EvaluationBy: Angel Gordon

In order to create my product I had to do a lot of research and planning, now that I have finished constructing my product I feel it appropriate to

analyse the process in which I went through to get to this stage.

CODES&CONVENTIONSCOSTUME IDEASANALYSES

PRE-PRODUCTION RESEARCH

LOCATION SCOUTING

MISSIONSTATEMENT

(Front Cover)My music magazine’s front cover follows several codes and conventions

of typical music magazine front covers, ways in which it does this is the fact there is one main image that dominates the front cover, the model within the image is addressing the reader directly as she is looking at the camera and the image used is a mid shot; these are all common features presented in music magazines. Also, my masthead has a trademark unique font and consists of only one word which relates to the genre it represents, it fills the width of the front cover and is situated at the top of the page. The date and price are placed at the top right underneath the masthead which again follows conventions. My main sell line relates to and features the name of the artist appearing on the front cover which is another common convention used in music magazines.

I have included a puff which contains a buzz word; ‘FREE’, this is a code and convention commonly used in music magazines and will draw the attention of my audience. My main cover line is the largest cover line on my front cover which is a very important convention I felt I needed to follow.

My front cover also consists of colloquial language in which will attract my target audience, for example, in one of my sell lines I have used the word “swag” which relates to having a good appearance/representation of yourself

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

The word “swag” is commonly used by the target audience of my magazine so will appeal to them, this is a feature used by most magazines promoting this urban genre, for example, VIBE’s Eminem issue where they use “swaggajack” in one of their sell lines.

At the top of my magazine I have included a strip in which will show the audience what content is available within my product. Colour schemes used are usually very basic and consist of one bright colour and two primary colours; I have followed this convention by using black and white as my primary colours and red as my vibrant colour. I gained my inspiration for my product from ‘VIBE’ magazine as they are very successful and good at what they do, also all their issues have a unique and different feel compared to the others and my magazine should also bring something new and different each issue.

In terms of costume I have followed the style and conventions of typical R&B products. The artist/model featured on my front cover is wearing red lipstick which is a common make-up choice within this urban genre mainly because the colour red connotes passion and power which also relates to my magazine’s slogan, placed on the right-hand side underneath the masthead. Also, the army print bralet the model is wearing is similar to a crop top which is a common feature in R&B products, especially music videos, also, the high-waisted skirt is also a common feature as it shows a good sense of fashion and the model’s beauty.

Click the picture to watch the music video by Rihanna performing 'Only Girl In The World'

(Contents Page)

My music magazine’s contents page follows the codes and conventions of typical music magazine contents pages as it contains common features such as the layout; it is set into columns and the page is divided in two, one half contains the content featured within the magazine and the other half contains an image which relates to the main feature article; this makes the page easy on the readership’s eye allowing them to divert their attention to each column easily and quickly to find what they’re looking for. This is featured in the majority of music magazines promoting this urban genre especially VIBE magazine who has used this convention to maintain their brand identity.

The word ‘contents’ is usually located at the top of the page; it is also common to see the name of the magazine and the issue date at the top of the page however as this is already placed on my front cover I felt it unnecessary to repeat this convention, yet I have maintained my magazine’s brand identity by using my masthead font on the word ‘contents’ and the other subheadings to create a symbiotic link. I have also followed through with my colour scheme to maintain my magazine’s brand identity and create another symbiotic link, this is also a convention used in all magazine’s so it was necessary for my magazine to develop this convention.

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

Double-pagespread

(Double page spread)

Most conventions of typical double page spreads can be found on my own design; these consist of a large image where the model/artist is making direct eye contact with the camera, creating a direct address; this creates a connection between the audience and the magazine which entices the readership to buy the magazine. My double page spread also contains two pull quotes, one by the image and one by the headline; the reason I have used this feature is because they are of extreme importance and usually determine whether the readership reads the article or not as it refers to the most interesting part of the article which is why I felt it necessary to use more than one. Another convention I have followed is having the celebrities name highlighted and in a bold font, this is to show their status as a celebrity and also grab the readership’s attention. I have also included a stand first to introduce the artist as the images presented of the artist may not be recognisable to some readers.

My double page spread contains a drop cap to inform the readership where to start reading, also, my text has been set into 3 columns so that it looks tidy and gives my product a professional look and feel.

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

I inverted conventions by putting my main image on the right side rather than the typical left as I would like the readership to make their way over to the main image so they still have more to uncover.

Instead of putting a by line under the image which is a common convention I decided to put it at the very end of the article so that the readership actually pay attention to it as most by lines are not taken notice of. My article uses a lot of colloquial language to appeal to the readership and my double page spread follows the same colour scheme as the rest of my product therefore creating a symbiotic link. Having the image on the right means that it will be the first thing the readership will see as they flick through the magazine, grabbing their attention; visuals always appeal to a male audience first and will grab their attention more easily than text. The content within my double page spread is conventional as I have used one main image, 3 smaller images relating to the nature of the article and the interview relates to the artist’s success and upcoming products/shows she wants to reveal to her fans.

The mode of address used on my double page spread is extremely colloquial, for example, “trillest” and “trapstar”. This appeals to my magazine’s target audience making them feel they can relate to the magazine which will attract the readership.

Representation of women

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

In the music industry, women are represented mostly as sex objects; they are usually naked however covering their assets, the reason for this is that sex sells however it is very degrading so I have decided to break this convention and represent women in a more beautiful, strong and independent way; the representation of females as sex objects is particularly prevalent in Hip-hop and R&B magazines. It is also common for magazines to portray youths in a negative light, you commonly see pictures of youngsters in front of graffiti or with criminal activity going on in the background for example 50 Cent’s ‘VIBE’ issue where there are explosions going on in the background and he has a briefcase in his hand creating a ‘gangster’ feel to the magazine, I am also inverting this stereotype by using a plain brick wall as a background, not the typical graphitised wall you’d usually see on an RnB related text. When creating my front cover I wanted to highlight the beauty of women and their power which is why my model is doing the pose she’s doing. In my contents page I wanted to show the strength of women in this current era which is why my model has two clenched fists as this connotes strength and power.

Also, when creating my double page spread I wanted to show that women can be sexy with their clothes on, it doesn’t take a naked photo-shoot to grab someone’s attention or to be called beautiful. This breaks the codes and conventions of a typical RnB music magazine however I find it more appropriate as society is revolutionising.

The model featured in my magazine is doing poses in which reflect her flirty, bubbly nature instead of poses in which highlight her assets and create sexual innuendos; this creates a positive representation of women as she still looks beautiful and feminine however isn’t degrading herself by showing lots of skin or posing sexually like females represented in this urban genre often do. The language used within the article on my double page spread supports this representation, for example, one of the pull quotes says “I’m a strong independent woman” showing her self-respect, also she uses assertive language throughout the interview using phrases such as “I believe” which gives her a voice; proposing her opinion counts.

http://www.mailpublishersolutions.co.uk/

http://www.ipcmedia.com/

http://www.futureplc.com/ http://www.timeinc.com/

MEDIA INSTITUTIONS:

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

A media institution is a company or organisation in which is accountable for a media text. This could be through distribution, production or marketing. Four examples of media institutions that I have looked into for the production and distribution of my product are Mail publisher solutions, IPC media, future plc and TimeInc. I have come to the conclusion that the media institution I would like to produce and distribute my media product is Future plc.

I chose this company because they are a successful, well known, mass marketing company in which sell around 50million copies of magazines monthly; they’ve also been around since 1985 and have been getting stronger ever since. It is evident that music magazine sales have majorly decreased so it is important for my product to be distributed by the best institution that I can possibly find and I believe Future plc is that institution. Also, Future plc are an international media group therefore there are no limitations to where my magazine can be distributed which gives my product a greater opportunity to be highly successful. Future plc are a multi-media company therefore can provide my product with more services than just production and distribution; they could provide my product with services such as its own website, adverts, radio station, TV channel and much more. Teaming up with Future plc can mean teaming up with bigger more popular artists, having a greater variety of links within the music industry and many more possibilities which will benefit my product greatly.

Target Audience

Who would be the target audience for your media product?

I have aimed my music magazine at a predominantly male audience although there will be a small section of female readers, however, a solid 80% of the readership will be males within the age bracket of 16 to 25. The core reader of my magazine will be a confident, easy going, success driven, bubbly, sporty, fun individual. He knows exactly what he wants in life and where he’s going and will do almost anything to get there, he’s very focused and allows nothing to get in his way. He would like to be a part of the music industry and uses ‘FIERCE’ magazine to get knowledge and find the road to success within the industry. He may be in full or part time education or in a full or part time job(if still in education). He likes to have fun so he stays single and commitment free however he stays loyal and devotes himself to one magazine. My magazine is suitable for this type of person as it’s quirky, fun, entertaining, informative and talks about things that would appeal to someone trying to get into the music industry such as audition opportunities, record label signings and much more.

QUESTIONNAIRE

How did you attract/address your audience?

In order to get feedback from my target audience I created a miniature post production questionnaire to find out how successfully I satisfied my audience; the questionnaire was distributed to 15 people. The results were extremely positive however when asked what improvements they would make the majority said a better location or no location could have been used, a more glamorous costume could have been used and more powerful poses would be more appealing and more appropriate. My positive feedback consisted of a good choice of colour scheme, a clever use of black and white focusing, it appeals to men more than females as intended, the main sell line is attention grabbing, the price is perfect(not too low and not too high), some said that they would definitely buy this magazine and would not be able to walk past it and ignore it. The mix of black, white and colour within my product seems to work well and attracts attention well; through feedback I have discovered that the readership see the black and white backgrounds as setting a more professional tone to the magazine and provides a contrast, making the product stand out. Throughout my product I have used direct address which seems to help in catching the readership’s attention as well. The lettering used is placed correctly and creatively and through feedback I have discovered that these little things make a big difference as the font of my main sell line is what had drawn the attention of my readers.

The idea behind my model’s costume was to connote that she is a strong leader so her costume represents that of an army Lieutenant, this gives her power and leadership qualities; my audience clearly stated that this choice of costume was appropriate to the genre and they almost felt like she was superior to them so this was a good use of iconography, also this choice of costume made them want to find out more about her; they also made it clear that the lack of strong sexual imagery did not disorientate their attraction to the magazine or artist in fact majority found it more effective as it did not draw attention away from the artist. Also, the red lipstick she’s wearing is another form of iconography as most females in this urban genre sport red lipstick to show their passion and fiery attitudes. The images featured on my double page spread will appeal to the readership as they are eye-catchy and highlight the model’s beauty; also, the pictures lead the reader’s eyes to the pull quotes in which will draw their attention and attract them to the article. My target audience are mainly men who strive for success, they indulge in sports and other activities relating to fitness, their body image is extremely important to them; this includes fashion, fitness and beauty. The content on my double page spread will appeal to them as it talks about fashion and other areas which may interest them and allow them to reach success. Also, the mode of address used is colloquial and will appeal to my target audience as they will be able to relate to and understand the language used, for example, “trapstar” is a commonly used word amongst the readership meaning someone who hustles and has good street credibility.

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

Before I began the process of constructing this product I had absolutely no idea how to use the majority of the technology I have now used so I feel like I have made a big accomplishment and have learnt so many useful technological skills. Since beginning this project I have learnt how to set up, use and maintain a blog, I have learnt how to use a professional camera and I’ve learnt how to use ‘slideshare’ and embed slides on to my blog which I had difficulties with at first. In relation to blogger I found many advantages of having a blog; firstly it gave me the opportunity to keep track of my work and allowed my target audience to comment on it, now that the process has finished I can look back on my work through my blog, see how my work has progressed and see what I could improve on. In addition to this, skills that I had already gained are now improved due to this project; I have a better knowledge and understanding of how to use Adobe Photoshop; for example how to use the ‘liquidify’ tool to enlarge or shrink something in the image, also how to use the ‘burn’ tool to remove blemishes and even out skin tones etc. I have used Photoshop before at GCSE however my use of it was very basic, for example, I mainly used the text tool and the clone tool which did not give me a variety of skills to work from at AS level but now through the completion of this project I know how to use almost every tool on Photoshop which will help me in the future. I have learnt new ways to carry out research such as focus groups and I have better and more efficient computing skills such as the use of Microsoft word, Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Excel.

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

Since creating my sixth form magazine front cover for my preliminary task I feel my skills have developed greatly and I have made great progress, some of the skills I believe I have developed on are my Adobe Photoshop skills as I feel more comfortable using the programme now compared to when I did the preliminary task.

I have learnt that layout is extremely important as a terrible layout creates an unprofessional, messy looking magazine; alongside this I have also learnt that colour schemes are very important as in my preliminary task I used very bright contrasting colours in which made my front cover look messy, unprofessional and almost child-like. Through comparison you can blatantly see that my music magazine front cover is of a higher quality. My masthead font for my preliminary task is inappropriate, it’s too small and doesn’t work as well as my masthead font on my music magazine front cover which is appropriate, the right size and it relates to the urban genre it’s promoting. In my preliminary task I did not follow through with the typical codes and conventions of a magazine front cover and I did not do as much extensive research as I did in my music magazine front cover which I used as a learning curve which led me to create a much better product. I have found the use of codes and conventions extremely important as they determine the success of the magazine and the appeal to the target audience.

After the preliminary task I found the construction of my front cover, contents page and double page spread much easier and everything I did I would question myself asking if it would appeal to my target audience and how I could make it appeal to them more which led me to produce a more appropriate magazine. I did not use any mise-en-scene elements as I did not want attention to be diverted as my target audience is predominantly male and males are more easily distracted than women. In my preliminary I didn’t take into consideration all the codes and conventions necessary, for example, mode of address; the mode of address used wasn’t altered to appeal to my target audience and wasn’t thought through as much as the mode of address in my music magazine task, for example, I did extensive research to find out more about my target audience, what would appeal to them and what language they used making my work in the music magazine task more relatable to the target audience. With regards to effort and work ethic, I believe I worked much more efficiently for the music magazine task as more pre production planning took place, more research took place and I took more time to consider different designs, layouts and conventions I could use to produce a better product.

The End