Original Images

Feature Article: Finished Product

Contents Page: Finished Product

Front Cover: Finished Product

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

I think that I have learnt a lot in the progression from my preliminary task to my final task, I think that this development can be seen in my before and after pictures. I think that it is evident that my photography skills have improved, choosing a photo that is a mid to close-up shot for the front cover helps to attract attention to the product. It also makes the artist more instantly recognisable.

It is interesting to see that the layout of both my before and after images haven’t changed that much. Both have master heads at the top and headings down the side, I think that this shows my awareness to the forms and conventions of a magazine before I made the preliminary task. However, even though this main layout has stayed the same, the finer details such as the amount of writing, the style of text and the image placement have become more sophisticated and complex.

I think that my fonts and mode of address have become more centered on my target audience, this will help the product to sell as the audience will see that this magazine has been personalised for them. I didn’t add this personal touch to my preliminary task as a wide range of people would be reading the magazine, each with their own ideologies and preferences.

I used the stroke device to help make both my masthead and images stand out. Along with this I used the drop shadow tool; this helped to make the masthead stand out and made sure that it no longer blended into the image.

I used space reduction to help make the spacing of my lines more effective, this would mean that there would be less white space on the page and therefore would make more of an impact on the reader.

I manipulated many of my images, making them black and white. I did this to create the effect of a newspaper; this would appeal to my reader. I also ‘warped’ some coloured blocks to create the post it style box that is featured in the corner of my magazine. This had the effect of a reminder and advertiser for my audience, as it would attract them to what was written inside and consequently any deals or competitions that the magazine was advertising.

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



During this project I used and learnt about a lot of different technologies, these included Blogger, Photoshop, Microsoft Word and Excel. To take my images I used my Nikon D3100.

This was the first time that I had used Blogger. I found this an interesting experience; I think that because this is a free internet application there wasn’t as much control over how the blog looked, and how things were constructed on it. I began to develop problems with the fonts; the font kept changing as I was writing the posts. However, overall I think that it is a useful application and I think that with more practice using it (and designing the background) it would be easier to understand and use.

I think that Photoshop was really helpful during this project; I have used Photoshop previously so I know how to use most of the tools. To make my product I used tools such as text (including font, size, colour and shadow), brightness and contrast and desaturation. I think that I used these tools to good effect to make my final product. I found that the text tool was the hardest to use, this is because my text wasn’t fitting in the area that I wanted it to. To try and fix this I was transforming (Ctrl + T) the text and adjusting the size so that it would fit in the space that I wanted it to, however this meant that it wasn’t the same size as the rest of the font on the page. This made it look disorganised; to fix this I made all my font sizes smaller.

I used Excel to create my original questionnaire and to process my answers. I think that though this was an effective to use to do these things, however, it did mean that my participants were limited to people who were close to me. This meant that some of them liked the same things that I do and follow the same ideologies, which in turn meant that the questionnaire was not reliable.

How did you attract/address your audience?

My audience would by my magazine because they would be interested in the artists that it featured. They would also like to keep up-to-date with the latest news from their chosen fandoms and charities. The interesting interviews with obscure and need to know questions; the interesting images and the latest reviews would keep them interested in the magazine.

The unusual black and white image will ‘grab’ the audience along with the bright and eye-catching red and blue texts. The main cover photo uses an indirect line of address with the model not looking at the camera. This creates an interest for the viewer as they wonder what she is looking at. My cover lines do not use second person pronouns, question sentences or commands. I have chosen not to include these points as I want the cover of the magazine to speak for its self, I also want the text to mirror that which is seen in literature that my audience would read.

The colour scheme will attract the target audience to the magazine as it is interesting and unique, most magazines will not be brave enough to include colours such as black and white in their colour schemes as they will consider them dull and boring. I have used these colours to make the magazine stand out form those which have lots of colour. The font style will also attract the target audience to the magazine as it resembles that of a typewriter, this is because it is a unique style that is interesting and iconic.

The mast head will also attract the target audience to the magazine this is because it has denotations of factual written accounts of important or historical events in the order of their occurrence, and connotations of literature for example The Chronicles of Narnia. This is appealing to my audience as they are literary people who enjoy reading and learning.

The content of the magazine, implied by the cover lines, will be appealing to the audience as there are competitions with prizes that the target audience will want; as well as news, interviews and information that the target audience will find appealing.

My magazine adopts a casual mode of address to communicate with the target audience. It uses slang that is specific to the genre of music that the magazine is based on. This is mainly seen in the feature article, which is because the interview was written in a relaxed tone. This attitude is appropriate for the audience as it is similar to language that they watch on You Tube, this makes them feel comfortable while reading the article and therefore, encourages them to read more of the magazine and to buy more issues of it.

The photographs are appropriate for the magazine as they fit with the feature article. They also show a progression from the images that they audience would normally see of the artist featured. This tells the audience that the magazine is something that they wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else.

Colours are appropriate as they highlight the magazine as being different from others that are on sale. They are also appropriate for the target audience as they have connotations or old newspapers and old pieces of literature.

The unique selling point of my magazine is the music that it contains information about and the exclusive interviews that it contains. This is because this style of music is mainly seen on the internet therefore; a hard copy of information on it is a rare thing.

I know that my audience would be interested in this style of magazine as, while producing my final product, I constantly asked for feedback. I did this to make sure that the magazine was what the audience wanted and to make sure that it would be able to sell.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The demographic audience for my product would be 14-18 year olds (mainly female), who are middle class. They would be in either be in formal education or in higher education. They are the kind of people who would be aspiring to go to university for either academic or non-academic subjects. They are people who enjoy learning and bettering themselves.

Their psychographic suggests that the life style choices that they have made make them interested in the world around them. They are active in making a difference in the world; supporting charities such as the This Star Won’t Go Out project; they also support civil rights and fair trade petitions such as the petition on showusthereport.com trying to make Warnerbros chocolate (sold in connection to Harry Potter) slave and child labour free.

My audience would shop at places such as Top Shop and the Body Shop. This is because they will be conscious of how they look and the way the workers are treated. They will also shop online as this is where they will spend most of their time. Websites they will shop on will include Qwertee, Etsy and Red Bubble. They will be people who watch You Tube and subscribe to Vloggers such as; Vlogbrothers, Nerimon, Charlieissocoollike and Owolssayhoot. They will also use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter; they will also keep blogs on Tumblr. My audience research suggested that my audience members would check their emails regularly. Therefore, I can assume that they would also check their social networking sites regularly. This means that my magazine could be publicised on social networking sites, encouraging people with similar ideologies to buy my magazine.

They will like films such as Harry Potter, The Hobbit, The Hunger Games and Marvel films. They will also be avid readers of literature, both old and new. This is because they love becoming immersed in a different world.

Their favourite TV programme would be something along the lines of Sherlock by the BBC, this is because it is taken from a good piece of classic literature and has been changed to make it more relatable to a modern day audience. This skill would be appreciated by my audience as it is encouraging more people to read classic works.

Their role models would be people such as author John Green and his brother, musician, Hank Green. They would admire these people as they have made a living out of what they enjoy. This would be considered inspirational for my readers as they are young and looking at what they could achieve in the future.

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

FRONT COVER:

My magazine both conforms to and challenges the forms and conventions of a real magazine. It conforms as it has a masthead in a clear and prominent position, the masthead is also bigger than the other font on the page, which attracts attention to the magazine and becomes a recognisable point. This then enables the magazine to use the same masthead throughout the different issues.

My main image conforms as it is a mid-shot of a single artist. It is the only image on the front cover so this attracts attention to the magazine.

 I display the date and price together, this also conforms to the forms and conventions of a magazine. The date tells the reader when it is time to by the next issue, and the price tells the reader how much the magazine costs. These are important to display on a magazine as they help to keep a regular turn over as well as providing the reader with information that makes them able to buy the magazine. I also conform as I have a barcode. My barcode is discreet and out of the way, this is because it does nothing to attract people to the product. However, it is still needed to be able to sell the magazine.

My magazine has a colour pallet that only features four colours. This is very typical of a magazine; however, most magazines don’t class black and white as part of their colour pallet. With my magazine featuring black and white images and text along with the colours red and blue, I challenge the conventions that say that magazines should have colourful images and text. I do this because my target market is challenging conventional stereotypes that are seen in today’s society, these stereotypes include the way the national media portrays teenagers and the way that their peers see ‘Nerds’.

I also challenge the forms and conventions of the media as my magazine doesn’t have a tag line. I have done this purposely, I think that the magazine should be able to speak for itself and I think that if a catch line like Vogue magazines oxymoron “for the overwhelming minority” is needed to get readers then clearly the magazine isn’t worth buying and isn’t for you. However, taglines can serve the purpose of making a product recognizable for example EA GAMES “Challenge Everything”, this is a recognizable and catchy tagline that is used on their products to suggest the ideologies of the product. If I were to include a tagline for my magazine it would probably be the same as DFTBA records “Don’t Forget To Be Awesome” as this is an inspiring message that can be universally projected and can be internalized; it would also be a slogan that is familiar to my target audience.

CONTENTS PAGE AND FEATURE ARTICLE:

My contents page conforms to the social conventions of magazines as it clearly features page numbers that correspond to the articles mentioned. It also features images to entice the reader.

My feature article follows the forms and conventions of media products as there are gutters to help the reader see where the article starts and ends. My article also features a bold and large heading that is the title of the article. At the sides of the pages are the page numbers these correlate to the page numbers that are on my contents page.

I have a side bar on my feature article which features tour dates for the artist that I interviewed. This will tell the reader when the artist is touring; this should attract interest in the artist and, in turn, in the magazine. My feature article starts with a drop cap this conforms to the forms and conventions of the media and attracts attention to the start of the article.

Another way that my feature article conforms to the forms and conventions of the media is that it features pull quotes. These pull quotes are designed to interest the reader in the article, which they would then read, in the hope of finding out the story behind the quotes.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product represents the attitudes of 14-18 year old middle class females who live in the United Kingdom. My target market are people who like to believe that they are individual however as they will all be part of the Nerdfighter group they will all share similar norms and values.

 

This magazine cover is similar to the one I have created. Both magazines are primarily black and white and feature only one other colour. Both magazines also feature a small post it note style box down in the bottom right hand corner, which is positioned to attract attention to items in the magazine.  Both models are looking away from the camera this suggests that they are distancing themselves from the audience; this could be used to the effect of the magazine as it suggests that they are focusing on something on the cover. I have used an angle that as at the eye line of the model, this puts the audience on the same level as the artist/model and therefore suggests that they are equal, this makes the artist relatable to the audience and the magazine more appealing to buy.

Neither models are smiling; these moody facial expressions suggest that the magazines feature serious tones and were shoot in an editorial style. The title of my magazine has connotations of intelligence and literature; this reinforces some of the stereotypes of my audience. Even though in the title I have reinforced these stereotypes, my image, which suggests sophistication and elements of fashion, undermines other stereotypes that surround my target market.

I have used correct and grammatical English on my front cover; however, it does feature some slang that is specific to my target audience. This will help to define who my audience is and encourage my audience to buy the product. The black and white image also suggests that my audience will be middle class, as it is sophisticated and dynamic.

Chronicle will try to subvert conventional stereotypes that are seen in the media. For instance it will try to breakdown stereotypes that are seen in programmes such as ‘The Big Bang Theory’, where the nerds are shown as arrogant and obsessively compulsive, it will do this by featuring articles on nerds who are liked in the public eye and who support the cause; for example, Stephan Fry and his active promotion of Alex Day and Charlie McDonnell.

My magazine does encourage the readers to buy the products featured in the magazine, through and index in the back of the magazine. However the magazine is not completely converted to selling products, to combat the pro-consumerist feel that is needed to keep a magazine afloat, there is a section that is dedicated to encouraging people to donate to charity, and be proactive in helping out charities by doing charity work.

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

As my magazine is aimed at the Nerdfighter sub-culture any publishing company would take it on, as they would not have appealed to this audience before. If I picked a publishing company I would probably pick either IPC media or Future LPC as they both have qualities that would be useful in a publisher. I would pick Future LPC as it targets a middle class audience, therefore it would already have connections, and ideas on good places to sell the magazine. I would pick IPC media as it already has experience creating a magazine that is aimed at teenagers (NME), therefore it should know how to advertise the magazine to the correct audience.

There are both good and bad points to going with a publishing company. The good points include; an established distribution network, printing costs will be covered or subsidised and the magazine may have longer to establish an audience. However, this is combated by the lack of editing control that the creators hold over the product. These points are reversed if you publish independently.

I think that my target audience would probably prefer it if my magazine was published independently. This is because the artists featured in the magazine are mainly unsigned; therefore an independent magazine would help to promote that idea.  I also think that control of the magazine is a big issue, because the artists and the readers will be creative people and therefore will not want a stereotypical mass produced magazine, being independent of mainstream publishers will solve this issue.

Though going alone and independently publishing the magazine would be most pleasing for the audience (it would follow their creative ideals); it would not be financially viable. For this reason I would approach an open business that produces many different styles of product, varying from T-shirts and CD’s to card games and posters. An open business such as DFTBA records would be interested in this cross-media convergence as they’re products are already aimed towards my target market. This would mean that they could not only provide financial support, but give great insight into the market that I am aiming for. Not only that but because they don’t interfere with the product, the control would still be with the editor. Though DFTBA records is currently an internet based company, there is room for expansion, becoming a high-street brand.

Publishers Research

Publishers such as IPC media and Bauer media control most of the magazine market in the UK. They pride themselves on catering to all and to the mass markets; this means that they think that they have got a magazine that would suit everyone. They are forever in competition with each other because they are both fighting over the same audiences; they battle for the same audiences by producing desirable products that are similar to that of the other publisher. For example Bauer has ‘Your Horse’ and IPC has ‘Horse and Hound’, these magazines are very similar and are battling for roughly the same audience.

Then there are publishers like Future PLC which stay out of the way of the bigger companies and focus their efforts on the markets that are lacking with products. For example Future PLC focuses on the middle class audience that is barely being covered by other publishers.

Because these publishers focus on different parts of the market the whole market gets covered. And with different publishers specializing in different parts of the market, advertisers can find the right magazine and publisher to effectively promote their product to their target market.

Location, Props and Costume

I set my photo-shoot in the woods as it would give the feeling of a fairy-tale, this relates to the magazine article which is entitled “itswaypastmybedtime Life’s no fairy-tale”. Continuing with this theme my model was dressed in a red cape to symbolise the story of little red riding hood. She was also wearing a black and white spotted polka dot dress that is iconic of the artist that she is supposed to be embodying. My photo-shoot will be creating a narrative, this will work well with the question and answer style theme of my article as it will help to create continuity. The picture for the front cover will be taken in a studio so as not to over complicate the page. It will also be effective as it will focus more attention on the subject.