LAST POST

This is my coursework blog containing my research and planning, production and evaluation work.  This work is now all complete and ready for marking.


Thank you.

Evaluation - 'Hesitation'

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

My music magazine uses conventions such as a masthead, main central image and barcode, which are all commonly seen on actual music magazines, such as; ‘Q’, ‘NME’ and ‘Kerrang’.

 - Masthead

For my masthead (hesitation) I used the font ‘REZ’ from dafont.com. I think this font works well, as it stands out and is very funky.  I chose to make the masthead blue as it is bright and fits into the genre of ‘pop’, as it is a ‘fun’ colour. It is also quite simple and so very recognisable. This is a lot like other magazine mastheads, such as; ‘Q’

The masthead for the contents page was in the exactly same font and colour (REZ, bright blue) as the front cover, which showed a clear a link between the two pages. Actual music magazines also use this technique.

However, for my double page spread I used a different font and colour (ROAD MOVIE, bright blue), this still fits in with the genre of my magazine as the font is quite funky and playful, and the pink stands out as it is very bright.

-          Images (Mise – en – scene)

I chose to use the image of my sister (known as GORGII – Q on my front cover) as my main central image as I liked the fact that she was giving the reader direct mode of address (eye contact). This technique is also used by other magazines. My images also fit the genre of my magazine (mainstream pop and R&B) as all the images show people smiling or having fun. Also, most of my images have a direct mode of address, which makes the audience feel involved and closer to the people in the images. Overall, I think my images follow the codes and conventions of a normal magazine well.

-          Costumes and Props

The costumes and props used throughout ‘hesitation’ were very simple; nothing abstract or non-naturalistic. For example; all the costumes that my ‘models’ wore in my magazine, were their own clothes that they chose to wear. I did this so that the magazine would be more realistic and not appear ‘pretend’. All the props/costumes used could be found in your everyday life; which would make the reader feel like they could become their idols.

-          People/Models

The people used in my magazine are quite unconventional. This is because all the people featured in my magazine are under the age of 20. This is unconventional because in most music magazines the people featured are over the age of 21. The youngest person who is featured in my magazine is 15 years old. Also, when a band is featured in a music magazine; it is not very common to have a mixed band of two boys and two girls. However, because my target audience for my magazine is teenage girls, I don’t think the choice of people will be an issue. Especially as the girl on the front cover is young and, supposedly, a very successful singer.

-          Written Content

I think that my written content works well and follows the common codes and conventions of a real music magazine. For example; in the interview with the boys from ‘NL-J2’, questions are asked like ‘How long have you been working on the album?’, ‘What’s your favourite song from the album?’ and ‘What’s next for the band?’ All of these questions would most likely be found in a real music interview. Also, the standfirst follows the conventions of a magazine by introducing the band to the reader and giving them a bit of background information. Also, the editor’s note on the contents page is another convention of a magazine and gives the magazine a more ‘chatty’ and relaxed atmosphere.

-          Music Genre And How Your Magazine Suggests It

The genre I chose for my magazine was pop and R&B. I chose this because it is the most common music interest for teenage girls and it is mainstream. I think my magazine fits under this genre well, as most pop magazines have a house style that is very bright and colourful, which ‘Hesitation’ definitely is. Also, many pop music magazines have gossip within them, which again my magazine has as well. My magazine also contains lots of fun, amusing photos; which is common in pop and R&B magazines.

-          Layout

The layout for my magazine is conventional. This is shown through my front cover; where there is a main central image with coverlines placed around the outside of the image, having connotations of the trapping the image in. Also my double page spread has a conventional layout, as the masthead is placed across the top of the page, while the rest of the content is in two columns and there are quotes placed, quite randomly, around the page; just like a real music magazine would do. My contents is also conventional as it has a banner of photos running along the bottom of the page as well as having the masthead placed at the top of the page; just like my front cover and double page spread.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

For this question I have chosen to compare my front cover with a front cover from a real music magazine; ‘Q’.

In both magazines; the girls in the central images are giving the audience a direct mode of address, this makes it more personal and makes the reader feel more included. Also, the girls both have something covering their faces; in my magazine, it’s the girl’s hair, and in ‘Q’ it’s both the girl’s hair and blood coming from her forehead. Both magazines use bright eye-catching house styles and colours. This gives the impression of being fun and funky. The fonts used are very similar; mostly sans-serif and bold, which means it is less formal and easy to read. Overall, I think that due to these elements of the front cover, my magazine represents a young adult social group (much like the social groups ‘Q’ appeals to). This social group mainly contains students and young adults; people who are aspirers from the C1/C2 demographic group. This magazine would appeal to ‘every-day’ people, and the people in my magazine reflect this; as they are not over-dramatised or obscure about their appearance.

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

The media institution that I think would be best suited for distributing my music magazine is IPC Media. Although IPC Media already distributes the music magazine ‘NME’, my music magazine is a completely different genre to ‘NME’ and so there would be a place on the market for it. I have also, chosen IPC Media due to the fact that, because they have been distributing ‘NME’ for many years now, they will have a lot of experience which will mean my magazine is more likely to be successful.

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

My target audience would be both male and female, however due to the fact that the magazine has been written by me (a female) and so is probably more bias to female. My target audience would be between the age of 16 – 24 years as this is the student/young adult age range.

Typically, my target audience would be found listening to the latest mainstream music on her iPod or on the computer when she should be doing work. She would listen to artists such as Jessie-J, Rihanna, Adele and Taylor Swift. She would also be into all the latest fashions and would often go out socialising with her friends, whether that’s to the cinema or shopping. Most importantly of all; she loves to have fun. She doesn’t always take her college work seriously and just loves to have a laugh.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

Please look at the video below.

Audience Feedback Video.

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

For creating my magazine, I did it all on the Apple Macs at college. This is due to the fact that my computer at home was too old to obtain the software I needed to create and edit my magazine. All my work was then saved on a USB memory stick which meant that I didn’t lose my work and so I was never behind schedule.

For my images, I used a Kodak digital camera. This allowed me to take good quality photos that I could use for my magazine.

I learnt how use Adobe Photoshop, which I then used to edit my photos so that they would look better on my magazine.

I also used Adobe InDesign, to create and edit my music magazine, as well as my student magazine (preliminary task).

I also created a blog account through blogger. This allowed me to present my findings/research/work in an easily managed, professional-looking way.

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

Since completing the preliminary task, my skills when using InDesign have improved. I now know how to position images using frames do that they are neater and easier to move, as well as the fact they are less likely to pixel. I also know how to download and add fonts through combining the internet and InDesign. This allowed me to make my magazine look more interesting and more like a real music magazine. This also added to the genre of my magazine. I have also learnt how to choose appropriate font colours to fit the image in the background (so that the text stands out and it easy to read), on ‘NERD’ magazine the coverlines seem to disappear into the main central image in a few places. Whereas, on ‘hesitation’, all the text is clear due to mixing font colours depending on the background colour.

Overall, my understanding of the software has increased considerably, and to prove it I have produced two completely different, yet both of them are good pieces of work.

Thank you for taking the time to look at my blog.

 

Audience Feedback - My Front Cover

When I asked my target audience about my front cover, most people said that they liked it! However, most people said that they didn't like the fact that attention was taken off the main image. My target audience said that they would prefer it if there were less images surrounding the main image, so I deleted of one of the smaller images and moved the text/cover-lines around to make sure that the main focus of the reader was on the main image. I also, changed the font and font colour of some of the text to make it clearer to read. Some people in my target audience also said that they would like it if the price was made clearer, so I changed the font colour and added a bubble around it .

Audience Feedback - My Contents Page

When I asked my target audience about my contents page, most people said that the main problem was the layout. They said that they would prefer to have some images across the bottom of the page or up the side of text, boxing it in almost. So, to complete this, I moved my headlines that were at the bottom of the page, up to the top (where the other headlines were placed), and positioned the images along the bottom of the page. This meant, however, that I had to add two more images, to fill the gaps and 'A note from the editor'.

Audience Feedback - My Double Page Spread

When I asked my target audience what they thought of my double page spread, most people said that they liked it! Although, a few people said that they would prefer it if I got rid of the the smaller image of the boys on the right-hand page and made the image of the girls much bigger. This also meant that I had to change the image of the girls as the other image went really blurry when made bigger. However, I think this works better than the pervious page I had. Also, some people I asked said that they would like to see a website address put somewhere towards the bottom of one of the pages, so that they would be able to access more information if they wanted to. I also moved the page numbers to the bottom of the page and added the masthead and date next to them, as this is what most magazine tend to do.

Time Management - My Music Magazine

I think that I have managed my time well, as I have finished my front cover, contents page and double page spread, and I still have enough time to make any alterations that my target audience give me.

Designing my Music Magazine: Double Page Spread

MY DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD:

How I created my double page spread:

Firstly, I chose my background colour. I decided to go with yellow, to match my contents page. I then chose my masthead font and colour. I made the masthead quite big and positioned it at the top of my left page, so it is the first thing the reader sees. After that, I added information and a image. I found it quite difficult to position everything neatly, but I think it works well now that the left hand page is finished.

Next, I started on the right side of my double page spread. Firstly, I wrote the article and positioned my text. I found this quite difficult due to the fact that I still had to leave room for two images. Fortunately, I still managed to fit the images in, although it meant I had to shrink them down a bit. I added page numbers in the top two corners, so that the contents page would link in with the double page spread. Finally, I added quotes from the interviews and positioned them randomly around the double page spread.