1. Shahnaaz Begum 12ME Media
AS Media Evaluation
1. In what ways does your media magazine use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real music magazine?
I have chosen the genre R&B for my music magazine. For my front cover of the music
magazine, I have a teenager to model; this is to attract the same audience and young adults.
I have used different font sizes throughout the magazine, editing the font sizes to bold and
bigger than other fonts around it. The male gaze is attracted by men, women on most front
covers of music magazines tend to pose with their whole body, pout and are looking straight
at the camera. This would attract men to pick up the magazine and read through the
magazine. On my magazine my model has straight her with quite bright pink/red lips with
her tilted slightly to the side. She displays the elements of beauty that are displayed on
music magazines.
Adding on, I have made sure that my writing on the magazine looks as if it is coming out, so
it catches my audience’s eye and attracts them to it. My masthead ‘HYPE’ is something short
and catchy, so this will be able to catch the attention of my target audience. I have made
sure that it is bold and fits across the hold page. I have compared my music magazine to a
real magazine called ‘VIBE’, as the settings across the page and writing had influenced me in
the way I wanted to set out the cover lines on my page. As VIBE is a very bright magazine
and has colours that stand out, I have instead used grey colours because the model that I
have used is wearing dark colours. Adding a puff to my magazine gives a small statement
and stands out from the cover lines throughout my magazine.
As I have used a real magazine to be able to set my magazine cover lines in the places where
my audience will be looking, I have tried to create the ‘Z’ look, so that my audience start off
by looking at the top left, then come down to the middle of the page and finish off bottom
right, as this is how people tend to pick up information from magazines and these places on
the magazine are crucial to how my target audience would want to know more about my
magazine and what’s inside.
2. How does your media magazine represent particular social groups?
My magazine follows a stereotypical of a women being on the front page. I have also used a
male as this is to widen the audience more. My magazine represents a certain social group
which is shown through the language used, the social group I have chosen is a wife group as
R&B is a genre of music that many people listen to and also involves many different types of
music.
The model which I have used consistently throughout the magazine is targeted at a social
group which I intended on, who are teenagers, both male and female. For the border on top
of my front page I have added ‘Music, Lifestyle, Fashion’ this is to show that the magazine
includes music, lifestyle and fashion. If not everyone is interested in the music, they also
have the option to look at the lifestyle and fashion section. This is included in every issue so
everyone has a chance of reading through the magazine, to find what they are looking for.
R&B is also very know for how the models/artist look and what they wear. Using many

2. Shahnaaz Begum 12ME Media
teasers, and cover lines would draw the audience to read the magazine as the age group I
have aimed it at, are people who are interested in celebrity lives as it is a diversion from
reality, and is a form of surveillance.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your music magazine and why?
Various media institutions would most likely distribute my magazine; it would be companies
who distribute established magazines such as Vibe. Magazines such as Vibe are not the type
to find in a local store, however you would find it in shops such as WHSmith who sell a wide
a range of different magazines as they specialise in reading and office/school supplies.
WHSmith have many stores over the UK including small shops, which are based in train
stations, so they would get a wide range of audiences because they are based in busy public
places this gives the idea that WHSmith is a good distributor. As I have based my music
magazine on VIBE I would most probably use the same platform. Having an online format
on my magazine would give a wider range of audience as most teenagers and the public
generally use the internet as often as possible.
4. Who would be the audience for your music magazine?
My target audience are mostly teenagers, and adults. I have aimed it at this group because
it’s rare to see an elderly to be reading an R&B magazine. Therefore I have chosen a model
in the same age group, a teenager, to suit my target audience. This would draw them to my
magazine as they would want to see what is going on with them and would act as
surveillance and would be a diversion from reality.
Throughout my magazine I have used various different types of font and sizes to make it
stand out more. On my magazine I have mentioned artists such as ‘J.LO’ and ‘Mario’ to give
the audience an idea who and what will be included in my magazine. The mode of address I
have used is suitable for my target audience, as on my double page spread I have used
informal language, which most teenagers would be able to understand and I feel like they
would be able to connect with my magazine.
Teenagers could pick up this magazine as its affordable, priced at £2.99 and be able to go
through the magazine and read it. I intentionally picked used a female model because the
readers can relate to the model from what she is wearing and how she is posed. I have, in
the double page spread, used a range of questionnaires so my audience are able to connect
with her and identify her as a person and able to relate. I had asked around, to my peers,
what they would like to see on the front cover. Girls said someone that they can look up to
and relate herself, someone who they want to be able to identify. Boys however said that
they would like someone that they can admire, which is an example of the male gaze. As I
want my magazine to targeted at both girls and boys I went with what they would like to
see, to allow my magazine to be successful within my target audience and the public
generally.

3. Shahnaaz Begum 12ME Media
5. How did you attract/address your audience in the forms and conventions used in your
music magazine?
I attracted my audience with my title, which is ‘HYPE’ this shows that the magazine contains
loads of stuff and gossip about artists which would get the audience to look inside. I have
also used the cover like ‘J.LO & Mario sex drugs and salsa’. This would attract a wider range
of audience, as this would be a topic most teenagers would want to know about and the
secret private life of successful artists, which gives the excitement factor. I also believe my
audience would know that this is an R&B magazine with what I have portrayed.
Another cover line I have used is ‘It’s all about Tori’. This gives the audience an impression
that the magazine would contain Tori’s lifestyle and factors about her. These cover lines
would make the reader want to buy the magazine as they would like to find out more about
Tori, and the life of J.LO and Mario and what they get up to.
Also using ‘Top 50 songs’ would attract them, as they would want to know what songs have
been selected for the year and would want to be following what everyone else is listening
to. For each of my cover lines I have stuck to the house style, red, white and black shows
that the magazine is for both male and female.When placing the cover lines I used the ‘Z’
techniques to see what would be the first thing the reader would see as this is what helps
they decide what to buy.
Inside my magazine, on my contents page I have added links to Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram, as this is the social networking sites which teenagers tend to use most. This
signifies that my magazine has these social networking sites which teenagers would be able
to view as they are socialising. Digitally distributing it makes my magazine ubiquitous
because teenagers are able to access where ever and whenever they want. Releasing in
online as well as having printed versions, I would be using the advanced technology to my
advantage so that teenagers would be able to have their hands on my magazine. Selling
printed over versions would give me a somewhat profit which I would want to earn, as some
people may prefer to have printed out versions of the magazine.
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing your music
magazine?
I have learnt that there are many different ways of manipulating photos, whilst constructing
my music magazine. When I was taking the photos, I realised that the best background to
use is a green one because it did not clash with my models clothes. It was easy to get rid of
when it came to editing the picture. Whilst using photo shop I came to notice that my model
was wearing light pink lipstick so I was able to manipulate the colour of her lips and make
them a bit darker to match my cover lines, which I had planned.I have added a light shade of

4. Shahnaaz Begum 12ME Media
pink on the page as my model has naturally pink lips; however I had manipulated her lips
and made them a darker shade of pink. I used a ‘hue’ tool on photo shop and darkened the
lip to an extent where it still looked real and matched with a pink/red for the cover lines of
my magazine.
7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you think you have learnt in progression
from (preliminary task) to the full product (music magazine)?
From my preliminary task I have discovered many different techniques. I have learnt loads
of different skills using photo shop, which then I was able to increase the picture quality. On
our re shoot I was able to rectify my mistakes and take the photos in the way I was aiming to
take them in. In my preliminary task I used Microsoft word, which is very basic and did not
include, as many features are photo shop does, which made a real difference in the music
magazine, which I have produced.
During the making of my preliminary magazine I didn’t follow any construction, rules or
guidelines, which then made my final product messy. However in my final piece, my music
magazine, I included thirds on the front page, double page and contents page that made the
magazine overall look good and a constructed music magazine. In my preliminary I used very
basic fonts and didn’t change them but with my music magazine I downloaded a font from a
website which went well with the genre of my magazine and used it constantly throughout
my magazine.
I also created my own barcode from the front of my magazine, from scratch using Adobe
Photoshop, which shows that I was able to use different techniques, which I have learnt.
When printing my work off I realised that my lines were not straight and had cut off. With
the software I used allowed me to place guidelines so it was in place and straight.