AS Media Studies

1. OCR Media Studies – AS Level
Unit G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media
Planning & Research
Name: Jessica Blundell
Candidate Number: 1020
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic School
Center Number: 64135
Set Brief - Print
Music Magazine – Production
Preliminary Task Progression and
Planning & Research

2. Section 1) –
Preliminary Task

3. Preliminary Task Progression–
Evidence
Front Cover
Step-by-step

4. First, I added a gradient background
from yellow to blue in order to suit the
St Andrew's logo. I also added in a
banner with the St Andrews logo on it
so that if anyone's sees it they
automatically know that it is the St
Andrews school magazine. The banner
has the shadow effect on it and also the
stroke effect in white. I added the
masthead in the font ‘Microsoft Tai Le’
and made the colour dark blue in order
to match the school logo, I put a black
stroke effect round it. I also put in the
strapline ‘discover success’ which has
connotations of doing well at school
and how people at the school are doing
and how students can follow their
example.

5. Secondly, I added the main image of
Catherine. I removed the background
and made sure that no bits of the
background are showing. This makes it
look more professional and more focus
is on Catherine, this means that people
know that she is part of the main
article.

6. Next I put in the barcode. I put a white
square as the background with a thin
black stroke effect. I put the actual
barcode in next and then added the social
media logos (Facebook and twitter) and
put in the username which can be used
for either social network to find the school
magazine. I put in the price and I also
added The Student masthead. I put in
issue 1 and October 2015 to let people
know that this is the first issue and what
month this issue is. The fonts I used are
very basic fonts as it is only the barcode
and more attention should be going
towards the cover lines and the main
image.

7. Next I put in the puff promotion. I
made it a yellow circle with a black
stroke effect because it fits in with the
colours of the school logo. I added win
and put it just above the circle, I put a
yellow stroke effect around it because
it stands out more and it is the same
colour as the background, making it
blend in more. I also added a drop
shadow so that it will stand out even
more. I put the new iPhone in a smaller
text in white with the black stroke
effect, and I made the 6S a bigger font
and a different colour so it attracts
more attention. I put in the iPhone so
that people can see what it looks like
and it means that it will become more
real to people, possibly persuading
them to enter the competition. There
is also a drop shadow on the iPhone so
that it stands out against the text in the
puff promotion, drawing more
attention towards it.

8. The next thing I did was put in the main
story and its cover line. I decided that I
would make the cover lines and main
article text yellow and white with a black
stroke effect. This is because it will stand
out more against everything else on the
page and again, it goes with the school
logo colours. ‘Catherine Worwood’ is in
the biggest font in the main article
section, this is because it means people
will read that first, especially because it
the only part (except for the cover line)
that is white for the main story section,
meaning it stands out more. The rest is in
yellow and the exclusive is in capitals to
draw attention. I made the sub-line text
much smaller because I don’t want to
reveal too much about the article, and if
people see what the main story is about
they probably wouldn’t need to read the
sub-line in order to decide if they will buy
the magazine.

9. The next thing I did was add all the cover
lines in and put the sub-lines in too. I
continued with the colour scheme of
yellow and white in terms of the stories
featured on the front cover. I decided to
use some rhetorical questions because it
prompts the reader to think of a response
or to want to find out the answer is to that
question. I tried to add cover lines which
are specific to the sixth form as it is a sixth
form magazine. I also put in articles that
would benefit sixth form students or help
them in some way (for example the
learning style helps people to find out how
they should be doing revision). I also added
things that sixth form students can relate to
such as the new a levels and the bowling
trip that happened. I used the ruler tool to
decide and measure the difference
between the articles so I could try and
make them as equal as possible. I put the
stroke effect around all the text because it
helps it to stand out more.

10. The next thing I did was adding a few
images to make the front cover more
interesting and to fill blank space. I put
in coloured squares which represent the
house colours near the bowling cover
line as the bowling trip was house
bowling (winning points from bowling to
add to the house you are in at school). I
also added the pabulummm logo as they
prove the school food. It relates to the
article as there was a new sixth form
café with new food.

11. The final thing I did was adding the
school website link. I put this is a small
text at the top of the page so that it
doesn't take up any space that could be
used for articles, it is a subtle place to
put it and does not get in the way, but it
is still there so people have the option
and knowledge of the school website. It
is yellow and has the black stroke effect
around it so that it matches the rest of
the text on the page.

12. The front cover
looks like this now
that it is
completed.

13. Preliminary Task Progression–
Evidence
Contents Page
Step-by-step

14. The first thing I did when making my
contents page was adding the
gradient, background, The Student
logo and This week…

15. Next, I put in the editorial. I put a
picture of myself with a black stroke
effect. I also included a drop capital, the
editorial text, my signature and editor
information. There is also information
about the social media that the
magazine has.

16. I put the stories in next, I put a sub-line
in as well to give the reader some
information about the article. They
match the colours of the cover-lines on
the front cover. I also added a yellow
box as a background for the Features
section.

17. Next I put in some pictures that relate to
the articles to fill up some space. I also
added the page number at the bottom
and the school email. The student pat of
the website is the same font and size as
the masthead.

18. The final thing I did was adding the
photos and the captions. I added a
picture of Catherine helping
another student as she is on the
front cover, and another image of
two other students in the school
who are in a french classroom. I also
added two navy lines to make the
page look more interesting an
neater. I also put in two ten pound
note images to give an insight into
what the reward is. I also changed
my email to
www.jblundell@thestudent.com

19. This is the
completed
version of my
contents page.

20. Section 2) – Log Book

21. Music Magazine – Genre research
Bauer Media Group is an example of a
magazine publisher, Bauer Media Group is a
large European-based media company with its
headquarters in Germany. It manages more
than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products
and 50 radio and TV stations around the world.
This company manages Q magazine.
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauer_Media_Gr
• Q magazine has a genre of pop/rock with a a few
features about R&B and rap.
• The Guardian said Q magazine was the best music magazine in the
UK in 2006.
(http://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/aug/17/pressandpublis
hing.circulationfigures4)
• Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern
form in the Western world during the 1950s and 1960s, deriving
from rock and roll. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_music)

22. Established Magazine for my Research
Masthead – big and bold so it stands out and draws attention
of the readers or potential readers.
Main headline – doesn't’t give away the story so the readers
are left wondering what its about. Also creates a ‘personal
relationship’ (Katz uses and gratifications) as some of the
readers might be able to relate to the quote ‘I feel so alone’.
However, this can also create ‘diversion’ (Katz uses and
gratifications) because they are reading about her life and
forgetting about any problems they’re facing in their life.
The quote may also attract ‘caregivers’ (Maslow's Hierarchy
of needs) as they will feel sorry for the star as she feels ‘so
alone’
Cover story
Incentive –
Helps in trying to get people
to buy the magazine, it stands
out as it’s blue which draws
attention.
Barcode
star appeal (Richard Dyer)
Strapline (discover great
music) – readers can find out
good music to listen to and
since the readership is for a
wide audience it can appeal
to any age.
Florence from Florence and the machine –
persuades people to buy it

23. Target Audience – Katz, Maslow, Hartley and/or socio-economic needs
Q magazine covers a range of music from todays music and artists and older music and
artists, this means that the target audience of Q magazine will most likely be people who
are working. 71.8% of people who read it are in the ABC1 profile, meaning they are employed and
have the money to spend on buying music magazines. It can appeal to both male and females.
Source: http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/uploads/Q.pdf
According to Katz’ uses and gratifications, the audience would be part of the ‘diversion’ section. This is because Q magazine has a
readership of people who are working in professional jobs, school, college or university. This means they’re likely to become
stressed at work/school and need a way of escaping that stress and forgetting about It for a while. Therefore, Q magazine would
aim to provide stories and entertainment for its readers so that they can escape the stress of their everyday lives.
According to Hartley's seven subjectivities the target audience is likely to be of both genders and of middle class. According to
age, the readers are likely to be 15-34 years old and of any ethnicity.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs would suggest that the readers of Q are social climbers. This is because they are in professional jobs
and are likely to care about their position in that job and the status they have in society. They could also be perceived as survivors
because of their ABC1 profile. This is the same for the younger generation of readers, however, they will be concerned with their
status among their peers. As most are in employment they are likely to want security and routine, this can be transferred to how
they feel about other people like celebrities included in the magazine and how they want them to have security and routine and
for everything to work out. However, for the younger generation of readers, they will want security and routine as they need to
finish school, college or university and are likely to want the security that this will happen.
From the research completed into this media product, I think the USP is the main headline. This is because it
has Florence in big letters and above it is a quote saying ‘I feel so alone’ and at the bottom it says ‘woman on
edge’ This has a lot of different interpretations over what she could be ‘on the edge’ for and why she feels ‘so
alone’ so people finding a magazine may be drawn towards it to find out why this is on the main headline,
especially if they are fans of this celebrity. This magazine company could use these kinds of headlines on other
magazine covers to intrigue readers to/of the magazine because they do not know the full story behind the
headlines and may want to find out more.

24. Publisher research
Bauer media
‘We think
popular’
Bauer media
• Bauer Media is a European company that publishes many forms of media such as magazines, radio
and TV. It manages more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products making it a large company and
therefore respected by many media forms. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauer_Media_Group)
• Its slogan ‘we think popular’ implies how the company is forward thinking and has a lot of researchers,
meaning it catches onto trends very quickly. Due to this people will want to read/watch/listen to the
media Bauer produces as it will inform them on what is popular at the minute and what trends are
present at that time. They interpret trends so that everyone can understand them which could be why
they are so successful.
Q magazine
• Data shows that Q magazine is mostly read by 15-34 year olds. This shows that Q magazine is capable
of attracting readers of a wide age range as they do a range of covers with different music artists from
both the past and from the present. Data also shows that the magazine is read by more men than
women and that most readers are from ABC1 groups.
(Source: http://origin.mediauk.com/magazines/36219/q/readership-figures)
• Q magazine can be purchased online as a monthly or yearly subscription, it can also be purchased in
retail outlets such a WHSmith, Newsstand and many other shops and newsagents. Q magazine offers
digital and physical copies of their magazine in their subscription deals and are brought out monthly

25. Target audience
• The target audience of Q magazine appears to be people in their twenty’s to thirty’s. On the
Q magazine media pack results show that 71.8% of the ABC1 profile read the magazine with
the median range of 34. This means that people who read the magazine are employed and in
some sort of skilled job. (source: https://www.bauermedia.co.uk/uploads/Q.pdf)
• Other statistics also show that 83.8% of the readers are 15-44 years of age. This shows that Q
has the ability to make the magazine appeal to a wide range of ages. Q does this by featuring
currently popular artists like Adele and older artists like Paul McCartney. This means that
there is always going to be someone from one age group who is interested in the artist on
the front cover.
• Q magazine statistics show that 71.8% are employed, showing that the majority of people
who buy the magazine have an income and enough money left over to buy the magazine.

26. Conventions of a Music
Magazine
Billboard magazine
Masthead – the bright colours draw attention and stand out.
The colours suggest that the readership is young and
modern.
Incentive – persuades people to read the magazine. It is bright and does
not match the colour scheme therefore making it more obvious.
‘star appeal’ (Richard Dyer) – this particular star appeal will attract
teenagers and young adults which matches the readership, which follows
the ‘age’ aspect of Hartley's seven subjectivities. Drakes ‘gender’ and
‘ethnicity’ will also draw readers who feel they can relate to him because
they share characteristics or they want to find out more about him
because of these characteristics.
Cover stories – the cover stories act as a ‘diversion’
(Katz’ uses and gratifications) as the reader will
read the cover stories and be diverted from
anything they are currently facing in their life.
Main headline – doesn’t give the story away but gives
enough for it to sound interesting
Barcode

27. The target audience for billboard magazine can be denoted as young adults and a range of ethnicities. This is
because the music genre of this magazine is pop music which is mainly listened to by young adults and since
the ethnicities of pop singers vary, so will the people who listen to them. Data from the billboard website itself
states that 68% of readers are college graduates which support how the target audience is young adults. As
readers get older there are less people reading billboard magazine as peoples music taste changes as people
get older and
perhaps don’t have the time to spend reading magazines
due to work. According to Katz uses and gratifications the target audience will want to be ‘diverted’ from their
every day lives. This is because the readers will be in school or work which they may find to be stressful so
might want a way to escape it. They will also want to ‘personally identify’ with the celebrities included in the
issues because they want to know that they're not alone in any situation, and knowing they're not might help
them. According to Hartleys seven subjectivities the target audience will be in their late teens or early
twenties, both male and female and of any ethnicity and class. Maslows hierarchy of needs presents the
readers as explorers, this is because they are still young so they will be driven and influenced by social change.
What is the USP of this magazine?
From the research completed into this media product, I think the USP is the ‘celebrity
appeal.’ This is because pop artists are widely known about and listened to by a range of
age groups so when people see the magazine on the shelves and see their favorite singer
they are likely to want to buy the magazine, especially if that singer is their role model. The
front cover in the previous slide has Drake on the front cover, who has 25.5 million
followers on twitter, meaning that some of those followers would want to buy a magazine
with this particular celebrity on it, this goes for every magazine that billboard and any other
magazine has published. The main headline with this celebrity appeal will draw peoples
attention and will mean that some people will buy the magazine to read, especially a
younger audience who this magazine aims towards.
Source:
http://advertising.billboard.com/magazin
e

28. Publisher research
Prometheus global media states ‘Billboard content is consumed by millions of
people in more than 100 countries.’ This means that there are a lot of people
that read this magazine which makes it a success, and the fact it says ‘millions of people’ connotes how a
range of people read it and enjoy it. (source: http://www.prometheusgm.com/billboard)
Its total readership is 48K with 68% being college graduates. This means that the majority of people who
read it are young and with the music artists they have on their front covers means that that age group is
likely to be their target audience. Source: http://advertising.billboard.com/magazine
Billboard not only do magazines, they also do music charts and awards (billboard music awards, hot 100,
ranking the top songs and albums regardless of genre. Magazines are produced weekly. Billboard music
awards means that the magazine will have a raised profile, therefore making it read by more people if they
watch the billboard music awards and if they pay attention to the ‘Hot 100’ music chart.
Billboard magazines issues are mostly only available to
purchase online or the option to subscribe to billboard is
available online. They can be bought on the billboard
website, iTunes and newsstand.
Billboard is an American music magazine,
with its first issue being released on November 1st
1894. Billboard magazine is owned by
Prometheus global media .