Question 1 of my media evaluation

1. Question 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

2. Title of the magazine
The title of my magazine is Amplified. The reason I chose
this to be the title of my magazine is because of the clear
links to the music genre of my magazine. The word also has
connotations of something being loud which can also be
linked to rock/pop punk genre that my magazine focuses
on. The typography also links to this music genre. The
typography is jagged and has a similar look to the
typography used on Green Day’s (who fall into the genre of
my magazine) American Idiot album. The text is bold and
block like which is a typical convention of many magazines
in the same genre such as Kerrang or Rocksound. The
colour of the text is plain black. This is because it fits in with
the colour scheme used throughout the magazine and the
colour would also appeal to the audience, while also fitting
in with the genre of the magazine. The dark colour is often
linked with the genre of music that my magazine is dealing
with and it also makes the magazine look more
sophisticated. If I’d have used a different/lighter colour then
it may not have been as effective and would’ve looked
childish meaning that it would appeal to a different
audience.

3. Design/layout
On the cover and contents page I used a black, red and white colour scheme, however on the double page spread I used a blue, black and grey colour
scheme. I did this because when creating the logo for the band I used the same blue. By using the logo of the band on the cover rather than just the name is
because it would appeal to fans of the band more because it is recognisable. To create a house style on my magazine I included the magazine’s website on
every page next to the page number. Other music magazines such as Mix Mag also do this. This is done for a variety of reasons. The first being that it
reinforces the magazines brand. Also because of technological convergence print based media sales are down. By including a website I am able to promote
my magazine online and also offer the information on a digital platform.
When creating each of my media pieces I took the Guttenberg principle into consideration. On the cover in the primary optical
area I included headlines which are key information for both first time readers and regular readers. The information allows new
readers to grasp an idea of the contents of the page, while it also appeals to readers who may not be interested in the coverband.
It offers range. Other magazines that also include headlines in the primary optical area are Kerrang, NME and Q magazine. Another
thing in the primary optical area is the masthead. This help to reinforce the magazine brand and make it familiar to the readers for
future purchases. It also makes it easier for the reader to spot the magazine when buying it. Through the reading gravity there is
the main cover image which is used as a key signifier and star quality to sell the magazine. In the terminal area I included
information such as the price, website address and a barcode. Many music magazines such as Kerrang and Q place this information
here to. This is because it is practical information for the reader that they need to know. I also included the website herebecause it
means that a digital version of the magazine is available. This would work to my magazines advantage because it could raise digital
sales of the magazine and vice versa. In the strong fallow area I made a badge. It includes anothercoverline: “exclusive Glastonbury
2015 line up”. Buzz words such as exclusive and rare are used on many magazines to appeal to the readers. It sets your magazine
apart from other magazine because that information can only be found in you magazine. Also a badge/graphic features are
conventions of many magazines. The colours of the badge also follow the colour scheme of the media product meaning it looks
more professional. In the Weak fallow area I placed an inset image because people usually only concentrate on that area for a
limited amount of time and an image would capture attention more than the name of band.
Similarly I also used the Guttenberg design principle on my contents page too. In the primary optical area there is a
graphic feature that includes the name of my magazine. Many magazines do this on their contents page to familiarise
its readers with the brand therefore making it more popular. In the primary optical area there is also the beginning of
the News section of the contents. When I created my contents I used informal balance. On the left hand side there
are small stories and other features that are included throughout the magazine. This column is also split into 4
sections: News, reviews, gig guide and features. This is a typical convention of magazines in the same genre such as
Kerrang.
My magazine
kerrangFurthermore, in the terminal area there is an inset image. The image is linked with an article. For all
images used on the contents page I created a graphic feature that included the page number. A
similar feature can be found in the Q and NME contents pages. In the strong fallow area there is an
image of the same person as the cover/main cover story. Usually the main cover story image will be in
the primary optical area however I placed it here so the area wasn’t glazed over as it may have been if
it was just regular contents. In the weak fallow area there is a features section. This section would be
a house style of the magazine therefore wouldn’t sell the magazine as much as new news would.

4. Photography/ special effects and minipulation
When taking the photo for the main image on the cover I asked the model
to dress in a specific way. The outfit links in with the genre of the
magazine. She is dressed in a leather jacket which is commonly linked with
the genre that my magazine is capturing. The shirt she is wearing also links
to the genre because its merchandise for Pink Floyd. The black and red
with the lipstick and jacket also link in with the colour scheme, making it
more consistent and professional. Most of the images were taken in a
studio using artificial lighting such as fill lights and soft boxes with a DSLR
camera. This means that I could control and create shadows and take them
away when necessary. However one image on the double page spread was
taken using a camera phone. The location for this image was very specific
because I wanted it to seem like a backstage area. Her clothing was also
specific. I asked her to wear blue, black and white so it would fit in with
the colour scheme. The image itself is more of an informal image meaning
it would appeal to a younger audience of 14-25. The image has a graphic
on it that reads: “Backstage selfie before the Manchester show ft Becca
Knowles.” Theses captions can also be found in similar music magazines
such as Kerrang. When capture secondary images for the cover and
contents page I used props that have clear links to the music genre such as
guitars, drum sticks and microphones. The model uses direct mode of
address.
There were only minor adjustments I used in Photoshop to alter some
parts of the image. On the main image I used the clone tool to remove
some of the creases in the background and I altered the brightness and
contrast slightly to improve the lighting of the image. Also on some of the
images I had to crop them to remove some of the background and to
frame the images properly.

5. Article
For the interview I did a simple Q&A that are commonly found on double page spreads. I was an unstructured interview which
means that it was more informal to appeal to the audience. The aim of the article was to entertain the reader while also giving
them some information. This is common in interviews for magazines with a younger audience. If the magazine was aimed at an
older the wording of the questions and content would’ve been more formal and wouldn’t have slang through the interview. Many
interviews used slang/taboo language to establish a connection with the audience. A similar way of writing is also found in
Kerrang which appeal to the same audience of my magazine. I also included a kicker. This is a small paragraph that gives the
reader an idea of the content of the interview. I made it bolder and slightly larger font than the rest of the article. This is a typical
convention of a magazine article. The headline is also The Perks Preshow Prate. I chose this to be the headline of the article
because it links to live shows that the band would perform. Also the use of alliteration because it’s more informal and before the
article is even read by the audience they feel like they would be able to engage with it. Where as if the headline was more formal
they may have found the tone of the article to serious and therefore making them feel less willing to read the article.