Media Assignment

By Navneet Sembhi

How does your media product use, develop, or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My media product develops the conventions of a real music magazine front cover because it follows the layout of a real music magazine front cover.

I have added a banner at the top of the page, to make it look like a professional music magazine cover. On the banner I have added a cover story, which would attract my audience. This also follows the conventions of a real music magazine.

I have one main image, which takes up the majority of the page. It is he main attraction of the page; this is similar to other music magazine front covers.

I have made the main cover story a different colour and text size to the rest of the cover stories. This shows that it is the main story. I have made the words “Kurri” and “Dhol” to emphasise the title, as I have seen that many magazine have one or more word bigger than the other. So this shows that I have followed the conventions of a real music magazine. I empathises the word “Kurri” because it is mainly men in the Bhangra industry, so I have challenged the conventions of Bhangra music.

On my front cover I have also added a strip at the bottom, which contains the barcode, price, issue number and issue date. By added these it automatically looks like a magazine rather than a poster. This follows the conventions of a real magazine. The price I decided was £2.50, because when I did my research I found out that not many people would pay more than £3.00.

I have added a selling line above the title, that relates to the genre of my magazine. This also follows the conventions of a real music magazine.

I have placed the title of magazine behind the image. I have done this to shows that the image is more important the actual title. The title is also quite large and fits the whole width of the page. This follows the conventions of other music magazines.

I have also added some cover stories around the sides of the page, these are smaller than the main cover story. This is like other music magazines.

The colour scheme I have used is red, gold/yellow and dusty purple for the background colour.

My contents pages develops the conventions of real music magazine contents page, because it follows the layout of a contents page in a real music magazine.

On many music magazine contents that I analysed, there were many image on the page. So I decided to follow the layout and more than one image along with the page number in the corner of the image.

I have also added an arrow at the bottom of the page, which shows pointing at the next page. The arrow show that there is an editors letter on the next page; the editors letter gives personal link between the audience and the editor. I added a little image of the font cover to show the connection of the front cover and the contents page. It also shows that the editors letter is relating to this issue. This follows the conventions of a real music magazine.

I have use the same colour scheme as the front cover. This creates a link with the pages and they are easily identifiable if they were separated. I have also used the same style font for the heading and the rest of the text. This follows the convention of a real magazine contents page.

I have split my contents into five different sections. this makes it easier to read and looks more professional. I made the sub-headings bigger and put it in a box, to make it stand out. By changing the font colour of the sub-headings it splits it up making it easier to read for the audience and I have also kept it with the colour scheme. I have also made the numbers a bit bigger than the text, this make it stand out, which would attract the audiences attention. This follows the conventions of a real music magazine contents.

My double page spread develops the conventions of real music magazine double page spread, because it follows the layout of a double page spread in a real music magazine.

The title of the article is quite large, but the image covers a part of it. This shows that the image is more important than the title. I positioned the title in the top left hand corner rather than in the top middle.

On my double page spread I have added one image, which takes up nearly half of the page. I chose a mid-shot image. This is similar to other music magazine double page spreads.

I have added the page numbers on the corner of the pages. The page number is the same as it says in the contents page. This follows the conventions of a real magazine.

I have also added a quote and the speech marks bigger than the actual text size. This is so it stand out. A lot of magazines tend to do this. I have made the text colour red, so that it stands out from the article and it matches the models outfit. This follows the conventions of a real double page spread.

I presented the article in two columns and started the article with a short summary. I have made the first letter of the text bigger than the rest of the text. The introduction paragraph is in a bigger text than the rest of the article. I have presented my article in a question and answer session, as this is what many magazine do. I concluded the article with a ending paragraph. All of this follows the conventions of a real double page spread.

I have added a faint colour to the background. This colour is the same on the front cover and contents page. This shows that I have kept the same colour scheme throughout. I have also used the same font throughout my magazine, this shows that I am keeping the house style throughout and it give the magazine a professional look. I have also added my name at the end of the article, because many magazines that I analysed had the authors name at the end.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

A social group is a number of people who tend to share common goals and norms. They normally tend to share the same sort of characteristics including interests, goals and fashion. These turn into stereotypes which are formed through the media. I have targeted my magazine at South Asians in the UK.

A typical outfit that would be worn by a South Asians on a special occasion.

Typical South Asian male with a Dhol, a music instrument used in Bhangra music. Has a typical South Asian hairstyle and dresses smart.

Typical South Asian females, with the typical hairstyle, long hair with side fringe. Always together in groups enjoying.

The front cover of my music magazine represents a particular social group of UK South Asian’s aged 15-21 years. It represents them through the image and the mise-en-scene.

The text style that I chose for the title “desimag” is called Samarkan. This relates to my target audience because it is a unique Indian style font.

I have also added some names of well established Bhangra artists such as H-Dhami, Jaz Dhami, Juggy D, PBN and Imran Khan; which would attract my targeted audience, as they are very iconic artists. I also added these names because from my questionnaire I found out that these names kept on coming up. By using theses names it would attract and persuade my target audience to buy the magazine. Through my research I also found out that my target audience also like to find interviews and competition in a magazine, so I decided to add them in.

The image also represents my target audience because of the costume and the jewellery choice, as this is type of jewellery and outfit that a UK South Asian girl would wear on a special occasion. By this model it attracts both male and female, as males would be attracted to her looks and females may like her current music and see her as an iconic role model.

I have addressed my audience by advertising events that would appeal to them. I have added a banner at the top of the page which has some information about the UK AMA’s, which is the UK Asian Music Awards held every year. This would appeal to the targeted audience because it is something that they would be interested in.

Through my research I found out that my target audience look for posters in a magazine, so I decided to put this on the front cover to attract them.

I have also used terms to represent the South Asian social group such as “Kurri” which means girl in Panjabi, which is the language of Bhangra music. I have also used the term “Dhol” which is the main Indian musical instrument used in Bhangra music.

I have represented my audience through the title of my magazine. I have chose to call it Desimag, this is because Desi refers to the people, culture and products of South Asia. My audience would feel connected and feel that the magazine represents them.

The contents page of my music magazine represents the social group of South Asian’s aged 15-21 years. I have also attracted and addressed them through my choice of images and text.

The text style that I chose for the title “Contents” is called Samarkan. This relates to my target audience because it is in an Indian style.

The images that I used also represents my target audience because of the costume and the jewellery choice, as these are the types of clothes that typical South Asian’s would wear.

I have addressed my targeted audience through the articles in the magazine. I found out through my research that I should put these types of articles in my music magazine, such as interview, competitions and reviews of latest releases.

The double page spread of my music magazine represents the social group of South Asian’s aged 15-21 years. I have also attracted and addressed them through my choice of images and text.

The costume and the jewellery style represent the social group of South Asian’s. This is because females of South Asia would wear these types of clothes and jewellery.

In my article I have also used terminology in the Panjabi language such as “paaji” which means “brother” and “Tera pyaar”, which means “Your love”. This would represent the South Asian social group, as this is the language used by many South Asians and it is the language of Bhangra music.

The title of the article also represents my target audience because “The Rajj” means “The rule” in Panjabi. I have also decided to put a crown over part of the title and Rajj is also the artists name.

Through my research I found out that many people like to a good balance of images and text, so made the image fit nearly half of the page and fit the other half with text. This would make it easier to read. By having this layout it would attract my target audience because there would not be too much for them to read so they will not get bored or put off.

From my first draft to my final product I made many changes. I was able to make these changes through the comment I got from my target audience. For my first draft, as an overall score I gained a 4, but for my final I gained an overall score of 8.

The text did not shows up very well on the background, so I decided to replace the background with a faint colour instead. I also change the colour of the font from purple to gold. This is because I wanted it to match with the image. I have also made the title of the magazine bigger, so that it will stand out more. I have taken out the second image in the top right and just used one image. This is because many of the magazine I analysed only had one image and it was quite large. I made my image take up nearly all of the page. I also made the main cover line much bigger so that it is eye-catching and stands out. I also added “Free Posters” because through my research I found that my target audience would like to find posters in a magazine; I felt that in this way I would attract and representing my target audience. I added it in a red circle so that I would stand out and become eye-catching. On my final cover I added a banner at the top of the page to make it look like a real music magazine front cover.

Progression

From my first draft to my final product I made many changes to my contents page. I was able to make these changes through the comment I got from my target audience. For my first draft, as an overall score I gained a 4, but for my final I gained an overall score of 9.

The text on my first draft did was not very easy to read, so I decided to change the text to a simpler font that would match the house style as well. I also split my contents into sections to make it easy to read and look like a professional magazine. I added a few a more images along with their page numbers. I did this because through my analysis I found that this was the conventions of a music magazine contents page. I also added a banner across the bottom pointing at the next page where the editors letters is. I reflected on the comments I received and made these changes. I think these changes make my magazine look more professional than my first draft .

From my first draft to my final product I made many changes to my contents page. I was able to make these changes through the comment I got from my target audience. For my first draft, as an overall score I gained a 4, but for my final I gained an overall score of 8.

I took out the image in the top right corner and changed the main image, because it did not reflect with the article. I also added in a quote and made the speech marks a bigger size than the rest of text. I did this because I followed the conventions of a real double page spread. The font colour of the quote is red, because it matches her costume and I have stuck with my colour theme of red. The article in my first draft does not stand out and does not look appealing to the readers. So I decided to make it longer by writing some more. I also made the introduction paragraph a bigger text size, so that it will stand out and make the audience want to read on. I also made the first letter of the introduction paragraph bigger than the rest of the text. On my final page I have added the page numbers in the bottom corners; this makes it look like a real magazine. I have also fixed the grammatical errors that I found when I read through it. I reflected on the comments I received and made these changes. I think these changes make my magazine look more professional than my first draft.

From the process of constructing this my magazine I have learnt a lot about technology. At the beginning I did not know how I was going to construct my magazine to make it look professional. By playing around with technology like Photoshop and my digital camera I learnt many of the functions and how they would help my final product.

I have learnt how to use Photoshop, to edit images and construct my magazine to make it look professional and form the conventions of a real magazine.

My digital camera had a large memory capacity which allowed me to take a lot of pictures. It also had a high a megapixel which meant that my picture quality would be good and would not need much editing. My digital camera helped me through the process of creating my magazine because it had a digital red-eye correction which meant that I would not have edit any red-eyes, when creating the pages. It also had face detection on it which meant that it would focus on face rather than the background.

What have you learnt about technologies from constructing this product?

Edited images

I used this image on my contents page and I edited it on Photoshop. I adjusted the colour, to make it look brighter. I also took out the background. I thought that this image was appropriate because it represents the article because she is listening to music and the article title is “The top 50 tracks of 2010”.

I used this image on the front cover and also edited it on Photoshop. For this image I adjusted the colour and got rid of any marks, so that it looks more brighter and professional. I also cropped the image from the sides and made it bigger. This image was appropriate for the front cover because she is looking directly at the camera. It also represents the cover line because part of her face is covered and the cover line is about a new artist. The image is connoting that she is unknown; no-one knows who she is yet.

Edited images

I have used this image on the contents page and edited it on Photoshop. I cropped the image to make it look bigger and to focus it more on the hidden face. I also took out the background and adjusted the colour, to make it look brighter. This image was appropriate, because it went with the article that it was placed with. This is because her face is covered and the article is about a new artist coming out.

This image has been used on the contents page and I have edited it on Photoshop. I have taken out the background and adjusted the colour. I thought that this image was appropriate, because it is a natural pose which represents the editor.

Edited images

This image is used on the contents page and it has been edited on Photoshop. For this image I took out the background, cropped it and made the actual image red, so that you cannot see who it is. This image is appropriate because it links in with the article it is placed with.

I used this image on my double page spread and edited it in Photoshop. I took out the background and cropped the image. I have also adjusted the contrast and brightness to make it look better. I thought that this image would be appropriate for my double page because it represents the artist with the simple pose. Many magazines that I analysed the models look into the camera, so I thought that this image was the most appropriate as she is looking straight into the camera.

A media institution that might distribute my music magazine could be the Bhangra Media Group, who are a leading Bhangra group in the UK. This is because my magazine genre is Bhangra and they are a Bhangra group; so they could distribute my product.

Another institution that may help me distribute my magazine, would be a music channels such as Brit-Asia. This is because this is channel also aimed at my target audience.

I would also use social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter to advertise to my target audience. This is because my target audience would be using these sites, so it would be a good way to attract and represent them.

I would distribute my magazine in newsagents, and in popular retail shops such as Wh Smiths and Sainsbury’s. This is because a lot people prefer to go straight to the shops to purchase their magazines along with the rest of their shopping; it is also a good way of reaching the majority of my target audience.

As the internet is growing I would also have a website where there would be an online copy of the magazine as well. This would also be good for my target audience as well as they spend a lot of time on the internet.

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

The audience for my music magazine would be young South Asian’s 75% female and 25% male who are aged 15-21 years and are keen and interested in Bhangra music. They usually download their music and are the first in the western/urban fashion alongside the latest in Indian clothing. They tend to spend most of their time listening to music whilst on the internet on social networking sites. They would have an average amount of expendable income. They would also be quite academic and hard working.

As most of the Bhangra artists are Indian, I decided to use Indian models in my magazine. This represent the target audience. The costume that I have chosen for my main model is red, with red and gold jewellery. This is because red and gold represents a sense of being rich and bold; along side love.

I have used the same font style throughout my magazine. I used this font because it is a simple font, which is clear and easy to read.

Who would be the target audience for your media product?

Looking back at my preliminary task, I feel that I have learnt how to make my magazine look professional. At first I did not know the conventions of magazines, so I did not know how to position my images and text. For my preliminary task I did not use a colour scheme, so I ended up using many different colours, unlike my final task which looks much more professional and would appeal to my target audience. I have also learnt how to address my targeted audience properly with the use of limiting colours, font and images and particularly relating them to my targeted audience. I have learnt how the use of technology can help improve the quality of a product. At first I only knew how to use Publisher, but now I know how to use Photoshop for the creation of this task. Overall I feel that I have now been able to address a specific target audience and been able to use technology to improve the quality of my work. Also through planning and analysis of research it hepls to create a magazine that would sell and appeal to the right target audience.

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