Final Middle Page Spread for my main task.
Final Contents Page for my main task.
Final Front Cover for my main task.
Final Contents Page for my preliminary task.
Final Front Cover for my preliminary task.
Friday
Monday
Evaluation
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
I looked at the magazines ‘Mojo’, ‘Q’ and ‘Kerrang’ as it was hard to find a variety of hip-hop magazines. Mojo and Kerrang are about the music genre rock. Q is a pop magazine. I also looked at VIBE magazine which is only on the internet as it stopped production. VIBE magazine is about the rap/ hip-hop music genre.
After looking at all the magazines I decided that I would not base my magazine by the research I gained from looking at Mojo and Kerrang because they are too dissimilar to the kind of magazine i want to create. Q magazine is along the lines of my music genre but I will mainly focus on VIBE.
I think that hip-hop magazines should be bolder than other magazines. They usually have large mastheads and one large image with a few coverlines. The magazines also use darker colours for the backgrounds which is why I have made the background of my magazine darker. People usually stereotype people who listen to hip-hop magazine to have baggy trousers, hoodies and wear bling. This is why my images are of a person who is wearing the kind of clothes that will archetype him as the kind of person who listens to hip-hop. I have also edited the images so they keep the same house style all the way through. My magazine front cover is simple but effective, it has a large white masthead which will stand out on the dark background. The headline is in red and the cover lines are in white. I have used the colours white, black and red because I think the colours work well with each other.
My contents page again has the masthead in white in a large font size, it will stand out because it is big and also because the white will stand out on the dark background. The writing is in red and white so that the colour scheme is the same as the front cover so it continues the same house style.
My double page spread continues the same house style and I have also edited the images I used. I did not use an editing programme in my preliminary task and this is another reason why my main task is much better, I also used other better software for my main task and along with this I had done more research and so had a better idea of what my target audience liked about magazines and the ways in which I could put the information across. My preliminary task had no real house style unlike my main task and I think that this made it look less professional.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
I aimed my magazine at people who were into the hip-hop genre. It will be mainly aimed at the demographic of young males because this is the social group that my research showed listen to hip-hop the most.
From looking at my research hip-hop magazines use big bold colours and follow a house style all the way through. I therefore had to make my magazine appeal to my target audience because if it did not then people would not buy it which would lead to a decrease in the sales for the magazine. My magazine masthead is “All About Music” which tells people straight away that all that is included is music, unlike some magazines which include other areas such as sport.
I made the image on my front cover dark with a dark background. I have brightened up the picture so that even though it is still dark it will still stand out from the background. It may seem strange that I have a dark picture on a dark background but this makes the magazine look bold, which is what I was trying to achieve. Another reason why I have made the image and background this way is because if it was on a shop shelf then it would look different from the other magazines and so it would stand out which could attract people’s attention.
The colours white, black and red are more masculine colours than feminine which is another reason I used them because my magazine is aimed more at males than females. When people buy a magazine they look for lures on them and in my magazine I offer a free CD, this will not only increase the number of people who know about the artist but it could also lead to an increase of sales.
There are three types of semiotics: symbolic, iconic and indexical signs. I would say that the images on my magazine are iconic as they look like what they mean. I have created the images so they fit the stereotype I am trying to create.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
I mainly looked at ‘Q’ magazine and ‘VIBE’ magazine as these magazines produce similar products to mine. Q magazine is mainly about R&B whereas VIBE is about rap and hip-hop. Q magazine is produced by Bauer Media Group and VIBE is produced by The Wicks Group. I think that The Wicks Group is more likely to distribute my media product because it is similar to VIBE magazine.
They might distribute my product because my magazine will mainly focus on younger artists who are just making their way onto the scene and so it will target the younger generation and so mine will be different which means the distributor could see it as a profit. They could see it as a profit making magazine as the market it will be targeting will be a niche market and so it will be targeting a smaller group of people but it will have a lot less competition.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
The audience for my media product will be teenagers who are interested in the hip-hop music genre. It will mainly be males because hip-hop music itself is mainly targeting males as the majority of artists are males but if it appeals to females as well this will be good as it will lead to making more of a profit. The magazine would be on release in the UK only and so would be mainly including artists from the UK. The magazine will include articles about older, well known artist’s as well as new artists which have just made their breakthrough and how they have gone about this process. Just from looking at the front cover of my magazine people would not recognise the artist and so they could either put it down or buy it because they want to find out more about it.
My magazine is reasonably priced and so people will not put it down because they think that it is too expensive. It is also not too cheap which shows that it is not a cheaply made magazine. Having it mid priced means that people will be more likely to choose my magazine instead of an overpriced one.
How did you attract/ address your audience?
My target audience was young males who are interested in hip-hop music so I had to look into how I could attract this audience and get them to buy my magazine and not another one. The first way I would attract the audience was with the images as these are seen before the text is read. If the images are good then it will get people to pick up the magazine and then go on to read it. So I had to make sure that the text was informative but not too boring. If the text is too boring then people will not buy the magazine.
My front cover has one large dark image on a dark background. The image is a close up of the face of the artist, if people recognize him then they will want to find out about him and for those that do not they might want to find out about a new artist who they might like. I had to make sure that the image was visible because it would be tricky putting a dark image on a dark background but I think I got it just right. I used Adobe Photoshop to edit the images so they are different to normal photographs. I made my front cover so that there wasn’t much text but so there was enough for people to see what was going to be inside the magazine.
For my contents page I added another image of a new artist who again meets the stereotype of a hip-hop artist. I have changed the font so that it is not the same all the way through. The two images I have, one of the main artist and the other of a different artist have been edited so they match the background. Again they are relatively dark images but they still stand out which will make it different to other magazines which will be another factor which will help to attract my audience.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have had to use a camera a lot to construct my product. I had not used a camera much before this product so it was a new experience getting used to it. I used a small high-megapixel camera to take the photographs, this was good because it meant I did not have to carry a big heavy camera around and also I could take my camera and take pictures where and when I found an appropriate place.
After taking the photographs I then had to get them onto the computer and use a program to edit them. I used Adobe Photoshop to edit the image and then I created my front cover, contents page and middle page spread in Microsoft Publisher.
For the front cover I took a close up of the artist’s face and this will cover the whole of the front cover with text around it. I have taken into consideration the mise-en-scene, so I have got the artist wearing sunglasses and having headphones around his neck. This is also an example of an indexical sign.
For the contents page the main artist has got his hood up and headphones on. The other artist also has his hood up with hands in his pockets. Both of the images are mid-shots as I wanted the images to be different to the front cover. I edited the pictures so that they fit into the background, so the background of the images weren’t light when the background of the contents page was light.
For my middle page spread I had three images, one was a long shot of the full body at a high angle so it looked like the artist was powerful. The next image was a low angle mid shot of the artist working and the final image was another mid shot.
The new Adobe software has taught me new techniques in editing and how images can be manipulated in terms of colour, shape and shading.
As part of this process I have had to create and manage a blog to record all my work. In order for this to be successful I have had to learn to manage my time and also how to upload images and texts onto the blog.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
My preliminary task consisted of a front cover and a contents page for a school magazine. My main task was a major improvement on my preliminary and this was down to the use of new equipment, especially editing programs. Also the experience I gained helped a lot for the main task as I knew what to expect and where to improve on my preliminary task.
The use of the edited images will make the magazine look more professional and will catch the eye of people. I realised that planning played a huge part in the construction of my product and if I got that right then it would make the rest a lot easier.
Thursday
Feedback for Second Draft
My target audience feedback wasn't great but they did say the background was still too dark, so I am going to change it completely and put an image as the background.
Feedback for First Draft
The comments my target audience made were:
- the title is too dark
- the 1st article is too dark
- very plain
- dark writing is too hard to read
Wednesday
Research for Middle Page Spread
I think that this page would appeal to my target audience because the large image draws readers attention and it also makes the page look less dull.
Also the large introduction with the persons name in large text will mean readers will notice what the text is about, it will either draw in readers or it will turn them away depending on if they like him or not. The text is nicely presented and because there isn't too much of it people will not be put off reading it.
I think this page would appeal to my target audience because of the large amounts of images which draw in peoples attention. After people have looked at the images they will want to go on to read the text to find out about them. I think that even though there is a large amount of text this page works because of the images as they draw in peoples attention and make them want to read more. I will try to achieve this when I create my double page spread.
Out of the three middle page spreads I have looked at I think that this one is the one that will not appeal to my target audience. Although the images are big they do not compensate for the large amount of text and so it will not appeal to my target audience. I think that the large amounts of texts makes it look more boring and like a newspaper and this is not what I will be going for in mine. 
Feedback for Second Draft
After I had changed the font of the writing it made some of the writing get cut off by the pictures, other than this my target audience liked my contents page. This is the only change I need to make before my final draft.
Feedback for First Draft
The majority of the people I asked liked the contents page. The others made the following comments:
- change the font
- change this weeks and this months to this week's and this month's
Research for Contents Page
The first contents page I looked at is Mojo. I liked this contents page as it is quite simple and so it does not contain too little or too much information. I like the use of the one image and the text working around it. When I create my contents page I will think about how this one works.
The next contents page I looked at was from Q magazine. This magazine has a lot more images than Mojo but because it is done over a double page it doesn't seem too busy. The house style is continued from the front cover through to the contents page and I will make sure I do this with my magazine.
I like this contents page, the use of the list on the left hand side telling the audience what is included in the magazine does not give away too much about what is inside the magazine and so people will have to read on to find out more. Also the use of the lure 'Albums of 2010' will attract the audiences attention and I think it is a good idea to include it. The use of the large image as the majority of the page works well and again the audience will want to find out more about them and so they will have to read the rest of the magazine.
Feedback for Third Draft
Even though the picture is quite dark most people liked the image, some said it should stand out a little more so I will make it slightly brighter before I publish my final draft. Some people said that there was too much white at the top of tha page so I will change the colour of the strapline, I will ask my target audience what colour they think will be best suited to the overall front page. Also I need to make the lure stand out better, change the colour, and i will again ask my target audience what they think is best.
Feedback for Second Draft
My target audience thought that this was much better than the first. They still thought that i should make the following adjustments:
- make the bar code smaller
- have another lure
- and make the picture stand out more
Second Draft of Front Cover
After the comments i recieved from my target audience i made some adjustments and this is my second draft.
Feedback for First Draft
The comments that my target audience made were;
- its too plain
- the masthead and banner are too big
- change the colours
- looks too much like a poster.
Front Cover Research
To start I looked at NME magazine as it is aimed at a similar age group to mine, although it is aimed at a slightly different music genre to mine. I did not like the front cover because the image has got lots of different people, whereas I prefer 1 image.
I did like the large masthead and headline.
I then went on to look at Q magazine. Q is also aimed at a similar age group and it is closer to the music genre that I am looking at. I like the front cover because it is simple but effective, with 1 large image on the background and a large masthead and headline makes these parts stand out then it has some cover lines in smaller print.
The final magazine I looked at was Mojo. Mojo was aimed at teenagers like mine will be but it is aimed at the rock music genre rather than hip-hop so I will mainly use it as a comparison.
I did not like the front cover as I think there was too much going on around the main image. I think that there were too many coverlines and I couldn't really see the headline so this should be made to stand out.
Main Task: Music Magazine
For the main task i had to create a front cover and contents page like in the preliminary task but I had to extend to make a double page spread for a new music magazine. I must use the knowledge I gained from the preliminary task to show progression in the use of different programs to edit each part of my main task: front cover, contents page and double page spread.
Preliminary Task: School Magazine Evaluation
I think that my preliminary task went quite well, I got an idea of what my target audience liked and disliked about front covers and contents pages and I can apply this knowledge to the music magazine which i will now start to focus on.
Feedback for Second Draft
For the contents page;
- too dark
- too masculine
- make the backgroung lighter
They said that it looked better with the new picture added as it makes it look less boring.
Feedback for First Draft
- it was too manly
- too plain
- they liked the fact that it wasn't all listed
- the page numbers should be highlighted so they stand out
Tuesday
Research for Contents Page
I think that this contents page will appeal to my target audience because there is not very much text, I think this will appeal to my target audience because the short amount of text gives the audience enough information about the magazine to keep them interested and it doesn't give too much away about what is included in the magazine so the readers will have to go on to read the rest of the magazine and the only way they can do this is by purchasing the magazine. I think that the large image draws peoples attention and then the use of the other images makes the page look good.
This is the contents page from the magazine get smart. There is alot of text and not very many imagess which may mean it will not appeal to teenagers. The white text on the pink background makes the text stand out, also the text is spaced out which will make it easier to read. There is a large image in the bottom right which is the cover story. The image is big to make it stand out and to draw your attention to it. I think that this page needs less text and the images should be bigger, especially the main story.
Feedback for Second Draft
1. change the colour of the masthead
2. change the shapes in which the writing goes to make it look less plain and dull
3. the pictures are too small
4. writing needs to be bigger
5. background should be lighter again to make it less masculine
Feedback for First Draft
My target audience, which is teenagers of both genders, made the following comments about my first draft of my front cover.
- it was too manly
- too plain
- needs more pictures
- needs to be more justified
Wednesday
Front Cover Research
I think that this front cover is likely to appeal to my target audience because there isn't much writing and the writing there is is easily readable as it stands out and i like the large image as the background as it is simple but yet effective. This magazine has a large masthead and headline and the cover lines are in smaller print. The headline and masthead stand out to attract the eyes of possible buyers, and if it is attractive then people will want to buy it.
I think that this front cover will appeal to my target audience because the writing is big and there isnt much of it, the one big image is also something i think my target audience will like as it means the front cover is not too busy and cramped with information. This magazine again has a large masthead and headline which stands out so that people will want to buy the magazine.
Preliminary Task: School Magazine
For my preliminary task I had to use DTP and an image manipulation program to produce a front page and a contents page for a new school or college magazine. It had to feature a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid out text, and a masthead.
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