Audience Feedback Questions

These are a selection of questions for my audience feedback. This is so I can see whether my media text had the impact on my audience that I wanted and how well it might be received in real life.

• What is your sex/gender?
• What is your age? (Will include several options, e.g - 12-18)
• Do you read newspapers often? (This'll be multiple choice, e.g - never, once a month et cetera)
• Which newspapers do you usually read?
• Regarding the above question - why?
• Would you read my paper?
• If you were new to the city, (Bristol, UK) then what would you infer about the city, from the paper?
• Please write down what you think of The Bristol Nomad's layouts (e.g- professional) and why you think this.
• What do you think the ideology of the paper is? e.g - morals, political standing et.c
• What are your views?
• Do you think that the ideology of the paper matches some of your views? Which?
• Do you think that there is a hole in the market for a paper such as this?
• What do you think of the photographs?
• Looking at the adverts in the paper, would anything in them interest you?
• Do you think the articles are relevant to a local Bristol paper?
• What do you think of the newspaper articles in Nomad?
• Do you think the paper accurately represents Bristol and it's residents?

To gain feedback, as well as asking people I know (such as family, teachers et.c) I will also be asking those I know in the 'blogosphere'. Some of the questions, however will not apply to them, therefore I must choose which might apply to them, and which won't. For example, I wrote question 7 for people who don't live in, or have never been to Bristol, for example those who live in America. Hopefully I will get some useful answers I can use in my video evaluation.

Some Genre

The genre of my media text is of course, a periodical local newspaper. This encompasses a variety of conventions, most of which would be different to both international and national papers. This is mainly because local newspapers have specific content, filtered according to geographical location of the target audience, for example a Bristol paper would only report Bristol news for people who live in or near Bristol.

It wouldn't report anything about international celebrities, it wouldn't really discuss national political debates, the focus would be on anything happening in the vicinity of Bristol, or whatever region or city a local paper is based in. It's debates would be whether a new office block should be built instead of a new park, it would follow local celebs such as Banksy or Justin Lee Colins, perhaps even celebrate Isambard Kingdom Brunel or The Wurzels. People like Keira Knightley, Cheryl Cole or Johnny Depp wouldn't matter unless they visited Bristol for work or an event.

Of course, I can choose to keep or subvert conventions depending on how I want my paper to be, for example I wouldn't take up ten pages describing the top television picks for that evening, because I have more important things to put into those ten pages, such as letters from the readers or reviews of local events. People might not to choose the paper because of its ideology, but its likely that other than people with a particular political bias, the readers are going to be mass because the paper will include lots of little niche stories. For example, athletic people or males would look at sport stories, anyone with a family will look at a school related story.

Conventions of a print advert

Print adverts usually contain one or more of these features; one key image; logo; tagline; puns; contact information and colour scheme. In my adverts for the newspaper, most of these conventions are adhered to.

This has several conventions used within it, for example the pun - "Need Filling In?" works on multiple levels. It refers to actually needing some DIY done on the house and it refers to catching up on all of the local news stories. Additionally, I've deliberately left a gap before the contact information is given, as this implies that the gap needs 'filling in'. Contact details for a handy man are obligatory as obviously, without them no one will know how to get the service if they want it. The picture adds interest and is relevant to the advert as it is obviously a builder's tool. The colour scheme is blue and white because I wanted something fairly simple for this as it is easier on the eye.

I felt that having a fun, community based ad would be important in creating more verisimilitude in my local newspaper. Obviously there is a main image of the fireworks which I created in photoshop. The overlaying text states the information the reader needs clearly. I chose white for the text so that it would show up well on the black background. I felt that the font had a rebellious 'rocker' feel to it, which matches with the Guy Fawkes plot against parliament/ bonfire night. The colour theme is purple, black and white which seems simple in words, but I wanted it to stand out so that the 'event' would get publicity.

This ad isn't actually in the paper as I couldn't find enough space to fit it in. I also felt that the two adverts above were enough. There is a key image which connotes rehabilitation and relaxation and I felt that making the practitioner a doctor would make the advert seem more credible. Also, the paper would support alternate therapies  due to the nature of its ideology. My audience research indicated that these tree types of ad - practical, event and holistic therapy were the most popular and noticed adverts. These adverts aren't very glamourous, and are also typical of a local, low budget newspaper, rather than a magazine or national newspaper for example;

(Older) simple and practical advert page

Instead of;

A glamourous car - status symbol

A state of the art mobile - care free escapism

A more elaborate form of advertising
It makes you look twice and keep the image in
your mind

See the difference? However, that's okay as it is a local newspaper convention. And although the more glamourous adverts conform to more conventions, it doesn't matter as the product or thing that they're trying to advertise is completely different. I did not try to go for a complicated or elaborate technique of advertising as some adverts (See Virgin Media Radio advert above). However, I have tried to modernise my adverts a little through more contemporary design than line after line of serif text.

Bristol Nomad Poster (Subsidiary Task)

Toady, I have begun to plan and create my poster. I was not able to find ANY real life examples of newspaper posters, apart from those with a main headline taking up the entire page, like so;

Not very useful...

The only conventions I can glean from these examples are that firstly, it is essential to include the newspaper's masthead/logo so that people know what brand of newspaper to purchase. Secondly, there must be a link to whatever features you have in the paper that week. I felt that my link would be to focus on the eco friendly tips feature, as this is also included in my radio ad and would create a well rounded set of subsidiary media products with verisimilitude. The image that corresponds with this is a globe, as it is also the intended front page ear image, demonstrating the content. This image will be illustrated as I feel this adds an organic, natural element to the poster as well as drawing more parallels to the ideology of the paper. I will also be including a caption stating that its in 'this week's paper, so the audience will know in the future that it is a weekly paper and will remember to buy it. As my slogan is "At the centre of YOUR universe" the text on the poster will be placed around the globe image, rather than being overlaid, so that it links in better and makes a sound visual image.

Radio Advert Script

For one of my subsidiary tasks I have to create a radio advert.

The main idea of this script is that there is a new person in town, and he meets a Bristolian in a pub. They talk and the Bristolian (of course) mentions the Bristol Nomad and talks a bit about it. Then a typical woman voice over comes on and says the title and the slogan. Afterward the two men have a bit of banter about the woman randomly appearing...

Music and ambience in background to establish pub setting.

Bristolian: Hello there! Are you new in town? 

Irish Man: Hi. Yes I am! How can I find out about all of the local [pause/mumble as if searching for something to say]... news and jibber-jabber?

Bristolian: Well mate... you could try the Bristol Nomad!

Irish Man: What's that then?

Bristolian: Well it's the local paper int' it? Ever' one reads it. It's got news, debates, sport, competitions, jobs and this week it has a load of them eco friendly tips for yer house and that. All for just 20 pence see?

Irish Man: Well. That's pretty good, I might get myself a copy or three [pronounced tree]

Random Woman: Bristol Nomad - At the centre of YOUR universe. 

Jingle Plays and then silence.

Bristolian: Where'd she come from then? 

Irish Man: I don't know, but she's...gert lush innit?

Bristolian: Now you're getting it mate!

Woman: Don't objectify me please!

Both Men: Sorry!

I felt the humour would make the reader connect more to the brand. I also added in a little hint at the ideology of the paper with the part about 'eco friendly tips'. I might omit the objectification part as it doesn't really fit in with the rest of the comedic banter. In addition to this, the Bristolian mentions that everyone reads the paper, to persuaded a potential audience member to buy or read the paper. I used colloquial language to emphasise where the characters are from, as this is key to the narrative of the advert. Obviously the way the advert sounds is key so I also made sure the accents would be exaggerated and more stereotypical, for example, the Irish character saying 'tree' instead of 'three'. Again this is to emphasise where the characters are from. I'm hoping that having characters of both gender will attract a range of audience members. The price was added to show that the paper is a bargain 'all' and 'just' emphasise this.

I hope that the ambience in the track will help the
listeners imagine this type of setting. Pub culture and
socialising is very important in Bristol and I
want the readers to feel part of a community.
In real life this would hopefully bring in more revenue and
 higher readership as I discovered
 people tend to stick to just ONE paper.

The radio advert needs to be quite short, around 30 seconds to a minute long so that it has more of an impact.

I couldn't find ANY radio adverts for a newspaper to model off of, so I listened to other adverts and watched some television adverts to do with both newspapers and magazines to see what they've included and translated the conventions into my script.

I've already got somebody lined up to do both the Bristolian role and the Irish role, and I can do the female character's role. For this I will need to use garage band, sound bible and a microphone for recording the voice overs.

Article - "School Celebrates Brand New Bursary"

This is a more lengthly article that I felt would fit in well with the conventions of a local newspaper as well as being an opportunity to tie in a hint of the Nomad's political views.


"Local Saint Micheal’s C of E Primary school has been learning all about local historical figure, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. There were several different events and activities for each year group. This included an exiciting vidit to the SS Great Britian for the year one  class. The lucky children recived several workshops, a tour from the staff members and free ice cream, courtesy of Tarrs. We asked the kids what they thought of their trip, Joe, aged 5  says “It was a really good day and I really like this hat. Do you know if there were any pirates on here?”5 year old Maddie added “Can I have some more ice cream please? It’s really yummy.” This day was organised in light of a recent bursary the school recived from the National Lottery. Over 300 schools across the nation have recived this bursary to assist any schools brutally hit by the recession. To celebrate, the teachers and govenors thought it best that St. Michael's primary celebrate in an educational yet fun way, and thought that tying in the famous inventor Brunel a good idea as the children to learn about Bristol City history. Even our Prime Minister credited the desision, one of his best choices so far in his reign over  ‘broken Britian’. Other events at the school included a performance of a short play, devised using information the children recived about the engineer. There was also an art class based on distorted images of Brunel’s work. Furthermore, there was a prize for the best suspension bridge model. Mrs Lorre, head teacher of the school says “We are delighted to recive this money. Hopefully it will give us all a new lease of life and create a better future for the children”. We at Nomad think the this is a positive step toward making our nation great again, but there’s a long way to go. Watch our footage of the day at www.bristolnomad.com"

I added interactivity with the mention of the Nomad's website. I also though adding quotes from the children would make sceptics about the scheme [if there are any] more agreeable toward it, as they can see its benefits. As mentioned within the article, Isambard Kingdom Brunel is an important figure in Bristol history so I felt it perfect to tie in as this would appeal to the readers proud of their heritage and inform others about Bristol history.

The photo for this will be 5 year old 'Joe' in front of the ship wearing a top hat. The top hat is of course mentioned in the article and is commonly associated with Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The child will also be wearing school uniform as this fits in with the fact that he is on a school trip. I've already got somebody lined up for this role [my brother] and some transport so we can get to the location.

Brunel and his famous top hat.

Article - "Ethical Store Debut"

Another news in brief story. I felt it appropriate for the paper to cover this as it is an ETHICAL store, and the paper is interested in all things ethical.

"The Source, a brand new ethical clothing store is due to launch on Saturday. The new shop, located on Park Street sells fartrade and handmade clothing for competitive prices. Ella and Samual Raines own and mangage the innovative venture and would like to invite members of the public to a launch party on Friday evening. Refreshments will be provided and the lucky party guests will be able to preview the mechandise as well as recive a discount for the first day of sales. The party begins at 8PM and is located at the shop, which is the College Green end of Park Street in central Bristol."

I felt adding an invite would help the reader feel more part of the Bristol community, perhaps if they're new to town. Additionally, shop parties are quite common in Bristol and I've even been invited to a few, however through fliers being handed out in the street rather  than through a paper. It seems like a shop would need the publicity though.

I have not yet taken a photo for this however, if I do it will be of the shop owners standing outside of their new shop.

Article - "Rare Cat Rescued" :P

This is another news in brief story. I did this one as I felt it was comical because it is so typical of a local newspaper 'fluff' story.

"A rare moggy named Bill has been safely retrieved from the fronds of a tall tree in the Staple Hill area. His rescuer, Jamie Norse, spotted the cat whilst walking through the park whilst off duty from his career as a fire officer. The cat was later taken to a local animal sanctuary and its owner was  quickly found due to a microchip implated in its ear. This time, it seems that microchipping your pets is a good idea! The owner would like to thank Mr Norse for his thoughtful deed."

I  felt the colloquial use of language 'moggy' made the piece more light hearted. I also added in a little hint at some of the paper's ideology with the line 'this time it seems like microchipping your pets is a good idea!' this suggests that the paper thinks that microchipping your pets is unethical. 

I have not yet taken the corresponding photograph for this story, however it will be easy to do as I have two pet cats at home and a back garden with a few trees. I feel taking a low angle shot of the tree would be quite artistic however a shot of the 'fireman' with the cat may be more appropriate for a newspaper. If this is the case then I have a few people in mind who I can ask and will be readily available.

Article - "Student Wins Writing Comp"

The word competition at the end of the title is shortened to fit in with the layout. Again, this was a fairly simple article to write and it is again, fairly short as it is another news in brief type story. As newspapers often have articles to do with successful students at GCSE results day [for example] I thought this would fit in well to the paper.


"Local student, Amelia Greenstreet has been awarded a prestigeous writing prize for a short story competition she entered in mid July. The piece, entitled “The Betrayal” follows the story of a young scavenger on a quest for her tribe, accompanied by her fox companion, Aku. However, it is soon revealed that she has been set up. Amelia says “I’m so happy! I never thought I would win! This is a fantastic opportunity.” Read Amelia’s story online at www.bristolnomad.com or buy the competition anthology at www.airwriting.com."


I thought adding the option to go online and read the story added more interactivity to the newspaper. I also thought promoting the competition would be a good idea because papers often do promotions or advertisements for things they think to be worthwhile. For example, Lush Times, although a newspaper dedicated to organic, vegetarian friendly soap, promoted an entire campaign against biofuels and asked people interested to sign an online petition. I feel adding this element would make the reader feel more like a part of a community rather then just another profit source for publishers and other big companies. 


I have taken of myself to pose as the student. I thought this appropriate as I am a student myself and obviously look young enough. It was posed and taken against a white background to make it look more professional and was a 'shoulder up' shot as this is a common convention of photographs in newspapers.

General Conventions of Newspapers

-         Made of newsprint

-         Bold, big headlines

-     Not much colour

-         Masthead – name, date, price, internet address, award, stars

-         Type of paper, e.g. tabloid or broadsheet

-         Puzzles and free giveaways

-         Images (photos, graphics, maps)

-         Weather

-         Adverts (classified, dating page, independent companies et.c)

-         Sections (business, sport, entertainment, racing)

-         Columns/articles

-         Double page spreads

-         Letters from readers

-         Horoscopes, cartoons, TV/radio guides, obituaries

-         Announcements

-         By-lines – name of journalists writing the story

-         Sub-headings

-         Most important information first in the article

-         Weekend newspapers – bigger, more expensive with colour supplements (like magazines)

-         Reviews (films, gigs)

-         Pun-based headlines (more common in tabloids)

-     A house style, bacically, also: their websites will stick to this to be recognisable

Article - Saint Nicholas' In Danger of Closing

This is probably the biggest article I have had to complete as it continued from the front page into a debates page. In addition to the main article,  I also had to write two pieces from 'columnists' and some quotes from 'random people' off of the street, asked about their opinions on the issue.

"Popular market St. Nick’s has been revealed this week to be in danger of closing.These ‘permanent’ market buildings are located on Corn Street, near the Broadmead shopping district. Saint Nicholas Market is home to many colourful and beloved independent retailers,bringing together a variety of goods, including art, wholesome food and alternative clothing. This iconic location is a grade one listed building, and so may not be demolished or renovated without consensual contracts."

This is the section included on the front page and then a jump line tells the reader to go to page 9. It then continues

"... Apparently this is not enough to protect it from Bristol City Council, who, wish to turn the entire building into offices. One unnamed council member claims it will bring in more revenue, is this a good enough reason? We ask this week’s columnists; Annalise Bogart and Imogen Tentet."

This then goes onto the opinion pieces from the 'expert' columnists. The main idea of each piece is summed up into a quote, which acts as a title for each section.

"Upon entering this market, I am hugely disappointed. The stalls have nothing I want to buy, the integrated smell of the different food stalls fail to entice me. The  hype is worth nothing. The City council will do well to convert this building into an office block, besides, Britain is in a recession, yet many seem to have forgotten that and have opted to carry on as normal. The renovation will barley damage the building, many features will be kept in their original condition. Much of the building is already hiring out offices, and what harm do they do? Nono, in actuality, the average office space generates over £200 per calendar month. Despite the concerts in the sixties, many customers and even  some of the stall owners don’t remember them. They are too young! In this day and age, we should not be nostalgic, we should be proactive and secure our new generations’ futures. Imogen Tentet."

Then the next piece immediately follows;

"Wondering around this treasure trove on a saturday afternoon is close to my idea of bliss. These independent stalls  are the only decent accumulation of traders I can find within this area. When I look around, gone are the ideas of meagre markets in small towns, selling cheap merchandise at unnecessarily high prices. Not only can I assimilate this bustling community with joy, but I can also notice the architectural achievement John Wood The Elder completed in 1743. This historical building have unique and innovative features, including the nails on the boulevard, essential trading posts from the Edwardian era and the antique clock, featuring several different hands for different times in many locations. Then I fast forward, thinking of my memories from the 1960s, when legendary bands played at the exchange, including the epic Rolling Stones. This brilliant little market should not be subjected to the whims of City Bristol Council. So what if hiring out this beautiful building as offices will bring in more revenue, what about the revenue created from the stalls and their trade, especially during the tourist season? If St. Nick’s closes, the city will have an uprising. Annalise Bogart."

Afterwards, there come three quotes from various members of the public with the caption - What Do You Think?

I have already taken the photograph for this story. I took it at the entrance of St Nicholas' Market in Bristol on Corn Street in the evening so that it would look more artistic. I took it from a low angle so that it would look more impressive as I was to readers to be more bias towards St. Nick's not closing.

A google map view of the area.

My finished photo

Article - "Criminal Captured and Convicted"

I noticed during my research that many titles to articles have word play and alliteration. Originally I was going to make the title "Thief Captured and Punished" but I thought the newer title would be more eye catching. This is quite a short article because it is a 'news in brief' type article.


"A young thief has been recently captured and convicted of several robberies commited in the Staple Hill area. Jack Bergman, 20 has pleaded guilty in Bristol City Court this week, claiming that he needed rent money. Twelve different houses have been targeted. One of the victims, Mrs Croon, 73, states “I had just got off of the bus after doing my weekly shop. I was very worried when I noticed some things were missing. I’m just glad thet my pet corgi, woofy was not harmed.” Bergman has recived a year’s community service for his actions."

I felt that a custodial sentence was too extreme for a few thefts, especially under the character's circumstances so I gave the character community service instead, even though some members of the audience would prefer greater action for political reasons. I also added that the robberies were done in the Stokes Croft area to alert people living in that area what had happened. I think that making one of the victims older would invoke sympathy in the reader. I added some humour with the quote from the female character to emphasise feelings of sympathy with the reader.

I have taken the photo for this article, Tom Howarth was my model. I asked if he could make a moody, indifferent expression. He went with looking as if he had been taking drugs, which was fine as it adheres to the criminal stereotype. I did this on a plain white background as it fit in with the traditional mugshot type photo. I also made sure the shot was a close up and on a horizontal angle. I may or may not use this photo depending on the layout. Additionally, in a real newspaper the editor sometimes will deliberately exclude photos of the criminals in case they are recognised in the street and abused by members of the public or discriminated against. I may adhere to this convention as my paper is supposed to be ethical.

Newspaper Article - "Local Journalist Returns Home"

This is the first section of the story which is featured on the front page. I did not continue it onto the inside pages of the newspaper as I wanted some variation in stories. The headline is "Emily has returned"to make it more personal to the paper as the character is a former journalist for the Nomad. This also helps to give the impression that the paper has been following her story for a little while.

As you may have noticed, I have attempted to link in real life events and current issues into the article to make it have more verisimilitude. I do not mean to offend or bring up bad memories to anybody who is actually involved in the recent uprising or has been captive.

"Ex-Nomad journo [shortened to fit layout], Emily McHenreid has returned from Africa, where she was being held captive by an organised group of criminals. McHenreid was attempting to investigate into the recent Libya uprising against Gadaffi and his forces. Whilst researching in Tripoli, a group of criminals dragged her into a stolen vehicle, the owner of which had been shot dead just two hours previously. She states “I had woken up in a small cell, mouth gagged and hands bound. Barley any light entered the cell and I had no inkling of where I was or if I would escape."

The photo shoot has not yet been done but is currently being organised. I have the props and costume, the location and a model lined up. The location is Bristol Airport, I felt that this would be appropriate as the journalist had been in another country; she had to get back somehow. The props include a bandage and some luggage. The bandage demonstrated that she has been through a bad experience in which she was treated badly. The luggage again demonstrates that she has been out of the country, additionally, it may give the impression that the photo was taken spontaneously as soon as she returned, and that the photographer was in a big group of press people, a bit like paparazzi. However, I may choose not to take this photo as the story is continued on another page which is not seen. For the front page I may take an unrelated photo linking to another story within the Nomad (which will not be seen either) to make the paper appear less fabricated.

I feel that having quotes in my articles was a very important convention to conform to as it adds to the realism of the piece and adds more primary information/evidence for the reader. I also felt it important to add in any information for the journalist's experiences, the law experts and about the conditions in Libya again, to create more realism. I did not want to have a cold lonely journalist so I added a part about her family being relived to create less brutality in the piece (this part is not seen on any of the pages however because I chose not to continue the story inside).

Newspaper Articles

Recently I've begun constructing my media product, and I've finished writing the stories and I have placed them onto my photoshop layouts. Firstly I looked at real newspaper articles and how their narrative progressed as well as looking at narrative theory and the triangle method. I then came up with some generic stories and began to plan them. All of them began with an introduction and a summary of the event, followed by any other relevant information. Finally I concluded the article and sometimes added a line asking the readers to go to the website to find out more. Obviously this website doesn't exist but I want to make my newspaper as realistic/professional as I can. I also cut some of the stories from the paper when I realised that I only needed three pages and not four. However, I moved some of the stories around as I needed to alter some of the layout, especially on the debates page. The stories I have removed are

• The charity event story. This was because I felt it was weaker than the others as it was more of an account with no real narrative structure. 
• The news in brief story on science advances. This was because I didn't really know where I was going with it or what I would even write about. Additionally, unless I linked it to Bristol in some way, for example the research was carried out at a local university, then it wouldn't be relevant to the paper as it is not supposed to be a national type paper.

I have kept all of the others as I think that these were the strongest and were more relevant to the paper. I will be putting up the stories ASAP (if I put them in this post they may make it too long).

Todorov's Narrative Theory

This theory has a circular, sequential structure. There are five main stages that can, supposedly, be applied to any media texts. These five stages are;

Equilibrium - A state of balance and calm, usually placed at the beginning of a narrative, for example the first equilibrium in The Godfather is when he is at the top of the game and in control. This aspect of narrative usually cannot be applied to newspaper articles except in accounts of events.

Disequilibrium/ Disruption -  When the established equilibrium is disturbed in some way, usually as a result of the antagonist or 'bad guy' wanting something which clashes with the wants/needs/morals of the protagonist or 'good guy'. This stage can be applied to all media forms with a narrative: films, books, games, even newspaper articles. In fact, most newspaper articles begin with a disequilibrium, for example reporting a theft.

Recognition -  The main characters/protagonist/people recognise that there has been a disequilibrium. This can be applied in most kinds of media, although newspaper articles can be described as being mostly recognition of a disruption, as it needs to report it to the audience.

Attempt to restore equilibrium -  This one is self explanatory. The main protagonists attempt to get rid of the disruption in order for their lives to get back to relative normality. This is a common convention in most media products, for example, a movie may have a big fight scene in which the protagonists and antagonists go against each other more directly. In an article, this doesn't always happen. It only happens if the problem has a resolution to gain or if the people involved attempt to get rid of the disruption. This often doesn't happen as the people haven't yet attempted this yet, or if the newspaper gets disinterested/has other news tat takes precedence.

New Equilibrium - This is when the equilibrium is generally restored, however there may be some changes, for example, in The Godfather the son takes over as the head of the gang at the end. This again, isn't always in a newspaper article for the reasons listed above. Without going through one of the stages, the narrative cannot then progress to the next stage.

Equipment List

Microphone for recording the voice over
for the radio ad subsidiary

Paper

Printer

Mac and Various Applications (Including Safari, In Design, Photoshop and Garageband)

Digital Camera

A scanner

Deadline xP

The deadline for rough drafts is the 10th October.

Adverts - Plasterer

Here I will show you how I constructed the plasterer advert.

1. Open up the image and a new file. Edit the image until just the plaster spatula remains and copy and paste it into the new file, then position and re-size. Create a new layer and fill in a white background.

2. Select the pen tool and draw several blue (window > colour) lines around the edge of the canvas, each one with its own layer.

3. Create a new layer and add text. And that's it;

I may change this and move the info below the first line down a little, for a larger plain space that could be 'filled in'. I also feel that the first line fits in with the newspaper as people often buy them to update on local news. I like this as it works on different levels.

Adverts - Firework Display

Here I will show you the long and gruelling  process I went through to create my fireworks advert.

1. Create a new document and fill in a black background using the paint bucket tool.

2. Create a new layer and select the pen tool. In the options bar, make certain that you're working with paths. Then, using the pen tool create a curved path by clicking two points, and on the second point, without taking your finger off of the click, drag to create a curve. It should end up looking like this;

3. Select the brush tool and select a white or coloured foreground colour, depending on what colour firework you'd like (I chose purple). The press F5 and under 'shape dynamics', select fade in the drop down list by control and set the number beside this to 200px. Close this box.

4. Go back to the pen tool and right click on the canvas. Select 'stroke path' and then select the brush and click 'ok'. After this, hit ESC twice and your first burst should appear. Then repeat step 2-4 until you have enough strokes.

5. Right click on the burst layer and select blending options. Add drop shadow and outer glow. This should add a glowing effect the the burst streaks.

6. Create a new layer and place it beneath the burst streaks layer. Select the brush tool and select a default brush head (this should override previous settings). Press F5 again and set the hardness to 0% and the size around 190px. Set the foreground colour to white or whatever colour your fireworks are. Click in the centre of the burst streaks.

7. Create a new layer above the streaks and select a smaller brush (50-100px, hardness 0%). Create a smaller circle in the centre of the burst streaks.

8. Select the brush tool and set it up; 

                                    

9.  Create a new layer and draw sparks around the centre of the firework. Add outer glow in the blending options.

10. Create another new layer and add sparks leading up to the firework, using the stroke path method should help with this.

11. Create another new layer and add text. Include the event title, and any other additional details. 

Taadaa!

Adverts - Hypnothearapy

I'm going to write down the process I've used to create the hypnotherapy advert. At the start I already had my plan in mind, this can be seen on the layout post. This will be slightly different to the plan as I could not get a photo of two entire red roses, but I feel the new close up works better as the colour is softer and more interesting to look at as the light if filtering through some of the top petals. I've created this in photoshop.

1. Open photoshop with the main image (in this case, the rose photo) and then re-size it to what you require.

2. Create a new layer, name it background and draw a white rectangle.

3. Go back to the layer with the rose image and delete anything on it that you don't want, for example, the background or any excess leaves. Make sure that this layer is above the background layer.

4. Create a new layer called text. Then click on the text tool and write what you want to be in the advert, such as what the advert is for, what it can help with, who's giving the service and contact details.

And there you have it;

Mini - Evaluation;  The rose image works well with the service being given as holistic therapy is often to do with nature, also, pink roses often symbolise kindness, gentleness and appreciation and the colour white is also to do with purity and calm, which is something that the treatment helps you to gradually become. The contact details are essential to an advert - how else will you get the service? Additionally, the fact that the practitioner is a doctor, this may appeal to an audience as there is evidence that they know what they are doing, obviously people can't commit libel/slander/fraud but this isn't real. It also fits in with the basic conventions of a holistic treatment advert.

Font

For my practical production, I will need to decide on a font. Often, fonts are broken down into two catogories; serif and sans serif. For instance...



Sans-serif (Arial)

 




Serif (Century Schoolbook)

'Sans' is a French word meaning 'without', therefore sans-serif means that it is without the little curls or feet. It is generally belived that serif fonts are used to make reading the text more easily, whether that be for a magazine, book or newspaper article. Sans-serif are usually used on a website so it strains the eyes less. For my production, I am hoping to use a combination of these, I will be most likely to use serif more often, perhaps for articles, and then maybe sans serif for adverts. For the masthead I'm hoping to use a fairly unique font (perhaps taken from dafont.com) in order to make my publication stand out a bit more, despite conventions, as I feel this would attract more readers. Additionally, I may want to create a more individual newspaper rather than being too conventional, of course I'm still generating ideas and may change this.

My chosen fonts are: Futura
                                  Georgia
                                  Geneva

Colour Scheme

The colour scheme will be important, as you have seen, when I was analysing some newspaper logos I had associated the colours with different things. This is what my audience will also do.

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Red is the colour of fire, blood, danger, love, energy, strength, power, determination, passion and desire. It is very emotially intense and has high visiblity, it normally brings text and images to the foreground.

Variations include;

Light red represents joy, sexuality, passion, sensitivity, and love.
Pink signifies romance, love, and friendship. It denotes feminine qualities and passiveness.
Dark red is associated with vigor, willpower, rage, anger, leadership, courage, longing, malice, and wrath.
Brown suggests stability and denotes masculine qualities.
Reddish-brown is associated with harvest and fall
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Orange is a warm colour associated with joy, sunshine, tropics and the exotic. It often, but does not always, represent enthusiasm, facination, creativity, happiness, sucess and encouragement. This also has quite high visibilty when used.

Dark orange can mean deceit and distrust.
Red-orange corresponds to desire, sexual passion, pleasure, domination, aggression, and thirst for action.
Gold evokes the feeling of prestige. The meaning of gold is illumination, wisdom, and wealth. Gold often symbolizes high quality.

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Yellow is quite difficult to see against a white background, especially when the text is narrow. When used appropriatley, however it is quite eye catching. It is associated with happiness, intellect and energy. It can also be associated with negative things, for example, warning signs or cowardice.

Dull (dingy) yellow represents caution, decay, sickness, and jealousy.
Light yellow is associated with intellect, freshness, and joy.

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Green is usually thought of as the colour of nature. It connotes freshness, growth, harmony, a novice, saftey and money. It is not s eye catching as many other colours but is normally pleasing to look at.

Dark green is associated with ambition, greed, and jealousy.
Yellow-green can indicate sickness, cowardice, discord, and jealousy.
Aqua is associated with emotional healing and protection.
Olive green is the traditional color of peace.
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Blue is often associated with depth and stability, appropriate, because it is the colour of the sky and the sea. It symbolised trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, health, tranquility, masculinity, intelligence and truth.


Light blue is associated with health, healing, tranquility, understanding, and softness.
Dark blue represents knowledge, power, integrity, and seriousness.
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Purple is associated with royalty, power, intelligence, nobility, luxury, and ambition, wealth, extravagance, wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic. Purple is a rare colour in nature and is sometimes seen as artificial.


Light purple evokes romantic and nostalgic feelings.
Deep purple evokes gloom and sad feelings. It can cause frustration.
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White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, perfection, coolness and cleanliness, modernity and technology. A variation of this could be grey. I am unlikely to use this colour except on the paper though :P
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Black is often associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. This is my most likely colour as it has easy visibility and fits in with the conventions of format.




My chosen colours are;


Purple as it is associated with intelligence, wisdom, creativity and independence, which matches with the ideology of my paper, olive green because it is associated with nature and peace, black as it is a useful basic colour and has easy visibility.