Evaluation Question 7

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 7

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

Since the preliminary task I have learnt a lot of things. Mainly, I have learnt the importance of the image and layout on the magazine. My image on the prelim was poor, with the models not even facing the camera. This is not particularly good as the subject should be making eye-contact, but is a little less important on a school magazine as they can be 'ingrossed in their work.' Also house style very important, which I was a lot stronger on in my music magazine, as the title, page layout, colour scheme etc was all the same, whereas on the preliminary task I only had the same title and text colours. Also, research is a crucial element, so as I did not need to do much for the preliminary task as school magazines are not bought or need to fit tastes, I had to allow time for this in my main task. Although there are a differences in my two magazines, I have kept some factors the same. For example, both have a very simple format and some items, such as the date or page numbers are in roughly the same place on both. I also used a white background in both as I think this creates a effective canvas on which to begin.

When I first began my preliminary task, I was unaware of quite how long it takes to assemble the different elements. I also did not know how long it took to get an effective and professional looking picture. Because of this, although I had planned my time well and would have had my pictures ready very early on, due to not knowing this, another 3 sets had to be taken before I was happy, effecting the time I had left. When I began my preliminary task, I didn't really plan my photos, I just took different things that I saw. However, for my music magazine I needed to. I had thought of using props, such as headphones or a mic, but decided that often in music magazines you can't actually tell the person is musical, as they have no or little equipment. This also made the taking of my photographs easier, as I did not need to carry any items with me that may have affected the area in which I wanted to work.

I have included a lot more in my music magazine. There are more articles, more effects and of course there is the additional double page spread. I had to adjust my writing style as in a school magazine it can be a lot more condescending, whereas a music magazine is very chatty and much older. My music magazine also had to appeal to tastes as it is purchased whereas the school magazine would be handed out. I found this hard to make appealing to my audience, as i explained earlier, as it was so broad.

Feedback is also very important. On the preliminary tasks I didn't bother asking people for their opinions as it wasn't intended to particularly appeal to anyone. However, on my music magazine I asked for feedback on everything from the name to my final front cover. It is amazing how the smallest contribution from someone can make such a drastic difference to your piece. For example, a friend told me that they thought my model was a little unsuitable for my magazine, so i replaced them and my magazine went from having a male model to a female one.

The main problems I faced over this time period was time management and the programs. I found it hard to reach some of the deadlines due to the fact that I just wasn't happy with my work. This meant I had to put extra hours in to get it done but still not always on time. This was mainly down to my 'trial and error' approach. More often that not, it worked first or second time, but occasionally it took a very long time until I was happy. When it came to programs, for my front cover and contents on both of my magazines, I used photoshop, only using InDesign for my double page spread. This was very hard to adjust to.

Overall, I feel I have learnt so much over this course. I have learnt to apply myself on different programs and machines and easily switch between them. I think that my preliminary task is pretty poor and that my music magazine makes it look even worse as it is so much better. I am pleased with my outcome and confident that if I were to do it again, it would be even better.

Evaluation Question 6

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 6

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

Before I started this course, I had never used computer programs such as photoshop or indesign. I had used other programs such as Firefox and Microsoft Word though. Also, I had only ever used an apple mac once or twice, so again was very unexperienced. My photography was poor as I had only really ever taken photographs on my phone and I didn't have the equipment needed to improve this. However, over the course I have improved massively. I would never have thought I could take a good picture, let alone edit it and create a magazine around it. There is more included in making a magazine than I first realised. First I had to get a camera. I had no idea what to get but in the end I got myself a digital camera as it is easy to transfer files and store them in more than one place. I used a Canon Powershot A1100 which I really liked as it was 12.1 megapixels and the images were very high quality. I arranged a number of photoshoots and by my final one, I became a lot better with the pictures I was taking.

When it came to the computers I used I had a lot of problems. Originally, I was very unconfident on the Apple Macs that we used at school and preferred to use my dell laptop at home which ran on Windows Vista. Because of this I often did most of my work at home as I had my own version of photoshop. However, after an incident involving some orange squash I no longer had my laptop so was forced to learn how to use the Apple Macs more effectively. I found it very difficult at first with the extra apple button and no right click and got very stressed over the whole process. I thought I had been saved when my replacement laptop arrived but this one ran on Windows 7 which I am not used to either so I sat down and tried to learn the Mac again, more successfully this time. However, I never really mastered grabs so most of my work I took home and used print screen on instead. The best thing I found was that whatever information I created on either computer transferred fine to the other, so I was able to work as effectively at home as I could at school.

The main programmes I used for my magazine were Photoshop and Indesign. For most of the project I used Photoshop as I could get effective and unusual effects. Also, I had spent a little longer learning it at the start of the course, so was a little more confident with it than InDesign. I learnt many things within photoshop such as cutting an image fromt he background and blurring it's edges so it doesn't look so rough. I also learnt how to create a number of effects such as transparency, drop shadowing and adding a gradient. I learnt many ways of changing a font too, such as emboss and bevel, satin, colour overlay and more.

As you can see I made a variety of changes to this picture. First using a combination of the quick selection tool and the lasso, I cut her out from the brick backround. I then placed her on a white background and blurred the edges using both the smudge tool and the brush set to white. I then adjusted the brightness and contrast. I feel that this had made a huge improvement to the picture as it now looks more professional and classy. I feel that the loss of the background was a good decision as now she stands out more and is more attention grabbing. Also, the lighting difference has make her more mysterious and alluring. I did the same to the other images I used in my magazine.

InDesign took me a long time to master. I had created all of my work previously on Photoshop and originally attempted the double page spread in it too. However, the text wrap I wanted to use was just not precise enough on Photoshop so I decided to brave InDesign. The text wrap I worked out easily with some help and so was inserting the text and to begin with I was pleased. However, when I tried to bring inthe pink circles which have the quotes on I had a lot of problems. For example, when I brought them into InDesign they would lose their transparency and other effects I had included. Then, when I finally sorted this out I couldn't change their size. Once I managed that I couldn't place text on top of it. After a few tantrums and cursing I simply applied the text on Photoshop, free transformed the whole thing and transferred it across.

I had never used a blogging website either, and I had a lot of problems logging on to begin with. After a lot of hassle I got it working but I found it hard to present thins how I wanted in each post, expecially how I positioned the images I added. After a lot of practice though, I have improved.

Although I had some difficulty with some of the programs, I am pleased with how much I have learnt over this course. Before hand I had never taken a digital photo or used an Apple Mac, but now I am able to use both a long with Photoshop and InDesign. It may have taken a lot of tears and tantrums but I am pleased with how much I have done and my final product.

Evaluation Question 5

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 5
How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my audience, that I described in the previous question, by trying to include various conventions that would appeal to them. By having a large image of a 'well known rock star' on the front, this would also make it more appealing to my audience. This is because they would know who she was and hopefully be a fan, lurring them to want to find out about her. In contrast, if they didn't know who she was, they may recognise the name or band, hence why I added this beside her. I took the quote, "It's worth more than my life to say" from my article and added it to the cover, attracting the audience's curiosity.

By including information about a big event that is still unsettled, this would encourage buyers. Baring this in mind, I added the section about the death of Avenged Sevenfold's drummer, which had a big effect on the musical world. These sort of stories and commemorations often cause people to purchase magazines. Due to everyone being attracted to a 'good deal', I made sure my inclusion of free merchandise was eye-catching and large. This would be another reason for a person to buy the magazine, especially as usually there is something to send off within it, meaning they couldn't just find out the details and not buy it. In my header line, I added a headline about an upcoming gig for a popular band and another for an article about tracks that may interest the reader. Also, my footer line tells the audience some of the bands featured in my magazine. These factors would particularly influence my target audience as they are very musically involved, so would jump at the chance to see track reviews or find out information about upcoming gigs.

I tried to make my magazine seem inviting to all different kinds of people. For example, the picture I used is alluring to the older customer, yet somewhat innocent to those who are younger. I also included varying aged group bands in my footer line. This would therefore make it more appealing for different ages. Different social groups would be more interested in my magazine as it looks clean, proffesional and uncrowded, yet it isn't too expensive. This would cater for those with any income.

As I tried to appeal to such a wide age group, I did struggle a bit. This is because everyone has such varying ideas and opinions. After attempting several different layouts I decided on this one, as in my opinion it attracts the each group , yet is still appealing to them all. Baring this in mind, it may have been easier to create a magazine about a straight forward genre of music.

Evaluation Question 4

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 4

My magazine is targeted at the more abnormal social groups, such as 'emos, rockers, scene kids, punks, grungers, goths etc'. This is due to rock being interpreted in many different ways, such as screamo or metal. Baring this is mind, I had to keep a open mind on my magazine, not to confine to one of these social groups, as obviously it would be more popular if it covered the range.

Usually music has a particular age group that varies of about 10 years, but rock usually has a less strict boundary. For example, rock music is popular amoung 16-50 years as opposed to 15-25, like R&B. This is as rock is a style of music that, although has been interpreted over the years, a lot of people have grown up with. Due to this factor, I tried to appeal to a wide range of ages. With the picture I have used on the front, the younger generation has been targeted more, but the bands I have included at the bottom, such as Metallica, would appeal to a wider audience. The people who would buy my magazine would shop in places that were are not confined and not found in the highstreet, such as markets or the internet. Camden market would be a popular place for a lot of the groups as the clothes are vintage, certain brands such as 'punky fish' are avaliable or original clothing can be purchased. These social groups are often very musically orientated and watch little tv or films, but often like comics or anime. They would wear clothes that make them stand out and often have a fair amount of piercings and tattoos. Their look often makes a statement. These groups usaully like to attend gigs and festivals, so upcoming events would be crucial to include. Also, they would wear a lot of band merchandise, so any offers or places to buy them would be useful. The social status of these people vary but ultimately they like to make in impression. This is why they listen to a range of music around the rock genre as it can apply to many moods and occasions.

From these factors they would like a magazine that would have a range of music covered, album reviews, artist interviews and a lot of different information involving the artists. Also advertisment wise, they would like information about different clothing and new original sites or stores that have opened. Discounts on band merchandise would be a nice extra along with information about future events such as gigs. They would buy my magazine as I have advertised that it has information about gigs, interviews, reviews, free merchandise, bands, competitions etc. I have tried to include various elements that they would find interesting. I have also tried to a range of different bands, so that it would appeal to a variety of ages groups, not to confine it to any particular one. I decided to price my magazine at £2.20 as there is such a variety of rock music fans that I didn't want to cut my magazine's audience by making it too expensive, but similarly I didn't want to cut my profit. Groups such as 'indies' or 'chavs' would be uninterested in my magazine as it doesn't fit the genre of music that they stereotypically would listen to.

Evaluation Question 3

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 3

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

There are various media instituations that print music magazines, such as IPC Media and Bauer Media. IPC Media prints the music magazines such as NME, while Bauer Media prints Kerrang! which are both produced weekly. My magazine too, is meant ot be published weekly, and I feel would be published by either of these

From the website - IPC Media produces over 85 iconic media brands, with our print brands alone reaching almost two thirds of UK women and 44% of UK men – almost 27 million UK adults – while our online brands collectively reach 20 million users every month.
IPC's diverse print and digital portfolio offers something for everyone, with a focus on three core audiences: men, mass market women and upmarket women.
Our men's portfolio (IPC Inspire) comprises a wealth of leisure brands including Country Life, Horse & Hound, Rugby World and Decanter, as well as lifestyle brands including Nuts, Mousebreaker and NME.

From the website - Bauer Media reaches over nineteen million UK adults across multiple m+edia channels. We have more than eighty influential media brands spanning a wide range of interests, including heat, GRAZIA, Closer, MCN, FHM, Parker's, MATCH, Magic 105.4, Kiss 100, Kerrang!, 4Music and the Big City Network, our group of twenty local radio stations.
Our business is built on millions of personal relationships with engaged readers and listeners. We connect audiences with compelling content, whenever, wherever, and however they want. Our unique insight allows us to work closely with our customers to develop innovative solutions that create a difference to their business.

As the magazine I think is closest to my magazine in genre coverage is Kerrang! I decided to work with Bauer Media, who it is published by. It also has a higher circulation rate than IPC Media with a circulation of 43,253 for Kerrang! while IPC Media's is 43,253 for NME. This is helpful to me as mine is weekly and also so similar to Kerrang! As it already has a rival in NME in the weekly music magazine department, having another contender from themself wouldn't threaten sales, but may increase them. They may not want to publish it, however, as it is so similar to Kerrang! and then IPC media would be able to increase their sales by distributing my magazine as it would rival Kerrang!

I think that Bauer Media would be more likely to publish my magazine as it fits the conventions of their music magazines and could possibly increase their sales. It has a larger circulation is the highest which shows they are able to distribute their magazines well. It is slightly different from Kerrang! though so they may be more willing to publish it in order to cater for a larger audience.

I think that my magazine fits quite well in with the magazines that are published by Bauer Media as the people on the front are presented in a similar way, the number of colours are all kept to a minimum and the basic conventions are roughly the same.

Evaluation Question 2

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 2
How does your media product represent particular social groups?

I feel that my magazine covers a range of social groups as it doesn't solely cover one genre of music, but a variation. For example, although it mainly covers rock, it covers alternative versions likemetal and screamo. Because of this I have chosen to compare my magazine to Kerrang! which music ranges from soft rock to deat metal. This allows them to appeal to far more scoial groups which is what I hoped to achieve. Another way they do this is by listing various artists on the cover to allow the audience to see what kind of music is covered, which I have also done.

These magazines would attract the same audience as immediately we can see that both of the people are from a rock background. We can see this from their make up and dress. Both have a lot of dark make up around their eyes and are wearing dark colours. Attraction has been brought to their faces as on mine, her hand is in her hair and on Kerrang!, he has a trial of smoke out of his mouth. Both of them look a little individual from their hair, as hers is short, choppy and red, hile his is long and black. These are also both sen as very rockish images. Although they are not doing the same pose, they are both making eye contact with the camera, creating a sense of superiority and seduction. Both have perfectly clear skin which shows that the images have been enhanced and edited in photoshop, to make them look even more superior. Both images have some form of text or image covering them in places which would be used to show that their personalities are hidden and you have to uncover things you don't know about them within the magazine.
However, there are obviously differences, like that one is female and the other male. There is obviously an age difference between the two and my model looks a lot more innocent and friendly than the man. This is because the smoke he is blowing from his mouth makes him look rebellious while his dark make up and hair makes him look mysterious and dark. My model is smiling slightly and looking directly at the camera while he is mainly expressionless and it very slightly looking up, adding more to the seduction and menice.
Despite these differences, these magazines would appeal to the same audience as they both have the stereotypical look of those involved in rock music. She looks like she plays slightly softer rock while his looks more heavy or perhaps even metal. This as it may be, generally those who listen to one area of rock music generally listen to the others too, although they may have a preference to a particular kind.

Evaluation Question 1

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

My school magazine fits the conventions of an actual school magazine as they contain similar elements. For example, both the real magazine and mine have centralized titles and a banner line beneath it. Also, varying font sizes have been used on both and more than one colour. Both magazines have subtitles on either side of the picture which are of studious girls. The models are all wearing smart clothes and have some form of item related to a work environment. However, although they contain all these similarities, they also have some contrasting factors such as my image takes up the whole page, whereas the other image is centralized and smaller. Unlike the actual magazine which uses eye-catching colours, the colours I have chosen for the the articles have been taken from the school logo which I added underneath the banner line. I did this to add an element of the school theme to my magazine. The mise-en-scène varies also as my magazine has a computer in the shot and the other has a book.
Main Task

Title

Originally, I had to come up with a name for my magazine. I looked through a range of album, song and artist names for the genre of music I am using for inspiration. I came up with various names and to be honest, most were pretty awful. However, after coming up with a range of names for my magazine, I narrowed it down to my three favourites. I then asked a few friends to tell me which they preferred. This is how I ended up with the title 'detach'. I liked this as a magazine name as it has an abrupt impact which is also associated with rock music. Also, as it is one word, it is simple and therefore stays in your mind more easily. I then chose the font by trailing various fonts that i thought fitted the genre which i was using. I downloaded a number of fonts which I thought would be effective.

When I first decided on my title, I wanted to use blacks and reds for the font as it is often used with this genre of music. Red is a bright passionate colour which is also the colour of blood which a lot of rock songs are related to in some way or another. Also, black is dark and pretty much goes with anything, plus my target audience often dresses in black. Due to this, I trialed and errored my favourite fonts using this colour scheme.

However, when I had taken my photos, due to the colours within it, it was obvious that red and black woulndn't look good with it. I then took the blue from the top my model was wearing, added various effects such as a drop shadow and bevels and then enlarged it. This I felt fitted well with my picture as the colours fit with the picture, yet it wasn't too boring. This made it seem a little bit edgy, but not as much asKerrang! but not as calm as NME.

Against othr music magazine titles, I feel that mine fits in well. This is because it is not too busy and quite basic, yet it has a uniqueness. I eventually used the font 'sliced juice' which I downloaded from DA fonts as it was simple but not overly dull. It doesn't look too formal or particularly casual against the rest, fitting comfortably in. However, I have added in a drop shadow and it looks more 3D than the others, which they may not have done in order to make it easier to apply to any version of the magazine and in a more varied way.I added these factors as I wanted some individuality within my work and hoped that challenging the conventions wouldn't be too drastic this way. Overall, it created the look I hoped for on my front cover so I was pleased.

Cover Image

My images took me a while to acquire as I was unhappy with my first few photo shoots. This was due to various factors such as the lighting and outfit worn etc. However, i am pleased with the image I ended up with as it is clear, well lighted and looks professional. It also is similar to some I have found. Looking at the mise-en-scene, neither have any props in particular, although the actual magazine she has a throw over her shoulder. I cut my image from it's original backgroun and blurred it's edges to make it white. This both magazines have in common. Most music magazines fit this convention of a black or cut out background as it draws more attention to the artist. Also, the women are part of the mise-en-scene. Often the person on the front of a magazine is attractive and in some form of alluring pose, which I feel that I have acheived. Both women are framing their body in some way even if it is not the same. Their heads are not facing straight ahead but are at some angle although they are both making eye contact with the camera. Neither has their whole body in shot and they are both wearing dark colours. The make up that the artist wears is very important which is why I made her eyes dark and seductive with bright lipstick. The lighting I used was natural as the artificial lighting I had used before was unsuccessful. I feel that this added a more clean, clear look about her.

Contents

I split my contents into 3 sections; weekly, extras and on the cover. I did this as usually in music magazines, you can find what you want by category. I didn't include too many as I didn't want to make it too complicated. I put these sections as an avid reader may be interested in the various features that are included every week. Similarly, those who have bought it on a one off may have done so due to a cover story, which is why I made this another one. Finally I used extras, as it was the rest of the features that were in the magazine but I felt it sounded better than 'the rest'. I mainly looked at various issues of NME for my contents as I liked the way they included a band index down the left side. As you can see, I also included one as part of mine. Although on this edition it is a singular image of the London Astoria, usually NME includes 2 images of bands, which is where I also took influence.

Double Page Spread

The most important part of my double page spread was the written content. The style used in a music magazine is very colloquial and chatty against other types of magazines, and they don't censor what the artist says. For example, if the artist swears, it is included. This was hard to adjust to as whenever I have written a piece over the last few years, it has to be formal, and I have only ever sworn in one essay before. However, I feel I was good at adjusting and I didn't really hold back. I had to read a range of articles in music magazines in order to develop this writing technique. I also tried to fit the conventions of music magazines by using the same sort of format. For example, both of these magazines have the image, almost, if not taking up the whole of one page. The title is usually on this page too. I didn't completely follow the format though as on this magazine, the introduction is on the same page as the interview, but because I had a lot of page around my image, I decided to put it around it as a text wrap. I think this adds a nice effect as it shows a clear distinction between the article and the introduction.

Like in most music magazines, I took quotes from my interview and made them large on the page. Also, to give more of an impact to them I added the pink circles behind them, which fits with my house style.

House Style

The house style is very important within a magazine as it shows that it all fits together. I tried to keep my house style very obvious in my work by sticking to header and footer lines, colour schemes, fonts and the pink cirlces which I put under important pieces of text. I felt that this would make it obvious and effective.

Other Factors

I had to include other factors such as barcodes, dates and prices, Obviously these weren't particularly hard as all I had to do was make up a date and insert a picture of a barcode. I did however have to research magazine prices and then decide on how much mine should cost. I decided that £2.20 would be enough as it is higher than some but less than a lot.

Double Page Spread

I like how my double page spread also fits with my house style. You can see that all three parts of my magazine go together as they all contain the same elements such as fonts and the circles.
Instead of using the title on this page, I used the same font but changed the title to her name. Again, i used the pink from her lips for the circles and the blue on her top for the title. I also used a different shade of blue for the questions so that they fit the house style but added a little variety. I then used pink for the information outside of the interview so it was obvious that it was separate from the article, but still applied to the magazine.
Like the other images I used, I cut my model from the brick background and imported her onto a blank document, then blurring the edges so she looked more natural. I chose this image as she looks speculative, like the person interested in the interview.
I used a text wrap on the first page to insert my introduction. I like this as it creates a clear starting point for the interview. Although I am quite pleased with my double page spread, I think it looks a little blank in the bottom right of the first page and the header and footer lines could contain some form of text to look less boring.

Contents

I like the way my magazine fits in with the house style and you can tell its goes with my front cover. I used the title again but smaller to open the page followed with the same effects used for the subtitles. I then used the same font for the band index and heading as it looked better than the other font for these areas. I used the circles again to add extra headings in the centre of the page a long the pink from her lips and the font I used on the front. I also took the pink from her lips to use for the page numbers as this makes them more obvious.

Both images which I included I cut from their original backgrounds and blurred the edges to create a more naturally and less jagged effect. I am generally quite pleased but I think it looks a little blank in the top left.

Front page

I like my front page as I think the colours compliment eachother and the items that I want to stand out do. I like the elipses as a way to add splashes of colours ancd clarity to the text. I like the effects that have been added to the title including, drop shadows and bevels as I feel that it makes it more eye catching and confident, which music magazines should be. Originally I wanted to used black and red for the title, but as I was using this image, I took the blue from her top and edited it.
Although there are a lot of fonts used, I feel they are used effectively, as the fonts in the elipses reflect the fonts the bands use and the font in the strapline compliements the title. After trial and error the other fonts and fonts colour were found.
My image was orignally on a brick background, but I cut my model out and blurred the edges to stop her from looking too obviously out of place. I didn't want her to look jagged and have rough edges so I think the blurring was a really significant thing to do.

Changes to picture

To improve the picture, I first cut the model out and cleared the background. Then as it looked jagged, I blurred the edges to make it look a little more natural. I then enhanced the colour by slightly reducing the brightness and streghtening the contrast. I think that this adds an air of mystery and is slightly more seductive than it was originally. Also, she stands out so much mroe on the white background.

Final Photos

I took a final selection of photos, using a female model. I dressed her in an outfit that i thought appropriate for my magazine and also did her make up and hair to fit.
I like these photos as she is photogenic and I like the overall look.
However, I am not massively keen on the bricks so I will edit the background and perhaps make it white.

More Practice Photos

After dressing and styling my model I took various photos to decide what sort of position I would like him in as some of the positions I had liked before were a bit too feminine. Although these pictures are roughly what I am looking for, the model needs more make up and a better lighting so more photos will need to be taken.

Magazine covers

After taking my first practice photos I decided to look at various rock magazine covers to have a better idea of what to include in my picture. Most models are expressionless and usually are in a relaxed pose.
Also, the artists are usually centred and in the centre of the cover opposed to at a side, although this is not always the case.