Media Evaluation

G324 Media Studies
Evaluation
Sean Connolly

The Four Main Questions
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real media products?
2. How effective is the combination of your main products and ancillary
texts?
3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?
4. How did you use media technologies in the construction and
research, planning and evaluation stages?

Planning Stages
In the early stages of planning my regional magazine I
decided to research what was the purpose of regional
magazines and their own respective features. Furthermore, I
started to brainstorm what sort of regional magazine was it
that I wanted to create. Originally I wanted to have my
regional magazine to feature a range of what is going on in
Birmingham. However, when I presented this idea to my
feedback group I learnt that having a regional magazine that
has a broad range of things going on was not as effective as
clearly focusing on one aspect of Birmingham for the main
article itself. Therefore, based on this feedback I decided
that I wanted to focus on the art of Birmingham-here it
could be a series of magazines covering different aspects of
Birmingham. For example in the previous magazine I
designed I was going to focus on the food in Birmingham.
This gave my regional magazine a more effective sense of
realism and authenticity rather than having a simple regional
magazine making vague comments on generic aspects of the
city.
The regional magazine “Scene” influenced me when I was
researching regional magazines that covered art and culture
in Birmingham. This was the one that included an effective
front cover showing a variety of images pertaining to
Birmingham. However, I developed this idea by specifically
including an image of a well-known landmark of Birmingham
-the Bullring Shopping Centre rather than having multiple
images. I believed the reader would become lost with too
many images. However with my own front cover they were
able to clearly see that the main focus was in fact on the art
of Birmingham. By including this I was easily making my
front cover relatable to potential buyers by giving them a
clear focus. Furthermore the masthead that I had used
challenged the one used by the regional magazine “Scene”.
Here Scene uses a large masthead to attract potential
readers of the magazine but makes the second part of the
masthead “Birmingham” purposefully smaller. I believed this
was a misappropriate masthead, so I decided it would be
better to have both words in my masthead “Birmingham
View” to be of similar size. I chose “Birmingham View” as it
is exclusive to the region of Birmingham and it ties in with
the ambition of the magazine to look at what is going on in
Birmingham. The masthead choice is rationalised here:
https://seanconnollya2media.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/drafti
ng-planning.html.

Magazine Influences for front cover and my magazine
In order to gain an insight into the conventions used in a regional
magazine I decided to annotate the front cover of the magazine
“Dorset”, in this blog
https://seanconnollya2media.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/research-
into-similar-products_7.html. By doing this it helped me to
understand what was needed to make an effective front cover of a
regional magazine and when I began making my own it definitely
aided me in knowing where to place each convention and how to use
it. From the front cover I made note of how the cover lines around
the main image shaped and took form, it does not detract from the
main image in any way or form. Furthermore, I took the idea of using
a colour scheme for the whole of the front cover similar to the one
used in the Dorset front cover. Here, the white colour used for the
font which links to the white snow that the squirrel is standing on. I
developed this convention for my own front cover by using the
colour yellow for the font on my supporting cover lines but not my
main cover line, as it supported my art focus as the colour yellow is
more focused on the urban aspect of Birmingham. I have also
conformed to the convention of the left third by placing my own
masthead in the top left of the front cover-if my magazine was in a
rack and another magazine was in front of it people would be able to
identify that it is my regional magazine. I also developed the main
cover line by making it larger in my own front cover so it would it
stand out as well. Also, in this front cover the main cover lines uses a
different colour through the colour red. This breaks the common
colour scheme of white and signifies that it has a different level of
importance. When I researched the conventions of this front cover I
looked at the theme of Christmas, all of the conventions such as the
cover lines and colours are purposefully used to construct a visual
representation of Christmas or winter. The key thing that I picked up
on when I made my own front cover was to tailor the conventions to
the type of magazine that I was making which was about the arts and
cultures of Birmingham.

I subscribed to the masthead shown here on the right hand side as I
thought the red and white worked effectively together. It helped to
make the masthead stand out even more as the red really highlights
the white writing. My masthead is particularly different from the
Dorset and Scene magazines as it uses a background colour to make
it even more bold, which it achieves well. However, I did develop this
convention by placing the masthead in the top left of the page to
make it into a left third. Therefore, I borrowed the colours of the
“What’s On” magazine, but transformed it into something more
effective since the placement of the masthead in this front cover is
rather boring and bleak for potential readers to look at. I consciously
decided to challenge the placement of the masthead as shown in all
of the previous three front covers that I have used, since all of them
appear to be placed in the centre of the page. However, the desire
for my regional magazine to be unique inspired me to use a left third,
giving the readers a fresh and exciting look. One aspect of this front
cover that I decided against was the use of multiple images on the
front cover, instead I opted to use one long shot of an iconic building
within Birmingham’s City Centre. Personally I felt that having too
many images on the front cover of a magazine would possibly
confuse the reader and repel them. Therefore, I felt obliged to only
use one image so it was relatable for the reader of my regional
magazine as they would easily identify with the background image.
Another convention that I have challenged on this front cover is the
position of the date line and issue number as I have purposefully
placed them in the bottom right of the front cover. The reason for
this was to not place too much text on the masthead as shown on
the right here.

Another magazine that I chose to look at was “Birmingham Living”. The main
cover line inspired me to ensure that in my regional magazine the main article
based on art would be clear and easy to understand and to be highly
significant by giving it a lot of space through blocking. However, to
accommodate my main image I decided to challenge this convention of
positioning the main cover line at the bottom of the front cover and placed it
on the bottom right. This way it perfectly framed the background image
behind it. Here the front cover in “Birmingham Living” experiments with the
colours purple and white. Effectively this creates a symbiosis within the
masthead and supporting cover lines, I used this form as well to create
symbiosis within my own regional magazine by using the masthead
background colour of red in my double page spread. Most importantly, I was
inspired to use the same colours throughout my magazine as I loved the
professional visual cohesion that it creates. It added to the brand of my
regional magazine as readers would appreciate the way the colours are used
more effectively rather than overwhelming the reader with a huge range of
colours.
The typography on the front cover of the “Birmingham Living” regional
magazine is modern and easy to read. This led me to ensure the reader could
clearly comprehend my magazine. If I was to use an ugly font type it would
automatically repel any possible buyers. Therefore, I decided to use a modern
font without any strange angles or shapes on.
The masthead includes the name of the region it is covering, I decided to use
this technique by making my masthead “Birmingham View”. This gives my
regional magazine an undeniable sense of individuality and uniqueness as it
shows what region it is showcasing and ties in with the idea of having my
regional magazine as a series of focuses on regional things.

Magazine influences for contents page
I drew inspiration from the “Scene” regional magazine as the top of the
contents page includes a collage of pictures and has a corresponding
number on it showing the page of that article that is on. However, I did
not like how the images were placed on the top of the contents page
and in the format of diamond shapes. I challenged this structure by
placing the images in a “normal” square format. The images used are
varied and use different shot types to sustain the interest of the reader
and give the consumer a visual snapshot of what to expect in the article
feature in the regional magazine. Therefore, I also decided to include
multiple shot types in my contents page and used the convention of
page numbers on the images. One convention that this contents page
lacks is captions underneath the images, there is a weakness in the use
of this particular structure as it leaves no space to explain the article or
what it is about, therefore the contents page fails its job of informing
the reader of what the articles are going to be about. Consequently this
inspired me to include captions underneath my images.
The use of the column on the bottom right of the contents page
influenced me to place my own articles on the left hand side because
people always read from the right to the left. Also, the use of the
column here gave me the original idea to place my cover lines in this
particular structured way. I used the same colour as the background of
the masthead for the page number of each article and carried on the
cohesion of the colour scheme.

My Magazine
For my contents page I decided to create cohesion
throughout by using the same red as seen behind the
masthead. This would allow the reader to become used to
the colours and they would enjoy seeing a pattern across
the three parts of my main product as it was connected
throughout by the same colour. In the bottom left of the
contents page I ensured that the reader could connect to
my regional magazine by placing a contacts section
including an email, phone number and address. By doing
this I was able to expand the reader’s interaction with the
magazine from not just reading it but to allow further
research or by asking questions. This idea originated from
the “Birmingham Living” regional magazine as it also
includes a contacts section. I decided to include a range of
articles about Birmingham, for example showing events
and new restaurants. This would help achieve my goal of
“Birmingham View” becoming a “what’s on” showcasing
the best things happening in Birmingham for all age
groups and demographics. This worked in line with
ensuring that my articles did not exclude certain people
from enjoying my magazine.

Magazine Influences for Double Page Spread
I found a double-page spread that used a simple but
effective design from the “What’s On” magazine. The
image placed on the left-hand side gives an impression
of the written article on the right of it and is designed
so it does not conflict with the text. However, I thought
to adopt this I must develop the structure by including
more images of art since my main article was about a
description of Birmingham’s best art. The structure
allows the reader to easily follow the text as a result of
the simplistic approach taken.
The title is written in a different font colour to that of
the main body of text, this distinguishes it and makes it
look different. Furthermore, the writing was larger in
size and the letters were written in capital letters. This
inspired me to replicate this design for the title of my
double-page spread since it stands out and draws the
readers gaze towards it. More importantly to develop
this I made the font colour of the title on the DPS the
same as that seen on the background of the masthead
on my front cover.

My Magazine
I have challenged the stereotype in double page spreads by
including a collage of images on the left hand side. I
developed the structure used in the “What’s On” contents
page where it only used one image. By using a collage of
images it would impress the reader of the range of art
available within Birmingham and compliment the written
article that is informing the reader about the great
opportunities in Birmingham.
I have purposefully used a range of photo angles and types
to vary the visual. Furthermore, on the left hand side I have
included some pull quotes from the main text in order to
highlight the high quality of art in Birmingham and how it is
a foundation of the city. As shown in this blog:
ng-planning_27.html. I also used a red font for the pull quote
in order to make it stand out and carry on the theme of the
red colour that I have used throughout. Furthermore the
colour red is not gender oriented and so would not fragment
my demographic in any way.
For the title I called it “Birmingham The Beautiful City” to
make the reader aware that this article is arguing that
Birmingham is a great city full of art. This created a
symbiosis with the images as they both show the
attractiveness of Birmingham.

Influences for my billboard
Firstly, I began to research the codes and conventions
used in billboards to gain some understanding of how
I should apply them to my own regional magazine.
Researching into the conventions of a billboard
helped me as it expanded my knowledge and also
gave me the confidence to take the appropriate
photos needed for it. The research I did can be seen
here:
https://seanconnollya2media.blogspot.co.uk/2018/0
1/research-into-similar-products.html. This research
inspired me to have a blunt and factual slogan as
seen on the Dr Pepper billboard on the right. This
would help give a short clear message that the
passing readers would quickly understand.
A second piece of research that helped was looking
into the structure of Billboards. One created by
Subway influenced me. As seen here:
https://seanconnollya2media.blogspot.co.uk/2017/1
2/research-into-similar-products_13.html.
By placing the text on the left a simple structure is
created where it does not confuse the passing reader.
This is imperative as passing people only have a brief
few seconds to read the message. Furthermore, the
product is displayed on the right hand side. This does
not come into conflict with the text on the left hand
side of the billboard.

My billboard
After researching into the codes and conventions of
Billboards I used PagePlus to crop my main image to
remove some of the sky and frame the shot so it was
centred on the Bullring Shopping Centre and the Cathedral.
As with the Subway billboard I placed the product (the front
cover of my regional magazine) on the right hand side and
included the text on the left hand side.
https://seanconnollya2media.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/draft
ing-planning_66.html. However, I have challenged the
structure of both the Subway and Dr Pepper Billboards by
including social media links. This I felt would connect
passing drivers to my product as they could gain access to
its social media page. My slogan was heavily influenced by
the Dr Pepper Billboard by its blunt message. By saying “We
capture the beautiful view of Birmingham,” I was able to
inform the passing driver that my regional magazine
focused on the art in Birmingham in that particular issue. I
used the same yellow used in the front cover for my slogan
to create cohesion throughout my ancillary and main
product.

Influence for my radio advert
The first step in creating my radio advert saw me examine different types of radio
broadcasts. I discovered that they should be about thirty seconds long and that they
need to first inform the listener about the product that you are selling and then goes
into greater detail after that. Here I did some research on how to create a radio
transcript and the conventions behind a radio advert.
https://seanconnollya2media.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/drafting-planning_7.html. In
my research I found that music is key for the radio advert as it has to compliment the
speaker to be able to deliver their message with confidence and impact.
I then began to look for free copyright music on Bensound, here I found the perfect
background song that was called “Downtown.”
https://seanconnollya2media.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/drafting-planning_10.html
This music was funky as it had an upbeat sound. This would compliment my speaker
and make the listener feel good as the underlying upbeat music set a subtle happy
tone.

My radio advert
My radio transcript included elements from my Billboard as I carried over the slogan “We
capture the best view of Birmingham”. This added to the cohesion between my ancillary
products and my main product. Furthermore, I structured my transcript into two paragraphs-
the first part described what my product was and the second specifically informed the listener
that in the latest issue of “Birmingham View” would be focusing on the art in Birmingham.
https://seanconnollya2media.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/drafting-planning_22.html.
The Downtown sound proved to be a great choice for the background music behind the
speaker as it helps sell my product by making them feel happy and upbeat listening to the
funky nature of the music. Furthermore, I utilised the stereotype of having your speaker talk in
a positive and happy mood to ensure the highest chances of selling my regional magazine.
When recording my radio advert I discovered how my script compelled the listener to read this
regional magazine that was going to inform them what is going on in Birmingham. As it
exaggerates the extent to which the events are happening, the listeners would have the fear of
missing out on an important event.

Combination of main and
ancillary products
The font for my cover lines on my front cover and the slogan
on my billboard are the same. I decided to use Arial Black in
both the ancillary and main product so the reader can
establish a connection between both. This helped me to
achieve a synergy as the reader would recognise the font.
Arial Black was a good font to use as it is modern and easy to
read, it also reflects how modern Birmingham is as a city. In
addition, I used the same colour between the cover lines and
slogan in order to bring my colour scheme to the billboard
that I had originally used in my regional magazine. In this
blog post I explain the combination:
ng-planning.html
I successfully combined my billboard and main product by
placing the front cover on the Billboard. By doing this I was
able to successfully advertise the face of my main product
and to create another link to my regional magazine. It also
helps to show what the billboard is advertising. This makes
the billboard and front cover identifiable since the billboard
allows the reader to see that the same colour is used for the
cover lines and the slogan.
The convention of the background image in both my
billboard and front cover link together as they both show the
same building but from different angles. This helped to show
how different angles make Birmingham look beautiful.
However, the background image for my billboard was more
suitable as I used a wide shot for it.

ancillary products
One way that I was able to combine my billboard with my front cover was to use
my house colour scheme (which was predominantly white and yellow) for the
text on the billboard. For example, the social media links are written in a white
font as was my main article. By carrying over the colour scheme it added to the
professionalism of my billboard. Secondly, the combination of the white and
yellow colours were particularly effective since the yellow I used was edgy and
stood out in front of the duller background. This really makes the text stand out
and makes it easier to read for both the billboard and regional magazine. Also it
makes it far more relatable since people would notice the traits of my brand.
Overall, I am very happy with the way that the colour combines with the other
ancillary products.
https://seanconnollya2media.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/drafting-
planning_31.html.
I have also linked my radio advert with my regional magazine by mentioning its
name “Birmingham View” twice therefore it would be remembered for the
listener.
https://seanconnollya2media.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/drafting-
planning_22.html.
Furthermore, I have linked my radio advert with my billboard by including the
slogan, “We capture the best view of Birmingham”. This establishes a link
between my billboard and radio advert since the slogan is articulated in the last
sentence that concludes the whole radio advert. As I could not link my radio
advert to my other products with colours or fonts I decided an innovative idea
would be to link it to the slogan as the listener would remember that all
important but short message. It is also effective by linking the main focus of the
magazine issue-capturing the artistic view of Birmingham.
Radio Advert Transcript

ancillary products
The slogan that I used in my billboard links to the upbeat
background music of the Downtown song that I had chosen for my
radio advert. The happy and upbeat funky music helps reflect the
positive message that the slogan has that Birmingham is a beautiful
city. Furthermore the bright colour scheme used with the yellow
and white compliments the energetic background music of the
radio advert. Therefore, the listener would associate those colours
to the happy music that they heard in the radio advert.
The masthead “Birmingham View” is linked throughout all three of
my products. Firstly, it is featured in the slogan of the billboard
where it says “we capture the beautiful view of Birmingham” and in
the radio advert where it reiterates the previous slogan but at the
end of the radio advert. My goal with this was to imprint the brand
of Birmingham View throughout all of my products and to give it
that sense of synergy so it is easily identifiable for people since they
would notice all of the similarities of my two ancillary and main
product. The word “view” ties in with the purpose of the main
article which is to look at the art present in Birmingham and how it
is beautiful. The combination of all three products is subtle but
effective and achieves its goal of advertising my product. Therefore,
it makes it even more identifiable for the reader as the masthead is
the first convention they would see and since it is combined with
my other products they would link it to them as well.

Theory
Roland Barthes is a Literal Theorist and created the
narrative theory which can be used with any media text.
He believed that media texts create a sense of mystery in
order to draw in readers. This can be applied to my front
cover. In the main article cover line I have said “Looking at
Birmingham’s art”, this is a vague cover line and builds up
interest within the reader so they can uncover the mystery
behind what art my regional magazine is looking at or if
the art in Birmingham is of high quality. Furthermore, I
have constructed a narrative within my billboard through
the use of the slogan “we capture the beautiful view of
Birmingham”, inviting passing readers to wonder what
view does my magazine cover and to suggest to them what
to further read in the regional magazine to fulfil the
narrative that is being created. Since I have enticed the
reader into feeling the need to read my main article,
Roland Barthe would agree that my regional magazine and
ancillary are able to create an enigma code that the reader
wants to decode and understand. I have achieved this by
not giving too much away to the reader through the cover
lines or the billboard. I wanted the reader to have a sense
of fulfilment or a deeper understanding into the art of
Birmingham and I believe this is perfectly explained by
Barthe’s narrative theory.

Theory
In the representation theory Tessa Perkins argues that
“stereotypes are false with an element of truth but truth is
hard to be established”. Birmingham is stereotypically
regarded as an ugly and dull city. However, in my regional
magazine I wanted to subvert this stereotype by making a
particular issue on the art present in Birmingham and
about its high quality. My ultimate goal was to defy the
common stereotype of Birmingham being an ugly city. I
have achieved this by including a collage of pictures of art
in my double page spread. By exhibiting the amazing art
that Birmingham has to offer I was able to challenge the
common stereotype to the reader as they would then have
to accept the view of the main article that Birmingham is a
good looking city. More importantly, Tessa Perkins would
agree that the view that Birmingham is not good looking is
not all true but just a stereotype and that my argument
that Birmingham is a beautiful city challenges this.
However, “the truth is hard to be established,” so the
opinion on the art of the city is purely subjective upon the
perspective of the person. This is why Tessa Perkins would
be persuaded that Birmingham is a good looking city
because I have purposefully designed my ancillary and
main media product to persuade the readers that the
stereotype is not true at all.

Feedback for magazine
In order to gain an understanding into what the best masthead would be to use for my front cover I decided to ask
for direct feedback via qualitative purposes. I achieved this by using Instagram and asking what was the preferred
masthead out of a list that I gave them and asked for feedback on their preference.
https://seanconnollya2media.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/drafting-planning.html. Based on the feedback Birmingham
View was the best masthead since it did not limit the scope of what I could talk about in my magazine. The other
mastheads including the word “art” and they would limit it to being just an art magazine, which is not what I
wanted. This method of receiving information is far more effective as it allows for a dialogue between the recipient
and myself, rather than using a frequency table that lacks any feedback. From this feedback I concluded that the
masthead is extremely important and must be carefully selected as it is the first convention viewed by the reader
and therefore it has the power to divide my demographic.
One method of feedback which was significantly less effective at giving information was the use of a physical survey.
I wanted to gather feedback on the font type I should use for my masthead. The group that I asked was comprised of
my fellow peers who have good knowledge about the codes and conventions of a magazine so my group giving the
feedback were giving credible opinions. https://seanconnollya2media.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/drafting-
planning_12.html. Unfortunately, the lack of actual criticism or rationalisation for the choice of the font type made it
hard to utilise. The majority voted for the font type Adventurer Black. Personally I felt that this font type was not
suitable so I decided not to use it. Rather I used the Ahorni font type which was better suited for my purpose. Overall
I learnt from my feedback that quantitative methods of gathering information was useless in helping me to decide
what font type to use. Subsequently, I used social media for my feedback as it is far more effective since the
questioned person can offer advice via dialogue and their opinion is not limited to a number on a table.
In the initial phase of creating my magazine I decided to pitch my ideas towards my fellow students in order to gain
an idea of what regional magazine they would like and what elements I should not include.
https://seanconnollya2media.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/drafting-and-planning.html. During the pitch I discovered that
the demographic of a regional magazine must not be limited to a narrow range, it must appeal to all ages.
Furthermore, during the pitch I proposed the masthead name “Brumlad” as originally I wanted my magazine to have
a masculine demographic. However, I learnt that this was excessively gender-oriented and would limit the success of
my regional magazine. This method of feedback was far more effective as it gave me a foundation to start making my
magazine, it also gave highly valuable constructive criticism when using conventions to attract my audience.

Feedback for billboard
In order to gain feedback for my Billboard I asked my friends how I could improve it by
making changes to the structure of the billboard.
https://seanconnollya2media.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/drafting-planning_21.html. I
found that one major structural change that was needed to improve my billboard was
to move the text to the left hand side of the billboard so it was easier for the passing
drivers to read since people always look left to right when reading. This was a small
but crucial change and was picked up by a fellow media student. The people that I
asked were not part of a niche audience but were non bias knowledgeable people so
their feedback was highly important and reliable. Using social media for the feedback
was very effective since it is quick to upload images to my friends so they can respond
and easily view my work for free.
I responded to the feedback in this blog post here:
I moved the slogan to the left of the billboard as was advised by my feedback.
However, I also added the Facebook and Instagram images to the social media links to
add a small and subtle improvement. They give a visual cue of the social media
website which the passing drivers would understand. Overall the feedback was
crucial to the creation of my Billboard as it highlighted improvements that I had to
make in order for my ancillary product to be successful.

Feedback for radio advert
I asked for feedback based on two songs that I found for my radio advert, one was
called “Downtown” and the other was “The Lounge”. I found that Downtown was the
best song to use. In my question I specially outlined that I wanted my song to have an
upbeat tempo. Therefore, based on the fact that Downtown proved to be a happy and
positive song I chose to use it for my own radio advert. A key thing that I learned was
that Downtown was able to sustain the interest of the listener as it is fast paced and
has a fast tempo. It perfectly complimented the positive way that the speaker
delivered the transcript.
https://seanconnollya2media.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/drafting-planning_8.html
I also tested the music by asking people in my class to listen to the song and to see if
they enjoyed it on top of the recording of the speaker. All of the listeners said that it
was good. However, based on the feedback that the introduction had too much music
at the start I decided to shorten the start so there was less time before the speaker
started.
An effective way that I received feedback on the quality of the script was by having my
speaker on whilst having a group of other students listen to it. I also recorded the time
it took to ensure that it was long enough for the radio advert. After this I uploaded the
recording of the speaker and then edited it using audacity along with the Downtown
music.

Technologies: Research & Planning
I used blogger to document all of the progress that I made during the creation of my media
texts. It was very effective at recording the progress that I gradually made throughout my media
project. Blogger was a great piece of software since I could justify the reasons behind my
actions. Blogger allowed me to place hyperlinks so I could link websites that I found useful for
my research and to discuss how they helped me. Furthermore, I could use the links in the future
if I needed them again.
Blogger is a web based product and is very accessible. I was able to access the progress that I
had made anytime. Since Blogger is so accessible it allowed my teacher to access my work and
my other student peers also have access allowing us to share ideas. It allowed me to keep track
of my work and to ensure that I was on track with deadlines. By looking at a previous week’s set
of blog posts I could see what work I need to complete for the next week. One key strength was
that when I posted feedback for my media texts I could not look back it to know how I needed to
improve my work.
The blogs are structured in chronological order therefore they are effective at showing the
development of my work over the course. Effectively this allowed me to look back at previous
work and to ensure that my time management was right. Furthermore, the ability to schedule
blog posts in the future allowed me to remind myself of what work I wanted to do by setting
myself targets. The strength of having your work saved on the internet means that it is saved and
does not run the risk of being deleted, also I could access it on my phone not just at my
computer as Blogger is on the internet.

I used Microsoft PowerPoint during the research and
planning of my project and to annotate some images of my
work when editing my radio advert. This was useful because
I could use text boxes to place text around each image. Also,
I could also place arrows pointing towards what I was
discussing. This made sharing my research even easier.
ng-planning_29.html
I also used Microsoft Publisher when uploading images to
Blogger. Publisher allowed me to crop photos down to
necessary size and edit their brightness when necessary.
Publisher was excellent for the planning of my magazine as it
allowed me to manipulate images to suit my needs. Lastly,
Publisher allowed me to convert my documents into JPEG
files so they could be uploaded to Blogger.

When researching other regional magazines I used google images so I could then analyse
them and learn how they applied conventions to make a successful regional magazine.
Google was a great help during the research part of the course as it let me save images
quickly of other magazines and then to upload them as JPEGs on Blogger. Another advantage
of using Google was that I could research into billboards and their conventions. Once I
completed my research into them I was able to begin to create my own. Google was the
main source of research when looking at real regional magazines.
Another website that was imperative during the planning of my radio advert was Bensound.
This website allowed me to listen to free music and to experiment with different songs. The
website also clearly organised the songs into tabs of genre, this helped me to narrow down
what specific song that I wanted to use. In the end I chose a funky song called “Downtown”,
the website made it easy to download the music without any subscription or fee. The
process of downloading it as well was trouble free as I downloaded it as a MP3 file which I
then uploaded to audacity.
Youtube was an instrumental part of research into radio adverts and becoming familiar with
the structure and the way the music compliments the speaker. Due to Blogger’s ability to
contain Youtube videos I was able to upload radio adverts from Youtube. This was really
helpful when I began constructing my radio advert.

Technologies: Construction
Before the construction of my Billboard and Regional Magazine I had to take photos of the objects I wanted to include. I took
the photos using a good quality camera of various art pieces throughout the city centre of Birmingham,. I could use the “focus
pixels” feature in order to take the best photos possible. On top of this I made sure that I took multiple photos from different
angles and distances to create an interesting visual to sustain the interest of the reader of my magazine.
During the post production of my regional magazine I imported the images into Pageplus where I was able to crop them down
to the appropriate size. It was easy to move the images around on my regional magazine and Billboard. I was able to use
photolab on Pageplus to manipulate the images and reduce the brightness of the images to the right level. Furthermore, when
creating the previous issue front cover I reduced the opacity so I could ensure the size of the masthead was the same as the
one on the art magazine. This ensured that the sizing was the same and was not inaccurate. Pageplus allowed me to view all
three elements of my regional magazine in the same place so it was easy to view the cohesion throughout it. Also, I was able
to access my Billboard quickly when needed so I could carry over the colour scheme of the magazine. I found that Pageplus
was far more effective than Paint.net as the features are more accurate when manipulating images and the User Interface is
far more simplistic to use so it was easy for me to use it competently.
This software was extremely easy to use since I have had previous experience with it. Secondly, whenever I wanted to upload
my progress to Blogger I could easily export the magazine as a JPEG to a high quality. This made recording the progress of the
construction of my magazine far more easier and to save images in order to receive feedback.

Technologies: Evaluation
When creating this evaluation I used Microsoft PowerPoint, I
found easy to use as I have experience of using it. It was easy
to place hyperlinks to my own blog which made it possible to
link my evaluation with my blog. It was easy to move text and
images into the appropriate places since PowerPoint allowed
me to resize and move images. A key part of PowerPoint that
was effective was the spell checking feature, this has limited
any grammatical mistakes by highlighting any possible wrong
spellings.
Slideshare was an excellent choice of software to present my
Evaluation as it allowed me to easily upload my PowerPoint
into Blogger by simply copying the embedded code. It is also
easy to use Slide share since it is similiar to PowerPoint. Lastly,
it offers you a host of designs and formats to present your
work in.

Development from AS to A2
My skills have developed dramatically from AS to A2 as a result of completing both of my media projects. I have become
more effective when using conventions for a specific purpose. Furthermore, at AS I was not as adept when using software
and this led to some of my images looking unprofessional with pieces of the previous background being left with it. This was
very clear where the main image for my front cover of my music magazine was concerned, as part of the black background
remained as a result of my inability to use Paint.Net effectively. However, at A2 I have become much more confident using
the software.
At AS I created a Electronic Dance Music magazine named “Catalyst”, the name was chosen as it reflected the change in
music into the modern genre of EDM as the word “Catalyst” means the most important agent for change. I thought this
concept applied directly to this genre of the music as it is a new and modern type of music. Over the course of AS I have
learnt how significant the use of conventions are in the construction of a media product as they dictate the structure of all
three elements of the magazine. However, at AS I was particularly influenced by the subtle design of the Q music magazine so
I used their design rather than being original and challenging conventions which I did at A2. At A2 for my regional magazine I
became more confident in the construction of my magazine since I began to develop the conventions used in the structure of
other magazines that I researched. Furthermore, at AS I did not challenge any conventions at all but at A2 I used more
original ideas such as bonding my regional magazine name “Birmingham View” with my other ancillary products. This
promoted a better quantity of symbiosis throughout my regional magazine at A2.
At AS I took many photos in the same location with the same shot types, this caused my final product to be somewhat boring
and lacking in variation in the shot types. Therefore, at A2 I took more photos of areas and different shot types in order to
prevent my regional magazine from being stilted as it was at AS. I also used different backgrounds and locations in order to
show the range of art that Birmingham has to offer. It was much easier taking the photos of these areas since I researched
the locations and I knew prior to taking them what photos I wanted to in fact use. Secondly, I took lots of photos so I could
choose which specific one that I wanted to use unlike at AS where I only took a few.

AS to A2 comparison:
AS Front Cover + Contents Page
A2 Front Cover + Contents Page

There is a clear improvement from my double page spread at AS to A2. The structure is far more visually impressive due
to the designated positions of the images on the left so it does not come into conflict with the rest of the text on the right
hand side. I have consciously chosen to include a collage of art that links to the article on the right rather than on the AS
article the main image does not link to the text at all, if anything it confuses the reader. However, at A2 I understood that
the images played a huge role in supporting the article by acting as a visual message of what message the article is trying
to address.
Throughout the three elements of my regional magazine there is much more cohesion then there is seen in my music
magazine. At AS there was a lack of a coherent colour scheme throughout the front cover, contents page and double
page spread. On the other hand, I crafted a colour scheme that reflects the exciting art that Birmingham has to offer, it
also establishes a link throughout all three elements of the magazine.
The use of cover lines at AS were disorganised on the front cover as some of the text block each other and there is not
enough space between it all. At A2 I carefully placed the text so it was readable and did not create an ugly visual by
blocking other pieces of text as well. This was a key improvement I had made at A2 since the main cover line is placed in
such a dominant and significant position it would make people want to read into the art of Birmingham.
At A2 I feel that I have improved the placement of images and text which helps to capture the reader’s attention whereas
at AS I believe that the placement of the text repelled the reader and made it harder for them to read.
I believe that at A2 I have drastically improved the DPS since the use of captions underneath images gives the reader a
better insight into the what the regional magazine contains and has to offer. Also at AS I did not include an image of a
previous edition of my magazine. However, at A2 I included an image of a magazine looking at the food in Birmingham. At
A2 I was able to give my magazine a better sense of realism.

AS to A2 comparison:
A2 Double Page Spread
AS Double Page Spread

Throughout the A2 course there was a shift from emulation at AS, where I
researched into other music magazine to origination where I began to
challenge conventions. When I had gained enough confidence I started to
enjoy creating my own sense of brand and design of my regional
magazine.
Also at A2 I had to undertake the task of creating my own Billboard. It was
here I had to learn new conventions and apply them to the construction of
my own ancillary product. This, I believe showcases my improvement the
most as I had to link to my main product through the colour scheme and
images used in my billboard.
Another difference from the A2 course was the necessity to record my
radio advert and edit it with a song. This was a huge improvement as I had
to consciously make a decision about what would be effective for
advertising my brand to listeners. Here I built upon my sound editing skills
and script writing which I lacked at AS.
Finally, I feel that my skills have made huge improvements as a result of
the jump from AS to A2. I am pleased with both of my projects and I
appreciate the huge improvement in my research, organisational and
constructive media skills. My ability to carry out independent research and
then apply that to the creation of my own media product was a result to
the burdensome demand at A2.

Media Evaluation

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