Beauty Magazine

    After viewing all the different genres, I have decided to focus my design on the Beauty Magazine, I have put together a guide on how I will make my project and add all the conventions from my research.

    For my beauty magazine cover I'm going to do a close up shot of someome getting ready doing their makeup. I am going to use the edges of the mirror to frame the girls face so it can create "a frame within a frame" I'll also be using an action shot of her holding a brush near her face, this sells the lifestyle and not just the face. 

    I am going to use high-key lighting so the skin looks dewy and glowy. The vanity has the mirror lights also known as the Hollywood Bulbs, I will be using that as my main light source it will make the glow on her skin look natural and dewy. 

    Since my photo is more casual and behind the scenes, for my personal touch I will be adding sub-headings and handwritten font to add more of that personal touch. At the vanity there would be busy areas with brushes and products, and quiet areas with the wall behind the mirror on the side corners. I will place my main cover line in the quiet areas so it'll make the text easier to read. For my sidebar I am adding "What's on the table" and list certain products shes using, this would add that advertisemnet touch.

Genre Analysis

     In my previous post I researched the history and rules of different magazines, today I will be putting that research into practice, I will be analyzing the design of Fashion, Beauty, and Travel and discover the layout and how it has different appeals for different audiences. 

    For fahsion I looked over a few issues of Vogue and Elle, they both rely on brand influence. In fahsion magazines you typically notice the overlapping masthead, usually the model's head or hair covers the magazine title to emphasize the famous cover star and to signal the brand recognition. As well to highlight the fashion the page other than the logo. Fashion magazines use elegant fonts to make it look expensive and classic, for example Vogue magazine uses Didot typeface. Fashion magazines usally have lots of "dead space" its used so it doesn't crowd the model and as well to make it look more high-end.

https://www.sheridan.com/magazines-register/the-elements-of-cover-style/

    The beauty magazines Allure and Cosmo are the opposite, it's much more energetic and crowded. The beauty shot/ head shot, in beauty its all about the face, to be able to show off skin, makeup, and hair. Puffs are a big factor in beauty magazines, often saying NEW/WINNER, they do this to make the reader feel like they're getting secret insight and deals. Beauty magazines use bright pop of colors, using bright pink, red, and neon specifically to catch your eye while you're walking past a magazine stand.

    Travel magazines I looked at were Condé Nast Traveler and National Geographic Traveler. Both magazines use immersive photography, usually using one solid image that takes up the entire cover. They use aesthetically appealing photos to bring their audience in and grab their attention quick. They tend to use Sans-Serif fonts to make it look more clean, modern-looking, and also journal-like to get that adventurous feel. For the travel magazines' cover image they use the rule of thirds, sometimes using a mountain, beach, someone on a boat, it is almost never centered directly in the middle, normally is off to the side, making the layout feel more balanced. Placing the image a little more to the right or left gives area to place cover lines or the magazine title without covering parts of the photo.

Researching 3 Genres

    Fashion magazines expanded in the late 19th century and began being published on November 2, 1867by a New York based firm. They started in the early 1900s as printed magazines, examples like Vogue and Harpers Bazaar helped introduce new styles to the public and at first were read by a more wealthyaudience. Fashion magazines show what is currently popular and influnces how people dress and express themselves. The main goal is to inspire people about fashion trends, designers, beauty tips, and celebrity style, as well as advertising products. Majority of fashion magazines make their profit off ofadvertisements from fashion and beauty brands, ads are a major part of the magazine to influence readers. Today many fahsion magazines have moved online through websites, social media, and apps. This allows them to reach a younger audience and respond to trends quicker. 

 

    Beauty magazines started in the late 17th century with publications from Britains “The Ladie’s Mercury” in 1693 and the American ladies magazine. Beauty magazines targets a specific audience, primarily women and teenage girls, interested in makeup, skincare, and self-care. It represents an idea of beauty, body image, gender, and indetity, in the past it has promoted narrow beauty standards but more recent beauty magazines has aimed to show diversity in race, body type, and gender expression. Beauty magazines have a powerful influence on self-image, behavior, and beauty trends, what it chooses to feature can shape what audiences believe is beautiful and intriguing. Many beauty magazines now focus more on online content as well as social media to get influencers to collaborate to reach youngeraudiences and to stay current. 

 

    Travel magazines offer inspiration and information on destinations, featuring photography, facts, culture, food, and historical landmarks. Travel magazines are typically aimed at middle- to upper-class audiences who can afford to travel. They represent destinations as beautiful and desirable, often showing idealized versions of places while ignoring the everyday struggles of local people. The majority of travel magazines are owned by large media companies, and this ownership can influence which destinations are promoted. Travel magazines have the power to shape where people want to travel and how different cultures are perceived. Many popular destinations become trendy because of how they are promoted by the media over time. Advertising also generates profit not only for travel destinations, but for airlines, hotels, and resorts. Travel magazines promote the idea of escaping reality and associate travel with luxury and freedom. 

 https://glamobserver.com/the-history-of-fashion-magazines-how-they-operate-and-what-has-changed/ 

https://daily.jstor.org/birth-fashion-magazines/ 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogersands/2020/03/26/travel-magazines-fill-the-void-of-the-real-deal/ 

Camera Work Reflection

In the process of learning different types of camera work and movement, I have learned many different types of angles and camera shots. The camera shots I have learned about are Aerial, mid, and establishment shots are some new ones I have learned. I learned open and closed framing techniques that are in films and TV shows, they’re both commonly used.  

The task I had to do for each project was to film from different angles when doing the camera angles and shots project, we had to figure out how to story tell through many different shots and angles without any dialogue. The experience for each project was educational and I got to learn along the way about how you can storytell just through different angles. 

The challenges I faced while doing the project were trying to figure out what shot to take for each scene, not getting it right on the first time around, and having to go back to see how the shot is meant to be taken. What I was successful in staying organized and getting my final product how I envisioned it to be.  

Throughout the process of creating this project I learned how important it is to plan out what you want your project to look like. In order for your final product to come together it needs to tell the story of what you wanted to create. Different angles show different perspectives and how the audience can differentiate between the two characters' 'feelings. 

What I would do differently in my next project is to spend more time thinking about my project and add as much detail as possible. Being able to tell a story without dialogue, visuals are important when it comes to doing our projects, so we need to make our message more clear to viewers. 

 

First Blog Post

    

     My name is Aleena, I am a senior in high school, I love photography whether it's taking scenic photos or pictures with my friends. My experience in Media Studies so far has been educational, learning the background history behind just an image from a movie, and analyzing it. What I hope to gain from this portfolio process is to showcase creativity and learn more about analyzing different forms of media. For my product I am considering  creating the magazine cover, a magazine cover shows many types of media and different ideas, I feel as it will be a way to show off creativity and different types of design.