Magazine Research

Wilmo Weekly


In this edition of the Wilmo Weekly magazine, the model takes up most of the page and leans towards the right of the page to allow a 'clear-ish' background for the words on the left to be overlaid on, making it easier for the reader to able to read it.
However, there is still clutter in the background of the picture and the flash is also visible in the reflection of the blinds meaning its still very tricky to read. The bottom of the page is also very messy with the students' book, pen and wristband distracting the attention away from the words.
The students' skin tone contrast well with the background helping him stand out more but additionally, this could distract the reader from the words around the page.
The magazine has positioned the words on the left hand side and along the bottom with the title taking up the top fifth section of the page.

From this magazine, I like how the words are positioned and how the title dominates the top of the page and will like this type of layout for my magazine. For my pictures, I will aim to have a clearer or more plain background and have the model positioned with minimal distractions.



Guils

Guils magazine has a rather different style and in full capitals in a simple font. The title is at the top taking up now about a sixth of the page and doesn't go along the length of the page but about half instead.
The writing goes around both sides of the page and uses different colours for each subtitle. There is also a large star print with writing in which will attract the readers attention however the writing inside is quite small. Some of the writing is also in block rectangles with different colour backgrounds. Although this is good at getting the attention, I feel it makes a disjointed feel to the page.
The picture is of an action shot as the model can be seen in motion playing the piano. There are also a large amount of distractions in this picture, with the plants behind, and the bag on the students back.

For my magazine, I would like to have a shot of someone doing something as this could make the cover more interesting and straight away introduce the story. I would however have to make sure the model is not wearing or near any possible distractions. The lighting in the picture is quite good on the model here though which could be good to replicate. I wouldn't want the combination of fonts or boxes used here though for the presentation.



Oxford High School GDST

This magazine is clearly very different to the classic, traditional layout. It does not have just one picture as its main focus, but instead several. It has a combination of writing. The way this magazine is presented comes across as rather informal and although this may be appealing, I would argue that it may be unclear about what its purpose is and what information it has and so may be counterproductive.

I don't think I will use this design for my magazine as although it could be more appealing to some,it is quite busy on the eye and hard to understand from the cover its main purpose.

However, I do like the border that can be seen behind the pictures. I feel this helps keep your focus towards the centre of the page. The cover also contains various photos that could be suitable to use on their own, for my front cover such as shots of students enjoying their time together or landmark moments.

Professional Photos

In this picture you can see people clearly focused on the work they are seen looking down towards and providing a good action shot of students working. Though looking down, you can still see a good portion of their faces thanks to the lighting and so the attention is kept towards them. It also has the models dressed in white shirts with a mostly white background creating more emphasis on the people themselves. The way the models are positioned behind one another, with each slightly more to the left as we look from the front to the back of the room. This creates a good cascading effect and this is made stronger by the models all adopting a similar pose position.

In this picture, the model is sitting facing away from the piano but with it in the background, it clearly illustrates how she probably has the talent to play it. The models position in front of the piano provides a clear and non-distracting background whilst still being something interesting to look at and note. If the piano was not there and it was just the model with a plain background, this may make the magazine cover boring and the story behind her featuring unclear.
The model is wearing a bright white top with contrasting black trousers meaning the attention is pushed upwards more towards her face and the centre of the image. The models face is also very well lit and there is no shadow evident in the background.

In this photo, we can see what appears to be a teacher giving some kind of light-hearted comment to his students with the models smiling and appearing quite relaxed.
The background is predominantly white with a blur effect added making the attention focussed towards the group.
The lighting is also very well done in this picture as there is little or no shadow cast and the models faces are well lit.
There are quite a few props placed on the desk in front of the models however this adds a sense of realism to the scene whilst not being over the top.

Why Media for ME?

The world of media is a very large and interesting one. It dominates our daily lives. It's diverse and different and for that, I am interested in learning more about it. I have chosen to study media studies as one of my A-level options because I believe it will genuinely provide me with fascinating insight into the media industry. Not only that, but it has the potential to enrich me creatively and inspire artistic traits to reconnect. Media studies is one of those strange subjects that has the incredible ability to tie together multiple other subjects - IT, English, Arts, Photography - and still subtly be its own intriguing thing.