Shot Type

The cover is a medium close up and the editor chose this shot for many reasons. Firstly there are lots of equipment being used, such as the beakers, therefore it gives the reader the chance to look at all the props used in the foreground and background. This engages the reader as it makes the picture look more interesting.

Angle

The angle is straight because, just like the shot type, it gives the reader a chance to look at everything clearly. If it was a low angle then they would not be able to see a lot of the foreground. If it was a high angle then you will not be able to see a lot of the background, therefore choosing a straight angle is ideal for the shot type.

Mise-en-scene

Many props are used in the image such as safety glasses, beakers and chemical equipment. Beloit have chosen these props to reach their target audience, who are students that are looking to go to university to study science. Therefore it grabs the students attention and it gives them an insight about what the magazine will be about. The setting is in a classroom, which further shows the magazine trying to reach out to their target audience.

Depth Of Field

Shallow depth of field makes the reader focus on a specific thing. In this case it is to make the viewer look at the woman and look at what she is doing. Also having a shallow depth of field is more relaxing for the readers eyes, because they are focusing on one specific thing rather than the whole image itself. To add on, there is no action in the background therefore there is no need to focus on the background as well. Lastly, the background is not completely blurred and this is because there is writing on the whiteboard which adds a more formal feel to the magazine, which suits a magazine of this genre.

Real or Artificial?

The front cover is very realistic because there are no bright colours or a edited background. This was done to achieve a formal overall feeling about the magazine. If the editor chose to include a artificial constructed image then many of their potential readers are unlikely to buy the magazine. Why? Because their target audience are looking for a respectable and official university, so by making it look real it adds more of an intellectual feeling to it.

Single or Collage image?

The single image enables a professional overall feeling towards the magazine, especially since it’s a magazine targeted at university students. It gives a feeling that the university is top class and very good. On the other hand if the editor chose to do a collage, then there will be lots of different images with different actions and it will make it look very excessive. If the magazine was about sports then a collage would be perfect because there are many things happening but with a picture like this it is best to make it look simple and professional.

Soft or Hard Focus?

Editors often use hard focus to tell the reader where to look exactly. The initial look that the reader takes is directly at the woman because she looks very clear. To add on the background has been blurred, therefore you focus on the woman more. The editor did this because he wants the readers to know what this magazine is about as soon as they looked at it. Additionally if soft focus was used then it would be very ambiguous as to what the woman is doing. Overall, using hard focus allows the reader to see exactly what the woman is doing and to know what the magazine is about.

Mode Of Adress

The main image immediately informs the reader hat this is a school/university magazine. Firstly we know this because you can see the girl is doing science. Secondly if you look at the background you will see a whiteboard, this implies that the magazine is school related. This magazine has an indirect mode of address because the girl is not looking directly into the camera.

Lighting

The lighting is high key because it is very bright and also because there are no shadows or dark areas. This is because the editor wanted to make the cover very clear and bright. To add on the reader can see everything from the foreground to the background, therefore this adds more clarity to the image. Lastly, by having high key lighting it makes the magazine seem more formal because it is more conventional for a magazine of this kind to have bright lighting rather than dark lighting.

Text choicesThe font of the masthead is white and the main cover line is also white. White is the brightest image in the image, therefore the editor chose to make the name of the magazine stand out as well as the main the cover line. To add on the woman is wearing a black blouse and the main cover line is positioned on it. This also makes it stand out because if they would have chosen a dark colour then the text would not be clear. The masthead is positioned above the main image because this way you can focus on both the masthead and the main image. The size of the masthead is large to make it stand out and the angle of it is straight. This makes the magazine seem more professional.

Representation

Representation in this magazine cover is very positive. The woman seems to be enjoying her time doing science at the university. Furthermore this also this makes the university seem good because it implies that she is enjoying the university. Moreover, there is lots of laboratory equipment in the image and this shows that the university have lots of teaching facilities, which in return attracts students into doing science at the university.