Foundation Production

Main Task: Construct the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine.

You are going to have to target a specific audience when you produce the pages of your music magazine for the Foundation Production unit. This means that you will need to consider the expectations of the typical reader for the type of magazine that you are going to produce. Answer the following questions in order to consider your own preferences for music magazines.

1.      What genre of music do you like?

2.     How often do you buy/download new music?

3.     How often do you listen to music?

4.     Do you read music magazines?

5.     How often do you buy music magazines?

6.     Why do you/don’t you buy/read music magazines?

7.     What types of music magazine are you familiar with in the market place?

8.     What is the typical target audience for a music magazine?

9.     How do music magazines use the front cover to appeal to their target audience?

10.   What are the features of music magazines generally about?

You will need to carry out audience research before you begin to plan your music magazine. This is important because you want the form and content of your magazine to appeal to its target audience. Market research could involve doing some or all of the following tasks:

1. Questionnaires
2. Focus Groups
3. Interviews
4. Internet Research

What do you think is the most effective way of gauging the opinions of your audience about the magazine that you produce during the planning and construction stages of the project?

You will also need to analyse real products in order to establish the codes and conventions of content and layout and design that you must follow when you create your own magazine pages

Before you write your own double page spread, you must become familiar with the following technical aspects:

• Conventional content – What are double page spread features in music magazines generally about?
• Layout and design – How is a typical double page spread set out on the page?
• Language and style – How is a typical double page spread in a music magazine written?
• Images and captions – How are pictures and captions used in a typical double page feature?
• Make a list of all the relevant codes and conventions that you have identified in a typical double page spread of a music magazine.