Additional Research

I carried some additional research on existing music magazines and then looked to see if or how I could incorporate these aspects into my own music magazine.

Research on Prezi

Evaluation - Question 7

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

The preliminary task I completed at the beginning of the course is a complete contrast to my final product. The school magazine that I completed as a preliminary task looks bland, unprofessional and boring. The article headline around the image on the front cover doesn’t fit the message I was trying to get across to the audience. The magazine was supposed to look exciting and intriguing in the attempt to create a positive impression of the school but instead the font choice made it look bland. Instead of having the white box header at the top of the page, I should have blended the colours so it didn’t look so sectioned, this would have made the page flow better. For my final magazine front cover I edited the pictures to give it a clear and bright appearance, I placed the title of the magazine in a more suitable area and chose a more appropriate font to write the articles in. By changing these aspects of my front page I have created a far more appealing and professional looking alternative rock magazine front cover. I have learnt that the layout is extremely important when trying to create an appealing professional looking magazine.

The contents page of the preliminary task lacks colour and images. The page is full of blank spaces and look empty and un-complete. Therefore when I made my music magazine contents page I made sure I addressed this issue. I added more colour, mainly red as this was the colour scheme I decided on, this immediately made the page more eye-catching and exciting. I decided to lay the images out differently and make them different sizes; I think this makes the page look unique. Although the page contains much more compared to my school magazine contents page in the preliminary task, I sectioned key information. This meant the page was still organised and easy to read.

My double spread differs slightly from the plan I originally made as in practice the font size I wrote in was too big. When I came to create my own music magazine I decided to make the font much smaller so it created the appearance of being packed with interesting gossip and news from the artist. I decided to make this change because I think this will help attract my target audience. However apart from font size, the majority of my original plan for my music magazine stayed the same. For example: I kept the main image on the left of the page with the three vertical photo-booth ones to the right. In this respect I think my plan was successful and meant I had a clear idea of what to do when coming to create it. From this I have learnt how important a plan can be.

Evaluation - Question 6

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

During this project I have used a number of different technologies to complete my practical production. I had previously never used a Blog before and needed to set up my own in order to publish my work. In my Blog I have included a Blog poll and uploaded my preliminary task, planning and main task. To upload my work to my blog I have used Scribd and YouTube.

I had also never worked with the programme Prezi before commencing this project. I used Prezi to present the planning ideas for my main task including: name, font and colour scheme. Prezi allows you to present information in an interactive and fun way. I used the programme to mind-map my ideas and create ‘pathways’ to link these ideas. I would use Prezi again and would like to insert images and film in the future.

I completed my practical production using Photoshop to edit my images and create the final layout for my front-cover, contents-page and a double page spread. I used Photoshop to touch up my photos and to enhance the colours. I found Photoshop challenging as the use of layers can be very difficult.

To take my photos I used a Lumix camera. When using this camera I was able to change the focus in order to take a number of different types of shot including: mid-shot, long-shot and close-ups.

EValuation - Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my target audience of people aged between 16 and 25 who enjoy listening to music from the alternative rock genre through the use of layout, images, colour and content. From the results on my questionnaire the majority of people said that just one main image on the front cover would appeal to them more than having several. Therefore I incorporated this into my own magazine and have just one main image on the front. I think the image will attract the right audience because it’s someone of my target audience’s age so they can relate to it. The variety of images on the contents page will attract the target audience because it gives a slight insight to what this issue will contain, making them feel intrigued and wanting to find out more by reading it. When asked in a questionnaire what colour them they think an alternative rock magazine should have, red was voted the second most popular. I think the colour theme of red will attract the target audience as it is bright so will be eye-catching and grab their attention. Red has connotation of being a fun and lively colour, so I think this will help appeal to my target audience, as this is something 16-25 year olds want to endure, fun. Through the content of what was written in my magazine, I made sure it would be something that my target audience would be interested in, e.g. the top downloads of this month. At the age of 16-25 you want to feel as though you are up to date with what’s going on around you and I believe my magazine helps them feel they are achieving this, as it has the latest stories and need to know information in. To get a more accurate overview of how my magazine is viewed by someone within the age bracket of my target audience (16-25), I interviewed two students and asked for their opinion the alternative rock magazine that I produced.

Evaluation - Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

According to Burton’s theory, the audience for my alternative rock magazine will be separated through, education, nationality, age and gender. For example: a high-classed, white, older, female would be more likely to purchase a gardener’s magazine compared to a lower-classed, white, young, male. A stereotypical overview of music from the alternative rock genre would be artists and bands creating music with emotional lyrics, often talking about situations that their audience and fans could relate too. They rely on the music to help create an emotion towards the audience. The videos for the tracks of the alternative rock genre often are quite simple but yet still powering and overwhelming. The artists often have natural make-up and costumes we would expect to see in every day life, this helps the audience relate to the lyrics of the song and really get a feel for what the artist is saying, this makes the audience feel as though they have a connection with the artist as they can relate to their experiences. Therefore, using Burton’s theory my alternative rock magazine would have a target audience of a middle-classed, white, young, male audience. This could be due to the audience idolising the artists of music from the alternative rock genre and wanting to rebel from their own stereotypical social groupings and wanting to follow the lifestyle the artists who’s music they listen too has. The audience that would be interested in this genre of music would therefore be my target audience for my alternative rock music magazine. However I would identify my audience differently. I don’t think that nationality or education impact the audience who might read my magazine. I designed my magazine to specifically appeal to a wide target audience within the ages of 16 and 25 who enjoy listening to music from the alternative rock genre.

Evaluation - Question 3

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

The kind of media institution that might distribute my magazine would be Worldwide Magazine Distribution Ltd (WWMD). This is a business who supply British published magazines to niche and specialist retailers. This is the company behind magazines such as Q, Elle, Company and heat. This is a company that I would want to distribute my magazine as Q magazine is a highly successful music magazine and distribution would have been an important part in making it so successful, so I think WWMD would be a trustworthy company to distribute my music magazine. The priorities of this company are to: “create innovative sales, marketing and distribution solutions for our clients, enabling exciting opportunities to reach customers in the UK and overseas, with magazines and associated products in niche and specialist arenas.” This would attract me to use this company as I feel the motives of the company are positive and would successfully help me distribute my magazine due to the contacts they know, for example, WHSmiths. The fact they distribute to companies such as WHSmiths shows that my target audience would be well reached and would get my magazine know just by having it on their shelves. This would also entice WWMD to invest in my magazine and distribute it, as they know the right audience would be reached due to the distribution to the right companies.

Another media institution that might distribute my magazine would be Menzies Distribution. This is the company behind the distribution of magazines to companies such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer’s and many more leading supermarkets. Supermarkets see a vast variance in people so this could help attract a much wider audience for my music magazine. The company’s aim is to: “get the right products to the right customers at exactly the right time.” This implies they are motivated in what they do and will do a good job. The companies motto statement is “going the extra mile”, this suggests they will do anything they can to distribute your magazine; this is something that appeals to me about using this magazine distributor. The fact they export media to more than 40 countries on five continents would suggest they are an extremely successful company and must be reliable, otherwise they wouldn’t have distribution deals in so many different places. If my music magazine was to be distributed through Menzies business I would reach a much a wider audience of people aged 16-25 from all around the world. I think Menzies Distribution company would distribute my magazine because of that factor, as I would potentially be attracting business worldwide.

My target audience are people aged between 16 and 25, stereotypically this age group of people are using the most modern technology. Therefore I think my magazine would be well received in the form of an app or an online magazine as the internet is now so easily accessible through the use of smartphones with internet and technology such as tablets. This means my target audience could be more up to date with the latest stories compared to a print copy, where you would have to wait every month for an issue to be published.

Evaluation - Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Media represents particular social groups in many ways. For example: magazines can represent social groups through the use of mise-en-scene, colour, fonts, language, camera-work and editing. Therefore when I made my magazine I took this into account to ensure I gave the right message across to the audience and represented the particular social group in the way I wanted.

I think my magazine strongly represents age and gender. My magazine is aimed particularly at people between the ages of 16 and 25, therefore throughout the whole design of my magazine I tried to make sure it would appeal to this audience. I did this in a number of ways. For example: when I created the front cover of my magazine I made sure that it represented young people in a positive way. The main image on the front cover of my magazine is of a young male, I think this helps establish who the target audience is; for example, you wouldn’t expect to see a young male on the front cover of a magazine aimed at the elderly. The way the male is dressed helps represent the younger generation. I decided he should be dressed in the indie/geek-chic style because this is the style that is popular today amongst my target audience. I thought if he was dressed in a similar style to them, the audience could easily relate to him. His body language helps represent this particularly social group in a positive way. For example, he is looking away from the camera and appears to be laughing. This makes him appear far less intimidating than someone of his age is stereo-typically viewed to be. If he had been looking directly into the camera, the atmosphere of the magazine would have been far more intense because as humans, being looked directly into the eyes is unnatural behaviour. The lighting of the images also represents the younger generation as less intimidating because the colours are bright which creates a positive atmosphere; I created this look through the use of editing the pictures by changing the exposure and contrast of colours. The brighter colours also suggest energy which reinforces the target audience my magazine is appealing too. The contents page again helps represent my target audience in a positive light due to several reasons. One being font. I think font is important in reflecting a specific message across to the audience as each person can interpret it differently, therefore I took a great deal of time to choose a font that I thought was well suited to the magazine and would represent my target audience in a way I wanted. I chose a clear font to use throughout the page as I think it gives a more sophisticated feel. This reflects on the target audience as it suggests they are as mature and civilised as the rest of society. The choice of layout reflects who the target audience is, as I think if the images didn’t appear interesting or eye-catching enough, it would be far less appealing for them. This meant the page had to be laid out clearly to encourage my audience of people aged between 16-25 in order for them to read it. The choice of images was important in representing my target audience as well. For example; the image on the contents page of a female listening to her music represents young people in a very positively light. The way she is dressed is in a way that we would stereo-typically expect a female to dress who was in this age group. I like the fact this photo appears so natural because I think it helps present the younger generation as civilised, the opposite of how people would stereo-typically judge people of 16-25 to be. The choice of images on the double page spread also represents my target audience in a specific way. The three vertical images looking like a photo-booth shoot show the artist to be carefree but yet still civilised. This could be used to represent my target audience as they are within similar ages to the artist and it would be assumed their character would be of similar nature. I think the content of the interview appears very natural, it shows the artist to be a kind and respectful young man, again this helps to represent my target audience in a positive way as it shows people of that age can act politely.

Through the choice of images, costumes, the choice of colour theme and the content of what has been written I think gender is strongly represented throughout my magazine. The choice of image would immediately represent both genders, as it would attract immediate interest. Females would be attracted due to the fact there is a young attractive artist on the front and the males would be attracted because he is a well known artist on the front cover of a monthly magazine, this could inspire the males of my target audience in wanting to become just like him. The choice of costume on the front cover would represent the male audience as they could relate to it, as he is shown to be fashionable by wearing the up-to-date style of clothing, something we stereo-typically believe young males also do. Females would appeal to the costume of the artist as he made to look attractive which would immediately grab their attention. I decided on the colour theme of red because I feel this represents both females and males. Red has connotations of fun; this is something both genders can relate to. The article headlines represent both genders as its not specifically aimed at one sex, but instead both sexes could be interested in and enjoy, for example, ‘Album Verdict’. The contents page would represent gender as well due to the choice of layout. We stereo-typically assume females are more organised and tidier than males, therefore the layout would appeal to them as each image is placed clearly on the page with the relevant page number next to it, making it organised and easy to access the relevant article. The image of the female listening to her music would appeal to the male gender as she looks attractive so this would immediately grab their attention. The double page spread represents both genders as despite the image being of a male, the age of the artist represents young people as a whole and shows them in a positive way through his use of positive and happy facial expressions. The content of the article represents both genders. For example: the males could relate to what the artist is saying and the females would appreciate what is being said.

Evaluation - Question 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Print is a form of media and magazines are just one example of this. My task was to create a front cover, contents page and a double page spread for a music magazine, these are typical of this form of media. I found that some of the generic conventions of alternative rock magazines are: most of the magazines have one main image on the front cover that stand out to the audience making it eye catching; there’s a colour theme throughout the issue; the title of the magazine is put clearly on the front cover; the contents page will consist of images with the relevant page numbers; there will be a review of that issue; the image on the double spread is large making it eye-catching for the audience usually taking up more than one side of the page; typically on the front-cover there is a vague headline with a sentence underneath the headline explaining more about the story before reaching the article and a small logo/title of the magazine is put in the corner of each page to remind them of the magazine they are reading. When making my magazine I included some of these generic conventions. For example, on my front cover I have included the following typical conventions: I a colour theme of red, this is shown as the title of the magazine is written in a red box and any information I wanted to stand out to the audience was also written in red. I chose this colour because I think it appeals to both sexes without being specifically aimed at one gender. The colour red also has connotations of being fun and I think this is an accurate representation of how a music magazine should be. Another convention I included was one main image on the front cover. I decided on that particular picture because his facial expressions appear very natural, I think this has a positive reflection on the magazine as it suggests it will be a realistic overview on the artist. I also included the convention of having many article titles on the front cover, this gives the audience an insight to what the magazine contains and could persuade people to purchase it. On my contents page I have included the following typical conventions: putting the magazine title clearly at the top of the page, this reminds the audience what magazine they are reading, therefore if they like it they know to purchase it again. Another convention I included is different images with the relevant page numbers. I decided on adding this because I think it made the page much more appealing and eye-catching. Another convention I included was a review of the magazine. I think this makes the magazine much more personal to an audience as it quotes someone's opinions. For my double page spread, the conventions I included were: page numbers at the bottom of each page. This makes the magazine clear and organised to the audience giving them a sense of ease when reading it. I also included the convention of a vague headline with a sentence underneath. This entices the audience to find out more about the interview. Another convention I have included was highlighting the questions of the interview in a different colour (red). This clearly shows the audience the difference between the question and the answer from the artist. I decided to put the questions in red because this then relates to the colour theme that runs throughout my magazine. It also stands out as it is a much brighter colour compared to the answers (written in black).

I developed my media product from the typical conventions we might find in a stereo-typical alternative rock magazine through the layout of my images on the double page spread. For example: although having one main image is a typical convention of a double spread page, the three images laid out vertically isn’t. I decided to lay it out this way because I think the three vertical images look like the type you would find from a photo-booth. The fact each image shows a different facial expression portrays a relaxed feeling to the audience. I think this helped get the care-free message across to the audience immediately, without reading the interview. I believe the images play an important part in representing the artist in a fun way. I decided to use the film border around the images to help portray that photo-booth effect. The fact it is a film border suggests these images were taken over a length of time (just like a film would be), this suggests the artist’s character is genuinely like this, rather than it being a posed photo-shoot. I think this well help the audience appeal to the artist and they will be more likely to relate to him as he appears to be a genuine guy.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD for my alternative rock magazine

CONTENTS PAGE for my alternative rock magazine

FRONT COVER for my alternative rock magazine

Images

I made a moodboard of all the images I have taken for my magazine. I made a note of the ones I like, so when I come to make my magazine I will have a better idea of which ones to use.

Double Page Spread Plan

On this page, the main image on the left will be more of a serious photo, where as the three vertical photos will show a more fun side to the artist. The three vertical photo's are aiming to appear as though taken from a photobooth, I think this will reinforce the sense of humour this artist has and make it more appealing to the audience as it shows he doesn't take himself too seriously.

Contents Page Plan

I decided to have a small image of the front cover in the contents page because I noticed this was one of the many conventions of a typical music magazine. I'm hoping this will help give it a sense of professionalism. I also decided to have multiple pictures on this page rather than just one as this will give the audience an insight as to what is in this issue.

Front Cover Plan

This plan shows in detail how I will layout my frontcover. Im planning on having a long shot image as this will give the audience a clear image of the artist and shows them more of whats taking place in this issue.

Planning

My Music Magazine on Prezi

Data Analysis

From the results of my questionnaire I put them into graphs so I could clearly see the responses. For each question I made a short conclusion of the results and related it back to my own music magazine that I will soon be creating.

Data Analysis

Filled in Questionnaire

Here is just one example out of the 20 questionnaires that I asked people to fill out.

Questionnaire

This is an example of my questionnaire and I will later get 20 people to fill it out. The information gathered will help me when I come to make my own music magazine.

Generic Conventions of Alternative Rock Magazines

FRONT PAGE

• most of the magazines have one main image on the front cover that stand out to the audience, making it eye catching


• the magazines overlap images and text, for example; the title of the magazine might overlap the main image


• a colour theme throughout the issue

CONTENTS PAGE

• contents page consists of an image with the relevant page number on


• the title of the magazine is made clear on the contents page


• the issue number is stated on the contents page


• typically there is review of the current issue somewhere on the page

DOUBLE SPREAD

• the image on the double spread is large making it eyecatching towards the audience, usually taking up more than one side of the page


• typically there is a vague headline with a sentence underneath explaining more about the story before reaching the article


• a small logo/title of the magazine is put in the corner of each page to remind them of the magazine they are reading

Indie/Alternative Rock Magazine Analysis

Indie Rock Magazine Analysis

By analysing these magazines of the genre of music I want to make my magazine for, it has helped me recognise how important the use of colour and body language is to get a message across towards the audience. This is something I will take into consideration when I design my own magazine cover.

Alternative Rock

I have decided to create my magazine on the genre of alternative rock. I chose this genre because I can relate to the music that falls under this category as this is what I like to listen too. To get a better understanding of what makes a alternative rock magazine look professional, I will find some examples and analyse them. I can then use what I have learnt to help me create a stereo-typical alternative rock magazine.

Existing Music Magazine Frontcovers

Existing Music Magazines

I analysed three music magazine front covers to get a better understanding of what makes a front cover look professional and to discover the typical conventions.

Music Magazine Moodboard

I gathered images of different genres of music magazine frontcovers to get an idea of how they are laid out and what they contain. This will help give me an idea of what I need to do when I come to design my own music magazine.

Audience Theory

This audience theory shows the knowledge behind a fact. It explains why we analyse something in the particular way we do, we must take other factors into consideration.

Audience Theory

PRELIMINARY Contents Page

I have now designed the contents page for my school magazine on the computer. I particularly like the school logo in the top left hand corner, I think it gives it a sense of professionalism. I decided to add this, despite it not being on my plan, because I feel this creates a theme throughout the magazine and highlights the fact its a school magazine. The articles on the contents page will all be articles in the magazine. I made sure they would be articles that pupils could relate to. For example; the school production article would be something pupils could be interested in as it is something going on in their surroundings. The aim of the articles is to make students feel they are up to date with the events taking place in their school even if they do not take part in it.

I made this page on a blank word document. I cut and paste the school logo in and then added the word 'contents' to make it clear what page this is. I then made three boxes as a outline to where i would put my images and then a larger rectangular shape where i would later write the article issues included in this magazine. I added the three images into the boxes and used a text box to write the page number of the article the image relates to. I then added text into the larger rectangular box stating all the articles and page numbers of the articles included in this issue.

When I come to make my music magazine I will take into consideration all the typical conventions we expect to see in a contents page. For example; editor's notes, a theme running throughout the magazine and images relating to the front page article headlines. I shall then apply this to my own magazine.

PRELIMINARY Contents Page - plan

This is the plan for my contents page of a school magazine. From looking at existing school magazines, I noticed that they all have a main heading telling the audience its a contents page, therefore I decided to include this on my own contents page. I thought I would put 3 images on the page so pupils can have a clearer idea of what the magazine will contain. I put the page numbers that the images relate to so if a pupil feels intreiged by the image, they can easily find out more.

PRELIMINARY Front Cover

I later went on to design the front cover on the computer. I decided to add some more headings because I felt the page was looking too empty and didn't looking interesting enough. However I think when I come to make my real magazine, I will add even more headings as I feel its still looking a little bare. I decided to change the title of the magazine from my plan, as I thought by adding the logo of the school as part of the heading, it looks far more professional. I like the main image because it shows a school student with folders, this is something the pupils can relate to as it is relevant in their school lives.

I created this page on word. I added the image for the background, then simply added text boxes to write the heading of some main features the magazine will contain. To get the school logo on the page I cut and paste it from the Greenshaw website. For my final music magazine, I shall use photoshop to create the pages because I think this will give it a far more professional appearance.

PRELIMINARY Front Page - plan

This is my practice front cover for my school magazine. From looking at existing school magazines I noticed the aspects they have in common. For example, they all have a heading at the top of the page. I wrote mine in a clear font so its easy to read, I decided to write the word 'Greenshaw' in a bigger font because it highlights the fact it is a school magazine. I decided to have one main image and have the headings around it because I think it makes the page look clearer and more attractive to the audience.

Existing Magazines

These are examples of existing school magazines that I have found and made comments about in order to help me make my own. I looked at the typical conventions they featured and the things I liked about them. Some of the typical conventions I found were; clear headings, easy to read font, one main image on the front page and article headings around the imgage. I will take all of these aspects into consideration when creating my own magazine.

Existing Magazines

Practising photoshop

This was the front cover I made when I was practicing using photoshop. I decided to keep the background white so that the images of the black and white checkers and the graffiti will stand out more. I think it makes the background look more exciting and intriguing. I decided that the theme colour of the magazine would be purple so then it ties in with the colour of the E4 logo. I used the Polygonal Lasso Tool to create the purple sharp outline for the images of the cast in the programme, I thought this would highlight the actors/actresses. A stereotypical aspect of a magazine front cover is to state what issue the magazine is, so I used a text box and wrote in a purple font to say 'Issue 1'.

Now having done this task, I feel much more confident in using this programme. The three hours of classwork has made me much more familiar with the tools and I think it will give me the opportunity to make my music magazine look far more professional.