Princess’ A-level media exam blog

1) Magazines: Front cover practical task 2) Magazines: GQ - language and Representation 3) Magazines: GQ - Audience & Industry 4) Magazines: front cover LR 5) Magazines: The Gentlewoman language and representation 6) Magazines: The gentlewoman - Audience and industry 7) Magazines: The appeal of print

  1) Writer's Edit journal article Read this excellent  Writer's Edit academic journal article on the independent magazine industry  and answer the following questions: 1) What is the definition of an independent print magazine? A magazine published without financial support 2) What does Hamilton (2013) suggest about independent magazines in the digital age? Small printed magazines are growing faster Calls it a global niche 3) Why does the article suggest that independent magazines might be succeeding while global magazine publishers such as Bauer are struggling? They are using the digital media to their advantage unlike Bauer 4) What does the article suggest about how independent publishers use digital media to target their niche audiences? With strong collaboration 5) Why is it significant that independent magazines are owned and created by the same people? How does this change the creative process and direction of the magazine? It creates a family perspective and feel ...

  Gentlewoman front cover  1) What do the typefaces used on the front cover suggest to an audience? Suggests that they are modern and unconventional 2) How does the cover subvert conventional magazine cover design? No cover lines, big close up on celebrity. Nothing to really advertise the magazine. 3) Write an analysis of the central image. The combination of the low angle and direct address connotes dominance and power in Scarlett Johanson which subvert female stereotypes. The big close up on the celebrity is unconventional for a magazine cover where it is usually a mid shot. This represents the magazine's nature of wanting to be different rather than copy other magazines. 4)  What representations of gender and celebrity can be found on this front cover? Gender: Powerful, dominant Celebrity: Powerful, influential 5) What gender and representation theories can we apply to this cover of the Gentlewoman?  Mulvey - Male Gaze: subverts Feature: Modern Punches 1) How does...

  1) Media Magazine reading Media Magazine 72 has a feature linking YouTube influencers to A Level media theories. Go to  our Media Magazine archive , click on MM72 and scroll to page 60 to read the article ‘The theory of everything - using YouTubers to understand media theory’. Answer the following questions: 1) How has YouTube "democratised media creativity"? As ordinary users are uploading their own content: they are the 'produsers' (producer-users) and 'prosumers' (producer-consumers). Content is published first and then filtered or judged by audiences later. 2) How does YouTube and social media culture act as a form of cultural imperialism or 'Americanisation'?  Not all famous YouTubers, like Emma  Chamberlain, are American but  Americans certainly make up the  majority. The universality of the English  language undoubtedly plays an  important part here. We could argue  that YouTube influencers encourage  the spread of US cultura l ...

  1) How does the media kit introduction describe GQ? As the flagship of men's fashion an style in Britain, to be forward-looking, progressive and cutting-edge. 2) What does the media kit suggest about masculinity? It is evolving. 3) Pick out 3 statistics from the data on page 2 and explain what they suggest about the GQ audience. 212k readership: loyal readers 7.7k average annual spend on fashion: people who care deeply about ow they look. 4) Look at page 3 - brand highlioghts. What special editions do GQ run and what do these suggest about the GQ audience? GQ heroes event GQ hype Men of the year Tentpole video and social series Their audience are high class people with influence in the media. 5) Still on page 3, what does the video and social series section suggest about how magazine audiences are changing? Audiences are much more attentive and active online and through videos rather than print, so GQ adjusted to that and it has shown their success in their view numbers. Media ma...

 1) What are the different magazine genres highlighted on page 2 and how do they link to our magazine CSPs? General interest: GQ: interest in the GQ company Special interest: GQ: Interest in Robert Pattinson Professional: GQ: GQ logo and branding 2)Look at the section on GQ page 2. How do thy suggest that GQ targets its audience? They are targeting men through fashion and image, but also appealing for intelligence and needs for information about culture 3) What does the factsheet say about GQ cover stars? GQ cover stars are chosen carefully, not just for their fame but also the influence they've brought for their fans and their audience. 4) Pick out 5 of the key conventions of magazine front covers and explain what they communicate to an audience. .Masthead: For maximum impact, it communicates the title and genre of magazine. .Puffs: To catch the ye of the reader, often inside a graphic element. . Main coverline: Offers a different content of interest .Pull quotes: invokes humour a...

  1) Type up your feedback from your teacher. If you've received this by email, you can copy and paste it across - WWW and EBI. You don't need to include a mark or grade if you don't want to. WWW: Good quality cover that looks at home alongside professional examples. Your use of font/typography is outstanding and looks perfectly at home on the Vogue cover. The main cover image is strong and in keeping with the style of real vogue covers. Overall, there is a lot to credit here in terms of page design and quality of photography - the studio shot is exactly right for this magazine. EBI: Actual cover lines themselves are not quite right for Vogue. If you look at other Vogue magazines, this is very much a fashion magazine but your cover lines are far more lifestyle-based - holiday destinations. Getting the verbal cods/language right for your product, brief and audience is crucial for the top level. Secondly, although your image is strong, it doesn't directly address the audi...

  Research 1) Use Google to research potential magazines that you could use as your brand/design for this project.  Create a shortlist of  three  potential magazines and upload an example front cover from each one. We recommend looking at lifestyle magazines or a similar genre as these are more achievable to re-create.     2) Choose  one  of the three magazine brands to use for your project e.g GQ, Vogue or The Gentlewoman. Then f ind  three  different front covers for your chosen magazine and embed them in your blogpost. Analyse the fonts, colours and typical design. What is the language or writing style? How are the cover lines written? What camera shot is generally used for the cover image? You need to become an expert in the design and construction of this magazine and its branding. 1: Red serif font, model covering title which signifies brand loyalty, direct address to the camera, medium/long shot, summer dress, sunny, star power,on...

  Learner response blog tasks 1) Type up your feedback in  full  (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential). 2) Read  the whole mark scheme for this assessment carefully . Identify at least  one  potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment. Q1: Monochrome (black and white) - stylish, sophisticated, reinforces traditional heterosexual meanings; consistent with aspirational branding. Low-key lighting, 'chiaroscuro', backlighting visible in shot - suggests stage lights/spotlights - fashion show? Q2: Armani 'Diamonds' advert has representation of female desire and arguably reflects female empowerment/third wave of feminism. Female sexuality places power with women rather than men. Whereas, the score hair cream advert has emphasis on traditional hegemonic masculinity which is perhaps a reaction against the gains made by women during the 1960s culminating in the Equal Pay Act in 1970. Q3:...

  1) Media Magazine feature: Pleasures of The Gentlewoman Go to  our Media Magazine archive  and read the article on The Gentlewoman (MM84 - page 34). Answer the following questions: 1) What does the article suggest is different about the Gentlewoman compared to traditional women's magazines?  The article suggests that the women's esteem for this unconventional magazine grew to the point where they're all in. It also suggested that there are 3 different types of pleasures within the magazine: Modern, welcome and club. 2) What representations are offered in the Gentlewoman?   3) List the key statistics in the article on the average reader of the magazine.  85% of women in audience, 38 - average age of readers, 61% of readers are aged 28-46,  AB-47% 4) What is The Gentlewoman Club?  The gentlewoman club is a club that consists of members that pay to receive both issues of the gentlewoman magazine per year. 5) What theorists does it suggest we c...

  Media Magazine reading 1) Looking over the article as a whole, what are some of the positive developments due to the internet highlighted by Bill Thompson? The internet connects us to other people, it provides us a great source of information, it can be used for campaigning and political action, to draw attention to abuses and fight for human rights, it's a great place for gaming and education, can also be used to make a lot of money and a place where you can meet your friends. 2) What are the negatives or dangers linked to the development of the internet? There's a lot of bullying and abuse that takes place there, There's pornography, illegal images of child abuse, extremists and radicals can use the network to try and influence people to join them, there's frauds, scams and malicious software everywhere. 3) What does ‘open technology’ refer to? Do you agree with the idea of ‘open technology’? It refers to the idea that technology itself needs to be 'open'. T...