Evaluation

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Front cover;  To begin my front cover I analysed other music magazines to find out what the important conventions of this were, I found that the masthead was mainly centred at the top of the page, I also found that there were always at least 5 cover lines on each front cover. It also came to my attention that it was very rare for the picture on the front cover for the eyes of the model not to be looking directly at the front cover. The colour scheme of the magazine also usually linked in with the model whether it was what they wore or there make-up. I also found that apart from the magazine Kerrang the other style models I studied all had whit backgrounds – I preferred this as it was not to over the top it also fit in better with the genre of my magazine, this was also popular with my audience feedback.  I then began to interpret these conventions into my own work; I used a picture of my model looking directly into the camera so that wherever the audience stands it looks like she is looking at them making it seem like the magazine is engaging with them, I choose for my model to were a plain coloured dress so that the colour schemes of the magazine was not too hard to match and did not look out of synch. I matched the masthead colour to her lipstick so that it looked like there was a connection and nothing looked out of place. The masthead name of the title was very conventional as the name ‘Label’ fitted in well with the idea of record label linking in well with the idea of a music magazine. The font style in which a I choose to use was @gushung, this looked like a strong print (sans serif) which was clear and easy to read which went well as at glance it would be easy to see what the text said without having to look at it carefully which would seem a lot of effort to the reader and put them of buying or reading the product. I then used the obvious conventions of a magazine for example; bar codes and prices this made my piece look more realistic. I challenged the conventions of a music magazine by using a younger model as most models often look a lot older but I think the image works well with the piece and her ‘look’ fits in well.
Contents Page; Again I analysed some style models of contents pages some were double age spreads and some were single page spreads, I personally preferred double page spreads as well as my audience as the information was more spread out and was easier to read it also meant that photos could be added in making it seem more appealing, although both are conventional to a music magazine the double page spread seems to be more preferred therefore I choose to use it. The typical conventions of a contents page in a music magazine that I discovered were; the higher the importance’s of the piece the more it stood out, also things were often in columns. The magazine Q challenged this slightly by have more pictures and less of an ordered style but I think this suited the genre of my magazine more and therefore interpreted it into my own work, the fact I was able to use larger and more pictures also made the magazine look more interesting giving a positive easy image for the rest of the magazine – an enjoyable experience. Another convention I noticed and decided to use was that of a screen shot of certain pages so that when the reader was flicking through the magazine they knew instantly what they were looking for again meeting audiences’ subconscious expectations. Another convention I stuck to was the running theme of font sizes, colours and fonts therefore it looked consistent and professional as it links all of the ideas of the magazine together and not as if the audience had just swapped magazines, making the magazine seem muddled and messy. By also breaking up the information into the box’s it made it very simple for the reader to distinguish different information making it again easier to read. I then again at the top of the page used the magazines logo to constantly promote it and remind readers what they are reading, in another aspect of promoting the name and making the magazine look conventional i have left a gap at the bottom of each page (equally measured) so that a age number and name can go in this space making the magazine look realistic – like a magazine. Also like in a alot of the magazines I studied each had a editors letter on the contents page making it seem like it was personal to the reader as if an extra effort has been put into the magazine making the audience feel more appreciated, therefore I put one into my own work, this was the only piece on the contents were i changed the font of the writing - i changed it into sans serif to make the writing look hand written as if even more time was put into it and it was not just a mass produced piece.

Double page spread;
Again I studied many different double page spreads with all often similar conventions for example; The writing was always in columns (as this makes it easier for the reader to read - it seems like the task of reading it is not as big as it seems, making them more inclined to read the article) A small part of the text often a quote was often in a larger font this draws the reader in again making the text look easier to read and then once the reader is hooked it goes into the full article and they then read the rest. On the majority of the style models the pictures were on the left hand side, often only using only one large picture to add effect and detail, making the photo seem more striking by it reaching the ends of the page, but some used smaller photos on top of the larger ones to give audience more information, I choose not to do this as I think it ruined the effect of the photo. Another convention used was a large drop caps at the start of the paragraph it is a presentational devise (graphologically it looks more presentable and conventional) this is almost always used in magazines. In my magazine I choose to use similar ideas to in the magazine of Q by have a large letter behind the writing this prevents the page with the article on looking bare and unattractive this then means the audience is attracted to the page more. Similarly to the contents page I used the separators along the bottom of the page to put the page numbers and label logo in to have a consistent professional theme. I found the conventions of a double page spread a lot less than those of both the contents and font cover as I think once you have got the picture correct the writing easily falls into place, I also choose to have the font in a 11 or 12 this made it look small and therefore perhaps more adult friendly rather than children’s novel.

·How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product represents the audience that the magazine is designed for this being; 16-25 yr olds both male and female but specifically female. It does this by the specific conventions of the magazine for example the photograph on the front is not stereotypically the same as other magazines, it is not as perfectly edited giving a false body image- this then represents the audience as ‘indie’ is not about glamorization of photos its more about the laid back sense of personality – creating a positive representation of woman. There is also no colours used on the front cover that directly points to a specific gender as the colour of her dress is blue (blue being stereotypically ‘boyish’ but then when mixed in with a dress – evens out the gender issues) The colour of the title is also neutral although it may sway towards a more girls colour it is not an obvious difference. In my article I have written it in a casual manner as if Ellie herself is saying it, by her also talking about how she loves to eat pancakes, play on rope swings and go in the sea makes her seem the complete opposite to a typical ‘perfect woman’ image which means it portrays woman in a better light to the audience and they will not feel as intimidated by the perfection of the fake models and therefore will enjoy the magazine more. Therefore my magazine represents the fun ‘normal’ woman who enjoys everyday life- which is similar to the audience that will be reading the magazine.

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

The media institution that may distribute my magazine is Bauer media I think that they would publish my magazine as it is different to some of the magazines that they already sell, this would also be a positive because there would be no competition with other magazines to buy mine meaning more profits. Although there are other music magazines for example Q this is a positive as it is a up market high branded music magazine that is very popular although Q would be a slight competition it targets a different audience therefore it would only slightly affect the sales, by my magazine also being to a different audience I think that the institution would use my magazine as it would bring a wider audience to the websites advertising them and bringing them more publicity and money therefore benefitting them.

·Who would be the audience for your media product?
The audience that I have chosen for my media product is for both male and female but is designed more towards a female audience, the age range for the magazine is between the ages 16 to 25 this is because of the conventions of my music magazine for example the article would not suit an older audience as it does not use the language and storyline that would be appropriate for this age group and they would lose interest as well as it not being suitable for the older age group it is also unsuitable for a younger age group as the article uses more intellectual words that they may not be able to understand some of the pictures are also perhaps too sticking and inappropriate (perhaps more revealing to a younger audience. The younger audience will also enjoy the magazine as it is on a level with them the artists who are featured in the magazine are also designed for this age range their music targets this audience and therefore because the bands that suit the audience are in the magazine they will then therefore buy it. The features in the magazine for example things about festival tickets also appeals to this age range as at the age of 16 people will begin going to festivals and often stop at around the age of 25 on average and therefore will be interested in the magazine more as events that they like to attend are also in this.

·How did you attract/address your audience?
I have attracted my audience instantly by using striking photographs on the front of the magazine as without these the magazine would not be noticed on the shelf and therefore would not sell, I used a model of a similar age range to the audience so that the audience is able to relate immediately to what she is wearing and subconsciously think of it for themselves. By then have interesting cover lines like ’Have you got your wellies?’ makes the audience curios to what it means and what the answer could be as it does not really suggest anything and therefore they will be inclined to pick the magazine up and read it. I have then used sepia style images on the contents page to make them seem authentic and different suiting the type of photography and style the audience like, also by editing the photos the pictures become more obvious to the eye and are drawn in and therefore will buy the probuct.

·What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Since the construction of this product I have learnt a lot about different media types. I first learnt which publication would be best to produce my magazine on and what would be the best tools to do so for example; on publisher I learnt how to use the white pen – this is when you click on the white parts of you pictures it deletes them, this became very useful when making my front cover and deleting the background to my front cover image so that text would contrast better on top. I also learnt how to send texts behind others so that it all fits together. When editing my photographs I used Photoshop to change the lighting and contrast to make the photos look of a higher quality and professional, i also learnt how to cut around the edge of photographs to get rid of any unwanted backgrounds that would be unconventional and inappropriate for the magazine by fully magnifying the photograph it also allowed you to cut around the photo precisely to stop any parts of the photograph being cut out. I have also learnt about the different types of font make a large difference on the magazine as a sans serif was inappropriate for my models name as the fonts often looked to printed or ‘gaudy’ but a serif font gave a relaxed tone to the name and fitted in well with the genre. I have also learned that by using the ruler guide at the top of the screen to keep everything inline the piece looks better and looked more like a professional magazine rather than box’s being slightly of centre.

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

Since my preliminary task I have learnt how to make a full magazine, and that you need to research into what your audience wants in the magazine, I have also learnt all of the magazine conventions that go into the magazine. As shown in my preliminary task i did not know how to target my audience I also was unable to understand why the layout was incorrect due to fonts and colour for example i did no questioner’s therefore just had to assume what colour background the audience would have preferred. I have also learnt that you cannot put similar colours on top of each other as the audience is unable to see it clearly and therefore the product does not look as good and as if it is not a professional magazine. I have also learnt that some of the shapes you can use on publisher are inappropriate for conventions on the front of the magazine as they look ‘cheep, childish and naff’. I have also learnt about what language to use on the front cover i.e. short snappy headlines that draw the reader in as well as even rhetorical questions to make the reader want to look inside the magazine. The photo on the front cover also has to be striking and enticing with the eyes looking at the camera so that the model both engages with the audience and also stands out on the shelf next to other magazines, the clothing that the model wears is also very important as a dim colour may blend into the background and make the photo look too striking, but yet a largely patterned outfit may look over the top making the magazine look messy and unordered. I have also learnt that the colours on the front cover must match something with the artist to link everything together this should also be a running theme throughout the whole magazine so that it looks all part of one magazine.

 

Final Front Cover

This is my final piece for my front cover it has come together through trial and error of my other peices, I have choosen to put a black line along the top of the magazine as with out it it looked bair, i think it added effect to the magazine making it look more professional and like a conventional music magazine it also made the magazine stand out as it seemed like it outlines the magazine like perhaps a border, then by the black contrasting against the white it has a standing out effect. I have choosen to do the letter L in a marroon colour as I think it suited it's targeted audience of more female the reason i picked this colour is becuase i think that it is a similar colour to her lipstick and therefor links in, I also choose it because I dont think it is as affensive as a bright 'barbie' pink. To make my magazine look balanced in the colour aspects i put certain lines of text in the same colour in  differant areas of the page to make the page not look outbalanced. I used all of the same fonts for the coverlines so that there is consistancy ans it looks professional and not too messy and all over the place. I used longer coverlines that go across the picture (at the bottom) so that it does not cover the face but looks interesting and appealing, convetionally like all other music magazines i used more than 5 cover lines. The only font that i used differantly would be that of the title next too the artist this shows to the reader clearly that this is the main cover story, by the writting also being in a serif it looks like it has been quickly scribbled by the artisit making it seem more personal from the artist to the reader and then also fits in well with the genre of the magazine. I used rehtorical 'differant' questions to engage the reader and intregue them to what the answer could possibly be, making them more enclines to buy the piece.

Final Contents Page

I choose to do a double spead page based on my questionare, I then added lots of pictures to make the pages seem more appealing; all of the pictures have a running theme of contrasting colours to give an old style laid back indie theme to the magazine. I have added in an editors letter to make the pages seem personalised it is also a convntional feature from a music magazine this is the editors letter as it is hard to see;

Hi readers, just like to say thank you for your support towards this magazine.. To say thank you we have many opportunities to win great prizes through out the magazine as you know this Issue’s special to the rest; the special edition magazine celebrates the 50 years of production. After 50 years we have set up a website for you to make comments and give your ideas about the magazine we will be taking you ideas into account and some will be interpreted into our magazine collections. Please visit; www.label.co.uk

Thank you, your editor Jessica

I have used small boxes around the edges of my numbers I have done them all identically apart from size as they are sized on importants; it makes it easier fro the audience to find certain articles and the 'bigger' ones will stand out towards them. I have also included small icon images of the articles so readers know what they are looking for this was liked from my audience feedback after it was finished.

Final Double Page

Making my double page spread

Making my contents page

Making my front cover

I began making my front cover with a range of ictures to see which one looked better as a magazine and which was most conventional to a music magazing. I choose numerouse headlines to put on the front cover

Article

This is my final article that will go into my final piece.

I have choosen to write my piece as an interview as it was th most popular choice from my questionares it is also the most popular genre for a music magazine.
I have written in the style in which I think my target audience would prefere; laid back language and an informal tone, but yet using harder language in parts so that the audience does not become uninterested and find the article patronising and child like. I wrote the article in a way that it sounds very convosational and the audience is able to get into the article (drawn in) and imagine Ellie May herself saying this.

We talk to Ellie May about; singing, upcoming tour dates and her love for pancakes.

Sitting in an old retro cafe on the outskirts of London that was picked by Ellie herself, I discover that this is her favourite restaurant known for its tower of pancakes (not my first pick, but I must admit the milkshake was fab!)We asked Ellie how she felt about becoming the next big record artist, after just coming into the limelight three months ago, what she expects for the future and an insight to the way she thinks and the character she is; she responded with her story “It was a major shock to the system I went from simply just making enough for beans on toast, a pillow and blanket on my sister’s sofa, having ‘crap’ clothes and only being known at my local pub, to having money in my pockets and a full wardrobe. At first, to me, the dream seemed distant. But it’s what I love and singing has become an addiction. Playing in front of crowds gives me thrills. The biggest phenomenon that hit me was how interested people became with my life. Even just eating a burger, ha! Strange or what?  With the press beginning to watch my every move it was daunting.  What had I let myself in for? I keep telling myself I’ll get used to it but only time will tell! At first I was reluctant to do or say things, but I’m me and I’m not going to change.

Growing up on the outskirts of Newcastle, my childhood consisted of; climbing trees, playing on rope swings and running through the sea, coming home I can’t help but do it all again. The inner child never seems to die (the best way) and of course singing played a massive part.

“My mother said I could sing before I could talk, her way of saying “you’ve done it for as long as I can remember”. At the age of seven I began to mess around with guitars, finally getting lessons at the age of ten. Then, from there on out, it was my life. Of course at first I started off in my school nativity play moving to my high school stage, then to the pub and finally to where I am today. You ask who I admire; I’m not sure who I admire but the all the glitz and glamour of the Beckham’s would be at the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

My favourite place to perform and be; I love London in the respect that I could people watch all day, the variety of culture and people is outstanding, but the busy manic life isn’t me. Don’t get me wrong the gigs I do I get lots of support and the crowds are amazing but as I go outside of London to the north or even further south the people get more laid back, more crazy, making an outstanding crowd.

Why I write the style of music I do; I write quite indie songs probably because of my guitar and I’m a one woman band, therefore I was limited to the style in which I sang. The laid back family life I was brought up in seems to be reflected in my music and polished pop was never in me. It’s a matter of opinion on what may be your music choice but in some circumstances music doesn’t fit into the place, for example Beyonce (amazing voice) at Glastonbury her perfected act simply looked a million miles out of place.

With my new album ‘every day’ coming out on the 23^rd of March and new ideas in my pocket I can only see that things are looking good, who knows what the future holds. But I know I love my job and I love life.”

Photos Double page spread

Photos contents

These are some of the photos I used for my contents page and ones that I was unable to choose between.

 I took this photo in the centre of Newcastle in a busy street, I choose to do this because my magazine is an indie magazine and the audience it is aimed at is for perhaps a more laid back (stereotypically 'hippie') type and therefor the idea of a singer starting out busking on the streets to what they have become today intereges the audience it is aimed at. By the person in the photo not loking all made up also adds to the image of what my targeted audience likes. I changed the contrast of the phtoto to make the photo seem clearer to the eye and stand out, it also fits in with the colours of the other photos as all of the photos on the contents page are either in sepia or high contrast so they all have a similar look. By editing the photo it also make the photo look of a better quality and as if it has been specificall done for the magazine.

I again took this photo in newcastle as i think the photo looks more natural and laid back and as from feed back from my targeted audience they said that they preferred this types of photos. I gradually edited this photo changing the colour, contrast and lighting the first time i editied the photo it was to change the colour outlines of the colours in the picture so that it didnt blend in with the rest of the picture the contrast was higher and therefor stood out to the eye more appealing to the audiences interests more. I then decided to put the picture in negative and use it as a smaller picture as i thought it looked like an albumn cover which would fit in with the music magazine genre, it also highlights the guatare which shows the reader instantly what the article ect is going to be about. The picture again after being editited looks more professional and of a higher qualty looking professional, (by it being in an old style theme it fits in with the indie magazine). I choose to do a longer shot so that the audience is able to see the aritists full body a guatare which has the full effect. The feedback i also had from when the magazine was put together was that of the style of the edited pictures, they were also prefered as the phtots look natural and unstaged.

I choose to take this photo of a model in fancy dress as i thought it would give the magazine an intersting twists and therefor intregue the reader making them wounder what its assosiated with. I changed the contrast, colour and lighting i also added highlights to the picture i used photoshop to do this i did it because i think it gave the picture a cartoon look and minnie mouse was originally a cartoon and therefor they work well in my contents. I choose not to cut out the background as the american style bar in the background looked intreging and a bit differant to the reader making them want to read the article to see what the picture represents. Again the veiws from my choosen audience prefered pictures like this as they do not look as 'fake' and 'glamorous' and therefor fits in with the magazine genre and suits the targeted audience. Feedback from my audience was that they liked the idea of haveing the model in fancy dress as it would intergue them to what the article is about encouraging them to buy the magazine.

I particlarly choose this picture because again similarly to the one above this the cartoon effect gives a high quality image that targets it's audience, the contrast in colours of the bright green drink and red dress also gives a starterling effect. The red in the picture is oftern also potrayed a dangerouse or love aswell as having the top of her leg showing gives the audience a specific idea in their head this then highly contrasts with the friendly inocence of minnie mouse and therefor seems mysteriose entising the audeiecne to read it. By her also un convetioanly not looking at the camera it again gives the audience a sence of mystery.

I took this picture against a collaged 'surfing themed' wall which comes with the idea of it being laid back and therefor fits in with the relaxed theme of the indie style magazine. (my audience agreed that this was a good picture and were intregeed by the backgrond) I changed the contrast of the picture to make it stand out more for example the dress looks a brighter blue ( bright blue also assosiated with being 'cool') and fits in well with the style of the background (the sea blues and also the idea that surfing theme is laid back like the magazine, the collage also looks like the photo has been took against a professional background.) it has also gave the model a glowing skin tone making her look prettier and stereotypically what people want to see in music magazine pictures. The natural make up also make the picture seem not to over the top. I choose to do a mid shot as it is oon the contents page and a long shot would be hard to see at it is a smaller icture and i also wanted to give the audience a taster of the models personality and clothing choices as well as seeing her facial expresions.

Photos Front Cover

Photos I used on my front cover and final piece; how I edited them.

This was the final picture I choose to use on my final piece for my front cover I choose to use this picture because the model looks directly at the camera (direct) this means that were ever the audience stands the model will be looking at them, making them feel as if she is staring at them making the photo come across as striking. I choose for my model to wear all one colour (a bright colour) so that front page stands out to the audience (by choosing the colour blue it stands for being a cool perhaps laid beck colour which fits in with the indie style of the magazine) and would also make the page look not too busy and over the top for the reader. I shone a small light onto the left hand side of my model to make the photo have a slight shadow. When the photo was uploaded I edited it in Photoshop by changing the contrast of the photo and the lighting, this made shadows stand out more as well as her blue dress which then makes a contrast against her white skin and dark hair making the photo look striking. I changed the background to white using a tool on publisher I did this because on the majority of music magazines the background is white and also my results of my questioner was that my audience preferred a white background.

This was a photo I thought about using for my front cover but when I began to add the titles to the front cover it did not fit in with the picture it was also not an image that was conventional for a music magazine due to her pose, although I preferred the shadows on this picture (to do this I pointed a light onto the left hand side of her body), it made the front cover not as striking and noticeable to the eye therefore it would appeal less to the audience. Also in the right side of the picture there is the side of a dour way which should not be there in the photo therefore the photo looks less professional and de-values it. (To take the photo I again shone a light onto the left hand side of her and then used Photoshop to change the brightness, contrast and highlights.)