Mock-Up One - Annotated

Mock-Up One - Annotated

For the first mock-up idea I created I decided to use influences from the magazine "Girl Talk". This was because the results from the question I produced said that girls between 10 and 14 read this magazine. 

The first influence I got from this magazine was the Masthead. As this magazine is called "Girl Talk", I thought I would name my magazine something similar and decided with “Girls Only”. I thought this name would appeal to my target audience of young girls as it’s quite childish. I tried to use quite a busy cover as I thought it would appeal to young girls. 

After creating this cover, I now think the main image is too big and should in fact be smaller. If it was smaller, there would be more room for more cover lines which I think this cover needs. However, the puffs used at the bottom of the cover page are interesting and relatable to the young girls the magazine is aimed at. 

I also feel as though the masthead on this cover does not stand out enough and I should have used a brighter pink. However, I think the layout of the masthead is in fact eye-catching. 

Furthermore, as the background to this magazine cover is white, I feel as though it is not appealing to the young girls that the magazine is aimed at. I think using a different, and brighter, background colour would make the cover page more appealing to these young girls. Also, I decided to only use pink and purple on this cover as I thought the young girls would prefer these feminine colours to more masculine ones. Furthermore, for the next mock-up I will try to use a wider range of colours. 

I think the font I used for this cover would make the young girls feel more mature and it is also appealing to the eye. I will be using this font for the final front page cover and two page spread I create. 

The free signed poster advertised on the front cover makes this magazine more appealing to the young girls it’s aimed at. It also makes these young girls think the magazine is great value for the price. 

Comparing two magazine covers

Comparing two magazine covers

I decided to annotate a magazine cover which is nothing like what I aim to create to show the importance of colours, the main image and the layout of a magazine. I chose two magazines which had the same model as the main image to show how the editors of the magazines portrayed the model differently to suit their target audience. The model used on both covers is Rihanna, known for being a solo pop star and having raunchy music videos.

The “Seventeen” magazine uses Rihanna as the model for this cover as the target audience of teenage girls inspire and idealise the pop-star. However, the “GQ” magazine uses Rihanna as the model for their cover in a very different sexualised way. They do this to please the eye of their audience and grab the attention of possible new readers. The “Seventeen” magazine presents the model in a fun manor. They do this by having Rihanna make full eye contact and smiling at the camera. This also gives a sense of familiarity. On this cover, the model is also fully dressed, which is unusual for Rihanna. This shows that the magazine is aimed at a younger generation. The teenage girls can relate to what the model is wearing on this cover. The “GQ” magazine presents Rihanna in a very different way. They have her basically naked (only wearing a leather jacket and no under-wear) and with very sexualised body language. This magazine also has the model making full eye contact, but this is in a very suggestive manor, and not in a friendly way like the other magazine.

As the “Seventeen” magazine is aimed at teenage girls, the cover uses a lot of feminine colours, such as pink and purple. The font used on this cover is quite basic to make it look more sophisticated and make the target audience feel more grown up. The “GQ” magazine uses more dull colours such as black and grey with a contrasting bright yellow. These colours are slightly more masculine than they are feminine. The “GQ” magazine also uses a basic font, but also uses block capitals instead of lower case letters. This makes the cover look more sophisticated.

Usually children’s covers are very busy and adults are very basic. As this cover is aimed at teenagers, it is neither basic nor busy, but in the middle. This would make the audience fee more mature. Furthermore, the “GQ” magazine has a very basic layout and isn’t very busy at all.

To conclude, when I create my magazine cover I will used lots of feminine colours and have a very busy layout as my magazine will be aimed towards young girls. I will try different fonts when creating mock-ups, but aim to use a childish font. The main image I use will be a photograph I take myself. It will be of a boy band as young girls care most about that. The image will be simple and friendly and not sexualised at all.  

Annotating Magazine - GQ - Rihanna Cover

Annotating Magazine - GQ - Rihanna Cover

The magazine "GQ"’s target audience is primarily men, aged 25-50. We can tell this by the layout of the cover. Furthermore, this cover isn’t very busy which shows the target audience is an older generation. Also, the colours used are quite basic, contrasting with a bright yellow. These colours are slightly more masculine than they are feminine. Magazines that are aimed at young girls are generally very busy and use very feminine colours.

On this cover, the masthead is placed under the image. This gives the impression that the magazine is popular and its audience will recognize it from the colours and layout used. The masthead is also big, bold and bright. The font used for the masthead is basic which makes the magazine look more sophisticated and upper class. 

The dateline on this cover states the magazine is the December 2012 issue which indicates this magazine is a monthly issue as it doesn’t have a specific date of publication. The font used on the dateline is usually small, but here it is very small. This gives the impression that the audience knows how much the magazine is, or that they don’t care. Furthermore, this magazine is $5 which shows that the “GQ” magazine falls onto the social economical model at C1 and/or B (teachers, managers, junior managers etc).

The main image on this cover is very sexualised. The model is Rihanna, who is known for her raunchy songs and sexy music videos. The model is only wearing a leather jacket in this image, with no underwear. The image is a long shot to ensure every sexy part of the model’s body is view-able. Her facial expression involves inviting eyes and a sexual mouth. By this I mean the eyes are suggestive and the mouth is slightly open. Furthermore, the main image for this cover is representing women to be sexual objects.

Usually on a magazine cover, there is one main cover line which grabs the audience’s attention. However, on this cover there is no main cover line. This insinuates that the main image is enough to draw the target audience in.

Furthermore, on this magazine the cover lines, otherwise known as puffs, are around the main image and very little overlap with it. If the main image doesn't suggest the magazine is for men, the cover lines definitely do. With lines such as 'men of the year', the cover suggests the magazine has articles about inspirational and even relatable men. This may intrigue the target audience and even convince them to buy the magazine so they can work on their personal identity and become more like their ideals. The cover lines also state about books and gadgets which are things that older, more sophisticated men can relate to and would be interested in.

The slogan states "Look Sharp, Live Smart". Again, this suggests the magazine is for the older generation and higher class. 

Annotating Magazine - Seventeen - Rihanna Cover

Annotating Magazine - Seventeen - Rihanna Cover

The target audience for this magazine is girls around the age of 17. This is clear as the magazine is called “Seventeen”. We can also tell this as the colours used for the magazine are very feminine and it is also evident from the cover lines used. For example, "Back-To-School" shows the magazine is aimed at girls of school age. Cover lines such as "Find the perfect jeans for your butt.." and "Flirty Dresses" would suggest Seventeen magazine is aimed at an older age bracket. However, in todays society it is normal for young girls to worry and care about their appearance and want to look nice. Another point is that the magazine is quite busy, this shows that magazine is aimed at a younger generation. However, magazine covers aimed at children between 5 and 8 years old are usually very busy and very colourful, and magazine covers aimed at an older generation are usually very basic with not a lot going on. The fact that this cover is not incredibly busy indicates the target audience is in fact teenage girls and not a younger generation. 

The masthead for this cover is placed over the image which suggests the magazine is not that well known. The masthead is also big, bold and bright. This is usual for a magazine as the masthead is needed to grab the target audiences attention from the new-stand. The font used for the masthead of the "Seventeen" magazine is always the same which makes the magazine recognizable. However, the colour used isn't always the same, and isn't always very bright. 

The date line for this magazine is just like any other; small, black and a basic font. The magazine states the issue date is September 14th 2010 which suggests the magazine is a weekly issue as monthly issues don't have a specific issue date. Like other magazines, the date line also presents the price. For "Seventeen" magazine this is £3. For a teenagers magazine, this price is quite high. "Seventeen" Magazine would fall into the E category on the social economical model as they do not yet have an occupation and would be classed as students.

"Seventeen" magazine only uses women for the main image of their covers. For this cover, "seventeen" has used Rihanna, known and idealised for being a solo pop star. She is also known for her sexualised songs and raunchy music videos. However, this cover is very different from others she has previously done; this main image isn't sexualised and the model is in fact fully dressed. Furthermore, the model is wearing basic, but colourful, clothing that the audience of teenage girls can relate to. The model's make-up is also basic so the target audience can relate again. For most teenage magazines, the model tries to look fun and Rihanna does this for "Seventeen" magazine. Just like every other cover, the model is making full eye-contact, this gives a sense of familiarity.

The main cover line for a front cover is usually bigger and bolder than the other cover lines. However, on this cover, there is two main cover lines. These cover lines use bold, feminine colours  to engage and attract teenage girls. The main cover lines present topics that the target audience of teenage girls can relate to, such as fashion and going back to school.

Other cover lines state other topics the teenage girls can relate to, such as hair styles and make-up tips. The teenage girls can relate to these cover lines as they are at the age where they're starting to care about how they look, but need some help to look good.

Annotating Magazine - Tiger Boat - Justin Bieber

Annotating Magazine - Tiger Boat - Justin Bieber

The “Tiger Boat” magazine’s target audience would be young girls aged 9-13. We know this as the language used is a bit more advanced than the magazine I previously annotated, but it still has a busy cover with lots of pictures and captions. Also, the majority of the celebrities featured in the magazine are or were Disney channel stars. The target audience of young girls would also watch this TV channel and would know who these celebrities are. The colours used within this cover are quite feminine and it uses a childish font (using hearts as the dot on the i) which shows the target audience are young girls.

The masthead for this cover is very bright and bold. It is placed under the image which gives a sense of familiarity and the impression that the target audience is familiar with the layout of the Tiger Boat magazine.

The dateline, like many other magazines, uses a small, black font. As the dateline shows, this magazine was published in October 2012. As there is no specific date of publication, the Tiger Boat is obviously a monthly magazine. This read, is $3.99, which is quite a lot for a child’s magazine.

Usually, on the cover of a magazine there is a big image to grab the target audience’s attention from the new-stand. However, the main image on this cover is not as big as main images are on other covers. The model, Justin Bieber, known for being a solo pop-star and Canadian heart-throb, is making full eye contact with the audience which again gives the sense of familiarity. Furthermore, Justin Beiber is very popular with young girls and is used as the main image on this cover to entice these young girls.

The main cover line on this isn't as big as others; however, it’s still bright and colourful. It doesn't really stand out as much as it should. The main cover line asks a question, which most magazines don't. It is also about something young girls would be interested in - Justin Beibers love life.

A magazine cover usually has quite a few cover lines to inform the target audience what the magazine is about, however, this magazine has lots of them. The cover lines are about people the young girls inspire, or fancy, which would encourage them to buy the magazine.

This magazine would fall on to the social economical model at an E as the target audience are young girls that do not yet have an occupation. 

Annotating Magazine - Girl Talk - One Direction Cover

Annotating Magazine - Girl Talk - One Direction Cover

The target audience for the “Girl Talk” magazine is primarily girls aged 7-11. We know this as the language used is very childish. The magazine itself is named after a childish saying; “Girl Talk”. Also, the colours used are very feminine and the cover is very busy, both showing the target audience is young girls.

The masthead for the magazine “Girl Talk” is placed under the main image. This shows a sense of familiarity as the audience must recognise the magazine without seeing the whole masthead. A masthead is usually roughly 1/5 of the cover. Although this masthead is big and bold, it’s not as big as other mastheads on other magazine covers.

The dateline shows this is a weekly magazine by the issue date which is August 8th 2011. This magazine is priced at £2.99. I find that this is the average price for a magazine for young girls; however, I think that it’s quite expensive for the younger generation. Furthermore, this magazine would fall at an E on the social economical model because the audience is young girls and therefore don't have an occupation as of yet.

The main image on a magazine cover is usually big enough to grab the target audience’s attention from the new-stand. However, on this cover, the main image is not that big. There are many cover lines on the top of this main image which makes the cover look very busy. However, the main image is in fact a boy band which young girls would be interested in.

The main cover line on this cover is big, bold and very bright. It also uses the feminine colour of pink. This main cover line states that the boy band is featured within the magazine. It also states the word "fun". The main cover line appeals to the target audience of young girls and would make them want to buy this magazine.

The other cover lines include topics that young girls can relate to, e.g. fashion. These cover lines also advertise the inside quizzes and the chance to win things. On this cover, the cover lines are short and snappy. However, there are lots of them.

All the models/people used on this cover are smiling which shows a sense of being a fun and being a friendly magazine. The fact there is a free charm and diary makes the young girls believe the magazine is a good price and would make them want to buy it more.

Questionnaire - Evaluation

Questionnaire - Evaluation
After getting 10 completed questionnaires from girls aged 10-14, I now have a better understanding of what to include in my magazine. Furthermore, I now know what magazines these girls read, which will give me influences when creating my own magazine.
Each of the girls that completed the questionnaire stated that they often read 'Girl Talk' and 'Seventeen' magazines. This is why I have chosen to annotate them. I will also gather influences from these magazines.
Furthermore, 75% of these girls said that they would usually spend between £6 and £10. As my magazine will be a weekly issue, I have decided to price it cheaply, at £1.99.
Each of these girls said that their celebrity crush is One Direction. This proves that boy bands are very popular with young girls, and therefore, I will use images of boy bands in the mock-ups I produce.
I will also use celebrity gossip, quizzes and lots of images on the cover of the mock-ups I produce. This is because the results from the questionnaire show that this is what the majority of the girls want to see.

Questionnaire - Reflection

Questionnaire - Reflection

As I felt that I needed a better understanding of what my target audience of young girls want to see in a magazine, I decided to create a questionnaire. I only used 6 questions as I knew that if there were any more, the girls would get bored and not fill it out properly. The questions used were wrote simply as the girls answering them were as young as 8. I decided to use questions with quantifiable answers as I knew it would be quick and easy when reflecting on the data I gathered. This meant that the young girls had to choose from a range of answers for the majority of the questions. Furthermore, I decided to write ‘please circle’ under these quantifiable questions so the girls knew how make their choice clear. I also thought the girls would find it more interesting rather than just writing their answers.

The first question I asked these girls was their age. This was because I wanted to be able to identify the age of the girls when reflecting on the data. I then went onto ask if the young girls usually read magazines and if so which ones. This would help when I go on to choose which magazines to annotate. I also asked how much each young girl would usually spend on a magazine as I needed a rough idea of how much I should price my magazine. I then asked what the girls like to see in a magazine as I needed to know what to include. As I already knew the majority of girls aged between 8 and 14 have a celebrity crush, I decided to ask each of the young girls who their celebrity crush is. This would also help when deciding what magazines to annotate and what to include in my magazine. 

Textual Analysis Task - Coronation Street

Textual Analysis Task - Coronation Street



Visual Codes
The clip begins by the titles introducing the program, this is the only time this Soap Opera uses graphics. The first scene shown in this clip shows the female character wearing a suit and looking well dressed with her hair done smartly. This indicates this character falls on to the social economical model at around a C1. The following scene shows the male character walking down the stairs dressed in casual clothes and not looking as smart as the female character who is thought to be his mother. This gives the sense that he would fall onto the social economical model at around a C2. The female characters body language and facial expression suggests happiness and excited as she is dancing around and smiling. Whereas the males body language and facial expression suggests that he is unimpressed with the female character. 

Technical Codes
At the beginning of this clip a long and wide shots are used to show the scene. Mid-shots are then used to show facial expression and body language. The camera follows the subjects throughout this clip. The scenes changes from one to another by skipping, no animation is used.

Audio Codes
Non-digetic sound is used at the beginning of this soap opera in the form of the theme tune. Throughout this clip another non-digetic sound is used in the form of a song playing in the background which the female character is singing along to. All other sound used is digetic as the characters are talking to one another. No voice overs are used in this clip.

Textual Analysis Task - Dear John




Visual Codes
Both the male and female characters within this clip are wearing casual clothes. This gives the sense that they would fall onto the social economical model at around a C2. At the start of this clip the body language used by both characters suggests love. The facial expressions used by the female character suggests happiness, but the audience then realizes she is in fact just putting on a brave face and is actually upset. In the middle of the clip the characters body language and facial expressions suggests happiness and enjoyment. This is because they are both smiling and laughing. However, when the female character, thought to be the males characters girlfriend, drives away in her car the male characters body language and facial expression suggests sadness. This is because he is looking at the floor with his hands in his pocket, he isn't smiling. The female characters  body language and facial expression also suggests sadness as her eyes tear up and she looks back at the male subject. Furthermore, when the male character gets on the bus and drives away, the older male character, thought to be his father, also displays sadness through his body language. He does this by also putting his hands in his pockets and looking down, avoiding eye contact with his son as he's driving away. The younger male character shows sadness through his facial expression from then on by not smiling or looking joyful. No graphis are used in this clip.

Technical Codes
The clip starts with a long, wide shot. This type of shot is used often throughout this clip to show the whole scene. It then goes on to use a mid-shot which is also used often to show both characters emotion. Extreme long shots are also used when the female character drives away in the car and the male character gets on the bus. This shots are used as they're more dramatic. A close up shot is also used during this clip when the female character drives away to show emotion and make the audience feel emphatic. The camera is still at first but then goes on to follow the characters. Each scene skips from one to another, no animation is used. 

Audio Codes
Digetic sound is used at the beginning of the clip as the characters are talking to one another. From then on the rest of the audio used in this clip is non-digetic as the editors placed it over the clip after they had filmed it. During this clip a voice over is used as the female character is reading a letter she had wrote to the male character. This is non-digetic audio. Another form of non-digetic audio used within this clip is music which is used whilst the female character reads the letter.

Textual Analysis Task - Geordie Shore

Textual Analysis Task - Geordie Shore



Visual Codes
At the begging of the clip the audience sees clips from the previous series. This shows the characters looking either classy and well dressed, or very rough. The characters then go on to enter the Geordie Shore house for the first time this series, this shows them looking very attractive and well dressed  again. The characters within this TV program use a lot of body language. This is because the characters are usually very drunk and therefore use their hands when talking. Also, the people within this house are usually either very happy or miserable; a way in which this shows is through the characters body language.When the characters go in to the green room to talk directly to the public, the editors use graphics in the background. The only other time graphics are used is throughout the opening titles.

Technical codes
Throughout this TV program, the editors use a range of shots, from close up to extreme long shot. They do this as a close up can show a characters emotion, but an extreme long shot can show what's going on in the scene better. Whenever the characters are in the green room, the editors use a mid-shot. This is because the audience is only focusing on that specific character and there isn't a lot going on. Also, when they're in the green room, the editors used rule of thirds and place the character on one third instead of in the center. Whilst filming this TV program, the camera follows the characters and whenever they're in a car, the camera is placed upon the dash board. The scene changes by skipping from one to another, there's no animation used.

Audio Codes
At the start of the show a voice over annoces that the program contains sexual scenes and swearing. This is a non- digetic audio. Also, at the begging of the TV program non digetic audio is played in the form of songs whilst clips from the previous series are shown. Throughout the show any other audio is digetic.

Audience Task - What happens in Kavos..

Audience Task - What happens in Kavos..

The audience for What happens in Kavos is primarily 18-30 year old's as this is the prime time in someones life. Also, this is the age bracket in which someone needs to be in to go on a club life holiday. However, the audience had recently got wider and is now aged 16 to mid 30's. The audience is both male and female of the working and middle class. this is because it is mainly the working and middle class on the show, and the idea of going on holiday with just your friends to go out drinking and partying every night wouldn't really appeal to the upper class. This is because the audience can relate if they're going or have been to Kavos, or on holiday in general.
What happens in Kavos meets certain uses and gratifications, such as entertainment and escapism as the TV program is very funny. Also, the audience can either get excited for their holiday or reminisce about their Kavos experience. This TV program also meets the gratification of information as the program shows what Kavos, and any other club life holiday, are truely about. Another gratification this program meets is social integration as everyone aged 16-18 talks about their first holiday away from parents. Also, whenever friends that have been to Kavos together watch What happens in Kavo they will reminisce about their experience  Therefore, this program is a basis of conversation. 

Audience Task - Hollyoaks

Audience Task - Hollyoaks



Hollyoaks' target audience is primarily both male and female students, whether it be school, college or university. This is because the characters themselves are young, attractive students which means the audience can relate to the characters and the situations they face. The soap  opera meets certain uses and gratifications such as personal identification. By this i mean that the characters are strong individuals and the audience can find models of behavior. The audience may also like a characters dress sense, hair style or attitude. Hollyoaks also meets the entertainment and escapism gratification as the continuous story lines keep the audience engaged. Another gratification is social integration as Hollyoaks is a very popular soap and is often a basis of conversation.

Audience Task - The Simpsons

Audience Task - The Simpsons 

The target audience for the TV program The Simpsons is primarily children aged 8 -- 14 of both genders.However, as The Simpsons covers a wide variety of family issues and jokes, the audience is much wider than first anticipated. Furthermore, the audience is in fact from the age of 8 to around 40 years old. As The Simpsons only involves characters of the working class, the audience is primarily just that; the working class. All ages and the working class can relate to this TV program due to the character diversity. The Simpsons meets only two uses and gratifications, the first of which is entertainment and escapism. By this i mean that this TV program is funny and the audience can use it to escape from the real world. The second gratification is social integration; finding a basis of conversation.
The Simpsons was construed by hand-drawn animation until its fourteenth season, since then it has been created by digital colouring.

Representation Task - Class - Newspaper Article

 

Representation Task - Class - Newspaper Article

This newspaper article from The Telegraph has a bad representation of the lower and working class. It states that "white British and black Caribbean boys from the poorest backgrounds" are being failed at school and that they're being consigned into a "lifetime of crime, drugs and prison". This insinuates that only the boys from the lower class fail at school, commit crime and take drugs. This article also suggests all lower class boys fail at school, instead of just some. It states that the boys that do fail, lack a strong male role model. This suggests the people that have consigned to this lifestyle are from female-led one-parent families. The article also states that the level of teaching differed depending on your class. This shows class diversity taking place in day to day society.
The image used in the article shows two white, young boys wearing hoodies and standing next to graffiti. This suggests all lower class boys commit crime and hang around wearing balaclavas. Rule of thirds is used in the  image as the two boys are placed on each vertical third. The subtitle of the image suggests its mainly white boys that are deprived and perform the worst at school.

Representation Task - Sexuality - Macklemore - Same Love

Representation Task - Sexuality - Macklemore - Same Love





The music video for Macklemore's Same Love represents homosexual men both positively and negatively. It presents homosexuality negatively by using homophobia. Furthermore, it shows hetrosexual men being horrible to the homosexual couple. It also shows the difficulty of being gay; the music video uses dark and gloomy scenes when the gay character is upset. This is a visual code.
However, the music video uses another visual code when representing homosexuality. This is using sunny scenes when the character is happy. It also shows that gay people are just like straight people and can find true love. The fact the couple get together at a young age and are still together when they're pensioners proves it was true love.
Another visual code would be that at the the beginning the scenes were out of focus. The first scene that is in focus was of young children on a bike ride and then on a nature walk. The viewer later finds out the homosexual character was in fact one of the young children, THis is representing sexuality positively. It shows gay people are the same as straight people.

Representation Task - Race - Eastenders

Representation Task - Race - Eastenders

This clip from Eastenders represents Asian men positively. It shows the male character is on a romantic date with a white female. This show that not all Muslims marry other asian people or other muslims. The television programme shows that not all asian people are the same, and intact not all of them have indian accents and only eat curry; like other forms of media present. Other episodes of Eastenders show Tamwar, the male in the clip, to aim highly in life; it shows a very dedicated and ambitious Tamwar trying to get to University. Furthermore, Eastenders represents Asian people to be like any other race. This television programme represents Asian people positively.

Representation Task - Gender - Beauty and the Geek

Representation Task - Gender - Beauty and the Geek

This television show represents both genders negatively. This is because it represents women to be superficial, mindless beauties, and men to be clever, loveless geeks. Furthermore, this show presents the women to be beauty and no brains. This represents the women to only be useful to look at and as sexual objects. It also presents women to be the superior gender. This is because the women get to choose the man they are going to be paired up with. Furthermore, the men are presented as too geeky and can't get girlfriends. Beauty and the geek show men need women to look after them, and teach them general street knowledge. It also shows the men to be all brains and no beauty. Furthermore, this television programme presents both genders negatively. It also suggests that both men and women are like this in society. 

Representation Task - Age - Wreck-It Ralph

Representation Task - Age - Wreck-It Ralph

This clip from Wreck-It Ralph shows young girls being mean, name calling and using physical violence towards another young girl. The clip shows the young girls bullying the more vulnerable. The film presents young girls, of all races, to be bullies and manipulative. The girls are aged around 10 years old. Furthermore, this film represents young girls to be like this is everyday society. Also, once the male character sees what's going on, he comes in to rescue the girl. This insinuates men are stronger then women and that women need a man to save them from certain situations.