things are placed in certain places (like the barcode etc.) and why certain colours are used (like red.)

I think this will help me when it comes to making my front cover because I will know the best place to put cover lines etc. so that it attracts my target audience.

Images for front cover and double page spread!

I really enjoyed taking these images! It was fairly hard to think of interesting backgrounds that suited the storyline but that wasn't to overpowering of the image; i am really pleased with the results though :)

However, i want to take some more pictures for the double page spread, so i can have a wide variety to choose from or maybe put more on the page.

I also found it hard to get the right lighting, for example in the bottom two there is a shadow on the right side of the picture and i couldn't get rid of it!

Overall i think the images look professional and i am pleased with the backgrounds i came up with to fit in with the interview on my double page spread.

Timelines of shots for my photoshoots

Making these time lines have really helped to make things clear for me and the model. It has made me alot more organised because when it comes to taking the pictures I will know exactly how I want them to look.

Shooting Schedule's :)

Before I take my pictures I will need to create a shooting schedule to keep myself organised. Here I have thought of everything I will need to bring and when and where the photo shoot will be done.

I also created another shooting schedule because i decided i needed to take some more pictures for my double page spread and contents page that were different to the first photo shoot.

Permission letter

I decided i should gain consent for my model (Jade Scott) for the photo shoot, so i wrote a permission letter for her to read and contact me if need be. It also helped her to understand a bit more about why she was needed and about the coursework i am completing.

Front cover mock ups

I decided to make some front cover mock ups to help me with the layout and what looks good where.

I think i should maybe add my title and images onto the front covers so i can get more of a realistic view of the music magazine.

I have tried to include some traditional layouts here, and some that are different to other magazines so they catch the readers eye.

When i make my magazine front cover i think i might try to slant some of the cover lines if i choose the first layout here, because it is all very straight and level.

Music Magazine Replication

This task was really interesting! The magazine i chose to replicate was a simple layout but the contrasting colours used makes it effective.

I found it quite hard to instruct Jade (my model) to be in exactly the same position as Janet Jackson; i think we did a good job though :)

The coverlines were fairly time consuming because of all the different colours used but i think the design of this magazine is really interesting even though it is simple.

This task has helped me to understand why everything is put where it is, for example, coverlines and images.

Analysis of questionnaire

I chose to do a tally chart for the majority of my questions because i think they are really easy to read and you can quickly see which answer dominates the others. After this i made some graphs for the questions with a bigger variety of answers because again, i thought it was easier to read and see what answers most people gave.

I then evaluated the questions and wrote my thoughts on why people chose the answer they did.

This really helped me to decided what to put in my magazine, e.g. colour scheme.

Pre-lim task - images

I really liked taking all the photos and coming up with different ideas for them. If i were to do it again I would take a few more that are direct mode of address (when the model is looking at the camera) because they are good for drawing the reader in. However I am pleased with all my photo's because I think they look more interested in what they are doing (their work) than they would if they were looking directly at the camera.

Questionnaire - Final draft! :)

YAYYYYY :) I've finished my questionnaire and i am really pleased with what it looks like! Here, you can see i have added in some pictures to make it look more interesting and fun. I have also done all the changes from my previous blog. I now have to hand it out to 15 males and 15 females both ages between 13-25.

Anotated Questionnaire

Here, i have annotated my questionnaire. I have made a few changes to the introduction paragraph because although i wanted it to be informal, i felt it was a bit too informal. So now i feel like it sounds informal yet still professional. I added in a column down the right hand side and numbers to the tick boxes to make it easier and quicker for me when it comes to collecting all the information together and analysing it. Also, i decided to provide age bands for the second question because then i could compare what the younger side of my target audience like compared to the older side. I chose to remove question 11 and 12 because they are about religion and some people may feel uncomfortable with answering those questions. I also moved 2 of the questions to a different place to keep similar topics together and to make the questionnaire flow more.

First draft of questionnaire

This was the first draft for my questionnaire. I decided to make a questionnaire to find out what my target audience's (male and female age 13-25) preferred genre of music is. Also, it is a good way of getting reliable qualitative primary research (this is when the data collected is language based and primary research is research that doesn't already exist; for example secondary research would be an article from the internet etc. because it already exists.) One advanatge of using qualitative research is that i can get more detailed answers from the participants. However it does take alot longer to analyse everybodies answers! I found it difficult to think of 20 relevant questions without going off the subject, however i am pleased with the questions i came up with. I then handed 5 questionnaire's out to different sex participants then collected them in after. After this, i looked through my questions again and decided to make some changes to the questionnaire to make it look more professional and interesting.

My core buyer

A core buyer is someone who you would expect to typically buy a certain type of magazine. This is my core buyer for my music magazine; Male or Female, aged 13-25, they are interested in music and being with friends etc. They also like going out to music festivals and clubs. My core buyer will not have a large disposable income because they are students or will of recently come out of education and may have a big student debt.

Today's lesson

Today i annotated a music magazine front cover in detail. I really enjoyed it because we worked with a partner; so we were able to annotate it in lots of detail :)
I also enjoy working with people rather than on my own so this task really suited me.
As well as this, i created a questionnaire for homework and handed it out to 5 people of different ages to fill out. I found the variety of different answers from different ages interesting.

What's good about blogs?

I think blogging is a really good idea because it is an excellent way of sharing information with others and you can get feedback on your idea's. It also allows you to show your writing skills and your personality.

I remember watching a film called 'The Perfect Man' and the girl in it lived her life and blogged every night about what she did that day and her thoughts and feelings about everything etc. it showed her opening up (more than she did to her mum!) to her fans thats read the blog page. This shows that you can blog about aything you want :)

New media technology and OCR.

I am really looking foward to this task! I think it's a really good idea because it's a fun way of doing coursework and it gets us interacting with other students. I am mostly looking foward to taking all my pictures for the front cover because i like the creative side of it :)

All about me!

Hey, my name is Ellie Slough and I am a AS media student at Sponne School.

I also study psychology, sociology and business too. I find them all really interesting and fun :)

I love doing any sport because I am really competitive, also I could not live without my music! I find music can change your mood so if you're sad and you want to be in a happier mood, just put on some happy tunes! sorted :)