Evaluation

How does your media product use/develop/challenge conventions of a media product?
My media product uses and develops the conventions of a normal magazine in a number of ways. On
my final front cover I have placed the masthead in the middle and at the top of the page; this is so it is
easy for the reader to see what the name of the magazine is. Many magazines will place their
masthead as it makes it clear what the title of the magazine is; also it is catching the eye of the
audience so they will be able to easily recognise the particular magazine. In addition to this on my
front cover I have used both a main image and the device of the left third. On many real media
products like magazines they will have a main image which is representing the main story, I have
done this, it will also allow the reader to see what the main story is and it may encourage them to buy
the magazine. I have also used a left third, many other real magazines will use this device as it is
showcasing to their audience what else their magazine has to offer, this is why I have used the left
third device on the front cover of my magazine. Finally on my front cover I have placed the barcode at
the bottom corner of the page, this is what other magazine companies do as it is out of the way
allowing room for more important features such as additional images. On my magazine I placed it in
the corner as it allowed me to have more space for the additional images, which were also
showcasing my unique selling point.

Whilst creating my magazine, I looked at magazines
such as Kerrang to be able to follow come of the
conventions of ‘normal’ magazines. I chose to look at
Kerrang as it is the same genre as my magazine. From
looking at this magazine I was able to base many
features from my magazine on how they layout their
magazine. For example I have a main image of a band, I
have also got a similar unique selling point and a big
bold title at the top and in the middle of the page.

Furthermore my music magazine follows and develops the 'norms' and conventions of real magazine
on the contents page. Like other magazines I have placed page numbers and the heading of stories
on the page, this is showing the reader what else the magazine has to offer and it is also showing
what page the main story is on which was shown on the front cover. I have also got another main
image on my contents page, which is relating to the main story and it has the page number with it,
many other magazines will do this as it many people may buy a magazine purely based on the main
story therefore it the page number and story need to be clearly shown on the contents page. However
unlike many other magazines I have included an 'editor’s column', I have done this as it makes the
magazine more personal for the reader. But I have also followed the conventions of having other
additional images on the contents page; this makes the page more interesting as well as showing the
audience what the story is about.
As like my Front cover, I also looked
at contents pages from Kerrang,
which is the magazine I based my
magazine on. A lot of the features
on my contents page, is similar to
those on the contents page of a
Kerrang contents page. For
example, I have added in an editors
column, I have chosen to use this
feature as I found that it made the
magazine more personal to the
audience and therefore it will appeal
to them. I know this as the audience
for Kerrang is similar to my target
audience so they like similar
features in magazines.

The double page spread of my magazine also follows the conventions of other real magazines. I have
used the device of a quote, this draws the attention of the reader and will encourage them to read the
whole article and this is why other magazines also used quotes on their articles. I have also used a
main image on the first side of the double page spread under the heading, this is where most
magazines will place the main image of an article as it is showing the reader straight away who the
article is about and what it is about. In addition to this, the use of the main image will also draw in the
attention of the reader and will encourage them to read the article. Furthermore I have also used
conventions such as having the heading of the story at the top and in the middle of the page, this is
clearly showing the reader what the story is and what it is about, it will also, like the main image and
quote, draw in the attention of the reader and it will encourage them to read on. Like many other
magazines I have also added in the website of my magazine where they will be able to find the full
interview with the person. Many magazine will place their website address at the bottom of the page
where the story ends so the reader will see it and it will encourage them to go onto the website. This
way they may be encouraged to regularly buy the magazine.


Throughout the magazine I have also used a colour scheme, which is following
the 'norms' of many other magazines. I have used this convention and other
magazine companies use this as it creates a brand for the magazine, this will
allow their audience to easily recognise the magazine and therefore become to
know the magazine and start to buy it regularly. The colour scheme will also
make my magazine look more professional and organised; it will allow the
audience to easily follow the magazine. However the colour scheme I chose at
the start of the construction of my magazine changed throughout the process of
the construction. I changed my colour scheme because I decided that having
two shades of purple and black was to constricting and it didn’t work well with
the genre of the magazine. As a result of this I changed it to a broader range of
colours and these colours also fitted the genre of the magazine better.
This is the
original colour
scheme I
chose for my
magazine.

This is what I
changed my
colour
scheme to

How does your media product represent a particular social group?
My media product represents a particular social group through the colours used and the
language and the content of the magazine. The colours I used on my magazine are
colours associated with a young generation who like rock/punk music, the colours I used
on my magazine are purple, grey, white and black. These colours are associated with
this particular social group as they are dark, they are associated with the music they
listen and therefore it represents them as a whole. So by using these colours, it will
attract this social group and my magazine would sell more issues. I have also used a
lexis which will appeal to a young generation; I used words such as 'gig' instead of
'concert' which only young people will understand, so it will therefore only interest them.
In addition to this the content of the magazine also represents the social group of young
people who like rock/punk music. The content of the magazine is purely based on
rock/punk music and will therefore only appeal to a social group who like it, the content of
the magazine also again uses a specific lexis which this social group will understand and
be interested in. I was able to base these features on my format I found and the mood
board I created of things which this social group will like, I done this to make sure that
whilst creating my magazine I was able to have features that my target audience will like.

What kind of institution might distribute your media product and why?
After looking at my format research, I looked at a couple of possible distributers for my
magazine. Firstly I looked at Bauer Media; this company are already responsible for
distributing Kerrang, Mojo and Q. These magazines are similar to my magazine; the
genre for these magazines and the genre of my magazine are the same, which id
rock/punk. Knowing this means that it would be more likely for Bauer Media to distribute
my magazine as we all have the same target audience, so it would be easier for them.
Another distributor that I researched was IPC Media, this media company produce and
distribute NME and this magazine is similar to my magazine as we have a similar genre
of music. However their target audience is different to mine. As a result of this I believe
that Bauer Media is the best candidate to distribute my media product.

Who would be the audience for your media product? How did you attract/address your
audience?

The target audience for my magazine is teenagers and young adults, with the
age range of 14-25. I have chosen this target audience as I have found, from
my audience research, the group of people who like the genre of music I have
chosen which is rock/punk are likely to be in the age range of 14-25. Therefore
I have based a lot of features of my magazine on what I believe will draw in the
attention and appeal to my target audience. Firstly I based the colour scheme
on my target audience; I chose the colours of black, white, grey and purple.
These colours are associated with rock/punk music, so I chose these colours
so they would appeal to my target audience resulting in more sales for my
magazine.

Who would be the audience for your media product? How did you attract/address your
audience?

I also based my unique selling point on my target audience; I also based it on
my format research. My unique selling point for my magazine is having a poster
special, where the reader will get four free posters of the band who is the main
story. I found from my format research that many people of the age range of my
target audience would be encouraged to buy a magazine if it had posters with
it.
The lexis I used in my magazine is also targeted towards my audience; I used a
lexis which is professional but will still interest my audience and will only apply
to them. For example as a cover line I used 'the ultimate gig guide'. The word
ultimate is suggesting that my magazine will be the best in telling my audience
what concerts are being performed. In addition to this is the word 'gig' is
informal which appeals to the young target audience, but it is only a word which
will only be understood by my target audience

What have learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
From the process of producing my media product I have learnt about the technologies of
producing a media product. One of these is the use of InDesign; this programme is used
to be able to produce media products. I have learnt that there are specific programmes
which can be used to make magazines as they have all the features which are needed to
be able to produce a professional magazine. With this programme I was able to use tools
such as the crop tool to be able to crop some of my images so they would look more
professional for my magazine. Another form of technology that I used and learnt about
whilst producing my media product is Photoshop, this programme allows you to edit
photos. One of the tools which I learnt to use is the erase tool; from this I was able to
erase the background of my main image to make it look more professional and make it
look like a main image. I was also able to edit the brightness of some of my images so
they would be of a higher quality. Finally I also learnt about the clone tool, this allowed
me to get rid of any blemishes on my image which allowed it to look more professional
and of a higher quality.

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 I have learned a lot about the process of producing a media product. I
have learned about the 'norms' and conventions of magazines, for example a front cover will usually
have a main image relating to the main story of the magazine. From this I have learnt that if you
follow these conventions it will appeal to more of an audience, which will sell more copies of your
magazine. I have also learned that you have to edit your photos in order for your images look
professional and like a real magazine; to do this you can use Photoshop. You can use a range of
tools on Photoshop in order for the images to look of a higher quality, resulting in a professional
looking image, which will appeal to more of an audience as it will look like a real magazine. In
addition to this from my preliminary task I have also learnt a lot about the programmes that can be
used to create a real media product; I have learnt that there are specific programmes, such as
InDesign, which are used to create a magazine as they have all the features needed to be able to
create a professional magazine.

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