Evaluation

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

At the start of this coursework i analysed three different front covers, contents pages and double page spreads. Analysing these gave me ideas for what i wanted to do with my won magazine. I also started to notice what was vital to include on my magazine such as a barcode, issue number, date and catchy taglines, i used all of these on my front cover. It also has me thinking about other important elements which make the magazine different, such as the colour scheme an pictures.
When taking the first few stages of my front cover i has many ideas which i wanted to do, these were all unconvetional and i liked it because being unconvetional means my magazine would have been unique. However, i then came to realise that these ideas i had would not work and that trying to be unconvetional was not a good idea, so it was best to stick to being convetional. For example, i took many different pictures for my magazine, however looking at other magazines helped me choose which pictures would be my final images which i would use and which picture would make my magazine look much more professional and striking when on a stand in a store.
I sketched three different front page designs after picking the name 'Remix' for my magazine.
I started off with the masthead over the top of the main image, meaning that the top of my models head was slightly covered. I then realised that this would not work as it looked un professional as i have not seen magazines laid out in that way before and did not strike me which means it would not strike the audinece either. I then decided to pull my picture down and add a black banner at the top so that my masthead could fit and show up this brightened up the whole cover and made it look more professional and more like a music magazine rather than a cheap school magazine. What i ended up doing with the masthead makes it convetional as it looks like other magazines which are sold in stores already. Even though this is the case it is the name and the colourscheme which makes it different from others.
My contents page includes a 'features' and 'regulars' section which is convetional to other magazines as all have these sections.
Before starting my double page spread i analysed some to give me an idea of how i was going t right a story. I ended up writing an interview as i saw this included in nearly every magazine which i researched. In addition just like al these magazines i took the catchiest quotes and enlarged the text and changed the colour.

These show that i have developed and challenged froms and convetions of other music magazines to base around my own ideas of my magazine.


Question 2- How does you media product represent particular social groups?

The genre of my music magazine is Hip-Hop and R'n'B. I had to pick a model which fits best with this genre and a modeal which fits best with my target audience.
I needed my model to attract the target audience as this would be the people who would buy my magazine, however if the image on the front does not strike them then they are less likely to pick my magazine over other. I needed to pick a model which would be popuar as this model is basically the 'celebrity'.
The model on my front cover is the same person i have chosen to write about on my double page spread. My reason being because when picking up a magazine and seeing the person on the front will most probably make you want to read more. Also including a catchy headline to go with the front image will make you want to read the contents page to see what page this story is on and to find out more.
My magazine represents young, urban teenagers such as jordan who i had written about in my target audience.
Unlike the media such as the news, my magazine represent this social group in a much more positive way, showing that young, urban teenagers are not all trouble makers.
The model i used is in between the age range of my target audience which will attract the right groups of people which i expect my magazine to attract.
The language used in my magazine wasn't too formal, however some slang was used as this is a way of attracting the taret audience and getting on their level. Showing this magazine is understanding and appreciative of their lingo.


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

Publishers which may publish my magazine could be BBC magazine (www.bbcmagazines.com)

they sell a variety of music magazines and their main one is Top Of The Pops, so they may be interested in my magazine as it is a Hip-Hop magazine so there is a gap in their market for my magazine. However, they may not want to publish my magazine because they may not want it competing with their huge magazines which they already publish such as, Top Of The Pops.

The second publisher which may publish my product could be IPC media (www.ipcmedia.com).

They already publish well known magazines such as NME. So they may be interested in taking on a Hip Hop filled magazine. Although, the problem with them publishing my product would be that, most of their audience/consumers are young female which is not ideal for my magazine as my magazine is targeted at mainly teenage males.

Institutions which may distribute my product could be large supermarket names such as Morrisons, Tesco and Asda. They always have a section of magazine next to the paying point. They have a wide seletion and different genres of magazines. Therefore, if these institutions were to distribute my product, mine would be competeing against other, popular magazines. The niche market for music magazines is quite small which may be a problem because my magazine would be competing against fast selling fashion magazines such as, OK, Heat and Hello magazine.


Question 4- Who would be the audience for your media product?

I have targeted my magazine at teenagers ranged from 16 and upwards. Maninly male consumers. Jordan (picture below) is the trypical candidate for the type of target audience. I have also written about him in my target audience profile.
The audience i am aiming at are Hip-Hop and R'n'B lovers, who are interested in finding out the latest about the most popular musicians
As i have targeted my magazine to teenagers, most will still be in education so my magazine is reasonably cheap at a retail price of £2.

Question 5- How did you attract/ address your audience?

Attracting your audience is crutial so i have used many techniques to do so.

I first of all chose my model who is an attractive young teenager who has good fashion sense and looks Hip-Hop style. He will attract many girls and also boys who look/dress similar to 'Andrew Paps'. I had a colour scheme of red and black in mind so i dressed Andrew up in a red and black checked shirt and plain skinny jeans with a black cap. This is the style which fits in with the genre i am going for. This is a part of mise-en-scene, which is extremely important as this is everything the audience will see such as, the background setting and costume.

I felt that my colour scheme ran thoughout the front cover and contents page very well and that this made my magazine stand out. The reason i used these colours to attract customers is because it is bright witht the red but dark at the same time, with the black and grey. Giving it a more Hip-Hop look. Also as it is mainly targeted my magazine at males so these colours work very well in attracting them. Another technique i used to attract my audience is the language. I used language which younger generations will understand attracting their social group. In addition to this the main technique is pricing. At a selling price of £2 which is reasonably cheap, i will be attracting customers who do not want to spend a large amount on their luxuries, so £2 will be a very attractive figure for them to want to buy this magazine.

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

Photoshop Element 8 was the programme i used to create my music magazine. Before producing this magazine i hadn't used photoshop before, other than when producing my preliminary task. Although i did know how to use the crop tool (lasso tool). However after working with this programme for a while i have developed and learnt new skills about technology. My magazine was mainly completed on Apple Mac compluters which i am new to using, so getting the hang of it was quite difficult. When using photoshop the main point which i used alot was layering. I now know how to make my writing such as my mast head and taglines to overlap the picture. I have learnt how to use the magnetic lasso tool to crop my pictures which is easier to cut out the picture, rather than using the normal crop tool. I used the move tool many times so i am now thorough when using it. I know also know how to get rid of any layer i do not want, or if i have a specific layer that i would like to work with i now know how to select it down fom the colloumn on the right. I used a Sony Cybershot camera to take many of my images, i decided to take pictures indoors because i realised that taking pictures out doors does not work well when trying to get an even image.

To upload all of my coursework i used the blogger site. (http://www.blogger.com/) i have never used a blog site before so i was new to the technology on it, however as i had to use it many times to upload and write all my coursework on it i can now use it without any problems.

Question 7- Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have leant in the progression from it to the full product?

The preliminary task was so produce a front cover and a contents page for a school magazine. I produced this magazine by taking out research on other school magazins to give me idea on the layout and the type of stories and pictures i should include. However, at first i did not carry out any research until i realised that i did not really now how to make a start. So i learnt that without carrying out research you will not be able to make a start on your product. I have also learnt a very valuable lesson, to save my work every few minutes to ensure i do not loose large amounts of my work if the computer decideds to crash as this has happened to me near the deadline. I now also know to save my work in more than one place to ensure i have a back up. In addtion, when producing my preliminary task i used only the basic tools such as the crop took and pain bucket to create my layout, as i did not have any experience with using the other tools. which made my magazine look tacky and cheap, however after learning how to use the more complicated tools on my final pieces i have grown a stronger understanding about all the different tools and have learnt how to use each one to create my professional, expensive looking, eye catching magazine.

My Final Pieces

Front Cover

Contents

Double Page Spread

My Preliminary Work

Before i started using photoshop on a regular basis i produced preliminary work which is shown below. This task was set at the beggining of the year. I had to produce a school magazine cover and contents.

My final pieces will show the amount of progress i have made since my Preliminary.

This is my Preliminary front cover-

My preliminary contents page-

Inspiration For My Images

Before taking my photos i done research on the kind of magazine i wanted to do. When i chose RnB and Hip-Hop i then started to find inspirational artists to base my photos on.

I chose artists who are popular in the Hip-Hop world and the artists pictures who were most appealing to me to attract customers.

The celebrities who were the biggest inspiration for my photos and magazine were the following...

DRAKE- He was a great inspiration because he has the attractive 'bad boy' look which i was looking to achieve. He also has many pictures with caps on, I find this goes well with the RnB scene.

MASTER SHORTIE- I thought he was a great inspiration for my photos because he as a very good and attractive look about him. His pictures are cute yet still 'bad boy'. I find his retro outfits also very asttractive as it makes him stand out from the crowd.

Chris Brown was also a huge inspiration as he has a typical musician look to him including his outfits.

Final photos

I chose the main image for my front cover,contents page and double page spread then i edited them to make them look more professional afterwards and i photoshopped as this is how most celebrities are on magazine covers. The reason why i chose these picture was because it will make my magazine stand out and attract the right cutomers. Also they were the best pictures to go along side the genre of my magazine.









The picture below is for my front cover. The mean look he has on is face also fits in with the hip hop scheme. The colours on his t-shirt were also the right colours that go with the colour scheme i was looking to go for.
He is an attraactive boy so the ladies may also be drawn to the magazine.






I decided to lighten the picture after so that the image stands out more and gives the professional finish. Lightening the picture also makes it excentric which will make my magazine stand out from the rest on the shelves.











This is the two pictures i chose for my contents page. I chose these two pictures because they fit well with two of the stories which i am going to include on ym contents page. However one of them is 'Andrew Paps' the boy who i am going to right about in my double page spread, so it is a good idea to include a picture of him on the contents to make people want to read more. The picture of the girl is attractive and will work well in making customers want to know who she is and that her story is about.

I then cut them both out to make the contents looks more professional. I also lightened the picture of the boy as he is my main story so lightening him will make him stand out.

This is the only picture i chose for my double page spread. First of all it fits in with the colour scheme as he is wearing bright colours which catch the eye which will want to make consumers read his story. This picture is mid-shot so you can see up to his waist, he is facing straight towards the camera so you can see the expression on his face.

Images For my front Cover

Below i am going to analyse the best of my images which i have taken and am planning to use for my front cover photo.
I will choose the main image for my front cover out of these photographs. The chosen image will then be edited.



I personally think that this is one of the best photos i took, as it fits in with the image i am looking for. Also this low angle shot shows the shubject from below, giving them the impression that the person as being more powerful or dominant.

I like this photo as i am looking to create a 'bad boy' image. The mise en scene (the costume) such as the hat and jumper helps me accomplish the image i have tred to create. The only dislike i have about this image is the lighting from the background. This lighting makes the picture look unprofessional which is not ideal for a magazine.

The final of my favourite images is this side profile of the person chosen for my magazine.
I like this image as the side profile creates a sense of suspision about who this person could be.
However, i think that this may be an unsuitable image for the front cover because it is unconventional of a magazine.

Inspiration For My Images

Double Page Spread Sketches

Contents Page Sketches

Front Page Sketches

Questionnaire Results

When i started up my blog i added several questions for others to answer to help me get an idea about what my target market should be.
Below i am going to analyse each question:

Are you male or female?
most of the people which took my questionnaire were male which helps me aim my magazine more at male audiences rather than female.

What is your age group?
71% of the people which answered my questions were in the age group 16-18. 28% of these people were between the ages 19-21.
This shows me that my magazine should mainly be aimed at teenagers from 16-18, as my magazine would sell more if they are my target audience.

What genre of music do you like?
71% of the people which answered voted for R'n'B. 14% voted hip-hop an another 14% voted garage.
From these results it has shown me that and R'n'B mixed with hip-hop and garage magazine would be the best magazine as it would attract more people.

How often do you buy music magazines?
From these results, a great 85% of the people claim to have never brought a music magazine and a small number of 14% said they buy a magazine once a month. From the results of this question i have come to a conclusion that my magazine will need to be extra special and eye catching to attract more people even the people who claim to have never brought a music magazine.

How much are you willing to spend when buying a music magazine?
a majority voted that they are only willing to pay £1-£1.99 for a music magazine. This means my magazine must be aimed at a low price for everyone to afford.

When buying a music magazine, what are you looking for?
over half of the people voted that they are looking for updates about their favourite artists when buying a music magazine, which means this MUST be included on the front of my magazine to attract buyers and make them want to read more. Looking at these results i have made a conclusion that i will need to include dates and venues of concerts, as 28% of people are looking for this in a music magazine.
A very little amount want to know about chart music. my cover should include a catchy headline about this too.

What is it that catches your eye on a magazine first?
As 42% of the people said images, this means the images will need to be the main part of my magazine. The front cover should include a very eye catching image. Freebees seem to be popular so my front cover is going to include a mention about a freebee inside.

Initial Ideas

Title
These are my initial ideas for the name of my magazine-
Rewind
Remix
Pulse
The Mix

My final choice from these ideas was- 'Remix'

Fonts
These are the initial ideas for the font of my title.

I discovered these fonts from the site dafonts.com as they have a variety of different fonts i could pick from. I am going to pick the right font for my title when i start to put my magazine together to see which one fits in best with the front cover.

I have narrowed it down to these three fonts as they are fit the genre which i am doing my magazine. However, i may end up picking another font if these do not look right on my magazine cover.

Target Audience

This is Jordan and he is the target audience for the music magazine i am creating.

Jordan is 18 years old and in London. His hobbys include, dancing, socialing with friends and partying. He is also into fashion so he likes shopping at the very best retail places.

He enjoys watching movies in his spare time. A few of his favourite films include Avatar, Iron man, life and lyrics, Get rich or die trying, Adulthood and many more.

As mentioned before, Jordan is extremely fashionable, he wears bright coloured retro clothing such as different colours of skinny jeans, fun t-shirts or shirts and Ray-Ban sunglasses with stylish trainers in different colours to match his outfit or even Ugg boots which are extremely comftable.

Jordan is into all different types of music such as Rap, Hip-hop, R'n'B, Garage and Dubstep even a bit of Rock. He does not really have a preference to which genre he prefers which makes him a perfect candidate for the magazine i am doing because he enjoys all different genres. Jordan does however have favourite artists such as Drake, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Tyga and Nicki Minaj. This is why he enjoys listening to his favourite radio station Choice FM.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is most often displayed in a pyramid shape. The lowest levels of the pyramid are made up of the most basic needs and requirements such as food, water and sleep. The more complex needs are at the top of the pyramid. The bottom of the pyramid is needs, and as the pyramid gets higher these needs turn to wants which are classed as luxuries which are for more social satisfaction rather than survival.
This theory fits in with the fact that a music magazine is a luxury and is not needed in order for survival. So it will be placed at the top end of the pyramid. Buying a magazine will be classed as a luxury so not everyone would be able to buy one

AUDIENCE DEMOGRAPHICS
Audience demographics is the starting point for any project such as a magazine. It is the most important factor as it is to to with your audience. Research needs to be carried out about your audiences such as: how old they are, where they work, what they earn, where they live etc.
The more you understand your audience the more likely you are to capture their attention.

USES AND GRATIFICATIONS THEORY
This is the a popular way to understanding communication. This theory doesnt ask what media does to people but what people do with media.
This theory understands that audiences have no limitations.
It assumes that audiences are not reactive but take an active role in interpreting and integregating media into their own lives. The theory also holds the audience responsible for choosing media to meet their needs. The theory suggests that people use te media to fulfil their specific needs. This theory would then suggest that the media compete against other sorces of information for the viewers gratification. In conclusion this theory is based around the consumer and audience seeing what the audience do with the media rather than what the media does to the consumerTis theory makes sure that the audience are in control of choosing media which suits them and satisfies their wants and needs.
This theory would deffaintely

Analysis of Double Page Spread

The last double page spread i am going to analyse is this story about pink.
Unlike the others this article looks more formal and also has question asked by the public.
The picture takes up the whole of the right hand page and is a picture of the singer 'Pink'. The skyline has the colours green and yellow on it, these colours have been used in the picture as Pink's earrings ae greeny yellow. This image of Pink is very cute as she is smiling/laughing. this close up shot of her face is good for showing off her features. Especially her great big grin.
The writing is kept in one font throughout which also shows the text is formal. However, the amount of writing on this page may not convince customers to want to read it.

Analysis of Double Page Spread

The second double pge spread i am going to analyse is this article about the 'Black Eyed Peas'.
This story is based on a plain white back ground. There is a picture of the group which takes up most of the pages. However, the group are posing in a line, 3 of the band members are made transparent and one of them is not. This shows the importance of this certain band member named Will-i-am. This straight away suggests this article is just about him. This is also the case when we read the headline 'Will He Won't He?'

The colours used are black,gold and grey. The gold is used to dress Wil-i-am, signifying his importance. whilst the other 3 are dressed in black and silver clothing.
The text is mostly in a column on the right hand side. The writing font is quite small and this can be off putting for some readers. half way down the page is a quote by Will-i-am which is highlighted with a black background. This shows the importance of this particular quote.

Analysis of Double Page Spread

The first double page spread i am going to analyse is this one in the magazine NME.
This page lets off attitude.
The image is of Lily Allen who has a crazy attitude so the style of writing is taken from her loud personality.
The colours used on this page are the house colours of the NME magazine which are, red, black and white. These colours have also been used for the image, as the colours of Lily Allens shirt are these colours.
This article is on a plain white background which makes the story, image and text stand out.
Lily Allen's make up is made pale with dark eyeliners and eyeshadows which bring out more dark, crazy attitude. Her pose is her slightly leaning forward towards the camera with her hands on her hips. This pose and the slightly tilted camra angle makes lily seem important. When reading the headline which is a quote by her, we realise that the picture is almost mimiking what she is saying.
By looking at this double page spread, this article is informal. The text is like newpapers cuts outs of letters. This makes the article fun and eye catching for the reader, instead of dull and boring. Most readers can get put off by large amounts of writing on a page, However, this article has taken up majority of the space using the image on the right page and the main headline takes up the top left of the left page.
Overall, this article may be aimed at more of a younger reader a it looks rather informal and fun.

Analysis of Contents Page

The final magazine contents page i am going to analyse is Vibe.
This magazine is raher different to the other two i have analysed and others which i have seen.
There is one picture which has been used to cover the whole page. including th background of the image. The listings is then placed at the top of the page. This magazine provides the reader with 3 groups making it easier for the reader to find specific information or storys perfect for them.
This image of three men may catch the readers attention about who they are and what their storyline is.

The main colour scheme of this page is black,grey,white and a touch of red.
In the left hand corner of this contents page there is a small image of the front cover to this page, with a different man on the front.
Unlike the other magazines, Vibe has used smaller font writing as some readers may be scared off when faced with large amounts of writing.

Overall, this contents is very unusual. It is kept tidy and formal instead of messy and crowded.

Analysis of Contents Page

The second contents page i am going to analyse is NME.
The colours used on this page are the colours black, red and white which are the colours NME are known for as it is a part of their title. Most of the writing is based on a white background which makes the writing stand out more and makes it more eye catching for the reader.
This page has a very specific design. The section named 'Band Index' is located on the laft hand side and the listing are located on the right. The listing are sorted into groups with highlighted headings which make it easier to find a specific story.

The headlining story is of a huge, well-known venue shutting down. In the middle of the age is one large picture of the building taken from a low angle. This low angle shot shows the buldings importance and how so many people look up to it.

This contents page also includes advtising at the bottom of subscirption to the NME magazine, this is a way of promotion, trying to attract repeat readers.

Analysis of Contents Page

The first contents page i am going to analyse is this Kerrang magazine.

This page is clear and easy to follow and the different sections of the magazine are highlighted to guide the reader. Most of the listings are located at the right handside of the magazine.

However, in my opinion the number of images makes the magazine look over crowded.

The colour scheme of this contents page is black, mustard and white. Basing the writing on a white background helps the writing stand out better and also so the page does not look dark.

The images used on this page are all related to a certain story. Allowing the audience/reader a glimpse of a picture will make them want to see more of the story.

There is one large picture which is the headline story, surrounding this is smaller images of other eye catching stories.

At the top of the page next to the title 'Contents' is advertisement of a dvd with the name of their magazine 'Kerrang' on it. This is common advertisement used for promotion.

Overall, this contents page is quite simple and plain with not much outbursts of colours.

Analysis of Front cover

The last cover i am going to analyse is this addition of Rap-Up.
This front cover is very simple and plain. it is set on a light grey background which makes the magazine quite bright. The writing is bold and black. there is bold writing near the bottom of the picture which says 'stop and stare', this makes the reader look clearly at the magazine and do exactly what it says 'stop and stare'. underneath this it has 'introducing' with three band new singers names underneath it on different coloured bright backgrounds. the background colours of this writing is taken from the colours of the clothing of the three girls on the cover who are all using their hands to do the 'stop' sign.

the clothing the three girls are wearing is a reflection of their personalities. for example the girl on the left is Teyana Taylor. She also raps in some of her songs, she is the only girl on this cover wearing trainers which reflects a bit of attitude.
Also the colours used in their clothing is very electric which makes them stand out. Showing that they are new into this industry.
lastly, the three new attractive girls on the cover will make the audience want to read inside and find out more about these acts.

Analysis of Front cover

The second magazine cover I am going to analyze is this Vibe music magazine.

This magazine has a plain black background with a white title which makes it stand out clearly which makes it eye catching. the writing on the rest of the page has an electric yellow and also more white writing. using the black background allows the colors of the writing to stand and to attract the reader/audience.

There is a picture of the rapper, Drake, who has become one of the most loved and well known rappers of this present day. the expression in the picture makes him come across as a typical bad boy, which is the main look for a rapper. He is also wearing a plain black shirt which blends in with the background of the magazine. in white writing on his t-shirt it has the word 'unstoppable'. This makes the reader want to buy this magazine to fine out why or to find out the latest about the well known rapper. On the right and side of the picture in the main headline about Drake, in electric yellow writing is his name in capital letters. underneath this it says 'hip-hops new religion'. This writing is quite striking to the reader/audience.

Around the magazine there are other story lines to attract the audience. for example 'exclusive: Chris brown the definitive interview'. these stories are recent headlines in the music industry so they will make most of the public want to buy the magazine to find out the truth and read all about it.

Analysis of Front cover

For my first analysis of a front cover is this Q magazine. The main colours used on this cover are red,white and black, with these colours the magazine comes across as sexy and quite fierce. the red and black make the magazine dark but when the white is added it helps the magazine stand out more with a little bit of brightness.
At the top of the magazine on a black banner it says ' the UK's biggest music magazine', this will make more and more customers want to buy it as this sentence shows that they are 'THE BEST in music'.
the image of cheryl cole in the middle is the same colour as the writing of the magazine itself. with reds, whites, greys and blacks. which makes the image go really well on the front of this magazine because the colour sceme runs throughout. Cheryls red, pale make up also matches the colour of the magazine itself.
using a well known celebrity such as Cheryl Cole will attract many more customers as she is in the spot light much more for the past year or so. however this picture is the usual look that cheryl would have, this is why customers would want to consume this magazine to find out why she has a rocky image. The writing at the bottom of the magazine is very eyecatching as it transforms from smaller to bigger writing with to emphasize the word 'rocks'. this is an overall word for the look that she is going for in this picture.
having this one picture of cheryl leaves the viewer in suspence leaving them wanting to know what this picture is about and what other pictures will be shown inside.

AS Media Brief

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