Merry Christmas!

So… there are only 2 lessons left until you must have handed in your front cover.  Once the deadline arrives, this does not mean you can rest on laurels – you need to be working on the next aspect of your magazine.

Over the Christmas break…

You must:

·                    Make sure you have your blog up-to-date. If you are stuck as to what need to be on it, you should be looking at my blog (all the information you need to know is on there).

·                    You need to be thinking about how you could deconstruct your own front cover.  I would advise taking a copy of your cover and annotating it.  Think connotation, denotation etc.

·                    Try jazzing your blog up.  Have you got a piece to camera?  Do you have a prezi?  Have you used slideshare? Have you got the stages of production of your front cover?

You should:

·                    Look at getting your audience to review your magazine cover – make this exciting.

·                    Begun work on your contents page.

·                    Thought about getting your pictures for your double page spread.

·                    Done some wider research for your blog – look at petesmediablog.

You could:

·                    Mock-up your contents page. 

·                    Start work on your double page spread.

·                    Drafted your article for your double page spread.

Despite my moans and constant cries of ‘blog it!’, you have worked really hard.  Make sure you have a lovely break and I hope Santa brings you lots of lovely presents.

Have fun!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

Did that get you excited?  Well… it’s time to get seriously cracking!  By the end of term you MUST have done the following:

·                    Initial research.

·                    Audience surveys and feedback.

·                    Analysed the data – how will it inform your magazine.

·                    At least one front page, contents and double page spread deconstruction.

·                    Editorial and customer profiles created.

·                    Production plan.

·                    Risk assessment.

·                    Storyboard 6-8 of the key photos you wish to use, label them with shot type, mise-en-scene and camera position.

·                    Flat plans of FP,CP,DPS.

·                    Audience feedback.

·                    Stages of production of your front cover.

·                    Final frontcover – I need a print out and an email of the electronic version.

·                    All the way, you MUST keep reflecting on why you are doing what you are doing.

Remember, if it is not on your blog, how do I know you have done it?  I check every day!

Any problems, just email me.

Good luck and have fun.

Grids!

Magazine front covers

Production...

Photoshop help...

Time is ticking!

With only three weeks until the Christmas holidays, there is not much time left to ensure you have reached stage one in style!  By Christmas you MUST have completed the front cover of your magazine.  In order to get to this point, you should have:

• Completed magazine deconstructions.  This includes the front cover, contents page and double page spread.  Make sure you are thinking about denotation and connotation.  Consider the house style and always think how this is informing your magazine.
• Have flat plans for your magazine.
• Have made a production plan.
• Made your blog interesting – lots of different presentation styles, not just prose.
• Make your front cover – tracking the stages as you go.

Check my prezi out to help you.  I advise you try and do one of these.

http://prezi.com/vcovmvhhadt0/making-the-most-of-your-media-blog/

By Tuesday, you should have the pictures for your front cover (at least).  Before you take them, have a plan of the pictures you want to take – why not make a story board?  Remember, if you change anything/don’t do what you said you would, this gives you something to discuss.  I would recommend making a slideshow out of these and talk about which ones you want to use and why.

Once you have these, you can start working on photoshop and making the cover.

Finally, the most important this is to ensure you are always reflecting on what you are doing and why you are doing it.

Good luck!

Useful links

Some links which may be of some use to you.

http://www.magforum.com/cover_secrets.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsjzpBsEaYw

http://www.slideshare.net/BaneTMB/magazine-front-cover-progression

Magazine deconstruction

Here are two examples of how I would like your magazine deconstructions to look.  Remember, everything you do is designed to inform the creation of your product.  At the end of your deconstruction consider how this has informed your choices.

Half term tasks...

Half term tasks…

Remember I will be assessing your blogs the first weekend of the half term.  This is a formal assessment.

By the time we get back you must have completed the following:

• Initial research into music magazines.
• Have selected your chosen genre for your magazine.
• Undertaken primary and secondary research into your chosen genre.
• Carried out audience research.
• Have created an audience profile – a profile of your average target audience member.
• Consider creating a mood board about your genre.
• Research what an editorial profile is and try writing one.
• Have thought of your name or have a few choices.  I recommend asking for opinions on this.  Remember, this means you can say WHY you have made the choice you have.
• Have a draft plan of your front cover.  You may have more than one.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Media Key concepts...

Key concepts from Heywoodmedia

Representation...

When thinking about your magazine, it is essential you consider the idea of representation.  

• REPRESENTATION:
• The way in which reality (people, places, events and issues) are represented to the audience.
• The way in which a music video is presented deliberately portrays the artist/band in a particular way.
• Class, age, gender, sexuality and ethnicity can all be portrayed in different ways, creating stereotypes.
• Racial representation can be placed in different categories to create very different representational issues such as exotic, dangerous, humorous or pitied.
• How could we categorise the representation of class and age in the same way?

Use the following to help you understand how you will present certain groups in your magazine.

   

Representation 1 from Heywoodmedia

Representation2 from Heywoodmedia

Narrative theory

NARRATIVE:

• The chain of events that make up the ‘story’ of a media text.
• Difference between ‘narrative’ and ‘plot’: The narrative is what happens chronologically in the story, the plot is the way in which the director chooses to portray the story. (Think about the film ‘Memento’ or ’21 Grams’ and think of some other examples in which the plot drives the narrative in an unusual way.)
• Narrative structure:  Todorovian structure is the structure used for all Hollywood films and ensures that all the loose ends are tied up at the end of the film.
• Narrative is often an important part of a music video, although the way in which the story is told may be fragmented and simplistic and merged with a performance element.
• Think about the narrative conventions used in music videos.

This is something which is worth looking at and trying to understand...

Narrative theory from Heywoodmedia

Narrative theory 2 from Heywoodmedia

Audience...

In order to create a successful magazine, you must understand the what an audience is. You must also know who your target audience is. To further your analysis, it is a good idea to look at existing audience theories. I hope this all helps. You SHOULD make notes and add to your blog and use this whilst you deconstruct and construct your magazine.

Audience from Heywoodmedia

Effects model from Heywoodmedia

Uses&grats from Heywoodmedia

Uses&grats from Heywoodmedia

Genre...

GENRE:

• Genre: means ‘type’ or ‘kind’ – putting something into a category.
• e.g you can clearly link each of the music artists or films to a specific genre or sub-genre.
• Stars are often associated with a particular genre.
• Iconography (familiar objects within a genre)
• Codes and conventions (what is expected and typical of the genre?)
• Generic expectations – we take pleasure in predicting the predictable?!
• Genre offers the audience a structure.

For those of you who are struggling with the idea of genre, this might help...

Good website to look at...

Have a look at this blog, it may be of some use:

http://www.media-radar.blogspot.co.uk/

What is the Media?

It is important you actually know what it is you are studying. This is something to think about: 'The media' refers to the different channels we use to communicate information in the everyday world. 'Media' is the plural of medium (of communication), and the main media are… 

• Television 
• Magazines 
• Film 
• Radio 
• Advertising 
• Pop music 
• Newspapers 
• The Internet

Audience research...

Week 2 task This is what you need to do and upload onto your blog by our next lesson: 1. Carry out a piece of general primary research. An example of this would be to collate information about the readers of music magazines. You may want to do a paper questionnaire, or create an online version. Think about asking questions like –How old are you? What magazines do you buy? Who is your favourite band/artist? 2. Remember to upload your findings and what they show you onto your blog. 3. Now narrow your chosen genre down to the actual one. 4. Mood board/spidergram your thoughts about this – basically you start to explore what could go into you magazine, what colours you are thinking about, any ideas about the genre. You will present this next lesson. Any problems, email me. Good luck!

Initial research task...

AS Media Studies – initial research task. Complete the following and upload it onto your blog by next lesson. 1. Find out how many different music magazines there are on the market. 2. How many different genres are there? 3. How many different sub-genres are there? 4. Find at least 3 different magazines and analyse them using the sheet I gave you. It would be helpful to look at different genres and try to actually look at real magazine (not just on the Internet). 5. Narrow down your chosen genre. Make sure you put effort and detail into this and consider being creative! Remember, the examiner sees this and it will help you to make the right choices for your magazine.

Something for you to read!

This is something for you to consider... http://yinnyang.co.uk/2011/05/the-guardian-the-music-power-100/

Deleting unwanted blog sites...

Dear all, To get rid of those unwanted blog sites, you follow these steps: 1) Go to your reading list. 2) on the right hand side you should see this image:

3) Click the cog. 4) YOu will need to sign in using your blog username and password. 5) Now you should see a button which says 'stop following this site'. This will remove the page. Hope this works for you.

Lesson one notes.

Getting into your blog...

Dear all,

Remember to ensure you are uploading all your thoughts and observations as you go.  This should include class notes and thoughts about your project.  Get them down, so you don't forget!

Good Luck!

Mrs. H.

Brave new adventures into the world of blogging....

So... this is my first attempt at blogging and hopefully it will go swimmingly.  Welcome to Year 12 Media; you are certain to have an action-packed, fun-filled year!  To get you started, look at this picture.  What do you see?