Evaluation, Question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task (the school magazine task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

Front Cover



















I feel that I have learnt a lot since my preliminary task. My preliminary task contains very little cover lines and as I didn't cut the image out there are a lot of shapes on there as the writing couldn't be seen on the woodland background. I like the images I used for both of my tasks. The preliminary task image has very good lighting and the picture looks bright and 'crisp'. You can see that it was an Autumn edition and can see that the main task was a winter edition because of the colours used. I feel that the colours used on my main task are a lot more complimentary than the colours on the preliminary task. However, they were relevant as they were the school colours. Both of my images are medium long shots so that an outfit is shown. The prop used in the main task is relevant to my magazine as it is a music magazine. I did not use a prop for my preliminary task as I feel that it would have been very busy with the woodland background as well. The fonts on my preliminary task are all the same which is very boring and doesn't look very interesting whereas on my main task I learnt that a variety of fonts is essential to show the different styles to your magazine attracting a wider audience. When doing my preliminary task I put all of my cover lines around the main image, however, on my main task magazine, I tried putting the main cover line across the image and I feel that this worked well. In both tasks I used the idea of shapes with a cover line on top, I felt that this made it stand out on the page so made the cover line something that would attract attention. I used a comeptetion for both magazines as people will see that they can win something and will then be attracted to the magazine.

Contents Page



















My two contents pages are very different to each other. I definitely feel that I learnt a lot when making my contents. My contents page for my preliminary task is very plain. It doesn't even look finished. The columns look different sized and there is far too much space on there. The font is very large and takes up a lot of room on the page. Compared to my main task contents page which is very busy and has an equal amount of space for each column. I also again only used one font for my preliminary task and again used a variety for my main task. I highlighted the main article on each contents page. On the preliminary task I made the font bigger and bolder highlighting its importance on the page and I also did this with my main task except that I also made it central so that it catches the eye of the reader when they first look at the page. The photographs on my media tasks are very different and I think that the ones for my main task look a lot more professional than the ones for my preliminary, they are edited better and are thought about more. However, the ones taken for my preliminary task are relevant to the school magazine with the props used.

To conclude, I feel that I have learnt a lot in the time since I did my preliminary task. I learnt about the importance of drafting and having a plan as it is then a lot easier to produce when you have a clear idea. By producing a draft I knew exactly how I wanted my magazine to look and by planning the products, this meant I could maintain a consistent house style throughout the magazine. I also feel that I learnt a lot about time management. By keeping to the deadlines set, the coursework did not seem like too much work, some weeks there was more work than others but by keeping on top of it, it did not pile up and become a big rush at the end. By researching existing products, I gained knowledge of the music magazine industry and picked up on some of the common features they use. I then converged these into my own magazine making it seem more proffessional and it them seemed to fit into the music magazine 'trend'.

Evaluation, Question 6

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Before beginning my media coursework I had never used a Mac, Photoshop, InDesign or Blogger. I now know how to use all of them efficiently. Using a Mac was very hard to begin with a it is very different from the Windows software that I have always used. I found it quite hard to adapt to using the machines at first but after time I learnt all the commands and established how to work it effectively. I think that the Mac machines are better for the type of work that we were completing and they saved a lot of time. The type of Mac that I used was an eMac. I preferred using these to the newer machines, I found them a lot less to handle with the smaller screen and they were more like a PC. I felt that by using the eMac I have learnt a lot about the Apple software and would be able to use it well if I ever do again.

Another technology that I had never used before was Photoshop, this was a very hard programme to begin using. Before our coursework was set we were given time to work our way around Photoshop to see all of the tools that we could use and how it worked etc. I really enjoyed doing this and found it easy to do the tasks provided as we had videos to guide us. They were really helpful and made the tasks seem really easy, however, when it came to making our magazines we had to think for ourselves and without the videos helping us it all seemed very difficult. Each time I did a piece of work I had learnt something new about photoshop. I feel that if I were to do my magazine again it would be better because of all the things I have learnt when doing it. I still only know a fraction of the programme as it is so vast in terms of what you can do to a picture. I can use all the tools that are needed in the programme and I know that if I wanted to do something in particular that I did not know how then the internet will help me find the answer. Photoshop made making the magazine a lot more simple. When I did my coursework for Media at GCSE we were made to use programmes such as publisher to make the magazine. When it came to editing the picture, even a simple task such as cropping it, it was made a lot simpler as I was using Photoshop. The software enabled me to be creative as there isn't anything you can't do to a picture on the programme, it did not hinder my magazines production in the slightest.

The programme InDesign is very difficult to use if you have always used Microsoft programmes such as Word or Publisher. It is a very different layout to the other programmes and takes A LOT of getting used to. Simple things like changing the colour of the writing was so simple but it took me at least 10 minutes to work out. By the end of my DPS I was still not an expert at InDesign but I felt that I had learnt so much from it. The amount of things that you can do with the programme are immense. InDesign is very simple once you get used to it but it the intial grasp of the programme that is hard. As there is so much on there also it is difficult to remember where everything is and what it does. The InDesign software is very unique and it made making the double page spread very simple. Even when creating something simple like a 'drops cap' there is a tool for it on the programme. It was a lot more efficient than a programme such as Microsoft Word as it had tools that made the product look so much more proffessional.

When it came to taking picture I was very happy as I love photography. However, I actually found this task really hard as I am not used to taking pictures of people, I generally take pictures of still life and scenery. I took three sets of photographs with four different models. The first set I took with my freind Rebecca and they went really well. She was very relaxed and the pictures came out good, however, I was not sure if they were 'rocky' enough for my magazine. The second set I took were of my friends Katie and Lucy, these were taken in the woods which I felt was a good setting for some pictures. The problem with these photos is that they were not very well prepared and the outfits that were chosen did not fit my genre at all (I did not use any from this shoot in my magazine). The third and final set that I took were of my brother and I thought about these a lot. I thought about a prop (the guitar), the lighting (bright and above), his posture (relaxed/slumped), his hair and make-up (eyeliner - increases intensity of direct gaze, messy hair), the setting (plain background, easy to crop out) and his outfit (fitted the genre well, checked shirt, black jeans - normal guy). I found that my brother was a lot less relaxed than my friends had been and he would not co-operate very well. In the end I put on some music to make him feel more relaxed and we finally got some good shots. When chosing the main image I looked at a lot of previous professional magazines and chose which one I feel that they would have chosen. I have learnt so much about taking photographs and editing them since my preliminary task. Especially with lighting as I only ever used natural light when doing photography before and so when using it artificially you don't realise how much thought goes into it.

Blogger is another programme that was very new to me but I feel that I grasped onto this programme very quickly and have probably found it the easiest to use. I had heard of 'blogging' before but I never associated it with coursework, only leisure. I am glad that our coursework is being done this way as it is so easy to access and you can't lose it either. It is a very easy programme and I think I may continue to use it for leisure purposes aswell. To create a new post on blogger is so simple and it is so easy to organise with the labels. I like the fact that it is all one font so it looks neat and I don't have to worry about it getting screwed up in my bag. I definitely learnt a lot by using Blogger.

Evaluation, Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my target audience by making a magazine that appeals to their interests and hobbies. My front cover contains elements that would attract a 15-24 year old male. I placed a male model on the front as males usually listen to artists that are also male. The colour scheme throughout my magazine is blue which has always been asssociated with the male gender. The blue colour that is used throughout the magazine has been picked out from the models shirt. The fonts that I chose to go on my cover would also appeal to the male gender, I chose a font called '28 days later' that is eroded and shows a 'rough' side to the magazine. It gives an image of danger and masculinity. This would appeal to males as they like to feel more masculine than they really are. The title of my magazine is called 'Live' which also appeals to my target audience as it is a modern word that can sometimes be used to describe something as 'good'. This would immediately catch their attention.

I included a unique selling point (USP) in my magazine as I feel that all magazines need one. The USP in Live is the content and it's mode of address. It is written in a simple language that all readers can understand but it also requires the reader to have background knowledge of the genre to fully understand the intention of the writing and what the magazine is really trying to say (for example: in the double page spread there are lyrics from the artists song 'the one you love to hate'. If someone did not know this then they may be confused as to why it is in the article). The language also relates and appeals to the age of my target audience, there may be words used in the magazine that a 50 year old has never heard of because they are modern words used in the teenage age group. This unique selling point is effective but only after someone has picked up the magazine which in effect doesn't help because it is the intial catch of the readers eye that makes people buy the magazine. I think that with my main coverline being central in the magazine is a unique selling point and the variety of fonts used. The connotation behind this is that the magazine contains a diverse range of articles and can appeal to a vast audience.

I chose 'rock' as my music genre as I feel there is a slight gap in the market here and also because the people who listen to rock music are very devoted to it and would be more likely to buy a magazine about it rather than someone who listens to 'pop' music. This would increase the sales of my magazine.

To appeal to my C1 socio-economic group I also advertised a competition for a chance to win an iPod, this relates to the music industry also and attracts readers that are not as wealthy as some as a chance to win something that they would not usually be able to afford. Today, people are always looking for value for their money so having a magazine that says the word 'FREE' on it will attract a lot of attention. It gives the impression that people are getting something that they wouldn't have got in the last edition and that the magazine is worth buying.

I also added in a competition to the magazine. I addressed this on the front page to grab attention from the audience. The prize that I offered would help to attract my target audience as Reading Festival is renowned for it's 'rock/indie' genre. This would attract my target audience as this is the type of music that they listen to. I made the competition stand out by putting it in the blue 'bubble' and moving it away from the main page and other cover lines.

I also helped to attract my target audience by making some words on my front page larger or a differerent colour to make them stand out and 'grab' attention. For example, I made the word 'Latest' stand out on the front page by making it larger and changing the colour to s e p e r a t e it from the rest of the cover line.

Evaluation, Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience of my media product would be someone who listens to rock music, this way they would have an interest in the artists that are used in the magazine and they would be able to understand the music related puns. My target audience would be male as I feel that they are the gender that are more interested in rock music, rather than females. The age range for my target audience is 15-24 as in the teen ages they are more likely to be listening to a diverse range of music. Peer pressure also increases the likeliness that they will listen to rock music as they want to fit in with their peer group.

My target audience will listen to bands such as: My Chemical Romance, Kids in Glass Houses etc

These bands would be the types of artists that would be interviewed in my magazine. If someone did not listen to this type of music then there would not be a lot of point in reading it as they would not know what it meant. The readers would have to obtain knowledge of rock music to understand the writing in the magazine.

The social class that I try to appeal to in my magazine is C1. I do this by having a low priced magazine and the adverts that would be placed in there would appeal to this social class. When making my magazine I mainly focussed on appealing to the male genre but I did look at how it would appeal to C1 also.

A main colour that would be associated with my target audience would be black, this is because a lot of people who listen to rock music are labelled a 'goth' or 'emo'. This is not neccessarily true when it comes to my target audience, they may wear a lot of black but some of them also like to encorprate bright colours into their outfits. A lot of peolpe who listen to rock music promote their favourite bands by wearing band t-shirts out, that is just a few ways to define them.

A website that I used to define my target audience was UK tribes, this website enabled me to find a social group that would be most likely to buy my magazine. I found that the group that fit into my music genre the most was the Emo genre. An emo stereotype would include the person wearing a lot of bright colours with black. Places where a stereotypical Emo would shop would be places such as markets (e.g. Camden) where items can be bought that not very many people have. Emos are generally very passionate about their music and would be involved in the products that appeal to them as there are very little.

Evaluation, Question 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I think that IPC media is the publishing company that would be most likely to distribute my magazine as the magazines that it distributes now are most like mine. They publish the magazines, 'UNCUT' and 'NME' which are fairly similar genres to my magazine. 'UNCUT' is a very similar magazine to mine as they both use the genre rock and both appeal to men. The magazine is similar to mine in that it is fairly formal, this is shown through the serif fonts used, in 'UNCUT' the actual title is in a serif font, whereas in 'Live' the coverline fonts uses serifs. They also offer 'free' things within their magazine that 'Live' magazine also does. I feel that my style of magazine is most similar to this out of all the music magazine industry.

I chose IPC media and not Bauer or Emap as the others do not seem to publish the types of magazines that 'Live' is. Bauer, seem to distribute magazines mainly for women, such as TV guides and crossword books, there were not many magazines that would be related to men or music.

"IPC Media is the UK’s leading publisher of consumer magazines and websites. In print and online, our famous brands deliver high quality content time and again to 26 million UK adults in key audiences."

These facts are from the IPC website about the music magazine NME. As you can see their target audience is very similar to mine which is one of the reasons I chose to use IPC media but the layout and style of the magazine is also very alike to Live. I have compared the two front covers in a previous question where I have highlighted a lot of similarities between the two covers.


Some other magazines that IPC media publish are:
Marie Claire
Now
Pick Me Up
Woman's Weekly
Horse and Hound

Evauation, Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

As you can see, both of the images are similar in the case of mise en scene. They both contain the prop of a guitar and are both wearing casual outfits (jeans and a shirt). They are both holding a laid-back posture and are slouching, looking very relaxed giving the typical stereotype of a rock star (not a care in the world). They are both holding the guitar loosley which also adds to this stereotype and helps to define the rock genre. Both of the celebrities are looking into the camera creating an intense gaze and drawing the reader into the magazine. Both of the models have a content look on their face, they are not showing much emotion which again adds to the image of a typical rock star. The differences between the 'Live' image and the 'Q' image is that in 'Q' the model is a lot older, this could be beacuse the target audience is older or just because he is a big act of the moment.

I had not seen this image before taking my photograph and I am pleasantly suprised that they are very similar as I feel that my photo seems a lot more professional once compared to an image that was used for a world class magazine such as Q.

As my target audience is the socio-economic group C1 I did not want a huge photoshoot that showed this supposed 'celebrity' to be someone very different and out of their league. This is why I chose an average outfit for him that a lot of people may own, showing that anyone can dress like him. Q magazine have done the same by dressing a famous artist in very basic clothing creating the impression he is just a 'normal man'. This makes the readers feel that they can too be like the famous person they are reading about. It gives the reader a connection with the artist as they have something in common and the reader can then relate to the celebrity.

Evaluation, Question 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The music magazine that I have constructed is similar to real media products in many ways but it also contains a unique selling point (USP) that some of the music magazines will not contain.

Firstly, my magazine's layout of the front page is fairly similar to many real media products. All magazine contain a main image on the front page, usually of a celebrity that they will be interviewing in the magazine, they also contain coverlines. My magazine also contains these features. The shots of the celebrity/celebrities on the front cover vary, they are sometimes close ups, just containing the face of the model or like mine the shot is a medium close up, showing from the waist upwards. As you can see from the two photographs, they are both medium close up shots, this type of shot allows there to be more of the celebrity in the picture, giving more room from props and allowing the outfit of the model to give an impression. Both of the images are also on a plain background. This is a common convention of magazines as it provides a clear background for the coverlines to be placed on and creates more focus on the image itself. The images of each media product have both been placed infront of the title, this shows the importance of the celebrity and also hints at the magazines popularity as people woud already know the name. It also leaves less space on the magazine, making the front page look busy, which suggests that the magazine contains a lot of information inside.

I chose the target audience for my magazine to be aged 20-35 and male, this is fairly similar to NME's as they have 15-24. I chose to aim my magazine at an older audience as I felt there was a gap in the market for this age region. The genre of the two magazines are the same though, this is rock. From looking at the images, the genre is expressed in different ways. The posture of both models is slouched and relaxed giving a rock and roll impression to the magazine. Both images also contain a main prop in the image, for 'Live' magazine (my media product) the main prop is an electric guitar, this is relevant to the rock genre as this is main instrument in many rock bands performances. The main prop in the image from 'NME' is a drawing, the drawing sets out the colour scheme for the rest of the page and could be an album cover for the artist's new album. Both of the models are gazing into the camera which is a common convention of music magazines and increases the intensity of the image, especially in 'Live' magazine as the celebrity is wearing eye make up to give an intensified impression. It also makes the reader feel more involved with the magazine. They both contain a confused but relaxed expression upon their faces wich also enhances the rock star attitude. The hair of both of the models is messy which also suggests a rock genre, as it gives a very laid-back and content impression.

Another feature of 'Live' magazine that conveys a rock genre is the font. The font I chose for my title of the magzine is called "28 days later". This font suggests a rock genre as it hints at a dangerous lifestyle. It is a sans serif font which is informal and contrasts with the serif font used in the coverlines. I used the colour white which sticks with the colour theme that I have used throughout my magazine. This creates a consistent house style so that the magazine differs from others and has a USP. The font used is fairly similar to that used in the title of 'Kerrang'. The font used in 'Kerrang' looks as though it has been smashed, this hints at the genre as a well known stereotype of a rock star is to trash things. This also fits in with the font used for 'Live' as it is eroded/damaged.

I chose the name 'Live' for my magazine as it portrays the fact that it is a music magazine. People who listen to rock music go to a lot of gigs and listen to 'Live' music. It also means 'good' in modern day slang which could appeal to the lower range of the target audience. People who listen to rock music are very involved with live gigs as they are stereotyped to be very different to other genres of music concerts, it is very rough and it is a common thing to get injured from the mosh pits there.

The contents page of Live is quite different to some of the real media products. On a lot of contents pages there is a column on either side containing what is going to be in the issue. I used the same font for the title on the contents page as I did on the front page, this helps to create a consistent house theme and I felt that the font fitted in with the genre well. The contents pages are similar in the way that they both make it very obvious what the main article is. I used the same font from the front page as the contents page when writing about the main article. This is continued to the actual article on the double page spread also. I also highlighted the importance of the article by making the font different and larger than the others. Another important article was enhanced on the contents page too by using a different font and tilting the writing at an angle causing it to stand out from the rest.

My double page spread (DPS) is fairly different from some of the DPS'. My DPS seems to have a lot more text in the article than some from real media products. I see this to be a good feature of my magazine as it gives the reader more for their money and it is not just a title and a picture. Some of the similar things between them are the pull quotes. On my DPS there are two pull quotes and there are generally only one. My image is also central to the page and they may sometimes be to one side. However, there are also a lot of similarities between the two media products. This is being that they both have titles, pull quotes and pictures. The images are always very large on a DPS and the effect of text wrap is quite often used. This makes the article look a lot more proffessional and gives it a compact look. The images used for the DPS are often very relaxed and less intense than the front page. Another feature that is often used is a drops cap which adds a very proffessional and neat effect to the media product.