Main Task: Unmanipulated Photos

^^^ I will be using this image for my DPS because The lighting from the setting is very ambient and matches the colours in my colour scheme. The perspective shot creates a depth and the Mise En Scene of the image links to my genre (Hip Hop: Underground, urban, Inner city, clothes, money, cars etc). I will flip the image horizontally and fade the left side of the image to bleed into the second page. I will also fade the left side into the black background of the 1st page on my DPS.

^^^ I will be using this image in my contents page, as one of the featured articles. The lighting is hey key and the blue light clashes with the brown (complimentary colours) which attracts the audience. It is a mid shot which allows the audience the view the subect easily . The background is quite plain which gives the audience a better focus on the subject.

^^^ I will be using this image for my contents page main image. The subject is easily visible and is also a mid shot.

^^^ I will be using this image for my Front cover. I will rotate the image by -90 degrees to make it portrait. The NVC of the subject is very aggressive which links to the hip hop culture.

Main Task: FC, CP, DPS Mock ups

These are the magazine mock up drawings of my Front cover, Contents page and Double page spread. I used pencil and drew out my ideas on to paper.

Main Task: Case study of a publishing house

Conde Nast Digital is a publishing house that produces many successful, award-winning magazines. In total Conde Nast publish 15 magazines. Some of their most popular magazines are:
-Vogue -Glamour
-GQ

And many others such as 'Tatler', 'House & Garden' and 'Brides'.



This publishing house has targeted many different audiences;

1. People with a lot of money to spend on items that will alter their appearance. Mainly high and middle-classed people. Some of their magazines advertise many products such as expensive perfumes, shoes, jewellery, dresses, jackets etc. Some of their magazines show photographs of famous catwalks and fashion photo-shoots which will attract their audience as the target audience will know that the models in the photographs are wearing some of the most popular trends and will want to follow the trend. (Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour, GQ Style)

2. People with a high interest in famous celebrities lives and gossip about events. These people are most likely to be middle and working-class people. Teenagers (mainly female) would be interested in this type of magazine, as they are going through puberty and some teenagers have a 'crush' on famous celebrities. These people would also have a lot of leisure time and use that time to watch TV or view other types of media that show these celebrities. (GQ)

3. People (mainly older, middle-aged people) that have interests in buying items that will make their home look better. from interior, to exterior, to garden ware. (Interiors, House & Garden)

4. Middle and Higher classed people that enjoy reading about or going on luxurious holidays and venues. These holidays cost a lot and are usually exceptionally pleasant. (Traveller, luxury spas)

With each magazine they make/publish, they have intended to get a different audience. This means they will have a vast range of customers. More customers, more money. Their company will continue to thrive. If The company made magazines of the same genre, customers would prefer one over the other and profit would be lost. They have a wide selection of target audiences to increase their revenue.

Conde Nast Digital's main purpose is to globally produce/distribute magazines, delivering news in many genres. However, generating a bigger revenue is surely one of their intentions. They also have business interests in advertisment, where they promote different companies' products for a specified price. Another business interest they have, is at times they may mention a Tv channel or program, which draws the users attention. The companies they work with or mention in their articles pay Conde Nast for this and again, their revenue is increased.

Main Task: Mood Board

Main Task: Profiling your audience

Tyrell, aged 19, is a hip hop fanatic. His life revolves around hip-hop culture. His sense of style and fashion, his dialect/colloquial speech is influenced by hip-hop culture. Music is a big part of Tyrell's life and spends about an hour everyday listening to it. His favourite genre of music is most definitely Hip-hop and R'n'b. In his spare time he enjoys watching Hip-hop music videos, reading hip-hop magazines and downloading Hip-hop music. As a hobby he enjoys producing Hip-hop instrumentals. A lot of his friends have similar likes and traits as him. This has an impact on his social life and community. It also corresponds with the way he behaves around others.

Tyrell goes to University and takes Media studies and Music as a degree, He goes there 4 Days a week, developing his skills in as many aspects possible and is determined to reach his goal and become professional music producer.

Tyrell has a part-time job at a Inner city Music studio, running errands and occasionally working on music. He likes to spend some of his pay on designer brand clothing such as Nike, Louis Vuitton and G-Star RAW. On his journey there, he likes to read magazines. A Hip-hop Music magazine also helps him follow the latest trends, song releases and news about his favourite music artists. He has a vast compilation of music Magazine issues and continues to buy a copy every week.

I am aiming to make my magazine a magazine that will attract people with similar characteristics and interests to Tyrell's. To do this, I will involve content such as "The fans Top picks" - A chart displaying the top 10 tracks in the Hip Hop industry to date, voted by the audience on the magazine website. I will also devote 2 pages of my magazine to a collection of famous Hip-Hop artists and reveal their latest clothing styles, and where to get this kind of clothing.

Main Task: Audience research

Target research is used to get a concept of what my audience would find as an ideal Hip-Hop magazine. I selected a few items which my magazine would consist of and a few options which give my audience a variety of options to choose from. I asked 10 people 8 different questions via 'Facebook'.

Question 1.

From this research, I can depict that a lot of people that are interested in my magazine would prefer the Masthead "The Foundation" and I will use that for my magazine.

Question 2.
From this statistic, I can depict that most people in my target audience would prefer my magazine to use a Sans Serif font, instead of a Serif font.

Question 3. From this statistic, I cant depict that just over a majority of my target audience would prefer a regular font style for the text in my magazine; I will apply this to my magazine.

Question 4. I can use this data to depict that the one feature in my magazine that my target audience would not have much of an interest in, is the 'Up & Coming music artists details' . I will use all of the other features in my magazine except this one.

Question 5.With this data I can depict that short and appealing cover-lines will be more attractive to my target audience. I will apply this to my magazine.

Question 6. Using this statistic, I can depict that most of my target audience would prefer the colours Silver, White and black. However, the colour blue or orange is yet to be decided upon, depending on what images I use.

Question 7. From this data, I know that using a big, eye catching, and attractive Masthead would be better than a less obvious masthead. I will use this data and apply it to my magazine masthead which will help me attract my target audience.

Question 8. With this data I can now use a magazine website to involve my target audience. My target audience are stereotypically known to be social networking enthusiasts, so communicating on-line to help give feedback on the articles and news in my magazine should attract them.

Main Task: Double Page Spread Conventions diagram

Main Task: DPS Textual analysis

Denotation: The double page spread consists of an image of a man, sitting on a stone bench. The image takes up 3 fifths of both pages. The background the image is in, appears to be an urban city park. the weather is sunny. It is a long shot which shows the whole of the subjects body and some of the setting. The subject is wearing a black/red/white baseball cap, a big black shirt (and a white one underneath it), a black pair of jeans and black basketball trainers. He is also wearing a thick chain necklace and a sliver watch. next to the image, there is two columns of text and a yellow-brown coloured headline. The name of the subject (The game) is in the top left corner of the DPS. There is some print-design on the end side of the the left page, and a group of text (in a larger, bolder, upper-case font.) on the bottom of the left page.

Character: The image is of a famous rapper who goes by the name of 'The Game'. He was formerly in the music group 'G-Unit' but had to leave because of dispute issues. He is also known to be in the 'Bloods' ; a major American gang located in parts of California.

Composition: The rapper is posed in an irritated and conscious, yet relaxed manner. He is sitting on the top of a table/bench, which isn't the way it is meant to be used. This connotes he has a rebellious character and may not abide by the law. His eyes are focused on something behind the camera, which isn't direct address and does not really involve the audience.

Costume: The rappers costume is quite loose. This kind of clothing originates in urban American areas and is worn worldwide. The heavy clothing makes him look bigger than he is and connotes power and strength. He is also wearing a huge chain-necklace with a very large pendant. In Hip hop culture, big chains are worn to show wealth. The chain he is wearing appears to be very heavy and some people may struggle to wear it. This connotes is strength and links to power. This connotation is similar to the big watch he is also wearing.

NVC: The rappers body language is quite intimidating, as his eyes are focused on something outside the camera. his eyebrows are lowered and his jaw looks locked. His hands are held together in the centre of his body, which shows he is calm. The fact that he is focused on something outside the camera gives the audience the feeling that he has no concern towards the picture being taken.

Lighting: The lighting is natural high key and is coming from the left side of the camera. The subject is looking in this direction, so he may possibly be looking on to the sun. This may connote him seeking religious uplifting (turning to God for help).

Setting: The setting of the image appears to be in some sort of social park. There area looks deserted because he is the only human in the shot. The setting may be a restricted area and links to the subjects 'Rebel' appearance.

Target audience: I believe that the target audience would be people of both genders, but mainly male, that have some interest or knowledge of America's latest news in the Hip-hop culture. The age range would be between 13 and 30. The reason for this age is because 13 is the age most children become more independent and spend their own money on things for themselves. Also, 13 is roughly the age children become more developed in reading. Another reason for the age of 13, is that this is roughly the age children become influenced by the media and some of the most popular cultures in their society. Hip-hop culture tends to attract young minds very easily and has influenced children all around the world. The reason the limit of the age range is about 30, is because firstly, the subject is about 30 years old so he may influence people of his age. Also, Hip-hop culture influences people of all ages, but this DPS is modern hip-hop based and may not appeal to audiences of an older age.

Main Task: Contents Page Conventions diagram

Main Task: Front Cover conventions diagram

Main Task: Front Cover Textual Analysis

Denotation: The magazine cover consists of a black/white (possibly taken in a studio) photograph of a famous rapper looking directly into the camera. It is a medium-long shot (showing his head to his knees). He is standing on his own, looking supercilious and careless with his head tilted back. He has his hands in his pockets. He is wearing a plain white t-shirt and embroidered black baggy jeans. he is also wearing necklaces, two of which have pendants on them; A watch; and a bracelet. The background of the photo is white. The photograph covers most of the magazine cover. Behind the man is the 'KING' Masthead in bold, black, wide lettering, and in front of him are approximately 6 separate cover-lines in yellow, black, white and grey. The bar code is visible in the bottom left hand corner.



Masthead: 'KING's masthead is bold, wide and strong. it is in black, which matches the man's jeans and some of the shapes and text on the cover. it is also complimentary with the back ground (black and white are complimentary colours). The font used is a serif font and all the letters are wide and squat. The font looks very masculine and would appeal to males more than females. This links to the hip-hop culture (e.g. Low riders and baggy jeans worn below the waistline). The font used looks broad and tough, which again links to the hip-hop culture (e.g. 'Hard' rhymes and tough lifestyles) The word King connotes riches, royalty, power, authority and respect, which links to the famous rap star in the picture.



Character: The photograph is of a famous rapper who goes by the name of Jay Z. Many people title him as the 'King of hip-hop'. This links to the Masthead, which is entitled 'KING'. the photographed rapper's face is easily recognized and the target audience will be attracted.



Composition: The rapper is posed in an arrogant, careless and slightly intimidating stance. This connotes the rapper isn't interested in something. According to hip-hop culture, a man's main priority is to get money. so he may not be interested in anything else e.g. criticism.



Costume: The Rappers costume is quite plain. He is wearing a plain white t-shirt with big baggy black jeans. There is some embroidery design on the right pocket. he is also wearing a black leather belt with a metal buckle. On his left wrist he appears to be wearing a rubber band. On his right wrist he is wearing a leather strap analogue watch. He is also wearing three silver, possibly platinum necklaces with pendants. The costume is quite plain but in hip hop culture, is quite symbolic. The rubber band on his left arm gives the idea that the band is from a wad of money. The necklaces may be worn for religious reasons, but in Hip hop culture, big chains are worn to show wealth. Usually diamonds in the pendants are more expensive and attractive, and that is why most people who follow this still prefer 'Ice' (jewellery with diamonds in them). The embroidered jeans are likely to be made by a designer brand and would also cost a lot. The wristwatch also has diamonds in it and would probably have cost a lot of money. This all links to the hip-hop culture and how what you wear is used as prejudice on how financially stable you are.


NVC: His NVC is also quite arrogant. His hands are in his pocket and his head is slightly tilted back while looking directly in the camera with a straight face (hardly any facial expression)


Lighting: The lighting is studio flash high-key.


Setting: The setting is in a studio with a plain white background. It is quite strange to observe, as the background of the the image is white, and his white shirt blends in. This can also be symbolic, as it connotes blending in to the urban society. He had a rough childhood growing up in ghetto America, made a living out of rapping and soon became successful for it.

Cover-lines: The main cover-line links to the rapper and says: "Jay-Z; 2009 Hip-Hop Cash King". This links to his costume and how his clothing is expensive. The rubber band in particular symbolizes the rapper handles big money. The 'Cash king' is the person who holds the title as the biggest spender/money earner in the year, in the Hip-Hop industry. The Hip-Hop culture is mainly about working from 'the bottom' and working your way up. So most rappers intentions are to get as much money as possible. 'Cash Kings' Supports this point, as it allows some of the richest rappers to compete in being the wealthiest. The audience will be drawn in by this as the target audience will have the same interests as most rappers in the hip hop industry, and knowing who the richest is would be quite appealing to them. The other cover-lines involve other hip-hop artists such as 'Tupac', 'Kanye west' and 'Eminem'. All these artists are famous and known worldwide, so it will attract more of a wider audience. The rappers are all male, so it would be suggested that most of the audience would be male as well. The only cover-line which doesn't show a male rapper is 'Fergie; New photosession'. She is a female R'n'B artist but she is only in the magazine for photographs, which will also attract more males. All the artists are American, where the Hip-Hop culture originated and continues the strengthen. The other cover-lines explain that the magazine isn't just about Hip-Hop culture and music, as one says "Tupac is alive!". Although Tupac was a famous American rapper, the cover-line is gossip, and isn't music based.



Target Audience: Understanding all of the above, I believe that the target audience will be people with an urban/hip-hop sense of style, culture and/or music interest.Both sexes would be interested in this magazine, but definately more males than females. This is because most females prefer R'n'B music than rapping/Hip-Hop. The fonts used are also quite masculine. The age range of the target audience would be from the age of 13 to about 40.The reason why I chose such a young age as a target audience is because 13 is the age children become slightly more independent and start to buy things for themselves. They are also influenced by the media quite easily at this age and Hip-Hop culture is quite manipulating, as it involves dressing and your appearance. Youths always judge each other by their appearance so following trends is usually an issue e.g. to avoid bullying. Hip-Hop appeals mainly from youths to 30 year olds, but Hip-Hop originated about 40 years ago so people who were young at the time it began, may still be interested in its culture and music.

Main Task: Introduction

My name is Gabriel Kusimo and I am an AS Media Studies student. I am working towards producing a full contents page, front cover and double page spread. During the course I will be learning vital information which will help bettering my final designs. I will also produce a range of planning and research. An evaluation will also be produced at the end of the unit.

Research will include:
- A Front cover textual analysis: The denotations and connotations of aspects in a magazine front cover.
- A Front cover Conventions diagram: Labelling and defining the items/components used in a front cover.
- A Contents page Conventions diagram: Labelling and defining the items/components used in a contents page.
- A DPS Textual analysis: The denotations and connotations of aspects in a magazine DPS.
- A DPS Conventions diagram: Labelling and defining the items/components used in a DPS.
- Audience research: gathering information about the type of audience which are potential customers to a specific genre.
- Profiling Audience: Creating an 'ideal' reader.
- Mood board: A collection of images which describe/stereotype my specified genre.
- Case study of a publishing house

Planning includes:
-FC/CP/DPS Mock ups
-Unmanipulated Photos
-FC/CP/DPS Final
-Post production feedback
-Evaluation Final

My chosen Music genre i will be working with, is Hip-Hop. I chose this genre because I enjoy listening hip-hop music, and i grew up in a society which has been influenced slightly by the hip-hop culture, so gathering research information about it will be easier to understand and interpret.

Preliminary Task: College Front Cover Final

Preliminary task: College Front Contents Page Final

Preliminary Task: Front Cover & Contents page Mock Ups

Preliminary Task: Front Cover conventions Diagram

Preliminary task: Front Cover Textual Analysis

Denotation: The magazine cover consists of a colour photograph of a woman looking directly into the camera. it is a medium-long shot (showing her head, arms and waist). She is standing on her own, looking relaxed and happy. She is smiling. she is wearing sporty, light clothing. The background of the photo is in a green park with grass and trees. The photograph covers the whole of the magazine cover. Behind the woman is the College Masthead in red, and in front of her are 5 separate cover-lines in black and blue. The bar code is visible in the bottom left hand corner.

Masthead: College's Masthead is quite plain, but catchy. It is in red, which matches the colour of the girls shirt. It stands out because the background is green, and green/red are complimentary colours. The font used is a serif font and all the letters are separated. The font used looks plain but modern and youthful (curved edges make it look youthful. Thick/plain letters make it look modern). The word College simply indicates that this magazine is about College and education/curriculum.

Character: The photograph is of a woman, supposedly a college student, dressed in sporty, loose, casual clothing.

Costume: The woman is wearing a sporty American-Football-like Top, and denim shorts. the clothing would mainly attract males as she is showing a bit of skin and she is a female. It can also attract the female audience because what she is wearing might be the latest style/trend for her age range.
NVC: The woman is standing very calmly, and smiling which can show that 'College' is a nice place to be and it is enjoyable. It can also indicate that the magazine is entertaining and can possibly make you smile/interest you.
Setting: There is little setting, but I can recognise greenery which may mean she is in a park or field. This can symbolize freedom and that college is a place where you make your own choices etc.
Lighting: The lighting is natural and high key.

Cover-lines: The main Cover-line seems to be linked to the photo of the woman, as the cover-line mentions 'SMU Campus', and her shirt says: 'I(love)SMU'. So the SMU Campus must be a nice place. the cover-line also says: "A new kind of balancing act' which sounds like a new rule/law, but the word 'balancing' makes the 'act' sound fair and equal, like what college should be. The other cover-lines are not exactly linked to college, such as 'She's 15 and pregnant' which is a interesting story, but isn't really relevant to college. 'Avoid sleeping your way to the top; Networking 101' seems to mean, social networking. so the target audience will have something in common with that (most teenagers spend time on social network websites).

Target Audience: Understanding all of the above, I believe that the target audience will be people (both male and female) within the age range of 16-25. They would most likely be attending college or university and/or well educated, but have a slight interest in gossip.

Induction: Movie Poster Textual Analysis

Indiana Jones And the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull Image Analysis

Denotation: An image of a Tall man standing still. Behind him is a fiery image of a big skull. The setting appears to be some sort of Aztec- like jungle.

Connotation: The man is standing in a bold, confident stance which shows he is a confident person. He is the only character we see in the poster, which implies he is the main character in the film. The film is called 'Indiana Jones And the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull'. We can depict that Indiana Jones is the man in the poster, but we cant tell if the flaming skull behind him is the Crystal Skull. What I can say about the fiery skull is that it symbolizes Indiana Jones will go through many obstacles and challenges to get to the Crystal skull.


Mise En Scene:

Costume: He is wearing exploratory, dirty clothing which shows that he is prepared for physical activity. He wears his hat for a reason and not just for fashion (heavy sunlight/heat may be the reason). The colour of his clothing is all similar (beige/green/khaki) which is used mainly for camouflage, this shows that he will be out in the jungle/forest. He could be wearing camouflage clothing to hide from dangerous animals or enemies in the film.

Props: His Whip which he is holding firmly in his left hand; shows he is ready for fighting/self-defence, or it could be used as a tool to get past obstacles. Indiana Jones would only bring what he needs with him on hi adventure, so the whip is obviously an important item. This tells the audience that he will be using the whip often or using it for a special reason during the time in film.

Setting: The setting appears to be some sort of Aztec-like jungle. We don't see any modern items in the poster so the film may be set in a historical theme.

Lighting: Lighting is both high key and low key in the image, but it isn't natural lighting. The darker tones in the image symbolize the bad side to the film (Indiana Jones may have a 'bad side', or the obstacles/enemies he will face may be the 'bad side'). The low key lighting makes the photo look mysterious/interesting because not all is revealed. this attracts the audience to take a 'closer look'.

NVC: His facial expression is quite blank but cautious which shows he is aware or concentrated. He also shows a cunning grin which can symbolize he is a cunning man. It can also mean that he knows what he is doing and feels invincible (he is prepared for the adventure that lies before him, or knows he will get what he wants. That links to his confidence). Both his fists are clenched (even though only one of his hands are holding something) this shows he is aggressive or ready for physical battle. This tells the audience that there will be violence in the film. His posture is very masculine and strong, which shows he is a strong man, it can also symbolize he shows little emotion.


Anchorage: The text displayed is all Sans Serif: The colours are warm/hot which portrays speed/heat/action etc.. I believe that type of font was used, to show that the film isn't dated, its a modern film which includes some sort of relic hunting adventure. The main title ('Indiana Jones') Has a perspective/ angle, which symbolizes distance. This can mean that the character or story includes taking a long journey. The hot colours mean there is a lot of action and intense scenes.

Induction: Re-Creation of a movie Magazine Front Cover

This is my 1st copy of a magazine cover. I have used photoshop before but only to crop photos and move layers. using the shape and text tool is new to me. removing bond from the background was also new to because i usually use the 'magic wand tool' but this version of photoshop did not have it. I missed out the text under the subtitles. To edit bond and the background I went to filters>pixelate>colour-half tone. Overall this task was easy because it mainly consisted of adding shapes and text. Putting the Masthead behind Bond was a challenge because I used the quick selection tool instead of the magic wand, which selects part of the background as well as Bond. Another difficulty was finding fonts similar to the original magazines text.