Main Task - Evaluation

Evaluation

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

From the research I did into existing media products similar to the one I have created, I found that there were many different conventions that I would need to include in my magazine for it to be like other existing ones. I found that one convention particularly typical of a music magazine of a rock/emo genre was a very bold and eye catching masthead. I used this when creating my product and included a bold masthead on my front cover, contents page, and also on my double page spread. Below is the one that I used for my contents page. I felt that the font and the colours I used were typical of this genre and also that it stood out well on the page. I also put a slightly darker grey box on an angle behind the masthead to make it stand out even more on the front cover.

Another convention that I noticed and made use of was the front cover image. I found from my research that most magazines similar to the one I have created have one main image on their front covers and therefore this is what I did when producing mine. I used one main image in black and white and then positioned my cover lines around the image. The image I used is shown below. Also shown below is the main cover line I used on my front cover, I ensured that this was along the route of the eye so it is something that my audience will see straight away and also that I used a font that stood out well as well as the colour of the font. Also, by using two different fonts for this cover line I feel that they contrast each other and make it stand out more compared to the smaller cover lines.

I also included smaller cover lines because this was another important convention that I felt I needed to include after looking at existing products. One smaller cover line that included on my front cover was: ’20 crazy facts about lead singer of You Me At Six, Josh Franceschi’. I used a name of a famous artist to entice my audience to make them want to buy the magazine to read more about him. I also made sure to include smaller details on my contents page like a price and also a date. One convention that I used when producing my contents page was page numbers, this is so the audience can clearly see what page to turn to.

I decided to layout my magazine in the way I did from looking at existing magazines similar to mine. On the front cover I positioned the main image in the centre as this is very common in other magazines, like the one above for example. I laid out the cover lines around the outside of the image, for the cover lines I kept the font colours within the colour scheme so the cover would look mature and suitable for my target audience. I also made sure that the fonts fitted well together as I observed that in existing products similar to mine this is the case. On front covers I have looked at there is a strong colour scheme as well as a font scheme. I did this throughout my magazine to keep it looking mature, ordered and to ensure it appealed to the correct audience. I had one main cover line on the front cover of my magazine because from the other existing magazines I looked at I noticed that this was an important convention, as it stands out on the cover and therefore will hopefully appeal to the target audience and get their attention. I put the masthead at the very top of the front cover, and also the contents page as from looking at existing magazines this is the most common place for them to be. I used the same font for all the mastheads in my magazine to keep it consistent and ordered, I also used the same colour, this being purple. As existing magazines keep their mastheads the same colour and font so they are recognisable and people can straight away recognise the magazine. I decided to included the column down the right hand of my contents page as I thought this made the layout of the page look good and neat, but also because I had seen this convention in some existing magazines and I thought that it was a good thing to include. The content that I included in my magazine is all appropriate for my target audience. I did a question and answer article for my double page spread on a new band, I decided to do this because a lot of magazines include articles like this and people in my target audience would want to find out information about new bands, or bands they are interested in. All the content in my magazine is relavent to the genre of my magazine, and the language I used is specifically aimed at my target audience.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The models in my magazine are young people because the target audience for my magazine is young people; therefore I wanted to represent this within my product. In image one I used a mid-shot so I could include the upper half of my model and also the prop that they are holding. This was important for the front cover image because my magazine is about rock/emo music and I wanted to represent this through the images I used. Also, the fact that I used a mid-shot puts more focus on the model and also the prop. I used a white background because I wanted the model and the prop to be the main focus of the image. I edited the image so it was black and white because I felt this looked more striking, and also because the rest of my front cover has a lot of colour on it. I did not want to make the front cover too bright as this may have caused it to look too young and immature and therefore not appeal to my target audience. For image two I used a wide shot to include the background as I felt this was important. The mise-en-scene of my image is important as it shows the instruments being played and the stage setting, and therefore it fits in well with my magazine as it is a music magazine and so this is represented through the images used. Mise-en-scene is important as it conveys the genre of the magazine, and the props, setting, costume and position of the model all help to do this. For image three I used a long shot so I could include all of my models body, and also the prop they are holding. The prop also helps to convey the genre of my magazine.



image one

 

image two



image three

I think that the representation of my magazine is stereotypical of any music magazine with a rock/emo genre. I aimed to entice my target audience through my use of images and language, as I feel these are stereotypical also. I think that my magazine represents younger people due to the images I used and also because of my double page spread article. I do not think that my magazine is representative of any particular social class or ethnicity. I used quite informal language so it was appropriate for my target audience, also by doing this the magazine will appeal to any class of people. I aimed to use a language that my young target audience would be able to relate to, for example on my front cover I used phrases like 'hottest singles' and 'crazy facts'. Words like these have young connotations and are therefore very suitable for a magazine with a young target audience.

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

I did some research into ‘NME’ magazine prior to creating my magazine, because this magazine is similar to the one I was aiming to produce. The company that owns ‘NME’ magazine is IPC Media, which stands for International Publishing Company, and they are owned by Time Inc. IPC is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, they have 5 divisions under the following headings; Connect, Inspire, Ignite!, Southbank and TX. They also produce other products such as newspapers, specialist magazines, books and also printing. One similarity between my product and IPC’s ‘NME’ magazine is that the target audience is similar. The target audience for both ‘NME’ and my product is male and female. Also both have a similar age range, mine being 14-21, and ‘NME’s’ median age of their audience is 23. My magazine and ‘NME’ also have many visual similarities. This is because I tried to design my product a certain way so it fitted with the correct genre of music magazine. Therefore many of the conventions found in ‘NME’ magazine are also present in my music magazine. The features included in my magazine are also similar to the ones in ‘NME’; I included a double page spread article on a band whose music fitted with the genre of music that my magazine is based on. Also, when designing and producing my magazine I looked at several front covers of existing magazine, including ‘NME’, to help me design mine. I made sure my front cover had certain features like a bold masthead, a main cover line, and smaller cover lines, as well as a large image for the main feature of the front cover. I did the same for the contents page, I made sure to include page numbers and information, and a column telling the audience what this months issue includes.

Doing research into ‘NME’ magazine helped me a lot in the production of my magazine, as I could see what I needed to do to make my product look good, and also appeal to the target audience. I think that IPC media choose to produce magazines like 'NME' because this particular genre of magazine, which is very similar to the one I have produced, has a target audience of a very young age. IPC media produce many different types of products, including magazines, and by having many different genres they can attract all different types of audiences.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience for my media product is both males and females aged 14-21. I decided on this target audience by looking at existing products similar to the one I have produced, and also from the results of my questionnaire. I concluded that my magazine should appeal to both males and females as this would therefore make my target audience larger because my magazine is being aimed at both genders. Also, both males and females answered my questionnaire. The majority of people who answered it were females, but I think this was due to the fact that I used a small sample of people, and therefore it was not very representative of the target population. I decided on the age that I was going to target from the results of my questionnaire, 100% of people who answered it were between the ages of 15-19.

However, I decided to make it between the ages of 14 and 21 because I believe that people of these ages are the prime audience for my magazine. To improve my target audience research I think I should have asked a larger number of people to complete my survey, as well as a wider range of ages. I also looked at existing products similar to the one I have produced to look at their target audiences. From looking at audience research for ‘NME’ magazine I found the following statistics; 74% of the audience was male, meaning only 26% was female. Therefore this backs up my decision to make my target audience both female and male because although the target audience is predominantly male for this magazine, there is still 26% of the audience that is female. Also, the median age for the ‘NME’ magazine audience was 23. I used this information when deciding on my target audience because the product I have produced is similar to this magazine, and therefore so is the target audience.

How did you attract/address your audience?

One way in which I appealed to my target audience was by keeping the tone of the magazine relatively informal and using language which people between the ages of 14-21 can easily relate to and understand. In the article I wrote to feature on my double page spread I used language which younger people would be used to reading, and also the questions I asked the band member were things that a young audience might want to know, and areas they would be interested in. For example, the first question on the page was; ‘Hey guys! So, tell us, just what does it feel like to be one of the most popular bands around right now?’ I feel that the language I used was typical of my age boundary, and would appeal to my target audience. Another way in which I appealed to my target audience was by using young models to feature in the photographs I included in my magazine. By doing this I feel I appealed to them by enabling to relate to the photographs because they featured people of their own age or young people who they can look up to. Below are some of the images I used to address my target audience:

I also feel that the front cover of my magazine appeals to my target audience well, I had to make sure of this because the front cover is what people see first and this needs to draw them into reading the rest of the magazine. I used cover lines on my front cover to attract people’s attention and give them a hint as to what my magazine would include. I also included a main cover line towards the bottom of my front cover along the route of the eye and in a large font; this is another way that I aimed on attracting my target audience. The main cover line is shown below:

By including the band name in a large font this will attract people who are fans of the band and younger people as they are a band with a young fan base, therefore appealing to my target audience. I also aimed to attract my target audience by including competitions, free downloads and chances to win merchandise on the front cover and contents page. By putting them on the front cover this will appeal to my target audience from the minute they see the magazine and hopefully draw them in to wanting to buy it. I also included them on the contents page so my target audience can find out what pages they are on, also on my contents page I advertised ‘free downloads on page 5’ in a larger font to attract the attention of my audience, and reinforce it after already seeing it on the front cover of the magazine.

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

One technology I have learnt about from the process of constructing this product is the use of internet blogging. I used http://www.blogger.com/ to put all of my coursework on to. Before, I started the media course I did not know how to use internet blogging and so through this course I have learnt how to. This has been very useful as I am able to put all my coursework in one place. Also, I learnt how to upload my work in appropriate ways so that it appears on my blog. The programmes I used to produce my product include; Microsoft Word 2003, Microsoft Publisher 2003 and Fireworks. I used Microsoft Word 2003 to produce the front cover, and contents page. I already knew how to use this programme and so this is why I chose to use it, however I feel I have learnt to use it even better through the construction of my product. I used Microsoft Publisher to construct the double page spread of my product; this is because it allowed me to construct two pages next to each other, so my double page spread looked like ones that appear in existing media products similar to the one I have constructed. Also, I felt that Publisher was the best programme to use for the construction of this particular page of my magazine. For all three pages of my magazine I had to use a variety of different skills. An important skill that I needed to use was design skills, because without this my magazine would look uninteresting and would not appeal to the target audience. Also, from the research I did into existing products I looked at the different designs of magazine within the same genre as the one I have made. I needed to design mine in a way that ensured it would fit into the correct genre, therefore I took this into account when deciding on the design of my magazine, for example the colour scheme and the layout of each page. Another skill I used when constructing my product was planning. Before I began to put together each page of my magazine I planned everything that I needed to put into it. I did a draft of each page, as well as a draft of the text for the article in my double page spread. I also did research into different fonts that I could use for my magazine and also different colour schemes. To edit the images I used for my product I used the programme Fireworks, this enabled me to change the images to make them suitable for the pages in my magazine. Here are some examples of how I changed an image that I took with my camera to look suitable for my magazine:

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

I feel that overall my main task is considerably better than my preliminary task, and I feel that I have improved a lot. The finished front cover that I produced for the preliminary task was very poor compared to the one that I produced for my main task. One reason for this is the image, the image I used in my preliminary task had a setting that was appropriate for the genre, however the image was not very striking and looked quite uninteresting. I do not feel that it was as appropriate for the cover of my magazine as it could have been. Where as I feel that the front cover for my main task was more suited to the genre and made the magazine look more appealing to the target audience. Another comparison between the main task and preliminary task is that the fonts I used in my main task were much more interesting and appealing compared to the ones I used in my preliminary task. I feel that I developed the skill of choosing which fonts are more appropriate in the progression from the preliminary task to the main one. The fonts that I used in my main task were more appropriate and also more suited to the genre and the audience, compared to the dull ones I used in my preliminary task. I also think that I have improved on my design skills; this is because I feel that the layout and design of my main task products are much better and more developed than that of my preliminary task. I also feel that my research and planning skills have improved and developed, because the research and planning that I did for my main task was much better and more detailed than what I did for my preliminary task. Below is the front cover I produced for my preliminary task, and also the front cover I have produced for my main task. I feel that the one I produced for my main task shows a considerable improvement.



Main Task - Survey on Finished Product

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CY7H68K

Main Task - Double Page Spread

Main Task - Front Cover

Main Task - Contents Page

Main Task - Level 4 Criteria

Level 4 (48-60 marks: A) Criteria for Print Brief

To achieve a level four I will need to show evidence of excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:

·   framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate;

·   using a variety of shot distances as appropriate;

·   shooting material appropriate to the task set;

·   selecting mise-en-scene including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting;

·   manipulating photographs as appropriate to the context for presentation, including cropping and resizing;

·   accurately using language and register;

·   appropriately integrating illustration and text;

·   showing understanding of conventions of layout and page design;

·   showing awareness of the need for variety in fonts and text size;

·   using ICT appropriately for the task set.

What did they do well?/How did they achieve a Level 4?

They used consistent colour schemes, and consistent fonts which compliment each other. Also, a wide variety of font sizes has been used in both magazines. This made their magazines look more ordered and mature, which will appeal to their target audiences and help them to achieve a level four. They have also used a variety of shot distances in appropriate ways; this makes the magazine look more interesting and appealing and also helped them to achieve a level four. The photographs are also appropriate to the genre of the magazine. The clothing that the models are wearing fits in well with the genre, and the colour of the images is good, this helped them to achieve a level four by selecting appropriate mise-en-scene. They have both manipulated the photographs well to make them suitable for presentation; this also helped them to achieve a level four as this is a part of the criteria. The magazines have been laid out very well, a lot of information and images have been included but they do not make the magazine look cluttered. It still looks ordered and mature. I also think that they have been laid out in a way so that the route of the eye passes through the most important parts of the magazine. This is showing that they have awareness of conventions of layout and page design, which is also helping them to achieve a level four. Both contents pages are laid out very well as the information is separated so it is presented very clearly. The use of different colours also helps to do this. They have showed that they can use ICT appropriately for the task. One way that this is shown is through the use of different fonts and different font sizes, also it is shown through the layout of the text. The have also used appropriate language for their magazines, this makes the magazine more mature and helps to identify the target audience. This is another way in which they are both achieving a level four.

What could they improve on?

They could have improved on selecting the mise-en-scene when shooting their photographs. The setting of where they were taken could have been improved, as the settings are quite plain and do not have very interesting backgrounds. For example, using a more colourful background would have added more colour to the photograph and made it look more attractive. I also think that the front cover for the magazine ‘Drowned Insound’ could have a slightly better colour scheme, because not all the colours fit together well and quite a lot of different colours are used. By using more similar colours and ones that compliment each other well would have given the cover a slightly more ordered and mature look.

How will I try to achieve a Level 4?

For my magazine I will take appropriate photographs and use various shot types and distances to vary the photographs. I will also consider the mise-en-scene when taking my photographs and make sure the setting, colour and lighting is appropriate. I will also manipulate the photographs appropriately, this will involve cropping and resizing. I will use appropriate language for my magazine, it will be formal but not too formal as it is aimed at a young audience. I will also use varied fonts, but make sure they fit together well. I will also use a colour scheme throughout my magazine to make it modern and mature, as I feel too many colours will give the magazine look childish and therefore will not appeal to my target audience. I will use ICT to create my magazine, as this shows I can use ICT skills appropriately for the task.

Main Task - Magazine Brief

Magazine Pitch

My magazine will be aimed at both males and females aged 14-21. The genre of my music magazine is emo/rock. The front cover of my magazine is an important selling point as it is the first thing members of my target audience will see. It will be lay out in an ordered fashion so it appears mature and will appeal to the right audience. The cover lines and images will be appropriate for my target audience and the genre of music I chose for my magazine. I will also position the images and cover lines in suitable places so they are along the route of the eye, and capture the attention of my target audience. The colour scheme of my magazine will be appropriate for both males and females, and the colour will reflect the genre of my magazine. The colours I chose will fit in with the genre of music I have chosen to base my magazine on. I will use the same colour throughout the magazine although I may use other colours for certain articles to make them stand out more and look more attractive. I will also use consistent fonts throughout my magazine to make it look modern, ordered and mature. The features I include in my magazine will be appropriate for the genre of music, and will also be aimed at my target audience. The interview I am going to include in my magazine will be about a young band, to ensure they appeal to my target audience. I am going to price my magazine between £1 and £1.99, this is because the results of my questionnaire showed that this is what people would expect to pay for a music magazine, and I also think this is a reasonable price. As my magazine is aimed at both males and females I will ensure that throughout my magazine the colour scheme will not be aimed specifically at either males or females, it will be aimed at both genders. Also, the articles I include in it will be aimed at both genders, so it attracts males and females. I will use the findings from my research and the results from my questionnaire to make my magazine successful.