Question 7

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

From my preliminary task, I feel I have broadened my Photoshop skills as I am now able to access different effect on my texts and images such as strokes and bevels that I didn’t know how to before. I have also learnt how to make the most of the space I have and how to lay out my text and images in the best possible way as to avoid too much blank space on the page. I am therefore thinking more about how the texts looks on the page and trying to make sure that it all fits together in terms of size, fonts and colours whereas I didn’t consider this when creating my preliminary task and this is evident in the fact that I have only used one front throughout the two pages but in my final task I have chosen two are three fonts that I believe worked well together to use over the four pages.

                Another skill I have learnt from the final production is how to cut out images. In my preliminary task, I didn’t make any adjustments to the contrast or the images and even though I was using the same camera, the images didn’t come out as clearly as I was only using the natural lighting provided. However now I am able to work the professional lighting and this has resulting in much better images for my final piece. Also I have learnt how to make much needed adjustment to my photos now, such as the colour levels, opacity and smoothing and feathering the edges of the image. This, along with images cut out from the backdrop I took them from means that my final images look much clearer and I think they are nicer to look at because they are now more of a statement and dominate the pages whereas the images I used on my preliminary task blend in more to the text and don’t have as much impact on the reader.

This is the backdrop that I used to taked my photos with:

            

                Furthermore, I have learnt skills such as text wrapping to guarantee that all the difficult space to fill can be filled with text while on my preliminary task, I chose to put a block of text on my contents page and place my pictures around it because I though it would be too difficult to make the text surround the images, even thought his would have made the images more powerful to look at. Now though the images of my model on the page look much more powerful and you can tell that they are dominant on the page and I now use the text wrapping tool to fill in the blank space around the image.

                Finally I have also become more creative in the style of my final piece as opposed to the preliminary task as I am now able to think more for myself in terms of what effects to put on my texts and what I feel works better together. I also believe that I have been able to find a balance in the amount I have put on each page as before I feel there was too little and it left too much blank space and the page looking empty. However now I have been able to add more to my final piece without going over the top and making it look too busy of cluttered so I have also developed skills such as creative freedom and I have become much more independent as I am now aware of how to use Photoshop in a way that will make more effect to my work.

Question 6

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


I believe that I have learnt a lot about the different technologies and software’s available to me during the course of the production of my magazine. I started off my completing a photo shoot in order to gather images to use within my magazine. During this task I learnt how to use a professional camera and focused on the different camera shots and angles available to me. I managed to find different ways to create these angles such as standing on a chair to create a low angled shot etc. I also had to think about the effectiveness of the camera shots for example I realised that a close up can help to promote closeness with the reader.

I also discovered the importance of lighting as this can create a certain mood within the photo I generally tended to use high key lighting as the article I was doing was more upbeat and energetic, however I now understand when it is appropriate to use lower key lighting and how to do this. Working with professional lighting was a great opportunity as the shots came out much clearer than they would have with natural lighting.

                      

Another way I have learnt about technologies is through software’s such as Photoshop, which I used throughout the production of my magazine. I found out that there are two ways to cut out images; using the quick selection tool and through quick mask mode, and I ended up incorporating both of these in order to create smooth edges of my photos when I was removing them from the backgrounds. I also used the ‘refine edge’ tool to either smooth or feather the edges of the photo once it was cut out from the background. With all of these techniques, I ended up with very professional looking photos as a result that were also cut out well.

As well as using the general tools such as text and shapes on Photoshop, I also looked into adding different FX to certain aspects of the different pages in my magazine. I used strokes to make sure that the text was legible on any colour background and drop shadows for a 3D effect and to make the text look more prominent on the page. In some cases, I felt that the white background was too boring and left too much black space on some of my pages, in this case I added a gradient to the background where I added a square that faded from black to white. I also used this effect on boxes with text on then for my contents page.

This is an example of a gradient that I used on a heading for my contents page:

        

                Another way I used Photoshop was to change the opacity of my images if I wanted to use them in the background of the page. I also adopted the use of the black and white tool and I used ‘levels’ to adjust the image and make is look more defined. On my front cover I also used a ‘bevel and emboss’ effect to create my ‘free A4 poster’ sell line. This gave the text the appearance that it was coming out of the page and is eye catching for the readers.

            

                I feel that during the production of my magazine, the technologies that I have had access to have played a very important role in the finish of my magazine. With Photoshop, my magazine looks professional and the images look well cut out and the different effects I have used make sure that each sell line on my front cover also looks unique. Having access to a professional camera and lighting have also been an advantage as I have ended up with a collection of very clear photos that are bright and with the effects, they are more interesting to look at.

Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

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Evaluation Question 5

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My magazine attracts its target audience, firstly though the use of a gender mutual colour scheme. I decided to use colours such as red, black, grey and white as these can reflect the genre of music my magazine promotes as well as being appealing colours to both males and females. Also I think that the colour scheme of my magazine looks very sophisticated and more mature than pop magazines that may include colours such as pink and yellow. I therefore believe that this will be the first selling point of my magazine as it will reflect the style of reader that I am trying to address.
          I have also made sure that there is a lot of variety within the contents of my magazine. I have therefore included bands and both males and female solo artists from different time periods within the magazine to make sure that there is something for every reader to enjoy. I have also included a competition and a free A4 poster inside the magazine to make the reader feel that they are getting more for their money and this feature may even draw them to buying the magazine on a regular basis. I have created a ‘lyric challenge’ on the front cover of my magazine where a line from a song of an artist from the indie/rock genre appears at the bottom. The reader can then guess what lyrics the song is from and they will find out in the next issue. This is another way I will attract regular readers.
          As the target audience for my magazine are fairly young, I have ensured that my magazine is in keeping with the zeitgeist of social media. I have done this buy creating a number of different ways for readers to access the contents of the magazine such as on Facebook or Twitter. I have also created a website for my magazine and this will allow regular readers to register as a member for the chance to be e-mailed free monthly downloads. They can also subscribe through the website, over the phone or by downloading the ‘RAW’ app on a Smartphone. When creating my mood board for my target audience I realised that the majority of people within my target audience would own a Smartphone such as a Blackberry or an iPhone; I therefore decided to make the app available on these phones so readers can still access the information they want even if they are not able to buy a paper copy of the magazine. I understand that some readers that are not as regular may not want to pay for the app so I intend to introduce a free app as well which will include only the features of each issue and on a much briefer scale.
          I have tried to give my magazine a certain style of writing which makes the readers feel comfortable whilst reading it. I have therefore chosen to employ a slightly chatty and friendly tone to my writing to create the feel of a personal relationship with the reader. Uses and Gratifications theory also claims that people read magazines not only to build personal relationships but to create a sense of identity and escapism. I have therefore tried to include contents that the readers can identify with, such as gig listings or album reviews. I want readers to feel that every page is about something different so if there are two similar artists I have made sure that they are plenty of pages away from each other to the contents doesn’t feel repetitive.

Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

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The target audience that I have chosen for my magazine is young adults aged 16-25. I have chosen these ages because by the age of 16, most people have developed a clear idea of the type of music they like to listen to. Also by this age, they are likely to have been to a concert or a festival and the listings and reviews within the magazine will help them to decide where to go and who to see. I think that the magazine is likely to appeal more to a male audience as this gender is likely to show more of an interest in the genre of music I am focusing on. However, my magazine is able to appeal to a female audience as well with a focus on female stars too. I have also gone for a very gender mutual colour scheme and I believe that this is another way that my magazine will attract both genders to read it.

The social class that I have chosen for my magazine is A-C1. I have chosen these social classes because I think that these are the classes that will be able to afford to buy my magazine on a monthly basis. Although I am targeting my magazine at younger people as well, it is more likely to appeal to young people with parents within these social classes. As my magazine is priced at £3.99 per issue, it is likely that only people from these social classes would be able to afford every issue, however as the subscription deals on offer allow both regular and irregular readers to save money, members of other social classes will also be able to access the issues they want and when they want at a cheaper price.

My magazine is likely to appeal to a niche market as they are likely to share the same interests, income, needs etc. I believe that the psychographics of my audience is that they are ‘succeeders’ and ‘individuals’. I don’t feel that they would be ‘mainstream’ because my magazine is specific to the indie/rock genre and I think that members of a mainstream psychographic are likely to listen more to chart music and keep up with whose number one in the charts, for instance. Whereas I think that readers of my magazine are individuals as, even though they are all interested in the indie/rock genre, they may not like every artist included or artists from different eras and I have therefore made sure that my magazine includes a vast variety of artists from the indie/rock genre.

I believe that my magazine’s audience will share similar social habits and interests. I have therefore made sure that my magazine fits in with the ‘needs’ of my target audience. For example, I have expected that my readers will enjoy going to various gigs and concerts and I have therefore created a section of my magazine that focuses on gig listings and reviews. This way I can be certain that my readers are receiving the information they expected and that they are interested in reading.

Question 3

What kind of institution might distribute your magazine and why?

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I think that a suitable institution to distribute my magazine would be Hearst Magazines UK (previously known as Nat Mags). This is because Hearst Magazines don’t currently distribute any music magazines and therefore I will not be in competition with other well known music magazines such as ‘NME’, ‘Q’ and ‘Kerrang!’ who are distributed by IPC Media and Bauer Media.  Hearst Magazines tend to distribute fashion or lifestyle magazines such as ‘Cosmopolitan’, ‘Esquire’ and ‘Company’ and as these magazines are all fairly well known, my magazine has more chance of becoming noticed by readers of these magazines, attracting members of other target audiences, as well as my own.

                Another reason why I believe that Hearst Magazines is a suitable distributer for my magazine is the fact that they are likely to want the first music magazine they distribute to be a success and will therefore make sure that there is a stable marketing campaign and a large enough budget in order to make the magazine known to members of its target audience. Also, Hearst Magazines distribute magazines for both male and female audiences and my magazine is aimed at both so will be likely to attract them to read the magazine. I believe Hearst Magazines would also gain from distributing my magazine in that my magazine has a different genre and target audience to most of the other magazines they distribute and this could lead members of my target audience to read the other magazines that Hearst Magazines distributes and that they may not have necessarily picked up in a shop beforehand.

                The final reason why I believe Hearst Magazines would be the best distributer for my magazine is because they have experience. This is evident in the amount of successful magazines they have distributed over the years. This will give my magazine a ‘head start’ in marketing strategies and the knowledge needed in order to make the magazine a success.

Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

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Evaluation Question 2

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I believe that the social group within my target audience is well represented within my magazine and just from looking at the front cover you can see that the readers are sophisticated and outgoing. This is mainly through the colour scheme that my magazine employs but also due to the images I have chosen to use. There is quite a lot of black and grey throughout my magazine and the gradient on the front cover portrays my audience as being mysterious and unique. I have also chosen these colours as opposed to colours such as pink and purple as I understand that darker tones are not only going to be more appealing but they also fit in better with the magazine’s genre and promote a relationship between the readers and the indie/rock genre.

The cover model on my magazine looks dominant, successful and superior on the page. She takes over most of the space and a few sell lines surround the image. This suggests that she is an idol to the readers and that the magazine understands how important and influential the artist is to the lives of the readers. Also, the body language of my model throughout the magazine suggests that she is dominating the issue and that she is a mainstream artist. However, it is made clear that she and the readers share similar interests as she is wearing a reading band from the gig. The audience are therefore promoted as being lively and energetic. I have tried to give the model a natural look, make up-wise as I believe that readers of my magazine are likely to adopt a similar look and aren’t the type of people to be too obsessed with looks.

I have also tried to style the model in a way that members of my target audience would dress to suggest a link between them to illustrate my social group as being stylish but, at the same time, they have their own unique style and don’t tend to follow trends as much. I incorporated an image of my cover model with a guitar in to the magazine to suggest that the readers don’t just enjoy listening to music but they also look for other ways to involve themselves in it. The body language of my model changes throughout the magazine as she appears intimidating on the cover but on the double page spread she comes across as being much more open and friendly. This shows that the readers of my magazine are friendly and approachable but uphold a powerful and intimidating manner in contrast to how readers of a pop magazine may be portrayed.

I envision readers of my magazine to be strong fans of the genre of music and not just the particular artist featuring in a certain issue which is why I have included a different, free A4 poster every week of a different artist. This also represents readers of my magazine as being loyal and devoted fans of the indie/rock genre. I have used a Polaroid effect to create a frame for some of the images on one of my double page spreads. The facts that I have chosen to use Polaroid frames suggests that the social group of my magazine is interested in vintage style and that they are also classy and appreciate music of older, classic artists instead of constantly listening to chart music like readers of pop magazines might do.

Question 1

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

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Overall, I believe that my magazine employs many of the conventions already found in other magazines of the same Indie/Rock genre such as ‘Q’ or ‘NME’. However I have also tried to adapt these to make my magazine slightly different.

The masthead appears at the top of my front cover, as normal and the main cover image overlaps part of the text to illustrate that my model is the main focus in the issue and that she is more important. I have also included a tag line, ‘Real Honest Music’ to reference the magazine’s contents as being trustworthy to potential readers. I chose to include not only the English price of the magazine, but an overseas price as well to give the magazine global appeal. The price appears both under the masthead and by the barcode to it is clearly visible to the reader. I have also made the magazine’s web address clearly visible on the cover to suggest that there is extra information on the site and to influence regular readers to check it out.

I believe that my front cover challenges typical conventions of Indie/Rock magazines as it upholds a fairly minimalistic look. The main image is surrounded by a few sell lines to suggest the contents of the magazine to the readers. However magazines of a similar genre such as ‘NME’ fill their front covers with lots more information and use brighter colours and different fonts when doing so. I wanted my magazine to take on a style that was more sophisticated than this but, at the same time was slightly busier than magazines such as ‘Q’. I believe that I have achieved this by taking the use of a range of different fonts from ‘NME’ to make each of my sell lines look unique and varied but incorporating ‘Q’s’ layout on to the page so the reader can see the features that are on offer inside and believe that they are getting more for their money when they turn to the contents page and find that there is a lot more than they expected and I believe that it is the simple fact that the reader can expect something different inside every issue that makes my magazine stand out from other magazines of the same genre.

            My contents page adopts many of the typical conventions used in similar magazines both through the layout I have chosen to use and the type of information that can be found in it. I decided to divide my contents page in to sections to make it easier for the readers to find what they are looking for. I have also ensured that all my articles have sub-headings to give a brief description of what the readers will find on them and I have also made sure that the page numbers are clear and easy to read so the articles are more accessible to the readers. I don’t feel that I have managed to challenge the conventional aspects of other contents pages much as the information I have included is more necessary than optional. I have therefore included subscription details for the magazine which are displayed clearly at the bottom of the page as well as different ways that readers can access the magazine’s contents from sites such as Facebook or Twitter, in keeping with the zeitgeist of social media. I have also included an image of the cover star, as well as images from other articles to highlight the variety of artists within the magazine.

            Similarly, my double page spreads tend to stick to the typical style that is expected in similar magazines. Both pages consist of a banner both at the top and the bottom to display the pages numbers, the name of the magazine and the type of article it is for example, exclusive. I have then decided to include a brief introduction to the article so the reader can get a sense of what they will come across when reading it or the type of questions that the artist has been asked. The title on the article is fairly large so it is clear who the article is actually about and the main image dominates most of the page to signify its importance. I have also chosen to include a variety of images with shot sizes varying across the two pages. This gives the reader a view of the artist from a range of different views. Also, I made sure to include a few different outfit changes within the images I used to make them look unique and different to one another. I have followed another convention by including pull quotes from the text on the pages. This way, even if the reader is just deciding to quickly skim through the article, they are able to pick up on some of the key points discussed as well as being able to become more familiar with the artist.