Main Task - Analysis of existing magazines

The two magazines that i will be analysing are 'Jazz Inside Magazine' and 'Downbeat'.

The mast head of Downbeat is in block red capitals, this is so it catches the readers eye. They chose the colour red for the mast head because that is the first colour that people look at.

In the mast head, the letter N is extended. It emphasises that jazz is usually 'down' and sad so they have extended the N. This extended N could also be used as part of a chord symbol eg. Am\C which often occurs in jazz music. The word downbeat us a term used when bands are rehearsing. For example ''downbeat to bar 2''. This means play the bar before. It mainly occurs in jazz music and this is why the name of this magazine is appropriate.

The main flash on the left hand side of the cover shows the three musicians names. Their surnames are written in block capitals, underlined and in yellow. They made their surnames bold and bright to reflect how big and bold they are in the jazz music industry. They used the colour yellow as it is appropriate because jazz instruments such as saxophones, trumpets and trombones are all a goldy, yellow colour. The language used on this cover is in between formal and informal. It uses casual language in sentences like ' Downbeat U ' and 'Obliterating Genres'

On the right hand side are the main sells. They are tight over to the right hand side so it doesn't cover the image completely. Some of the words are highlighted in yellow. This is done to show the reader where the more interesting and concentrated articles are, drawing them to want to open it and read it. The main sells include things like interviews with musicians, guitar schools and master classes, musician profiles and up and coming concerts.

In the photograph, the man in the middle is pointing to the man on his left. This could be because they will be performing with each other and he is pointing to him to show they are together. To furthermore show this point, the picture has been taken on a stage as you can tell because their is a curtain behind them. All three of these musicians are international jazz stars.

There is also information such as a bar code and website. This shows that the magazine is actually sold and you can subscribe to it, using their website.

Jazz inside is set out in a very different way to Downbeat. First of all, it is a free magazine.There is no bar code or price on the front and plus, there is a red triangle in the corner containing the word 'Free'. They made it a red triangle because red is the first colour you see, so it catches the eye of the reader, making them notice that it is a free magazine.

Eric Nemeyer, the writer of this magazine, has put his name above the mast head. He has written it in a 'script bold' font. This makes it seem that he has written it by hand and so it makes the magazine seem more personal, and as if it has been written just for you.

The name of this magazine means exactly what it says: it shows you inside jazz. So therefore is will have things like concerts, musician reviews, and many adverts.
After the words 'Jazz Inside', in the mast head, it says NY. This clearly indicates that it is an American magazine. This is complimented by the colours in the mast head, which are blue, red and white; the colours of the U.S.A flag. The font of the mast head is quite curvy and wavy. This could be due to the fact jazz is not a fixed and structured genre of music. The musicians take solo's whenever and wherever they like so in ways, its very unpredictable. The mast head is wavy to reflect this.
The words 'Mike Mainieri' are written in a 'funky' font. This is because the type of music that Mike Mainieri plays is jazz funk. Underneath, the sentence ' Six Decades in Passionate Pursuit' they use alliteration on the words passionate and pursuit to emphasise how long that Mike Mainieri has been in the music industry. This magazine is similar to Downbeat in the way that 'casual' language is used. For example 'Plenty of CD reviews'

The main sells on this cover are placed just below the center of the cover. It is written in white because otherwise you would not be able to see what it says. It is not in white on every issue of this magazine, as the front cover changes.

The image on this cover is a picture of Mike Mainieri playing the vibes. The image was taken as a close up of the waist to the head. You can tell this image was taken at a live concert because there is a microphone over the vibraphone and in the background, it looks like it is outside. This image surprises you in a way, because it says in the caption that he has been playing for six decades. This shows that he is still playing concerts at well over the age of sixty.


This contents page is split up into three columns. The first column on the left hand side consists of things such as credits, advertising sales and subscription information. The middle column contains the editorial policies, information on submitting products for review, and a copyright notice. It is set out in columns because when you open the cover, you want to be able to navigate the magazine with ease. If it was set out all over the place with no strict structure, it would be hard for the readers to know what they want to look at.

The main image on this page is of Mike Mainieri. It is from the same photo shoot as the front covers image but this time, he his looking in a different direction. This is so it is more coherent to the front cover and it gives the impression that the researchers have spent some time with him.

The third column consists of page numbers and a musician index.

The contents page is practically the same as the front cover as it uses a similar layout, same fonts and same colours. It also has little bits of information highlighted in red so it stands out.

In the top right hand corner, there is a bright red box with the word 'important' written in capital letters. They do this so you immediately look at it, thinking that it is important. But when you actually read it, all it is is about subscribing to another magazine. This is a clever way for the magazine to advertise.

The section at the bottom is written in blue because it differs from the columns above it. The columns just state copyright laws, and subscription information, whereas the section in blue tells you about articles in the magazine. It is so you don't mix them up.

This is a double page spread from Jazz Inside Magazine.
This particular double page spread is an interview with double bassist Tom Knific and you can tell that it was quite a relaxed and informal interview because of the type of questions that they asked. For example: 'What are your top five desert island bass records that you couldn't possibly live without, and please state why?' This gives the magazine a much more friendlier feel and it is also very appropriate as jazz is very 'laid back' and has no fixed direction. You can also tell it was quite and friendly laid back interview because the questions that are asked are not that complicated. An example of this is when they ask: 'What was it that initially inspired you to become a bassist' and 'What is it about musical improvisation that you find so valuable?'

The font used in this article is basic, yet effective. It is a 'Times New Roman' font which is easy to understand, yet still keeps it reasonably informal. It uses an italic font in the pull quotes to show that they have been quoted. The pull quotes are also a lot bigger than the rest of the writing, as it is highlight interesting and important bit of information. This is complimented by a change in the colour of the writing to show its importancy. Unlike most articles, this one doesn't start with a drop capital or bold first paragraph. This is probably because it is an interview, so things like that cannot be placed in it.

There is only one image used in the whole double page spread. This really is because it is just an interview and other images are not really needed. It is an image taken professionally from waist to head of Tom Knific. It is an image purely to show who he is and what he looks like. You can tell this because he is looking directly into the camera and he has had lights put on him from his left hand side. Also he is sitting in front if a plain grey backdrop so you don't focus on anything other than him. This image definitely doesn't dominate the double page.

On the page on the right, there is a big section taken up by an advert. There is an advert on nearly every page. This is because Jazz Inside Magazine is free, and so therefore, this is one of the only ways they can make money from this. The more adverts they put into it, the more money they will get out of it.

AS Media Coursework Main Task

I have been given a task to create a music magazine consisting of a front cover, contents page and double page spread. The genre I will be focusing on is jazz and it will be based on magazines such as 'Jazz Inside' and 'Downbeat'. This task is a development of my skills from the preliminary task.

AS Media Preliminary Task - Flat plans

This is the flat plan for my front cover. Down the right hand side of the page are the main cells showing what articles are in the magazine. I called the magazine 'College?' as it is like someone asking a question. Below that is my tagline 'Magazine for students Only!', this makes the students feel exempt from everyone else as they have their own magazine. The caption for the picture tells you about the interview with a student.

Instead of writing 'Contents Page' at the top of the page, i wrote 'So Whats On?' This way it is more informal to the reader and so therefore makes it more friendlier. It is set out in the same colours as the front cover so it keeps in with the blackboard theme.

Oliver Dechaine AS Media preliminary task - Images

This is the image i chose to go on the front of my magazine. I took it in a very light hallway with a long skylight above. I took the picture from the shoulders upwards with the contact looking directly into the camera. This is so that he makes direct eye contact with the reader and it gives it a more friendlier feel because he is smiling.

This is the picture i didn't choose. This is because I took the shot quite far away. You can see from his chest upwards, which isn't what i wanted. I wanted the picture from his shoulders upwards. Plus the contact isn't looking directly into the camera and smiling so it isn't as if he is making eye contact with the reader.

Oliver Dechaine AS Media Preliminary task - Contents page

This is my contents page. I set it out very similarly to the front cover as it is still keeping with the blackboard theme. I only used two fonts throughout the front cover and contents page because otherwise, it can be very confusing for the reader. I chose the title 'So Whats On?' because it is informal to the reader, and makes it seem more friendly.

I have set out the page numbers into different sections. This is so it is easier for the reader to understand what pages relate to that article. The pictures down the side would relate to each of the articles.

Oliver Dechaine AS Media Preliminary Task - Front Cover

For my front cover, I thought I would keep to an educational theme and set it out as a black board. I put an orange border around the outside which replicates the wood around the outside, and black in the centre to replicate the actual board. I used white fonts so it is as if it is chalk used to write it, and I used front that look like students handwriting. I set the picture at an angle so it gives the apperance that someone has stuck it on there.

I think that my cover image is too small. In comparison to other magazines, they usually have one big picture covering the whole page so that it makes eye contact with the reader. My picture makes eye contact, but is too small to have much of an effect on the reader.

Introduction

I have been given a task to produce a college magazine, which will be aimed at the students.