2. In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop, Or Challenge Forms And Conventions Of Real Media Products? My magazine follows the conventions from original magazines in the way of Mast-Head positioning, Front Cover Image to covering of Mast-Head // Strap-Line ratio. I also added another article onto the front cover into enticing the public into paying more attention into what they are about. The contents pageis informative though it doesn’t give too much away as to what is actually in the magazine. Two images that relate to pages are included on this page to give the public another sample of what to expect inside. Along with this, it explains in a simple but informing way what is inside of the magazine, again, standing by original layouts for magazine contents pages. The double-page-spread of my magazine is talking to a new band which will instantly grab the public’s attention into reading about who they are, what music do they perform and so forth. For my layout for my DPS (double-page-spread), I have placed an image of my band on both pages behind with given text which is, in this magazine, an interview.
3. How Does Your Media Product Represent Particular Social Groups? My magazine represents specific social groups through the means of mainly the images I have used. For the images, I centred them around the style of music, in this case Indie, Old Style Rock, I wanted, and also that of teenagers. This was in the hope of trying to make the magazine more appealing to the public to make them want to read it. Another factor of this is by selecting a particular age group may make the audience feel more connected to the magazine they are reading; as if it is only speaking to them. I aimed towards the particular social group to that of ordinary individuals whom enjoy/prefer to express themselves through the means of music.
4. What Kind Of Media Institution Might Distribute Your Media Product And Why? Music is one of the most popular forms of entertainment; be that personal of for the Media to spread across by different means; e.g. Television, Radio, The Internet but more importantly; Magazines. Music magazines can be divided into many different genres, ratings, groupings and so forth that this makes it easier for the public to read up on the latest song/album etc. Media institutions might distribute this magazine in local shops for easy access to the public. One way of getting the message across about the product is ‘word of mouth’ but that can only reach so far. So the use of the internet. Music sites may issue it on a blog, post etc.
5. Who Would Be The Ideal Audience For Your Media Product? The ideal audience for my magazine would be that of people in their mid-teens to adults. I think this because of the images and contents I have used. That, and also it is focused around my own age range; making it easier for the product to become successful in the eyes of teenagers; i.e. more relatable as to genres of music, the popularity of a particular band and so forth. I have used informal speech with the images to match; this, I believe, would automatically interest teenagers rather than adults in the way that by using teenagers as the centre of my magazine, and the light use of language rather than long words that would be confusing to teenagers. When reading a magazine, it should be a source of both entertainment and a means of finding out updated information about the public’s interests. In this for instance; music.
6. How Did You Attract/Address Your Audience? I aimed to attract the audience by attractive colouring and bold images. This, in time, would cause them to form interest. This therefore created a further aim to make my product seem more appealing and more successful in the eyes of the public. By using images involving teenagers was attempting to make the magazine more ‘personal’ to the public. Seeing young people on the front cover of a magazine has a recurring effect of putting the thought in the minds of the public’s eye that the magazine is for them. One way in which I aimed to address the audience was by speaking informally. I believe that any type of magazine should, in some form, contain informal speech. I believe this to be key in any magazine because that way, the audience could feel more at ease with what they’re reading. As if the creator of the magazine is talking directly to them and not to alienate them from what they wish to read about. Be that music or other activities.
7. What Have You Learnt About Technologies From The ProcessOf Constructing This Product? Two main programmes I used whilst constructing my magazine were; Publisher Macromedia Fireworks. Publisher – Where we constructed the format and the actual final draft of the magazine. Macromedia Fireworks – The ability to edit images to correctly to suit the style of the magazine.
8. Looking Back At Your Preliminary Task, What Do You Feel You Have Learnt In The Progression From It To The Full Product? From looking back at my Preliminary task and the work I have done on my magazine, I think I have learnt the value/importance of how images linking to a piece of writing can make the text more interesting, rather than just words on a piece of paper. I have also learnt that the structure of the front cover of any magazine and influence it’s popularity on the public. For example; The Mast-Head in connection to the Main Image. And not to smother the main image with outrageous boxes of added extras in the magazine. Also including a Puff on the front cover of the magazine, depending on what the magazine is about depends on what the Puff is trying to sell. I have learnt to make the contents page simpler than the front cover but not too much – make the page look interesting but not so much that the public spends a long time looking at it. Preliminary Task Final Draft
