Evaluation Question 7 - What do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to a full product?

Looking back at my preliminary task that was to create a front cover and contents page for a college magazine, I have learnt numerous skills and information which I think has enhanced my efforts that are shown in my final products.

Surprisingly I think  that I approached the preliminary task better in terms of time management and organisation skills and found myself more relaxed whereas in this task I think I could have organised myself better. Beforehand I already knew who my models were but I was reluctant in scheduling time in booking the studio which left me with a limited amount of photos taken. Also at some point I even had to result to using a mobile phone. Although this acts as an example of my problem solving I do believe that if the production ran more smoothly, my products would be even better.

I think throughout that my creative decisions have been good as I think I have captured who my audience are and their attitudes through the choice of models and also the idea shown on the front cover. I think the concept used is very original and embodies the image I was thinking of from my draft. Also with the addition of the prop I think it has made the page even more realistic.

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK:

In order for me to determine how successful I was in completing the task, feedback from the target audience was essential. Posting my work to Facebook I allowed my friends and other students to comment on my work stating their opinions either good or bad and any improvements, if needed.

The responses I received were all positive with people commenting on how they liked it and especially liked the concept behind the work.

When asked to state any improvements in my work there were some who thought that the double page spread was not as good in presentation as the others. I would agree with this as I think that both the front cover and the contents page were both stronger than the double page spread and looked more professional. I think that to improve this I would change the page completely and make the background white. Also I would use the full size portrait image to cover one side of the double page spread and also use an image that shows the location.

The strengths of my work are that overall people liked it and liked the concept on the front cover which I am very pleased with.

The weaknesses of my work are my organisation and time management in production. Though I am happy with what I have created I think if I spent more time the double page spread would be as good as the front cover and contents page.

However throughout the duration of this second task I do believe that my work has improved, in terms of quality and also through my creativity. I think that this is down to the new skills I have learnt using Photoshop and also the information I have acquired on the correct way to take pictures and how to get a picture in focus.

Evaluation Question 6 - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

In this coursework unit, I have learnt a lot about different softwares after using many products relating to technology. I think that things that I have learnt have equipped me in making my music magazine and generally improving my skills that I showcased on the previous task of creating the college magazine.

During the process of preproduction, the very first piece of technology I used was the internet. In order for me to be able to exhibit my work, I had to create an online account on the site – blogger.com. I thought that the whole method of writing posts and publishing them was very easy to do and straightforward but at times I found the process fairly long and at times tedious. For example in order for me to upload certain things like my graphs I had to convert them into a suitable file type which was, at times, very frustrating.  Although this criticism after a while I soon learnt the ways of Blogger and found pleasure in uploading new posts.

The internet also assisted me in my research. Using the search engines for example Google .com and Bing.com, I found numerous images of magazines that would later aid me in creating my own magazine, one of which I used as the example front cover for my textual analysis. As well as using Google to find front covers I also used the internet to find information about publishing companies to help write my case study of a publishing company.

In preproduction I also used some software on the computer to type up my work and present my results. Softwares like Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel made these things accessible allowing me to create my audience research questionnaire and present the results in graphs. As I am very familiar with these programs I did not learn anything new from these softwares.

In order to get images for my media products, I used a Canon E05 400D 10.1 camera to capture my front cover photo. After my first attempt in the preliminary task I was relatively confident using the camera as it was quite easy to operate, however, when it came to the task I learnt that there is a lot more to cameras than just pressing a button.  The first thing I learnt was that in order for the image to be in focus, the correct alignment was needed. This is one of the things I found difficulty with, struggling at times to maintain the focus on my chosen subject.

When taking the pictures I kept in mind the conventions of a magazine that focussed on how to take the images, how to frame the subject and the type of shot needed.  Typically taken at a portrait orientation, I followed this, taken the images at a medium close up shot which I think is big enough and suitable for a front cover. I learnt that in order to achieve maximum results there are three technical elements that are essential to ‘make’ an image. All of these three elements (aperture, shutter speed and ISO speed) contribute to control the amount of light in the picture.

This is where I realised that lighting is an important feature in photography. Taking into consideration the cautions of working with soft-boxes, I learnt the set-up of how the equipment was positioned in the studio and the significance of using a soft-box.

Unfortunately due to my lack of organisation and time management when it came to securing a camera, I had to result in using a mobile phone to take the remainder of the photos seen on the contents page and double page spread. For this I used a Nokia C6 mobile phone, 5 mega pixels. Though in theory the images should be significantly distinctive to the image on the front cover, considering the quality, I found the outcome of these photos relatively good and was quite pleased with them as they are not noticeable for being taken off a camera phone.

After uploading the images from the camera to the computer, I had the task of selecting the ones I wanted for my magazine. Selecting the images was not at all a long process as there were limited amount of pictures available as some were ruled out as they were out of focus or not aligned on the model correctly. Next in order to make the media products I used a program that is renowned for being one of the best graphics editing programs, Adobe Photoshop. I felt fairly confident in creating my vision of my magazine as I was very familiar with this program using numerous times before merely just for leisure. Frequently for the duration of creating the music magazine, I used the ‘Quick Selection’ tool.

This tool enabled me to cut out the appropriate parts of the image that was needed and I think overall gave me a professional look once feathered and blended in to the background. Another tool that I used frequently was the shape tool and the text tool. Overall I think that Photoshop was a very good software and aided me in my creative process.

Evaluation Question 5 - How did you attract/address your audience?

To attract my target audience, young women, I decided to use female models for my pages so the readers can relate. Also the stylings of the models all contribute to help attract the audience. They are all dressed in fashionable clothing which could appeal to an audience who are interested in fashion or fashion conscious. Also with the models all aged 16 years old it will attract a similar age group of readers.

Out all of my media products, the page that is the most important feature of the magazine, which will possibly persuade the reader to buy, is the front cover. Using the results from my audience research as guidelines I followed some of the requests given. One of the requests was to have a bright colour scheme to grab the attention of the audience. To comply to this request I used the colour scheme of red, black and white. I think the use of these colours and the way the page is presented would appeal to the target audience as both the red and the white are quite bold and stand out making it appealing to the eye.  Furthermore because these colours are recognizable as apart of this genre, it would attract people that have an interest in rock. To further interest people I included a free CD. I think the addition of freebies will draw people’s attention and make people want to buy.

Knowing that 40% of all magazine purchases are determined by content I decided that my coverlines will have information about bands from America and England. I did this because these are the countries that are most renowned for mainstream music internationally.

For example the coverline about the band Paramore’s split. Using a coverline that concerns one of the biggest current mainstream bands and news that includes controversy could influence people interested in this genre of music to purchase the magazine. Also it could appeal to people that are Paramore’s fans and want to learn more about this news.

I decided to make the main article about an artist that the audience already knows. This is to further attract the audience that are already existing fans of the artist but want to read more about her. The concept on the front cover, of the main artist taking a mugshot, is also used to attract the audience. One big selling point could be rebelliousness in the rock community especially when it comes to the law. The image of the artist holding up a mug shot sign could attract readers as they may think that this headline was about scandal and will be intrigued to find out more.

Throughout I have addressed the audience with language that they as young people can easily relate to. In the editor’s note on the contents page I used this to directly address the readers signing off the letter with “Stay Badass!” and a signature of the editor with a smiley face. I did this as I know that this type of language would be easily understood by the target but also to show that the editor is also similar to them once again making her relatable.

Evaluation Question 4 - Who would be the audience for your media product?

R&R’s main audience are people who love listening to music but mainly Rock lovers. My magazine targets an international audience which is interpreted on the front cover for example on the barcode which displays prices from different countries showing that it available there. 

Another example of this are the coverlines that concern news about bands that come from America and England. The reason I chose to focus on bands mainly from America and England are because they are the countries that are the most known worldwide for their artists and mainstream songs.

I decided to target young females aging from 16 – 25 years old because I feel that younger audiences are the ones that would benefit mostly from this type of magazine due to its content.  Features like reviews and interviews and even information about recent gigs would interest this age group the most and attract them.  Though the age range I suggest that starts at 16, I do think that people aged 15 will be interested in the magazine.  One factor that hindered the age range being lowered was that perhaps the price would be too expensive for 15 year olds to buy alone and also that the content could be too mature. 

Since I decided to target a younger people the magazine could also address people that enjoy fashion and are perhaps style-conscious. It could attract people who are influenced by celebrities or artists and want to imitate them, in fashion or even their lifestyle.  I think that my magazine would target people with an active social life that enjoy going to music concerts and listening to live music.

In terms of ethnicity, R&R targets all races equally but my assumption, based on the chosen genre, Rock, the magazine will target more people from a Caucasian background as they are the predominant listeners of Rock. Although I did not include this question on ethnic background in my questionnaire, due to research of my own that questioned who currently reads magazines similar to my media product, I think that this concept would be correct.

Evaluation Question 3 - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product?

Referring back to my case study of a publishing company, I think that for my music magazine a magazine publisher like Natmags would be the ideal publishing company to distribute it. By distributing my magazine it will be very beneficial for this company, financially and as a good investment overall.

Although the magazines that Natmags publishes are mainly focused on lifestyle, amongst their titles there are no existing publications that cover the music market. This is where my magazine comes in.

With Natmags being my magazine’s publisher it will open up a whole new business market for them creating a new target audience for them. This is because my magazine targets people that enjoy and love music, specifically rock. This will also help to widen the audience of this publishing house as through my magazine, sponsors will be able to advertise their products and with the addition of new advertisers it will generate more income.

 As it is a music magazine, entirely different from any other titles that Natmags publish, it will be catering for a whole new audience which will then result in profit for Natmags. Furthermore, since there is no magazine like mine amongst Natmags titles, there would be no competition within their company.

Natmags existing brands reach over 14m readers stating on their own website that “Nobody knows women like Natmags.”  As my magazine is aimed at the same audience this will correspond with Natmags vision. However my magazine is targeted for females at a younger age from 16 -25, this again would be an advantage for Natmags. By catering for a younger age group they would be distributing a magazine into a new market once again resulting in a new target group, widening their audience that will generate profit.

From my audience research, I discovered that many people receive their magazines through subscription therefore I would certainly encourage subscription. I think that by doing this it would beneficial for the audience with having the magazine arriving to their door as opposed to them picking it up from the shelf.

I think my magazine will be sold in the typical way, at newsagents across the country and be available in many magazine retailers in a corner shop or in the station. This method is very easy and accessible for the audience making it an ideal way.

Also I would like to distribute my magazine at gigs and concert venues and also in music stores. I think that this would diversify my magazine from existing products as it would reach a number of people and with my magazine priced at £2.35 it is a reasonable cost for people from all walks of life to be able to purchase.

Evaluation Question 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My magazine mainly focuses on the genre of Rock so it is made to appeal to people from that subculture. After my profiling the market research I decided to aim the magazine to a female young audience aged from 16 - 25 who are enthusiastic about music and either live or desire to live the Rock lifestyle. Since all the models are aged from 16 upwards this is how I represented their age group.

The model on the front cover is a representation of the magazines target audience, females. Her attire connotes rebellion, youth and fashion. The makeup used also helps to sell this hard image with a stereotypical view that is portrayed in the media of the genre’s influence on the younger generation. The model represents this genre through the dark black eyeliner, red lipstick makeup and rough hair with a blunt fringe which is a style that is very common of this genre as seen in the image of teenage icon, Taylor Momsen.

Unlike other genres of music for example, Hip-Hop and R&B where the lyrics are mainly steered to showing how much status and affluence the artist has (bling and wealth), Rock artists are not majorly concerned these topics but rather values individuality and unconformity. To relay this, the model is shown wearing just a necklace to not distract the attention from the makeup and hair and instead enhance the look with a simplistic feature of the jewellery.  Furthermore to entice the reader, I wanted the model to give an expression that was slightly effortless and only required the model to make direct eye-contact with the audience. I believe this look was achieved and also with the eyeliner it intensifies the image drawing the attention towards the eyes.

Whilst researching this genre I came across the information that a lot of young existing female ‘Rockers’ have had difficulty when it came to obeying the law. It is probable that this is because of their acts of rebellion or their resistance to conform. I conveyed this idea by having my model pose with the prop of a mug-shot sign. Although this idea could be construed negatively as a bad example for the chosen audience, the actual reason behind this is to express the stereotypical image of this genre.

The model featured on the double page spread similarly supports this stereotypical representation of the rock community. This model represents two subcultures, teenagers and the rock community. The chosen gesture (the holding up of the middle finger) shows her revolt to conventional ways (rock community) and also the attitude that is common amongst this age group (teenagers).

Although every model I used look relatively different, they all are able to be identified belonging to this genre of music. Also to show that there is no discrimination of any race in my magazine, every model I used are all different ethnicity. By doing this it shows that though they may be different races, they are all united through their love for music.

Evaluation Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

 Prior to me creating my media products, I observed many professional magazines to make myself more accustomed to what the conventions were and what standard was expected.
My textual analysis also helped me in creating these media products as I was able to understand how a professional magazine should look and it allowed me to visualise my own design.

In my media products I have used several of the forms and conventions so they can be identified to the audience as professional and attract them by the recognisable format.
Firstly my masthead is positioned in the top left hand corner. This is a typical convention in a magazine so the title is recognisable and clear when in display. The masthead is larger than any text on the magazine and is written in a different font to make it standout, grabbing the reader’s attention. Also the font used is bold which is another convention relating to the masthead.



My Magazine - R&R



Since I was focusing on the genre of Rock I decided to use two existing magazines, ‘NME’ and ‘Q’, as case-studies to help create my media products and also help to distinguish my magazine from them, as realistically they would be my competition. Similar to the Q magazine, my coverlines are placed in the left hand corner framed around the model to not detract the audience’s attention from the main image.

 

Q Magazine



My magazine also follows the convention of having a colour scheme. During my research of current Rock magazines I saw the same colour scheme throughout: red, black and white. I decided to follow this as I think that these colours complement each other and also are recognisable of the genre of Rock.  The idea of having my barcode vertical similarly came from my research as in both ‘NME’ and ‘Q’ magazine this is the design. I think by doing this my magazine would stand out as the design is different from any others. Furthermore with the added information of the prices in other countries on the barcode, I think this makes the magazine seem more professional and realistic.

Additionally I have included a selling line in my front cover. I think that this is a good feature to include because it is the title’s main marketing point that states what type of magazine it is and their viewpoint. Placed beneath the masthead I have used “FOR THOSE ADDICTED TO REAL MUSIC!”

By using this as the selling line I feel this establishes what the magazines viewpoint on music is and who this magazine is aimed for – people that have a strong opinion about music.

Throughout I did follow the forms and conventions but I also decided to develop some details.  On my magazine cover, one typical feature of a magazine is the dateline that includes the date and also the price but I decided to separate these features and instead pair the price with the barcode as I think it looks better in terms of presentation.

Also I challenged the convention when it came to the background. To diversify my magazine from others I decided to have my background itself be an image whereas in professional magazines they would usually have a background that was just of one colour. I believe that by challenging this convention it added more excitement to the cover and concept of rebellion.