Music Magazine Research + Presentation.

Hello :) Well I guess this is my very first post.
On this blog, I'll be presenting all of my work that I've done for this part of the course. The work done on this blog, will affect 50% of my overall AS Media Studies grade at the end of the year. :)


For our first assignment, we were asked to create a powerpoint presentation (with a partner) based on a particular magazine. We were chosen to do a presentation on Top of the Pops magazine. However, as my partner was absent for most of the media lessons, I had to prepare and present the powerpoint myself.
For this task, as well as researching on the internet, I also took time outside of school to go to various shops such as my local off license to find out where they place TOTP on their shelves. However, during this time, I found out that TOTP was placed near various magazines such as Nuts and Zoo which are DEFINITELY not suitable for the younger generation. 


Below is a summary of what I had said during this presentation however, wasn't as detailed on the actual slides as they are now.


Front Cover of TOTP:
Masthead: All exactly the same font & size - helps the reader find the particular magazine they want to read. The colours are also eye-catching which grabs the consumers attention.
Cutout: The male models are placed as a mid-shot (apart from the brothers - bands are usually placed as a long shot) which grabs the consumers attention as these models are all 'heart-throbs'.
Pull quotes: Gets the reader interested in what is featured in the magazine.
Angle of gaze: The models are directly looking at the consumer at the consumer which draws them in.
Puff words: Used to increase interest in what the consumer will be reading . Also gives them an opportunity to either skip to that page as soon as they open the magazine or dodge that article.


Target Audience:
From my research, I found out that this magazine was aimed at 11-15 year olds although it is wide spread across the country. They've targeted their audience by narrowing down their choice of colour to just 4: pinks, yellows, purples and blues. All the colours used represent innocence and immaturity which reflects the audience well. The font the editors have used is simplistic and child-like (as if the editors and designers hadn't put too much effort into what they wanted the magazine to look like.) The language used on the front cover is very colloquial and 'modern' for example, they've used words such as 'snog' and 'OMG'. Text talk is very popular with the younger generation which shows that they want their readers to be able to understand what they're reading as well as have fun whilst they're reading different articles.


Double Page Spread:
The double page spread I used was based on the Jonas Brothers and their Disney Channel Original Movie; Camp Rock. Almost the entire second page is an image of the band themselves showing they're the main focus of this article. The quote used in the middle of the first page increases interest as young girls want to hear that they're favourite bands are willing to date fans. The colours are again 'girly' (pinks and yellows) which makes the magazine look fun, interesting and age-appropriate. 


From this task, I've learnt that a lot of time and effort is put into preparing magazine for the younger generation as they need to make the magazine age-appropriate. With this, I'm sure that designing my own music magazine (with more research), I'll be able to present and compose a magazine that will most definitely target my specific audience.