2. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms & conventions of media products?
3. Front CoverSimilarities & Differences I chose to copy the codes & conventions of a typical classical music magazine masthead by using the same white bold theme. However by using the “Hiragino Mincho Pro” font from Photoshop, I challenged the codes & conventions but I feel it was necessary as I wanted my music magazine to entice the potential readers. In my planning I discussed with my potential readers which name would appeal to them & they chose “La Musique”; a French name like “MUSO” magazine. The banner I chose is similar to that of “GRAMOPHONE” magazine & by following the codes & conventions of the left hand third, I also decided to place it on the left hand side. The colour of the banner matches the colour of my model’s dress similar to “GRAMOPHONE” which I feel upholds the characteristics of a magazine rather than a poster.
4. The writing I chose follows the same style as “GRAMOPHONE” magazine & is coloured white which makes it stand out from the dark background. The brief glimpses of the articles are centred which is also another technique I followed. I enlarged the name of the artist making it stand out like “Joyce DiDonato”. I challenged the codes & conventions by embossing it & further by giving it an inner shadow to make it attractive & unique. I feel this was important to do to make my front cover distinctive from the rest. The long shot image I used is quite similar to “GRAMOPHONE” magazine. After looking through many magazine front covers, I felt that the posture of a female will appeal to my target readers & also the majority of the front covers I looked at featured women. From then I realised that the idea of having a female on the front cover would attract attention & make my magazine stand out from the rest. Front CoverSimilarities & Differences Continued The barcode is on the bottom right hand corner which follows the codes & conventions of a music magazine. The barcode is small & doesn’t take up a huge amount of space so it is suitably placed. The bar on the left hand side of the magazine follows the same style as that of “GRAMOPHONE” magazine which features the title, issue number, & a few articles titles to give the reader’s a glimpse of what is inside
5. The Subscription offer resembles that of “Pianist” magazine & follows the codes & conventions of it being placed on the bottom of the page. The colour is much more darker therefore stands out more than the paler “Pianist” one. I have also added a preview of the front cover of the magazine as I realised that many other magazines also use the same technique & by doing so, my contents page looks more realistic & stylish. The images I have selected are related to the articles stated in the Contents list. I followed the codes & conventions of “Pianist” magazine which is why I decided to link my images to the related article. There is a main image placed on the top left hand corner similar to “Pianist” magazine. This image is the largest & features the same artist as on the front cover which is why I also decided to do the same. The other four images are of other artists which differs to “Pianist” magazine which has abstract images. I chose to challenge the conventions here by doing this as I felt that it would make more sense & look more appealing if I had images of other artists which my potential reader’s knew of. Contents PageSimilarities & Differences The page numbers on my images are similar to “Pianist” magazine as they are also black & white. This follows the conventions of a music magazine & gives the contents page an overall realistic & chic appearance. The Contents list is placed on the right hand side giving it an overall neat & tidy appearance. I followed the conventions of the “Pianist” magazine by making the page numbers bold & in a different colour than to the article title.
6. The focal point of the double page spread is the image of the featured artist. I feel that the long shot of my model & her posture gives the classical magazine a realistic & chic look. The image of the albums on the right hand corner add to following the conventions of a classical magazine with the abstract images. The Album cover featured on the top left hand corner resembles the “BBC Music” magazine album cover reiterating that the article is about this particular person. The article is in columns as laid out in the “BBC Music” magazine. I followed the conventions of a classical magazine but also challenged them by highlighting key quotes by enlarging them. This is quite unstereotypical of a classical magazine yet it is not rare; this is why I feel that to make my article appeal to my target reader’s, it would be appropriate to have bold & large texts which would make them stop to read the article. Double PageSimilarities & Differences
7. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
8. The Images The model I have chosen is in her mid-twenties therefore she relates back to the forty percent of my intended audience who will see themselves in her moreover be enticed by her image leading them to purchase my magazine. The model is a female and as I found during the course of the research process, most front covers tend to have an image of an attractive female to entice their reader’s which is why I also decided to do the same. The colour red connotes royalty and maturity and is a popular colour choice as it is eye-catching and striking. I also found that most of the models wear dresses which is why for all of my female models, I decided to have them wear a dress as I felt that it would be reacting to what my target audience wanted to have in their magazine which would make “LA MUSIQUE” a popular choice magazine. The Language The language I chose to write in was very articulate, concise and for a well educated readership who would understand “high brow” words. I feel that to be able to relate to the other sixty percent of my intended audience who are of a slightly older and more mature age; my language and mode of address had to reiterate that of any other classical magazines therefore it had to be of a particular style which I hope I have managed to illustrate. The Font Size/Style I followed the codes and conventions of classical music magazine font styles by making my masthead bold and clear however this contrast with “GRAMOPHONE” magazine as it’s title is plain and simple. By using the “Myroid Pro” font from Photoshop, I challenged the conventions of the simple look of a classical magazine masthead however I feel it was necessary to make my magazine eye-catching as a proportion of my intended audience did say that my title should be striking “and” appear” classical which I feel it does to some extent. Social Groups “LA MUSIQUE” is aimed at both male and female musicians sharing a passion for classical music. I feel that I have represented my social group through my media product through the use of images, language and font size/style. Which is why I believe that if it were to be placed with other classical music magazines, then my magazine would have an equal chance of being purchased just like the other magazines.
9. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
10. Haymarket Media Group Ltd I chose Haymarket Media Group Ltd to publish my magazine: “LA MUSIQUE” because they already publish two very popular and well reputed classical music magazines: “CLASSIC Fm” and “GRAMOPHONE”. Because of this, I feel that Haymarket Media Group have the experience and trust from their local consumers who have been purchasing their other classical magazines therefore it would be highly likely that they would publish mine and gain the same reaction from their consumers. Although this may cause competition for the magazines, I feel that “LA MUSIQUE” has a good chance of making its way into the publishing industry because it is broadcasted at a younger audience too aswell as the mature readers.
11. Who would be the audience for your media product?
12. LA MUSIQUE READERS The audience for my magazine are affluent, well educated readers sharing a passion for the tranquillity that classical music provides for them. They are more or less creative minded people who enjoy spending their weekends at concerts and theatres. Biography Of My Reader A typical thirty-two year old “LA MUSIQUE” reader spends her weekdays working at a high profile, social grouping A/B job in the city and comes home to her lavish house in one of the richest areas of London. She has a degree in Economics from the elite Russell Group University’s: London School Of Economics. Her college and Secondary school life was spent at a private school but she never lets her prestigious background and lifestyle affect her determination and commitment to a successful work life. Her weekends are spent with her family and friends. Occasional trips to Classical events have inspired her to join a beginners class as she has a keen interest for playing the Piano. Her favourite Classical Musician is Andrea Bacchetti. Quote: “Learn from your past, Create your Present, & Inspire your Future.”
14. The Bar The bar on the left hand side is similar to that of “GRAMOPHONE” magazine and I feel that it is a simple yet stylish way to attract the audience to take a sneak preview into what the magazine has inside. The “red” house style continues making the bar blend into the front cover making it look more realistic and like a magazine front cover than a poster. The Puff The puff is located on the left hand third and it follows the “red” house style which is why I feel that it would attract the audience. It is also giving the audience an incentive to buy the magazine, as if it is the catch line of “LA MUSIQUE” which will appeal to those who see it for the first time The Masthead I feel that my masthead will attract my target audience as it conveys the classical genre through the font style “...”. Its simplicity would make it appeal to everyone . The Image The image of my model wearing a striking red dress is eye-catching and gives a mature look to the magazine hinting that it is for a slightly mature audience. Having a female model makes it attractive as many males would find the artist attractive therefore want to read about her resulting in them purchasing the magazine. The Lists The list of other artists will enable the readers to glimpse what is featured inside the magazine which would instantly attract them if their favourite artist were to be mentioned on there. Similar lists are featured in “GRAMOPHONE” magazine.
15. The Copy The image of the front cover makes the contents page more realistic as it follows on from the title page of the magazine. Most magazines usually put a snapshot of the front cover near the subscription offer to entice the audience to purchase the magazine The Layout The layout of the contents list is simple and easy to read making it appeal to my target audience. This reinforces that my magazine is aimed at a mature audience who do not need to have “interesting fonts”. The Subscription Offer The subscription offer acts as an incentive to lure the audience into purchasing my magazine at a discount rate. “Pianist” magazine also do the same thing and now that most magazines are available to subscribe for, I feel that by making mine also available for subscription widens the gap of which people can purchase my magazine. The colour contrasts the house style which makes it stand out from the contents page. The Images The images are of different artists and taken by different shots which enhances their attractiveness because they are all not the same. The birds eye view shot, High angle shot, medium close up shot and long shot all make the contents page appealing to look at and therefore attractive overall.
16. The Images The image of my model is very contemporary and chic as I wanted to depict my magazine to be mature yet classy. I feel that by positioning the artist on the page like so, makes the focal point of the double page spread be on the artist aswell as the article itself. The image of the CD is similar to the style used in “BBC” magazine therefore it attracts attention as the reader knows that the article is about the CD. The Album Section “GRAMOPHONE” magazine used a similar style which, when I asked my target audience, they also found attractive and interesting. This is why I decided to display three album covers on the right hand side as it depicted that my audience would be able to look at other artists’ too aswell as “Lolita Pandya”. The images were abstract and quite striking therefore made my magazine appear classy and stylish aswell as sophisticated. The Layout I organised the writing into columns as it would look much more neat and it is the conventions for all classical magazines. I followed the “red” house style which made my article attractive to look at and also the reader will be able to differentiate between the questions asked and the answers given.
17. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
18. Technology I used and learnt how to use various software's which I had never previously used. Microsoft Publisher was used for when I made did my preliminary task. I used Microsoft Word when making my questionnaire. I used Microsoft Excel when converting my findings of my questionnaire into bar charts and pie charts. I used Macromedia Fireworks when I altered my images for my Negus Magazine and also my first drafts. I then went on to using Photoshop which was a more advanced software of editing my images and actually creating my magazine. I used Microsoft PowerPoint to create an evaluation as it is far more interactive than an essay. I published all my work onto Blogger to convey that I am able to use media related networks. I used the Internet for my research into different magazines. I used Google Images for inspiration from other magazines and check whether I was following the codes and conventions or not. I could create banners on Facebook and Twitter to broadcast my magazine as these are the current popular social networking sites therefore my target audience could view my magazine instantly and across the globe rather than just in specific newsagents.
19. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
20. Progression/In Hindsight I feel that I have learnt and progressed alot from when I first did my preliminary task to now, the final magazine. I have learnt to use new software’s which I had never encountered before: Photoshop and Blogger. Photoshop enabled me to edit my images for example change their contrast, colour. By layering and merging the layers, I was able to have full control over where I wanted to place banners and puffs and writing which I wasn’t able to do on Microsoft Publisher. I was able to experiment using a wide range of fonts and able to add effects such as drop shadows, outer glows and edit my images quickly using the quick selection tool By using a 12.2 Megapixel Digital Camera, I was able to take professional looking photos and with Photoshop I was able to change the background from a bare wall to an interesting fireworks display etc. Overall, Photoshop allowed my magazine to have a sophisticated appearance so that it looks like it could compete with the industry standard classical music magazines.
