music magazine research - double page spread Codes and Conventions

By looking at a range of double page spread i managed to produce a list of common things found. they included:

• Image is on one side of the page and the riting is on the other.
• picture/image os usually found on the right hand side.
• the image usually signifies aspects of the artist/band/article.
• the image is usually a medium long shot or medium close up if the image is of a band.
• the date and page numbers can be found at the bottom of the page
• sometimes the mast head can be found loctaed at the bottom of the page
• there is a Byline included on the page
• Drop capitals are included for the first letter or the article
• the title is short and snappy
• Standfirst - bold paragraph underneath the title/ above the article
• Dop quotes are in big letters from the story to stand out (exciting or contoversial)
• usually 11pt font
• the format is usually informal to connect with the target audience
• the columns are 3/4 columns
• there is a consistent colour scheme which relates to the image
• the artists name is usually bold or highlighted.

Analysis of professional magazine contents pages

 After comparing all these magazine contents pages from NME, Q and Uncut I can now
make a list of the typical codes and conventions which are included in an Indie music magazine.
this list includes:

•  masthead is included - located at the top of the page
• pages are numbered
• pages are split into subheadings
• main image is linked to the main article title
• extra images include numbers to relevant pages
• there is always a 'feature' section included
• always follow the same pattern
• split into 3 columns
• main image takes up two columns
• photos are usually non-direct address
• colour scheme is the same as the front cover
• the main article image is not always of a person
• there is more writing than images included on the page.

Professional Magazine Front Covers

Looking at these magazines I managed to find the codes and conventions of typical Indie magazines. The ideas i came up with are:

• the title is at the top of the page
• the main image is in the centre or slightly off set to the right
• the masthead font is unique and is the only font on that page
• the main storyline links to the main image
• the main image is usually direct address but not always.
• there is a banner included across the bottom of the page which includes what other artists or bands are included in the magazine.
• the barcode and price can be found on the right hand side of the page usually near the bottom.
• graphics included
• cover lines are located around the main image
• masthead stands out from the rest of the magazine
• main cover line/ article is enlarged on the page
• colours include: red, black, yellow, white, blue/brown

Initial plans for my magazine

Genre - Indie


Price - £3.50

Frequency of publication - Monthly

Average issue size - around 100 pages

Regular content - top 50 songs in the hart, new album and single releases, upcoming gigs, tv and radio reviews, letters from fans and a competition for tickets to a gig.


Feature articles - interviews with bands or singers, band news/gossip, previous gig review, quiz, top 10 songs of the month chosen by the public.

Researching the market place

http://prezi.com/z6objq2nr8sy/researching-the-market-place/

Initial Ideas

Type of music magazine: Indie
The target audience: Males
                                  17- 25
                                  interested in attending gigs, festivals and indie/rock music.

Music magazine research - Codes and Conventions of music magazine contents pages

As a class we managed to produce a list of the codes and conventions of a music magazine. This is what we managed to find out:

All magazine contents pages include:

• have reference to the magazine name
• have word contents on
• contain one main image
• layed out into 2/3 columns
• apart from the main image there is more that one other image
• the colour scheme matches that of the fornt cover meaning there are only around 3 colours
• the images included relate to the page numbers in the magazine
• there is a website or way of contact included on them
• there are more images than writing included
• contain advertisements e.g the next issue
• an editors letter
• different font for section headings (sometimes include graphics)
• banner to highlight important things.
• usually 2 columns of pictures and one of writing.

Music magazine research - Codes and Conventions of magazine front covers

Image:

• usually meduim long shot/ medium close up
• direct address
• famous people used
• used a specific mise en scene
• mainly studio shots o liver performance
• mean and moody shots

Masthead:

• at the top of the page
• simple words
• relates to the genre
• unique font
• bold and stands out

Font:

• different to masthead

Colour:

• colour scheme includes no more that 3 colours
• realtes to the genre/ target audience

Layout:

• main centeral image as background
• coverlines around main image/ at the bottom
• highlighting banner across the bottom/top
• barcode is on the right hand side
• graphics used
• graphics highlight the key points
• positioning statement

Music Magazine Research - Examples

1. NME
2. Kerrang
3. Q
4. TOTP
5. We 'Heart' Pop
6. Classic Rock
7. Total Guitar
8. Mojo
9. Mix Mag
10. Vibe
11. Froots
12. Classical music
13. Rock legends
14. Living blues
15. Blues music now
16. Contry weekly
17. Country standard time
18. Big Takeover
19. Crawdaddy
20. Back Streets Highway
21. Opera now
22. The word
23. Hammer
24. Country
25. Play
26. Classical FM
27. Rolling stone
28. Rock and Folk
29. Soul Shine
30. Alternative press
31. King
32. No depression
33. Blender
34. Future music
35. Blurt
36. Loops
37. Rave
38. Scratch
39. Bass
40. BPM
41. Song witter
42. Paste
43. Spin
44. Wire
45. Cream
46. Hip hop
47. Sturtter
48. Edge
49. Cub
50. King
51. Bill board

Evaluation

http://prezi.com/fpylmtmazjn8/rebecca-thurlow-evaluation

Preliminary task- contents page

Preliminary task - Front cover

Final images for my school magazine

Photos for my school magazine

Rough layout for contents page

Planning of contents page

The regular story lines which are going to feature in the magazine are:

• Headteacher interview
• What's new?
• Date for the diary
• Revision tips

Some of the featured articles which appear are:

• Student voice
• School squads
• Top GCSE results
• New lunch menu
• Meet our new head girl
• Sports day
• Exam stress help
• Extended school programmes
• Stating year 7
• Prom review

Images that will appear on my contents page are:

• A picture of the school
• A picture of the pupils at Weatherhead TV
• A picture of a sixth form ID badge
• A picture of some students playing netball

Rough layout of front cover

plans for front cover

The title of my magazine is 'Insight'
My front cover image is of a student in uniform, sitting down on grass to connote a calm and welcoming school were everyone gets on well and everyone is welcome.
The cover lines on my front cover are:

• Trampolining squad prepare for comp
• Exam stress
• Student voice with SSLT
• Gutentag Berlin

I also have a strip at the top of the page just below the mast head with the latest news from the school.

You've been framed

These are my shots i took when i was practicing how to use the camera.

codes and conventions of a magazine contents page

I compared a selection of magazine contents pages to get an idea of the common codes and conventions.
I found that they contain:

• an editors letter and photo
• a date which is usually found at the bottom
• name if the magazine which is the same as on the front cover.
• breakdown of the magazine into the page numbers.
• contains around 7-8 photos that are not just of people.
• there are around 5-7 types of font present on the contents page.
• graphics are included to break up the page
• the images used use direct address
• the colour scheme used is the same as the front cover
• there is also information on the magazine in order for the reader to contact them by.
• the photots have article numbers by them showing which story they link to.
• the whole contents page is organised into columns.
• the subheadings are also in bold or have graphics behind them to make them stand out.

codes and conventions of a magazinr front cover

I found out by looking at a variety of magazines and comparing them the basic codes and conventions of a magazine front cover.
I found that magazines have

• a unique masthead font
• contain a main image (usually a medium/long shot with a direct address)
• contain sammler images around edge
• contain a main storyline, which links to the main image
• contain a barcode
• contain a price
• the masthead is at the top of the magazine
• have a specific colour scheme
• contain grapghics around coverlines
• usually only 2-3 fonts on the page

I also found that the magazines have a couple of things different.

• differnt target audiences
• some magazines contain cartoon images

Lesson 2 - Research

Codes and conventions of magazine contents pages.

We looked at three magazine contents pages to help us decide what the typical codes and convention are. We discovered that most magazine contents pages contain:

• a letter from the editor and their photograpgh.
• the date of publish
• the masthead but slightly smaller
• break down of the magazine - the page numbers
• contain between 7 - 8 images (but they are not always of people)
• graphics are used to make points stand out for example block colours behind text
• images use direct address and are purposfully placed in a specific area on the page
• the colour scheme used is the same as on the front cover
• there are contact details included which are usually placed at the bottom of the page
• some of the photos have the page number next to it representing the corresponding articles

Also most contents pages are organized into columns which makes them more clear for the audience. Sometimes the page is organised so one part of the contents pages covers two columns.

We also found that magazines are to help the reader find the articles and to show what is inside the magazine.

Also the contents page is organized into sections and then those sections are organised into the correct page numbers.

Lesson 2 - Research

In this lesson we compared different magazines and evaluated the similarities between them and the differences.

We found that the magazines all contained a masthead which had a unique font and corresponded to the main image, they all have between 2 and 3 different font types on the front cover, all contain a bar code and price, all have a limited number of colours in the colour pallet and all contain a date of publish.

We also found that the differences included different target audiences and some magazines contain cartoon images in the front cover.

Lesson 1 - Research

In this lesson we conducted a class discussion to find out what the most read magazines were in the class. these we the results we found: