Evaluation updated version

Mariya Ahmed Evaluation Media AS

AS Media: Evaluation of Foundation Portfolio

1. In what ways does your music magazine use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real music magazines?

Front cover

I chose to use a banner similar to the ‘Gramophone’ magazine and by following the codes and conventions, I decided to place the banner on the left hand side. The colour of the banner matches the model’s outfit to make the magazine stand out more. However I stayed with my colour scheme, as my model’s outfit was only one colour so I kept my font black and red. I followed the codes and conventions of the magazine’s masthead by creating a bold theme. However, I used black and red font instead of white because the background of my magazine is white and if it was black then it would have blended in with my model’s hair. The image I used is a medium long shot, which is similar to the ‘Gramophone’ magazine. I felt that the posture of a female would appeal to my target audience and the majority of the front cover’s I saw featured women. I then realized if I have a female on my front cover it would attract attention and make it stand out. The bar I have used on the left hand side follows the same style of the ‘Gramophone’ magazine which feature’s the title of the magazine, issue number and a few article titles’s to give the reader a glimpse of what is inside the magazine. I placed the barcode on the bottom right hand corner, which follows the codes and conventions of all music magazines. The barcode is small and doesn’t take up a huge amount of space, which creates balance appeal to the magazine.

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There is a puff at the top as the eye position of a reader is a ‘Z’, so the puff is the first thing the reader will see.

There are cover lines of different sizes and colour to make the important information stand out more.

There are 4 sets of cover lines.

The masthead font is bold to make it stand out.Followed the codes and

conventions and made the font bold.

I moved the puff from the top to the bottom because I thought it stood out more there.

I added 5 short cover lines and a quote by the model which will inspire the readers to purchase the magazine.

I followed the codes and conventions by making the font big for the name of the model and used the same amount of cover lines.

Mariya Ahmed Evaluation Media AS

Contents page

I chose to place the masthead in the middle similar to the ‘Q’ magazine and I added a subheading right underneath the masthead so it is the first thing the reader reads as the eye position is in the shape of a ‘Z’. I decided to create a line underneath it to separate it and make it look more professional as it does with the ‘Q’ magazine. I have also added a circle in the middle of the line with the issue number; this shows I am following the codes and conventions of the ‘Q’ magazine. I followed the codes and conventions by adding the cover lines all on the left hand side with an image on to, after each sub-heading I have a line underneath so it separate it and makes it look more organized and professional. After I had written the cover lines I still had some dead space at the bottom so I decided to add the Twitter and Facebook of the magazine so it can become more popular. I followed the convention and added a big image of the right hand side which is the second thing the reader will see, this will show the reader how interesting the magazine looks and would want to know what the girls are reading and I added 2 images underneath that. At the bottom I added an editor’s note which is not on the ‘Q’ magazine, as this is something I challenged, and this would be the last thing the reader will see. The reason why I put the editor’s note at the bottom is because I think its important the reader reads it last so they remember what the magazine will contain and this may influence them to purchase the magazine.

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The masthead is in the middle.

The cover lines are on the left hand side with an image on top of it.

There is a big image to attract reader and give an idea of what the magazine will be about, eye position ‘Z’.

There are page numbers on the images to show which cover line the image goes with.

I decided to place the masthead in the middle and follow the codes and conventions.

I have made several cover lines and kept them short. I also added an image on top, this shows I am following the codes and conventions.

I have added page numbers on the images directing it to the cover lines.

I challenged the codes and conventions of the magazine and added an editor’s note at the bottom.

Mariya Ahmed Evaluation Media AS

Double page

I chose to follow the masthead used in the magazine and had it going underneath each word, this makes the masthead stand out more. I used different font because I thought that the font I used was more suitable for my genre. I had one page full of Q & A similar to the other magazine, this shows I am following the codes and conventions of a magazine. I then placed an image of my model on the next page similar to the other magazine and continued writing more text to fill any dead space. I added a pink box at the bottom of the right hand side, which shows I challenged the codes and conventions as the box includes the concert dates, I decided to place it on the bottom right because of the eye position which is a ‘Z’ as the reader will read that last and will be more aware and remember the concert dates and whether they would attend or not. I have also added an arrow to go to next page for it to continue in case the reader thinks the interview is finished.

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This masthead is big and stands out, there is also a sub heading underneath the masthead.

Here is an image of model.

The masthead is similar to the magazine and I have added a sub heading underneath the masthead. I have used a different font which I thought was suitable for my genre.

I have placed image of model and I have challenged the codes and conventions by added a pink box on the bottom right of the concert dates.

I have used 2 different colour, one colour to write the question and the other colour for the answer, I did this so it separates it and doesn’t look confusing.

Mariya Ahmed Evaluation Media AS

2. How does your music magazine represent particular social groups?

‘Classical Vibe’ is aimed at both male and female musicians sharing a passion for classical music. I feel that I have represented my social group through the use of image’s, language and font style and sizes.

ImagesMy music magazine represents particular social groups in many ways. For example, through the images I have used, an image of a female and most of the front covers I saw had images of a female, which entices the reader and the posture my model is doing will make it more appealing especially to men. Most of the models wear dresses, which is why I decided my model would also wear a dress as well. As, I felt that it would be reacting to what my target audience wanted to have in their magazine, which would give me a higher possibility of my magazine becoming popular.

Font style and sizesI followed the codes and conventions of classical magazine’s font styles by making it bold and clear. However, I changed the font style, as the ‘Gramophone’ magazine font style was plain and simple. I challenged the conventions of simple look of classical music magazines; it was necessary for me to change the font as most of my target audience said the title is the first thing that would attract them to a magazine. This made me come to a conclusion that I will have a funkier font to draw the reader in.

LanguageThe language I chose to write in was formal and for a well-educated audience as classical is aimed at a more mature audience. Also, as my magazine is directed to a mature audience I have more cover lines on my front cover, but I have followed the codes and conventions of the ‘Gramophone’ magazine.

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

The media institution that I chose to distribute my music magazine is ‘Haymarket Media Group Ltd’ because they have already published the very popular magazines, which are ‘Classical FM’ and ‘Gramophone’. Because of this, I feel that Haymarket Media Group has good experience and trust from local customers purchasing their magazine. Therefore this means, if they distribute my magazine then there would be a higher chance of it becoming popular. I also want to use below the line advertising such as press with the Internet as well as interview’s and I want to use word of mouth, example of this is buzz. This will help my distribution be more successful by tweeting and using other media platforms. This will help my magazine expand to the audience and make my product easier to access. Also the price of my magazine is not too expensive as it is only £2.60, which is affordable.

4. Who would be the audience for your music magazine?

The target audience for my music magazine would be affluent, well-educated readers sharing a passion for the tranquility that classical music provides for them. This is also aimed at those people who love to spend their weekends at concerts and theatres.

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Mariya Ahmed Evaluation Media AS

5. How did you attract/address your audience in the forms and conventions used in your music magazine?

I feel my magazines masthead will attract my target audience as it conveys the classical genre through the big and bold font, its simplicity would make it appeal to everyone. The image of the model wearing an elegant light dress is very eye-catchy and it gives a mature look to the magazine, hinting that it is slightly aimed at a mature audience. Moreover, the female model will attract men as they will find the model attractive and would want to read more about her and in order for them to do that, they would have to purchase the magazine. Also, I placed the bar on the left hand side, which is similar to the ‘Gramophone’ magazine as I feel it is a simple yet stylish way to attract readers. Plus it give’s them a sneak peek into what the magazine contains inside. Also, the red house style makes the bar blend into the front cover, which makes it look more realistic than a poster. Also, I placed a puff on the left hand third similar to the ‘Gramophone’ magazine as it gives the audience an incentive to buy the magazine. Moreover, the eye position of the reader is in a ‘Z’ shape, so the puff would be the last thing they would see. However, it will then immediately make them want to purchase the magazine as the puff includes some interesting facts about what is inside the magazine.

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing your music magazine?

I have used and learnt how to use several software’s which I had never previously used before. I used ‘Microsoft Publisher’ for when I did my preliminary task. I also used ‘Microsoft Word’ to do my question’s for my questionnaire. Then, I used ‘Microsoft Edexcel’ when converting my findings of my questionnaire into pie chart’s and bar charts. After that, I used ‘Photoshop’ which was more advanced software of editing my images and actually creating my magazine. I used this software to remove the background by using the magic wand and selecting the whole background all at once. When I removed the background from the images, I added shadow on a few of my images such as the front cover and content’s page to make my magazine more appealing to my audience and eye catchy. I also used ‘Google Images’ for inspiration from other magazine’s and to check whether I as following the codes and conventions of a music magazine properly or not.

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

I have learnt and progressed a lot from my preliminary task. As it has made me learnt to follow the codes and conventions of magazine’s to make the magazine more appealing, as in the preliminary task I didn’t follow the codes and conventions as much. I learnt how to use different software’s such as Photoshop which enabled me to edit my images e.g. change the colour or contrast of image. In the preliminary task I took the images on my phone, which creates a pixel effect when you make the image bigger, but by using the professional cameras, the images look more professional and clear. Also, by layering and merging the layer’s, I had full control over where I wanted to place my text, banner and puffs, which I wasn’t able to do on ‘Microsoft Publisher’. I was able to edit my images quickly by using the quick selection tool or the magic wand. Overall, Photoshop allowed my magazine to have a sophisticated appearance, so that it could compete with the industry standard classical music magazines. The reason there is a big change in my preliminary task and my music magazine is the use of software as when I did the preliminary task I used Microsoft Publisher. But when I did my

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Mariya Ahmed Evaluation Media AS

actual music magazine I used Photoshop which is a more advanced software and there were more tools available on Photoshop than Microsoft Publisher.

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