Evaluation for MediaBy Jake Stanley

One way my product uses the conventions of real media products on the front cover is by replicating the colour scheme, it not only uses a limited number of colours; red, green, black and yellow as do many other magazines of a similar genre such as KERRANG!, Q and VIBE as I found through my market research. These magazines also use similar colour schemes using black, white, yellow, green and red which I have replicated on my cover and throughout my magazine.

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

My magazine front cover Media product with the same colour scheme and similar genre to mine

Media products with similar colour schemes to mine and with the same genre (Rock music)

Question 1

Another way my media product uses conventions of existing similar products in my front cover is by using pull quotes to give a small preview of the contents. I also ensured that none of my cover lines were covering my models’ faces.

Question 1

Pull quotes

I have used the conventions of real media products, one way is by replicating the layout of articles. One of these techniques is by beginning the text of an article with an illuminated letter. I also structured my text in columns. Examples of these techniques being used are taken from the Q double page spread. This image is one that I analysed during my market research.

Question 1

Double page spread from my magazine

Double page spread from Q magazine

My magazine challenges the conventions of existing media products as it doesn’t focus on just one genre and rather covers both Rock and Hip-hop. Other magazines in the industry such as Q and KERRANG! Only cover rock. The way I cover two genres means my magazine appeals to more audiences and giving the reader more of a fulfilling magazine that covers more topics that may interest them.

Question 1

Coverage of a Rock band

Coverage of a Hip-hop/Rap artist

Displays other artists that are covered in the issue, mixture of both Rock and Hip-Hop artists

The models in my magazine are all within the same age bracket(17-20) and within the same age range as my audience. They are represented as being middle class through their costumes, which are not overly expensive looking. This is also represented by the camera angles used as a low angle shot may be perceived as representing prestige therefore upper class. I have used eye line shots to give the idea of equality with the audience as they will be within a similar age range and will therefore feel as though they can relate to the models and will feel less so if they are represented as being prestigious.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Question 2

My magazine only uses one image of a female which could be argued as being prejudiced but rather is consistent with the Rock and Hip-Hop music industry which is dominated by males. This representation of a female in my magazine, who is shown to be comfortable with her position in the industry through the camera angle and the way she is positioned in the shot, facing the camera and taking up most of the shot, displaying her confidence as the other band member is turned to the side and only taking up one third of the shot. This shows the audience the diversity of my magazine and that it is willing to go against conventions of the music industry.

Question 2

The publisher that would distribute my product is The Bauer Media group. I believe that this company will distribute my product as they publish similar genre magazines such as Q and KERRANG. They therefore have a good amount of knowledge about these types of magazines. Publishing my magazine will allow them to limit their competition in the market so that the audience for rock magazines will have more of a range of products to choose from of which Bauer Media Group will publish the majority. This means that they will have a larger market share and in turn a larger profit.

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

Question 3

The fact that my magazine covers Hip-Hop allows Bauer Media Group to fill a gap in their portfolio as they do not currently publish a magazine that has a Hip-Hop/Rap focus so publishing my magazine will allow them to expand their range of audiences with varying interests.

Question 3

Bauer media group’s current portfolio of music magazines

Who would be the audience for you media product?

Question 4

My reader profileMy reader will be aged between 15 and 24 (53% female and 47% male), therefore will be mostly in full time education or have recently left education living in the North Yorkshire area which is a largely rural area, Fans of rock and hip hop. My reader will not be a frequent buyer of music magazines but will buy them once or twice a month to read about up and coming bands especially in the local area, they will regularly go to small gigs to see new bands and like to introduce their friends to these bands. As fans of music they will already have at least some basic knowledge about the music industry.

My audience are people who are mainly aged between 15 and 24. I found this through my market research for which I made an online using survey monkey. I also found that my respondents were almost equally split between male and female, mainly lived in the York area and mostly enjoy rock music.

Question 4

Through my survey I also established that my audience are generally happy with the current music magazine market, with the majority of my respondents aid that they agreed that the current market suits their needs. I also found that my audience currently regularly purchase NME and Q magazine, both of which cover Rock music much like my magazine, showing how my magazine is fitting to the needs of my audience.

Question 4

One way I attracted my audience was by matching the style of other popular magazines that they purchase such as Q magazine. I did this by implementing a similar colour scheme to that used by Q. This presents a colour scheme that my audience is familiar with and will be more likely to purchase as they will associate that colour scheme with rock genre

How did you attract/address your audience?

Question 5

Use of red, black and white for the house style

Attracting my audience

Another way I attracted my audience is by using models who are of a similar age to them. This creates a level of familiarity with the models and therefore the magazine itself.

Question 5

Use of models around the same age as my audience (17-20)

Attracting my audience

I addressed my audience with language in a way that was not too complex but at the same time avoided using overly simple language. As my primary audience is aged between 15-24 they would be able to fully understand the language I used, I avoided using oversimplified language as it my give off a patronizing feel to the audience and overly complex language would be less interesting to read and would not fit with my purpose or audience, and would be more appealing to older readers who are looking for more serious and arguably sophisticated content.

Question 5

Addressing my audience

I addressed my audience through the use of my photography on my front cover by having the models look directly at the camera therefore making eye contact with anybody who looks at the front cover. This creates a ‘relationship’ between my audience and the models therefore persuading them to read the article. I used this technique throughout the magazine. In one image the model is looking to the side of the camera and laughing, giving the impression that he enjoyed working with the magazine and showing that he had fun being interviewed, this means that my audience will see that my magazine is not overly serious and addresses them as such.

Question 5

Addressing my audience

Hardware and software I have used Camera Computer Adobe Photoshop Adobe InDesign Blog – WordPress Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Word Dafont

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

Question 6

From this process I have learnt how to effectively use computer programs such as adobe Photoshop and InDesign, learning what each of the tools do and how I can use them to shape my product into a finished piece of work, for example I learnt how to effectively use the select tool which allowed my to take a model from an image and edit it as a separate image.

Question 6

I have learnt about the convergence of technology and how programs can interact with one another. I have also learnt how this convergence has allowed my to present my work on many different platforms such as in the source program, as a jpeg image and on an internet based platform such as my online blog.

Question 6

Use of my blog to present work

My double page spread, originally an InDesign file displayed as a jpeg image.

From my initial preliminary task I have learnt how to use Adobe Photoshop more effectively and how to use it to create a more suitable product. My preliminary product was quite basic in the sense of the things I had available to me from Photoshop that I implemented, such as the ‘drop shadow tool’. I have also learnt how to acquire a variety of fonts from DaFont.com which are very useful in improving the appearance of my product.

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

Question 7

Drop shadow used

Basic fonts and presentation techniques used as opposed to the more effectively used Photoshop techniques

I have learnt more about the music magazine market and how to fit my product into that market, replicating some themes from other similar products such as image use, colour schemes and layout conventions.

Question 7

Prior to market research

After market research

Existing products in the market