Evaluation Question Seven

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

I have learnt a lot about the media industry during the construction of my magazine. I have learnt about the level of work that goes into making a music magazine and I have learnt that different camera angles can give off different vibes. For example if the model appears uncomfortable in the photograph it makes the product appear uncomfortable and unwelcoming which will not attract an audience. I have learnt that photography is an essential part of creating a music magazine and that it is ‘key’ to building up the tone of the magazine. For example black and white photographs give more of an edge to magazines than colour photographs. I have learnt that you must experiment with photographs in different filters to discover which one works best for the tone you are trying to create. I have also learnt that the facial expressions of the models used in the photographs must be friendly and invitational otherwise it puts the reader off wanting to look at your magazine. Body posture has the same effect; if the model has negative posture the reader will more than likely not want to read the text.
The layout is just as important. If a text is set out in a complicated or messy way it puts the reader off therefore it is essential that the layout of a media text is clear and easy to follow. This links in with the use of fonts; if the font in a text is hard to read the chances are that the target audience will not bother to read it and will opt for something more appealing to the eye. Fonts like “Arial”, “Tahoma” and “Calibri” are good to use as they are used by a number of different media texts already meaning that they are easily recognisable. If something appears familiar people will feel more comfortable reading it. For example, the majority of society have a profile on Facebook which uses “Tahoma” so if a media text online was to use the same font the chances are that more people would read it because it would already feel familiar to them.
I went through many different stages during the construction of my media product and received constructive criticism from my peers (see blog post on feedback from my class). This criticism has helped me to shape my product to suit the preferred specifications of those who fall into my target audience age group. I have also progressed through my research into numerous different music magazines as I gained a wider technical vocabulary that I was able to incorporate into my own article.

Evaluation Question Six

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

http://prezi.com/user/kbrzedol-3ro/

When I began the creation of my media product I had no idea how to use a number of different software on the computer. I knew how to use the social networking site http://www.facebook.com/ and used it to contact people to ask if they would be willing to help out by posing as models. I then had to learn how to use the online blog site, www.blogger.com. Luckily this was quite straightforward and I soon picked it up. However other programs such as Adobe Photoshop took a lot of getting used to. This was the first time I had anything to do with Photoshop and I remember feeling very disheartened at the beginning. I didn’t know the first thing about it and was worried that I would be unable to complete constructing my magazine. However after numerous hours of practise I began to slowly get the hang of it. I wouldn’t say I was very good with it now but I am able to persevere with it and eventually get the result I want. In order to evaluate my media product in a more interesting way I had to learn how to use websites such as www.animoto.com, www.prezi.com and www.flickr.com. Through the creation of my preliminary task I also learnt a great deal more about how to create things on Microsoft Publisher. The most useful technologies that I used turned out to Adobe Photoshop and www.blogger.com. Photoshop was extremely useful as I was able to edit my photographs and make them look as professional as possible. I was also able to experiment with the layout of my magazine in a quick way. By creating different layers I was able to hide and show different things as I wished in my journey to create the best music magazine that I possibly could. The use of www.blogger.com was also very useful because it allowed me to express my inspirational ideas in a more modern manner than simply writing them in an essay, and gave me the freedom to express myself in a more creative way. It also helped me reach out to a wider audience as people around the globe will be able to access my blogger page and view my creative journey.



Evaluation Question Five

How did you attract/address your audience?



http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceycarruthers/

The above link will take you to my Flickr page. I have uploaded some images to highlight how I attracted or addressed my audience.

Evaluation Question Four

Who would be the audience for your media product?

http://animoto.com/play/O8TzPWMpb52XFikAQAUIuw

Profile of someone who may be read DRUMS:
NAME – Molly Stevenson
AGE – 18
EDUCATION – University of Sunderland
INTERESTS – Socialising with friends, listening to music, shopping, experimenting with new styles.
SPENDS MONEY ON – Music, clothes, hair dye, piercings, tattoos, alcohol/nights out.
FAVOURITE GENRE OF MUSIC – Indie/Alternative
LIFESTYLE – Typical life of a student – care-free, partying, drinking, seeing friends but also hard working on University work.
LIKELY TO SHOP – Mixture of places. Anywhere from Primark to Topshop but also in vintage shops.
FAVOURITE TV PROGRAMME – The Inbetweeners, Downtown Abbey, Misfits, Skins.
WHY WOULD THEY BUY DRUMS – The plain, simple layout appeals to them, the black and white image on the front cover is different to most magazines as they are in colour, eye-catching.

Evaluation Question Three

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

After researching a variety of different music magazines I have come to the conclusion that my magazine is most like the “Rolling Stones” magazine. The co-founder and publisher of the bi-weekly magazine, Jann Wenner (http://www.jannswenner.com/), is also the owner of “Us Weekly” and “Men’s Journal”. The political and music based magazine is based in the US and underwent changes to it’s layout in the 1990’s to appeal to a younger audience.

Before conducting my research into music magazines I wasn’t very aware of this particular one. I thought that it was a magazine that only came out a couple of times a year for fans to remember The Rolling Stones by. However I have discovered that I was wrong and that the magazine does in fact come out twice a month and covers a variety of different musical genres, predominantly Indie/Alternative bands. Perhaps I was unaware of the true nature of the magazine because I have come to realise that it is only widely available for purchase in supermarkets like “ASDA” and chain-stores like “WH Smith”. I usually buy my magazines from smaller stores such as newsagents and have never seen it in any place like that. Maybe this is because the magazine company is based in the US and is only slowly growing in recognition in the UK. Perhaps when it’s popularity in England has grown some more it will be easier to purchase here? Saying this, however, the website (http://www.rollingstone.com/) is packed full of things to read and is easy to access in the UK. This could be an indication of the changing popularity in media institutions – the internet is growing in popularity while paper copies of the information are reducing.

I think that this issue of “Rolling Stones” magazine is extremely similar to my music magazine. Both my magazine and this one have quite a plain and simple front cover with an image in black and white. They both have sell lines written on the sleeve of the model. This could be an indication that the audience of “Rolling Stone” magazine would also like mine. Perhaps if my magazine were to become professionally published I would only allow have it readily available in large chain stores so that more people would see the masthead and become familiar with it. I would hope that this would help to slowly build up people’s recognition so that eventually the audience for my magazine would grow higher and higher. I would also have a website where people could subscribe and get my magazine delivered to their homes. I would include the same information on the website but I would keep some articles exclusive to those who had registered as a means of maintaining a steady income.



 

Evaluation Question Two

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The postures of both women are similar in the sense that they are both facing the camera. They share similar facial expressions too. They are wearing similar make-up and are both aiming for a beauty shot. Elle has less elaborate eyeliner than Amy and has opted for a hairstyle with loose waves where Amy has gone with her trademark ‘bee-hive’ hairstyle and a bow. Where NME chose to shoot Amy Winehouse’s body from the side I chose to shoot Elle Garcia more face-forward to make it different. I liked the costume that Elle was wearing and wanted to show it off in the image. Both women are wearing casual clothing. Elle has gone for a floral top and cardigan whereas Amy is wearing a t-shirt with a transfer on in the same style as her tattoo. Elle’s main accessory is an oversized ring worn on her right hand but Amy’s is her tattoo. This could be interpreted as Amy living up to her ‘wild girl’ image and Elle being a little less wild and more approachable. This could show their different beliefs and values – Amy values tattoos highly as an individual way of expressing herself but Elle values her accessories just as highly. By being able to change her jewellery and accessories she is able to provide her audience with a visual symbol of her mood. The background in both images is plain with the big difference being that Amy Winehouse is photographed in front of a black screen whereas Elle is photographed in front of a white wall. This could be another indication as to the difference in personality: Amy’s image comes across as pretty and wild while Elle’s comes across as more innocent. Overall I think that both of these images represent a normal young social group because they wear casual, everyday clothing that everyone can adopt to suit their own style. By dressing in the same way as the majority of young people it may be an indication of them being approachable as if they didn’t appear easy-going and friendly their music wouldn’t sell.



Evaluation Question One

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

The above image is a collage I created to provide a brief overview of the tone of the magazine that I made. Before I started I researched into numerous different genres of music magazines and attempted to incorporate elements of them into my own. I eventually decided on an Indie/Alternative genre therefore I decided to name my magazine “DRUMS”, as it is simple and easily remembered. I also used that particular word to hint at the field of music that would be included in it. For example, if I wanted to create a Popular music magazine I would have thought of something a little more mainstream and if it were a Folk music magazine I would have tried to relate the masthead to the genre. Also, my masthead has a similar font to magazines such as “NME” and has a similar colour scheme to the magazine “Q”. I did this on purpose to try and make it look more like a realistic music magazine. A picture that I included on my contents page was of someone in a recording studio. The model is standing by a microphone and has headphones on. There are also some amplifiers in the background adding to the mise-en-scene. The use of these adds to the impact of my magazine being about music as they make it appear more realistic. The costumes that my models wore were quite simple as I wanted to make them look like normal people to add friendliness and hopefully the make magazine look like an interesting read. As I chose to give my magazine a genre of Indie/Alternative I tried to use models that have originality to their style. My main model who posed as “Elle Garcia” has her own unique style of dressing and tends to shop at vintage shops to get one-of-kind garments that are different to the mainstream fashion stores. Another way that I attempted to make my magazine appear like a real magazine is through using technical vocabulary such as “verse”, “vocals” and “album” which all have the connotations of music attached to them. By using descriptive phrases like “ghostly image” and “haunting voice” I tried to subtly hint at the audience of the kind of music featured in my magazine.

Flat Plan for Contents Page

I plan to continue with the colour scheme of red, white and black in my contents page. I would like to make the title (“Contents”) the same font and style as my masthead to show a continuity between the different pages as I feel that this will make it appear more like a magazine.

The images I will use may include another image of Elle, an image of someone in a recording studio and possibly a shot of a locally known band such as Little Comets playing live.
I plan to use the same fonts that I used in my double page spread as I find that it worked well and was easy to read. I hope to include a feature box about Elle Garcia to further highlight that my magazine is a “special edition” dedicated to her. I hope that this will draw my audience’s attention and make them want to read my double page spread counting down her top ten greatest hits.

Inspirational contents pages

I like the simplicity of this contents page. The layout is simple and easy to read which will draw the audience in. The sparing use of red looks effective and keeps in with the colour scheme of "Q" magazine. Although the image of the band The Courteeners is large there are still a lot of stories to feature which gives the impression that the magazine will be packed full of interesting things to read as well as having good images of the featured bands.

I am not so keen on this contents page by "NME" as I find that the image is too large and draws the audience's attention from the featured articles in the issue. I also find that the text to the right of the picture is too small. Perhaps if the image were smaller this text could be made bigger, which would make it easier to read. If I were reading this magazine I would just flick past this page which isn't really what an editor of a magazine wants to happen.

This contents page looks good and draws th audience in through the use of multiple small images to highlight certain stories. I like the colour scheme and hope to create something of a similar style myself.

Flat Plan and Rationale for double page spread

I plan to copy the colour scheme that I used for my front cover in an attempt to give it a continuous feel. I will either make the background black with white writing and red for the heading and quotations or make it white with black writing. I will experiment with it both ways to see which way I think will look the most effective.
The main image will be of my model on the front cover. i have an image of her sitting on a sofa which I think will look quite good because there isn't anything disrupting in the background which could defer the audience's attention away from the person in the image. I have a few more head shots and a full length shot of her with her guitar that I may use for smaller images on the opposite page.
My article will be a count down of the top ten greatest hits of "Elle Garcia" who I am pretending has past away in ordere to make my magazine a "10th Anniversary Edition". The font I am planning to use will be something similar to 'Arial' as I want it to be easy to read and I find that fonts such as this one are less difficult to read that others like 'Times New Roman'.
I am hoping that using a couple of quotations in a different colour will attract the reader's attention. I also hope that the use of images will capture their interest. By including a 'catchy' heading I hope to draw my audience in and want to read on.

This is my new front cover. I didn't like the old one so decided to start from scratch again. I like this a lot better but I am not happy with the jaggered hair line. I need to work out how to make it smoother on Photoshop.

This is my contents page. I didn't find this as hard as the front cover to create and didn't really come across any problems.

This is my double page spread. The only problem I have come across is trying to spread the text over the two pages and avoid it crossing over where the crease would be.

More Original Images

More Original Pictures

This is another double page spread taken from an issue of NME. I like how the article runs along the bottom of the two pages. The use of one big image on the right and some smaller pictures on the left is good because it shows what the band is like live which is fitting for the article because it is a review of a show they played in Edinburgh. The font is very simple to read which will help to capture the reader’s interest. Although I like the layout because it is very simple I think I would like to include more writing in my double page spread.

This double page spread is from an issue of Rocksound Magazine. It caught my eye because the image takes over most of two pages and the article is written on top of the picture. This is different to other double page spreads that I have seen and I think it looks really effective. I like how the article is set out in two small columns which make it tempting to read because it isn’t long. I also like how the colour of the text matches in with the paint on the ground in the picture. The use of the American flag running around the outside of the skate park in the background works well as a visual aid because the band that the article is about is from Boston. I like the font that the article is written in too. It is simple and easy to read. I would like to use a similar font in my double page spread.

This double page spread is about an interview that NME had with Arctic Monkeys. It follows a typical question and answer format which is simple to read and easy to follow. The main image is of the band sitting around a table which is fitting for the type of article it is. I don’t really find question and answer interviews very interesting so I don’t think that this is a very inspirational piece for my double page spread. Instead of doing a question and answer format I think I would have written it up. I would have tried to make it informal and friendly so that reader could have felt like they were actually present when the interview took place.

Again, this double page spread is from an issue of NME. I like how the heading is coloured in black and red as this links in with the colours of the masthead on the front cover and also matches the colour of the guitar that model is holding. I like how this colour scheme is apparent throughout the article and how the image is her on the right is very strong. She has her hands on her hips and is looking boldly into the camera. This matches the very first sentence – “Shit, fuck it up!”. Together they give off a strong vibe of a musician who is very independent. However the use of taboo language as an opening for the article could be considered a negative thing as it could be insulting to a lot of people. I don’t think I will copy this idea for my double page spread.  I think the bits I would like incorporate into my double page spread would be the use of a strong image and a second smaller image to compliment the first one. I would also like to think of an interesting heading like this to draw the audience in.

Inspirational double-page spreads

This double page spread is from an issue of NME and looks effective because of the colour scheme. I like how the A4 image of Bjork and the heading has the same colours. They bounce off each other and makes the page look inviting to read. I also like how the article begins with an enlarged capital letter as this catches the reader’s eye and makes them want to read on.  I like how the article begins with two short columns and then continues onto the next page. This technique appears to effective because the first double page spread draws the reader in so they will be interested and will read onto the next page where there is a lot more writing. Some articles look daunting with the amount of writing they contain but this one doesn’t because it is spread out over two double page spreads. I also like the use of enlarged quotations using the same colour scheme as the image on the first spread as it makes it continuous and helps the article to flow across the pages. Another thing I like is how the article itself is written. It is informal and friendly and makes the reader feel like they are actually talking to Bjork themselves.

First Draft For My Magazine

This is the first draft for my magazine. I don't like it at all. Unfortunately the models I was hoping to use dropped out at the last second so I had to make-do with a quick picture in order to meet my deadline. I plan to completely change my front cover. I will take a new image, change the fonts to make my masthead stand out and alter the colour scheme to make it more colourful as this will hopefully attract the reader's attention.

Feedback from the class

This is the feedback that I got from my class about my first draft of my front cover. It seems that I need to change the image as most people said that the background was too busy and that I needed to include more fonts to make the masthead stand out.
I think that in order to improve I should change the image comepletely as I don't like the background at all and would prefer to have a model who is looking directly at the camera. I think that this will make my magazine look more inviting to the reader and more like a professional one. I will also change my masthead to make it stand out more.

Audience Survey

I am:
(Please circle the correct answer)

Male               Female

I buy magazines about:
(Please circle the correct answer/s)

Fashion           Music              Sports             Cars                Fitness

Other (please specify) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I usually spend _ _ _ on a magazine:
(Please circle the correct answer

£0.99               £1 - £1.99                    £2 - £2.99                    £3 – £3.99      

           
£4 or over

I buy a magazine:

(Please circle the correct answer)

Once a month         Fortnightly                  Weekly          

Other (please specify) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I am drawn to a magazine by:

(Please circle the correct answer/s)

The model on the cover    The masthead          The colours   

The sell lines               The price                  

Other (please specify) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _

State which genre(s) of music you like the most

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

State which genre(s) of music you like the least

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Which magazine(s) do you usually buy?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

This was my audience survey that I asked 20 students aged sixteen to eighteen doing a variety of subjects to answer. I found that while they had different interests in genres of music the majority were drawn to magazines through the masthead, the model on the cover and the price. I discovered that most of them spent £2 - £2.99 on a magazine once a month. This has helped me choose how much I will charge for my music magazine, and also how regularly to produce it. As the majority of people were drawn to a magazine by the masthead and the model on the cover (as well as the price) I have decided to make my masthead very big and bold so that it will stand out. I will try to make the model on the cover pose in a way that will catch people's attention. For example, instead of using the usual invitational or chocolate box pose that a lot of magazines use I could have someone posing with a 'prop' such as a guitar and make it full length as opposed to a head shot. I hope that the 'prop' will act as a visual aid to help the audience understand that my magazine will be a music magazine and hope that the full length pose will draw people in as if will look different to most magazines on the shelf.

Flat Plan

This is my flat plan for my music magazine. I didn't include an image because when I designed it I was still unsure of which one to use. However I have now narrowed it down to two, either a close up of a face or a full length shot of someone playing guitar.

Mood Board

This is my mood board. 

More Original Pictures

Preliminary Task

For my preliminary task I created a front cover and contents page for a college magazine. I used Microsoft Publisher to do this because I found that it was the quickest and easiest program to use. However for my music magazine I plan to use Abode Photoshop as I want to spend more time creating it and want to edit it in more detail.

I decided to call my magazine “PRIDE” because the college’s core values are partnership, respect, innovation, diversity and ethnicity. As these values are important to college I decided that the acronym “PRIDE” was a fitting masthead name. I chose to use the colours purple and white for my colour palette because they are the colours used at the Bede campus in the City of Sunderland, which would be where my magazine would be available to read. I want my magazine to look realistic and fit in with the colour scheme already in place. As purple and white are already familiar colours to the students in Sunderland they seemed the perfect choice as they could encourage them to read it.

I chose to use the colours purple and white for my colour palette because they are the colours used at the Bede campus in the City of Sunderland, which is where my magazine would be available to read. I want my magazine to look realistic and fit in with the colour scheme already in place. As purple and white are already familiar colours to the students in Sunderland they seemed the perfect choice as they could encourage them to read it. I hope that the colour scheme will create positive connotations due the similarity with the college’s colour scheme that is already well known. I have discovered that the white text on the purple background really stands out and catches the audience’s attention.

This was my flat plan for the front cover.

This was my flat plan for the contents page.

This was my final front cover.

This was my final contents page.

Inspirational Texts

The first magazine cover that I chose was from an independent style magazine called “INDIE”. I like to listen to Indie/Alternative music so the name drew my interest straight away. The cover is very simple. There is a picture of Daisy Lowe in an invitational pose. Her head is tilted slightly to the right and her mouth is slightly parted. There is no hint of a smile and her eyes are emphasised with black eyeliner. The main sell line reads “in love with Daisy” and the rest of the cover is very plain. I like this front cover because it simple yet effective. It has captured my interest through the title of the magazine. The colour palette seems to only consist of white writing. It sounds boring but looks effective and captures the audience’s interest just as well as busy and very colourful front covers. I think I would like to keep the appearance of my own magazine simple like this magazine has as I find that this magazine is a perfect example of the saying “less is more”.

The second magazine that I found inspirational is a cover from New Musical Express or “NME” as the masthead reads. Alex Turner and Miles Kane from the band The Last of The Shadow Puppets are on the front as in this issue they gave their first official interview to the magazine. I find this magazine cover inspirational because it is a more complicated front cover than the first magazine I looked at. It shows a number of sell lines and also has one in a black circle to make it stand out. The colour palette consists of red and black with a white background and white and yellow writing used sparingly. I think I prefer the appearance of the first one the most but I find this cover more attention-grabbing due to the use of extra colours. I think I would like to use the shape idea to make certain sell lines stand out because they make the magazine more eye-catching. This is essential because the media industry has grown immensely over the years and there are now hundreds of different magazines in competition with each other to gain consumers.

The third magazine that captured my interest was an issue of the New York style magazine “New York Look”. It is a high fashion magazine that lists things “fresh off the runways”. The photograph on the front shows two girls with flawless beauty. They have red lips and their eyes are lined fairly heavily with black eyeliner. They aren’t facing the camera lens which provides a mysterious element to the picture. The colour palette consists only of black writing. It could be argued that other colours include white and red because the photograph is very close up and the faces take up the whole page. Like the first one this magazine is very simple and captures the audience’s attention not with the use of clever captions and sell lines but with visual aid. I think the reason I was drawn to this front cover is because I have always wanted to visit New York and because I aspire to have skin as clear as them. I am naturally pale and feel pressure to look tanned in our society but pictures such as this give me the confidence to embrace my pale tone. I think I would like to use a similar font for my mast head because it simple and easy to read.

Fourthly I chose another busy front cover. I looked an issue of “Nylon” with the actresses Annalynne McCord, Jessica Stroup and Shenae Grimes from the popular television series 90210 on the front. They are wearing quirky outfits that capture the reader’s interest. The main sell line states that “90210 is back” and there is another sell line explaining that this issue of Nylon is the “TV issue”. Another sell line is “Fall Fashion: The Season’s Greatest Hits” which explains why the actresses are wearing such stylish outfits. The colour palette consists of pink and purple with yellow and black used sparingly. The main sell line is written in a different font to the rest to emphasise it. This magazine captured my interest because I am a fan of 90210 and I was drawn in by the main sell line. I find it inspirational because the main sell line stands out very well. I think the colour palette really looks effective and I would like to try and incorporate the use of a bright colour for the main sell line of my magazine.

“Dazed and Confused” was the last magazine I analysed. The issue that I was drawn to was the one with Dakota Fanning on the front. The image of her is in greyscale and shows her natural beauty. She is wearing little make-up and isn’t looking directly into the camera lens. The main sell line is her name, “Dakota Fanning” and the sub head says “from golden girl to glam rock rebel”. This draws the reader’s interest because Dakota Fanning is an icon who has grown up on television screens all over the world and people will be interested in what she is up to next. The colour palette consists only of white and it looks very effective against the greyscale photograph in the background. I think that this magazine captured my attention because it looks different to most of the magazines I have seen before. The majority of magazines include a little bit of colour somewhere on the front but this one doesn’t. I also like how the sub head describes Dakota Fanning as a “glam rock rebel” yet the photograph of her looks very natural. The connotations held with the words “rock rebel” are of people looking quite fierce with heavy eyeliner and messy hair. This will draw the audience in because they will be wondering how this photograph can portray a “rock rebel”. I think I would like to try and create a photograph such as this one for my magazine which could confuse my target audience into buying it to find out more.



In conclusion, I think my favourite magazines were the first and fifth ones I looked at. I think this because I like simple things that look effective. I find that they both stand out more than other magazines that are busier. In both magazines the main colour used in the palette is white. The poses are quite similar too. I think I will be using an invitational pose on my front cover because it is a soft sell with eyes that create a sense of mystery, which could potentially draw in the audience and make them wonder what will be included in it.