5 mins

1. 5 mins Starter – you have 5 minutes. Annotate this cover with as much media-specific terminology as you can. Main artist credit Barcode Masthead Main image Issue Sell lines/cover lines Left third Skylines Price Main artist credit Puff Extension 1 : can you explain the significance of the “left third” on promoting the magazine? Extension 2: how does the image represent the genre/social group?

2. 3mins In pairs, do you think this cover of Kerrang is conventional or unconventional? Main artist credit Barcode Masthead Main image Issue Sell lines/cover lines Left third Skylines Price Puff Main artist credit Q: why would I advise you NOT to produce a magazine like Kerrang? A: because it is unconventional. The specification asks for you to “use conventions”.

3. Aims To have interpreted your questionnaire results. To have written a summary set of recommended codes and conventions as a result of your primary research. To have identified the genre your audience wishes you to work in and have researched its historical development.

4. What was the point in doing the questionnaire? To gather audience responses! Great…now be more specific What are questionnaires for? How will the results of the questionnaire BENEFIT you in your production work?

5. How should you present your research? To be ‘highly proficient’ or ‘excellent’ (in other words, for an A or B grade), you need to show “an innovative and appropriate use of ICT in the presentation of research” (OCR Spec). Think back how have you have been creative so far?

6. How should you present your research? You need to present your work in a way that makes your results easy to visualise, and also in a way which shows the examiner how your results have influenced your production work. You should use a range of graphs, pie charts and other visual ways of presenting statistical information – you might draw a picture of the ocean and have 75% of the sea life as dolphins. However you do it is up to you, but the best responses will blend presenting statistical information and creativity. You have 30 minutes to begin interpreting your data – don’t upload it to your blog until you have it finished

7. Questionnaire Results Example What genre of music is your favourite? Here I found that R&B was the most popular genre of music among the people who filled in the questionnaire – with 48% of the people choosing it. Coming up second was pop with 18% choosing it, and behind it is indie music. So with this in mind, I am going to base my music magazine mainly on R&B music because that is the most popular meaning that this is what my target audience what to read about – to be interested and entertained. I will, however, include music which is in the charts, and that is pop & indie.

8. 70.21% were female. 53.19% had brought a music magazine. 29.79% were male. More students had brought a music magazine then those that hadn’t. More females completed my music magazine than males. 46.81% of students hadn’t brought a music magazine Most people said that there favourite music is pop and would buy a magazine according to this genre. 72.34% of people likes interviews in music magazines. Example (a bit messy)

9. Recommendations Now that you have interpreted your results, it is important for you to summarise the main findings. What does your magazine need to have? What colours will you use? What genre will it be? How much will it cost. Take a look at these examples. On their own, neither are brilliant, but they both made up part of a coursework portfolio that were awarded an “A” for research,

10. Recommendations for conventions of my music magazine Example To sum up from the information I have collected from the questionnaires, I have decided that in my music magazine I will: The large majority of the music in my magazine will be on current music, however a few features on older music. That the main colours used on my front cover will be black, red and blue. This is because these are the colours that the target audience most like. I have also decided that the my main image on my front cover will be eye grabbing – this being the first thing noticed on a magazine. Also I found that R&B was the most popular genre of music, this will be theme genre going through my magazine. But I will also add different types of music because they are also enjoyed.

11. Recommendations for the conventions of my magazine Example In my magazine the colours I will be using are; purple, red, pink and blue, with neutral colours like white and black. The gender my magazine will be aimed at is females. R&B, pop, and dance were the most popular types of music, so I am using this genre in my music magazine so it appeals to the target audience. Also, in my music questionnaire most of the students liked interviews from celebrity’s. I am going to interpret this information and place few interviews from celebrity’s on my double page spread.

12. Genre: historical development If you finish interpreting your results and writing recommendations, you can boost your mark by exploring the historical development of the genre identified by your audience. Where did it come from? How is the genre represented in images? Who are any notable acts?

13. Return to the start! Look at the annotations you begun last week. Now you have some new Media Terminology in your arsenal, how confident do you feel annotating similar products (music magazines)? SUCCESS CRITERIA • You use media-specific terminology • You link annotations to uses and gratifications • You identify conventions (easier over a range of covers) • You can explain the appeal to the target audience

14. For the cover, ‘Q’ magazine as the Masthead have used a big Q with a red background. The red background means that this magazine is powerful, and it also stands for sexy, as you can see the artist in the front cover is half naked, with just wearing gloves and black trousers, therefore you can see that this magazine is powerful and confident, just like the artist in the cover. In this ‘Q’ issue, it says at the top, ‘THE UK’S BIGGEST MAGAZINE’’ this is persuading the reader onto buying this magazine, and this is because this magazine is stating that they are the UK’s biggest. So reader’s must have it. Q has done a very simple layout of the magazine. They kept everything neat, and organised again and all the fonts used are the same again, they have created the same colour scheme again, red, black, white & gray . The left third, is the part that is shown on a shop. It’s important that it grabs the readers attention, as its what they will be reading straight away. ‘Q’ have included a feature on their magazine. This will make the reader, want to know what is inside the magazine. As you’d want to know in this case ‘’100 most shocking moments in music’’ the colour scheme is still the same, red, and white, and ‘Q’ have put shocking and 100 in red and capitals which makes it stand out more. In this ‘Q’ issue, ‘Q’ looks very professional by the way they have set the layout. The writing that also goes with the picture, grabs your attention, as its big and you can tell its related to the picture. Q created a good scenario, as for the main image the artist is wearing black, and has white hair. This contrasts with the rest of the front cover of the magazine. The way she is dressed suggests that she is sexualised and also confident, this is likely to also satisfy the male gaze of the audience. In this issue ‘Q’ have quoted something ‘JIMI HENDRIX’ has said, this would get the readers attention, as they would want to know what’s being said, specially if they like ‘JIMI HENDRIX’, They also include a direct quote from the artist, this is more likely to interest the reader, as they would want to read on, and why he said what he said. On this magazine, what you can notice is that they have in smaller letters, ‘Move over Madonna, LADY GAGA has risen!’ this shows that the artist in the front cover is big in the industry as ‘LADY GAGA is the biggest and ‘Madonna’ is very small. This would interest the reader because you’d want to know more about new artists. ‘Q’ magazine also has a website near the bar code. This is so readers can interact with Q just as well as the magazine but also in their website, this is good for Q because that means that they’re getting a bigger audience. In this issue ‘Q’ have mentioned a band ‘GORILLAZ’ this will grab a readers attention, specially if they enjoy listening to this band etc. Because it has the 5 starts, the reader will assume the band is really good. Example ‘Q’ has once again included some artists so you know some of the other articles you can find inside. The ‘Z’ effect, shows how the reader approaches the magazine. You’re likely to start from the top, then to the image grabs your attention, and then you move to the page down, to see what relates to the main image and what else is going to be inside.

15. Aims To have interpreted your questionnaire results. To have written a summary set of recommended codes and conventions as a result of your primary research. To have identified the genre your audience wishes you to work in and have researched its historical development.