Gender representation

Gender representation in the media is different for males and females. Male representation in the media is all about being hard, tough and respected. This could be compared to the animal kingdom is some aspects that some wild animals such as lions in the wild act in a similar fashion. For example lions are seen as dominant and as the leader. The ideology of a dominant person or leader is that that person/leader is hard, tough and respected. A lion would show this by doing things like pointing out his chest and holding his head up high so that other lions respect him. Black people who sing pop and rap have recently became respected in the music industry because of showing aspects of being a dominant person through body language and create music videos which everyone sees.

   On the other hand women are represented different to this, for example a ‘real woman’ has to look good, have the ideal body and basically be a good sex symbol with little power over anything. This is seen in industry and not just the media because of things with men always running the organisations and having the most power. This could be because men run the majority of the media and most organisations so they decide how situations are portrayed and how gender is shown to the public.

How men and women are represented in the media

Masculinity is represented very differently to femininity in the media. For example, men are represented as being ‘tough’, this is the idea that all men must be revealed to the public in a very masculine fashion constituting of aspects linked with masculinity e.g. being professional, strong, rational, competitive, muscular, independent and lastly respected. This is shown in all types of media like films for example, in an action/gangster film men are always the character with the gun and also always the character that is physically fighting with other men or abusing women. It is very rare to see women beating up men and pointing a gun at a man like men are seen to do to women in these types of films, it wouldn’t be seen as normal by the viewer as the ideology of a woman is being domestic, weak, emotional, sensitive and finally supportive. Women are also often shown as a ‘sex symbol’ in all types of media such as newspapers, adverts on TV and films. This is the dominant view of women and is the same in the majority of the world therefore making it seem normal without alternatives.

    Female Characters are sometimes constructed out of qualities that tend to be associated with masculinity. In addition to this, these characters will more often than not be portrayed in a negative way and will be punished through in one way or another for her actions as this is seen as wrong and not the way women should be which makes every woman watching it think that they will be punished if they do not act like this. Statistically men are represented as being extremely violent and aggressive. For example, 99.8% of the people in prison convicted of rape are a man, which means only 0.02% of the people in prison for this crime is a woman which is miniscule. In newspapers crimes such as people being assaulted are never shown as ‘man assaulted woman’ etc, they are nowadays shown as ‘a woman has been assaulted’. This could mean that the media just assume that everyone knows it’s a man because of reasons like statistics show that the majority of the time it is a man assaulting another man or a woman. On the other hand it could be that since the media is ran by men that they don’t want to portray men as being aggressive and violent as it would give men a negative view in society.



Improved Magazine Front Cover Mock Up



This is my improved version of my mock up magazine. i believe it looks a lot more professional then the first version i did. I changed many of the aspects that are on the average magazine front cover and that i did incorrect or badly on my first version of it. For example, there wasn't a background on the front cover and nothing stood out and you didn't know where to look first cause there was just a Masthead, a key image and lots of puffs and plugs that didn't stand out and all looked a bit un-coordinated. I added a background to portray some style on the magazine to the target market and i think that it makes the front cover look alot better. Another main thing i changed was the masthead. After researching existing sport magazines i found out that they all had very basic fonts for it. i realised this and changed mine to fit accordingly with other already existing magazines. It gave my front cover alot of depth and made it look alot more professional as the audience could relate to other magazines and how it looks just as good as one on the shelf in terms of using the basic elements that make a magazine front cover. I also moved the bar code as it used to be covered by writing which made it not able to be scanned and recognised if it was used and placed on the shelf of a supermarket etc. In addition to that i changed the fonts and font colour to all white and perfectly horizontal which some people may say is a bit plain and boring but i believe it has worked very well with the dark purple background and stands out well whilst also looking professional. The Key Image stands out alot more now because of the colour of the background and how it gets lighter towards the middle which makes the key image of Lionell Messi look like it's beaming away from him which makes him look so much better. I left one of the Plugs at the bottom of the front cover in red to let it stand out from the rest which could influence my target market to take more interest at looking at my magazine. Overall i think this improved version looks much more co-ordinated and professional compared to my first version of it and if abit more work was put into it to fix the little problems up it could be sitting on a shelf next to all the other magazines.



Magazine Front Cover Mock Up

This is my first mock up of a magazine, I noticed a lot of basic elements about a magazine which i had not used or had used incorrectly. For example the point style i used for the masthead was not really relevant to the genre and audience of my target market of my 'Sport' Magazine. i found this out after researching other Sport magazines and i found that they point styles they used were really close together, basic, but still stood out. So in my improved magazine cover i will change it. Other main things on my magazine that don't really work are that there is no background and nothing really stands out at all on the front cover which is going to sway my audience away from taking interest in it and looking at it. Also there are way too many different font colours which just don't work very well together and it makes the audience unsure where to look first. The layout is also very unprofessional and the bar code has writing over it which means it would not be able to be scanned properly. There puffs are very uncoordinated in how they have been placed and the whole cover just generally looks very unprofessional. In my improved version of this front cover i will change all of these things and make it more professional.

Questionnaires

Today we were looking into what makes a good questionnaire and made a list of advantages and disadvantages. The Different forms we looked at were Factual or opinion based, tick boxes to free text responses. To get useful responses it is important to be clear about the aim of the questionnaire, and how the responses will help you. Also It can be sobering to consider the amount of data you will generate and the time it will take to analyse.

Advantages:

1. Standardised results can be easy to analyse and create graphs/charts from.
2. Large numbers of participants can be reached quickly and simply.
3. Relatively cheap and easy to set up.
4. Should be quick and simple to fill out.
5. They can be anonymous - so are useful for tackling sensitive issues.
6. Less intrusive - participants have time to think about their answers.
7. Should help reduce bias - there are no verbal or visual clues from the researcher to influence answers.
8. The format is familiar to most people so shouldn't make participants feel apprehensive.

Disadvantages:

1. Due to standardised questions it is not possible to explain any question a participant might not understand.
2. Open questions can generate large amount of data that can take a long time to analyse.
3. Participants may answer superficially just to get it out of the way.
4. Only those interested may reply, distorting your results.
5. Participants may not be willing to answer the questions - may not wish to reveal certain information about you.
6. Not really suitable for long, complex issues.
7. Forgotten questions cannot be added.
8. Occurring after the event, participants may forget important issues.

JICNARS

JICNARS - Joint Industry Committee for National Readership Survey.

A widely used concept in describing a target group market is that of social class. The most commonly used system to describe these differences within media and sales is the JICNARS social grading scale. It was originally devised as a way of measuring newspaper audiences. Despite its wide use in the media, there are a number of difficulties with this scale, not least its concept of 'head of the household' which is assumed to be male.


However, even with difficulties,
researchers still use the scale
today so they can compare                           Small upper class       --
 their results with one and
other.                                           Medium-sized middle class      -----
                     
                                                  Large manual working class   -----------

Social Grade	Social Status	Occupation
A	Upper middle-class	High managerial, administrative or professional
B	Middle-class	Intermediate managerial, administrative or professional
C1	Lower middle-class	Supervisory or clerical, managerial, administrative or professional
C2	Skilled working class	Skilled manual workers
D	Working class	Semi and unskilled manual workers
E	Those at lowest	State pensioners or widows (no other earner), casual or lowest-grade workers

Magazine Terminology

Some new key terms that im using in media:
Adverts - Full Page on the inside of the front cover and on the back cover. These are the most expensive positions for advertisers to buy and the products are closely identified with the magazine's brand image and target audience.
Bar Code - this is the digital stock and security marker
Camera Shot - This is whether the camera shot is CU, MS, MLS etc. The angle is usually straight for maximum reader sense of contract with the subject.
Colour Design - This is carefully chosen for seasons and gender appeal.
Cover Image - or Key Image. The main picture, it usually portrays the readers aspirations/idealised itself, or the main topic of the magazine.
Cover Price - The retail price of the magazine; it reflects the target market and the frequency of the publication.
Date - The week or month of the issue; when the issue is distributed compared to the issue's date.
Eye line - The direction the subject in the key image is looking - usually directly at the camera / reader
Feature Article Photographs - Small pictures which are related to the main article, sometimes along side sell lines or plugs.
Font Design - The style of lettering chosen the the title and other copy.
Framing - This is another word for type of shot. but it also refers to the elements that surround the magazine etc.
Frequency of publication - This is how often issues are published; it also corresponds with the purpose and price of the magazine.
Issue Number - Each magazine is called an issue which is identified by its publication and date and usually in a numerical sequence.
Masthead - or the title of a magazine or newspaper, usually placed horizontally at the top of the cover.
Plug - Information about the contents.
Point Size - Size of the font.
Puff - Words or phrases about the magazine to boost its sales.
Sell Lines - or Cover Lines. Information about major articles inside the magazine, they have a bigger point size then plugs.
Spine - The side of the magazine. It often has the key information to identify it and the particular issue; it sometimes has its strap line here, or a plug, or additional hooks like a quiz question.
Strap lines - Slogans summing up the magazines image, usually placed close to that title, though not all magazines have them.
Studio Shot - Most cover images are shot in studios to gain the maximum sense of glamour for their subject e.g. Glamour shot.
Teasers - Short phrases from an article to tempt a reader to buy and read more...

Making Meaning

Semiotics - Semiotics are a way of explaining how we make meaning by the study of sign systems and their function in society.

Sign - A sign is the smallest single unit of meaning e.g. a Nike tick.

Anything can be a sign if we agree that it has a meaning. The particular meaning of a sign or set of signs is something that is agreed and learned through experience. Signs have no particular meaning of themselves. So gestures or elements of pictures become signs because we agree that they have a meaning.

Denotation - Denotation is a literal meaning. e.g. the thing in itself/ what you see. it is simply identifying and making notes on the graphic signs that have been used.

Connotation - Connotation is something that suggests an extra meaning by using notes from the denotation to say what the various graphic signs mean to you and what they might intend to mean to the target audience.

Iconic Signs - These are signs that appear exactly like the thing itself. It is a symbolic element within a genre which is highly charged with meanings relevant to that genre. An icon is in effect a symbol for the genre - e.g. the trench coat and trilby hat for a detectives genre.

Indexical Signs - They act by indirectly pointing/suggesting what they mean. They get their function through a connection with what they simplify. e.g smoke as a sign for fire.

Symbolic Codes - These are signifiers of meaning that totally disconnect from what they denote.

Convention -  this refers to a certain way of doing something.

Conventions and Audiences of Magazines!

I found out a lot of things about the conventions and the difference in audiences in magazines. The Brand Identity is a big selling point to a magazine, the more well known it is, the bigger the audience will be. Conventions like the 'Headline' is one of the most important ingredients on a magazine as it is one of the first things the audience see, i have found that in many magazines the 'Headline' is in front of the key image if they overlap. This is probably so that the magazine owner wants his title to be fully shown and therefore more well known in a way. Also the 'Headline' will be to do with what the magazines genre is which all helps in getting the company which owns the magazine a good revenue from it. The 'Key Image' is also a big selling point to a magazine and will draw alot of people in depending on what the image is, what the genre the magazine is and how it's presented. The 'Key image' is often sent to the back behind the 'Headline' but the main part of the 'Key Image' will always be shown generally fit to the whole front cover of the magazine, as well as this the if the 'Key Image' is a person then they will normally be in eye line with reader so that means they will be looking straight at the camera when the picture was taken. Other Conventions on the front cover of a magazine which are a big part of it are the 'Color Design' which can be a big part in attracting your audience to buy the magazine and the 'Font' is also a big factor on a magazine to attract its audience.

Advertisers use their own categories of people to define audience groupings, in addition to standard demographic groupings of age, gender, race and location. One of the Most Common is to divide or segment an audience in terms of their attitudes and psychological character:

1. Suceeders - A person who wants products that increase their power and control in life.
2. Aspirers - A person who wants products which improve their image and are fashionable.
3. Carers - A person who wants to be seen as caring for others.
4. Achievers - A person who is motivated by achievement. They are successful work-oriented people who get their satisfaction from their jobs and families. They favour established products and services that show off their success to their peers.
5. Radicals - A person who goes against traditional views and values.
6. Traditionalists - A person who sticks to traditional views and values.
7. Underachievers - A person who fails to achieve their potential, doesn't do as well as they expect.