AS FOUNDATION PORTFOLIO UNIT UNIT G321 Research and Planning Booklet

AS COURSEWORK MUSIC MAGAZINES

Marking Criteria for Unit G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media Print THE COURSEWORK TASK (ALSO CALLED THE BRIEF) Main task: Students to produce the front page, contents page and double page spread of a new music magazine. (Photoshop will be used for image manipulation and Indesign will be used for page layout and design features on contents page and article) All images and text used must be original, produced by the candidate, minimum of FOUR images per candidate. RESOURCES TO HELP YOU WITH THE COURSEWORK ATTENDANCE AT STRETCH AND CHALLENGE WORKSHOPS (BLYTHE LEVEL 7 COMPUTERS) 3.35 Monday Friday. There is also an IT student support member of staff who will help you if you just want to work on these computers at the end of the day or during your lunch breaks or frees. The computers are also available on Wednesday afternoons for independent work.
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You will need to access the appropriate software (Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Indesign) around college. It is available in Room A106, Blythe Rom 511, Blythe level 7
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computers and on the macs in Blythe Room 710 and Room 711. It should also be available on some of the computers in the Kitson (ask the staff on the desk) Remember any course work you do (INCLUDING ALL CLASSWORK AS WELL AS HOMEWORK) can be added to your blog (YOUR ELECTRONIC RECORD OF ALL WORK DONE) as evidence of research and planning and the moderator will be able to see your efforts as your work is coming together.
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Resources on Moodle for unit G321 (look also at previous students work). Use hyperlink provided

3.Resources provided by the exam board (OCR) Use hyperlink below for direct access http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/type/gce/amlw/media_st udies/documents/index.html

Unit G321 - Level 1 - Print exemplar - June 2010ZIP, 7 MB Unit G321 - Level 2 - Print exemplar - June 2010ZIP, 5 MB Unit G321 - Level 3 - Print exemplar - June 2010ZIP, 6 MB Unit G321 - Level 4 - Print exemplar - June 2010ZIP, 10 MB Unit G321 - PowerPoint - Low level 4 - R and P and evaluationPDF, 22 MB Unit G321 - Print exemplar - June 2009 courseworkZIP, 5 MB

Marking Criteria for Unit G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media UNIT G321 (AS MEDIA COURSEWORK-FOUNDATION PORTFOLIO) IS MARKED OUT OF TOTAL OF 100 MARKS THERE ARE 3 SECTIONS TO THE COURSEWORK: 1.RESEARCH AND PLANNING(MARKED OUT OF 20) 2.THE FINAL MAGAZINE COVER, CONTENTS PAGE AND DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD (DPS) ARTICLE(MARKED OUT OF 60) 3.THE EVALUATION (DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE WHOLE PROCESS (MARKED OUT OF 20)

DATES AND DEADLINES 1.THE RESEARCH AND PLANNING SECTION(20% OF COURSEWORK MARK) SHOULD ALL BE COMPLETED AND ADDED TO YOUR BLOG BY (THIS INCLUDES TAKING YOUR INITIAL PHOTOGRAPHS(MINIMUM OF 40) ALL OF THIS WORK SHOULD HAVE BEEN UPLOADED AND ADDED TO YOUR BLOG)
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2.THE CONSTRUCTION SECTION (60% OF COURSEWORK MARK)COMPLETING THE MAGAZINE COVER, CONTENTS PAGE AND ARTICLE-SHOULD ALL BE COMPLETEDAND ADDED TO YOUR BLOG BY

2.THE EVALUATION SECTION (20% OF COURSEWORK MARK) SHOULD BE COMPLETED AND ADDED TO YOUR BLOG BY .

We will begin with THE RESEARCH AND PLANNING element, as this must be completed first (over the next 4 -5 weeks ) Research and Planning must be presented in electronic format and must show evidence of all of the research and planning done by the candidate from the start of the process through to the finished music magazine. ALL OF YOUR EVIDENCE OF RESEARCH AND PLANNING MUST BE ADDED TO THE BLOG ON A DAILY BASIS-IT IS EXPECTED TOBE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT AND MUST RECORD THE WHOLE PROCESS FROM START TO
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FINISH. IT MUST BE VERY VISUAL AND MOVE AWAY FROM ESSAY STYLE RESPONSES. YOU SHOULD SAVE YOUR BLOG DETAILS TO YOUR FAVOURITES AND WRITE DOWN YOUR PASSWORD IN SEVERAL PLACES SO YOU DONT LOSE IT! REMINDER OF YOUR BLOG ADDRESSES AT WWW.BLOGGER.COM : asmediab11@gmail.com (COLUMN B) asmediac11@gmail.com (COLUMN C) asmediad11@gmail.com (COLUMN D) asmediae11@gmail.com (COLUMN E) asmediaf11@gmail.com (COLUMN F) asmediag11@gmail.com (COLUMN G) The main RESEARCH areas for which evidence must be provided are:

Research into similar music magazines and Institutions (the companies/institutions that publish the magazines)

Research into target audiences THE MAIN PLANNING EVIDENCE THAT MUST BE PROVIDED WILL INCLUDE: EVIDENCE OF DRAFTING/ SCRIPTING (BOTH PAPER SKETCHES AND USING THE SOFTWARE TO SHOW THE STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT)
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 ORGANISING ACTORS/PROPS ETC ORGANISING TIME-MEETING ALL DEADLINES USING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY THROUGH ALL STAGES OF THE PROCESS Marking Criteria for the research and planning element (marked out of 20) There are four levels with:

Level 1 being a fail Level 1 - 07 marks (minimal) level 2 being from grade E to grade D Level 2 - 811 marks (basic)

Level 3 being from grade Cto B Level 3 - 1215 marks (proficient) Level 4 being Grade A Level 4 16-20 marks (excellent) As you should all be aiming for Level 4, the detailed criteria for this level have been included Below:

Level 4 1620 marks (excellent) There is excellent research into similar products and a potential target audience. There is excellent organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props. There is excellent work on shotlists, layouts, drafting, scripting or storyboarding. Time management is excellent. There is excellent use of digital technology or ICT in the presentation. Below are the comments moderators would wish to see in order to support excellent Level 4 marks Research and Planning Level 4 (16-20) marks This student has completed excellent research into similar products and a potential target audience in order to ensure successful completion of the music magazine within the deadlines set. Student planned the task very effectively and produced both paper and computer drafts to aid planning; there is clear evidence on the Blog of layouts, drafts and scripting. Changes have been made throughout and clearly explained. The presentation made excellent use of technology and clearly explained all stages of the process from the outset through to completion of the final magazine8

all stages have been clearly shown. Excellent use of research and planning in order to effectively inform the final product. All tasks have been effectively completed and all deadlines have been met highlighting excellent use of time Marked at 20 out of 20 Grade A

SECTION A RESEARCH INTO SIMILAR MEDIA PRODUCTS ( MUSIC MAGAZINES) (complete analysis in Word first of all and then copy into the blog when you have finished. Dont forget if you are analysing images, convert them into JPEG format first of all) This first part of the research into similar music magazines should be done in classtime, workshop time and as homework. You would be expected to complete this within 2 weeks with the deadline for the analysis of all 3 magazines being . It is important you keep to these internal deadlines because you will then be set other tasks that relate to the coursework booklet and it will cause you stress if you leave it all to do at once- so chip away at the work and attend the workshops if you need extra help!

SECTION A - INITIAL INTRODUCTORY TASK 1 LOOK AT A SELECTION OF THE FRONT COVERS OF A SELECTION OF MUSIC MAGAZINES (1-8) AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS Working in pairs/groups look at one of the music magazines provided and answer the general questions 14 below (REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR OWN IDIVIDUAL NOTES AS YOU WILL ADD THESE TO YOUR OWN INDIVIDUAL BLOGS ) GENERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT MUSIC MAGAZINES (QUESTIONS 1-4) 1.What is a music magazine ? 2.What content (text/copy/writing/articles/stories) would you expect to find in a music magazine

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3.What images would you expect to find in a music magazine

4.Identify general characteristics/ Features that you would expect to find in all music magazines.

Questions about music magazines front covers (look at any 4 covers) 1. Identify the features/characteristics they all have

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2. Why are these features present on all of the magazines? Why are they important?

3. List 5 differences between the magazines and account (explain the reasons) for these differences

4. Take one of the magazine covers and say what type (GENRE) of music magazine it is. Provide at least 4 specific examples from the magazine that supports your claim that it belongs to this particular genre

5. For the same magazine, say who you think the target audience is. Give reasons for your answers
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MUSIC MAGAZINE FRONT COVERS

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MUSIC MAGAZINE FRONT COVERS

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DETAILED CLASS ANALYSIS OF MUSIC MAGAZINE ONE NME ANALYSE THE FRONT COVER, CONTENTS PAGE AND DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD OF MAGAZINE 1 (NME DIZZEE RASCAL EDITION, SEPT 2009) TASK 1a. ANALYSE THE FRONT COVER OF NME SEPTEMBER 2009

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Task 1b Analyse the contents page from NME (Dizzee rascal edition)

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Task 1c Analyse the double page spread from NME (Dizzee Rascal Edition)

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Task 1d. Identify the elements that connect the 3 different parts of the magazine.

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TASK 2

TASK 2 ANALYSE A SECOND MUSIC MAGAZINE (the cover, contents pages and DPS article) IN THE SAME WAY YOU HAVE ANALYSED MAGAZINE 1 (NME ) ABOVE. There are examples of magazines on Moodle or you can google specific types of music magazines. You should choose magazines that have some similarities to the type of music magazine (genre/audience or style) that you may wish to create. The best magazine to analyse will be based on a magazine you have bought yourself and have scanned into your computer. We also have complete music magazines in the media department that you are welcome to use. TASK 3

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ANALYSE A THIRD MUSIC MAGAZINE (the cover, contents pages and DPS article) IN THE SAME WAY YOU HAVE ANALYSED MAGAZINE 1 (NME ). There are examples of magazines on Moodle or you can google specific types of music magazines. You should choose magazines that have some similarities to the type of music magazine (genre/audience or style) that you may wish to create. The best magazine to analyse will be based on a magazine you have bought yourself and have scanned into your computer. We also have complete music magazines in the media department that you are welcome to use.

TASK 4 RESEARCH INTO MUSIC INDUSTRIES AND INSTITUTIONS TASK 4A Read the following history of IPC Media and answer the questions at the end. IPC Media Pinpointing exactly how far IPC's roots stretch back into the midst of publishing history is a complicated business. The International Publishing Corporation Ltd was formed in 1963 following the merger of the UK's three leading magazine publishers George Newnes, Odhams Press and Fleetway Publications who came together with the Mirror Group to form the International Publishing Corporation (IPC). And IPC Magazines was created five years later, in 1968. But those three original magazine businesses each had their own illustrious history, having been established in 1881, 1890 and 1880 respectively, with a number of the titles they launched in the late 19th Century still being published today under the
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IPC umbrella. And when The Field, launched in 1853, joined the IPC stable in 1994 following the acquisition of Harmsworth Magazines, it saw our family tree reach back even further. The IPC story has taken many fascinating twists and turns in that 150-year period, as our timeline below reveals. The 1800s

The Field launched in 1853 and within a year became the largest newspaper in Europe, with 24 pages. It had its own correspondent throughout the Crimean War and its November 18, 1854 issue ran a series of personal narratives of those who took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade.

Eight further IPC titles that are still thriving today were launched in the late 1800s: Country Life, Horse & Hound, Shooting Times, Yachting World, Amateur Gardening, Cycling Weekly, Amateur Photographer and The Railway Magazine. Competitions played a key role in sales promotions for all early IPC titles, and none more so than the sensational prize offered by the fledgling magazine, Answers, in 1889 the then unheard of fortune of 1 a week for life to any reader who could guess the amount of gold and silver in the Bank of England on a given date.

The early 1900s

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The opening of the new century saw the arrival of three titles set to become part of IPC Media many years later Yachting Monthly, Cage Birds and Motor Boat. The first of IPC's four traditional women's weeklies, Woman's Weekly, launched in November 1911 under the editorial banner "our motto practical and useful". The same year, golfers north of the border got the first copies of their own new title, Golf Monthly. Homes & Gardens became one of the first magazines to be published after the First World War. Its early issues were distinctly down to earth, with features ranging from how to 'Wash at home with a machine', to the shrewd idea of 'combining the kitchen with the scullery'.

The 1920s

Odhams launched the new monthly Ideal Home in opposition to Newnes' Homes & Gardens. Its first editor, Captain GC Clarke, wanted it to strive against "the erection of hideous houses which go to mar the beauty of what would under any other circumstances be the most ideal and beautiful environment," referring to the government's promise in 1921 to build 100,000 houses as part of its post-war planning. Woman & Home entered the market in 1926, and by its third birthday in 1929 had grown to a steady 144 pages, majoring on fiction.

The 1930s

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The 1932 launch of Woman's Own heralded the arrival of one of IPC's traditional 'Big Two', with the appearance of Woman following just five years later. Newnes promoted its first issue of Woman's Own with a free cover-mounted gift three skeins of wool with every copy! The first issue of Woman in 1937 cost 2d and was the first full-colour magazine at that price. Other titles launched in this decade included Caravan, Stamp Magazine and Prediction, all still going strong today.

The 1940s

A key wartime role was played by IPC's women's weeklies, keeping up the morale of Britain's women and supplying an essential information service on behalf of the Government. Many of the Woman covers from the wartime years are regarded as classic works of art in their own right, while wartime Woman's Own covers played their own part in rallying women to the wartime cause.

The 1950s

The upsurge in the music scene heralded the arrival of New Musical Express in 1952. Launched amidst the heady days of Radio Luxembourg, NME set the ball rolling with its compilation of the first official UK record chart topping that bill as Britain's very first number one was Al Martino's Here In My Heart. Following the arrival of ITV in 1955, TVTimes, operating out of a tiny office in High Holborn, published its first issue in black & white covering the new commercial stations. The cover stars were Lucille Ball and Patricia
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Dainton, star of the 15-minute daily soap opera, Sixpenny Corner. Originally published by the ITV companies, TVTimes was acquired by IPC in 1989 in the run-up to the deregulation of the TV listings market. The 1960s

Life for magazine staff would never be the same again following the 1963 formation of the International Publishing Corporation, bringing together the three rival magazine companies, Newnes, Fleetway and Odhams Press. Traditional competitors found themselves all working for the same parent company Ideal Home and Homes & Gardens, Woman and Woman's Own, to name but a few. 1969 saw the birth of a new football weekly Shoot! launched to capitalise on the upsurge of interest in the game generated by England's World Cup victory three years earlier. Other IPC titles making their debut in the Swinging Sixties included Rugby World, World Soccer, Angler's Mail and Family Circle.

The 1970s The Reed Group acquires IPC in 1970 to form the giant global corporation, Reed International.

IPC welcomed the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh to its King's Reach Tower HQ. HRH drops in on Horse & Hound, Country Life, Woman and Woman's Own, while Prince Philip makes a solo visit to Angler's Mail and Yachting Monthly.
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Not a lot of people know it, but IPC was at the forefront of the pre-recorded video market with the formation of the IPC video division in 1976. One notable early launch was the home video of Joan Collins' The Stud. Successful launches included Aeroplane Monthly, Sporting Gun and SuperBike.

The 1980s IPC announces the formation of European Magazines Ltd., a joint venture company with Groupe Marie Claire to launch the UK edition of the international title in 1988.

In a scheme to encourage and honour editorial excellence within the company, the IPC Editorial Awards are introduced, now a key event in the company calendar. IPC embarks upon the biggest sales campaign in its history, spearheaded by 21 of its top editors the first ad features 'Four of Britain's Most Influential People' the editors of its women's weeklies. The launch issue of Essentials is a sell-out, and after just six issues launches in France as Avantages, in conjunction with Groupe Marie Claire. Other new IPC titles on the newstand include 4x4, Eventing, Chat, Mizz, Motor Caravan Magazine, Wedding & Home, Country Homes & Interiors, Classic Boat, Model Collector, Motor Boats Monthly, Practical Parenting, VolksWorld and Bird Keeper.

The 1990s

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With the deregulation of the TV listings market, What's on TV makes its triumphant entrance onto the scene in 1991. In the face of fierce competition, it goes on to become the UK's best-selling magazine, a position it still

enjoys today. In one of the most dramatic arrivals in publishing history, revolutionary lads title Loaded hits the newsstands in 1994. Hailed as the outstanding launch of recent years, it spawns countless clones and opens up the whole young men's market. The women's weeklies go into overdrive, with IPC acquiring Here! from Gruner & Jahr and merging it into Now, launched in 1996. NME becomes the first major UK music title to get its own internet site nme.com destined to go on to become Europe's most popular music website. IPC Magazines is sold to Cinven for 860m in 1998, one of the largest management buyouts in UK history. IPC Magazines continues to evolve still further in 1999, with the formation of five limited companies based on the former publishing groups IPC Connect, IPC SouthBank, IPC tx, IPC ignite! and IPC Country & Leisure Media.

2000 today

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New millennium, new name IPC Magazines is renamed IPC Media in 2000, a new identity to go hand-in-hand with a strategy based on being a brand-centric business.

Time Inc. acquires IPC Media for a cool 1.15bn in October 2001 the biggest magazine deal ever seen in the UK and the biggest transatlantic media deal of our time. Ignite! launches Nuts, the world's first men's weekly magazine, in January 2004. Backed by an 8 million marketing investment, it's the biggest launch in IPC's history. After 30 years in King's Reach Tower, IPC announces in May 2004 that it is to move into brand new offices next to the Tate Modern in 2007. IPC Connect unveils the new generation Real Life weekly for women Pick Me Up in January 2005. The launch is backed by a 6million marketing investment and with the largest sampling exercise in UK magazine history.

IPC unveils TV easy in April 2005 - the third major launch in 16 months from IPC Medias innovations programme, initiated by chief executive Sylvia Auton in 2003. The magazine is Britains very first compact paid-for TV Listings weekly and is backed by a 10million marketing investment (Source, www.ipc.com)
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1.What types of magazine and target audiences has IPC been associated with over the years? New Musical Express

2.Why might IPC be an appropriate publisher for a new music magazine? What sorts of genres of music/types of magazines might they be likely to publish? Why might alternative publishers like Bauer be appropriate?

TASK 4B Research into a specific music magazine that links in some way to your chosen genre and find out who publishes it. do research into this publisher and why it might or might not make a suitable publisher for your final magazine

Task 5
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Research into similar music magazines on which you could base your magazine. Map out possible ideas for your music magazine including names, possible musical genres and ideas for articles. Task 6 Choose a musical genre/genres to feature in your magazine. List the names of bands/artists that are part of this genre, a brief history of the genre and the type of imagery associated with it. Task 7 Choose a magazine that caters for music in your chosen genre (eg you may be focusing on Hip hop/R N B and may have chosen Vibe as a style model). Research into who publishes this magazine and find out a little bit about these publishers. What other magazines (and/or music magazines does it publish?) and what is the target audience for your chosen magazine (find out as much detail for this one as possible) (N.B There may be some overlap in this question with other questions- if youve covered it all before-you dont need to do it again!!) If you havent already covered the publisher of your chosen type of magazine, you will need to develop this in this question. In the other questions it is likely you have found out generally abou this publisher, but you may need to find out about the specific target audiences for your chosen magazine in more detail )
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SUMMARY: YOU SHOULD NOW BE ABLE TO SAY THE TYPE OF MAGAZINE YOU WISH TO BASE YOUR MAGAZINE ON. YOU SHOULD HAVE A SPECIFIC GENRE IN MIND AND YOU SHOULD HAVE EXAMPLES OF COVERS/IMAGES ETC THAT YOU MAY WISH TO COPY YOU SHOULD ALSO HAVE A PROFILE FOR THE TARGET AUDIENCE YOU WISH TO AIM YOUR MAGAZINE AT. ONLY THEN CAN YOU MOVE ONTO TARGET AUDIENCE RESEARCH IN SECTION B

SECTION B. AUDIENCE RESEARCH Task 7. Audience Research using quantitative methods such as questionnaires Audience Research: You need to carry out research into your target audience. Produce a questionnaire focusing on 2 areas: their knowledge about the genre(s) you will be covering (helping you work out where to pitch your magazine) and also their views on music magazines (stylistic preferences, approaches they have found successful, for example). You should summarise your findings and indicate how what you have found will influence your final product. Task 8. Audience Research using qualitative methods such as Focus groups.
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Interview 4-6 people who would be members of your target audience (eg if you are making a rock magazine that targets males aged 16-19, you would be expected to do a focus on this group of people. You need to find out any specific information that you have not already found out from your questionnaires such as their detailed preferences or opinions on some of your choices. Summarise your findings and highlight how these will affect the making of your final product SECTION C PLANNING On the basis of all of your research findings which should have been summarised you are now ready to start planning your work Task 9 Write out a Formal Proposal. Use the subheadings below to make notes. You proposal should contain the following: Title of magazine you wish to produce. Explanation of choice of genre. Target audience. Initial ideas about front page. Initial ideas about contents page.
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 Initial ideas about double page spread. Initial ideas about photographs. Task 10 -You now need to draw detailed drafts of your cover, contents page and article. Task 11. Take photographs-Original Images (minimum of 4) that you intend to use.

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