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Tuesday 12 May 2009

Evaluation of my final piece

In what ways does you media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
I looked at various other music magazines such as 'Blender' and 'Vibe' which are already on the market and realised that the genre I was going to focus on was pop and R&B, as these types of genres are the ones I enjoy most, therefore I concentrated on this specifically. I noticed that most music magazines only feature one main artist, usually in medium close up shot to medium long, this is a convention I took into consideration when designing my magazine front cover. A specific colour scheme is often used throughout the cover too and I developed this feature into my magazine. The majority of magazines I looked at such as 'Vixen' and 'Blender' have very simple layouts, with the a long, body shot of the main model centred and the writing around her shape. Although, my model is the main in the magazine, I decided to, go for a medium close shot of my model. Other conventions of music magazines is that they often include magazine hooks for stories, which is what I have included on the front of my magazine. Music magazines have a barcode, a price date, a masthead and justified text, also with a limited number of colours, fonts and a website address. I decided upon this as I didn't want my model to come across overtly sexy or promiscious, but laid back and down-to-earth, so that my audience (teenage girls) could relate to her. This also comes across in the way she dresses, because she isn't dresses particularly revealing or sexy, but rather more casual clothes. Another convention I have followed is my model is attractive, this is a feature I noticed most music magazines follow and when researching this came across the theory of Naomi Wolf. Naomi Wolf (1991) believes that images of attractive model's not only intrigue men, but also women, which are used to sell magazines to women because they've been conditioned into aspiring into that lifestyle and appearance.
My contents page's follow magazine conventions, as its layout is quite simple, it has structure and when studying other magazines I noticed the colour scheme from the front of the magazine is often carried through to the contents page and decided to use this when constructing my magazine. Also, most music magazine contents pages are two pages such as 'Q' and 'Word' so again I used this idea in my magazine. Some music magazines have editor's letter and I decided that this would help aim the magazine to teenage girls perfectly s the editor could establish a relationship with the reader throughout the letter. This allows them to feel a sense of belonging to the magazine, so they'll be encouraged to buy it. The fact I used a script font to sign it adds to this feeling as it is planned. I did this by using relaxed lexis/phrases such as 'girlies' and mentioning things teenage girs enjoy such as the beach, summer and tanned legs.
My magazine article also tends to follow the pop music magazine conventions, espescially with the fact that it is about a 'celebrity' and includes an interview and questions which the girls will enjoy reading. I noticed when analysing pop magazines that they tend to focus on the gossip aspects, so again I followed this convention.













How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My magazine represents stereotypically girly teenage girls (ranged between the age of 15-25 year olds) who are interested in upbeat music such as pop and R&B.
My model could be protrayed negatively as in my story she used to be on drugs, but I decided to appeal to the more positive side of the story by having her over drugs and doing well in her music career. I did this to appeal to the teenage girl's sensitive emotions and not by following conventions of normal gossip magazines, where they like to often protray stars as negatively. Although my model is quite young she is meant to be roughly twenty-five, although this is not representing teenage girls themselves, they do often aspire to be like successful people, who are older than they are. This is why my model is this age, as she can help the teenage girls through problems they might be having on their own and it gives the girls a role model.
With her being from a working class background and her having achieved her status in society, she is an inspiration to my audience. Her lexis is still quite working class, meaning the audience can relate to her, therefore they are more likely to buy the magazine.
I break the conventions of my model being dependant on men, as she is now an independant woman, who makes her own money and is not superficiall.
There is a positive representation of teenagers in the media and I've produced a positive article about one who has overcome her problems and can be looked up to as an inspiration.













What fund of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
If my magazine were to be published, it would be by 'Bauer' a British media company which bought 'EMAP plc' for £1.14 billion, they specify in magazine productions such as 'Q' magazine. I understand that 'Q' magazine is aimed at a different audience than mine, with a different genre, but 'Bauer' would wish to expand their share of the market by focusing on a new style and genre; such as my magazine. This way the company can go for a new audience and increase their earnings.













Who would be the audience for the media product?
As stated above, my music magazine is aimed at teenage girls, this would be the age of 15-25. I researched audiences of music magazines and found that boys tend to stay more interested in music magazines, espescially rock and indie genres, whereas girls tend to lose interest in this and move to gossip magazines such as 'OK!' This is also why my magazine is a pop-orientated, as this genre of music magazine tends to aim at teenage girls.
Girls move on to lifestyle magazines which is why I have based some elements of my magazine on 'Cosmo Girl!' There aren't many magazines aimed at women in their late teens-early 20's, so this would allow the market to be expanded.
With my audience being rather young, money they make would either be from parents or they may have a part-time job, or have left school and have a full-time job, either way, I understand that the younger audience's tend to not have a lot of money coming in. This means my magazine has to be priced reasonably, that is why my magazine is £2.50 and is a monthly issue. If the magazine was a weekly issue the price would have to be lower, but could not go lower than £1 as the magazine is intending on making a profit. Therefore my target audience would be paying more than £4 a month for the magazine, which is slightly unreasonable considering their low income. This is why the price of my magazine is quite reasonable, but would still give a healthy profit; as over-priced items tend to fail in the marketing industry. This compares with a similar price of teenage magazines such as 'Cosmo Girl!' and 'Glamour' magazines.
With the magazine being aimed at a younger audience they tend to be living off their parents income or working on not particularly well-paid jobs - but could afford £2.50 a month and could buy cd's and go to the odd concert.













How did you attract/address your audience?
To attract my audience I have used sterotypically feminine colours such as pink and baby blue, this ensures when my magazine is on the shelf in a shop they are lured in and can recognise immediately this is a magazine aiming at teenage girls.
Colloquiall language has been used throughout my magazine such as 'fittest lads,' 'cash' and 'pics.' This was done intentionally as I wanted my audience to be able to relate to the magazine and be encouraged to think of it as their own, so they will buy future copiesand colloquiall language is often the type of language used by teenage girls so they can relate to the magazine.
On my front cover the image of my main model is a medium shot, this was used as I wanted the girls to be able to see the happy expression upon the model's face, giving my magazine an upbeat feel to it, relating to my genre. Marjorie Ferguson, (1980) who identified four types of facial expressions for the cover of British women's magazines and when looking at her research the image on my front cover is a 'super-smiler' as the model has a wide,open toothy smile, her full face is shown and her hair is slightly wind-blown. This again implies my model is rather relaxed and down-to-earth as she isn't posing or trying to be sexy. Whereas, in my magazine article, the main image used is a low angle long shot, showing the model's full body and some mise-en-scene (the background.) I used a low angle shot to make the model look powerful and strong, after all the story is based upon her comeback. This particular photograph is well-lit by natural lighting, giving an uplifting feel to the image.
I'm taking advantages of Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications Theory to sell more copies. My audience will experience some gratification from my magazine as they will discuss the article and gossip with their friends. I have used people around the same as me, which means i am familiar with what they are interested in and it helps my audience relate to my magazine, subtly pushing them to buy it. Also, one feature of my magazine is 'Top 20 Fittest Lads Inside,' which would give the teenage girls a kind of gratification, this is why I included this feature in my magazine.
A lot of other features in my magazine such as 'Greatest Tearjerkers' 'Aww!! Baby Pictures' and 'Hot Outfits' appeal greatly to my audience as they play upon the things which girls are sterotypically perceived as enjoying. This again shows uses and gratifications, because I based these features on my research amongst my audience.
I conducted a survery which I handed out to 20 teenage girls and their responses were mainly similar. This helped me conduct certain aspects of my music magazine. Such as the colour scheme, pink and blue was used as it was the most popular response. This means my audience were slightly involved in helping conducting some choices in my magazine, giving them some power.
I showed my finished production to ten people from my target audience and shall now give an example of what they said.
Charlotte Botcherby said: 'It has a very professional touch and I would defenitely buy it, if it was on sale. I like the colour scheme and how the magazine is not over-complicated.'
Laurel Malcolm said: 'I think this magazine is excellent and is different from other music magazines which I have seen. I would love to read a magazine like this as it combines celebrity real life and music in one. Instead, of just focusing on gossip. I think it looks very professional and would like a magazine like this to be released.'
Audience feedback is important as it allows the magazine to maintain standards and continue to do well in the marketplace. Because of the fact that I did audience research firstly, (my questionnaire) it allowed me to target my audience specifically.













What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have developed skills of image manipulation and page layout on Photoshop and can give an example of this as the editor's letter image took a lot of time to transform. Firstly, I took the image in a well-lit room as I wanted the image to be light as this represents the editor well and gives her connotations of being nice and angelic. This reflects the way I dressed the model as I placed a small ribbon in her hair to make her look nice, friendly and innocent. Also, with her being young and having such a good job she is an inspiration to my audience and they can relate to her.
The rest of the images were captured in natural lighting and the images outside at the beach and infront of the tree worked particularly well. I used a digital camera and a tripod to capture these images.
Just by using www.blogspot.com I have shown I can grasp the ideas of new technology well and use this website to display all of my work.
I have used another useful website (www.surveymonkey.com) to display my questionnaire as I could not post it onto my blog.













Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Looking back at my preliminary work I notice that my real piece is a massive improvement. This is not only because I had longer to conduct this piece, but also the fact that have researched music magazines and I've researched the requirements of my target audience and understand a lot on what they should be like and I have also analysed these types of magazine to see how they appeal to their target audiences and adapted knowledge to help with the making of my magazine.
I have had a lot more experience with photoshop since creating my preliminary magazine and now have a better understanding of how to manipulate images, how to make text stand out from the page and adapting my language choice to suit my audience.
I believe my music magazine would be successful in an existing marketplace on the shelves of newagents and department stores and there would be realistic competition between my magazine and other existing music magazines already released.
I took my time with the photography;taking more photographs to enable more choice because the use of a good photograph is important in setting the tone of the page.

Monday 11 May 2009

My Three-Page Article




My Contents Pages




My Front Cover


About My Final Pieces

My finale pieces shall be displayed in the next fiew blog entries, but I thought I should explain them first.
Too create a finished look in my magazine (a professional look) I have used various features on photoshop such as; drop shadow on text to make it protrude from the page and I can manipulate images,
I have created a front cover, a two-page contents and a three-page article.

Pictures I have used

This is the image I used in my second contents page, this image has been manipuated. Firstly, I turned the image black and white to give it a professional look. I saved the image and manipulated it by adding drop shadow, inner shadow and a light pink overlay to fit in with my contents page colour. This makes the image protrude from the page.








I only used one image for the front cover and this is the image I used.I thought the image was good quality, the model looks attractive and is looking out at the audience. Therefore, I decided not to manipulate this image.






My Flat Plan- Three page article




Flat Plan - Contents Page






My Flat Plan - Front Cover






















Unprofessional images which could not be included in my magazine.

The background of the image is a feature I like as it is slightly blurred and the model protrudes from the page. Although, I dislike the model's pose and how her eyes are slightly squinted.

In this image the models head has been cut off. which isn't good photography. The image is also blurry and the mise-en-scene of this picture isn't what you would expect to see in a magazine feauring a big celebrity.

The model is not posing particularly well. The lighting is very low and dull. Therefore, it is unusable.





This image is an extreme close-up and I couldn't find anywhere it could fit into my magazine. s I found extreme close-ups tend to not be used in music magazines and are not a common feature.







This image is completely unusable as the model is in an awkward position, unready for the image and is looking down.




The models is over-smiling on this image and is again looking away from the camera. I also find that her outfit is a bit too plain.











I disliked all of the images of the model on the stairs, I found the area looked too cluttered and unprofessional. The lighting was very low so the pictures are unclear and quite dark.













I took a few images of this model, too and found this one was particularly dark and a lot of them were not particularly what I was looking for.















Although, in this image I like the style of the model as she looks edgy and more 'celebrity-like' which suits my article perfectly. This image is unusable as the flower she is holding is blurred and so his her arm. She is also looking unready for this image as she is looking away and not showing any sign of posing whatsoever.

















The model appears very young in this image which would not relate to my storyline at all. I dislike the position of her arm and the fact she is looking away from the camera, again.



















The model is again in an awkward pose as she is slouching forward and the image is slightly dark.





















This image is extremely dark (low-lit) and even if it wasn't so dark the model isnt looking towards the camera, she is looking away, so it would defenitely not be an image I could have used on the cover of my magazine.




































This image has a very unprofessional background and the model is in an awkward pose, with one arm behind her back. It is not something you would find in a real magazine and I found it to be useless.
























More Analysed Content Pages

The editor's letter is an important feature which I wish to use in my contents page as I believe it is a good way for the reader and the magazine editor to establish a relationship.









































More Analysed Covers









Friday 8 May 2009

Analysed Interview 2

This is a first page of an interview which I am analysing to help me with ideas on what conventions and styles I wish to follow.


The big, bold title 'One From The Heart' is in block capitals, making it protrude from the page. I have noticed that the title is usual the largest font on the page so that it stands out the most and this is a feature in which I plan to follow.


I believe the red in this article is to represent passion as Scarlett Johannson is often seen as a sex symbol.


The red stands from the page which means the audience are likely to be intrigued and wish to read the article.


Again, the interview is in clear columns a common convention used in magazines.


The questions are in bold, which means they are clear and easy to read.


I have decided that I am making an article, but wish to use a small section of the article to ask my 'celebrity' some questions. This is because I know that my target audience enjoy articles and questions, as I gathered this information from my questionnaire results.
There is a small image which has been tilted for effect and breaks the article up.





This is the second page of the article. The star is wearing her red dress which matches her red lips (which she is well known for.) This matches the red on the article and stands for passion and lust- even though the image is not particularly sexy or provocative, she is still looking attractive and is well-known for her looks.
Although, the star is most famous for her acting she is interested in music and singing too and this is what the article is based upon.
On the right hand side of the large image is the 'UNCUT Book Club' section which describes a certain book, therefore giving it publicity and advertising this book.

Analysed article




This is the first page of a double page article. i like how the title 'Everybody here wants you' protrudes from the page with the use of bolder colours, very large font and swirly writing. This catches the reader's eye immediately, making them want to read thee article.


The sub-heading is centred which makes the reader wish to read it and pulls them in by introducing the article to the reader.


I like how the 'J' is the largest letter in the actual article itself, this also catches the reader and introduces the article and is a feature I wish to use when conducting my piece.


The columns are very structured and neat which makes it easy for the reader to read. This is a typical convention of magazine articles, so obviously I will follow this.


There is a large quote from the article, which is a different font, colour and is larger than the rest of the text. This means the reader is more likely to read it as it catches their eye. Therefore, it has to be an entertaining quote which will make the reader wish to read on and represent the article well.








This is the second page of the article and is a large image of Joan Wasser, which is who the article is based on. I like this convention and shall use it when creating my article.
The colour scheme matches the article perfectly and the model appears to be quite edgy, which will reflect her profession well. The model is not particularly posed and she appears quite naturalistic which fits in with the colours of the article.
There is a small quote in the top right hand corner explaining the image.
The patterns in the top left hand corner and bottom right hand corner matches the font on the first page of the article perfectly.
The fact that the model is wearing a black, leather jacket again makes her appear slightly edgy, but also means she stands from the beige background, making her the main feature of the page.

Second analysed contents page

This contents page is slightly more complex than the other as it includes various images, which are different style and some are slightly tinted or different colours. I prefer this contents and want my magazine contents page to have various images along one side.
This contents uses quite faded, washed out colours which could be to show that some of the artists featured in this contents are older and from the past, but still major artists today who have had an affect on the music industry.
Or it could be to link in with the rock genre of the magazine.
The layout of the writing is clear and seperate from the pictures, this makes it very easy for the reader to read and means they can be directed to the page number straight away.
A lot of contents pages I have looked at include a section called 'this month's contributors.' This is along the right hand side of this contents page and gives the people involved in the magazine recognition for their hard work.
On the bottom in the beige box, is a section on the reviews which the magazine (UNCUT) has conducted. They are all the people they have spoken to and with such a long list like this shows the reader they have done a lot of work.
The slightly complicated contents page implies there is a lot going on inside the magazine and intrigues the reader.
In the small red box is an image of the magazine cover, which is a feature I wish to include in my magazine with arrows and page numbers to make it very clear to the reader where to find things from the cover. But, the magazine is using the image of the front cover to offer the reader's a special offer which is a good way to intise the reader and make them wish to carry on reading the magazine. As everyone loves special offers or free items.

Analysed contents page

I have analysed various contents pages to see the conventions of what they normally are like in music magazines and to help me with ideas for conducting my piece.
This contents page has a black and white effect which links in well with the dark genre of the magazine and the band.
The picture is very large and attracts the reader's attention.
I feel that the photo expresses the band well as it shows their gothic style and rebellious attitudes. This again relates well with the magazine's genre.
In the top right corner of the photograph is a small caption which reads: 'manic in detroit: three decades of excess with Kiss, p32.' This is useful to the reader as it informs them on what is occurring in the image, why they are featured in the magazine (because it's their third decade,) the band's name is 'Kiss' (although regular readers who are already interested in this genre would already know this and the caption also informs the reader on what page they shall find the article.
Although, the police are in this photo and are supposed to be telling the band off, they do not look particularly unhappy with the band and are actually smiling and laughing. This gives off a good impression of the band, that they are not going against the policeman's authority and being a nuisance to the law, that they are actually getting a long with the police. Which implies they are rather likable people and doesn't give a negative influence on the younger readers of the magazine (teenagers, etc.)
The writing on the magazine is at the bottom and has a box around it so that it is seperate from the picture, but also so that it slightly stands out and is clear.
The writing is in clear columns and has bold red titles, which protrude from the page and make it easier for the reader. Red often holds connotations of danger or blood, which links in well with the dark, gothic genre of this certain magazine.
The page numbers are clear which makes it easy for the reader to find what they are looking for and their are small captions below each of the sub-headings explaining what is on this page. This is good as it debriefs the reader on what is on this page and will make them wish to read more.