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

Replay magazine across the 4 pages ‘repeats’ (Steve Neale) codes and conventions from magazines such as ‘VIBE’ and ‘Billboard’ magazine as I got the inspiration from the boldness of the VIBE masthead and repeated this across to Replay magazine as I believe that the simplicity and one colour of the masthead attracts the audience straight away and it makes the magazine easy to remember which means more people will be influenced to buy it. Like-wise I ‘repeated’ the bold cover lines similar to the magazine with Ciara on it, so that the audience will be able to establish what the magazine is about due to the different artists going to be interviewed in the magazine.For my front cover I made sure that it included all the main conventions of a magazine such as the • Barcodes. • Date and prices.• Main image • Cover lines• Masthead • Strapline

For my contents page I also tried to create the same vibe as the magazine VIBE, with the ‘contents’ being very large and formation of the separation of the co – nten – ts. Also I ‘repeated’ the image being on the left hand side of the page and the font used for ‘features’ and ‘fashion’. However some ‘differences’ of VIBE magazine to the magazine I created is the fact that I included an editorial which introduced the audience to Replay magazine, and explained what the magazine is about and the exclusive interviews etc.

I was very indecisive about my double page spread as I didn’t know where I wanted the text to go, similarly I wasn’t too sure about the differentiation of the colour choices pink and black, for the story. Never the less I stuck to the colour choice as it was conventional due to the fact it was clear to which was the questions and what was the answers.Like-wise I had a main image which stood out due to the fact that it was very big, and I also made sure the text was shaped around the image so that it looked really neat and well presented to the audience reading the magazine.On the other hand there are examples of ‘difference’ in my double page spread in comparison to my magazine of inspiration ‘VIBE’, with their double page spread would include a V in the background to represent the magazine, however I chose not to replicate that idea.

Before and after cover page.

This was the original idea for Replay magazine however mid way during the course I decided to change the look of the whole lay out and pictures because of the fact, that I wanted my magazine to conform to the more professional concept and the images I used before of the two boys wasn’t up to the standard I wanted therefore I decided to ‘replicate’ a close up image of the girl instead. Like-wise the background colour of the first magazine idea was too much of a Matte grey and it didn’t look up to a professional standard at all.

This was my final product of my magazine, I was very happy with this as I made sure the image conformed to images you would find on my magazine of inspiration which was Vibe magazine. I made sure the image was a close up because of the fact that this I ‘Repeated’ throughout many different Hip Hop magazines. I made sure all the cover lines had different fonts which is a ‘difference’ because of the fact I wanted my magazine to have a lot of variety and to have a more fun and quirky feel to it.

Overall I was very pleased in the decision I made in changing my idea with the first magazine, because of the fact that my final product replicated the Hip Hop vibe I wanted it to give off.

Before and after contents

My thoughts towards my original contents page was very similar to my thoughts towards my original front cover, although comparing both contents pages I did like the way I ‘repeated’ the size of the R to represent replay magazine to how vibe’s contents page would have a massive V in the background to represent Vibe, Never the less I did change this idea because of the fact that in my new contents page the font wasn’t the same therefore it didn’t look as good, so I had to make changes that would suit my new idea better.

When coming up with ideas for my contents page, I relied heavily on my magazine of inspiration for ideas, for example in Vibe magazine it included ‘Features’ and ‘Fashion’, it also replicated the layout of ‘contents’ so that it was split up similarly to how it is portrayed in Vibe magazine. A ‘Difference’ however would be the fact that I included an editorial, which isn’t included on the contents page of Vibe magazine, in the editorial I introduced my magazine and mentioned some of the features that would be in it. The image on my final magazine conforms to the representation of a Hip Hop genre as it is another image of who would be the main story, similarly the Image is big and captivating which is exactly what a Hip Hop magazine should be like.

Double Page

This was my first idea which was very similar to my final double page spread, however I was very unsure to where I wanted the text to be as I didn’t want it to look like a news paper.

Using the pen tool, I was able to create a text box which went around the image so that the text could be shaped around the image which made it look more neat and professional.

I was very pleased however with my final double page spread as the article was very clearly laid out as you could see the differentiation between the question and the answer. Like-Wise the image was very conventional as it was set up to the left of the page, which most images tend to be on in magazines such a Vibe. Also it was very big which therefore would captivate the audience straight away, leading them to read the interview.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The denotation of representation in my magazine are independent woman. The magazine, across the 4-pages, helps to represent this through the fact that it goes against the idea that ‘men act, woman appear’ (John Burger) because even though men are represented to be the dominant sex, my magazine shows an very well established, independent, hard working and successful woman such as Alicia Keys who got herself to where she is through her hard work and dedication. Therefore through this elevated position she is found to be in, she can then be a good role model, for young woman who aspire to be like her. For example, on page 33 when asking Alicia what advice she has for aspiring music artists, she

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

“Bauer Media is a multi- Platform UK- based media group consisting of many companies collected around two main divisions- Magazine and Radio widely recognized and rewarded as being industry innovators. Our business is built on influential media brands with millions of personal relationships with engaged readers and listeners. Our strategy is to connect audience with excellent content through our broad multi- touch point brand platforms, where and whenever and however they want. Our wide portfolio of influential brands gives us advantage over pure play magazine or radio competitors”

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

When looking at Bauer media group, I’ve established that they may publish a magazine like ‘Replay’ because of the fact that they are amazing at creating ‘personal relationships’ (Katz) with their readers and I also think that my magazine does this well especially through my editorial. Similarly across the four pages of my magazine, it includes a lot of synergy and cross media convergence which allow readers to access the magazine through different ways for example social networking sites or through the replay website.

Who would be the audience for your media product and why?

The target audience for Vibe magazine can be denoted as 18-34 year old males and females (Hartley). Similarly, according to Katz, the audience could be identified as ‘inform and educate’ consumers as they wish to learn more about their favorite rap artist and entertainer such as Kevin Hart, as well as things like what songs are at the top of the charts so that people are filled in with new songs, anything new being released by different rap or hip hop artists etc.Vibes primary target audience can also be recognized as ‘Explorers’ and ‘Social Climbers’ (Maslow) due to fans being inspired by their favorite rap artists and the lyrics in their music and to aspire to be just like them.

How did you attract/address your audience?

In order to attract the intended target audience of Replay magazine I decided to include a lot of unique selling points that are easy to recognize straight away. From the results of my questionnaire I made sure I included different aspects they wanted such as the big bold masthead which would grab their attention straight away, likewise a ‘good looking’ girl to also attract the attention of the male gender.

Similarly using language such as ‘Exclusive’ would also attract the audience since these are words that are very direct in nature which would therefore make the readers believe that they are getting something of value for just being a customer of ‘Replay’ magazine.

Also the inclusion of codes and conventions such as having an editorial in the contents page, helped to appeal to my specific target audience because I addressed them in a direct manner using pronouns such as ‘you’ so that I would make the reader feel part of something and they may develop a personal relationship (Katz) with the editor because of the fact that the writing is very personal. This would then push the reader into buying the next issues because it would make them feel as if they are part of a community.

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

The software used to construct the media product entitled ‘Replay’ was Adobe Photoshop CS4. I used this because it had a lot of tools which allowed me to alter the colour, saturation and contrast of my images. Also it gave me the ability to use fonts of my choice and to place them in different ways to suit my preference. Before starting the project I had a little bit of knowledge in how to use Photoshop because of a previous projects I did for my GCSE’s.

Photoshop was really helpful because using the eyedropper tool I could create the same colours used in my magazine again and ‘repeat’ it in other areas of my magazine to make it look more professional. To make my product original I decided to use dafont.com and download a range of fonts to use in my media product because of the fact that I think a variety of fonts makes the whole magazine a bit more interesting for the reader.In order for this product to look fit for purpose and appeal to the target audience, I decided to make sure all the colours conformed to what they wanted in the previous questionnaire I did in my log book. I then ‘repeated’ (Steve Neal) this type of colour scheme across the pages of my magazine. Also to make sure the pictures looked perfect I used the rubber tool to cover any ‘imperfections’ such as spots and cuts. In conclusion I have learnt to effectively alter images so that they are conventional as well as the art of making the text fit around the images while at the same time being clear.

Photography Planning – Front Cover

In order to have a successful magazine, I had to carefully plan who I wanted to be the model for the magazine, likewise I had to make sure the location was set so we could meet up and take sometime out of college to get the pictures done. By texting my friend Rhiya I asked her when she would be available and if she could assist me and luckily she was very co-operative and an amazing model. Similarly she also fit in to what I wanted my magazine to portray such as a very pretty girl to create the Male Gaze (Laura Mulvey), and someone who could pull of the Hip Hop vibe at the same time. Taking into consideration the answers I got from my questionnaire, I requested that she could wear a bomber jacket, as I would be mostly focusing on the top half of her body, and people said this is what they expect from a Hip Hop magazine.

I Purposely made sure I took the pictures against a white/ cream wall in my house as I knew when I took the pictures the background colour would come out a greyish colour which I wanted for my magazine. I similarly did the same thing for my contents and double page spread as it meant I didn’t have to edit the picture to a high extent and I didn’t have to use the quick selection tool on Photoshop to go around the image.

Photography Planning – Front Cover

This is another image I planned to use for my font cover however I thought the background was very dark, and I wanted the Bomber jacket to show the inside of the pink colour, to represent a feminine touch.

This was the final image I chose for my font cover, however I made it bigger so that it could replicate what a stereotypical large image on Vibe magazine would look like similarly it would catch the audience attention straight away.

Photography Planning – Contents Page

This is a similar image to what I used for the contents page, however for the image I used I made sure it was lighter so that it would ‘repeat’ the same colour I used in my front cover.

For the final image, I just cropped the other half of her body out so that the images didn’t look too similar on each pages, and it could create a difference between the pages.

Photography Planning – Double Page

These are some of the photos which were my original idea to use for my double page spread, however I decided to go for a more serious look.

This is the image I decided to use for the double page spread, because it connotes the idea that she may be pretty but when it comes down to the amount of work she puts into her music she is very serious, and that not only men can make it in the music career, but as a woman she can represent all the other woman that shouldn’t give up on their dream.

Analysing my Front Cover

Masthead

Cover Lines

Date

Main Image

Barcode

Price and institution logos

Main Story

Analysing my Contents Page

Main Image

Editorial

Page Numbers

Stories included in the magazine

Analysing my Double Page spread.

Main Story

Main image

Introduction

Differentiation between the question and the answer

Quote