Evaluation

AS Media Studies

Lauren Maskrey

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

real media products?

• My front cover, contents page and double page spread are quite a typical layout and they are similar to a lot of other magazines.

• The fonts I have used have mainly come from the website dafont.com. The fonts are unique and can be used for anything. They are stylish and stand out and make my magazine look better than normal fonts. The layout of my magazine is quite similar to a regular magazine, apart from my double page spread which is different and the writing is in an usual place. The colour scheme of my magazine is black, orange and white. These colours are not usually used together, and it represents my genre. The type of photos that are used in the magazine are a range of shots that are quite unique, such as over the shoulder shots. Some of the techniques I have used are quite different to normal magazines.

This is one of the fonts I have used for the titles and I have got it from dafont.com. It’s called ‘Volume’.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

• The sort of people that are represented in my photos are normal people that have a passion for music. The age are teenagers and both genders. My magazine is for either gender and could be for any age, although it’ll probably appeal more to teenagers. The colours of my fonts and magazines are for either gender, but would probably appeal more to the typical boy or anyone who favours my genre of music. The fonts used in my magazine are unique and different to normal fonts and can appeal to either gender and any age. The articles in my magazine can appeal to anyone who likes the genre displayed in my music magazine. All of these features show the type of person who would want to read my genre of magazine. It could suggest that this audience is into the darker colours and different types of fonts and articles that aren’t usually displayed in other magazines.

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

• Digital Publishing: This would be a good way of publishing my product. This means that the magazine would be put onto the internet, so people can download the magazine automatically. You may have to pay for it, but 17% of all magazines are published digitally.

• Free: Another way of distributing my magazine would be to give it away free in clothes shops and music shops. This will improve the publicity of my magazine and may encourage more people to buy the next issue if they like it.

• Online: Making the magazine more well known via Facebook and other social networks will be one of the best ways of to publicise my magazine. To put it as an advert on these social networks will cost some money, but it will be worth it as this is where the majority of the target audience will see it.

• Shops: Selling the magazine in the shops will probably be the most common and safe way to publicise my magazine. This is what most magazine companies too, however, it is not certain that my magazine will succeed.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

• The audience for my magazine is teenage girls and boys who have an interest in rock music. Ideally, I would like to attract any age, but it is more likely that it will appeal more to the younger generation. This is because they are the likely audience to be attracted to my magazine and are the audience that will most likely buy it every week. Also, they will discuss with their friends about the magazines and this means more people will know about my magazine company and will most likely buy it as long as the price of it is quite cheap.

How did you attract/address your audience?

• I will attract my target audience by advertising in all the places that my target audience will go. This will be done by advertising via the internet, other similar magazines, billboards, posters and leaflets. The aspects that will attract my target audience from my front cover are the colours and the main image as the musicians are looking at you straight in the eye, which makes you look at it instantly. The type of words and slang that is used in my magazine will attract my target audience as it is teenage speak for boys or girls.

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

• While doing my music magazine, I have learnt a few new skills using technology. Taking each step when making my magazine and doing the coursework for it, I had to use an internet site called ‘Blogger’. I set up my own blogging account, and on here I uploaded all my work, step by step. Doing this helped me to learn more about blogging, and how to put my work on there. This helps the examiners to mark my work, and is also a good place to have all my work together there. I also learnt how to use some effects on ‘Fireworks’, which have been used to complete my overall product. When I took my photos, I used a digital camera and when I took my pictures, I used different effects and angles that I wouldn’t have necessarily used before. The angle of my shots, lighting and mise-en-scene are quite different to what I would usually use. One last thing that I used to change the effects of my photos, was ‘Photoshop’, this helped me to change the look of all the pictures.

Fireworks

Blogger

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

product?

• Technology: Doing my preliminary task has helped me to use blogger and how to place my work on it. It’s also helped me to use slide share, as I didn’t know how to use it before. I’ve also learnt how to use photo shop, and how to edit pictures to make them more appealing and stand out more.

• How to make an authentic magazine: To make an authentic magazine I had to use many features that are including in normal magazines. This includes, offers, special features and the type of articles that are in magazines.

• Conventions of typical magazine: I researched the colours and fonts that are used in rock magazines. I found out that most of the colours are black and white that are used, so I decided to use black, orange and white. I also researched font and realised that the font I will use should be unique and different and stand out from all the other magazines so I chose something unique.

Slide share

This is the same font as the title, and is my page numbers.

• How to target and attract an audience: I’ve learnt who needs to be my target audience for my music magazine, and I’ve learnt about what I needed to do to make it appeal that audience. I had to make sure I attracted my target audience through the places I advertised and the way it is advertised. I also had to make sure that the magazine itself was designed like something my target would like.

• How to communicate: I’ve learnt to communicate with my target audience and get their point of view on the things I would like to see on the magazine.