This document provides responses to evaluation questions for a preliminary media studies task. It summarizes how the media product uses and develops conventions of real magazines through elements like following the rule of thirds layout, including social media links, and issue numbering. It challenges conventions by narrowing its target audience to upper school students and using a minimalist, professional style different from typical fun school magazines. The product represents various social groups at the school through its content and language. It aims to attract its target audience of 15-18 year old males and females by using a model in school clothes with a welcoming smile that students can relate to.

1. AS MEDIA STUDIES
PRELIMANATY TASK

2. Preliminary Evaluations
Answer the following questions.
The answers must demonstrate “excellent skill in the use of digital
technology and ICT” (OCR Specification p69) to reach the top level.
 In what ways does your product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real media texts?
 How does your product represent particular social
groups?
 What kind of institution might distribute your product and
why?
 Who would be the audience for your media product?
 How did you attract /address your audience?
 What have you learnt about technologies from the
process of constructing this project?
 What have you learnt about the production process
through this task?

3. How does the product
use, develop or
challenge forms and
conventions of real
media texts?

4. Existing Media Products

5. My Media Products and their USP
I have used a range of typical forms and
conventions of real magazines to
demonstrate my thorough understanding
of how they are produced and attract the
audience to gaze and be interested. The
forms which are followed include the
adhering the rule of thirds done through
the left hand side. Also widening the
audience has been done through the use
of social media links to converge the
audience and allow the more younger
audience to be attracted to the magazine.
The use of having a issue number and
date used shows that a typical convention
of a magazine is used which brings
familiarly and professionalism towards the
product.

6. Professionalism
The products are reinforced to be realist as a existing media product through
similarities to other magazines and following the conventions of the set genre of
School magazines. They allow the audience to gaze and become intrigued
through the use of colour and large images that attract the attention . By following
the common conventions of magazines i was able to efficiently connect my
product towards the target audience through the use of familiar and appealing
words that the audience would understand and comprehend as well as catching
their eye from the first glance and making them read on, this was reinforced by
the masthead being the largest text on the page which directs attention to it as
well as again following the rule of threes with 3 separate articles on the left hand
side. The key image is direct and large/ covers the page making it attract the
attention while also using an attractive model to fully engage the audiences
attention. It features her looking at the camera which suggests direct mode of
address and the use of having “EXCLUSIVE” in a dark red further stands out
over the rest of the product allowing the audience to know that she is important
towards the school and the magazine. The use of the yellow font below
exclusive also draws the audiences’ attention which allows my audience to
gather incite about the model used.

7. How does my product develop
these conventions?
My media product develops typical
conventions by using a variety of them
such as a bold direct masthead which
allows the audience to become
familiar and have it districted out over
the rest that establishes the branding
of the school. Moreover the use of the
school building being used as a
background further makes the
audience familiar and professional
while establishing the branding of the
school while suggesting importance
and relevance towards the magazine.

8. How does my product
challenge these conventions?
My media product challenged the conventions of
typical school magazines by being more
advanced and simplistic focusing on the
upper school and disregarding the appeal of
the younger years. This narrows down the
target audience and appeals to the more
focused and direct students.
I designed my contents page while looking at a
more professional and established school
and adhered and adapted their style into an
appropriate way for the selected school
Trinity School, Belvedere. The layout is very
professional and minimalistic which goes
against the iconic fun and colourful
representation that media products based
about school have which makes mine stand
out over competition. In particular the whole
3 letters a line in headings stood out as it
adhered the rule of three while also being
bold and direct compared to a lot of other
magazines.

9. Representation of Social Groups
My preliminary task media
represents a range of social
groups such as Focused,
academic students who are
interested in school reviews,
Students who may struggle
at something such as a
particular subject and also
those who are into sports.
The magazine contents
apply to a wide variety of
social groups and attract the
audience to be larger.
Furthermore, representing
the social groups was
simple as the social group
variety applied to the school
and was simple to pick up
on. The use of specific
language also relates to the
target audience.
The social groups mainly
consist of young males and
females between the ages
of 15 – 18 (Who are also
the target audience) and
this group is represented
through original media and
familiarity in
professionalism. I link the
audience to the magazine
through having the model
used in school appropriate
clothes allowing them to
relate as well as having a
welcoming smile as
students usually have.