Media Studies AS
BLOGS
Blog 1 WB: 28/9/15
Blog 2 WB: 5/10/15
We first got introduced to the wix website. we had to set it up by signing up to make it our own. After we chose a template for our own website that we will produce. I made sure that it suited the theme of a music magazine and chose a template that had plain colours and that will look simple but also proffesional to fit the target audience. I then made a menu bar on the homepage for the different pages of my site. I formatted it to have a grey colour with black writing. I added other pages to my website like my blog page,this was to write what changes and improvements I need to make to the website each week therefore showing and presenting my progress in making the magazine. The other pages I added were preliminary tasks, research and planning and a page to present my finished magazine what will get marked at the end. Also on each page I added a heading. I used the same style of font and colour on each to make it look stylish and proffessional. Next time I hope to make my website better my adding and improving the pages that I started.
Blog 3 WB: 12/10/15
This week we learnt and analysed the conventions of a contents page that we chose. I found out that these are similar to the magazine cover. I chose empire magazine as it was very different to the other one I chose so i could see the differences . I also did a template outline of this contents page like for the vogue cover. this helped me get use to where usually they are placed and then I will be able to place trhem on my own to make my magazine look proffessional and make it look like a real one. Aswell we had to analyse two front covers of school magazines. We did this to help us when we produce out our own and to also make us really know the codes and conventions so we can get use to where they are usually positioned. For our homework we had to choose our own school cover we chose ourselves and had to analyse and annotate it.
Today we learnt about the codes and conventions of magazine covers. Our task was to create a page to do with analysing a chosen magazine of our choice. Codes and conventions are used to entise the reader, making it eye catching and appealing so the reader will purchase it. From the lessons I have learnt many different key words that are assossiated with the front cover like, masthead, puff, anchorage and pug. we labelled the cover with all these words and said why and how they are usually used on everyday magazines. This will help me in the future when I am producing my own. Also we had to do a transposition outline of the vogue magazine I had chose. I had to label and annotate where the key conventions werenand place them in their position of the magazine front cover. Doing this taught me how to how to make my own magazine suitable and where to place them aswell.
Blog 4 WB: 19/10/15
This week we started to update and improved our website. We uploaded all of the preliminary tasks onto it and finished it if we needed to. We had to also start finding school contents pages from the internet we found ourselves and we have to analyse 3 of them using the codes and convention key words annotating it and describing why its there. Doing this would help us when we are planning our own magazine so we know what would make our magazine like a real one. Also I updated the website by uploading all the preliminary tasks that we did in class.
Blog 6 WB: 2/11/15
Blog 5 WB: 26/10/15
This week I updated the wix website by writing the task brief and welcome on my home page. I also finished the three contents school pages that i had to annotate and write the codes and conventions of them. I also had to start planning for the school magazine I was going to produce. I had to consider what typpe of school magazine I would like to design and the target audience. Next time I will improve on the website more and upload all my work onto ther preliminary task page.
This week I started thinking about the designs and planning for my school magazine and contents page. I started drawing some basic designs on paper and drawing a simple layout of where i think the main features will be positioned on the pages. then i would be able to take a picture of these plans and upload it onto the wix website. Also on word document, I made some other layouts to help me show how my ideas are different. I had to think about what magazine i would design for and I chose thomas bennett sixth form. Also my target audience would be for sixth form members and younger years that are looking to choose somewhere after there gcses.
Blog 7 WB: 9/11/15
For the whole week I had to start creating the front cover of my magazine and contents page. I had to take photos that I was going to use in it. I took a medium close up shot of a cover model for the front cover. Also I took other pictures that I could use to use as secondary images and and the for the contents page.
Blog 8 WB: 16/11/15
Blog 9 WB: 23/11/15
Blog 10 WB: 30/11/15
As we had our exams all week I just updated my website and made sure it looks smart and proffessional and that all the work is uploaded on the website. For the exam I had to revise over the codes and conventions that will help us with analyisng and writing a short extract.
I started to make my magazine. I used publisher to do this and so it would make it easier for me to choose a suitable style for both pages. I started choosing the colours and fonts. I also uploaded the pictures and positioned them on the page. to try and make my magazine look stylish and profeesional like typical ones. i did this by using a variety of codes and conventions. For example I added a bold masthead, puff , anchorage and more. This helped me make my two pages of my magazine to be successful.
I started to finished both pages from my school magazine.I added all the text and tryed to use imperative language with punctuations like the typical magazines do to grab the readers attention. Whilst doing the finishing touches, I adapted and changed both pages as I looked online at the style of magazine to give me inspiration because I wanted my magazine to look real and original. We had to make sure our magazine was finished by the deadline.
Blog 11 WB: 7/12/15
We were told to start an evaluation of our short preliminary task. we had to answer questions about what we did throught out the task. I displayed this in a powerpoint adding pictures to make it more interactive and visual with the reader and I answered questions about what was my target audience for the magazine and what techniques I used.
Blog 13 WB: 4/01/16
Blog 12 WB: 14/12/15
This week we looked at tv drama analysis of a short clip of sherlock holmes. while we were watching this we had to take notes about the key concepts of the drama and explore texual analysis and representation. we also discussed this as a class so we could add more notes. Further on in the week we started our main task of eventually making our media magazine. we looked at different types of music magazine front covers. we had to discuss what they had in common and there differences. We also analysed it and wrote down the codes and conventions of what most of the covers had.
This week we had to finish evaluating our preliminary task and made sure we were answering all the questions about what we have learnt from doing this task. Also I finished updating my wix website to make it look proffesional and make sure all the work i have done is uploaded and in the right place. I had to finish writing my blogs for each week and say what progress I have made from doing this short task. Also so i can look back and see what improvements i have made each week.
Blog 15 WB: 18/01/16
I started to plan my research for my magazine. I reasearched the use of font and colour that typical magazines use. This is because it will help me to see what style I need to make my indie magazine that will grab the readers attention. I had to research the genre indie and see what are like. I got images of album covers to see what features they add and what type of style and colours they use. I collected images of different indie bands. This would help me see what they look like and how they look. Aswell it would help me because I need to produce a band to go on the front cover of my magazine.
Blog 17 WB: 1/2/16
This week I collected The results from my questionnaire from my target audience. most had similar ideas of what they thought would associate with indie. This helped me because I would be able to get these ideas and incorporate them into my own magazines when I make the pages because in the end it will help me attract my target audience.
Blog 19 WB: 15/2/16
During the week I planned and took all the photos that I would include within the pages of my magazine. This meant i was able to create a indie band. I had to think about the results from my questionniare because I had to dress my cover models in indie clothes to make it look realistic.
Blog 21 WB: 29/2/16
During the week I moved on to create my contents page. I added the pictures that I took and followed a template that I found from an indie magazine. I chose this certain template because I thought It looked different from the other typical ones I have seen and linked to Indie.
Blog 23 WB: 14/3/16
During the week I started writing the information and all the text on my double page spread. i had to make up an interview and introduce the band I had made up. Doing this would make My magazine feel and look very real. I also got inspired form other magazines I saw and most had blocky text on all the pages to make it look consistent.
Blog 25 WB: 28/3/16
I printed out all the pages for my magazine and gave them to the teacher therefore I could get feedback and see improvements I could make and change. I was able to change spealling and punctuation on the text and size and postion of features and images on the page.
Blog 27 WB: 11/4/16
To finally finished I checked my evaluation through and magzine and made and change final changes and improvements. I also uploaded everthing onto the wix website.
Blog 14 WB: 11/01/16
This week I finished anaylising the q magazine front cover, labelling the codes and conventions of each part and why they are used. I also found two more music magazines that we have to analyse. This will help us though the typical parts in a music magazine to help us use when we will make our own. Also i managed to start analysing the contents pages and the double page spread to learn where everything usually goes.
Blog 16 WB: 25/01/16
This week I created a questionnaire for the target audience for my indie magazine. I had to find out research about what I could use for my magazine and things i could include.I had to find the age of my target audience that likes indie music. I asked questions like what colours do you asscosiate with indie, what bands do you like and what features do you like looking at the most in an magazine. This is going to help me alot when producing it as I can add all these things that my target audience will like. i then started to finish more of my research andf started looking at what institution I want to produce my magazine.
Blog 18 WB: 8/2/16
This week I created the layout and plans for the front cover, contents and double page spread on microsoft word. This helped me see what different features I can put in and include. Also I drew some plans on paper and took photos then uploaded them on wix. Doing this, I was able to look at my page plans visualy.
Blog 20 WB: 22/2/16
This week I started creating My front cover for my magazine. I decided to look at other magazine covers online and the ones from my questionnaire. this is because most people said they thought basic ones suited and linked with the genre of indie and they thought the cover model should stand out the most. I created my logo for my magazine. I named it INDY because it sounded like the indie genre. Also I coloured the logo white and the background Coral pink because the colours contrasted with each other and would stand out.
Blog 22 WB: 7/3/16
I started designing the double page spread for my magazine. i copied a layout I found from the magazine NME. This helped me because i was able to make the layout of my magazine look realistic and proffessional. Also I thought this layout looked very modern. I added pictures and made the colour scheme consistent having white, turquoise and coral pink.
Blog 24 WB: 21/3/16
I edited the pictures for all my pages to look more professional and make them stand out against the page. Some effects I did was changed the filter to black and white and other artistic effects like grain and changed the saturation/brightness.
Blog 26 WB: 4/4/16
During the week I started to create my evaluation on powerpont. I had to evaluate my magazine and answer six questions to help me see the progress I have made from my preliminary task to now.
