Photo Analysis

Photograph 1: The advantage of this photo are that due to the fact that the lighting in the room was poor and in general the room was quite dark allowed a certain atmosphere to be created, it also allowed the person in my photo to stand out more as he was closer to the light which may allow certain aspect of the photo to become more predominate like earing and tattoo. As the photo was a mid-shot it allows us to see that he is wearing a basic white t-shirt which contrast to the dark background and may allow the audience to focus more on other aspects. The disadvantages of this photo are that the background isn’t very interesting and diminishes some aspects of the photo as it looks bland and boring. Also as the person in the photo is looking quite closely at the camera in my opinion it makes the photo seem to fake and false. Also the photo doesn’t seem to have any type of topic which may

Photograph 2: The advantages of this photo are as it’s a mid-shot it allows us to see his football shirt which may give the audience and idea of what the magazine may be about from a quick glance. The person in the photo is smiling which creates a happy and friendly atmosphere? He is standing in front of a plain white wall which allows him to stand out more. Also he is quite young, which may mean the audience feel as if they can relate to him more than possibly a Premier League player. The disadvantages of this photo are that the plain white wall although having a positive of allowing him to stand out does make the photo seem quite dull is boring and therefore unappealing to the audience. The photo seems as if it’s slightly tilted this looks unprofessional and sloppy.

Photograph 3: The advantages of this photo are as the photograph was taken during the day outside the lighting is really good which makes for a better picture it also makes the photo seem more realistic and genuine. As it’s a mid-shot you can see certain parts of the background and in this case it’s a football stadium which relates nicely to the topic at hand and makes the photo seem more professional. The person is doing a classic football pose/celebration. Also the person in the photo is a female which isn’t found in your typical sport/fitness magazine which may appeal to the female audience more and also may allow my magazine to differentiate from others. The disadvantages of this photo are that there are random people in the background which will be hard to edit out and also makes it seem less sporty. Another slight problem is that it is hard to tell the person in the photo is a female as the picture is taken from behind, and a key aspect is that she was female.

Photograph 4: The advantages of this photo are the person is looking directly at the camera which makes the photo seem quite intense photo and makes the photo seem very serious. Also his hand may symbolise that he is thinking this could be seen as he is questioning the audience as he is looking directly at them. In the photograph he is clearly showing off his abdominals which will clearly give a good idea about what the magazine is about. Also the plain background allows him to stand out more. The disadvantages of this photo are his head seems quite big in the photo.

Photograph 5: The advantages of this photo are both people are wearing a football shirt which relates to the topic. Similar to photo 3 they are doing a classic football pose/celebration. The lighting is quite good. The disadvantages of this photo are that the photo was taken in a room so it looks unprofessional.

Photograph 6: The advantages of this photo are the person is a teenager so the target audience is likely to relate. The colours in the image are quite bright and bold which will hopefully grab the reader’s attention. Its set in a good location as it relates to the topic and makes the photo seem more realistic and the object (sweet) which he is brandishing may show that it is of some

Research

Fonts For Fitness Magazine

I have chosen to follow to the typical conventions of a magazine by including the Masthead as the main aspect of the visual hierarchy by locating it at the top half of the front cover. I have also chosen to include an image this again follows the conventions of a magazine; i believe that the image is the second most eye catching thing on my magazine therefore should be just smaller than the masthead and should be rather good as its refection the rest of the magazine quality. Other conventions are the date line and the selling line, however as you can see I've put them near the bottom of the magazine as in my opinion as they aren't as visually important as the masthead or image/'s.

The typography I have chosen to use is BOLD as I believe it attracts the reader more and may show some sort of urgency will be quite large so again will hopefully attract the viewers attention. I have chosen to use Blue as I feel like its more of a boyish colour and in my opinion males are more likely to read my magazines than females. However i have made all the writing blue which could have been a mistake as it doesn't allow the masthead to stand out as much as it could do.

The images I will use are going to consist of gym equipment and those who are frequently in gym or are staying active in some way or I could chose to possibly include healthy food. This will hopefully draw the readers attention and allow them assume that these are the kind of images the magazine will consist of. Also if the images are of a high standard and are showing someone looking quite strong or fit it may make the magazine look more reliable.

Quantitative results

As you can see from the results i have gathered it shows that most people I asked would rather read a sport/fitness magazine. This may be due to the fact that I asked slightly more males than females making my results biased and therefore possibly unreliable.

As you can see from the results i have gathered it shows that no one currently reads the school magazine. This may be because of the content inside the magazine. Or could be due to the fact i only asked sixth form this could have effected my results as they are almost separate from the other half of the school, this means next time i am carrying out surveys i should ask more students from the lower half of the school.

As you can see from the results i have gathered it shows that images are a  key feature of any magazine , this tells me i should possibly use more images in my magazine as this is what my audience wants and is what is likely to catch their attention. Also i got feedback from some of the participants that information was important however too much information sometimes ruins the magazine so i shall need to find the right balance.   

As you can see from the results i have gathered it shows that Horoscopes are the least popular aspect of a magazine. Following horoscopes is information and games however some as i stated before i shall need to find the right balance of information which will appeal to both target audiences.   

As you can see from the results i have gathered it shows that Images and bright colours attract the reader to the magazines , which may suggest that i should focus more on the visual aspects of the magazine, such as including a vibrant colour scheme throughout the magazine and making sure i have a variety of images.      

My qualitative question results ( Word Jumble )

Why do you read or not read the school magazine?





Why do you chose to read the magazines you do?

Magazine Cover Analysis

The thing that had the highest visual hierarchy in my opinion was the use of the bright colours such as the blues and the purples which allowed the masthead and coverline to stand out more due to the fact they are contrasting colours , meaning that both the masthead and the main coverline and second on the 'visual hirachy'. The use of the two children being highlighted in red allows them to stand out against the other colours , this makes them a focal point on the front cover suggesting it could be a school, college or university magazine as they as i stated before are a focal point. The bright colours make the magazine seem fun and exciting, which you could assume may contrast to the content inside the magazine.

The percentage of images to words is 70% to 30%,  this may be due to the fact that having a image orientated cover attracts the reader more than having a word dominated cover, as the bright colours and images will draw there attention and having images could mean the audience in some may be able to relate to them. Also certain readers may assume that if the magazine is mainly image orientated that so will the rest of the magazine, possibly implying the magazine is for younger students or those with a lower IQ.

The colour of the masthead font is white,this is contrasting against the purple,blue and grey background allowing the masthead to stand out more and makes the masthead one of the first parts of the front cover you see. These are the main three colours of the magazine, this could suggest the colour scheme follows throughout the rest of the magazine. The font is quite bold, and the 'M' and the 'L' are both in capital letters to show they are separate words without actually using a space, this could be seen as the magazine trying to be cool or in some way trying to relate to the audience which is presumed to be students.

There are many presentational devices on the front cover of the magazine, these include the images, the font, the colours. Due to the simplicity of the font and the colour of the font it suggests the contents of the magazines content is also quite simple. However, it could also be a way of not giving too much away enticing the reader to read more.

The use of the word 'is' suggests that the person addressing the audience is from the school or college and is a part of them. This is good because it makes the audience feel like they can believe the person talking and can trust them because they are an 'insider'.

Bens AS Media Audit

General:

1. I work well as a part of a team=5
2. I work better independently=2
3. I am confident that I can recognise the audience of various media texts=3
4. I am confident that I can recognise representation in various media texts=3
5. I am confident that I can research the institutions involved in the creation of various media texts=2
6. I am confident that I can replicate the production practices of various media texts=2
7. I am confident that I can recognise the narrative of various media texts=2
8. I am confident that I can recognise the genre of various media texts=3
9. I am confident that I can analyse the audience of various media texts=3
10. I am confident that I can analyse representation in various media texts=3
11. I am confident that I can analyse the institutions involved in the creation of various media texts=2
12. I am confident that I can analyse the production practices of various media texts=2
13. I am confident that I can analyse the narrative of various media texts=2
14. I am confident that I can analyse the genre of various media texts=3

Print:

1. I am skilled at using desktop publishing software like Publisher=1
2. I am skilled at using desktop publishing software like Macromedia=1
3. I have a lot of experience in taking digital photographs=2
4. I am proficient at manipulating images and text in Publisher=1
5. I am proficient at manipulating images and text in Macromedia=1
6. I have a lot of practise of using photographic software like photoshop=2
7. I read a lot of magazines=3
8. I have designed magazines before =1
9. I have a good knowledge of what looks good on a page=3
10. I am a good writer=3
11. I know the terminology of magazines and newspapers thoroughly=1
12. I am confident I know the names of the different shot types and camera angles well.=3

The Presentation of the Research:

1. I am confident I can use PowerPoint effectively=4
2. I often add to online blogs or forums =1
3. I have used audio visual software to create podcasts before=1

The Evaluation of the Research:

1. I am organised and keep an effective record of my work =4
2. I am good at recognising my own strengths=1


Once you have completed this audit you need to write a brief report of at least two paragraphs that gives an overall impression of what your main strengths and weaknesses are in approaching the coursework unit.


I personally believe that I am good at working in a team and will be able to make positive and valuable contributions. I also believe that I am very good at understanding and appreciating others ideas and developing them for the better of the team.
However I am very confused and lack the technical ability to be good or adequate at using the blogger or generally most Macromedia products. I am also quite rusty when it comes to Media terminology, however this can be easily overcome.