Beat magazine evaluation (lower resolution)

EvaluationEvaluation

Ben ShuttleworthBen Shuttleworth

MAGAZINEMAGAZINE

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

Similarities…Similarities…Both magazines have a masthead. They are both quite large and cover a good portion of the magazine. This is a common convention on all magazines

Both magazines include free items inside to temp the reader to buy the magazine. This is another common convention.

Both magazines feature cover lines and a straplines to explain the cover lines. Every magazine has these.

They both have a barcode, date, issue number and price. No magazine should be sold without these features.

Both feature a main image. They are also centred and are pulling a very blank expression. Another common convention.

The fonts used on both magazines are bold so that they stand out on the front cover. Common because the text stands out more.

They both have a main cover line to anchor the main image. They also have straplines to accompany the main cover line.

All of these features are common convention of a magazine on sale today.

Both magazines have an informal layout to make them look more exciting.

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

Differences...Differences...BEAT Magazine features a slogan where as MOJO doesn’t. Not always a common convention but is seen on some magazines

Beat Magazine has more than one image on the front cover. MOJO only has one image. Pretty common.

BEAT Magazine has boxes round some of the cover lines and MOJO doesn’t have boxes. This varies between magazines

BEAT Magazine has a plain background, where as MOJO has some texture because the picture was taken against a wall.

In MOJO the main image is covering a big portion of the masthead, whereas BEAT doesn’t.

These features are different to MOJO but are still common on other magazines such as NME.

The main image on BEAT Magazine features a band, but on MOJO there is only a solo artist.

The main image on MOJO takes up at least ¾ of the page where as BEAT only takes up about half.

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

The slogan on BEAT covers part of the main picture and MOJO doesn’t . Common to see parts of images covered with text.

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

Both magazines have multiple pictures on the contents page. Always a common feature on a magazine.

Both magazines have a picture and a letter of the editor on the left hand side of the magazine. Seen in most magazines.

Both contents pages have the issue and date of the magazine. Sometimes seen on magazines.

Both magazine contents have page features and information acting like strap lines in the house style. Always seen on magazines to inform reader.

Both magazines have ‘THIS WEEK’ featured on the contents. Not always seen, but common music magazines.

Both of the magazines have a numbered main article. Always common because it’s a main feature.

Both magazines have bold writing on the magazine contents to make it stand out.

Both magazines have an informal layout to maker it look more casual to go with the theme of the magazine.

Pretty much all of these features on the contents are conventional.

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

BEAT Magazine has the masthead on the contents page as well as the front cover. Not as common but gives a nice change to the magazine.

BEAT Magazine has a competition on the contents. The square code can be scanned on smart phones. Becoming more common with smart phone development.

BEAT Magazine has a feature line acting like a strap line to describe the main image/article. Not as common.

BEAT Magazine has a box at the bottom which acts almost like an extension of the contents features. Seen more on NME magazines.

BEAT Magazine also has a second competition in the circle to make it obvious. Sometimes seen but generally only one competition. The background on

BEAT Magazine is blank and the other magazine uses the main picture to make a background. Commonly seen on NME

The pictures in BEAT Magazine are cut outs where as the other magazine has no cut outs. Not seen as often.

BEAT Magazine has different sub headings for the features in the magazine such as ‘RADAR’ and ‘REVIEWS’. This is unique to BEAT Magazine.

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

Both magazines have a quote to introduce the article. Seen on most magazines.

Both magazines have a picture which takes up one half of the double page spread. Often seen on music magazines.Both magazine spreads

have a drop cap at the beginning of the article. Seen on all magazine articles.

Both magazines have a little blurb on the picture to name the photographer and the reason for the picture. Seen on magazines to give credit to the photographer and to explain to the reader what the magazine is.

Both magazines have an article in a small font size of at least 10. Common so that there is more writing on the page In a small space.

Both magazines have a different font style for the Title/Quote. Unique for every magazine but is often used.

Both of the magazines have a little blurb which introduces the journalist/reporter for the article in the magazine. It also delivers a bit of information about the general aim of the article. Always seen to introduce article.

They both page numbers. Often seen on most magazines so the reader can link pages with contents.

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

BEAT magazine has a black and white image where as the other magazine has a colour image. Sometimes seen but most of the time it’s colour.

The other magazine has a big headliner which takes up almost half of one page. Common on music magazines to introduce the article so the reader knows what band is featuring in the article.

The main image on the double page spread in BEAT magazine has an instrument in the picture, where as the other magazine is a posed shot. Seen in most music magazines, common in NME.

The main image in BEAT magazine is a medium shot where as the other spread is a close up. Changes depending on image chosen but is common for many photos.

The colour scheme is different as well. BEAT magazine looks more colourful. Varies depending on magazine issue.

BEAT Magazine has a pull quote in the middle of the article ‘ “we just got lucky” ‘ Commonly seen on all kinds of magazine.

My article is written in questions and answers, where as MOJO is not. Depends on article type but is often common.

BEAT Magazine has more columns than MOJO.

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

2. How does your media product represent particular social 2. How does your media product represent particular social groups? groups? Main Stream Main Stream Similarities…Similarities…

Some of the band members in both of the bands have hands in their pockets.

They both share a similar facial expression – blank and staring at the camera.

They all have the same kind of posing against a wall.

Hair styles are similar to each other.

Both bands are wearing chinos/jeans

The background is fairly similar because they have both been taken against a wall, however BEAT Magazine’s are cut out.

The lighting of the photos are also fairly similar with darker clothing and a brighter cast on the face.

Differences…Differences… 2. How does your media product represent particular social 2. How does your media product represent particular social groups? groups? Main Stream Main Stream

The top half of the bands clothing is different because one of them is wearing a suit and ARROW is casual.

The picture is in black and white, where as the ARROW picture is in colour.

MUSE is also in height order where as in BEAT Magazine the band is fairly similar in height.

The background of MUSE is still there and it makes it look more urban than BEAT which looks more polished with a clean background.The clothes of ARROW

are very casual which would appeal to many people because they are general everyday clothes and it would fit into the mainstream theme.

To make the band ARROW look more casual one of the band members has his foot on the wall.

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

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

Bauer Media would be a good choice for my magazine because they have been in business since 1953, so they have relevant knowledge on distributing my magazine and making it a success. Also they are a multi platform publisher, so they would support my magazine in its production. In 1996 they also gained a digital music channel so I could use it for advertisement of my magazine because they have a deal with Channel 4 so I can use television as a form of publicity. More importantly they have also been behind the publishing and distributing of ‘KERRANG’ which is a highly successful rock magazine. I believe that with the rock themed magazine, there is a place for my mainstream/pop magazine because they have no history of publishing this genre of magazine, so it could prove to be highly successful in the future.

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

IPC Media would not be a good choice for my music magazine because they have already got a huge name in Main Stream/Pop Magazines. NME is one of the biggest music magazines out there and it would prove to not to be as successful because they already distribute the market leader, so there is no where to compete. Even though they are highly experienced and hold a huge array of popular magazines of all different genres, there is no point in competing for a spot with IPC when they have a huge brand already, making them lots of money. I am better off looking for a different distributer.

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

This would be a good choice for me to use in my music magazine because this particular publisher makes many music magazines and they would be able to use mine because they have experience with music magazines, much more than the other companies. Furthermore they aren’t as major as the other companies, so it would be a good choice because my magazine could give the company a chance of becoming more of a major contest with IPC’s NME Magazine. Their magazines include:•Classic Rock•Classic Rock Prog•Computer Music•Future Music•Guitar Aficionado (US)•Guitar Legends (US)•Guitar Techniques•Guitar World (US)•Guitarist•Guitarist (Australia)•Metal Hammer•Revolver (US)•Rhythm•Total Guitar

This company would be good for my magazine because there are no Main Stream magazines in their selection and it could prove to be a profitable magazine for Future PLC.

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

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

Psychographic Profile (Audience)…Psychographic Profile (Audience)…

Dave, Male, Age: 16 from Birmingham

Dave would be the perfect person to read my magazine. The Age for my magazine is between 15-25 and he is interested in music. He is also in the social class range of my magazine. I have aimed to get my magazine in the biggest possible slot in social class. Between C1,C2,D,E. He would fit into the D/E range because he doesn’t work but gets income from family. Because of the theme of BEAT Magazine, Dave’s psychographic profile is very much Main Stream and partly an Aspirer which would fit into the category of my magazine because my magazine is designed to follow the music trends which would come under the Main Stream psychographic profile and will give him a higher social status if the magazine becomes successful.

Psychographic Profile (Audience)…Psychographic Profile (Audience)… 4. Who would the audience be for your 4. Who would the audience be for your media product?media product?

Matt, Male, Age: 19 from Birmingham

Matt would be another good person to read my magazine. The age for my magazine is within the target audience and he is interested in music like Dave. He is also in the social class range of my magazine. He would fit into the D range because he has earned money from a part time job work and gets income from family. Because of the theme of BEAT Magazine, Matt’s psychographic profile is mainly Aspirer which would fit into the category of my magazine because it will give him social status if he follows useful information in the magazine and if BEAT becomes successful, people will notice he is reading a popular magazine.

Psychographic Profile (Audience)…Psychographic Profile (Audience)… 4. Who would the audience be for your 4. Who would the audience be for your media product?media product?

Claire, Female, Age: 43 from Birmingham

Claire wouldn’t suit BEAT Magazine because she is out of the age range of the magazine and may find it less enjoyable because she may have other interests. Claire would suit the social class of the magazine, coming under the C2 class because she has a full time job. However her psychographic profile is much different to Dave and Matt’s because she is a Reformer (Influences/increases self esteem of others). Claire doesn’t come under the Main Stream or Aspirer category because she has different goals/aims to people within the age of the magazine and so it would be a less beneficial choice for Claire to choose my magazine.

Front Cover…Front Cover…The main image is of a Main Stream band who are making their debut. This attracts the audience because for the Aspirers it will increase their social status if they know more information on a subject, in this case music.

I also attracted my audience with ‘FREE’ items highlighted in bold black letters to tempt them to get the magazine because people like the idea of getting things for free.

Another way to attract the audience in my magazine is the use of bright colours which make the magazine stand out in front of other competitors.

My magazine also has bold cover lines to clearly display information so that its easy to read. The text is also simple so it’s easy to read and follow.

I have also made it attract the audience with the cover line ‘X FACTOR’ because it’s very popular and it could be classed as a main stream feature in the magazine.

I have also addressed the reader with a slogan ‘IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC’ so the reader knows exactly what the magazine is about without even having to open it. It’s quick and straight to the point.

Contents…Contents…I have addressed the audience with a letter from the editor in the first issue of my magazine to explain to them what is in the magazine. This also helps to attract them as well because it has been made to persuade the reader to read on.

I have also attracted the reader with competitions as well. Not one, but two. This will attract the reader because it gives them a chance of winning something.

The second competition includes a ‘SCAN ME’ code which would appeal to a main stream profile because it tempts them to have a smart phone and “follow the trend”.

Some of the features listed in my contents will also attract the reader such as ‘GLASTONBURY’ and ‘KASABIAN’ because they are popular events/bands that are highly popular which makes them main stream. This will also appeal to my audience because it gives them vital information on music to share with friends. This can contribute to increasing social status.

Another thing that will attract Aspirers and Main Streamers is the ‘THE UK’S N01 GIG GUIDE’ because it will persuade them to follow the trend of today and the magazine will teach them how to enjoy a gig. This will also help increase social status for Aspirers because they can share this news with friends.

Double Page…Double Page…The title ‘ARROW’ in bold lettering would be appealing to a mainstreamer because ‘ARROW’ have made it big and the audience would want to follow this. This would also increase status because they are a popular band.

The By-line will also address the reader because it gives a quick blurb on what the article is about which will tempt the reader to read on.

The feature line ‘NEW ALBUM…’ also addresses the audience because it tells the reader what the article is about before they even start to read the information.

The main picture taking up one half of the double page will also attract the reader because it’s visually interesting to look at and you can take your time to look at it.

The caption at the bottom of the image also addresses the reader on exactly what is going on in the picture which is useful for the understanding of the picture.

Most importantly, the information itself is addresses the reader on the article, but also increases their knowledge on the subject. This is useful for Aspirers so they can tell their mates and also mainstreamers so they can buy the album.

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

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

Software Used…Software Used…PhotoshopPhotoshop

In my magazine I used Photoshop to do my front cover. These screen shots show me cutting out the main image for the front cover. Firstly I used the magic wand tool to get rid of most of the background. I changed the tolerance of the wand depending on the darkness/contrast in the image to remove as much background as possible. I then used the eraser tool to remove any left over background in the image. (shown in screen shot 2.) The finished image is shown on the right of the images been worked on. The software proved to be very effective and made a really good job of the cut out as shown in the screen shots. I used this image in the final of my magazine cover. I chose to have a cut out because I wanted a fairly plain background for the cover which I could achieve best by doing a cut out on the pictures.

1.1.

2.2.

PhotoshopPhotoshop

Hardware and Hardware and Software Used…Software Used…

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

I also used Photoshop to create an A4 page for the basis of my front cover shown in screen shot 3. I selected international paper and chose A4 to create the page. I also used the software to manipulate the tones in the band. I used Brightness and Contrast to achieve this (shown in screen shot 5). The 5th screen shot shows the final image used in the magazine. The software was effective and quick and proved to be very useful.

3.3.

4.4.

5.5.BEFOREBEFORE AFTERAFTER

Hardware and Hardware and Software Used…Software Used…

PhotoshopPhotoshop

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

This screen shot shows my final magazine front cover. I have used the main image edited and cut out in screen shots 1-2 and 4-5. I have also a various range of bold fonts which I chose to use because they are big and they stand out. For my cover lines I also used boxes round my text to make it all stand out from the white background. I have also used drop shadows on the images and text to make it look more 3D and stand off the background. This is a common technique that professional magazines use.

6.6.

I also used dafont.com to get my masthead and the ‘ARROW’ main feature. I used this website for the text because it makes the masthead look more exciting with a different texture to the words, rather than just using generic font.

1.1.

Hardware and Hardware and Software Used…Software Used…

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

InDesignInDesign

1.1.

I used InDesign to do my contents page and double page spread. To begin with I created 4 pages. 2 single pages and one double page. I had to shift the order of the pages by going to the “Pages” tab and right clicking on the images and deselecting “allow document pages to shuffle”. I then grabbed the double page and shifted it down. This was very easy and proved to be useful in creating my magazine. Screenshot 2 shows the final result from doing the above.

2.2.

Hardware and Hardware and Software Used…Software Used…

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

InDesignInDesign

3.3.

4.4.

5.5.

I also used InDesign to insert a picture. First you drew a box on the page. Then go to ‘File’ and select ‘Place’. Then you find the image and insert. The image will then end up in the box that you have drawn. Once it is the box hit Ctrl+E to fit the picture into the whole box. This was easy to do and the software did it very effectively and quickly.

Hardware and Hardware and Software Used…Software Used…

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

InDesignInDesign

I also created a “drop cap” on my article because it is a classic convention of a magazine. To do this I selected my text, highlighted the first letter of the magazine and increased the number from 1to 4 to make the drop cap. The button to push is highlighted in screen shot 7.

6.6.

7.7.

Hardware and Hardware and Software Used…Software Used…

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

MicrosoftMicrosoftWordWord

I used Microsoft Word to create my magazine article. I used this programme because its simple to use and it’s really easy to navigate and edit text before I copied and pasted the text into InDesign. The software proved to be very effective because it was quick and simple. It was perfect for word processing and it took my no time to type my double page spread article.

Hardware and Hardware and Software Used…Software Used…

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

I used slideshare to publish my power point presentations neatly and professionally so they are not published as individual images and the orders aren’t mixed up. The software was very effective and easy. I just uploaded the power point and copied the embed file onto blogger.com.

I also used Scribd as another one of my programmes for uploading to my blog. This programme I used to upload my word documents into just one upload on blogger. I used this to make the word documents look more tidy and whole so it isn’t mixed up with anything else. This was effective and easy to use because like slideshare, you just upload and copy the embed file onto blogger to achieve a more professional look to your blog.

Hardware and Hardware and Software Used…Software Used…

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

I used blogger to upload all of my posts from, developing all the way to the final magazine. I use this piece of software to easily display all of my work in one place which can be accessed by everyone. Blogger is also very effective because it supports the use of embed files, so I could upload Scribd and Slide Share files onto the blog to make it look more professional.

I used this process to put up the posts on my blog. Firstly you click new post on the selected blog, then type in information and publish the post. It was that simple to create my blog. This shows just how easy and effective the software was.

Hardware and Hardware and Software Used…Software Used…

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

Sony Cyber-Shot CameraSony Cyber-Shot Camera

For my magazine I used the colleges Sony Cyber-shot camera’s to take the photos which were featured in my magazine. It proved to be a fairly good camera that produced decent results which I tweaked in Photoshop later on. I learnt that it is best to shoot portrait when taking photos for a magazine because I noticed from other magazines that it was a common convention to use portrait photos.

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

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

Since my preliminary task, I feel I have made many improvements in my work. As you can see visually BEAT Magazine looks a lot more professional. I feel that I have made tremendous progress in my work and have really grasped how to use programs such as Photoshop and InDesign. I feel that I have better knowledge of how all of the software works, and how to use the magazine conventions correctly and effectively on creating my own magazine.

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

Front Cover…Front Cover…As you can see BEAT magazine has a bigger masthead that the preliminary magazine. It also doesn’t use the generic text in Photoshop and uses a more exciting text commonly seen in professional magazines.

BEAT magazine also uses drop shadows on it’s layout instead of the preliminary outlines which don’t look as professional as BEAT does.

BEAT magazine also has more pictures and the cut out’s look a lot more professional compared to the preliminary magazine.

BEAT magazine has more cover lines than the preliminary magazine cover. Which is important in interesting the reader.The preliminary magazine has too many boxes around everything and encloses the whole of the cover, where as BEAT has text that spews out onto the front cover making it more exciting and eye catching. BEAT magazine also has a better variety of colour making it look more exciting.

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

Contents…Contents…BEAT magazine uses a pretty similar style of layout to the preliminary task with a fair few boxes surrounding the writing and imagery.

BEAT magazine has its masthead displayed on the Contents page and learnt that it’s seen in music magazines, mainly in magazines such as NME.

Both magazines have the date of the magazine, however BEAT’s is more clearly displayed against the white background, as well as the issue number as well.

I have also included more competitions in BEAT magazine because I have learnt that competitions are a big part to a magazine, so I have included two in the contents page, and a QC code to scan for a modern twist on the magazine.

Again the colour scheme is also important and is more exciting than the limiting preliminary contents.

I have also learned that lots of pages is important to a magazine so I have included more pages in BEAT Magazine.