Evaluation
The questions that must be addressed in the evaluation are:
1.In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
When It came to my magazine I knew exactly the type of magazine I wanted it to be. I wanted it to be all about young artists and new music, which are breaking out right now into the music industry. The best example for this is NME they use house styles and bring new artists into show with their pages RADAR. I definitely wanted to use this theme for my magazine with text overlapping the photo. I also drew from other magazines like Teen Vogue and Q that also help me produce my final product with my pages like the front cover and cover look. I think my front cover I very much inspired by teen vogue with the way the text and masthead are set out.
2.How does your media product represent particular social groups?
For my magazine I didn't want to target just one social group because of the type of magazine mine is. I really wanted to show the wide range of different genres this is why I did several articles to distinguish the much different new music in different genres. I have wanted to represent to many different young people working through the Internet and technology to get their music heard. This is very different from just a few years ago where you could only get heard if you were with a record company or on the radio.
3.What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
My magazine would be distributed by IPC Media. IPC Music is one of the United Kingdoms leading consumer magazine and digital published with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. I would want them to distribute my magazine because they are a well-represented business with many music magazines such as in their product portfolio, which includes NME and Guitar with other genres of magazines like In style and Beautiful Kitchens. Also I would want my magazine to be sold in many different stores like music based shops as well as newsagents. Many music magazines use a blog as well to keep the audience up to date with all what is going on with the music industry. I would want to use this to keep my audience interested I could this by introducing new different artists every day; I could take inspiration from websites like NME.com and guardian.co.uk.
4.Who would be the audience for your media product?
Magazines try to keep to a certain audience because of the type of magazines that is produced. My audience is between the age group of 16-28, I wanted to use the younger generation to give the magazine a new cool edge. I have done this through using artists and models around the same age I have used appropriate colloquial language and styles and fashion with the wants of the audience. My magazine is based on new music therefore I have used reference to technologies such as my space to show how new music is found these days and how technology has changed since when music first started. I chose this audience because I have found through my research that that the younger generation are more drawn to magazines like NME whilst an older audience might be drawn to magazines with other interests.
5.How did you attract/address your audience?
I wanted to attract my audience by using interesting articles and a bold front conversation. I come up with the name sound noise to show that it is a music magazine; I also used many different stories on the front cover to attract the reader to wanting to read this magazine over all the other existing magazines. I have talked about different artists and music that each artist’s produces I have used appropriate language and text to show to the audience that this is a music magazine.
6.What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
When I started this project I had never used an apple mac therefore I had never even heard of programs like Photoshop and in design. Through out the process I have learnt and become confident using these programs I have found through trial and error that in design is easier to use than Photoshop giving me an easier job when producing my magazine. I enjoyed finding out the many different aspects about the program and how these help your magazine look professional. For example with my front cover I used different fonts to attract each story in different way and attract to different people to certain stories. I also found it to create the text into a 3 columns style as well as over the photo, which I have used on 3 of my pages. I have also become confident with a camera, using natural and artificial light. Looking through my different photo shoots at the start of each of them the photo's I took were not brilliant. However as I got into it the photos started getting better especially with the Spirit Stewart photo shoot I found the use of different lighting helped the photos to really show off the artists and focus on different aspects on all the different angles and levels I used.
7.Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I think I have defiantly improved with my use of Photoshop and in design. For my prelimary task I only used photo shop I found for my final product using in design so much better and cleaner cut compared to Photoshop. I have always found magazine interesting and have been able to play around with the different aspects of them and make them work for my magazine. I have learnt so much through figuring it out myself as well as looking at other work and asking people around me. I have also learnt to redo things a few times not just to think that the first draft you do is your final piece I have modified each of my pages to make them look better than the past draft that I had done, I think time has helped as well because my skills have improved from when I first started. The best thing is everything I’ve learnt between the prelimary task and the finish of this music magazine project. I feel my skills have improved and so has my finished outcome.
