This document provides guidance for a student completing an assignment evaluating a proposed music magazine. It outlines the structure and content expected for each of the first two evaluation questions. For question one, the student is asked to identify the magazine's target audience through research such as a reader survey. For question two, the student must explain how the magazine would represent particular social groups through elements like costume, photography style, and cover stars. Examples are provided analyzing how celebrity Taylor Momsen represents different images to different audiences. The document emphasizes visually presenting information through images, color coding, and space.

1. AS Media Studies at Aquinas
Your coursework brief:
OCR G321: Foundation Portfolio
Create the front cover, contents
and double page spread for a
new music magazine

2. The evaluation
• There are SEVEN questions that relate to the
planning and production of your music magazine
• You must find interesting and VISUAL ways to
interest the moderator in your work.
• Use plenty of images, thumbnails, links etc
• Use colour codes, highlighting and keys for
important information
• Use lots of space, don’t cram slides with
information

3. You will be expected to submit at least FIVE slides per question but
this can vary if you have a hyperlink on a single slide.
You are asked to demonstrate good communication
skills.
Lots of
negative space
All
information
is clearly Statistics are
visible and displayed
easy to interestingly
read

4. Your first slide should look like
this...

5. Name:
Candidate number :
Centre: 33435 Aquinas College
AS Media Studies
OCR G321: Foundation Portfolio
Brief from OCR syllabus

6. The following slides are only a
rough guide to what you should
include in your evaluation for the
first two questions.

7. Q1.Who would be the
audience for your media
product?

8. Q1. Who would be the audience for
your media product?
• You should include results of an audience
questionnaire here that:
– Proves there is a need for your product
– Defines the age, gender and lifestyle of your
primary audience
– Shows what media your primary audience
currently consume

9. Q1. Who would be the audience for
your media product?
Live in the Influenced
Who know what city by..
music they like..
16-24 year olds
Who go to gigs.. I aimed my
magazine at.. Women
Educated
Who spend money
Who like to shop
on..
at..

10. Q1. Who would be the audience for
your media product?
I feel that my magazine would be similar to NME and
the audience that buys that, however would be slightly
more mainstream. I also felt very strongly from
personal experience that there was a gap in the market
for an indie music magazine aimed at young women.
This would be my unique selling point.

11. Sub- genres and hybrid
publications
Based on my audience
research, I have found that
there is a gap in
the market for a niche
magazine that combines indie
music with high- street
fashion aimed at a primary
audience of middle class,
teenage females.
NOTE: You should aim to add
a couple of slides showing why
current audiences enjoy using
these publications and how you
will combine them to create a
new product.

12. Q1. Who would be the audience for
your media product?
This issue of NME
uses more feminine
colours that would
attract women. It also
appeals to the same
genre of music lovers
as my magazine
would.

13. Q2 : How does your media product
represent particular social groups?

14. Q2. How does your media product represent
particular social groups?
MODE OF ADDRESS:
The use of intertexuality within my features
creates a code that the audience of my
publication would understand.
IDEAL READER:
My star represents the ideal reader, with
the use of mise en scene. Her costume and
performance connote a rebellious side,
straying away from conventions. Therefore
my target audience would ASPIRE to be like
her.

15. Q2. How does your media product represent
particular social groups?
•To appeal to the correct TARGET AUDIENCE, my star
would have to represent an idealised version of the
reader. In order to appeal to as many consumers as
possible, the star must appear mainstream and non-
threatening.
•On the following slides I will demonstrate how Taylor
Momsen, one of the celebrities my chosen audience is
interested in, filters her appearance and performance
depending on her audience

16. Q2. How does your star represent
particular social groups?

17. Taylor Momsen: mainstream
representation
Neat blonde hair
Direct eye makes her look like
contact with the “girl next- door”
audience
Neutral/positive
Delicate heels are
facial expression
feminine and
youthful
“Barely there”
make up Demure body
language- she is
posing for the
But black bracelets camera
and thumb ring
She is trying to
show that she has
appeal to a young,
a subversive side
female audience as
a positive role
model

18. Taylor Momsen: niche
representation
Sunglasses
create an Stockings and
enigma and keep visible
the audience at suspenders are
arm’s length overtly sexual
Not smiling, so Studs on tight-
not welcoming fitting basque are
the audience aggressive
Long hair Crucifix connotes
is un- “good girl gone
brushed bad”
Perspex platform
heels are worn to Multiple leather
encourage the bracelets make
male gaze her seem tough

19. Q2. How does your media product
represent particular social groups?
COSTUME: Both
outfits represent different
images. The yellow dress
connotes innocence,
whereas the high heels
and suspenders connote
a more rebellious
teenager. Both these
would appeal to different
AUDIENCES.
Likewise, this outfit would not
Momsen would not wear this
be appropriate for her
outfit while fronting her band, as
appearance on Gossip Girl,
it does not represent the image
as it would not appeal to the
that she promotes.
audience.

20. Q2. How does your media product
represent particular social groups?
COVER STAR:
In all the photographs of my star, I tried to make sure she would be APSIRATIONAL
for the readers. She is the same age and gender as my IDEAL READER, therefore
would attract the TARGET AUDIENCE. The mise en scene of the star represents a
slightly rebellious young woman, and the use of glasses connote a sense of
confrontation.