Blog Evaluation

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

Below is a collage of screenshots of my music magazine layouts and title variations, props and costume used and photos of the people used in the actual magzine.

Title

The title I gave the magazine is big, bold and in capitals because it shows importance and so that when the magazine is on a shelf in the shop it will be easier for the readers to find it. Currently exsisting magazines that also have bold titles in capitals are the NME magazine and KERRANG. I thought of the name 'WIRED' from all of the electrical equipment that is used in music. I thought of it because I brainstormed some music equipment in my head such as electric guitars and microphones and both of these equipments have wires so I decided to call the magazine 'WIRED'. The font I used for the title was a font I found from the dafont website and it's called Magnum.

http://www.dafont.com/ This is a link to the dafont website.

Below are a couple of photos that I took in the studio for the magazine.

Mise en scene of images

Top left- The picture of the boy with medium length, jet black hair, wearing a colourful cap, sun shades, orange and black checkered net scarf and a checkered shirt is meant to resemble to an image of what a DJ would look like and wear such as David Guetta.

Top right- The photo of the girl with medium length, medium brown straight hair, wearing a casual white top with navy stripes and holding a drum is meant to compare with the usual girl pop stars like Miley Cyrus. The posture is very feminine which indicates that it is a 'girly' girl in the photo.

Bottom left- The photo of the girl with long, light brown, wavy hair and a black vest top could be compared to a girl rockstar like Pink because of the posture and the face expression looks dark as she just stares into your eyes and the mascara makes her look serious.

Bottom right- The image of the girl with medium length, medium brown wavy hair, wearing a pink and grey hoodie and some black pants holding a microphone is a stereotypical image made for the more 'gangster' typed singers who sing a bit of R'n'B.

Below is an example of two seperate photo's that have been placed together.

Targetting people

I would say that the magazine attracts the younger generation ranging from the age area of 10 - 20 although it may pull people below or above too. I think it will attract the younger generation mainly the teenagers because the front cover has a teenage boy as a DJ which would attract boys for the music but also girls too for the music and the person theirself as girls may find him attractive. Elsewhere, the double page features a girl group so girls would want to read for the music as well as other information and boys would find the girl group attractive.

Written Content

The writing on the front cover is bold, it's quite big and is in capitals. I did this because it would make the text jump out and grab the readers attention as they would read a sentence off the cover and then would want to buy the magazine so that they can read the whole story inside.

Music Genre

Below is the title page of my music magazine and judging by the text at the bottom of it which mentions a few current artists and the picture of DJ Ryan makes the magazine suit best into the pop genre.

To come up with a price for the magazine I looked at a KERRANG magazine that I bought which costed £2.20 but I knew I couldn't make my magazine that pricey because it's not well known and is only the first issue so I decided to lower the price a little bit and compromised with it at a price of £1.80 which I generally thought was a decent price for the music magazine and would buy it if it was on the shelf. Also, I ask a few members in my family and they said they would spend £1.80 on it.

Below is a photo of the models putting their make up on for the photoshoot.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Below is a screenshot of some photos I took collaged together with a front cover of a real magazine (NME) put next to them so I can compare and contrast the photo taken from the real magazine with the photos I took myself.

Ways in which the photos I took for my music magazine are similar and different to those of a photo on the front cover of a real music magazine called NME.

Firstly, the obvious similarities and difference is that two of the photos feature girls as in the NME photo but one has a boy so is the odd one out. The two photos on the right are similar to the NME photo because they are giving direct eye contact and so is the NME photo so they all grab the readers attention as the image is looking right into their eyes. Eye contact can not be visible in the photo of the boy as he his wearing sunglasses so you can't tell what he's looking at and also he is facing to his right hand side slightly which would be the left when looking at the photo so his posture is slightly different to the others as they all face the camera. Another similarity is that the bottom right photo features a side fringe on the girl's head and it goes the same way as the side fringe on the NME photo. A similarity which is found within all the photos is that they are all shot at a close up and also you can see the face on them all as no one is stood with the back turn to the camera. An even other difference is that the boy wears a hat but the girls don't. A massive similarity between the image of the boy and the NME photo is their costume has they both wear a checkered shirt and both have black hair.

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

Magazine before final touches

I deliberately placed the text behind the photo of the DJ Ryan because if the text is big and bold and spreads all the way along the top of the page then it is big enough and clearer enough to be read. Also, it takes up a quite a bit of space and I wanted the photo to be bigger so I decided it was best for it to go behind as the photo would have been spoiled slightly if the head got chopped off because of the title and plus if the reader is a fan of the magazine they will still be able to read the title as they will know what its supposed to say.

I like it with the photo massive so that it is nearly the size of the actual page as then the photo then becomes the main attraction that grabs the attention of the audience.

As well, for the bits of description which are like little headlines that encourage the audience to buy the magazine to read more about it, I made sure the text was bold and sort of big so that it stands out better.

Next, I created a black circle advertising gigs inside the magazine to make people want to buy the magazine to find out what gigs or concerts are happening in their area and also it was to fill in a white space on the front cover so no space is wasted and then the cover looks more lively.

Even more, I placed a photo in a box with a caption to fill in another white space that looked bare.

Also, I created a border along the bottom of the page to give the cover a frame and a bit of structure to make it look more professional rather than just leaving everything looking like it's floating around.

I typed the date/issue text in the top right corner in a small but bold font so that it didn't stand out as much but still was clear enough to read the information on it.

I placed the price of the magazine in the top left corner and put it on a black strip so that it stands out instantly so that the consumer knows how much it is quickly.

For the contents page I did the a title stating that it is the 'Contents' in big, black, bold capital letters to make it clear what the page is. I also did the page numbers at the bottom of each page; the contents and the double page. For the page numbers I created a black rectangle and in white, capital lettering I put the name of the magazine 'WIRED' and then the page number. I got this idea from the KERRANG magazine as they numbered their pages similar to how I did mine. As well, I created a black circle which tells the consumer what concerts are going on in their area. Basically, I made this circle to fill in empty gaps on the contents page.

I got the font for the title on the double page from off the dafont website, its called hel grotesk gothiq. Next, I chose another font called Badaboom and typed in 'Star Intervew'. I typed an interview up and then added some photos to the double spread.

Magazine when completed completely

This is the final version of the front cover when finished.

Changes I made from the last screenshot are that the red text now as a thin white stroke around it to make the writing more readible and so the text doesn't get lost into the photo thats behind it.

I also lowered the opacity of the circle so it was a bit more transparent and so that the photo could be seen through the circle.

As well, I enlarged the size of the text for the caption on the image shown on the top right of the cover and made it bolder too.

I changed the font on the top part of the contents which is a little introduction telling you what you will find in the magazine so that it was the same as the font on the rest of the page so that the page looked more balanced and not odd looking like before.

I also changed the text colour on the captions underneath the photos from black to white as it again balanced better with the rest of the text that was on that page.

Also, I moved the interesting facts box from inbetween the heads of the models and placed it at the bottom of the page because in the previous position it was directly in the middle of the double spread so it was on the crease folding point si it would have been hard to see the text if it was in a real magazine with other pages attached to it.

Even more, I made the introduction text to start the interview bigger and bolder so that facts in the paragraph will jump out and catch the readers attention.

I also altered the text font slightly for the introduction and the 'Question Of The Day' title.

Below is a link to a site about a company/institution called Bauer Media which I think would be the perfect institution to help publish my magazine 'WIRED'.

http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauer_Verlagsgruppe

Below is another link to the actual Bauer Media website.

http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/

Below is a link for the circulation for the Bauer Media company and to tell me what type of products the company had previously published and are currently publishing today.

http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/Press-Office/News/Bauer-Media-ABC-Magazine-Sales-Figures-Jan-Jun-2008/k/Press-Office/News/Bauer-Media-ABC-Magazine-Sales-Figures-Jan-Jun-2008/

Two magazines that would be distributed in a similar way to WIRED are Q magazine and KERRANG.

Below is the logo used on Q magazine and KERRANG's front cover so that consumers in shops can find their favourite magazine's

Below is a screenshot of the title of my magazine which is also the magazine's logo found on the front cover to help consumer's find the WIRED magazine easier.

My logo is similar to the logo of Q magazine because they both have white text and red background.
It is similar to the logo of KERRANG magazine because they both have their text in capital letters.
However, it does have its difference and that is the font as I used the magnum font from dafont to make the text more unique instead of just choosing a standard font on the microsoft document.

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

I found the image below on the internet- It is a image of what I think would be the main target audience for the magazine.

I believe that my imaginary magazine would attract teenagers both boys and girls, young adults, older children and students. I would say that the magazine age target could range from the age of 12 to late 20's. However, I would suggest that the main target out of the range would be teenagers from the age of 13 up to 18.

Target audience's music interest

Things that may be of interest to the target audience may be TV programmes that have the younger generation as the main part in it like Hollyoaks. They may find an interest in either rock, pop, dance or R & B genre of music. They would probably prefer the music that is found in the charts like the Top 40 UK.

Below is a link to the audience profile for the Kerrang magazine.

http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/Brands/Kerrang/

Places where the target audience might go to shop are in shops such as HMV as it is a highstreet music shop with all the latest music from the charts. They may also shop in Sainsbury's or ASDA as they are mainstream supermarkets especially ASDA as it has cheaper products and so it would be more affordable for students to buy a copy of the imaginary WIRED magazine from there. Other programmes that the target audience may be interested in is music channels on television such as 4music or smash hits as they play the songs in the charts and update it frequently.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

Below is a mindmap I created to brainstorm some ideas I could write about for the double page.

Below is a questionnaire I created from the mindmap. In the questionnaire I suggested some story ideas and asked some friends and family to fill it in so then I could think up a story that people would most likely want to read about by going off the most ticks at the chosen story topic.

Below is another questionnaire I created to ask people what name out of the suggested names in the questionnaire would be best to use as the magazine title.

Below are a couple of screenshots of parts of the magazine that would attract the audience

I believe this screenshot would attract the audience because it lists current artists that are well known and adored by fans so they would want to buy the magazine to see what gossip they can read about their favourite artists. Also, it indicates that there are quizzes, posters, interviews and other fun stuff that would be of interest for the target audience as they would be able to interact with the quizzes or even keep the posters as a souvenir poster on their wall.

I think that the above text would catch the eye of the consumer audience because it mentions previous stars featured in a music talent show called Xfactor which would attract the target audience as shows like the Xfactor draw in audiences which are mainly teenagers.

This would make the audience want to look inside because they want to find out what concerts are inside so they could look for one near by that they may be able to go to.

I think the price of the magazine jumping out in the corner would immediately catch the attention of the target audience because it is bold so stands out and is easy to find and also it is cheaper than other music magazines that you find in shops today such as Kerrang as that is £2.20 and my imaginary magazine is only £1.80 which makes it 40p cheaper and as well it doesn't go over the £2 mark so the consumers are more likely to buy it as they would only need a £2 coin to buy it were if they bought Kerrang they would need an extra 20p which they might not have.

Even more, I'm sure that the photo on the front cover would have a big impact on who buys the magazine as if there was an old person on the front then it would attract old people but in this case it has a teenage boy and so it would lure other teenagers into buying it.

Finally, I believe the above image with it's caption would make the target audience pick up the magazine because if they have heard of the imaginary Karen then they would want to know more about her album releases if they are a fan of her music.

Below is a link to an image of a Kerrang magzine which has previously been published.
http://www.visiblenoise.com/myspace/bmth_kerrang_cover.jpg

The colours red and black that are consistent on the front cover of the magazine and throughout the pages as a whole helps to attract their target audience which is mainly of rock, punk pop and heavy metal type persons. The images of artists shown express this well as they wear stereotypical 'gothic' and 'hardcore' type clothing.

Below is another link to an image of an Top Of The Pops magazine which has previously been published.

http://j.bdbphotos.com/pictures/X/6L/X6G2G4P_large.jpg

This magazine would attract it's target audience as it has a famous male idol from High School Musical that would attract teenage girls as they would want to read about what gossip there is about him inside the magazine. Also, the caption '5 sexy Hollyoaks hunks' would too catch the eyes of young girls.

Overall, I'd say the unique selling point of my imaginary magazine would be the caption about Xfactor's John and Edward and the photo of the teenage boy as it would catch the attention of younger generation as there is young people located huge on the front cover.

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

Programmes I used during the progress of creating my magazine are google, blogspot, photoshop, publisher and microsoft word document.

Below are the logos of the these programmes.

Below is 2 photos of me using some equipment whilst working on my media magazine

The top photo is a picture of me in action using a camera, taking photos of models for my music magazine. When using the camera I learnt how to hold the camera correctly, change settings to a better setting such as macro shots for better clearer images and I learned how to take good quality photos fast.

This bottom photo is a snapshot of me when I nearly completed my front cover for the imaginary music magazine on photoshop. When using photoshop I learned how to adjust and alter images to make them better. For example, I learned how to change brightness and contrast of the images and how to crop people out so then I can get rid of anything in the background that I didn't need or want in it.

Below are some screenshots I took while creatnig the final magazine

This screenshot shows my front cover somewhere at the beginning of making it. It shows how I inserted an image into the box with caption and then changed it to a different photo which I thought went better and was actually a better quality photo as it was taken in the studio and the first photo wasn't.

This next screenshot shows how I cropped the model out of the background by using the quick selection tool in photoshop and deleting the unwanted areas surrounding the model.

7. Looking back at your preliminary task (the school magazine task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

Below is a screenshot of comments made on facebook for my title and contents page.

I beleive that overall my progress from the preliminary magazine to the imaginary music magazine is a big success as on the preliminary there are chunks of empty spaces and all the fonts are simple fonts that are found on microsoft documents. Also, the music magazine looks so much more lively than the school magazine as it is full of pictures everywhere and text to fill in any small annoying gaps.

I think my thinking as changed in terms of questions 1-6 from not feeling my magazine is quite an improvement as I thought that it could have had more to it and been a little more imaginative by giving it more of a structure and even going for other colour scheme instead of black, white and red as I feel I stuck to the layout and colour scheme of the Kerrang magazine too much and should have developed it a bit more so it was like my own creation. Although, when comparing my previous magazine with the new one next to each other I feel a lot as gone on and it as made a vast improvement in terms of how much is on the page and the quality and edits done to the photos. As well, the title is a lot better as it's title is bigger and bolder so stands out and is imaginative as I came up with the name myself whereas the previous magazine's title was simple font and the name was a bit boring as it was just the name of the college with the word 'gossip' after it.

I believe that again I lacked organisation especially at the beginning of making the magazine and towards the end I felt it was a little rushed as I found I was running out of time as I didn't start off very well. Another problem was trying to get models for the photoshoot as there were not many people to ask who I thought would be great for the magazine and also it was hard to pick a day to do the photoshoot on as not all the models could do the same day as each other so it was done on different days. As well, I couldn't get hold of much props apart from a microphone as there were no guitars free to use.

Even more, I believe that feedback from my tutor really helped me to make improvements to my magazine as when I did what he told me to do it actually made the magazine look miles better than before.