Unit G324: Magazine Breakdown

1. Magazine Construction – Step
By Step Breakdown
Leeza Ah-Wan
Candidate Number: 6593

2. 1.) I used the text tool to type
up my strapline, masthead, the
date of the issue and also the
magazines official web address
as a form of convergence.
2.) I inserted my images. I gave each
image a stroke effect, with a different
colour. I used a variety of colours as soap
opera magazines typically use a bright
colour scheme and this is a convention I
wanted to “repeat” (Neale).

3. 3.) I inserted the first of my two main images.
I used the quick selection tool and rubber
tool to crop this image and then added a
white outer glow. The white glow connotes
that this male character and hence the main
headline is extremely important. Thus,
promoting ‘Upon Thames’.
4.) I inserted my second
main image. I cropped this
image in the same way and
added the white outer glow
for the same effect.
However, the glow used on
this character was slightly
heavier. This was to make
her stand out more against
the male character
positioned behind her, as I
wanted to connote that
‘Upon Thames’ explores the
representation of “strong
women” (Rebecca Feasey).

4. 5.) The text tool was used to type up the rhetorical main
headline: ‘who’s the killer?’. I used yellow as this is
conventionally used on soap opera magazines for main
headlines, as it instantly grabs the attention of a pass
along audience. For those who have not viewed the trailer,
the main headline denotes what the upcoming episode of
‘Upon Thames’ will be centered around.
6.) I then typed up the text
‘suspects revealed’ to
“inform” (Katz) an audience
what they can expect if they
choose to buy the issue. The
rectangle behind it was
created using the shape tool
and the paint bucket tool was
used to fill the shape in
yellow. I then placed in my
soap opera logo. Placing in
the logo was important as it
allows an audience to see
what soap the main headline
links directly to.

5. 7.) Next, I typed up my cover lines and placed in a bar
code in the bottom left corner. I used cover lines that
would appeal to audience members for different reasons.
Some ‘females’ (Hartley) will be able to “personally
identify” (Katz) with Stacey’s situation of an unexpected
pregnancy. Those that have a “personal relationship”
(Katz) with Jason will want to buy the issue to see if he’s
okay following the break up. Whilst, “caregivers” (Maslow)
will sympathies for the characters who are experiencing a
family tragedy and may buy the issue as they want the
security of knowing the characters will be okay. I used a
different colour for each cover line to ensure that they
were all equally noticeable and to connote the diverse
range of upcoming storylines that ‘Soap Central’ covers.

6. 8.) When doing my hand drawn draft for this product, I
initially only planned to have four cover lines. However, the
space didn’t look aesthetically pleasing, so I decided to make
the most out of this spare space and add another cover line
which denoted the role of a “strong woman” (Rebecca
Feasey). I used a pink outer stroke for this cover lines image,
as well as the one below it, as stereotypically it is the ‘female’
(Hartley) gender who tend to buy soap opera magazines and
stereotypically pink would appeal to them.
9.) I created the circle for
the price using the shape
tool and once again used
the paint bucket tool to
create a yellow fill for a
consistent colour scheme. I
also added the appropriate
soap opera logo to each
cover line.

7. 10.) I then used the
text tool to type up
the text: ‘2 weeks
revealed’. I placed in
social networking
logos and typed up
the issue number
and month of issue.
11.) I added in two
more images of
characters I knew we
would be using in our
trailer. I also added a
white outer glow effect
on these images to
connote that ‘Upon
Thames’ is the main
focus of this issue.
12.) Finally, I typed up the text:
‘behind the scenes of Upon
Thames’ to “inform” (Katz) an
audience, that Soap Central
includes exclusive information,
which other soap opera magazines
may not provide.