Music Magazine Evaluation

DUBBIN Magazine Project

Evaluation

By David Hay

Front Cover

I used a lot of different media products such as:

Skyline

Masthead

Lead articleMain Image

The left third

Bar code

Contents Page

Pull quote

Main image

Front cover image

Features, what else?

Double Page Spread

Large image

Large image

Masthead

Quotes from article

Website

Page numbers

Columns of text

Masthead – I wanted my masthead to grab the readers attention by making it colourful and attractive. I did this on Photoshop. I specifically used this colourful masthead because the idea of dubstep is that it is vibrant and has a rhythm to it that makes the masthead attractive to dubstep listeners and readers. My masthead allows the reader to relate to and recognize for future purchase because it is so vibrant.

Main image – With my main image I wanted to follow the dubstep style of the magazine and keep it attractive and unique, like my masthead. The artist shows that he is a secret and looks like they are in the middle of a performance. The artist shows he is nice and alive and ready to perform, this makes the page look a lot more alive. This shows that DJ BUENO5 is the main focus and this could persuade them to find out what his secret story is and see if he is going to identify himself.

Skyline – A skyline is usually at the top of the magazine to give additional information about what will be included in the magazine. I chose to have my skyline at the top of the magazine and have made the background of it white to draw the reader in to look at what is in the magazine. I put ‘What’s inside’ the magazine so that the reader will get drawn into buying the magazine.

Ways in which my media magazine develops forms and conventions

Left third/ cover lines – The left third is usually used for advertising and promoting magazines. By putting up attractive cover lines helps attract the reader to become interested and consider purchasing my magazine. I used the left third because it is on the left hand side of the magazine so when my magazine is stacked in the shops people will be able to see my main cover lines.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

I feel that my artist has been portrayed in my magazine as a dubstep legend. This is the way that he has posed in the images like he is performing at the time that the photo has been taken, which was my main aim to portray him as a dubstep legend, I mainly did this by the way he poses in the pictures that I took.

The main way my magazine represents a particular social group is through the artist, DJ BUENO5. This is done through my article, my images and the overall appearance and how the artist is represented.

Alternative focuses on the “clubbing” attitude, an energetic view on which my artist portrays through the images. The main image on the front page provokes the reader to feel his energy and liveliness and be able to relate to it as they want to relate to it. Visually DJ BUENO5 will appeal to my social group as he is dressed with a colourful top and has sunglasses which is usually associated with dubstep because people want to be in a world of their own by not being able to see anything. One of the images on the double page spread show a different side to DJ BUENO5 and shows that he can be calm and normal and welcoming as well as alive and energetic.

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

I would choose Bauer Media Group to publish and distribute my magazine because they are the same group which publish other rival music magazines such as, Kerrang, Q and MOJO.

This means that as these magazines have proved to be a success in the market they wish to target, then DUBBIN could do the same as it is in the same market, it also means that my magazine not only fits into the “dubstep” category, but also fits under other music groups such as dance. My magazine’s dubstep style is different from Kerrang or Q so it’s something different for the publisher.

Bauer Media are a UK-based company and to have a

UK based magazine within their company would show

how the UK are just as successful in producing media

products as much as any other part of the world.

Who would the audience be for your magazine?

These images show my results from my survey to find out who my target audience is. From this I found out there age and their gender. My magazine is more aimed at young males. From this survey I found out how many people brought magazines, their age, their favorite music genre and how often they brought a magazine. One of my main features of my survey was the obvious love for dubstep music comparing to the other styles of music.My main target audience for my magazine would be males aged between 16-20.

Audience Feedback

As you can see 100% described my magazine as mainstream.

As you can see 96% of my audience said that the images suited the style of the magazine.

As you can see that 85% of my audience would buy my magazine.

As you can see that 83% could see that my magazine was a dubstep magazine.

As you can see 96% of the audience liked the style of writing on the double page spread.

As you can see 100% of the audience said that the contents page was easy to navigate.

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

To edit my magazine I had to use a lot of Photoshop, which I have had a bit of experience with in the past but wasn’t completely confident with, however after spending a good few months working on my magazine using Photoshop I feel a lot more comfortable with it and familiar with it too. I learnt how to use a lot of effects that really make my magazine look a lot more attractive and technical.

The process for the construction of my magazine involved a lot of technology that I have already used. There was also a lot of technology that I haven't already used such as blogger. Blogger was a new experience for me and I found that putting all of my coursework onto a blog was a lot easier and lessons the risk of losing my work. All the work that I have done has been put on my blog and makes my work look more presentable.

I have also learnt how to use survey monkey which has helped me a lot with audience feedback.

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

During my time doing AS media studies, I have learnt to use new programmes that I had only used a couple of times before this product. A the beginning my knowledge of Photoshop was quite good because I had used it before in GCSE media studies. I still found it hard to get the effect that I wanted when editing photos and text. By the end of the magazine task I felt a lot more confident with Photoshop and know how to use most of the effects and how to use them in the best possible way that I feel best suits. I have learnt that you represent your artist in a way that appeals to your target audience because if they don’t like your artist then they will not buy your magazine. I’ve learnt how to appeal to my target audience by using survey monkey to see what my audience responses are. I have learnt the conventions of a music magazine and now understand why magazines wish to present certain views and values to their readers. After researching into other magazines, I have learnt how they present and advertise there magazine and how they find their target audience. This taught me how to grab the attention of my target audience and how to keep them interested.

This project has encouraged me a lot to study A2 media because I enjoy editing and analyzing other mainstream magazines.