Evaluation

OCR Media Studies – AS Level
Unit G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media
Evaluation
Name: Eleanor Mason
Candidate Number: 6692
Center Name: St. Paul’s Catholic College
Center Number: 64770
Music Magazine – Production
Evaluation

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 such
as ‘Billboard’ in which I have used as inspiration for my own magazine ‘Virtuoso’, some conventions
that I have used throughout all of the pages in my magazine is the colour scheme which is simple, like
‘Billboards’, using black, white and pink so it will make my magazine look professional but still catches
my target demographic; by using this colour scheme in all my magazine pages it creates continuity and
shows that these pages are all linked and the pages flow. For my front cover there were some main
codes and conventions that I ‘repeated’ (Neale) such as the masthead, the date and
price/convergence, the main headline and the layout of it, the main image and a unique selling point.
Similarly, in my contents page I have used conventions such as the sections, the page numbers and
sub-lines, web address and social networking sites/convergence and images that link to the sub-lines.
Then in my double page spread I continued to ‘repeat’ (Neale) conventions such as the convergence,
the page numbers, the main image that’s different to the front cover and contents page images, in my
interview the questions are highlighted in pink which sticks to the colour scheme for my magazine and
I credited the photographer, stylist and editor which is a common thing to do in all magazines.
However, there are examples of some ‘difference’ in terms of the forms and conventions in my own
media product for example on my front cover I have also included more cover lines than my magazine
of inspiration, giving the audience more to read on the front cover to attract them to buying my
magazine, I have also included a promotional offer which links to the stories and main article that has
been included in my magazine which will also attract my target audience to the magazine because it is
bold and stands out, also on the front cover I have included convergence and a strapline to also attract
the target demographic which isn’t included in my magazine of inspiration because ‘Billboard’ is
already a well established magazine so it doesn’t need any other selling techniques as most people
have already heard of. In my contents page, I have also included an editorial which isn’t used in
‘Billboard’ because it is so popular, in my editorial I have made it slightly colloquial so that it suits my
target audience and the type of dialect that they use however I still use quite sophisticated language
so that its still a professional magazine whilst still creating a reader-editor relationship. Also, to
distinguish my magazine from existing ones, I have changed the layout of my double page spread
making the quote, title of interview and main image the main focuses of this page; by making the
double page unique it attracts a larger audience because it is something new, different and interesting.

Howdoesyourmediaproductrepresentparticularsocialgroups?
The denotation of representation is the way something is viewed by others, so the
representation of my magazine is the way that social groups are targeted and how they
are shown in the magazine making sure that ‘Virtuoso’ can appeal to a mass audience.
The main social group that is targeted by my magazine would be more average teens
and young adults who like to stay up to date with the charts and what is the most
current music, my magazine doesn’t really have a particular social group that it would
appeal to because my magazine is the current charts which means that all genres of
music could be featured in the stories and the style and layout of the magazine would
be changeable depending on the artist that is featured as the main article. By my
magazine not having a strict and certain social group this means that it can appeal to a
mass audience and there will always be certain groups that will appeal to the magazine
due to genre not being constant or staying the same. However, the main genre that will
most likely be featured would be pop because it is the most popular type of music that
the majority of people will like and know about which I found in my questionnaire.
The magazine, across the 4-pages, helps to represent mainly pop music because Ariana
Grande is the main feature/artist in my magazine pages who is a hugely successful pop
artist the does include other genres of music in her albums. However, artists such as
Kanye West and Avicii are also included in my magazine which have a more R’n’B and
electronic style and genre of music, this shows that my magazine doesn’t have a set
representation of social groups as it would always change depending on the most
current music that is featured in the charts for the week/month. On all of my pages,
especially in my contents page, I have included a range of artists so that the magazine
doesn’t just appeal to ‘scene kids’ or ‘hipsters’ but to all social groups. ‘Virtuoso’ is a
magazine that is representative of all types of people and of all social groups making my
magazine a universal and unique magazine; I also think that this aspect of my magazine
makes a good unique selling point as it allows my magazine to be more economical and
creating a larger demographic for ‘Virtuoso’.

What kind of media institution (Publisher) might distribute your media product and
why?
“Billboard is music’s most powerful brand. Across platforms and around the world, Billboard serves diverse
constituents – from music’s most passionate fans to the industry’s most influential people. From its award-
winning website to its iconic, authoritative weekly publication, Billboard content is consumed by millions of
people in more than 100 countries. Billboard’s additional assets include its more than 200 iconic weekly
charts, which are the most viewed and quoted in the world, the Billboard Music Awards, Billboard Latin
Music Awards, Billboard conferences, and a robust global licensing business” –
www.prometheusgm.com/billboard
From the research that was completed pre-production, I would envisage that Prometheus Global Media may
publish ‘Virtuoso’ because they also publish ‘The Hollywood Reporter’ and ‘Film Journal’ which are also well known
magazines meaning that this publisher is well able to heighten the ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) that the magazine
has the potential of by using colloquial language that is representative of the target demographic, this publisher
would be able to create this relationship with the readers and audience to make a globally popular magazine that
appeals to many people due to its certain qualities and differences that make my magazine unique. ‘Virtuoso’
magazine also includes synergy and cross-media convergence such as the Twitter and Facebook links which are
shown on most pages and also allows the reader to access information about the magazine in different ways which
also appeals to a mass audience as it allows them to read the magazine in the way that they prefer.
The similarities of my magazine to ‘Billboard’ also ‘signifies’ (De Saussure) that ‘Virtuoso’ is very similar in content
and design so this company would most likely want to publish my magazine also due to the similarities that occur in
both magazines. By my magazine showing similar codes and conventions this would make it easy for Prometheus
GM to publish my magazine as similar audiences will also be interested in my magazine then the readers for
‘Billboard’.

Who would be the audience for your media product and why?
According to Hartley’s seven subjectivities, people of the ages of 16 – 30 years old would be interested
in buying my music magazine with both genders being targeted. This is because the artists and
celebrities that would be featured will be of both genders also, meaning that it would appeal to both
females and males who are of all class because even though this magazine isn’t the cheapest it would
still appeal to everyone.
According to Katz’ Uses & Gratifications theory, my target audience would be able to from a ‘personal
relationship’ with my magazine because of the colloquial language that is used through out the
magazine; the target audience might be able to ‘personally identify’ with the artists that are used in the
magazine because in the articles they will take about themselves and what's happened in their life
which the target demographic might be able to relate to and to identify with the celebrity. Other
aspects that will attract and audience is the ‘female gaze’ (Diana Saco) and ‘male gaze’ (Laura Mulvey)
who will buy the magazine because of the artist that is used on the cover or in the other articles
because they like them which also attracts both a female and male audience.
According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, ‘social climbers’ would buy my magazine because it includes
all the latest trends in music showing the top 15 songs of the month which will make those people want
to be able to find the latest trends to add to conversations within friends; they would also want to seek
as much information that they can so that they can climb the social ladder and improve their social
standing. ‘Social climbers’ will also want to buy my magazine because they might be able to relate to the
articles and might want to share what is in the magazine with their friends.

How did you attract/address your audience?
In order to attract the intended target audience I decided to use many different
unique selling points (USP) so that this will appeal to people and stand out compared
to other existing magazines. By using different USP’s such as the masthead being
down the side of the magazine, and including a charts on the contents page will
attract a mass audience in order to show a ‘difference’ between my magazine and
other magazines that have already been made. However, I have also included aspects
that are already used in magazines that make it successful such as using promotion
e.g. “win tickets to see Ariana Grande in concert” which encourages the target
audience to buy my magazine so that they can win this prize. Another aspect that I
have ‘repeated’ (Neale) from my magazine of inspiration is the simple colour scheme
with a simple layout which will attract my audience because it is classic and doesn’t
have any garish designs that aren’t very aesthetically pleasing but still has a small pop
of colour to attract an audience due to its subtlety and simplicity.
The inclusion of codes & conventions such as convergence and using social media has
helped to appeal to the target audience because it also engages the audience to find
out more information about the magazine and gets the target audience more active
and involved in the magazine creating that bond between the editor and the reader
of the magazine. Also, by using an editorial this gives the same effect of an active
audience in the magazine because they can form a ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) with
the editor as the magazine is friendly and colloquial and using language such as ‘you’
and ‘I’ which addresses the person reading the magazine, making them feel included
and valued as a consumer. Some codes and conventions that I have used to attract an
audience like using the promotion not only on the front cover but in the contents
page as well creates that bond with the audience so they can feel like they can get
involved with a competition and we, as the creators of the magazine, give back to the
audience for buying the magazine!

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of
constructing this product?
The software that was used to construct the media product entitled ‘Virtuoso’ was Adobe Photoshop
CS4. By using this software to create my magazine it allowed me to make magazine pages that look
professional and polished because you can used many different tools to create the look that you
want, for example changing the layer style to create shadows and outlines on pictures and texts
which allow you to make a certain aspect stand out from everything else like the main article or the
main image. I had previously used Photoshop before as I had used it to create another magazine for
my GCSE media coursework but I have learnt even more skills by completing this task such as editing
a picture to a better quality and using the pen tool to create a textbox around an image which also
makes my magazine look up to a higher standard. By learning these new skills it has improved the
look of my pages as I used the layer style to create the gradient background that was carried on
throughout my pages, I have also used the pen tool to create a text box around the image that I used
in my double page spread.
By using Photoshop it has made it easier to manipulate the images that I used, for example I used the
quick selection tool to delete the background of each photo so that it blended into the background of
the magazine. It was also useful because if I made a mistake it was easy to rectify this mistake without
starting again, for example when editing the pictures all you have to undo the mistake to go back to
what is was before which makes the editing easier and quicker. For the fonts in my magazine I used
some from www.dafont.com and I also used the default fonts that were already on Photoshop to
have a variety of different type of texts to differentiate the magazine and to create more differences
on the page; I have also used different fonts because this is ‘repeated’ (Neale) from other magazines
because this is conventional for music magazines.
In order for this product to look fit for purpose and appeal to the target audience, I decided to create
energy in the magazine pages which I done by using the paint bucket tool and eye dropper tool
because it allow me to get a precise colour that I wanted and allowed me to create continuity
throughout my pages and create thing burst of colour which represented my target audience. I also
decided to create brighter images but using the brightening section to make sure that the image
looked bright and youthful which also represented my target audience. Overall, I have learnt lots of
skills by using this software and made a professional looking magazine.

Photography Planning – Front Cover
I took a variety of pictures for my front cover so that I had lots of
choice in what kind of image that I wanted to used. The main type of
shots that I used were a close up, a mid shot and a long shot. In the
end I used the mid shot on the bottom left because it was the best
image that I took with this outfit. I liked the way this picture looked
because this also fitted into the front cover with the masthead and
sub lines that were also used on the front cover. For these image I
wanted her to look quite happy and relaxed like she was having a fun
time whilst doing the photo-shoot; this was because I wanted to
make it look professional by using the white background and light
boxes so that I could create this effect, but I also wanted some of her
personality to show through and the fun-loving side of her which is
shown in the one smiling and in the other ones.
The image that I ended up using was very similar to my magazine of
inspiration which also shows that ‘repeated’ (Steve Neale) aspect of
my magazine as not only from my magazine of inspiration but in the
majority of other magazines use a mid shot on their front cover
which was another part of the conventions that I wanted
to use in my magazine also showing why I chose the
bottom left image. She is also standing in quite an open
and friendly way which also appeals to my target audience
and the type of people that would most likely read this
magazine which is another aspect that has been ‘repeated’
(Neale) from other magazines as it shows that when the
main image on the front cover is open and seeming more
friendly then the target readership will be able to form that
‘personal relationship’ (Katz) with the artist which will also
make them want to buy the magazine. A male audience
will also be appealed by this image/front cover because it
shows the ‘male gaze’ (Laura Mulvey) making the image a
main selling point for all target demographics in order to
form that relationship that the readers need to buy the
magazine.

Photography Planning – Contents Page
I also took a variety of images for my contents page in order to achieve the
right look for my magazine. Also my images are important for the magazine
because it links in everything in my magazine such as the colour scheme and
the type of design that my magazine has; by it having a simple colour
scheme and layout this is also replicated in my images because the
background is plain and simple, the clothes are simple but have a pop of
colour in them. By doing this it creates continuity in my magazine pages and
links the pictures to the actual magazine itself.
I chose these types of photos because it shows the range of artists that are
meant to be featured in my magazine such as Ariana Grande, Avicii, Taylor
Swift and Kanye West. I also got her to change her outfit so I could use
similar pictures on each page but with different outfits to show some
change in the pages. The images that I ended up using were the top left and
right, the middle left and right, the bottom pictures. I chose these pictures
because I thought they all went together with the colour scheme that is
used in all my pages and they all looked good when put together.
In the end I used a lot more pictures on my contents page that I originally
thought I would need which shows why some pictures like the bottom three
are slightly different in quality because I used different lighting and a
different camera. These pictures also link to the articles in the contents
page by showing who the article is talking about
which is also made clear with the page numbers
that are used to the indicate which article that
links to what picture.

Photography Planning - Interview
I took a variety of different pictures for
my double page spread so that I had
lots of choice in what type of shot I
wanted, for example I used a close up’s,
long shots, mid shot’s etc. By having
many different shot types this allowed
me to pick the perfect picture for the
double page so that it suited the layout
and design of my magazine. I liked
having different props as well like the
dog which links to the article and what
is talked about in the pages however, I
ended up using one of the dog pictures
in my contents page instead. For these
pictures I wanted her to look like she
was in a photo-shoot however I still
wanted the elements of a natural posture and the way she
stands, which is also conveyed with her holding the dog,
showing that even in the photo-shoot her personality and
information about her are still showing and is quite relaxed. I
used a light box and white wall behind her to create a more
professional look to the photos and to also make it easier to
edit the pictures if I needed to so that when I placed the
pictures into Photoshop there wasn’t much that needed doing
to them. I also planned these pictures to be simplistic which I
think I achieved with having a plain background and only
using minimal props like the handbag and the dog. I found
that the top right picture was best suited to my double page
spread because it was similar to my magazines of inspiration
and it made the layout of my pages look professional and
appealing to look at as the text surrounded the picture
making sure that she was the main focus of the
page. The only editing I done to my photos was to take away the background so that it blended even
more to the magazine, in the end I didn’t make any colour corrections or use any filters as the picture
was already up to a high quality so it wasn’t necessary to make any other corrections.
I did really like the other pictures but they weren’t as suited to the magazine as the final image was.

Analysing my Front Cover Puff/ Promotion:
I used this convention to
capture the audiences
attention and to act as a
selling point for the
magazine and will create
more interest around the
issue. This is ‘repeated’
(Steve Neale) from
existing music magazines.
Sub Lines:
I used this to attract the
target audience so if they
are not interested in the
main article then they the
other articles might be of
interest to them
Main Image:
This is the focus of the
front cover as this
would be one of the
first things the
audience sees when
the look at the
magazine so it uses eye
catching colour.
Social Networking:
This is so the target
demographic can access this
magazine in any form they
want and can input their
ideas for the magazine on
these pages to make it more
interactive.
Masthead:
This is also a main feature of
my magazine as this will not
only inform the audience in
what the magazine is called
but it is big and bold to
actually attract the audience
to look at the magazine.
Tag Line:
This is a persuasive
technique to encourage
the audience to buy the
magazine and using social
statues and peer pressure
to get the target audience
to purchase this magazine.
Main Article:
I used this to also attract the
target audience to this
magazine because if they are
interested in this artist then it
persuades them to keep up on
what they are doing which
means buying this magazine.
Convergence:
This is used to allow the
audience to access more
information about the
magazine and access it in
different formats.

Analysing my Contents Page
Images:
These link to the articles
that are split up into 3
sections. This are used as a
visual aid to the consumer
so that they can see who is
mentioned in which article.
Charts:
I have used this chart for the
top singles because it was
also used in my magazine of
inspiration and can be used
as the USP for my magazine
because it appeals to the
‘Social Climbers’ (Katz) who
want to keep up to date
with the recent activates to
improve their social status.
Editorial:
I have used this to create
the ‘personal relationship’
(Katz) with the audience
so they feel involved with
the magazine.
Convergence/Social
Networking :
I have used this to create
the option to the
audience to find the
magazine in other areas.
Masthead:
This is carried on from the
front cover to create
continuity in the pages so
that they link together and
look like a professional
magazine where everything
is carried through the
magazine.
Convergence:
This is used to allow the
audience to access more
information about the
magazine and access it in
different formats.
Page Numbers:
This allows the audience
to clearly see which
pages link to which
articles and shows this in
a visual way.
Sub Lines:
This gives a brief summary
about each article so that
the reader knows what
articles include what they
want to read or are
interested in.
This is an extra part for
articles that show extra
promotional things that
will also attract an
audience to the
magazine.

Analysing my Double Page spread Interview
Headline:
Makes is clear who the article is about so the reader
can quickly and easily identify the artist and know
what is going to be asked in the interview.
This is used to make a quick summary of
the article and what kind of subjects will
be talked about so the reader can get an
overall view of the article.
Masthead:
This creates continuity between
each page because the masthead
is shown on each page so that the
reader can see that this is the
magazine that they are
reader and if they
enjoy it then they can
repurchase it.
Quote:
This picks out a
certain part of the
interview in which,
might interest the
reader into reading
the article and what
is being said by this
artist.
Credits:
This states which
people helped with
the making of this
article and generally
tells the reader who
took the photo, who
styled the artist and
who was the editor
of this article.
Convergence:
This gives the reader an option to see this article in different
formats and allows the reader to gain more access to the other
issues that have already been and gone.
Interview/Main Image:
This is what the whole issue is based upon, this gives the audience/reader the
information that they wanted as this is the magazine they chose to buy this issue
with this artist. The main image is the main focus of the who page because the
artist is in the middle of the page and everything else is positioned around it.

Audience Feedback
Jade’s Feedback
Front Cover Contents Page Double Page Spread
Katherine’s Feedback
Leeza’s Feedback
Raf’s Feedback
Gopika’s Feedback
These are the audio files for each page of my magazine. Some
questions that I asked were: What do you think of the
placement of the name of my magazine, What do you think of
the images used in the contents page, What do you think of
the layout of the double page spread and what are the positive
and negative aspects of this page etc. I asked some specific
questions to get some specific feedback on certain features
however I also asked some more open questions so that the
audience had more of a chance to give their opinion on the
whole page put together as well. By doing this I think that I
have covered a variety of angles in order to get true feedback
on how to improve my magazine even further. Also, from
completing this audience feedback I can also see what the
target demographic want from the magazine and aspects that
are needed to change slightly so that my target audience
would want buy my magazine, for example, one improvement
was to make the contents page less cluttered which I could do
by making the editorial shorter and including less promotional
offers at the bottom of the page. Overall, my audience
feedback has been successful and my magazine had points to
improve and there were also key features that would attract
my target audience which makes my magazine successful.

Looking back at your Preliminary task, what
do you feel you have learnt in the progression
from it to the full product?
I feel that, having completed the preliminary task and learning about
the demands of this production process, I have learnt many things
not only on the software that is used to create both the tasks but on
things like time management which allowed me to create a very
professional looking magazine because of the time I spent on each
page and the work that went into these pages. By completing the
preliminary task this has allowed me to refresh my skills that I had
previously learnt on Photoshop which then allowed me to create a
flowing magazine because there is continuity throughout the pages
like the colour scheme and the masthead on each page.
There is evidence of progression that I feel particularly demonstrates
how I met the demands of the production process, for example the
way my text in the double page spread fits around the main image
which uses all the space of the page up so that more of the article
can fit onto the page. Another aspect that I feel demonstrates how I
met the demands of the production process for example the way
that the picture quality of my images are very clear and up to a high
standard which was another aspect that I wanted to improve on
from the preliminary task.

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