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Magazines
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This is your first Textual Investigation
You will need to submit 2 of these for your Coursework requirements
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This one is looking at Genre and there are specific titles which are
given by the exam board.
The Title is :
Investigate how Genre conventions are used in the cover
of Style magazine.
Magazine Cover Analysis
Investigate how Genre conventions are used on the
front cover of STYLE Magazine.
Objectives
A02
 To Analyse and respond to media
texts/topics using media key concepts and
appropriate terminology.
 To see how the marks are awarded go to
the website.
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First we will do some revision
What is a media TEXT?
What is meant by genre?
What is meant by convention?
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We will now look at the Magazine Industry in general
Keep all notes and research.
Then at magazine covers past and present to analyse
the generic conventions that occur on the covers.
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Magazines come in two major categories
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General Interest /Lifestyle
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Specialist
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Magazines have to establish close relationships with readers.
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They often use a specialist language to attract target audience and influence
brand loyalty.
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Compare the language in Top Gear to the nme for example
Make 2 Lists showing examples of both types of magazine titles
Investigating Magazine Covers
Look at the media text book.
Page 72: investigating covers
Page 74 Analysing a front cover
Page 76: uses and gratifications.
Page 78: Ideology
Page 92/93 Convergent media
You can find more information on the media edu website
and log on to – Topics.
Audience
Target audience, can you identify the target
audience? How?
 Can you Identify the age, gender, race?
 How might this effect the content?
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Genre
Do you buy magazines?
 What genre?
 Genres are constantly changing
 Hybrid/ cross genres. Examples?
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Analysing Magazine Covers
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We will analyse the front cover of Style magazine from May 2012
using the prompts and the example on page 75 of the new book
Style magazine is a monthly addition to the weekly Sunday Times
magazine.
This a ‘free’ magazine given away with the Sunday paper.
Buzz word
Use of slang language audience?
coverlines
Symbolic codes
Genre signifiers
Key areas: age,
gender, ethnicity,
Positive / negative
Stereotyping
Branding, cross
media links Synergy
Camera shot
/angles
Audience
Pun
Masthead style connotations?
Mode of Address-P84
Colour signifiers
Image Analysis- Analytical terms
Try to use some of these when analysing your cd cover.
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Camera shots CU, LS, etc.
Depth of Field. Focus.
Composition – rule of thirds, Golden section, Diagonals,
Use of perspective.
How is it framed- landscape, portrait, cropping eg cropped tightly
Texture, grainy or glossy, why? Significance?
Photo montage?
Typical
Codes and Conventions
Stereotypical
Camera shots – CU,VLS POV etc.
Mode of address - direct , indirect – reasons?
Symbolic codes:
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Body language e.g his body language signifies he is in control.
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Gesture
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Dress
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Setting
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Composition: rule of thirds, perspective,
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Use of Colour to portray mood. Eg Blue= cold, sad.
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You should identify the range of symbolic codes and explain why you have been used by the producers of the text.
Typographic codes: fonts, plain, bold, italic, decorative, serif / sans serif . Upper case , Lower case?
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Why are certain fonts more effective? A Serif font is perceived to be more classy and often used to portray up-market goods.
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Why do Primary teacher always use ‘Comic sans’? ( sans–serif) sans = without in French
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Anchorage.
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Mise en scene, a useful word here which often describes many symbolic codes. Basically means ‘what is in the frame’
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Denotation and Connotation (same as signify and signified)
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Use the word signify to suggest the possible meanings to a signifier (sign).
Key areas for inclusion in investigation.
Key concepts covered
• Conventions of Magazine covers.
Genre
• How people represented on the cover and in the media.-Image!
Representation
•What part does the magazine play in promotion and marketing?
• Audience, who are the target audience – Demographic.?
Organisations
Audience
• Use of Text to Anchor meaning.
Representation
• Font style to show Genre..
Genre
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Are any narratives suggested on the cover?
Narrative
•You must include references to other texts. Look at magazine
websites or other similar magazines.
Convergence
Supplementary Texts
You must refer to other (Supplementary) Texts when
completing the project.
 These could include:
 An Alternative Magazine cover.
 Magazine websites - Synergy
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Colour signifiers
COLOURS
COLOUR INFLUENCE
SYMBOLISM
RED
Activating, warm, love, aggression,
extrovert
Love, revolution, fury, aggression,
warning
ORANGE
Joy, extrovert, encouraging,
activating
Fire, heat, joy, sun, vitality
YELLOW
Stimulates, logical way of thinking,
joy
Cowardness, falseness, sickness,
vitality
GREEN
Calming, harmonizing, strength, self
control
Hope, renewal, freshness, youth,
inmature, jealousy,
TURQUOISE
Cooling, refreshing, calming
Cold, freshness, eternity
BLUE
Promotes concentration,
absorption, quiet, relaxing
Sadness, melancholy, quality,
stability, spiritual
PURPLE
Restlessness, nervousness, fear,
depression
Storm, solemn, spiritual, mystery
PINK
Strains fear, stress and depression,
intuition
Unrealistic, fantasy, daydreaming
WHITE
Hushing up, emptiness
Purity, peace, innocence, sensitive
GREY
Depression, balance, elegance
Sadness, boring
BLACK
Pessimism, depression
Grief, evil, pessimism, ban
BROWN
Stagnation, stabilising, safety
Earth, safety, well-being
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Remember your POV is important.
Word limit 400-850 words.
 Think about presentation
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Have fun!
4 week project. Deadline.