OCR Media Studies – A2 Level

Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio

Mind Map and Research

Name: Bethany VaughanCandidate Number: 4137Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic SchoolCenter Number: 64135

Generation of Ideas for Ancillary Product 1) –

TV Magazine Front Cover

Source of Inspiration

History of the Product• First published in 1991 and went straight to number 1

where it still is at present datePublisher• TimeInc.UK• Publishing Director: Angela O’Farrell• Editor: Colin ToughCirculation Figures – HOW many people read the magazine?• 3.4 million readers a week• Second largest actively purchased magazine in the UKPrice Range• - 50p-60pThe target audience for this magazine can be identified by the Socio-Economic Needs groups of C1, C2, D, and E as they include supervisory, skilled and unskilled manual workers. Although all groups could read the magazine the low price makes it accessible for the lower groups and is less likely to appear to the higher groups.

Source: http://www.timeincuk.com/brands/whats-on-tv/

MastheadIdeas

Possible Mastheads:Spot on Soap: The alliteration in this idea would make the name easy to remember and explicitly states what the focus of the magazine is.Spotlight!: Spotlight highlights a focus on something and a spotlight is often associated with TV or acting so connotes the content of the magazine, the exclamation mark is typical of the conventions of a soap opera magazine and causes the magazine to seem exciting.Weekly Soap: This idea is very simple and basic but it tells you exactly what the magazine is about and how often it comes out.

Font styles:Serif: In my analysis of ancillary products there was very little serif font used if it was used at all. This is because it appears very formal and fancy and is more expected of a newspaper. This does not reflect the casual tone I aim to convey with the magazine and does not consider the target audience.Sans Serif: All of the products I analysed used mostly Sans Serif Font as it connotes a casual tone and is informal. This considers the working class target audience of soap operas and the tone I aim to achieve.Bold: Bold font would cause the masthead to appear dramatic and loud, which is used in many other soap magazines as it is eye catching.

Verbal Codes: Many magazines used words like inside in their mastheads, which ‘signifies’ (De Saussure) more information and the ‘Inside scoop’ which encourages people to read on.Soap: Soap was used in many magazines as it states to the reader the genre and content of the magazine to them straight away.Weekly: Weekly was also used often as it makes it explicit how often the magazine is circulated.

Position on the page:Top Left of page: Having the masthead on the top left of the page allows more space for the main image on the page, this is used in what’s on TV magazine and allows more information to fit on the page but does not look as professional.Top of page: Using a masthead across the top of the page creates a cleaner, more professional look to the magazine, causing it to appear easier to read and more attractive, however it creates less room for images on the page.

Colour:Red: All of the ancillary products I analysed used the colour red, which connotes love, anger and passion so highlights the themes of soap operas. The red is also bright and bold so is eye catching and would therefore attract an audience. White: The ancillary products also used the colour white, this is likely to be because it is the brightest colour and therefore can catch the eye of the audience in a shop.

Main HeadlineIdeas

Possible Headlines:Love Triangle!: This highlights to the audience the type of storyline which the article inside will be about. ‘Love Triangle’ Suggests drama and conflict which is well received by a soap opera audience and the romance of ‘love’ will appeal to a younger audience. Love & Lust: This headline suggests a conflict between to characters which can be reinforced through the main image this is suggested through the binary opposition of love and lust. Furthermore romance is a popular theme and would attract an audience. Stalking Shock!: This idea tells the audience what the main storyline will be as it ‘informs’ (Katz) them that it revolves around a stalking, the use of alliteration and the verbal code ‘shock’ causes it to stand out and would encourage people to read about the show.

Positioning:Across the centre of the image: The readers eye will be drawn to the text as it is in the centre so it is likely to be one of the first bits of text they read. This will also cause it to appear important and means that the text will not cover the faces of those in the image.Tilted angle: This was used in some of the ancillary products I analysed and caused the text to have an impact and appear bold. This does not follow typical magazine conventions so appears different suggesting conflict in the article the headline is about.

Other:Exclamation points: This was used in all ancillary products I looked at and is a device used to sensationalise the story. It causes the story to appear important, exciting and bot to be missed.Buzz words: Buzz words like shock, love, tragedy etc. were used in many headlines to attract attention from an audience and encourages them to read on. It makes the headlines appear more dramatic and interesting to an audience.

Images Needed

Main Image:All images in the ancillary products I analysed were mid shots, face on at eye level. These technical codes mean that the main images are clear and the mid shot allows space for text going across the body, Also the centred image looking straight out of the page attracts attention.

Cover Lines:Around edges: In the ancillary products the images were positioned around the sides so they don’t distract from the main image and make it clear that they are separate secondary stories.Borders and shapes: Many images had borders and were constrained by a shape which separates it from the main image and caused them to stand out against other images.Transparent Background: Some images had a transparent background so they were able to appear on top of the main image without taking up lots of space and causing it to appear attractive to look at.

Other Soaps to Promote:EastEnders, Hollyoaks, Coronation Street: These soaps are some of the most popular on TV so by including them in my magazine it would boost it’s popularity. Other people would see the soaps which they recognise and watch on the cover and it would encourage them to buy it.

Miscellaneous

Strapline Language:The language used in straplines is often to grab attention so uses buzz words and devices like alliteration and puns to make them memorable and recognisable. This creates a brand identity which is very important in a magazine. Words like WIN!, Secrets!, EXLUSIVE, and, Gossip are often use as they grab attention from the audience and suggest more on the inside of the magazine therefore encouraging people to read on.

Social Media:Many magazines had social media logos or had their twitter handle somewhere on the front cover. This allows the reader to interact with the magazine through their social media, is a place to release further information and exclusives, and creates another point of entry. Furthermore a possible reader may see the social media account posting and could encourage them to buy the magazine.

Price: In my research I found that most TV magazines ranged from 40-80 pence and therefore I want my magazine to reflect this price. For this reason I will be pricing my magazine at 52p, by choosing a price near the middle of the range I am able to create an affordable product which is of a good quality , therefore making it attractive to an audience.

Puff promotion:The puff promotions, in a similar way to the straplines use buzz words as a device to grab attention, they also use bubbles surrounding the promotion to grab attention as they are often bright and eye catching, standing out against the rest of the magazine. Stroke is also used on text to make it bold and easily readable.

Mind Map - Conclusion

Name: Bethany VaughanCandidate Number: 4137Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic SchoolCenter Number: 64135

• I need to buy some examples of soap opera magazines for myself so that I can gain even more inspiration, and have a hard copy to look at and study it’s conventions.

• In order to create my magazine I will need to arrange the people, locations, and props which I will use for my magazine. I also need to source a suitable font to use and make time to shoot the pictures for the images in the magazine when everyone is available.

• I will be using Photoshop to create my product as it allows me to create a professional looking magazine using the tools available and is easy to understand and available for me to use at any time.