Rule of Thirds

    The ‘Rule of Thirds’ is a principle of photographic composition. This uses a three by three grid to place the object or subject as shown in the picture of the bee.

   In this three by three grid there are four intersections in the lines, as shown in the image below, the photographer would aim to place his subject closer to one outer third than the other meaning it is not central, when used effectively the photographer would analyse their subject and choose four points of interest they would like to focus on or just one or two in particular, they would place their intersections on these points, in the picture below this would be the bee’s eye in the top right intersection.

    The vertical and horizontal lines can be used to place longer subjects and ensure it is in a well framed position. In a landscape shot it is a good idea to place the horizon on the horizontal line as shown below. In the picture of the young boy his eyes are in the top two focus points and set on the top vertical line.

    The idea is to create a well-balanced and natural shot. It can also make the shot more interesting showing more of the environment and enabling the viewer to act more naturally, not drawing the eye straight to the central focus point.

   Studies have shown that viewer’s eyes are naturally drawn to a point of intersection as opposed to the centre of the shot proving that the rule of third can act in a more natural way.

  In post-production editing, the effect can still be created with cropping and re-framing which can change the viewer’s interaction with the image completely.

Examples using the Rule of Thirds

In this image I placed the grid on the bottom right intersection

In this image I have used the top horizontal line to place the grid, as the viewers eyes are drawn to the line they will immediately see the contrast.

The tree is placed on the first left vertical line as this is a long subject and it ensured that it is well framed. The Rule of Thirds has made this shot very natural and this would not be the effect had the tree been central in the frame. The bin is set on the bottom left intersection, the viewers interaction with this image is very interesting as there is a lot to take in with out being immediately drawn to the centre.

The Rule of Thirds in this image has created a very natural shot. The trees are set on the left vertical line and the wooden board near the bottom left intersection. The wall also meets the scenery on the right vertical line and unintentionally the sunlight beams through the trees at the top left intersection. This means the viewer can interact with this image a lot.

In this image the tree is set on the left vertical line with the green building consuming most of the image, creating a very natural shot. This is also supported by the tree being set on the left and not central.

In this image the white parking line is set on the left vertical line and the building on the top right hand intersection.

In this image the rock is placed near to the bottom left intersection, the bolder parts of the gate are set on the left vertical line and the fence meets the grass on the bottom diagonal line. As previously stated, placing a longer subject, such as an horizon or in this case the meeting point of the fence and the grass as it ensures the image is well framed.

In this image the branch is placed on the top right intersection with most of the image being consumed by the tree its self.

In this image the Rule of Three ensures the building is not central, therefore creating a more natural shot.

Magazine Terminology

Headline: Catchy title for the main article
Buzz Words: "Wow", "Exclusive", "Free" are all examples of this. Words that create a buzz for  the reader, euphemism.
Puffs: Colourful boxes promoting features inside. 
House Style: A magazine's distinctive design that distinguishes it from its competitors. including colours, font and images.
Strap Line: A slogan
Banner: Text which stands out on a coloured, usually block coloured background generally at the bottom of the magazine.
Copy: The Main Story in the Magazine.
Anchorage Text: The way in which text helps to pin down the meaning of a picture and vice versa.
Pugs: Placed at the top left and right corners of the paper and are known as the 'ears' of the page. The price of the paper, the logo or a promotion are often positioned there.
Motto: Memorable phrase that is recognisable to a brandSell Lines: Text on the front cover that helps to sell the magazine to the audience.
Caption: Description of the main image
Masthead: Name of the magazineLead: The introductory paragraph of an article. Usually written in bold or capitals.
Drop Capitals: Really big letter that starts off an article.
Bleed: The extension of an illustration beyond the type area to the edge of the page.

Break of the Book: The allocation of space for articles, features, and all material printed in the book.

Folio: The page number, date and name of the periodical on each page or spread

Semiotics

    Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols which signify something which may not so obvious to all and may need a certain aspect of shared understanding and tradition.
   Two theories I have looked in to are Ferdinand Sassure's Dyadic Semiotic System and Pierce's Triadic System.
    Ferdinand Sassure (1857 - 1913), proposed the Dyadic Semiotic System showed that signs are purely psychological and only make sense in a formal abstract system. The sign, otherwise known as the signifier would be the actual symbol or the denotation. The signified is what this represents, the connotation.

   A sign does not represent what the object means, for example the image of a cat makes us think automatically of a cat, however a the word cat does not look, take shape or sound like the actual animal.
   Sassure believed that signs do not represent reality but construct it, we come to know the world through language. The relationship between the sign and signifier is not a matter of personal choice, "it is because the sign is arbitrary that knows no law other than tradition".
  Charles Sander Pierce's (1839 - 1914), Triadic System categorised signs as he believed the audience understand different signs in different ways. His three most important categories are: index, icons and symbols. The category in which the symbol lies is dependant on the relationship between the referent, which is the sign its self and the actual meaning.
  Index: The signifier is no arbitrary directly connected to a sign. They refer to their objects through a causal link, for example, smoke is an index of fire and physical pain is an index for abnormality in the body. The relationship between the sign and the object is that they have something in common as the object generally effects the sign.
    Icon: An icon is a sign that represents an object by resembling it, examples of these include pictures, maps and diagrams. The relationship is one of similarity. There is a relationship as the features of the signifier bare similarities to the signified.

Symbols: There is no relation or link between the referent and meaning. Symbols refer to their objects through law, rule, tradition, culture, institution and convention among others. Examples of this are words and numbers. This means with many things signs can be perceived by different viewers in many different ways. For example the referent of a mother may have other meanings to others such as mum, mom, mother or mam.

  

Market Research: Quantitive Data - Questionnaire

I have created a questionnaire to carry out market research before creating my magazine. In order to give the audience what they want I first must research it as stated in the "Qualitative and Quantitive Data" blog. Please take your time to fill out my Questionnaire.

Market Research: Qualitative and Quantitave Data

     Before creating a magazine, market research is a necessity before creating the final product. This will ensure the product meets your customers' needs and their preferences for the chosen genre. Two types of research are qualitative and quantitative, which are both forms of field research.
    Qualitative research is by definition explanatory. It is used to understand the personal views of the audience and their beliefs, attitudes and opinions. Methods tend to be in the form of open questions on questionnaire's, interviews. Qualitative research can be very efficient and can lead to a deeper understanding of the audience, however it can be very time consuming and cannot be easily evaluated as it is non-numerical with different perspectives and ideas, it is therefore hard to categorise.
   Quantitative research is conclusive in its purpose and focuses on a wider audience and their wants, needs and preferences. It will recommend a direct and final course of action. Methods of this may include closed questions in questionnaires and surveys. This is very simple to categorise and evaluate as the audience will simply answer the questions asked without a personal in depth view, although this could be to a disadvantage to the market researcher as they don't get a whole overall view point from their audience.
   For the research I will carry out, I aim to use both qualitative and quantitative research as I do not want to compromise my research as each reveals different perspectives. A magazine journalist and editor will carry out their individual market research before setting out to create the final product. Large magazines may have vertically integrated full time market researchers as it is a huge task that costs a lot of time and money.

Primary Research

Definition: Information that comes directly from the source, which is the customers and consumers of the magazine. The institute can compile this information by themselves or hire someone else to gather it for them as their market research is such a huge task and covers an extremely wide market.

   Primary research can be carried out via questionnaires, surveys, observation, consumer panels, consumer testing, postal surveys, telephone interviews, online surveys, face to face surveys, focus groups and test marketing among other methods.

  Advantages include:

  Addresses specific research issues, greater control, it will not waste money like secondary research,  unbiased information,  Data is direct from the population and the market, proprietary information and first-hand experience with the consumers.

Disadvantages include:

  Large volume of uncontrolled data, time consuming, expensive, possibility of false information and the possible lack of skills and expertise of the researcher.

Secondary Research

Definition: Secondary research is previously carried out research that has already been compiled and organized by another company. This can be from government records, trade unions and possibly from competitor’s public records. It can also come from public sources, commercial sources and educational institutions.

 Examples include reports, theories and studies, newsletters, newspapers and magazines.

Public Sources: These include government and business departments in public libraries and on the internet. This is usually free and easily accessible.

Commercial Sources: These include research, trade associations, financial institutions and publicly traded corporations. Can be very valuable and more reliable than others however they usually do involve cost factors such as subscription and association fee.

Educational Institutions: Conducted in places of education, usually colleges and universities. Information can be very valuable.

Advantages:

     Ease of access to information, low cost to acquire information, small volume of data, it is not time consuming, inexpensive and the possibility of false information

Disadvantages:

    Does not address specific research issues, can waste of money, lack of control, data is not direct, not first hand experience and out of date information.

   Research will meet the aim of meeting the consumers’ needs as they can go directly to the source in primary research gain a better understanding of what the consumers want.

Marketing Mix: Product, Place, Price, Promotion and Packaging

     In order to meet the consumers’ needs, the magazine may also need to consider the marketing mix. These are elements of marketing categorised so ensure the business has done all it should in terms of marketing in regards to how to meet the needs of the customer in all ways possible.

   Professor Neil Borden of Harvard Business School identified elements of a business that affect company performance and consumer influences. He stated that these elements represent a “marketing mix”. Professor E. Jerome McCarthy of Michigan State University soon after expanded upon the marketing mix, explaining that the four key elements are product, price, place and promotion.

   The key elements of the marketing mix are this includes price, promotion, place, product and packaging. The marketing mix has since been developed from the 1960’s and now offers 7 different elements, including; physical layout, provision of customer service and processes. In some cases, particularly when offering a good packaging may be included

     The reason for the additional elements is because in today’s society brands must ensure they are consumer orientated due to the large competition. Consumers want what is best for them and if McDonalds doesn’t offer this they will offer their money to a competitor.  In the 1960’s if a good or service such as a magazine was needed there were only few places to acquire the need. The magazine must be consumer orientated in order to keep their market share as consumers now have more choice.

Introduction;

 I am Alexandra Halpin, a sixth form student at Deyes High School currently studying AS Media. My reason for creating this blog is to track my coursework in the subject and allow others to see my progress in the set tasks. The brief that I have been set is to research, plan and create a school magazine and continue on to produce the front cover, contents page and double page spread for a music magazine with my choice of genre.