Media Studies: Print

Pugs: These are placed at the top right and left corners of the page and are known as the 'ears'. Examples of content that is placed here is the price of the product, the logo or a promotion.

Copy: The Main Story in the Magazine.

Puffs: Boxes that promote features found inside.

Sell Lines: Persuasive text on the front cover that helps to sell the magazine to the audience.

Anchorage Text: Text that helps pin down the meaning of a picture (and vice versa).

Caption: A clear description of an image.

Buzz Words: "Free", "Exclusive" and "Wow" are all examples. They attract the readers attention.

Drop Capitals: Really big letter that starts off an article.

Lead: The introductory paragraph of an article. This is Usually written in bold or CAPITALS.

Print design and key terms

http://www.jandos.com/Resources/Anatomy%20Pages4.pdf

Tuesday, 20 November 2012

Advanced Portfolio - Analysing a Magazine Front Cover

Images - Who or what is represented? How is this representation achieved? What meanings are created? What is the body language of the subject? What mode of address is used? How is the subject framed? What lighting is used? What is the location? Are props used? What type of focus is used? Are any effects used? What title accompanies the image? (If there are secondary images you can ask the above questions of them too.)
Design / layout - How is colour used? How many colours are used? Is there any pattern to the use of colour? What sizes of text have been used? What styles of text have been used? How is text and image(s) combined? How much space is there? How is the left hand (most important) side different from the right hand side? How is the potential reader attracted? Is there a lure (a story or interview that continues inside)? How would your eye move across the page? Where are the most important elements positioned? What do you think are the values (e.g. fearless, trusted, fun, sexy) of this magazine? What is the 'house style' (consistent elements that you might find from cover to back) of the magazine?
Text - What is the title? What does this represent? (What meanings are created?) How is the titlepiece styled and positioned? From how far away could you read the title? What words are used in the coverlines? What meanings do they create? How does the magazine address the reader? What benefits for the potential reader are offered? Is there anything for beginners or new readers? Are there any incentives (e.g. special price, competition, free gift etc.)? What writing style is used? (e.g. colloquial, authoritative, hyperbolic) Is the text serif (pointed embellishments finish off the strokes of the letters) or sans serif (without the embellishments)? How are the beginnings and endings of text aligned? Is the text upper or lower case? How much space (leading) is there between lines?
Audience - who do you think is the target audience for the magazine and why?

Monday, 6 February 2012

A2 Advanced Portfolio - Another example of an annotated front cover

http://www.scribd.com/doc/54389286/Poster-and-Magazine-Cover-Analysis-2

This isn't an amazing analysis, but it gives a few pointers as to how to annotate a text.

Advanced Portfolio - Print Key Terms

http://www.journalism.co.uk/terms-definitions-dictionary-terminology-words/s54/

Wednesday, 14 December 2011

A2 Advanced Portfolio - Magazines

Some guidance for making and evaluating print tasks:

http://petesmediablog.blogspot.com/2010/10/magazine-work-for-level.html

Wednesday, 6 July 2011

A guide to making a front cover in Photoshop (A2)

http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Design-a-Magazine-Front-Cover-in-Photoshop-250262728

A useful blog relating to the magazine front cover (A2)

http://whedley.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/making-the-film-poster/

This isn't a perfect cover, but it gives you a few useful pointers.

Monday, 4 July 2011

Analysing a film poster (A2)

http://asanda2filmstudies.blogspot.com/2007/12/analysing-film-posters.html

http://www.mediaknowall.com/gcse/bbustermovies/movies.php?pageID=posters

http://www.ehow.com/how_4914041_analyze-film-poster.html

ü What is the genre of the poster? (What signifies the genre to you?)

ü What does the title of the film mean to you? (Does it connote anything? Is an enigma – a question – created by the title? Where is the title positioned?

ü What other text appears and where is it positioned?

ü What type of lettering is used? (font style, sizes, colours, effects, borders/shadows etc.)

ü What does the lettering style signify or represent?

ü What is the key image in the poster? What representation does this image give? What can you see in the foreground and background (give reasons for this).

ü Are there any secondary images? If so, what do they represent?

ü If there are characters in the poster, describe them (in detail) and what they represent.

ü If there are significant objects in the poster, describe them and what they represent.

ü Does the poster have a theme, idea, message or value that it is trying to communicate to you?

ü Is there a tagline? What is it and what does it represent?

ü Are the stars of the film identified? If so, how?

ü Is the director of the film identified? If so, how?

ü Can you identify the producers (studio) and/or distributors of the film?

ü Is the poster a teaser (advance) or the general release poster? How do you know?

ü What release information are we given?

ü Does the poster offer ways to find out more about the film?

ü Who do you think the poster is trying to appeal to?

ü In your view, how successful would your chosen poster be in appealing to its target audience?

Monday, 20 June 2011

Poster analysis (A2)

Poster Analysis – Advanced Production