MEDIA-MAIN TASK COURSEWORK EVALUATION

Chandni Bansal

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

I analysed many RnB magazines which was the theme of music I was going to base my magazine on. I followed many of the conventions, this is because these magazine’s are very popular and successful. I used most of the main conventions which are clear on my magazine cover, these are a masthead, cover lines, button/flash and a skyline. I also used a centre line/ spine and the magazine name on the contents and double page spread. I used a main house style throughout the magazines pages. However, I challenged some of the conventions of RnB music magazines. I did this firstly by using an Asian model as it is mostly mixed race; African American models on the front of these music covers. Although I used an Asian model, I dressed her in typical clothing you would expect to see on this type of magazine cover, this is how I used and developed this convention. Also I based my product on young women instead of creating a unisex magazine, I did this by using different colours and different connotations of my images.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The magazine I have created represent’s teenage and young adult girls. I have portrayed this in many different ways. Firstly the mise en scene of the photographs I used, this includes; props, lighting, facial expressions and clothing. I dressed the model in sexy and stylish clothes which represents how young girls like to dress now and what they find “cool” on other models and artists. I also used make up which stands out on the model, this is also because it portrays artists and models these days. The lighting is very natural so the setting is simple which makes the model stand out, also her facial expressions are very bold and confident as well as her body language. I also used a trampoline which the model is jumping on, this is so I could get a sense of immaturity and childishness which is what girls are about. The colour theme of my magazine was pink and I used many bright colours and flowers. This portrays the magazine as girly and also contrasts with the photographs I have taken which are more sexy and fun.

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

I would expect magazine publishers who usually publish music magazines to distribute my product. This is because people are familiar with these publishers and there products which are successful. Also web 2.0 such as interactive website’s could distribute my music magazine as many people can access this. Many other websites can advertise my product which will attract my audience.

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

My audience would be young, teenage girls as I mentioned in question 3. This is because RnB music magazines are usually based on male and female audiences. I am focusing on a niche market in a wide and popular market. I chose this audience because it is not very common and I thought it would be interesting to create a female based music magazine. As my audience is young females, I have clearly based my magazine colours as pink and purple which should attract the audience.

How did you attract/ address your audience?

I attracted by using the following media language on my magazine; mise en scene, colours, representation, freebies and the main conventions. As I already mentioned, the representation of females is one of the main ways I tried to attract my audience as well as the mise en scene. Also I added “FREE DRAKE CD” on the cover, this should hopefully attract RnB music listeners as he is quite a successful new artist. The main conventions I used were adding most of the text on the left hand third of the cover, adding a button/flash, a skyline, dateline, price and website. All of this information would attract people as it shows how much information they are receiving for the price of only £1.50.

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

I have learnt more about taking photographs, for example using a still camera. The importance of this is so that you can achieve clear, focused pictures. This makes a very big difference on the magazine cover or any other page as it is the main focus. I also learnt how to use a lot more on Photoshop, for example editing photo’s and texts. I used the internet for a lot of research which helped me in the process of planning and creating my magazine. I also learned a lot about making my product look professional by using all of the technologies I mentioned above.

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

I feel I have learnt a lot more about Photoshop as I now know how to use it a lot better to create a more professional end product/design. I also have learnt a lot more about the importance of analysis, this is because it justifies what you have done and why you have chosen those of colours or photographs. I know a lot more about representation as I had to portray a type of genre in my own magazine and I know how difficult it is to represent that across to the audience. Creative flare is something I did not know much about as my preliminary task was quite simple and did not involve a lot of creativity. However the main task involved a lot of planning and research to create a professional magazine which was fun and creative.