Evaluation

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

Before creating my magazine I looked at several different music magazines and the conventions they use, this helped to give me an idea of what I needed to include in my magazine.

My masthead is at the top of the page in the centre, which is where most magazines place their mastheads so they are easily seen. The masthead is the largest text on the page; this is another convention often used. The name of a magazine is something audiences recognise and identify with, therefore it is important that it stands out and why it is placed at the top of the page. I made sure it was a short catchy title that people would remember.

On my front cover I have also included a bar code, price, issue number and date; all of these things are conventions of magazines. I have made sure they are small because they do not add to the appearance of the magazine they just need to be included to make my magazine appear more professional.
My main photograph is of a successful pop band that have just had a hit single; they are the main feature in this issue so it is conventional to have them on the front cover of the magazine. The main headline cuts across my photograph and is the second largest text on the page after the masthead; “Masquerade revealed” leaves the audience wanting to know who this new girl band are and will make them want to buy the magazine and read inside.

Other headlines on the front cover also give snippets of what’s to come; this is another convention popular in magazines.

Contents pages often have small images on them, unlike the front cover; these small images will let audiences see what is coming up in the magazine. My contents page is different from any of the contents pages I previously looked at; it is set out like a contact sheet and includes several small images of the girl band Masquerade; however it is still conventional in the fact that it informs readers what articles are coming up and what page to find them on. The images are only small so they do not distract the reader’s attention from the text down either side of the page.

The layout for my double page spread is not how I had originally planned it; however I much prefer the layout I have now. On other double page spreads I had looked at when doing my research the image was the main focus of the page, with a large headline then the article written in a smaller text. My double page is set out in a conventional way like this. My image covers the full double page so it attracts the audience and clearly allows them to see “Masquerade revealed”.

How does your Media product represent particular social groups?

This particular issue of my music magazine represents young female adults, aged 16-22. I wouldn’t say my magazine was aimed at younger teenagers like many pop magazines; this is for slightly older females as it has a more sophisticated look about it as opposed to the bright and bubbly appearance of other pop magazines. The picture on the front cover is black and white highlighted with a small amount of colour adding to the sophisticated feel of the magazine. The females in the picture aim to represent the target audience. I said my magazine would be for both males and females, however this issue would attract more females, even though the colours I used, blue, purple, black and white can be neutral colours. Generally females are more into pop music than males; however I have included articles in the contents page that would appeal to both males and females. Not only do my images represent females who will be reading the magazine but also represent a typical girl band. They are all wearing dresses and are very attractive. The photographs have been taken in a sophisticated way but are not seductive; therefore they represent young women in a positive light.

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

I think media institutions such as Bauer (formly Emap) or IPC would distribute my magazine. Both institutions have published many music magazines and are very established in the UK. My magazine is aimed at both males and females however I feel that it may appeal more to females as they are more interested in pop music. I would say Bauer would be best to publish my magazine; they have published many different music magazines such as, Kerrang, Q and mojo. Also magazines such as smash hits and Mixmag, both these magazines have a similar genre to my magazine. Therefore Bauer are used to publishing magazines of this genre and for a similar audience. Bauer no longer publish Smash hits or Mixmag which means there is a gap in the market for a magazine with a pop genre like mine.

Who would be the audience for your Media product?

I think the audience for my magazine would be mainly females. Before creating my magazine I said that it would be for both males and females. However generally females are more interested in pop music, though my magazine is also based around R&B and dance music which could be associated with males more than pop music would be. Furthermore my magazine also has images of a girl group throughout which not only represents girl bands but also females. This will attract young adult females to read the magazine because their social group are being represented on the cover and in the magazine. I believe my audience will be mainly females aged 16-22, SEG C2, C1 and B.

How did you attract/address your audience?

It was important that I attracted the right audience. In order to do this I had to make sure that my audience where represented in a positive and respectable way. I decided that the main feature of my magazine would be a girl band called Masquerade, the idea of the band is that they are hidden behind masks and have decided to reveal themselves in this issue of Connected. This will attract my audience because they will want to see the girl group revealed and see what they are like as people. I made sure I represented them in a positive way; they are wearing modern dresses that contrast with the old fashioned masquerade style masks. They are not wearing anything too revealing or seductive. This will attract more to females because they would not be interested in a girl group that wear “slutty” clothing. Also I have included articles about events such as T4 on the beach which will address young adults because they are interested in this type of events whereas younger teenagers will not be.

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

I have learnt a lot about the technologies that can be used to help create a magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread. I have used programmes such as Microsoft Publisher and Adobe Photoshop. I used both these programmes in my preliminary task but by using them again for my main task it enabled me be able to use them more confidently. I now know about both programmes in greater detail. I hadn’t used Photoshop at all before the preliminary but have used it a lot when creating my magazine; I used it to edit all my photographs. I used layers to help make my colour picture on the front cover black and white but keep certain parts of it highlighted in colour, I also took out the red eye on Photoshop for my image on the double page spread. I was then able to help others if they needed help because I felt confident enough to use Photoshop without the assistance of others. I had used publisher several times before this task for other things such as leaflets and posters however I had never designed a magazine using it. I am not normally very confident about using computers but feel that my knowledge of the different technologies has expanded through the production of my magazine.

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

Since starting the preliminary task I have learnt a lot, I feel I have learnt the most from doing my main task but would not have been able to carry out my main task without doing my preliminary exercise. I used the skills I learnt during the preliminary task to help me with my main task and it allowed me to expanded my skills further. Not only have I learnt how to use all the different technologies which I mention above I also learnt how to publish my work on a blogger. I did a lot of research prior to creating my music magazine; this helped me when it came to making it but also means I have learnt a lot about the music industry which will also helps me with my exam work.

Double Page Spread

Above is the image of my finished double page spread. I wanted to keep it very simple and just use one image. I therefore made my picture spread across both pages. I picked an image where my models didn’t have masks on and each band member could be easily seen so that the group are “revealed”. I also made sure my image was in colour as I had already used a black and white image on the front cover. I liked this image because of the way my models are posed; the photograph is very balanced and pleasing to the eye. It therefore does not draw your attention to any of the models in particular but to all at the same time. I also liked the setting of this picture, it was taken in an old fashioned tram, this contrasts well with the modern day dresses. Like I mentioned previously on my blog I had many difficulties with taking my photographs and this has meant this image is a little grainy and could have been of a better quality. However I do believe it could have been a lot worse and the quality of the picture cannot be changed on adobe Photoshop. Even though the photograph is grainy I still believe it was the right image to choose for my double page spread as it is in colour and allows you to see each band member very clearly.

The layout of my double page spread is very different from my planned layout which I did previously on my blog. Not only did the picture go across both pages instead of just one and a half, I also placed the headline and article across the bottom of the page and in the centre, instead of down the right hand side. I decided to place them like this because they fit around my picture which I think looks very effective. For my main headline I used a fancy writing font which fits in with the Masquerade theme and is very delicate. My headline is in purple which again carries on from the front page.

I placed my article along the bottom because I felt that placing it down the side would have cut out two of the band members so by having it across the bottom means it isn’t cutting anyone out. I used a small simple font in white which stood out against the background. Some of the writing in the first paragraph is bold so it stands out more, this is typical of a lot of magazine articles, and it gives a brief description of what is coming up in the featured article. There wasn’t much room to write a full article so I placed an arrow on the end which indicates that the interview continues over the page. Some magazines do this with their main articles; they have more than one double page spread on a featured artist meaning it carries onto other page. Another thing I included on my double page spread are the names of each band member and placed them next to their photographs, this goes with part of the “revealing” the girls and their identities. I really like the layout of my double page spread and think it looks really effective with the text fitting around the picture meaning it doesn’t draw your attention away from the image too much. However one thing which I did not think through and would change if I was to re do it would be the style of writing on the headline. It is very delicate and if this page was to be folded in half it would make it very difficult to read what it says. Therefore maybe it would have been more appropriate to use a bolder font which was clearer to read.

I am pleased with the outcome of my front page, contents page and double page spread. My music magazine was supposed to represent pop music and I believe my magazine represents this and 100% of people on my poll agreed that pop music is the genre represented in my magazine. One thing that I would maybe change is the colour scheme for my magazine as it is perhaps not appropriate for my genre and could be thought through more thoroughly. However 71% of people when asked thought my colour scheme was appropriate for my music genre. Overall I feel I have produced a good front cover, contents page and double page spread that all work well together and 100% of people agreed that they did.

Contents

Above is my finished contents page. I stuck to my plan for my contents page and changed very few things. I had so many pictures from my photo shoot and wanted to incorporate as many as possible so I decided to place them onto a contact sheet. Contact sheets as used by editors of magazines to help them decide which images to use so I thought it tied in very well with my magazine. I took a normal contact sheet and placed my images onto it; I then scanned it into my computer and used it as the background for my contents page.

I kept the same colour scheme as the front page, purple, blue, black and white. I believe this makes my magazine look more professional as I have carried my colour scheme on to this page. I also used the same bold font from my mast head for the word “Contents” so that it clearly stood out at the top of the page and ensures readers know which page it is. The rest of the text on the page is letting the audience know what is coming up in the magazine, and not just what is on the front cover but also other articles that will be included. I used a large front for my page numbers and a smaller, simpler font for the description of what is included on that page. When writing descriptions of what the articles where about I put a key word first in bold and then went onto to describe.

I placed the text on the opposite sides of the page to what I said I was going to on my plan; this is because I wanted to cover as few pictures as possible. Therefore I decided to place my “Also featured” section to the left hand side so that it covered the blank black section at the bottom of my page. The pictures are fairly small and quite difficult to see however I still think my contents page works well. It is different from any contents page I have previously looked at in my research. If I was to change anything I would make my images slightly larger and perhaps include more tasters of articles coming up within the magazine, however I did not want to cover too many pictures.

Front Cover

This image shows the final product for my music magazine front cover. Several things have changed from the layout I had previously created; however the majority of things have stayed the same.

I decided to call my magazine “connected” as I thought this would be the most suitable title. The name “connected” links with the idea of musical instruments being connected to amplifiers, and the artists themselves being connected with their fans. I placed the headline at the top of my page in the centre where it will be most noticeable; this is a typical convention of a magazine. I used a bold font, which I downloaded from 1001freefonts.com. The website had lots of fonts to choose from but I chose one which I knew would stand out. I used a deep purple colour for my masthead as it is neutral colour. Although it is slightly more associated with females. My magazine is aimed at females however males may want to read the music magazine as well so it was important for me not to use a colour such as pink.

The picture is the main focus of my front cover, which is another convention of music magazines. I wanted to pick a picture for my front cover where the models had the masks on so that they were hidden behind them and their identities still unknown. This would entice the target audience to buy the magazine to find out who the girl band are. The image I used was originally in colour however after looking at other images of different girl groups in my research, I decided to make my picture black and white and leave the dresses and masks in colour so they stood out. I edited my photo in Photoshop; I added another layer to make it black and white then rubbed out the parts I wanted in colour. I believe my image works very well on the front cover, it stands out especially due to the fact that only some of the photograph is in colour.

My main headline is in colour so that it stands out compared to the rest of my headlines which are in black and white. “Masquerade revealed” links in with the fact that my models are wearing masks to hide their identity. I placed it more towards the bottom of the page but in the centre, so that it went across my image but not right through the centre of it as this would distract attention from the main focus of the image. I chose an older more fancy style font so that it linked in with the masquerade theme. I used a pale blue colour as blue and purple work well together, however I could not use a dark blue as this with blend in too much with the blue from the dresses and would not stand out as much. Underneath my main headline I have a sub headline “The truth behind the masks” this informs the target audience that inside the magazine all will be revealed.

My other headlines are in black and white, they are still noticeable but do not stand out as clearly as my main headline. I did not place them where I said I would on my layout. In my layout I placed them both down the left hand side of my magazine, however when it came to creating my magazine I realised this would not be possible as it would cover the centre of main image if I placed them down one side. Therefore I put one on either side so that the headlines fitted around the image.

Also on my front cover I have included a barcode, issue number, date, price and website. They are all small in comparison to the rest of the things on my page however they are only there to help make my magazine more professional and realistic so therefore it doesn’t matter if they don’t stand out as much as everything else. Overall I think my front cover is very effective; the picture and headline stands out how I wanted them to as does the masthead. I believe my magazine would attract the attention of my target audience. The headlines used are interesting ones and would entice audiences to want to read on.

Photoshoot

The girl band featured in my music magazine is supposed to be a new group that have just had a hit single. The photographs will be the main feature of the magazine so it was important to me that they were done to a good quality and everything was thought through. I asked my models to all wear dresses but made sure they were all going to be in different colours. After researching different magazines and photographs of other girl bands I had a few ideas for my photographs. The double page spread from rock sound, which I analysed earlier on in my blog, gave me the idea of having the band wearing masks. Also the girls aloud picture with the old fashioned style setting and dresses gave me the idea to have masquerade masks and an old fashioned setting. I therefore decided to take my photographs in the transport museum so I could take pictures on the trams and down the cobbled streets which surround the museum. It would have been too hard to get hold of old fashioned style dresses and not very appropriate for a new girl band so I made sure my models wore modern dresses to contrast with the masquerade masks and old fashioned setting. I took a lot more photographs than I needed as I knew some of them would not turn out how I wanted; therefore I made sure I had plenty.
However the task of taking my photographs was more difficult than I at first imagined. I only had a small hand held camera that does not take pictures as well as a specialist SLR camera. Before I went to take the photographs I had to ring up and ask for permission to take the photographs in the museum. They said it would be possible for me to go in and take some however it would have to be on a day that it was open to the public. Therefore when I was taking my pictures it was very difficult as many members of the public where around so I had to try and make sure my pictures didn’t get any other people in. Also the lighting was very dull in the museum and I had a very limited time to take my photographs as I could not stay in one place too long and interfere with people viewing the museum. Baring in mind all the things I had to overcome I believe my pictures turned out very well, a few are a bit dull or a bit grainy, however I feel they could have turned out a lot worse baring in mind all these factors.
There are too many photographs to post on my blog so here is a small selection which I am considering placing within my magazine.

For the main image on my front cover I wanted a photogrpah where the band have their masquerade masks on so that you could open the magazine to find out who they are revealed. Here are a couple of pictures I am taking into consideration for my front cover.

The next few images are ones that I think would be suitable for my double page spread. I want a picture that is clear and allows you to see each memeber of the band clearly and minus their masquerade masks.

Here are a few images that I do not think would be right for my front cover or my double page spread. However I feel they would be really good to have as small images on my contents page as there are a variety of shots and poses, some staged and some more natural.

Ideas for my photographs

I looked at several different photographs and album covers of different girl bands because I wanted to get inspiration for my photographs. The main feature of my magazine is going to be a new girl band so therefore I thought it was important to look at popular mainstream girl groups.



I like this image becuase of the way the colour stands out against the black and white background. I had already decided that my models would wear dresses, each a different colour, but now I might think about making the main image on the front cover black and white but keep the dresses in colour. I think this is very efftective and will make the picture stand out more which is important if its going to be on the front cover because is has to draw the attention of the audience.

This image has a low angle camera shot which makes it look like you are looking up at the subjects. In a lot of pictures taken of girl bands the artists have a really intense stare which draws your attention to the picture and makes you imagine they have some power over you. I like the abandoned setting this picture has been taken in, it is quite plain but gives the image a bit of edge.

I really liked this image of Girls Aloud and it helped give me inspiration for my photographs. The dress style is old fashioned and makes the photograph look really different from all the other images taken of girl bands. It is very eye catching having them wearing something like this, moreover the shot and pose are very simple with the singers standing in a straight line; however the effect that is created looks very professional.

This is another image of Girls Aloud but this time it is a album cover. This drew my attention because of the way individual shots of the girls have been placed together to create one image. I feel this would work for my double page spread or contents page. I could take individal pictures of my models and place them together to create one image. This allows each member of the band to be seen in a clear and imaginative way.

Layout for double page spread

The majority of double page spreads I’ve looked at from magazines, such as Rolling Stone and Hip Hop Connection, have been very plain and simple; with the image on one side and the article on the other. They normally have just one image on them; however the image is usually a large one that takes up either one or both pages. My main image will be placed over one and a half pages, this will mean the image is large and clear. I will then put my headline down the side of my second page; I will make sure my headline is in big bold font so it is clear to read. I will then place my article underneath in a small simple text. My article will be an interview with the band which will reveal more about their music and their lives.