Media Evaluation!Rachael Parsons

THE TASKMy Media coursework consisted of producing

a college magazine which had to include a minimum of 4 images produced by myself with

a front cover and a contents page. Also producing a Music magazine also consisting of a minimum of 4 of my own images which had

to have a font cover, contents page and double page spread.

The ways in which my media products use, develop or challenge the forms or

conventions of real media products

Next slide

Collegemagazine

In my college magazine I went against the conventional imagery for a typical magazine as I used a

black and white image as my main image and a plain white

masthead. I did this as I wanted the sell lines to stand out more as they where the most important

pieces on the page in this particular magazine

My college magazine uses a typical layout seen in many magazine covers, I used this as it helped me to produce a front cover easily while still making it

eye catching and effective.Using the basic layout could also help the readers through the magazine as they would know roughly from other

magazines where everything is situated.

Musicmagazine

My music magazine follows the conventions of NME in some aspects, as I took inspiration from

this for the contents page and double page

spread. It features some of the things typically

seen in a music magazine such as reviews and lots

of pictures of people singing and with

instruments.

MusicmagazinecontinuedI also once again went against the normal conventions of a music magazine by using black and white images, I used these through as they added interest to the page and made the text underneath stand out more.

I have also gone against the normal conventions of the mast head which

on most music magazine I noticed situated to the side of the page not

across the top of the page, but I wanted it across as I wanted the name of the magazine to really

stand out

How does your media products represent particular social groups

&Who would be the audience for my

media products?

Collegemagazine

My college magazines target audience was students aged 16-19., and believed that I managed to achieve the look for my target audience with the use of:

Using the logos for Facebook and twitter shows that the target audience is the younger target audience.

Using the college logo shows the target audience straight away as people who do not attend that college would not necessarily want to buy this magazine

I have also used photos that are aimed at this audience by using fashion shots. These pictures where also done with young models so this again attracts the target audience

The price of this magazine being £1 would also attract my target audience as any more then people may second think about buying this magazine.

Collegemagazinecontinued

With this particular issue of the college magazine I believe maybe females would be more attracted to it than males as I have used a male model as the main image which would attract females and it is a fashion special.

Musicmagazine

The target audience for my music magazine was young adults between 16- 30 who are interested in the indie alternative genre. I believe I have achieved this with the use of new bands and current music so this would attract this target audience who keep up to date with the latest bands, but I have also added some older bands in to the mix so that this may also attract a wider range of audiences

I have also added things that the target audience would be interested in such as, the top tats sell line. This would attract the target audience as they are the top age group who get tattoo’s

I have also added quotes to my articles which I noticed was used a lot in NME which has the same target audience as what I was trying to achieve, where as magazines like Q did not

With this magazine and they way it is laid out with the colour scheme I believe this magazine would attract males and females within my target age group category. The reason I chose this genre of music a indie/alternative magazine is because this genre widely attracts both males and females and this would attract a wider audience

Musicmagazinecontinued

What kind of media institution might distribute your media

product and why?

Collegemagazine

I believe that my college magazine would possibly be distributed by colleges with some tweaking as the magazine gives an overview on everything happening at the college at that time which would be really helpful to college students who may wish to know what's going on and what they can get involved with.

Also now with the use of internet and modern technology my magazine could also be distributed on the college website or even be available for email delivery which would once again be really helpful to students who do not have a lot of time to just go pick up a magazine, and this could also be sent to their phones with the use of a smartphone.

If this was to happen if the magazine was going out professionally I would add on the front page or the contents page, that they can receive this via these different ways so that it gives people the option.

Musicmagazine

I believe that with tweaking as this magazine is not at a professional level yet this could be distributed by shops such as supermarkets and newsagents, It could also be supplied in specialised shops such as music shops that could come as a supplement with an instrument or a purchase of some kind. This could also be available in music shops such as HMV and FOPP, which would be a perfect place for my target audience as these are the places they would most probably go. As well as these because of the target audience this could also be distributed on a webpage or by email as this is a fast easy and sufficient way for most young adults to buy things, such as downloaded music.

How did I attract/address my audience

Collegemagazine

To attract my target audience I used conventions a general established College Magazine would use.

I used black and white images with bright blues for the sell lines to make them stand out on the page.

To persuade my reader to buy this magazine I also added the use of how that buying this magazine will help the cause ‘Make a wish foundation’.

If this was a professional magazine and was going to be published and dispatched I would have to gain permission for the use of this logo

Musicmagazine

To attract my target audience I used conventions a general established Music Magazine would use.

I used darker colours of blue and grey that could attract both males and females and used the same colour scheme throughout to make the magazine flow. I also used some brighter colours to make things really stand out

I have used a title that would attract my target audience also and fits in with the genre of my music magazine, as it is not a typical font found

For my main image I used typical indie clothing on my model and a guitar which is generally what you would see on a conventional music magazines cover image

I have used informal language which would attract the age group I wanted and fits the genre of the magazine well, as it is on the same level as the audience.

What have I learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this

product?

QuarkWhile producing my music magazine I learnt a whole new programme that I am now fully confident with and I really liked the look it gave to my magazine.

TOOLS IVE LEARNT!Drop down caps, this is used in a lot of conventional magazines and is generally seen in all articles on the double page spread

Linking tool, this enabled me to make separate text boxes while making sure the text carried on throughout the boxes

Changing Opacity, I did this for the title of my double page spread, this enabled it took look more professional and blend in while still standing out with the background

PhotoshopThrough creating my music magazine I have learnt a lot about Photoshop which I could not use at all before producing this magazine.

TOOLS I’VE LEARNT!

Changing levels to photos, I did this to make my photos look more professional, for example changing the brightness

Background eraser tool, I used this for my masthead and for testing one image I was going to use for my main image but chose against as I do not think it was at a good enough standard

I was going to use this image for my main image but went against it as I was not completely happy with the outcome and it did not look professional enough so this is something I would have to work on in Photoshop

Original image Manipulated image

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

product?

Looking back at my preliminary task I believe I have come along way since the beginning of my college magazine as this did not have the finished more

professional look I believe my music magazine did, as I have been able to learn new programmes and techniques to help me produce this. I have also taken a

lot of inspiration from other music magazines and studied these before beginning which helped me a lot and because of this I included lots of typical

conventions into my magazine. In my college magazine I thought I had completed it then looking back a few days later I decided I wanted to change

my main image from a long shot to a medium close up, which I am happy I did as it looked more professional. When completed all the pages in all my

magazines I looked back and tweaked any changes I wanted too. Overall I am really happy with outcome of my college magazine for the knowledge I knew

at that time and using publisher. I'm really happy with my music magazine and that I have been able to learn a new programme and incorporate Photoshop in

this, and that I now know how to attract and appeal to target audiences through features such as the articles and colour schemes.