Media Magazine Evaluation

Evaluation

Leeza Ah-wanCandidate Number: 6593

My magazine ‘NV’ ‘repeats’ (Steve Neale) codes and conventions from the well known UK magazine ‘Q’ across all four pages. NV ‘repeats’ codes and conventions from ‘Q’ such as the simple yet appealing colour scheme of red, white and blue. I thought it would be important to utilise this colour scheme because ‘Q’ have clearly utilised it extremely well in order to achieve success. Furthermore, the feedback from my questionnaire results showed that red and blue in particular appealed to potential buyers as captivating colours. I wanted to produce a magazine that was as aesthetically pleasing as possible as I didn’t want to lose buyers purely for producing a magazine that wasn't appealing to the eye.

Furthermore, I have ’repeated’ (Neale) the appearance of cover lines. Similarly to the issue of ‘Q’ magazine which my magazine was based on, ‘NV’ also features 3 main cover lines, which once again ‘replicate’ (Neale) the red and blue colour scheme. I made each short summary below each cover line black as well, for consistency with ‘Q’. Moreover, each cover line clearly stands alone through the use of a single silver star shape for separation just like on the issue of ‘Q’. Furthermore, I ‘replicated’ (Neale) conventions from ‘Q’ such as the banner at the bottom of the page denoting that the magazine features 25 pages of reviews. I created this shape as well as the star shape using the shape tool on Photoshop. One of the most obvious conventions that I ‘replicated’ (Neale) would be the black banner and blue box on the left hand side of the page. I decided to ‘replicate’ this because in the same way cover lines help capture a mass audience, the extra stories mentioned in this section may draw in unexpected buyers.

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

Banner

Red colour scheme

Blue colour scheme

Stars

Black banner

Red colour scheme

Blue colour scheme

Stars

Blue box

Blue box

As well as cover lines my media product also features generic conventions such as the use of a masthead, strapline, main image, bar code, price, date, issue number and a main headline. All these conventions are utilised heavily by existing institutions as they are components which are ultimately crucial in order to distribute a product that will be worthy to be sold.


However, there are also ‘differences’ (Neale) between ‘NV’ and the existing institution ‘Q’. I thought it would be vital in utilising convergence through the use of social networking links in order to attract my target audience of a teenage demographic, in particular ‘15-25’ year olds (Hartley) as it’s clear that social networking plays a vital role in the lives of teenagers and it’s predominantly used as a form of communication. Technological convergence means the internet is being used more excessively, so having a online presence will mean a strong relationship with buyers can be maintained. Therefore, through the use of social networking I’m hopeful that as an editor I will be able to build a ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) with consumers. Thus, hopefully resulting in a loyal fan base who purchase ‘NV’ frequently.

Synergy refers to two companies coming together. Forming synergies with institutions such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram should increase the popularity of ‘NV’. Especially because many magazines already on the market do not use Synergy to their advantage. People rarely communicate through email anymore, but instead they use the second generation of web based communities (Web 2.0). Even though many social networking apps are a fad and people move onto the next new communicative app for example Snapchat, social networking in one way or another, is heavily used in the present day. The world is becoming a “Global Village” (Marshall McLuhan) and in such a competitive market, it’s a risky decision to not use forms of social networks as a selling point.

Convergence

Another ‘difference’ (Neale) would be the use of a puff. I strongly believed that utilising a puff would be a great way to push any undecided buyers that purchasing ‘NV’ would be a beneficial thing to do. Even if the main headline may not interest them, or any of the cover lines, the use of a puff denotes that as a company ‘NV’ stillcare about satisfying the needs of all consumers.


Many magazines don’t feature a puff and this could be loosing them potential buyers.

Incorporation of a puff in ‘NV’

My contents page for ‘NV’ also ‘repeats’ (Steve Neale) codes and conventions from the well known UK magazine ‘Q’. The general layout of the page is similar in terms of the positioning of the masthead and date placed in a box at the top of the page. As well as the layout of the stories and relevant page numbers placed in circles. Similarly, just as ‘Q’ have a review section that features on their contents page, ‘NV’ has this also. I incorporated this on my own contents page because I thought it would be something that would greatly appeal to music lovers. Consumers buy music magazines because they want to be ‘informed’ (Katz) and reviews will allow this need to be successfully met. Furthermore, I also incorporated additional stories at the bottom of the page and used the same red, white and black colour scheme that is famously utilised by ‘Q’.

However, ‘differences’ (Neale) would include the use of a editorial. Personally, I believe incorporating a editorial is one of the best ways for a magazine to achieve success. The editorial will appeal to those who want to be ‘informed and educated’ (Katz). Through reading the editorial, they will know exactly what they can expect to find in the magazine and what the main stories are.


Editorial

‘NV’ ‘Q’

In relation to my double page spread, ‘NV’ ‘repeats’ (Neale) conventions from ‘Q’ magazine such as the use of sophisticated language and a anecdotal introduction before the main interview. Furthermore, both magazines utilise a pull quote. A pull quote is important in giving readers an insight of what they can expect from the interview. In contrast, unlike ‘Q’ my double page spread differentiates between the interviewer and the interviewee. I believed it would be important for ‘NV’ to conform to certain generic conventions however, I also wanted ‘NV’ to provide originality and be authentic, so ‘differences’ (Neale) are also important.


Pull Quote

Anecdotal Introduction

The denotation of representation is the way my magazine is portrayed to others. I think ‘NV’ is represented as a contemporary music magazine which heavily features well known, successful artists who produce music for a variety of different genres. I believe my media product will appeal to a teenage and young adult demographic and will successfully satisfy the needs of both ‘male’ and ‘female’ (Hartley) consumers. Particularly through the use of colours that will attract both genders. In relation to socioeconomic needs my magazine would appeal to those in the E and C1 category, my magazine would appeal to those still in education due to ‘stars’ (Richard Dyer) featuring that are extremely popular in the charts at this moment in time, one of the reasons being support from their teenage or young adult fans. It would also appeal to those in the C1 category as it’s priced at £3 which is quite expensive and so buyers would have to be stable economically. However, it’s slightly cheaper than competitors such as ‘Q’.

When producing my magazine, I took social groups into account. The connotations of the masthead ‘New Vibes’ is fresh, new, original material that will hopefully inflict happiness in consumers. The younger generation in particular love something new and fresh and so my product should appeal to them. It’s unlikely that an older audience, say people in their mid 40’s would be intrigued by this masthead because the use of such colloquial terms, through the use of slang, is normally associated with a youthful audience. However, the language throughout my magazine is sophisticated and formal. I have purposely crafted the language used in this way to maintain a level of professionalism and make it clear that my target audience is not un-educated individuals but actually very sophisticated adolescents.

I ‘repeated’ (Neale) the style of language used throughout ‘Q’ magazine as I thought it would be suitable for my target audience. It’s evident that it has worked successfully for ‘Q’ as an institution, and despite having a larger target audience, ‘Q’ also appeals to adolescents just like ‘NV’.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

‘NV’ Masthead

Socio Economic Needs

After researching Bauer Media group as part of my pre-production research, I would envisage that a institution such as Bauer Media group would distribute ‘NV’.

The following statement is taken from the official Bauer website: “ Our business is built on influential media brands with millions of personal relationships with engaged readers and listeners. Our strategy is to connect audiences with excellent content through our broad multi-touch point brand platforms, wherever and whenever and however they want.”

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

I confidently believe that ‘NV’ will successfully build up a ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) with readers through the use of an editorial on the contents page. This shows consumers that as an editor I care about their needs and want them to have a valuable experience. Furthermore, I’ve utilised synergy and convergence heavily across all four pages. Buyers can get more information about the company and access exclusive content through the official NV website, as well as social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Therefore, contents from ‘NV’ is available across a variety of platforms, which will appeal to Bauer’s intentions of utilizing multi-touch point brand platforms. This will allow consumers to have a pleasurable experience as there’s a variety of ways to access information and they can do it in whatever way and whatever time is convenient for them.

Many magazines do not feature an editorial

Akin to, I also believe that Bauer Media group would distribute ‘NV’ due to the similarities between my magazine and ‘Q’ magazine. As previously stated I have ‘repeated’(Neale) many codes and conventions which ‘Q’ heavily utilise. Bauer will only want to distribute a media product that brings success to their name, not failure and with all the inspiration I got from pre-production research into ‘Q’ magazine I am confident that ‘NV’ can achieve the same success as ‘Q’. However, of course my media product isn't identical to ‘Q’ and it does show authenticity in some aspects. I thought this would be important because it’s unlikely Bauer would want to invest in a media product that’s essentially the same as one they are already distributing. As an institution it seems that Bauer don’t focus on targeting a particular demographic, but instead they want to connect as many different possible audience members as possible. I believe that ‘NV’ will allow Bauer to achieve this because despite having a target audience of ‘15-25’ year olds (Hartley), ‘NV’ could really appeal to a variety of people. The artists featured produce music for a variety of different genres and the artists could actually appeal to people much older than this targeted age range. For example, a musician such as ‘Seal’ is very popular with the older generation, especially those around their forties. ‘NV’ is diverse in the ‘stars’ (Dyer) it features and diversity is the key to connect a range of audience members.

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

According to Hartley’s seven subjectives ‘NV’ would appeal to both members of the ‘male’ and ‘female’ gender particularly between the ages of ‘15-25’. They would most likely come from a middle class background. That way, their status isn’t too high to engage themselves with ‘mainstream’ aspects however, they wouldn't be from a lower class background either because purchasing the issue would be a stretch for them. I think my magazine would appeal to ‘15-25’ year olds because a magazine like ‘NV’ will provide a youthful audience with everything they possibly need from a money well spent magazine. The interview features aspects such as Shakira discussing upcoming tours and her new album. Furthermore, the contents page makes references to other gigs done by other musicians. A older audience of 30+ are unlikely to have the time to listen to music heavily, or attend gigs or festivals as they normally have a lot of responsibilities. Stereotypically, we would assume that by this age a person would be settled down and having kids and a family, or a time consuming job. In relation to ‘ethnicity’ because ‘NV’ is a magazine belonging to the music genre, a lot of places with musical connections are mentioned across the four pages, in particular on the contents page. Individuals living abroad may not know where places like ‘Shepherds Bush’ or ‘Koko’ are. On the other hand, most English citizens will know these musical arenas. Thus, it’s likely most buyers will be those with a English background, familiar with these landmarks. However, all the ‘stars’ (Dyer) that feature in ‘NV’ are global ‘stars’ meaning my magazine is diverse and could potentially appeal to a great mixture of ethnicities.

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

Global ‘stars’ (Dyer) feature in ‘NV’.

Secondly, According to Katz’ Uses and Gratifications Theory, I believe my media product would appeal to those who want a form of ‘diversion’. Through reading my magazine, the double page spread in particular, it’s possible for consumers to immerse themselves in the text and escape reality for a while. For example, they can imagine what it’s like to experience all the things Shakira’s experienced and the lifestyle she lives. Readers will also be those who want to be ‘informed and educated’ as no one would want to purchase a magazine and not learn anything new. Consumers of ‘NV’ will get to leave their reading experience broadening their knowledge about many musicians. Amongst, other aspects such as newly released tracks, tours or albums. Furthermore, those that have a ‘personal relationship’ with the ‘stars’ (Dyer) that feature in the issue will want to purchase the magazine to maintain their loyalty. This is one of the reasons why ‘NV’ features a variety of different artists. It’s likely that people from completely different backgrounds will have a ‘personal relationship’ with one or more of the artists in the issue, meaning I can capture a mass audience and ‘NV’ can thrive.

In continuation, it's highly likely that some readers will be able to ‘personally identify’ with certain artists in my magazine. For example, in the double page spread interview Shakira states “ I’m going to be spending Christmas with my family at home”. This statement probably replicates the love that most readers have towards their own families. If readers can ‘personally identify’, it’s likely that they’ll have a pleasurable experience because they feel like they have someone who understands whatever their feeling or whatever they’re going through.

Lastly, according to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, my media product would appeal to those who are social climbers. This is when a consumer is driven by improving their status in society. An example of this would be someone wanting to achieve greatness and fame because they’ve read about all the success Shakira has had and are enticed by the prospect of leading a similar life. This links in with my previous point of ‘NV’ attracting a ‘15-25’ year old (Hartley) demographic as young adolescents have their whole lives ahead of them and are usually the people who are most aspirational. In addition, conventions such the main image of Shakira providing ‘Star Appeal’ (Richard Dyer) will appeal to the ‘15-25’ (Hartley) year old demographic. This group commonly consists of young adolescents struggling with who they are during the emotional transition into adulthood. Therefore, they look up to ‘stars’ (Dyer) in the media for inspiration.

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

In order to attract my intended target audience of young ‘males’ and ‘females’ between the ages of ‘15-25’ (Hartley) years old, particularly of the middle class, I ‘replicated’ (Neale) typical codes and conventions from ‘Q’ magazine. I also got inspiration from other successful magazines including ‘Vibe’. I believed that through using these two magazines in particular for inspiration I would successfully be able to produce a magazine of high standard, that would appeal to my target audience.

How did you attract/address your audience?

To begin, the inclusion of codes and conventions such as the main headline helped me to attract and address my target audience. My main headline denotes that Shakira will be discussing her ‘secret tips for songwriting’. Shakira is a globally, successful, artist adored by many fans around the world. The majority of her fans are likely to be within my target age bracket considering she produces music for the dance and pop genre. This genre of music is predominantly listened to by a young adult audience. Also, the inclusion of other codes and conventions such as the main image should also help me attract my target audience. The main central image of the issue not only provides ‘star appeal’ (Richard Dyer) but also, a ‘male gaze’ (Laura Mulvey) as the female starring as Shakira is pictured in a eye appealing way. She’s presented as a stereotypical female who cares about her appearance and makes an effort for those around her. She’s pictured wearing bright red lipstick and has a dazzling smile, which will sure enough attract male consumers. Furthermore, the main image is important in attracting my audience because members of a pass along audience will stop, pick up and buy the issue if they have a ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) with Shakira, as they want to know all they can possibly find out about her in order to be the best fans possible. Even with a main headline, without a main image (which I personally believe is the USP of any magazine) I could lose many potential buyers as they may not be bothered to read the text. However, it’s hard not to take notice when you recognise someone. Even before producing ‘NV’ due to the research I carried out in preparation, I had a feeling that the main image would play an important role in attracting my target audience, considering it was the most popular response on both questionnaires I did in response to the question “What do you believe is the USP of a magazine front cover?”

Shakira is a popular

‘star’ (Dyer) in the media

Moreover, the inclusion of codes and conventions such as the use of cover lines will help me attract my target audience. This is because I have purposely chosen cover lines that will appeal to consumers within my chosen demographic. One of the cover lines mentions that the issue contains backstage information and photos from Paolo Nutini’s KOKO gig. A cover line like this would appeal to my target audience because at this age many people will be going to concerts and gigs with their friends; making memories. The stories mentioned are relevant to a youthful audience. The use of cover lines is a simple yet extremely effective way to make sure the set target audience is met through ‘informing’ (Katz) readers about what the issue will contain.

I also believe I have successfully attracted my target audience through the use of a catchy masthead. ‘NV’ will instantly attract my set target audience because of the denotation of abbreviation and slang, which these individuals will utilise a lot and be familiar with. In accordance, the masthead is large and very bold, as the main text is white and supported by a red background, it will be impossible to miss. I’m hopeful that through abbreviating the institutional name of ‘New Vibes’ to ‘NV’ across all four pages, this will cause speculation amongst potential customers. A pass along audience will stop and question the connotations behind the name ‘NV’ and so are likely to visit the official website online for more information.


Cover Lines

I also incorporated a puff/promotion which I believe will be extremely beneficial in helping to sell the issue. The puff is denoted as “Win two tickets to see Coldplay in New York”. As previously mentioned, ‘15-25’ year olds (Hartley) tend to be making many memories, often travelling the world with friends or doing things they’ve always wanted to do before they settle down and have a family and more responsibilities. Hence, the majority of members of a pass along audience are likely to be enchanted by the prospect of having the once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to New York and see one of the most famous bands in the world all for free! Even if people aren’t interested in the main headline a puff might persuade them in purchasing the magazine.

I used a consistent colour scheme of red, blue, black, white; a mixture of bold and vibrant colours to appeal to a contemporary, young audience.

I used ‘stars’ (Dyer) that are currently popular in the charts and achieving success, mainly due to support from my target demographic. However, musicians that would appeal to a slightly older demographic also feature in ‘NV’. I wanted to used a range of ‘stars’ (Dyer) that all produce music for different genres, as I want ‘NV’ to cater for the largest possible audience as possible.


Puff/Promotion

‘Q’ famously utilise a red and

white colour scheme

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

The denotation of the main software used to construct the media product entitled ‘NV’ was Adobe Photoshop CS4. With so many amazing softwares available on the market, the reason I chose this software is it had all the tools needed to make a professional looking and high standard front cover, contents page and double page spread. Adobe Photoshop has been specially developed as a software to edit graphics, so I knew that as long as I was willing to put a lot of effort and time into the production process, this software would allow me to produce four successful pages, fit for purpose and fit to be sold on the market. Furthermore, it was a software that I was familiar with and felt confident to use considering I used it during GCSE Media. Nevertheless, I knew my work would have to be of much higher standard and so I knew this would require me learning how to use perhaps new tools I haden’t used previously.

In order for this product to look fit for purpose and appeal to my target audience, I decided to manipulate my main image using the quick selection tool. I wanted my photos to look professional and so I didn’t want to even consider removing the background of my images using ‘cheat’ methods such as the rubber tool. Instead the quick selection tool allowed me to remove the background of images in a professional looking way. I didn’t have too much trouble using this tool due to previous experience, however, nevertheless it wasn't an easy task either. Once I had used the quick selection tool, I then had to use the rubber tool and use quick mask mode to refine the edges of my images. In particular I used quick mask mode to refine the edge of the photo of ‘Shakira’ on my contents page, as I didn't believe the image looked smooth enough just through using the quick selection and eraser tool alone.


Secondly, I used the text tool to create my masthead. I wanted to use a simple font for my masthead as the font for ‘Vibe’ is quite simple and it seems successful in targeting its young adult demographic. However, ‘Q’ use quite fancy fonts for their cover lines, in order to show variation. I decided that I wanted to do something similar. Therefore, many of the fonts I used on my front cover were downloaded from a font website known as dafont.com. This was a great website to use, it offered me a extremely large range of fonts for download and even let me type in my text, so I could see what it would look like before downloading it. The text tool was probably the tool that I utilised the most throughout this project, in particular I had to use it a lot on my double page spread for my interview. The text tool was straightforward and easy to use and gave great results.

Thirdly, I also used the shape tool frequently. In particular on my front cover. First of all I used the rectangle tool to create the black border which features on all four pages, as well as the red box behind my masthead. This was extremely straightforward, and took a matter of seconds. I also used the custom shape tool to create the banner and star at the bottom of the front cover page. I used the ellipse tool to create the circle for my puff. Then, I used the paint bucket tool to fill the star with a yellow fill and the circle in red. Creating the black banner on the left hand side of the page on my front cover was quite a challenge for me. There was not a shape already available that matched the shape I wanted so I had to create it myself. I had to use a variety of different shapes and then link the layers. This took me quite a while but I persisted and I am extremely happy with the end product. A variety of shapes

are available on Photoshop


Lastly, another tool I used was the red eye tool. I had to use this tool to remove the red eye from the main image on my front cover. This tool made the removal of red eye simple and easy. All I had to do was simply zoom in and with a simple click on the areas that needed manipulation, the red eye was gone.

In conclusion, by using this software I believe that I have produced four high quality pages that are fit for purpose. Through tools such as the shape tool I have been able to ‘replicate’ (Neale) certain codes and conventions, and also produce a magazine with ‘difference’ (Neale). I have greatly enjoyed this production task. It’s allowed me to learn new skills and become more confident with such an amazing software.

Adobe

Photography Planning – Front Cover

Photography Planning – Front Cover I took a variety of different shots for my front cover main image. I was greatly inspired by an issue of ‘Q’ magazine that stared Paolo Nutini and a mid shot had been used. Therefore, when taking my images I focused on taking mid shots. It was hard for me to decide on my final image considering they were all quite similar however, I believed the image to the right was the best suited. In some of the photos I believed that her smile looked too forced and this wouldn't be conventional or appealing for consumers. Many celebrities are often criticised for being ‘fake’ and I didn’t want people to simply assume Shakira was like this just because of her smile, if they start to have negative views about her they wouldn't purchase the magazine. In the image on the far right on the previous slide I believed Shakira looked too serious. It would be hard for consumers to form a ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) with the main ‘star’ (Dyer) if she didn’t look like a friendly person, so I believed this image was not suitable either. The rest of my images were pretty similar to the final one I chose, even with regards to her smile. However, I chose this image in the end because I believed it was the one of best quality. Furthermore, I wanted to use an image that I would be able to crop confidently so the final product would be of good quality. Personally I believed it would be easier to crop around her hair in this photo so it was the most appropriate choice. I applied her makeup and asked her to wear a blue dress for the purpose of the photo. I asked her to wear blue in particular because I want ‘NV’ to appeal to both genders and so I didn’t think the use of feminine colours would be appropriate. All the images on my front cover are of females and so I didn’t want male consumers to think that ‘NV’ wasn't suitable for them. Also I knew that there was a greater chance of appealing to male consumers if my main image offered a ‘male gaze’ (Laura Mulvey) which this image offers through the female being objectified in a eye appealing way for male purposes. In order to crop my main image, I used the quick selection tool and to remove the red eye I used the red eye tool. The final product after manipulation is shown on the right.

Before Editing

After Editing

Photography Planning – Front Cover The images on the right also feature on my front cover. I thought the use of supporting images was important in addition to the utilisation of the main image because it’s unlikely that anyone’s going to want to pick up a magazine which is just bombarded with text. Also, anyone who has a ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) with Ariana Grande or Lily Allen will instantly be drawn in to purchasing the issue. I tried to make both of the girls who modeled for me, look as similar to Ariana Grande and Lily Allen as possible. Ariana Grande is typically known in the media for being a stereotypical ‘girly-girl’ who cares about her self image. She’s also extremely adored for her looks by many teenage girls and often dresses in a objectified feminine way. Therefore, I asked my friend to wear a pink dress, as pink is a stereotypical feminine colour and high heels. I also asked her to stand in a way that would make her body image look confident, as this is how Ariana Grande is often presented in the media. I decided to take a full shot of her so that way her whole outfit could be seen, and her confident body image could be emphasised. In relation to the photo at the bottom right of this slide, I asked my other friend to model as Lily Allen for me. I also thought that a long shot would be most appropriate for this image, especially because of where the images were going to be positioned. I knew prior to manipulating them that they would be placed in the blue box on the left hand side of my page and so it wouldn’t be wise to use any other sort of shot because the images would just be ‘floating’ and this would look extremely unprofessional. In terms of her outfit, I asked her to wear a black top. Lily Allen is commonly known for not being a ‘girly-girl’ and is often pictured wearing black. However, I still wanted this image to offer a ‘male gaze’ (Laura Mulvey) so through the use of a pink skirt I was able to find a balance in her representation. I also cropped these images using the quick selection tool however, unlike my main image I added an effect to both of them. The supporting text next to these images had a yellow stroke and so I added a outer stroke to these images also for consistency and I believed it made the images stand out more.

Photography Planning – Front Cover

Before Editing

After Editing

Before Editing

After Editing

Photography Planning – Contents PageThis was the image I used for my editorial. I believed that having an editorial photo was important so that buyers knew as much about ‘NV’ as a company as possible. I purposely used an image where I had a natural smile, in order to connote that readers will be able to get a ‘true’ experience – a pun in the sense, that it will be a truly unforgettable read. But also, as a company ‘NV’ are honest with the information that features in the magazine. I believe this is important as many people no longer want to buy magazines as they don’t know whether they can trust the information they are reading or not.

The first image to the right is one of the images I planned to use on my contents page but never did in the end. The shot was not appropriate considering the limited space the picture had to fill as I sectioned up my contents page. The photo of the group on the far right of this page is one of the final images that I decided to use on my contents page. I had to crop this image because it was slightly too large and I did this using the crop tool on Photoshop.

Photography Planning – Contents PageThe image at the top left is one of the final images I used on my contents page. Taking this photo was one of the photos which definitely required the most planning. I wanted the model used to resemble Taylor Swift as closely as possible so I tried to make her representation of the country singer as accurate as possible. Taylor is often pictured in magazines with her guitar to emphasise the music genre she produces for. I also thought it would be a good idea to get the female used to wear red as this is Taylor’s trademark colour following the release of her album ‘Red’. Fans who have a ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) with Taylor will instantly recognise the presence of these subtle features and so will be driven to purchase the magazine. I took the photos in her garden so that way the photo would have a natural background. I chose this setting because I knew that I would be editing the background out of other images and I wanted my page to have a variety of images, some with backgrounds and some without as this is something ‘Q’ commonly do effectively. I took a variety of shots such as the one in the middle on the far left, however, I believed the first one would be the best one to use as Taylor looks down to earth and in love with music. Consumers will appreciate this representation because in a world where many celebrities achieve success and fame and therefore, lose their sense of ‘normality’ as a result, Taylor’s represented in the complete opposite light to this.

The first image on the bottom left was also used on my final contents page. I took a variety of different shots for this image, some of which feature on this slide. My friend starred as Cheryl Cole, who is greatly adored for her looks. So I did my friends make up and hair so she could be objectified for the pleasure of male consumers (Male Gaze - Laura Mulvey). I left the background in for this image as I cropped it out originally but I didn’t believe it looked right and with the plain background, it looked like the images had been obtained from a professional photo shoot.

Photography Planning – Contents PageI also used the image on the top left of this slide on my contents page as my friend stared as Paolo Nutini for me. I took this photo in a forest my friend was familiar with during half term. I thought it would be the perfect location to use considering the way Paolo Nutini is normally represented in the media. Nutini produces music for the folk, pop rock, blues and soul genre. After doing extra research into his representation, I found many images where he was photographed in a natural position wearing normal clothes. Unlike other celebrities, Nutini doesn't emphasise his success with the clothes he wears or his body language but often he just looks like a ’normal’ person. So, I asked my friend to wear casual clothing and made him stand in a similar position to the photograph of Nutini on the bottom left. Apart from me asking him to hold his body in a similar manner, the final shot used was actually a natural photo in the sense that I didn’t ask him to turn away but simply asked him to do whatever he wanted and felt comfortable with. I believed the photo taken conformed to Nutini’s representation and had a captivating natural background so I left this in and didn’t crop it out. Instead all I did was slightly crop the image using the crop tool and placed it in appropriately. On the majority of photos on my contents page, I applied a stroke effect so that they would have a border. I believed this made them stand out more against the white background used.

Photography Planning – Contents Page

Photography Planning – Contents Page

Before Cropping After Cropping

Photography Planning – Contents PageI took a variety of images for the main story on my contents page. I decided to get my friend to wear the same dress and have the same makeup for continuity in the images across all four pages. As I took so many different shots, it was hard for me to come to a decision about which one would work best initially. However, after looking at the layout of my contents page I realised that a long shot of her standing up would not be appropriate. The space allocated to this story would not be large enough. I considered using a mid shot however, personally I thought the photos where she was in this position were really effective. It wasn't your typical pose for a magazine and so a photo like this would offer ‘difference’ (Neale) to my magazine. In order to crop this image I used the quick selection tool. However, I wasn't completely happy with the final product. The edges looked slightly rough and I wanted my images to be of the best quality possible. No one would take ‘NV’ seriously as a magazine, if I couldn't even provide consumers with decent images. So I refined the edge of the image, making it smoother. I was extremely happy with the results! I believe a little change such as this actually made a massive difference to the quality of my contents page. As well as learning how to improve the quality of an image I was grateful for having the opportunity to complete this production task because I also learnt many keyboard shortcuts on Photoshop. I had many images to manipulate throughout the production task and so utilising short cuts was a vital way for me to be time effective. I learnt that I could simply press ‘w’ on the keyboard in order to use the quick selection tool or ‘e’ for the rubber tool. Occasionally, I used the rubber tool to remove small imperfections after cropping a photo.

Photography Planning – Double Page Spread


Before Manipulation After Manipulation


This was the final image that I used for my double page spread. The photos that were originally meant to be used on my double page spread were the ones where ‘Shakira’ is wearing blue however, after cropping a long shot photo that I believed would be most appropriate multiple times, I still wasn't happy with the end result. In the beginning I doubted whether it was just me cropping the image badly. However, after asking for advice from my peers and taking into account my own personal opinion I realised that it was the image itself that just didn’t fit in. I wanted my magazine to utilise a consistent colour scheme so I made the background of all four pages white. Unfortunately, this meant that after cropping my original image, the page looked extremely bare and incomplete. I decided that I would have to retake my images. To resolve the issue of my page looking bare I took the photo with an appropriate background. When planning what sort of background I wanted for the image, I realised that it would be good to emphasise the traits of the main ‘star’ (Dyer) so that those with a ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) with her would be as satisfied as possible. However, my original ‘star’ (Dyer) was Katy Perry and I didn’t really know how to emphasise her traits effectively. After much contemplating and thinking, this was then when I decided to change my main ‘star’ (Dyer) to Shakira. My friend is Colombian and I knew that she had a Colombian flag so with all the props available to create a believable persona my decision was made and I changed all the text across the four pages, that said Katy Perry to Shakira. I believe this photo is appropriate as its of high quality and uses vibrant colours. These bright colours will be effective in capturing a mass audience as it connotes the positivity surrounding the article, which is true in the sense that the interview has an overall positive vibe as quite uplifting topics are discussed. Not many people will want to read an interview which is dispiriting. Also I believed that the ‘star’ (Dyer) emphasising her culture would be effective considering it would allow the article to appeal to those of a Colombian ‘ethnicity’ (Hartley).

Annotating My Front Cover

Cover Lines

Bar Code

Puff/ Promotion

Issue Number & Price

Date

Web Address (Convergence)

Masthead

Social Networking(Convergence)Main Headline

Main Image

Strapline

Supporting Images

Annotating My Contents Page

‘Repetition’ (Neale) of Masthead

Date

Puff/Promotion

‘Repetition’ of Masthead

Page Number

Main Image

Supporting Images

Editorial

Editorial Photo

Signature

Contact Details

Captions

Web Address

Anchored Numbers

Annotating My Double Page Spread‘Repetition’ (Neale) of Masthead

Reference to the main ‘star’ (Dyer)

Page Number

Pull Quote

Main Image

Credits

Web Address (Convergence)

Social Networking links (Convergence)

Hashtag used to increase awareness

Drop Capital Use of Pen Tool

Differentiation between text for questions and answers

Quote

I feel that, having completed the preliminary task and learning about the demands of this production process, I was better prepared for the main task production. It had been a whilst since I had used Photoshop since using it at GCSE, so it was great for me to have some practice using it again. I was able to familiarise myself with all the tools again so that I felt confident going into the production of my main task and it allowed me to take into account the vitality of time management.

There is evidence of progression that I feel particularly demonstrates how I met the demands of the production process, for example I believe the quality of my images used across my four music pages were of much higher quality compared to those used in my college magazine. I also believed that they were cropped at a more professional level. Through using the quick selection tool on a number of occasions, I believe that the quality of my cropping vastly improved and so I believe the preliminary task was a valuable experience as without practicing using the quick selection tool properly and going straight into creating my four pages, I think their overall professionalism and success would have been jeopardised.

In continuation, I believe that the preliminary task was important in helping me see actually how important the choice of font is when creating a magazine. I used very simple fonts across my two school magazine pages and personally I believed they worked effectively. Without actually seeing how effective a simple font scheme could actually be I would have most likely gone into the main task, using quite complex and fancy fonts across my four pages. Though, ‘NV’ does feature a range of fonts, I believe the use of simple fonts on the majority of the pages is one of the reasons why my four pages work so well; it’s appealing to the eye because it’s not challenging to read.

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

Furthermore, through doing the preliminary task I was able to refresh my memory on keyboard shortcuts that would allow me to manage my time effectively. During the designing process of my front cover college magazine, I remembered shortcuts I had learnt at GCSE such as pressing ‘cmd’ ‘h’ on the keyboard in order to make grid lines disappear and reappear. Also, pressing ‘cmd’ ‘r’ as a shortcut to get the ruler tool to disappear and reappear. Through the preliminary task, I realised how important grid lines and the ruler tool actually were. The blue grid lines was key in making sure that all conventions on my pages were positioned appropriately. For example, that all my text was straight and in line when it needed to be so my pages looked professional. The ruler tool was very important in making sure the overall quality of my pages were high, especially when designing my double page spread. The ruler tool allowed me to make sure that the two sides of my pages were split equally so that the magazine was fit to be sold.

I believe that the overall quality of my music magazine pages are of much higher standard compared to the pages produced as part of the preliminary task. Through much planning and preparation, including the preliminary taskand research into my magazine of inspiration ‘Q’, I am confident and hopeful that I have produced a successful product.



School Magazine Front Cover Music Magazine Front Cover


School Magazine Contents Music Magazine Contents

Media Magazine Evaluation

Business

Transcript of Media Magazine Evaluation