Media Evaluation Question 1

1. Caroline Corfield

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

3. Inspiration

4. When it came to making my Cover Page, it was very difficult to find a pop
magazine that wasn’t covered in gossip articles. I think I have managed to
make my magazine into a music one not a gossip magazine. I looked at the
layout instead of the articles themselves and based my layout around that. I
then made my own articles relating to pop music. I kept some aspects the
same as they were about pop music. For example I kept the free posters
however didn’t include the article about clothes, as that is not music related.
With my colour scheme I chose pink, sticking to stereotypes. I feel that it
represents my target audience best, girl aged 9 – 16. I also feel that it
represents pop well as a high majority of Pop Music includes pink on the Album
cover. The images I used are all original, taken by me. The originals are on a
separate blog post.

5. Inspiration

6. For my Contents Page, it was important to me to make sure, there was not too much
writing and text as it could overwhelm my audience. The inspiration for my contents is
very similar to what I produced. I wanted it to be busy with images and visual aspects.
Again I used pink to carry my style through from the cover page. I also kept the fonts the
same, using the ones I did on the cover, this insuring my reader as not overwhelmed by
new fonts and colours. The images I used are all original, taken by me. The originals are
on a separate blog post. I didn’t use “Contents Page” at the top of my page, I used
“Inside This Issue”, as Top Of The Pops used “In The Mag”. I feel this is more informal
and laid back. I have used a copy of my front cover on my contents page to make it
easier for my reader to see what pages my main articles are on.

7. Inspiration

8. With my Double Page Spread, I tried to use the same layout as my inspiration. I
used the glow around my star and the strip at the top of the page under the
title. However I changed the idea of having what the article was about at the top
of the page, and had it in the strip instead. I felt having the name would draw
my reader in more. Again I have used the same colour, to keep the style going
through my magazine. I did change the font for my double page, because I felt
that having one key font would be more effective, when there is lots of text than
using 3 or 4. I have used a Pull Quote, one that I think is very important and
stands out most. I added the musical notes to make the page look more
musical, as I felt it looked a little bit girlie and gossipy have all the pink.

9. I feel my media product use forms and conventions of real media products. I have stuck
to stereotypes, and used colours and language to fit my target audience. As I chose to
produce a Pop Magazine, I had to be very careful not to produce a Gossip Magazine. I
used “Top Of The Pops” magazine to help with conventions of a young girl between the
ages of 9 and 16. I then used various other Music Magazine to inspire me with the music
side of my magazine.
Many aspects of my Cover Page fit the conventions of a Pop magazine, without being a
Gossip Magazine. For example I have advertised for free posters inside my magazine, as
well as advertising a competition to win tickets to 5 Seconds Of Summer. This I feel will
appeal to my audience as young girls cant afford concert tickets and loads of posters of
their favourite artists and bands, will draw them in to the magazine.

10. My Contents Page also shows sections that will
attract my young audience.
The screen grab on the left, again shows more
concert details, due to the fact my audience
have not got the money for concerts, they will
want all the details and pictures. Hence why I
have included them in my magazine. I have
also used a lot of visual aspects, instead of lots
of text. I have done this because my audience
will not want to read pages and pages of text,
they will want to be able to see what they are
looking for and know where to go and what
page to go to. I have done this by placing a
photo of my front cover in the corner and
annotating which page each article is on. I feel
like makes it easy for my reader to know what
page to go to. I also used a picture that will
feature on my double page spread, this will
create a sense of how the reader will have
already seen the image, so knows they are on
the correct page.

11. I used this image on my
contents page, this hopefully
creating a sense of how the
reader has already seen it and
will know that they are on the
correct page.
This is my pull quote, this
coming from my article. I
chose this quote because I
feel it shows a lot about the
artist and is key in what they
talk about in the interview.
This is the main point in my article, and
also the artists recent success. The use of
such a big music award will draw in my
reader as this is featured just below the
name of the singer. I chose to put it in the
strip so it is highlighted on the page, as the
yellow stands out on the pink.