Evaluation

 

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

 

The standard conventions for a magazine are : masthead, cover lines, main image, main cover lines and a bar code. Nearly all magazines follow these rules, as it makes them easy to identify and easy to read. My magazine consisted of a barcode, cover lines, main image and masthead, therefore i covered the majority of them and used the ones i felt was most necessary. i like the idea that 'less is more', I didn't want to overcrowd my front page as the image was the main focus as a lot of time was spent perfecting it and i felt that if i had a lot of text over it, that would down grade the image and make it less noticeable.

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->This magazine was my main inspiration, consequently I followed these conventions as i thought it was the most appealing and aesthetic magazine.  

The image seems to be the main focus, as it's the first thing you notice, and the font is white making it barley visible, suggesting that the producer wanted it to be plane.

 

 

 

 

The font is similar to one I used also, as you can see below

 plain and bold. This is because I didn't want it to look tacky or for it to be the main focus.The font blends in with the background, so it fits in with

the image, therefore its not as noticeable as the image, which is what I was trying to get across.

So, in comparison my magazine is similar to the real magazine that I intended it to have similarities with.

On my front page I also used cover lines, as I thought that they are essential for the audience. If this was the first issue of the magazine, the audience wouldn't know that it was a music magazine, what was inside of it or the genre.
So, by listing artists that appear inside the magazine gives the readers an insight, and if they're interested in the artists featured on the front page, they may be interested in buying it to read more.
Again, I chose simple, bold font to make it look tidy and the colour choice because it blended and matched the main image. As you can see on the right, Q magazine used a similar
method by listing the artists down the left side of the page, making it easier for their audience.

 
 
 
 In the bottom right corner of my magazine I used a barcode, as from research I discovered that this was the most common used place for one and by using one my magazine appears more realistic and professional



 

This is my contents page which I wanted to appear slightly different/artistic inspired by the studied magazine 'Raygun' I achieved this by making a section of it in colour and the rest in black and white. This is because the genre of music I studied was indie, which means independent, therefore I wanted this to be demonstrated through magazine too. This has been achieved because its slightly unusual and consequently different from other magazines, making it indie.
I placed the page numbers and titles in a pattern to make it seem more abstract and unusual, consequently making my magazine independent from the others. I also included what's featured in my magazine on the bottom left, as the majority of contents page encompass this.
Also, in the top right corner I put 'issue #15', this implies that it's not a one off magazine and that there's more to come.
The font is also varied but still kept simple and bold, which is consistent through out the whole magazine. As consistency makes it easier for the audience to recognise the magazine,  

However, I still followed the standard conventions; everything my contents page consist of is featured on the majority of other music magazines, an example would be from this Q contents : It has a masthead, what's featured in the magazine and an image.
 I also discovered that most magazines would place their email address or twitter page on the contents page, so I used the name of my magazine in them to make my magazine seem real.

I used my strongest image on my double page spread, to attract the audience. On the right hand side i placed a large 'W' behind my interview, as the artist is called Whitney, so it represents that. I also didnt want to use a plain white background on the image, so i went on google images and found a tinted blue marble pattern because it works well with the image on the left and the colours.

who would be the audience for your media product?

I chose for my audience to be 17-26 year olds as although there may not be a gap in the market for this age range, indie magazines are uncommon when searching in shops such as WHSmiths. To make sure I made the right decision I carried out several small interviews to see who would agree.

Emily 18 years old
Are you interested in indie music?
yes
What kind of magazine do you read?
I don't often read magazines, but I used to get nme magazine every month as it's my favourite.
Why do you buy that magazine?
It's a way of finding new music, as i'm interested in indie music more than anything, therefore it's difficult to find and it gives you the perfect opportunity to do so. it's also just a cool magazine in general, and appeals to my generation.
What age range is the target audience for the magazine?
i wouldn't encourage my younger sister to read it, as she's only 13 and indie mags usually consist of swearing and explicit images. so i think it would be 17-30 maybe.

Dad 51 years old
Are you interested in indie music?
i used to listen to it when i was a lot younger such as nirvana and the smiths, but it died out and seems to of come back in to fashion, but of course it doesn't appeal to everyone. However, I'd have to say i still have an interest in it.
What kind of magazine do you read?
Does the news paper count ahah? i cant really say i read magazines anymore, but if i was to buy one I'd go for an alternative rock magazine.
Why do you buy the magazine?
if i was to buy one, id do it simply because it's the music I'm interested in
What age range is it?
i don't really read magazines, i don't have the time for them so I stick to things such as news papers and TVs. i think its more aimed at your age, 17-28 perhaps? I wouldn't go any younger as its not appropriate for them, however its aimed at gigs, drinking lifestyle, so I'd go as far as middle aged.

Connor 13
Are you interested in indie music?
I'm not too sure what indie music is, I've heard it before and never really understood it, I prefer listening to what's in the charts.
What kind of magazine do you read?
I'm not interested in reading, i usually focus on the images aha. I can't really say I've ever bought a music magazine.
What age range would you say indie music is?
hard to say, but i don't think people my age listen to it as its boring. Me and my friends listen to upbeat, happy songs. i think it would appeal to maybe 18-3o year olds.

These interviews are from people of different ages, to give different opinions and to see what age group are interested in what genre. it's hard to say and indie music is very common as not many people listen to it, but it seems to be that the people who do are ages from 17-26, however its more broad than that.

The target audience for the magazine is mixed, because both genders listen to it and indie artists are either male or female, not just one. However indie magazines are usually full of images or rowdy gigs, smoking and drinking which can be stereotyped as boisterous, and could represent their lifestyle more.  


The audience of this magazine, will probably have an interest in fashion or a certain style. people usually dress through the genre of music they listen to.
The photo on the right of a group of boys, is a prime example of the stereotypical type of people who would read an indie magazine. They're dressed in dark clothing, skinny jeans, classic Levi jacket's and just vintage clothes in general. The artists in the magazine also usually wear these types of clothing, and a lot of indie music is old such as 'The Beatles' which also represents through their vintage style. The people who read indie magazines, usually dress like their idols and the music genre.
The girl on the front cover of my magazine also represents the kind of people who would read or listen to indie music, by the way she dresses and the photo in general.

The lifestyle of the people who would read an indie magazine would probably be students at university. As it's when you turn 18, so they're able to attend a lot of festivals, drink and smoke. This sort of life style is represented through out indie magazines.

How did you attract/address your audience?

 The front cover image is a girl portraying an indie style by wearing clothing that an indie individual would wear, this therefore attracts the target audience. The model is also giving the audience direct address which draws them in with a feeling of trust and giving them an interest. She also has an individual attitude that the reader can relate to.

The colour scheme was bold and bright, and consistent through out the magazine which helps the reader notice the magazine and the colours catch their attention too.

i looked at other magazines to find out who the main, popular indie singers are at the moment, especially the ones who are touring this year. i then used them as the cover lines on my magazine, because this would consequently attract the audience as they'd be interested in new, current singers.

The masthead of my magazine is called 'ENHANCE' this is because music enhances your mood, motivation, inspiration and feeling. It's in bold capitals to attract the audiences attention and it's and interesting title.

The language used through out the magazine is consistent and simple, yet at a mature standard. i didn't use slang or childish words, as it wouldn't be suitable for the target audience.
The photo of the girl in the double page spread is stood in front of barbed wire fence, this demonstrates a rough, bad look which would appeal to the selected age range and audience as it's is indie(independent) as it's not featured in any other magazine images because its unusual.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My music magazine is aimed at both men and women who have a love for the indie genre of music.
The model in the main image has real individuality and attitudes that the audience can relate to and she is portraying an indie style and pose.
The contents page is all based on indie bands or artists which will represent the indie music genre and the reader can relate to the articles and will be interested in them as they are a fan of indie music. I have also stuck to the colour scheme that I chosen based on the research found from looking at other magazine.
The main photo is of a female, so i attempted to challenge the stereotype of female artists only creating ‘pop’ music. I wanted to present a generation of females who want to be able to do what males do and get equal recognition. I also wanted to represent female artists who were tougher and more rebellious, this was shown by her standing in front of barbed wire fence

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
 I have chosen IPC as the institution to distribute my magazine for many reasons. I feel it is a diverse institution which publishes a range of magazines for different audiences. Also, IPC distributes NME magazine which is a popular music magazine which has inspired me massively when making my own, so I feel If IPC did distribute my magazine they would have the knowledge of both fashion and music to get my magazine to the consumer. 

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

During the creation of my media product, a music magazine, I’ve learnt a great deal about technologies and they have massively helped, and improved, my media product.

To make my product I used a number of different technologies. I used a computer, and programmes on it such as iPiccy, Pixlr; these where extremely useful when it came to editing my images and finding useful fonts for my magazine. it allows you to do all sorts and it full of 100's of effects that improve an image and make it look more professional.

 

Microsoft word was used to make my interview, and i found it was the best programme to carry it out on. it turned out to be very handy as its full of many various fonts and colours which i used in my magazine.

 

Also, my own Olympus Pen mini camera which has : 12mp, 3.0" LCD, 12800 ISO, true pic vi, 3D, HD and many more features which gave my photos excellent quality. During my photo shoot I tried hard to ensure that I used the rule of thirds, to make the photo look even. I think that this helped to make my magazine look professional

 

The internet was also incredibly useful too, as i needed it to carry out my secondary research and i found a lot of key information which was essential for making my magazine.

 

To create my blog I used Blogger, this allowed me to upload the process of creating my music magazine. My blog contained a combination of text and images .

 

Overall technology has helped me with my task of creating a front cover, contents page and double-page spread in numerous ways and without it; the end product I created would be considerably less professional and of a lesser quality. It would have also resulted in me being less organised and showing less, clear research, planning, skills and evidencing.