Timeline

The Simpsons Poster

This is my first attempt at a Poster. It isn't as good as i would have liked.

This is my second attempt at a poster and i prefer this one to my first.

For my first poster I took the image of Homer Simpson and increased the contrast and brightness. Then i took the writing 'the Simpsons' and used the paintbrush button to change the background of it from black to white. Then i added some text onto it to finish it off. 

I did exactly the same on the second poster however it was a different image and format.

From my GCSE experience i found this task fairly easy to do however it did refresh my memory of how to use Photoshop correctly. I was able to support other people in the class with this activity.

Audience Profiling

Reader Profile+Target Audience

The first image is of a kerrang reader profile. I have took most my ideas for my profile off this one. The next image is of a NME reader profile which i also took certain ideas off. The third image is the rough draft of my reader profile. It uses both the ratio chart and a pie chart to show people the main information in a interesting fashion. It also has a little collection of images at the bottom including things which interest the readers.

After a few changes i ended up with this reader profile. Ive added a few extra images and facts. I also changed the title to make it better.

Target Audiemce Survey

Age = 14-19

Gender = mainly Female (Some males)

Favourite Music Genre = Chart/Pop (Some Rock)

Main Hobbies = Hanging out with friends, Going to the Cinema, Listening to Music and Going to Gigs

Favourite TV Show Genres include = Comendies, Music+reality programmes, and Drama's

Favourite Music Channels include = Capital, MTV and 4Music

Favourite Stores include - Topman, River Island and Topshop. The general amount spent by my target audience in that shop, per month, is about £50.

Work - Most my target audience are Students.

Gigs = In the past year, most of the people in the survey stated they had been to about 4 gigs- ranging from 3-8 depending on the person

Weekly Disposable Income = £10 - £25

Listen to Music via = Phone, CD's and Internet

Discover new Music via = Music Channels and the Internet

Money to Buy Music = £10-£20 per month
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This has helped me because i now understand who my magazine will be aiming at and how my target audience thinks. This will help because i can use some of this while creating my magazine to attract the attention of my target audience.
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I created a survey using Word and went around handing them out which gave me a wide range of results. I asked mainly Qualitative question to get straightforward answers that could be grouped together easily.
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From the 1970s, researchers from the CCCS produced empirical research about the relationship between texts and audiences. Amongst these was The Nationwide Project by David Morley and Charlotte Brunsdon.

David Morley’s research has addressed questions of media consumption, especially in relation to broadcast television and, more recently, the uses of a variety of ‘new’ communications technologies such as the mobile phone.

•Oppositional – people disagree with the message and reject it.
•Negotiated – On the whole, the view is agreed with but slightly altered.
•Dominant – The message is fully accepted.
•Oppositional, negotiated and dominant reflect the different views amongst audiences which can be particularly linked with younger audiences and

Morley’s theory has been useful for me because whilst working on this project it has enabled me in trying to understand the role of the audience and how they may potentially view my project.

Stuart Hall's encoding/decoding model can be seen as the beginning of research into how audiences are active consumers rather than passive recipients.

Deconstructions

These are my two deconstructions. I have taken 2 magazines and deconstructed the Front Cover, Contents Page and a Double Page Spread. This has helped as i now understand the conventions of each page and how they are used to attract a target audience.

Proposal Form

This is my Proposal form. I put both the Basic and In-Depth forms together to create this one which explains what i am planning on doing for my magazine.

Type Of Magazine

Pop Music with a sub genre of Teen-Pop. I have chosen this type of magazine as I feel it will be easy to create and I can associate quite a bit with the target audience. Magazines such as Billboard and Q have inspired me when thinking about creating my own magazine.

Name of Magazine

I chose the name ‘Vivi’ because it’s different to other names. Vivi is Spanish for the word ‘Alive’ and it has no relation to music or sound. For example there are things like ‘Top of the Pops’ and ‘We <3 Pop’ which show they are to do with music. My magazine name will not have anything to do with music however it does link with the feeling people tend to have when listening to music.*

Audience (Age/Characteristics/Interests)

My main audience will be girls. But because my magazine will contain images of female celebrities it may encourage boys to buy the magazine as well. The age range will be 12-19 year olds. The attitudes and interests of the audience will vary however the one main consistent in almost all of the audience members would be social networking sites and the Internet.

Outlet

My magazine will be sold at newsagents and supermarkets. The articles will also be available to be read online, on the magazine website.

Major conventions i will use

I will use a main image, masthead, essential information and barcode. The main image will likely be in the centre of the page with the main sell line as a banner at the bottom of the image. My image will slightly overlap the masthead to show its very important. The barcode and essential information will be found in the bottom right third of the front cover. I will also add in some selllines on the side of the front cover to help attract the audiences attention.

Conventions i may subvert/ change/ not use

I will not be using secondary images on my magazine as i believe it will make the front cover too crowded.

Necessary Information

The necessary information will be the date and issue number of the magazine which will vary depending on when the magazine is created. The price of the magazine will be around £2-3 which may change when the results of the survey are taken into account. However at this moment in time the price of the magazine is at that price as it means the target audience will have to money to buy it.

Selling Point

The main selling point of my magazine will be a free poster of the Band or Artist with the biggest song of the week. Also every month there will be at least one exclusive interview with a band or artist.Theme

The theme of the magazine will be pop music. The articles in my magazine will have a range of different themes such as tour dates, album updates, interviews with the celebrities and information

Images Front Cover

The front cover image will be of an actual band named ‘Forbidden Juice’ that I took photo’s of when they came to my old school.

Images Inside

As I took Photography at school, I was asked to photograph a few of the school concerts so I can hopefully get those photos and use them in my magazine to make it as realistic as possible. I may also take some photos of my friends and use them as ‘Casual’ photos of celebrities.

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*“When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe”

― Henry David Thoreau


Potential area where there might be a problem How I will deal with this problem

Front cover images

If I can’t get my images from the school, as they may have been deleted, then I will have to find other people to take pictures of. Also if I run into any difficulties taking the photos then I can go and ask my old Photography teacher about it. I may also ask him on ways to make the image look better or more professional.

Article Inside Magazine

If I run into difficulties creating the articles inside the magazine then I will change the article. I will likely pick an easier piece of Music news to write about or a different artist.   

Images To Accompany Article

If the same problem arises as with the cover photo then I will have to find some other people willing to pose for photos I can use in my magazine.   

Moodboards

Artists/Bands

Magazines

Music Stations

Stereotypical Interests

I have decided to do this research to show the different types of celebrities and items that my target audience are interested in. I also included what music stations they tend to listen to and what magazines they would buy. This has gave me a better understanding of how my target audience think and what they do. 

Top 5 Right Now

1 - Jason Derulo

2 - Katy Perry

3 - Jessie J

4 - OneRepublic

5 - Avicii

This shows which main music videos are popular right now and which celebrities people are interested in at the moment. This will help to show what i need to include in my magazine. I may have to change this later on as music interests are always changing.

Jessie J

Jessie J

I chose Jessie J as another inspiration as she has a very wide vocal range. Her songs go from 'Price Tag' to 'Who You Are' to 'Its My Party'. All of her songs appeal to many different people and those people, especially teenagers, can relate a lot to her music. Jessie was also bullied a lot in her life from being a child right up to now in her music career. She has just pushed past it all and created songs to help her get through it. This will definitely appeal to my target audience as almost all teens have been bullied at one point in their life. The fact that Jessie has pulled through it will give them hope. Jessie also shaved her hair off for charity even when people were telling her not to. She didn't listen to what anyone else was saying and went ahead raised a lot of money. That makes her a very big Role Model.

Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus

Party In The USA is one of Miley Cyrus' most well known songs and i will be using her in my magazine. It will talk about her moving from her old music to things like Wrecking Ball.

I decided to use Miley in my magazine due to the fact she has been through a lot and is still a big inspiration to many people all around the world. She has been bullied from lots of people who didn't understand her and that would appeal to most teenagers due to the fact they can relate to it.

Inspiration 3

JUST POP

I would like to use quite a few ideas off this magazine when creating my own. The main image is of a boy band and they look very casual and laid back as if they have nothing to worry about. This will appeal to the teenage girls that my magazine is aimed at. I also like how it isn't too crowded but has just enough items on it to interest the reader. The small sell lines at the side are also something i want to use as they are boxed off with different colours to show they're different stories. 

Inspiration 2

J-14

This is another teen pop magazine that has certain conventions and ideas i would like to use in my own. On this magazine i don't really like how cluttered the images and texts are on the front cover.  This is because you're eyes never stay on one item for too long. What i do like about this magazine is that the photos have been took in a professional manner in which the mode of address is direct. I want to make my magazine have images that look carefree and happy like the ones on this one. 

Inspiration

BILLBOARD

This magazine is one of my main inspirations when thinking about creating my own. It generally has a very simplistic layout meaning it is not too crowded and people can read the front cover easily without getting distracted by other things. The main image is a very well known celebrity and due to the fact she is covering the mast head it gives the idea that she is more important than the magazine name. However it also shows that the magazine is very well known. I will hopefully be using this convention on my own magazine. I will also make the celebrity's name very big so it will be one of the first things that the reader will see urging them to buy the magazine if they know the celebrity.

The Briefs

Preliminary exercise: using DTP and an image manipulation program, produce the front page of a new school/college magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid-out text and a masthead. Additionally candidates must produce a DTP mock-up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate their grasp of the program.
Main task: the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine (if done as a group task, each member of the group to produce an individual edition of the magazine, following the same house style). Maximum four members to a group.
All images and text used must be original, produced by the candidate(s), minimum of FOUR images per candidate. 

The aims

0. The aims of these specifications are to:
   
   • enhance candidates enjoyment and appreciation of the media and its role in their daily lives;
     
   • develop critical understanding of the media through engagement with media products and concepts and through the creative application of practical skills;
     
   • explore production processes, technologies and contexts;
     
   • become independent in research skills and their application. 
     

Welcome!

Hello :) And welcome to my Blog! On this website I will be posting updates on my AS Media course. In my AS media course I will be aiming to create my own music magazine.