ProgressionQuestion 7

Key skills I have learnt: Photography: I learnt that for pop magazine photos not to use props as they are not

conventional. However costumes were important because pop magazines are heavily related to popular fashion trends. The cover image needed to show the artists clothing choices so the audience could get to know their personalities through their style.

Contents and features: From researching pop magazine double-page spread features, I was able to

understand the tone that I needed to include in my story. This was the use of a personal story with short anecdotes from each member of the band in an interview form.

Conventions- font, layout, colour: I found out that when making a pop magazine, the use of colours and fonts

creates a recognisable housestyle for the magazine. Each page needed to follow this similarly so the magazine had continuity.

The font, layout and colours also needed to establish and link to the genre of the music for example a cluttered layout and bright colours helped to connote a young pop magazine genre.

I also found the layout was important so certain features became more recognisable and then could be found quickly by the audience, for example having the masthead at the top of the page.

Comparison of magazine cover

Evaluation of magazine coverConventions: My preliminary magazine cover is conventional because it uses

a range of pictures and text boxes that link well to a school magazine. However the cover is not conventional because there is not a main cover image for the rest of the coverlines to be based around, this then affects the conventionality of the layout. There is too much text being displayed on the cover when there should only be a range of coverlines.

Photography & Mise-en-scene & editing: For the photo on the left of the cover of Principal Jason Wing, this is useful for the magazine because he is a recognisable figure who is associated with the school. However I did not take the photos myself, so therefore there was no editing involved. I have not used props in the pictures because I didn’t feel it was conventional. If I was to change the images I may choose ones in a more relaxed setting.

Layout & Fonts: I have found that the font in some cases is hard to read. The layout is very busy in offering different information, this could be removed to offer just the titles of features inside the magazine.

Colours: The colours are conventional to the school as they are the same as the logo. Route of the eye has also been used e.g. having the masthead across the top.

Mode of address: The mode of address is formal which meets the professionalism of the school and the staff however it may not appeal to the largest audience group; the students.

Evaluation of magazine coverConventions: My pop magazine cover includes the bright colours, busy layout and informal mode of address that can be seen in a range of pop magazines. I used bright feminine colours to appeal to the young audience and “slang” because this is conventional for the pop genre and young reader. Photography& Mise-en-scene & Editing: To create a busy layout I have used 4 images on the front cover. The cover image is the focus of the page, I took this photo on a dark purple bricked background, I found out through my research that this was not conventional. To change this I edited the picture in Photoshop. This allowed me to still be able to use the picture whilst making the picture more conventional. I have not used any props in the images because they are not conventional however I have found the costumes to very important. The bands matched their colour clothes whilst also offering individuality. Layouts & Fonts: The layout is very busy which is conventional to keep the young audience interested. I have used a range of fonts on the front cover. The masthead and cover story title was made through font websites such as fontspace and dafont.Colour: I have used a range of bright colours to make certain stories on the cover stand e.g. in the top left hand corner I have used bright yellow and a pink font to advertise a competition within the magazine that may have been overshadowed with a plainer colour. Mode of address: The mode of address is very chatty and informal which suits the young genre of people that are interested in pop magazines.

Evaluation of Contents Page

Evaluation of contents pageConventions: The contents page is conventional because of the use of colour (black,

white) that has already been used on the front cover. The font for the body of text is also the same along with the image in the right hand corner. If the text was broken up into different sectors, this would make it more conventional and easier for the audience to read and navigate from.

Photography & Mise-en-scene & editing: Only one photo has been used on the contents page, similarly to the front cover I did not take the image so no editing was involved. To improve the photography, I would include more images which also were my own.

Layouts & fonts: The layout is clear and simple because there is only one image and the bulk of text, this means that the information becomes the main feature of the page. In hindsight however I feel that the font would have to change because it is too hard for the audience to read. Also if the information was to be broken up into smaller sub-categories on the contents page, this would make it less full on for the audience.

Colours: The colour scheme is the same as the front cover which helps to promote a strong prominent housestyle. All of the colours work together well and the irregular use of bright colours e.g. red, orange and yellow helps to stand out against the black and white.

Mode of address: The mode of address is formal similarly to the cover. This helps to promote a strong tone however this may not appeal to a young target audience who would enjoy a more relaxed tone.

Evaluation of contents pageConventions: The contents page of my pop magazine is conventional because of the repeated use of bright colours and bold fonts that can be found on the front cover also. The numbered contents pages has been split up into different categories which is more conventional because it is easier for the audience to navigate from. I have also used a picture of the front cover from which stories can be linked from to their page number. This has been used in other pop magazines because it gives a visual aid for the young audience. Photography& Mise-en-scene & Editing: I have used the front cover as a photo to break up the contents page. I have also used smaller images at the bottom of the page to add to stories in the magazine. I have used a prop in one of the image (bottom left) to promote a product related to one of the artists featured in the magazine. I only minimally edited the photos by cropping and changing the background in the image (2nd left). Layouts & Fonts: The layout is once again quite busy with the use of text boxes, a large masthead and images. The font of the masthead is the same as the masthead on the front cover and double-page spread. The font for the main body of text is very simple and plain so it is easy to read than a more serif font. Colours: The colour scheme is the same as the front cover creating stability. Pink and purple have been used the most to meet the 85% female target audience, whilst bright colours such as green have been used in smaller quantities to create a larger effect. Mode of address: The language that has been used is quite colloquial and informal which suits the young audience. It is informal due to the genre and light-hearted nature of the magazine.