AS Media Report
My research has helped me work on my pre-production in a variety of ways. The main feature I needed inspiration for was the layout of the magazine. I chose to base my magazine layout on the magazines I had researched (Total Film and Empire) as it provided me with adequate information on what audiences like. As I wanted to target an audience within the socio economic groups C1 and B. My research on Filmmaker magazine provided me with ideas of what different varieties of audiences like, for example a more neutral layout is preferred for a higher class audience; the upper class and upper-middle class. The main image was a struggle to replicate in my magazine covers as most of the films being showcased on the front of these magazines were extremely high budget, famous blockbuster films. I had to improvise on the main image and hint at what the film could be about with the colour scheme, appearance of the main image and the cover lines. The language used in the cover lines would also tell the audience about the film. I struggled to create short and snappy, yet informative cover lines. I wanted them to inform the audience about the film and the content of the magazine but also not take up too much space and aim to invite the reader.
The data I got from my survey also helped me as I found out what the audience I am aiming at liked in a magazine and what they were interested in film. By asking the participants' age and a variety of questions about how much they are willing to spend on films I could take from this what socio economic grouping the audience will fit into. I can also find out how much the focussed audience enjoy films and how interested there are in them. I based my idea for my magazine covers mainly off Empire magazine. I used this magazine brand as I felt it portrays the showcased film the most clear out of the magazines I had studied. I also felt the information and colour schemes were all interlinked and I felt these were the most effective in persuading me to read the inside content. My choice of the colour scheme was basic and I thought this was significant as too complex colour schemes can come across as cluttered.
Due to the theme that I am following for my magazine I will be using these strict, bland colour schemes because I think anything more extreme will distract the reader and exclude it from the magazine theme. I also thought the imagery for these magazines could be simplified but still portray the same message. From researching these magazines and comparing what I had done to them I could find imperfections in my work and correct them. A deeper analysis of the magazines allowed me to pick out conventions in the main image as well as the cover lines and masthead. An example of this would be the main image in my first magazine cover, I took this image basing my ideas off magazines I researched. When shooting the image I had to take into account everything down to the stance and the facial expression of the subject. Many images were taken and the final one was the best out of the bunch.
This strict theme of boldness and strictness was carried through into the magazine double page spread I made. Due to the magazine continuation, the same target audience was addressed; therefore the same colour scheme and the same imagery to go along with it. I tried to ensure the colour schemes and layout remained similar because otherwise the two pieces would look as if they were from separate magazines. As there is no age set on my target audience specifically I thought using the colours red, white, black and red would ensure gender neutrality; therefore not restricting the audience. Comparing this to other magazines I have studied such as Empire, they use colour schemes that suit the theme of the week's magazine specifically. I have done the same with mine as the colours black and white represent the sharpness and boldness of the character shown in the magazine whereas the red can portray connotations of blood, danger and anger; which also ties in with the connotations of the Hitman theme.
As some of the language in the articles can be seen as more mature I think the target age range for this magazine will be set at around 13 and upwards. I don't think there is a specific cap on my age range because as long as the reader is interested in the topic of the article then they will be interested in the magazine. I tried to make the layout as clear as possible while also including enough information and images to fill out the page. I didn't want to leave any white spaces where information could have been included. The reuse of the image from the front cover deserves to be mentioned as I think it can be controversial. Through many magazines that I have researched, by the likes of Empire and Total Film, they have replicated the main image from the front cover of the magazine on the inside. Although some may feel this is a lazy feature I think it is good as it refreshes the audience's memory of the topic they are reading about but also gives them something to recognise. I think the idea of the image from the front cover appearing in an article gives that article a sense of significance also; if the image is good enough to be on the cover then the article must be good.
I included a lot of text on the two pages and by doing this I could have ended up repeating myself a lot. I took inspiration from various magazines and different sources to ensure I would keep variation in the content of the articles. The articles ranged from talking about the release of the film to personal opinions about the film. I think this is a significant feature because it allows people to get involved in the magazine and project their personal opinion. If I were toq compare my double page spread to the one I researched there would be similarities and differences between the two. I took inspiration from the magazine I studied but by using my own creative knowledge and other sources I combined the different features to make my magazine. I chose to change some things I didn't like from the original draft and I changed the layout a fair few times as I found different sources and what I thought I liked differed from time to time. I also needed to change certain aspects of the double page spread because it needed to suit both the magazine theme and the target audience.
The representation of the character in the images is specific to that character as he is playing a Hitman. Therefore the suit portrays the formality and the seriousness of his job. Also the colours schemes signify the sharpness that the Hitman has to ensue to do his job properly. I think the font used in the articles are significant as they also portray this clean-cut Hitman's nature. I think this representation doesn't suit any stereotypes in modern day society in terms of the audience reading it and this is because it is a movie character. Although we can't compare this to a real stereotype we can compare it to the stereotype of a Hitman in movies or other forms of media. I think the reasoning behind the consumption of this media would be for information but also out of personal interest. I feel people would read this magazine out of personal interest for the subject of the film or possibly to be social with their friends about the topic. Information about the movie can be found inside the articles so it could be read for information about the topic.
I think some of the strengths in my magazine are the layout, the articles and the colour scheme. I think this because it is what makes the magazine so easy to read and more aesthetically pleasing to look at. Also I think the layout is significant in attracting the reader because it provides them with a base idea of what the article's theme is, for example in my magazine the layout is sharp and clean; this relates to the connotations of the Hitman. Overall, these aesthetic features all combine to convey the connotations of the magazine and I think they do it well. I think the underlying message is portrayed well due to the layout and colour scheme among other features.
Due to the theme that I am following for my magazine I will be using these strict, bland colour schemes because I think anything more extreme will distract the reader and exclude it from the magazine theme. I also thought the imagery for these magazines could be simplified but still portray the same message. From researching these magazines and comparing what I had done to them I could find imperfections in my work and correct them. A deeper analysis of the magazines allowed me to pick out conventions in the main image as well as the cover lines and masthead. An example of this would be the main image in my first magazine cover, I took this image basing my ideas off magazines I researched. When shooting the image I had to take into account everything down to the stance and the facial expression of the subject. Many images were taken and the final one was the best out of the bunch.
As some of the language in the articles can be seen as more mature I think the target age range for this magazine will be set at around 13 and upwards. I don't think there is a specific cap on my age range because as long as the reader is interested in the topic of the article then they will be interested in the magazine. I tried to make the layout as clear as possible while also including enough information and images to fill out the page. I didn't want to leave any white spaces where information could have been included. The reuse of the image from the front cover deserves to be mentioned as I think it can be controversial. Through many magazines that I have researched, by the likes of Empire and Total Film, they have replicated the main image from the front cover of the magazine on the inside. Although some may feel this is a lazy feature I think it is good as it refreshes the audience's memory of the topic they are reading about but also gives them something to recognise. I think the idea of the image from the front cover appearing in an article gives that article a sense of significance also; if the image is good enough to be on the cover then the article must be good.
I included a lot of text on the two pages and by doing this I could have ended up repeating myself a lot. I took inspiration from various magazines and different sources to ensure I would keep variation in the content of the articles. The articles ranged from talking about the release of the film to personal opinions about the film. I think this is a significant feature because it allows people to get involved in the magazine and project their personal opinion. If I were toq compare my double page spread to the one I researched there would be similarities and differences between the two. I took inspiration from the magazine I studied but by using my own creative knowledge and other sources I combined the different features to make my magazine. I chose to change some things I didn't like from the original draft and I changed the layout a fair few times as I found different sources and what I thought I liked differed from time to time. I also needed to change certain aspects of the double page spread because it needed to suit both the magazine theme and the target audience.
The representation of the character in the images is specific to that character as he is playing a Hitman. Therefore the suit portrays the formality and the seriousness of his job. Also the colours schemes signify the sharpness that the Hitman has to ensue to do his job properly. I think the font used in the articles are significant as they also portray this clean-cut Hitman's nature. I think this representation doesn't suit any stereotypes in modern day society in terms of the audience reading it and this is because it is a movie character. Although we can't compare this to a real stereotype we can compare it to the stereotype of a Hitman in movies or other forms of media. I think the reasoning behind the consumption of this media would be for information but also out of personal interest. I feel people would read this magazine out of personal interest for the subject of the film or possibly to be social with their friends about the topic. Information about the movie can be found inside the articles so it could be read for information about the topic.
I think some of the strengths in my magazine are the layout, the articles and the colour scheme. I think this because it is what makes the magazine so easy to read and more aesthetically pleasing to look at. Also I think the layout is significant in attracting the reader because it provides them with a base idea of what the article's theme is, for example in my magazine the layout is sharp and clean; this relates to the connotations of the Hitman. Overall, these aesthetic features all combine to convey the connotations of the magazine and I think they do it well. I think the underlying message is portrayed well due to the layout and colour scheme among other features.
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