Media Terminolgy

To help make my music magazine look as professional as possible I need to be able to use Media terminology and understand what the terms mean

I shall be using print terms such as;

• Serif
• Sans Serif
• Uppercase 
• Lowercase
• House style
• Mid shot
• Close up
• Long shot
• Wide shot
• Extreme close up 

 These terms will help me with the overall presentation however they may not help me with the initial construction of my magazine pages.

Bleed printing is a technique used by many if not all professional printing companies. It helps ensure that no mistakes are shown at the edge. This method will help me to ensure a professional cut  The picture to the left explains the term 

 1- Shows the trim where the product will be cut.
 2- Shows where the 'Bleed' is, it is a safe zone outside the trim area
 3- Is the margin which is a safe zone inside the trim area

M.I.R.A is a term which will help me to construct my magazine but it will also arise questions for other magazine types.
M- Media form. Movie, TV, Magazine
I-   Institution. Who made it?
R-  Representation. Who or what does it show?
A-  Audience. Who is it for?

'Pass along audience' is also important to consider when researching your target audience. These readers are also known as a 'secondary audience'. These readers are not people who actually buy the magazine. This could be due to the fact the magazine has been left around the house or found in a dentist waiting room.

When constructing my magazine I will need to consider the use of Gutters and Alleys. The gutter in a magazine, especially a two page spread allows room for the binding eg the staples. It also ensures that the text wont get lost between the two pages. An alley is used to make the text more clean on a page. A magazine often uses columns and an alley is used to seperate the two texts to make it easier to read.

A Strap line is a short 'slogan' which is used to identify brands eg Tescos 'Every Little Helps'. I will need to include one of these whilst producing my magazine as it will make my magazine identifiable just by the memorable slogan. A strapline is also known as a 'tag line' which is used to strengthen the memorability of the individual product.

Pug is a media term which describes the extra information seen at either side of the title- like ears (hence the name pug). This will able me to add snippets of information on my front cover.

I also may use a Call out/Pull quote in my magazine. These are small pieces of text from an article inside the magazine- often no longer than a few words long- which will engage and interest the reader/buyer. They are normally very short and snappy.