Evaluation - representation

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My magazine is aimed at younger people of both genders. People are represented in many different ways dependant on the magazine - but usually in hip hop/grime/r&b magazines, they are shown to be from urban areas, and the people reading are able to relate to the artist and what they represent. In magazines of this genre, the pictures are normally taken against a plain background, so that attention isn't taken away from the artist, who usually have a big personality to make up for this. The image on my front cover is of a female, this is because males are usally associated with these genres, and i want my audience to see that females are just as capable. The image shows the artist wearing fashionable, but normal clothing, so that the readers are able to relate to her. The outfit is quite unique, which is typical of artists from the hiphop/r&b genre. I have used minimal make-up and kept the hair natural - which is actually quite uncommon with this genre of music, but again means the reader is able to relate to a 'normal, every day girl.' The position she is standing, shows that she is quite shy, but the low cut top and no trousers also shows she has some confidence. I chose for the picture to be taken against a plain background, making her stand out more and give her an edge. Overall my model represents your average girl, meaning the reader can relate to her, but she stands out and is unique, appealing to my target audience.

The main image on my double page spread is represents girls as being more sophisticated, appealing to the boys more, as the model is  wearing a smarter outfit with heels. She is shown to be fashionable, yet people can still relate to her. Again the make up and hair has been kept simple, to represent your average girl - like someone who would read the magazine. The way she has her hands in her laps shows again that she is quite shy, but the position of her legs, and the length of her skirt shows a more confident side to her. The picture again is taken against a plain background, keeping the look of the magazine simple and tidy - making it easier for the audience to identify with.

The second image on my double page spread is more appealing to the male gender, the artist has a 'sexier' pose, and is exposing her legs. The electric guitar is also something most men would find appealing. In this picture, she is representing females as being as feminine and bold. Again, the make-up and hair has been kept quite natural, so girls are able to relate to her, as she represents an average woman.


















In comparison to magazines similar to mine, my photos are relatively unconventional, because artists of the genre i have chosen often wear over the top outfits and extravagant make-up, whereas i have chosen to keep to casual clothing and natural make-up.

The above comparison between VIBE magazine -one of a similar style to mine makes clear the differences in conventions and representations. The VIBE cover will evidently only really appeal to the male gender, whereas mine could appeal to both. The pose that 'Ciara' is doing shows confidence, and seductiveness - yet she could also be shy because she covers up the majority of her body, although it is clear she is naked. Both pictures are taken against a plain background though, and they both have a flowing colour scheme. 




Language:


As my magazine is aimed at a younger audience, i chose to use more casual language. For example the cover lines say ''catch example and his biggest fans'' and "fresh from supporting professor green" this is quite informal and refers to well known artists of the genre, appealing to the audience. Magazines similar to mine also have these type of story lines, such as "why you should stop hating on Cuba Gooding Jr." My double page spread uses casual language, meaning the audience are able to relate to the magazine, aswell as creating a realistic interview. This is typical of magazines similar to mine, as it is relatable for the audience, and represents the readers as being young, fashionable and up to date with modern slang. 

evaluation - appeal to target audience

How did you attract/address your audience?

My target audience, was 16-20 year olds of both genders, who were interested in hiphop/grime/r&b music. I appealed to them in my magazine through layout, images, fonts, colours and articles in the magazine.

Front Cover:

My front cover must be appealing to my target audience, because this will be the first thing they see, therefore contributes greatly as to whether they buy the magazine or not. On the cover, i tried to use all conventions and make the layout as appealing as possible and also using images that i believe would appeal to my target audience.

The first thing you see when looking at the magazine, is the title, because this is in the route of the eye, therefore i made it bold to stand out, i used a font that would make it appealing to both genders. Its important to make the mast head appeal to the target audience, because if the name or font isn't appealing then it may contribute to people not buying the magazine.  I made the title black, because it stands out against the white/grey background and it is also appealing to both genders. The next thing you see is the face of the artist on the cover, this has been positioned like this in the route of the eye, because after the title, this is the second most important thing that i want the target audience to see. I have positioned the picture so that there is room for cover lines to be placed neatly around it, therefore making the magazine look ordered and professional.  The next thing you go on to see on the cover of my magazine is the bar across the bottom with a variety of artists names in it. This will be appealing to my target audience because they are names of artists that the target audience will relate to and like, therefore it will be more likely that they will purchase the magazine. All the important features of my front cover are placed along the route of the eye, this is because the audience will notice these first when looking at the magazine, and even with a quick glance are likely to be attracted to it. I chose to keep the cover lines to a minimum, so the target audience can focus on the important things such as the artist on the front, and the cover lines that are there. I also believe an ordered layout is more appealing to my target audience because it will attrract older people, which is what i am aiming for. I chose a colour scheme that i thought would be appealing to both genders - blue. Although people often associate blue with boys, i feel i was able to make it a unisex colour by using and combining different shades to give it a more girly feel. I kept my font use to a minimal on my front cover in order to keep the grown up, sophisticated look. The mast head was quite a simple font that i found on dafont.com, as was the 'festivals' cover line. The rest of the fonts i used were default ones that i found on publisher, which are simple and appealing to the target audience.

The image i used on the front cover was taken against a plain background, following conventions. This makes the image stand out against the background, and also makes it easy to read the cover lines as they stand out.  I chose to put the artist in normal clothing so that the audience could easily relate to her. I chose to use a mid-shot, so you are able to clearly see the artists face and clothes. This is all the target audience need to see for it to appeal to them. Through composition, the artist was placed to the right hand side of the shot, this was so the mast head and cover lines didn't overlap the image, so they stood out and looked neat. The pose that the artist is doing shows her to be girly but shy, making her easy to relate to, and the target audienvce will not feel intimidated by her. I used smalled images on the left hand side to go with the cover lines, they are of artists that the target audience will recognise and relate to and this will contribute in the magazine appealing to them. The cover lines that i used were also appealing to the target audience, because they mention artists/events that they would be interested in reading about


Contents Page:

My contents page is the second page that my target audience will see, therefore again, it is important that it is appealing to them, with cover lines that will interest them, and a suitable layout.
As you can see with the principle of thirds, the three columns fit exactly in them, making the layout look neat and ordered, while also being appealing to the target audience. Again, i have placed important information along the route of the eye, so that the target audience will see it first, drawing them in. The first thing they see is the title 'contents' this is so they know what the page is, and also so they know they are able to see what the magazine has in it. The next thing along the route of the eye is the date - so they know its the latest issue, and also the list of contents, which is essntial for attracting the target audience. The articles need to be appealing to the target audience, so when they scan over them, they are immediatly inteterested, which will make them more likely to purchase the magazine. The next thing which you are able to see along the route of the eye, is the twitter address, when people see this they are likely to go and check it out, and on the twitter website they will tweet about things that will interest the target audience, therefore they are likely to see that the magazine will contain similiar stuff, and make them want to read it. The final thing you are able to see along the route of the eye is the image of the artist that was on the cover, this is again someone they will relate to and make them want to read about her.
I carried on the colour scheme from the front cover, using blues. I used a bright blue strip along the left hand side, this makes it stand out and appeals to the target audience. On the strip of blue, i used a darker blue for the shoutout box containing the twitter address, this compliments the blue its against, but also stands out. I kept to the plain background with black text to make the writing stand out. By keeping the colour scheme and background plain, i am appealing to the target audience because it is conventional, and also neat and ordered, which they prefer. I used the same fonts on the contents page as i did on the front cover, this is so i kept the theme flowing and made it look professional and neat. The fonts i used as subheadings were kept in black so they were legible and stood out against the blue box they are placed in. The signature from the letter to the editor was done in a swirly font to make it look like it was handwritten making the audience able to relate to her, and feel as if they are actually listening to what the editor has to say. I only used 3 images on the contents page, to keep the layout simple and neat. The first image was of the front cover, this was to that the target audience are able to be reminded of what the cover looks like, and it is appealing to them. The second image is of the editor, this is used so that the readers are able to see the person behind the magazine, and it creates a sense of friendliness in the magazine. The final image i used, was of the artist that was on the cover, and as it is someone that the audience will recognise and relate to, it is more likely to appeal to them.


Double Page Spread:

The double page spread is also important in my magazine, because it is the main article, and one that readers are going to want to read the most in the magazine. For my double page spread i decided to take up one of the pages with an image and the name of the artist, this was to break up the text and make it more appealing to the target audience. This will appeal to the target audience of 16-20 years old, because an article full of text could intimidate a younger audience. The route of the eye goes from the title of the double page spread, through the introduction and article, then through the artist, and finally through the second image of the artist.  I have chosen to lay the magazine out like this, so that all the important information is placed along the route of the eye and the target audience will see it at first glance. The layout of the text is ordered very neatly, to appeal to target audience again, and to follow magazine conventions. The image and the info box are used so that there isn't too much text for the reader, and to make it look nicer. I have flowed on the colour scheme from the front cover and contents pages, making it all fit together nicely. I used a simple white background for the article, which is conventional, and i also used a plain white background for the photo on the left hand page.  The artist is wearing normal, every day clothing so that the audience could relate to her and not be intimidated. I used some of the fonts that were on the cover and contents page, but then for the article, i used a new, simple font.  I used two long shots on the double page spread, to vary from the other shots used in magazine, and also so you can fully see what the artist is wearing etc. 

evaluation - progression from preliminary task

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

The preliminary task was to create a magazine for a school, although the concept was completely different, it was helpful when producing my final magazine. Looking back at my preliminary task, I believe my magazine making skills have improved. Both magazines have different conventions, and i feel i displayed these in both magazines, although i feel i was able to understand the conventions of the music magazine more easily and apply them to my work. I learnt from my preliminary task, that planning was extremely important in the making process, therefore i feel i put more work into the research and planning for my main task, which then allowed me to understand the conventions better, and enabled me to have more professional and higher quality photographs for my magazine, which were also more appealing to my target audience. Although i still feel that some of the layout of my magazine is too plain, especially the double page spread, i feel that i have learnt a lot about how to construct a professional looking magazine, for example i have included more relevant cover lines on my final task, and arranged them in a neater layout, and my contents page in comparison to the preliminary task looks a lot more professional due to the layout and flowing colour scheme, which will make it more appealing to the target audience. Overall, i feel i have learnt a lot about producing a magazine from my preliminary task, in terms of picture taking, colour/font schemes and layout, it has taught me to take into consideration the wants of my target audience to make it more appealing to them, and make them want to buy my magazine. I have included pictures of my preliminary task and my final magazine so you are able to see the difference. 

Seeing the two side by side, you are able to see the improvements made, and how overall my final product is an improvement on my preliminary task,  the colour scheme for my final magazine flows considerably better than in the preliminary task, with the blues being used on the contents page as well as the cover. The cover lines are positioned more carefully, and in more appropriate places. In the main task, i was able to use the route of the eye and principle of thirds more effectively, creating a better product overall. The photograpgs used in my preliminary task are not very effective, and the edges are rough, whereas in the main task, the picture was taken against an appropriate background. The contents page on my main task has a more effective layout,following conventions of a typical music magazine. The contents are divided into columns, with subheadings, and there is a letter from the editor. The contents page for my preliminary task is simple, against a plain background, and the subheadings don't work particually well. I also believe there is a better use of imagery in the final task, that contrast the background, stand out and are more appealing to the target audience.

  

evaluation - technologies

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

Whilst producing my my magazine, i used numerous amounts of technology, such as publisher, fireworks, a digital camera and word etc. While making my magazine, i feel i have improved my skills in using these technologies, and been able to create a professional looking magazine.

I took my photos using a digital camera, meaning i was able to get a variety of distances and shot types, this ensured i had enough photographs to edit and use in my magazine. I took the photos around my house, this was because i had plain backgrounds to take them against, and it was easy to crop out objects such as skirting boards etc to make the shots look more professional.

I edited my photos using an editing software called macromedia firework, it is quite a complex program, but it allowed me to effectively edit the photographs to make them more professional looking. For my front cover shot i had to extend the background, so it fitted the page, then i changed the light settings for it to compliment the model. 

I was able to use this software efficiently and it enabled me to achieve the look i was striving for when editing my pictures relatively easily. I was also able to use new tools on fireworks that i hadn't used before, therefore developing my skills. For the other photos in my magazine i used the similar techniques, and in some i removed the background. The following are some examples of the pictures i edited:

The screen shot below shows the program, macromedia fireworks that i used to edit my photos, the wide variety of tools and the easiness of using it allowed me to produce photos that will fit with my magazine and look professional. 

To create my magazine, i used Microsoft publisher to create my magazine, it is a relatively simple program to used, which enabled me to efficiently and effectively create a professional looking magazine. For the front cover, i used text boxes and fonts downloaded from dafont.com to create the mast head and cover lines. I also imported images of artists that i had seen live, such as example and ed drewett and also the 'example' logo. I placed cover lines around the main image, in order to keep the layout neat and simple, meaning it would appeal to the older end of my target audience too. It is easy to move objects around on publisher, which was helpful when creating my magazine, as i was able to re-order object serveral times before i got them into the correct position. The following images shows the transformation from my draft magazine to my final product.

For my contents page, the layout changed considerably from my draft, i chose for the final layout to have a letter from the editor on the left hand side, as this is typical of many magazines, i then chose for the contents to be in columns with subheadings. i achieved this by using text boxes to create the columns. i then wrote snippets about the articles under some of the contents, in a different font and colour, this was to interest the reader more, and make them want to continue reading. Using publisher allowed me to play about with the layout until i finally found one that suited the magazine style, and also i was able to alter the colours so that it would flow effectively from the front cover and look professional. 

Again, i used publisher to create my double page spread, the columns were created using two separate text boxes, that were the same size. i also used a text box which i filled in a blue colour to create the fact file box. I imported my edited images onto the double page spread, and used a font from dafont.com to write the large title. If i was able to go back and do the magazine again, i think for the double page spread, i would have taken my photo against a busy background, as it looks quite plain. 

Whilst constructing my magazine, and using various different technologies, i feel i have developed my skills in them, enabling me to do a variety of different things on them, i have become more confident with using them and understand them better, i have learnt how to do new things on there, enabling me to be able to create a professional looking magazine.

evaluation - target audience

3. Who would be the audience for your media product?

From my original questionnaire, i was able to find that the target audience for my magazine would be people aged between 16-20. There isn't much difference between the genders, but it does sway slightly towards female. 

My target audience most popular genre was hip hop, closely followed by by rock, as i'm not personally a rock fan and don't know much about the genre, therefore hip hop was a clear winner. I also decided to combine the hip hop genre with grime and r&b as they are similar and artists tend to dabble in more than one genre and it will make it more interesting, and a better read. 

Evaluation - institutions

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


A magazine similar to mine is 'vibe' so i researched into the magazine, and found that it was distributed by an American company called Intermedia Vibe Holdings, LLC. 






The website http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=34669 tells us the following about the company overview:

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Intermedia Vibe Holdings, LLC publishes magazines and digital content related to hip-hop generation. The company offers news, music, movies/TV shows, photos, videos, and blogs related to hip-hop. Its publications provide urban music, entertainment, culture, and lifestyle content for aspirationals ageing from 18 to 34. The company was founded in 1993 and is based in New York, New York. Intermedia Vibe Holdings, LLC is a prior subsidiary of uVuMobile, Inc.

I think a company like this would be suitable to distribute my magazine, because they focus on distributing just the one magazine, which means that it will get more attention and be able to be developed properly to enable it to meet the needs and wants of the target audience. 

Evaluation -Conventions.

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


I researched into magazine conventions by selecting magazines of my chosen genres - r&b, hip hop, grime etc. It was through analysing these that i was able to see a trend in the layouts etc.


Front Cover Conventions:


• One main image of a well known singer/rapper
• An ordered layout, with short and sharp cover lines
• Large masthead at the top of the page
• Consistent colour scheme
• Relevant cover lines
• Important information in the route of the eye
• Names of artists placed clearly

For my front cover, i tried to use as many as the conventions as possible, to create a more realistic looking magazine that would be appealing to my target audience. The title for my magazine is quite short, therefore doesn't fill the whole of the top of the page, like most magazines, but it is large and bold, therefore still eye-catching. Fitting with the typical conventions, i have kept the layout simple and plain. I chose cover lines that i believed would appeal to my target audience, with artists that they would recognise as they're associated with the genre. I also chose to use one main image, of an artist linked with the genres, this will help attract my target audience. I then put the artists name in relatively bold writing, again to confirm who it is to potential readers. The photograph was taken against a plain background, like many professional magazines, and the artist is wearing everyday clothes - again to draw the reader in. I chose to put a list of artists along the bottom, because it's where the route of the eye is, and the target audience will relate to the artists. I chose a blue colour scheme for my magazine, but the contrast of light and bright blues mean it's appealing not only to males, but to females too.  My magazine challenges conventions by having more than one image on the page, but i think this works well because the other images are small enough to not draw attention away from the main image, but still big enough to be noticed and used to attract readers.




Conventions of a contents page:
• Simple background
• Neatly organised structure
• Colour scheme flowing on from the cover
• A selection of images
• Sub headings for easy reading

For the contents page, i again tried to use all the conventions of a typical grime/hip hop/r&b magazine. The colour scheme is the part that stands out most, mainly due to the large blue strip at the side, the colours flow from the blues used on the front cover. I then put the link to the magazines twitter in a different shade blue bubble, to make it stand out. Contents is written in large across the top, like on the front cover. I have used a neat and simple layout - where the contents are separated into columns, with sub headings of 'regulars' 'reviews' and 'features' is used. I have done this because it makes it easier for people to read, and is more likely to attract the target audience. I used an image of the main artist on the contents page to appeal to the target audience. My contents page challenges conventions because i have chosen to include a letter from the editor- you don't normally find them styled like this in music magazines, and are much more likely to find them in fashion magazines, this will help to attract the female audience for my magazine. 

Conventions for a double page spread


• Simple background
• One main image, then a selection of smaller images
• Questions in a different colour font to the answer
• Introduction to the artist before the interview
• Flowing colour scheme
• Artists name in large writing

Again for my double page spread i used all the conventions of a typical magazine to attract the target audience. I wrote the artists name in large writing across the top, because it is an name that the audience will recognise. The writing again is in blue, flowing on from the front cover and contents page. I have used one main image, against a plain background, with the artist dressed in every day casual clothing, this will mean that the reader is able to relate to the artist more. For the right hand side of the magazine, i have done an introduction, i used informal language to appeal to the audience. The interview is relatively in-depth but I have chosen to use a casual tone, which is something you expect from a magazine interview, both the interviewer and artist are chatty and friendly, and i have used slang, this is something that my target audience will understand and relate too.The questions have been written in a different colour to the answers - which is something you typically see in a magazine interview. I also used a smaller image of the artist in the bottom right hand corner, this again is something you will see in a typical music magazine. My double page spread considerably follows the conventions, and doesn't really stray, except i have included a fact file about the artist - this is something you would normally find in a magazine aimed at younger audiences, but i think it works well in the magazine.