Planning Tasks

1) Magazine rack survey - visit your local supermarket or WH Smiths and investigate the different types of magazines that are availble and to whom

2) Analyse and comment on a range of magazine titles. What do the words mean and what do they connote about the magazine and its reader?

3) Analysis of visual images - deconstruct the images presented on a range of magazine covers (4)

4) Comparison of the way Mariah Carey is represented on the front cover of FHM and Glamour magazine plus develop knowledge of magazine cover codes and conventions

5) Develop your own magazine questionnaire. You should ask 10 questions to at least 10 members of your audience (decide on age and sex). Think about type of magazine, frequency, price, articles and so on. The results should help you to make decisions about your magazine.

6) Evaluate your results. What decisions can you make about your magazine with this data?

You will find guidance for all of this work on this blog! Keep checking back for further updates.

After school club is on Mondays and Thursdays. You need to attend so that I can monitor progress and give you important information!

Magazines Exam Unit with CSK

You might have some work from the examination unit which you can adapt and add to your planning section.

e.g.
Insitutions work
Magazine analysis

Task 4 - FHM Vs Glamour

Analysing Magazine Covers (task 1 + extension)

As part of your magazines coursework you need to analyse a range of magazines in order to prepare for the production task. Use the information on page 84/85 to help you to answer the following questions:

Focus on FHM with Mariah Carey on the cover-

1) What type of magazine is this (mainstream or niche)?

2) Who is the target audience for this magazine?

3) Who publishes FHM magazine (you can visit the FHM website to find this out)? Who is the target audience for this magazine (what are their interests and what do they value? How many international editions are there? What does the company claim are the aims of this magazine? What are the different ways that the audience can access the FHM brand? http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/Brands/FHM/

4) What does the title of the magazine suggest about the content (what does FHM stand for?!)? Where is the title placed? How big is it and why?

5) The central image is very important when selling magazines. How has the image of Mariah been constructed to attract the audience? Comment on the camera shot used, her costume, pose, facial expressions and colours.

6) What is the anchorage text and what does it suggest the Mariah article will be about? Is it suggestive in any way?
7) Look at the puffs around the page. What other issues or stars are featured inside. Are any particular words used to entice the audience? Do you think these will appeal to the target audience?

8) Look at the overall layout of the page. How many different text fonts are used and how many different colours? Do you think this is effective?

9) Who might be the secondary audience for this magazine?


EXT: Comparing FHM to Glamour

1) Who is the audience for Glamour magazine? http://www.condenast.co.uk/mediapacks/glamour.aspx

2) What does the title suggest about the style and content of the magazine? What does it also suggest about the audience? How is the banner designed to reflect this image?

3) How has the image of Mariah been constructed – hair, make-up, costume, pose, camera shot, facial expression? How is this different to how she is represented on FHM and why is this?

4) Also how is Mariah represented through the anchorage text?

5) What do the puffs around the page suggest about the content of the magazine and the audience’s interests?