Progression
It is clear that my skill and understanding of the
production of magazine pages and their conventions has progressed drastically
since before I started producing my AS Level portfolio of work. One aspect of this is
the photography; the image that I used on the front cover of my ‘AMP’
magazine compared to that of the preliminary task of a cover for a school
magazine is of considerably better quality and suitability.
When considering the noticeable differences in quality of work and understanding of conventions regarding photography and mise en scene, it is clear to see that the improvement made through practice and research has been drastic and has improved the pieces that I have been able to produce a large amount. The alternative music coursework uses far more aesthetically pleasing, suitable images than that of the magazine cover mad for the preliminary task.
Another aspect improved upon during coursework was font choices. The bold sans serif font named 'Impact' used consistently throughout 'AMP' magazine captures attention, is suited to the target audience of adolescents and young adults and is easy to read; the font used for the majority of the text on the cover of 'Sixth Form Post', though bold, remains too formal because it is a serif font. This may deter the adolescents that the magazine is targeted at from reading it because it will appear rather serious. The cover lines of 'Sixth Form Post' take less ease to read than those of 'AMP' magazine because they do not produce the degree of contrast created by the interaction between the black font and the white text box beneath it. The blacks and whites used for fonts on the alternative music magazines are more exciting than the creams and yellows on the school magazine front cover and also appear more attractive; the colours also compliment each other effectively, hence why black and white is such a common and popular colour combination.
Also regarding coverlines is the issue that a large coverline has not been used to advertise the magazine's main feature on the school magazine front cover produced for the prelimainary task. Resulting from this is the lack of presence of a cover story; from not realising the cover story, readers may become confused due to this missing convention. They may not wish to read the magazine because their attention may not be drawn as easily and the content will not seem as exciting. The alternative music magazine 'AMP', however, features a large cover line reading "Touring has been wild!" in a noticeably large, bold red font situated across the page. This is far more exciting than the relatively unengaging coverlines included on the cover of 'Sixth Form Post', which may read for example "An interview with the head teacher"; this does not inspire nor give and inclination of the topics discussed in the interview.
Another element that was included on the front covers was the masthead, which was conventional on the cover of 'AMP' magazine but not on 'Sixth Form Post". 'AMP' magazine had a conventional masthead because it shares many similarities with other magazines of the same genre such as 'NME'. These similarities are in colour, of which a vivid scarlet is consistently used, and black, which accompanies and compliments the red as well as adding dimension and depth. Though the masthead included on the cover of 'Sixth Form Post' is also red, it is a darker and more mature shade so may discourage the target audience of adolescents who usually enjoy reading more informal publications for entertainment reasons. The outline of this masthead is a muted cream colour; this does not cause the text to attract attention or stand out in the way that the masthead for 'AMP' does with it's contrasting and bright red and black colour combination.
The names of the magazines differ greatly too, with 'AMP' relating to the theme of the alternative music explored within the publication because it is the name of a piece of musical equipment that accompanies the electric guitar; this instrument is used across many denominations of the musical genre and is recognisable to music lovers universally, so will excite readers with an interest in guitars and the music that they produce. The word 'AMP' can be associated with loud music and the recklessness that it brings with it. This will excite the readers further and cause the assumption that the magazine will be as envigorating and fun as the music that it explores. The name is 'short and snappy', so can be remembered easily and stands out when written. It's simplicity creates impact and is conventional because other alternative magazines examined during the research stage of my AS Level Coursework portfolio also possess short names such as 'NME' and 'Q'. The name of the school magazine 'Sixth Form Post' can be considered to be relatively poor in comparison to that of 'AMP' for several reasons. One reason is that the name simply offers little inspiration. It lacks originality and creativity so will not capture the attention of potential readers; one strength of it,however, is that due to its straight to the point title, the educational topic will be apparent immediately along with it's target audience of sixth form students. The name of the magazine would be more memorable if it was made to be more concise as it would be shorter so would stick in the mind of the reader with more ease. It would also have more impact when printed, as does 'AMP'.
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On the left is the Induction Task magazine cover, and
on the right is the AS Level Portfolio front cover. From comparing the two
pieces, it can be concurred that I have improved sufficiently throughout the
course.
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It is clear to see the difference made by
using a higher quality camera for my AS Level coursework. Using a better camera
resulted in the photograph itself is sharper, therefore it appears more
attractive, more professional and cleaner.
Also considered when planning the magazine
cover for my coursework was the mise en scene; the setting was clearly more
thought through and conventional on the ‘AMP’ magazine front cover than that of
the school magazine produced for the introductory task. The background used for
the school magazine in the preliminary task was that of a leafy foliage; this
was unconventional because it had little to do with the theme of the magazine
or the studious environment that it was promoting. The photograph, therefore, would have been
more suited to the magazine’s genre had it been taken at a school or college.
The background of the ‘AMP’ magazine front cover, which is an alternative music
publication, is far more conventional because the neglected urban scene is
often connoted with the attitude that many artists of the genre possess and the
recalcitrant sound of their music. The setting is also more appealing in that
it is eye catching; whereas the background for ‘AMP’ magazine is colourful and
cool, that of the preliminary task seems unoriginal and dull.
One reason the photograph used on the cover
of the school magazine appears dull
compared to the vibrant wall behind the model on ‘AMP’ magazine is that one
photograph has been edited and one hasn’t. The photograph used on the cover of ‘AMP’
magazine has deliberately been made to look more vibrant using Adobe Photoshop,
resulting in a more eye catching and aesthetically pleasing photograph that is
better suited to being on the cover of a magazine. The lighting present during
the photoshoot for ‘AMP’ magazine was considerably brighter aswell because of the difference in weather
conditions; this natural light contributed to the taking of a more fresh,
attractive initial photograph.
Another aspect of mise en scene that has been considered in the production of 'AMP' magazine but not the preliminary task is costume; whereas a conventionally fashionable and 'scruffy' look has been created for the musician on the cover of the alternative music magazine, the costume of the pupil featured on the cover of the school magazine that I produced is not as clear in the role of the model. A school uniform would have been a more suitable outfit to be worn on the cover of this particular publication as its purpose is to inform of school related topics and its target audience is students. The magazine would also be more relatable to the readers if this had been done because they would share something in common with the model on the cover.
Another aspect of mise en scene that has been considered in the production of 'AMP' magazine but not the preliminary task is costume; whereas a conventionally fashionable and 'scruffy' look has been created for the musician on the cover of the alternative music magazine, the costume of the pupil featured on the cover of the school magazine that I produced is not as clear in the role of the model. A school uniform would have been a more suitable outfit to be worn on the cover of this particular publication as its purpose is to inform of school related topics and its target audience is students. The magazine would also be more relatable to the readers if this had been done because they would share something in common with the model on the cover.
Also improved upon was the production of the publication itself using computer programmes; whereas Microsoft Publisher was used for the making of the cover for the preliminary task, Adobe Photoshop was used to create the front cover of 'AMP' magazine for my coursework, with the latter being a far wiser choice because it allowed for techniques such as cutting the masthead in a way that creates the illusion that the model is standing in front of it and adding shadowing to text boxes and text itself to add dimension and draw the reader in. These effects could not be created with Microsoft Publisher because the tools to achieve them are simply not present in the programme. A more professional, sleeker look could also be achieved by using photoshop, with the ability to edit photographs and more freedom in creative choices. Also, the option of using multiple layers was useful and helped me in that more control was consolidated during production and the layout was easier to alter, meaning more complex ones could be made.
Elements such as fonts and colours were also used more effectively in my coursework than in the preliminary task. For example, both magazines possess a house style yet 'APM' magazine's red, black and white colour scheme is a more exciting, enthusing one than the subdued burgandy and cream one of the school magazine 'Sixth Form Post'.This means that readers would be far more likely to wish to read 'AMP' than 'Sixth Form Post'.
Elements such as fonts and colours were also used more effectively in my coursework than in the preliminary task. For example, both magazines possess a house style yet 'APM' magazine's red, black and white colour scheme is a more exciting, enthusing one than the subdued burgandy and cream one of the school magazine 'Sixth Form Post'.This means that readers would be far more likely to wish to read 'AMP' than 'Sixth Form Post'.
Another aspect improved upon during coursework was font choices. The bold sans serif font named 'Impact' used consistently throughout 'AMP' magazine captures attention, is suited to the target audience of adolescents and young adults and is easy to read; the font used for the majority of the text on the cover of 'Sixth Form Post', though bold, remains too formal because it is a serif font. This may deter the adolescents that the magazine is targeted at from reading it because it will appear rather serious. The cover lines of 'Sixth Form Post' take less ease to read than those of 'AMP' magazine because they do not produce the degree of contrast created by the interaction between the black font and the white text box beneath it. The blacks and whites used for fonts on the alternative music magazines are more exciting than the creams and yellows on the school magazine front cover and also appear more attractive; the colours also compliment each other effectively, hence why black and white is such a common and popular colour combination.
Also regarding coverlines is the issue that a large coverline has not been used to advertise the magazine's main feature on the school magazine front cover produced for the prelimainary task. Resulting from this is the lack of presence of a cover story; from not realising the cover story, readers may become confused due to this missing convention. They may not wish to read the magazine because their attention may not be drawn as easily and the content will not seem as exciting. The alternative music magazine 'AMP', however, features a large cover line reading "Touring has been wild!" in a noticeably large, bold red font situated across the page. This is far more exciting than the relatively unengaging coverlines included on the cover of 'Sixth Form Post', which may read for example "An interview with the head teacher"; this does not inspire nor give and inclination of the topics discussed in the interview.
Another element that was included on the front covers was the masthead, which was conventional on the cover of 'AMP' magazine but not on 'Sixth Form Post". 'AMP' magazine had a conventional masthead because it shares many similarities with other magazines of the same genre such as 'NME'. These similarities are in colour, of which a vivid scarlet is consistently used, and black, which accompanies and compliments the red as well as adding dimension and depth. Though the masthead included on the cover of 'Sixth Form Post' is also red, it is a darker and more mature shade so may discourage the target audience of adolescents who usually enjoy reading more informal publications for entertainment reasons. The outline of this masthead is a muted cream colour; this does not cause the text to attract attention or stand out in the way that the masthead for 'AMP' does with it's contrasting and bright red and black colour combination.
Also improved upon in the production of mastheads was the font used; the font used on the masthead of 'Sixth Form Post' is serif and does not have the impact that that of 'AMP' does because it is less bold. The serif font is too formal, thus making the magazine less inviting than the excitment caused by the cover or 'AMP' magazine.
The names of the magazines differ greatly too, with 'AMP' relating to the theme of the alternative music explored within the publication because it is the name of a piece of musical equipment that accompanies the electric guitar; this instrument is used across many denominations of the musical genre and is recognisable to music lovers universally, so will excite readers with an interest in guitars and the music that they produce. The word 'AMP' can be associated with loud music and the recklessness that it brings with it. This will excite the readers further and cause the assumption that the magazine will be as envigorating and fun as the music that it explores. The name is 'short and snappy', so can be remembered easily and stands out when written. It's simplicity creates impact and is conventional because other alternative magazines examined during the research stage of my AS Level Coursework portfolio also possess short names such as 'NME' and 'Q'. The name of the school magazine 'Sixth Form Post' can be considered to be relatively poor in comparison to that of 'AMP' for several reasons. One reason is that the name simply offers little inspiration. It lacks originality and creativity so will not capture the attention of potential readers; one strength of it,however, is that due to its straight to the point title, the educational topic will be apparent immediately along with it's target audience of sixth form students. The name of the magazine would be more memorable if it was made to be more concise as it would be shorter so would stick in the mind of the reader with more ease. It would also have more impact when printed, as does 'AMP'.
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