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

Evaluation323424

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

Evaluation

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Conclusion:
This showed me that there are many technologies that people can use to help them create productions and we can use them to make things simpler.

Evaluation - How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my audiences though various different ways, they are as following:

Colour - I used a minimal of 3 bright colours, to create a theme, like other media products which use specific colours to give it an identity. Colour scheme I used for my magazine is black, white and blue, they are subtle and warm colours, not over the top. I decided to use the traditional direct mode of address as my targeted audiences are young they need a image that is directly addressed at them. This makes it more eye-catching.

Language - Its slightly formal but yet not too mature as my audiences are mainly young, therefore the language needs to be quite simple so they can relate and understand it.

Picture - The image of male model will attract female audiences alongside the image inside the contents page and main article, also it can attract male audiences as well who idolise the specific artists. Vise versa, the same goes for the female feature on the contents page.

Content - The contents of my magazine is fresh new information based on popular artists and therefore this is bound to address my target audience, it includes interviews and images of mainstream artists.

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

I researched magazines of the same and different genres to become familiar with their presentational deceives so I could compare my magazine with them. I have concluded that my music magazine Neon confirms the conventions of real music magazines. I would say my magazine is extremely similar to VIBE, this is due to the following reasons:

COMPARISON

Similarites:
1) Both magazines use a male model, which could suggest that most audiences are males, who see them as role models and look up to them.
2) Both magazines use a similar masthead, quite simple yet large and bold to attract readers attention immediately.
3) Both magazines use a male black model, which is typical for a R&B music magazine.
4) Also props used in both magazines are very similar, both models are wearings chains and belts which are quite blingy.
5) Both magazines use 3 main colours.

However, it also has some differences such as:
Differences:
1) The colour scheme of the two magazines is completely different. Neon uses the colours black, white and blue, whereas VIBE uses pink, black and yellow.
2) The pose/posture of the model on magazine Neon is different to the pose of the model on magazine VIBE.
3) Also the layout of the two magazines is very different.

My photograph confirms the conventions of real R&B music magazines as some of the conventions associated with that genre such as chains, blingy jewlerry and era hats, are used by my model. Similar to VIBE my models image takes up most of the space on the front cover and this is a convention of most magazines in general. Moreover, I have used a simple and similar background to VIBE. The inclusion of a cover line is also conventional of most magazines, therefore making the cover lines big is extremely important, so when a person sees the magazine the first thing they see/read is cover line. The cover line also demonstrates the artists thats going to be in the magazine, automatically attracting the reader. That is what I have tried to do with my music magazine. I have also tried to imitate the traditional sterotype involved with R&B magazine, that is the pose/posture of my model, similar to VIBE my magazine has a male model striking a rough yet tuff pose. The chains and blingy belt worn by my model is also conventional to the R&B genre. Moreover, the masthead is very simple but yet stands out, colour is very important to attracting the audience to get the sales, and I want my magazine to stand out from the rest.
Also the conventional technique of using a minimal of 3 colours is used widely in magazines. Therefore I have decided to use that on my own music magazine as it keeps it sophisticated and less complicated. Having a lot of different colours makes the magazine seem childish.

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

For my magazine I have chosen BAUER Media, however my magazine is of a different genre, I think BAUER Media would be interested in my magazine. They could use my magazine and specialise in the R&B genre. This is becasue they also use magazine Q to speicalise in the rock genre, therefore they might also want to try out a different genre, such as R&B.
However, at the moment there is no insitution that distributes/publishes R&B magazines. This could also be useful as R&B genre now has a wide range of audiences.

Evaluation - Who would be the audience for your media product?

Evaluation - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Evaluation q2 powerpoint

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Message from Ms Prince

Your blog has now been marked for research and planning. Anything that you may now add will not be counted towards your final mark.

Final Front Cover

Final Contents Page

Main article page 1

Main Article page 2

Preliminary Task

Before actually starting my magazine, I had to do a preliminary task to get used to Adobe Photoshop. The preliminary task consisted of a front cover and a contents page and here it is:

Main Article

1.What inspired you to write the hot new single “Got to make it”?

Menice: I put a lot of thought into the title of the song and came to a conclusion that it was best if I kept it simple. “Got to make it” was influenced by my family, as they were constantly asking me if I was gonna make it to the top and become famous and successful. I wanna prove to them that I did make it and I am successful, and also to those who underestimated me.

2. What’s your next single and when is it going to be released?

Menice: My next single is called “Thug life” produced by Carl Harrison. It’s all about how I feel about life and my attitude towards it. It’s out in 3 weeks and the video in about 5. I really want people to hear about my view of life and I want it to influence their life so they can learn from my mistakes and my experiences. I make a lot of records which relate to other people’s life and personal situations, but this time I felt to do something a little different and made it about me and my life.

3. What do you think about the internet & its impact on music?

Menice: I think the internet has a major impact on my music. This is mainly because internet is another source where my music can be heard and as long as there are people that support me, and they come to my concerts, they buy my CD’s, those are my true fans.

4. What can people expect with “One Day”?

Menice: This is the best phrase to describe my childhood. Since I was little, I always thought to myself, one day I will make it big, I will become successful and eventually I did. This expresses my feelings and my journey, although it was hard it was all worth it in the end. I got the best production, Dr Trey and Creme. I made more than 30 records in preparation of this album, 16 go in the album and the others I can use them later on.

5. What was your selection process like?

Menice: Dr. Trey and Creme made the final decisions. I told them what I wanted and they kinda shaped it around my choice. The final choice was all of ours together, they told me what they wanted and then mixed it with my opinion.

6. Describe “All or nothing”

Menice: “All or nothing” is my record company, we in negotiations now. It should be distributed by interscope, that’s only if they offer me the right amount of money. The record company offers many deals.

7. What allows you to stay grounded?

Menice: I work, I work a lot so I ain’t out to absorb all of that, plus my fans, they love me on the music tip but not everybody is happy with me. There’s always gonna be somebody who doesn’t like you and there’s some people that would like to be me and that will keep me down to earth, It’s got to, knowing there are millions of people who would love to be in my position right now.

8. How do you stay focused?

Menice: If I wasn’t doing so well I would still be in those bad situations that I left behind. When you’re doing well as an artist…someone will always try to bring you down, just to try you and your patience and when you respond…it’s still on .. So it’s the same situation…it doesn’t really bother me… but I’m happy to be in the situation I’m in now... I feel blessed cos I’m better than many.

9. Have you got a son?

Menice: Yeah, my little boy Ian… he’s like 7 years old…he’s in my ‘Thug life’ video in the intro and at the end of it… he thinks he’s a star right now. I want my son to follow my footsteps and become an artist like me one day.

10. In terms of all the things that are happening with you right now, how do you relate to him what’s going on?

Menice: He knows what’s going on, I explained it to him exactly how they gonna have to explain it to their kids when they hear my music. You see if your kid is listening to my music.. You need to sit him down and explain to him that some people’s lives are like T.V. Bad things such as people fighting, getting shot and dying do happen in real life, and in certain places. I have informed my son about all of these things so in future he is fully aware, although he is only 7 years old. I don’t try to hide anything from him. I try to explain to him that I’m blessed and in a situation where I can provide for him so he doesn’t have to go through what I did cos life is unfair and unpredictable.

Conventions of a music magazine

Ideology - The music magazine must give the audience what they want to see and what they expect. The main way to do this is to use the audiences likes and dislikes to produce the magazine.

Institution - The aim of the publishers is to make money and prices would depend on magazine contents, size, quality and audience in particular. They can also make money by advertising other products within the magazine from other companies.

Language - The text and language of the magazine must relate firmly to its target audience, however formal language is always necessary. The main image and masthead would also relate to the audience and relevance to the genre.

Audience - The organization must target a certain group as it is impossible to target everybody, it also depends on the genre of the music magazine. The target audience must be able to connect and relate to its contents.

Representation - Artists must all represent the genre of the magazine in all ways possible, and all the representation must reflect the artists and audience.

Working Process

During the past few lessons, I have been working on my front cover and contents page, whilst making changes to the final design and adding a few last minute touches. It took me quite a while to get the right type of font for the masthead and the right colour. I also had several problems finding the right position for the masthead. However, I finally started my contents page but I eventually ended up changing the layout completely. I asked people around me to help decide the colour scheme I should use, and from this I then made some final changes and altered my contents page.

Final masthead design

This is the final design me and my partner have chosen. This is best suitable for our magazine as it was the most vibrant and bright design compared to the other templates.
The name 'Neon' was finalised after a very difficult decision making process as the name of the magazine is a very important factor which had to be taken into account in terms of linking in with the genre.
The genre of our magazine is a mixed combination of R&B and Hip Hop, both of these are known as mainstream genres in the music industry with large number of audiences. The meaning of neon normally refers to the ignition of the 'vibrant' unique colours made by specific gases. 'Neon' stands out more compared to other dull and dark colours and is very noticeable, this also interlinks to the genre of our magazine and stands out compared to other music genres

Sketch of main article

Sketch of contents page

Analysis of double page spread 2

NME double page spread:

This is a double page spread for magazine NME, which is based on Lilly Allen. The layout of the double page spread is unusual to the rock/pop genre. The main image of the double page signifies Lilly Allen in a very sterotypical way. Here she is presented as a sterotypical rock artist, with jet black hair and her loose t-shirt. Also her posture suggests she is not bothered, which represents the attitudes of the sterotypical rock artists. Moreover, the main image takes up most of the space on the double page, which could imply that Lilly Allen is an important factor on the double page. Also the large main image makes the more visual. However, this double page is unconventional as it only consists of one main image, this is because most double page spreads usually have many images. The article is presented in columns, which is a conservative way to present text. The article also has a direct mode of address, which is extremely suitable for NME's main targeted audiences as they can understand the language used. And this is vital to main articles, as audiences should feel comfortable and connected to the genre of music they like. A main article must interest the audience as this is a major aspect of the magazine most audiences are most looking forward to.
The double page spread also consists of a floating quote, which is a predictable feature of most double pages, the purpose of this is to interest audiences in reading the article. In the floating quote, the artists gives a little more information about herself, which younger audiences can possible relate to. However, the floating quote consumes a lot of space on the magazine and this is rather unusual. The article is also missing the main heading, which is irregular, as this particular feature occures in most magazines especially rock magazines.
Moreover, the double page is not noticeable and attractive as most rock magazines use bright images and colours and this magazine only uses white, red(Lilly Allen's t-shirt) and black. However, this may have been intentional to draw more attention to the artist.
Nevertheless, this specific double page is very eccentric, as it does not have the key features of a rock/pop magazine. On the whole, I think the magazine manages to draw attention from its targeted audiences. This is done through the main image and the floating quote, which the targeted audiences can connect with.

Analysis of double page spread 1

Vibes doube page spread:
The use of colour makes the message stand out even before reading the actual article. Also the image that is being used is in colours, however the colours chosen are quite dark, such as blue and brown, which represents the imagine in a sad and depressing light. On the other hand, the child in the middle is wearing a bright yellow jacket, which stands out and suggests the happiness of the image, even though they are living in a bad area, everyone is connected and happy together, the colour yellow could also suggest hope and something to look forward to. Moreover, the use of mixed colours could represent mixed emotions and unsure thoughts. The title of the article is in large bold red letters, which again stands out and draws readers attention. It also allows the reader to know the topic of the article, before even reading it. The purpose of the article is something bad, which is clearly shown through the use of colour, such as red, which connotes bad things, angry and blood.

Rejecting Front Cover Photos

These are the pictures I rejected to use on my front cover, mainly because I needed a mid-shot for the main cover, which included the models body, from waist and upwards.

Contents Font Ideas

These are the fonts I considered using on my contents page, however I chose one and I chose the last one.

Contents Page

This is the background I have chosen for my contents page

After decided the background, I added the masthead

Contents Page

Working Progress

I started my work off by researching. I designed a questionnaire to gather information from the public, my questionnaire consisted of 12 questions and was handed out to 20 people. We then used some of the data gained to make important decisions concerning the name, genre and design of the magazine. Before actually starting our magazine, we practised how to use adobe photoshop by playing around with it in order to make a practice front cover of a school magazine and contents page. Moreover, I experimented with the various types of fonts which linked in to the name 'neon', using a blue and red colour, after finding the right one I chose a background and main image after several difficulty including different opinions and clear images. After that I started my production process of my main front cover of the magazine.

Background Ideas

These were the background images I took for my front cover, however I was not fond of any of them therefore I did not use them and kept my background simple, black and white.

Analysing Contents Page

Analysis of Vibes contents page:


Here is an example of Vibe contents page, however this contents page is quite plain and simple, which is very common in most Vibe magazines. Most other magazines are not as simple and uninformative like this particular contents page.
The main image is 'Movado' who is not really known in the HipHop genre. His music attracts niche audience, therefore it is quite odd that he is the main image. However, in the main image Movado's pose/posture is very conventional to other artists on other Hip Hop magazines. He is wearing a chain, which symbolises wealthy. This piece of jewellery is quite common for any Hip Hop artist. Also, he is wearing other props like diamond braclets and watch which also suggests wealth and connects the artist to the Hip Hop genre. The gucci belt also indicates wealth. All these props make the artist seem as if he is a Hip Hop artist even though they may not know who he is as he is not that well known in the Hip Hop industry.
The artists eyes and pose makes him seem as though he is drugged which is unusual for Vibe to be using as they would not normally use a model like this. The artist in this magzine contents page is posing as if he is a "gangsta" where as the artist TI is posing as if he is a businessman, through his costume and props. Here we see a major contrast between the two artists who have different ambitions. Moreover, the background image used is of a 'ghetto' area which signifies the artist Movado as real as he is has not forgot where he came from even though he seems to be wealthy. This type of background has been used in many other Hip Hop magazines as it symbolises the artist in a powerful manner. Therefore it is good that Vibe has used this particular background. The use of black and white to present the background image creates deppressing and dull environment.
From the contents page we can see that this magazine is trying to attract Hip Hop fans and more specifically aspirers as the artist are wearing diamonds. Also the contents page shows the magazine is targetting a younger audience as it is very visual as oppose to textual which magazine editors assume the younger audiences prefer. The typography used to present the contents is bold and fresh which implies youth and strength, this also targets the younger audience. However, the colour used to show the word contents is black which creates a dull and dark vibe, this could possible mean that the magazine might be targetting a older audience as it is not brightly coloured so a older audience may be more attracted to this. It is also vital for magazines to attract other types of audiences as the magazine industry is a dieing industry, therefore they must try to increase sales by attracting a wider and large audience.
On the whole, I would say that this particular contents page is very basic and unsusal. It uses an artist, which is not very popular as a image and a ghetto background alongside dull and dark colours. Also the magazine is chiefly attracting a younger audince through its contents page as there is artist that younger audiences would like and the contents page is not very accurate which younger audiences may also like.

During lesson, we analysed a contents page of a magazine. First I brainstormed what features a contents page should have.

Front Cover

Before starting my actually front cover, I chose a picture out of all the pictures I took of my model. I started of by cutting the image of my model:

Then I pasted it into a new blank document:

After that I added a barcode at the bottom right corner:

After that, i added the masthead to my image, alongside the coverlines.

Sketch of front cover

Before starting my actually magazine i had to draw a sketch of how i would want my front cover to look like. Here is my front cover sketch:

Targets

You have included an example of work in progress but you must now aim to show more evidence of the actual construction of each page. In addition you must use the checklist to work on other planning and research items that need to be added to your bolg.

Audience Research

You have provided a clear analysis of your questionnaires and drawn upon some of this analysis to inform your production. Well done. You should now include your focus group findings.

Textual Analysis

Hina, your textual analysis demonstrates a sound understanding of the effects of the key presentational devices and the ways in which genre is conveyed. You also show a good understanding of how audiences are targeted. Well done.

NME & Q Comparison

Magazines NME and Q both use various presentational devices to target their audience. The magazine Q has a masthead which uses the colours red and white. The use of these specific colours makes the masthead stand out more and makes it eye-catching. At the bottom of the masthead, there is a puff which says "Britains biggest music magazine". This puff makes the magazine seem trustworthy as it has been claimed to be one of the best in britain. Also the use of white in the masthead makes the magazine look simple and plain, appealing to older and more mature audiences. In the same way NME also has red and white in the masthead but in lesser extent than Q. The use of colour red also helps the magazine standout from others and is very eye-catching, this is very important as all magazines are placed next to one another in the stores and this then leads to competition between them. Therefore it is extremely vital for a magazine to standout from others so consumers can purchase it. Additionally magazine Q uses a main image of more older celebrities and the age of the characters may make the magazine more appealing for older audiences. The main image is quite large compared to other images and texts, this draws more attention to it and suggests that the main article will be based on it, which is the most important aspect of a magazine.
The costumes/props of the celebrities in magazine Q are also more sophisticated and this may make the magazine even more appealing for older audiences. In addition, magazine NME's main image is of younger celebrity characters, therefore appealing more to younger audiences. The band members are wearing jean jackets and holding guitars, which are costumes and props which are generally associated to the Indie and rock genre. The main coverline of magazine Q is "The song writers", this suggests that the magazine is more likely to attract audiences who would take interest in getting to know more about song writers. This will attract older audiences as younger audiences may not be interested in reading about song writers. The main coverline is in gold and bold typography, making the magazine more stylish and eye-catching. The main coverline of magazine NME is "the view", this could possibly be the name of the band, again drawing attention to the actually image. The targeted audience for this magazine would possible be indie/rock fans, as this type of genre appeals to the younger generation. The other coverlines in magazine Q mention the names of artists like James Blunt. This attracts audiences that like pop music as these are well known names. The use

Focus Group Questions

These are questions for the focus group which help me find out what people would like to see in my music magazine.
1) Does the title 'Neon' appeal to you?
2) What colours do you think would suit a R&B music magazine?
3) What do you think the main article should consisit of?
4) What inspires you when reading a music magazine?
5) What is the most important feature of a music magazine?

Here are some examples of existing R&B music magazines:























I used these examples of existing music magazines as a template for my own magazine, as I analysed each one of them to help me construct my own.

Textual analysis of XXL

The hip hop magazine that I will be analysing is XXL. In terms of presentational devices the magazine consists of a masthead, puff, coverlines , a main coverline and a main image.
Firstly the masthead XXL is written in capitals filled with dimonds and this relates with wealth and bling. The background of the masthead is red which suggests wealth and passion. The masthead is also quite large and draws the readers attention due to the style it has been made. This is then reinforced by the main image of Lil Wayne and Baby who are rappers wearing multiple chains(bling) and props. This also represents the sterotypical image of the rappers and meets the audiences expectations.
The background is hardly on display as the main image and the writing covers most of it. The main image of the famous rappers Baby and Lil Wayne topless suggests courage and them being tough. Also their pose/posture implies arrogance and also as they are looking down at the camera shows they seem more superior. Their bodies are covered with tattos which suggests wealth as tattos are very expensive and the chains symbolise wealth and the "gangster" image. This aspect of the main image meets the conventions of hip-hop and a hip-hop magazine.
The fact that Baby has his arm around Lil Wayne as if he is hugging him shows support and love for each other and protection which subverts black male characteristics but also the typical hip hop representations. The fact that Baby’s arm is around Lil Wayne creates positivity about hip-hop which shadows the negative stereotypes associated with hip hop through audiences awareness.
The coverlines of the magazine lists different music artists which show various artists that will be included in the magazine. This persuades audiences to purchase the magazine even if they aren’t interested in the artists in the main image, they may be interested in one artist included in the coverline therefore they would have to purchase the magazine.
There is also a puff included in the magazine which persuades audiences to purchase the magazine. One of the puffs “A decade of dominance” includes alliteration which makes it memorable and stays in the audiences mind. There is also another puff used "10th Anniversary”.
The main sell lines are also quite big and white, which draws the readers attention and is eye-catching. The sell lines meantion other artists and promotes them, they are all Hip Hop and R&B artists of the same genres. The slogan suggests they are the best as it says "survival of the fittest". Baby also has Lil Wayne's face tattoed on his chest and this could symbolise that he looks up to him and sees him as an idol/role model.

• Genre - Hip Hop
• Mast head - XXL
• Main image - baby and lil Wayne
• Cover lines - interviews with various artist
• Puff - our biggest issue ever a decade of dominance - alliteration
• Other images - background
• Typography - bold
• Props- hats, rings, chains and watches

Questionnaire results

Powerpoint Questionaire

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Here are the results of my questionnaire presented in a powerpoint slideshow. My questionnaire consisted of 12 questions and I have used various different types of graphs to present my results.

So far I have been considering various suitable and catchy music magazine titles and puff / slogans which will be best suited and appropirate for the soul magazine. I have also created a brief sketch for how I will want the front cover of my edition of the magazine to look like.
I am working in a pair, therefore we have to have the same font for the masthead. The fonts in red are my font designs and the one in blue are my partners.

The following is my partners work: