2. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE,
DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND
CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?
Front Cover
Masthead- My masthead is called reverb. which represents the music genre of indie and
British music. I have used a large, bold font as it is dominant but unique and different
much like the social group my magazine is aimed at. My masthead also has a
slogan/motto applied across it, ‘Music for the masses’.
Main Image – My main image shows a lot of significance to music due to the guitar held in
his hands , NME also uses a guitar to represent the importance of music on their front
cover. The proportion of the centre image is large and takes up most of the space making
it one of the main focuses of the cover. The centre image also goes in to the bottom strip
to portray a stance of dominance, which the readers aspire to have.
Puff – My magazine has the puff with the price in it to inform the audience on the information
about the magazine. Many magazines such as Q display a puff in order to attract the
audiences attention to the important places on the magazine.
Coverlines – My magazines has coverlines to inform the reader in what is happening in the
magazine, and what content they can look forward to. The coverlines are similar to the
ones used on NME, as they are positioned randomly around the main image and doesn’t
take any focus of the main image.
Main Feature – My main feature covers the bottom of the magazine, similar to
my main competitions for my magazine and therefore attracts attention and
intrigues the reader.
3. Contents
Masthead – My masthead has a unique structure to it, with the cross formation,
it easily portrays a chilled, relaxed vibe which appeals to my target audience.
Main Image – In my contents page, there are many images, they are here to
create a collage affect. However, when looking at the proportions of each
image, the largest has to be the image in front, I did this so that this could be
the main image which reflected my lead story.
Puff – When looking at the articles placed in my contents page, you will notice
the originality of them due to the strapline written underneath the headline.
Feature – My main feature article is my lead story as it is all about the artist and
their thoughts on their success and performances, this is shown through
another strapline, focusing on the star as he is the one who readers revolve
around and aspire to be like.
House Colours – My house colours, green grey orange and black are also
constant here so the readers can easily tell that this contents page belongs to
this cover. The colours in the text are simpler, to make them organised as this
is where the readers get the information for each story.
4. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES
FROM THE PROCESS OF CONSTRUCTING THIS
PRODUCT?
From constructing my magazine, I learnt a lot of things involving the technologies we have used, as at the start of the
course I had never used them, or even heard of them and I feel that I have create a good magazine to prove what
I have learnt. The technologies we used are; QuarkXPress, Photoshop, Blogger, Digital SLR camera.
Blogger: Blogger is a free website, where you are able to blog anything and can share it across many of other
websites. I have learnt how to blog over the course and learnt how to share and allow other people to access my
blog. At the start I had never wrote a blog and didn’t truly understand what a blog is, but now I feel I am able to
write blogs and would be able to do them frequently.
QuarkXPress : QuarkXPress is a computer programme for creating and editing complex page layouts. At the start of
the course I had never heard or used this software, but I feel I have learnt the basics. I am now able to create a
document to a good standard and am able to use the tools such as ; the image tool, text and shaping tool to a
good standard.
Photoshop : is a software where you can alter a photographic image digitally using Photoshop image-editing software.
Since the start of the process I have learnt how to edit images using different tools like the mask and adjustments
tools and feel I can edit it to a good standard..
Digital SLR camera : is a digital single-lens reflex camera is a digital camera combining the optics and the
mechanisms of a single-lens reflex camera with a digital imaging sensor, as opposed to photographic film. I have
learnt how to take professional looking pictures by adjusting the focus and not having any empty space in the
background as it will take focus away from the photo.
5. LOOKING BACK AT YOUR PRELIMINARY TASK, WHAT
DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE LEARNT IN THE
PROGRESSION FROM IT TO THE FULL PRODUCT?
I feel since the preliminary task I have learnt a lot about the
technologies we have used and I feel that I have become better at
Photoshop and Quark since the start and that my skills have
improved. I have also learnt that the audience are the most important
thing to your magazine so you have to make the piece around them
and ask for their opinion. I feel that I have learnt about
professionalism and that every little mistake can cause problems and
that you need to make sure everything is in order. But I learnt that
you shouldn’t rush the work you should take you’re time to perfect it.
