Wednesday, 14 March 2012



This hashtag links to a twitter page which media convergence allows the audience to use an alternate media platform to access fashion, celebrity and more exclusive magazine information.

Monday, 12 March 2012

Bag a Big Bargain!

BAG A BIG
BARGAIN!
 This is one of the adverts on the front cover of my magazine. It is written in large, bold, pink, capital letters, in mistral font. This is one of the largest fonts on the page as it is important to the magazine and there is a large amount of content devoted to fashion.

Thursday, 1 March 2012

Price label


This sign is going to be one of the main attractions to the magazine as the readers will know that for the quality and content of the magazine, it is a good price. The large font for '£2' also emphasises this fact. The white writing on black background illuminates so it is the first thing the readers see. The month and year is labelled underneath the price so the audience know what issue it is.

Tuesday, 28 February 2012

Company Title


This is my recreation of the magazine title that will be on the front cover of my production piece. It will feature the whole way across the top of the page as this is the most prominent place for it to be.

Company Barcode

I recreated this barcode to be positioned on the bottom left corner of the front cover. This code allows computer systems to scan it and gain data about the object. It has been produced in a machine-readable format that can be decoded or recorded. The website is underneath so the readers can see where they can go for an online version with more information. The web address is a prominent feature throughout the magazine. the recurrance of it allows the readers to remember it so they can access the site if they have the internet nearby. It also features at hte same eye level as the page numbers which makes it almost impossible to avoid if looking for a certain page, thus making it more memorable.

Monday, 27 February 2012

Article Image



These are my models featured in the image for the article. They represent the higher and lower end of the age scale of which the magazine is aimed at: teenagers.
Safiya (left) is dressed in a casual black and blue dress to signify that the readers can look like the models. Clarissa (right) is wearing a floral pattern dress which is very 'IN' in the fashion world. the models are looking straight into the camera to appeal directly to the audience.
This image is the background for the first page of the double page spread. Initially there would be one image across both pages but there was a complication with the scenery during the photo shoot, so I decided to take two separate pictures then put them together on the final piece. The bright colours reflect the house style of the magazine as it attracts a young age range.

Tuesday, 21 February 2012

Article

Censorship, Whatever!
Who chooses what you watch?

Did you know that 72% of 129 parents would switch off or turn over as a result of seeing something ‘concerning’? Can you believe it? Imagine watching your favourite singer on the X Factor and your parent suddenly turns over the channel because she is wearing a dress that is a little short and low cut. Well not any more. Isn’t that how celebs dress these days? Clarissa wants to take charge ‘I’m tired of not being able to watch what I want’, says the 16 year old who is in the same position as many other teenagers, thanks to the parents that want to control their children. 12 year old Safiya feels the same way ‘I don’t have to listen to what they say; I can do what I like’. Both Safiya and Clarissa understand pressure and so TV helps remove some stress. How can this be done if parents get in the middle? Here’s their thoughts and how they deal with it.
What do you think about your parents’ censorship rules?
 Safiya: It’s not fair. I Waited until I was 12 and till it came on TV to see Pirates of the Caribbean, but my parents still won’t let me see it, even though I’m allowed to. They need to make some new rules that are better and give me more freedom to watch what I want.
Clarissa: I think it is cruel and unusual punishment. All I want is to watch my favourite programmes.  By keeping it restricted, it just makes me want to watch something more and discover more ways to do so. What other 16 year old is told what not to watch by their parents? Trust me, if I want to watch something, I will find a way.
How badly has the censorship affected you?
Clarissa: So much. I don’t mean to sound dramatic but I can’t live without watching my favourite shows like 90210 and TOWIE. My mum says they are glorified ‘teenagers’ that look 30. With these rules I don’t get to experience new programmes and broaden my viewing range. I can’t even watch Gok’s Fashion Fix with someone saying ‘we’re turning this over as this young lady is wearing next to nothing’. It was only underwear which I wear too.
Safiya: Really really badly. My parents were born in the stone ages so they don’t know what TV is like now. I don’t get what they see is so bad about TV. They have this parent vision that makes them able to see something that would ‘corrupt’ my mind.
Do you think you could do a better job?
Safiya: I know I can even with my eyes closed. I know what I should be watching, I have rights too! I can give myself so much freedom. Parents only want to keep you as a child and not let you explore the TV.
Clarissa: Of course, I can judge for myself what I should and shouldn’t watch. I’m 16; I’m not a child anymore. There is nothing too explicit that I don’t already know about by this age. I tired of not being able to watch what I want, when I want.
How have you escaped their watchful eye in the past? If you have.
Clarissa: In the evening, I would tell my mum that I am tired and go up to bed whilst she turns off the TV and also goes to bed. Then I come back down and watch what I want to watch without interruptions, usually. As I have a laptop quite a few of my programmes and movies I watch online. I mean who hasn’t lied about their age and ticked the box that asks ‘are you over 16 or 18?’.
Safiya: Once I was watching a film with my older sister who is 17 and my dad walked in to inspect the film she was watching. There was nothing on the screen that was ‘harmful’ at the time, so my dad left. He didn’t know that I was hiding behind the bed. My sister doesn’t agree with the rules either, so she lets me watch what I want and doesn’t tell on me. I don’t have to listen to what they say.
Have you ever been caught watching something you weren’t supposed to?
Safiya: Actually, there was a time I was watching a programme with my sister and I didn’t hide in time for my dad’s inspection and so he sent me out of her room and told her to lock the door. He sad ‘I’m sure this film isn’t suitable for you and I’m pretty sure this isn’t your room either.’
Clarissa: Yes, a few times. I was watching Burlesque the movie when my dad walked in and said “what is this filth you’re watching” just when Christina Aguilera was performing her solo in a bra and knickers outfit laced with pearls. It was rated 12A so it wasn’t like I was watching anything I wasn’t legally allowed to.
What advice can you give to our readers?
Clarissa: I would say the best way to avoid criticism from parents is to go online, if you have a personal computer/laptop, to watch your favourite programmes or movies. If you are over the age, it shouldn’t be a problem to see something at the cinema or buy on DVD. Another good way is to go to a friend’s house whose parents don’t mind what their child watches.
Safiya: Watch it in secret; if someone walks in quickly change the channel and pretend you’re watching something else. I do that a lot.

Tuesday, 7 February 2012

Article plan

First paragraph is background infomation on the topic:
  • Quote from model: 'I'm tired of not being able to watch what I want.' says 16 year old Clarissa
  • Fact: Did you know that 72% of 129 parents/carers would switch off or turn over as a result of seeing something 'concerning'?
  • Relation to a real life scenario: Imagine watching your favourite singer on XFactor and your mum suddenly turns over the channel because they were wearing a short dress with a plunging neckline. Frustrating right?
  • Quote from personal experience: 'In my house I used to have no control over what I watch'
  • Use second person to relate to readers: You don't have to put up with it
  • Quote: ''I'm 16, I'm not a child anymore'.
  • Introduction into her opinions: Here's her thoughts and how she deals with it.
Questions
  • What do you think about your parents/carers censorship rules?
  • How badly has the censorship affected you?
  • Do you think you could do a better job?
  • How have you escaped their watchful eye in the past?
  • What advice can you give to our readers?

Quote on image: 'I'm 16, I'm not a child anymore'
Competition: Win two tickets to any 18 rated movie of your choice. For your chance to win visit http://www.company.co.uk/
This image or a similar image will
accompany the competition text.

Images



This is a sample head shot picture of my model who I will use on the front cover and the article.




Company is a fashion, celebrity and lifestyle magazine and so the model on the cover must represent an element of being fashionable, as well as a popular person that is likeable. The readers need to feel as though they want to be her and dress like she does as they think their life will suddenly be better.
For my front cover image I would have my model in a blue, one shoulder gathered dress. It has a satin waistband, a short, wide batwing sleeve and is draped just above the knee.
The model is looking straight into the camera showing confidence and also as if she is looking directly at the readers. The 'hands on hips' stance also portrays her confidence and her feminist spirit and power. The model will wear make-up that looks natural as this is a positive image towards women showing that you can look natural with applying large amounts. She will have a loose wavy hairstyle which can be easily replicated by any of the readers.



This is a sample long shot image of my model for the article. She is dressed in Jeans and a simple Jumper to relate to her audience. I may change the outfit to make it seem more glamorous as she is representing a famous, inspiring figure. She will keep the same hairstyle and make-up as on the front cover. For this image I will change the pose to one hand on the hip still projecting confidence. The model will use a fierce facial expression to show she is in control of her own life, her own censorship., relating to the article

Monday, 6 February 2012

Headline

As my article is about censorship I think the title should link to the content. It should be able to relate to teenagers, catch their attention and make them want to read the article.
Some ideas I had for Headlines are:

  • You decide how to censor
  • Censorship, whatever!
  • Who chooses what you watch?
I have chosen to use 'Censorship, Whatever!' as the headline as it is catchy and relateable to a teenage audience, and 'Who chooses what you watch?' as the subheading. This question causes the readers to think and simultaneously invites them to read the rest of the article to gain some advice.

Front cover and feature sketch



This is a sketch of the layout of the front cover to show where all the images and text will be placed. I used the codes and conventions of the Company magazine cover to recreate a rough idea of what it will look like.








This is a sketch of the double page spread of my article. It shows which title I chose and how the layout will look in terms of basic content and design. After analysing the feature from the original magazine I could recreate it in my own version.

Final Choice

My final choice of style for my practical piece will be the Company Magazine. I chose this one because I liked the interview style layout. This would fit with my article as the question-answer format suits my content and aim of asking teenagers about their veiws on censorship. This way I can get an opinion of a teenager and then tell them what they can do to avoid being caught waching a movie or TV programme they are too young for. By using models similar to the age of the target audience of the magazine, they may find the stories about avoiding parental censorship humorous as they may have used the same efforts to come to the same conclusion. The language is colloquial and therefore relates to the target audience, as well as being easy to read by the younger teenagers.

Sunday, 29 January 2012

Company feature deconstruction

RISING STAR: QUEEN OF HEARTS








Design/Layout
- Large image spread across the double page with the model on one side so they take up one page.
- Most text is situated in a white text box on the left page, one quote on the right page, comp in the bottom right corner on the right page.
- Title of section of magazine in right corner 'company rocks'.
- Usually a handwritten script feature 'fast forward button'
- Company web addess in bottom right corner of right page and bottom left corner of left page.


Image
- Lots of light, picture taken on a sunny day
- Model staring straight onto the camera
- Lots of background needed for the left page
- Background on left page out of focus
- Background on right page slightly out of focus


Extras (polls,competitions)
Win two BRIT AWARD 2012 tickets

Language 
- Interview - although no questions are expressed
- Interviewer - Catherine Bennion-Pedley
- Begins with an overview of how she came into the music business
- The tagline suggests she went form zero to celebrity in a matter of hours 'from struggling waitress to overnight youtube star.'
- A play on words in the title 'Queen of Hearts'. the name of her first song was 'Jar of Hearts'
- Author introduces the interviewee 'here's all you need to know about her...' to te readers
references to TV shows
- Reference to the opposite sex, love, heartbreak which are typical in girls magazines.
- Quite informal as its a teen magazine
- Uses phrases like 'BFF' and ' Too right'
- Some factual information but mostly opinion
- The tone is quite light-hearted as it appears to be in a relaxed atmosphere
- Quotes used throughout the text in reference to Christina Perri and people she knew
- Initial third person: overview and subheadings
- 1st person-interviewee

Cosmo feature deconstruction

Special Report: How SAFE are you at uni?




Design/Layout
- The colour scheme for this 3 page spread is orange. This colour is used for a key word in the title 'SAFE' and the subheadings for useful information 'how to make a difference'.
- The text is set out in columns, separated by subheadings relating to the context.
- The image takes up about three quarters of the first page and a quarter of the second page.
- The title is situated closer to the bottom of the first page, using large, bold font.
- The web address and the number for subscription are on the bottom right or left corners of the page.
- Quotes and statistics are featured on the image.


Image
- There are two images - one main image and one supporting image on the last page.
-They fit in with the colour scheme as they are tinted orange
- The main image is a slightly blurred shot of a woman walking through a tunnel towards a street filled with parked cars which is out of focus
-The second image is a corridor leading to rooms. The further down the corridor, the more out of focus it becomes.


Extras- comps, polls etc.
- There is a helpline service available to call as the contents of the article are considered sensitive.


Language 
- The report is about a serious event: being safe at University.
- Report specifics: girls being sexually harassed at Uni
- Written by Katherine Chatfield
- There are lots of statistics in the text: percentages, possibilities out of 10
- Written in 3rd person. Quotes written in 1st person
- Personal quotes used to highlight real life experiences
- Quotes from people who are clued in on the issue e.g Courtney Sloane (women's officer), Nina Funnell (a former Uni student)
- There is a serious tone as it tries to warn other girls to look out for certain behaviour
- Narrative retelling of how it happens
- Quite opinion based from the main victim Raveen Toor and from women's officer Courtney Sloane.
- The text is quite formal as it is a serious issue, but it still tries to come across as friendly by giving advice.





Thursday, 26 January 2012

Kid watching 18 certificate movie - Kill Bill


This is an idea I had to fit with my aim of making a spoof about censorship of films. This child is watching a well know movie that has an 18 certificate and contains a lot of violence. I would have a model in this same position starring at the screen watching this film or another well known 18 certificate film.


Tuesday, 10 January 2012

Company Deconstruction

  
COMPANY Magazine Deconstruction
‘Front Cover’











Text
The front cover is filled with standard sans serif Franklin Gothic Medium font, the same font as the title. The font needs to be clear and legible as it will be the magazine logo recognised by everyone.
COMPANY
The rest of the text varies in size to range from the exciting stories to the fashion must haves. The font Mistral is used to highlight the important and best features in the magazine such as ‘street style secrets, company shops with..., and free!’

Colour
The colour scheme for Company is white mixed with a variety of mostly pale colours and some bright colours. The colour scheme of the text is either black or white throughout the magazine to keep it clear and simple, but on the front cover most of the text is pink and black, splashed with some orange. These colours represent the girly style of the magazine so it has a feminine feel to the readers.

Content
The contents page consists of 8 sub categories that link to different features within the magazine. They contain the latest fashion/beauty tips, stories, celebrity news, relationship secrets and real life stories. Most of the models are 'real' women that either work in the magazine industry or just love magazines. There are lots of adverts related to feamle fashion such as 'Vera Wang, Chanel, Pantene, Maxfactor...' The advertiers pay the magazine to advertise so they can reach a broader demographic.
The magazine has a 'Company Inbox' page which features emails, Facebook chats, tweets and conversations from their online sites. Every month the magazine picks the best email to be featured on this page 'email of the month'. The readers are encouraged to use the technology available to connect with the editors of the magazine through thr 'Get In Touch' section.

Links to the website

 Space Dedication
The title of the magazine is at the top of the page but the model Olivia Palermo is covering some of it. This suggests that the magazine is so well known that the full title does not need to be shown and that the audience will know the name. The price also covers the title showing that it is more important. The background of the price image is black and the text is white which maximises the eye-catching quality.


Images
The image on the front cover is of a model/actress Olivia Palermo who stars in a programme called ‘The City’. She is in the centre of the page wearing a fish scale dress. The lighting is a bright light, shone from all angles. The white background is compatible with the writing on the page so they stand out to catch the reader’s attention. The model is looking directly into the camera to make it seem as though she is looking directly at the readers so it becomes more intimate.


House Style
The web address is printed in the bottom right corner of every page that is not advertised on by anoutside brand so readers can have easy access at all times to the address if needed. http://www.company.co.uk/  There is also an arrow in hand written script in the bottom right corner of some pages. On the top right corners are headings in relation to the content of the page e.g. fashion, high street heroes, models.

Thursday, 5 January 2012

Cosmopolitan Magazine





























































This is another one of my potential style models. I will analyse the stories in the magazine that will mostly relate to my article. If I use this magazine as my style model I will use the :
- font
- colour
- images
- spacial dedication
- content
- general house style
to recreate an article that will fit in well with the magazine.


Background Info


Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first publised in America in 1886 as a family magazine, but by the late 1960s it became a female magazine aslo known as Cosmo. It has 63 international editions, printed in 32 languages and distributed in more than 100 countries. Kate White is the Editor in Chief of the magazine.












Helen was the former Editor in Chief of Cosmopolitan and now the international editor of the magazine. She became an advocate of sexual freedom and tried to find role models to feature in the magazine in the 60s. Glamorous, fashionable girls were sometimes called 'Cosmo girls' due to her advocacy. Helen was the person who turned around the business of a failing magazine into a success.





Company Contents Page



The Company Contents Page covers two pages and is divided into subheadings according to the content. One of the headings reads 'features' which contains stories from real people 'How I did it: interned my way to a new career', the latest craze 'Topshop Ink' and truth/reality stories: 'Why is drinking still so on-trend?'.
Under this heading is where I believe my article will initially be advertised. It can be another truth/reality story.

Monday, 2 January 2012

Company magazine


This is one of the magazines I am going to analyse for a style model. I will make a note of:
- colour
- images
- font styles
- spacial dedication
- content
- general house style


My first reason for choosing this magazine as one of my potential style models is that my production piece is aimed at teenagers. This magazine is aimed at females in particular, which will have an affect on my target audience as it cannot be aimed and men also.




Background Info
Company is a monthly magazine about fashion, lifestyle and celebrities. It as been running for 33years in the UK and in that time it has only had 6 editos including the current editor: Victoria White.
Victoria White is a mother of two and would be a great candidiate to be interested in publishing my article in her magazine. There unique selling point is that they try to feature as many 'real' women in their magazine as this appeals to the reader suggesting that anyone can dress like the models wearing fashionable clothing.
Victoria White, editor of Company magazine