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Week two: 15th September

 

Throughout this week I analysed different print ads, learning what different codes and conventions mean and why different companies use them. In addition to this we then began to create our own print ad in small groups, I worked with one other student and together we designed our very own print advert. The product we chose to base our print ad around was an energy drink named rush, we used different images of extreme sports such as snowboarding and sky diving to emphasise the word rush whilst also having an image of the product in the centre of the ad. Furthermore we used these different images partnered with vibrant colours in order to appeal to young adults and centred the product in order to show the buyer what exactly the product is. I used what I learnt whilst studying print ads last week in order to make my product appeal as effective and professional as possible.

 

 

 

Week three: 22nd September

 

Throughout this week we looked at the different school websites both primary and secondary schools, we looked at these different schools in order to identify their common and individual codes and conventions. We then had to report our findings back to our class as part of our homework. I found codes the following codes and conventions:

  • The schools logo (commonly situated in the top left hand corner)

  • The name of the school (commonly placed next to the logo)

  • A use of house colours

  • A gallery

  • A contact us page featuring all of the schools contact details

  • An about us page featuring a small paragraph regarding the school

  • A home page

  • A news page featuring news regarding the school

  • A school calendar featuring all of the school events

  • A search bar

  • Staff vacancies page

  • Links to social media sites

  • An introduction for the viewers

 

Moreover we then compared school magazine front covers and judged them on quality and effectiveness and based these judgements upon features such as: the strapline, use of colour, pug’s and puff’s, layout, font type and use of graphics and images etc. Doing this in lesson as a class aided me when analysing school magazine front covers individually, doing it as a class enabled me to write my analysis at a high quality as well as explore the use and effectiveness of different features whilst also using terminology effectively and correctly within my writing.

 

 

 

Week four: 29th September

 

Throughout this week I analysed contents pages to a high quality as well as explore the use and effectiveness of different features whilst also using terminology effectively and correctly within my writing. I believe that week’s three and four helped me with this week because the tasks are very similar and they allowed me to prepare and be aware of what is required of me for this task.

 

Week five: 6th October

 

Throughout this week I evaluated what I had written regarding my contents page and front cover analysis’s, I wrote about what I found whilst evaluating my work and how I am then going to apply my findings to my own magazine. Moreover I then drew the plans for both my front cover and contents page based on what I found whilst analysing other school magazine. Within my plan I included annotations as to why I am adding different features to my plans, I ensured to include features that will attract my target audience of sixth formers such as a professional and mature house style and colour scheme partnered with information sixth formers etc.

Week six: 13th October

 

Throughout this week I planned and created a questionnaire which I intend to give out to my target audience of sixth formers at my school in order to gather their opinions. The sixth formers I have asked differentiate between year and gender, I have handed out the questionnaire to the students in my class and have gathered feedback from them. You can see the questionnaire I handed out below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the feedback I have gathered I have found that majority of sixth formers would read a school magazine if it contained information relevant to the sixth form so that they can be informed on what’s going on and upcoming events etc. Moreover sixth formers tend to look for magazines covers that have an attractive, welcoming main image and a catchy, memorable and or funny name partnered with smaller secondary images that are anchored so that they have some insight into what the magazine contains. Finally I also learnt that sixth formers want a formal looking front cover with high quality images in order to give it a professional and therefore a more appealing appearance.

 

Week seven: 20th October

 

Throughout this week I started thinking about the plans for my magazine in more detail, analysing and comparing different fonts taking into account factors such as: serif, sans serif, size, type face, colour, effects and whether or not the fonts should be bold or italic etc. In order to see the different fonts I have chosen in full effect I intend to apply them to my magazine as I am in the process of making it, by doing this I will be able to decide what looks good, what doesn't, what needs to be changed and what needs to be replaced etc. In order to produce the most effective magazine possible. 

 

Week eight: 3rd November

 

Throughout this week I started thinking about the plans for my magazine in more detail, analysing and comparing different colours taking into account factors such as: contrast, colour scheme, effects and consistency etc. In order to see the different colours I have chosen in full effect I intend to apply them to my magazine as I am in the process of making it, by doing this I will be able to decide what looks good, what doesn't, what needs to be changed and what needs to be replaced etc. In order to produce the most effective magazine possible. 

 

Week nine: 10th November

 

Throughout this week I took some photos for my own magazine front cover and contents page, using sixth formers as models therefore making it relevant to the target audience. I also ensured that the images I took where of a high quality in order to make the magazine appear professional. Furthermore In my original plans for my front cover and contents page, I planned to have a single main image on my front cover however I decided to take a similar image to that in my plans but also add cover lines and other secondary images relating to the cover lines, during my research I found that a vast majority of big name magazines used this tool on their own magazine front covers and in my own opinion I find this tool incredibly effective because it entices the reader to purchase or read the magazine if they are compelled by the images or cover lines that appear on the front cover and therefore I have decided to apply it to my own work. In addition to this, this week we formed groups and looked at ways we can take different photos in order to represent the school both positively and negatively, we took three photos representing the school in a positive way and vice versa, as you can see within the interactive slideshows below.  

 

 

Positive

Negative

Week ten: 17th November

I used this week efficiently to sort through my WIX website and ensure that it is easy to navigate and well structured, I played around with some of the different features in order to enhance my understanding of the website. Moreover I also changed how my website appears visually making it more aesthetically pleasing and easier to read using contrasting colours. Finally I used this week to check through my work and update, change or add anything that I feel is neccersarry in order to get the maximum marks and ensure that I am up to date. 

Week eleven: 24th November

This week I thought about the photos and images I should use in more depth, exploring the pro's and con's of each in order to decide which ones are best to use. Moreover throughout this week I began creating my front cover, and playing around with photoshop in order to enhance my skills with the program and make my construction pieces of a higher quality by using more advanced techniques. 

Week twelve: 1st December

Throughout this week I have been manipulating my front cover and trying different tools and techniques in order to make it appear as professional as possible. Moreover I also began construction on my contents page, I am almost finished with my front cover meaning that I will have more time to devote towards making my contents page of a higher standard by ensuring it is as professional as I am possible of. 

Week thirteen: 8th December

This week I finished off both my front cover and contents page, rounding them off with some final touches to finalise them, i believe that I have finished both pieces to the best of my ability and that I can't do any more to improve them. This is our last week before christmas therefore I have used it to ensure that all my work is ready and up to date so that I am prepared to begin working on my soon to be created music magazine.

Week fourteen: 5th January

This week we returned and I annotated a rock music magazine (Kerrang!) front cover, contents page and double page spread over the holidays, as it was set for us as homework. Throughout the week I improved my annotations and enhanced them into an overall detailed analysis of the three types of pages. Furthermore in lesson this week we learned more about the common conventions that are typically found in all types of music magazine double page spreads, I analysed some of these in lesson.  

Week fifteen: 12th January

This week I had to analyse a front cover, contents page and double page spread for three different music magazines, I chose to go with Kerrang!, Vibe and NME. I managed to complete a detailed analysis for each of them within the week, you can find them on their specific individual pages 'Kerrang! magazine analysis' 'Vibe magazine analysis' and 'NME magazine analysis'. After the analysis of the different types of magazines I have decided that I am going to create a rock music magazine as it is a genre I am interested in and that I believe will allow me to create some high quality construction pieces.  

Week sixteen: 19th January

This week I began researching my target audience, looking at secondary information sources for helpful information that will benefit me in the future by allowing me to create a product that will appeal to my target audience. Later on in the week I then conducted both a questionnaire to hand out to fellow stands, friends and family and a focus group. Both of these methods allowed me to obtain valuable and useful information that I will take into consideration and apply to my construction pieces. My findings for each will be recorded and documented on the 'Genre research' page, 'Questionnaire' page and 'Focus group' page. 

Week seventeen: 26th January

This week I am thinking about what I need to include within my production, using the data that I have collected and analysed from my research. I began by choosing which fonts I should use throughout my construction pieces and what colour scheme I should apply to each of them. From my research I have concluded that my colour palette will include a predominant use of the colours: red, black, white and yellow. I have decided upon this colours because they are typically found within rock music magazines, appear professional due to the contrast they can potentially create and finally because they have a wide variety of connotations between them that link back to the music genre of rock. 

Week eightteen: 2nd February

This week I thought about and planned what I wanted the main images throughout my construction pieces to look like, taking into consideration factors such as props, gender, appearence, age clothing, the location of the image, the types of shot and finally the facial and body expressions of my models. I also took into consideration the same factors for my secondary images and external images that I may use from the internet such as shapes etc. 

Week nineteen: 9th February

As last week I planned my photos, this week I actually took them using my plans as a basis of what I want for each of my images, I took a wide range of different types of shots in different areas, using different levels of focus, at different depths of zoom and at different angles etc. This allowed me to create new compositions. I have chosen which ones I want to use, you can find my chosen photos and some of the ones I could have used on the 'Original photos' page of my website. 

Week twenty: 23rd February

Throughout our time off I decided to edit some of my photos and throughout this week I decided to use my time wisely and finish up on my editing in order to leave myself more time on my construction pieces. 

Week twenty: 2nd March

This week I began working on my construction for my front cover, throughout the construction progress I kept in consideration of what colours to use and what conventions to follow by refering back to my research constantly in order to allow me to create a high quality product that attracts my target audience. 

Week twenty one: 9th March

Having finishing my front cover and finalising it to the best of my ability this week I began working on my construction for my contents page, throughout the construction progress I kept in consideration of what colours to use and what conventions to follow by refering back to my research constantly in order to allow me to create a high quality product that attracts my target audience.

Week twenty two: 16th March

Having finishing my contents page and finalising it to the best of my ability this week I began working on my construction for my double page spread, throughout the construction progress I kept in consideration of what colours to use and what conventions to follow by refering back to my research constantly in order to allow me to create a high quality product that attracts my target audience.

Week twenty three: 23rd March

Having finished my double page spread I decided to go over my three construction pages and make any final tweaks or changes I thought where needed, once I had finished that I then annotated my final construction pieces. I then began writing my evaluation for my music magazine as a whole including both the planning and the construction phases of the process, I dont have much left to do and believe that I can get it all done and finalised by the end of the week. 

Week one: 8th September

 

This was my first week studying Media Studies at A level and I learnt that I will be studying ‘Film – Institutions and Audiences’. Throughout this week we looked at the different codes and conventions of print ads such as: Peperami and Ben and Jerry’s. By looking at these different codes and conventions I learnt that different companies use different font types, colours and images etc. in order to make viewers of the print ads perceive the company however they want to be perceived.

 

 

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