Magazines: Introduction and conventions

Our next Media topic is Magazines.

This term we will be studying Magazines. This is a targeted topic which means we have to study our Magazine Close-Study Products for two key concepts - Language and Representation. The two magazine covers we have to study in depth:

1) Tatler magazine - a monthly magazine aimed at upper-middle class people, discussing lifestyle issues such as parties and holidays and fashion. It is more niche (aimed at a certain demographic and psychographic).

2) Reveal magazine - a weekly celebrity magazine focused on gossip about famous people and stories like real life, dating, diets and affordable fashion. Aimed at working class people - a mainstream (large) audience who want to buy a cheap magazine.

Lesson video part 1:

Lesson video part 2:

Introduction to Magazine conventions: Blog tasks

Create a new blogpost in your GCSE Media blog called 'Introduction to Magazine cover conventions'. Next, read this handout explaining the key conventions of magazine covers. You'll need to log in using your Greenford Google login. Then, complete the following tasks: 

1) List the three most important magazine cover conventions in your opinion and explain why for each one.

Now study this cover of Closer magazine:

2) Identify as many of the magazine cover conventions as you can and write a list of where they appear on this cover of Closer. As an extension, you could also write about the preferred reading for the convention - what the magazine is trying to communicate to the audience.

Example: The title of publication is 'Closer' and appears in the top left of the magazine cover in large white text on a pink background. The connotation of the pink background is femininity which suggests the producers are aiming this at a primarily female audience and perhaps want the magazine to appear friendly and warm.

Optional extension task:

One of the aspects we will need to write about to get a 7+ grade in GCSE Media is social and cultural contexts. We will be discussing this in more detail next week but today's extension is to analyse the cover of British men's lifestyle magazine GQ below:

1) What does this GQ magazine cover suggest about masculinity in Britain - in other words, what does GQ suggest British men are interested in? What does it mean to be a man?

2) Why do you think GQ chose David Beckham as the cover star for GQ? 

3) What do you notice about the construction of the cover? Think about the camera shot, costume, lighting, colour scheme etc.

Due date for these tasks is on Google Classroom.