Q7. Evaluation

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

From looking back at my preliminary task I can see that my photoshop skills have definitely improved. The first time I used photoshop was for my preliminary task so I didn't know exactly what I was doing, this meant that my work was pretty poor. I think my design ideas have become a lot better, when doing the preliminary magazine I was really short on ideas and that is why I went for a more minimalist technique as I wasn't sure on what I should do, with all of the text at the bottom it left a lot of white spaces around the image which made the magazine look un-professional and cheap.

For the preliminary task I didn't do any research to make my magazine look better, this meant that I was not aware of what made a good magazine and what I needed to put on the pages. For my music final magazine I did a lot of research and planning to make sure that it looked professional. I spent more time research and planning for my final magazine than I did actually making the prelim, I did this so that I could find out all of the popular conventions used and what features make a good magazine. For my music magazine I tried to fill in the gaps on the pages so that it looked more professional, I think for my magazine I got the balance of text on the page whereas with the prelim I don't think that I had enough, that was due to my judgement. Another factor of the magazine that wasn't too good was the text that I used, the style was a font that didn't really fit with the magazine making the whole thing look un-professional. For my music magazine I thought I had a good font style that did fit with the magazine, this shows that my judgment and knowhow has developed from the prelim to my final magazine.

Like the cover page my contents page was quite minimalist, this was because I didn't have many ideas when it came to what to have on the page. The page looks really bare and un-professional compared to my final magazine where I have a lot more going on making it look better, from this I can see that my photoshop skills have improved as I can do more things to make the page look better than I could when I was doing my prelim. I think that I have become a lot more aware of what makes a good magazine and I have developed my photoshop skills from the prelim to the music magazine so that I can create the ideas that I come up with.

I also used the feedback from the draft and from my peers so that I could make my magazine better and more professional. I used the comments on my draft magazine to make my final one better. I made sure that I used all of the comments in order to make my magazine better. I also used the pitch to present my ideas to the class and see what they thought of it. From this I could find out whether people liked my ideas or didn't, as my class would be the typical readers of my magazine so it was good to see what they thought of my magazine ideas. When researching I also looked at the models, clothing, and camera angles, this was so that I could make my model follow the same kind of styles as they used.

Q6. Evaluation

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

Throughout the unit I have used many different pieces of technology to aid me in completing the task of designing a music magazine. I have used different pieces of technology to help me with all aspects of the work, some of which I have used before, whereas some others I have never used until this project. I have learnt how to use pieces of equipment effectively that I could then use in future projects that I have to do. I have used different websites to help me with the written work, and then I have used physical pieces of equipment such as camera in order to get the work done.

The one piece of technology that I have used a lot is the internet. This was used from the very start of the project to get inspiration for my magazine. I used it to find magazine styles and images that looked good, I could then go away and try to copy this for my magazine. I also used the internet when researching different bands/artists and genres for my magazine. I looked for popular magazines and the kind of artists that they have on their magazine and what genre they are. This helped me to choose the genre of my magazine and also the kind of artist that would be likely to feature on the front of my magazine. Another thing that I used the internet for was to research different audiences and the kind of people that would read my magazine. i did this so that I could get an understanding of what they liked in order for me to make my magazine more appealling to them.

I have used a Nikon camera so that I could take pictures of my artist so that I could make the magazine, I have used the cameras Panasonic Lumix TZ10 and the Nikon D40 to take the pictures for my magazine, I found that the Panasonic was more straight forward to use as it was a standard digital camera, whereas the Nikon took better photos in my opinion. The photos were of a higher quality due to the professionalism of the camera, this meant that some of my photos were better than others.

I also used blogger in this project to present my work to show the examiner all the coursework that I have done. Blogger is a good method of doing this as it allows me to present all of my work in a professional way. Posts can then be added, removed, and edited to update the blog. A blog is a good method of presenting all of my work as it can be seen by anyone and it can also be commented on, this means that teachers can give feedback on pieces of work easily. They can also post work to do, so they don't need to give work out in the lesson.

I used a tripod in this project to make my photos a better quality, using a tripod means that I could keep the camera steady when taking the pictures of my model. Keeping the camera steady means that the photos would be a better quality as the camera wouldn't move, this meant that I wouldn't get blurred pictures when looking back through them. This meant that I would have more good images to choose from when making the decision on what images to use for my magazine.

One of the main pieces of technology that I used for the construction of my magazine was Photoshop CS6, I used this to create the magazine pages. Photoshop is a great application that allows you to insert images and text onto a plain canvas, you can then alter the images to look more professional by adding effects and cutting the images to get rid of backgrounds. I used Photoshop for the first time when do the preliminary task, when I first started using it I didn't know how to do anything, but I think that during the project I have developed my understanding and skills on photoshop so that I was able to create a magazine cover, contents and double page spread by the end of it.

Scribd was also used in this project, this was used when I was presenting pieces of work for the course, I put some pieces of work onto scribd as it presented them in a professional way, this made my blog look better and a bit different. Scribd is also good when uploading large documents, this is because they don't take up a lot of space on the blog as they are on a scribd document. The document can then be uploaded onto blogger so that the work is can be accessed and commented on by others. I haven't used Scribd before this task, so this was the first time, I found it straight forward to upload documents on to it and then get them onto my blog.

A piece of technology that I used a lot in the process of constructing my magazine was a memory stick, I used this in order to transfer my work from my laptop at home to the school computer, by doing this it gave me more time to construct the magazine as I could edit it at home and in school time. The memory stick was also used to back up my files, I did this so that if a file was deleted or misplaced I would still have a version of the file.

Prezi was another website that I used to present my work, I hadn't used Prezi before starting this media project so I wasn't able to create some really good and professional presentations straight the way. But after I had used it a couple times I got the hang of it and it gave me another option when presenting my work. Prezi is a more professional way of creating a presentation, Prezi makes it look better and neater, and different from the standard slide show.

The piece of equipment that I used to do all of my coursework on was the school computer and also my laptop at home. When I was in school I used the school computer to do all of my coursework, I used it while i was in a media lesson and when I was in a free. I then used a memory stick so that I could transfer the work that I had done in school to my laptop at home.

The last item is Animoto, I used Animoto to present my pitch to the class, Animoto is a site that puts together images, clips and sounds and puts them into a professional video. I used Animoto as it provides a professional and different way to present a pitch, the video clip does look good when it is created. I have used Animoto before which made the creation of the video quite simple, although Animoto is straight forward to use. So it is easy to make videos even if you have not used it before.

Q5. Evaluation

How did you attract/address your audience?

The masthead on the cover page of my magazine is one of the ways to attract my audience. The masthead attracts them as it is a large bold font, in a bright red colour, this catches the attention of the audience when the magazine is on the shelf. The masthead is at the very top of the page so that it is easily visible when on the shelf. As it is at the top of the page and the masthead is bold and bright it catches the attention of the audience drawing them in tot the magazine.

The audience would also be attracted to the magazine by the artist on the cover page, the audience can relate to him through the clothes that he is wearing and the kind of blank expression he is pulling, this will attract the target audience as they will see this kind of thing on the cover and be interested by it, making them want to read the magazine.

A way that I addressed the audience on the cover was with the model, the model looked straight at the camera so when the photo was put on the cover it is staring straight at the reader of the magazine. This draws the reader in as they are directly addressing them by looking straight at them.
The same occurs for one of the images on the contents page, as the model is looking straight at the reader it draws them into reading it.

Also on the contents page the bands and artists that are featured on there are popular with my target market and would be people that they listen to on their iPods, this would attract them to reading the magazine as they are popular with them and they will want to find out information about them. All of the names that are featured on the contents page will be names that the reader will be familiar with, this will draw the reader in and want them to read through the magazine as they know that there is information on stars that they like. Another way that I attracted my audience was through competitions, also saying the word 'you' addressed the reader of the magazine amking them feel like they are being directly addressed by the magazine. This drew them in as it means that they can do something. Also the competitions and prizes to be won drew the readers in as they wanted to have a chance of winning prizes that they would like.

On the double page spread the pull quote that I used can be used to interest and attract the reader, this is because the quote draws the attention of the reader as it is larger font. The pull quote gives the reader an idea of what the article will be about, this will make the reader want to read on as they will be interested about what has been said in the article.

Q4. Evaluation

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The reader of my magazine will likely be studying at college or even have left school and actually have a full time job. They would be in the age range of about 16-24.

The audience of my magazine will be interested in latest high-street fashion, wear all of the biggest brands. They will also wear the biggest urban street wear fashion. They will have big brand sportswear, all the clothes that they wear will be branded whether it being sportswear or just high-street fashion. They live trendy lifestyles with the clothes that they wear and the kind of things that they have. They will have the latest technology, with their own TV's and laptops, and the best mobile phones.

The reader enjoys listening to hip hop and pop music, such as Tinie Tempah, Bruno Mars, Kanye West, Rihanna. They will listen to music on popular radio station such as Capital FM, they will also download music from the internet or iTunes onto their phones or iPods instead of going out to the shops to buy CD's. They do this as they prefer to have the songs on their phone instead of in physical form.

They spend their time watching TV, going out with their mates to the cinema and out for meals at restaurants in the city. They will also like going to shops such as All saints and Topman, these kind of shops will be in the city which is wear they will go most weekends. They will also like going to festivals, gigs, and big sports events such as a big football/basketball game. They enjoy reading magazines, and they spend time on their phone and laptops on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. They will also follow their favourite artists/bands on Twitter and Facebook so that they can find out the latest news about what they are doing.

They will take part in outer school activities such as football and basketball teams, they will also go to the gym after college about three or four times a week. They are likely to have a part time job as well, they will work there a couple of nights a week after school and on some weekends. The money that they will make from this job will be how they buy my magazine. They will also spend their money on the biggest high street fashions such as Nike, Adidas, Ralph Lauren, and Fred Perry.

Q3. Evaluation

What kind of media institution might distribute your product?

H Bauer is the largest privately owned publisher in Europe, publishing in Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Additionally, Bauer publishes in the United States and Mexico. They have more than 80 influential media brands spanning across a wide range of interests, Bauer has more market leading brands across a wider breadth of markets than any other media owner.

I have chosen to use Bauer as the company to publish my music magazine as they are one of the largest publishing companies in Europe. Bauer is a specialist in publishing in many different markets, so they have the capability to a draw in an audience. As Bauer is such a large company and already publish big music magazines such as Kerrang and Q they would be a great company to publish my magazine as it would be a big name magazine. The price of my magazine would be around £3.50, I have chosen this price as the magazine will be monthly, so due to the amount of content in the magazine the price will have to be quite high, so I decided to choose £3.50. The magazine will be around 150 to 200 pages, again I have a lot of pages due to the fact that it is a monthly magazine, so  a lot of information will be put in the magazine. My magazine will offer something different to the audience and market. The genre of the magazine will make it very popular as it is a cross between the popular genres of pop and hip hop, the magazine will be a cross between Q and VIBE, these are both very popular magazines, and mine will offer something different. My magazine will be distributed the same as other popular magazines, they will be available to buy in book stores, supermarkets, and newsagents. There will also be the option to buy the magazine online using the magazines and the Bauer website.

Q2. Evaluation

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My magazine represents particular social groups by the clothes that are worn on the front cover, the jacket that is worn by the artist represents the clothing style of a typical reader of the magazine, the make of the jacket is Superdry which would be a brand that the reader would be likely to wear. The reader can then relate to the artist which draws them into the magazine, and makes them want to read it. After looking on UK tribes I could see that this is the kind of clothing that the audience of my magazine would wear. The reader can then relate to the magazine which would catch their attention. From the article in the magazine the reader can relate to the artists answers as the audience of the magazine would have similar responses to the artist, this is because they have similar interests. The particular social group will be like the artist as they will both be interested in the same things.

As you can see from the two images above there is a picture of my artist on the left and Chris Brown on the right. These two are of similar genres and characteristics making them the same kind of artists. These two are the kind of people that would feature in my magazine as they are both of a similar genre that would match my magazine, meaning that people would enjoy reading about them. They are both also quite stylish characters which is a big part of my magazine, so again it would make them perfect models for my magazine. These two artists are very similar as they would both appear in hip hop and pop songs.

Q1. Evaluation

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

Through looking at some of the biggest music magazines available such a Q, NME, and Vibe I have found the most used conventions and how these magazines have used them to make their magazines attract the audience.

For the title of the magazine I used the font Basic sans sf from photoshop, I did this as it was a large font which covered the top of the page, this is like the magazines that I have looked at, the large heading draws the attention of the reader. The heading is in red, which fits with the colour scheme of my magazine, as red is a bright colour it catches the attention of the reader and draws them in.

The colour scheme is one of the things that makes the magazine appealing to the target audience, and also to make it stand out from the crowd. Most music magazines stick to a three colour palette, this is used to make the magazine look professional and appealing to the audience, as there is mainly three colours it doesn't overwhelm the audience either, meaning that they will be attracted to the magazine. VIBE magazine stick to a three colour palette. They do this to make the magazine look simple and to not overwhelm the customer, a three colour palette of red, white and black, this is a common colour scheme when looking at music magazines. It works well as the black and red text stands out against the white background. The black and red text can be organised so that standard text is in black and the more important information for the reader is in red so that it stands out. The colours can also alternated so that it has a kind of pattern making the text look unique and simple which will again attract the reader. I chose a three colour palette of red, white, and black as it is a common colour scheme and I didn't want to make my magazine to dis-similar from the conventional music magazine.

When looking at existing magazines for inspiration I found many different conventions for the contents page. I like the kind of list set out, after looking at Q magazine I found a list layout that I liked and I decided to use that for my contents. Q had the contents down the side and the bottom of the page with a couple of images in the centre of the page. I liked this convention as it looked professional, and you could have a lot of text and several images in the centre of the page. I looked at other examples of this layout and I decided to use it I it was a convention that has been used before.

When researching for my magazine I especially looked at the magazines VIBE and Q, I did this as the magazines were of a similar genre of their magazines was a similar one to mine. I especially looked at their double page spreads, as this was the page where I wasn't too sure on what I should do to make it look professional. I looked at the conventions that these magazines used, they used an image of the artist on the left, and then the article on the right page. I used this idea to base my double page spread on, I did this so that it would look professional and stick with a common and used convention.

Looking at existing magazines of the same genre was very important to me and how I created my magazine, I looked at VIBE and Q in particularly so that I could build up a good understanding of what I needed to do for my magazine, these magazines influenced me massively when making decisions about my magazine as I could see the conventions they had used to draw in the audience.

Coursework plan

This week I have been working on improving my draft cover page, contents page, and double page spread, I have taken the feedback from my teachers and peers on board when making the changes to the magazine. I have been working to make the pages look more professional to achieve a higher mark. My cover page is pretty much complete now after I have cut round my image more accurately and resized a couple of things. I now need a new model for my contents page for a bit of variation from the same artist on all three pages, I will be looking to take photos early next week so that I can have my contents page finished. I will then be looking at improving my double page spread further by adding more questions to the article, the improvements will then be done in time for the deadline in a few weeks.