Completed Music Magazine

Evaluation: Question 7 - Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Evaluation: Question 6 - What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

 I used an SLR Camera to take pictures for my work. I did this because the camera takes very high quality photographs. This adds to my magazine's proffessionalism.

I used Photoshop to create my media project and edit my photographs effectively.

 

 Blogger was used to document my progress of making my magazine.

I used Prezi to create my publication plan and for evaluation question 5.

During my evaluation I presented question 3 on Flickr

My photos were uploaded onto Iphoto to use on the Mac's

Evaluation: Question 5 - How did you attract your audience?

How did I attract/address my audience on Prezi

I have chosen to answer this question via Prezi presentation. 

Evaluation: Question 4 - Who would be the audience for your media product? Why?

This is my interpretation of what one of my audience members would be like. This is what is typical of a teenage boy who enjoys reading similar genre magazines such as kerrang. He has the style of a clothing style 'hardcore'. He shops at places like 'Pulp' this store often sells clothing created by members of bands such as those in magazines like Kerrang. The clothing is also similar to what these people wear.

The average age of my target audience would be around 15. His favourite TV show would be something like Doctor Who as it is typical of 'alternative people' to enjoy things like science fiction and the paranormal.

I said that his favourite food would be Pizza, this is typically one of a teenagers favourite foods. It also reflects a laid back mood and 'forever young' lifestyle, which is also shown by the bands printed in magazines like mine.

His hobbies include going to gigs, which means he would definitely have an interested in the bands in my magazine, especially if he would go to see them. I have also written that he plays in his own band, meaning some people in my magazine could inspire or influence him to want to try out the lifestyle for himself.

Evaluation: Question 3 -What kind of media institution might distribute your product and why?

Please click this image to be taken to Flickr 



Please click this image to be taken to Flickr



Please click this image to be taken to Flickr

Evaluation: Question 2

How does your media product represent similar and particular social groups?

Posture/Gesture - Both models are standing in the photos but Hayley's picture is at a slightly different angle. leaning to show her attitude. I chose to how my models attitude through her facial expression instead. Both models are showing that they are confident in themselves through their poses. the way they are posed does not highlight femininity, this is for a reason. Rock is a mainly male dominated genre so they have to show that they can 'rock with the best of them'.

Angle/Shot Type - Both my photo and that of Hayley Williams have been taken at eye-level. This allows the audience to connect with the model and form a social relationship and understanding with them. I used a medium close up for my photograph which is taken at a similar angle to the other photo, but mine is taken slightly further away.

Lighting - The lighting used on both images is bright. This catches the eye of the audience and makes the model seem important. It shows a kind of purity and innocence in both models although their style shows a more rebellious side.

Costume - Both models here are wearing necklaces and bright make up. This shows a more 'fun' side to them and their style. However Hayley Williams is only wearing a bright vest top and I decided to put my model in a leather jacket. This makes her appear more 'rock and roll' and gives her attitude.

Expression - The expressions shown here are quite different, Hayley Williams is looking serious whereas Sarah is biting her lip in a more seductive manner. This gives her a cheeky attitude

Hair - Both girls represented here have short hair, although Sarah's hair is a bit shorter. Both have styled their hair in a slightly messy way to show an 'I don't care' attitude. This is typical of the rock genre.

Evaluation: Question1

 To what extent does your magazine use, develop, or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

To what extent does your magazine use forms and conventions of real media products?
I used a banner at the top of my magazine to make my information look better presented and structured which improves the look of professionalism. This is also reflected by a similar banner which sits at the bottom of the magazine. Both mastheads are very similar in size and font style. The masthead is large and stands out boldly, almost giving a 'noisy' appearance. This shows attitude which is very important of the rock genre.
I have also placed my models head above the masthead, which reflects what has been done in Kerrang magazine.
I have placed my barcode in the right hand corner of my magazine also showing the date and price of the magazine, this makes my magazine appear more professional and like it could be distributed in the real world.

To what extent does your magazine develop forms and conventions of real media products?
I have developed the use of 'win!' bubbles from Kerrang magazine. I have done this by using a similar idea but changing the star shape more circular on my magazine.
I have also begun to develop the colour scheme used in rock magazines, as you see here Kerrang is blue and pink, its colour scheme often changes with each issue. I decided to make my colour scheme black, white and green instead. And I kept this running throughout my magazine.
I have also added extra images to my magazine of 'artists' which kerrang have done. My images sit in the middle and are more separate, representing stories whereas kerrangs images are places to the left, representing free posters.
The kinds of stories I have used are similar to those used in Kerrang which are typical of a rock magazine, such as 'gig information' and interviews with bands and artists.

To what extent does your magazine challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

I decided to give my magazine a more playful vibe I would use an ink splat paint brush which I downloaded from brusheezy. This is very different to anything that has been used on the Kerrang cover.
I have also added a 'Plus' list to the left hand side at the bottom which is not included in Kerrang's cover. This carry's on my colour scheme, which is different to this issue of Kerrang. I chose to use black and green whereas this Kerrangs colour scheme is more of a black white and blue. I feel as though my colour scheme was a good choice as these colours are typical of the rock genre.
The style of my cover story is also different to that of Kerrang as mine is more central and at a straight angle.
I added a slugline to my magazine which wasn't seen on the cover of Kerrang.

To what extent does your magazine use forms and conventions of real media products?
 For my magazine I used the same positioning of my title and page numbers. I think this gives a good amount of space to add photos and other information to the left. It also looks professional and fits with the genre, Having lots of things on a page gives a 'loud' rock vibe. I also used the idea of having a small section to the left for a 'message from the editor. In this case, that's me.

To what extent does your magazine develop forms and conventions of real media products?

 I have developed the use of images on my contents page. I have used the idea of filling the left hand side with images  but my page numbers section is slightly larger than kerrangs. Because of this my images are set up in a different layout. All of my images are also different shot types than those used in Kerrang, as a lot of images in kerrang are from live shows. I could not take any of these images as the 'musicians' I used aren't really musicians. I have also used a similar font with a similar size for my page numbers section. I have done this because it stands out and is easy to read for my audience. I have also developed the headers used by Kerrang. They have a 'This Week' and a lot of other sections such as 'News' 'Gigs' and 'Features' and for my magazine I chose just to use 'Features' and 'Regular'.

To what extent does your magazine challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

I have chosen to use a brush to add 'paint splatters' to my page. I think this adds to the messy 'I don't care' rock attitude. This also gives my magazine a youthful look which should add to it appealing to a young audience. My chosen colour scheme is also different to that of Kerrang if they are compared. I used the black and green as I feel that this is more of a rock colour scheme. It seems more rebellious than the yellow and white. At the bottom of my contents page I added a section for subscriptions I feel this is an important feature as I have seen it appear in various other magazines. If people liked my magazine I would ant to give them the option to get it delivered to their homes. I have also included the facebook and twitter logos which tells my audience that my magazine will have pages on these websites that they can follow or join to acquire extra information. 

To what extent does your magazine use forms and conventions of real media products?
My double page spread is not very similar to others I found so the only thing that I did use from another magazine is the small box in the right hand corner telling my audience that the interview I have used is exclusive.

To what extent does your magazine develop forms and conventions of real media products?

I developed the idea of adding a quote to my page, using a quote from your interview is designed to catch the audience's attention. My quote is in a different font to that in the Kerrang article and mine is on the other side. As well as this I have developed the idea of having an image on one page and the article on the other. My image is on the right hand side and in Kerrang the image is on the left. I did this because people read from left to right so I wanted my audience to read my article first. I developed the 'exclusive' box, whilst still doing the same job it is a different font style and a different colour. I have also developed the photo used in the double page spread. I wanted to use an image showing the 'artist' as being fun and having a good time. As the image from Kerrang is that of a band it will look different for that reason. But the image I used should give the same impression of the artist being fun and 'like a normal young person'

To what extent does your magazine challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

I challenged the other double page spread as my article background is black and my writing is white. I did this because I find black a more rock colour than white. I also added a picture of a 'CD cover' at the bottom of my page, I did this as I have seen this in other music magazine articles and it is common to see bands doing interviews to promote their new albums or tours. I also added another quote under my article title, this quote runs through my magazine. I thought it would be a good idea to add a fact file for my double page spread. I did this because the model I used is presented as 'new on the scene' so by doing this my audience should learn more about her. This fact file would be a running thing throughout my magazine

 

Research and Planning: Tweaked Double Page Spread

 

Today I have decided to add some final touches to my double page spread so that I am happier with it. I have neatened up the small image in the 'fact file'section as I was not happy with the way it had been cut out. I also moved the position of the 'It's been everything I could have asked for and more' quote to a better position as I find that it is easier to read here.

Research and Planning: Tweaked Final Contents page

My contents page had the least tweaks to make, all I did here was adjust the size of my largest image as it had previously appeared too stretched and distorted.

Research and Planning: Tweaked Final Cover

To complete my front cover and to make me happier with it's appearance I added writing to the top strip to make it look more symmetrical. I also slightly brightened the main image to my satisfaction.

Research and Planning: Model Release forms

My finished music magazine

Edit: This is no longer my final magazine tweaks have been made.

Research and Planning: Brusheezy

After looking through the availible brushes on photoshop I discovered that none of them seemed to be appropriate for my genre. I instead found a downloadable brush from brusheezy called ink splatters. Adding this to my magazine definately made it look a lot better. I enjoyed playing around with the different looks I could make. Adding the splodges and splatters gave my magazine an edgy 'messy' look, symbolising the 'I don't care' rock and roll attitide.

Research and Planning: My Magazine so far

Today I have added a drop shadow to some of my text to make it easier for the audience to read. I adjusted the brightness of some images and changed the spacing on my double page spread to make it look more realistic as a magazine format. I also added a fact file on 'Splinter Nova' to add to the double page spread.

Research and Planning": My magazine today

After coming into to class for an extra hour and a half I have managed to get a lot more done with my media work. I have added more images to fill up my cover, added extra pieces to my double page spread, aligned my text in my article to the left  and I have removed the black line from the cover at the top.

Research and Planning: My Magazine Today

Research and planning: Double page spread fonts

After discussing with my tutor I now understand that it would be more useful to use a Serif font as they are easier for the audience to read. Especially at size 10 or 12 which is the acceptable size font for a double page spread.