Presentation1 as media

Evaluation

By Faith Kareber

Front Cover

Double Page Spread

Contents Page

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

forms and conventions of real media products?

My media product is a R&B music magazine called ‘TUNES’ which uses, develops and challenges the forms and conventions of existing R&B music magazines.

Setting paradigm

One of the codes which were used was the setting paradigm of my magazine which was in front of a white wall, in front of a red/brown wall and in a studio which are the stereotypical destination points which are used in existing R&B magazines which I wanted to keep the same so that my stereotypical audience will feel comfortable reading the magazine. The reason I chose these particular settings as my target audience are stereotyped as hanging out on the streets so by using a brick wall which shows one destination point which my target audience are aware of. My target audience are very interested in music and most of which would lie to do some type of performing arts study and so by using a studio it represents their dreams and aspirations which helps with drawing their attention to reading the article. The reason why I chose to use a white wall as a setting point is because white represents freedom and positive things and so by using white it helps the readers to feel free whilst reading my magazine.

Another way which my magazine used codes and conventions of real media products is through the character paradigm.

Character Paradigm

There are three characters on my magazine two males and one female which uses the form of real media as it reinforces that males have got dominance and power and this is shown by the lead models being males. The model on the front cover portray stereotypical aspect of being R&B stars through the clothes which he wears (jumper, trainers and jeans). As my target audience wear similar clothing and share the same appearance it draws their attention to want to read more into the magazine as the target audience are able to have a connection with the model as they are both similar to each other.

The character on the contents page challenged the stereotype of a R&B magazine and this is because he is wearing slim fit jeans, slim fit checkered shirt and blue trainers which look very fashionable which goes against the stereotype of a R&B artist as his fashion portrays conformity to the new fashion of a male which may be considered feminine however stylish. The readers of my magazine have got ambiguous feelings about men wearing the ‘new’ male fashion range however majority of the readers

On my front cover the masthead is the biggest object on the whole page, as people read from the left to the right, from top to bottom the masthead will be the first object which the audience would see so it has to be memorable, so by using bold dark colors which are in contrast from the background it makes the masthead stand out more.

Another way in which my media product uses, develops or challenges forms and conventions of real media is that I made sure that I took a mid shot of the person whilst he was standing, I done this because I wanted to show the fullness of the person. I also done this because the legs signify walking, which indicates walking the path to open the magazine.

Another way in which my media product uses, develops or challenges forms and conventions of real media is the way the long shot is positioned is so that it takes up majority of the page this is because in R&B magazines there is usually a long shot that takes up majority of the page and this is because the editor want the audience to see the image as it tells the story about what the article is going to be about. The way I used the different props such as making the person wear tight leather clothing and making her sit with a R&B chilled out pose shows the audience that the article is going to be a R&B artists life. Mass numbers of R&B magazines have articles which talk about their success within the music industry and how, where and when they started with their career.

Front Cover LayoutI made the masthead with the font Rockwell Bold. I chose this font because it is simplistic and stands out as it is bold. I wanted the masthead to stand out the most as the name of the magazine is meant to be the most important part so that people can recommend the magazine to others.

I put the barcode on the left bottom hand corner with the date. I put the date on the magazine so that people who keep collections of this magazine would be able to keep track of the dates of the magazines. I put the price below on the tights as they are black and wrote the price in grey so that it can stand out and so the customer is able to see how much the magazine costs.

I put an advertisement on the bottom right hand corner as it would be the last item which the audience will see which tends to be the thing which would attract the audience.

I put the website on the left hand side just incase people would like to check for more information and updates.

I chose to go with a theme with using the same person who is on the front cover on the contents page but wearing different clothes, and doing different poses this is because I want to keep the same theme throughout the whole magazine. There is only one image which takes up half a portrait A4 size paper this is because I don’t want to spoil the magazine by putting too many images so by keeping the minimum with pictures and colors that could be used was essential for my magazine because my magazine is more classy than ghetto.

All the smaller images were put at the bottom to give the audience something visual to look at.

I used one section for all of the contents (features) this is because R&B just have features on their contents page.

I put the front cover on the contents page on the bottom left hand corner to show what is on the cover and display the names of the photographer etc (contributors of note)

Contents Page Layout

Double Page Spread Layout

I have a lead in line which is bold, white and bigger than the rest of the text. I wanted this line to be completely different from the rest of the other text so that it could stand out the most.

I put quotes in large text so that the audience could read the quotes and have an idea about what the magazine is going to be about.

I put the introduction on the bottom right hand side corner of the page which gives the audience more of an insight into what the article is going to be about.

The text is blue and the background is grey. The heading is the name of an actual award which gives the audience a feeling that they are going to know what the article is about.

I chose the image of me looking up thinking, this is because I wanted the image to reflect what the article is about, by me thinking in the image, it’s conveying to the audience that I am contemplating on the events which happened in my life.

How does you media product represent social groups?

My media product represents city teens aged 16-21. This is because of the language which I chose which was some slang but completely a youthful way of speaking.

The people in the magazine are the same age range and so this is intended so that the audience can relate to the magazine and also the people who are featured in it.

The text in my magazine is bold and in contrast with the background so that it could attract the audiences eyes as teenagers are more attracted to bold colorful text.

My media product represents particular social groups, which are urban teens aged 16-21 living in the city, this is shown throw the mise-en-scene because the long shot of the model on my double page spread is wearing a leather jacket and leather leggings which is a tight fit, the photograph of the R&B stars are wearing similar clothing, this is a connotation of a teenager from the rural part of the city who listen to R&B music, we can tell because even the clothes look good on the model it is still seen as cheap glamour.

On the other hand the mis-en-scene on the front cover and contents page shows

Boys wearing clothes which give the magazine the cool look which teenagers love to see in a magazine

Whilst researching I found that most R&B female artists wear clothing which show off their femininity (tighter clothes). They do this by combining both leather tops and leather bottoms with high heel shoes.

I decided the artists costume in the long shot were going to be high heels, leather leggings and a leather jacket so that she would give off a R&B vibe.

Who would be the audience for your product?

I made a questionnaire and found out that majority of the participants were teenagers ages 15-20 years old, so I targeted the audience to that specific age range. I am aiming this to working/middle class teenagers.

However majority of the participants were females, but I decide that I would like to target this magazine to both genders so I made the magazine universal. So I I put a lot of images of females however I kept that colours universal.

My audience for my magazine would have an interest in R&B music.

My audience would also be multiracial as there are different races present in the magazine.

How did you attract / address your audience?

I attracted/ addressed my audience by using a well liked face on the front cover of my magazine the front cover so that audience feel as though their interest are being addressed. I used bright colored writing so that the readers eye is kept on the page. The person on the front cover looks like the age range of which this magazine is intended at. So I kept her looking young so that I kept the correct mode of address

I used a consistent colour scheme of red and blue throughout the magazine so that the magazine would be recognizable throughout.

I used youthful language and some slang words in the magazine to make it appear cool to the audience which reduced the likeliness of them getting bored, and also because I didn’t want the magazine to come across as too serious.

What types of media institutions might distribute your media product and why?

I think that Wicks might distribute my magazine because this company publishes Vibe magazine (R&B magazine). Both my magazine and Vibe are R&B magazines and so have a lot in common.

The way in which my magazine has been constructed is in a fresh way because there isn’t too much nor is there too little going on all the way through the magazine. The fact that they distributed the Vibe magazine and the name became well known means that Wicks might distribute my magazine because I think that they need some diversity within their company which may lead to the company receiving more money.

My magazine relates more to middle class R&B listeners who are aged 15-20.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of

constructing this product?

The technologies I used included a program called Photoshop on the Mac computers to create the  magazine front cover. Photoshop was used to edit the images; I found this program really useful as I was able to manipulate particular images to make them appear authentic. The ways in which I edited the image was by changing the saturation levels to establish the tone of the magazine and resizing the text font and changing fonts to make the whole magazine look suitable for it's purpose.

I also used blogger as a personal diary for myself to keep up to date with all the research and planning which I completed in order to make the magazine. The research I done which helped plan my magazine includes; generic music magazine front covers, double page spreads and contents pages, questionnaires, shooting schedule etc. I also used Blogger to put posts about information of the magazine which contributed to the creative decision making process as I was able to view comments and suggestions from the public and act accordingly. Blogger was also used due to majority of our target audience having access to the internet being able to view my magazine and  send the link to other people which could increase the acknowledgment of my magazine.

Another new technology which i used was social networking sites such as Facebook. By using Facebook to promote my magazine I was able to post the magazine on the site and create a poll for viewers to vote on as well as leave their comments on which I then took on board to improve my magazine. For example one comment on the poll was negative saying “The colour used were very dull which makes the magazine look as though it will be boring" by this comment I was able to acknowledge the concern and fix it by creating a new contents page and front cover which has more interesting features which had been such as more colour used.

I used the software adobe Photoshop and there are many new things that I have learnt. Here are some of the new things which I learnt:

•Using the lasso tool to get rid of the unneeded items in the image

•Adding a glow around the image

•Darken and lighten a image

•Add lights to an image

•Changing colour balance when its too dark or too light

•Changing ISO levels

Extra things which I have learnt from technologies

Before AfterLasso tool, I used this to cut the unneeded parts out of the image

I then used the grayscale to make a contrast with the background

On Corel Paint shop I added spotlights to the corner of the image

Looking back at your preliminary assignment what do you feel you

have learnt in the progression from it to now?

Looking back at my preliminary assignment I have learnt a handful of tips on how to make a good magazine:

•Don’t use a sepia tone if there is a brown/wood background

•Don’t overcrowd the page with pictures and words (less is more)

•Think into more detail where to locate each item.

•Thinking about what you expect to see when you purchase a magazine and what the audience would expect to see whilst purchasing a magazine

•Making a great magazine takes a lot of hard work, dedication and patience.

•Making sure that the most important story is the most eye-catching.

•Not putting too much writing in a column which may bore the audience.

•A lot of market research is needed for a successful magazine.

Audience FeedbackBefore I made the actual magazine I made copies of what I wanted the actual magazine to look like. I handed the copies to a range people of different ages and classes. I also made a questionnaire so that they can name the changes that need to be made. Majority of the feedback which I got back was positive however there were a few negatives. Here are some of the things that needed attending:

• Make the magazine colourful

•Changing the font style to make it more appealing

•Front cover images to be changed

To resolve the issue I took different images for the front cover and contents page which use more colour however which still fit in with the rest of the magazine.

Audience feedback was very effective as I was able to see what my target audience enjoy and take their hints to help me improve my decisions.

Created By:

Faith Kareber