EvaluationOCR AS Media StudiesJustine Mason 8216

In what ways does your media product use, develop

or challenge forms and conventions of real media

products?

Taking inspiration from NME magazine, I wanted to maintain a consistent house style throughout my magazine to guarantee it was easily recognisable to the reader. NME have a basic style which make them identifiable, however, they may change certain elements from issue to issue. For instance, even though the positioning and font of the NME masthead is constant, the arrangement of the cover lines, the colour scheme and the typography is changed each issue. Like NME, the dominating masthead is the largest font on the page of my magazine, which attracts the reader’s eye and ensures it stands out from other magazines. I used the font ‘Rockwell Extra Bold’ in black and juxtaposed a white border around the letters to make them stand out. I also added a dissolved, off-centre shadow to give the masthead a more interesting yet subtle and unique appearance. I deliberately placed the masthead over the main image to challenge the conventions of normal music magazines who place the main image over the masthead to create a 3D effect. However, I wanted the masthead to be clearly visible to allow the reader to become familiar with the new magazine.

Like NME, I included a top line to introduce the magazine and give the reader an insight into the style and genre, as it is a new magazine. This suggests new information and fulfils the cognitive needs of my audience. To maintain a consistent house style, I kept the same style typography as the masthead, however I used ‘Rockwell Condensed’ to give the cover a more visual and dynamic look. NME conventionally layer the top line over a border, therefore, I used a black border to ensure the white typography stood out and was clear to read.

I use black, grey, white and blue for my colour scheme as I feel this gives a professional and modern appearance, which relates to the young adult/teenage target audience. Although these are traditionally seen as particularly masculine colours, my magazine is not primarily aimed at a male audience and a large percentage of my magazine is made up of females, none of which are represented in a sexual way as to appeal to Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze. Therefore, this breaks normal conventions as my magazine is targeted at mainly females.

I stacked the cover lines around the main image following the normal conventions of music magazines. This also helped the main image to be the dominant feature. Like NME, I also made various lines stand out by placing the text on a black textbox or using a graphic. This ensures the cover is visually dynamic and makes it more interesting to look at, as well as the use of different fonts. However, I made sure I only used three different fonts in the same style; ‘Rockwell’, ‘Rockwell Extra Bold’ and ‘Rockwell Condensed’, as this ensured I kept to the same house style throughout.

For the main cover line, I took inspiration from NME’s cover featuring Lily Allen as I thought the white, capital text inside a black box gave an interesting and unique effect and would ensure my magazine stood out amongst others, which is my main intention. I made the name of the artist larger than the rest of the cover lines, which is another convention of music magazines, so that it would attract the reader’s attention and they can clearly distinguish who the main feature of the magazine is.

I also developed the forms and conventions of real media products by adding a tag and pull quote, another traditional convention. This helps to engage the audience and give an insight into what is inside the magazine. I used a black font with a thin white outline to make the text stand out against the main image so it can be read easily, which also echoes the style of the masthead.

My main image develops the forms and conventions of real media products as I have positioned my model to have a direct mode of address, which is a usual convention of music magazines including NME. This heightens the reader’s cognitive needs and creates a connection between the artist and the audience. I have followed the conventions of NME magazine by using a close-up shot of my model. This is to ensure the focus is on the artist and not fashion, as music is the style of my magazine. As for the lighting, I have used simple daylight to highlight the key aspects of my model’s face, like her cheeks and eyes, as NME magazine rarely use bold or dramatic lighting.

I included a row of copy underneath each subheading, as my magazine is aimed at a young adult/teenage audience and therefore the text would give an insight into what was inside the magazine. It would also make the page richer in content whilst fulfilling cognitive needs. I used ‘Rockwell Extra Bold’ font in white for the subheadings to make them easily recognisable to the reader. For the rest of the copy, I used ‘Raavi’ font because it is simple and neat. Therefore, it is easier to read because it is not as elaborate as the different ‘Rockwell’ fonts, but still makes the page look visually attractive.

For the header, I continued using the ‘Rockwell’ font to maintain a constant house style. I also added the masthead to continue on from the cover and ensure the reader knows what magazine they are reading. This also follows normal conventions of NME magazine.

I followed normal conventions of a magazine by using the rule of thirds to organise the page. This creates a professional and neat layout. The use of boxes, as well as aligning the content with each other also helps to give an orderly appearance.

Adding multiple images and layering text and boxes over them ensures the page is rich in content, appealing to the reader’s cognitive needs. I have taken both the images in a candid style to also show a range of content in the magazine.

Like NME, I added a ‘Band Index’ list on the left third of the page. Using juxtaposing font colours, white and black, helps to differentiated the artist’s name and the page number. This makes it easy for the reader to find the page they are looking for. Arranging the list in alphabetical order also makes it quick and simple for the reader to find a particular artist or band.

The main image takes up the whole two pages of the double page spread which ensures it is the dominant feature.

The copy is arranged in three columns which follows the typical conventions of a magazine. I kept to the house style by aligning the text to ensure it is neat and organized, which appeals to the young adult/teenage target audience. I used a white font in ‘Raavi’, again keeping to the house style, and made the pull quotes stand out by using a larger font in the light blue colour I had used throughout the magazine.

Once again I added the masthead to the bottom left-hand corner of the page to continue on from the cover and contents, whilst ensuring the reader is aware what magazine they are reading.

For the heading, I added an overlay effect to create a more interesting and unique look. The translucent effect relates to the wording as it symbolises how a whisper is subtle and barely noticeable, much like the effect itself. Therefore, this challenges normal conventions. Again, I used ‘Rockwell’ font to continue the house style throughout the magazine.

I have used informative, yet fairly colloquial language to appeal to the young adult/teenage target audience. This also conforms to the conventions set by NME magazine who aim to appeal to a similar target audience.

I have added a subheading to introduce the magazine and give the reader an insight into what the article is about. This conforms to traditional conventions of music magazines and is a common feature of NME.

How does your media product represent

particular social groups?

The particular social group my media product represents is young adult/teenage females. Traditionally, females are displayed in a sexual manner on the cover of magazines, wearing little clothing and positioned in provocative ways. In addition, the content of most indie/alternative music magazines tends to be centred around male artists instead of female. I believe this particular representation for my magazine challenges the traditional conventions of other music magazines for sale, as there are not many indie/alternative genre magazines primarily targeted at women.However, the fact that my colour scheme is traditionally seen to be masculine will help bring in a neutral readership for the magazine, appealing to a larger target audience.In my double page spread, I aimed to represent young adult/teenage women in a positive light. I used an older teenage, female artist as my model for the main photo which represents making a journey (which relates to the band’s journey into the spotlight), as the shot has been captured when the model is mid-walk.The language of my magazine is fairly colloquial to appeal to the teenage aspect of my target audience, however it is not patronizing with slang and still represents the young adult side.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media

product and why?

As my music magazine is based on NME, which focuses on new music targeted at teenagers and young adults, I believe the British publishing company ‘IPC Media’ would be a suitable institution for the distribution of my magazine. IPC Media successfully distributes alternative/indie music magazines, such as Uncut and NME, which are both targeted towards a niche audience. Therefore, I believe IPC Media may take on my product because of the level of success it has had with NME magazine. However, as my magazine is so similar to NME, the institution may not be willing to distribute two products so similar.

Another institution that may be suitable for the distribution of my magazine is the multi-national company, ‘Bauer Media’, who distribute many popular media brands such as Kerrang! and Q magazine. As Kerrang! is aimed at a niche audience, Q caters for the mainstream audience. Therefore, it is clear that the company aim to appeal to a wide range of interests. This leads me to the conclusion that Bauer Media would be an ideal choice to distribute my media product, as it has had so much success with other popular music magazines on the market.

Who would be the audience for your media

product?

During my research, I found that NME aim their magazine towards young adult/teenage males interested in indie/alternative music. With this in mind, my target audience is also young adult/teenagers. However, even though I would like to appeal to both genders to ensure I have a wide audience, I would like to reach out to females in particular. This is because I believe music publications, especially those of the indie/alternative music genre, generally tend to exclude females as a target audience. Therefore, I will exclude sexual images of women that appeal to Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze, such as those used in Billboard and Vibe magazine. To appeal to both genders, I included popular male and female indie/alternative artists and bands, such as Jake Bugg and Lula Jade, on the front cover of my magazine. I decided to focus my magazine on a younger adult/teenage audience, so this also excludes gossip-style and overly colloquial language, such as that used in Top of the Pops magazine. I made these decisions by creating and handing out a questionnaire to identify my target audience. The majority of the feedback came from individuals in the age range of 16-25 years. Therefore, this is why I decided to use a young adult/teenage target audience.

How did you attract/address your

audience?

I decided to use the results from my questionnaire to determine the style and features of my magazine. The results showed that the majority of people preferred magazines with lots of text and a mix of unknown and popular artists featured. This relates to the uses and gratifications theory as to how specific things can draw attention. Therefore, I used the front cover of my magazine to attract my audience by using lots of text and featuring well-known artists, such as Jake Bugg, as well as new artists, such as Lula Jade. This heighten the reader’s cognitive needs.On the contents page, the band index will also attract my target audience, as it is easy for them to navigate particular indie/alternative artists and bands, those of which my audience will be most interested in. Within the double page spread interview, I have written in a slightly colloquial yet informative style in order to maintain the reader’s interest as well as educate them. The personal mode of address will attract the audience, as it engages them in the article.

What have you learnt about technologies from

the process of constructing this

product?

In order to assemble the text, images and other features of my magazine, I used Adobe Photoshop. I had no previous experience of using this program before I started this project and therefore, believed this may pose as a disadvantage to me. However, with the help of my peers, teachers and various online tutorials, I learned how to use the software in order to create a professional looking magazine of high standard and quality. After getting used to Photoshop, I realised how much it positively stands out in terms of quality, usability and variety against any other editing programs I have personally used. I learnt how to use different tools to adjust and improve my photos, such as the colour adjustment tool which allowed me to lighten or darken my photos as well as enhance particular colours within. Learning these skills has benefited me and helped my photos reach the high standard they are now.

In the photography process of creating my product, I learned how to use a Nikon d3000 camera by watching various YouTube tutorials which provide beginners with the basic functions they need to know and how to use each feature of the camera. With no prior experience, again I thought this may be a difficult task to carry out. However, the tutorials, along with the assistance of my teachers and peers, were a great help to me.

I also created a blog on blogger.com to record my planning and research during the creation of my magazine. Even though I had read a few blogs before, I had never actually ‘blogged’ myself. However, I found this a useful way of recording information and I could easily scroll through my posts and find the research I needed.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have

learnt in the progression from it to

the full product?

When looking at my final product compared to my preliminary task, you can see there is an increase in standard, as well as quality and content. When carrying out my preliminary task, I used GIMP Photo Editing Software, as this was more accessible to me at the time than Photoshop. The front cover of my preliminary task magazine consists of very minimal text with only two different fonts in use. However, since then I have learnt how to combine different fonts to give a more aesthetically pleasing appearance, as well as making a more interesting use of space by adding more content. For instance, I added graphics and boxes with text around my main image on the front cover of my final task. Also, in my preliminary task I have used a colour scheme of white, orange and blue which do not really work well together. Throughout the process of making my final magazine, I have learnt how to combine colours to give a professional and modern appearance. For example, using basic, monochromatic colours with one accent colour (such as my colour scheme of black, white, grey and blue) works much better and ties the magazine in as a whole.There is an obvious difference in quality between the contents pages of my preliminary and final task. My preliminary has a very basic and minimal layout and lacks detail. It is evident I have become more aware of the traditional conventions of music magazines throughout the progression from my preliminary to final task. For instance, I have elaborated on my copy by adding subheadings, as well as a logo and dateline in the header, whilst maintaining a specific house style throughout. The process from my preliminary to final product has also helped me to recognise the importance of identifying and catering for a specific target audience, as this helps to determine the nature of the content you should include and produce.