The final of my preliminary task

This is the final of my school magazine; the preliminary task. I thought that the magazine came out quite well however it was not as good as I wanted it to be. For the preliminary task we did not have to complete the contents page so instead I made a mock up of where all the features would go instead.

Misé en scene

There was a lot of blank space that could have been filled more with sell lines or more images.Some of the writing that I had on the magazine blended in with the background and could not be read. This wouldn't be good for a magazine as all the text would need to be readable to create a good effect. The background of the magazine had no connection with the magazine itself, although it was took on a school field the readers would not know this. There is nothing that related to the sell lines on there. 

However I kept to the colour scheme of blue, yellow, green and red throughout as this showed consistency. However the colours were not very good on the magazine as they easily blended into the background. 

Images

I felt that the main image did not have the effect that I wanted; I wanted the image to engage more with the audience. To do this next time I could make the model have eye contact with the audience and smile more as this would help to make them feel friendlier. Also, the model is not wearing a school uniform or anything that looks school like so shows no connection to the school itself; there is nothing about the model that says she is connected to the school. Also the model has no sell lines to tell the audience who she is or what she does.

Masthead

I felt that the masthead is quite effective as the colours contrast quite nicely together which makes the title 'FSGirls' jump out on the page. It is also conventional for the masthead to be a block colour and to be the largest font on the page. I have adhered to these conventions to make the masthead effective.

First draft of my preliminary magazine

This is my first draft of my preliminary magazine, I have put the boxes where I will have the sell lines and images.

Codes and Conventions of a School Magazine

Codes and conventions for a school or college magazine:

      ·         A respectable picture of high quality that does not obstruct any text on the page e.g. makes some text hard to read. The picture is not pixelated and out of focus.

·         It has to be quite formal and respectful towards the school, conveying the school as sophisticated.

·         Has a clear layout so that the cover does not look too crowded or there is not much happening, a clear layout makes it easier to read and more appealing.

·         The text used is quite formal containing cover lines and sell lines which engage the viewer.

·         Good colour scheme that is used throughout the magazine, unifying it with the college or school, maybe using the colours from the school’s logo.

·         Relevant topics within the magazine that engage all the target audience and is appropriate for the age range involved.

·         The magazine should be quite informative, containing dates and events. This should be written in a formal manner, although it can contain some humour so the attention is not lost.

·         The headlines should be attention grabbing to make the viewer want to read the magazine.

·         Games and quizzes to engage the younger reader as they may lose interest more quickly.

·         A wide variety of contribution to the media language this gives the magazine different viewpoints, which in turn would make it more interesting to read.

·         A date and a price

The results of the questionnaire

What would encourage you to buy the school magazine?

Most people wrote down that if they were going to be encouraged to buy the school magazine then it had to contain interesting information relating to their school life, and many believed that humour would help to do this. Another encouragement would be an eye catching front cover that contains lots of pictures. One person said that advertisements would also encourage them and also a teacher’s column. One person said that they weren’t sure.

What would appeal most to you about having a school magazine?

The most appealing thing to people was hearing the latest information which could be brought easily. Also bright colours and funny stories would appeal to them.

What would you call the school magazine?

A lot of different names were suggested such as: Grade A, school, That’s it, FSGIrls, FSG Weekly, School news, The Daily GirlsGraph, Newsflash, FSG Life, FSG Joker, School Magazine and three people were not sure

How much would you be willing to pay for a school magazine?

25% of people said that they would pay 0-50p. 42% of people said that they would pay 60- £1. 33% of people said that they would pay £1.10- £2

How frequently would you want a school magazine?

8% said once a school year, 50% said once a term and 42% said once a month

Who would you like the contributors to the magazine to be?

2 people said teachers, 7 others said students, 8 others said 6^th formers and 1 other person said anyone

Which of the following would you like in the magazine?

Journalism got 23%, music got 23%, film got 18% and real life got 36%

What issues would you like in the magazine?

School got 42%, world got 32% and personal got 26%

What would you not like included in the magazine?

The main thing that people did not want included was personal problem pages that did not have anything to do with school (e.g. Relationships.) Personal things were another issue that they did not want included in the magazine. Some people said that they didn’t want any irrelevant things included such as celebrities, music and films.

What gender would you like to see on the front cover?

36% said males, 21% said females and 43% said either or both

Do you want to see any thumbnail images on the front cover?

47% said no and 53% said yes

Would you prefer the front cover’s sell lines to be light-hearted, formal or a mix of the two?

4 people said light-hearted, another 4 said formal and 6 other people said a mix

What word or phrase would you expect to see?

Two people did not write anything and the rest wanted fun words. Two people were not sure of the question

How do you feel about having slanted or horizontal text on the magazine?

Most people said that they would not like it as it would look messy. However more people disliked the possibility of slanted text. But someone said that they didn’t mind as long as the magazine looked good.

How many different font styles would you feel suits the magazine better?

Someone said to keep it simple, lots of people said 3, some said 2 and one person said to keep the same font

What would be your preferred colour scheme?

57% said hot colours and 43% said cold colours

How many different colours would you expect to have on the magazine?

Many people said use as much colours needed to make the magazine look good. However many people though there should be a maximum of 4 colours. One person said ten; and one other said a lot.

Would you prefer the magazine to be a4 or a5?

36% said A4 and 64% said A5

The School Magazine Questionnaire

This is my preliminary task questionnaire

Audience Questionnaire

1.       What would encourage you to buy the school magazine?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.       What would appeal most to you about having a school magazine?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3.       What would you call the school magazine?

__________________________________________________________________________________

4.       How much would you be willing to pay for a school magazine?(Tick one of the following)

         o                o                  o

        0P-50P                            60P-£1                               £1.10-£2

5.       How frequently would you want a school magazine?(Tick one of the following)

    o                o                  o

Once a month                     Once a term                   Once a school year

6.       Who would you like the contributers to the magazine to be?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7.       Which of the following would you like to see in the magazine? (Tick two of the following)

o                o                  o                o

   Journalism                    Real life traumas                 Music Reviews                Film Reviews   

8.       What issues would you like covered in the magazine?(Tick two of the following)

o                o                  o

      School                          Personal                                 World

9.       What would you not like included in the magazine?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10.   What gender would you prefer to see on the front cover? (Tick one of the following)

o                o                  o

 Females                                Male                               Either/Both

11.   Do you want to see any thumbnail images on the front cover?

   o                o     

         Yes                                 No

12.   Would you prefer the front covers sell lines to be lighthearted, formal or a mix of the two?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

13.   What words of phrases would you expect to see?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

14.   How do you feel about having horizontal or slanted text on the magazine?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

15.   How many different font styles would you feel suits the magazine better?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

16.   What would be your preffered colour scheme?

o                o    

   Hot colours                    Cold colours

17.   How many different colours would you expect to have on the magazine?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

18.   Would you prefer the magazine to be A4 of A5?

o                o    

       A4                                     A5