media studies coursework production

1. Conclusions
Audience research:
The media conglomerate Bauer has produced multiple real-life story magazines, however only one magazine, Heat, is aimed at the same target audience of 16-25 year olds.
Majority of Bauer’s real life story magazines are targeted at middle aged women rather than a younger audience, such as Bella, Closer, Take a Break and that’s life. They also
produce the magazine Yours, which has an older target audience of aged 50 and up. There are other real-life story magazines in the market produced by other media
conglomerates, however not many with a young target audience of 16-24. Cosmopolitan, for example, is a real-life and women's magazine produced by Hearst
Communications and is also aimed at a similar, younger audience of 18-34 year olds but most of the other magazines of this genre are aimed at an older audience.
Genre Research:
From the generic codes and conventions seen in other real-life magazines, audiences of the real-life story magazine will expect a magazine based around multiple real life
stories either about celebrities or normal people, that is aimed primarily at young women. They will expect an informal magazine with lots of content in different sections of
the magazine. In terms of aesthetic, a bright, unorganised, bold magazine will be expected, using lots of pictures and large titles in a sans-serif font. The masthead in other real-
life magazines is large and placed in the top-left corner and there is usually a main coverline accompanied by a main image that takes up majority of the front cover.
Graphic Elements:
The graphic elements of a large masthead, a main coverline along with many smaller coverlines are found in all of the other lifestyle magazines and will need to be used in my
magazine. A bright colour scheme with colours that contrast each other will need to be used on the front cover and some of those colours should also be used in the contents
page. Also, a main image that corresponds with the main coverline, along with additional images that accompany other coverlines need to be used and the font type should
consist of mainly sans-serif with possibly some serif font in the skyline or separate sections if there is/are ones. For function, a date and price should be included on the cover
as well as the date on the contents page along with page numbers.
House Style:
To construct a coherent house style across both pages of my magazine, I will use the same, bold colour scheme across both pages as well as the same font types. I will also
include the masthead on the contents page and I will use the same font as it is in on the front cover to show the branding of the magazine. I will also place my masthead in the
top left corner of my magazine to keep with the house style of the other real-life story magazines produced by Bauer.
Contents:
My magazine will feature multiple sections like the other real-life magazines I’ve researched. I will include an ‘on the cover’ section, to make it easier for the reader to find the
stories shown on the cover. I will also include a section for more everyday, real-life stories that aren’t on the cover as well as a celebrity section to appeal to the younger,
female target audience of the magazine who want to keep up with celebrities lives.