2. Q1
In what ways does your media
product use, develop or
challenging forms and conventions
of real media products?
3. Masthead: placing at the top of the page so it
was clear that this was the name of the
magazine. The font I chose has a similar to
style to Kerrang as this smashed effect has
connotations for the recklessness associated
with rock.
Forms and conventions I
followed/ used: cover page
Main Headline: at the bottom of the page
underneath the artists face. By this being the
only text overlapping the artist and sat away
from the subheadings.
Background: on the majority of existing
magazine covers I looks at i was it was a
common contention for the images to have
plain backgrounds, which I used as I thought
this would make the text easier to read and not
take away from the face of the artist.
Mise en scene: for my cover page I wanted the
artists face to be the main focus, so I didn't’t
want props or costume to take away from the
artists face. But this left me thinking the
page would looking boring so instead using
bold makeup to give a glamorous, out-there
look so almost fit the persona of a rock star.
After taking this image I saw the photo of
David Bowie and decided I wanted the image
to be in a similar position rather than on one
side. This made the artist appear more
important.
Barcode/ issue no./ date: informs audience.
4. Forms and conventions I developed and
challenged: cover page
• Puff & shapes: usually I see the puff on a page being a circle or a peel, but I wanted the puff to
look slightly different to other magazines so I made the edges of the circle ridged on Photoshop.
This also matches the star shape inside the Puff so this part is likely to be recognised as these
are the only unusual shapes on the page.
• Page numbers aren't usually on the cover pages of magazines however I thought that this would
be beneficial for somebody is they were looking at the magazine because of a name that was on
the page, they would be able to flick to that article to have an idea of what the article will be like,
so this could make them more likely to buy it.
• Abstract makeup was something that I didn't see a lot on the models of rock magazines, except
for dark eye makeup. I wanted to use bright pink and silver glitter with jewels to create a glam-
rock style. This would make the models face stand out even more and the colour of the make up
set the whole colour scheme for the rest of the page. This is one of my favorite parts of my
product as I feel this isn't as common in many rock magazines. I chose pink as it isn't a
stereotypical colour associated with rock, however I wanted a colour close to red with a warm
tone to create a similar effect. This may end up attracting a wider audience if the colours aren't
just usual red and black.
• I think the times are coming more progressive as genres don’t seem as important anymore in
terms of music, so I think its refreshing for people to see a rock magazine that isn’t just black red
and yellow, with connotations for anger and danger. I like that my magazine has taken ideas
form other genres (colour schemes) and developed it into an almost contemporary version of a
stereotypical ‘rock magazine’.
• Rock isn't generally though of a a predominantly female genre (as much as a genre like pop) and
therefor having a female on the cover could attract more female members of my target audience,
which links back to my survey where females buying a magazines was more popular. This can
make the magazine stand out against other brands.
• I have used a close up image of the artist and still included subheadings around the artist which
was not on a lot of magazines, as close up portraits tended to be quite dramatic and fill most of
the page. This meant I didn't’t crop my image as much as I didn't want the page to look plain. I
think this was successful as there is room for the artists face as well as enough subheadings.
5. Forms and conventions I
followed/ used: contents
Dominant Images: using images of live
performances, which I think makes the page look
more realistic. Also I think this creates a new
concept, rather than if the page only had photos
that have been planned and are still shots.
Colour scheme: red, yellow, black and white colour
scheme to fit the theme of ‘rock’. The photographs
have mostly artificial lighting and this creates the
illusion that the colored lights are when is
lighting up the page. This is emphasised by the
heavy shadows behind the images.
Sub headings: the list of contents is in separated
into three sections. This is so the list is navigable
and is more likely to fit a younger audience as it
isn't set out as a bulk of text.
Advertisement: On the Kerrag and NME
magazines I saw that there was an ad in the
corners of the page, encouraging their audience to
interact wit the magazine on a regular basis. This
is a beneficial place for this ad, as this is a page
that everyone who buys the magazine will look at.
Arrow: the arrow in the corner of the page I
wanted to also use on my magazine because I
thought this is an interesting way to guide the
reader on to read the rest of the magazine. This is
in a bold colour to attract attention.
6. Forms and conventions I developed
and challenged: contents
• Having ‘contents’ as the main headline, rather than the masthead at the top of the
page like most magazines. This was because I though it was better to be very clear on
what page he audience is on so this isn't something that will have to thought about.
• Having covers/ album art and reflections of the current music, as well as photos from
live performances. I often see on real products that there is only of or two images of
live performances. I thought by having types of photographs on he page, the contents
would be better at encapsulating the magazine as a whole, on one page.
• By using more images than usual rock geared contents pages, I think this makes the
page look more enticing and corresponds to what a somebody from my target
audience would look for.
• Most contents pages I evaluated had a plain background, but I didn’t want this as a
risk because this can easily make the page look bare/ simple. Having a brighter
background brings the page to life and creates another layer so the page looks more
abstract. However, I was concerned that the images would be consumed by the
background, but this was fixed using a shadow my the image so they don’t look as
close to the background.
• The arrow idea was inspired by the NME cover page (previous slide), but instead of
just having another page that could be in the list, I used a competition with the buzz
word ‘WIN!’. This will attract catch the eye of the audience as its so bold on the page
and I think a competition that leas onto the next page would be more effective than
just another article.
7. Forms and conventions I
followed/ used: double
page spread
Pull quote: After looking at the image on the
right from NME, I decided to use a pull quote
for the headline of this article. This was so the
audience can quickly understand the focus of the
article and gain a connection to the artist.
Colour scheme: From looking at the
double page I deconstructed, I
wanted to similarly use the costume
to create the colour scheme of entire
page. I feel that tis brings the page
together as there is orange features
all around the page but its clear that
this came from the costume as this
is the largest part that is orange.
Headline: I chose this to be at the
top of the page (following my flat
plan) as this is where the audience
will know where to look and largest
text looks like it should be onto of
the smaller text. However it is
place around the artist to indicate
the importance of the artist.
Columns: these are commonly used
because these split the text up so it
looks easier to read and makes the
page look well structured and neat.
Drop cap: this is so the audience is drawn to the
start of the article, and is orange o fit the colour
scheme of the page and stand out against the
white smaller text.
8. Forms and conventions I developed and
challenged: double page spread
• Having the text fit around the artist was not very typical
from the pages I saw. It was more common in genres like
pop. This was my way of developing the form by not letting
certain things be only for some genres. This makes her
seem more important as if the artist is controlling the
article.
• The interview on the same page also was common to be on
the same page of the article. So I wanted by page to look
more interesting and have different sections to it. This was
because I didn’t just want the article to be an interview or
an article written by someone else.
• By having the interview a younger audience is more likely
to engage as there are the type of people who are more
likely to be fans of an artist and want to send in questions.
Also the use of questions in orange and answers in black
makes the interview very easy to follow.
• Using props like headphones are subtle in the photograph
and can look like part of the costume. Where as if I had
used a prop that was as common as an instrument or
microphone this could have taken away from the focus of
the photo being that article.
• Finally instead of one page with the photo of the artist and
one page of the article with a white background, I used the
photo as the background, because this makes the text easy
to read the text and links the image and text together.
10. I think its clear when looking at my product that my target audience is younger people on a lower budget. This is because of features that I have seen on
existing products that cater to a similar audience, as well as features that I personally think represent people around my own age group.
Firstly, on the cover page the price is in a puff and in bold text. This could infer that the price is similar to an offer or the audience is getting a deal for
buying the magazine for only £1.50. Also in this puff is a buzz word, ”free” to reinforce the audience will be buying more for the amount they would have to
spend. I believe this represents a lower budget social group as price will be a deciding factor for if they buy the magazine or not. Perhaps if I was creating my
magazine for an upper class audience the price would be much less striking on the cover page, as this would most likely not be a factor that will effect their
choice.
The genre of my magazine is also important, as it will generally portray the type of people that are stereotypically associated with it (e.g. screamo rock is
associated with “emo”/ punks). Although my magazine is rock based, this genre seems very general so I believe my magazine represents a more modern style
of rock music, like alternative rock or indie rock. Having the subgenre of alternative rock is more popular within a younger audience, whilst a subgenre like
classic rock is associated with older generations; as this displays the different eras of music. Alternative rock doesn’t have as strong a stereotype a punk rock
dies, instead the style can have subtle similarities to pop and other genres. This leads me on to the impact of fashion and appearance in my product.
I think that my product represents the type of social group by the fashion and make up in the magazine. The fashion is largely casual but also grungy and
urban. This is fitting the the current fashion that people of a middle class would be wearing who follow new trends. Also the abstract make up on the cover
page represents the diversity of todays fashion and makes a bold statement as the first thing will see. The make up may be seemly random, but the glitter
and jewels are commonly worn to current concerts and festivals; linking the fashion element to the music.
This also creates a connection between artist and audience through the magazine, as the audience is being represented by the artists in the magazine.
Younger people are likely to idolize celebrities so through interviews and pull quotes its easy for the audience to stay up to date with certain artist. For
example, there is an image of The 1975 in my magazine performing on their tour, this means if people who idolize them were to see this, they’re likely going
to want to a concert. However this may be unattainable due to their low budgets, so this is where competitions can allow the audience a possibility to possible
win tickets. This is why I included an image of a band performing and a competition for concert tickets on the contents page, as the picture will urge the
audience into taking part in the competition. Also this is fitting to the target audience as younger people are likely to have more time and less draw backs
(like having children), to attend a performance, than an adult with a full time job and children would probably have.
Competitions represent the social group of my product because students are likely to also engage in competitions than adults; evidently as competitions are
usually in children's/ teenager’s magazines to win prizes. I included that lead onto the next page (contents) to create temptation to read on. But this
competition could be a good representation of what students would take part in if they are creative and may be studying areas like music or art etc. Even
though this isn't directly stated on my contents page, the idea that it would be an opportunity for young people to express their hobbies or skills was present
when including it.
Finally, my product is very dark to emulate the genre of rock but is also filled with many bold colours. For example, the cover page uses a bold pink, the
double page has the statement colour orange and the contents page is mostly bright red, which almost creates identities for each page/ article. This is likely
to attract a younger group of people, because these domineering but simplistic colour schemes almost create an elementary theme that the audience would
find easy to follow and retain.
11. Q3
What kind of media
institution might distribute
your media product and why?
12. After completing my institutions research, which was before I began making my magazine, I chose
Bauer as my most likely media institution to to distribute my magazine. However this may have
changes due to the way I have made my final products.
The two magazine brands that I have researched and looked back at the most whilst creating my
magazine were Kerrrang which is distributed by Bauer, and NME which is distributed by time
Time Inc. (IPC). However, after creating all three of my products I would say that I referred to
NME magazines the most.
Bauer owns over 600 magazine brands, where as IPC publishes only over 100 magazine brands.
This would mean that there would be less competition for my product amongst the other brands
owned by IPC, than there would be if there were competing against over 600 other brands.
Meaning my magazine is more likely to become known and lost if I chose Times Inc. to distribute
my magazine.
Time Inc. (IPC) is one of the leading publishing companies in the UK, whilst owning over 60
websites where the magazine can be promoted to an online audience, where my target audience
are very likely to see.
14. I chose to aim my product at this particular target audience because I can relate myself t this list. I’m also surrounded
by people that show similarities to this social group, so its more convenient and efficient for me to have a clear idea of
who to cater for. Rather than going for an a target audience that I wouldn't be able to relate to, so I would have
struggled with the types of things, like interests and current references that an older or younger audience would engage
with.
Younger members whoa are of a lower/ middle class are part of my target audience, due to the fact that my magazine
comes across quite conversational, casual and easy to follow; which people can find relatable. Jargon has been used so it
seems realistic, so phrases and words like ‘check it out!’ and “awesome” aren’t going to be in a upper class magazine.
Most of my target audience would be students, studying at school, sixth form, university or beginning jobs, so they are
likely to have a lower disposable budget to spend of things like magazines, which I why I have chosen my magazine to
only be £1.50. This was also due to being the most popular decision from my survey. On the other hand, people who do
have the budget to buy much more expensive magazines, are also going to be attracted to things that are cheap and say
‘FREE’ because its enforces the idea that they are paying less for more. Also having a specific target audience means
that I know what types of hobbies and interest this social group has, meaning that if I was to create a whole magazine I
would be able to cater advertisements to suit individuals (audience profiles).
My specific target audience:
• Teenagers & young adults, around ages of 15-25
• Low income (around £19,000 annual salary)
• Low disposable income
• Unisex, but mostly female
• Students or new to work
• Lower - middle class
• Living in suburban areas
• Interested in music, art, fashion etc.
16. Contents:
Bright colours will draw in a young audience rather that an older audience who may find
this over the top or overwhelming.
A busy page will again excite a younger audience who tend to be more excited, more than
an old audience who probably want something more sensible magazine.
Colloquial language, buzz words will engage younger generations who also use this
language.
Images of live band’s concerts will entice teenagers are more likely to want to go to a
concert as they are reaching a time when they will be able to start attending concerts.
Competitions, from looking at my survey results, will attract a wider audience but these
are commonly targeted towards younger audiences, but this is also be a chance for the
audience to be creative and show their own skills through my magazine.
A lot of pictures, compared to a Rolling Stone contents, which is aimed at older people so
has more text, where in magazine for people 15-25 pictures are likely to be more alluring
than text.
Double page:
Interview questions from
people online, young are
more likely to engage online
and send in questions
Promoting a single of an
upcoming solo artist, who
will be in the charts and
playing a festivals, where
younger people/ teenagers
are more likely to look for
music.
Colloquial language will
make younger audiences
relate to the magazine
more.
Not an overwhelming
amount of text in the main
article so they wont get
bored (broken article up by
sub image and interview).
Quotes are used to engage
audience as they will only
care about the artist and
not as much for what the
writer has to say.
Cover page:
Bright pink colour will attract a younger audience, particularly female stereotypically
which my survey suggested that my magazine would have a higher female following
Posters again are more common to attract teenagers or students who are in dormitories
and would rather have posters, than a nail in the wall.
Cheap price that is bold to seem like an offer, which will attract people of a lower/middle
social class on a lower budget.
Colloquial language, buzz words so the content seems more relatable and conversational
for young people.
Young, current artists on the cover as this is what people who are just getting into music
will generally start looking (popular artists/ the charts).
Overall the page has a modern appearance, in comparison to a Rolling Stones cover which
has a vintage style, where as I have gone for makeup and fonts that look edgy and current.
17. Q6
What have you learnt about
the technologies from the
process of constructing this
product?
18. Before my preliminary I had only ever used apps for editing images, so I had little to no experience using real editing
programs. However, after this project I can see a huge difference in my work and I think I have widened my skill set,
which will be helpful for future projects.
A program I first was introduced to was ‘Photoshop’, which I had never used before, for creating our preliminary task. I
though ‘Photoshop’ was rather difficult to understand at times, but I eventually began understanding and
remembering how to do tasks, like using the ‘magic wand tool’ to remove the white background, from screenshots from
the website ‘Dafonts’, so all that was left was the letters. This I used for most of the large text (masthead/ headlines
mostly on the cover page of my final product). This was a task that I was not able to do on the preliminary task,
meaning that text was just a screenshot on the page. I also learned how to edit my photographs on Photoshop, which I
found a much easier as I knew most of the tools and terminology already.
However, there were also parts that did go wrong and were very time consuming. For example, editing the models head
so it looks as if it was in front of the masthead, was difficult as the models hair and the black background were so
similar it I couldn't use the wand tool, but instead I used a drawing tool and inverted the colours so it was easier to see
the shapes. Even though I know I only still know the fundamentals of this program and still have a lot more to
discover, I can use these new skills in the future.
Even using the program ‘Word’, I found more properties that I didn't’t know existed. Such as the ”edit points” for
shapes, when I had made a mistake that I couldn’t go back on. For example, on the the program crashed when I only
had a screenshot of my double page spread, and I had rough notes on the image, but to cover this I made a shape at the
end of the article that indicated the reader to read the interview, as this would cover up the rough notes. Whilst
researching for my blog, I learned how to use websites such as Prezi and Slideshare to create and upload work, and
build a blog on Blogger and embed links to Pintrest boards/ slide shows onto my blog; which will be helpful for the
future.
Even smaller features, like learning shortcuts and keyboard cuts on Macs/ Macbooks made my the process of making
my product much faster. The Mac desktops I also wasn’t used to using, but from using a Macbook outside of lesson to
construct my products I have become a lot more confident using this technology.
These were all skills I have learned from peers, my teacher and online research, so I will now be able to apply these
skills and knowledge to tasks in the future.
19. Q7
Looking back at your
preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the
progression of it to the full
product?
20.
21.
22. By looking at my preliminary task against my final products, I can se a significant change in my ability to use technologies
and my knowledge of a magazine. There were four main elements that I believe I learned most about…
Layout:
Firstly, during the preliminary task I didn’t know any of the terminology for a magazine or how to set out the page. The final
cover page looks a lot less empty, as I learned what type of subheadings make up the page, as well as buzz words and
colloquial language that can attract the audience. My preliminary cover page is laid out as if it is a contents page, however on
the final cover page I only used one image as I wanted nothing to take away from the artist.
Photography:
Before starting the media course I did not know the terminology for the different types of angles and shots, but as I learned
these terms it became a lot easier to plan my photographs and describing what is going on in a photo. When it came to
photographing people, I unexpectedly found it a lot different to just taking photographs as a hobby. Instead I was instructing
models to pose and look a certain way, which I hadn't done much before this. However, this practice of carrying out three
photoshoots allowed me to work with a few people and improve my communication/ leadership skills, as I would have ideas in
my head which I had to convey to someone else.
Writing:
I learnt how to write from a journalistic point of view, as well as an artist and fans etc. By switching between different
perspectives I could see the layers that make up a magazine that connect the people who give interviews, feed back as the
artist, editors of the magazine and the public who feature in the magazine. Where as during the preliminary task I would
have just written from one journalistic perspective, if I would have known how to insert text on Photoshop. Also from looking
and deconstructing existing magazines I learnt the type of headlines and sub headings that attract the audience, and how the
use of colour scheme text can be split up and look much easier to read.
Audience:
When creating my preliminary task I didn’t even occur to me that I should have been considering a target audience and how
the magazine can be adapted to meet a certain social groups interests. But during the process of making my final product I
have learned how a particular type of person can be represented though language, colours, style, fashion, costume, type of
artist etc. By having a target audience my final product was much more thorough and focused.
