The document provides evaluation criteria for a media product project, including how the product uses or challenges real media conventions, how it represents social groups, what type of media institution might distribute it, who the target audience is, and how the audience is attracted and addressed. It also asks about what was learned about technologies and progression from a preliminary task.

1. Evaluation

2. 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
2. How does your media product represent particular social
groups?
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your
media product and why?
4. Who would the audience be for your media product?
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the
process of constructing this product?
7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel
you have learnt in the progression from it to the full
product?
CONTENTS

3. MY MAGAZINE

4. In what ways does your media product use,
develop or challenge forms and conventions
of real media products?

5. My target audience is that of people aged between 16 to 25, both female and
male and of social class BC1C2.
Generally, my magazine does stereotype the typical ‘ravers’ the energy
exasperated through my main images, furthermore from this we can
suspect that generally my target audience as a social group are not wild and
rule breakers until their associated within their genre. The stereotypical
ravers would be known on association with raves and gigs, also there is a
strong negative connotations of binge drinking and possibly recreational
drug use. However, I believe my social group is portrayed in a positive light
as my magazine is quite cheery and colourful rather than dark and
mysterious.
The way I used language in different parts of the copy also stereotypes my
target audience, suggesting that they are generally educated but however
prefer a friendly vibe due to the informality. In addition, the use of
swearwords could again suggest my ravers social group are sometimes
reckless and extreme. This recklessness attitude connects with my audience
research of not having a lot of time to sit and read a magazine, which is
what I used to construct my magazine.
How does your media product
represent particular social groups?

6. The closest industry magazine for genre and audience comparison is Mixmag.
Mixmag is published by an independent media company, Development Hell Ltd,
based in Islington, London. They currently publish the market leading international
dance music magazine, mixmag along with other media platforms. They
describe them selves as
‘providing consultancy for
some of Britain’s biggest
publishers and produced
tour brouchers for some
of the biggests artists in
the world’. It is also known that Development Hell Ltd, behind the label of Mixmag,
create events and even market related fashion items. On one hand, this would be
the perfect institution to distribute my media product due to the range of products
not just the magazine with, but on the other hand, because it is an independent
company this shows that the company as a whole is not that broad and well-known.
Therefore, I looked into more renowned media institutions which distribute similar
genres; DJ mag is a British monthly magazine, dedicated to electronic dance music.
And owned by IHM (International House Movement) and in conjunction with EMAP
(East Midland Allied Press) which is a media company specializing in the production
of business-to-business magazines. They express that they print over 100,000
copies of just one of their smaller magazines which comes out quarterly.
What kind of media institution might
distribute your media product and why?

7. When carrying out my initial research into my genre, I learnt that the average target
audience of similar magazines (i.e. MixMag)was males between 18-25. This said, I
wanted to challenge the typical conventions of my genre by extending the age range
to 16-25 and attract a more female audience. The reason behind challenging these
conventions were for many reasons; firstly, making the age lower allows not just a
more possible population but recently my genre has become more and more
accessible due to 16+ nightclubs in the past few years, showing that under 18s do
have an interest into the associations of the genre. Furthermore, as more and more
females are living a more party lifestyle this encourages the idea of marketing my
media product at both sexes. Although my closest magazine for reference, MixMag
does not specify social class, I can assume due to the age range that this the NRS
social grade, the classification would be BC1C2, this is represented through my
media product by the price, article and context of my product.
The price of my magazine, is relatively quite cheap at £2.50 making it an accessible
price to my target consumer audience. In addition, my article has also been crafted
to fit my target audience. The article is relatively short and is quite informal, this
suggests that the magazine is not targeted at professionals but because it is of
substantial length, neither those in NRS classes DE. Informality included the use of
swearwords and colloquialism, which is very common amongst the age range of 16-
25.
Who would the audience be for
your media product?

8. THE COVER
When carrying out my initial research, from my questionnaire I found out that people
are at first attracted to vivid images, especially when I asked them which magazine
covers they liked of industry magazines, the one picked most was bright and
colourful. Knowing this I tried to recreate a bright and interesting image on
the cover as this is what attracts the audience initially. In addition, my
audience research stated that they liked varied content and shorter articles
as they live a busy lifestyle and do not have the time to sit and read a
magazine in depth hence the article sign posting such as ‘50 sets you
shouldn't of missed’ this implies that because they are so busy they are more
than likely to have missed the concerts and also the quick summary of key
features within the magazine in the bottom left hand corner.
Also the vocabulary I used directly addressed my audience, phrases such as
‘50 sets you shouldn't have missed' and’ nobody cares if you cant dance’; the word you
gives a direct address to the reader and makes them feel special and part of the
community.
My main image is of an attractive female around the same age as my target
demographic, this gives the reader something to aspire especially as the outer glow
signifies importance, suggesting that this is someone you would want to be like or
alternatively, possibly attracts them in the view of a sex symbol.
Finally, bright colours used within my magazine are normally more associated with
younger generations than older this is why I decided to change both the colours in
the title and sell lines to contrast against each other and stand out.
How did you attract/address your
audience?

9. THE CONTENTS
I think the key part of my contents page is the editors note as it provides
familiarity with the reader; keeping it informal and short to address my
target audience. Phrases such as ‘Come On Summer’ and ‘so i sent our
team out on a cold Monday morning....whilst I stayed in the warm’ adds
humour to the magazine which reiterates the informality of the product.
Again all the photos included on this page are of people of similar age so
that they are relatable, also they include points of interest such as the
signs ‘danger of death’ which creates excitement and fascination.
To attract my certain audience I included a social networking platform;
Twitter; with over 500 million registered users twitter is an online social
networking service and micro blogging service that enables its users to
send and read text-based messages. This platform is used typically by 16-
25 year olds and provides a personal connection between magazine and
audience.
The background used across all three pages is very fashionable at the
moment; many retailers are matching product with the galaxy theme and
as my 16-25 target audience are known for being interested in the latest
fashions, I believe this will attract the audience I desire.
How did you attract/address your
audience?

10. THE DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD
As already stated, bright colours which are used within my magazine are normally
associated with younger generations than older but because this is the main
point of reference (ie the most text) it was a good idea to not make it as bright
and distract away from the article.
The main thing that stands out on my DPS is the title, using a swear word that is
in a bigger font and different text colour instantly grabs the readers attention
and encourages the reader to continue to read as to find out the context of the
pull quote. In addition, the fact that the title references to ‘people’ (the general
public) this again creates a feeling of community spirit which is associated with
my genre of house music due to ‘clubbing’.
Similar to my front cover, my main image includes a well maintained model
which is clear from his neat fashionable clothing and well groomed appearance
who could be considered an aspirational target; as both images are different
sexes this incorporates a multi-gender appeal.
Some may say that my double page spread is pretty simple and boring but on the
contrary referencing my audience feedback, most people want the information
quick and simply, this is my reason behind leaving the page with a simple
layout. In addition, it fits with the current fashion of minimalism which also
would attract my audience.
How did you attract/address your
audience?

11. During this project, I was able to use, develop
and express my talents concerning
technologies by using a wide range of
resources. For example, many every-day
utilities such as Microsoft Word or
PowerPoint as well as less regular ones
such as Photoshop or Indesign which
required more of a knowledgeable
understanding. All different types of
technologies were used for specific
tasks in a specific way and furthermore, all
had their own limits and limitations.
What have you learnt about technologies
from the process of constructing this
product?

12. Drafts Before creation
To construct my drafts, I used a scanner which I used PowerPoint and online animation maker,
allowed to convert paper based articles into Prezi to display my ideas behind my
digital form, by completing them on paper magazine. PowerPoints allow you to display
it was easier to design and also easier to your thoughts and prezis make them more
add more detail than would be possible on animated and interesting for the audience.
a computer this has been proven as I did I regularly use PowerPoint so this part was
make some computerised versions of drafts easy, however I had never hear of Prezi so
to start but thought they required more this stage took a while as I had to grasp an
information hence creating paper versions. understanding of the website before I could
The scanner was simple and easy to use, start creating my Prezi. However this said,
the only limitation of its features were that the positives out weigh the negatives
college does not have a scanner meaning because now my pre-project work looks
that I had to scan my documents at home more professional and more exciting to look
which sometimes caused inconvenience as at.
at times I wouldn't be able to move on with
my planning without scanning a document
first.
What have you learnt about technologies
from the process of constructing this
product?

13. Creation
At the start of making my magazine, I used a Canon still digital camera to capture my images. Although I
regularly do use these types of cameras, every manufacturer is different and so makes it harder to
create the shot you want with an unfamiliar camera. However, because the cameras were high quality
and together with my awareness of shot types and lighting the images did come out well but I did end
up taking more as I believe my knowledge of shot types (etc) improved as I learnt more about the
conventions of an industry magazine.
After I had taken the pictures needed I edited these on Photoshop for example on my front cover I
removed the background of the image. Photoshop is hard to use but has some very useful features
which make it quick and easy to edit a picture. If I were to do this project again I think this stage in
production would be allot quick as now I have a better understanding of the programme. Next, I
continued to make my front cover and contents page on Photoshop by adding more layers and using
tools such as the text box and image tool, until complete.
When it came to my double page spread I started to make the background on Photoshop as I felt more
comfortable using this programme rather than the designated indesign, however due to limitations in
Photoshop concerning the printing of the A3 document, I made more work for myself by having to copy
over the started DPS in Photoshop to indesign, which I could not later edit in indesign as it concerned
the file from Photoshop to be a single image not different layers. However, I managed to find a
solution to this (explained in the print screens) which resulted in a completed magazine.
I do still think I need more experience in photo manipulation services such as Photoshop and indesign as I
still do not feel as comfortable using them as other daily programmes, if I had this experience I believe
I would of been finished with a lot more time to review my final product.
What have you learnt about technologies from
the process of constructing this product?

14. Presentation
To present my findings both before and after my project i used a number of different
technologies for instance, scribd, windows movie maker and sound/audio clips, just to
mention a few.
Scribd is a document-sharing website that allows users to post documents of various
formats, and embed them into a web page using its iPaper format this made uploading
documents such as Word easier to transfer onto the blog. Limitations to scribd were
the poor site management as the site was temperamental meaning sometimes you
couldn't upload what you needed due to ‘essential work on the site’. I found this easy
to use though (ie the embded code) as i have had experience in html in the past,
without this I think i would of struggled more to post things on the blog.
Although making a movie took a long time, it makes my work more interesting and also
shows off my talent of using windows movie maker. I have been using this free
programme for many years and therefore found it extremely easy to use. It has a wide
range of features ranging from importing different media files to transitions and voice
control. In my video I included both sound and audio clips. Audio clips were recorded
from my blackberry mobile handset using the voice note feature, then this file was
easily transferrable onto the computer via USB.
What have you learnt about technologies from
the process of constructing this product?

15. Not only do I feel I have a better understanding of the typical conventions of a
magazine but also the self courage towards my work as I could use the
technology available more efficiently than before in my preliminary task. I also
believe because I choose a genre I am passionate about and a similar
demographic to myself, it was easier to construct.
Furthermore, from this main project I have learnt that planning is crucial for
example audience questionnaires really do help the editor decide what to
include in the magazine and also offers inspiration for the publication itself
because in my preliminary task I did not pay much attention to my audience
research which is probably the reason behind the fact I wasn't as happy with
my final preliminary product.
As already briefly stated; I had a developed understanding of typical industry
conventions, as we now had other magazines to compare our project with,
meaning we could get more of a precise idea of magazine principles associated
with music. For example the differences in article structure and tone for
different genres should be considered and how the way a model is dressed can
stereotypically signify a genre (mise-en-scene).
Looking back at your preliminary task, what
do you feel you have learnt in the progression
from it to the full product?