Evaluation Question 7- Looking back at your preliminary task (the school magazine task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the main task?

Research and Planning: The prelim research was lacking in content, although I did do some there was nowhere near enough there for me to construct my magazine properly, confidently and with the right amount of knowledge. Whereas in my research for my final product I included things like; 

• a survey
• textual research influence
• research into institutions that distribute similar products
• research into potential target audience part one and two
•  primary target audience
• flat plans
• image analysis
• planning my article and more 

Prelim Task:

Media magazine- final:  

It's clear to see the progress my media products have made since my prelim task. My prelim task is extremely basic and simple; the fonts, image and background are all unprofessional and there's not enough sell lines/ insentives that would persuade the audience to buy the product. My final media product, however is much more professional and doesn't look as spars. The use of different fonts, colours and shapes exemplifies that I have the knowledge needed to make my product poressional. I have included things like, a skyline, an insentive, barcode, price, better sell lines, a more professional masthead and an image which looks good, all of which were lacking in my prelim task. Additionally, when constructing my prelim I did not have a contents or double page spread which is obviously all there in my final product. I think that with time my knowledge of using different technologies has developed hugely and has allowed my product to increase in content and quality. 

Evaluation Question 6- What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

During the process of researching, planning and constructing my media product I had to keep posting on my own blog. The allowed me to become used to embedding Prezi's, uploading images and power points.  I therefore become much more confident when using different technologies. 

I used Prezi several times throughout this unit. It is quite a simple way to create a presentation. I now know how to upload images onto it and add pathways from one slide to another. 

  An Apple Mac was used throughout the whole process of making the magazine, I had to learn how to do minor things like; screen shots, copy and pasting. it was very different from using a normal computer. It also included using applications like Photoshop and InDesign.

When using InDesign, I learned how to crop, re-position and move images in a different way to how I would normally do it. Additionally, when constructing my double page spread the column and page guidelines came in very useful, especially to ensure the magazine seemed professional. Finally, i had to know how to alter the file into a JPEG and when it came to printing my product i had to learn how to export the file etc. 

 

 Photoshop, at first, was very hard for me to get my head around. Although I had used it before, it wasn't to this extent. I had learned several skills of which came in useful when constructing my front cover; Changing font style/ colour/ size, cutting out different part of an image, using different layers and adding images, shapes and lines. 

Using slide share was fairly straight forward; uploading a presentation to put onto my blog.

 

 This is the camera I used when taking the photo's for my magazine. Learning about the different thirds of the shot and the positioning wasn't really that hard, zooming and flash are basic knowledge of using any camera. It allowed me to take my images easily, however enabled it them to still appear professional.

 

Question 5- How did you attract/ address your audience?

Evaluation Question 4- Who would be the audience for your media product? Part two.

evaluation question 4 on Prezi

Evaluation Question 4- Who would be the audience for your media product? Part one.

Before creating my magazine I did both secondary and primary research on my target audience. I did this through research into different club websites and images of a range of different DJ'. I also know and and enjoy the kind of music my target audience like, consequently I have an idea of what kind of things they enjoy and what kind of poeple they are.


My media product is based on DJ's and dance music therefore my target audience would be majorly males between the estimated ages 16 and 35, however females within the same age bracket are also likely to invest in my magazine too. I would like to think males and females would be of equal interest. They are of either working or middle class backgrounds. Their interests will be going to festivals, Creamfields and Tomorrow Land being the main choices with holliday destinations being Ibiza, Amsterdam, Majorca etc. Obviously, going out and socialising will also be of interest and enjoyment to the target audience. They are likely to be fun, energetic people that go out and lead a busy, excitable lifestyle.

Evaluation Question 3- What kind of media institution might distribute your product and why?

The process of making and selling a media product, a magazine in this case, begins with an idea from somebody who then develops it into a presentation/ brainstorm of which will be presented to a media company, such as Bauer Media. If the company like the idea and accept it, the magazine will be produced, advertised and sold in any shops seen to be appropriate for the public to buy.

I think Bauer Media would benifit from investing in my magazine as they have not yet been involved with a DJ magazine, instead they just own a range of rock/indie/pop magazines. There is a wide audience for my magazine, therefore Bauer Media would be appealing to not only a mainstreem market but also a niche market. The target age of my audience is around about 14-30, consequently any company that were to sell my magazine would be gaining a huge audience from a wide age range. Additionally, Bauer Media don't have an outstanding amount of music magazines and I think investing in my magazine would be a brilliant way to progress in that area.

Bauer Media have a lot of great selling magazines such as Heat, Grazia, More and Q therefore I believe they would also benifit me and my product aswell as my product benifiting them. Heat and Q have a lot of corresponding T.V advertisements aswell as the internet, radio, posters and social networking sites. I think it is a great way of advertising as it tagerts both the young and old and people that have different hobbies and interests. All of the above are great agents of advertising. The more and better types of advertising results in more customers. I don't think it is massively important as to what genre specifies in a certain advertisement; any advertisement is good, however, it is important to know how and where to taget your intended audience. Majority of people nowadays have Facebook and there's a rising population on Twitter, both of which have been known to offer free advertising which is usefull when saving money but it still speaks volumes to those interested. I think a great way of advertising is on relevent music channels but also on mainstreem music channels such as VIVA and 4Music because it will entice a newer and fresher audience.

There are several shops that would be extremely usefull when it comes to distributing my product; HMV, WHSmiths, supermarkets (Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys The Co-opretive) and smaller, more local news agents. This will give the public a chance to see more of the magazine and perhaps be persuaded into buying it and it will also make the product more accessable. DJ magazine is sold online which I think would be a great way to distribute my product as my target audience are very likely to be online often. Additionally, online distribution also means it does not rule out less mobile people as an audience member. With the rise of Web 2.0 it will make the online selling of my product much more easier. Not only would I distribute it in shops only I believe that 'pop up's' on the shops webites (HMV/ Ticketmaster) for example as it is relevent not only to the websites but also to the people using the websites.

Evaluation Question 2- How did you represent social groups?

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

When doing my textual analyisis, to begin with i looked at magazines such as Q, Kerrang and Mojo as i was unsure as to what genre my magazine was going to be. However I then began to steer in the dance genre and studied a magazine called DJ.

Due to looking at two completely opposite genres I saw both differences and similarities between the two. For instance, all magazines have a left alinement so that all of the writing on the front cover is in view of the audience. Although wanting my magazine to stand out I also wanted for it to appear professional so not only did I follow the alinement convention but I followed others too; All magazines' mast heads were centered or slightly to the left, this is due to how they are arranged on the shop shelves. Additionally when it came to images all real media products had one image on the front cover, so that it didn't appear too cluttered nor confuse the reader, however within the contents pages I found that there tended to be several images featured. In my opinion this is likely to help the product to sell as too much writing and very little image on the page can appear daunting to the reader when they open the product. I noticed that on the double page spread pages there was usually a main image and some text, which I liked the look of therefore applied it to my own media product because I think that appeared fuss- free and allowed the main subject of the article become of interest to the audience without them becoming distracted by anything. I also followed the convention of using bright colours and a noticable font (in my case, red, Stencil Std) as I believe it is attractive to they eye and catches peoples attention and therefore is likely to stand out amongst other magazines.

DJ magazine had males as the majority sex in their images, especially on the front cover, so I used a male student in my class to feature on my front cover, another male student to feature on my double page spread. However, I then included a female student on my contents page so that my product would appeal to both sexes. The mise-en-scene of the images were, inevitably DJ music as this is the genre of my magazine, so I included props such as caps, bracelets and the costume for the front cover subject was a baggy t.shirt- this follows the style of most DJ's.

I decided to use a range of different colours when constructing my magazine, the contrast between the red, green and white on the front cover contrast against the dark background. This is not typical amongst the real media products, however DJ magazine have a similar mis-matched theme, if you like.

Double Page Spread Improvements

Contents Improvements

Cover Improvements

Rough Cut Feedback

Rough Cut

Double Page Spread Construction

Contents Page Construction

Front Cover Construction

                                                   

Here I am adding a 32.4cm alinement to give it a professional look as I have seen that all of the magazines on sale don't have text that is pushed right to the edge of the page- they have an alinement, usually coming from the left.

 

I have chose this medium close up image for my front cover as I believe it anchors the DJ theme throughout. Also, I like how his hand is pointing toward the reader- it's likely to catch the audiences attention. 

 

 

Here, I am choosing Stencil Std font for my logo because I think it stands out from the usual font used in magazines, yet it still has a professional feel about it. It's unusual and also gives the cover an informal look.

I chose the circle tool for a black background to my insentive, it allows the red and white text to stand out and makes it appear very professional.

I decided to write "WIN!" in a larger font as 

Planning my article.

Mode: My double page spread will be an interview with the main subject, a DJ of whom has just finished their tour. The field of the interview will be the artists success, their tour, recent and upcoming projects and amusing anecdotes from back stage. I believe these subjects will be of interest to the reader as they are likely to want to get to know the artists as much as possible. 


Narrative voice: Throughout the interview I will include the first and second person narrative. The second narrative voice will be used when the interviewer is asking the questions and the first being used when the artist is answering. I believe this will allow the tenor between the artist and the reader to become closer and also feel much more relaxed and informal than if it were in the third person narrative. 


Introductory paragraph: This will also be in the second person narrative, it will make the reader feel as though the article is talking directly to them. Additionally it will add much more personality to the article and therefore making it much more interesting. 


Lexis: The language I will be using throughout the interview will be of an informal yet somewhat professional tone. When the artist is answering the interviewers questions they will obviously have their own idiolect. I want them to appear relaxed, however still excited about their up and coming projects, I also inevitably want them to be liked by the reader so I will therefore make sure their language is one of which has a lot of their personality being exemplified though what they say and how they say it. 


Additional information: I think it will be a good idea, (due to the fact my audience are likely to be passionate about the music inside the magazine) to also include further tour dates, websites and any extra information that may be of use to the reader. This will lead the reader into believing they are getting something really useful out of buying the magazine and it also makes it seem much more than 'just an interview'. 

Planning my article- narrative voices.

Using a second person narrative allows the reader to immediately become involved in what the article is saying and therefore they are more likely to be interested in the content. Additionally, along with a second person narrative, in an introduction, usually comes a rhetorical question, of which gets the reader thinking and puts them in the artists shoes somewhat. It also acts as a hook to the reader and entices them to keep reading the article. 

The first person narrative will be interesting for the reader as it conveys how and what the subject thinks. It adds an aspect of their personality which is likely to make it also less formal and a little bit more fun to read. Majority of the time the first person narrative is used in interviews. 

The third person narrative is a way of explaining to the reader the situation and it also allows you to summarise the article without using biased language. It lets the reader make their own mind up on the subjects and the article itself. It can also be quite factual, with dates and names etc therefore appears more trustworthy so the reader then feels what they are reading is true. This will entice the reader to read on and even perhaps keep buying the magazine. 

Image analysis.

Paolo's eyes are facing downwards and are in the middle third of the image which would suggest that he has something to hide which acts as a hook to the audience. The lighting of the image is pretty natural- coming in from the end of the tunnel, however the image as a whole is quite dark which anchors the subjects eye line. His costume is simple and there's nothing too extravagant about the location either which allows all of the attention to be on the subject. It is a medium close up with the subject edging to the left third of the page, this conveys the significance of the artist.

The subjects costume and the background of the image contrast with his skin colour- this emphasizes the importance of him and his black rap genre of music. His eye line is central in the top third of the frame and they are looking down upon us, this would suggest he is of importance. His pose is quite threatening without being agressive- his head is tilted backwards and his hands are in his pockets, this morrors the genre of music of which he is associated with.

Flat Plans.

Front cover: I have used a medium close up shot for my front cover as I think it sets the page off well, without making it appear cluttered. The models eyes are placed in the centre of the page and her face therefore becomes a focal point to the reader.The way in which the sell lines, masthead, insentive and sky lines are laid out allows the text to act as a frame for the models face- this coveys the subjects importance to the magazine. The background of the page will be of a dark, grey scale so that not only the text stands out but also the models make up too. The masthead will be a different, contrasting colour to the background and the sell lines, this will allow it to be the first thing the reader notices. It is on the left side of the page which is also convenient as we read from left to right and also to the way the shops layout the magazines on the shelves. I have made a left alinement of 6mm to make the page have a professional feel (most of the magazines already on the market have done this). Other than the masthead the main sell line is the largest text on the page as it is the most important sell line on the page. The models name will appear in a different font so that it stands out and people recognise her name, this will act as a persuasion to the target audience as will the insentive featured at the top of the page. The insentive overlaps both the skyline and the masthead and gives it a slightly informal feel. Both the insentive and one of the sell lines will have a frame around them so that they stand out from the dark background. 

Contents page: The contents page will be kept relatively simple with lines acting as seperaters inbetween each column and image, this will make the page easier to follow. Each page will have a bold, stand out banner above it so that it is easier for the reader to find what they are looking for, it also makes the page seem fuss free. I have repeated the masthead, yet made it smaller so that the reader will get used to seeing it and therefore be able to recognise the magazine. The colour and font of the text will be kept the same throughout so that the magazine stays professional. Again, the text will frame the image, therefore making it the most important feature on the page. I have included another skyline on this page as I think it sets the page off and draws your eye across the page, it's also a useful way to include extra information without having to make the page feel cluttered. I have kept the left alinement of 6mm to keep up the professional feel.

Double page spread:  The main image on this page is large and takes up nearly a full A4 page, this conveys the importance of the artist and it also makes the text feel less daunting to read with too much text. The text is set out into columns across the right hand page so that it is easier for the reader to read and it keeps the professional feel throughout. The article title will be in a bold contrasting font so that it stands out, it also overlaps onto the right hand page, this immediately draws the readers eye across the page. The article page will be in bold so that the audience will have their attention on that, it will act as a kind of hook to the reader and will therefore make them want to keep reading. The main image will be one of a flirtatious manor so that it also appeals to men aswell as women.

Target Audience

 I have been doing research regarding music magazines' target audience and how it is conveyed through different aspects of the magazine, such as; colours, the certain subject featured on the front and the theme of the articles themselves. Due to this I have come to the conclusion that the target audience of whom will read my magazine are very likely to be a certain way and interested in certain things. 

Age: 14-30
Gender: Both male and females, ideally equal.
Class: Working class- middle class.
Music Interests: House/ Dance/ Dubstep.
Media Influences: Music, advertisements (clubs, CD's etc), YouTube and social networking sites.


Taking my target audience into account I will have to balance the article themes equally so that both males and females are interested in buying the product. The same applies with every other aspect of the magazine. For example if I am willing for both genders to buy my magazine it wouldn't make sense to have the colour theme pink as it would immediately be disregarded by males. The same if I were to have very attractive, half naked females on almost every page in the magazine, females would be lead to believe the magazine is aimed at males only. Class is something that will also affect my magazine- it will be reasonably priced and the target audience can expect to get a lot of read for their money. Additionally, without being disrespectful to the lower/middle class people, the language used in my magazine will not be of a high vocabulary, therefore those of whom don't have the same language ability as those of a higher class will not feel inferior or as if they are not able to buy the product. Due to the fact my audience will be interested in DJ's and of a lower class I will include insentives so that they will be persuaded in buying my magazine. I will also include, reviews of new and upcoming artists and their albums/gigs so that the audience feel that they are recieving useful information rather than just interview articles and photo shoots. Generally, my target audience are relatively young and likely to be interested in social networking sites, consequently I will make sure there are websites that the reader can use inside the magazine. For example there will be a Facebook page and the magazines own website for further information.

Research into a potential target audience - secondary prezi

My audience profile. on Prezi

Research into a potential target audience - secondary

http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/Brands/Q/ 

6.2.12    






 Q magazines audience profile:

http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/Brands/Mojo/
6.2.12


MOJO magazines audience profile:

http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/Brands/Kerrang/ 
6.2.12 


Kerrang! magazines audience profile:

Research into institutions that distribute similar products.

http://www.mediauk.com/owners/88/bauer-media  30.1.12


http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/   30.1.12

Bauer Media Group off over 300 magazines in 15 different countries as well as online websites, TV and radio stations. They range from womens fashion to motorcylcling magazines. Some of the niche magazines that they publish are; Bird Watching, Classic Cars, Garden Answers, Improve Your Coarse Fishing, Max Power, Rail, Spirit and Destiny, Thats Life, Trout And Salmon and Your Horse. The big-selling magazines are; Bella, Closer, FHM, Grazia, Heat, Kerrang, MOJO, More, Q and Take a Break.
As regards to music magazines only, FHM, Kerrang, MOJO and Q are the only ones, however they are listed under "Mens Enterainment" or "Mens Lifestyle". The reasons why one distributor owns several different genres of magazines is that they can appeal to a larger audience range and tehrefore make more money. Also they are likely to be able to share resources and equiptment which saves money.
I believe Bauer Media Group would be interested in investing in my magazine because although it follows certain rules like a left alinement etc, the genre of music I will be including in my magazine will vary from indie/rock pop, alternative, dubstep, different dj's and even some rap. It will be such a wide variety that it is likely to appeal to a large audience. My model (a woman) will appeal to both men and women as males are likely to be attracted to her and women are likely to aspire towards her.




http://www.mediauk.com/owners/38/future    30.1.12 


http://www.futureplc.com/about/   30.1.12


Future have a range of media interests such as; magazines, websites, multimedia content and events. They specialise in allowing people to indulge in their passions and hobbies. Future look at topics from cycling and fast cars to games and photography.  Their range of music magazines are from one extreme to another. I believe they would benefit from publishing my magazine as it doesn't specify to one genre of music only, instead it includes a variety of genres therefore it will appeal to a much wider audience.  Their biggest-selling magazines include T3, Total Film, Classic Rock, Guitar World, and Official Xbox Magazine. However, they are likely to appeal to a niche market as they only specify in one topic. 

Textual Research Influence.

Front Cover:

The magazine covers of which I studied (Billboard, Q, DJ and CLASH) all had an overlap of some sort as regards to the image, logo, masthead and text. I think this allows the page to have a slightly informal feel, as long as it is kept professional and doesn't look messy by having too much overlapping so that it becomes unreadable or cluttered. I like the left alinement as it makes complete sense due to the fact we read from left to right, it will natuarally draw your eye across the page. I don't like the idea of having too much text on the front cover as I find it is likely to put the intended audience off buying the product and I don't think it is a good idea to give too much away on the first page they audience will see. The Billboard and Q (Kings of Leon) covers I looked at are good examples of an un-cluttered, fuss free layout. Additionally I think it looks profesional when the text frames the image as it shows the significance the subject has and they therefore become a focal point to the page.
As regards to the colour scheme, my initial thoughts are a black and white/ greyscale image along with a contrasting logo and text. Billboard is a great example of this. The image is likely to be a medium close up, however, only one of the covers that I looked at included a medium close up but the rest worked just as well, if not better. The mise en scene will have a rock 'n' roll, alternative vibe as this anchors the kind of music that will be included and slso the intended audiences interests and preferances.
Although I dont want the cover to seem cluttered, I do like the idea of including an insentive of some sort as it will entice the reader into buying my product.
To ensure my magazine appeals to both male and females I will include different artists, poses, names, colours and stories.


Contents page:

The main image of the contents page will have a little extra information to it than the one front cover so that it entices and hooks the reader, it will probably be a shot that contrasts with the one one the front cover too. To do this I will add in some props, change the setting or the subjects costume.
I will seperate different apects of the page with lines, banners, coloured frames and bold text so that it is easier for the reader to find what they're looking for. I will repeat some of the things featured on the cover on the contents such as; the magazines logo, insentives and persuasive language such as "No.1", however, I will also add a paragraph indicating what the main article is about.
I liked the idea of adding the magazines website into the contents page (Rolling Stone magazine) as it ensures the reader knows where to go for further information and it also re-inforces the name into the readers mind.
I will keep the colour theme and kind of language the same throughout the whole magazine to keep it looking professional, I will only use one or two colours on top of the black and white/ greyscale images and background.


Double page spread:

Again, I will keep the mise en scene, colours, language, font and alinement ect the same as the previous pages to keep the magazine looking professional. Most of the exaples i looked at had only one large image of the subject taking up a full A4 sized page, however i like the Florence Welch version as the image overlaps onto the other page and therefore the two pages imediately apear to be one. I like the idea of changing parts of the font to allow certain things to stand out. I am likely to go for the minimalistic aproach to the lay out and just having mostly text and image and no distractions from the main article.

Magazine- textual analysis on Prezi

http://cover.mojo4music.com/Item.aspx?pageNo=1832&year=2012 

Mojo is now becoming one of the best selling magazines. They have screamers on the front so that it entices people into buying the magazine.

Magazine survey.

If you were to buy a music magazine how much would you be prepared to pay for it?

£1    £1.50    £2    £2.50   £3    £3.50    None    Circle your answer. If none, please state why on the lines below.

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

How many pages would you expect to be in it?

60-100    100-140    140-220    above

What kind of stories interests you? State your answer on the lines below.

............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

If a magazine had a certain theme (e.g. rock, rap etc) to it would you be more likely to buy it? Please state the reasons for your answer on the lines below.

............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

What’s the most important thing to you when buying a music magazine?

·         Price

·         How many pages it has

·         Theme

·         Which artists are in it

·         Appearance (colours, fonts, images and layout)

Magazine Portfolio- Research.

Front cover:  I like the way on both magazines the logo and the main story are the largest so that the buyer knows what they are buying and it makes it easier to look for. Both logos are on the left hand side, this is because of how the shops display them on the shelves. Mine will be the same. The laid back, vintage feel of the NME cover is the look i will be aiming for as i find it simple and not 'try hard'. My target audience (students and young people) will appreciate this kind of look.

Double page spreads: I like the colour scheme of the top two example- i find it links with the vintage feel i am aiming for. Also, the font in the first example is really eye-catching and is just enough fuss and colour to catch the reader attention.The use of image in the first two also attracted me too as it has relevance to the music theme and i also love the rock feel they add to the spread. The black and white image is definately something i would consider. However, i like the layout of the third example. I think it looks better and more unusual with an image either in the centre or just off centre of the page. Finally i think it is important to have a quote in large as it gives the reader an example of what is in the article and hooks them so they read on.