Magazines: Front cover production task - learner response

 1) Add your finished magazine cover as a JPEG image.

2) Type up your feedback from your teacher. If you've received this by email, you can copy and paste it across - WWW and EBI. You don't need to include a mark or grade if you don't want to.
Mark out of 15 for Media Language: 9
Estimated A Level Coursework grade: C

WWW: Daffyd, your magazine front cover product is of a satisfactory application of knowledge and understanding of media language. The masthead, typography and layout are very similar to the house brand identity of other editions of Swagger magazine. Your choice of colour scheme of green, blue and yellow works well which demonstrate generally appropriate elements to communicate meanings throughout the product.

EBI: The first thing I would suggest is perhaps the wrong choice of costume for your cover model.
Although, I am a Man Utd fan, I’m not quite sure that this works on this front cover as it’s not typical for Swagger to feature costumes around sports. Secondly, the main cover line about Rahul should be placed at the bottom of the magazine, which again, is more typical house branding for Swagger. Having this at the top does not quite work on this occasion. Finally, the research and planning on your blog was to copy and paste magazine covers from the internet rather than type them up. This would have helped for Q2 where you had to analyse three front covers of the same magazine. It’s important to read the tasks carefully – a good lesson to learn before completing the real coursework.

3) Consider your mark against the mark scheme above. What are the strengths of your production based on the the mark scheme? Think about magazine cover conventions and the media language techniques you have used to communicate with your audience (e.g. mise-en-scene, camera shot etc.) Notice the focus on narrative in the mark scheme for Media language.

I have shown a satisfactory application of knowledge and understanding of media language; however, I didn't fit the costumes or general aesthetic that is most commonly associated with SWAGGER magazine. I used the exact SWAGGER font even though it isn't generally for public use. Focusing on costumes, the football shirt is not suitable for the narrative of SWAGGER magazine

4) Look at the mark scheme again. What can you do to move your mark higher and, if required, move up a level?
Change the costume and ensure I read all the tasks carefully.

5) What would be one piece of advice you would give a student about to start the same magazine cover project you have just completed? 
Make sure they read all the questions correctly to ensure that they are doing the task properly.