EvaluationNora Bakoa-Kela – 6601

64770 – St. Paul's Catholic College

What kind of music genre do I like best?

The reason why I chose the genre R&B/POP for my music magazine, is due to the fact that nowadays more and more people the same age as me

listen to this type of music and I think that this music reflects our generation today. Also because a lot of social networking sites like on Vine,

Instagram and Twitter, I often find that this type of genre is being played around and it gets more and more people’s attention to want to listen to it and

find out who sings it. Lastly because due to festivals and concerts like the iTunes festival and the Wireless festival, big artist’s like Drake etc. perform

at these type of events which makes more people aware of them.

Why I chose to do a R&B/POP music magazine?

0

2

4

6

8

HIP-HOP Rock Soul POP R&B Dance Grime Classical Jazz

Genre

Also, as you can see from the chart, I looked at all the genres that I can think of and I have ranked them to my personal preference and clearly I like to

listen to more R&B and POP than I do anything else which is another reason why I chose to do this for my music magazine.

In what ways does your Media product use, develop or

challenge forms and conventions of real media

products?The magazine, across the 4-pages, ‘repeats’ (Steve Neale) codes and conventions from magazines like Billboard, VIB, XXL and Notion magazine

as inspiration which I used to duplicate the listed codes and conventions. This included having a colour scheme that was continuous throughout

the four pages, I did this by having my basic colours which were black and white, then incorporating accent colours which were pink, yellow, green

and blue. The four accent colours where used throughout to make sure that when looking at the magazine and the four pages you could see that I

had the same idea from one page to the other. To further ensure my front cover met the right guidelines, I made sure that it had a bar code, date,

price, web address and issue number which I placed at the bottom of the magazine next to the barcode, a unique selling point, which was the

competition I placed at the bottom of the magazine to grab the readers attention as they scan from top to bottom when looking at it, this way it will

be the last thing that they see and it will make them want to buy it, a main image plus a headline which is placed across the main image, coverlines

that are placed either side of the magazine and a strapline which is at the top of the magazine to grasp the readers attention from when they first

look at it. Then for my contents page I added sections, so that it is easy for the reader to see where he wants to look to get information and he is

not scrambling across the page trying to find something in the magazine, and for the same reason I added page numbers and sub-lines to them, to

attract the readers attention, another image of the model from the front cover was placed on the contents page, then I added the web

address/social media networking sites as use of convergence, so that my readers can also access the same information again but in different

formats, which allows them to find a suitable way for themselves to use. Promotions/ competitions so that it can make the audience a lot more

intrigued to the magazine, so it makes them want to buy it. Lastly the editorial section on my contents page which allows the reader to get to know

me. When I first started to do my front cover my initial idea wasn't to have my main image the way it is, I took inspiration from notion magazine.

As you can see from Notion magazine the image doesn't actually fit the whole space that is provided, I

thought that I would incorporate something different because compared to Billboard magazine or XXL the

images fit the whole space, so I thought that this could be a way of making my magazine stand out.

Then for my double page spread I also repeated Steve Neale’s code and conventions by having a

columns, a main image and sub images, the interview content including up to 10 questions and also

including the same aspects that the front cover and the contents page have incorporated into them.

There are examples of some ‘difference’, however, in terms of the forms

and conventions in my own media product for example by using the colour

scheme of my magazine as a reflection of the genre that I have chosen.

The bright colours that I have used resemble the POP side of the genre of

my magazine therfore you see the playful and bubbly side of the music,

which are artists like Katy Perry and Ellie Goulding ad then the dark colors

that I have used resemble the R&B side of the genre of my magazine and

therefore you see the bold and harsh R&B music that are artists like Drake,

Nicki Minaj and Rihanna.

This is the process of how I first started making my front

cover for my music magazine. As you can see, the first

screenshot is totally different from the final shot, this is

because my initial idea was to the colours grey, blue and

white, this was because from my questionnaire, these

were the colours that most people thought, associate with

R&B/POP music magazines. I also thought they were

really good colours because I had neutral colours and then a pop of blue that pulls everything together. As for the masthead I wanted the letters to

fade into each other, as I thought it was different and I found that not many music magazines do this, I took this inspiration from GQ magazine. But

because at this point I didn’t have an visual image that I could work off, I didn’t really know where to go from here, so I scrapped the whole idea until I

got an image. Once I got an image I placed it onto the page and took inspiration from several magazines. For my new idea, the image I had in my

head was a fresh, non complicated magazine. Throughout the whole process, I changed my masthead quite a few times but my initial name that I

stuck with was 'MUSE' when I changed it to ‘Craze Magazine’, I was thinking I wanted a long name to fit the font I chose and so that it would go

across from one side to the other side, this way more space was filled up and I didn’t have to find a way to fill up all that empty space. After a while I

didn’t like the name or the way it looked, so I then went back to 'MUSE'' because this was my initial name anyway. I then decided in using the

background colour of my main image for the magazine and a simple colour scheme of basic colours like black, white and grey but then incorporating

pop of colours which were pink, yellow, blue and green, and because the background colour of the image was not a bright colour, I didn't have to

worry about over powering the viewers with lots of colours, therefore this way it meant that I could focus on making not just the images stand out but

the fonts too, which I did by using a different fonts for everything.

Masthead – MUSE masthead is big

and bold like the XXL magazine, the

contrast in colours are similar they

both have dark colours as the

background of the box then white

which makes the test stand out.

Barcode – The barcode is placed in a visible area

so that it can be scanned, similar to Notion

magazine.

Main Headline – This is placed in

the middle of the magazine below

the main image which reflects the

image and let's the reader know

who is the star appeal of the whole

magazine, MUSE's is done similarly

to VIBE magazine as it they are

both introduced by them being an

'exclusive interview'.

Date/Pricing – The date and the price of the

magazine are placed with the barcode so that it is

all in one place, which is like XXL magazine,

therefore when the reader goes to scan the

magazine they know all that information.

Website – For MUSE magazine this I placed right

under the masthead so that the readers see it straight

away and I am therefore getting the website for my

magazine advertised.

Strap Line – This is placed at the top of the magazine,

for MUSE's strap line it gives an insight on what else

you get to find out about in the magazine which is the

MUSE awards coming up. Similar to VIBE as they are

talking about reviews that are inside the mag.

Main Image – MUSE's main image

is similar to Notion magazine as

they are both medium close-ups

(MCU), also they both do not fit the

whole size of the page As the

background of the image is used,

which is different compared to all

the others which do not have the

original background as the

background for the magazine.

Cover Lines – MUSE'S cover lines

are bold and stand out like VIBE

magazine, as there are pops of

colours in both of the magazine

which makes the stories stand out

and make the viewer want to find

out what it's about. Also the different

sizing in the fonts and the styles

make it different from having just

one font throughout.

These are the screenshots for my contents page before I came to a final decision on how I wanted

it to look. Before I knew what I wanted my contents page to look like I searched for any font from

dafont and I placed it at the top of the page not knowing what I wanted to do, then once I had done

my front page and had that finalised, I decided to use the same font that I used for my front cover.

When I saw how plain and bland it looked I decided to change it and flip the text 90 degrees so

that it was on the side, I did this because I didn't see many contents pages that did this so I thought

that it would be different to do something like that. Then when I flipped it I noticed it was lacking

something so then, I added a black block that was the same size so that it went all the way along,

still it didn't look the way I wanted it so I changed it again.The other screen shot are of the different

fonts I went through in order to find my

ideal one. I think that trial and error was

important when deciding what I wanted to

do with my contents page as I didn't just

settle for so,etching that I wasn't happy

with but instead I changed it until I was

happy with the final product and this way

it looked up to my standard.

As you can see, through the process

of finalising my contents page, I faced

a number of changes before coming to

a template that I liked and I could see

progress. I first started by looking at

other contents pages for inspiration,

specifically looking at VIBE magazine

as you can see my contents page is

inspired by that magazine. Then for

the images, instead of using just one

image, I decided to use a number of

images not only to fill up space but to

add a different effect to the magazine,

to also make it a little more different i

collages the images together and

made some of them transparent so,

that you can see the other images through them. This is another thing I did that I thought wasn't on many other contents pages, which I incorporated.

To keep the same vibe going from my front cover to my contents page, I kept it simple by using the same pop of colours that I used for the front cover

and also not adding any bring overwhelming colours. I also used the same fonts that were on the cover lines snd put them in the contents list so that it

corresponded with the story and was easy to find for the reader. After I had done this, I was thinking of a way to fill up the empty space, I then decide

on having a box that lets everyone know what was going to be included in every months issue of MUSE magazine.At first this box was above the

editors note but then I decided to change because I felt as though it looked really unusual because where the lines had stopped, it looked as though

they had to keep carrying on down the page, so I thought that I would move it to a place where it didn't look like it wasn’t finished. After that I had an

open space so I put a review box that lets the readers know what's new in the magazine.

Font – Although my contents page

font isn't a resemblance of the front

cover, I think that it still fits in well

because, throughout my whole

magazine the thing that I kept doing

from each page is changing the fonts

which is making sure that it all flows,

so therefore having a simple bold font

and having a column that stands out

more with all the colours and images

detracts the audience away from that

and lets them focus on the content of

the magazine.

Main images – Instead of having just

one image, I used many images which

is similar to the VIBE magazines

contents page. The images taken are

quite serious and are only of females

as my audience is a female based

audience so therefore it appeals to

those people. I wanted to make my

contents page look original so I didn't

copy the contents page on the right

completely for those reasons.

Overall Layout – The overall layout of

my contents page is unique as instead

of visually dividing my magazine into

sections, I used the content that I wanted to put in the magazine to separate and divide the sections. Also the layout is sleek, simple and colour

scheme I feel attract ps my target audience even more because I have overwhelmed them with so much that it is a lot to take it, but made it

rather simple in a way so that it resembles the care free youthful lifestyle, because I think that when people that age see this they are more

intrigued to buy it. In comparison to VIBE magazine the same sort of things that they have done like separating the sections using the content is

similar to mine and therefore if my magazine has those qualities it makes it look like a real one.

These are the screenshots from when I first started making my double page spread for magazine, as

you can see from the first screenshot it is totally different to the final screenshot, this is because I he

many ideas on how I wanted my double page spread to look, so I tried them out so I could see them

visually and decided whether they were good or not. At first I wanted to do something different that I

had seen on XXL magazine which was the first screenshot, but then I felt as though it was too

overwhelming and it looked as though there was too much going on throughout the whole double

page spread so I changed my idea. This time I thought instead of having one big image I would have

3 little images that it was a lot more toned down, but then I felt as though it looked too plain for a

reason and it didn't really fit in well and flow with my front cover and my contents page, so I scraped

the whole idea and went back to that one main image again but this time only having 'Nicole

Scherzinger' once displayed at the bottom and an 'N' that is in the background so my interview can

go over it. But once again I changed my idea again because in my head it didn't fit well as I am an indecisive person looking at it for too long

makes me see where it doesn't look good and make me want to change it again for the last time and this time I was happy with the changes. I

added a main image and I incorporated the same technique that I did on my contend page of the fading in of the images with each other and this

made sure that I kept the continuity of my magazine all the way through until the end.

Photographs – The photographs

that I have used for my double

page spread interview relate to

Billboard magazines interview as

the images are kind of look like

fashion but on a music magazine,

I feel gives off a nice vibe as it

attracts the audience more

because those who like the star

appeals fashion would buy this

magazine and look at the images

to see what they are wearing and

what they like, how they are

wearing it and maybe find out

where to buy it. The way the

image is of half of the models face

makes the audience more

intrigued to look into the content

of the interview because it's not

giving them too much away as

half of the star appeal is inside the

article they just have to read it.

Overall Layout - Overall. I think

that the layout of the magazine fits

in well with the theme throughout

my magazine. It is similar in a way

to Billbosrd's as it has a main

image and then it has sub images

that are placed around to give the

readers another perspective, also

to make it look a lot more

interesting and not so bland, that

way it gives the readers s lot more

to look at rather than just piling an

article on them. Having a quote

from the article, enlarged so that

before even reading the magazine

the readers see that and get

intrigued straight away and want

to find out why is a good way to

attract the audience which is why I

did so.

How does your media product represent particular social

groups?

The denotations of representation is to act or speak on behalf of someone, but in this context it means whether or not I

have material in magazine that is appealing to all types of social groups whether it be ‘nerds’, ‘goths’ or ‘chavs’ etc.

Therefore if my magazine does appeal to all of these social groups, it would be a success as the larger my target

audience is, the larger the amount of people who would want to read and buy my magazine. That is why, for y own

magazine, I think that it would only appeal to a few social groups that like to listen to R&B music as well as POP, which

is why because I have incorporated two genres in my magazine, I will have a wider target audience. As my magazine is

also a POP one, it is seen as quite passive music genre that has lyrics commonly to do with ‘Love’ and is often

pleasurable to listen to, without needing much thought or having much artistic depth, it means that socio-economic

groups such as C, D and E would be attracted to my Magazine. This is because they have jobs that require a lot of

manual work, that can be repetitive so my magazine could act as a diversion, which links to Katz theory, the need to

escape from everday life and relax, so my magazine can act as a tool to detract them from their normal day life so

they could focus on something other then their own lives. Another social group that would read this magazine would be

catergory D, who would be students and teenagers around that age, who may buy the magazine because these types

of people will often look for POP music as it is very modern and will help them become ‘social climbers’, which links to

Malsow’s Hierachy theory because the audience are driven by improving their status in society and in the ladder it is

popularity. In addition to this it gives the readers a ‘Window in to the World’, which links to Wendy Helsby’s theory, to

what ‘stars’, that my model may feel like since the magazine offers many interviews that allow the reader to perhaps

personally identify with them, is the star this links to Richard Dyer’s theory. For example my model may be seen as the

girl who everyone looks up to due to the amount of make-up she is wearing and the clothes she is styling, which could

be something that the ‘scene’ readers may like to replicate and want to be like.

Across the 4-pages, it helps to represent female artists in a positive light due to the use of the modern model that

reflects the target audience that I am going for and a front cover that is eye-catching that connotes a really up lifting

vibe. Consequently the posture that my model shows off is feminine and sharp in a way, which

represents the female target audience of my magazine and also reflects the vibe of my double page

spread which is straight to point and doesn’t drag out. This is opposite to how I portrayed the star

appeal in the magazine as she is quite sweet and down to earth in the article which is why I thought

it was a great way to incorporate some sort of difference which links to Steve Neale’s theory and the

person of interest will be drawn into the audience, since their notions on these celebrities will be

challenged.

The use of my model who is clearly

above the age of 16, so this fits into my

age range. Also because she is of an

olive skin tone therefore males/females

that are the same skin tone will

gravitate towards picking up the

magazine. Not just that the idea that it

is an R&B magazine as well as POP

more males tend to like this type of

music so they will be more interested in

looking through the magazine.

From the research that I have been

doing, I found out that most of people

aged 16 and above found the genre

R&B and POP there most listened to

genre. As well as when a somebody in

that age range picks up a magazine

they tend to pick up magazines like

Billboard, VIBE or XXL which include

artists like Nicki Minaj, Drake, Beyoncé

etc. that I have included in my

magazine.

Overall I think that when you look at my

magazine front cover it gives off the

R&B/POP vibe anyways due to the

images font and content and therefore

will appeal to someone who is definitely

into R&B or even POP, because I feel

as though this is a recognisable genre

due to it being publicised in the media

through celebrities and big music artists

like as stated above.

Background – The background that I

used for my magazine isn't of anything

because it is the background of the

actual main image which is a light grey

colour. I believe that my background

helps to represent the social group of

my age range because it is so simple

and plain, which is what young adults

are nowadays, they have no room for

complications but like the simplicity of

things like this magazine as it hasn't got

a lot going on which reflects that.

Images – The image that I have used

is of a star appeal, who is Nicole

Scherzinger and therefore people

would want to buy my magazine

because the celebrity is someone they

look up to or admire and want to be like

so they buy it because they can relate

to them.

Fonts/Colour Scheme – The font that

I have used reflect the genre that I have

chosen for my magazine. The bold dark

colours that I have used, for example

the Drake, Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj

represent the R&B side, this is because

these artists tend to want to stand out

in their own way. Then all the pop of

colours that I have used, which are

dotted around the magazine like the,

pink, blue, yellow and green represent

the POP side of the genre I chose, this

is because POP artists tend to be fun

and playful and not too serious.

Fonts/Colour Scheme – The font that

I have used reflect the genre that I have

chosen for my magazine as the range

of bold to bright colours link to the

youth that I am trying to attract to my

magazine so that they will buy it. Also

my questionnaire that I produced in

order to find the best colours for my

magazine have contributed to this and

have helped the magazine look a lot

more appealing to my target audience

of 16-20 year olds.

Font – I have used various fonts to go

onto my magazine that I have

mentioned throughout previously.

Because I didn't use the same fin

throughout the whole magazine, I feel

as though it gives the magazine a

unique quality that is not seen in many

other magazines. Therefore I feel like

this will attract my target audience well

as it keeps them interested in the

magazine because it is not the same all

round.

Overall layout – I think that my

overall layout represents social

groups ages 16-20 because the pop

of colours that I have used

throughout the magazine give the

magazine continuity, and it makes it

flow from one to the other. Another

reason is due to everything being s

nest place so the it is easy for the

reader to see where everything is.

Photography – The images that I have

used and taken are of 16-20 year olds

to enhance a sense of belonging to my

target audience, as they are the same

age group. In the images the model is

posing and this reflects the youth of this

age as they love to take pictures of

themselves therefore encouraging

people to read my magazine as no one

likes to read a magazine if the images

are unappealing to the audience.

I feel as though I have represented the social group of 16-20 females, which my magazine is aimed at reflecting the R&B/POP genre along the way

through the use of posing, facial expression and clothing. As female R&B/POP tend to gravitate towards the hard, tomboy look, and I have

incorporated that by having my model wear a boyish jacket called a ‘bomber jacket’. I believe that this will attract this social group as they will want

to be more like the star appeal because they will idolise them, this is because usually young adults have no send of judgement as if a certain

celebrity or artist is wearing certain designer clothes they would but it just to look like them which links to Katz Uses & Gratification theory, as from

a females point of view this would be the reasons why they’d do so.

My magazine also

represents this

particular social

group as it acts as

a form of an escape

for the young

people to look

through and get

inspiration from

artists that have

made it big in life.

By reading success

stories and

motivational speech

which can make

them think about

how they could

reach there dreams

by reading them.

Another thing being

why it helps to

represent the social

group of 16-20 year

olds is the use of

the model.

Another reason why

this double page

interview represents

the social group of 16-

20, as I have used a

simple colour scheme

which doesn’t drown

the readers with too

much to look at but

rather lets them see

the more important

aspects first like the

motivational speech,

the main image and

the actual interview.

The colour scheme

also resembles the

sophisticated age, as

from 16 you are

considered more of an

adult and are able to

do more things so

therefore, having a

simple colours does

that.

What kind of media institution (Publisher) might distribute

your media product and why?Bauer Media Group would be a

good option as a media institution

to distribute my media product

because it reaches over 19

million UK young adults, across

multiple media and including my

R&B/POP music magazine will increase the amount of people they get reading their media products on the R&B side. Bauer Media Group also

has Bauer radio which consists of Heat radio, Q radio, Smash hits! and The hits radio. Some of these radio stations already play out R&B and

even POP music so my magazine will fit in because it is of that genre. They are also known and have a vast umbrella of interests that they have

magazines about, some of these include magazines under the title: women, men, engine, gardening, pets etc. as well as them being a UK

based institution, my magazine will be up against these three other magazines that are of the same genre, which are Smash hits, Kerrang and

Q. Therefore, I would see Bauer Media Group publishing MUSE magazine because they are good at creating personal relationships which links

to Katz Uses and Gratification theory and one of needs being personal relationships which is creating a personal relationship with the reader as

if you were friends with them and on my contents page I believe my magazine dos this as I have my editorial on there, where I talk to the

readers and give them an insight on what they can find before they read my magazine and give off the friendly vibe. Also my media product

uses a lot of synergy and cross media convergence which will allow the readers to access the content in many different ways since I have

multiple social networking sites in association with my magazine and additionally there being a website for my magazine.

The similarities of my magazine to Smash hits magazine being the way in which the promotions are displayed also signifies that Bauer may

want to distribute my magazine as this links to De Saussure's theory because with similar codes and convections that sell Smash hits's

magazine displayed for s different music sub-genre may be something of interest to the publishing group as it well increase the target audience

for my magazine as well as there's also.Another media institution that may distribute my music magazine may

be IPC Media, this is because it's UK's leading consumer magazine

and digital publishers with a massive portfolio selling over 350 million

copies each year and also has over 85 iconic print brands. As it doesn't

have any sign of R&B/POP magazines, therefore adding my magazine

will increase sales for the institution because it will be targeting a much

broader audience rather than just sticking to what they do originally.

Lastly due to IPC having partnerships with big supermarkets, so this

can widen my target audience, as it will be more freely available in the

supermarket for those who go shopping weekly so that anyone can

buy my magazine and in a way it forces them to buy it as many people

go to supermarkets as it is compulsory to eat and it will not seem as

expensive if it is added to their weekly bill.

Who would be the audience for your media product and

why?

The target audience for my music magazine would be an age range from 16-20 year olds, this is because according to

Hartley's seven subjectives especially for females, most of the artists that are on my magazine are females due to the

star appeal being a female as well, therefore it means that I would have a female based audience. This is because

people often have role models of the same gender because they either want to be like them or admire them in some

way. On the other hand my audience could be males also because my front cover image is of a celebrity that looks

really appealing, when linking to Katz Uses and Gratification theory which states that males would want to buy this

magazine because there is a female on there that they might like and enjoy looking at, also because the images of the

female act as an attractant due to females often being objectified for the pleasure of the male audience which is Laura

Mulvey's theory of male gaze. Going back to why females may be the target audience for my magazine would be

because according to Katz Uses and Gratification theory females would find it much easier to create a personal

relationship with them, however like stated above it will also appeal to the male gender as well which links to Hartley's

theory. Lastly, also according to Maslow's hierarchy needs, social climbers would make up a large amount of the

readership since they would try and seek as much information as possible so they were informed and educated on

everything that was new which links to Katz theory. And as well as the working proletariat class which was Karl Max's

theory, would really be targeted since the readers would be an,e to afford the magazine as well as appreciate the

diversion it offers from day to day life which links to Katz theory again. My magazine was not originally aimed at the

audience with high standard choice of luxury lifestyle with big incomes, however I was aiming for the social group of

people around 16-20 years old who aspire to become like these celebrities. My target audience of 16-20 year olds are

usually people who spend their money on items, like music magazines, therefore to learn more about the readers of my

magazine I created a questionnaire which helped me create my magazine, so I had something to back me up on why I

did certain things on my magazine as well as give me an insight into what was needed in my magazine to attract the

specific audience I was going for. From my questionnaire knowing that 16-20 year olds are more interested in music

that there generation is listening to, made me ask questions like "which artist do you prefer?"and then I gave them

options to choose from which made it easier for me, in response to these types of questions I got

answers like Rihanna, Beyoncé etc which are artists who continuously produce music that attracts

this age range so they were perfect people to use in my magazine. Overall my magazine will appeal

to both male and females, who are in the age range of 16-20 years old, the ethnicity of the reader

can be anyone because I have a range of people on my magazine that are different nationalities

so everyone can relate, which is why throughout my magazine I have tried to appeal to many different

ethnicities which also widens my target audience and therefore make more people aware of my

Magazine.

How did you attract/address your audience?

In order to attract my intended audience, I did this by having many unique selling points to my magazine that were

visible to see, this is because from my questionnaire I found that this was the main reason as to what attracted people

to buy magazines. The idea that you are getting something out of buying the magazine whether it be the chance to

win a competition or a free CD of some sort, is a good way to draw people in and get them to buy your magazine.

Another way that I attracted my audience was by using language on my magazine like 'exclusive' 'win' 'free', in bold to

make it stand out helped me attract my audience as well because they are words that are very direct and can make

the readers believe that they are getting something of value for just being a consumer of MUSE magazine. Also by

having artists that are up and coming so that the readers feel like they are up to date with "what's going on with all the

celebrities?", "who's doing what?", "who's brought out a new song?", "where some of them have been?", that way the

readers feel more like they are part of the MUSE community. As well as the inclusion of codes and conventions such

as having an editorial in the contents page helped to appeal to the target audience as using direct terms like 'we' 'you'

make the readers feel part of something and therefore develop a personal relationship with the editor, so therefore

writing in this way pushes them to buy the magazine and then make them want to buy the next issue as well.

Another way to attract my target audience, is making sure that my design overall was up to standard, as I think that

this is the most important part of actually attracting the audience, this is why I made sure that MUSE magazines

wasn’t the usual boring simple layout and had something different to it. Which is why I tried to enhance my readers

and create a different simplistic view of what a actual real R&B/POP magazine would look like as there are many

which are quite similar. In order for me to do this successfully, I researched many magazines that I wanted my

magazine to look like so that it didn’t lean to much towards the fashion side, I searched for magazines such as VIBE,

Billboard, Notion and XXL. I believe that I attracted my audience well through the front cover by having bold writing

that reflected each of the cover lines, I attracted my audience through my contents page y giving them an insight on

what they are in for before they even red the magazine so they know before they buy it whether or not it will appeal to

them, then for my double page spread I attracted my audience well by having good quality

images because this is a good way to attract the audience,as if the quality of the images are bad

then the readers wouldn’t want to read on because it doesn’t appeal to them visually. The

overall layout of each of the pages being the front cover, contents page and double page spread

are very appealing in the way that they all flow together and have something in them from one

to the other which makes it resemble each other in a way, so when you look at the front cover

you see something from the contents page and the double page spread overall and that makes

it a successful magazine and draw more people into reading it and finding out more.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process

of constructing this product?

Throughout the whole process of planning and producing my music magazine, I have learnt a number of new skills

that I will able to apply in the future. As I like designing, this was a great way for me to expand my knowledge and

get a general grasp on how to use new programs or programs that I had little knowledge on, whether it be editing,

or enhancing images and overall successfully produce in my opinion a really good R&B/POP magazine that would

appeal to 16-20 year olds.

In terms of programs, whilst making my music magazine I had to use my knowledge and understanding of different

programs,much as Adobe Photoshop CS4 in order to make my magazine as professional as possible. Before I

started using this program I had previous knowledge from using it before for another subject so it was just a case

of remembering how to use it. Adobe Photoshop CS4 helped me enhance and alter my images as well as filter

them so that they looked as professional as possible, and lastly I could convert the images to make them into the

best quality without ruining the original quality of the images and without leaving them pixelated, which I think is

very important as the quality of your images make whether or not your magazine is good or not. This program also

helps me to build up my magazine on separate layers and made sure the quality of the text was clear so that even

when I zoomed in, it wasn’t pixelated at all, then once I had done it all, at the end it compressed the layers into one

end product which was my magazine.

Then in terms of photography, using such good quality cameras like the Nikon D3200 DSLR with a 18-55mm Lens

made the a massive difference to the quality of my images a lot more, this was such a privilege for me as I have a

friend who has this camera so I made sure that I asked and used it for my magazine. I have always like the idea of

taking good quality photography knowing that it is important that you have really good lighting otherwise this can

affect the end result of the images. Therefore, using this camera allowed me to take really good pictures with just

one click and they were such high quality that I didn’t even need to alter anything other than deciding whether or

not I wanted to remove the background. As for the uploading and downloading of the blog and Slide Share, it was

really difficult for me because I had never used a blog before or even Slide Share so this was all new to me but

however after using it, I found that it was so easy to convert files and upload presentations onto Slide Share and

embedding them into Wordpress, which I’m sure I could do in a couple months time.

Lastly most of all, I learnt the important of continuous saving because importing, converting and uploading and

downloading tends to take up a lot of memory as well as cause my computer to freeze on numerous occasions

therefore it was important that I was saving constantly so that nothing was lost.

Photography Planning – Front Cover

My initial idea for my front cover was to have a similar style to a magazine called Notion. So I got a model

who I thought could replicate the star appeal on the front cover of Notion magazine who was Ciara, I placed

my model in a bomber style jacket that was similar to Ciara's and I put her hair in that same style too, so

that I could recreate the look for my magazine. I wanted to do this because the way, that Notion magazine

was set out, it inspired me to want to create a magazine like it, as the genre that I chose for my magazine

was from the R&B and POP side, so I thought that looking at magazines that were in the same wave length

as me helped me to develop my idea. After a while the idea grew on me to not have this image as my front

cover, so more photos were taken with my model. This was because I thought that I didn't want to fully

replicate a magazine but take aspects from it to make it my own and unique.

After some thought about his I wanted to

position my model for the new idea I

had, we took a couple more photos in

the same jacket, but this time different

hairstyles and different poses., this way

I wasn't set to one idea. And I had a

selection to chose from that gave off

different vibes. Throughout the photos

the jacket is seen open, this links to

Laura Mulvey’s theory about the male

gaze. This theory suggests that the

male gaze deny women has human

identity and rather position them to be a

status of objects to be admired for

physical appearance.

So through the images I have taken you can see that this will attract males. This also links to Kat’s Uses and Gratification theory and

personal identity being one of the needs, because male’s will often pick up magazines with females for the use of pleasure and females

would pick up magazines with females on because they idolized to be like them or they may relate to them in some way which makes them

want to buy it.

Photography Planning - Contents

When deciding what image I wanted to use for my contents page, I didn't actually have images in mind I just knew that I wanted it to flow from my

front cover to my contents page and you could see the links from one to the other. So I went through all the images that I hadn't used yet and picked

out a few that I thought would fit in well with my magazine. After looking through the images I hadn't used I came across these four that I thought

would be perfect to collage together as this was the idea I had in mind at the time. Due to the fact that I didn't have any initial ideas for my contents

page, I used these images as a baseline, so that I could start with something rather than nothing. When taking these images there was not really any

thought behind it as most if them were taken of guard and I wasn't initially going to use them in the first place, but after I realised I didn't have any

photos for my contents page and I had an idea in mind, these photos happen to fit well with the whole theme. As these were the only images I used

for my contents page, it was easy for me because I knew what I had to do next. Throughout my magazine I have used s female to draw the attention

of my audience which are females aged 16 and above and I think that these images do a good job at attracting them because the model is wearing

make-up which a lot of young adults like to wear, so they can relate and maybe want to recreate the look that she is wearing on themselves, also the

model has her hair in various different styles in each on the pictures, this also has the same effect of making the audience want to replicate that.

Lastly the model is holding the new

iPhone 6 which came out not too long

ago, the new phone being in the image

not just appeals to females but to

everyone as they see this celebrity

with the latest gadget, which therefore

pushes them to want to buy because

she has it and when they get it they will

be like her. This links to Katz Uses and

Gratification theory because females

would want to pick up this magazine

for those reasons stated above as one

of the basic needs being surveillance

because the audience has used the

magazine to find out what the star

appeal has been up to in order to fulfil

their needs. As well as linking to the

other basic need which is personal

identity as the audience try and relate

to the star appeal because they see

through the images that they are

normal people like them.

Photography Planning – Double Page Spread Interview

For my double page spread I initially wanted to use these three photos because I wanted my interview to give off a sophisticated vibe, this was

because my model was wearing a suit so it only fitted in well that way. I told my model to do various poses so that they were all different and then

when I lined them up together and put them on my double page spread the were transitioning images from one pose to the other. Initially when I

was planning photos for my double page spread, I didn't actually have an idea of what I wanted it to look like I just knew that these images would

fit well with my magazine to use as my double page spread.

After a while the photos previously grew on me and I then decided to change my idea and just use one photo. Using

one photo meant that the readers weren't overwhelmed with many photos and only had one to focus on, that

brought the whole double page spread together and this was the photo on the left. When taking this photo I told my

model to not look at the camera because I thought that it would be different to use a side profile. But when I

pictured the final product of my double page spread with that image, I felt as though it didn't fit in well with the whole

magazine itself, it looked too smart whereas my contents page and front cover were quite relaxed and not too

serious with fun and playful colours.

Once I had put a lot of thought into what I wanted to do next and took into consideration all the changes that I made with all the images I wanted

to use, I finally decided on using this image on one side of my double page spread and then cropping the photo down so that only half of her

face was being shown which gave it a different vibe to the magazine which I liked and that way the image filled up the whole space. Having one

main image meant that I could incorporate other images on the double page spread. The ones I chose where the two on the right because they

complimented the main first image well, in a way that it stood out.

Looking back at your preliminary task what do you feel you have

learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Looking back at my preliminary task, I feel that it was a work in

progress from which I have developed many new skills and

extended my understanding and my current knowledge about the

production of music magazines and the difficult things behind it all,

for example, what social groups certain magazines appeal to and

why? and how to attract a specific audience? and also the depth of

research and planning I had to do in order to make my magazines

successful.

Taking on board the feedback, which I got after making my school

magazine, giving out questionnaires for my research on music

magazines, I believe that I have progressed a long way from where I

started into the completion of my finished media product. I know

have a stronger knowledge and understanding on programs such as

Adobe Photoshop CS4 and also know how to update my blog and

edit new posts as well as create new pages and upload, convert and

make a wider range of videos which express my understanding on

technologies which have made my magazine come to life. Overall, I

feel that, having completed the preliminary task and learning about

the demand of this production process, I have learnt how to manage

my time efficiently and how to use photoshop in the most efficient

way possible. Also my ability to alter images to reflect the purpose

of some things have increased after a lot of trial and error

throughout the whole process. I have learnt the importance of fonts,

how if they are not readable from s certain distance or clear the

magazine will gain no profit since the magazines coverlines need to

be visible as this is what attracts the audience into buying your

magazine, the content that you offer. There is evidence of

progression that I feel particularly demonstrates how I met the

demand of the production process, for example meeting deadlines

set up for each part of the magazine as well as attending to

corrections and feedback well.