5. Evaluation questions:
•In what ways does your media product use, develop
or challenge forms and conventions of real media
products?
•How does your media product represent particular
social groups?
•What kind of media institution might distribute your
media product and why?
•Who would be the audience for your media product?
•How did you attract/address your audience?
•What have you learnt about technologies from the
process of constructing this product?
•Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the
full product?
6. After the completion of my magazine I Does the masthead tell
thought it would be a good idea to get
feedback. To see if it targeted my target
audience effectively.
Questionnaire you it’s a music
magazine?
I asked friends and family who had a
fond interest in music but also those Is the main image inappropriate? •Yes, The word “beat”
who don’t.
The questions I asked were... tells us it is of a music
•No, the models are well dressed variety
and stylish. •Yes.
Do you think the magazine is •No.
clear and easy to follow? •Yes, the font used is
•No, both models look mature girly and a beat in music
and comfortable in what they are is a constant rhythm.
•Yes, I believe it is
•Yes, the pages are set out clearly. wearing
So you know what you’re looking Would you buy the
If you saw the magazine in a
at. magazine if it was sold?
•Yes
shop, would the front cover
attract you towards it?
•Yes, in a instant!
Do you think the magazine is •Yes. The magazine is
well made? •Yes, but better font colours
refreshing and targets a
would help
wide audience.
•Yes, but it requires more work •Yes, The front cover is very eye-
•Yes
•Yes, It looks very professional catching and makes me want to
•It looks mature and well set see what's inside! Is it finished well?
out •Yes, it’s easy to identify what •Yes
the target audience is. •Yes, it looks great
•Yes, I’d buy it in a flash.
7. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
Front cover of Q magazine
Main image
Masthead
barcode
price
Sub-headings
This an example of a published
music magazine. It features
various codes and
Heading conventions. I used this
magazine as inspiration into
what to put into my magazine.
lure
8. •In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of
real media products?
lure
This is my front cover of “Beat”
Masthead
This is my final front
Main image cover of my magazine.
I have used various
codes and conventions
Heading often seen on the front
of magazine covers
barcode
Sub-headings price
9. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
With the inspiration I received
from the example I used similar
codes and conventions in my
own magazine.
For example In the Q magazine
the main image has direct eye
contact with the audience. I
mimicked this with my
magazine as my image is
directly facing the audience.
Q magazine also has a lure in
the form of “free inside! 70-
page special” below it says
“WOMEN IN MUSIC”.
I used a similar lure in the form
of “free lipstick inside!”
10. My research into social groups for music
magazine ideas Twenty year olds
Emo
Hipster/indie
Examples of social groups
The elderly rockers
Middle class
Chav
13. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
In my magazine I decided that I would use positive representations for the women
featured in my magazine. On the previous two pages there are positive representations
of women. And negative representations. They are not limited to one type of media
source. But a variety.
I focused on television shows, movies, books and video games as it captures a wide Varity
in how women are displayed. Either as being a good role model for women. Or negative.
Each women featured on the previous two slides have their positive or negative
characteristic. For example Judge Judy (fig.1) upholds the law in court and is in a position
of high power.
Irene Adler (Fig.2) is a female who betrays Sherlock for her own gain.
Positive negative
Fig. 1 Fig.2
14. How does your media product represent particular social
Both models are groups? The ‘Gun’ symbol can
feminine in what represent the power
they wear. They both of these models
do not have a have. Both are fierce
lack of clothing, and independent in
yet they don’t their facial expression
look like they’re and their body
wearing too language.
many layers Their facial
either, just a expressions are split.
reasonable In that the model on
amount. the left has a playful
There is sexual face. While the
connotations in their facial model on the right
expressions. Both girls are has a more serious
looking at the reader with facial expression.
eye contact looking fresh Neither of these
faced and in a good mood. facial expressions are
However it isn’t obvious , as threatening. It also
they are wearing a decent shows that girls can
amount of clothing be serious, and
playful
16. What kind of media institution might distribute your
media product and why?
Looking at these two
magazines I believe that IPC
media would represent my
magazine better than Bauer
media would.
The reasons being is that I
tried to set out my magazine
with a similar style of NME.
While I believe that ‘Heat’
does contain some of the
features in my magazine such
as the gossip listed on the
content.
Overall my magazine is more
akin to NME.
17. What kind of media institution might distribute your
media product and why? The type of media institution that might distribute
my magazine would be IPC Media. The reasons
being that some of the magazines what IPC media
distribute already are in a similar style to my
magazine.
My target audience is young girls aged 15 to early
twenties and i demonstrate this is my target
audience by the use of colour , styles and language
used. The colours throughout the magazine that
are used are pinks, light blues, reds and black. The
colours Pink and light blues represent females
stereotypically. The red could indicate that the
magazine may talk about love and relationships.
While the use of black makes the magazine more
formal.
The style used in the magazine would attract my
audience as it is set out like a “real life” magazine
such as Heat and the main audience of Heat
magazine is females.
The images used in the contents and double e page
spread are playful and girly.
18. •Who would be the audience for your media product?
My magazine is focused on females,
They are based around the ages of 15-early twenties.
Here are some examples of what my target audience would look
like.
19. •Who would be the audience for your media product?
The reason why I chose to focus my magazine
on young women is because I thought it would
be a challenge coming from a male
perspective.
I had to look at what young girls and women
liked to see in a magazine. I studied various
magazines in detail and tried to see who their
target audience, and why they were that target
audience.
For example when looking at the music
magazine NME I saw that the target audience
was probably males aged from late teens into
their twenties and thirties who also had a
interest in mainly rock with other niche genres
of music.
In my magazine I wanted to focus on one type
of genre of music for my target audience. I
chose mainstream for my target audience as it
has a wide selection of artists branching off of
it. So my target audience would find something
for them in my magazine.
20. •Who would be the audience for your media product?
When thinking of my target audience i discovered that my target audience would
be Aspirers.
My magazine highlights celebrity life. On my contents page there’s mentions of
celebrities splitting up, fights between rival artists and the fashion trends of the
current year. My target audience would enjoy this as they see the sort of life
celebrities can get up to and would want that type of life.
This is further explored in my double page spread with my chosen band. They are
famous and live quite a easy life, but have trouble with the press.
Many of my target audience would dream of being famous and having a higher
quality of life that fame brings.
The magazine also is focused at mainstreamers in the sense that the music that
the magazine focuses on is mainstream artists.
21. •Who would be the audience for your media product?
My demographic is girls aged 15 to their early
twenties. They would mainly be targeted at the
middle class section of society. My target audience
would most likely be students at either secondary
school, sixth form/collage or university.
The target audience location would mainly be
focused in the UK.
My target audience would have similar interests in
fashion, showbiz and music.
My target audience would have a positive attitude.
22. •How did you attract/address your audience?
From looking at other magazines similar to the style I had hoped to use I saw there
were key similarities in attracting my audience. For example when I looked at ‘Heat’
magazine i saw that the majority of readers were young women. In this magazine in
contained a lot of showbiz gossip and readers responded well to this. With this in mind i
decided that i would merge showbiz gossip and mainstream music to form a magazine
for my target audience to suit not just one of their needs, but two.
From looking at the feedback from my questionnaire I handed out, I can see that my
magazine was received positively.
23. •How did you attract/address your audience?
On my magazine there are lure which would attract my target audience to pick up my
magazine in shops and be interested in what they see. I used “Exclusive interview”
which would make people interested in the magazine as it uses the phrase exclusive
which means once in a lifetime in the media sense.
I also used “Voted the UK’s best girl magazine” in order to appeal to the audience to
make them aware that it’s a magazine for girls and that it has a good representation by
being called the best.
I also used real world artists including Drake and Katy Perry to draw the audience in
with their popularity
24. •How did you attract/address your audience?
Masl;ow’s hierarchy was a way of looking at needs. In order to fulfil the safety
need, the physiological need must be fulfilled and so on.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs can be linked with my magazine in certain ways.
When my audience buys my magazine they buy it because they wanted to
belong to a certain social group. So they know there are people with similar
tastes to them out there. They also gain esteem through reading the magazine
as they look at the models and aspire to be like them in what they do, what
they wear and how they act.
25. •What have you learnt about technologies
from the process of constructing this product?
Fig.1 Fig.2
In my magazine development I used the editing software Photoshop to manipulate my
images. My original photo (fig.1) has no editing done to it. I decided that I wanted to
make my models more brighter and colourful. I also wanted to focus the audience on the
models. But the brick wall behind them takes a lot of focus. In the edited image (Fig.2) I
successfully changed the image into what i wanted it to be. So the main focus is the
models.
26. •What have you learnt about technologies from the
process of constructing this product?
In order to take the picture of my models
I used a digital camera similar to the one
shown. After taking my pictures I
uploaded them onto a computer and
used Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 to
create my magazine.
I then used paint and Photoshop to
adjust the images and backgrounds.
These tools have helped me greatly into
creating my magazine.
27. •Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression
from it to the full product?
School magazine When creating my music magazine I took inspiration Music magazine
from my School magazine but evolved it. I took ideas
from the school magazine, but also implemented new
ones. For example I created a lure in the music
magazine which states there is a free lipstick inside.
My school magazine lacks a lure. In my School
magazine my model was facing away from the
audience. However in my music magazine I changed
this and instead had my models use eye contact to
attract the audience.
28. •Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression
from it to the full product?
School magazine contents Music magazine contents
When creating my contents page I used inspiration from my school magazine contents page for
inspiration. The style I used in my music magazine is definitely different to the layout of my
school magazine. In my school magazine the pictures are layered on top of one another. While in
my music magazine they are spread out to give a sense of neatness with the music magazine as
opposed to the school created magazine. I also a range of different images in my school
magazine. If i had the time to go back i would include a larger range of images in my music
magazine. There is also more information set out on the music magazine. And it’s clearer to
understand.
29. •Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the
full product?
I feel like I have developed my understanding of tools such as
Photoshop and can use it more easily in my work. I have developed
my understanding of looking at what a audience actually wants
when they buy a magazine in the way that it isn’t just as simple as
someone buying a rock magazine purely for that one particular
genre. Instead they look to be accepted when they buy the
magazine. To have a sense of belonging.
I also discovered that people aren’t black and white in their musical
tastes. In my questionnaire I asked various people their opinions on
my magazine. People who liked the metal genre could appreciate my
magazine as much as those who liked pop music.
