Linking Research and Practice

As promised, some help with making links between research and practice.

Year 12 AS Media Studies

You should, by now, have completed research into comparable texts and a potential audience. You will probably have uploaded annotated magazine covers and contents pages and sample questionnaires/results.

It is now essential that you consider how this research will inform your decision making. 

Here is an example of the way in which you could present your ideas. A table like this one shows that you have made the vital link between your own research and your own practical work.

The observations that you make will, of course, depend on the texts which you have studied so don’t expect them to be exactly the same as those recorded by other students.

Observation	Impact on My Work
Most covers use a single image – often a medium shot, featuring one or two students. They are engaged in either a classroom/extra-curricular activity but a direct mode of address is employed as they look into the camera.	I will follow this convention as I intend to photograph two students and position them centrally. A medium shot will enable me to include the students whilst capturing something of the background. However, I want the students to seem unaware of the camera and engaged in the activity of film making.
The mise en scene creates a sense of a well-equipped school which promotes dynamic learning. E.g. inclusion of computers/sports equipment.	My inclusion of video cameras has been influenced by this observation. I hope that these connote a sense of creativity as well as suggesting that the school environment promotes active learning with up to date equipment. I will ensure that text referring to the activity anchors the image and makes it clear that the students are engaged in a film making project.

You must try and link your observations about the content and composition of images/ text/audiences with your decision making.

Some useful terms:

Representation ,denote, connote, iconography ,mise en scene, composition, framing, focus, foreground,colour,lighting, background, text, anchors, audience, traditional, contemporary, contrast, extend, complement, convention, follow, subvert, experiment

School magazine research: Watch out!

You might be finding it difficult to lay your hands on examples of existing school magazines. This, in itself is an interesting media issue for consideration:
Why is this?
What impact has new technology had on print editions of school magazines?
What other technologies are schools using to communicate with their students?
There also seems to be a trend for producing annual, rather than more regular magazines. In that case, are they magazines in the usual sense of the word? What will the frequency of your publication be?
It seems to be easier to find examples of magazines for Independent Schools. Should you, therefore, follow the conventions of these examples regardless of your audience? Or, if you're going to subvert them - Which ones? How? Why?

However, a consideration of these issues won't help you with your actual textual analysis - an essential step if you are going to produce an effective school magazine that follows the generic conventions!

Take care when using the internet to source examples - they are likely to be magazines produced by AS Media Students just like yourselves, rather than live school magazines!

Here are some links to online school magazines which tend to follow the conventions and layouts of print editions:

http://www.hamptonschool.org.uk/The-School/School-Magazines-new.aspx (Check out the regular publications, rather than the annual ones. Notice how they have identified specific target audiences within the school, rather than producing one publication for all students.

http://www.oratory.co.uk/downloads/School%20Magazine/Oratory%20Magazine%20Iss_169%20(Low-res).pdf (An annual magazine)

http://www.nunthorpe.co.uk/our-school/school-magazine (Links to termly magazines produced by this school up to 2009)

http://www.toorakcollege.vic.edu.au/Portals/0/magazine/TheElephant_S01_2012_web%20version.pdf (A magazine produced by an Australian school)

http://www.uhs.org.uk/for-students/school-magazine/ (A regular publication for Uxbridge High School - but like many regular magazines, it feels rather more like a newsletter than a magazine. This might be something you think about during your preliminary)