Evaluation

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

My magazine front cover looks like what you would usually see a music magazine front cover to look like; it has a main image that shows a musician which is the general convention of music magazines. It also has a masthead, and a main coverline as well as smaller coverlines; which is what you normally see on the front cover of magazines. My audience research showed that my target audience generally reads Kerrang! so I used that as a guideline for an idea of what my magazine should look like to attract my target audience. I challenged the conventions of a magazine front cover by using a main image where the person is not looking at the camera, usually magazine front covers have midshots where they are looking directly at the camera; which are taken in a studio. However I chose to use an image I had taken at a gig where I could not control the lighting or how the musicians moved on stage which made it difficult to time it correctly to get the type of image I desired with the lighting highlighting his face. 
My front cover looks generally how you would expect one to look, with the page numbers then the titles of the articles. I also separated the articles subject to the type of one is was or whether it was one of the ones featured on the cover. 

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

I think my project represents young people aged 17-25 as people who want to be able to access everything; they are interested in music and like to find out information about what is going on in their area. From the front cover you can see that the image was taken of someone on stage which then signifies that this is what young people like to do; go out to listen to some music and see live bands. From the contents page and the storylines in the magazine you can see how it represents this particular social group; for example there is an article on Mephadrone which is very relevant at the moment as quite a few young people have died from taking the drug and so people of the target audiences age would like to find out about the dangers more so they are aware. It represents them to be interested in having fun but looking after themselves at the same time; and reading indepth reports as well as lighter articles such as fact files. The font I used was quite rough which shows who the magazine is aimed at as if my target audience was older and a higher social group then I would have used a more calligraphy style font. This represents younger people to not need everything perfect as they might not mind if something does not look neat.  

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

I would like to think that Bauer magazines might distribute my magazine as they already distribute Kerrang and Q magazines which are of a similar style to my own. IPC distributes NME magazine however that has a wider range of styles whereas Bass is more directed to the Rockier genres.  

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The average reader of Bass is Sammi she is 17 and absolutely loves everything about music. She goes to gigs on average once a month and attends festivals every summer. She mainly listens to all genres of Rock music but also likes most other things except maybe R+B. She is studying Media, Art, Music Technology and Psychology at her local sixth form. Outside of school she has a part time job to fund her love of music; any spare money goes on new clothes from Topshop and River Island. She loves to socialise and meet new people especially those who have similar interests to hers. She reads Bass so she can find out all about her favourite bands and other up and coming ones who have a similar style to those she already likes. 

How did you attract/address your audience?

I made sure the main image on the cover was bold and stood out. I chose to use an image that was dark but still had the purple light coming from the top right hand corner I left space there so it wasn't covered with text, so that it would attract readers as it is still quite bright but is still obvious it is aimed towards people that like more rock/punk music rather than main stream pop. I also used the fonts of the coverlines so that they looked brighter against the dark background of the image. The font was also not an old fashioned style font  which would hopefully attract the younger audience I want for my magazine. I made sure that the coverlines would be of interest to my reader and that the bands mentioned in them are in my target audiences favourite genre. As my magazine is aimed at people who do not necessarily listen to music that is high in the charts I did not mention bands that are generally known to the world as a whole only those smaller that they would be interested in finding out about but aren't able to in other music magazines. 
From my audience feedback I know that my magazine would attract an audience who were interested in the rock/punk music; as from the pages that were displayed they could tell that was the type of magazine it was and that it was aimed towards a younger audience. The colours that I had hoped to attract the audience were mentioned a lot as something that they had liked about the front cover; that this was what brought them to look at it in more detail.

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

I have learnt a lot about computer programs Photoshop and Indesign. Before this project I had not used either before and to start with I found using them to produce my desired effect was extremely difficult especially when putting the final piece together in Indesign. However I not feel confident to use both after using Photoshop to manipulate the images I used for both my preliminary and the main task; and Indesign to add all the images together and the text to create the layout for the front cover, contents page and double page spread. I also use Imovie to edit my audience research, I had used this in the past but while editing my video I learnt to add transitional text and feel more competent with using the program.

I used an SLR camera to take some of the shots I used for my main task and in my preliminary; I had never used anything other than a digital camera before and with the SLR one I was able to adjust the focus and use the lighting to a greater advantage than I would with a regular camera.

I used Blogger to upload all my work and publish it on to the internet. It was my first time using the site and gradually I have become more adept at putting my work on it and managing the differnt posts.

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

I think I have learnt more about how to manipulate the images with ease using photoshop then importing them into indesign. While editing my preliminary images I found it quite difficult and time consuming to get the effects I wanted, but when it came to my main task it was quicker and easier to edit the images to exactly how I wanted. I also found that I was able to see the greater difference changing something slightly made; for example by making the contrast slightly higher, the image stood out more which would then in turn attract readers. I think that I have also learnt a lot about the importance of the layout on the front cover; as on my preliminary I only had a few coverlines but that might not have attracted many the audience might not have been interested in those few however in the main task I added a lot more to the cover so that there was something for everyone and it would attract more people to look at the page. I also learnt more about how the lighting of the image can attract people to look at the page as if it is a plain or dark lighting people might not notice it; with my main image on the music magazine front cover I chose one that had a different colour lighting, the image I chose had purple lighting coming from the top right hand corner I thought that this was effective as it was different. 

Main Task Magazine

Bass Magazine

Fonts for

These are some of the fonts I am thinking about using for my main task. I have chosen these are they look slightly rough and rocky which is the style I am going for with my magazine. Some of them have the cracked look that the Kerrang masthead has which is also what I am looking for my magazine to be in the style of. I need to use different styles of text for different parts of my magazine as otherwise it would look a bit samey and boring so I will need to use a few of these.

Music Magazine Front Covers

It is a normal convention of magazines that the main image on the front cover is that of a person or group of people looking directly at the camera. This is seen in the front covers below where the cover stars are staring directly at the camera and the shot is a close up.

However for my magazine front cover I have decided to go away from the traditional forms and conventions by using a stage shot which was one of the ones I have from when I took photos for my double page spread. I think this is a good idea as it would stand out from the other magazines on offer as it is different from what people normally see. I will not go completly away from the normal conventions as I am choosing an image that is close up so that you can still see the person in the photo. I have found some issues of Kerrang and NME where they have done the same but have still managed to catch the readers attention.

These front covers still have a good effect and even though they are not looking at the camera you can still see who they are. In my opinion they make the reader want to read the magazine more as they are different from other magazines on offer as the connotation of the image is that inside the magazine there is more than just your standard question answer interview, it is more in depth as it is obviously the shots have been taken while the band was on stage therefore showing that it is more a real impression of them rather than a studio photoshoot where the photos are airbrushed later to make them look absolutely perfect.

Magazine Logos

Looking at other magazine logos, both music and fashion, I see that it does not have to be really bright to catch the audiences attention. Vogue is probably one of the biggest magazines on the market however its Masthead is just written in black and quite simple text. However some of them such as NME and Q show that red is also a regular colour for them, I can see why this is the case as it is a bright colour that catchs the readers eye but isn't gender specific so it appeals to both sexes unlike the Glamour logo which is obviously aimed at women.

I think that for my magazine it would be a good idea to go with the a style resembling Kerrang or Rolling Stone as they both have a slight edge which is what I am aiming to achieve with my magazine. They also both have similar styles and target audiences to I what my magazine to have.

Article for Music Magazine

This is my article I have written for my main task. I chose to do a review as quite a few people in my audience research said that it was the type of article they liked to read most in magazines. Also as I used the band My Passion for my photos it was easy to review they gig they played where I took my photos.

My Passion formed in Hertfordshire in 2005, adding to the list of the new pop punk bands. since then they have been going from strength to strength supporting Jeffreee Star, The Blackout and performing at ths years Underage Festival. Their debut album, Corporate Flesh Party was released in May 2009 and they have since started to record a second one which is due to drop later this year. The atmosphere was amazing as the crowd sung along to Livin on A Prayer while all were waiting for who they were really there to see My Passion. The other supports had been a build up to the main event. As soon as they came on stage you could see why. They started out with a classic 'Play Dirty' the crowd went crazy and so did the band, Lawrence Rene the lead singier lent his mike over the edge of the stage until he was only metres from the crowd. The electro beats filled the room. Everyone knew that this band was going to be big. Lawrence and John added more energy to the room jumping around the stage like ants on acid. As they played songs from the rest of the album they never missed a beat. they kept the energy at same pace throughtout and the crowd was going cazy for them. As they play their last song the crowd the circle pit is still going. If this is how every one of My Passions gigs go then soon everyone is going to know their name.

Photo options for my main music magazine

These are some of the photos that I have the option of using for my main task. I found it quite difficult to the timing of the image capture and the lighting as I had no control over how they lit the stage. However I found that it worked quite well sometimes especially as the stage lighting changed colours which lit the band members in lots of different colour lights.

I won't be able to use all these photos as I don't want my magazine to be overloaded with images and not enough room for the text.

Preliminary Task

This is the front cover for my preliminary magazine. It is a college magazine aimed at 6th Form age students who are thinking about going on to further education. The magazine helps them with their studies as well as including fun things. I used photoshop to manipulate the images; which I think will be useful for my main task as it took me quite a long time to learn how to use photoshop and trial and error helped me learn how to make the images look better. For example I wanted to have the girls head infront of the cover line but the background behind it which meant I had to edit the photo into two different layers and when I inserted it into the indesign I had to line both the images up so that there were no gaps; which I found difficult especially as when I made the cover larger it had a faint outline where the images met.

This is my preliminary school magazine contents page. I think it fits in with the normal conventions of a magazine contents page; it has he separated categories for ease of finding the type of thing you are looking for.

Photos for main task

For my main task; I had asked a band I have connections with if I could take photos of them to use for my double page spread and maybe the rest of the magazine as they were performing in Norwich on the 27th January. They agreed and said they would get there before so that I could meet with them and set up a small photoshoot. However on the day they got lost on their way to Norwich which meant that they didn't arrive until just before the gig. I was able to talk to them afterwards and take a few photos then, but as they had been performing on a hot stage they were not looking their best. But I was able to use that to my advantage as it showed how they lived and didn't always look perfect.

Preliminary Front Cover Photo Options

I took some photos to use for my preliminary task. I decided to take some outside as the sun was out so I could use the natural light. I chose to have a girl sitting holding her folder to make a traditional look that you associate with students at a sixth form.

I chose not to use this photo as it was quite dark so the light wasn't too good. The shadow was also quite obstructing.

The lighting in this photo is a lot better; however you still have the shadow of a pillar which I feel doesn't fit.

This photo is slightly closer which I prefer as you can see her face more but her head is slightly tilted down which gives the impression that she as purposely looking away from the camera rather than just momentarily glancing away.

I choose to use this photo as it is a good close up and the light is good with not too much shadow. There is no obstructing background objects which makes the photo more professional. It also is not perfect like a studio photo as some of her hair is slightly out of place and paper spilling out of the folder; I think this looks good as it shows how the photo is just of a regular person rather than airbrushed to look absolutely perfect.

Main Task Magazine Moodboard

This moodboard looks specifically at magazine styles such as the style of text and photos from both the cover and the inside. I looked through both Kerrang and NME mainly as those are the magazines aimed at a similar target audience to mine and so have the most relevance to mine specifically.

Main Task Moodboard

This moard board is based generally on music; I want my magazine to be for people who are deeply involved in and love music, the images signify how people love everything about music, they know the old records as well as the new and want to remember everything about the gigs they attend to see their favourite bands perform.

30 Word Pitch

Bass is a rock music magazine aimed at teenagers who want to know everything they could possibly want to know about their favourite bands and find out about new ones.

Audience Research

I only used teenagers for my audience research as that is who I am aiming my magazine towards so I wanted to find out what they wanted to get from the magazine. I asked questions about their music tastes as well as towards general magazines and specifically music ones. I asked people who were generally interested in music, who were at music events, and also ones who did not have a specific interest.


From this I have discovered that most of the people I interviewed read or used to read Kerrang magazine so I will take a closer look at that to see how they attract a young audience. Many people also said they liked reading the reviews in magazines so I may do a review of a live gig as my double page feature.

The main image on the front of my magazine needs to be the most important thing on the front as all of the people I interviewed said that this is what they looked at first and what was attracted them to buy the magazine.

Music Photographers - Simon Pollock

Simon Pollock is one of Londons premier live music photographers; he has photographed a wide range of bands and singers from U2 to The Prodigy to Mcfly. He captures the essence of the music well and gets the lighting to coincide with the band as he captures the image.

The fire in the background creates a good effect as one of the flames has only one single colour at the time the image was captured, the other has both the yellowness and the orange of the flame. It has the traditional look of a photo rock pose as well as the singer has his guitar in the normal place while singing in to the mic.

This photo has a good effect, as it is in black and white the smoke from the background makes it more profound; you can see the spotlights but there is none directly on the singer who seems in his own world with the music. It doesnt have the full bodu of the man with his guitar so they can focus on the face

I like this photo because it is quite simple with the singer on the left side with just a black background. It fits with the singer as he looks to be singing a slow song and if the lighting for the shot had been bright then it would have looked out of place.

Magazine Cover Analysis - Mojo

The main image of this cover is the central picture of Syd Barrett; he is leaning back and dressed quite scruffily in dull colours, this may be an indication of the type of person he is, how he doesnt care what he's like, you can't really see his face which could mean that as he is so well-known that people are just expected to know who he is without needing a close look at him. The background is also a dull colour which wouldnt get much grab the attention of many people so the publishers want the reader just to see Syd Barretts name and want to read the magazine. His face is also covering part of the masterhead which shows how that he is the attraction of this issue. There is also a CD cover in the bottom left corner which comes free with the issue, this is taking up a lot of space as they want the reader to look at it and see its free to intice them to buy the magazine so they can get the CD. With the other coverlines a the main titles are written in white with a bit about the article written smaller underneath; this is so the major line grabs the readers attention then if they are interested they will look more closely for the explanation.


From this magazine cover you can see that it is mainly for the older generations, as its main feature is about an older rock star who was famous in the 1960s. The bands featured on the free CD and in the other coverlines are also fairly old which gives the indication the magazine is for people who want to remember the bands of their youth rather than learn about newer ones.

Magazine Cover Analysis - Kerrang

This issue of Kerrang has the cover group all standing at different levels which adds interest to the picture as they are not just all standing straight in a line. Some of the peoples heads are also covering parts of the masthead; this shows how the band are the main selling point of the magazine not the actual name itself, however you can still tell what the word says as it is a well known brand which might not need as much publising as other brands. All of the coverlines are placed mainly around the bottom half of the magazine so as not to distract the reader from the main image, the main cover line runs across the page and features the name of the band in the main image and tells the reader about the band. The other coverlines feature different band names and some are just the names on their own, this shows what the magazine is about, its main selling point is the bands it features and that is the main content of the magazine. The coverlines tell the readers that this music magazine is mainly about well-known bands as they expect the readers to know who they are without any explanation. The cover sticks to a colour scheme of white, yellow and blue and alternates the colours around which helps to keep it simple as the text is quite writing like rather than black text. This also helps the reader understand that this magazine goes against other magazines and has its own style. In the bottom left hand corner there are some more smaller images which publicise the posters that are mentioned in one of the coverlines; this draws more attention to it, as people usually look at the images before they read text.

From this cover you can tell that the magzine is mainly aimed at young people with an interest in rock music; you can see this by the way the main band are dressed and by the names mentioned in the coverlines.

School Magazine Research

This is the college magazine for Lewisham College. It has a simple name that would be easily recognisable for people from that school. The image used is one of a student that is going to be interviewed in the issue. It is quite simple and does not look posed as if he was just going about his regular school day. All of the coverlines are down one side of the page and are written in quite regular text. I feel that this is a good example of what a school magazine should look like as it is quite a simple layout and is not trying to be really out there with the design; which is a good thing as it is just an information source for the students. It also would attract a wide range of people as with other magazines who have a direct target audience would design it to fit with either there male or female target audience.

Magazine Pitch

Bass is a music magazine for people that feel that they need to know more about smaller up and coming bands, as well as ones that are all ready well known. Bass will include gig listings for losts of different venues and artists. Bass will include genres of music such as Rock, Electro and Pop-Punk rather than chart music that is generally well known to everyone. The magazine would help people find out about less well known genres and musicians that they are unable to find in other music magazines. The magazine is for people that already have a big interest in music or people that would like to become more involved in music by finding out new things and about local events. The magazine is not gender specific as music is something everyone has in common even if they do not like the same styles.

Media Portfolio

I have chosen to do magazine for my media portfolio as I think I will find it more enjoyable as I have an interest in both music and photography. I also find the planning and directing of films quite tricky and think it will be an easier choice for me personally.

Mojo Magazine

Reader profile - The average reader of Mojo magazine is in his 40s; they like to reminiss about the music they listened to when they were younger as well as find out about new music that is of a similar genre.

You can see this from an edition of the magazine as the main article is about The Police who were a famous band in the 80s. There were also other articles about older bands such as Blondie and Jeff Buckly. However there are also newer artists featured such as Feist. The magazine is well written with lots of block text which may show that it is aimed for people very interested in music as well as quite affluent.

Film openings

In most film openings you see the main characters and setting for the film. It helps the audience understand the background to the characters before the main feature begins.

The Graduate - You see a man moving through an airport - maybe going home or to visit someone - he doesnt look very happy. The music used ni this clip is very powerful as it is a well known song that takes the focus of a seemingly dull scene.

Trainspotting - This film went straight into the film fast paced but at the same time introduced you to all the characters and the sort of lives they live.

The Breakfast Club - It shows the hallways of a school empty different to how they would be if the students were there. The shot then goes outside to show some students arriving to school even though it is a weekendl; they all seem to be completly different personalities. The voiceover and the song are used to help the audience understand what is happening and explain why they are at school at the weekend.

Brainstorming

What do you want to achieve by your practical work?
I would like to make something that I know I did the best I could on.

Do you want to work individually or as a pair?
I would like to work individually so that I can work at my own speed.

What comments would you like to see on your work?
This piece of work is eye-catching and has been completed to a good standard and shows understanding of the topic.

Print - I think it would be interesting to make my own music magazine using photography and making my own design for the layout.
Video - It could be quite difficult to make 2 minutes of film using different styles of shooting and writer interesting dialogue as well.