The document provides homework instructions for a lesson on analyzing magazine covers from The Big Issue. Students are asked to: 1) Research The Big Issue Foundation including its launch date of 1995 and mission to provide housing, health, and financial assistance. 2) Analyze at least 3 magazine covers since September 2017 by examining the visual design elements, media language used, and representations of characters to understand the intended messages and target audiences. 3) Consider how denotation and connotation contribute to the encoded meanings and decode what messages and audiences the covers aim to reach.

1. H409/01 Media Message
Section B
Magazines
(Media Language & Representation)
Lesson 2

2. Homework for the next lesson – research
YOUR FINDINGS?
• What is The Big Issue Foundation?
• When was it launched? 1995.
• What is its remit? Widened help including Housing health,
Finance
• https://www.bigissue.org.uk/
• What other forms of media does The Big Issue use? (media
convergence)
• How?
• https://www.bigissueshop.com/

3. Deconstructing / analysing
•Denotation – what you see
•Connotation – what you associate.
What messages/meaning are being
‘encoded’
(Stuart Hall’s Reception Theory)

5. Deconstruct a minimum of 3 front covers
Since Sept 2017
• Mise en scene: colours used, typestyle, imagery, shot sizes and
camera angles
• Mode of address used/Media language : visually and literary
(informal, formal, serious, call to action, persuasive, aggressive.
• How are the characters featured on the front cover represented?
• Summarize a house style
• Who do you think the target audience is and why?
(Age, gender, socio economic / income, ideology/ psychographics)

6. eg

7. USE
Media Language (masthead, tagline,
tagline, anchorage text etc)
Mise en Scene: colour, costume,
facial expression, body language,
props, costumes. Typefaces/fonts
Decode:
What is the message/meaning?
How is it encoded?
Who is it aimed at?
Why do you think this?
Support your opinions,