This document is a mind map and research for a TV magazine front cover created by a student named Adam Fox. It discusses inspiration from the magazine Inside Soap and covers key elements like price, circulation figures, target audience, potential headlines, images to use, and design considerations. Research was conducted on conventions from existing soap opera magazines. The student plans to purchase a copy of Inside Soap for further analysis and use images from a fictional new soap opera called "Walton Hill" on the cover. Photoshop will be used to design the magazine front cover with professional quality.

1. OCR Media Studies – A2 Level
Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio
Mind Map and
Research
Name: Adam Fox
Candidate Number: 2052
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic School
Center Number: 64135
Generation of Ideas for Ancillary Product 1) –
TV Magazine Front Cover
Soap Central

2. Source of inspiration
History of the Product
The first issue was published in October 1992.
Publisher
• Hearst Magazine UK
• Group Publishing Director: Greg Witham
• Editor: Steven Murphy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Soap
• Circulation Figures – HOW many people read the magazine?
• The circulation of Inside Soap was 147,294 in July to December
2013 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Soap
Price range – £1.35 – £1.90
• Socio-Economic Needs
The denotation of the stereotypical target audience will consist
mainly of females in the socio-economic needs categories of C1,
C2, D and E because the low price means that the publication can
reach a wider audience, this also reaches the lower economic
profile of he viewership of soap operas. Therefore InsideSoap can
use the largest market that are going to be interested in soap
news.
Name: Adam Fox
Candidate Number: 2052
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic School
Center Number:64135

3. Mind Map
Name: Adam Fox
Candidate Number: 2052
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic School
Center Number: 64135
Ancillary product 1 – T.V.
magazine masthead
Totally Soap: The connotations of
‘Totally Soap’ are that the
magazine is dedicated about the
soap genre and will report the
insights that the readers want. It
also is light hearted enough to not
be imposing on the readers. The
red colouration connotes passion
for the soap genre and so suggests
that the magazine is as dedicated
to the TV series as the readers are
to watching them. The thin font
style connotes that this
publication does not follow the
standard thin, bold conventions.
This connotes that this magazine is
more sophisticated then the
average TV magazine and so will
appeal to the higher economic
needs category. This however may
leave the lower people behind and
so loose the largest audience of
soap opera magazines.
Soap Central: This connotes
that all the information of any
soap is in one place and that this
magazine will offer the best
information, gossip and opinions
on the events in the soap that
matter to the reader most. The
bold font follows the standard
practice of most TV magazine. It
also looks more similar to that of
‘Inside Soap’. The colour red
denotes passion and dedication o
the subject of soap operas. The
masthead will be at the top and
span the whole length of the front
cover. This will compromise the
subtlety of the page but will mean
that all the other features will be
naturally ordered.
SoapStory
: This verbal code connotes
that the magazine gives an in-
depth look at the soaps on TV
and explains what this means
for the viewers and narrative
of the series. The bold font
style is again customary to the
conventions of the soap opera
magazine genre. This will
create familiarity to the
readers and make it more
likely that they will want to by
it.

4. Mind Map
Main headline
Walton Kidnaping!: This
headline verbal code connotes
the shocking plot of the first
episode of the new soap opera
‘Walton Hill’. This will give the
readers some context to the
story and inform the readers
that have not watched the
episode. This will allow them to
catch up and encourage them
to watch it. The use of the ‘!’
will animate the headline and
make it more exiting to look at
and more encouraging to read.
The colours used connote the
contrast of the seemingly
pristine and picturesque village
of Walton on the hill and the
emotional pain that is conjured
at a kidnapping.
Walton Hill Opening
Shocker! : This headline
connotes the chaotic nature of
the opening episode of the
new series. This panicked
atmosphere is created with
the verbal code ‘Shocker’. This
is more engaging then the
headline on the left hand side
as the bold font and the
orange colour make it more
eye catching and exiting. This
also illustrates the audiences
reaction of shock at the events
and do the reader will want to
read the content to find out
what this means and how
others feel about the series.
This will be in the middle of
the page in front of the main
image that will give visual
context to the words.
Who Stole Lizzie? : this connotes the
danger that the character ‘lizzie’ is
in in the narrative of the ‘Walton
Hill’. This is also the question that
the audience is likely to be asking
themselves and so by having a
question as the headline the
readers will want to read the
analysis of the story so far. The red
colour helps to affirm the danger
aspect of the headline and this
makes it more exiting to look at.
This also does not tell you what
soap this is from, this is what the
headlines on InsideSoap are like
and so by following this convention
it should appeal to the readers
more.
Name: Adam Fox
Candidate Number: 2052
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic
School
Center Number: 64135

5. Mind Map
Name: Adam Fox
Candidate Number: 2052
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic
School Center Number: 64135
Images
Main image: from the
analysis of existing products,
the most used shot type for
the main image is a mid shot
with the characters facing
the camera. I have also
noticed that on the British
publications, the characters
and smiling at the camera.
Cover images: existing
products, especially
InsideSoap, some of the
images have no
backgrounds and are
facing the camera, this
create direct address to
the readers and develops
the personal relationship
with re characters that is
required. However, some
do have backgrounds and
so it is good to ‘repeat’
(Steve Neale) this
convention as it acts as a
direct scene from the TV
program and so act as a
link to the show.
Other magazines
promote EastEnders,
Emmerdale,
Coronation street and
so using these shows
in my magazine would
offer the same service
that the readers
desire and so would
attract them to this
magazine.

6. Mind Map
• Strapline language: Repetition is a key tool used in straplines in the
genre, this is because they grab the readers attention and assert a
theme that the reader can use when reading the magazine. As an
example InsideSoap’s strapline is “every story, every secret, every
week.” therefore I shall utilize this method as it will appeal to the
audiences That The magazine is trying to reach.
• Price: The price of soap opera magazines is very cheap as it has to
be able to be purchase able by people in the E-C1 categories of
social economics.
• Puff Promotion: there are no puff promotions in InsideSoap and
therefore I will not
• Synergy with social media?
Name: Adam Fox
Candidate Number: 2052
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic
School Center Number: 64135

7. Mind Map - Conclusion
Name:
Candidate Number:
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic School
Center Number:
In order to produce my ancillary product I will conduct further research into what the
magazine contains. For this I will purchase a copy of InsideSoap as this will grant me the most
comprehensive opportunity to analyze the contents and also the reasons why people buy
this genre. This will meant that I can make my magazine more effective at the purpose not
only informing people of the current events in TV soap operas, but also engage and exited
people about the series and engage there emotional attachment to the characters.
I will have to organize the people for he images that I will use for the front cover. I will use
images of the cast of ‘Walton Hill’ when we are prepared for filming the trailers this will give
us time to establish the identity of the soap opera that will the series as an individual brand
on the front of magazine so that the reader will instantly associate the TV series to the
images, this will also act to create personal relationship with the characters on the front
cover.
In order to create this product with the efficiency of a real life product I will use Photoshop
CS5.1 as this will give me the quality that is needed to replicate real magzines.