Evaluation question 1

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

2. The three headlines on the left-hand side
of the front cover follows a pattern in
font, as a new sub-heading begins, the
font increases,. I did this to subvert the
stereotypical classical magazine which
would result in mine standing out of all
the others magazines on the shelves .
When constructing my front cover, I followed the
convention of having an eye-catching masthead. Originally,
I used the font “Champagne & Limousines” as shown in
the screenshot. However, I did not think it suited the genre
of Classical. Also, after asking members of my target
audience, I came to the conclusion of changing the font to
Optima which I used for my final. Although Optima fitted
my genre, I still did not feel as if the masthead was bold
and as eye-catching as I knew it could be. In result, I used
the effects of the “drop shadow” tool in red which made
the masthead look as if it had been highlighted but also
stand out of the page.
I also followed the convention of having a sale line
relating to the image. The sale line reads “Nunez Violin
& Ballet Goddess” with the sub heading of “Me and
my violin have the world at our fingertips”. At first, I
also used the font “Champagne & Limousines” in
order to keep the font consistent. However, like the
masthead, I did not believe the font was bold enough
or suited my genre which made me change the font to
Optima. I then changed the colour of “Nunez” to a
grey/purple in contrast to the navy blue and made the
“Violin & Goddess” cream instead of white. In addition
to those changes, like my masthead, I used the “drop
Shadow” effect in black to outline/highlight the
writing. This created the same effect as the masthead
of making it stand out of the page. Once I was happy
with that, I decided to change the wording which read
“How the Pilipino ballerina conquered the music
industry” to “Me and my violin have the world at our
fingertips” although having a quote as a subheading
subverts the classical genre, I think it worked well with
the headline as it gives readers an insight of the artist.
Originally, I had a white banner that read full radio listing inside see
page 104. This was placed on the top right corner of my magazine.
However, after asking my target audience about what they thought
of it, I decided to remove the banner which included the writing but
keep the circular button that read 110 Reviews CDS, DVDS, BOOKS
see page. This also underwent a few changes where the button was
changed from white to cream and read WIN A VIOLIN READ PAGE 67
in red. My target audience said they agreed with the button being
cream and textured with an inner shadow with the writing having an
inner shadow satin colour overlay instead off white but they also
agreed on the wording being changed to sounding like a competition.
This will also draw more clients and viewers as they would have the
chance of winning something.
Many of the classical music magazines I researched included
an Also in this magazine section on its front cover. Therefore,
to fit in with this genre, I included one. During my drafts, I
made the also in this issue in the theme white and navy blue
as that was the theme of the front cover, however, this
needed to be changed as I later changed the theme of my
magazine. I changed this by making the large rectangle
transparent which used to be white. I also changed the
rectangle on top of it a transparent gold which went with the
current theme. After those changes were made, I then
changed the wording of the sub headings within the box. This
is because when I asked my target audience about the
wording, they said there was nothing eye-catching included in
the wording. This then made me add a heading that read
Exclusive Interview with the legend of the keys. All these little
changes allowed me to live up to the classical genre standard.
After doing my research, I
noticed that many classical
music magazines gave out free
CDs but also had the front cover
of the CD on the front of the
magazine so I did the same.
However, this was not included
on my drafts so this was a
change which conveys the
classical music genre.

3. By the contents page being split into three columns, it makes it easier for the
reader to read but also navigate their way around the magazine. This is
suitable for my target audience as they are of an older generation meaning
they are likely to stick to tradition. For example, reading in an orderly fashion.
Many classical music contents pages include three pictures. I followed this
convention and also included two action shots. The top right picture is a
long shot with the model who features on my dps. This makes the reader
aware that the model is key within the magazine but also highlights her
status. I made the model wear red as it contributed to the theme and is
also a rich colour that draws attention. By the photograph being taking
during the model playing the piano, it also allows the reader to get an
understanding of what the artist is known for and what the article based
on this person may be about.
Classical music
magazine contents
pages always
include a every
month and
features column
therefore, I also
did the same. By
me doing so, it
makes the genre
easier to be
identified as a
classical magazine
as it follows the
conventions of
one.
Below the piano picture is a low angled close
up of another model. As it is a close-up and I
wanted everything to look professional, I air
brushed the models forehead with the
airbrush tool on Photoshop to give her skin a
smooth clear finishing. I decided to use a black
model for my contents page as I wanted to
subvert from the stereotypical classical music
genre contents page.
Finally, originally, the left picture was of a model playing the violin. This picture has been
edited to make the model the focus of the picture. However, after asking my target
audience about this picture and analyzing it further, the picture seemed to look distorted.
This may be due to it being a landscape shot instead of portrait. This therefore resulted in
me changing the picture to another action picture. However, the model is playing the cello
instead of the violin and the image is a low angle shot. In addition to changing the picture, I
also edited the lighting as I liked the idea of the model being the main focus of the picture.
Therefore, I made the brightness low on the model but the background light. This then
made the model the main focus as it gave a rich outline of the model.
I then made the font follow the theme of the
contents page with the headings being red to
match the background of contents and the
sub headings and numbers being black to
match every month and features.
On the top left corner of each picture, apart from the
bottom right, includes a brief description of what the
picture is about and what page to find the article on. This is
something that all classical magazines do. It also allows the
reader to go to the article of their choice quicker than going
through the whole magazine.

4. The background information about the artist
allows the reader to be more personal with the
artist and gain an understanding about them. I
liked this idea as I thought it was different from
your typical DPS. However, this is conforming to
the classical music genre as many of the DPSs I
researched included so.
Classical music magazines
tend to have action shots,
even in their DPS. I then
conformed to this by making
my model play the piano
whilst I take a picture of her.
In addition, the mise-en-
scene of the piano allows
readers to automatically
establish what this artist is
known for.
The heading is bold
allowing readers to know
who the artist is. This font is
Lion King. However,
originally, this is not the
font that I picked. This font
was decided by my target
audience after asking them
which font that they
preferred.
Classical magazines tend to place their editorial
message just before the article begins. They
also tend to include a small picture of the
editor. I conformed to this convention as I
would like my magazine to fit the classical
music genre as much as it possibly could.
Overall, I think my DPS, contents page and front cover all have their own unique
features and subvert but also convey aspects expected within the classical music
genre. This therefore makes my magazine stand out from the rest of the classical
magazines and in result, a higher consumption rate to the classical magazines on the
shelves at the moment.