Evaluation

Evaluation

7 Questions• The questions that must be addressed in the evaluation are:

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

• How does your media product represent particular social groups?

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

• Who would be the audience for your media product?

• How did you attract/address your audience?

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

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

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

of real media products?

You can see in my magazine where I have repeated and adapted techniques in real magazines that exist in the industry. My first example is the ‘free CD’ advertising that you often see in the top right corner of the front cover. In my magazine I twisted this popular convention by adding the words ‘free vinyl’, I did this as it fitted my magazines modern vintage feel. Another convention used in popular magazines that Is reiterated in my magazine is the use of a pull quote represent on a my double page spread, the format and layout of my double page spread in general is a very common style, with a picture on the left page a pull quote at the top of the right with columns of writing underneath. Applying popular conventions from current magazines are affective because these are the tried and tested most effective styles, twisting and adapting these conventions helps you stand out and directly apply to your target audience.

Other ways in which my media product challenges popular conventions is the way my models chosen are represented. The contrasting vibrant styles of these two models represent a new sound of music, in a way that increasingly music is half the sounds they produce and half their image.

Another convention that I met in my magazine is including a ‘this month in….’ opening to my contents page, this is a popular convention and I included it as it a formal way to fluently introduce my contents page.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The intended social group for my magazine are middle aged, middle class people as appose to the younger, working class social group magazines such as NME aim to meet. I fit this middle class social group by using the black and white vintage feel, meeting a more sophisticated taste. The ‘free vinyl’ advertisement and the quite, relaxed style of music displayed both appeal to a more mature audience. The fact that my magazine is monthly issued and priced at £4.99, also makes the magazine more suited to the middle class. The color scheme also appeals to a finer taste, as appose to the common red white and blue patriotic scheme I used white purple and blue. White applies connotations of purity whilst purple royalty , both colors meeting the middle classes appeal.

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

The media institution that would be ideal for distributing my magazine would be time TimeInc. This institution is perfect for my magazine because firstly it’s a distributor with experience in reaching a higher market, shown by the multiple shooting magazines and other magazines such as Superyacht business and wallpaper, these magazines suit a higher, more refined social group by the sophisticated lifestyle they advertise. This distributor shows they have strong experience in distributing music magazines as they produce NME and Uncut, two consistent magazines in the UK music magazine industry. As NME applies to a late teen early twenty’s working class and Uncut applies to late 30’s early 40’s celebrating 70’s rock music, I feel my magazine could fit perfectly in-between the two, appealing partially to both audiences.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

I used multiple methods to attract my determine my audience, magazine research and analysis, my survey and my video. My typical reader is mid 20’s. My reader is a majority women. My reader is a fan of the fine things, earns a living and can afford luxuries on top of that. My reader appreciates the delicate almost depressive, quiet, subtle tones provided by rock and indie alternative music.

How did you attract/address your audience?

Here is how I appealed to my audience and then addressed them. The color scheme I used suits a higher class group of people as purple applies royalty connotations and white purity connotations, the heavy concentration of purple in my magazine also suits the female reader being a more feminine associated color, as female readers are the majority gender reader of my magazine, I also included a hint of blue to appeal to that minority male readership. To other techniques convey the more sophisticated style of the magazine, firstly the free vinyl advertised in the corner of my magazine, also the black and white picture on the front cover and in the double paged spread. The fact that the female on the front cover is wearing a blazer shows her higher class but the her big hair and extravagant eye liner shows her rebellious side, this contrasts reaches out to the rebellious side in any formal, responsible readers that a middle class up bringing would provide. This rebellious side is shown in the picture in the contents page as well with the band ‘Sahara Chills’ as one is very official and bland and the other member is expressionistic and flamboyant once again applying to the that rebellious side. The picture in the double page spread of the artist relaxed tuning his guitar conveys the subtle delicate indie music inside. I addresses my target audience by referencing the indie/rock band Keiserchiefs in the name for my magazine, this addresses my audience as it subtly represents the style of music inside and Leeds where the and is from and the home of my magazine.

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

In the planning stage and the evaluation stage I used mainly word and PowerPoint both of which I have used before. However I did use Slideshare and BlogSpot, two websites that I have never used before, slideshare showed me the best way to share a PowerPoint on a blog and BlogSpot showed me a useful platform on where to share that PowerPoint. In the production stage I used a DLC Camera and a tripod both of which I am experienced with, however using these pieces of technology for this purpose did show me how to control a cast and take pictures to fit a audience. Two massive pieces of technology I used in the production of my magazine are Photoshop and InDesign. Although I had basic knowledge of Photoshop, using this application to edit all my photos in detail and produce my cover page and context page provided me with a extended knowledge of the application. However I had extremely little knowledge of how to use InDesign and the production stage of my magazine gave taught me the basic knowledge of the the programme.

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

Since the start of the project I have undergone tasks that have developed multiple tasks. I have realized and appreciated the multitude of research that has to be undergone before you develop a product. Research such as surveys, analysis of current products and interviews, this research into the current market gave me a wide spectrum of what type of product works in the market I am aiming for. Making this magazine also showed the important techniques in making a the front cover, contents page and double page spread of a magazine. The research and production of my magazine showed me the importance of tailoring my product towards the target audience and how to use certain on conventions to meet these aspects.