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1. Music Magazine – Production
Isaac Halle

2. Front Cover
Step-by-stepI added a large
bold masthead at
the top left of the
cover because it
is synonymous
with popular
music magazines
Such as NME I added a colourful
background in order
to make the cover
more eyecatching
I added the
edition, date and
website, which is
displayed on
music magazine
covers
I also added a
strapline which is
common in music
magazine front
covers

3. I added a large
main image of a
‘star’ which is
similar to almost
all music
magazine covers
such as NME, Q,
DIY etc.
I have also
manipulated the
image to go over
the masthead,
which is common in
the magazines I am
using as inspiration

4. I added the price for
the magazine
I added the
barcode, social
media logos and
qr code (which
links to my blog)
I added a main headline
and used attractive
language to make a reader
want to look inside, its also
synonymous with other
music magazine front
covers
In addition I manipulated
the main image so that it
partly goes over the main
headline

5. I added the name
of the band using
their logo in order
to create realism
and allow an
audience to
recognise the band
I added the names
of bands which
featured inside
with bold and clear
writing giving
additional features
inside to attract an
audience rather
than merely the
main headline and
’star’/’stars’ (Dyer)

6. Puff promotion is bright and clear.
Therefore it is eye-catching and
attracts an audience to the
magazine, additionally an
audience is attracted by the
promoted offer within. The
positive connotations of such
language as ‘Win’ and ‘Free’
persuade an audience to buy the
magazine to gain from it.
Furthermore, the promotion
advertised here-’ free bloc party
tickets’ relates specifically to my
target audience who are
interested in the indie/alternative
genre because the band who’s
tickets are advertised are a large
band of this genre, which will
allow them to ‘personally
identify’(Katz) because they
recognise the band and relate it
to the genre and magazine which
will therefore likely reflect their
tastes and interests.
Additionally this feature is a
common convention in most
successful magazines of the same
genre so through replicating such
conventions, my magazine can
become a similarly high standard.

7. The ‘star’ (Dyer) I am replicating is Gus Unger Hamilton. A member of the band Alt-J. I am replicating him with my model, Harry
Frampton because I believe Harry looked very similar to the ‘star’ and would be the most effective person to use to replicate the star. I
organised a photoshoot in my free time. Additionally to replicate the ‘star’ further, I personally bought glasses a blazer and shirt in order
to replicate the mise-en-scene of the star and make the replication more accurate as a result. This would also allow an audience to
‘personally identify’ (Katz) with my magazine because the mise-en-scene of the star would allow him to be more recognisable and
identifiable. I chose to use a blazer and white shirt as the clothing for my model because Gus-Unger-Hamilton’s style is generally
smart/casual as he will normally wear buttoned shirts or blazers. Therefore I replicated this style with the smart blazer accompanied with
the casual shirt. This additionally made Harry stand out more due to the contrasting colours. I replicated the ‘star’ also through the hand
symbol I made my model use. This was replicating a hand action used by the ‘star’ himself (as shown in image below) and furthermore is
a recognisable symbol of the band. A triangle is the shape the band associate themselves with and use as their symbol. Therefore by
making Harry also do this in the image it further allows an audience to ‘personally identify’ and recognise the star and band as well as
related genres and themes.
Evidence of replication-Front Cover
The ‘star’ -Gus-Unger Hamilton My replication

8. Evidence of replication- Contents
In my contents page I have replicated the band Alt-J’s appearance through
their layout and positioning as well as the background used. Generally the
band are pictured side by side in front of a wall (as images on right show).
Therefore in order to replicate this, my image shows my models in the same
layout in front of a wall.
My image background replicates the background used in the image on the top
right, however I have used Steve Neale’s theorem of ‘repetition and
difference’ by repeating the background but creating difference through their
layout as the band members are in a different order as well as what they are
doing (in the image I am replicating , Joe Newman in the middle is jumping
however in my image no-one is)
My replication
Original images of Alt-J

9. Evidence of replication
Contents
Mise-en-scene
Joe Newman
Through the mise-en-scene of clothing and posing, I have effectively replicated Alt-J member, Joe Newman with my
model (James Mcclements). As shown in the lower right images, Joe Newman generally wears all black and the far right
image shows him in a casual pose. Therefore to effectively replicate I have photographed my model in all lack and posing
with hands in pockets casually.
In addition I chose to use James as my model because I believe he is the most similar
looking to Joe Newman out of anyone I knew especially because they have the most
similar build
My replication
Original images of
Joe Newman

10. Evidence of replication
Contents
Mise-en-scene
Thom Green

12. Contents Page
Step-by-step

19. Section 1) – Log Book

20. Music Magazine – Genre research
• YOU 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.

21. My magazine of inspiration
My magazine of inspiration is NME
This is because NME is the same genre as my media product
(Indie/Alternative).
Therefore it’s style, codes and conventions are very similar to
what I aim to replicate with my magazine.
Through ‘repetition and difference’ (Neale) my media product
can be as effective and professional as magazines such as
NME through imitating effective conventions however I will
change some aspects in order to make my magazine unique
and give in a unique selling point which can give my magazine
an advantage over competitors as it will include features they
don’t.

22. NME stands for ‘new musical express’
NME is a music magazine, and typically features
music of the ‘indie’ or ‘alternative’ genre of
music.
NME were launched in 1952.
In 2015 they became a free magazine.

23. Publisher research
http://www.timeincuk.com/brands/nme/
The publishing company of my magazine of inspiration-NME, is
timeinc.uk
The chief executive is Marcus Rich.
Timeinc.uk publish many different magazines of different genres, for example;
What’s on TV, World Soccer, Shooting times and Soaplife.
We can see that timeinc.uk own various brands of different genres in order to
have a greater mass appeal. They engage with almost half of all UK adults
(around 26 million people). 2015 profits were about £23 million.

24. Conventions of Magazine of inspirationLarge, clear magazine
masthead positioned at the
top left of the cover.
Large image of ‘star’ (Dyer)
Barcode positioned at
bottom right of cover
Inner features
Main headline
Puff Promotion
Strapline

25. Target Audience – Katz, Maslow, Hartley and/or socio-economic needs
The target audience for Q magazine can be denoted as…
What is the USP of this magazine? YOU MUST refer to specific
conventions/stories from you research
From the research completed into this media product, I think the USP is…

26. My other magazine of inspiration is Q
I have chosen Q as a magazine of inspiration because it is the same genre of magazine
as I am making mine to be. This is the music genre-more specifically, the
indie/alternative genre.
I have also chosen it because it is one of the top magazines in this genre therefore
replicating the codes and conventions of a successful magazine mean that mine can be
of similar quality. I will do tis through ‘repetition and difference’(Steve Neale) by
replicating effective codes and conventions to make my magazine of high standard but
change things to make my magazine unique, and give it a USP.

27. Large Masthead at the
top left of cover
Strapline positioned beneath
masthead
Large image of ‘star’(Dyer)
Image is manipulated so it
covers masthead partially
Puff promotion
Large, clear main headline
relating to featured ‘star’
on the cover
Features within
magazine. Features
‘stars’ of genre
Conventions of Magazine of inspiration

28. Publisher research
The publishing company of Q magazine is Bauer Media. The Bauer Media
Group are Europe’s largest privately owned publishing group. They own over
300 magazines in 15 countries.
They were created in 1953
Some of the magazine brands owned by Bauer are:
https://www.bauermedia.co.uk
Bauer media own a variety of different genres of magazine in order
to appeal to a larger variety of audience

29. The target audience for Q magazine can ‘personally identify’ according to
Katz’s gratifications theory, because they can recognize the names or images
of ‘stars’ of the genre they are interested in, and can therefore relate to and
personally identify with the magazine as it reflects their tastes and interests.
What is the USP of this magazine? YOU MUST refer to specific
conventions/stories from you research
The USP of Q magazine according to the issue I analysed is that it was
featured as the 300th issue in ‘puff promotiom’ which would entice an
audience to buy the magazine because of the positive connotations and
features associated with a 300th issue.
The logo of the magazine SHOULD be placed on this slide neatly somewhere

30. Publisher research
The logo of the magazine SHOULD be placed on this slide neatly somewhere
• 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.

31. Section 2) – Evaluation

32. In what ways does your Media product
use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
My media product uses the convention of a masthead. Similarly to real
media products my masthead is large, clear and bold located at the top
left of my front cover in order to be eye catching to an audience.
My magazine repeats this convention as it is large, bold and clear and at the top left of
my front cover, my product also repeats the convention of a short worded/lettered
masthead-’XTRA’ similarly to many magazines of the same genre eg. NME,Q,DIY. In
addition many of these use these magazines use the colour red in their mastheads in
order to make their product stand out and be easily recognised, my media product
replicates this for the same reasons and to make my magazine stand out. My media
product repeats this in order to replicate the other successful magazines of the
indie/alternative genre as the masthead design is eye catching and makes a magazine
easily identifiable for consumers.

33. My media product challenges the convention of social media
convergence such as Twitter ,Facebook or Instagram. My media
product challenges tis convention because the largest magazines of the
genre (NME, Q, DIY) I am replicating do not use social media
convergence in terms of a twitter, Facebook or Instagram page like my
magazine front cover has used, and most do not even have a website
address on the cover. My magazine is challenging this convention as
few or no magazines of the indie/alternative genre that I am
replicating use social media convergence and by doing this it allows my
audience to become more engaged and as my target audience is 15-
19 year olds, this will personally identify with them because the social
media I have chosen have young people as their greatest
demographics an therefore my magazine can relate to them more and
have greater appeal. Additionally, because no other main magazines of
the indie/alternative genre use social media convergence on their
front cover, my magazine would have a unique selling point.

34. My media product repeats the convention of a large main image of ‘star’
(Dyer)on the front cover, that is manipulated to go in front of the masthead.
This is a convention I am repeating from the most popular magazines of the
indie/alternative genre (NME, Q, DIY) because the main image of a star
attracts consumers to buy the magazine due to the ‘star appeal’ (Richard
Dyer) of the featured celebrity. As they recognise the star they will be
attracted to look at the magazine and read the featured article inside. I am
replicating this for the same effect as it makes my magazine more eye-
catching and professional by including this feature. My media product also
repeats the convention used by many of the major magazines, where the
image is manipulated (via eg. Photoshop) to partially go over the masthead.
This is in order to make the main image and ‘star’ more visible and central
to a consumer and direct their focus.
Magazines of inspiration My media
product
Evidence of image
manipulation Evidence of image manipulation
Evidence of image
manipulation

35. My magazine front cover repeats the convention of ‘puff promotion’ which is used by the top magazines of the
indie/alternative genre which I am replicating (NME,Q). Use of Puff promotion entices the consumer to purchase the
magazine because of use of exclusive language such as; ‘special’, ‘Exclusive’, ‘Free’, ‘win’ as well as the punctuation of
exclamation marks. In addition, puff promotion entices an audience to buy a magazine because of the attractive
‘feature’ within. A consumer will be attracted to the exclusivity and positive connotations of words such as ‘exclusive
and ‘win’ and buy the magazine in order to be in with a chance in the belief they will gain from it or otherwise miss out.
The featured promotion will also relate to the target audience’s tastes and often relate to the genre through advertising
a poster for a band of the magazine’s genre for example. This will attract the target audience t the magazine more and
give them a greater appeal to purchase the magazine as it would personally relate to their tastes in music. My magazine
cover has also repeated the shape and colour of the puss promotion of the major magazines of the indie/alternative
genre such as Q and NME as their promotion is a circle shape and yellow. This is in order to make the puff promotion
more eye-catching to a consumer and by seeing the promotion they can b attracted to buy the magazine in order to
gain the benefits of said promotion, additionally it makes the magazine all together more eye catching and visible and
therefore can be more clearly seen and attract the consumer.
In my media product I have repeated the conventions of real media products by sing a yellow circle for my puff
promotion, and I have advertised that the consumer can ‘WIN! Free bloc party tickets’. I have repeated the convention
of exclusive language through the words ‘WIN!’ and ‘free’ in order to attract the audience to buy the magazine, and I
have advertised tickets for bloc party, an alternative/indie band in order to be have continuity with the genre of my
magazine which is an indie/alternative genre magazine. This will therefore make my magazine ore appealing to my
target audience because it will promote something they are interested in as they will be a fan of the genre and
therefore will give greater appeal to them to purchase my magazine.
Magazines of inspiration
My media
product

36. How does your media product
represent particular social groups?
Example sentence starters:
The denotation of representation is…
The magazine, across the 4-pages, helps to represent…
For example, on page….

37. How does my media product represent particular social groups?
According to Hartley’s subjectivities
Age-My media product is aimed at teenagers primarily aged 15-19
Gender-Male
Ethnicity-White British
Nation-Britain
According to Hartley’s seven subjectivities my media product is aimed at teenagers primarily aged 15-19, this is shown through
the low pricing of my magazine (£2.99) so it is affordable for my target audience who have lower average wages than all other
ages (see graph below left). My magazine Is aimed at males because stereotypically the majority of large artists of the
indie/alternative genre are male (see graph below) and would be more commonly featured in my magazine and therefore a male
target audience would more likely ‘personally identify’(Katz) with the star/stars on my magazine because they are the same
gender.

38. Category E would be likely to include
my target audience because my
target audience is young people
aged 15-19 years old. The majority of
unemployed people or students are
young and in this age category but
also have disposable income and
more free time than other groups
and therefore more time to grow a
strong interest in music and read
about it
Category B would be included
within my target audience
because they are creative and
therefore would be likely to have
a taste in indie/alternative music
and have a disposable income so
would be the sort of people to
buy my magazine.

40. What kind of media institution
(Publisher) might distribute your
media product and why?
Example sentence starters:
From the research that was completed pre-production, I would envisage that … may
publish ‘name of magazine’ because….
The similarities of my magazine to ‘name of magazine’ also ‘sgnifies’ (De Saussure)….
From the research that was conducted pre production, I would envisage that the
production house Bauer Media would publish my magazine, XTRA, firstly because they
are Europe’s largest publishing company and therefore could give my product strong
financial support as well as give my product stronger marketing and guidance which is
why I believe Bauer would be more suitable to other production houses such as timeinc.
who aren't as large. In addition I believe Bauer would be suitable to publish XTRA
because they sell a similar magazine, one that my product is inspired by which sis Q,
However this would not mean they would compete as Q is a more alternative and
popular culture magazine whereas XTRA is indie/alternative and would therefore be a
more niche product and fill a gap in the market and fulfil a consumer need. Additionally
Bauer media’s experience with a similar style magazine would mean XTRA magazine
would be supported and guided better due to the previous experience of the publishing
company

41. Who would be the audience for your
media product and why?
Hartley’s seven subjectivities
According to Hartley’s seven subjectivities,
Katz’ Uses & Gratifications theory
According to Katz’ Uses & Gratifications theory, ,
Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs
According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, ,

42. How did you attract/address your
audience?
In order to attract the intended target audience of.. I decided to….
The inclusion of codes & conventions such as… helped to appeal to the target audience becasuse…

43. What have you learnt about
technologies from the process of
constructing this product?
The denotation of the software used to construct the media product entitled ‘name of magazine’ was…
In order for this product to look fit for purpose and appeal to the target audience, I decided to create… using
the… tool because.
Refer 2-3 examples at least and conclude
During the process of constructing this product I have learnt more abut the technologies of
Photoshop. I have learnt how to manipulate images in a greater variety of ways and to a more
professional standard, for example, I have learnt how to manipulate an image behind text and
have overall become more proficient and confident with Photoshop.
During the process of constructing my media product, I have learnt about how to use the DSLR
camera. I learnt how to use focus and zoom effectively to shoot a proffesiona and clear images

44. Photography Planning – Front Cover

45. Photography Planning - Contents

46. Photography Planning - Interview

47. Analysing my Front Cover
Neatly annotate the
Screen Grab of your Final
Front Cover –
4-5 Annotations at least
and apply appropriate
media language.
Arrows should be RED as
well!

48. Analysing my Contents Page
Neatly annotate the
Screen Grab of your Final
Contents Page –
4-5 Annotations at least
and apply appropriate
media language.
Arrows should be RED as
well!

49. Analysing my Double Page spread
Interview
Neatly annotate the
Screen Grab of your Final
Double Page Spread –
X1 page per. Slide!
4-5 Annotations at least
and apply appropriate
media language.
Arrows should be RED as
well!
Screen grab of Magazine
page positioned in the
Center of the slide
(Remove the BLUE box once
placed in as well)

50. 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.

51. Looking back at your Preliminary task,
what do you feel you have learnt in the
progression from it to the full product?
I feel that, having completed the preliminary task and learning about the demands of this
production process, I have learnt…
There is evidence of progression that I feel particularly demonstrates how I met the demands of the
production process, for example…