My finished music magazine products

7.Looking back at your preliminary task (the college magazine task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

My knowledge and skill using photoshop developed more as i used the programme more frequently, this meant I could make the magazine look how I had designed in my head. It took a while to memorise and properly use all the tools. I used the tool, 'rubber'; this made the edges of my images smooth. I used the 'crop' tool; to use a specific amount of the image. The tools effected my work because they improved the quality of the images.

BEFORE                                       AFTER

                    

 

6.What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I have used programmes like; Photoshop, FLIKR, blogger, and word. These have all helped me to create my work, some more than others. When I first started the coursework I had little experience of Photoshop, now I can work independently on it. The main Photoshop tool I used for a lot of my magazine is ‘Render’ this changes the brightness, by creating a light around and on the image. This tool is used on all of my images to create the right look. As you can see moving the circle makes the light brighter/darker.

 

The advantages of using Photoshop is that it can do, everything and anything you want, although its complicated, it can produce a lot of effects and tools. The only disadvantage is that I took a lot of time to understand and feel confident using.

Flikr was good because it allows you to tag writing over the image, this makes it easier to explain, however they were hard to log onto and blogger is hard to understand.

These programmes are good for the work I had to do. Word was good because it allowed me to write my article up before hand and try different fonts.

4.Who would be the audience for your media product?

These are representations of the types of people who are likely to read my magazine, in these images they show there own fashion and styles; this is called ‘indie’ or ‘rock’. My magazine would probably be aimed towards the upmarket demographic in the social economic scale, because my target audience is adults, who enjoy expensive gadgets and instruments. I had to decide on a price suitable for a new starting magazine and the TA as well. The Psychographics of the target audience, our individuals, men with there own lives and jobs that have an interest in music.

I feel these bands are a good representation of the musical interests of my TA. They have a specific type of social image, and are all individually different. These are the types of bands I will have included in my magazines. On the cover these bands have there names, because my magazine has the same TA.

3.What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I would expect a company like clash to publish my magazine because it’s an independent company with only one magazine to distribute. The main advantages of have a big company rather than a self-publishing one is that it succeeds in wide distribution, dealing with the UK’s largest magazine retailer, WHSmiths. However, the company may make you pay as much attention to your advertisers as you do to your audience to maximise your profits. Clash doesn’t have any competitors for my magazine.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

 I am representing the indie/rock subcultures and social groups, although not particular for a specific stereotype.

Similarities

Both connote power over there audience.

Arms held in same position, movement in performance.

Both intertexual to each other, because of position and self ‘image’, constructed to look powerful.

Lighting; similar studio lights although one clearer than other, contrast and brightness has been altered to look less sharp.

Side angle, on the right looking left. Shot type is a close up. 

Low angles looking up towards the singer create power and dominance.

Represent their gender as controlling and attention grasping.

Costume; t-shirt or leather, both indie looking with long flicking hair and facial hair.

A deep concentration in expression and looking away from the camera connotes, it is less important than what they have eye contact with, also connotes they are unaware of the camera.

5.How did you attract/address your audience?

Advertising plays an important part of selling a magazine it’s used in distribution and can bring a vast majority of money into the company. Advertisers will pay to have certain adverts in a page of your magazine; I feel my magazine would have brands like; technology, beer, festivals and more. Things that are relevant for my target audience.

Someone buying the magazine would be interested in the ‘cool’ looking glossy image. They would associate style with it. Its conventional for men to want power and be interested in alcohol and women, by using this as a tool to attract more buyers means more income for my magazine.

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

Magazines hold different conventions depending on their genre. All magazines are conventional because they have a masthead, selling line, main image, cover line, and barcode. Magazines would not be understood if they did not have all these functions telling and persuading there audience on why they should buy their magazine. Genres like ‘women’s magazines’ would conventionally use pink denotative colours, whereas a ‘rock’ magazine will use harsh and darker fonts and colours.

My coursework presents these conventions in my front cover; free gifts, a large masthead, and bright colours giving it a rock star, indie look. The contrast is harsh on the centre image making it stand out and my Photoshop development makes it look like its overlapping the text but it has been  erased giving it a  glow, against the text behind it.

Media products presented to us on shop shelves, in shops around the country our highly competitive. To create a magazine to appeal to a gap in the market, would be hard to find because the media has evolved so much that there is not a person whomb a product is not aimed at. My thoughts were to find a niche market to be intertextual to. Many males around the ages of 25-35 do not regularly buy magazines; I think this is because there is not a lot currently in the media, appealing to them and their interests. I have decided to use this age group as my demographic target audience. My house style was influenced by magazines such as classic rock and NME. These magazines target a younger audience than I intended, but looked stylish so I used this inspiration for my own.

The title ‘NEW MUSIC’ connotes how the magazine is updated, yet sophisticated in the fact it has not got a young slogan type name like ‘kerrang’, meaning it is relevant for my target audience.  The masthead positioned centre top follows the conventions of a music magazine. The only prop I was concerned with having within the shot was the instruments because it portrayed the individual’s part within the band.  The image shots I have used are quite natural I didn’t want to portray ‘anger, aggression or happiness’ because unlike magazine features it wasn’t a professional shoot it was real and happening, making it quite unconventional to look at and portray the reality of being in a band.

My magazine’s genre is indie/rock this is suggested throughout the magazine because of the; bands, style/look, fonts and darkness. The band in the images is RIVERS; they are all around 30 and have a particular indie/rock look.

In my contents page I used no particular features for different readers, I would have no regulars because it is a new magazine and none of the content would limit the amount of readers. The layout is portrait and uses Photoshop to make the writing glow and stand out. The name of the magazine has been moved into the image, not how it is originally, but altered to look a lot darker and connote seriousness.

The image was taken at a gig, and the effect of the smoke contrasts well with the colours and setting in the image. The microphone is shown within the image to portray Jakes role in the band.

In my double page spread, I used a background image to connote tension and drama, the image is effective because the black and pink are harsh against each other and the shadow of Jake, makes the whole image stand out without drawing to much away from the text. The title, RIVERS has a mix of different colours; I choose to do this by using the rivers own logo, and taking their pattern to stretch over, making it look more professional. Originally the ‘film strip’ image did not exist in other drafts, I used the images separately as a spotlight image. Fortunately I changed my ideas and approach because It didn’t fit in with the house style and wasn’t up to standard, after making a few changes I realised all these images co-ordinate together and could be put together, in another way.  The double page spread is a representation of the bands lifestyle and colourful experiences. I have also used conventional features like drop caps and pull quotes to add to the overall effect of the peice. 

5rejected early front cover