Final Pieces

        

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 full product?


The first thing, for both tasks was to research!
I had to think.. what are the typical things to see on the front cover of a magazine. Of course they would be different due to the different style of magazines the different target audiences etc. The thing that mainly differed the most was the language style, due to one being published at school. This would have information such as school countdowns, how to manage your exams, ways to release stress etc. The indie magazine would have to fit in the Indie Genre. It would have gig guides, and more colloquial language! 

I had to ensure I was organized, therefore after my research the first thing I done was set a date for my photos. The school magazine I was given the opportunity to take them whilst being at school, therefore the students were natural and they were in the environment I needed them to be in, it was an easy set up with the mise-en-scene also being in the school environment, and the models were wearing business attire. The photos from my models, which I chose three different girls, had to be set up in my own time. With busy schedules I found this difficult.

 The aim from the photos were different: The school, the smart look was essential, and I had to attract people to want to come to Wilmington,but also attract people to buy the magazine. I had to ensure the model looked friendly and approachable. Over all, as you can tell from my prelim task, my model doesn't even look out at the audience it is simply just a girl at work, I hadn't really had a good knowledge of magazines then, however with my music magazine I knew it was essential for the model to look out and interact with the reader. I decided to keep the inside environment for my front cover as it was natural and wasn't staged, and for the contents page I looked at the friendship approach to the magazine then moving outside. 

The photos from my prelim task were taken from a professional camera, and edited in Abode Photoshop to get a finished and proper look. I knew that I had to try and understand this ASAP so I could put all these new understandings into my main task.

My music magazines planning was my in depth, I had to think about fashion within Indie what they wear, there make up style, hairstyles and had to capture this in my photos. From looking and flipping through magazines I realized that the conventional cover is a white or black background, although I went against this I found that it did in fact work because it fits the genre nicely. The pose of the model is simple yet effective, it doesn't give to much away. The process of taking the photos was hard, I changed settings multiple times in order to capture the perfect photo! I changed outfits hairstyles so I could really get to grasp in catching the perfect photo. With my photo for the DPS I decided to take it outside with artificial lighting from the flash of the camera, this was a hard process as it had to be weather permitting however I knew if I kept taking photos the perfect one would come in the end! Like,from research I knew what I was looking for and what I wanted to capture from the image. With the photos I did give myself a good amount of time around three weeks to get these photos together, I had to ensure I had enough photos to fit along three pages. Without my planning and research before the photo taking I don't think my photos would have been that good at all, this planning made my life a lot easier when taking the photos.

With my preliminary task I successfully created house style by the yellow and blue color scheme of which comes from the Wilmington badge. But also from the blinds in the front cover which I feel fitted in nicely. I feel this was the best approach with the color scheme I don't think it would work any better with a different colors schemes, I feel the colors worked well together and complimented each other nicely. Looking at the layout now, honestly it has not much sense of style! I should have took time to clear the desk away or even move my model so there isn't a plug socket in the way! I like the font for the magazine name as it is formal and think it works nicely, hence why I continued it onto the Contents Page. The badge offers brand identity so I feel I would still use the badge on the front cover. I feel now there isn't enough cover lines on the page at all.  And they are all mainly situated at the bottom of the page, I could have spread them out better and put them all in align with each other to create a more sophisticated front cover as this aimed at sixth formers! My main struggle for me was getting the texts at a right side, as I couldn't picture my front cover as a printed magazine, some of the texts would be far far to big! Also the amount of space is a massive flaw within my magazine as it looks like I don't have much to offer. In order to improve this I feel that I should have added a couple more cover lines and spread them out across the whole page. Making a more professional look. 

For my music magazine I achieved my house style from asking a sample of people, my target audience what there favorite color was, and the majority said Red so I knew it would revolve red, black from the background color and silver from the skulls. I used these range of colors across three pages, they compliment and work really well together. I didn't find achieving my house style that bad as I think I made the right decision to ask my target audience as it is based at them! Having not a lot of colors was a good decision in my opinion as it meant it looked neat and tidy,and I was going for the sophisticated look. The white of the writing complimented the black background. I feel for my front cover the 'Ruby Red' works well as it is very dominant and a central focus, also I really like the idea of actually flipping the magazine title around this really reinforces the title of the magazine. I feel this is much more neater than my preliminary task, the alignment is good at in line with each other creating that neater look! Compared to my previous contents page and front cover the one that I used as my final piece is whole lot better! The DPS for my magazine was my favorite page it allowed me to experiment with a new program Abode InDesign, which I found really easy to use and to pick up! The layout was really easy to put on with six columns, three of these were taken up by a photo on both pages with a pull quote from the magazine content, engaging with the reader and getting them involved! I really love my double page spread, I think it is by far the best out of all three pages for my magazine and I had the most fun making it, I think the quality of the pictures are really good and work really well. 

Evaluation Question 6

Technologies Used:

Created with Padlet

Aswell as using all of the above I used my camera for images which is a professional camera so I could ensure I captured the images with the best possible quality I could. For the research and planning I used my MacBook for fast uploading websites. All though I did have prior knowledge on how to use a camera, there was things that I needed to do correctly such as get the location correctly this was to ensure I could create the best possible photo over all.

Evaluation Question 5

 

 
Like any magazine, such as Q and NME my front cover has a dominant photo which would be recognized by a reader, as this person is a 'famous singer' it is dominant yet simplistic and sophisticated as this would represent the style of the DPS. Which shows the life of a complicated star but someone with gratitude, I would like to think these two interlink with each other. 

Also by the target audience recognizing the dominant image it gives them reason to buy the magazine. The mode of address would but the exclusiveness of some of the stories and what 'Ruby Red' has to offer is shown and portrayed through her strapline, this would again give the reader incentive to want to buy the magazine and reader on. These are all ways with engaging with the reader and my audience.

Although some magazines go for a different approach to attract their target audience, such as Kerrang! With the more messy approach, to fit in multiple images, although this works for them, as you can see the obvious reference to the fact it is a rock/indie magazine, by offering a lot of photos this would attract them as it has alot going on inside. I offered my readers an exclusive CD and two free downloads of singles on I-Tunes, this would be my Unique selling point to the reader. Again adding more reason to buy the magazine as it offers free gifts, and of course 25 photots all for a price of roughly £3.

The use of the word "exclusive" on the coverlines of my front page attracts my target audience because it shows that they will not get this featured story anywhere else. It makes the magazine unique as her fans would instantly want to buy this magazine as it wouldn't be featured anywhere else. Again this could be a promotion towards my magazine, as the artists chose my magazine to feature on.

Also to attract my target audience, I used a female artist on the front cover wearing clothing that was simplistic yet high street. This would attract the target audience because throughout all images there isn't a very wacky and expensive item of clothing, this therefore would be a link with the audeince showing a side to the magazine that relates to them as a buyer. 


Although the images might not be that appealing to the male audience the color scheme was unbiased, as red appeals to both males and females. Also the use of bands that have been mentioned would again appeal to the male audience. 


https://soundcloud.com/user38005795/memo-3/s-3jvm6?in=user38005795/sets/my-magazine/s-3jvm6

Evaluation Question 4

http://youtu.be/6V2JIIg3um4

What does my target audience watch?

What does my target audience listen to?

 Where does my target audience shop?

https://soundcloud.com/user38005795/memo-1/s-mM2kr

Evaluation Question 3

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

Above show three of the leading magazine publishers: Bauer Ipc and Hearst.

From previous research we know that the magazine industry is in a state of flux. Due to the technology development everything is going online through Apps and on Tablets. Consumers want their content Fast free and virtual. Therefore the consumption of old media (print) is down. However researchers show that 88% of people still reading their magazines via print, this makes it physical more accessible but also has a sense of luxury about it! 

As previously mentioned: IPC Bauer and Hearst are all multiplatform magazine producers and distributors. They are all in competition with each other as many companies produce the same style of magazines, weather its music, fashion or health and well-being. 

Hearst Magazine: Sell to 1 in 4 women.

This magazine is more likely towards the women target market. Yes, I wanted to focus mainly on the women however the producing company sells magazine towards well-being and fashion magazines such as Elle and Cosmopolitan. Therefore I feel my product wouldn't fit there gap in the market because I wouldn't know how well it would sell towards the target market.

Bauer V IPC 

IPC is the UK'S leading consumer magazine and digital publisher. This would obviously draw me to want to distribute my magazine with them. Their circulation figure is 63,003. But with success comes expectations, I feel due to their high demands perhaps they don't have a gap in their market for my magazine as I would be fighting along side Indie Genre magazine NME which has a circulation figure of 27,650.

From Research I found out that Kerranh and Q are suffering sales declines of up to 20% per year, publisher Bauer produces them both. This could indeed work in my favor, with magazines failing a new upcoming product could be what they need, something new and something fresh! Bauer was founded in 185 based in Germany however they have have their biggest audience with the British public. It produces 96 magazines in the UK alone. Circulation figure of 40,203. Q is the most popular music magazine to date,yes it is Indie as mine is but their target market is based mainly towards boys, mine would be competition yet would work simultaneously due to mine aiming at girls. 

Kerrang: Kerrang is a weekly magazine aimed at rock fans aged 14+ it features bands such as you me at six, muse and Guns n Roses. This is the mix of old and new music. It is a multi media platform due to having TV Station, Music Channel, Print and a successful website. The mixture of brands has allowed the product to broaden their target audience.  

Q: Best selling UK'S monthly magazine. Features mainly Indie artists. Based at a different target audience to Kerrang it is more clean cut. Much like Kerrang it branches out and has a radio station and TV Channel. However, their TV Channel shut down in 2012.

OVERALL...
https://soundcloud.com/user38005795/memo

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The media market is in a state of flux, and magazines are struggling to survive. So ensuring I can relate to my target audience social group was vital. Due to choosing the style of Indie there is already a lot of magazines that represent this Genre such as: Q Kerrang and NME. Although yes, the magazine industry is in a state of flux, I had to ensure I engaged with the Target audience at all times, through my ideas, I then went out and asked people what they thought of them. If they liked them then they would go on the magazine, if not they wouldn't.

So, I decided to compare my magazine with other magazines that are on the market at the moment. As I took some inspiration from some magazines there are some similarities. The image on my front cover is very sophisticated allowing me to connect with the upper end of my target audience also. This shows that I have tried to bare both ends of my target audience in mind. Some magazines such as Kerrang don't stick with just a simple picture such as just the model, they add a lot off effects and 'Rock Type' products to further enhance the genre. Q and NME keep the image quite simple usually just focusing on one Artist picture on the front cover. However again they don't just focus on the model they add things to show the genre such as cigarette or a guitar, this shows the platform between the Artist and the Genre. So to get the model and the genre correct I decided to have a background which isn't conventional white background I decided to use one with Skulls at the back, referring back to my post about Indie Fashion this is what they are in to. So I tried to import this into my magazine in a clever way rather than just a conventional skull T-Shirt. The model herself is wearing a plain black Dress with limited back up however round the eyes it is shown, this reinforces again what I found out from their makeup and clothing research. The gaze shows a sense of engagement with the reader, luring them in. I wanted the model to look natural hence there hasn't been much editing to the photo or too much going on in the background, I feel it was simple yet effective. 

Although other magazines were an influence I had to ensure my magazine just wasn't a copy, I had to try and find unique and individual ideas to put my own stamp on the magazines. So perhaps other Indie magazines go for the more rocky edgy type of photo, with a lot going on in the back ground, my peer feedback showed that the audience could still tell it was an Indie Magazine. The pose of Artists on the front of other magazines seem very straight forward with a direct gaze, which was I chose to use on mine, it is important to have the central gaze and eye contact. Although some magazines tend to go for a full length photo with obvious hand gestures, I decided to do a medium long shot of the model and have her as the most dominant feature. This shows the model being the main focus and part of the magazine. It again will draw people in.  

The lighting in the photos remain similar like the style of the photo remains similar in all front cover photos, the model is shown in the best light so the magazine can achieve the best photo and work around the photo to edit it to make it look even better, however they must have a good photo to start with. The lighting can also be changed through the use off Photoshop and the curves tool, this makes the photo more versatile, as it can be changed to be darker or lighter, this again portrays dominance and power to the front cover image.

Here above, I have shown My final image along with some magazines that have been published, I compared them all to magazines with a Woman on the front as this is the same as my magazine. Looking at the images I can see compared to mine they may represent the genre more, such as the Rain Look in the Cheryl Cole picture. However Cheryl Cole and the Lady Gaga pose is quite sexual and extreme, I steered away from this due to wanting my magazine to appeal to all ages. 

Although the NME magazine and My magazine show similarities. Due to the pose and the photo being quite natural and having a clear and central focus on the model. This would be to engage the reader but also sometimes less can be seen as more. I would say that both my magazine and NME show a sophisticated magazine, the photo hasn't been edited to much and the lighting is good. 

Evaluation Question 1

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

My front cover:

The title: The title flipside came from the idea of being alternative different and unique. I felt this worked well with the overall design and genre of the magazine because it was indie based and this would reinforce the genre throughout. Although it isn't a word usually based with music terminology I personally felt it worked because it was different and hadn't be done before, especially with the literal flipping of the magazine title, it worked and complimented each other. The magazine Kerrang which is an indie magazine got it's name from the literal sound being made from a guitar note,this shows and reinforces the genre, this is what I hoped would happen through the title of my magazine. I think magazines get defined by the title, it shows the genre, personally I think mine works well together. 

The positioning of my magazine of the title was left in the left hand side of the page of the magazine, like in NME and Q. This keeps it out of the way, and allows more space for the coverlines and the photo to be the most dominant part of the page.

The image:

The setting of the image for the front cover is the studio shot, however it isn't the normal studio shot, it isn't the conventional white or black background it has skulls on which personally, and from doing my own research, further reinforces the idea of the indie theme and genre. My model is shown in a way in which is quite casual, I decided to do a close up of the model with just her face in, the lighting wasn't great so I changed the curves and adjusted and got rid of the red eye to ensure it look professional. My model had to look like an indie artist, so i kept the color scheme quite dark and not bright to show want the target audience had previously said they wanted. I aimed my DPS article around the reader, I put her age range at 19 years old so it matched the image at the front ensuring there wasn't n unbelievable age gap between the two. Clothing was left simplistic and the more edgy and extravagant look came out in the DPS. There have been no props used such as the use of a guitar as I left this to put into the DPS.

My images aren't studio shots, they are taken in a house with a background that was convenient but didn't fully connect with the background from the frontcover. One image was taken at a previous Oasis concert, this allowed me to capture a real sense of Indie Music and put it onto my magazine. For the other two photos again I took the style of capturing their face through a close up, however one being a low level medium long shot.The dress code again was simplistic yet effective as it did fit in with the front cover and the indie style. The pose of one is relaxed girl sitting down, shown in good lighting. The photo was taken during the day therefore in good natural lighting. The other was taken more at night with the flash from the camera. It is quite an amateur photo due to the poor lighting and perhaps we could say that it doesn't actually work within the magazine. Again throughout no props were used this shows the main focus was the upcoming celebrity.

DPS

Different clothing,shows artists from a different perspective. Changed location added props, shows the artist in a different light, gives them something else to look at. Hairstyle and makeup remained the same due to still wanting to fit into the indie culture and fashion sense as this was my main focus throughout. A prop of the guitar has been added this reinforces the idea of an indie product. The guitar again reinforces the idea of it being a music magazine. One photo shows a direct gaze again this is connection with the reader and the other shows the model looking down this shows a different side to the reader, a darker side, as if she has something to hide. Both photos were taken outside in the dark, by a tree. Therefore there was artificial lighting. But also the tree reinforces the idea of it being an autumn magazine with the leaves on the ground.

Feedback

I got some feedback from a Year 13 A Level Media Student about all three of my pieces off work, My Front Cover, Contents Page and DPS.

They said that my picture was poorly cut out, and they didn't like the font on my title as it didn't seem realistic  Also they felt that my contents page had to much space on the contents page.

This ultimately lead me to make the decision to redo my front page and contents page, as this student was around the age of my target audience his/her opinion really mattered. If my target audience didn't approve of my magazine then it wouldn't sell or appeal to others. 

Final Pieces for Improvement

Double Page Spread

DPS in Corellation 1

Here is an example off a magazine I am looking out how they all operate in correlation to each other. I will look at the formality and the house style this ensures I can tell they have come from the same magazine. I can tell they have all come from the same magazine due to the house style off the magazines. They have featured on the front page in a big image picture, however moving onto the contents page they are only a sub title on the page, they don't feature in another photo on the contents page. Moving onto the double page spread there isn't a lot of information on the DPS and it doesn't fully revolve around the front image band.  

The front cover shows the band in a studio shot with the typical metal rock look with the guitar and the clothing that has been worn. The yellow of the title stands out showing what the magazine is about, this as well as the band eye gaze draws the reader in.

The Contents page shows just a little bit of information of the band on the front cover it shows the yellow from the front cover being continued over this shows house style it doesn't have another another photo perhaps due to the one on the front being so dominant and they felt it wasn't needed as undoubtedly there will be at least two on the double page spread.  

Continuing onto the DPS, there is three pages, again the blue and yellow has been put onto this page showing the magazine brand identity. It shows a massive and wide range of selection of images, it has enough writing content on there also with the fonts still continuing from the front page. The genre of the magazine is obvious, looking at soft rock, this is shown and fully portrayed through the fonts that have been chosen and also through the images. 

DPS Flatplan

Here is my magazine DPS Flatplan, I have roughly shown where I am going to out my image and the pull quote the colors following on from the house Style. Also design elements such as the 'Flipside' title showing brand ID, the font will stay the same showing the follow up this is the continuous house style.

  

DPS Analysis

This specific magazine has four columns, they have a lot off text in their 'VIP q+a'. The drop capital at the start off the article immediately draws attention. The use off the black fits well with the black background. The quotes, which have been picked out from the article give us an insight to what the whole article is going to be about, this instantly 'pulls' us in and we realize we want to read more. This is how the article grabs the readers attention. Also the blue and black work nicely together showing a good house style. The use off the small photo which is placed on the article shows illustration of the DJ, and gives readers another image. 

The title off the magazine has been underlined, this shows where the article has come from, and the DJ's name has been highlighted this shows who the article is going to be about. The large dominating image on the right hand side shows the DJ in a very relaxed style which is done to reflect, the clothes he is wearing reflects the DJ's personality, although it being a music magazine the artist slouching on a chair could reflect the personality or perhaps the laid back side off his life. . 

DPS Montage Analysis

I have looked at each double page spread separately and compared them to find out about the most popular features.

By looking at these images I have learnt about how many images they tend to use, most (8/10) use one - three images I decided to stick too this range because the same person has featured on the front page and contents page already. Also putting too many images could take away the focus from the writing.

The next observation was the text and the way that it has been laid out. All the double page spreads use columns for their articles or interviews. Many of them use boxes or the columns are sectioned. Looking at the amount of columns that the magazines use I can see that all of them use 1-5 columns. This helps me to know that music magazines use from one to five columns across a double page spread. When creating my magazine I will have no more than five columns because otherwise it can look like too much information which could be time consuming. Having fewer than six could make the article or interview look more interesting and something for the reader to read for fun rather than an overload of information.

The last thing that I discovered from looking at the montage is the magazines have clearly enlarged a quote from the text. In some cases they have used a quote as the title of the article, this instantly pulls the reader in and intrigues them, as the text is enlarged it adds focus to the page.

DPS Planning

For my Double Page Spread I decided to opt to have a double page for just a photo, I felt I could do this because I feel my photo was off good enough quality. This would then be followed by another photo and the DPS article. The photo on the DPS would be on the left hand side, with the writing taking up on the right. The font will be the 'American Typewriter' as this is the font that has followed from the contents page and the front cover, this is to reinforce the house style. The color off the writing will be black based on a white background which again comes from the house style. However, I will have the first letter off the article in a larger fancier font, and the color red, to add some color to the article. I will also put the pull quoted in red to ensure they stand out. I might also include text wrap around one of the photos in the magazine DPS to show sophistication and enhance my abilities. 

DPS Research

Looking at DPS Examples, I realized how much I would have to write in order to gain my readers interest, there was two styles I could do my DPS in:

1) Question and Answers

2) A written account

DPS Magazine Research

Looking at the magazine 'Modern Drummer'  I am going to compare the front page, contents page and the double page spread.

I can see that, the person on the front page is a drummer from the band Nickelback. It is a clear front page image, with drum sticks in his hand this refers and links to the title off the magazine. 

There is a clear coverlines showing who the person is and what band they are from. 

Next on the contents page, there is another photo of the band member from Nickelback, showing that he is going to feature on page 48. It has a brief introduction about himself and what the DPS will involve. This will engage the reader and show them an insight what is on offer. 

Then going to page 48, we can see an article that revolves around 'Daniel Adair' the Nickelback drummer, the article consists of:

8 Written pages

3 Full A4 pictures

1 page off Advertisement 

On some off the written pages there are small images on these 8 in total.