This document summarizes a student's media studies evaluation of their magazine product called "AMPLIFIED". The student followed conventions of real magazines by including features like a strap line, house style, variety of images, and editors note. They represented the social group of rock/indie music fans positively. The target audience was men and women aged 14-25 interested in rock/indie music. Distribution could be through Bauer Media Group which publishes similar magazines. The student learned about professional magazine presentation techniques and improved their use of design elements from their preliminary to final work.

1. MEDIASTUDIES EVALUATION CODIE BUTCHER

2. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? I think my magazine ‘AMPLIFIED’ does follow the forms and conventions of real media products, as I have used many different features that other magazines today use. I analysed magazines already on sale and looked at the ways in which to professionally layout a magazine and make it appealing to the audience. Doing this helped me come to the decisions I made when making my magazine itself. On my product I included many different convention which products similar to mine do as I felt this was the best way to make sure that my product would be successful as there is already a market for this type of magazine. For example, I included a strap line underneath my masthead as this gives the reader an insight of what is to come within the magazine.

3. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? continued.. Other conventions which I followed included using a house-style and colour scheme to show continuity throughout my product, and using a wide variety of different images and photographs to make my product appeal to my target audience. Even with my double page spread where I have used a full sized image for the background I have still followed the colour scheme by creating some of the text blue. In many magazines, on the contents page they have a small editors note in the top left hand corner. Therefore I made my own to follow this convention and add a professional touch. Also many magazines offer the possibility for readers to subscribe, which then make it a lot cheaper for regular buyers.

4. How does your media product represent particular social groups? In my product I tried to portray the social group of the rock/ indie in a good light. Most teenagers nowadays are seen negatively especially within the media and the press, and I feel that isn’t the case. With most people reading magazine articles or internet versions about all the celebrity gossip, people have come to grow to love or even hate them by what they hear in the media. The younger generation have especially started to look up to the celebs, almost like role models. That’s why I felt it was important for the people included within my product to be portrayed positively, as if my magazine was to be published I would want it to be sending out good messages about young people, and the rock/ indie scene. On my contents page I made a story on ‘How rehab saved her life’. I felt this article was good to include in my product because drugs and alcohol are always related to the ‘rock n roll’ lifestyle, but I wanted to promote how that's not always the case, and that you can get help getting off and potentially save your own life.

5. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? As I based my magazine around the similar style of previous magazines such as Kerrang! and Q, I would imagine a publishing company such as The Bauer Media Group would distribute my magazine. Bauer brands include women’s weekly and TV listings, but also Q and Kerrang!, which are magazines which I based my products on. Bauer is also the third largest publisher in the UK and has grown into a worldwide publishing and media company. As Kerrang is such a well known music magazine, I feel The Bauer Media Group would be a good choice to distribute my product and would hopefully also bring success to my magazine.

6. Who would be the audience for you media product? The target audience for my magazine would be both men and women between the ages of 14 – 25, and those who are into rock and indie music. I decided to target both gender and this age range as it gives me quite a wide audience to aim for, and it then appeals to more people. I attracted this audience to my product by containing within my magazine rock and indie bands and using the same conventions used by similar magazines like Kerrang!. For example, I used an eroded and broken styled font for my masthead, creating the image of the music being so loud that it has caused the lettering to crack.

7. How did you attract and/or address your audience? I tried to make my music magazine front cover as appealing as possible as this is the first thing a potential buyer will see. I did this by using a similar layout to previous magazines like Kerrang! and NME, as there is already an audience for them. The masthead which I designed would also attract my target audience. I aimed to target those who listened indie / rock music, therefore I used a font which the lettering is cracked and distorted giving the impression of loud, rock styled music. Also one of the main ways I tried to attract an audience was by advertising the chance to win a trip to America and also by giving away a free CD with each issue. When doing my questionnaire I found that many were attracted to a product which offered a free gift. With the pricing, I didn’t want to over price it too much as this can turn people away from buying a product. Therefore I made it £2.10, which is what I felt was reasonable for a 40 page+ magazine. Also it is slightly cheaper than a similar product already on the market, Kerrang!

8. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? I think that when looking back at my preliminary work, that I have learnt a lot more about how a real magazine is presented and the techniques which they use to make their products successful. I have also realised the true reasoning for the use of colour schemes, house-styles and a prepared layout. When comparing my work together I feel that my second piece has a much more professional look to it and that I have followed my colour scheme and house-style well. With my music magazine cover I have made better use of the space and filled it enough to make it interesting, but not too much to make it look cramped.

9. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? continued.. For my preliminary contents page I didn’t make use of colours enough and the page as a whole just looked quite bare and empty. Comparing it to my music magazine content, I feel I have improved.