Evaluation

CONTENTS

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

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

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

4. Who would the audience be for your media product?5. How did you attract/address your audience?6. What have you learnt about technologies from the

process of constructing this product?7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel

you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

MY MAGAZINE

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

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My target audience is that of people aged between 16 to 25, both female and male and of social class BC1C2.

Generally, my magazine does stereotype the typical ‘ravers’ the energy exasperated through my main images, furthermore from this we can suspect that generally my target audience as a social group are not wild and rule breakers until their associated within their genre. The stereotypical ravers would be known on association with raves and gigs, also there is a strong negative connotations of binge drinking and possibly recreational drug use. However, I believe my social group is portrayed in a positive light as my magazine is quite cheery and colourful rather than dark and mysterious.

The way I used language in different parts of the copy also stereotypes my target audience, suggesting that they are generally educated but however prefer a friendly vibe due to the informality. In addition, the use of swearwords could again suggest my ravers social group are sometimes reckless and extreme. This recklessness attitude connects with my audience research of not having a lot of time to sit and read a magazine, which is what I used to construct my magazine.

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

The closest industry magazine for genre and audience comparison is Mixmag. Mixmag is published by an independent media company, Development Hell Ltd, based in Islington, London. They currently publish the market leading international dance music magazine, mixmag along with other media platforms. Theydescribe them selves as ‘providing consultancy for some of Britain’s biggest publishers and producedtour brouchers for someof the biggests artists in the world’. It is also known that Development Hell Ltd, behind the label of Mixmag, create events and even market related fashion items. On one hand, this would be the perfect institution to distribute my media product due to the range of products not just the magazine with, but on the other hand, because it is an independent company this shows that the company as a whole is not that broad and well-known. Therefore, I looked into more renowned media institutions which distribute similar genres; DJ mag is a British monthly magazine, dedicated to electronic dance music. And owned by IHM (International House Movement) and in conjunction with EMAP (East Midland Allied Press) which is a media company specializing in the production of business-to-business magazines. They express that they print over 100,000 copies of just one of their smaller magazines which comes out quarterly.

Who would the audience be for your media product?

When carrying out my initial research into my genre, I learnt that the average target audience of similar magazines (i.e. MixMag)was males between 18-25. This said, I wanted to challenge the typical conventions of my genre by extending the age range to 16-25 and attract a more female audience. The reason behind challenging these conventions were for many reasons; firstly, making the age lower allows not just a more possible population but recently my genre has become more and more accessible due to 16+ nightclubs in the past few years, showing that under 18s do have an interest into the associations of the genre. Furthermore, as more and more females are living a more party lifestyle this encourages the idea of marketing my media product at both sexes. Although my closest magazine for reference, MixMag does not specify social class, I can assume due to the age range that this the NRS social grade, the classification would be BC1C2, this is represented through my media product by the price, article and context of my product.

The price of my magazine, is relatively quite cheap at £2.50 making it an accessible price to my target consumer audience. In addition, my article has also been crafted to fit my target audience. The article is relatively short and is quite informal, this suggests that the magazine is not targeted at professionals but because it is of substantial length, neither those in NRS classes DE. Informality included the use of swearwords and colloquialism, which is very common amongst the age range of 16-25.

How did you attract/address your audience?

THE COVERWhen carrying out my initial research, from my questionnaire I found out that people are at first

attracted to vivid images, especially when I asked them which magazine covers they liked of industry magazines, the one picked most was bright and colourful. Knowing this I tried to recreate a bright and interesting image on the cover as this is what attracts the audience initially. In addition, my audience research stated that they liked varied content and shorter articles as they live a busy lifestyle and do not have the time to sit and read a magazine in depth hence the article sign posting such as ‘50 sets you shouldn't of missed’ this implies that because they are so busy they are more than likely to have missed the concerts and also the quick summary of key features within the magazine in the bottom left hand corner.

Also the vocabulary I used directly addressed my audience, phrases such as‘50 sets you shouldn't have missed' and’ nobody cares if you cant dance’; the word you gives a

direct address to the reader and makes them feel special and part of the community. My main image is of an attractive female around the same age as my target demographic, this

gives the reader something to aspire especially as the outer glow signifies importance, suggesting that this is someone you would want to be like or alternatively, possibly attracts them in the view of a sex symbol.

Finally, bright colours used within my magazine are normally more associated with younger generations than older this is why I decided to change both the colours in the title and sell lines to contrast against each other and stand out.

How did you attract/address your audience?

THE CONTENTSI think the key part of my contents page is the editors note as it provides

familiarity with the reader; keeping it informal and short to address my target audience. Phrases such as ‘Come On Summer’ and ‘so i sent our team out on a cold Monday morning....whilst I stayed in the warm’ adds humour to the magazine which reiterates the informality of the product.

Again all the photos included on this page are of people of similar age so that they are relatable, also they include points of interest such as the signs ‘danger of death’ which creates excitement and fascination.

To attract my certain audience I included a social networking platform; Twitter; with over 500 million registered users twitter is an online social networking service and micro blogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based messages. This platform is used typically by 16-25 year olds and provides a personal connection between magazine and audience.

The background used across all three pages is very fashionable at the moment; many retailers are matching product with the galaxy theme and as my 16-25 target audience are known for being interested in the latest fashions, I believe this will attract the audience I desire.

How did you attract/address your audience?

THE DOUBLE PAGE SPREADAs already stated, bright colours which are used within my magazine are normally

associated with younger generations than older but because this is the main point of reference (ie the most text) it was a good idea to not make it as bright and distract away from the article.

The main thing that stands out on my DPS is the title, using a swear word that is in a bigger font and different text colour instantly grabs the readers attention and encourages the reader to continue to read as to find out the context of the pull quote. In addition, the fact that the title references to ‘people’ (the general public) this again creates a feeling of community spirit which is associated with my genre of house music due to ‘clubbing’.

Similar to my front cover, my main image includes a well maintained model which is clear from his neat fashionable clothing and well groomed appearance who could be considered an aspirational target; as both images are different sexes this incorporates a multi-gender appeal.

Some may say that my double page spread is pretty simple and boring but on the contrary referencing my audience feedback, most people want the information quick and simply, this is my reason behind leaving the page with a simple layout. In addition, it fits with the current fashion of minimalism which also would attract my audience.

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

During this project, I was able to use, develop and express my talents concerning technologies by using a wide range of resources. For example, many every-day utilities such as Microsoft Word or PowerPoint as well as less regular ones such as Photoshop or Indesign which required more of a knowledgeable understanding. All different types of technologies were used for specific tasks in a specific way and furthermore, all had their own limits and limitations.

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

Drafts Before creation

To construct my drafts, I used a scanner which allowed to convert paper based articles into digital form, by completing them on paper it was easier to design and also easier to add more detail than would be possible on a computer this has been proven as I did make some computerised versions of drafts to start but thought they required more information hence creating paper versions. The scanner was simple and easy to use, the only limitation of its features were that college does not have a scanner meaning that I had to scan my documents at home which sometimes caused inconvenience as at times I wouldn't be able to move on with my planning without scanning a document first.

I used PowerPoint and online animation maker, Prezi to display my ideas behind my magazine. PowerPoints allow you to display your thoughts and prezis make them more animated and interesting for the audience. I regularly use PowerPoint so this part was easy, however I had never hear of Prezi so this stage took a while as I had to grasp an understanding of the website before I could start creating my Prezi. However this said, the positives out weigh the negatives because now my pre-project work looks more professional and more exciting to look at.

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

Creation

At the start of making my magazine, I used a Canon still digital camera to capture my images. Although I regularly do use these types of cameras, every manufacturer is different and so makes it harder to create the shot you want with an unfamiliar camera. However, because the cameras were high quality and together with my awareness of shot types and lighting the images did come out well but I did end up taking more as I believe my knowledge of shot types (etc) improved as I learnt more about the conventions of an industry magazine.

After I had taken the pictures needed I edited these on Photoshop for example on my front cover I removed the background of the image. Photoshop is hard to use but has some very useful features which make it quick and easy to edit a picture. If I were to do this project again I think this stage in production would be allot quick as now I have a better understanding of the programme. Next, I continued to make my front cover and contents page on Photoshop by adding more layers and using tools such as the text box and image tool, until complete.

When it came to my double page spread I started to make the background on Photoshop as I felt more comfortable using this programme rather than the designated indesign, however due to limitations in Photoshop concerning the printing of the A3 document, I made more work for myself by having to copy over the started DPS in Photoshop to indesign, which I could not later edit in indesign as it concerned the file from Photoshop to be a single image not different layers. However, I managed to find a solution to this (explained in the print screens) which resulted in a completed magazine.

I do still think I need more experience in photo manipulation services such as Photoshop and indesign as I still do not feel as comfortable using them as other daily programmes, if I had this experience I believe I would of been finished with a lot more time to review my final product.

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

Presentation

To present my findings both before and after my project i used a number of different technologies for instance, scribd, windows movie maker and sound/audio clips, just to mention a few.

Scribd is a document-sharing website that allows users to post documents of various formats, and embed them into a web page using its iPaper format this made uploading documents such as Word easier to transfer onto the blog. Limitations to scribd were the poor site management as the site was temperamental meaning sometimes you couldn't upload what you needed due to ‘essential work on the site’. I found this easy to use though (ie the embded code) as i have had experience in html in the past, without this I think i would of struggled more to post things on the blog.

Although making a movie took a long time, it makes my work more interesting and also shows off my talent of using windows movie maker. I have been using this free programme for many years and therefore found it extremely easy to use. It has a wide range of features ranging from importing different media files to transitions and voice control. In my video I included both sound and audio clips. Audio clips were recorded from my blackberry mobile handset using the voice note feature, then this file was easily transferrable onto the computer via USB.

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

Not only do I feel I have a better understanding of the typical conventions of a magazine but also the self courage towards my work as I could use the technology available more efficiently than before in my preliminary task. I also believe because I choose a genre I am passionate about and a similar demographic to myself, it was easier to construct.

Furthermore, from this main project I have learnt that planning is crucial for example audience questionnaires really do help the editor decide what to include in the magazine and also offers inspiration for the publication itself because in my preliminary task I did not pay much attention to my audience research which is probably the reason behind the fact I wasn't as happy with my final preliminary product.

As already briefly stated; I had a developed understanding of typical industry conventions, as we now had other magazines to compare our project with, meaning we could get more of a precise idea of magazine principles associated with music. For example the differences in article structure and tone for different genres should be considered and how the way a model is dressed can stereotypically signify a genre (mise-en-scene).