There are 60 marks available for construction and 20 marks for Research and Planning and 20 marks for evaluation - 100 marks in total

To achieve a grade:

A I need to get 80 marks

B I need to get 70 marks

C I need to get 60 marks

To be in level 4 (grade A/B) my work must demonstrate excellence throughout.

By Monday 5th March I should have a rough cut of my products

By Monday 19th March my products should be completed

From Monday 19th - Friday 30th March I will be working on my 7 evaluation questions.

The my completed portfolio should be submitted for formal marking on Monday 16th April. I should use the Easter break to make any minor amendments to my work.

In order to meet these deadlines I will:
Attend all my lessons 

Image analysis and composition

The shot in this image is a close up, she is positioned slightly to the left of the frame and in the centre third of the frame her eye line is at slightly below the top third but higher than the centre third so she is not extremely dominant but she still has some power over the audience. The mise en scene of the image is quite dark and mysterious, her direct address to the audience draws them in and makes them intrigued to learn more about, either her or her music. The whole feel of the image is quite dark so this could reflect her music and lyrics. Her style and clothing also represents the people who would most likely listen to her music, as her look is quite "grungy"so this would help an audience relate to her. Her facial expression and body language are quite dominant, her eyes look as if she is scowling and which would suggest she doesn't open up to people. One of her shoulders is turned slightly away from the camera which would also suggest a barrier, this could reflect her music in that it maybe edgy and it isn't going to be all happy and have the perfect, fairytale ending.

This image is a medium shot, he is in the right of the frame so he is the first thing we see. He is in the centre third which suggests he is not a particularly dominant character, also he isn't making any eye contact with the audience so there is no attempt to  encourage a relationship. The mise en scene of the image is interesting, he is wearing basic clothes and  his hair isn't done perfect and neat which gives the image a relaxed feel, which could suggest to the audience that this is what they should expect from his music. The fact that there is no eye contact from the person makes them seem vulnerable also the frame is slightly closed and dark; the light shining through the back of the tunnel is like a spotlight on a stage, this could be representing fame and fortune but because the person has got his back turned to the light it makes us think that he doesn't make music for that reason and that he does it because he and his fans enjoy it and that he doesn't want masses of fame. 






Research influence.
This research has helped me decide on what images to think about using in my own magazine. After looking at the first image I have decided that for my front cover I would like my model to have quite a dominant pose, I will have them positioned slightly to the left of the frame with their eyes in the top third to show dominance and power/control of the audience. I have considered them looking up with their nose slightly in the air so that they look arrogant and as if they know that their music is off a high standard and sells well, their costume will reflect their music genre. The location will most likely be outside or in the photography studio. For the contents page I would like to have several different shot for the main stories featured in the magazine, these will feature a variety of different models, shots, location and mise en scene. For my double page spread I would like to use a similar style of image to the one on my front cover except it will be of a different person and is more likely to be a long shot, it will be outside.

Flat plan feedback

In order to improve our flat plan ideas we studied the level 4 grade criteria. In small groups we presented and discussed each of our flat plans. Previous to presenting my flat plan I already knew there was some things I wanted to change, teamed with ideas from my peers from the discussion. My original idea for my front cover was to have a full length shot of my model, but after speaking to the people in my group they suggested that it might be better to replace it with a medium close up shot as this would fill more of the cover, this also fits with the criteria of level 4 by showing I can integrate illustration and text appropriately. It was also suggested that I should use a different model on my double page other than the one on my front cover to show a variety of material. For my contents page my original idea was to use 3 columns with boxes of text and a few images as I thought this would make it clear for the audience to read and find the articles they are most keen to read, my peers thought this was a good idea and that it fit well with the criteria of showing an understanding of conventions of layout and page design. It was also suggested that I should use a variety of font sizes, such as making my skyline smaller and the masthead larger and also varying the size of each article text; this fits the criteria of showing awareness of the need for a variety in fonts and text size. This exercise has helped me a lot in making decisions to change my flat plan, speaking to others about theirs and mine helped me find a variety and balance.

Primary target audience research

Research into instituations that distribute similar products

NME magazine
owner/publisher: http://www.ipcmedia.com/

media titles owned by IPC Media: http://www.mediauk.com/owners/40/ipc-media 


Q magazine
owner/publisher: http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/

media titles owned by Bauer Media: http://www.mediauk.com/owners/88/bauer-media

Textual analysis

Print Brief: Music Magazine Research on Prezi

Brief: Print

Preliminary exercise: using DTP and an image manipulation program, produce the front page of a new school/college magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid-out text and a masthead. Additionally candidates must produce a DTP mock-up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate their grasp of the program.

Main Task: the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine.
All images and text used must be original, produced by the candidate, minimum of FOUR images per candidate.