Welcome back, second year media students! We hope you had a restful summer (and frankly extremely long), and that you're ready to hit the ground running with the magazine project and Aims and intentions mini essay.

In this post you will find all the information you need to take you through the first half-term. You may wish to bookmark it, so you can use it as a checklist and get the highest possible grade with the least amount of stress...

The secret to success

There's pretty much one thing and one thing only that your teacher will consider when marking your magazine: does it actually look like a magazine?

If you tick off all the minimum requirements, you will get a high mark for the magazine project.

If you don't, you will not.

ALWAYS have at least two or three examples of mainstream magazines in front of you at all times throughout this project. If you are doing anything significantly different from these magazines, then your magazine is simply not generically appropriate, and will lose marks as a result.

Additionally, ALWAYS have this post open in front of you, particularly the MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS list as seen below.

Dates and deadlines

How to get an ‘A’ in component three - there are LOTS of ways of achieving these!

Use media language to demonstrate intertextuality and/or generic hybridity
Convey a complex representation of a social group using media language
Subvert and challenge typical representational stereotypes
Present an ideological context typical to an independent music label
Create a magazine that demonstrates clear stylistic, thematic and ideological links to your music video

The project brief

A cross-media production for a new artist or band in a genre (or sub-genre/ hybrid) of your choice.
Create an original music video and associated print material to promote the same artist or band.
You should create a cross-media production for a major record label (such as Atlantic Records or Capitol Records) targeting a wide, mainstream audience of 16-25 year-olds.
The song you select for your music video cannot have an official music video already
You will create a new and exciting artist/singer/band/DJ with a clear brand identity

The magazine project

Task - Create a front cover and double page feature article for a new mainstream magazine to promote your artist or band to the target audience

Length: 3 pages

Minimum requirements

Your print production must be 3 pages in length, including at least 4 original images in total

Front cover

Original title and masthead for the magazine; strapline
Cover price and barcode
Main cover image of the band or artist to establish their identity
Main cover line relating to the artist or band plus at least 2 further cover lines

Double page spread

An interview with the artist or band (or extract), approximately 300 words, to promote the new artist or band
Headline and stand-first, sub-headings, columns
One main image and at least 2 smaller/ minor images (all original and different from the images on the cover)
Representations of at least one specific social group
Pull quotes and/ or sidebar
Failure to meet any of the minimum requirements will result in a significantly lower mark...

FAQs

"But this example online doesn't have a barcode/doesn't have a strapline/has a masthead in a different place!"

This could be for a number of reasons, but digital versions posted online often are missing a barcode for whatever reason. Yours has to have everything on the list. Sorry!

"What does 'mainstream' mean in this context?"

Could you find this magazine in Tesco? Then it's mainstream. There may be a few exceptions to this, but in general the Tesco rule should work out fine.