Preliminary Task: Semiotics names and images

Semiotics

Explain denotation and connotation.

Evaluate the denotation and connotation of words and images.

 

·       The study of signs and symbols

·       A way of understanding the literal and the possible meanings of images and words.

 

Denotation: (What the picture contains)

1. The literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.

2. The action or process of indicating or referring to something by means of a word, symbol, etc.

 

Connotation: (What the picture implies)

1. An idea or feeling that a word invokes for a person in addition to its literal or primary meaning.

2. The implication of such ideas or feelings.

Example for both connotation and denotation

 

 

 

 

 

Images and semiotics

·       Camera angles
·       Composition
       -Close up / long shot
       -Use of props, backgrounds

 

·       Who is it
·       What are they wearing
·       What do they look like (image / expression / eye contact)

Preliminary Task: Masthead fonts and final choice

I  chose this font because it is easy to read and isn't to difficult to understand. Also because if it's typed in block capital it's simpler to understand. The way the font is done is good as it is in a simple fashion meaning it has no fancy curls or twists

I chose this font as it is again easy to read and the font isn't to difficult to understand.

The colour is basic as it is not suppose to be a complex, as it is a font. The design of the font is good as it has a different look to it compared to other fonts.

 

I chose this font as it is simple and it doesn't look to complex to understand. The font is basic, this is good because it doesn't look to complex.

 

Preliminary Task: Magazine review

This cover is a good example of a school magazine because the layout of the cover is ordered and not too busy.
The colour choices are a good as the colours are non mixing colours: the red, yellow, blue and white. However the blue text doesn't show up very well as the background is dark. The font of the text is varied, this makes the visual elements of the cover better, makes it stand out from others rather than looking like other basic models of the cover.
The title of the magazine has been done so that the picture appears over the title, this is good as it makes the picture look like it sticks out. Also the title has the letter 'O' filled in with colour, this may have been done due to it showing the background through, however it would of been better if it did show the background as it would look like it belonged in the background rather than standing out too much.
The layout of the side bar is good as it has all the articles in a certain area. This is a good aspect as it makes the cover look more conventional and proffesional.

Preliminary Task: Layout

I chose these layouts as I thought that they were clear and visible. This will appeal to the audience as it allows them to look at the cover and not find it difficult to actually read it

The layout I chose for my cover shows the common conventions such as the masthead, pug, bar code so it, this makes the cover look conventitonal and proffesioanl like existing magazine.

The layout I chose for my contents page is simple. This is due to how the contents is spread out and how the page doesn't have much content to it.

However having a lack of content on the contents page is unconventional as this doesn't occur in a conventional magazine.

    

Preliminary Tasks: Image plan

Model:	Oliver Marks
Camera height/angle/distance:	Medium shot long shot
Location:	Reception
Lighting:	Natural lighting.
Mise-en-scene (including props, costume) :	Costume: Cardigan, White Shirt and black and red Tie
Attempted connotation:	The use of reading as a form of learning
Planned denotation:	Male poses as if he is reading a textbook
Contingency (in case of model absence/weather):	The photo was taken indoors so there wouldn't be a problem, also location wouldn't matter as I would edit out the background.
Alternate angle:	Lower angle to show the reading in a different way.
Thinking points: Character was reasured that the photos were used for work purpose
Comments:  The character is used to represent a student within in school E.G: Sixth Form uniform and textbook.

Preliminary tasks: Colour Scheme

 

The colour scheme for my preliminary magazine would be a mix of dark and light colours.

I will use black, yellow and red.
I have used these colours because I feel as if I use a dark colour as the background, it'll make the lighter colours stand out more, this is good as the lighter colours are going to be used on the text on the cover and contents.

I have used the colours black and red as they link in with the colours of the sixth form uniform. The colour red represents the excitment of school and the excitement of what school will provide everyone. The black represents sophistication, this represents how there is a elemement of elegence.

Preliminary task: Target Audience

Target Audience

The target audience for my preliminary product would be people who are in school and are interested in the topics that on surround school life.
For example the target audience for a music magazine would be people who are interesting in the specific genre of music the magazine provides and most importantly for people who like music.
I asked peers about what sort of audience they believe a school magazine should be and the answers ranged from the parents of the pupils and just the pupils. From this I will make it so that it is suitable for not only parents but suitable for the pupils as well. This allows for the pupils to be up to date as well as the parents.

Analysis existing magazines (Double page)

This double page spread has a clear but simple layout, text at the side and picture on the other.
This is a good layout as the text doesn't overlap or mix in with the large picture showing the band, The Vaccines.
The way the bands picture have been taken is a medium, this is because the members of band at the front have only the top half of the body visible, the reason to why they show half of the body for all the band members is because they want all the members to be seen, rather than the frontman just in view.
The font of the title is bold, big this is because they are the main topic of the page. The reason of the double page spread, they're the main focus and the magazine editors want to show them off. Also the reason to why it is big is because the magazine wants the bands name to be well known, more than they are now.
The layout of the text is in a ordered fashion as it is all lay out in blocks, this create less confusion with the readers and it makes in simpler to read as it is sectioned off by a line going through the middle of the text blocks.
The colour choice is a basic but effective choice as the colours are only blue and very little grey.
This shows that the magazine aren't bothered by fancy colours and their main focus is the actual story rather than the design of the page.

This double page spread is has its content spread out in a ordered manner. The main story title is spread across both of the pages, this shows that the magazine wants to express the importance of 'GODS AND MONSTERS'. The title uses san serif, this creates a sense of old/ancient kind of look.
The main picture is creates a sense of honour, by the way in which the character stands and looks towards the reader as if  to say
 'look at me... Look at what've done!'
The sub picture is another form of explanation, it gives the reader a different style of information: picture form. Also the picture has a small set of text in the bottom left hand corner of the picture, this is there to give the reader another thing to look at rather than just the picture.
The main most visible colour choice for this page spread is a interesting choice but a fitting choice as the gold on the title of the page is fitting to honour and heroism, this is what the character seems like from first glance.




This double page spread is from a retro car magazine. The order of the page is understandable as it has the text and pictures in their own designated place. The pictures show how take out the radiator from a Triumph Herald and how to change a spark plug in the Trumph. The pictures are aranged in a ordered fashion, in order of how the job is done and also the text by the pictures explain how it is done also. On the page there is a pug, this is to make the 'power spark' company logo stick out and look like it can be pulled off. On the top of the page a kicker can be found, on the kicker in contains a page title 'the project', it has the magazine website address and it has the magazine title 'Retro Cars', this is there to make it obvious to the reader that it is a retro car magazine rather than a modern and retro car magazine. The page has a sub-title, this title tells the reader what the page is going to contain, this example has a pciture of the Triumph as well as some small text the tell the reader what car it is and an email address incase of any concerns or questions.

Analysis existing magazines (Contents)

This cover has grouped the main stories of the issue together. This suggests that these stories are the most important, the highlight of the magazine. The pictures show only small details of the games, however the pictures make the reader want to look at the review due to the detail of the picture.

The contents page has a variety of colours mainly green, blue, black, red, yellow and white. The significant thing about the colour green is that green is the main and most well known colour that represents Xbox its self! The colours chosen are non clashing colours so it makes it better to read and analyse it. The layout is a clear layout as the pictures can be linked to the contents list, plus also the pictures have page numbers on so that the reader can see what page it is on easily.
The title: Contents, is clearly layed out and it is not hard to find as it is bold, in capital letters and is at the top of the screen. The font is simple but effective, this is because it is easily read and is not confusing to the reader. 




The cover contains more pictures than text, this is good as people generally prefer to look at pictures compared to blocks and blocks of text. The layout is a good example of a clear layout as the images have the page number next to it and the sections in which the pictures are, are separated off from each other by lines. This makes it clear that the the pictures are not to blend with each other and that the pictures represent different articles/stories/interviews/ news etc. The title is bold to show a sense of authority, a sense of domination over the pictures and texts below. The title also uses sans serif, this is to create old sort of feeling, showing that the magazine has been around for a long time, also it is to give off a sense of respect, respect meaning that the magazine wants to keep the old ideas of a contents page and also the magazine wants the readers to actually look at it not just ignore and discard it.
This cover contains very few colours as obviously this magazines priority isn't the contents but the rest of the magazine. The contents page is suppose to be for finding the page, that is the basic idea, not to look fancy and colourful. The font on this contents page changes with each piece of text, this is to give it variety and to give it a different style each time.

 

 

The cover shows what the basic contents page shows but with other interesting details.
The colour choice is the common choice used in the Empire magazine, red, white and black. These colours don't clash so it doesn't make it the page look to busy.
The title is a uses bold, large and block capitals, this represents a sense of power and a sense that it wants to be seen, almost like it wants to be centre of attention.

The layout is again a clear example of a easily read contents page, the alignment of their content block is a good position as it doesn't block the long shot picture, also there isn't a great deal of text shown to describe the pages, this is good as the reader would rather discover the information and images themselves rather than the readers being told as soon as they open the magazine.
The font is a bold font, easily read and simply coloured.
The colour is red and because of the dark background it stands out better as the colour of the text is dark but ity stands out good on a dark background.

Analysis existing magazines (Cover)

On the front of this magazine cover there is a medium close up picture of Paul Weller, the reason to why it's a medium close up is because of it showing Pauls shoulders. The main title is behind Pauls head so it shows that Paul is more important and that the magazine, Uncut aren't bothered to whether his head is in the way or not also because they know that their audience would recognise their magazine no matter what.
The magazine also includes a kicker and a pug, the kicker is to create a sort of sticker effect. The pug is there to create again a sort of sticker effect.

The colour choice is a good choice as their are only selected colours for example: red, blue and black. These colours are not too fancy and exotic, this is to show that Uncut don't want to do anything to fancy as its not the colours that are read, its the information. Also it shows critics that the company don't spend to much time into making a bright cover.

There are two fonts for this cover, the masthead 'Uncut' and the rest of the detail on the cover.
On the masthead, seriff is used, this is to show that the magazine are posh/old fashioned when it comes to showing of their masthead.

 

On the front it shows a long shot on all the band members to show how all of them have an importance, to show that its not just the frontman who does all the work with the press, media and magazine companies.
The layout of the cover is a layout that isnt to confusing, a layout that is easy for the audience to recognise and read.
The cover contains a kicker, this is the picture of a member of The Rolling Stones, this is to create the effect of something sticking like the 3D effect.
The colour choice is good as it is only three colours, white, orange and black. These colours are a good combination as they don't really clash and they go together well. The colours shown in the magazines change every week, but the colour choice is always non clashing colours.
The font of the title 'NME' is a bold over powering title, the reason to why it is overpowering is because the title appears over the band member, this could show that the company over rule the people that are being interviewed.
The main story on the cover has the biggest style of font, this is to show the audience that the band they're interviewing have importance, that they're big and famous.

On the front of this cover it shows a close up of Jimi Hendrix. The reason to why it is a close up is because his face is the only visible image of the body on show. Also the page contains three other pcitures, these are again close ups as it only contains a picture of the persons head. 

The layout of the cover is quite clear, the way the page is set out is in a way in which it can relate to the 60's, the flowers, the different style of swirls and the writing. Also because the cover is set so it looks like something from the 60's, it makes the audience know straight away that the artist which the magazine is celbrating is an old artist.

The colours used on this cover are a good variety, as they all stand out on the black background, the colours are non clashing colours also.

The font of the text is in the style of a sort of 'relaxed' type of writing, lines aren't straight the lines are curved and almost like wobly lines. The title is large and spread across the top of the page, this is to show the importance of the title, also in the top right corner it say 'THE ULTIMATE COLLECTORS EDITION' its almost as if to say "look at me, im a ultimate edition, BUY ME!!"the text is all capital lettered, this is to show how important the specific issue is, show that it is a bust buy issue rather than your normal standard issue.