Photo to support my articles.

Next to nearly every article in a newspaper there is a photo taken which supports it and helps the reader to understand the article more. This photo can be controversial, humorous, serious or informative depending greatly on what the article is about.

The Headline Story

For my newspaper i am planning to feature a headline story, therefore i will most definitely have to apply a photo to it in order for the readers to understand the article more. This photo will not have to be sensational or even controversial, but it has to give an idea about what the article's subject is. The readers may look at this photo first, making them want to read the article.

Due to copy-right reasons, i will have to take my own photos which i think will take time depending on the photo. I will be able o work the photo around my article subject. Professional newspapers would employ other professionals to take the photograph, but as i am not i will have to make sure the photo looks realistic.

From my research i see that headline articles usually have a big photo to support it.Here are a couple of examples of headline article photos i have found from local newspapers:



As you can see thse are very impacting, effective photos on the front pages of these local newspapers. They support the article and would be relatable to the local reader.
Film Articles


I think that these will only need one photo each as i am not planning to write a huge amount. The text i am writing will be a little bit vague and will get the reader interested in going to see the film. It may feature the actors in the film or a key shot of a particular scene.

Art Articles

I do want to write about art as i think my educated audience would like it. As it is art, and a lot of detail would need to be shown, the photo may have to be big in order to see this detail. I may also have a photo of the artist so the readers can put name next to face.

Smaller Stories

This photo on the top right corner of this photo, is just the head of a man to do with football. I just wanted to point out that there is no background to this photo. This is common for smaller articles, or articles that are being advertised as the photo takes up less space.

I will figure out the postitions of the photos when i start the designing process to make sure that everything looks suitable. Overall, i have to keep in mind how time consuming taking the correct photo will be, what it portrays and how i will produce them. I am not going to spend ages taking a photo as that is not what i am being marked on, however it needs to suit the article well.

My headline story.

This is just a little post just to sum up my future plan for my headline story. This story is going to be on my front page in big and bold writing. I am going to figure out the subject and headline name in a few weeks.

I have to make sure that the name of my headline is very shocking, slightly exaggerated for somebody to want to read it. I also mustn't spend that much time writing my article because this is not what i am being marked on.

I could have a little bit of the article on the front page and then say that the story continues onto the next page, this persuades my reader to want to turn into the paper, therefore looking at the other things on the page.

I could also have photos to support my article, so that it makes that article easier to understand and the reader will spend longer on the page.

Scanning squares/QR Codes.

Eventhough technically it is called a 'QR code', i have decided to call it a scanning square throughout to make it easier for me to remember. Here is the online definition of a 'QR code' or 'Scanning Square' to myself:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code

I am planning to apply a scanning square to my newspaper so that if i was to really release this paper, the newspaper's website could be uploaded quickly. I believe that my target market of educated adults would have technologies able to scan the squares, however i must be sure. So in order to do this, i have decided to use technology to find out.


I have uploaded the question: "Do you have a technology device which scans square codes? to 'Yahoo Answers' to see if i get a reaction.

On this website i cannot determine what age or educational stage they are at. Putting a scan code on my newspaper would mean my audience is more involved, they would go on my website to look at more articles, therefore creating more awareness of my newspaper and also, it is convenient for the person scanning so they can get the website quickly.


Getting Answers back

I got a few people answer my question and i then picked a best answer:

I asked this question on this website to see if anyone used their phones to scan the squares, but the answers i got back showed that phones arent the only way to do this, therefore people could scan the codes on my newspaper in different ways in order to quickly go to my newspaper's website. As i have now found out that many different devises can scan these codes, it shows that my target audience would be able some way to scan the codes, therefore gaining my more views on my newspaper's website if i had one.


My Newspaper

I have said for a long time that i want to use a scanning code because i think it represents the modern technology that is in our everyday lives today and how portable. I believe my target market would be interested in scanning the codes on my newspaper because they would be young enough and up-to-date with the world to know about modern technologies and how they can benefit our lives.

As each code is original and sends the person scanning to a certain webpage or document. I would need to create an original scanning code if i  had a website for my newspaper and if i was really going to put this newspaper on the market.

I have searched a few websites and came across this one which creates an original scanning for you which you can then print out and put it on a t-shirt etc, or in my case the final draft of my newpaper. Here is the website where you can do it:


http://www.qrstuff.com/

             

Overall

I want to make my scanning code on this website so i can get an original code. If i was to really put my newspaper on the market i would make the scanner send the reader to my newspaper's website, but as i do not have one, i will send them to my blog instead.

I am going to place my scanning code on the front of my newspaper because buyers of newspapers may be more enclined to want to buy my newspaper and also even if they do not want to buy the newspaper, they may scan the code in the newsagents, therefore gaining more views on my website.

I havent yet decided the placement of my scanning code, as i want to do this in the production process of my newspaper to see what works best with my headline etc.

Another point: I want to put a scanning code on my newspaper poster which is going to be placed on a sandwich board. This is so i can passers by who wouldnt normally buy my paper scanning the code, therefore gaining a wider and bigger audience. I understand that it may be uncommon for people to randomly scan a code in the middle of the street, but at lieast putting a scanning code on my poster makes it more recognisable and shows that my newspaper is up-to-date with the recent technology trends.

Price of newspapers.

How much a newspaper costs depends on it target market, the content it has and how often it is sold. I have done some research into different newspapers to see how much they cost. i have concentrated just on local newspapers. I have talked about the content and target market because they greatly affect how much a newspaper costs. here is a scanned diagram i did of a few local newspapers around the country to see why they are at the prices they are:

In conclusion, a price of a newspaper definitely depends on what content is in it and what audience the newspaper has. I think i will have to decide for certain how much my newspaper is going to be when i have finished the content, but i am aiming for the price around £1, which i believe my target audience will be able to afford.

Writing about art exibitions, family days out, films and music gigs.

I wanted to do a post where i could research into how these arts and cultures were written and shown in newspapers and also magazines. This will give me an insight into how they are presented and how i should present mine.

The research i have done about writing about films has a lot to with the audiences of films. This research will help me to find out what sort of films educated adults like and how they like their films to be written about. I was given the link to these many pages of information about cinema institutions and exhibitions in general:

http://statisticalyearbook11.ry.com/?id=82988 - the pages i have been looking at are in chapter 15.

This information is mainly about gender, which i am not really being specific about. It shows that both males and females visit the cinema very similarly, and there is not specific gender which goes to the cinema more.

I am planning to do a small bit of text about the film, as if it is a very short review on it so my target audience/the reader can quickly decide if they will be interested in going to watch the film.

This next section is about films by age. The percentage of people in a certain age bracket who go to certain films. Educated adults are aged 18, possibly 21 or above. But really, i am aiming at adults who have children and a good job of their own.

This diagram shows that younger people under the age of 34 go to the cinema more often than those over that age. There is still a high percentage for the years under the age of 54 - which would be in the age bracket for educated adults who have children and a stable job.

I have also looked at newspapers supplement magazine to see what their reviews on films, music and art are like:

I found this in a newspaper's supplement newspaper to which was part of the newspaper itself - it was the center-fold so could be pulled out. As you can see, the newspaper has rated the film with stars which could effect the readers wiew, however, this is the newspaper's opinion and other critics may disagree. I also noticed that articles about the films were of different sizes which could portray the idea that certain films are more important than others. I lke the idea of having a photo of partof the film in the middle of the article because it is easy to identify what photo goes with what article and the photo may be looked at first therefore the article will be read next. There has much been written so i know that it wont take too long to produce.

Both of these films which have been written about are of completely different narratives, times and audience showing that the films i write about do not have to be the same. They are almost better to be very different so that i can grab a wide audience.

Articles i looked at about art and music were layed out very similar to this, but the language in the art articles were intellectual and well-written, whereas music reviews were more informal.

The Image of my Newspaper I want to create.

I don't mean by this about what my newspaper will look like as i haven't get that far yet, but i mean what my newspaper will represent, stand for and support.

Most newspaper support political parties and base their articles around that. for my newspaper, i want it to be opinionated because i believe this causes readers to either disagree and question their own beliefs - therefore making them feel involved and like they have a say. I also think that if i was to create a full, real newspaper, i would get reactions back from readers with their opinions on certain matters.

I don't want my newspaper to support a certain political party as i feel this is old fashioned, and I'm trying to create a new take on a newspaper.

Here is a link which states the basic political sides the biggest newspapers in this country support:
http://www.supanet.com/business--money/which-political-parties-do-the-newspapers-support--25923p1.html

Why do newspapers endorse political parties?


Here are some quotes from different people who are involved with the political world and the newspaper industry.

Toronto Star public editor Kathy English posts an answer to the question, "Why do newspapers endorse?" by quoting a Star editor 36 years ago: "The easy way for a newspaper, as for a citizen, would be not to support any party in this election. But this is not a responsible course for a citizen in a democratic society – or for a newspaper that believes it has a responsibility to provide comment and opinion on the issues of the day."

Globe and Mail editorial board editor John Geiger was asked the same question in an online discussion which included some strong criticism by readers. One Globe critic said by endorsing any party "you cause your objectivity, rightly or wrongly, to be suspect in the public mind." Another wrote, "Why alienate many of your readers, who remember your silly endorsement when they consider buying your paper in the future?"

Geiger's response was that not endorsing a party in an election "would be like spoiling a ballot. What's the point? The decision Canadian voters make on Tuesday is vital. "None of the above" is simply not an option. Nor is neutrality.... (to) refuse to take a position on the most important question before the country, is wrong-headed. It does not serve the interests of readers and it does not serve the interests of public discourse."

My newspaper
 
I really do not feel as if i would like my newspaper to support a particular political party. This is because i personally have no interest in politics so do not believe i could write about it correctly. Also, i wanted to have a new take on newspapers, so as most newspapers in this country do support a party, i do not want to. As i am only making 2 pages of a newspaper, it wouldn't be an significance to the newspaper if i was to focus on a political party. I think supporting a party would make the newspaper seem a bit more serious, and less about positive art and culture.

The Definate Features i am Including in my Newspaper.

I decided that i need to round-up completely my year project and what i am going to do with my newspaper, radio advert and poster. This will not only help the examiner, it will help me to keep on the right and uncomplicated track. So here is the list in normal type-form:

• I am not not going to have adverts as i believe i will not have enough space. I want my newspaper to be direct and i think my audience would like not having adverts everywhere. However...
• I am going to have small advertisers of my newspaper's website and contact details, which even though unexisting is something that works.
• I want my newspaper to feature articles about what is on in the local area such as art exhibitions, days out with children, films which are previewing and music gigs.
• I will need photos to support my articles, therefore i will have to spend a lot of time making sure they represent what i want and are realistic. Time consuming.
• Colour theme wise, have have thought of a variety of colours such as:

I have kept in mind that i am not a layout or newspaper designer, so i may not get the colours correct. If i was really making a newspaper which would go on sale, i would use a professional to design it.

• I want my newspaper to cost just over £1 due to my market of educated adults, the idea that the information about gigs and events will be for throughout the months and the wide range of features i would include if i was really making a full newspaper.
• I want my newspaper to be weekly, as to buy it daily may be expensive and i wouldn't gain as much interest. Also, the information about events may be suitable for the months ahead.
• The layout of my newspaper must be finalized in the production process as i do not know what would look good. I am planning to analyse a few local magazines about events as to what their layout is like. It has to be clear, locatable but still new.
• Typography, meaning the font - again this will have to be finalized during the production process on photoshop but it has to be something which is clear and new. Here are a few examples of the fonts i have looked at via Microsoft Word:

• My newspaper name. I have decided to call my newspaper Weekly Bulletin. I think that even though it is very traditional and I'm sure that there have been newspapers with that name, but right now in this country there isn't. Therefore i have filled a gap in the market. i am going to do a very quick poll to see if audiences like my newspaper's name. It is a very impacting name which i think will catch the attention of viewers. this name will be on my poster and my radio advert.
• I want my newspaper to be informative more than tabloid as i think it is more educational and would be worth the money the newspaper costs.
• I would like my newspaper to be on traditional newspaper paper because it lowers the production and buying costs, it would also make it more newspaper than magazine.
• I am definatley going to have a feature about the events in Norfolk right now and in a few months time. Also about the films which are on - films which would be suitable for my market of educated adults. I will also definatley include a headline story which will affect my target audience and will be the text on my sandwich board.

• I am going to have a scan square because my I suspect my target market will be involved with this kind of technology. When the square is scanned over, it would link straight to my newspaper's website so readers can be even more involved in my newspaper.
• I am also going to think up a tag line so i can write it in places on my newspaper pages, one which can be used on my radio advert and is something which is catching and people will remember.
• I will start an article on one page and then allocate which page the rest of the story is on, getting the reader involved and creating more space for adverts and other articles.

I have kept in mind that throughout everything, I am making newspaper which is new, creative and is aimed at educated adults who like to know what events, culture and arts are going on. The things i have mentioned in this list are final, however, if space or ability makes it hard, some may have to be removed. But if this does happen, i must know what my target market would want.

The next few posts i do will be about my plans and then afterwards i can follow them to create my newspaper, radio ad and poster.