Evaluation question seven

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

Looking back on my preliminary task I can see that I have made a massive improvement. I have gained a lot more knowledge due to research into existing music magazines and this helped me to improve as I realised the conventions of a magazine help massively in targeting the audience.

Many factors contributed towards my improvement. One of the main factors was the use of planning, when creating my magazine for a second time I came up with a variety of ideas of masthead names, taglines etc. This helped me to discover the best ideas and which idea would be best suited for my target audience. I also done a number of sketches when deciding the layout for my magzine front cover, contents and double page spread.

From my preliminary task I have learnt to experiment more with the tools of photoshop as this helped me to discover new tools and techniques that I could use to make my magazine look better and by this I also expanded by knowledge of photoshop.

As well as expanding my knowledge of technology I have also learnt more general knowledge about how media institions attract their target audience.

Evaluation question six

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

The use of technology played a vital role in helping me to create my own media product. Whilst creating my product I learnt a lot about the ways in which technology is used and how I could apply this technology to improve my product.

Whilst doing my research into existing music magazines I used the internet to get images from music magazines and I used microsoft word to write up my analysis. I also used the internet when creating my blog. I had no previous experience with blogspot.com but now I am able to use the website efficiently.

The first new part of technology I learnt to use was the Canon SLR digital camera This was very different from a small digital camera that I am used to using as many of the setting were different however it did not take me long to get used to. I used this camera to take the pictures for my front page, contents and double page spread. The camera helped my photo's to come out looking professional and realistic this was because the camera was 12 megapixles. Whilst taking my photos of my chosen models I had many things to take into consideration such as lighting and props. When taking pictures for my front page it was daylight so there was no problem with lighting. On the other hand when taking pictures for my double page spread it was slightly darker so therefore I had to change the settings on the camera and turn the flash on.

I then learnt how to upload the pictures onto a mac computer using an USB wire and trasfer them onto a USB memory stick. I found this fairly simple and straight forward as I ahd done this previously during my preliminary task.

The most challenging point of creating my media product was using photoshop elements 8 as I had only used it previously when doing my preliminary task. The first thing I learnt was that every seperate part of the photo has to have its own 'layer'. This is so you are able to edit different parts of the photo without changing the whole photo. With this tool you are also able to 'hide' parts of the photo.

Another feature of photoshop that I learnt was how to adjust the colour of my photo to make certain elements stand out. I used this a lot because I noticed that as I added my text over the top of the image the text become harder to do this and this tool allowed me the darken the background underneath the text so the writting was clearer. I also used this tool to add a shadow under my pug to make it stand out more.

I also learnt how to use the 'fill' tool, this allowed me put block colours onto my front page such as the pug and the banner along the bottom. With this tool I was able to change the transparancy so the writting become clearer and the background was still visable.

The final feature that I learnt from photoshop was the use of the 'text box', which enabled me to write text on my magazine. I had used this tool previously in my preliminary task so found it quite easy to use but I was able to expand my knowledge by learning how to change the colour, font size and font style.

Overall I learnt that I need to back-up all of my work as photoshop is unrealiable as I experienced when the mac computer kept crashing. However photoshop can be fun, very precise but also difficult to use.

Evaluation question five

How did you attract your audience?

To attract my target audience I used a range of differnt methods and techniques.
I addressed my target audience by directly talking to them and making them feel as if they are getting special additions out of the magazine for instance my pug saying 'festival line-ups: the inside tip-offs'. This would make the reader feel as if they are getting something exclusive. Another example of this is the tagline 'the secret behind the split'. This would make the reader feel as if they are gettin an insight into the celebrities personal lives, this tagline is a main feature of the issue I have created so I added a special affect to the word 'split' and made it red so that it would stand out as bright colours attract a younger target audience.

To grab the readers attention I had to make sure that my magazine would stand out if it was on a shelf along with other music magazines. I did this firstly by making sure the colours I used were bright and bold but still clear and easy to see all the features. I have also used bold texts the grab the reader and draw there attention to main aspects of the magazine such us the band and artist names that my target audience will be interested in. The language which I have used is non-complex and pretty basic as the target audience are of a younger age range.

By analysing a number of magazine that are addressing the same type of target audience as my magazine I noticed that an effective way to draw the reader in is to have one main image on the front page of a popular celebrity that the target audience can either relate to or aspire to. On my magazine I done this by basing my main band on an existing band 'Tegan and Sara' who are from a simliar music genre as my magazine so therefore this will attract the right target audience. I have also added a smaller eye-catching image of the main feature on my double page spread 'MisFit', the image looks unsual and auto-matically draws the reader in. The mis-en-scene is also very effective in attracting my target audience as this will help the audience to relate to the 'celebrity'. The clothes that my models were wearing are fashionable, slightly unsual and represent represent high street fashion this is important as it shows the reader that they can too look like these 'celebrities'. I also used a prop of a guitar in the image to reasure the audience that the magazine was a music magazine.

I have carried out these techniques throughout my music magazine however the main focus is the front cover and this is what the audience will see first and will automatiacally judge first. The mis-en-scene of the double page spread is also of high street fashion but the setting is unsual but natural environment and therefore make the artist 'MisFit' stand out. The artists on the contents page vary in clothing styles but this is all still high-street fashion that the target audience are able to get. The pose of my models are conventional of an indie music magazine, the models are made to look down and moody this helps to attract the audience as this is the kind of music that the audience are interested in. I took a variety of photo's with differnt poses and to see which ones were more likely to attract the right target audience. As my magazine is not aiming to attract young children the poses could not be friendly and smiley. The camera angle of the image I chose of the front cover was a long shot and this allows the audience to identify the band and make them more recognisable. For the double page spread I used a variety of camera angles depesning on the type of effect that I was going for. As my target audience are of a younger age the price of the magazine also helped to attract the reader as they would have a low income I made the price of my magazine cheap but realisic, I also got this impression from my questionnaire as the majority of people voted that they would spend between £2-£3 on a magazine and this is price I made my magazine.

I have tested my techniques with a number of people from my target audience to see if they were effective. I found that all my techniques worked on getting the readers attention and that the main features of the magazine all stood out the most which was my intention.

Evaluation question four

Who would be your target audience?

The target audience for my music magazine are both males and females teenagers aging from 14-19 years old. They would enjoy and be interested in the indie/electo-pop rock music genre, listening to bands such as 'paramore' and 'Tegan and Sara' who I have featured on my front page, they may also be interested in music by artists such as 'La Roux' who has not been featured in my magazine but is similar to the artisit which I have created 'MisFit'.

I have made the colour scheme of my magazine appeal to both genders as this helps me to widen my target audience range however I have kept the colours inkeeping with the age range of my audience by using basic and bright colours. The layout and design of my magazine is lively and bold but delivers the right informations and highlights the best features to help attract the right target audience. I have also taken into consideration the price of my media product when thinking about my target audience, as they are teenagers they will not be able to spend an awful amont of money so this is why I made my magazine as cheap as possible but also kept it realistic.

The features stopping everyone wanting my media product are the use of language, genre of music, colour and the models I have used. I have tried to make all these features of the magazine as youthful as possible by using bright colours, non-complex language, models of the same age as the target audience and a music genre that older people may not enjoy as much.

Evaluation question three

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

A media institution that may distribute my music magazine would be a common publisher that is used to publishing other media products such as newspapers, comics, books and other print based products.

I would like a institution such as ICP media institution http://www.ipcmedia.com/ to publish my magazine. From my reserch into this institution I have found out that IPC Media produces over 85 iconic media brands, with their print brands alone reaching almost two thirds of UK women and 44% of UK men –almost 27 million UK adults – while their online brands collectively reach 20 million users every month. This is a vital point in chosing who I would want to distribute my magazine as want an institution that wasn't more well known for distributing magazines for one particular gender.

This media institution comprises a wealth of leisure brands including Country Life, Horse & Hound, Rugby World and Decanter, as well as lifestyle brands including Nuts, Mousebreaker and NME. The fact that this instituion published 'NME' magazine is specifcally appealing as this is similar to my magazine so therefore I know that my target audience will be familiar with the media institution. However this may then be a downside to the publishing company as they may not want a magazine such as mine competing with one of their own magazine of a similar music genre.

As the music genre of my magazine is fairly common of music magazines my magazine can be sold and distributed along side its competitors in places such as supermarkets, newagents and by subscription. These would be good places as they are easily accessable and many people would recognise these places.

Supermarkets and drug stores such as 'Tesco' and 'Boots' would be a good way for my magazine to be distributed as many people attend these weekly so therefore they will not be put out of their way to get my magazine.

The use of subsciption is also an effective way for my magazine to be distributed as the reader is able to get a new issue each week this is also easier for the customer as they will get the magazine delivered directly to them.

Kiosks would not be a very effective way to distribute my music magazine as music magazines are of a small niche and therefore are not common enough to be sold in this way.

Evaluation question two

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product represents particular social groups by focusing on the interests and age of my target audience. The audience that I have aimed my product to appeal to are both males and female teenagers to adults aged from 14-19. However my music magazine can appeal to anyone that has an interest in the kind of music genre of my magazine. To widen my target audience range I tried to use a range of techniques. This was a good point of my questionnaire as the majority of people that voted were aged 16-18 so I knew that the results I would be getting were the opinions of the right target audience.

My music magazine represents age through the use of colour. Although my colours were basic they met the purpose that I wanted them to. The black and white contrasted well with each other and made the text simpler for the audience to read and the blue and red were used as they would grab the attention of a younger audience and make certain aspects of my magazine stand out.

The age of my magazine was also represented through the use of my images, I used young and fashionable models that my target audience could aspire to. I found that the 'celebrities' and images I used would have a big impact in attracting the right target audience, I learnt this from my quesionnaire as the majority of people are attracted to a magazine through images and celebrity gossip so when conducting my front page I made sure that these features would stand out the most. So my images would catch the eye of my target audience I had to use models that looked different and would stand out. The models I used helped represent the social group as I used young and fashionable models that would appear 'cool' teenagers. A vast majority of younger audiences are more likely to aspire to artisits of a similar age range to them so I made sure all my models were between the ages of 14-19.

I also represented age through the use of language and text throughout my magazine. From my questionnaire results I found out that the text and articles in a magazine is not what attracts a younger audience so I tried to make my text as short and to the point as possible. The language I used also played a vital role in representing a teenage social group, I tried not to use complex words but instead used short and simple words.

The ethnicity of the social group I am representing is white caucasian. I have done this by using good looking caucasian models on my front page, contents and double page spread. However this does not stop other social groups from enjoying my magazine.

Even though I did consider gender whilst creating my music magazine I did not use one specific gender social group as I chose to target both males and females as I thought this would broaden my target audience. I achieved this by using twin girls as my models on the front page and having one dressed as a 'tom-boy' to attract the males as they are more able to relate to her and having the other as a 'girly-girl' dressed in a skirt with a bow in her hair which the females are able to relate to.

For the writing I have broken away from the 'NME' convention where text is encased within boxes of colour. My text is written over the main image in a font and style that makes it stand out. I decided to use contrasting colours such as the write writing on the blue background so it is clearer for the audience to read. My main feature article challenges the main conventions of a music magazine because I have used a technique of separating the word 'split' to make this article sound out as links in with the main image on the front cover. I done this technique by splitting the word down the middle and angling each side of the word. I have also made the tag-line for my double page spread stand out as this is also a main feature of this issue, 'MisFit' is written in a larger font than the rest of the tag-lines on the page. 

Another convention that I have used throughout my magazine is the use of a colour scheme. The colours that I used were black, white, grey, blue and red. I chose these colours because they contrast well with each other and the blue and red I have used as it helps features of the magazine stand out. 

I have slightly also challenged the common conventions of a music magazine as I have used more than one image on my front cover. I have done this because there is more than one main feature to this issue of the magazine. 

Other conventional features that I have used have been the date, issue number and bar code as this enables the magazine to be scanned at an EPOS terminal or till. I decided not to challenge or develop these conventions because if I did the magazine might not scan properly at the till. 

The issue number shows the audience what number issue the magazine is if they are collecting the magazine and also it shows the audience the longevity of the magazine. The date of the magazine shows the audience if the magazine is current or not. Both the date and the issue number allow the magazine to be catalogued. 

I have used the typical convention of having my masthead in the top left hand corner of the front cover. I have done this because I wanted the visual identity of my logo to be visible when the magazine is displayed in a shop rack. By having my masthead in the top left I feel that it is easier for my audience to identify the magazine masthead.

I did not want to challenge the convention of moving my masthead to another location on the page because I did not want to change too many of the established conventions of a typical magazine as this may turn my audience away. The established conventions are for the masthead to be at the top of the magazine cover. 

Evaluation question one

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

My media product is a music magazine, I have designed and made my own front cover, contents page and double page spread. I done research into the conventions of exiting music magazines to help inspire me to create my own product. From doing this I have been able to use, develop and challenge forms and conventions of real media products. However I have tried to make my magazine as different as possible from other music magazines. Despite this I have still kept many of the conventional features of magazine this is because I still want my target audience to be familiar with my media product.

The conventional features that I have taken from other media products include, the page size, pug, barcode, issue number, bold fonts and main eye catching images.

The first convention that I followed was the page size A4 which is a width of 21cm and a height of 27.9cm. I had to use this so that my magazine would look realistic and recognisable to the audience.

Whilst I was doing my reseach into existing music magazines I noticed that each one used a masthead, main image and taglines. I also used all these features in my media product as this would help to target the right audience and give them an indication of what my magazine included.

On my front cover I have used a pug which is a very conventional addition to magazine covers. They are used to highlight special offers and key features within the magazine. The convention is to have a colourful pug with the appearance of a sticker applied.

I have developed the idea by making my pug bright red and adding a shadow underneath so it stands out more than other music magazine pugs. I made my pug by simply drawing a red circle, writing the words 'festival line-ups: the insider tip-offs p.12' and then adding a shadow. I used 3 font sizes to make the best use of the space within the pug. The biggest font size was used to grab attention with smaller sizes giving detail. I got this idea from the magazine 'NME'. I decided to use this pug as I thought it would grab the readers attention and make them feel as if they are getting more for their money as they are getting 'inside tip-offs'.

Preliminary Contents Page

Preliminary Front Cover

Double Page Spread

Front Cover

Contents Page

I have also included this image on my front cover this is the artist of the double page spread that I am focusing on. The image automatically draws in the readers attention as it is unusual and therefore stands out. 

This is the image that I chose for my front page. I liked this image as it represented the right genre of music for my magazine as the electric guitar is a good indication that the band is from the indie genre. The image is purposely posed the draw the reader in as one as the models is looking directly at the camera however my other model helps to make the image look more natural as she is looking down. The background helps to attract the younger target audience as the blue is bold and bright. 

These are some of the pictures that I took for my double page spread. I tried a range of settings and poses for my model to see which would be most suitable for my magazine. 

These images are what I am planning on using on my contents page. Some of the images were taken at a gig I went to and the other of another chosen model.

These are some of the images that I have taken for the main image on my front page. Here I have also used different settings and poses for my model to see what would look best on the front cover.

Sketches of double page spread

Sketches of Contents Page

Sketches for the front page

Questionnaire results

I posted a questionnaire on my blog to find out what my target audience liked and wanted from a music magazine. I asked people to visited my blog and answer the questions that I posted. The overall results will help me to determine what I want from my music magazine.

 

Question one) Are male or female?

Male

Female

 

7 people voted on this question and the majority of people that voted were female however this only by one vote. This gives a good indication to me that the other results that I get from my questionnaire will be of both male and female points of views.

 

Question two) what is your age?

15 and under

16-18

19-21

22 and over

 

6 people voted on this question and I found that most of the people that voted were in the age range of 16-18 which is the range that I am aiming my music magazine at, this is good as I can see what my specific target audience want out of my magazine.

 

Question three) what genre of music do you prefer?

Pop

Rock

Classical

Indie

R&B

 

8 people voted on this question and I found that the majority vote was that they preferred indie music this is also good because this is the genre of music that I wanted to base my music magazine on.Question four) how often do you buy a magazine?

Once a week

Once every two weeks

Once a month

Every so often

Never

 

8 people also voted on this and I got a mixture of answers but overall I found that the majority of people buy a magazine once a month. This gives me a indication that the most magazine have new issue once a month.

 

Questions nine) how much do you spend on a magazine?

£1-£2

£2-£3

£3-£4

Over £4

 

8 people voted on this question also and I found that most people would not be happy spending more than £4 on a magazine this shows me that I need to make my music magazine as cheap as possible.

 

Question ten) what attracts you to buy a magazine?

Images

Interviews

Celebrity gossip

Free gifts

Price

 

9 people voted on this question and I from the results I can see that most people buy a magazine due to the celebrity gossip, this shows me that the musicians I feature in my magazine are a vital part in attracting my target audience.

 

Question eleven) how do you listen to your music?

Ipod

Tv

Radio

Internet

Phone

 

9 people also voted on this question, the majority vote was the internet this gives me an idea that I can give away 100 downloads of itunes to help attract my target audience.

 

This has helped me to gain an understanding to what my target audience wants from my music magazine and has inspired me to some new ideas.  

Initial IDEAS for Music Mag

This is the sort of main image that I would like to have on my front cover of my music magazine, as this image would attract both males and females. The girls in this image look attractive and very stylish. The image also represents the type of music genre that I'm going to be doing which is indie music. I like the way these girls are positioned in this picture and the clothes they are wearing.

The target audience for my music magazine ‘New Generation Music’ is older teenagers with the age range of 14-19 years old. The genre for my magazine is indie/electro pop rock so therefore is targeted at both genders. The colour theme for my magazine will be white, black, blue and red and will follow the stereotypical features of all other music magazines.

Elle Groves is 16 years old; she lives in Harlow, which is just outside London.

She is up to date with all the latest fashion and normally likes to stand out a bit from the crowd. Wearing mainly skirts, dresses, leggings and boots. She is most likely to shop in places such as H&M and Topshop. She enjoys shopping at the weekends with her friends and going to party’s and music gigs. She spends her free time socialising with friends, going on the Internet and watching TV.

She enjoys watching programmes such as skins. The TV channels that she normally watches are; channel 4 and E4. The films she tends to watch are drama and horror. These films include Twilight and Paranormal Activity.

The music that she would typically listen to is Indie music and enjoys listening to bands such as The Veronicas and Paramore. She doesn’t like ‘classical’ or ‘pop’ music.

The sort of music magazine she would normally buy would be ‘Kerrang’ or ‘NME’.

Maslow[1]

Kerrang Contents

Q Contents

Kerrang Double Page Spread

Nme Double Page Spread

Q Double Page

Top of the Pops Front Page and Contents Page

Nme Front Cover

Q magazine front cover analysis

Q Front Cover

AS Media Brief.

The front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine.