2. What kind of music genre do I like best?
The reason why I chose the genre R&B/POP for my music magazine, is due to the fact that nowadays more and more people the same age as me
listen to this type of music and I think that this music reflects our generation today. Also because a lot of social networking sites like on Vine,
Instagram and Twitter, I often find that this type of genre is being played around and it gets more and more people’s attention to want to listen to it and
find out who sings it. Lastly because due to festivals and concerts like the iTunes festival and the Wireless festival, big artist’s like Drake etc. perform
at these type of events which makes more people aware of them.
Why I chose to do a R&B/POP music magazine?
0
2
4
6
8
HIP-HOP Rock Soul POP R&B Dance Grime Classical Jazz
Genre
Also, as you can see from the chart, I looked at all the genres that I can think of and I have ranked them to my personal preference and clearly I like to
listen to more R&B and POP than I do anything else which is another reason why I chose to do this for my music magazine.
3. In what ways does your Media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real media
products?
The magazine, across the 4-pages, ‘repeats’ (Steve Neale) codes and conventions from magazines like Billboard, VIB, XXL and Notion magazine
as inspiration which I used to duplicate the listed codes and conventions. This included having a colour scheme that was continuous throughout
the four pages, I did this by having my basic colours which were black and white, then incorporating accent colours which were pink, yellow, green
and blue. The four accent colours where used throughout to make sure that when looking at the magazine and the four pages you could see that I
had the same idea from one page to the other. To further ensure my front cover met the right guidelines, I made sure that it had a bar code, date,
price, web address and issue number which I placed at the bottom of the magazine next to the barcode, a unique selling point, which was the
competition I placed at the bottom of the magazine to grab the readers attention as they scan from top to bottom when looking at it, this way it will
be the last thing that they see and it will make them want to buy it, a main image plus a headline which is placed across the main image, coverlines
that are placed either side of the magazine and a strapline which is at the top of the magazine to grasp the readers attention from when they first
look at it. Then for my contents page I added sections, so that it is easy for the reader to see where he wants to look to get information and he is
not scrambling across the page trying to find something in the magazine, and for the same reason I added page numbers and sub-lines to them, to
attract the readers attention, another image of the model from the front cover was placed on the contents page, then I added the web
address/social media networking sites as use of convergence, so that my readers can also access the same information again but in different
formats, which allows them to find a suitable way for themselves to use. Promotions/ competitions so that it can make the audience a lot more
intrigued to the magazine, so it makes them want to buy it. Lastly the editorial section on my contents page which allows the reader to get to know
me. When I first started to do my front cover my initial idea wasn't to have my main image the way it is, I took inspiration from notion magazine.
As you can see from Notion magazine the image doesn't actually fit the whole space that is provided, I
thought that I would incorporate something different because compared to Billboard magazine or XXL the
images fit the whole space, so I thought that this could be a way of making my magazine stand out.
Then for my double page spread I also repeated Steve Neale’s code and conventions by having a
columns, a main image and sub images, the interview content including up to 10 questions and also
including the same aspects that the front cover and the contents page have incorporated into them.
There are examples of some ‘difference’, however, in terms of the forms
and conventions in my own media product for example by using the colour
scheme of my magazine as a reflection of the genre that I have chosen.
The bright colours that I have used resemble the POP side of the genre of
my magazine therfore you see the playful and bubbly side of the music,
which are artists like Katy Perry and Ellie Goulding ad then the dark colors
that I have used resemble the R&B side of the genre of my magazine and
therefore you see the bold and harsh R&B music that are artists like Drake,
Nicki Minaj and Rihanna.
4. This is the process of how I first started making my front
cover for my music magazine. As you can see, the first
screenshot is totally different from the final shot, this is
because my initial idea was to the colours grey, blue and
white, this was because from my questionnaire, these
were the colours that most people thought, associate with
R&B/POP music magazines. I also thought they were
really good colours because I had neutral colours and then a pop of blue that pulls everything together. As for the masthead I wanted the letters to
fade into each other, as I thought it was different and I found that not many music magazines do this, I took this inspiration from GQ magazine. But
because at this point I didn’t have an visual image that I could work off, I didn’t really know where to go from here, so I scrapped the whole idea until I
got an image. Once I got an image I placed it onto the page and took inspiration from several magazines. For my new idea, the image I had in my
head was a fresh, non complicated magazine. Throughout the whole process, I changed my masthead quite a few times but my initial name that I
stuck with was 'MUSE' when I changed it to ‘Craze Magazine’, I was thinking I wanted a long name to fit the font I chose and so that it would go
across from one side to the other side, this way more space was filled up and I didn’t have to find a way to fill up all that empty space. After a while I
didn’t like the name or the way it looked, so I then went back to 'MUSE'' because this was my initial name anyway. I then decided in using the
background colour of my main image for the magazine and a simple colour scheme of basic colours like black, white and grey but then incorporating
pop of colours which were pink, yellow, blue and green, and because the background colour of the image was not a bright colour, I didn't have to
worry about over powering the viewers with lots of colours, therefore this way it meant that I could focus on making not just the images stand out but
the fonts too, which I did by using a different fonts for everything.
5. Masthead – MUSE masthead is big
and bold like the XXL magazine, the
contrast in colours are similar they
both have dark colours as the
background of the box then white
which makes the test stand out.
Barcode – The barcode is placed in a visible area
so that it can be scanned, similar to Notion
magazine.
Main Headline – This is placed in
the middle of the magazine below
the main image which reflects the
image and let's the reader know
who is the star appeal of the whole
magazine, MUSE's is done similarly
to VIBE magazine as it they are
both introduced by them being an
'exclusive interview'.
Date/Pricing – The date and the price of the
magazine are placed with the barcode so that it is
all in one place, which is like XXL magazine,
therefore when the reader goes to scan the
magazine they know all that information.
Website – For MUSE magazine this I placed right
under the masthead so that the readers see it straight
away and I am therefore getting the website for my
magazine advertised.
Strap Line – This is placed at the top of the magazine,
for MUSE's strap line it gives an insight on what else
you get to find out about in the magazine which is the
MUSE awards coming up. Similar to VIBE as they are
talking about reviews that are inside the mag.
Main Image – MUSE's main image
is similar to Notion magazine as
they are both medium close-ups
(MCU), also they both do not fit the
whole size of the page As the
background of the image is used,
which is different compared to all
the others which do not have the
original background as the
background for the magazine.
Cover Lines – MUSE'S cover lines
are bold and stand out like VIBE
magazine, as there are pops of
colours in both of the magazine
which makes the stories stand out
and make the viewer want to find
out what it's about. Also the different
sizing in the fonts and the styles
make it different from having just
one font throughout.
6. These are the screenshots for my contents page before I came to a final decision on how I wanted
it to look. Before I knew what I wanted my contents page to look like I searched for any font from
dafont and I placed it at the top of the page not knowing what I wanted to do, then once I had done
my front page and had that finalised, I decided to use the same font that I used for my front cover.
When I saw how plain and bland it looked I decided to change it and flip the text 90 degrees so
that it was on the side, I did this because I didn't see many contents pages that did this so I thought
that it would be different to do something like that. Then when I flipped it I noticed it was lacking
something so then, I added a black block that was the same size so that it went all the way along,
still it didn't look the way I wanted it so I changed it again.
The other screen shot are of the different
fonts I went through in order to find my
ideal one. I think that trial and error was
important when deciding what I wanted to
do with my contents page as I didn't just
settle for so,etching that I wasn't happy
with but instead I changed it until I was
happy with the final product and this way
it looked up to my standard.
7. As you can see, through the process
of finalising my contents page, I faced
a number of changes before coming to
a template that I liked and I could see
progress. I first started by looking at
other contents pages for inspiration,
specifically looking at VIBE magazine
as you can see my contents page is
inspired by that magazine. Then for
the images, instead of using just one
image, I decided to use a number of
images not only to fill up space but to
add a different effect to the magazine,
to also make it a little more different i
collages the images together and
made some of them transparent so,
that you can see the other images through them. This is another thing I did that I thought wasn't on many other contents pages, which I incorporated.
To keep the same vibe going from my front cover to my contents page, I kept it simple by using the same pop of colours that I used for the front cover
and also not adding any bring overwhelming colours. I also used the same fonts that were on the cover lines snd put them in the contents list so that it
corresponded with the story and was easy to find for the reader. After I had done this, I was thinking of a way to fill up the empty space, I then decide
on having a box that lets everyone know what was going to be included in every months issue of MUSE magazine.At first this box was above the
editors note but then I decided to change because I felt as though it looked really unusual because where the lines had stopped, it looked as though
they had to keep carrying on down the page, so I thought that I would move it to a place where it didn't look like it wasn’t finished. After that I had an
open space so I put a review box that lets the readers know what's new in the magazine.
8. Font – Although my contents page
font isn't a resemblance of the front
cover, I think that it still fits in well
because, throughout my whole
magazine the thing that I kept doing
from each page is changing the fonts
which is making sure that it all flows,
so therefore having a simple bold font
and having a column that stands out
more with all the colours and images
detracts the audience away from that
and lets them focus on the content of
the magazine.
Main images – Instead of having just
one image, I used many images which
is similar to the VIBE magazines
contents page. The images taken are
quite serious and are only of females
as my audience is a female based
audience so therefore it appeals to
those people. I wanted to make my
contents page look original so I didn't
copy the contents page on the right
completely for those reasons.
Overall Layout – The overall layout of
my contents page is unique as instead
of visually dividing my magazine into
sections, I used the content that I wanted to put in the magazine to separate and divide the sections. Also the layout is sleek, simple and colour
scheme I feel attract ps my target audience even more because I have overwhelmed them with so much that it is a lot to take it, but made it
rather simple in a way so that it resembles the care free youthful lifestyle, because I think that when people that age see this they are more
intrigued to buy it. In comparison to VIBE magazine the same sort of things that they have done like separating the sections using the content is
similar to mine and therefore if my magazine has those qualities it makes it look like a real one.
9. These are the screenshots from when I first started making my double page spread for magazine, as
you can see from the first screenshot it is totally different to the final screenshot, this is because I he
many ideas on how I wanted my double page spread to look, so I tried them out so I could see them
visually and decided whether they were good or not. At first I wanted to do something different that I
had seen on XXL magazine which was the first screenshot, but then I felt as though it was too
overwhelming and it looked as though there was too much going on throughout the whole double
page spread so I changed my idea. This time I thought instead of having one big image I would have
3 little images that it was a lot more toned down, but then I felt as though it looked too plain for a
reason and it didn't really fit in well and flow with my front cover and my contents page, so I scraped
the whole idea and went back to that one main image again but this time only having 'Nicole
Scherzinger' once displayed at the bottom and an 'N' that is in the background so my interview can
go over it. But once again I changed my idea again because in my head it didn't fit well as I am an indecisive person looking at it for too long
makes me see where it doesn't look good and make me want to change it again for the last time and this time I was happy with the changes. I
added a main image and I incorporated the same technique that I did on my contend page of the fading in of the images with each other and this
made sure that I kept the continuity of my magazine all the way through until the end.
10. Photographs – The photographs
that I have used for my double
page spread interview relate to
Billboard magazines interview as
the images are kind of look like
fashion but on a music magazine,
I feel gives off a nice vibe as it
attracts the audience more
because those who like the star
appeals fashion would buy this
magazine and look at the images
to see what they are wearing and
what they like, how they are
wearing it and maybe find out
where to buy it. The way the
image is of half of the models face
makes the audience more
intrigued to look into the content
of the interview because it's not
giving them too much away as
half of the star appeal is inside the
article they just have to read it.
Overall Layout - Overall. I think
that the layout of the magazine fits
in well with the theme throughout
my magazine. It is similar in a way
to Billbosrd's as it has a main
image and then it has sub images
that are placed around to give the
readers another perspective, also
to make it look a lot more
interesting and not so bland, that
way it gives the readers s lot more
to look at rather than just piling an
article on them. Having a quote
from the article, enlarged so that
before even reading the magazine
the readers see that and get
intrigued straight away and want
to find out why is a good way to
attract the audience which is why I
did so.
11. How does your media product represent particular social
groups?
The denotations of representation is to act or speak on behalf of someone, but in this context it means whether or not I
have material in magazine that is appealing to all types of social groups whether it be ‘nerds’, ‘goths’ or ‘chavs’ etc.
Therefore if my magazine does appeal to all of these social groups, it would be a success as the larger my target
audience is, the larger the amount of people who would want to read and buy my magazine. That is why, for y own
magazine, I think that it would only appeal to a few social groups that like to listen to R&B music as well as POP, which
is why because I have incorporated two genres in my magazine, I will have a wider target audience. As my magazine is
also a POP one, it is seen as quite passive music genre that has lyrics commonly to do with ‘Love’ and is often
pleasurable to listen to, without needing much thought or having much artistic depth, it means that socio-economic
groups such as C, D and E would be attracted to my Magazine. This is because they have jobs that require a lot of
manual work, that can be repetitive so my magazine could act as a diversion, which links to Katz theory, the need to
escape from everday life and relax, so my magazine can act as a tool to detract them from their normal day life so
they could focus on something other then their own lives. Another social group that would read this magazine would be
catergory D, who would be students and teenagers around that age, who may buy the magazine because these types
of people will often look for POP music as it is very modern and will help them become ‘social climbers’, which links to
Malsow’s Hierachy theory because the audience are driven by improving their status in society and in the ladder it is
popularity. In addition to this it gives the readers a ‘Window in to the World’, which links to Wendy Helsby’s theory, to
what ‘stars’, that my model may feel like since the magazine offers many interviews that allow the reader to perhaps
personally identify with them, is the star this links to Richard Dyer’s theory. For example my model may be seen as the
girl who everyone looks up to due to the amount of make-up she is wearing and the clothes she is styling, which could
be something that the ‘scene’ readers may like to replicate and want to be like.
Across the 4-pages, it helps to represent female artists in a positive light due to the use of the modern model that
reflects the target audience that I am going for and a front cover that is eye-catching that connotes a really up lifting
vibe. Consequently the posture that my model shows off is feminine and sharp in a way, which
represents the female target audience of my magazine and also reflects the vibe of my double page
spread which is straight to point and doesn’t drag out. This is opposite to how I portrayed the star
appeal in the magazine as she is quite sweet and down to earth in the article which is why I thought
it was a great way to incorporate some sort of difference which links to Steve Neale’s theory and the
person of interest will be drawn into the audience, since their notions on these celebrities will be
challenged.
12. The use of my model who is clearly
above the age of 16, so this fits into my
age range. Also because she is of an
olive skin tone therefore males/females
that are the same skin tone will
gravitate towards picking up the
magazine. Not just that the idea that it
is an R&B magazine as well as POP
more males tend to like this type of
music so they will be more interested in
looking through the magazine.
From the research that I have been
doing, I found out that most of people
aged 16 and above found the genre
R&B and POP there most listened to
genre. As well as when a somebody in
that age range picks up a magazine
they tend to pick up magazines like
Billboard, VIBE or XXL which include
artists like Nicki Minaj, Drake, Beyoncé
etc. that I have included in my
magazine.
Overall I think that when you look at my
magazine front cover it gives off the
R&B/POP vibe anyways due to the
images font and content and therefore
will appeal to someone who is definitely
into R&B or even POP, because I feel
as though this is a recognisable genre
due to it being publicised in the media
through celebrities and big music artists
like as stated above.
Background – The background that I
used for my magazine isn't of anything
because it is the background of the
actual main image which is a light grey
colour. I believe that my background
helps to represent the social group of
my age range because it is so simple
and plain, which is what young adults
are nowadays, they have no room for
complications but like the simplicity of
things like this magazine as it hasn't got
a lot going on which reflects that.
Images – The image that I have used
is of a star appeal, who is Nicole
Scherzinger and therefore people
would want to buy my magazine
because the celebrity is someone they
look up to or admire and want to be like
so they buy it because they can relate
to them.
Fonts/Colour Scheme – The font that
I have used reflect the genre that I have
chosen for my magazine. The bold dark
colours that I have used, for example
the Drake, Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj
represent the R&B side, this is because
these artists tend to want to stand out
in their own way. Then all the pop of
colours that I have used, which are
dotted around the magazine like the,
pink, blue, yellow and green represent
the POP side of the genre I chose, this
is because POP artists tend to be fun
and playful and not too serious.
13. Fonts/Colour Scheme – The font that
I have used reflect the genre that I have
chosen for my magazine as the range
of bold to bright colours link to the
youth that I am trying to attract to my
magazine so that they will buy it. Also
my questionnaire that I produced in
order to find the best colours for my
magazine have contributed to this and
have helped the magazine look a lot
more appealing to my target audience
of 16-20 year olds.
Font – I have used various fonts to go
onto my magazine that I have
mentioned throughout previously.
Because I didn't use the same fin
throughout the whole magazine, I feel
as though it gives the magazine a
unique quality that is not seen in many
other magazines. Therefore I feel like
this will attract my target audience well
as it keeps them interested in the
magazine because it is not the same all
round.
Overall layout – I think that my
overall layout represents social
groups ages 16-20 because the pop
of colours that I have used
throughout the magazine give the
magazine continuity, and it makes it
flow from one to the other. Another
reason is due to everything being s
nest place so the it is easy for the
reader to see where everything is.
Photography – The images that I have
used and taken are of 16-20 year olds
to enhance a sense of belonging to my
target audience, as they are the same
age group. In the images the model is
posing and this reflects the youth of this
age as they love to take pictures of
themselves therefore encouraging
people to read my magazine as no one
likes to read a magazine if the images
are unappealing to the audience.
14. I feel as though I have represented the social group of 16-20 females, which my magazine is aimed at reflecting the R&B/POP genre along the way
through the use of posing, facial expression and clothing. As female R&B/POP tend to gravitate towards the hard, tomboy look, and I have
incorporated that by having my model wear a boyish jacket called a ‘bomber jacket’. I believe that this will attract this social group as they will want
to be more like the star appeal because they will idolise them, this is because usually young adults have no send of judgement as if a certain
celebrity or artist is wearing certain designer clothes they would but it just to look like them which links to Katz Uses & Gratification theory, as from
a females point of view this would be the reasons why they’d do so.
My magazine also
represents this
particular social
group as it acts as
a form of an escape
for the young
people to look
through and get
inspiration from
artists that have
made it big in life.
By reading success
stories and
motivational speech
which can make
them think about
how they could
reach there dreams
by reading them.
Another thing being
why it helps to
represent the social
group of 16-20 year
olds is the use of
the model.
Another reason why
this double page
interview represents
the social group of 16-
20, as I have used a
simple colour scheme
which doesn’t drown
the readers with too
much to look at but
rather lets them see
the more important
aspects first like the
motivational speech,
the main image and
the actual interview.
The colour scheme
also resembles the
sophisticated age, as
from 16 you are
considered more of an
adult and are able to
do more things so
therefore, having a
simple colours does
that.
15. What kind of media institution (Publisher) might distribute
your media product and why?
Bauer Media Group would be a
good option as a media institution
to distribute my media product
because it reaches over 19
million UK young adults, across
multiple media and including my
R&B/POP music magazine will increase the amount of people they get reading their media products on the R&B side. Bauer Media Group also
has Bauer radio which consists of Heat radio, Q radio, Smash hits! and The hits radio. Some of these radio stations already play out R&B and
even POP music so my magazine will fit in because it is of that genre. They are also known and have a vast umbrella of interests that they have
magazines about, some of these include magazines under the title: women, men, engine, gardening, pets etc. as well as them being a UK
based institution, my magazine will be up against these three other magazines that are of the same genre, which are Smash hits, Kerrang and
Q. Therefore, I would see Bauer Media Group publishing MUSE magazine because they are good at creating personal relationships which links
to Katz Uses and Gratification theory and one of needs being personal relationships which is creating a personal relationship with the reader as
if you were friends with them and on my contents page I believe my magazine dos this as I have my editorial on there, where I talk to the
readers and give them an insight on what they can find before they read my magazine and give off the friendly vibe. Also my media product
uses a lot of synergy and cross media convergence which will allow the readers to access the content in many different ways since I have
multiple social networking sites in association with my magazine and additionally there being a website for my magazine.
The similarities of my magazine to Smash hits magazine being the way in which the promotions are displayed also signifies that Bauer may
want to distribute my magazine as this links to De Saussure's theory because with similar codes and convections that sell Smash hits's
magazine displayed for s different music sub-genre may be something of interest to the publishing group as it well increase the target audience
for my magazine as well as there's also.
Another media institution that may distribute my music magazine may
be IPC Media, this is because it's UK's leading consumer magazine
and digital publishers with a massive portfolio selling over 350 million
copies each year and also has over 85 iconic print brands. As it doesn't
have any sign of R&B/POP magazines, therefore adding my magazine
will increase sales for the institution because it will be targeting a much
broader audience rather than just sticking to what they do originally.
Lastly due to IPC having partnerships with big supermarkets, so this
can widen my target audience, as it will be more freely available in the
supermarket for those who go shopping weekly so that anyone can
buy my magazine and in a way it forces them to buy it as many people
go to supermarkets as it is compulsory to eat and it will not seem as
expensive if it is added to their weekly bill.
16. Who would be the audience for your media product and
why?
The target audience for my music magazine would be an age range from 16-20 year olds, this is because according to
Hartley's seven subjectives especially for females, most of the artists that are on my magazine are females due to the
star appeal being a female as well, therefore it means that I would have a female based audience. This is because
people often have role models of the same gender because they either want to be like them or admire them in some
way. On the other hand my audience could be males also because my front cover image is of a celebrity that looks
really appealing, when linking to Katz Uses and Gratification theory which states that males would want to buy this
magazine because there is a female on there that they might like and enjoy looking at, also because the images of the
female act as an attractant due to females often being objectified for the pleasure of the male audience which is Laura
Mulvey's theory of male gaze. Going back to why females may be the target audience for my magazine would be
because according to Katz Uses and Gratification theory females would find it much easier to create a personal
relationship with them, however like stated above it will also appeal to the male gender as well which links to Hartley's
theory. Lastly, also according to Maslow's hierarchy needs, social climbers would make up a large amount of the
readership since they would try and seek as much information as possible so they were informed and educated on
everything that was new which links to Katz theory. And as well as the working proletariat class which was Karl Max's
theory, would really be targeted since the readers would be an,e to afford the magazine as well as appreciate the
diversion it offers from day to day life which links to Katz theory again. My magazine was not originally aimed at the
audience with high standard choice of luxury lifestyle with big incomes, however I was aiming for the social group of
people around 16-20 years old who aspire to become like these celebrities. My target audience of 16-20 year olds are
usually people who spend their money on items, like music magazines, therefore to learn more about the readers of my
magazine I created a questionnaire which helped me create my magazine, so I had something to back me up on why I
did certain things on my magazine as well as give me an insight into what was needed in my magazine to attract the
specific audience I was going for. From my questionnaire knowing that 16-20 year olds are more interested in music
that there generation is listening to, made me ask questions like "which artist do you prefer?"and then I gave them
options to choose from which made it easier for me, in response to these types of questions I got
answers like Rihanna, Beyoncé etc which are artists who continuously produce music that attracts
this age range so they were perfect people to use in my magazine. Overall my magazine will appeal
to both male and females, who are in the age range of 16-20 years old, the ethnicity of the reader
can be anyone because I have a range of people on my magazine that are different nationalities
so everyone can relate, which is why throughout my magazine I have tried to appeal to many different
ethnicities which also widens my target audience and therefore make more people aware of my
Magazine.
17. How did you attract/address your audience?
In order to attract my intended audience, I did this by having many unique selling points to my magazine that were
visible to see, this is because from my questionnaire I found that this was the main reason as to what attracted people
to buy magazines. The idea that you are getting something out of buying the magazine whether it be the chance to
win a competition or a free CD of some sort, is a good way to draw people in and get them to buy your magazine.
Another way that I attracted my audience was by using language on my magazine like 'exclusive' 'win' 'free', in bold to
make it stand out helped me attract my audience as well because they are words that are very direct and can make
the readers believe that they are getting something of value for just being a consumer of MUSE magazine. Also by
having artists that are up and coming so that the readers feel like they are up to date with "what's going on with all the
celebrities?", "who's doing what?", "who's brought out a new song?", "where some of them have been?", that way the
readers feel more like they are part of the MUSE community. As well as the inclusion of codes and conventions such
as having an editorial in the contents page helped to appeal to the target audience as using direct terms like 'we' 'you'
make the readers feel part of something and therefore develop a personal relationship with the editor, so therefore
writing in this way pushes them to buy the magazine and then make them want to buy the next issue as well.
Another way to attract my target audience, is making sure that my design overall was up to standard, as I think that
this is the most important part of actually attracting the audience, this is why I made sure that MUSE magazines
wasn’t the usual boring simple layout and had something different to it. Which is why I tried to enhance my readers
and create a different simplistic view of what a actual real R&B/POP magazine would look like as there are many
which are quite similar. In order for me to do this successfully, I researched many magazines that I wanted my
magazine to look like so that it didn’t lean to much towards the fashion side, I searched for magazines such as VIBE,
Billboard, Notion and XXL. I believe that I attracted my audience well through the front cover by having bold writing
that reflected each of the cover lines, I attracted my audience through my contents page y giving them an insight on
what they are in for before they even red the magazine so they know before they buy it whether or not it will appeal to
them, then for my double page spread I attracted my audience well by having good quality
images because this is a good way to attract the audience,as if the quality of the images are bad
then the readers wouldn’t want to read on because it doesn’t appeal to them visually. The
overall layout of each of the pages being the front cover, contents page and double page spread
are very appealing in the way that they all flow together and have something in them from one
to the other which makes it resemble each other in a way, so when you look at the front cover
you see something from the contents page and the double page spread overall and that makes
it a successful magazine and draw more people into reading it and finding out more.
18. What have you learnt about technologies from the process
of constructing this product?
Throughout the whole process of planning and producing my music magazine, I have learnt a number of new skills
that I will able to apply in the future. As I like designing, this was a great way for me to expand my knowledge and
get a general grasp on how to use new programs or programs that I had little knowledge on, whether it be editing,
or enhancing images and overall successfully produce in my opinion a really good R&B/POP magazine that would
appeal to 16-20 year olds.
In terms of programs, whilst making my music magazine I had to use my knowledge and understanding of different
programs,much as Adobe Photoshop CS4 in order to make my magazine as professional as possible. Before I
started using this program I had previous knowledge from using it before for another subject so it was just a case
of remembering how to use it. Adobe Photoshop CS4 helped me enhance and alter my images as well as filter
them so that they looked as professional as possible, and lastly I could convert the images to make them into the
best quality without ruining the original quality of the images and without leaving them pixelated, which I think is
very important as the quality of your images make whether or not your magazine is good or not. This program also
helps me to build up my magazine on separate layers and made sure the quality of the text was clear so that even
when I zoomed in, it wasn’t pixelated at all, then once I had done it all, at the end it compressed the layers into one
end product which was my magazine.
Then in terms of photography, using such good quality cameras like the Nikon D3200 DSLR with a 18-55mm Lens
made the a massive difference to the quality of my images a lot more, this was such a privilege for me as I have a
friend who has this camera so I made sure that I asked and used it for my magazine. I have always like the idea of
taking good quality photography knowing that it is important that you have really good lighting otherwise this can
affect the end result of the images. Therefore, using this camera allowed me to take really good pictures with just
one click and they were such high quality that I didn’t even need to alter anything other than deciding whether or
not I wanted to remove the background. As for the uploading and downloading of the blog and Slide Share, it was
really difficult for me because I had never used a blog before or even Slide Share so this was all new to me but
however after using it, I found that it was so easy to convert files and upload presentations onto Slide Share and
embedding them into Wordpress, which I’m sure I could do in a couple months time.
Lastly most of all, I learnt the important of continuous saving because importing, converting and uploading and
downloading tends to take up a lot of memory as well as cause my computer to freeze on numerous occasions
therefore it was important that I was saving constantly so that nothing was lost.
19. Photography Planning – Front Cover
My initial idea for my front cover was to have a similar style to a magazine called Notion. So I got a model
who I thought could replicate the star appeal on the front cover of Notion magazine who was Ciara, I placed
my model in a bomber style jacket that was similar to Ciara's and I put her hair in that same style too, so
that I could recreate the look for my magazine. I wanted to do this because the way, that Notion magazine
was set out, it inspired me to want to create a magazine like it, as the genre that I chose for my magazine
was from the R&B and POP side, so I thought that looking at magazines that were in the same wave length
as me helped me to develop my idea. After a while the idea grew on me to not have this image as my front
cover, so more photos were taken with my model. This was because I thought that I didn't want to fully
replicate a magazine but take aspects from it to make it my own and unique.
After some thought about his I wanted to
position my model for the new idea I
had, we took a couple more photos in
the same jacket, but this time different
hairstyles and different poses., this way
I wasn't set to one idea. And I had a
selection to chose from that gave off
different vibes. Throughout the photos
the jacket is seen open, this links to
Laura Mulvey’s theory about the male
gaze. This theory suggests that the
male gaze deny women has human
identity and rather position them to be a
status of objects to be admired for
physical appearance.
So through the images I have taken you can see that this will attract males. This also links to Kat’s Uses and Gratification theory and
personal identity being one of the needs, because male’s will often pick up magazines with females for the use of pleasure and females
would pick up magazines with females on because they idolized to be like them or they may relate to them in some way which makes them
want to buy it.
20. Photography Planning - Contents
When deciding what image I wanted to use for my contents page, I didn't actually have images in mind I just knew that I wanted it to flow from my
front cover to my contents page and you could see the links from one to the other. So I went through all the images that I hadn't used yet and picked
out a few that I thought would fit in well with my magazine. After looking through the images I hadn't used I came across these four that I thought
would be perfect to collage together as this was the idea I had in mind at the time. Due to the fact that I didn't have any initial ideas for my contents
page, I used these images as a baseline, so that I could start with something rather than nothing. When taking these images there was not really any
thought behind it as most if them were taken of guard and I wasn't initially going to use them in the first place, but after I realised I didn't have any
photos for my contents page and I had an idea in mind, these photos happen to fit well with the whole theme. As these were the only images I used
for my contents page, it was easy for me because I knew what I had to do next. Throughout my magazine I have used s female to draw the attention
of my audience which are females aged 16 and above and I think that these images do a good job at attracting them because the model is wearing
make-up which a lot of young adults like to wear, so they can relate and maybe want to recreate the look that she is wearing on themselves, also the
model has her hair in various different styles in each on the pictures, this also has the same effect of making the audience want to replicate that.
Lastly the model is holding the new
iPhone 6 which came out not too long
ago, the new phone being in the image
not just appeals to females but to
everyone as they see this celebrity
with the latest gadget, which therefore
pushes them to want to buy because
she has it and when they get it they will
be like her. This links to Katz Uses and
Gratification theory because females
would want to pick up this magazine
for those reasons stated above as one
of the basic needs being surveillance
because the audience has used the
magazine to find out what the star
appeal has been up to in order to fulfil
their needs. As well as linking to the
other basic need which is personal
identity as the audience try and relate
to the star appeal because they see
through the images that they are
normal people like them.
21. Photography Planning – Double Page Spread Interview
For my double page spread I initially wanted to use these three photos because I wanted my interview to give off a sophisticated vibe, this was
because my model was wearing a suit so it only fitted in well that way. I told my model to do various poses so that they were all different and then
when I lined them up together and put them on my double page spread the were transitioning images from one pose to the other. Initially when I
was planning photos for my double page spread, I didn't actually have an idea of what I wanted it to look like I just knew that these images would
fit well with my magazine to use as my double page spread.
After a while the photos previously grew on me and I then decided to change my idea and just use one photo. Using
one photo meant that the readers weren't overwhelmed with many photos and only had one to focus on, that
brought the whole double page spread together and this was the photo on the left. When taking this photo I told my
model to not look at the camera because I thought that it would be different to use a side profile. But when I
pictured the final product of my double page spread with that image, I felt as though it didn't fit in well with the whole
magazine itself, it looked too smart whereas my contents page and front cover were quite relaxed and not too
serious with fun and playful colours.
Once I had put a lot of thought into what I wanted to do next and took into consideration all the changes that I made with all the images I wanted
to use, I finally decided on using this image on one side of my double page spread and then cropping the photo down so that only half of her
face was being shown which gave it a different vibe to the magazine which I liked and that way the image filled up the whole space. Having one
main image meant that I could incorporate other images on the double page spread. The ones I chose where the two on the right because they
complimented the main first image well, in a way that it stood out.
22. Looking back at your preliminary task what do you feel you have
learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Looking back at my preliminary task, I feel that it was a work in
progress from which I have developed many new skills and
extended my understanding and my current knowledge about the
production of music magazines and the difficult things behind it all,
for example, what social groups certain magazines appeal to and
why? and how to attract a specific audience? and also the depth of
research and planning I had to do in order to make my magazines
successful.
Taking on board the feedback, which I got after making my school
magazine, giving out questionnaires for my research on music
magazines, I believe that I have progressed a long way from where I
started into the completion of my finished media product. I know
have a stronger knowledge and understanding on programs such as
Adobe Photoshop CS4 and also know how to update my blog and
edit new posts as well as create new pages and upload, convert and
make a wider range of videos which express my understanding on
technologies which have made my magazine come to life. Overall, I
feel that, having completed the preliminary task and learning about
the demand of this production process, I have learnt how to manage
my time efficiently and how to use photoshop in the most efficient
way possible. Also my ability to alter images to reflect the purpose
of some things have increased after a lot of trial and error
throughout the whole process. I have learnt the importance of fonts,
how if they are not readable from s certain distance or clear the
magazine will gain no profit since the magazines coverlines need to
be visible as this is what attracts the audience into buying your
magazine, the content that you offer. There is evidence of
progression that I feel particularly demonstrates how I met the
demand of the production process, for example meeting deadlines
set up for each part of the magazine as well as attending to
corrections and feedback well.
