Evaluation

Evaluation Scott quirk

Question 1

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

Front CoverMy main image is the most dominate image as I took inspiration from The image shown in the cover of the kerrang magazine, which is a conversion that I used so that the reader would be draw into the page and that the main image was the most eye catching image on the page as I feel that it is the most important part of the page. I done this so that the reader can see her beauty and so that it shows that she has priority on the page which shows that she I a powerful individual I feel that by doing this it shows that she is important and that she could potentially be a bold character in the music industry today. I also believe that this shows that she is the main subject of the magazine which is what I wished to achieve.

Cover lines are a very important part of any music magazine. Cover lines are a convention that I chose to use as it is basically a main point which is explained underneath by using a convention called a kicker, I also used kerrang as inspiration for this. I think that cover lines make my magazine look really good as a whole as it seems to keep the whole page looking clean and tidy which I think will appeal to my target market. My using cover lines and kickers it has helped fill out my page.

Freebies: I added freebies as a way to attract people to the magazine and hooking my target audience. A well thought through freebie which is cleverly placed on the cover is a way to get more readers and a way in which the readers will believe that the magazine is good value for money. It will make my magazine stand out more than others on the stand.

Barcode: I obviously included a barcode in my magazine as it is something they need. I placed it in the bottom right corner which is similar to most magazines.

Banner: I used kerrang as a big influence in my magazine this is also seen when I use a similar banner with the artist in the main imagines hands over lapping the banner. I think that this is interesting to look at and makes the magazine more professional. I used two one in the middle of the page and one on the top right to show the freebies.

Selling line: a selling line is an important part of a magazine as it’s a way in which the reader can see some aspects of the magazine before buying it. I can be used to persuade the public to buy it. I took inspiration from this from kerrang.

Front CoverI decided on calling my magazine ‘SOULSHINE’ with a motto of ‘music to make your soul shine. I decided on this as I thought it was a catchy name which is a calm title but has a sense of edginess to it, which I think will appeal to my target audience that are indie/mainstream music listeners. I make the S glow so that it enhances the shine in the name I also added a small star at the top right of the first word which follows through into the whole magazine. I believe by using this consistent heading theme it will bond the whole magazine together.

Contents I used inspiration from Kerrang a lot in my magazine as I think their layout/style is fun and busy. I wanted to create a sense of business on my page but at the same time I wanted it to be easy to understand and not too over loaded with information.

Well I decided rather than going with one main imagine like Kerrang I would use two main imagines I believe this ahs a better effect as I’ve used two different types of pictures for example the top main imagine is a fisheye lens and the bottom on is just a black and shite close up. I think this creates a sense of style and is interesting for the reader and I believe that as it has its own individual style it will sell. I didn’t want to go to far from the usual magazine seen in my genre but as I mixed indie/mainstream then I believe that style was appropriate.

I also decided to go use inspiration form kerrang when I added the smaller pictures on the side next to the mage numbers and what is on each mage because I thought it would show the reader the main stories and articles.

All the techniques that I used I think create a sense of easy but yet a fun magazine which I believe will be interesting for the reader to not only read but will also find it interesting to look at as the theme goes all the way through the magazine.

Also if you look at the top right of my magazine and the top left of the Karrang contents page then you will see that they both have loyalty offers which could persuade the readers into subscribing to the magazine in a chance to save money and get a good offer.

Double Page Spread I use the heading to catch the readers attention as I added an effect to the C. I used the singers name as the heading as I thought it was simple and believe that it would catch the readers attention. I have a little star at the send of all the headings in my magazine so that the magazine flows and it’s a little bit of fun. It makes the reader feel as thought the magazine is personalised and that it is a continues theme and design, which I think I have achieve well. It will make the readers more interested as it is a well planned magazine that is all the same design.

I added quite a lot of quotes on this page as I think it added to the whole feeling of the magazine. The quotes are basically little previews to the whole article that you can read before you read the whole article.

I tried to leave the right side of the page quite simple and plain so that it does not distract for the picture of Charlotte. I think it is important that the reader can clearly see the importance of her as there is a large picture stand alone with not much surrounding her it will give a sense that she is in control.

As you can see the theme of the cover and contents page has continued so that the read can feel the clink between the pages and so that it flows. I think that I whole the right colours and style of my magazine as I think it has an original yet well structured style. It will keep the readers concentrating and will make them want to carry on reading until the end.

Question 2

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

Firstly my magazine represent an indie/alternative audience which I believe is a good area to focus on as its a more recent social group and is growing in popularity. I also believe as my audience is mostly a young age group with less money than other older readers then as I offer free promotional things such as free posters and discounts if you subscribe to the magazine as it will encourage the audience to read and enjoy the magazine. There is also a small gig guide which I believe my audience would attend a large amount as they are mostly at student age, this creates an ideology and lifestyle for readers as they would often go to gigs. I also believe that the images on the magazine are dramatic and would appeal to the audience i have targeted. I believe that in this day and age that there should be bold pictures of different varieties, as it will create a fun unique feel tot he magazine. The house style that I have chose will appeal to my social group as it is well set out looks busy yet is not overly packed with too much information. Also as I think the use of a fisheye camera and the black and white imagines helps the theme of a indie magazine all bind together as it is different and lots of indie pictures are fisheye or black and white. I also added a section called ‘first gigs’ I thought writing about upcoming artist would be good as I believe upcoming artists are not appreciated enough, everyone has to start somewhere. This is niche market that could possible be tapped into even more if the magazine was developed, it makes it individual. Although it has new artist it also has famous artist too so that it covers all the basis’ in the indie scene. I think my magazine give a sense that its all about music nothing else, you wouldn't find advertising in my magazine I think it could be use about the artists and their music.

Question 3

Although IPC media offers experience and they have a good knowledge of the market, it also offers a similar genre so I though that I should go to a different company as I believe my product will fit into a niche market and I think that Bauer would have more to offer. I would choose Bauer media because I believe that as my magazine has a similar layout to Kerrang that I would be well represented and the market they are already in would help my new magazine gain popularity faster than any others.

Bauer is also a European based media institution, therefore would have a better understanding of the UK market. They have vast resources such as radio stations, TV stations and online web pages, this would help with the development of my magazine and it will also help with the advertisement of my magazine, so that it has the best chance to make it as a popular magazine. I think that having these resources at its disposal would make a big difference to the chance of my magazine taking off. It would also offer lots of experience in the market which will improve my magazine.

They have vast amount of money which if they were willing to invest into my magazine in marketing and development would make a huge difference. Overall I believe that Bauer would be the best to choose as it would show case my magazine properly and has all the key elements a new magazine needs to sell.

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

Question 4

My audience would be young people from around the age of 16-21 as it is a young fun and colourful magazine. It would attract the right audience as it will fit what music scenes I have aimed for.

People who spend money on fashion and are interested about keeping up to date on the latest music information and new bands which will be making their way to the top of the charts.

It is aimed at a more main stream music genre but it is also adapted to fit into the indie scene as well as Mainstream music.

People who buy my magazine will me cool young interesting people who have an interest is what is going on today in the music scene. It will keep them interested and coming back for more.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Question 5

I attracted and addressed my audience by making sure what I produced would appeal to the right audience and who I wanted it to appeal to. I made sure I had the right type of imagines, articles and page lay out that would appeal to the young audience of the NME magazine scene whist making my own specific magazine that appeals to a whole different audience.

I made my magazine fun and interesting so that it will attract my audience and will keep them interested.

I used my house style to attract my audience as it was set out so that the whole magazine was linked. The colours were mainly black and white with occasional bright and bold colours so that it caught the eye of the passing reader on the shelf.

I made sure that the articles were interesting and were clearly set out and were written in a young style so that it relates to the readers.

I used the questionnaire to see what people wanted in a magazine and who was interested in the type of magazine I was creating, I looked on forums and looks at pictures on blogs to see what people were interested in.

I attracted my audience by using text that would appeal to them and make them feel like the magazine is personally made for them and makes them more interested in buying the magazine.

I made the overall look of my magazine theme link so the magazine flows from page to page. It has a fun clean look. It also looks vibrant and move rapidly with the times focusing on what are the most popular downloads.

. How did you attract/address your audience?

Question 6

I used a lot of different tools on Photoshop which help me apply affects to my photos and make my whole photography better as i could cut and frame things as i wished.

I used Indsign to make my magazine, which offered lots of useful tools When making my magazine I learned several different skills and use a lot of

different software that I had to learn to use as I hadn't used it before. For example I had to use Photoshop which was a great piece of software as It really helped me develop my magazine and my photography. I also used blogs which I had never used for and learned that they are actually a really good tool to show your work and to access other peoples information to see other peoples point of view. I used YouTube and other online media so see what digital photography was and to research. To keep my audience I would think about taking the magazine online by making a website. I could introduce the magazine on social net working sites such as facebook and twitter. To look more professional I used a number of different camera techniques to make the photography look more dramatic and to link to the who magazine feel.

I used a blog which I hadn't previously used so I learnt how to add videos and audio to explain how exactly I built up my magazine.

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

Question 7

Looking back at my college magazine I think I have enhanced my skills and understanding of making a magazine. My music magazine looks more like an actual professional magazine as it has all of the main conventions. I had a large amount more photography for my music magazine which also looked much more professional as I had researched the kind of photography and angles used for a music magazine.

After producing my college magazine my Photoshop and Indesign skills have improved significantly which enabled me to do more techniques which make my music magazine look more professional. The colour scheme is more professional and carried on throughout the magazine. The contents page is split up into more headings and has more pages and page numbers with images that also have numbers to direct you to what page they are on. My music magazine contents also have an editorial and subscription part which my college magazine does not. This makes it more like an actual magazine. Since making my college magazine, my photography and Photoshop techniques have improved and also I have gained a better understanding of the conventions of a magazine and how it should be set out. I think my music magazine is a big improvement from my college magazine as it looks better and has an overall better fell as well as more information.

Looking back at your College magazine what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?