Primary Audience Research

Secondary Research Results

Hall and Holmes in 1988 argue that; "Any media text is created for a particular audience and will usually appeal most to this particular target audience" which is why it is important to carry out a survey on the survey monkey to collect primary audience research data. Magazines are all produced with an aim to achieve a profit, to ensure this finding out what the target audience are interested in is

vital.

Every magazine publisher will 'profile their audience', this means they will look at the audience demographics; including age, gender, social status and their viewing needs and preferences. 

Primary Survey Results

These are the results from my survey off survey monkey for my audience research for music magazines.

The age focused around youths, this is because the people answering the survey were all based within Bodmin college and the target audience would be from younger ages, such as 12 to 16 anyway for my pop magazine. 

The gender of the people that answered the magazine are quite evenly split, this shows me that the results will give me a fair result of results, however due to my magazine being aimed towards young girls it may be better if more females answered. 

The majority of the audience received the smaller amounts of household income, this could suggest that my magazine will be aimed at people of a lower to middle class rather than high class. This may reflect in the price and the layout of the magazine. 

The ethnicity of the people answering the magazine was very bias, however many pop magazines are bias and support Malik's theory that white is seen as naturalised and is the 'visual norm'. 

This shows bias results, however this does relate to the target audience for pop magazines as the theme of hetrosexuality is shown due to the the words they use, an example of this would be 'lush six packs to stare at' which present on a 'Top of the pops' magazine cover as it features topless men. As the target audience is young girls, it is assuming that the ones interested in reading it are straight.

The fact that most of the people who answered my magazine chose pop means that there is going to be a target audience suited for my magazine as it is quite a poplular choice.

The majority of people chose the image of the star and title stories presented to them on the cover of the magazine. Due to these results it is evident that I will need to focus on the main image more than anything to make sure it is hitting the criteria to attract a teenage audience, also I will need to create exciting title stories to intrigue it's potential readers.

The most popular theme was the use of pastel colours, therefore I will proabably focus on these, however could incoporate a few bright colours to make it stand out and link to the pop theme.

Although the most popular stereotype was to present youths as rebellious, it was closely followed by youth being presented as fun, therefore my magazine cover will be supporting Dick Hebdige's theory, 1988, which suggested youth was fun but can be a bit of a troublemaker.

The general option chosen was £2-£2.99, therefore a reasoanable price for my magazine would probably be based around £2.50 so the price isn't going to put of the target audience, but also so the magazine is being successful in terms of making profit.

I posted my survey monkey link online so I was able to receive varied results, through putting it on Facebook I figured that I would have a good idea of who my primary target audience was so I was able to conduct my primary research above. 

Researching professional music photographers

Researching photographic lighting

http://youtu.be/7r_Yi7MnJFs

This video helps explain what the basic different 3 point lighting techniques are and how they can be used, this includes the hair, fill and key light. The tutorial tells you how you are able to achieve flat lighting to ratio lighting. 

From this I have learnt that you will need to decide on where you will stand to take the picture and where the subject will before you consider where the lighting will be. The key light is meant to placed at a 15 to 45 degree angle away from the camera and if you are going to be using a long lens you will need to set it around 10 to 15 feet away from the subject. You will need to raise the light above the camera, this is so the light is coming down from approximately a 45 degree angle. The key light is the main type of light which is used as it is supposed to have the most strength. 

If you are suing fluorescent light within a dark room you are able to see it spread and the intensity of it, before turning on any of the other lights a light meter is sometimes used. 

The next light is known as the fill light, this is placed on the opposite side of the camera set around the same height as the subject, this light is used to fill in the balance of the image and is used to come up with the lighting pattern. To come up with the pattern it may help to turn of the key light. The placement of the fill light shouldn't be symmetrical with your key light and can be used to create shadows by making various adjustments. 

To achieve flat lighting or a 1:1 ratio lighting you will need to match the fill and key light to the same level. Generally this is considered to be unflattering, however can be used for ID photos. 

For 2:1 ratio lighting the fill light is meant to be one f/stop smaller than the key light, this is mainly used for basic press portraits and bowling fashion images. 

For 3:1 ratio lighting your fill light will need 2 stops which are dimmer than your key light, this is commonly used for portraits as is often flattering. 

The tutorial continues to explain the different lighting ratios up to 5:1 and explains how each of them can be achieved by the fill and key lighting. 

The third light is the hair light, this casts light between the background and the subject to create a sense of separation by creating a sharp outline on the back of the subject. Usually this light is a spotlight, but if you want a brighter light which can eliminate the back drop you are able to use small soft box or a light within the border. To achieve the separation between the background and the subject you will need to cast the light on the back of the hair on the top of the crown is being led, the rest of the lighting will fall onto the background. The rem lighting is a white line of light, this divides the subject from the background, however your hair light will have to be strong enough to create this effect. To achieve backside whim lighting the hair light will only need to about 15 degrees from the centre. The further the light is away from the centre the harsher the room lighting will become. 

The higher the ratio is the more banding there is which makes it evident to see the transition is from a light to a shadow, if photoshop is going to be used it is best to use a higher ratio when taking the image. 

Short light is the type of studio lighting setup where the face side of the subject farthest from the camera gets the main light. In this type of lighting setup, the side of the face which is toward the camera gets less light then the side facing away form the camera. The effect you get when using this lighting setup is a thin face. A photo tip worth remembering: short light helps to visually thin your subject.

Broad light is just the opposite of short light. The side that is getting the most light is the side facing the camera. This setup is less commonly used for portraits, as it tends to make people look wider. In both these cases, you can place a reflector on the opposite side of the light (at about a 45 degree angle) to help fill in the shadow side.

Split light sounds more complex than it is. Position your main light on one side of your subject so that it’s exactly 90 degrees to the subject. In other words, you will see a dramatic shadow going right down to the middle of his or her face.

Contents analysis page

This contents page doesn't feature the word contents but instead using the words 'what's inside'. This gives a sense off informality towards the reader which could relate to the clutter of images layered on the page. This suggests that the target audience is for people aged between 12 and 15. The fact that the colours are quite bright, including the colour pink give the reader the impression it is aimed towards girls. There are 3 sub-titles with a list of a number of pages below about what the reader will be able to find inside. In the bottom right hand corner of the page it states that the magazine associates with the magazine 'mizz' which is also targeted towards young teenage girls with a similar style of the layout. 

What is film distribution

What film distributors do:

• identifying its audience
• considering why they'd go and see it
• estimating the revenue potential across all the formats of its release
• persuading exhibitors (cinema operators) to play the film
• developing plans and partnerships to build awareness of and interest in the film
• aiming to convert as much interest as possible into cinema visits

Negotiate with film studios

Large film companies will work with other companies to aid them and have a share of the profit as the smaller companies (with potential) who have perhaps smaller audiences or are more independent will achieve higher revenue.


Negotiate with cinemas/exhibitors

Exhibitors' websites, which attract large cinema-going audiences, can be powerful promotional platforms for a highlighted film. Given so many competing releases at any one time, a strong prize promotion with an exhibitor can help to distinguish a particular film and boost its visibility online for a day, which can be a cost-effective use of the distributor's budget.

Distributors recognise the importance of local product. They know that British-made films are better appreciated by the British public, and American-made films are going to be more popular with Americans, although this is clearly not exclusive as audiences will watch any film as long as they understand the language/accent of the prominent dialogue. They will focus on the target audience- who the film "speaks to" the most and who else will be attracted towards the film. They need to think about who will associate with the film using stereotypes such as gender, nationality etc. Does the film "deliver" and make a profit to justify the cost of releasing the film to cinemas?

Negotiate with other media to promote films 

Distributors sometimes choose to launch films at a suitable international festival, where critics and insiders may discover them and go on to champion them in early reviews and columns. The eyes of the film world and the mass media are focused on the leading festivals, such as Cannes (below) in May, which accommodates many premieres and junkets. Trade papers publish daily editions in print and online for industry members and journalists.


Creates 'product' merchandising to sell

Many releases, particularly family films, have merchandising programmes co-ordinated by specialist licensing agencies or occasionally, from the studio itself. Manufacturers may be licensed to use approved logo devices, symbols, images or character likenesses on specific products, normally in exchange for an advance fee set against subsequent royalty payments. Sometimes, licensing fees may be waived if the brand undertakes significant levels of advertising in support of the film's release or sustaining campaign.

Licensed merchandise, on sale to the public in stores and online, helps to enhance the film's profile. Ranges may include action figures, ringtones, clothing, stationery, food, calendars, anything. Films regularly have official soundtracks, games and books, which can generate significant revenues in their own right.

What kind of film is it?

•   Is it an event film

•   Is there any star power among the cast

•   Are any cast members available

•   Could the film get media reviews of that week

•   Will it win an award/nomination

•   Is there already a buzz

•   How is it different from its prequel (if its  sequel)

•   Has it already been released elsewhere 

•   What certificate will it have

•   Will it be limited by the certificate, for example the box office may be increased if the certificate is a 12 rather than an 18 as more people are able to see it

When /where should the film be released?

The film distributors need to consider which other film distributors are releasing films at certain times to avoid sending out their film at the same time as other films. 

As distributors review what kind of film they have, they will begin to form assumptions as to the type of release they need. In total, across the UK and Republic of Ireland, 850 cinemas with more than 4,000 screens are available.

You will need to consider the time it is released, for example whether it is released on a particular date, such as valentines day or whether it is within a holiday period, school holiday period and the season. Within the UK 25% of the people who go to the cinema are all based in London, as a result of this it is important to release the film in many cinemas in London so they are able to make the maximum profit they are able to.
 

The digital transformation

For many years, films were released in cinemas on 35mm celluloid prints – which whirred through projectors on reels. Today's industry standard is digital with no celluloid involved.

For a digital release, specially encoded media files containing the film are delivered to cinemas either on a hard drive or via a satellite link. These are called DCPs (Digital Cinema Prints). The DCP is ingested into a powerful server at the cinema and played out through a state-of-the-art digital projector.

Once the DCP is received at the cinema, the projectionist normally needs to ask the film's distributor for a Key Delivery Message (KDM), a security key encryption system. This will generally be formatted to reflect the agreement affecting that film, i.e. the screen/s it may play on, what time of day it may play (particularly important for preview screenings), and within which dates.

Digital images appear on screen in pristine quality and do not deteriorate over time – there is no wear and tear or scratches, as was inevitable with 35mm projection machinery. Digital remastering, though time-consuming and costly, enables classic films to return to the big screen looking as good as new.

Digital equipment enables cinemas to redefine themselves as modern entertainment centres, able to present sports, operas, live concerts, shows and other events to local communities. This means films must be scheduled in smarter, more flexible ways to reach their maximum potential audience

Digital projectors may be adapted easily to show content in 3D. 3D can enhance some films dramatically with a spectacular, laser-sharp viewing experience, and more and more films – live-action and animation – are released in 3D as well as 2D. As 3D films can command a ticket price premium, there is a potential for enhanced box-office returns. In 2012, 3D accounted for 18% of the total UK box-office.

Digital prints are significantly less expensive to duplicate than the old 35mm copies, and the hard drives can be reused. So wider releases, and the logistics of hard drives moving from cinema to cinema, become easier to manage. However, there are currently other costs associated with digital prints, meaning that they are not quite as cheap an option as they might appear – notably Virtual Print Fees (VPFs).

VPFs are the most widely used method of financing the conversion of cinemas from 35mm to digital. The VPF is built on the premise that a digital copy of a film costs less to make than a 35mm print, so the saving is used to contribute to the costs of the digital cinema equipment. The VPF is paid by a distributor each time a film is booked into a cinema that has a conversion deal in place and continues until the cost of the digital installation is paid off (normally around 5–10 years). The costs involved are set out in confidential commercial contracts between the parties on a case by case basis.
 

By the spring of 2013, practically all of the 3,750 cinema screens in the UK had installed a digital projection system.

 

 

 

Analysing Pop Magazine Covers

Introduction

I am going to analyse three music covers from the genre of pop so I am able to consider what to use when I create my own cover. I will aim to do this by looking at the features present on current pop magazine covers and recognising what effect they may have on the viewer.

I will need to ensure that the audience are able to realise that my magazine is from the same genre as the professional ones, using products the audience can recognise and similar media language conventions could achieve this. This relates to the quote by Bentley (1997); “The creative process is the rearranging of the old to create new.” 

The target audience for my magazine will be the same as the audience for the professional magazines as I will be following the same genre of pop. The target audience will be aged between 12 to about 20 of the female gender. The ethnicity is generally white of middle class with a nationality of either American or British. The sexuality for this particular genre is mainly aimed at straight people, however anyone could read it.

I will be analysing the denotations and connotations of each magazine cover and looking at each aspect including; media language, masthead, layout, colour pallet, images, typography, lexis and any other features which may be present.

I will refer to representation theories to support my points made and will explain how the media language used represents and attracts the target audience.

Top of the Pops:

This magazine is produced monthly with a circulation figure of 56K and is ‘biggest-selling teen lifestyle title’. The first issue was made in February 1995 and the publishing company is Immediate Media Company and the editor of the magazine is Peter Hart. They have currently 247K Facebook likes and 7.5K Twitter likes. The cover price of the magazine is £2.99 and the magazine will generally come with free gifts, such as posters or stickers, to excite the reader, as it will encourage them to buy it over other magazines. 

The average age of the people reading the magazine are 12 and 85% are of the female gender. This suggests that the primary target audience are aimed at young female youths. The magazine will use informal language to give off a conversational tone to make the reader feel at ‘ease’ by using language such as ‘OMG’ and ‘cute confessions’. They will also include topics like, beauty and boys, this supports the fact that it is aimed at people of a straight sexuality and encourages the stereotypical, glamorous image of a female.  

Masthead:

The masthead fills the width of the cover to represent its importance so the audience focuses on the name of the magazine so as a result it is more likely to stick in their head. Another factor to prove this is that it overlaps the main image, this creates a sense of dominance over the rest of the cover showing that the masthead should be recognised and is one of the main features used to sell the magazine. The font is based all on one colour, which is fuchsia, this connotes to quite a stereotypical feminine colour to relate to the target audience, as does the small-spiralled swirl on the end of ‘pops’. It is kept basic suggesting that it is aimed at young youths and due to the words ‘top’ and ‘pops’ kept in capitals make it stand out as if it is almost shouting out to the reader. However the words ‘of the’ are kept in a smaller font in lower case letters and are printed on a circle one underneath another so they are unable to steal the attention from the rest of the masthead. The fact that the words within the masthead use a repetition of the phonological sound ‘op’ makes it more memorable and make it more appealing to younger people from around the age 12.

Layout:

The layout doesn’t appear to be too organised and there are various pictures spread out around the main image, therefore does come across slightly trashy with different style fonts and font sizes used. Due to the cover being full randomly placed images this could back up Dick Hebdige’s theory who considered youth to be fun but also a bit of a troublemaker. The main image is placed on a white background so it does not look too distracting. The cover consists of 4 main cover stories which are represented in different fonts across the page which potentially could encourage the reader as it makes it look like there is a lot going on leading to the excitement of younger youths. One of the main stories links to the main image and is based in a coloured circle matching the masthead to show a sign of co-operation.

Colour pallet:

The main colours involved are fuchsia, purple and white, the colours are very stereotypically related to women, which relates to the target audience and could encourage the readers to be interested in glamour etc. The white is used on the background so the images on the page stand out more, although it could also represent purity and innocence this goes against Stanley Hall’s theory in 1904 who stated that youths are extreme and seek excitement through drugs, sex and alcohol. The fuchsia is used in the masthead and on the circle with the main cover story in to link them back to each other. The purple is used on a strip of the cover at the top containing a fashion style story and on a strip at the bottom of the cover advertising posters inside. There are other colours also included, for example the model happens to be wearing a royal blue top instead of wearing a colour closer to the rest of the colour theme to represent the ‘madness’ of the magazine, however this could show a fault within the colour scheme used.

Images:

The main image is of a medium close up shot of a famous pop star ‘Cher Lloyd’ who could have a large impact on the reader whether to buy the magazine or not due to the fact simply whether or not they like her music or style. She is positioned directly at the camera as if she is looking at the audience, this could make them feel like they are important so they feel more persuaded to read it. The lighting is kept quite light and bright to relate to the stories inside which are kept quite light-hearted so it is kept suitable towards the audience. Cher is presented with her make-up done professionally with long lashes to give of a flirtatious look, which could very slightly link to Laura Mulvey’s theory in 1975 that stated women were used to represent an object of desire. She has long brunette hair placed to maybe represent the treading fashion at that particular time and the fact that she is wearing a necklace links to the idea of how women need to uphold a glamorous look and wearing a bit of jewellery can help represent the idea of expense. There are pictures at the bottom of the page that are shown as posters inside the magazine, four of these are of boys this is against Laura Mulvey’s idea as in this case people of the male gender are being used to sell a product although none of the pictures are provocative etc. the reason for this could be due to the younger ages the magazine is aimed at. The ethnicity of the people shown on the magazine are mainly white British, however there are only two people of colour on the cover out of eight this shows a bias side to the media who want to be represented by white people.

Billboard Magazine:

Masthead:
The masthead is in emboldened white font which spreads across the width of the page so it is easily noticed. The 'b', 'o', 'a' and 'd' have been coloured in separate colours that are red, yellow, blue and green, this makes them stand out to the reader more and makes it become more detailed. The font is based in lower case letters with an exception for the 'b' at the beginning of the word. The masthead is infront of the main image, this makes it seem of high importance and could help ensure that the reader will remember the name of the magazine easily which could result in the name being more likely to sell the magazine.

Layout:
There is only 1 image, taken as a medium close up,  present on the cover of the magazine this acts as the background. The font colour is kept consistent in white to follow the theme presented to the reader by the masthead, however there are several different font styles used, this could represent the different stories inlcuded within the magazine. Many of the headings are put in a narrow font in block capitals to stress the importance of what is being featured inside so people are persuaded to buy it. The biggest font across the page in capitals is 'Beyonce', this is because she is the celebrity used to be the main image and due to her celebrity status it attracts the target audience and draws in the most publicity.

Colour Pallet:
The main colour used is white, which is used for all the writing and the colour white is a symbol for purity and due to this magazine being aimed towards youths aged about 15 to 20 shows that Stanley Hall's theory is incorrect. The colours which are used to colour in some of the letters within the masthead are kept quite bright, therefore relate to the idea fo fun. This could also support Dick Hedbidge's, 1988, theory that youths are more for the idea of fun.

Image:
The main image is of Beyonce and she is presented on the cover directly looking at the reader. This could be more encouraging for the reader to buy the magazine as they feel they are being involved within it, this could result in them to feel more important. Her expression comes across flirtatious and could be considered to be quite sexual, this relates back to Laura Mulvey's theory in 1975 when she stated that women were presented as 'erotic objects of desire'. Her nails are also painted a vivid red, this connotes topics like danger or love, also it links back to the title which had the 'b' coloured in red. Her make up is quite subtle and is blended into her skin tone. The colours are quite warm, consisting of autumnal shades which could also match her eye colour. The fact that these colours are used maybe so they relate to the actual theme of 'Autumn' as the magazine was released in November. Beyonce is shown with long hair, full of volume, this upholds the look of glamour females are stereotypically meant to live up to and could encourage the target audience, who may idolise her, to copy her appeareance.