We were asked to produce our own unique music magazine for our AS level Media Studies coursework. We had to make a blog in order to present evidence of all the research and planning we had carried out and use Adobe Photoshop to create a front cover, contents page and double page spread. Now that I have finished the task I was set, the time has come for me to look back and evaluate the effectiveness of my work and to consider how much I have developed as a media practitioner.

I made a choice at the very start to produce three components of a music magazine that celebrates pop music. Pop, as a genre, has very obvious conventions that are loved by all fans of this type of music. As a pop fan myself, I was already familiar with these, but I carried out extensive research into real pop magazines to deepen my knowledge and to find out how existing media texts reflect genre through content, design features and mode of address.

My magazine is called Rhythmix. The front cover, contents page and double page spread all follow typical conventions of real pop magazines. They

feature bright colours, which entice the readership and reflect the bright, fun persona of pop. The colour scheme of my three pieces is mainly pink and orange. These colours are typical feminine colours, which will appeal to the youthful readership of my magazine, but that also match the colours found in existing pop magazines like ‘We Love Pop’ and ‘Just Pop’.

The colloquial mode of address used within my three pieces will also entice the readership further. Building up a relationship between the readership and magazine is an important thing and an appropriate mode of address will make the readership feel as though the magazine is a friend that understands her. Words such as ‘hotties’, ‘crush’ and ‘fiver’ are used throughout the three pieces and the audience will recognise these words so therefore will want to read the magazine. By using language like this, I have followed the conventions of pop magazines, as a similar mode of address is found on the front cover and inside the pages of ‘We Love Pop’, which features colloquialisms such as, ‘LOL One Directed’ and ‘’I snogged 17 girls last Saturday’. I have also followed the general layout conventions of magazines by placing the masthead at the top of the frame on my front cover,

and the price and barcode in the bottom right hand corner, where the Western eye goes last. Sell-lines, meanwhile, surround the main image. My jam-packed front cover does look pretty ‘busy’, but, again, it is a common convention of pop magazines to have a ‘chocka-block’ front cover in order to capture the fun, youthful persona of the typical pop fan and of pop itself.

It is typical of pop mags to use bright colours, I have achieved this in my double page spread by using colours such as, pink, yellow and purple. All of my images follow the conventions of images found in pop magazines and use typical pop iconography. The models’ images make it clear who my target audience are. All of my models are in close proximity with each other, they are smiling friendly and giving direct address. This will make me TA feel like the models are actually looking/talking to them and the friendly smiles will draw in the reader and make her feel special and not intimidated by the pretty girls. My contents page is also typical of contents pages and follows general conventions. My contents page also uses bright colours such as pink and orange which are two very feminine colours, which, again, will appeal to the reader and lure

her in. The image also shows the models looking fun, feminine and friendly, rather than too flirty or provocative, making the image more appealing to the reader, as she will see the girls in this band as potential friends and role models. It is important for the models to look like this because it is vital for the reader to feel welcomed and not be intimidated or jealous of the models. I have secured a symbiotic link over my three pieces by using the same gorgeous models, who are young, about the same age as the target audience which will heighten appeal and lure readers in. I have also used the same colour scheme across my three pieces, including pink and orange which are fun, bright, youthful colours. However, in my double page spread I used a different colour scheme of yellow, pink and purple because it is a common convention of pop magazines to make subtle changes to their colour scheme to keep it from being repetitive and boring. I didn’t want the magazine to be too ‘samey’ as if the reader was seeing the same colour scheme through out the magazine she would get bored and eventually put it down and not continue reading. Through creating a symbiotic link I have achieved a strong brand identity and I am sure whenever a girl saw the magazine she would straight away know it was

Rhythmix and she would be unable to not buy the magazine as it is full of all the things a teenage girls wants and needs. Below are my 3 pieces. Here, you can see examples of how I have followed conventions:

As you can see my contents page is very similar to a real pop magazine contents page. There is an image used of the front cover and arrows are used to say which article is on which page. This is good because it is very straight to the point and it makes it easier for the target audience to navigate their way around the magazine. It is also a common convention to use puffs and I have successfully used them in my front cover. My front cover also includes the price in the top right hand corner and barcode in the bottom left hand corner. These two pieces of information are needed on the mag but are not the most important part therefore the font used is smaller compared to the other fonts. On my double page spread I have followed conventions by adding page numbers, images, text and I even inserted an image of an arrow with the word ‘more’ written inside it so the readers knew they could turn the page and read more. This is often seen on pop magazines.

My magazine is aimed at a target audience of predominately fresh, fun and feminine females aged between 14 and 18. The readers of my magazine will be young, feminine girls, who enjoy going out with

friends, social networking, and doing their hair and makeup. They enjoy reading about the latest gossip in the celebrity world and love finding out tips on how to be like their favourite solo artist or girl band member, who they admire and aspire to be like. Music is important to the target audience. They are constantly listening to music and they would do anything to meet their favourite boy band, who they only ever see in their dreams. The target audience are always listening to music, whether it is on their iPod, iPhone or radio. They love to listen to radio stations such as Kiss 100 and Capital FM to find out if their fave band or solo artist has hit the top of the charts! The girls most of all, love buying Rhythmix each week to catch up on the latest gossip in the celebrity world and to find out what hot boy is in ‘6 Pac of the Week’ so they can add it to their collection of posters on their bedroom wall! It will also satisfy her needs by including up-to-date information about the latest celebrity ‘break-up’ and all the exclusive gossip on their favourite pop artists/band. It will include real life stories, which will entice the reader and will give her advice on how to stay safe. For example I will include a story about a girl who was lured in by a 30 year old man posing to be a 16 year old boy on a chat room social networking site.

This article will include information on how to avoid certain situations similar to this one. Safety is part of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The magazine will not only include real life stories and celebrity gossip but it will also include tips on how to be the best she can be, with regards her physical appearance and her friendships. This is also part of Maslow’s hierarchy; he says that the most important thing for a person to have is self actualisation. Therefore this part of the magazine will allow her to look good and feel good by giving the latest fashion do’s and don’ts and all the best information on makeup, given by professionals.

This issue of Rhythmix also includes a “style special” which gives tips on how to look like the one and only Lauren Goodger who starred in one of the reader’s favourite TV show TOWIE. It also says how to do it by spending only a ‘fiver’ this is a good thing as the reader will not have a full time job or be getting a lot of money so she loves a good bargain! As mentioned before, the colours of my 3 pieces will also appeal to her as they are bright, fun and feminine. The colours jump right out of the page and lure her in to the point she cannot put the magazine down! Each story will appeal to her in one way or another and she will not be able to get

enough of all the gossip and ‘fit lads’. By using an appropriate mode of address, magazines are appeal to appeal directly to their target audience. Rhythmix is a teenage pop magazine and these days, teenagers use all sorts of slang and colloquial language and Rhythmix knows all about what to say and how to say it! They know how to get in with the crowd. The readership will read the magazine and get lost and escape from all the realities of her busy life at school and socialising. The mode of address helps the reader to do this. The reader will see Rhythmix as a friend and will enjoy reading the magazine. Examples of mode of address used are: ‘fit’, ‘lads’, ‘hotties’, ‘shop ‘til you drop’, ‘1D’ (which is a colloquial, formal, friendly abbreviation of One Direction),’fiver’ and ‘lush’.

My magazine typically represents young females. You can see this through my three pieces. As you can see, they are all at ease with each other’s company. They smile brightly and have laid back body language. In the front cover a long shot is used and shows them all standing next to each other to one side, the contents page includes a birds-eye shot of them lying on the floor with their beautifully coloured hair sprawled out around them and the double page spread includes a medium shot of them standing next to each other with their bodies slightly tilted. All the girls are smiling and look content with life. They all look at ease with each other and in no way look intimidating. The way the girls are standing side by side with bright eyes and smiling faces invite the reader in and will make her want to read the article about this up-to-date, fresh, new band who are ready to take over the pop world! The images show how confident they are and they prove that young females can be successful and beautiful. The models present this representation by giving direct address which suggests confidence and self assurance. The costumes the models are wearing are also representative of young females today. They are wearing patterned leggings, which are the height of fashion in today’s society. The leggings show off their

fun, quirky and individual personality. The models are also wearing black and white long sleeve t-shirts which reflect the fact that there are no ‘grey areas’ within what they want to achieve. They’re star image is either black or white and they are determined to be big and successful; there is no room for failure. The three pieces reinforce accepted stereotypes about what girls like and what girls enjoy doing, e.g. fashion, make up, gossip, romance, and wholesome boys. However, some older people who are not ‘in with the crowd’ may criticise this and say that the female gender amounts to more and that we should be encouraging teenage and young girls to see this, but I disagree with this because I know for a fact that the things listed above are what teenage girls are interested in: my research has proven this and in order to keep my audience happy and to keep circulation figures high, I will provide my audience with what they are interested in.

The double page spread article highlights the fact they are new to the scene and ready to “mix it up.” The fact file on them is simple but tells the readership everything they would want to know about them, such as all their favourite things. Even though these girls are young they know what they want and they are ready to take over and let all their dreams come true. The girls are incontrol and ambitious. They are new to the scene and want to make a good impression. The double page spread includes a fact file on the girls. This makes the girls even more appealing to the readers because this can make them more relatable. If the girl band like what the readers like it will make the readers like them even more. The double page spread has a lure, it gives the reader the chance to win the girl band’s debut album so this is yet another reason for the target audience to read the magazine. As you can clearly see the models are confident, in control and ambitious and this whole representation is made across the two pages.

The media institution I have chosen to use to own and distribute my magazine is Hearst Magazines UK. It is a successful company that has been around for years. It was established in 1910 by William Randolph Hearst and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst Corporation, one of the largest diversified media companies. The institution owns a whole host of successful magazines, such as: Reveal, Cosmopolitan, Elle, House Beautiful and Good House Keeping.

The company is the largest digital publisher in the UK, it’s reach extends to 1 in 3 UK women and 1 in 4 UK adults. The portfolio comprises 20 magazines and 20 digital properties and it’s world class brands are

available on multiple platforms. Hearst Magazines UK is so successful and because of it’s success it is likely to have the capital to profitably launch my magazine and promote it. I would be able to hold events to showcase the magazine, such as a launch party, and later along the line, awards ceremonies for categories such as ‘Best Male Pop Act’.

Hearst Magazines UK has experience in a range of areas that would allow my magazine to be successful. They know how to effectively run a magazine and launch it properly. They know what to do when circulation figures start to fall. For example in July 2010 Cosmopolitans circulation figures went down so they revamped the magazine. This worked very well and the figures rose again. The company also know how to deliver audiences to advertisers efficiently.

The institution also has a brilliant reputation; this will hopefully be carried through to my own magazine. The excellence of the brand and its world class status will be extended to my own product. Their reputation will mean that advertisers and audiences will trust the magazine more.

Hearst Magazines UK currently distributes magazines to 1 in 3 UK women and owns a number of magazines exclusively aimed at a female readership, e.g. Cosmopolitan, Elle and Reveal. This means that they understand and know how to appeal to females through including things such as fashion, beauty and makeup throughout the content. My magazine is aimed at a female audience and Hearst Magazines UK will be aware of what needs to be done in order that her needs are fulfilled.

The company currently own a website called ‘SugarScape’, a magazine aimed at young female audience, covering gossip and news related to the likes of One Direction and Conor Maynard, along with music information and fashion advice. This is great news, as it relates directly to the content of my magazine. Hearst Magazines UK clearly has experience in appealing to a young female readership and providing the kind of material that my magazine will cover. What is even better is that, because this is a website, there is a gap in Hearst Magazines UK’s portfolio for a print magazine covering the same material. My magazine will fill that gap and flourish because of the institution’s wealth of experience.

Due to the presence of ‘SugarScape’ in Hearst Magazines UK’s brand portfolio, this means that they will have an existing link with advertisers who promote products aimed at a female youth audience. Hearst Magazines UK will also have experience of delivering audiences to advertisers through the distribution of media packs. The same advertisers can be recruited for my magazine.

Throughout the process of constructing my products I have learnt many new technical skills and improved many of the ones I already had. I learnt how to set up a blog and upload images, text and videos on to this. At first, I found it rather hard to use because it was new to me and not something i was used to using but as I became more accustomed to using it and after I received help from my friends and class teacher I was eventually capable of navigating my own way around the site and learning all the fun and interesting things you can do to make your blog the best it can be. There are many advantages to using a blog. They enable you to keep all your work organised and to show the ‘journey’ you have gone through as a media practitioner. In addition to this, blogs are multimedia and so allow the presentation of work to be more

interesting and creative. Updating and editing a blog is also possible. However, I am a sucker for old fashion things and part of me would have loved to produce some sort of portfolio/scrap book to have all my work it. At the same time, nonetheless, I can see the benefits of blogging and am glad that I have learnt how to work a blog properly; I have no doubt that I will make use of this skill in the future.

Throughout this project, I also learnt how to use a website called ‘SlideShare’ this website came in really handy and allowed me to upload my work to my blog in an easier and more sufficient way. I uploaded all of my analyses via slide share and my case study. It was a good way to get my work on to my blog however, I don’t think I like the way it made my presentation because it made the text very small and in some cases not readable so for all my overviews I uploaded them straight to my blog instead of going via SlideShare.

The practical demands of the Foundation Portfolio project have enabled me to improve my skills on Adobe Photoshop too. I used Adobe Photoshop previously at GCSE to make fragrance ads, so this time around I knew the basic skills, such as how to add text layers and text effects and how to adjust the saturation

and hue on an image. Whilst using it for this project, I learnt new things such as how to effectively use the magic wand tool and the shape tool. The magic wand tool helped me to eliminate parts of an image I didn’t want, such as the background on the image that features on my double page spread, and the shape tool allowed me to create all the funky shapes I have on my three pieces, which in turn resulted in my pieces following the codes and conventions of pop magazines more successfully; pop magazines use these shapes liberally to create a fun feel. When comparing how I felt using the programme at GCSE level, I can see that, during this project, I was more confident and experimental using the software, which allowed me to make use of it in a more effective, creative and daring way. The completion of the preliminary task, which I will discuss in the next section of this evaluation, really helped me to feel this confidence at the main task stage. I am now a complete Photoshop convert and can see that there are countless things you can do with Adobe Photoshop and it is a brilliant way to edit and perfect photos.

My photography skills have also improved as a result of carrying out this project; I have learnt how to take

images in a more effective and creative way. Again, it comes down to confidence and bravery! At GCSE level, I played it safe. For this project, I played with tilted frames and bird’s eye shots and became creative with the camera, which enabled me to produce shots that were in keeping with the fun persona and brand identity of my magazine. I strongly believe in the importance of getting the quality of the raw images just right, as it will affect the overall feel and excellence of the finished products. By approaching the ‘shoot’ with a clear idea of the effect I wanted to create, but also a touch of daring, I was able to produce great shots that I could really work well with. At the same time, however, I have learnt that photography is not just about taking wonderful photos; there is so much more to it, such as careful planning of mise-en-scene elements, such as location and costume. These things have an enormous impact on the finished product and my finished pieces are successful because I planned these carefully first. You also have to make sure there are no shadows and no inappropriate objects in the frame that you don’t want to be there. I have slowly but surely mastered the art of taking photos and I am very proud of the images I took for this specific project.

I took many images for this task so I had a variety to choose from when making my three products. When selecting my final pieces, I chose the images that featured poses that reflected unity between the girls in the band and that captured the fun, youthful feel of my magazine. It was great to have the freedom to pick the ‘cream of the crop’, which is a luxury that some of my peers, who only took a minimal number of images, did not have. I think the process has made me confident and skilled in selecting the right and most appropriate images from a selection, a challenge I found really difficult at GCSE level. Below are the images I didn’t use:

(ADD IMAGES I DIDNT USE)

Looking back at my preliminary task, I feel I have learnt, improved and achieved a lot since then and through completing the main task. I have successfully got to know the target audience my magazine was aimed at, and followed general conventions to stay safe and be sure the magazine would appeal to them.

When comparing my preliminary task to my main task there are certain things you can notice such as lighting, mise-en-scene elements and mode of address. For

example, in my main task I focused a lot more on costume. The costume that the model wears is a very important part of the image because it can show case their personality and star image. I also improved the lighting and composition of the models in my main task because in my preliminary ask the image was rather dark and my model looked very simple regarding the way she stands and bleakly smiles. In terms of mode of address, I have found it a lot easier and more manageable with my pop mag in comparison to my school mag. This is because pop mags have such a distinctive mode of address. Research into existing media texts allowed me to become more familiar with this. With the preliminary task, there were no real points of reference; I had to second guess which mode of address to use to some extent in the school mag. In my main task I was also more experimental with tools in Photoshop which allowed my main pieces to look more professional and aesthetically pleasing.

When comparing my preliminary contents page to my main contents page I have made a number of improvements. For starters, I created my preliminary

task on a

word document therefore I was unable to edit the text and image in a way I would have liked to. The preliminary contents page is very unprofessional compared to my main task contents page and you can see evidence of this below:

In terms of my double page spread I cannot really comment as I didn’t make one in the preliminary task. However, producing one really allowed me to learn more about magazine journalism and to extend my creative wings. Again, if this challenge had been set at preliminary level, I would have found it hard because I was not as experienced, I didn’t have enough existing media texts to guide you me and even though I used Photoshop before I was not as creative and I could not use it to the quality and extent I can now and my skills on Photoshop have now flourished.

On a reflective note, I have learnt how to operate as a practitioner. I have an obvious aptitude for creativity and the ability to replicate media conventions. Next year, however, I think I shall have the confidence to challenge conventions and ‘not play it safe.’ Next year, for my A2 Levels I want to have the freedom and bravery to not follow typical conventions and make the film trailer unique and inimitable!

Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed making the front cover, contents page and double page spread of the

make-believe magazine Rhythmix. I have thoroughly improved my knowledge on magazine conventions not only pop magazines but indie and house music magazines. My understanding of how to use mode of address and iconography for effect has improved and I also believe my knowledge and use of media terminology is getting better and better! I now am fully aware of how to successfully appeal to target audiences no matter what age group they are. I have also improved my practical and creative skills by perfecting all of my pieces. Furthermore, I think I have enjoyed this project so much because my dream career is to be an editor or journalist for a magazine, so this task was right up my street and I truly believe I have lucratively perfected my final products and I am very proud of them.