2. *
* My media product is a new music rock magazine, I used a mixture of forms to create the magazine
pages. One of the forms I used was text in photoshop where I made the title for my magazine and
the contents. I also used text in indesign for the actual article. I used this because on the contents
it explains in detail what’s in the book and what its about and is used for the cover lines and the
title because it adds to the cover and makes it more interesting.
* Another form I used was images on the cover, contents and article and I used 4 of them in total. The
images are used to connect with the reader and if there is a person on the front of the magazine it
will appeal to more people, it also can justify what type of magazine it is depending on the artist
that’s on the front I didn't use many but I used a few graphics especially on the contents page to
add colour and make it look more structured.
3. * Conventions is what;s expected with the layout and my magazine pages follow conventions because they are structured
for example the article and the contents layout is very easy to follow because of the columns but its also effective. Also
the images I have used on my cover and my contents are conventional because the people are all looking at the
camera making eye contact with the whereas one of the ones on my article is breaking the conventions because she is
looking away from the camera meaning she isn't making eye contact with the reader.
* In my magazine I followed most of the forms and conventions that are expected just like the real magazine that follows
conventions such as the colour’s used, the fonts that match the genre of the magazine, the columns used to make it clear
and the fact the people in the images are looking at the camera apart from one where its an action shot of them
performing just like one of my photos where the girl is looking away from the camera but the rest are making eye
contact. the only differences are on the contents of the real magazine is that the picture is smaller because there is a
little paragraph about the Arctic Monkeys whereas my picture takes up half of the page because its one of the main
features on this. Also on the article of the real magazine the title takes up most of the page making it really stand out
whereas on mine the title is just at the top because the article is a little bit bigger.
4. * My inspiration for this magazine came from all over the place. I searched on Google different rock music
magazine covers and contents too see what people like most on their magazines. I also went into shops
and always looked out for the magazines that were out to compare with the others I had already seen.
Not only did I do that but I also evaluated and took apart a cover, contents and article on my blog so
that I knew exactly what I needed to do to mine and what type of things I shouldn't do too.
* My magazine doesn't go against many conventions because it follows most of them with the colour’s
contrasting and on the contents with the clear columns, and on the article with the image half of the
page and the article the other half. The pictures all making eye contact especially the one on the cover
apart from the one on the article where she isn't looking at the camera. Also the colour’s and clothes
they are all in matches and is perfect for the genre of rock.
5. *
* On my front cover I have presented a young British girl who is in to rock. The cloths I used to dress her in
were dark harsh clothes which gives off the impression she is a rocker girl without needing to look at the
title for an indication. I left her hair down and messy so that it was all over the place and had her stand
straight in front of the camera with her hands in her pockets which gives off the impression that she has
attitude and doesn't care. I looked at multiple rock magazine front covers for inspiration and the best
ways to represent my model. Also the language used on the front cover is very blunt, very short and
straight to the point.
6. * On my contents I also have one picture with three band members on it. This image is black and white
because I felt it also fits with my theme of rock. Their ages are similar as they are all very young and a
mixture of two men and a woman. They are dressed all scruffy with un-tucked shirts and a leather jacket
on Chloe. The two guys have long wigs on, Naim has some drum sticks as a prop and Chloe has a guitar
because they also are associated with rock. They are all stood facing the camera with a straight face and
Chloe is slouching a little bit giving off some attitude. Also the language used for the contents is very
formal and easy to read.
* The final page (article) has two images of Georgie, one of them is with her from her side looking at the
camera with her hair all crazy and the second image with her looking away from the camera kneeling on
the floor. The clothing I dressed her in was a leather jacket and a chocker to emphasis the rock genre.
She doesn't have an props because I made the decision not to as they weren't needed.
7. *
* One place where you can get your magazine published is from a website called self-publishing
(www.selfpublishingbooks.co.uk/gclid). For getting your magazine published through this company would
cost from £180-£395 and they mainly do the copy's in a print form because its cheaper, easier and
because they have an effective print-on-demand service. As they would be print copies they can make
them in masses or in niche depending on how many places they are planning on selling them and if there
has been any advertisement weather people know about the magazine or not. The cost of the magazine I
would image wouldn't be too expensive because its still comparing with all of the other magazines but
high enough it can pay for all of the printing.
* However because the magazines are being done by yourself its very time consuming and to make lots of
them you would need some help. Also the magazine is mainly only made as a print copy and not a
mixture of print and digital because there might be some people who prefer the digital copies.
8. * Another publishing company is NME publishing (www.org/digital-publishing-award-2016-winners). This company is a very well
known company and reaches to over 28 million people and engages people between the ages of 16-34 so it covers a huge
variety. For each magazine they make they produce it in masses because of how popular they are. We know this because
they are sold at big events like festivals, music venues and then places like universities and high streets. When the
magazines are made they are made as both a digital form and print. The budges will be higher than it would for the self
publishing because its an actual company and its also one of the best well known companies but that they should also
mean you should gain a good profit.
* However this company has made it able to view these magazines online for example on Facebook, instagram, twitter, so you
could loose some money for making so many paper form and lots of people just buying them online.
* Overall I think that the NME company would be the best one to go for because it does cost a little bit more to get your
magazine published but that's because its being published to so many people all over the place and from a mixture of ages.
Also if the magazine is published by this company and the logo of NME is on the from many people will know that sign and
knows that its one of the best therefor its more likely to entice more people than if you published it yourself and it sat on
the shelf without any big companies name on.
9. *
* This is Isla and I believe she would be interested in my music magazine that I have created because the
magazine features bands, artists and things that Isla likes, gets inspiration from and identifies with. Isla
found rock music during a rough time in her life and sees it as a the only thing that has been consistent in
her life. Isla is 17 years old and lives near the center of Gloucester with her parents and younger sister.
Due to her love for rock music Isla learnt the guitar as a way of taking her mind off of the bad times and
any spare second that she has she plays her guitar.
10. *
* I attracted the audience by using well known people on the cover and by making sure the interviews and
other features I include are also of people that my target audience will be interested in. For example the
person used on the front of my magazine and the person who the interview is with are the most popular
people because the front cover is the first thing they see therefore it has to be the thing that appeals to
them.
* This is a rock music magazine do the colours and the layout has to make sure its linking to the theme of
rock. For example the image used on the contents just black and white and the clothes they are all
dressed in on the cover, contents and article is black and leather jackets because those are the sorts of
things people associate with rock.
11. * The way I address the audience from my magazine is through things like the language. The language used
isn’t too complex that its fairly easy for most people to follow. However some of the language used is
either abbreviated or slang words are being used because it is a rock magazine and everything like the
clothing of my models, colour schemes and even the language has to link in with the genre. Rock artists
are known for using swear words and slang in their songs and therefore it was used in the magazine.
Especially from the interview she was very relaxed and didn’t care what she was saying if she anted to
say it, she did.
12. *
* I have used many different hardware’s to create my magazine. I used things like a mouse, keyboard and Imac because without all of
these things I wouldn’t have been able to do anything else or interact with the computer. I learnt how to use an Imac computer
because the layout is different to other computers. I also used a d3100 camera to take all of my photo’s for my magazine pages.
* Occasionally I would use a memory stick just to back up all of my work incase something happened to my computer or my account. As
I saved it on a memory stick it meant that I could do work at home on my own laptop.
* Not only did I use different hardware's but also different software’s. One main software used was Photoshop and used it to create my
cover and contents for my magazine. I learnt what the tools were and how to use them. For example the tool to move things on the
pages to get them to the point you want them at. The eyedropper tool, the gradient tool for a back ground effect, the text tool for all
of the writing needed for things like the contents and the rubber to erase mistakes or things I didn't’t like. Lastly the lasso tool which
was used to cute out people or things from a photo I took to then place it on the actual magazine.
13. * Another software I used was InDesign to make my article which has very similar tools to Photoshop such as the text tool, the drag
tool, gradient tool however this software has a rectangular frame tool so that you can input photos. I used many different search
engines such as Google chrome, safari, Fire fox. I used PowerPoint to present some of my coursework because it is an interesting
and different way of presenting it.
* Word press was a big part of the coursework because that is where I present everything. It is where I put up all of my research, all
of the pages I made for my magazine and all of these questions.
* I have learnt lots of different skills from using all of the different
Software systems such as things like how to drag a photo onto my
Desktop or screenshot a picture (CMD + shift + 4). I have also learnt
How to copy (CMD +C) and paste (CMD +V) onto where I want them.
14. *
* My preliminary task was very basic, I didn't’t use many tools because I hadn’t done much experimenting and also the general ideas of
the magazine wasn’t planned very well. On my cover page the writing was positioned all over the image and it was all kind of the
same colour (green) so there wasn’t really any other colour to make it look more interesting. Not only that but I used the normal
font for the writing I changed it for the title but the cover lines were the simple font and hey were very long, whereas I learnt that
cover lines need to be short, sharp and snappy and that you need at least 2/3 colour's.
* I have learnt that It breaks conventions because the person used on the front of the magazine isn’t making eye contact with the
camera and the reader but looking into a book. Another thing I have learnt is that the little things on a magazine such as a barcode,
margins, the size of everything and how important a colour scheme is.
15. * My contents page is also a very simple page, its even more simple than the cover because there isn’t even an image on it because the
background is just black and grey colour. The font for all of the text is the same and the actual contents are all just in one column in
the middle of the page. I learnt that you need an image on the contents because it catches people eye more and you cant just put all
of the contents in one column because no one will look at it because if the contents and cover is boring the rest of the magazine is
most likely to be boring. Just like my cover page colour would need to change because the background is a plain colour and all of the
writing is green and there is no effects or other colour’s to make it look attractive. The size of the actual contents is a little too big.
* I did learn that there should be something carried across all of the pages in the corner and I did that on this magazine because I used
the school logo and put it in the corner at the bottom of each page. I also did this in my actual and improved magazine by making the
title smaller and putting it in a little box in the corner at the top of the pages.
From doing a practice magazine cover and then doing my real
Magazine I have learnt lots of new skills and I have realized
That all of the small things that you don’t think about on a
Magazine really make a huge difference to the final look
Of the magazine. The colour’s and the layout are so important
to your magazine because those are the types of things that
Define what the genre your magazine is and what audience
You are directing it at.