1. OCR Media Studies – AS Level
Unit G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media
Preliminary Task, Log Book and Evaluation
Name: Aaron Thomas
Candidate Number: 6508
Center Name: St. Paul’s Catholic College
Center Number: 64770
Set Brief - Print
Music Magazine – Production
Preliminary Task Progression, Log Book and
Evaluation
2. Preliminary Task Progression– Evidence
Front Cover
Step-by-step
Step 1: I decided to pick the font my masthead
which I downloaded from the internet.
(http://www.dafont.com/) Then i decided to
changed the size, colour scheme and style so
the masthead can stand out. My font was EA
sports covers SC.
Step 2: With much thought taken into
my masthead I decided to actually
change the font of my masthead. This
is because it did not look as
appealing as I hoped it would be. I
used a drop shadow
and stroke effect to make the font
stand out perfectly. The font
Style was called franchise from
http://www.dafont.com/
Step 3: I wanted to make my strapline
powerful and persuasive so I used words
like “the best”. Also I decided
To put in quotes to suggest Mr. Twist
said this because since my magazine is
about sixth form, people are more likely
to read it because Mr. Twist is the head
of sixth form.
3. Step 4: I decided to use this as my web address
because it signifies the school.
As it uses ‘thesixth@st-pauls.surrey.sch.uk’
Step 6: This main image of Liam
Quinn was used for my front
Cover to represent some of the
smart and intelligent
Students of Sixth Form. Therefore,
this makes my front
Cover look more appealing.
Step 5: I decided to link WHSmith with
my promotion because as I regularly
shop at that destination, I know that
you can buy school equipment which
Is essential for Sixth Form.
4. Step 7: These codes and conventions were used to
make my magazine look professional.
Step 8: I decided to use my cover-line
using the same effects as I did for my
headline, ‘Liam Quinn’.
This is because I wanted to keep my font
clear and let the examiner know I haven’t
made any major different changes in font
as it would be un-professional for me to
do so.
Step 9: This image was placed for my front
cover to represent my cover line which was
‘Top tips on how to get an A in math’.
Step 10: This is the name of my main image
Participant for my front cover.
Techniques used to develop this
Font was Drop and Inner Shadow,
Color overlay and Stroke. I decided
To use these effects to make the
Writing look engaging to my
Audience.
5. Preliminary Task Progression– Evidence
Contents Page
Step-by-step
Step 1: I used this font to represent my contents page
because it is bright and engaging.
Step 2: I wanted to use the St. Paul’s logo because my
Magazine is based on Sixth Form life at that particular school
Step 4: This is my editorial. I decided to make mine long and sophisticated,
to show the examiner my level of understanding towards this magazine. I
also used Facebook and Twitter promotions because I would like my
audience to find out more about the magazine. I used my own signature,
my editorial name, the masthead and email address so the audience can
potentially find us.
6. Step 5: I decided to use the same masthead as my
front cover because it makes my magazine look for
professional and makes the contents page appear
more appealing because of the enlarged text and the
color scheme of a red overlay effect and a yellow
stroke effect.
Step 6: This indicates one of the stories that
Will be mentioned in my magazine. I used this
Particular font to spell sixth form because it
looks very smart and reveals that the target
audience is for young adults and over. I used
pink as my background because it is bright and
lets the audience know The sixth magazine is
for girls as well as boys. I used the open book
thumbnail so the audience have a clear
indication of what the story is about.
Step 7: I used this pink bar to make my magazine look
professional and engaging. After this I instantly decided to move
my web address to this bar, minimize, duplicate THE SIXTH
masthead and move it to the bar. The page number 3 was
already at the bottom corner of the page so then I just brought
the bar to the back. That way, my page number is embedded to
the bar.
8. Music Magazine – Genre researchYOU MUST insert anything you can find about this genre – secondary sources (quotes from articles;
statistics; other magazine front covers) Make sure your findings are neatly presented and contain
images where needed.
NME is a very popular music magazine based in the united kingdom.
It is aimed at the middle-late aged teenagers (roughly 20) so NME gives a vibe
with a less poppy and more authoritative tone. The magazine features top artists
like Eminem or Rihanna.
This suggests that the magazine generates a variety of genres and therefore the
magazine is for both males and females. In 2004, NME had a 5% boost, scoring
73,640 sales per week. This indicates that around NME’s introduction to that year
the genre proved to be very popular.
Source -
http://www.slideshare.net/poppyimo
genyoung/nme-magazine-history-
and-why-they-would-promote-my-
artist
9. Music Magazine – Genre research
(Secondary Source)
• http://journalism.winchester.ac.uk/?page=257
• http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/brands/kerrang
• Kerrang magazine was first published on June 6, 1981. It was named from the onomatopoeic word
that comes from the noise made when smashing an electric guitar, (Kerrang). Through its initial
production the magazine was devoted to the new wave of British Heavy Metal artists and the rise
of hard rock acts such as AC/DC who actually appeared on Kerrang’s first cover. Kerrang is Launched
as a monthly magazine but its high demand means it can then be printed fortnightly and eventually
weekly.
• The magazine is published by Bauer Consumer Media and has become the world’s biggest selling
weekly rock magazine. The Bauer Publishing business has grown into a worldwide publishing
empire. They have 6,600 employees and an annual turnover of 1.79 billion Euros. the Bauer family
own 238 magazines including some of the UK’s biggest sellers such as Heat, Take a Break, Kerrang!,
Mojo and Q.
• Kerrang! ensures that there is a constant and appealing spectrum to its target readers.
Transitioning from the younger teenage readers who are more open to different genres of rock
music – for example, from EMO to Thrash, to the readers who respect Kerrang! as an organization
when it comes to Kerrang’s! scene of popular bands.
10. Established Magazine for my Research
Front Cover and Conventions – If there is anything missing YOU MUST explain what
this is and give a reason WHY it should be included.
Main image – this is used for ‘star appeal’ (Richard Dyer)
Masthead – this is in a big white font
and the background is red. This blends in well together so it helps to
Stand out for the audience to purchase.
Promotion – This is used to help the
Reader bond with their favorite artist or band in special
Events or in this case, take part in purchasing special issues
(Personal Relationship) Katz.
Cover-lines (Secondary Stories) – this is used to help the
Audience keep informed of what the magazine will contain.
Barcode/Price/Date/Issue
Main headline – this is used to help the audience
Realize the main star of this issues magazine.
The sub-headline is missing from
this issue because Q magazine
wanted it’s target audience to
focus primarily on the main image.
11. Target Audience – Katz, Maslow, Hartley and/or socio-economic needs
The target audience for Q magazine can be denoted as 15-34 year olds and will mainly target males. This is through the
theory of Hartley’s Seven Subjectivities. Also, Q magazine appeals towards ‘social climbers’ (Maslow) because as the
audience read the issue of Q magazine they will be engaged and motivated to boost their self-image through the front
cover and the interviews within Q magazine, which primarily focus on ‘stars’ (Richard Dyer) within the music industry
that the readers would look up to. Q magazine allows the reader to show empathy towards the celebrity of the double
page spread within the issue I deconstructed and thus from this develop a close ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) with the
artist. The socio-economic needs for Q magazine is based on ‘C1’, this indicates that nurses and officer supervisors will
be inclined to read Q magazine. Also, from C1, the Q magazine industry can link the specific target audience worldwide
What other conventions from the front cover would appeal to the reader and link to other theory? This is why you
need to complete slide 9!
What is the USP of this magazine?
From the research completed into this media product, I think the USP is that they focus on exclusives with
international and well-respected artists on the front cover and in general throughout the magazine where they
have interviews with that specific artist or band. As an example, Florence and the Machine is a well respected
band known internationally, interviews and exclusives will bring strong USP because she has a big fan base.
Readers and fans look up to this female musician and thus it engages them to read Q magazine and also helps
the reader to develop a better sense of ‘Personal Identification’. The promotion of the media product would
appeal to the reader because that way the audience can connect with their favorite artists.
What language or other conventions on the page would appeal to the reader and why?
12. Publisher research
http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines/detail/Q
http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/brands/q
Q is a monthly magazine which highlights everything that’s in rock and roll.
Since its launch in 1986 it has obtained a international reputation for its quality amongst
fans, stars and the music industry. The audience for Q targets younger people. 97% of
people rate Q as a high quality magazine.
Q targets younger
people as there
target audience
between the ages of
15-34
Socio-economics is
when a magazine
company categorize
people stereotypically
in terms of needs and
work out from this
who there target
audience are.
Source:
13. Conventions of a
Music Magazine
Masthead – This is effective as it
indicates to the audience what
type of magazine it is and who the
company are.
Main headline – this shows what the
magazine will generally be talking about
Main image - this engages the
audience as it portrays most
people’s favorite singer.
Bar code – this helps to
indicate the price of the
magazine issue
Cover lines – The cover lines tell
The audience who else will be mentioned
on the magazine issue.
Promotion – this gives the audience a chance to win
something, essentially involving their favorite artists.
This important because it is a chance for the target
audience to connect with certain artists.
14. Target Audience – Katz, Maslow, Hartley and/or socio-economic needs
The target audience for NME magazine can be denoted as for young adults (16-25) who enjoy rock/indie. I
believe this is clearly shown by their main image of artists on the front cover such as Paramore, because it
‘signifies’ the way the main artist presents itself. As an example:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4792255809_1c8ec1b290_o.jpg
From this you can tell the main target audience is for students as an adult would not be compelled to read the
magazine considering the fact that the rapper has a hoody which is stereotyped for what teenagers wear.
What is the USP of this magazine?
From the research completed into this media product, I think the USP for NME is the interviews it contains on
the double page spread of the magazine. This is because through the understanding of Katz; informing and
educating will allow the reader to learn something from consuming the NME magazine itself. Also, another USP
of my researched done on the magazine of NME, includes a free CD to try and create a sense of
survivor, (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) which ensures readers know the latest information about the artist/
band.
15. Publisher research
• YOU MUST find out who published your chosen “Magazine of inspiration” from the
sub-genre of your choice.
• Then, visit their website and deconstruct the information you can find about the
target readership in terms of socio-economic needs, circulation etc.
NME is said to be a truly unique multi-
platform media magazine which reaches over
1.1 million music fans every week.
My magazine of inspiration was created by
Theodore Smythson.
There socio-economic needs for NME core
buyers are 74% Males with a median age of
23, students, 42%, A, B, C1: 68% and target
people who are obsessed with music and are
strong users of mobiles. NME have a total
circulation of 20,011 from June 2013.
In addition, NME’s target audience of sub-
genre is mainly indie/rock, this is represented
through the use of them using images of
artists, content of their magazine and the
bands published throughout the issues.
Robbie Williams – This is categorized in
socio-economic class A, because Robbie
Williams is a famous artist and
internationally known as musician with
cross-genre appeal.
http://www.ipcmedia.com/nme
http://heathenmedia.co.uk/cclements
/2013/01/25/the-history-of-nme/
16. Audience Feedback -
• Complete a relevant survey that asks no fewer than 10 people about their opinions of your
magazine.
• This should contain between 8-10 questions – one of which MUST be about your
Progression from Preliminary Task – Main Task.
