Evaluation Part 7

Q: Looking back at your preliminary task what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from that to your full product?

Student Magazine: Here we can see that the student magazine what I created at the start of the year is not good. The font style used is just a simple plain font you can find on powerpoint. Another thing that is poor is that the image has not been edited to make the magazine look better, an example would be that the date is in front of the model's head.

Music Magazine: Here however we can see that my music magazine is a lot better than the student magazine. If we compare the font we can see that the font on the music magazine is a lot better and also is not just a simple font that can be found on powerpoint but I have used the internet to find the best style font that suits the magazine. Again if we compare the main image and editing we can see again that the music magazine is a lot better, an example of this would be that the title of the magazine is behind the models head. Another thing that could be also pointed out about the main image would be that on the music magazine has an eye line shot connecting the model to the audience whereas the student magazine does not.   

Evaluation Part 6

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

One of the things I have learnt about new technologies during the process of constructing my product was that I am now able to use Photoshop better than before. During this task majority of the work was done by using Photoshop, because of this I have been able to have a better understanding on how to use Photoshop by asking for help from others in the class and my lecture and also from learning by doing.

Another thing I have learnt about new technology is that social networking sites like Facebook can have a big effect on how my product will be seen by others. This is because I can post things on Facebook and ask for feedback from others, this makes it a far easier way to receive feedback and allows you to correct any mistakes faster.

Another new thing I have learnt about new technology is that blogger makes it easier to submit your work and makes it easier for the lecture to see and mark the work.

Evaluation Part 5

Q: How did you attract/ address your audience?

I have managed to attract the audience to my magazine by doing several things.

One of them would be when I have mentioned people like Jake Bugg, Noel Gallagher and Alex Turner, by doing so my magazine will be able to identify that the magazine is for people who like the music genre indie rock making them want to buy the magazine.

Another example would be the guitar on the front cover or the "props", by using this style of guitar the audience can recognize that this magazine is for people who like indie rock music. This is because this style of guitar is used by recognizable people in the genre, such as Noel Gallagher.

Evaluation Part 4

Q: Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience for my media produce would be people who enjoy indie rock music. Some examples of indie rock being Oasis, The Arctic Monkeys, Blur, The Beatles and many more. Many people buy the popular music magazine NME, but NME does not always have the same style of genre inside, it changes weekly so it can attract a wider audience. But this also means that only people who like the artist will buy the magazine, but with my magazine it only has one genre, which is indie rock, this means that every week there will be something inside that the audience of my magazine will like, meaning that they will buy it every week.

An example of two different NME covers who will appeal to two different social groups. 

Here is a picture of my main image and an image of Miles Kane, both of the images are similar showing the audience that my magazine is for people who like indie rock.

Evaluation Part 3

Question 3: What Knind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I think that IPC media would publish my magazine. IPC media is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the UK, selling over 350 million of its products each year. IPC media is the producer of NME, a popular music magazine. NME is directed at most music genres offering its audience a wide range of stories and interviews, but this means that every week different people will but, with my magazine being target ate one specific social group, the same people will buy it every week without the risk of losing customers because they do not like who is on the cover.

Above is an example of two issues on NME, one with Noel Gallagher on the cover and the other with Eminem on the cover. It is highly unlikely that the same social group who like the music of Noel Gallagher will like the same as Eminem, therefor they will not buy the one with Eminem on the cover, but if it was aimed at the same target audience every week they the audience will buy the magazine every week. 

Evaluation Part 2

Q: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Here we can see on the left the main image from my front cover (original size) and on the right a picture of Miles Kane, a popular face in the indie rock music scene. As you can see I have made my image quite similar to the one of Miles Kane, this is so that the same target audience will recognize the similarity's and want to buy the magazine.

Some of the similarity's are:
. The eye contact with the camera, both of the models making eye contact with the audience will make the audience want to buy the magazine
. The pose of the model, this shows that they are the main part of the image and the reason why the audience will want to buy the magazine
. Similar scenery, both in a casual living space
. The guitar, showing that it is a music magazine and also that it is for people who like indie rock, by holding a guitar it shows this as you would not see someone from the RnB scene of music holding a guitar

Overall by making my image similar to the one of Miles Kane it will allow the audience to know if they are interested in the magazine or not.

Evaluation Part 1

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


The title of the magazine: The title of my magazine is "Vinyl Records", this will allow the audience to immediately know what this magazine is about.

Mise-En-Scene of images: By using props like the union jack pillows and the guitar again the audience will be able to recognize what this magazine is about. Also they will be able to tell what type of genre of music the magazine is about judging again by the union jack pillow which is genially associated with indie rock music and bands like The Beatles, Oasis, Blur and many other British bands.

Costume and props: The costume I have used on my magazine is what you would genially expect an indie rock musician to wear during an interview; A parka coat, slim fitting jeans. The hairstyle is also important, a lot of musicians have similar hairstyles like this one, some examples being Miles Kane and Noel Gallagher. This will allow the audience to recognize that this is a indie rock style genre type of music magazine. The main props I have used are the Union Jack Pillows and the guitar. By using these two props the audience can immediately identify the genre of the magazine.

People: In my magazine there is only one person that features on the cover, contents page and double page spread. this is so that the audience know that when they buy the magazine they will be getting what they see rather than just one page each for several artists.

Tilte and Font Style: For the front cover I have used a large font for my magazine title and a kind of font that looks like it is related to music. I have made it so big so that the audience will know what my magazine is called and what it is about.

Written Content: The written contend of my double page is simple and easy to read. I have also made the font size pretty small so that it does not draw away the attention of the main image. I have also made it clear to the audience what part of the text is a question and what part is the answer by using two different colours.

Music Genre: The music genre for my magazine is indie/indie rock. I have made this clear to the audience mentioning to the audience some popular names from this genre such as Noel Gallagher and Alex Turner.

Layout: The layout of my magazine has made it easy for the audience to know what they can find and where. I have put my masthead it the top left corner so that the audience can identify what the magazine is and what it is called. On my double page spread I have put my text on the right hand side of the page so that the audience will see the main image first so that they will know who the article is about.

Contents Page: I have made my contents page simple so that the audience will be able to know where everything is in my magazine. I have made it so that the "Band Index" is on the left hand side of the page, this is where the audience can see where everything in my magazine is. In the middle of the page I have put a picture and some text from my main article.



  

The conventions, the producer and target audience of my text

The conventions, the producer and target audience of my text:

For my magazine I plan on changing my main image for my front cover due to the image being slightly blurry and the colours not matching the theme of the magazine. The sub images of my magazine such as the one on my context page I am happy with and I plan on keeping them. The colour palette of my magazine mainly consists of red; I am happy with it and plan on keeping it. I think by changing my main image for the front cover it will attract to the audience more because if the image is more clear and stands out more because it will be brighter and the image will stand out more.

I think that the target audience for my magazine would be both male and female; this is because the music that will feature in my magazine will be suitable for both sexes. I think that the age range would be from the ages of 15 to 25, this is because that the music that would feature in my magazine would be more recent and upcoming bands and artist which would not really appeal to the older generation. The characteristics and attitudes behaviours of my text would appeal to a younger generation of audiences because the text will be short and straight to the point.  

I would like to show my text to big media plat former such as IPC media but with them already publishing NME it would be unlikely that they would publish mine as well. So therefore I would show my text to Pupfish who are a company who make music books for children. With them already producing in the musical business, I think that if they where to produce a music magazine as well as books for children it would give the company a bigger name and make them more known around the nation and possibly around the world.  

Magazine Photos

Front Cover

Contents Page

Double Page Spread

Original Front Cover Photo

The reason that I changed my front cover image was that once I put this image on my front cover the colour pallet did not seem to match as this image is a lot darker and also when I put this mage on my front cover it went blury and looked unprofessional.   

Fonts

Here are some examples of some of the fonts I have used for my magazine and where I have used them.

Magazine Title

Contents Page

Contents Page

Front Cover/ Double Page Spread

Double Page Spread

Double Page Spread

Here is a image of my double page spread from my magazine.

Contents Page

Here is an image of my contents page from my magazine.

Front Cover

This is a image of my front cover from my magazine.

Student Magazine

Here I have made a front cover and a contents page for a student magazine.

Simpsons Movie Poster

Here I have created a poster using photoshop for The Simpsons Movie

Contents Page Deconstructions

Here I have deconstructed three contents pages from NME

My Flat Plan

Masthead: The masthead of my magazine is placed in the top left hand side corner of my magazine, this is because when the audience look at the magazine the first side of the page they will look at will be the top left. I will also have it so that my masthead is behind my main image, but so the audience can still see it.

Main Image: The main image on my front cover will be spread across the whole page, this is so that the image is made clear to the audience, I have also placed it in front of the masthead so that the audience can understand the images importance and so they will recognise the band/ artist straight away once they look at the magazine. However things like the main sell line, enigma code, other sell lines, barcode  and necessary information have been place in front of the main image so that the audience are able to see why the band/ artist is in the news and what other bands/ artists are also in the news and why.

Background Colours: I am using a white background because if I use any other bright colours it may draw the audiences attention away from the main image. Down at the bottom of the page I have made my other sell lines appear on a different background colour, this is to help the audience understand that they are a completely different story from the main story.

Main Sell Line and Enigma Code: The font I will be using for my main sell line on my magazine will be big and bold so that it stands out to the audience, the colour I will be using will either be black or red because they contrast well with a white background. It will be placed on the right hand side of the page. The enigma code will be placed just bellow the main sell line so that the audience know that the main sell line is more important. The font I will be using for the enigma code will also be bold but the size of it will be smaller and I will also be using the same colour as the main sell line.

Other sell lines: The other sell lines on my magazine are all located at the bottom of the page, this to let the audience know that they are not as important as the main sell line. I have used a red circle for the background with a small font but still bold. I have used a red circle so that the audience know that it is a completely different article compared to the main article.

Page Numbers and Article Titles: I have placed the page numbers and article titles down the left hand side of the page, this is because when the audience look at the page they are automatically drawn to the left hand side, this will allow them to find the article that they are looking for a lot faster and easier.

Image (Main Article): The main image for the main article will be located in the middle of page near the top, this is so the audience will know its importance. They will know it is important because it will be the only image on there so it will stand out more.

Information on Main Article: The information on the main article will be located directly below the image for the main article, this will tell them that it is not as important as the image for the article but still has an important role. Also with it been placed directly below the image the audience will know without even reading it what it is about.

Subscription Offer: The subscription off will be located at the bottom of the contents page. This is because it is the least important thing on the page because the audience don't want the magazine to have loads of advertisement, if it located at the bottom it looks separate from the topic of the magazine and wont confuse the audience.  

  

Headline: The headline for my double page spread will be located in the middle of the page at the very top. this is so that the audience know that it is one of the most important things on the page. The headline will be in big bold letters so that it stands out more and so it will be the first thing the audience will see and therefore read, this means that if they like the band what the article is about they will want to read on.  

Images: Both of the images i will be using on my double page spread will be located on the left hand side. This is because it will be the first thing they will see, and if they recognize the band/artist by their photos they will want to read the article about them.

Text: The text will be located on the right hand side of the double page spread because it is the last thing that the audience will want to look at. However by using a full page for the text shows that it is just as important as the images.

Double Page Spread Deconstructions

For this task I have deconstructed three double page spreads.

Contents Page Deconstruction

Contents Page – Deconstruction

Feature	Description
Masthead?? How is it positioned? Font Style? Colour Where on page is it positioned?	The masthead “NME” is positioned on the top left hand corner of the page; this is because the audience will look at this first because the audience genially start to read from the top left corner of the page. The title is bold so it stands out more and the colour is red so it stands out more.
Necessary Information?? Date? Issue Number? Page number? Where are they positioned? Website info? Links?	The date is positioned underneath and to the right of the masthead. The page numbers are down the left hand side of the page with the title of the article alongside them. The website and phone number is at the bottom of the page next to the subscription offer so the audience know where to go to get the offer.
Text?? What is it? Form of address? How much text? What is its purpose? Subheadings? Order? Layout? Use of numerical features?	The text here is about the main sell line “The Arctic Monkeys”. It is there to give the audience a brief explication on what the article is about. The text is not very much because the audience will not want to know too much about the article before they read it.
Font?? What font is used? Are there different font styles? Why is this? Colour? Are italics used? Where? How? Bold text?	The font used is a black bold font; they have done this so that the audience will be attracted to it and want to read on. Different styles of font are used on this contents page, for example the text on the main sell line has a different font to the font used on the index.
Images?? How many? What size? What are they of? Are the images anchored? (i.e. by a caption?) Is there writing over any of the images? Positioning?	Here there is only one image used. The image is pretty big, this is so that the audience/ reader’s attention will be immediately on the image, this gives them an idea on what the article will be about, here it uses a picture of The Arctic Monkeys, this will tell the audience/ reader that on page 45 there is an article about the band The Arctic Monkeys
Composition?? Framing? Layout? Layering? Relation of text to images? Image led? Text led?	The framing used here on the image is that it has been placed in the top left corner, it has been placed here because the reader’s attention is immediately focused on the top left corner. The layout used on the text is so it is directly underneath the picture so after the reader sees the picture they will want a bit of information on what the picture is about.
Linguistic features?? Rhetorical questions? Alliteration? Assonance? Enigma Codes? Puns? Anything else of note? Effect of linguistic features?	Here we can see a rhetorical question that asks the audience “How exited should we be about them?” this is almost like it is telling the audience that no matter what they should be exited, but asking the question about how exited we should be instead of are we exited?
Colour?? How many colours are used for text? Colours of images? Effect of colours?	Here on this part of the magazine (contents page) we can see 4 different colours (red, white, black and yellow). The colours of the image seem to relate to the style of the contents page by using a black background with hints of red in the background.

Student Feedback

Feedback Sheet – Student Work

Please refer to photography, colour, layout, font style, framing and cropping as well as font style and actual text in your response.

Please remember to be constructive in your criticism as this is work by students – not professional s

Name of product	What I thought were the strengths	What I thought were the weaknesses
New Wave	The double page spread has some good quotes and some good text in it.  All of the images are their own. Contains all the appropriate information on the front cover. The layout used is good and makes the magazine look a bit better. The grade I would give this would be C	The images where blurry. The font doesn’t really stand as much as you would like it to and this may not get the audience to buy the magazine. The pictures in the double page spread are really close together which makes it look messy. I don’t think that the colour scheme is good because it doesn’t match the theme of the magazine.
Shattered	The only thing that I thought was good about this piece of work was the interview on the double page spread. On the interview it gives the audience a good amount of information about the band. The grade I would give this would be F	The pictures on the front cover, content page and the double page spread are all very poor. They all look like they were taken I a rush in order to finish the piece of work, for example on the front cover we can see the back garden of someone’s house in the background, overall I think the whole piece of work seems rushed and unorganised.
Viue	One thing I think is good about this piece of work is the images. None of the images used are not blurry and are very easy to see clearly. Also I think that on the double page spread it gives out a good piece of information to the audience/ reader. The grade I would give this would be D	The bad thing about this piece of work is that on the contents page is the fact that they are not all of his own images. On the bottom left corner we can see an image of Noel Gallagher, which as we can see very clearly is not his own image.
Varsity	The thing I like about this piece of work is the images. On the front page the main image is in black and white, I think this adds effect to it and I think it makes it look a lot better. Also the fact that all of the images are taken on been used of the internet makes this piece of work a lot better. The grade I would give this would be C	The bad thing about this piece of work is the font used on the double page spread. In my opinion the font used is dull and boring which does not match the mood that is set by the front cover and the double page spread.
AM	The good thing about this piece of work is the double page spread. I think that the information that is given is a good amount and the font that is used. The font that is used is big and bold which will stand out to the audience and make them want to keep reading. The grade I would give this would be D	I think that the images that are used in this piece of work are bad.  I think that they are bad because all of them seem to be blurry and faded which makes the magazine look worse than it is. Another bad thing about this piece of work is the contents page, I think that it all seems crammed together and makes it look untidy.