Evaluation

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

I found that analysing magazines was extremely helpful towards my own final product. By analysing the front covers , contents pages and double page spreads of different magazines. By doing this I was able to identify with elements that where used in every magazine (e.g. cover lines) and then elements that where original and linked in with the theme of the magazine (e.g. colour themes). The layouts of the magazines pages were important as while I constructed my own magazine pages I was able to refer to the professional magazines for layout ideas. I had my own photos and title ideas and the magazines help me to identify where to put everything so I could get the best out of my magazine and for it to look like a professional item and stand out on a magazine shelf in a shop. I used Total Film magazine a lot while designing even though it wasn’t a music magazine. I felt the layout was different from the music magazine that I was analysing and thought that it suited my style of magazine and fitted in with the photo well. The similarities between my own magazine and Total Film magazine include the position of the date and bar code as I have put them on the right side of the page close to the masthead. I have also made the masthead to layer behind the image of Lucy so the her head just covers the bottom of the word ‘Country’. I also took the idea of putting the headers across the bottom of the magazine to name a few more celebrity to draw in my audience. I have also put the main cover lines along the left side of the page just like Total Film magazine. I also put in an ‘Exclusive’ heading at the top of the cover lines like Total Film heading ‘World exclusive’ I also included the colour theme and text size ideas from Total Film magazine within my own magazine by doing one big text layer, cover line in between the smaller cover lines. I took the idea of the heading ‘Cheryl Cole’ and the pug ‘John Lennon’s lost weekend’ from Q magazine and put them towards my own but changing them to fit my own design. I put the large heading across the bottom of the page ‘Lucy Sirett’ like the Cheryl Cole heading but added some text underneath as it looked a bit plain. I then took the idea of the John Lennon pug and changed the design and words to ‘Chance to win £1,000’ to have a competition for the magazine to draw the readers in rather then having another cover line like Q magazine. By including these ideas I was able to develop and challenge forms and conventions of real media products to fit my own design.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?
For my music magazine I chose models that would suit the theme and style of music that my magazine was based on. When putting my magazine together I wanted to create a positive view of my ‘celebrities’ so that they could be seen as great role models for my target audience of young girls and people who want to become music artists just like the ‘celebrities’ featured in the magazine. This is because my audience are young girls who like to listen to this type of music and even like to make music of their own by playing guitar and writing their own songs. I feel that the magazine can inspire these particular groups. I also chose my models on the basis of my target audience so that my models looked like the type of people who I would expect to buy my magazine. My magazine represents thesocial group of mainly young girls like Chloe who I used as my audience profile. My magazine represents social group in a positive way, as my magazine is a light, fun and a different product that will attract my audience and show them in a positive way due to the standard and appearance of my product. I didn’t use models of an ethnic background for my magazine, as there are no popular country music artists who are of an ethnic background. I also didn’t use children or middle-aged adults as models for my music magazine as the magazine is not targeted towards them and so therefore will not attract them to look at my magazine on a shelf in a shop or buy it.

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

I think that publisher Redwood would be a good company to publish my music magazine. As they are known for publishing a range of magazines including OK, M&S Magazine (for Marks and Spencer) TV Times and Evening Standard. I think that by publishing my magazine, Redwood would be able to expand their company and invest in the music side of things and a music magazine that could be good for their company. Redwood would be a good publisher for my country music magazine as they are familiar with my target market of young girls as they publish OK magazine, which partly targets young girls as it also targets middle-aged women, and anyone that has an interest in celebrity gossip. I also think that Century One would be a good publisher for my magazine as they are extremely well known in the publishing industry and specialise in advertising and publishing with professional institutes. Century One have published magazine that range in topic from food and groceries to whales and dolphins. Looking at Century One’s website at their portfolio it’s clear that they haven’t published a music magazine before. This could be good for the company, like Redwood as they can achieve publishing a music magazine to add to their portfolio and could even improve their profits. It would also give them a chance to tackle a different type of target audience as they haven’t published a magazine that is aimed to such a specific target audience as mine however this could be negative thing as they may not have any experience of how to draw that target market in. Even so I think they would be a good publisher for my magazine as they have published many magazine before and are a very successful publishing company.

http://www.redwoodgroup.net/advertising_mands.html

http://www.centuryonepublishing.ltd.uk/

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience for my music magazine is young females who have similar interest to Chloe who is a girl that I used for my audience profile. They should be interest in country artists like Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, listen to country music and have specific hobbies that include music e.g. playing guitar, dancing or song writing. They should have interests in country artists and their work, as they will be featured in the music magazine. Without those interests then there would be no reasons for them to buy the magazine. Chloe and the model Lucy featured in my music magazine are the typical type of people who I would expect to be interested in my magazine. My magazine is also targeted towards girls who are students who have low income as my magazine is sold at a price of £3.99 which isn’t that expensive so my target market are able to afford my product. The colours I have used in my magazine also represent my audience as I used pink and brown and pink is known as a feminine colour, associated with girls.

How did you attract/ address your audience?

I attracted my audience by a number of different techniques. I used images that the audience could relate to, as my magazine is targeted towards young girls, that audience should be interested in country music so I used a glamorous and pretty girl to pose for my front cover image. By using Lucy as my celebrity model the audience for my magazine will be able to look at her and will want to be like her. She was dressed in a pink and white dress with flowers. I felt this would appeal to my market, as the flowers are feminine and girly and would draw them in. I also used a colour scheme that would attract my audience of brown, dark pink and white. The colour pink is also associated with girls, which are my target audience which would then draw them in. My use of language that I used I feel also draws my audience in as it persuasive and causes the audience to be curious and therefore want to buy the magazine e.g. ‘The chance to win £1,000’ and find out how they can win £1,000.

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

To make my magazine pages I used Photoshop, which I was comfortable with using as I had previous experience and knowledge beforehand from using the programme at home. I worked on the Mac computers which in the beginning of making I had trouble with as I hadn’t used them before but once I had gained some knowledge of the Macs I was able to use Microsoft Word and Photoshop on the Macs without any problems. Other technologies I used while making my magazine pages was a Sony DSLRA380ADI.YG 14.2MP camera which I used to take the photos that used in my magazine. Before taking my photos I had to plan seven photo ideas and a few secondary ideas, three for the front cover, three for the double page spread and one image I could use for the contents page to link to my double page spread along with a few other images. There were many things that I had to consider when taking my photos such as location, props, lighting, costume, model and background. I wanted to shoot my photos in a field so that it would link with my country magazine I also wanted it to be sunny so that I had natural light for my photos and so I wouldn’t have to edit the lighting on Photoshop. Both of these things were successful for my photos and I didn’t need to edit any of my images for my magazine. I used a guitar and a scarf for props in my photos and I think that they worked really well and I used both of images, were props were used, in my magazine. I wanted my model to have her hair down and out of place. I wanted her to have subtle make-up and have a number of different outfits to wear so that the photos had some variation which she did and I think she looks really good in the photos. For the background I wanted simple bold colours so that when editing and creating my front page and double page spread I was able to put text over the photos and for the text to be easy to read over the picture. When shooting my photos I tired to use as many different, angles and poses to create variation which I think I accomplished well. When editing in Photoshop I used tools such as the horizontal text tool, the move tool, and the line tool. I also used effective techniques such as changing the opacity and using shadows. Other than Photoshop I used blogspot.com which I had no previous experience of but I quickly learnt how to use it and am now comfortable with the website. From using these technologies I have learnt that previous knowledge of the technologies helped me to progress quicker however once I knew how to use certain technologies I was able to use them without difficulty.

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

Looking back at my preliminary task I feel that I there is a big improvement. I think that my magazine pages look more professional and are of a higher standard that would fit in better on a shelf in the shops. My preliminary task could be improved a great amount and by putting the two side by side I can clearly see the difference. I think I have learnt a lot more about Photoshop and how to use the layers and tools. I also think that analysing professional music magazines before hand really helped with the production of my own magazine as I was then able to identify with the layout and the rules to what to put and what not to put in a magazine and on the front page e.g. price, date, bar code etc. I think that if I hadn’t of analysed magazine before hand my own magazine would be at a lot similar standard to my preliminary task. I also think that photos make a difference to the standard of the magazine as when doing my preliminary task I used a small Samsung s500 camera with 5.1 mega pixels to take my photos but when I did my music magazine I used a more professional camera to take my photo and I think that that makes a huge difference to the quality.

Final Products

Front Page

Double Page Spread

Contents Page

Stages of Contents Page

Stage 1
This is the first stage of my content page and like my front cover I went through my photos and found the images that I could use for this page. I started the contents page by creating two brown banners at the top of the page, one banner bigger than the other and at a opacity of 50%. I then placed two layers of text of the top of the banner in the fonts used for my heading on my front cover so that the theme could be carried through. I then placed the image of my finished front cover in the corner on top of the banner and angled it slightly.

Stage 2

For the second stage of my contents page I created another banner like the one across the top showing ‘regulars’ I then added a photo of my double page spread and a photo of a concert that I took myself. Down the bottom of the page I added a thin brown banner like the ones for the heading I then added the page number, the website and the name of the magazine.

Stage 3

For the third stage of creating my contents page I added more photos and another heading similar to the ‘Regulars’ heading except this heading is showing the features in the magazine. I then added a small box in pink to link with the colour theme of the page number that the photos linked too. I also added text to the page displaying the features that would be in the magazine

I added the number of the page, the headings, the sub text and the small lines to divide them from each other. The headings that are underneath are headings that I planned to put into the list and this was not the place I planned to keep them.

Stage 4

For the fourth stage of my contents page I continued with the text and added more photos and rearrange them to fit in with the page. I moved the scattered headings into a suitable place. I also added more numbers to the pictures to show what page number that photo and its story would be on. At the bottom of the page I added a section that advertised subscription to the magazine, using the same fonts and colours as I had above.

Stage 5

For the final stage of my magazine I finished off the ‘Regulars’ side of the page adding the page numbers, sub text and small lines. Once the text was finished I felt that my contents page was complete.

Stages of Double Page Spread

Stage 1

This is the first stage of my double page spread. Like my front cover I went through my photos and found the one that I thought would be most suitable. For my double page spread I wanted the picture to take up the whole of the two pages so I looked for a photo that had lots of plain space in the background so I could put text over the top, which could be readable.

Stage 2

Once I had selected my photo I flipped it vertically so I could fit the heading and more text onto the left side. I then added a small title at the top with Lucy’s name in the contrasting fonts of Segoe Print and Castellar as a small subtitle for my front cover then added a small line underneath. I then added four different layers of text to make up the title in Times New Roman font so that the words could overlap to create a good effect. I then copied and pasted an interview that I had written up earlier and put them into two layers so that they were easier to move.

Stage 3

I then copied a pasted more of the interview onto the right side on the page in a different layer and moved to fit around the image of Lucy. I also made the subtitle of Lucy’s name smaller and moved the text on left side further up the page.

Stage 4

For my fourth stage I added another layer of text completing the interview and moved it next to the first column on the right hand side. I then added pictures to the bottom of the page and gave them a white outer edge to give them a more photo album effect. I then layered the photos on top of each other to create more of a photo album effect.

Stage 5

For the fifth stage of my double page spread I added a small caption by the photo explaining what they were and typed it in pink to link in with the colour theme. I then added page numbers in the corner of the pages and the magazine website all in Times New Roman font. I also made my photos smaller and moved the right hand column of text on the right side a little further up the page so it was not to close to the pictures.

Stage 6

For my next stage I made the text smaller and added a small advertisement for Lucy’s album underneath the text in Times New Roman to link with the rest of the text. I then made up a thumbnail image of Lucy’s album. Because of this I had to change one of the photos, as they were too similar to the album cover.

Stage 7

For Lucy’s album cover I selected a picture that I thought would be suitable from my collection of photos. I then edited the image to black and white and used the guitar in the photo to structure the image as the guitar almost acts as a border of the image. I then added her name in black in Times New Roman and then the name of the album in black in Segoe Print. Underneath the title I added a small pug advertising a named celebrity. Once the image was complete I added it to my double page spread.

Stage 8

At this stage in the making of my double page spread I moved the right hand columns even more up the page so that the text didn’t overlap the edges of the photos and make it unreadable. I then moved the thumbnail of Lucy’s album a little further up the page so it wasn’t too close to the edge.

Stage 9

For the eighth stage of my double page spread I changed the style of the photos to a frame that created a better photo album feel to it. I then made the images smaller, cropped them and fitted them closer together. I then changed the colour of the caption to white to make it easier to read.

Stage 10

For the tenth stage I just added shadows to the smaller images of Lucy to make them stand out more.

Stage 11

For my eleventh and final stage I changed the colour of the questions in the interview so that there was a distinct difference between the questions and the answers. I also made the columns of text bigger on the left and right hand side of the double page spread in order to add more questions and answers. Once I had made the columns of text bigger I made the thumbnail of Lucy's album bigger and moved the smaller images down the bottom so the text wasn't overlapping them. Once I had done that I felt that my double page spread was final.

Stages of Front Page

Stage 1

This is the first stage of my front cover for my magazine. Firstly I went through my photos and chose the two that I liked the best and thought would be a good front cover image. I then created two different front covers to see which one worked out the best. I added two layers of text for the masthead doing ‘Country’ in Castellar font and then ‘Notes’ in Segoe Print. On the first cover I coloured the font in brown and in the second one I coloured the masthead in white and brown. I then added the date, issue number, price and website in brown on the first one and white on the second, to in keep with the colour theme. I then added an image of a bar code on the cover underneath the right side of the masthead. Once I had done that I then added the big feature name ‘Lucy Sirett’ ¾ of the way down the page. On the first cover I put the font in purple and on the second one in green, in differing fonts. By looking at the two front covers and listening to some outside opinion and feedback I chose to continue with the first front cover. Once I had made my decision I used the eraser to rub out the bottom of the masthead so that it looked like the image was in front of the magazine title. I prefer the first front cover, as the image is light, which creates a ligh

t and summery feel to the magazine, which is what I wanted. The second magazine cover had a too darker feel to it and the background would have been tricky to put text over along with a colour that wouldn’t clash. The brown colour on ‘Notes’ I feel clashed too much with the background therefore if I continue with the second front cover I would have had to of changed my colour theme.

Stage 2

For my second stage I added a rectangle shape and filled in the colour of a pale mint green. I then added

text ‘Exclusive’ over the top of that in font Impact. Along the bottom of the page I changed the font and the colour of the feature heading ‘Lucy Sirett’ to font Modern No. 20 and a dark pink. I then added some text underneath in Handwriting- Dakota to explain the headlining star. I prefer the colour change to the heading, as it is a bett

er contrast to the colour theme than the purple that I had used before hand. I also think the font contrasts better and fits in better with my country theme.

Stage 3

In my third stage of the magazine I began adding subtitles to the side of the page. I used them in the same colour as the feature heading and used Times New Roman font. For the ‘CrystalMusicAwards’ I created a bigger, different font and more of a logo heading for the subtitle and layered it over the top of ‘Behind the scenes’ to make it stand out more. I also move the ‘Exclusive’ heading up the page a bit more to make room for the titles.

Stage 4

For the fourth stage of my magazine I removed the black‘CrystalMusicAwards’ as I didn’t think that it looked very professional and replaced it with just the same text as the rest of the heading. I then added more heading and typed them in alternating colours, the same as the masthead to in keep with my colour theme. I also made the ‘CrystalMusicAwards’ bigger than the rest of the subtitles so that is stood out more, as it was a bigger story than the others.

Stage 5

For the fifth and final stage I kept most of it the same with only a few small changes. On the left hand side of the page I moved the heading ‘Exclusive’ and all the subtitles further up along the page to make room for an extra title. I then changed the type of font underneath the featuring header ‘Lucy Sirett’ and changed the font to segoe print, so that it would stand out more. I then added another heading underneath that to add more big names to the front of the magazine. I then added a pug underneath the bar code to advertise a competition. Once I had made my changes I felt that my magazine was complete.

Photo Analysis 3

In these photos Lucy has changed dresses again into a checked, strapless, summery dress and the brown boots that compliments my country music theme well. I like photo 13 as the lighting is perfect and the shadows compliment Lucy well. I have also included the guitar and I like the way that she is more in focus to the left of the photo. I like photos 14 and 15 as they show Lucy in a different pose. The sky in photo 15 looks beautiful and I like the way that photo 14 has been positioned with Lucy to the right of the photo. Photo 16 is one of my favourite photos. I really like the way that she is posing especially with the guitar as it links in with the music side of my magazine. In photos 14, 15 and 16 the lighting is perfect and I would not need to edit them on Photoshop.

Photo Analysis 2

In these photos Lucy has changed in a white, strapless, summery dress with pink flowers so that the photos have some diversity to them. I then took some photos of Lucy with a guitar so that music intertwines with the photos and will link to my magazine.

I like photos 6 and 7 as the guitar creates structure and a feel of music to the photos however the lighting is better in photo 7 than photo 6 however this can always be edited in Photoshop. I like photos 8, 9 and 10 as they show Lucy holding different poses. Once again the lighting isn’t great however this can always be edited. I also like the way that the focus is on Lucy in photo 9 and the background is blurred. In photo 11 Lucy is using the scarf as a prop which I like as it creates a softer effect to the photograph.

I really like photo 12 as this would be a great photo for my front page. The lighting again is a little dark of her face but I think it greats a good effect. There is also some discolouring in the corner of the photo however if I were to use this image as my front cover is can always be edited and covered up with writing.