Overview of the tasks to be completed for the Research & Planning section

2.  Main task: the front page, contents and double
page spread of a new music magazine
 All images and text used must be original, produced
by the candidate(s), minimum of FOUR per
candidate

3. 1. Research & Planning :- Tue 18th
December 2012
2. Main Task :- Fri 8th March 2013
3. Evaluation :- Fri 19th April 2012

4.  In planning your magazine design, you must use
your blog to prove that you are:
 Considering alternative draft versions of designs
and discussing possible changes/amendments.
DON’T wait to post finished designs. You need to
show evidence of your ability to make choices.
 Using technology imaginatively…..take more
pride in how your blog is presented because there
are marks available if you can prove an ‘excellent
level of care in the presentation of the research and
planning’.

5.  Considering how your designs use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real products.
 Considering whether your representation of
artists/bands on the front cover challenges or
conforms with stereotypes. You might even want
to create alternative versions, using different
photographs, to experiment with more
conventional/challenging representations. You
should also consider representation in the covers
that you find and analyse.

6.  Researching how magazines are distributed
and considering how your own intended
magazine would be distributed.
 Considering who the target audience is and
experimenting with different ways to appeal to
them. You should be using polls and other
techniques to establish audience responses.

7.  Considering who the target audience is and
experimenting with different ways to appeal to
them. You should be using polls and other
techniques to establish audience responses.
 Considering how you are progressing from the
original preliminary designs for school magazines.
 In your Evaluation, you will have to discuss these
issues and it will be much easier to do this if you
have considered them (and posted about them) as
you work through the project.

8. 1. Analysis of music magazine industry
2. Textual Analysis – Front Cover, Contents Page,
Double Page Spread
3. Audience Research
4. Photography Research
5. Photography Test Shoot
6. Flat Plans
7. Font Research
8. Costume & Props
9. Organising Models
10. Recce of location

9.  Create a new PowerPoint
 Music Magazine Research
 When did music magazines first start
 Who are the top selling magazines
 Who are the main publishers
 Who are the main distributors

11.  You need to look at the forms and conventions
used for Music magazines.
 Take a screenshot of 2 magazines and annotate
what you find
 2 front covers, 2 contents, 2 double spreads

12.  You need to consider:-
 Masthead
 Layout – Position of logo; barcode; title etc
 Images – No. ; Angle; Emotion; Meaning
 Colours
 Slogans; Cover lines
 How are they appealing to the audience?
 How is the audience represented?
 Is it effective?

17. You need to create a questionnaire to
decide how you are going to attract your
chosen audience
1.Completed Questionnaire
2.Questionnaire Results
3.Explain your findings – How are you
going to address them

18. In your questionnaire you might like to
include :-
• Age
• Genre
• Lifestyle (do they work etc)
• Interests (might be specifically music taste)
• Buying patterns
• Preferred price
• Items in magazine
• Favourite artist

19. • Explain that you created a survey to find out what the
audience want. Talk about the questions.
•Explain the results you received from the audience
survey
• Discuss the findings of each question and where
possible show relevant statistics in the form of a
graph
• Explain how the findings will be reflected in your
magazine 8
6
4
2
Series1
0

20. Photography
Research

22. You need to select 3/4 photos that could be used (or
have been used) for a Front Page or Contents Page
in a magazine and discuss the following:-
1. Type of shot
2. Camera angle used
3. The emotion portrayed
4. How costumes, make-up and props have been
used
5. Colours
6. How are they representing the audience
7. Is the photo effective

23. This image is clean and the pose
is almost architectural which
would grab the readers
attention. The costume and hair
style is slick and would look
great on either the front cover or
contents page, however the
head looks very small which
places a disadvantage with the
model to the readers as they
may not recognise the artist.

24. The girl is slouched foreword with her
tongue out, head tilted slightly back and
hair brushed to the side with a few
strands over her eye. This connotes that
the model is confident, sexy and
careless. Her costume is bright as the
spotlight lighting enhances its
colour, detail and shine. The eye-line is
in the top third of the portrait image
which connects with the readers and
attracts them. This image would be ideal
for a front page or contents, also fitting
the genre of mainstream pop with her
edginess.

27. Lines within the frame - Look for horizontal and
vertical lines in the frame (e.g. the
horizon, poles, etc). Make sure the horizontals are
level, and the verticals are straight up and down
(unless of course you're purposely going for a
tilted effect).

28. The rule of thirds. This rule divides the frame
into nine sections, as in the first frame below.
Points (or lines) of interest should occur at 1/3 or
2/3 of the way up (or across) the frame, rather
than in the centre.

29. "Headroom", "looking room", and "leading room".
These terms refer to the amount of room in the
frame which is strategically left empty. The shot of
the baby crawling has some leading room for him to
crawl into, and the shot of his mother has some
looking room for her to look into. Without this
empty space, the framing will look uncomfortable.

30. Headroom is the amount of space between the top of
the subject's head and the top of the frame. A
common mistake in amateur video is to have far too
much headroom, which doesn't look good and
wastes frame space. In any "person shot" tighter
than a medium shot, there should be very little
headroom.

31. Everything in your frame is important, not just the
subject.
What does the background look like?
What's the lighting like?
Is there anything in the frame which is going to be
distracting?

32. Pay attention to the edges of your frame.
Avoid having half objects in frame, especially people
(showing half of someone's face is very unflattering).
Try not to cut people of at the joints — the bottom of
the frame can cut across a person's stomach, but
not their knees. It just doesn't look right.

42. The following image shows feedback I received about my
flat plan pitch of ideas for my magazine, off my classmates.
Some strengths that were identified were: Good research
and planning for the front cover, the name of the magazine
fits the genre well, good photography planning and ideas.
Some weaknesses were: research ideas further for the
double page spread, think about photography for contents
page and figure out text for double page spread. Therefor, I
will extend my photography research to develop my ideas
into creating a suitable montage and photographic display
on my contents page.

44. Research in how different fonts work
together
http://www.will-harris.com/typepairs.htm
http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/typ
ography-articles/a-beginners-guide-to-
pairing-fonts/
Also here's a website which is useful for font
research
http://www.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont/

45. VIBE VIBE VIBE Vibe
VIBE Vibe VIBE
VIBE
VIBE VIBE Vibe VIBE
Vibe VIBE VIBE
VIBE Vibe VIBE VIBE

46. VIBE Vibe VIBE VIBE
I have chosen my magazine title to appear in purple. I
believe this colour looks rich and vibrant. I want the
background colour to be a pale green as I feel the
font colour stand outs well against it which is what I’m
looking for for my masthead.

47. The final font that I have
chosen for my masthead is
chalkduster. VIBE
I like this as I think it has a
very modern look about it with
a youthful feel and I want the
magazine to reflect that.
I like the fact that the font looks
quite informal as it looks like
the word has been painted on.

50. Model Release Forms (The model gives you
permission to use the images taken of them for
certain purposes)
1. Magazine Name/Logo
2. Full Name (of model)
3. Address (of model)
4. Telephone No. (of model)
5. Shoot Location
6. Date
7. Paragraph
8. Print Name (Model)
9. Signature (Model)

51. Paragaph to be used:-
• I hereby give (your name) the irrevocable and
unrestricted right to use and publish
photographs of me that are taken on the
above date. These may be used for
educational purposes (including magazine
production and publishing to a public video
forum such as a blog)

52. • Magazine Name
• Model’s Name
• Page of magazine
• Shooting Day
• Call Time
• Date
• Location
• Equipment needed
• Shoot organiser and
photographer

54.  you need to do a case study into at least one of the main magazine
publishers.Identifya music magazine that relates to your own.
 -Find out who publishes it.
 -Try to establish a brief history of the publisher
 -Consider how the magazine you have chosen sits alongside other
magazines on their list….do they cover a range of musical
genres/audiences?
 b.find out how mainstream retail magazines are distributed
 -What other options are there for distributing magazines? You might like
to research and consider the strengths and weaknesses of the following:
 ofree magazines handed out at venues. These magazines would depend
on advertising revenue?
 oSubscription-only magazines…or magazines linked to some form of club
membership?
 oPaper magazines linked to and promoted on websites?
 oOther models for distribution?