Help Media Coursework: Ideas?

[anyatara]

We were recently given our latest piece of media coursework to do, and I've been in a bit of panic, due to the fact we only have two weeks to do it. Considering I want to be a journalist when I'm older, I'd really like to get a good grade in Media, and our coursework counts for about 60% of our GCSE (For anyone not in the UK who doesn't know what GCSEs are...I'm too lazy to explain, google it. 😉 But, let's just say, they're important).

The assignment is basically to design a front cover and a page for a magazine. It doesn't sound all that hard, but we need to choose our own theme and write up exactly where our ideas came from, what ideas we had, etc, take our own photos, and design the pages on a program we've never used before in our lives. In two weeks. My biggest worry, though, is what to include in it. Which is where I need the help. My idea is 'Alternative Gossip'; and on my notes page I've briefly scribbled down things such as sci-fi and fantasy shows/movies, rock music, alternative fashion...And so on. But nothing specific, because I honestly don't know what kind of things appeal to people who aren't me.

We have to think of a target audience, which is another thing I'm kind of flustered with. My initial idea was teenagers, but to be frank I think I'd find it easier to write as though to a mixed audience? I honestly have no idea. For the page we do on the inside it can either be an article, a letter from the editors, a contents page...Anything really. I can't really decided which would be the easiest and least time consuming though. We only get five ours to do the computer work, and considering I already missed a lesson today, I kind of need to get my ideas sorted pronto.

So, does anyone have any ideas for me, in anyway? Whether it be for themes and ideas, a target audience, which page would be the easiest to design and create (I think my teacher said we'll be creating it on Publisher, which I've used once before, and I don't really like using it. I'd probably be much more comfortable using some other kind of program. If anyone has any tips for this kind of thing on publisher, that'd be good, too). I'm probably not explaining this probably, but, if anyone can be of any help, whatsoever, that would be amazing.

 

[Sweetescape]

Well erm.. not to sound well mean but it's your Coursework and your grade..shouldn't you do it yourself? Asking other people to come up with idea's means it's not your work. Plus you wont be learning/gain any skills if you get other people to do your thinking for you.
I sure as heck spent time doing my own coursework without any help, I'm sure you can.

 

[anyatara]

No, this is what we're supposed to do. Ask around for opinions and stuff, and write it in our evaluation. I'm not cheating or anything, it's part of the assignment to gather other information/opinions from people we know. But, my friends aren't really any good; because they're not into any 'alternative' stuff.

 

[ILLYRIAN]

If you've only got two weeks to collate, calculate, quantify, procastinate, make a front cover and write a page. My suggestion would be to choose something that has a lot of content written of it. And something you can take a photo of.
I.E., the dead.
The cover could be nice and simple, like a coffin with the inscription on a plaque R.I.P..
The inside page could be asking the question, 'Death what can happen.'
There's plenty to write about. Heaven, hell, vampires etc etc etc.

About the alternative stuff, once you have identified who/what that stuff is about. To them it is not alternative, hence you just defeated yourself.
It is a bit like asking what is a weed?
Is it a rose in a corn field or a corn in a field of roses?
Dictionary definition: a plant growing where it is not wanted.

 

[Black Eye Guy]

sci-fi and fantasy shows/movies, rock music, alternative fashion

If you were going with this as your theme, I'd say you could shape it more towards an Internet magazine (one that could be available for download.

The topics you've listed kinda attract internet people, so they wouldn't have a tendency to buy magazines, as they can get the information for free and more up to date online.
If you were doing an internet magazine, (going on the idea you this would be a real magazine), you would save loads on publishing costs, which would also mean you could cut down on Add Space, which allows more room for content.

The same people would most likely be pretty tech savvy, with an internet magazine available for download, it would give people access to it from Mobiles, iPods/Phones and E-Readers. E-Readers are becoming allot more popular now a days so having it available to download on that would probably be a step others wouldn't think of, with the iPod/iPhones you could always say that there is potential growth into developing an Application. And the current mobile market is saturated, in a load of countries the percent of people that have a mobile is over 100% (because of people having more then 1 phone, making up for those that don't), and even basic phones now a days can read PDF documents.

For designing your cover, what program have you not used?

Here's a tutorial to design a magazine cover in Photoshop

 

[anyatara]

Thanks for the help, everyone. I actually know more about what I'm doing than I thought I did, but still; thanks for the tips, considering I need to write an evalution and we get more marks on it if we mention where we got help and ideas from. So, thank you. 😉

The program we have to use is Microsoft Publisher, and whereas I'm okay with it, I haven't really used it that much - Is anyone familiar with it? I can get by, but there're somethings that're just stumping me.