Woodland pictures

For my magazine, I decided to use a young woman as the key model, though this may change at a later date depending the genre and content I find most appealing.
I decided to take the photos in my Nanny's woods, as the lighting could be changed with such ease by literally just turning the camera view according to the perspective of light; Certain areas of the woods were thick with tree and bush alike, making some areas and directions obviously darker. This image was taken in the opposite direction of the sun, so that shadow or darkness did not overwhelm the photo, and instead highlighted darker areas which contrasted against the direct impact of the sun, for example: The dark splits of the bark on the tree here separate areas of the tree, such as where bark breaks or stops, and means that the intensity of the light during this time of day (roughly 12am) can be used to make certain areas of the background and model to appear obviously clearer in a similar way, as well as the general image displaying a brighter show of colours which means that any kind of blur or merging of colours can be avoided to reveal a crisp, sharp, aesthetically pleasing photograph.

 This photograph made it difficult to see the detail of my model's face, and so we changed the lighting, as it was the main cause of the obliterated detail and clarity. Otherwise, I loved the pose and angle of the photo.

 This photo was obviously a little too far away.. But it was something we wanted to try regardless.

 The photo to the left is slightly further back and so reveals less detail to the photo on the right, but I'm still debating which is the best option, as the right one is closer up and looks sharper, however the left photograph would reveal more space for text and background.

 The photograph to the left is really nice, as it possess sharpness and clarity, as well as the background space I would like for things such as text, allowing me to include information while not overlapping or underlapping (basically not disrupting) my model.

I think that I will be using the photos that show my model (Hannah) waist up, as it's the typical style of magazine front covers, though I could just use an image displaying her whole face and nothing else, but doing it waist up would let me include headline specific backgrounds and effects, as well as leaving room for text while not disrupting any features of the image.

I'm happy with the pictures I have, though I would have experimented a little more with scenery and clothing next time as it would add variation to the choices I have and allow a wider range of images that could considered for more appropriate use according to the genre I choose; Having photos in a forest when the magazine is about computers probably isn't very relevant.

Audience Profile

This is the profile for the audiences' responses to the questionnaire I handed out to 10 people at random

Audience Profile

Questionnaire Graphs

   These graphs show the data collected from my Questionnaire in a simple, clear, manageable way that reveals the largest selected option of each question.

     I think I could've used smaller age margins for the first question, as the percentage almost completely filled up on the 15-17 option, which is a far too general age and lacks specifics. However, I do now know the audience's age due to the first Pie-Chart.
     The gender graph clearly shows the fact that I tried to evenly spread the gender of people I questioned, allowing me to analyse a wide and diverse audience and won't reveal any unfair leniencies or bias varieties of answers.
     The Music taste question didn't have any flaws in my opinions, as it allowed the participant to write their own answer, as music taste is a very wide area; A box for them to write a choice allows more freedom and a more accurate and specific answer for something so personal and individual to the person. I was made aware of the fact that 23% of the people favoured pop, and Metal-styled music came a close 2nd, I may feature these two genres mainly if I plan to include music.
     My Monthly media expenses question showed that college students tend to have disposable income on the lower end of the spectrum, 50% of people spending £10 or less on films, music, games, apps etc. per month. This I expected, and I'm happy with the data shown on the graph, as it will let me price the magazine appropriately, as well as also meaning that I could potentially add a section on how to conserve money and get discounts to help the students with leisurely spending.
     I was a little disappointed with the way I had worded the question on Eating out, as it was a '2-part question', and was hard to place into a graph effectively, though I do now know that people tend to attend places of convenience and low cost, such as 'Subway' and 'McDonald's'. No outrageously expensive restaurants popped up in the box-free styled question I chose, revealing that people tend to conserve their money, can't afford to eat out at expensive places, or just choose these places for the take-away convenience and queue-up ordering system.
     The favourite lesson and favourite magazine genre questions displayed data showing the individual's tastes and preferences, and would allow me to better suit the articles and general look of the magazine to suit the audience's tastes, as the graphs I have collected give a clear display of my audience's , Music and Gaming mags seemed to win over the audience. A lot of people said that they attended gigs more than once per month, though more people spent longer than 3 months without attending a gig or live performance, showing that those who do attend gigs will do it regularly, and those who aren't so enthusiastic about the idea will do it rarely. Music was also a popular form of review; People of the college like to hear about newest bands and music released, 46% of people supported this choice.





Questionnaire Grap

Questionnaire

This questionnaire is to help me decide on what to and not to include, what to focus on and the pricing of my college magazine. The questions featured will allow me to create a graph displaying all data necessary to make the magazine the most statistically appealing magazine to college students in general.

Questionnaire

Definition of a Magazine

Magazines.

A magazine is a type of book, usually associating itself to a specific genre, of which provides entertainment, information, how-to guides, scheduled events, or new products and activities associated to it's genre.

 'Kerrang!' is a magazine fixated on rock and metal music, showing it's fans various gigs, events, concerts and newest tracks released by favoured artists of the genre. Kerrang! have also held fun votes and are active in their community, voting for musicians and seeing who is the best looking, or the best rockstar, for example, Andy Biersack won several awards. Magazines like The official Xbox 360 magazine provide guides for gamers, as well as the newest titles adn what they include, as well as the magazine author's rating of the games included. Magazines also feature heavy amounts of advertisement to aid in making profits, as most magazines are relatively cheap, though some magazines, mainly the more popular ones, can sometimes cost up to £8, though these magazines are considered more popular and demanded, as well as having vibrant colour and glossed pages. They are also funded by subscriptions, whereby, for example, you pay a fee for a month and every issue will be delivered to your home. Magazines are mainly distributed as physical books, but can be published online as well.

Sky Fibre Optic Toy Story Advertisement.

This ad was made by Disney Pixar, owner and creator of 'Toy Story' for 'Sky's' Fibre Optic Broadband.

This advertisement uses many creative techniques to attract my attention; such as the introduction of a new character to represent how a 'typical WiFi router' looks and behaves, enhancing the appearance and desirability of their product, also keeping the user engaged and interested when one of the characters makes the router explode by overusing the internet, as this shows the weakness of normal routers while also adding comical value. The advertisement also uses characters that everybody knows, and is relatable and interesting because of this. The use of these childhood characters makes me feel a sense of nostalgia and happiness, as I enjoyed and loved the films. This also keeps me engaged; I recognise instantly, and love these characters and want to hear what they have to say. Also, the solution to their router explosion is answered by the alien triplets, fitting in with the Toy Story feel but, again, proving to be a strong way to advertise the product as they point up to the "Sky", relating to how they always point to "The Claw" in the Toy Story films, making me feel a sense of happiness and nostalgia.

I do not have much interest in new Toy Story productions, therefore saw the Fibre Optic being advertised and not the Toy Story promotion. Other people, such as children, may just see it as a funny advertisement and may only pick up on the Toy Story promotion at the end, as they are more likely to take in things relevant to Toy Story. However, parents of the children may ignore the promotion and see only the Fibre Optic advertised;  Children and adults will see different messages based on their priorities, which makes this advertisement appeal to all ages. Someone who has not seen Toy Story won't understand why there are cowboy and dinosaur toys walking and talking, but should still be able to sense comedy, as well as the purpose of the ad.

The fact that Toy Story characters are using sky may offer some form of appeal to the viewers; They may think that because a selection of characters they grew up with are using Sky, it means that it is a trusted and worthwhile product, as well as making the viewer feel like they possess some form of association with the characters. Furthermore, it may subliminally convince viewers that buying this product will bring a similar lifestyle to that of Toy Story; Friends, large home, family and happy children. There is also the point of view of 'Sky' represented using the WiFi router; they're showing that Sky's Fibre Optic is better and more reliable than other types of connection. The advertisement also cleverly uses the characters 'opinions'; By using these characters and giving them an opinion in favour of the product, people will have more belief and trust the ideas shown more.

This advertisement shows people how much better Sky Fibre Optic connection is when compared with typical WiFi connections, trying to pursuade viewers to switch or upgrade with Sky, and to promote the knowledge of the new "Toy Story of Terror" animation.

About me

Hey, my name is Brandon March, a media studies student just starting at City College Norwich. I've set up this blog to share my ideas and progress, and I hope that I will be able to take what I learn and achieve in media studies to be able to understand and use media within business.