Laura McLellan's media product is a magazine that challenges conventions by placing the main image in the center and articles down one side. It represents rap music fans aged 14-25, primarily females. To attract this audience, the magazine uses feminine color schemes, female-focused content and images, and will be advertised on websites, posters, newspapers, and banners. Through constructing this magazine, Laura has learned skills with the blogging platform Blogger and the design program Fireworks.

1. Laura McLellan
AS Media Studies – Coursework Evaluation

2. 1) In what ways does your media product use,
develop or challenge forms and conventions of
real media product?
My magazine doesn’t have a typical layout. The main image was central and
was the main attraction. Instead of the articles surrounding the image like
they usually do, they were aligned down one side. My main image is of a
female model, who is sitting on some steps. The image is taken from a
lower angle shot, therefore it links with the masthead “Step Up”.

3. 2) How does your media product represent
particular social groups?
• My media product represents particular social groups due to the type of
music it is. The age range for my product ranges. Its mainly targeted at
teenagers. The magazine is a rap magazine, therefore it can relate to
certain social groups. These consist of people who are big fans of rap music
such as; Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Eminem, Drake, J Cole, Jay Z, Kanye West
act.

4. Who would be the audience for
your media product.
• The audience for my media product is mainly females aged between 14-25 years who enjoy rap
music. This is because the majority of the pictures/articles are of women or about things that
women can relate to more. For example
The colour schemes
are more feminine
than masculine, this
is because the
magazine is aimed at
females more than it
All articles –
is males.
female images.
Main image –
female. This is
another way to
attract a female
audience.

5. How did you attract/address you
audience?
To advertise my article; websites, posters, give free issues
to begin with, newspapers and internet banners.
What aspects of your
front cover attract How have your
your audience? The products been
main image may written/constructed to
attract the audience address your audience?
as it stands out. As My products have been
well as this, the other written/constructed to
images down the side address my audience in
may get the many ways. Firstly it is
audiences attention a ‘girl rap’ magazine, so
as they could be with a girl artist on the
interested in the front cover, it attracts a
stories or the artists. certain audience.

6. What have you learnt about technologies, from the
process of constructing this product?
• I Have been taught how to use blogger. Using blogger is a form of
tracking information posted on a certain page. I had to upload my
work, which included, two mocks of my magazine (covers, contents
pages and double page spreads.) I also had to upload my research,
which consisted of magazine analysis’. To upload things that were
on a PowerPoint presentation, I had to upload it via slide share first.
Then I could upload it to blogger. However if I had the image saved
in images I could just upload it straight to blogger. I had to upload
my finished work to blogger, regularly and keep my blog up to date.
I have also been taught to use fireworks. This means my product
had more chance of looking good than if i wasn’t very familiar with
fireworks.

7. Looking Back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you
have learned?
• Looking back at my preliminary task I feel that I have improved with
my colour schemes as they are now more harmonious. My product
also has the technique of simplicity, where as in my preliminary
task, the magazines were quite over facing and were very busy. My
product also looks more professional as the images were more
planned and not taken within the school. They were taken in
locations in which I wanted them to be taken and the artist was
dressed in different clothes other than a school uniform. During my
preliminary I learned how to use fireworks. Therefore when doing
my final product I had more technology knowledge and was more
comfortable with using fireworks, so it worked well for my actual
product.