Magazine practical task evaluation

Publication to blog and analysis
Create a blogpost called 'Magazine practical task evaluation' and complete the following tasks:

1) Save your finished Photoshop magazine cover as a JPEG image and upload it to your evaluation blogpost.

2) Write an evaluation of your work: have you succeeded in your brief to create a new, original edition of an existing magazine?

I have succeeded in my brief to create a new, original edition of an existing magazine. The existing magazine I have chosen was GQ Magazine. GQ Magazine is known for looking spectacular and only the best are on GQ. I have successfully been able to complete my magazine with a unique coverline along with unique taglines. 

3) Put your cover alongside a couple of genuine covers of your chosen magazine. How professional is your work alongside genuine examples?

4) What is the strongest aspect of your work?

The strongest aspect of my work is the way the coverline and tagline has been used. The cover line has a different font with a different colour so the word stands out. The use of the fonts I have used has allowed my work to look professional and no different to a GQ Magazine.

5) What is the weakest aspect of your Photoshop magazine cover? 

The weakest aspect is not being able to fit a lot more texts into my magazine.

6) What would you do differently if you completed this assignment again?

If I was to complete this assignment again, I would use more colours and taglines in my magazine.

Magazine practical task planning

Planning
Create a SEPARATE blogpost called 'Magazine practical task planning' and complete the following tasks:

1) Plan your main flash - this is the main cover story that links to your central image.

The main flash for my main cover story that will link to my central image is: "The best dressed men in the world".

2) Plan the image you will need for the cover - model, costume, make-up, lighting etc. At this point, simply describe the image you need to capture.

The type of shot I will be aiming to capture is a Medium shot of the model. I'd go for high key lighting for my magazine front cover as it is fashion related so I will be wanting to get every single detail of what the model is wearing.

3) Write the cover lines and any additional text you need for your magazine cover.

"Most stylish men in the UK"
"Top 5 tips to be looking fit,sharp and cool"
"How to succeed with style"
"The ultimate guide to men's fashion"

4) Sketch out your cover on plain A4 paper using your written planning. Take a photo of your sketch and embed it in your blogpost.

Advertising assessment learner response

Your learner response is as follows:

Create a new blog post called 'Advertising assessment learner response' and complete the following tasks:

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).

WWW: You pick out plenty of relevant aspects to the unseen advert in Q1 but after that it is difficult to find much to credit. This needs to be a real wake-up call before the end of your Y12 exam.

EBI: You don't seem to have grasped the debates regarding masculinity, society and the media critical for Q3. Urgent revision/learning required here.

Written English is holding you back in places.

Media Theory a major weakness. Revise Mulvey's male gaze... It is the gaze of the male audience.2) Read the whole mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify at least one potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment.

For question 1, adding a little theory such as Male Gaze would've helped me gain marks. 

For question 2, I could've easily gained marks if I had added much more context and analysed more. Furthermore, I need to link my answer to modern cultural context/society.

For question 3, I need to improve the way I am phrasing sentences. I must also proof read what I am writing because some things make no sense. Furthermore, I need to expand my points and be CLEAR.


3) On a scale of 1-10 (1 = low, 10 = high), how much revision and preparation did you do for this assessment?

If i'm being honest, I'd give myself a 1 as I didn't prepare for the assessment to the best of my ability and if anything, I left revision till last minute as I had many other exams the same week which I had to also prepare for.

4) Look at your answer and the mark scheme for Question 1. What aspect of technical film language (camerawork, mise-en-scene etc.) or advertising persuasive techniques do you need to revise to improve your response to this kind of question in future?

For Question 1, I got 5 out of 8 marks. To gain full marks I should've added a little theory and revised the Male Gaze.

5) Look at your answer and the mark scheme for Question 2. What aspects of the cultural and historical context for the Score hair cream advert do you need to revise or develop in future?


Emphasis on traditional hegemonic masculinity perhaps a reaction against the gains made by
women during the 1960s culminating in the Equal Pay Act in 1970.

Aggressively heterosexual representation perhaps shows male insecurity in light of the
decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967.

Anchorage text in the Score advert reflects male insecurities in a changing world – repeated
references to ‘men’ and ‘masculine’ in design, production and use of the product suggests
an acknowledgment that hair cream was seen as a more female product in the 1960s.

The representation of the male as hunter in a foreign jungle setting suggests a reference to
the British Empire and the colonial dominance of the 19 th century.

Representation of women in the Score advert reflects the changing role of women in the
1960s to some extent. This is no longer the stereotypical 1950s housewife but still a
reductive, exploitative, objectified representation of women.

Representation of gender reinforces Judith Butler’s idea of gender as performance –
dominant/submissive gender roles clearly reinforced in construction of advert.

6) Now look over your mark, teacher comments and the mark scheme for Question 3 - the 20 mark essay question on David Gauntlett and masculinity 'in crisis'. Write a completely new paragraph for this question based on the suggested theories/answers in the mark scheme. Make sure it is an extensive, detailed paragraph focused on the question and offering examples/textual analysis from the Advertising CSPs. 


In my opinion, I believe that masculinity is 'in crisis' as females are starting to work in industries that were male dominated such as: Engineers, plumbers and builders. Furthermore, the gender pay gap (Where men used to get paid more than woman) has decreased for young women.

The Maybelline 'That Boss Life' advert has a digital influencer 'Manny MUA' who is openly gay. Older generations would see this as masculinity being in crisis because not many people used to be openly gay and being gay was believed to be wrong. However, younger generations wouldn't see Manny any different to anyone else as the younger generation is more accepting towards people who are bisexual/gay. 

Campaigns such as the #MeToo is preventing and creating awareness for sexual harassment that takes place. This could portray that masculinity is in crisis and this goes against the female gaze. This could portray that masculinity is in crisis because the norm used to be (for older generations) that women are sexual 'objects' that are there for pleasure and men think they could do whatever they want.

Magazine practical task research

Magazine practical task: blog work

Research
Create a blogpost called 'Magazine practical task research' and complete the following tasks:

1) Use your lesson notes on magazine genres and conventions to view a range of potential magazine covers. Create a shortlist of three potential magazines and embed an example front cover from each one.

GQ Magazine: 

Liverpool FC Magazine: 

Shortlist Magazine: 


2) Select your chosen magazine to create a new edition for and explain the thinking behind your choice.

My chosen magazine to create a new edition for is the Shortlist Magazine. This is because the magazine covers a range of topics such as News,Film,Style,Car,Sport,Tech and Business. Furthermore, the central image clearly has a sense of fashion by the way he is dressed, I'd want something similar with my own magazine.

3) Find three different front covers for your chosen magazine and embed them in your blogpost. Analyse the fonts, colours and typical design. What is the language or writing style? How are the cover lines presented? You need to become an expert in the design and construction of this magazine and its branding.




The colour scheme of this magazine front cover black, white, blue, baby blue and grey. The use of the colour blue symbolises strength, wisdom and trust. The colour black symbolises power, dominance and authority. These are often what most men try to be or see themselves as.
The font that is used in this magazine front cover is a bold font which says "The best dressed men in the world". This clearly suggests the magazine is targeted towards a male audience aged 18-21. On the top right of the magazine front cover it says "How to... stay cool get fit and look sharp in 2017". That is there to give men tips and advice to get fit and look sharp.

Blog task: Maybelline 'That Boss Life' case study and wider reading

Blog task: Maybelline 'That Boss Life' case study and wider reading

Work through the following tasks to make sure you're an expert on the Maybelline CSP and particularly the wider social and cultural context.

'That Boss Life' close textual analysis

Use your notes from class to write about the connotations and representations created by the following technical and audio codes. Write at least a paragraph on each:

1) Narrative & genre: narrative theory and sub-genre

In this advert, the narrative presented is trying to show how exclusive the mascara is using it would make you superior. The use of mise-en-scene within the advert creates enigma and action codes. An example of an action code is when the suit case was opened with the gold light coming out which made the audience want to know what is it.


2) Cinematography: camera shots and movement

The 'That Boss Life' advert started of with a medium   shot which panned forward as Manny and Shayla entered the hotel room. Within this shot we were able to establish the setting and where this advert is taking place. In this advert it was taking place in a urban city, most likely New York city as you can see tall buildings from the window.  When the bell boy came into the hotel room with the luggage's, the shot that was used is a crane shot. A close-up was used as Manny put on the mascara. The gold bling on his eye as he applied the mascara illustrated that he's rich/prestigious when using the Maybelline mascara.

3) Mise-en-scene: costume & props 

The use of mise-en-scene has been used effectively within the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' in terms of costume and props. The use of the bell boy ending up in a golden suit after he has used the mascara clearly portrays that the mascara will make you look rich and prestigious.

4) Mise-en-scene: actors, setting, lighting and colour

The use of Mise-en scene in terms of actors, setting, lighting and colour is very effective. In 'The Boss Life' advert they have used a 'gay man' to promote the Maybelline mascara. This subverts the stereotypes as older generations would typically see women using mascara whereas, now there is men using mascara. The setting of this video is in New York which is a modern famous city.

5) Editing: pace, transitions and visual effects

The pace of the editing starts off slow however, gradually gets faster. The use of the slow motion when Manny and Shayla throw the mascara into the air and onto the bed was very effective as it gave the audience the message that this is something you must get. The use of the visual effects (When Shayla and Manny were applying the mascara and the use of the golden blind effect on their eye) took place, this was very effective as it suggested that using the mascara will make you stand out and be just like them.

6) Graphics: text/graphics on screen

Throughout the whole advert, the Maybelline brand logo is on the bottom left of the screen however, the use of white colour went well with the advert so it doesn't distract the audience from watching the actual advert.

7) Sound: dialogue, music and sound effects

The soundtrack that was used throughout the advert matched the pace that advert. Furthermore, the soundtrack created a positive mood. Some of the sound effects that were used in the advert was the bling sound effect when the camera shot first panned onto the luggage packed with the Mascara. Further on when Manny and Shayla were applying the mascara, another bling sound effect was used.

Maybelline 'That Boss Life': wider reading

Read the following articles on this campaign:

Glamour: Manny Gutierrez Is the First Man to Star in a Maybelline Campaign, and It’s a Huge Deal
Your Story: Cosmetics giant breaks gender stereotypes by choosing male model as a face of the brand
Adweek: Maybelline Recruits Manny Gutierrez as Its First Male Beauty Star

Complete the following questions/tasks:

1) Why was this campaign such a landmark for beauty product advertising?

The campaign was such a landmark for beauty product advertising because in the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' advert, it starred Manny Gutierrez rather than other celebrities. This is a big deal because he is the first male beauty star and he is also a YouTuber.

2) What do the articles suggest regarding the changing representation of sexuality and masculinity?

The article is clearly telling us that masculinity is definitely changing and there is less pressure being put on men than there was before. 

3) Read this WWD article: Maybelline Taps Digital Makeup Influencers for New Mascara Campaign. Why might 'digital influencers' be so attractive to companies?

“We’re so excited to team up with Manny and Shayla, who are true leading influencers in the social media world, on our first video campaign that features influencers as the stars,” said Anne Marie Nelson-Bogle, senior vice president of marketing for Maybelline, in a statement. “They represented the ‘boss’ beauty attitude in this campaign like no one else could, bringing to life this message on-screen to inspire their millions of fans…to also ‘lash like a boss.’”

4) Why do you think Maybelline chose to use MannyMUA and MakeUpShayla in particular?

Gutierrez and Mitchell share a combined Instagram following of 5.1 million followers and a YouTube subscribership of 2.5 million. Gutierrez, a male whose Instagram bio reads “I think boys deserve just as much cosmetic recognition,” is the more popular of the pair, with about 700,000 more Instagram followers and a YouTube subscribership of more than 2.1 million. The digital influencer phenomenon has already spread to the mass market, and Maybelline is certainly not the first mass brand to add a male makeup enthusiast to its system — last year, Cover Girl announced its appointment of James Charles, an Instagram makeup artist, to its roster of brand ambassadors. The campaign generated buzz because Charles is a teenage boy.

5) What does the WWD article suggest is the crucial factor for brands regardless of whether they use influencers or more traditional celebrities?

Influencers continue to show their prowess in the beauty space, it is not surprising that Maybelline jumped on the bandwagon, said Wendy Liebmann, chief executive officer of WSL Strategic Retail. “Maybelline is saying, ‘We’re a very social brand and we want to maintain a younger, more digital shopper base.’” Some mass-market brands are eschewing the influencer route. Just this week, Revlon announced it was adding Gwen Stefani, a more traditionally established celebrity, to its ambassador lineup.

Media Magazine: The Changing Face of Masculinity

Now go to our Media Magazine archive and read the feature 'The Changing Face of Masculinity' in MM63 (page 15). This will allow us to compare our two advertising CSPs - the Score hair cream advert and the Maybelline digital campaign. Answer the following questions:

1) What message does the article suggest the Score hair cream advert is trying to communicate to the 1967 audience?

The score hair cream advert is trying to communicate to the 1967 audience that buying the hair cream means they will attract females. The advert used a lot of females and just one male to tell the audience that they'll be able to attract more than just one girl.

2) How does the article suggest the Score hair cream advert uses narrative to sell the product?

The ‘Score’ ad uses a large image of a grinning man dressed like a hunter with a rifle nestled in the crook of his arm. He is held aloft on a tiger- skin platform by five women dressed in sexualised hunting costume: short skirts, tied-up shirts and ammunition belts. Four women look up at him adoringly (one reaches out longingly) while the fifth, with a sultry expression, looks directly at the consumer. The advert is using female sexuality to show men they can have power: you can conquer, you will be desired.

3) What 1967 stereotypes does the article suggest the Score hair cream advert reinforces?

The 1967 stereotypes that are reinforced in the Score hair cream advert is that the ladies are there to be objectified or just for the male gaze so it encouraged men to buy the hair cream.

4) Applying Stuart Hall's reception theory, what does the article suggest the preferred and oppositional readings could be for the Score hair cream advert?

In terms of Stuart Hall's reception theory, the preferred reading for the score hair cream advert is that if men use this product then girls will find them attractive and they'll get more attention from women. The oppositional reading for this advert is that it is trying to show how women have to listen to men and men are more dominant than women. The women in this advert are sexually dressed to gain the male's attention.

5) Moving on to the Maybelline advert, why is the background of Manny Gutierrez and Shayla Mitchell significant?

Maybelline is working with its first male brand ambassador, Manny Gutierrez, a Mexican- Spanish-American beauty vlogger and Instagram sensation. The video ad touches on issues of gender representation, ethnicity and lifestyle. The advertisement tells the story of two YouTubers, Manny Gutierrez and Shayla Mitchell checking into a New York hotel room with stunning views of the city. They open up a gold, glittery suitcase and out tumbles the product that everyone wants, the ‘Big Shot’ mascara.

6) What is the narrative of the Maybelline advert?

The narrative in the Maybelline advert was that Manny and Shayla had entered a hotel room in New York and they were amazed by the stunning view. The bell boy came into the room with the luggages and Manny and Shayla opened the golden luggage. As they opened it there was a ray of gold light shining towards their face then they threw the mascara into the air and onto the bed. 

7) What does the article suggest the Maybelline advert's message is?

The ad, like its 1960s counterpart, uses an aspirational image showing two friends who do not conform to masculine and feminine ideals but are nonetheless powerful: happy in their own skin, confident in their bodies and their sexuality. -MM

8) The final section of the article focuses on masculinity. What do the Score advert and the Maybelline advert suggest regarding the changes in society and media between 1967 and 2017?


The Score hair cream advert clearly reflects the traditional values and ideologies whereas, 'The Boss Life' advert clearly indicated how views and ideologies have changed over the last 50 years.

Gender, identity and advertising: blog task

Gender, identity and advertising: blog task

Read this extract from Media, Gender and Identity by David Gauntlett. This is another university-level piece of academic writing so it will be challenging - but there are some fascinating ideas here regarding the changing representation of men and women in the media.

1) What examples does Gauntlett provide of the "decline of tradition"? How can we link our advertising CSPs (Score hair cream and Maybelline 'That Boss Life') to this idea?

Gauntlett says that twenty or thirty years ago, analysis of popular media often told researchers that mainstream culture was a backwards-looking force, resistant to social change and trying to push people back into traditional categories. He goes onto saying that nowadays, identity is seen as more fluid and transformable than ever before. This can be linked to the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' because you can clearly see that Manny is gay and nowadays gay people/ the LGBT community is more accepted whereas, back in the 80s/90s it would be against the law to be gay.

2) How does Gauntlett suggest the media influences the way we construct our own identities?

Gauntlett suggegsts the media influences the way we construct our own identities. They do this via Magazines which promote self confidence, information about sex, relationships and lifestyles which can be put to variety of uses. Everything that is shown in the magazine tells the reader, if you can be like this you'll have the perfect relationship, sex life etc. This way the magazine is influencing the reader to be a certain way (Change their identities) in order to have all of this. Furthermore, television programmes, pop songs, adverts, movies and the internet all also provide numerous kinds of 'guidance'.


3) How do the two CSPs reflect the generational differences that Gauntlett discusses? Is it a good thing that the media seems to promote modern liberal values?

In the Score Cream Hair advert, you can clearly see that men were represented as more dominant as the male in the advert was holding the gun and being carried by girls and women are presented as objects and things to keep men happy. In the advert the male character was being carried by females and the females were looking up to the male character which clearly portrays that the female are the vulnerable ones in this case and the male is more superior. 

Surveys have found that people born in the first half of the twentieth century are less tolerant of homosexuality,
and less sympathetic to unmarried couples living together, than their younger counterparts.
Traditional attitudes may be scarce amongst the under-30s, but still thrive in the hearts of some over-65s. We cannot help but notice, of course, that older people are also unlikely to be consumers of magazines.

the mass media has become more liberal, and considerably more challenging to traditional standards, since then, and this has been a reflection of changing attitudes, but also involves the media actively disseminating modern values. It therefore remains to be seen whether the post-traditional young women and men of today will grow up to be the narrow-minded traditionalists of the future. 

4) Why might Manny and Shayla be a good example of the role models that Gauntlett discusses - and also demonstrate how those role models have changed in recent years?

Gauntlett discusses role models as an important concept, although it should not be taken to mean someone that a person wants to copy.Instead, role models serve as navigation points as individuals steer their own personal routes through life. (Their general direction, we should note, however, is more likely to be shaped by parents, friends, teachers, colleagues and other people encountered in everyday life). Manny and Shayla are good examples of role models because they're creating/spreading awareness towards their younger audience and shows them it is okay to open up and its something you shouldn't be ashamed of.

5) Why does the Score hair cream advert provide such a good example of traditional masculinity? How can you link this to Gauntlett's discussion of whether masculinity is in crisis?


The Score hair cream advert provides such a good example of traditional masculinity not being in crisis because clearly the male in the advert is being praised. The advert suggests that people who are using the hair cream will be able to get girls. The male in the advert was surrounded by females and the male was holding a prop which was a gun which suggests that the male has more dominance.

6) Gauntlett consistently argues that masculinity is not in crisis. Can the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' advert be used as evidence of this?

It could be argued that masculinity is in crisis as older generations aren't used to people being openly gay. In the past, being gay was a crime however, now there is a LGBT movement to support those who are gay. For younger generations, this is seen as normal and many celebrities/young people are more comfortable to come out and not be embarrassed about it. 

7) Does advertising still reinforce the "conventionally rugged, super-independent, extra-strong macho man" that Gauntlett discusses? Offer examples for both sides of the argument from the wider advertising industry.

People could argue that yes it still does reinforce toe conventionally  rugged, extra-strong macho man because it is still in popular culture and it still circulates around the internet.
8) Gauntlett discusses the idea of 'girl power' and offers examples from music and film. Does advertising provide evidence to support the idea of 'girl power' or is the industry still reinforcing traditional representations of men and women?

One of the most obvious developments in recent pop culture has been the emergence of the icons and rhetoric of 'girl power', a phrase slapped into mainstream culture by the Spice Girls and subsequently incorporated into the language of government bodies as well as journalists, educationalists, culture critics, and pop fans themselves. Magazines for young women are emphatic in their determination that women must do their own thing, be themselves, and/or be as outrageously sassy and sexy as possible.

9) Do you agree with Gauntlett's argument under 'Popular feminism, women and men' where he suggests that younger generations are not threatened by traditional gender roles and are comfortable with social changes? Does advertising (and our CSPs in particular) provide examples either reinforcing or challenging this idea that younger generations are more comfortable with changing gender roles?

McRobbie further argues that 'This dynamic of generational antagonism has been overlooked by
professional feminists, particularly those in the academy, with the result that the political effectivity
of young women is more or less ignored' (ibid). There is an interesting parallel here with the
scholarship on men and masculinity - the texts on masculinity are largely focused on the difficulties
of middle-aged or older men who find it hard to shake off traditional masculine archetypes. And

perhaps predictably, these studies are apparently written by middle-aged or older men who also cannot help bringing in the older tropes of masculinity.

10) How do the two advertising CSPs show the changing 'diversity of sexualities' that Gauntlett suggests?

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people are still under-represented in much of the
mainstream media, but things are slowly changing. In particular, television is offering prime-time
audiences the chance to 'get to know' nice lesbian and gay characters in soap operas, drama series
and sit-coms (see chapter four). Tolerance of sexual diversity is slowly growing in society (chapter
one), and by bringing into people's homes images of sexual identities which they might not be
familiar with, the media can play a role in making the population more - or less - comfortable with
these ways of living.

11) What examples from advertising does Gauntlett provide for the changing nature of gender in society (from the section on Judith Butler's Gender trouble)?

Judith Butler's manifesto for 'gender trouble' - the idea that the existing notions of sex, gender and sexuality should be challenged by the 'subversive confusion and proliferation' of the categories which we use to understand them. The binary division of 'male' and 'female' identities should be shattered, Butler suggested, and replaced with multiple forms of identity - not a new range of restrictive categories, but an abundance of modes of self-expression. This joyful excess of liberated forms of identity would be a fundamental challenge to the traditional understandings of gender which we largely continue to hold onto today.

12) How can the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' advert be applied to Judith Butler's work on 'gender trouble'? ("The binary division of 'male' and 'female' identities should be shattered, Butler suggested, and replaced with multiple forms of identity...")

Judith Butler suggested and replaced with other forms of identity, not a new range of restrictive categories, but an abundance of modes of self-expression. 

13) How can our two advertising CSPs be used to argue that power has shifted from media institutions to audiences? (Clue: how did Manny and Shayler from the Maybelline advert first become famous?)

Maybelline have intentionally used these two electronic effects, as a result of their broad internet organizing following. Thusly, media associations use these two automated influencers to expose issues decidedly for their thing as they most likely am mindful these two have a tremendous fanbase and along these lines their picture will get apparent, on a progressively broad scale.

14) Why is advertising such a good example of the 'contradictory elements' that Gauntlett discusses with regards to the mass media? In other words, how does advertising continue to both reinforce and challenge gender stereotypes?

We cannot bring this discussion towards a close without noting the inescapable levels of contradiction within popular culture. Although we may occasionally find ourselves saying that 'the mass media suggests' a particular perspective or point of view, the truth is that not only is 'the mass media' wildly diverse, but that even quite specific parts of media culture put out a whole spectrum of messages which cannot be reconciled. It is impossible to say that women's magazines, for example, always carry a particular message, because the enormous range of titles target an equally diverse set of female audiences.

15) Finally, Gauntlett makes a clear case that things change and modern identities are increasingly fluid. How do our advertising CSPs demonstrate the changing attitudes towards gender and sexuality in society?

As we have noted numerous times, things change, and are changing. Media formats and contents change all the time. Audiences change too, albeit more slowly. Views of gender and sexuality, masculinity and femininity, identity and selfhood, are all in slow but steady processes of change and transformation. Even our views of change itself, and the possibilities for personal change and 'growth', have altered over the years.

Advertising and Marketing index

Advertising and Marketing index

1) Advertising: Introduction - narrative in advertising
2) Advertising: persuasive techniques
3) Advertising: the representation of women in advertising
4) Advertising: Score case study and wider reading
5) Advertising: Maybelline case study and wider reading
6) Advertising: Gauntlett - Media, Gender and Identity reading and questions