Final products after audience feedback

Front cover
After the audience feedback the main fault with the front cover was the quality of the photo. Because of this I have lowered the brightness to make the picture look less harsh. Another fault with the front cover was the size of the pictures. For this reason I have made the pictures bigger to fill more space.

Contents page
The main issue with the contents page after the audience feedback was that it is too crowded. For this reason I have decreased the size of the text so that the contents page looks less full.

Double page spread
The main problem with the double page spread from the audience feedback was the size of the picture. Because of this I have made the main picture bigger. I have also slightly adjusted the size of the text in the article as that was also shown as an issue.

Evaluation of foundation portfolio

Final products

front cover

contents page

double page spread

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

Front cover: The front cover of my magazine uses many conventions that a real music magazine would use. For example the masthead title piece is large and at the top left corner of the magazine which makes it obvious that it is the title and would make it more memorable. The front cover also has the bar code and the issue number in the conventional place and the main image is a medium close up. The main feature headline is  large and central which also follows conventions. The magazine is a print magazine which is a conventional form for a music magazine as the online form is less detailed and has less features. However the front cover does not completely follow conventions. It does not use different fonts (apart from the main feature headline) as this would mean it did not have a consistent house style. The magazine also does not have a slogan which would take up too much space on the front cover and cover Catriona's face. The front cover also changes a few conventions, for example, the front cover has images for other features but however it does not have as many as other magazines would have as this would make it look too full.
Contents page: The contents page also follows conventions such as a large contents title that stand out so that people recognise that it is the contents page. Another conventions that the contents page follows is text in columns and category headings.This makes the contents page look realistic and organised so it is easier to find the feature that the audience is looking for. The contents page also features images with the image relating to the main feature the biggest to show that it is related to the main feature, and a website to show the audience that the magazine can be accessed in other ways than the print magazine.The contents page also challenges some conventions of a music magazine contents page, for example, the page does not have any pull quotes as it would make the contents page look to overcrowded and unorganised. There is also mo editors letter as it would take up too much space and some of the vital features of a music magazine contents page would be missed out. There are also no subscription advertisements as this again would take up too much space and divert the audiences attention away from the contents of the magazine.
The contents page also develops some conventions. For example, although the text is organised into columns it is not all down one side of the page which makes ti look different to a conventional music magazine contents page. The contents page also develops the advertising of the different ways to access the magazine as although it has the conventional website, it also has logos for Facebook, twitter, and YouTube which shows that it is available to the audience in many different ways.
Double page spread: The double page spread follows the conventions of a music magazine. For example, there are pull quotes from the article and a bold celebrity name to show that its that celebrity and to get the audience interested in the article before they read it. It also has a large image on the left side of the spread which is conventional of a music magazine double page spread.The contents page uses size 11 text (although for an unknown reason it looks a lot bigger) which allows a full article to be written without it looking overcrowded. The double page spread also has a by-line to make it look more realistic, A drop-cap to show the start of the article, and a heading to summarise what the theme of the article is.The double page spread only challenges conventions in one way, by making the text a different font to Arial. The use of the Impact font keeps the article looking the same as the house style for the magazine. The double page spread also develops some conventions. For example, The article is slightly shorter so that a different for to Arial could be used. The title of the article is smaller than conventional titles to leave space for the +
headline. 

How does your media product represent particular social groups? 

http://goanimate.com/videos/0Oex-X5_U264?utm_source=linkshare&utm_medium=linkshare&utm_campaign=usercontent

clothing

This dress is used on the double page spread of the magazine. The dress below is a dress from new look that sells for £19.99. The target audience for my magazine is demographic groups c2 to E. This means that the social groups represented by my magazine will not have large budgets and so the dress below represents this social group as it is from a high street store and is affordable and still similar to the dress in the magazine.

The products also represent the male social groups with clothing. for example this picture was used in the magazine,

A similar grey shirt from next costs £20:

This means my product represents the social group that the magazine is aimed at as a similar shirt to that used in the magazine is available to the men for a low price on the high street.

mise-en-scene

These pictures are used on the contents page and double page spread of the magazine:

The logos represent Facebook, twitter, and YouTube. These represent different social groups as the social groups that would read the magazine would be under the age of 30 and so would be more likely to visit these websites often. The access to the magazine through these websites means that the magazine will be more well known. The logos also represent social groups that are not the main target audience. Any older people than the target audience who read the magazine may be represented as Facebook is used by many ages and not just younger people. Twitter and YouTube are also used by this age group however they are less used than Facebook. This means that older social groups are represented by the magazine as well.

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

Brief explanation:

The institution that will publish my music magazine will be Bauer media. Bauer will publish it as it does not already publish the genre that my magazine covers. It also does not publish many music magazines out of the many magazines that it does publish which means that it can accommodate another music magazine whereas other institutions such as IPC media already publish similar magazines such as NME which means they would lose money if they printed my magazine. Another reason why Bauer will publish my magazine is that all of the music magazines they publish are advertised on their website as mens magazines. Because my music magazine is aimed at men and women it will fit well in the gap that the music magazines already published by Bauer does not fill and would be more successful with Bauer.

PowerPoint presentation about the institution of my magazine:

What would the audience be for your media product?
The main audience for my media product would be both male and female aged between 16 and 30.I have chosen this as my main target audience because during my research on other magazines such as NME i found that this is the audience of the magazines that are most similar to mine.The demographical audience of my media product could range from B to E.However i think the main audience would be from C2 to E as this fits the age range better and the price of the product.

powtoon presentation: 

How did you attract/ address your audience?

mock up of a Facebook page for the magazine:

                                                                                                                                                  







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

Technologies in the video:

• Google, Google images, blogger -  I used these technologies to find images, search, and post my work. These technologies have helped me as i have been able to access information and present my work in a way in which i could not have done without them.
• www.wix.com -  I used wix.com to create a mock up of a website for my magazine. Although it was only a rough draft wix showed me that it is easy to provide another way of accessing the magazine.
• prezi - I used prezi to create presentations on digital and print magazines, i also used it to create a presentation on the conventions used in my magazine for this evaluation.
• mobile phone - I used my mobile phone to take some of the images that were possibly going to be used in the magazine. I also used a mobile phone to film the photo shoot and post it on my blog. I have learnt how useful an everyday piece of technology can be in producing a media product.
• SD card - I used an SD card in the digital camera to save the pictures that were taken with it on. The SD card then allowed me to transfer those images onto an apple mac for editing to make them look better and more suitable to the magazine. 
• pen drive - All of my files for my media coursework were saved onto my pen drive which allowed me to gain access to them anywhere and therefore finish my coursework quicker as i could use computers other than those at the college where my work started.
• olympus digital camera - I used a digital camera to take better quality images of Catriona for my magazine. The digital camera allowed me to take pictures in different lighting which made the quality of the pictures better and my magazine then looks more realistic.
• mindmup.com - I have used mindmup.com to produce the mind map for my initial ideas based on market research. From the use of a digital mind map i have learnt how to produce them online and that digital is more portable and quicker than a print mind map.
• go animate - I used goanimate.com to create an animation describing demographics and to describe how my media products represent different social groups for this evaluation. It allowed me to use a different media form to what i was used to and has helped me understand the topics covered better as it had to be summarised into a small amount of words.
• publisher - I have used publisher to create JPEG images for my coursework as these could be uploaded onto my blog. This use of technology allowed my work to be saved in different formats and therefore allowed my work to use different media and still be uploaded. 
• Photoshop - I used Photoshop to do all of my image editing for the foundation portfolio. I made the final products for the main task entirely in Photoshop. Photoshop allowed me to manipulate images to work better with the final products and fit with the genre of my magazine. This made my magazine look more realistic and much better quality than it would if the images hadn't been edited and put together in Photoshop.
• windows movie maker - I used windows movie maker to make the video for this question. This was a media form i hadn't used in my coursework and it allowed me to illustrate the question quickly and expand my use of media. I also made a quick preview video for the magazine so the audience gets an idea about it before it is released.
• www.convert2mp3.net - I used this website to download the music for the movie made in windows movie maker which helped the video link back to the genre of my music magazine as the song if part of that genre.
• scanner - I used the scanner to scan all of the hand drawn drafts of the products and all of the questionnaires. This allowed me to work with formats other than digital media and aid my research in ways i could not have done without it.
• BBC radio 1 UK top 40 -  I used the UK top 40 to see how popular genres of music where when i did my research. This helped me determine any gaps in the market and how popular the genre of music i chose would be.

Other technologies used include:  

• kerrang, mojo, nme websites - I have used these websites throughout my research for institution, conventions, and audience research. From them i have learnt how powerful websites can be in influencing the audience and providing information.
• ipc media - I used ipc media as research for institution. This website helped me understand why certain media companies publish certain magazines.
• Bauer media - I used Bauer media as research for institution. This website helped me understand why certain media companies publish certain magazines.
• meta-chart.com - I used meta chart to create a bar chart showing the genres in the UK top 40 for the week i did that research. The website showed me a quick way to condense a large amount of information and allowed me to make more sense of my data.
• Facebook -  I used Facebook to create a mock up page for my magazine which features in this evaluation. It showed me how easy it is to advertise a magazine and allowed me to reach a range of ages which would work well for reaching my target audience.
• powtoon - I used powtoon to answer the question, what would the audience be for your media product? The website allowed me to make a quick animation to illustrate my answer.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in progression from it to the full product?
-more Photoshop skills : I have learnt new skills in Photoshop such as dealing with many layers, changing the background, and working with shapes. These have helped my magazine look more professional. The skills also helped me learn what attracts a specific audience e.g. colours, or use of images which has helped my magazine to relate to the genre i have chosen. 
-better use of technology - I have learnt how to use different technologies e.g. Prezi, Goanimate, wix. These have helped my research and understanding of topics such as demographics and psychographics. The use of technology i have learnt has also allowed my products to look more professional than the preliminary task as a clear house style is used which was developed through my research which used new technologies. The preliminary task i comparison to the main task shows improvement with the use of technology as the preliminary task is visibly basic in skills and doesn't show much effort whereas the main task shows more Photoshop skills and more awareness of the conventions of a magazine due to better research using more technology.
-more knowledge about music magazine conventions - From the preliminary task to the main task i have gained more awareness of the conventions of a magazine. This is shown in the work as there are more conventions in the main task than in the preliminary task, such as, a smaller barcode, and pull quotes. These have helped my magazine to become more realistic and would therefore be more likely to meet it's aims. I have also learnt how the conventions actually affect the audience. For example, a bold title attracts the audiences attention and can be more memorable, another way i have learned conventions affect the audience is the house style. The house style of a magazine looks more professional if it is only a few colours. It also looks neater and will be easier to remember so the magazine will be remembered more.
-more knowledge about institution - since the preliminary task I have gained more knowledge about institution and magazines.I now know how institution distributes the magazines and advertises the magazines. When i did the preliminary task i had no idea what job the institutions did and could not name any, now i know the main institutions (Bauer and ipc) and some of the lesser known ones too e.g. blaze publishing.
-more knowledge about target audience- Since the preliminary task i have learned more about how the target audience is defined and affected by marketing techniques. For example in the preliminary task the target audience was just wyke college students and at a stretch some of the teachers and parents, there was no specific age range or interest group, whereas in the main task i had to know a specific target audience for my product with age range gender and interest group. By doing this i have learned how to define target audience better and how specific audiences relate to different products. I also learned how the target audience are affected by marketing techniques. For example, i created a quick example of a preview video for the magazine and although it is only basic and not very good it would affect the audience. This is because my target audience primarily is quite young and so are more likely to be using the internet on a daily basis which means they my be on websites like YouTube. This means that they are more likely to see the preview video and become interested in the magazine.
-time organisation- From the preliminary task i have improved on time organisation. When i did the preliminary task i did not organise my time very well and when i came to the day of the deadline i was still rushing to finish my evaluation. During the main task i have used the lessons well to complete the bigger tasks such as the Photoshop editing and out of lesson i have done a lot of work as well on some of the writing tasks for example the uses and gratifications model research. This has helped my to organise my time so that i have enough time to finish the evaluation before the deadline.

The preliminary task shows little house style as it uses lots of colours whereas a house style usually contains around three. The main task uses just three main colours, red, black, and yellow. This shows progression. Another way in which the main product has progressed from the preliminary task product is the organisation of the page. The preliminary task front cover is quite crowded with lots of text covering most of the page so there is not focus on one main element, whereas the main task is less crowded and has more focus on specific points of the magazine.

timeline from preliminary task to evaluation:

LIIAR analysis of my front cover, contents page, and double page spread.

Front cover

language

Denotation- The magazine cover contains a lot of bright colours such as red and yellow. The text on the front cover is also big and bold making it stand out. The house style for this magazine cover is red, yellow, and black. The title of the magazine is in the top left corner and in big lettering. The main image on the cover is large and the featured person is looking directly at the camera. The other images on the front cover are smaller and further away from the main attention of the audience.

connotation- The red and yellow bright colours relate to the genre of the magazine. The red may symbolizes the passion for the genre and the subject of the main artists interview for the magazine. The colours are bright which makes the magazine noticeable which would make more people buy it. The title is big as this makes it recognisable to the audience. The title would always be the same on every magazine (sometimes the colours are different) which would make it recognisable and more well known. In the main image the person is looking directly at the camera which makes it look as if they are looking at the reader. This makes the reader feel more involved and directly addressed which makes it more likely that they are going to buy the magazine. the audience feedback suggests that the main image could be better quality which would make the front cover look more professional

media language

• masthead- The masthead is the title at the top of the magazine. It has been made to follow the conventions of a music magazine as it is in the top left corner and is large and bold making it noticeable. 
• pull quotes- The pull quote on the front cover of this magazine is "i'm not going to change for anybody". The pull quote is a clue as to the content of the magazine and is usually quite large, bold, and near the main image.
• cover lines- The cover lines on a magazine cover tell us more about the features and topics covered in the magazine.The cover lines for my magazine are, " Arctic monkeys, Kings of Leon, Kaiser chiefs". This shows the reader what features in the magazine before they have read it.
• main image- The main image on my front cover is a mid shot of Catriona Graham . She is looking at the camera and is wearing a black coat which is conventional for the magazines genre of music.
• secondary images- The secondary images on the front cover are members of the kasabian and teenage collective. The secondary images are used to illustrate the features that are in the magazine and give the audience more than just words to decide if they want to buy the magazine. They also make the magazine look more attractive.
• plug- The plug is used to make a feature that the audience may be particularly interested in stand out, for example the plug for my magazine is "new music!, new artists!, new tours!"
• bar code- The bar code for my magazine is conventional as it shows the price, issue number. However the date of release for the magazine is underneath the title for my magazine. 

institution

- The institution that would publish REAL is Bauer media. Bauer Media Group is a large European-based media company, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany that manages a portfolio of more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products and 50 radio and TV stations around the world. The job of Bauer media is to publish and effectively advertise it's magazines such as kerrang!. The name or logo of the media company is usually found somewhere in the magazine to help people recognise the company. The company is britains third largest publisher.

Ideology

REAL magazine is a music magazine which focuses on the genre of indie rock. This is shown by the look of the magazine and the contents shown on the front cover. For example, The featured artist on the cover is a new indie rock singer called Catriona Graham. It is also shown by the colours of the magazine cover, For example black and red. These colours are typically associated with this genre which shows that this is the genre that the magazine features.The magazine would focus on artists who are known now as the main target audience is teenagers to late 20's.

audience

The target audience of my magazine is both men and women however the magazine may be more popular with men as the genre of the magazine are stereo typically more male despite what the video interviews showed.

The age range that this magazine is aimed at is 15-25 years old.The target audience is shown in the magazine by the bright colours which make the magazine look more unisex and the featured artists which would be popular with males and females.

representation

The artist on the front cover is wearing a black coat and her hair is quite straight . She has quite a serious expression on her face which represents the genre. she is wearing dark makeup which may also represent the genre. The way the artist is presented is stereotypical for the genre of the magazine and makes it easier to identify them.

contents page

language

Denotation- The magazine contents page contains a lot of bright colours such as red and yellow. The text on the contents page is also bold making it stand out. The house style for this magazine contents page is red, yellow, and black. The title of the magazine is in the top left corner and in small lettering. The main image on the contents page is larger than  the other images and the featured person is looking directly at the camera. The other images on the front contents page are smaller and further away from the main attention of the audience.

connotation- The red and yellow bright colours relate to the genre of the magazine. The red may symbolizes the passion for the genre and the subject of the main artists interview for the magazine. The colours are bright which makes the magazine eye catching which would make more people buy it. The title is big as this makes it stand out and clear to the audience what the page is. The title would always be the same on every magazine (sometimes the colours are different) which would make it recognisable and more well known. In the main image the person is looking directly at the camera which makes it look as if they are looking at the reader. This makes the reader feel more involved and directly addressed which makes it more likely that they are going to buy the magazine. 

media language

• contents title- For my contents page the title is "CONTENTS"  This shows the reader that they can find information about whats in the magazine there. 
• features- The features are listed in columns. This keeps everything simple and neat which looks professional. The columns all have individual titles such as "regulars" and "extra features". This helps the reader find what they are looking for quicker and easier. The text of the features is bold which makes it easier for the reader to identify the features they are interested in
• date and website- The date of the magazines release is featured at the top of the page underneath the title. The contents page also has the magazines website featured at the bottom of the page which is conventional for a music magazine contents page.
• main image- The main image for this magazine is a mid shot of the main featured artist Catriona Graham posing. The image is larger than other images to show that it is the main image and to direct readers to the main feature of the magazine.
• secondary images- The secondary images on the contents page are of other artists featured in the magazine which is conventional of a magazine contents page. This gives the reader an idea about who is featured in the magazine.

institution

- The institution that would publish REAL is Bauer media. Bauer Media Group is a large European-based media company, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany that manages a portfolio of more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products and 50 radio and TV stations around the world. The job of Bauer media is to publish and effectively advertise it's magazines such as kerrang!. The name or logo of the media company is usually found somewhere in the magazine to help people recognise the company. The company is britains third largest publisher.

Ideology

REAL magazine is a music magazine which focuses on the genre of indie rock. This is shown by the look of the contents page and the features shown on the contents page. For example, The featured artists on the contents page is a new indie rock singer called Catriona Graham, a new band called teenage collective and kasabian,which is a well know indie rock group. It is also shown by the colours of the magazine contents page, For example black and red. These colours are typically associated with this genre which shows that this is the genre that the magazine features.The magazine would focus on artists who are known now as the main target audience is teenagers to late 20's.

audience

The target audience of my magazine is both men and women however the magazine may be more popular with men as the genre of the magazine are stereo typically more male despite what the video interviews showed.

The age range that this magazine is aimed at is 15-25 years old.The target audience is shown in the magazine by the bright colours which make the magazine look more unisex and the featured artists which would be popular with males and females.

representation

The artists on the contents page are wearing dark clothing and have straight hair and dark makeup. Catriona has quite a serious expression on her face as do the other featured artists which represents the genre. The way the artists are presented is stereotypical for the genre of the magazine and makes it easier to identify them.

Double page spread

language

Denotation- The magazine double page spread contains a lot of bright colours such as red and yellow. The text on the double page spread is also a bold font making it stand out. The house style for this magazine double page spread is red, yellow, and black. The headline of the double page spread is in the middle at the top in large bold lettering . The image on the double page spread is large and the featured person is looking directly at the camera.

connotation- The red and yellow bright colours relate to the genre of the magazine. The red may symbolizes the passion for the genre and the subject of the main artists interview for the magazine. The colours are bright which makes the magazine eye catching which would make more people buy it. The title is big as this makes it stand out and clear to the audience what the page is and what the subject of the interview is. The headline would change as different people are interviewed each week which would help people get an impression of each featured artists individually. In the main image the person is looking directly at the camera which makes it look as if they are looking at the reader. This makes the reader feel more involved and directly addressed which makes it more likely that they are going to buy the magazine. 

media language

• headline- The headline is a title to the double page spread which gives the audience their first impression of the artist featured. e.g. "the rise of catriona" gives the impression that she has worked and slowly made herself known after going through a lot to get there.
• pull quote (title)- The title is a quote from the featured artist which gives the reader an idea about what is in the feature before they read it e.g. " i'm not going to change fro anybody". The font is large so that it stands out.
• introduction- There is a brief introduction underneath the pull quote to tell the reader what the interview is about before they read it. This helps them decide if they want to read it. The name of the artist is also repeated for clarification that it is Catriona Graham featuring in the interview.
• font- The font of the interview is written in a simple font which makes is easier to read however the font is still representative of the genre of the magazine. The first letter of the interview is written in large text (drop cap) which is conventional for the start of a magazine interview so readers recognise that it is an interview.
• main image- The main image is on the left of the page which is conventional for a double page spread. The image is mid shot showing Catriona looking directly at the camera. The main image is large so that the reader can clearly see that the artist featured in the image illustrates the interview.

institution

- The institution that would publish REAL is Bauer media. Bauer Media Group is a large European-based media company, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany that manages a portfolio of more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products and 50 radio and TV stations around the world. The job of Bauer media is to publish and effectively advertise it's magazines such as kerrang!. The name or logo of the media company is usually found somewhere in the magazine to help people recognise the company. The company is britains third largest publisher.

Ideology

REAL magazine is a music magazine which focuses on the genre of indie rock. This is shown by the look of the double page spread and the style of the interview. For example,The text is bold which would represent the genre as it shows that the genre stands out form others which also relates back to the idea of the title of the magazine saying that indie rock is the only real music . It is also shown by the colours of the magazines double page spread, For example black and red. These colours are typically associated with this genre which shows that this is the genre that the magazine features.The magazine would focus on artists who are known now as the main target audience is teenagers to late 20's.

audience

The target audience of my magazine is both men and women however the magazine may be more popular with men as the genre of the magazine are stereo typically more male despite what the video interviews showed.

The age range that this magazine is aimed at is 15-25 years old.The target audience is shown in the magazine by the bright colours which make the magazine look more unisex and the featured artists which would be popular with males and females.

representation

The artist featured in the double page spread is wearing dark clothing and has straight hair and dark makeup. Catriona has quite a serious expression on her face  which represents the genre as this genre stereo typically shows artists with serious expressions . The way the artist is presented is stereotypical for the genre of the magazine and makes it easier to identify them.

Audience feedback questionnaires (completed)

Front cover, contents page, and double page spread

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website homepage mock up

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