2. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real media products?
My magazine was influenced by the pop and hip hop culture and my main aim was for it to be targeted
at women. I used conventions such as the medium close up shot of my model to show confidence and
power. The hand on the hip as seen on figure 1 (mine) and figure 2 (professional) has connotations of
stubborn and intelligence which is what I wanted to give to the audience as I was determined to
demonstrate femininity to my readers.
The fact that the picture is covering the mast head also shows that the model is over powering the page.
This convention was taken from magazines such as cosmopolitan and Elle and Mixmag. Mixmag
especially gave me the initial idea to do this because it is a professional music convention. My colour
palette is sophisticated and uses nude colours to look proficient and not overwhelming. I wanted to
make my title look simplistic but modern. Therefore, just like figure 2 I used a San Serif font that made
the title bold and suitable. I also made sure the cover lines on my magazine were spread out and
pushed mainly to the left and right side of the page, I used this idea from figure 2 and this made the
model look more significant.
Figure 1 Figure 2
3. My masthead (bottom) was influenced by Mixmag magazine, I placed
my model on top of the font because making her the focus image of
the cover represents confidence and strength in her femininity which
will attract my readers. The mast head is partially covered up also
represents that the magazine is well known and is a established
brand, therefore it doesn’t need the full name to be on display. Both
fonts are san serif fonts which are simplistic and modern this makes
the magazine look less busy and more appealing and eye-catching.
The thin font on evaporate relates to thin black dresses that have
connotations of elegant women. This again links back my model and
my aim of wanting her to look sophisticated and confident. I decided
to use a straight font avoiding curves as it made the masthead look
more professional and appealing. I knew from the beginning that I
wanted to make my masthead black because it comes across as
dominating which would attract more readers and outstand the
other magazines.
4. I knew from the very start that I wanted my double page
spread to contain and adapt sexuality. Therefore, looking
at my photography plan I positioned my model in this
specific way. On both of the pictures the titles are big
and bold with the name of the artist. Although the
reader is likely to know who the artist is going to be, the
big title reflects their femininity and power. I think that
text wrapping is very a useful convention to emphasize
the capacity of the model, hence why I used text
wrapping around my models leg. The double page spread
below has also done this around the model arm on the
right hand side. This convention isn’t only used to
emphasize the model but is also used for the text to fit
onto the page efficiently. both pictures have the page
number in the bottom left corner. Personally, I think it
looks on the left side of the page because it help avoid
being near the interview and look disordered. However,
there are some differences between the pictures, my
page is a lot less feminine that the picture below. I
decided to use my gender neutral colours rather than the
typical pinks to make it look less tender. My page also
has the full body shot rather than a medium close up.
This was done to enable the audience to view the full
prospect of the model and her sexuality, which also
explains that she is wearing a lot less clothing than the
picture below. she is using direct eye contact with the
audience, and the reader has a full view of her chest
which makes her come across as more mysterious and
attractive. Her mouth is also slightly open which has
connotation of sexual atmosphere and allows the
audience again to understand that she is a provocative
character, where as the model in the picture below is
covered up fully and is giving a severe and pensive look.
5. As we look at both of the contents pages we can quickly identify that both of the models have blonde hair and
features. Stereotypically blonde women are seen as more attractive and sensual, which suggest to the audience that
the models are daring and courageous. Both pages have a similar colour scheme, I decided not to go with the orginal
pinks or purples to represent women and sexuality. I wanted to keep it simple and classy just like the picture on the
right. This way, the audience are not put off by the overwhelming typical colours of pinks. I also made sure that I
made my model have direct eye contact especially in the contents to give the reader an sight of what the main
interview will be like, which explains on why I haven't included a quote from the interview, just an image. This means
the reader only has the photograph of the model that links into the main interview. My contents page has more
photos than the one on the right, which means I have enabled my magazine to be more diverse rather than it just
being aimed at the artist on the front cover.
6. How does your media product represent particular social
groups?
The magazine cover itself immediately portrays women and
young people as attractive and vain beings. The amount of
make up on the model defines that the audience are going to
aspire to look like that. This of course, gives a negative image
as girls shouldn’t really waste time on wanting to look like
these models when in reality they are photo shopped. This
relates to women being conscious of their appearance. This
could include hair and make up. In the picture, you can see the
models underwear and a lot of her skin is on show, this
suggests that she is confident and has connotations of women
being sexual to get what they want and be possessive, which
perpetuates a negative image towards women and suggests
that in modern society it is acceptable for women to appeal to
males in this sort of way.
We can insinuate from the picture that the model is from ABC1
(middle class) as she is wearing gold jewelry which has
connotations of wealth and elegance and specifies that she
has a disposable income to spend on luxury items such as
necklaces, earrings and watches. Which again perpetuates that
women spend a lot of money on accessorize and clothing.
7. What kind of media institution might distribute your media
product and why?
The company that would suit my magazine the
most efficiently would be Hearst or Bauer
publishing, the reason being is that they are big
institutions that have experience with many
different magazines. Bauer work with huge music
magazines such as Kerrang and Q which is helpful
as they are already in corporation with big
successful magazines and will help me fulfill my
needs for publishing my magazine. On the other
hand, Hearst magazine will also be beneficial as
they publish a lot of women's magazines and have
a great idea and platform about publishing
magazines that are primarily aimed at women.
8. Who would be the audience for your media product?
Name: Stephanie Wilkinson
Age: 17
Location: Manchester
Description: Steph is currently
studying A-levels and Hayleyside
College. She has a part-time job
in Zara for which she is saving up
for university for. When she gets
paid monthly, she always invests
in new shoes, a handbag and at
least 5 different magazines. She
is highly interested in fashion and
wants to do a degree in fashion
marketing at a London University.
She is a huge fan of the
Kardashians and loves reading
interviews about them. She is
planning on going to Leeds fest
with her friends this summer
after her exams.
9. How did you attract/address your audience?
My magazine contained a huge exclusive to attract my audience.
I planned and based it around Beyoncé, as for the last 10
years she has been very popular. I used Tina to model
Beyoncé. Having an exclusive interview meant I could
connect with my audience, especially women, who look up
to Beyoncé as a role model. Another reason that attracted
my audience is the fact that Beyoncé is so auspicious and
successful therefore my audience (mainly women) are going
to be looking forward to an exclusive interview with such a
world wide icon.
I also included competitions for my audience for festivals coming
up. For example females are more likely to enter a
competition like V Festival rather than men. Also, advertising
the fact that Festival tickets could be won on the front cover
meant that audiences that are not particularly interested in
female artists could still enter or take part. This meant that I
was able to attract audiences and readers with different
types of music taste.
10. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of
constructing this product?
I have been working on this product for months and along the way I have learnt masses of new way to use
technologies that I hadn’t ever used before. For most of my product, I used Photoshop which was something I
had never come across or used before. I learnt how to edit photos such as using the contrast or brightness to
tone down the image, or make the image look more vivid, using colour correction meant that If certain colours
didn’t work together I could analyse and see which ones were most suitable. I also learnt how to use different
types of fonts and how to edit them. For example I managed to use my photo cutting it and placing it on my
mast head, this allowed me to understand image adjustment. Using camera’s was a vital part of my product
and using professional DSLR meant that I could change the focus and the depth of the field with the camera. I
also used the tripod to adjust my camera and position it how I wanted to, to avoid blurry photographs. Using
such a high tech camera meant that I could take a variety of photos and keep the ones I need by viewing them
on the screen. In contrast, this would have been Impossible on a basic disposable camera.
Using blogger.com resulted in me being able to access it anywhere I wanted to. For example my phone, iPad or
laptop which meant I could update it anywhere and receive feedback from random visitors as it has a global
audience. Using an online survey was again beneficial as I could access it anywhere. I promoted the survey on
social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter which meant anyone could do it and resulted in my
answers being reliable rather than someone messing around and not being honest.
Making this product without all these technological devices meant that it would of taken a lot longer to
produce. For example, if I used the disposable camera I would have had to wait to view my photos rather than
uploading them and working with them from the computer straight away. A similar situation would happen
with the surveys. It would of taken a lot longer to interview people individually rather than have it done and
dusted efficiently using social networking sites.
11. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have
learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
My preliminary task was basic and unplanned and therefore it didn’t look professional or finished.
As pictured below, the colour schemes are a lot different. In my final product I have used neutral
colours to make it look less stereotypically feminine and abrupt. My first contents page was very
central and apparent as it didn’t have much information or layout on it. I have learnt that having
too much on the front cover of the magazine can be off putting and make it overwhelming for the
reader. Therefore I have made it a lot more patent on my final product. I also included only one
model on my final cover and made sure it made eye contact to peruse a sexual rapport with the
audience. In my first task both of the models were not looking at the camera and the photo
looked very stiff and unnatural this made me take a lot more care when I was taking photos for
my final product as I made sure that my model look as natural as possible.
