Planning & Pre Production

Planning using Trello:

This is a link to my Trello board- https://trello.com/b/QLRLULlM/fmp 

My Trello board is in constant use and is the one linked above that I will be constantly updating and commenting on it's progress in this part of my blog. I have used Trello to start organising and planning my FMP. I have colour coded each task. I find to do lists are the best way for me to complete tasks. With Trello, one you have completed a task you can drag it to the done list. So by the end of my FMP all my tasks should be in the done list and I would know that I have successfully executed my FMP. 

This is a link to my  general Trello board -https://trello.com/b/NtHtkK7K/fmp-general 

I also made a general Trello board which is really vague but just has some basic deadlines so I make sure everything is handed in on time. For planning overall, I referred back to my timetable which can be found in my proposal section. 

Photos from our trip to The British Museum and along the River Thames:

To be honest, I didn't find this trip very useful. I think I was focusing my FMP on London or on ancient history then the trip would have been extremely informative and useful. I did take some good photos and if I need any photos my magazine I don't to find copyright free images which is a plus side. I think I will try and organise another trip somewhere relevant to my chosen topic. 

This was my favourite picture from the whole trip and I think I may consider using it in my production if I need a background image as it is copyright free.

Planning my magazine:

The concept for my magazine is to discuss women's representation in the media throughout the decades 1960-present. The full explanation can be found in my research section. 

I have come up with a name and theme for my magazine to capture a strong, independent voice for women. I am going to call my magazine H.E.R standing for Her Every Right. The reason I chose H.E.R was because it's short and memorable. It also one of the only word to describe a lady without using the words male or man so it is a all women title. I also loved the fact that it only has three letters so i could make an acronym out of it. The reason I chose Her Every Right was because the whole magazine is about women's rights so I think it's rather fitting. 

I am going to have a very then vs now theme to my magazine. I want to capture a vintage theme whilst also keeping it modern and readable for the current market. The reason I want to capture both old and new is to highlight the evolution of the media being discussed throughout the articles in the magazine. 

Target audience:

My target audience is anyone from around age 12 onward. I mainly want to target young men and women who are not aware of the struggle women were put through to get to the stage we are at now. 

Mood board/inspiration for my magazine:

These were some of the main magazines that have inspired my idea and my magazine. Ms. is a feminist magazine that is most similar to my concept. Spare Rib magazine is no longer in circulation but was a really popular and ahead of it's time magazine. It will have a big influence on my magazine as I want it to have a vintage theme. Another magazine that will have a big influence on my magazine is Vogue as it is big on equality so I will take ideas from its articles to inspire mine. 

Annotating a magazine:

Questionnaire:

As some primary research and as part of my pre production I decided to make a questionnaire. The reason I wanted to do a questionnaire was to see the opinions of my peers, both male and female, and to see if the opinions I have are common. My questionnaire consisted of 11 questions, some visual, some multiple choice and some required them to write a short answer. I made my questionnaire on Google Forms and shared the link to all people of all ages, both genders and all backgrounds to get fair and varied results.

This is a link to my questionnaire- https://forms.gle/paGjsgZWpvsCDtbt5 

These were my results:

Question 1:

Question 2:

Question 3: (On a scale of 1-5, how much do you agree with the statement?):

Question 4:

Question 5:

Question 6:

Question 7:

Question 8:

Question 9:

Question 10:

Question 11: 

Analysing my results:

The results above are a summary of the answers, however, you can analyse the answers individually. I asked a few simple questions at the start to see who was answering and how the difference is gender and age could vary the answers given. 

Overall, I had more males answer my questionnaire than females, and the age group that answered the most was actually ages 26 or above. The questions were mainly answered the same across the board in the multiple choice questions. However, the responses in the short written answers were very interesting and useful for my research. 

The first written answer question asked was about Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines official music video. I asked 'Do you think the music video above is in any way sexist or demeaning to women? Please explain your answer'. The overall response was that people think the music video is demeaning and shows women in a vulnerable and weak light. However, some answers such as 'The chose to be in the video, yet did they have to be nude?' were interesting as they showed two different viewpoints, both of which I will now take into consideration when producing my magazine. 

The second written answer question was about two different women's shoe adverts, one from the 1960's and one from the present. The question was 'Compare the two adverts above, they both advertise women's shoes. One is from the 60's and the other from a few years back. Which in your opinion better represents women and why?'. The answers again were all quite similar to one another and the common opinion was that the present advert was better for women's representation. However, again there were some differing opinions. One person answered, 'Neither, both are aimed at white middle class women'. The reason I found this answer so useful was because it was unsure from the answers what people thought about the racial status in the adverts as my question were aimed at the sexist debate, so when this answer came up, I realised that I would have to make sure my magazine would not only have to eliminate sexism but also racism.

The last written answer question was optional, I asked 'Do you at all think men are misinterpreted and wrongly represented in the media? Please explain your answer'. Only four people responded to this. Their opinions were all quite similar, and the general opinion was that men are under pressure from society to meet certain standards to be someone, however, there is a general understanding that men are still better represented than women in most adverts. 

In conclusion, the questionnaire was extremely useful. It was easy to make and gather results and it was useful in finding out people's opinions from all different backgrounds. The common opinion is one that I share that women are underrepresented in the media, especially adverting, and consumers want to see a change from the publishers or directors behind those adverts.