Stephen Maloney’sAS Media evaluation

Question 1 In what ways does your media product use,

develop or challenge conventions of real media products?

Q1I started to develop my knowledge of typical music magazine conventions through work in lesson http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-max=2014-09-21T21:37:00%2B01:00&max-results=7&start=56&by-date=false and then developed them further with a number of tasks as well as my research into music magazines http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/drafting-and-planning-codes-and.html this task allowed me to gain a greater understanding of which conventions to use and where to use them, for example, main cover star overlapping the masthead and anchorage text being smaller than the cover lines and appearing just under them so that they link. I also replicated many other typical conventions like a bold masthead and large cover lines

In my research I started to look for music magazines that were mainstream but often featured rock or indie rock artists and found that I admired Q and NME the most. From my research I learned that conventions like pugs, sky lines and house colours were commonly used and so I was able to practise with and develop these conventions in my drafting and planning for my own product in my drafting and planning http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/drafting-and-planning_5.html

Q1Looking at my end product I think there are distinct conventional similarities between mine and other music magazines like NME such as the use of a large masthead with a bold edgy font which makes the brand of the magazine distinct and I also positioned the main cover star over the masthead to emphasize their importance which is another convention used by NME. On top of this I included a standard barcode in the bottom right corner and a selling line which is usually positioned below the masthead.

I also used a large and bold font for my main cover line to emphasize the importance of the main features As well as a pug in a circular form which Is another typical convention. Other similar conventions include cover lines in which the names of the bands are made distinct by a different colour or bolder font. The final conventions are anchorgaetext positioned below main cover line to give additional information and the most important, the main image of the cover stars which I made similar by using direct mode of address and ensuring the image was a mid shot that fits all band members into the frame

Q1

I didn’t challenge or develop many of the conventions used in the likes of NME because I wanted it to be as realistic and therefore as similar to other music magazines as possible so that it looks believable and doesn’t look like a niche magazine

I was able to develop two of the most important conventions, cover lines and anchorage text, through a typography task we did in lesson and from this I learned to use fonts and text size that best suited the image and this helped me with my front cover as I was able to apply a serious font to comply with the serious style of my magazine and the serious image portrayed by the main cover stars

Q1

I was able to expand my knowledge on contents pages with my research into my influences NME and Qconvenionshttp://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/research-into-similar-products.htmlFrom this I learnt that both use typical conventions like sub-headings which are made distinct by using dark colours like red or black and they also have a main image in the centre to advertise their biggest feature, both also are consistent with their front cover by using their masthead in the left-third position as well as using distinct page numbers and well sized and positoined contents on the sides

I started early development of my contents page through drafting and planning where I created a basic layout that was simple and easy to follow and navigate through. I did this through conventions like images which are separated into their own sections which come accompanied with other conventions like text and page numbers so that they link and then the readers can easily read about and then go to the page about that band/ artist.

Q1Here I have highlighted some of the distinct similarities between my contents page and my influence’s NME’s. I included a left-third masthead like NME to create consistency and brand my magazine name. I also included a large centre image like NME to communicate them as the main feature so that readers are instantly drawn to it and can read about them straight away through a title below that links the image with its information which is another convention that is similar, particularly since I made the title bold to emphasize its importance over the rest of the text.The final key convention that is similar is the use of sub-headings on the right side to formalise categories so that the readers can instantly find the content they are most interested in and then go to it through the bold page numbers .

However I challenged some of the typical conventions used in NME by not including an index list which NME use on the left. This is because I wanted the layout of my magazine to be even more simplistic, just sub-headings, images and text. I wanted to do this so I could better target a younger demographic by making it as simple and coherent as possible

Q1

For my double page spread I began drafting a basic layout which featured typical conventions like a main image, a title and a sub-heading. I also drafted the type of article text I was going to use and through my research http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/research-into-similar-products_25.html I decided to use a Q & A style which I also drafted using conventions like question boxes and also the use of a pull quote.

I found a consistent use of many typical conventions throughout NME magazines like newspaper article structured text on the right as well as bolder pull quotes and a large image of the band/artist on the left who link directly to the title and to the text. I also found many other typical conventions like sub-heading/ introductory text and direct mode of address coming form the band

Q1In my end product my double page spread carries many similarities to NME like the main feature being positioned on the left and the article text appearing on the right. There is also the similarity between the two titles as I also used a big bold font to emphasize the importance of the main feature. I also replicated the convention of the sub-heading to introduce the article and link it with the title to make it more coherent and realistic. Another similarity could also be the house colours, Although NME may use different colours I used the convention of only using three colours which helps add to the consistency of the magazine as these house colours are used throughout each one.

However I developed certain conventions like the masthead by also including this in my DPS to add to the consistency of the magazine and I also developed the content of the double page spread by including a separate box promoting my magazines website.

I challenged the convention of article text by using a Q&A style howevr because this is rarely used by NME but I think it is more appealing to read especially for a younger demographic

Question 2 How does your media product represent

particular social groups?

Q2

However My band and main cover stars ‘the desperados’ are a cool, rebellious, indie rock band and so they represent the young male social groups who are stereotypically rebellious and listen to more serious genres of music like rock and indie rock. However My band originated from a lower background which is how they came about as a band and were able to create such passionate but dark and serious music to reflect their upbringing and so could be seen to represent the lower or middle class social groups . However as my band and many other bands and artists in my magazine are predominately white, they could also represent the white social groups who are stereotypically into indie rock music and don’t listen to much else

My music magazine appeals to different social groups through the use of different bands and artists from different music genreshowever it is stereotypically male dominated. I did this because males stereotypically are more interested in more dangerous, rebellious looking bands and magazines whereas women are stereotypically more passive and into more light hearted music genre

Q2

However one of my support artists ‘Jessica Rose’ represents a stereotypically passive female social group because she is a pretty pop artist who young females would aspire to be, especially since a lot of girls are stereotypically obsessive with their looks. However due to Jessica Rose’s darker more provocative side she does also represent other female social groups who are more rebellious and outgoing – those who don’t conform with the stereotype of most women. This is particularly shown with her pretty but dark clothing and her pretty but devious facial expression

My support band, ‘renegade’, also represent a social group as they would represent generic rock music fans of a slightly older age as they are more mature both in their attitude and with their music, although they still uphold a cool image as shown by the sunglasses and a modern bass guitar

Question 3 What media institution might want to distribute

your product and why?

Q3

I think that ‘IPC Media’ would be the company that would distribute my magazine. ‘IPC Media’ distribute many popular magazines like ‘NME’, ‘Photographer’ and ‘Nuts’. However ‘Bauer media’ also distribute popular but bigger magazines like ‘Q’, ‘Kerrang’ and ‘Empire’. Meanwhile there are smaller independent distribution companies who distribute smaller, niche magazines like axel springer who distribute ‘Metal Hammer’.

I think IPC media would be the best choice because they are not as big as ‘Bauer media’ who distribute massively popular, more mainstream magazines, whereas ‘IPC’, I think, would be more interested in a smaller magazine but still has potential to become one of the most popular like NME. This is the same reason why a smaller company wouldn’t distribute it because it isn't that niche

http://www.axelspringer.de/en/index.html

http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/

http://www.timeincuk.com/

Question 4 Who would be the audience for your media

product?

Q4

I started to target my audience through my own online survey through a website called ‘Survey Monkey’

My magazine features bands and artists of both genders therefore appealing to male and female readers however it is stereotypically male dominated. I did this because NME also have male-dominated features in almost all their magazines and this is more than likely because in the popular indie rock/ rock genre most bands consist of males.

www.surveymonkey.com/s/B3D9B5M

From the results I was able to discover that my target audience would be mostly of a younger demographic as most responses from younger people stated that they enjoyed rock/ indie rock music and a lot some said it was their favourite genre of music which helps as my magazine is similar to NME in that it features the most popular bands and artists that are usually of the rock or indie rock genre.

Q4

http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/as-i-am-using-nme-magazine-as-influence.html

This is a link to a blog where I researched into ‘NME’s’ target audience and found that their target audience is also focused on a young demographic. This is evident in many of their magazines as they tend to use bright colours, slightly immature or colloquial language as well as easy to read text and cover lines, shown by the image on the right.

Using this information, I was able to confirm that my magazine would definitely target an audience of people aged 16-24 however my research into NME and my survey did highlight that some older more mature demographics would be interested in my kind of magazine like people aged 25-30 so not all elements should be targeted at younger people

Question 5 How did you attract your audience?

Q5

I attracted my audience with my masthead because ‘ignite’ is short and generally simple and easy to read and so it becomes catchy. I added to this by using a bold edgy font so overall it becomes easily recognisable.

I also attracted my target audience through language, for example the use of swear words which a younger demographic would be intrigued by because they are less mature and see the taboo of swear words as cool and rebellious which they would enjoy due to their interest in the rebellious style of many indie rock bands featured in my type of magazine

I could also attract them through my pug because a younger demographic would be more enticed to win something especially if its for something popular like concert tickets like ‘Glasto’ which would also appeal to them as it’s a cool slang word for a popular concert amongst young people

Q5

I was able to attract my audience through ‘the desperados’ because of their ‘attitude’ which I determined and explained in my blog http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/organisation_18.html .By using dark but fashionable clothing they admire their cool and rebellious image. Also by using direct mode of address consistently throughout the elements it sustains the interaction between the readers and the bands and makes them feel involved which helps if the younger demographic are trying to relate to the band’s rebellious nature

The consistent use of red and black is also attractive as these colours connote darkness and danger which reflects the more serious style of the magazine as well as the serious rebellious indie rock genre that is represented by the featured bands

Question 6 What have you learnt about technologies from

the process of constructing your final product?

Q6Pain. Net was a useful piece of software as it allowed me to crop images with ease as well as add effects like brighter lighting however there was no tool to add text boxes or use different fonts but I overcame this by importing text which took time, but I got used to it and it soon became easy

Pageplus was probably the most useful because of big advantages like having a double page spread template and being able to add elements like pictures and shapes was very easy and fluent. However it had a weakness in as much that the size proportions were always fixed but I overcame this by using paint. Net or Microsoft word to stretch out images or fonts to fit my needs

Microsoft word was probably the easiest but the least useful as it did easily allow me to create text and use a range of fonts but limited me in terms of editing my magazine so I only really used it for text and not much else.

Q6Photographic choices were also a challenging aspect that I learned about because once the photo shoot took place, which I organised in my blog http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/organisation_27.html I had to decide which photos would fit best in my magazine. ‘Attitude’ was the key in making this decision, for ‘Jessica Rose’ I felt that her facial expression was more devious and showed more of a provocative attitude in the left image than the right image.

For ‘the desperados’ in the top image, the model on the left was laughing which defeated the serious and cool image of the band and showed a lack of attitude. I also felt that the bottom image was better because the model on the left had better body language and the direct mode of address coming from the model in the middle was more established and more effective because the glasses were pulled down

Q6

I quickly learned that the management of creating the three elements was difficult because I had to focus on each aspect of the elements to ensure that they were accurate and realistic whilst also having to complete the pieces within a deadline but by managing my time well and focusing on different aspects of the elements one at a time I was able to ensure I made the elements in time without making many errors

I generally found blogger very easy because importing pictures and adding links was very simple due to a handy tool bar at the top. It was also very easy to organise my blogs and re-visit them because of a filter in the top right. I also learned how to follow other students so I could gain ideas through their work. However I sometimes struggled to align my text with my images cohesively but overcame this by adding in text before the image

Question 7 Looking back to your preliminary task, what do

you think you have learnt in the process in getting to your final product?

Q7The most important thing I’ve learnt through my progression is the layout and size proportions of my conventions with the magazine template. The masthead, anchorage text and cover lines were far too big and the layout left far too much negative space but I have learnt to get the sizing and

proportions accurate a long with adequately realistically sized conventions

Q7In terms of my contents page, the most important thing I have learned is to use text in combination with my images to clrify them as my main features as well as froming a better structure for my list of other content to make it look more appealing and more reaistic as with my preliminary task it was too plain and

too spaced out

Question 8 How successful do you feel your media product is

in fulfilling the task? How well does it fit the brief?

Q8I feel my end product is very successful in fulfilling the task because I think my magazine looks very realistic.

This is because I have been able to reflect and replicate many typical conventions of a music magazine as well as my bands and artists who realistically fit in with a magazine that aims to

showcase some of the hottest new artists. I have also achieved success with my product because of its

consistency with elements such as house colour, fonts, images and the masthead that all link together across the three elements to overall form a holistic magazine

that looks professional and similar to other music magazines. I also think I targeted my audience very well by using conventions that complied with the

serious style of this kind of magazine and the populous indie rock genre as well as targeting a younger

demographic through coherent fonts and appealing language. However I think it could be better if I drew

my focus more towards a technological side of my magazine, maybe add more emphasis to my

magazine’s website as well as digital content and twitter/ Facebook logos to show the size and range of

my product