Evaluation

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

A: Well firstly, I used my style models to help as inspiration for the codes and conventions to use which I would see in an every day magazine in a front cover, contents page and double page spread. I mainly focussed on the Terrorizer magazine because it had the same genre, register and design I had originally intended to use.

I had managed to place photographs in convenient places where magazines would normally position them, for example, a double page spread would normally have the images on one page and the article text on the other.

I tried using the appropriate mise-en-scene by adding the right colour scheme. I also had to choose the right people and correct costume, the best I could get was leather for my photography partners, as they made the poses which were close to my style model because of the occasional humour added into some of the pictures.

Also, I used the accurate language to fit the register for my intended audience, for example, ‘Rockin’’ is given a bit of clipping to represent the jargon of a fan of the metal/rock genre, as well as ‘freakin’’ which can be considered a slight taboo term, and sometimes the social group is familiar with the type of speech.

Next was the illustration and texts; I had to make them fit for the codes, conventions and connotations of the magazine.
My magazine was given the title Deci-Rebels because it was a mixture of neologism and blending two words together, which were Decibels and Rebels, which suggested an ‘awesome’ and ‘loud’ feel to the music magazine, as if it was a way of ‘defying the limit to loudness’.

I was aware of the type of fonts and text size I used for my magazine.
For example, I made my title large, with a type of Horror font which was called ‘Brutal Tooth’. This text helped my magazine fit to my style model, because the cover was suggesting a horror genre to the magazine. I made certain texts large to help capture the eye of the audience, because they will notice the text and realise how major, exciting or important it is.

I also considered my magazines subheading slogan, which says ‘Where music is TRULY experienced’. Notice the emphasis on ‘TRULY’, which suggests it guarantees the magazine will be vivid.



2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

A: My product helps represent the particular social group because of the mise-en-scene used in it, for example, the dark colour scheme and the photographs of the ‘Band members’. The gestures the band members show can show the attitude represented, which gives and empowering status, as well as the title Deci-Rebels.

My aimed age group for the magazine is roughly for the older teenagers, because some elements in this magazine can reflect the dangerous conventions, such as some of the quotations used in the double page spread. They can convey the strong representational device found in social groups.

I did not represent any particular ethnicity, gender or sexuality because my style model did not make any notions of gender or etc. However both my piece and the style model do not appear precisely unisex and they are mainly aimed for the males.

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

A: I believe that advertising my magazine via radio and internet are the best ideas for distributing my magazine, because radio and internet are some of the mostly used resources for music, information and media purposes. I would distribute my magazine internationally because countries such as America like to know about the news about certain bands, as most bands would normally tour internationally, and that would be information for countries that bands would go to on tour would to know.

I have researched a company to help distribute my magazine and that company is Seymour because they would help accomplish publishing the magazines and sending them overseas to over 70 countries, as quoted on their website. They can also help with developing ‘circulation strategies’ for invoices, budget etc.

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

A: My target audience would be young adults, mainly males. I did not aim for any sexuality or ethnicity for my magazine, however, if anything, it would have to be the heterosexuals, because that is something you would usually see in this audience. The following images show what the target audience may look like.

(Please see the Evaluation video for remaining questions)

Audience Feedback

We, as a class, went around the classroom and written our strengths and weakness in our magazine which we could improve on,
The good parts of my magazine were;

• Use of images
• Background
• The type of text used

The improvements were:

• Some texts are unreadable
• I was missing a barcode
• Some images looked cut straight off from the photograph

Final Cut images

Rough Cut images

Diary Entry Week 4-8

From week 4-8 I was focussing on finishing my Rough and Final Cut.

Week 4- I was organising the layout and colour scheme to my magazine. The colours did not fit the mise-en-scene at first, but as I kept modifying my work, it was taking shape.

Week 5- I was continuing in adding more features and beginning to create my Contents and double Page Spread.

Week 6- I was taking the photographs for my magazine, then I added them on and setting them in my magazine.

Week 7- I came back from my easter holidays, and the Rough Cut was already finished, we were resuming finishing off our Final Cut

Week 8- I had applied the final touches to my magazine and am currently adding everything to my blog.

First Draft Pictures

Diary entry week 3- Music magazine analysis

This week, we were analysing different genres and types of music magazines along with the features in them; we looked at the articles and texts used in each magazine and how they would suit the codes and conventions. We also looked at how the producer would shoot the photographs for a front page making it attractive and interesting for the audiences, such as the colour scheme, lighting. Over the holidays we analyzed five magazine covers, contents pages and double page spreads.

Initial Ideas

This is a diagram of my initial ideas which I had made in the past week or so, it shows my concept ideas for the magazine I am currently thinking of, such as the codes and conventions I wish to use.

Audience Research

These files are the results of my audience research. I have asked 10 people to help fill in a questionnaire and have used Microsoft Excel to put particular results on a graph. I interviewed friends about more open questions by recording their voices with a microphone and my laptop.

Magazine analysis 5- Terrorizer

Terrorizer Magazine-This photograph consists of a straight medium-shot of the three band members are shown in a very strange, horror-like genre, as two of the men show a braindead mood as if they were zombies looking away and aimlessly, as the person in the middle stares at them in an annoyed mood. The clothing they use is smart and casual because they attempt to represent an old-fashioned horror film.The lighting is dark in particular areas such as the shadows of the characters covering the background and text behind them.The producer attempts to acheive in showing the literal horror in the magazine by name with the use of Metal band members.

Contents- There is a picture of the artist on the contents page, as he appears to be in a pub in a medium shot as he smiles to the reader while he raises a glass of beer.This can represent a positive mood, as a form of mise-en-scene, because it is usually traditional to celebrate an event with this type of drink.

DPS-The double page spread pictures show a relation to the front cover because the picture on the left shows some of the same band members and other characters in a horror-like costume,which can represent horror and strangeness which relates to their name Carnivale Bizarre; they use features such as devil horns and pointy ears to show the eerieness of the theme.The lighting in this picture is dark, which can show a creepy and sinister feel in the picture.

Magazine analysis 4- Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone cover-The picture is shown in a straight medium shot without any clothing on the upper body as well, however this person has a large tattoo on his left arm as well as a guitar by his chest. He, like in many magazine covers, looks at the reader in the photograph, as if he had a tired face. This can portray a relaxing moment. The lighting is bright, as it apears in the cornerof the bedroom, which can show this shoot was made in the morning.

Contents-The pictures shown on the contents are of different artists, one of the artists, Wyclef, is shown in a bigger image which stands out from the rest, he is walkingoutside an airport while everything else, such as the background is blurred out. Wyclef is being focussed on, wearing normal clothing, sunglasses and a backpack as he looks away from the camera as he walks towards a destination.This helps support the article which talks about his journey home.

DPS-The Spread has two pictures of a band, one of them, on the right is a concert photograph, where it is shot in the area where the audience is. The lighting makes the image of the people appear anonymous.This has an upbeat mood to the picture as the artists move and the audience jump and reach towards them.In the image on the left shows the band relaxing in a strangely coloured room whilst they sit down, read, drink or hold an ornament, showing a recreational and funny mood.

Magazine analysis 3- Rock Sound

Rock Sound cover-Ville Valo is shown in a straight close up without any clothing on his upper body, this can imply that the target audience is for more mature people.He is lying in what seems to be a bed as he looks towards the reader which could portray an erotic image for female audiences. The lighting is particularly dark in this scene,this is to achieve a sense of mystery in the photo.

Contents-The image in the contents page shows Ville Valo lying on the floor with a quotation of one of his opinions is shown on a dark part of his body. The illustration fits theimage where the text of contents is squeezed beside the picture filling in the gaps. This can relate to the front cover photo, showing laziness and curiosity.

DPS-The image covers the Spread entirely and it still fits the texts; on the right, Ville Valo's face is shown at the right, and is given focus and at a high angle andon the left the rest of Ville is blurred out for more focus on his face which is the main part of the double page spread.

Magazine analysis 2- Kerrang

Kerrang cover-The photograph shows three of Green Day's band members, with a medium shot of them as they look at the reader. The artist on the left shows a confused, puzzled yet humourous gesture, the person in the middle shows a serious face toward the reader and the person on the right gives a somewhat boastful gesture, this portrays several moods. Their hair and costumes are all dark which implies they are fans of metal, they can show an interest in heavy metal or their fondness in goth-like music.The location of the shoot would most likely be set in a studio, because there are no outdoor areas or sign of indoor places; the background has scribbles which can showa messy mise-en-scene of the band Green Day. They try to acheive in showing the personality of this band with the mise-en-scene. The colour scheme is a mixtrue of lightand dark, the background and the photo shows light on the band members which implies that the band does not necessarily represent elements of heavy metal despite the clothing.The target audience for this magazine is for mature teenagers who are interested in the depth of the information on this band.

Contents- The page has different images of the band,, one of which has the three band members sitting in a car trunk, showing more comedy towards the magazine, two other pictures arephoto shoots in a plain white background, one of them shows one of the crew holding his arms up while he wears a tuxedo, which shows a random element to the mood. The other picture showsthe band sleeping with the United States flag as a blanket. This can give reference to one of their songs 'American Idiot'. Two other pictures show photos of the singer during concerts,showing the experience of the singer in a concert.

DPS-The picture of a full shot of Billie Joe Armstrong is seen in the contents page, where he is wearing a tuxedo as he raises his arms as he looks at the reader in a white background.This shows a mysterious and strange mood which can confuse the audience.

Magazine Analysis 1- Classic Rock

Classic Rock Cover-The target audience would have to be people who are interested in the classic rock and of the artist, this is what the producer tries to show the audience.The camera angle is tilted, showing the full body of the artist while he is posing and looking at his guitar as if he was making music with it,which helps to portray a motivated and energetic mood and a professional image.The costume the artist wears consists of black leather clothing, several necklaces and white shoes, this gives a code andconvention which implies his interests and occupation as a rock star, because these are normal clothes which a rock artist would wear.

Contents-The contents page basically shows the same features as the front cover, they can relate because it shows the same grey location, however this time it shows Joe Perry sitting on a stool, lookingat the reader with a more serious face, showing a purposeful look towards the reader and article topic.

DPS-The double page spread in the CLassic Rock magazine has several images with a black and white colour scheme, some of which are during concerts, and others backstage, portraying what happens in the business.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

I looked at the Fusion magazine which caught my eye the most because of its use of conventions, there was the cool-looking background and image on the cover which caught my interest because of the special effects used, such as the image of the medium-shot person which is made an alternative colour with the repeated phrase ‘Words of Wisdom’ written on it, I had used this type of effect on my magazine. This convention, with the differently coloured image gives that techno feel to it, as well as the pose which suggests coolness.

The style model’s title is given a large size and particular font to catch the audience’s eye most to show the name of the magazine. It has a distorted effect to fit the slogan underneath it; I copied this type of technique to fit my slogan onto my magazine. The style model’s contents page is given a funky feel to it, because of the tape cassette pouring colour which would represent music, and the titles for each articles would have particular word class techniques such as alliteration or rhyme, e.g. ‘Snack attack’. I copied this by using titles such as ‘Photoshop Top Tips’, rhymes and catchy phrases can give a musical, hip-hop charm to the article and for the audience.

My magazine is supposed to give the school and its teachers, students and others a positive feel to it, by giving the title etc. an upbeat, fun and cool perspective. Most of the magazine is focussed on the students however, because other students, possibly the younger year, both male and female, are the main audience, and other students can often be considered more interesting in some people’s opinion, because if the magazine contained the slang of an energetic and charismatic student, this will keep audiences interested. The main images consist of some of the school students and the school, all showing a positive image, because if the school was presented negatively, the main audience would consider the magazine a pessimistic and boring one.

I aimed to get my magazine distributed by middle schools and this high school, because if the magazine is shown to the younger audience who are struggling to choose between certain high schools, this magazine can show them the positive parts of high school. Younger high school students can see articles of the sixth form and the activities and productions they participate in.

I tried attracting my audience by making my magazine cover and contents page as decorative as possible, with persuasive texts to inform and catch the eye of the reader. In the body of the image of the student, I used three words which can summarise the contents of the magazine to explain briefly what the audience will be able to read.

I learned many techniques in making a well presented magazine, such as how flash can help with lighting on a picture, and how to move pictures and adjust their settings, as well as putting particular images with other images, for example a student in a main hall into an outdoors area.
I constructed my magazine with gradients for the background; I managed to mix the image of a scrapbook with the gradients using the opacity in order to see them both clearly. I also learned how to distort images and texts to make them stand out and make the magazine as vivid as possible.

Week 1 and 2- Preliminary task analysis and work summary

In these two weeks I have been completing the preliminary task, which was creating our own school magazine in order to help us get to grips with our music magazine project later on.

Firstly, before making our school magazines, we had to analyze other magazines, and follow the techniques used in them, such as distorted texts. We took the school magazine we thought looked best and made an analysis.

I have made a contents page and front cover to my magazine Hype Skewl.
I had given it the codes of conventions of other magazines in the media, such as the vivid front covers, the language to persuade the reader, etc.

I had analyzed a style model to take ideas from for inspiration, and then started off with a first draft. After that, I had taken photos for my articles and medium shot of a particular student. I used Photoshop to fit them into my magazine and make it as interesting as possible.

For my homework I had typed my evaluation about what my intended audience was, who would distribute it, what it has taught me so far, and other questions evaluating my magazine.

I am getting acquainted with codes and conventions, I am definitely learning how to use Photoshop and how to use its effects to make an attractive magazine and I can complete my work for the given deadline.I am learning, step by step, on how to use the rule of thirds when taking photographs, but I need to remember how to use the lighting on a camera properly.

The magazine cover (Left) is given as much energy into the images and phrases as possible by using particular words, sentences and slang which my audience could relate to.
I tried showing some elements used in the Fusion magazine picture, such as the edited character with words and phrases on that picture. I made the text stand out with the help of distortion and particular fonts to keep them interested.

In the contents page, I tried to make every area of the page as vivid and interesting as possible, I made sure there were no blank spaces by adding trivial, informal and humourous texts. I used gradients for the red stripes, and added a photograph of a desk with stationary. This was not an identical plan to the first draft because some parts would not catch the eye of the audience, and I thought decoration and extra units of information would keep the audience reading.

First draft pics!

On the left is the first draft of the cover of the magazine which I have decided to name Hype Skewl, I am trying to keep the images and layout as realistic and acheivable as possible, in case any exaggerating ideas delay the magazine creation.

I will be using a photograph of a school student and I will attempt to take photographs of a particular area in school to help as an article for the cover.

On the right is the contents page, this one I can make by taking a photo of a table with a piece of paper, along with ordinary stationary equipment. Contents texts, scribbles and graffiti is added with photoshop by using the texts available.

Blog entry 1- Analysis

I have examined and analyzed the Fusion magazine front page and contents page to take inspiration and use its methods for my future magazine.

Firstly, the front page consists of a red background with black and white, vividly attractive and edited photograph of a persons face with the repeated phrase ‘words of wisdom’ to make the magazine content believable, as if the magazine implied the content would teach the reader.
Along with that, the sentences on the front page contain the occasional alliteration and rhyme such as ‘snack attack’ and ‘festival funk’.

The title has a cut effect below and that helps to fit the slogan underneath it.

The contents page has a variety of colours which can fit a huge majority of the magazines intended audience, along with a cassette pouring colours which represents the subject of the magazine (which is music and sound), the magazine uses modern and trendy images, which do not have natural colours or properties.

The smaller squares and rectangles at the bottom of the page contain information which tell the audience particular facts about the magazine, such as the material it was made with along with an image of a recycle triangle to associate that information. The contents information is given colourful fonts, which are set orderly and understandably.