Magazine Project Genre Research - Dirt Bike

The cover of this magazine is a wide shot of a man on a Kawasaki KX300X two-stroke dirt bike in the air. The words "DIRT BIKE" are slightly above and behind the man's helmet and they are white. There are words in yellow framing the dirt bike that tell the reader what articles they can find inside, and below the yellow words there is a short description in white. The yellow and white of the words and the bright green of the man and the dirt bike stand out against the blue and grey background. The articles in this magazine cover about half of the pages, and they are primarily reviews of bikes and motocross gear, but there are articles about recent races and other news. The ads cover the other half of the pages, and they are advertising bike parts and other gear. The pictures found in this magazine are almost all wide shots of different bikes, bikers, and bike parts. This magazine is distributed monthly and it is the #1 newsstand-selling off-road motorcycle magazine.

Magazine Project Genre Research - Florida Game and Fish

The cover of this magazine is a mid shot of a deer. Behind the deer's antlers are the words "FLORIDA" in white and "GAME & FISH" in green. On the left side there are descriptions of some of the articles inside in white. In the bottom right corner, there are the words "THE BUCK REPORT" in white and green, and a short description of the article in white. The background of the cover picture is mostly green, so the green and white words allow for the deer to stand out even more. The articles in this magazine are included on just over half of the pages, and they are all related to hunting, including gun reviews and tips on where, when, and what to hunt in Florida. The advertisements are found on the other half of the pages, and they are mostly for guns, fishing rods, and other hunting gear. The pictures throughout the magazine include mostly mid shots and close ups of animals, hunters, and guns or other weapons. The Game and Fish magazines have a total circulation number of 323,584 for all 28 regions, distributed monthly, and it is the only national title with custom-tailored content for its state and regional audiences.

Magazine Project Genre Research - Florida Sportsman

The cover of this magazine is a close up of a mako shark. The words "FLORIDA" in black and  "SPORTSMAN" in white are displayed across the top. Above the shark's head, the words "MAKO MOVES" are in white, with a short explanation below that. Under the shark are articles that are featured inside the magazine. The black and white words along with the blue and white of the shark against the blue water give the magazine cover a simple and uniform theme. The articles in this magazine are included on around half of the pages, and they are all fishing related, including news on the oceans and fish, reviews of boats, and help for fishing in Florida. The advertisements cover the other half of the pages, and they are targeted towards fishermen, advertising boats, boat and fishing technology, fishing rods and other tools, and even clothing to wear while fishing. There is a wide assortment of pictures throughout this magazine, including  close ups of fish and fishing gear, wide shots of boats and fishermen, and long shots of boats and the water. This is a monthly magazine with a circulation number of 78,062.

Magazine Project Genre Research - Runner's World

The cover of this magazine is a wide shot of a man running on the streets between cars. The words "RUNNER'S WORLD" are above him and in the bottom right corner there is a short description of who this man is and a lead-in to the cover story. These words are all in white to stand out against the dark, colorful background. The articles can be found on about 80% of the pages, and they are all running related, including motivational stories, injury and recovery tips, and nutrition. The ads are found on the other 20% of the pages, and they are all ads that would be appealing to runners or athletes in general. The pictures throughout the magazine are varied, including wide shots and long shots of runners, close ups of food, and long shots of different places to run. Runner's World is a magazine that is distributed monthly. The circulation number was about 710,618 as of December 2012, and there are currently 18 different international editions. The magazine has won many awards, including being ranked #1 on Adweek's Hot List, being ranked #6 on Advertising Age's "A-List", getting recognized for having the "Creative Team of the Year", and being nominated three times for National Magazine Awards.

Magazine Project Genre Research - SPLASH

The cover of this magazine is a mid-shot of a swimmer, splashing herself at the edge of a pool. The words "FIRED UP" are displayed largely in all caps across her chest and arms, with the slightly smaller words "ABOUT NATIONALS" right below that. Then below that, there is a short explanation of who the person on the cover is. The word "SPLASH" is right above her head. All of the words are in white, which helps them to stand out against the mostly grey, red, and tan picture. The articles are included on around two-thirds of the pages, and they are all related to swimming, including recent news and motivation or technique help. The advertisements are included on the remaining one-third of the pages, and they are primarily targeted for swimmers or athletes. The pictures throughout the magazine are primarily mid shots of swimmers or wide shots of swimming pools. There are also a few close ups of food and other swimming gear. SPLASH is a quarterly magazine distributed to every member of USA Swimming.

Project Selection - My Decision

There are aspects of both the film and the magazine projects that seem interesting to me. However, I believe the magazine is more fitting. The main reason I think the magazine project will work better for me is because I am better at informative writing than creative writing, so I think writing an article will be better for me than writing a script. I think my project will be a swimming magazine, because I am a swimmer and it should be easy to write about something that I already know so much about. It will also be more convenient for the photoshoots and interviews, since I already spend so much time at a pool and I know a lot of swimmers. This magazine will be in the genre of sports. I am planning on doing this project alone. One reason for doing this is because, as I said, I am a swimmer and my schedule is very different from those of most students. It would be very difficult for me to try to meet up with group members to work on the project. I also do not like having other people's weight on my shoulders, nor do I like putting my weight on others' shoulders. I work better independently, so I think it would be best if I were alone on this project.

Project Selection - Film

There are also many aspects of film production that interest me. Based on what we learned in class from Ferris Bueller, writing, directing, and producing seem like fun. John Hughes had to be very creative to write all of his films, and I would consider myself a relatively creative person. Hughes also had to very smart and organized to make sure the film would actually flow together with all the different shots and takes of each scene. As I said in my previous post, I love when things are organized and have structure. On the other hand, film production can be very stressful, and you have to be very patient. Hughes did not always handle stress well and he would sometimes get very impatient, which often caused issues in the making of the film. I fear that I will be similar to Hughes, and when things don't go my way I will become even more stressed or impatient. I am also a perfectionist, so if something goes wrong I will want to redo it, which could be very time consuming. In all, the film project has some advantages and disadvantages that I will need to reflect on.

Project Selection - Magazine

There are many aspects of print journalism that I find interesting. Based on what we have learned in class from All the President's Men and The Newsroom, planning and searching for information are crucial parts of reporting or writing news stories. This would be a good project choice for me because I enjoy being able to plan out everything in efficient and systematic ways. As we saw in The Newsroom, MacKenzie McHale would have meetings with the reporters and news anchors so she could make the schedule of the show for that night. I have always been obsessive about organization and scheduling, so I think print journalism would be a good fit for me. Another reason the magazine project is a good selection for me is that I have been told that I am a really good informative writer. I also prefer writing informative pieces over writing fictional stories. On the other hand, there are a few aspects of this project that might be a challenge for me. For example, I can sometimes get stressed and stumble over my words when I talk to people who have a higher authority than me. This might cause issues when I am having an interview. Overall, I think the magazine project has both pros and cons that I still need to weigh.