Evaluation

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

 

 I developed my media product off of real music magazines, such as 'Kerrang' and 'MetalHammer'. This show similar codes and conventions like the real product does. Some elements on my product challenges forms and conventions of the real product, such as the 'tag line' across the top of the cover, which is typically seen on 'Kerrang' covers.  
The idea of that real music magazines use a main image to catch the audience attention, is a form and convention i used in my own Media product, also many real music magazine have smaller or secondary images to show what else is in the issue. Other forms and conventions, such as a bar code are typical on media product, due to without them product can't be sold.

Like my cover page, I developed the contents page in the same way by using 'Kerrang' as a template. I used the same forms and convention in my own Content page like 'Kerrang' for example the way the content page text is split up into section. The use of page numbers and sub headings in the content page is typical of many media products and the use of different colours splits the sub heading from the contents in that section.

Out of all the music magazine I have researched, I have learnt that throughout the product the same house colour scheme and front has been used. I used this convention in my own product.

 

How does your media product represents particular social groups?

 

My media product is a music magazine that is specifically aimed at teenagers and young adults, this being between the ages of 16 to 19. the aimed audience is link to the cover by the models in the image are teenagers.

There is no specific gender or age group for my media product, by the house colours I used, I think I targeted both males and females. I also made a questionnaire to see what types of things people look for in a music magazine and how long they have been buying them. I used question such as :

 

 

 

 

 

 

By asking what gender they allow me to think more about  what colour scheme I use. Also asking why they first started to buy music magazines, allows me to include their view. For example they buy the magazine to learn about new band then I will include this.

 

 

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

 

ICP is a sight that I used to research magazine publishers. On there site I can clearly see that they distribute a variety of magazines and I think this would be a good publishers to use when distributing my media product.

ICP distribute music magazines such as Kerrang!, and if I were to liken my magazine to any other, it would be Kerrang!

The kind of media institution that is likely to distribute my media product is retail stores such as WHSmith. WHSmith is a store that distribute many types of magazine. Many people show in WHSmith and would be the ideal place to grab an audiences attention.

 

 

 

Who would be the audience for your media product?

With this type of music magazine being on ‘metal’, I found that attracting the right social quite easy  and knowing that there couldn’t be a specific  age group linked to my media product .The picture in my front cover is not of an actual bands. The three girls I placed so they would look like a band (they represented an metal/hardcore band) 

 

My music magazine is aimed at people who like metal music, so the girl that I used represent this. I represented this through the clothes and make-up. Also the bands I have included on the front also represent the genre of music  that my media product is about.

Also in my media product I have made the music magazine cheap enough for anyone to by and I have included a website so people can view other things linked to the magazine, for example ‘pod casts’ from musicians.

However I do feel that my music magazine is very specific to target an audience that do like music, looking at the contents I can see  a lot of things that are music orientated I don’t think that people that don’t listen to this type of music would read my media product.

 

The type of bands that are included on my media product’s contents page, I think people who don’t  like this genre of music would be attracted to it. So it is aimed specifically at an audience that like or listen to indie music.

 

I have made my media product so it isn’t targeted at a specific gender or age group, so a lot of things I have included can be attractive to any gender and age group. So for the double page spread I have included  a question type of  interview  that would make it easy for anyone to read.

 

 

How did you attract/address your audience?

 

I attracted my audience by making sure that the front cover picture was interesting and bold. The picture stands out and is of  people who make this genre of music which will automatically attract the audience that I aim to attract.

The 'tag line' attracts the audience that I want to attract automatically, they can clearly see that it is an metal magazine by the name of the festival. Also By adding the ‘plus’ section at the bottom of the magazine will attract some of the audience that are more attracted to the bands/musicians' included in the section. Final the style of clothing attracts my target audience because that can see clearly that this magazine is the genre that they want to read.

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

Before the preliminary task I had not used Photoshop before and so I had to learnt everything in a short period of time before doing this main task. My skills on Photoshop have improved a lot over time and this task has given me a chance to try out new things on the programme. For example:

This picture is how it started, I  went on adjustments and curves and made the image darker and adjusted the contrast.

I have also learnt that technology is very temperamental, for example I wanted to add a box behind the text to make it stand out. Also finding the right house colour scheme to use for a metal genre music magazine, but after looking back to the research I did on music magazines, helped.

 

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

What I have learned:

•to organise my time better, in the preliminary I was rushed to finish

•learnt  about small studios, about setting up lighting and about setting up pictures and photo shoots to get the best quality pictures possible.

•how to research effectively and how to back up everything that I am  saying with evidence from other magazines.

•using Photoshop , my skills on Photoshop have improved a lot. I have learnt about the use or image manipulation of pictures.