Evaluation
1. In what ways does your media product
use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real products?
My media
product uses many different forms and conventions. This has helped me with my
real product as I have analysed and understood the uses of all of them. In my
front cover, I have used the conventions set out by professional magazines. This
includes; masthead, cover lines, barcode, date, issue, price, cover star, sky liners
etc. These are the elements you need to make a magazine look like a magazine. I
have analysed these in my case study which had helped me to develop a better
understanding on it so that I can use it in my real product. Narrowing a
picture for my front cover was a bit of a challenging for me as the cover star
had to be part of my double page spread. In my contents page, I have tried to
use all the features needed for my magazine to look good. They are; page
numbers, editor’s notes, contents, branding, regulars, features, images etc. I
haven’t used all of these features but I have combined some of them together.
The reason for this is so that I can challenge myself and explore making a magazine
in a different way. Finally, in my double page spread, I have used all of the
elements needed such as; colours, good layout, pull quotes, page numbers,
questions & answers/interview, stars (big image). I have used all of these
however; I think my double page spread looks a little dull. I think I could
have challenged myself into using different techniques to make it look more
attractive. In the real product, have used similar shots and angles for the
images. My masthead should have been bigger as that is what catches the
reader’s attention, I think the cover lines were good and the layout of it
stood out the cover star.
2. How does your media product represent
particular social group?
My magazine
represents my target audience in many ways. This magazine was aimed at
middle/working class people. The age was teenagers aged 16-20. It was aimed at
both genders however, I have realised that I only used males in it. This is a
problem as I was aiming for both genders.
The main interest the audience have to have is an interest in music as
it is a music magazine. There are different ways in splitting the target
audience for example the cover star is a teenager which represents the age of
the target audience. The costume and props being worn suggests that it’s an
informal magazine as the clothes being worn are not formal. There is a use of slang in the double page
spread; the slang is understood my people living in London, this also shows that people living outside of London won’t be able to understand the magazine
as much.
3. What kind of media institution might
distribute your media product and why?
The media
institution I have chosen to distribute my magazine is publisher called Bauer.
I have chosen them because they have not got a hip hop or R’n’B magazine
published and as these genres are well-known and liked, it would be good. They
have published magazines such as Q, Empire and Mojo. All these magazines share
one thing in common and that is not being distributed on a mobile. I think It
would be useful if there was an app because technology is used for almost
everything nowadays and people use their mobile. other ways I could distribute my magazine is by giving it
out to readers I shops, putting it on
websites etc. Refer back to the
proposal.
Media institution:
publishers, people who have made magazines. Distribute: getting it out to readers
– in shops, mobile versions, and websites.
4. Who would be the audience for your
media product?
I have
created a ‘typical reader’ profile which identifies who my audience is.
5. How did you attracts/address your
audience?
I have
attracted the audience to my magazine visually for example, I think the colour
scheme I have used is simple yet attractive, the layout is good as the words
don’t clash into each other and it doesn’t look scruffy. The fonts are readable
and a good size, the images are attractive and the cover lines and text are
interesting. I have also addressed my
audience in a way where they would understand the text. I have used slang
because teenagers use and understand it and my text is informal. The reason for
this is because I have made a music magazine with a genre of R’n’B and the
genre has to match the way I write. Some of the feedback I was given from my
magazine is that I have used good images and colours in my magazine. It’s very
simple but it works. The name of my magazine is good as it is unique and the
colours I have used stand out the page.
The cover lines on the side make the magazine look different and
overall, the magazine looks professional.
6. What have you learnt about
technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have used
many different technologies whilst making this magazine. I have learnt how use
a DSLR camera. Using this camera was a little bit new to me as I haven’t used
something like this before. The introduction to the photography studio has
helped me develop my skills towards my photo shoot and using the camera. Before
I did my photo shoot, I used the DSLR camera but I was taking pictures for
someone else. I didn’t know how to use it properly but I just learnt the main
things. The introduction to the camera that the teacher gave us developed my
understanding on how to use the camera itself. I have learnt how to make the
image black and white or normal, how to zoom in and out, the different angles
to take pictures and so on. I have used illustrator to make my masthead and
headings. I found this a little but hard but we also had an introduction to
using this as well. I practiced and played around with all the tools and
eventually, I understood it. My skills have developed on this as I know how to
do things such as rotate, copy, paste, fill, crop, add colour etc. I have
learnt how to use blogger to upload and post everything I have done in the
making of this magazine. Blogger isn’t that hard to but it just takes time and practice.
I have used the internet to research things such as my publisher and types of
masthead that I can use to match the genre of my magazine. I have used time
toast so that I am on track and I know when I have I meet my deadlines. I have
also used survey monkey to make my survey for people to fill in about my
college magazine. This has helped me with my real product as I have used the
criticisms given to me so that o can make my real product better. What
technologies have I used – I have used Photoshop for my front cover and
InDesign for my contents page and double page spread. These were hard to use at
first but I started playing around with the tools and I understood it.
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 from the preliminary task, I didn’t have much of an
understanding in many things such as how to use Photoshop, InDesign. As the
weeks went by, I explored different ways in making things and the different
tools that I can use. I have learnt the things that magazines attract readers
and what is needed. From my preliminary task to my full product, there is a big
difference as I didn’t know how to use anything properly when I made the
college magazine. My understanding of using Photoshop and InDesign has
increased a lot and i have explored many different things which led me to the
outcome of the full product.
I didn’t know much about what we really had to do however, I
have now understood what tasks I have been told to do and I have completed it.
I have learnt the different ways of making magazines and about publishers and
the ways in which it can be distributed.
