Intro to Research

Research 

What is a school magazine? What are their different purposes and audiences?

Write a short blog post summarising what a school magazine is. Think about how they are disseminated to their readers? Has this changed? Why are they made? Who is the audience? Does it matter if the school is a Grammar school? Link to different types of audience.

What are the conventions of a magazine front cover?

Look at the conventions of a magazine cover . Examine the layout, colours, typography and mode of address       

It is essential that you consider how this research will inform your decision making. 

Min 2 school mag front cover annotations & 2 Contents pages - ensure you use appropriate media language. It is also good practice to locate school/college magazines from a range of different sources e.g. different editions of own school/college magazine and other local schools should not be too difficult to find before online secondary research.

Here is an example of a additional way in which you could present your ideas. A table like this one shows that you have made the vital link between your own research and your own practical work.The observations that you make will, of course, depend on the texts which you have studied so don’t expect them to be exactly the same as those recorded by other students.

Observation	Impact on My Work
Most covers use a single image – often a medium shot, featuring one or two students. They are engaged in either a classroom/extra-curricular activity but a direct mode of address is employed as they look into the camera.	I will follow this convention as I intend to photograph two students and position them centrally. A medium shot will enable me to include the students whilst capturing something of the background. However, I want the students to seem unaware of the camera and engaged in the activity of film making.
The mise en scene creates a sense of a well-equipped school which promotes dynamic learning. E.g. inclusion of computers/sports equipment.	My inclusion of video cameras has been influenced by this observation. I hope that these connote a sense of creativity as well as suggesting that the school environment promotes active learning with up to date equipment. I will ensure that text referring to the activity anchors the image and makes it clear that the students are engaged in a film making project.

Some useful terms:

Representation ,denote, connote, iconography ,mise en scene, composition, framing, focus, foreground,colour,lighting, background, text, anchors, audience, traditional, contemporary, contrast, extend, complement, convention, follow, subvert, experiment