Coursework

 1/5/24

COURSEWORK 

NEA Introduction

L/O: to explore the coursework briefs and requirements.

Fashion magazine

3/5/24

NEA Research

L/O: to research the codes and conventions of similar products

Cover

1. Margaret Qualley is on the cover, in a long shot, and she is presented as wealthy and playful.
2. The subjects on the cover lines are that of light hearted and motivating topics such as "new ways to live" and "threads of change".
3. The colour scheme is turquoise and black
4. The masthead is at the top of the page and is in a serif font.
5. There is 1 image on the cover.
6. There are 3 cover lines.
7. The bar code is at the bottom right (on the physical copy) along with the publisher logo, and the date is below the masthead on the left side.
8. There are 2 main fonts on the cover, the masthead is a serif font and the cover lines are sans serif fonts.

Contents page

1. The contents page is laid out with one main image surrounded by page numbers and titles.
2. 3 images are used on the contents, 1 larger image and 2 small images, the 2 smaller images are anchored to the text below them as they are of the cover star; it says "on the covers" and all of the clothing she is wearing with prices. 
3.  The title font is a serif lowercase font, and all of the page numbers are in a sans serif font along with the titles of those pages, but the descriptions are in serif fonts.
4. The text is organised into page numbers down the page with the descriptions of the pages underneath each title.

Article

1. The article is laid out with images at the top / framing the text and text below.
2. 2 images are used on the top page of the article, 2 fairly small images and a larger one next to them. 
3. Three different fonts are used, 2 serif fonts and 1 sans serif font. The title sans serif font is the largest and it more bold and a slightly different font to the small article text serif font. 
4. The text is organised in large columns, with no sub headings.
5. The colour scheme of the page is black and white with hints of red in the models' outfits. 
6. Ethnicity is represented positively in the article, and also there is some plus-size representation too. 
7. Stereotypes are challenged as, stereotypically, fashion magazines tend to only represent slim, white women, although that is now being changed as the media is evolving.

Overall

1. The house style is established as quite fresh and modern due to the turquoise green colourings, but also more feminine due to the serif font as the masthead. 
2. For the fashion genre, the conventions are that the star vehicle is a woman, typically wearing quite feminine, expensive attire, and serif font is usually used for the masthead as it is perceived as more refined.
3. Confidence in women and empowerment is the typical ideology used.
4. The people or places featured are typically represented as modern and inspiring.
5. The target audience are women aged 16-25, and it appeals to them through the celebrity cover stars whom they may recognise, and the usually bright and fresh "feminine" colours used on the cover to catch their eye.

Cover

1. Kim Petras is on the cover, the shot type is a medium long shot, and she is represented as bold an confident.
2. In the cover lines, they include subjects such as sex, clothing, makeup, and interests such as fans or music artists.
3. The colour scheme is many shades of blue, and some black cover lines.
4. The masthead is placed at the top of the page, and the font is sans serif, block capitals.
5. There is 1 image on the cover.
6. There are 6 cover lines used.
7. The institutional information included are: barcode in the bottom left along with the publisher logo, price is on the top right covering the masthead slightly, and the date is in the top right below the masthead.
8.  There are 4 different fonts used: the masthead is the largest and is in block capital sans serif font, the coverlines consist of 2 different fonts: the blue lines are serif and beneath them are smaller sans serif black texts, and the black lines are sans serif and beneath them are smaller blue sans serif lines. 
9. There is only one puff used to show the price of the magazine.

Contents Pages

1.  The text is surrounding the images in a general L shape, and have 4 subtitles with smaller page descriptions beneath them. 
2. There are 2 images: one large one at the top right of the page and one smaller image of makeup in the bottom right.
3. There are around 4 different fonts: a bold sans serif font as the contents title, and for the subtitles all of them are serif and smaller than the title, then the text beneath each subtitle is sans serif and a lot smaller than the subtitles, with bold parts where the text begins.
4.  The text is organised into sections according to each genre/section of the magazine's contents, which are: trending topics, pages dedicated to relating to the target audience, clothing, and style such as new fashion trends.

Article

1. It is laid out with a collage of images behind the box of text, with the writer's face photo above it, and text describing where each clothing item is from and its price.
2. There are around 15 images included in the collage, all of different clothing and makeup items, the largest image is a model. They are anchored to the text as they are a list of high-end products, and link to the bottom text as they all have the names and prices of them there.
3. The text is organised into short named sections that anchor the text: "who", "buy", "style note", and they are all in bold capitals sans serif, whereas the text next to them is sans serif but not bold. The title isn't very big, it is slightly larger than the text below it but it is capital serif text.
4. The colour scheme has no clear path, as it is a mixture of florals to match the theme, but there is definitely an accent of red included in some of the items.
5. The woman who wrote the article is represented as professional and stylish.
6. Stereotypes are used here as it is stereotypical for a woman's magazine to include topics such as trendy clothing and makeup and floral clothing etc. 

Overall

1. The house style is established as progressive and modern due to the blue colour scheme on the cover, as it is anti-stereotypical for a women's magazine to use masculine colourings. Also, the fact that the font mostly used is sans serif for titles and the masthead is also quite unconventional for a fashion magazine, as it is a stereotypically masculine font type.
2. For the fashion genre, the conventions are that the star vehicle is a woman, typically wearing quite feminine, expensive attire, and serif font is usually used for the masthead as it is perceived as more refined.
3. The ideology represented in this magazine is that of women's empowerment and feminism.
4. The people featured are typically women and are represented as confident and powerful.
5. The target audience is women 18-35 years old, and it appeals to them with more mature themes such as sex and careers etc.

10/5/24

NEA Research

L/O: to research genre codes & conventions

Do Now

1. For my product, I am doing the fashion genre of magazine.
2. To show this genre in my product, I will use serif fonts to portray the feminine themes, and use a female model wearing quite refined, modern attire. 
3. One stereotype I am intending to use is one of utilising very soft colours, that are stereotypically seen as womanly. 

Codes & Conventions Analyses 

• Imagery - 
• Typically, the imagery in fashion magazines are that of models and clothing, either being worn or just a flat image. Also, there could be photos of other products such as makeup etc or events like the Met Gala. 
• Colour palette - 
• Bright colours and pastels are the colours usually used in fashion magazines as they attract the target audience of women due to the fact that they are seen as feminine hues, like pink and purple. 
• Typography -
• Serif mastheads are typically used in fashion magazines as the font is seen as more delicate and feminine, but sans serif fonts are used as sub-headings. 
• Lexis -
• Fashion magazines have a habit of using informal language in their lexis - using contractions like "can't" instead of "cannot", and use abbreviations/slang words such as "inspo" instead of "inspiration", or "AF"/"DGAF"
• Topics for articles - 
• Some general topics used in fashion magazines consist of stereotypically feminine topics such as: shopping, glamour, trends, clothing, but also problems in the world to do with these topics, like poverty and bullying. 
• Representations of people - 
• In fashion magazines, there are usually many positive representations of slim, but diverse, model women, but a very small amount of representation of older women or plus size representation. The women are stereotypically represented as very confident and feminine, usually dressed in expensive and beautified attire.

15/5/24

L/O: to research the representations created in similar products.

Do Now

Representation is the way in which the media portrays a certain group of people: e.g. positively or negatively.

Representation is how media texts deal with and present gender, age, ethnicity, national and regional identity, social issues and events. This is done through shot type or angle, mise-en-scene or editing.

• Representations as a whole -
• Quirky
• Colourful
• Unconventional
• Bold
• Gender representation -
• The representation of gender is partial due to the fact that there are only women included in the photos, as it is a magazine aimed at women: women are represented as confident and poised. I will be supporting this stereotype.
• Age representation -
• The representation of age is of younger women, usually ages 18-25 in the photos, as the magazine is aimed at an audience of that age bracket. I will be supporting this stereotype, but with a slightly younger age bracket. 
• Ethnicity representation -
• There is a diverse representation of ethnicity in these photos, and all of the ethnicities represented positively.  I will support this stereotype.
• Fashion representation -
• The representation of fashion is trendy and chic, as the models are usually wearing expensive new articles of clothing in their shoots. I will be supporting this stereotype.
• Recurring stereotypes -
• Some recurring stereotypes of fashion magazines are that they usually don't represent many diverse body types; typically slim models are portrayed in them. Also, full body shots are conventionally used of the models on the covers. I will be using this stereotype. 

17/5/24

Do Now

Primary Research is information that you have found yourself through your own questionnaires etc, and secondary research is information that you use from other existing sources that have been made by someone else e.g. a newspaper article.

22/5/24

NEA Research

L/O: to research the potential target audience.

Do Now

1. What are the typically represented groups of people in the fashion magazines you read?
2. What kind of features make a fashion magazine stand out for you?
3. Which types of people would you like to see in a fashion magazine?
4. What stereotypes would you like to see challenged in a fashion magazine?
   
   

Secondary Audience Research

• Elle and Glamour's target audience demographic is typically females from the ages of 18-30. 
• Elle categorises their audience by their personality, and in terms of psychographics: they value innovators (successful, sophisticated) and experiencers (enthusiastic, social)
• Glamour categorises their audience by their personality, and in terms of psychographics: they prioritise strivers, trendy and fun-loving people, but also they value achievers. 

Questionnaire: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfIhS1o6wbklPolIxUVY2ZkIvTwcRrmcgMfIHCdIsKmWJbLyA/viewform?usp=sf_link

1. 
   

Conclusion

1. I will be doing a fashion magazine, and it will appeal to 16-24 year olds due to the fact that it is going to include younger cover models, to reflect the target demographic, and will include modern trends and subjects. 
2. My target audience are: Female ; Interests in clothing and the latest trends, but also culture ; Innovators, achievers, experiencers
3. Craze, Style, Mode - these are all potential names for my magazine, and appeal to my audience as they are synonyms of fashion, so communicates the genre of the magazine.
4. "Fashion is nothing without people" , "The future of fashion" - Emphasises that the magazine is modern and values the people and culture, which is what the contents are going to be about.
5. For my front page, I am planning to use a modern style that is minimalistic so that it appeals to my modern audience.
   
   
   
6. I think my colour palette will be quite feminine colours - pastels - as it is aimed at a female audience and this is the stereotypical palette for women. 
7. For my cover image, I will have a main cover model with a long-shot as I want to concentrate on the model's outfit as it is a fashion magazine, the cover model will be a female to match the target audience, and the mise-en-scene will include the type of clothing which will be trendy, modern clothes. 
8. On the cover-lines, I will include topics such as: fast-fashion, current affairs, culture, activism, politics, style, poverty, bullying- I am choosing these to go against stereotypes of women not being interested in such topics, and also being anti-stereotypical to general women's glossy magazines, in order to appeal to an innovative and modernised audience of women. 
9. On my contents page, the style I am going for is neat and organised, but also stylish, in order to match my cover page but also make it easy for readers to understand the topics that are inside the magazine and where they are located, e.g.: 
   
   
   
10. For the images on my contents page, I will use about 2-3 different images of females, wearing clothing that matches the style of the magazine; chic, designer, fashionable, but also unique. I will use a few different shot types, most likely a medium/medium close up shot, long shot, close up shot, just to focus on different aspects of the models like their makeup or certain pieces of clothing. The subjects included will be similar to that of the cover-line topics, but also more articles about style and events. These factors will all complement each other as they reflect the voguish aspects of the magazine's aims and emphasise the modern look that I am going for, to appeal to my audience.
11. On my article page, the style I am going for will match the rest of the magazine, and be neat and modern, to reflect the magazine's modern views and audience.
    
    

    
    

    

    
    

    
    

    
    
    
     
12.  My article will be about the impact of female role models: specifically Taylor Swift, and the negative reactions from others to such role models. This will appeal to my target audience as Taylor Swift is a massive celebrity, and very popular among my target audience, so it will attract my audience. 
    
    
13. The images I am using will be of Taylor Swift's concert, with girls who went to the concert, and use medium long-shots and long shots, with multiple models. The mise-en-scene will be the clothing: sparkly, dressed up, smiling etc. This is a good choice for my article as it matches the main theme of it. 
14. I will show that the three pages are from the same article by keeping the same style throughout, and different shots of the same models, and similar colour schemes.
15. My typography will be a mixture of serif and sans-serif texts, to keep the feminine themes with the serif but to also keep the modern aspects with the sans-serif. 
16. The representations throughout these three pages will be positive representations of women, and the stereotypes I will support are: 

• Age - young women 
• Fashion - trendy, chic 
• Full body shots
• Gender - women as confident and cultured

7/6/24

Do Now

• Psychographics are qualities of an audience, like interests, demographics are black-and-white information about an audience.

12/6/24

NEA Planning

L/O: To plan an effective product aimed at a specific audience using appropriate codes + conventions.

3/7/24

Do Now

• MLS/LS of a female in stylish summer clothing, posing at the camera using a direct mode of address, a light backdrop. 
• MLS of a female sitting on the grass, indirect, a summery backdrop of nature and in summer clothes.
• LS of a female using direct address, holding a mound of clothing and smiling - casual clothing and a white backdrop. 

5/7/24

Masthead choices - I will choose the second masthead as it conveys that my magazine is modern as it is sans serif. 

10/9/24

Coursework Review 

L/O: to review work so far and create a detailed plan.

I need:

- Vinted article photoshoot

- Beach picture

- Edit photos

13/9/24

Do Now

1. The target audience for my brief are 16-24 year old women/girls.   
2. I have to produce a magazine brief that includes a cover, contents page and article. 
3. To appeal to my target audience, I will need to include: feminine colour palettes, fashionable styles, and a model that matches their age category.

17/9/24

Do Now

1. Raheem Sterling is a black footballer who stands against racism actively.
2. Malala is known for her activism for womens educational rights.
3. GQ stands for Gentleman's Quarterly.
4. Vogue is a fashion magazine.
5. A magazine masthead is the title, the largest piece of text on the page.

20/9/24

Nea Create

Do Now

1. Malala was an unusual choice for a Vogue cover as she is not a stereotypically beautiful model as Vogue usually has on their covers, and that she is more of a political figure.  +She is islamic, is not linked to fashion
2. GQ target audience: wealthy, business-oriented men + aged 20-44, alpha male, interested in fashion, ABC1
3. Vogue target audience: adult women who are generally middle-upper class +ABC1, educated, aged 20-45
4. An anchorage is a piece of text that hooks the audience into buying the magazine. 
5. A main cover line is the largest text on the page other than the masthead, that typically relates to the main cover image. 

24/9/24

Do Now

1. The Quality Street advert was produced in the 1950s.
2. The names of the two brand icons are Miss Sweetly and Major Quality
3. The chocolates were aimed at working to upper classes. 
4. If asked about media language, you could talk about: colour palette, layout or font.
5. If asked about representation, you could talk about stereotypes. 

fonts: minion pro (smaller text), STHeiti (larger text), STIX Two Text (fancy text)

27/9/24

Do Now

1. B is the serif font
2. If asked about lexis, you should talk about the specific word choices.
3. Typography includes the font and the size of the text. + Size
4. Mis-en-scene includes the setting, props and clothing 
5. CGI and colour grading comes under editing.

1/10/24

Do Now

1. A is the sans serif font. 
2. The slogan on the TGC advert is sweating like a pig feeling like a fox
3. Ideology includes the beliefs or ideas people hold
4. Intertextuality is the referencing of other pieces of media 
5. The age rating for the NTTD DVD is a 12  

4/10/24

Do Now

1. Typography includes the lexis, font and size of the text.  
2. NTTD was released in 2022. 2021
3. The TMWTGG poster included a reference to karate  (Kung fu)
4. Intertextuality is referencing of other pieces of media 
5. The women in the NTTD poster were represented as stereotypically beautiful, but also quite powerful due to the female soldier and the woman with the gun. +High class, strong, one sexually objectified

8/10/24

Do Now

1. Roger Moore played Bond in TMWTGG
2. TMWTGG was released in 1974.
3. TMWTGG poster included a reference to the global energy crisis.
4. Daniel Craig played James Bond in NTTD
5. Women were objectified and represented stereotypically in TMWTGG poster.

11/10/24

Do Now

1. The BBFC regulates film.
2. The difference between a 12 and a 12A is that 12A is only in cinemas.
3. Production, distribution , exhibition
4. Marketing comes under the exhibition of the film Distribution
5. COVID has a massive impact on the marketing of NTTD as it meant that they had to prolong it. 

15/10/24

Do Now

1. MGM produced NTTD. EON
2. NTTD was distributed by Universal Pictures
3. Production, Distribution, Exhibition
4. Marketing comes under distribution.
5. Trailers, websites and posters are typical film marketing products.

29/11/24

Coursework Improvements

L/O: To apply required brief elements in order to improve coursework

Do Now

1. Coursework is 30% of your final GCSE grade
2. You have to include a certain amount of images in your coursework
3. Genre conventions are typical characteristics particular to an audience
4. The deadline for NEA draft 2 is Jan 6th 2025
5. No non-original photos should be used

TO DO LIST

• Change issue number to No.1
• Put masthead on contents page
• Alter themes on contents page
• Make bar code smaller
• Change subheading font to sans-serif
• Change article layout
• Make stand first more explanatory
• Change white text on cover
• Make main cover line bigger/more obvious