Evaluation

· In what ways does your Media product use,
develop or challenge forms and conventions of
real media products?
With the research I conducted on other music magazines I was able to follow the conventions in my own music magazine. Conventional features I used different from the front page, contents page and double page spread like in most magazines.
My front page follows conventional features such as masthead, bar code, issue date, headlines, an edited image of an artist who is features in the magazine and a main headline.
Conventional features I used on the contents page were page numbers and text referring to articles contained in the magazine, a smaller version of the masthead, additional smaller edited photos and short descriptions of the articles contained in the magazine.
On the double page spread I followed similar conventions such as the main body of text follows the conventions of a introductory article on the artist, page number, a headline and a strap line.
The images I used in the double page spread challenge the usual conventions in other magazines. The main and larger image is a high angle shot that looks as if the camera is towering over the artist. This challenges the conventions of the images as usually they are taken at a low angle to show the artist is dominant or at a straight on angle so the camera is level with the artist.
· How does your Media product represent
particular social groups?
The main representation of social groups shown in my magazine is that of female musicians. The social group was represented through images used in the magazine and text in the article, contents page and front page.
In the original images the representation of the social group is determination, dedication and a sense of seriousness. Some of the images are in grey scale which also represents this.
Representations shown in the text is similar to that of the representation of the images. The article is a representation of the artists struggle and rocky road to fame.
My magazine also can be seen to challenge the rock genre stereotype that only men can be real rockers. The images I used in the magazine are of a woman with representations of the rock genre such as guitars and amps. The musician is also in a dress which further adjusts the stereotype as dresses are seen as feminine rather than the image rock musicians show.
· What kind of Media institution might distribute
your media product and why?
Institutions like 'Future' or 'ICP' may distribute my magazine as they already distribute popular magazines that are similar to mine. 'Future' is the publisher of 'Classic Rock' and 'ICP' publishes 'NME'. Both magazines have a similar genre to my magazine.
The kind of Media institution who might distribute my media product would be one that has a well known music background as the target audience of my media product likes the product to have music connections and would prefer to read articles and magazines that are distributed by people who know what they are talking about. For example, if an institution were generally known for distributing knitting or craft magazines the audience may not trust the information in the magazine.
· Who would be the audience for your Media
product?
The audience of my magazine will be male and female rock enthusiasts much like the audience of 'Classic Rock'. They like old and new music of the rock genre and would be willing to pay up to £4 for a magazine with exclusive information and interviews like Rockahol!c magazine. They also like the classic side of music such as vinyls and original rock gigs such as Glastonbury or Leeds festival.
· How did you attract/address your audience?
To attract my audience I used a few conventional features such as plugs. I also used a Editor's Note in my contents page to address my audience. The language used in the article is descriptive so the reader can imagine they are there or feel as if they are reading an exclusive inside view of a musician or a band. The language is informal which is suitable for the target audience who is mainly from B,C1 and 2, and D of the community meaning the semi-skilled and students are in the target audience.
The use of a female musician could also be seen as a way of attracting my audience as it is different from the other magazines of the same genre who generally have male musicians on the cover.
· What have you learnt about technologies from
the process of constructing this product?
Throughout the constructing process I learnt a number of new skills such as through research I learned the conventions used by published magazines. I also developed skills from using Photoshop and other photo editing software to edit my original photos.
With the research conducted on magazines I discovered typical conventions of magazines and applied them to my own magazine. With the research, I formed basic layouts to use as a draft for my magazine to see what was needed for the front page, contents page and double page spread.
With the plans and research I worked out what kind of photos I needed to take and once those images were taken with the use of props such as guitars, costumes and camera shots such as medium close-up shots I edited the chosen ones for my magazine on Photoshop.
Photoshop is a computer program which allows you to edit photos and images and use different effects such as blurring and layers of different digital features such as oil pastel. With my images I adjusted the colour tone and used the blur tool around the musician and props to emphasise the musician rather than the background.
With these technologies I have learnt about photo editing from the use of Photoshop and Publisher which allowed me to crop, re size and adjust the image.
Also, during the tasks I have learnt about conventions and the three main types; Technical, Symbolic, and Text. This has helped me to analyse my work critically and develop the work further to achieve the final product of my magazine. With conventions, I have also discovered that published magazines have similarities in the form of conventions that I have never noticed before and which have helped me develop and work through the preliminary and main tasks.
· Looking back at the preliminary task, what do
you feel you have learnt in the progression
from it to the full product?
The preliminary task introduced me to some of the conventions magazines use and some of the techniques that I have used in my music magazine. I also developed an understanding of institution, audience, language, representation and ideology which I used to further my knowledge in the full product.
In the preliminary task I also began to use Photoshop which allows me to edit and adjust images to suit what I need them for. A good example of the use of Photoshop would be the preliminary front page where I used Photoshop to create the whole of the front page using the image I had taken as a background. The tools available on Photoshop allowed me to edit the photo as well as add text to the image.
For the contents page I used Microsoft Publisher as I found it easier to use different smaller images and large amounts of texts. I also found on Publisher that I could edit photos slightly with the format picture toolbar.
When I look back at the work I produced in the preliminary task I have discovered that I needed to write more and conduct more research to help develop my media skills.