Making a magazine front cover 1

I chose this image because I think it represents my target audience of young people aged 16-25, as it is of a fellow student who fits into that age category. It is a medium close up shot and I felt this was the most appropriate because it allows me to get all of the colours in from her waist up, and therefore allows me to keep a colour scheme throughout of navy, pink and white. I think it reflects the genre of a lifestyle magazine very well because the target audience is 16-25, and lots of people that age are still in education and are learning what career path they wish to take, so having my model with her student lanyard on, I do believe reflects the genre perfectly.

I chose to use the same font style for all of the subheadings and a different font style for the masthead. This is because I wanted the masthead to really stand out, hence it being in black as well. I also decided to have the buzz word 'Win!' in a bigger font and in black, because again I wanted it to stand out as it would really encourage people to buy the magazine, as everyone wants to win a free holiday. The rest of my text is in pink and white, this makes it very feminine and clearly aimed a young female audience. I liked how these colours worked with eachother as they go very well. 

I chose to include the puff, containing the competition information inside because it grabs your attention really well, especially because it is in pink. It is a conventional feature of a magazine front cover so I thought it would work well, as they usually entice readers. I think it is a good size because it doesn't take up too much of the front cover, but it is big enough to catch the readers attention. I chose to use a question as one of the subheadings with the page to find the answer below, because this way I am encouraging people to purchase the magazine and find out. This clearly addresses the readers "concerns" as well because at this age (16-25), you have to be thinking about your career and so this magazine provides guidance, which would really help them.



I think the masthead will appear to my taget audience because it uses direct address with the pronoun 'your'. This creates synthetic personalisation because it makes them feel as though they're being addressed as an individual rather than a mass, so they will feel engaged and as though the magazine will really help them in making their next step in life.

I do believe I have created a brand identity through synergy as the colours are all the same and so if I was to produce another one, you would recognise the brand from the colours and font. The masthead  will always be black and in that particular font so therefore it is easily recognisable. When I create products for my 03/04 production, I must make sure I include lots of buzz words and a captivating image in order to grab the readers attention.

TA Research of my images

I posted this image in the Vale Media group on flickr. Some fellow students as well as one of my teachers have commented on it with some constructive feedback that have allowed me to understand how to improve. They have allowed me to be aware of  what I must do in order to make my photography work in future, when I do my practical unit.

The first comment from Ella has allowed me to understand that my image would maybe work better if I had more of a foreground and background. The other comments are all very similar in that they are telling me that I am missing a clear subject/ focus, making it not work as well as it could. The end comment has given some very constructive feedback for me as I like the idea of making the tree the focus by using Elements to add more contrast and colour to it. From these comments, I now know that in future when I do my practical unit, I must make sure that there is a clear subject in every picture I take. I think I would still use this image, but I would definately manipulate it in Elements beforehand.

They also commented some constructive critisism on this picture that I posted:

I found this comment from my teacher very helpful because I was able to completely understand what she meant. I agree fully because when I tried doing what she said I did find that I was drawn to the light, which isn't what I want from the image. I would maybe re take the picture without the light in it which would improve it a lot I feel. Also, I would definately straighten the window in Elements if I was to use this picture for anything.

This has helped me understand that in future when doing my parctical unit, I must make sure there are no lights that are over exposed so that nothing distracts my image from its focus.

Selection and Rejection

Selection and Rejection
Having spend an hour taking several pictures, I am able to look through them and clearly see which ones work and which ones don't. For example, the 3 pictures below are 3 that didn't look how we wanted them to.

                                                                                                                                                             

1) This image is clearly very blurry therefore instantly it does not look visually impressive. It is also slightly wonky which makes it more unattractive and less visually pleasing. The focus is very bad and to improve, I would need to make sure the camera is well focused and maybe try a different angle. Perhaps a low angle would have been better as it might have created more depth, and maybe made the image stand out and look a bit more powerful. I could have had someone stood at the end of the corridor because it is quite a nice natural frame.

2) This image unlike the other is not blurry, however it just does not work. There is a horrible light shining at the top of the image and the angle of the camera makes the book look an odd shape, and it isn't straight. The colours do work well together and provide a great contrast but I think to really create an impact, I would have needed to move the camera angle. It might have looked effective if it was between some other books that perhaps weren't as bright as this would have allowed it to really stand out and contrast. Also, the light reflecting off the book makes it look unprofessional.  Maybe if it wasn't such an extreme close up and we could see a bit more background it might have looked more impressive.

3) A clear issue with this image is that it is not straight. The camera angle is wonky, instantly making it look bad quality. Also, the subjects feet are blurred which looks unprofessional. To improve, I would need to make sure the subject is not in the centre because this isn't pleasing for the eye. I would remove the bins as it makes things look quite messy and I would need to make sure that the focus was really clear on my subject. It may have worked better in a different environment, perhaps outdoors so the subjects blue coat contrasted with the greens from the trees.

On the other hand, there were some images that I was really pleased with. The next 3 images are 3 that I thought worked well together and created a really good effect.

1) In this image, I really like all of the different colours and textures and how they contrast with each other and create a really good overall effect. I specifically enjoy the effect created with the holographic material and the fluffy material. The holographic sleeve creates a lead line through the photo which makes it look visually impressive and the pink material on the far right just gives it that extra contrast that really makes the image 'pop' and become brighter. 

2) I really love the detail in this image. each individual branch is really clear and it looks very focused. I think it contrasts well with the dull sky in the background and the orange coloured tree in the bottom right. I think the tree stands out well and although it completely covers the frame, I think it works because of how intricate the branches are. The sky appears to have a line of light through it which was not intentional but does work really well because it brightens the image up, rather than it all being quite dull. The big trunk of the tree is about a third of the way up, so I think it uses the rule of thirds quite well.

3) I love the contrast in lighting in this image. It is has light parts, mid tone parts and dark parts. It makes good use of the diagonal line and it is almost quite quirky because it looks very unusual and it is hard to tell what the image consists of. I like how it looks almost unnatural and quite sinister. It creates a dark atmosphere. I also like how the lines on the ceiling are reflected diagonally above, it again creates an unusual effect. At the bottom it seems to fade from dark to light, starting in the bottom left corner and I really like how this comes across.

Levi's Adverts

Levi’s Adverts

The recent adverts for Levi’s are strongly focused around America and American teenage life.

In the Levi’s advert ‘beautiful morning’, we see a man/boy sneaking out of what appears to be a one-night stand and acting in a very typical ‘boyish’ way as he struts down the street in his Levi’s. He acts quite cocky and full of himself. The shot is a long shot so we are able to see exactly how he struts down the street - we can see his whole body as he does so. This can be linked to Stuart Halls audience theory, as a leather jacket is a "recognised convention" of a typical 'bad boy', making the audience believe that that is exactly what he is. This meets the audience's "expectations" of someone dressed this way and walking in this style. 

It represents American teenage life to be quite scandalous with the boys being ‘bad boys’, and the girls being a bit more sensitive as the girl can be seen shaking her head when she wakes up and notices he has left. The boy enters what appears to be a coffee shop and he seems to be quite flirtatious with the waitress, this links to Stuart Halls theory of representation as it represents him as being a ‘bad boy’ and being very confident and cocky. This meaning is given to him through the way he is depicted with his flirtatious actions, just as Hall says. However, at the end of the advert, we find out that he went to this shop to get the girl breakfast and bring it back to her in her apartment. 

This instantly changes our view of him and makes him seem very sweet. He is now represented as being caring, as though the males and females have reversed roles. So overall, after this ending, I would say it represents Americans as being thoughtful, especially the males.

In the other recent advert ‘Circles’, American teenage life is represented as being fun loving and care free, as it shows Americans of all cultures dancing freely in their Levi’s. The mise-en-scène in terms of lighting and costumes also supports this representation as the lights are bright and exciting and the costumes are colourful and quirky. This links against to Halls theory as the way they're depicted in their costumes and with their happy facial expressions, allows meaning to be given to them, in that they're represented as being exciting and radiant. This representation might be attractive to British teenagers, as they would aspire to be this joyful as well. They all seem to be having a very good time and others would see it and want to be a part of it. They all seem so full of life and excitement, so it would really appeal to British teenagers.

The other advert – ‘Beautiful Morning’, would be attractive/ seductive to British female teenagers as the boy that is featured is very charming and caring, like every girl would want. He appears to be a ‘bad boy’ at the start, which might attract or seduce some girls as it is, but when he shows his thoughtful side at the end, most girls may be attracted to him.

I think the ‘circles’ advert erodes cultural differences because every single group that is shown dancing is from a different culture/ race. There are Jews, Muslims, black people, white people, Asians and more. The advert shows all of them dancing and having a great time, they’re all united through a common interest, which is their jeans. It shows how all cultures have fun and are actually all very similar in terms of how they have fun. They’re united through their Levi’s and I think this is a very clever and subtle way of eroding cultural differences.

Research of Institution 2: Bauer Media

Research of Institutions 2: Bauer Media

About Bauer Media

“Bauer Media UK is an entertainment network of iconic, multi-platform brands.

The business became part of the Bauer Media Group, Europe’s largest privately-owned media group, in 2008. Founded in Hamburg in 1875 and now in its fifth generation of family ownership, the Bauer Media Group operates in 19 countries including the UK, Germany, Poland, Australia, New Zealand and the USA and has 11,000 employees worldwide.”

https://www.bauermedia.co.uk/about/our-company

 Analysis of the homepage

In the centre of the homepage we can see an example of cross media convergence, as there is a montage of constantly changing images with the different media forms Bauer produces at the bottom. It is eye-catching and makes the viewer more intrigued as it is quite unique. This would also attract a younger audience. Although the images are constantly changing, the sell line remains there throughout which is very clever because people will always be reminded of the mass audience Bauer Media has, “25 million people” and the multiple brands they own “107 brands”. Therefore, they will believe in its success.

In the bottom right of the constantly moving image, there is a banner that also changes when the image does. This adds information about the image making it easy for the viewer to understand. This makes it very helpful and a positive feature of the website.

The homepage also includes the “latest news” a bit further down. This is all about Bauer and their brands, so it helps the readers to stay updated with what they have been doing and achieving. It is updated constantly so the audience never falls behind. This would make it appeal to a more middle aged audience because they might like to check what is happening with Bauer and their brands.

Conventions

 

At the top of the homepage there are a range of hyperlinks that each take you to a different page providing different information. This is a convention as you would expect this from all websites. It is very useful and helpful because it means that the information is clearly organised and that it is easy for the audience to find exactly what they’re looking for.

Another convention of a website is pictures and Bauer’s website contains lots of these. It has the montage of images on the homepage along with many more on each of the different links. They make it more interesting and exciting which engages the reader as it isn’t just plain and boring. This would interest a younger audience because they tent to need pictures to become interested whereas older adults would manage with just the writing.

The masthead is in the top corner of the website. This is normally the case for all websites, making it a convention. It is useful because you can see what their logo is so you know if you ever see it somewhere that it is Bauer Media.

Genre

The overall genre is entertainment but within this there are sub genres, such as radio, music and fashion etc.

Audience

I think that the audience for this website will be young adults – middle aged adults. I think that the pictures make it more enticing for younger adults, but the amount of good information will attract middle aged adults.

I think that it will also attract people who have started small institutions and are seeking help or advise on what they should do to become as successful as Bauer.

This can be found at the bottom of the homepage and it clearly depicts how they are trying to help people with their brands. It portrays them as being very helpful and friendly.

Also, it would attract job seekers as there are jobs available with Bauer. This is also found at the bottom of the homepage so is easy to access and it is very easy to then apply for a job.

Stuart Halls theory of representation can be applied here as well because Bauer Media are represented on this website as being exciting and quite original. Exciting is represented through the use of bright colours as well as the constant moving image and originality is represented through the use of the unique sections, for example the part where viewers are able to match Bauer’s audience to their brand.