Media Feedback Evaluation

Double Page Spread Updated Version

This is my final updated version of my double page spread as i had gathered feedback to make the text more easy to read and to make slight changes to my columns and back image.

Model Form

This post shows my model forms and proves that i have gathered confirmation for my models to be in my shoot and on my magazine. I completed this form as i went through the production and distribution of my magazine proffesionally and wanted to complete all the steps necessary.

Model Form

Magazine Sketch

My draft magazine sketches of my intital pages, displays my basic ideas and thoughts of what i wanted to produce. 

 

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

  When looking back at my preliminary task i can tell a variety of factors i have learnt about when making a magazine, when i compare the two final products i can see obvious mistakes and things i could have improved on my preliminary magazine as i have learnt a lot since. I think my final music magazine works a lot more successfully than the school magazine because of certain editing skills i had evolved on such as the placing of text and positioning, i also feel my magazine comes across more classy and professional as i have specified in a certain audience and could focus on what would appeal to them most such as colours and design where as on my preliminary task i had to make it relate to the 'school nature' which is reasonably hard as the amount of ages within a school. I feel i have also learnt more about attracting an audience and making people want to buy the magazine as i have researched production companys such as IPC and how they maintain such a huge audience, this has helped me add things such as offers, competitions and cross media convergence and how my magazine can be displayed across different platforms such as mobiles, internet and on social networking sites and how when this is featured in the magazine it gives the audience another way to view my magazine.
I have also learnt how to gather much more professional looking images as my skills with the camera's has evolved significantly, as i learnt how to change lighting, exposure and how to edit successfully on Photoshop. This makes a huge difference on  my magazine as the image's are the first thing you notice when buying a magazine.
Overall i think i have improved significantly from the production of my preliminary task to my final magazine as i have improved on Photoshop and learnt how to edit and manipulate images and text to make it look as if my magazine were on the shop shelf at this current time, i have also learnt how to make my magazine relate to a specific audience by using certain images, props, slang and music which helped me produce a magazine to the best of my ability.

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

I have learnt a variety of skills on different platforms of technology when going through the process of making my magazine. I made my magazine on Adobe Photoshop CS3/CS5, allowing me to combine images and special effects that other software couldn't. Photoshop was a big part of the production process when making my magazine as i already had an insight into Photoshop and enjoy the editing of photo's and images, therefore i quickly got a draft magazine complete, including a variety of texts, fonts and gradients making my magazine look well created. However all i need after that was pictures, a variety of my models that i could choose from and manipulate to fit my genre. Therefore i used a Nikon camera of a very good quality as i did not want to use a pixelated image anywhere in my magazine. The camera allowed me to get exceptional images of my models from a variety of angles and compositions at a good quality so i chose an image from the hundreds i had taken. The final image i decided to use i manipulated in Photoshop and edited according to my genre in this case i made the image black and white i also played the levels and exposure of the images to create a eye catching image that could be seen from a distance.
Using Photoshop also benefited me as the text and double page spreads look a lot more effective as i added filters and special effects that make the text and backgrounds look a lot bolder and more eye catching. As effects such as gradients, bevel, glow and 3D have been added making it look a lot less plain and also adds the professional and classy feel to the magazine. By using Photoshop i have also been able to address the correct audience by using a range of editing skills to portray the correct genre such as my poster which has a cracked gritty effect portraying a certain outlook of my urban-y magazine.
When making my magazine i have learnt a variety of skills when using camera's and Photoshop that i did not know and will help me in later life, such as how to get a correct picture with good lighting and sense of aperture. Which has all benefited the production of my magazine to make it look as real as possible.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted and addressed my specific target audience in many ways, however took most time promoting cross media convergence and getting my magazine recognised through different platforms that my target audience would use such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and even an online magazine. This helped attract a wider audience as millions of 16-25 year olds use these social networking sites daily therefore broadening my audience giving them a variety of ways to view my magazine.

When attracting an audience i first researched a magazine similar to mine to see what features make a magazine successful, being a music magazine i noticed that the bands and artists you portray on the front cover is probably one of the most important factors. Therefore my magazine front cover clearly conveys what and who is featured in my magazine, such as 'Foster the people' 'Sub Focus' etc. making this stand out to the audience lets them see what they relate to and what they can read about. I also added many images and close ups of famous artists throughout the magazine to catch the readers attention, the models are dressed in clothes that represent the genre and have similarities to my audience. Including things such as posters in my my magazine also helped sell as the audience love a big poster of there favourite artist on there wall. However this is not the only important thing to make prominent when addressing an audience as small things such as 'Win an IPhone 4S' and 'A free reading ticket' portrayed clearly on the front of magazine can easily attract more attention as when buying the magazine you may feel that you could be the lucky winner.
My magazine includes articles and reviews on the latest and upcoming music stars to attract an audience who wants to read and has a general interest in the artist therefore my articles have funny and comical interviews as well as serious questions and where the artist is going next, as well as every weeks 'big secret' which always attracts and audience as its music gossip at the best.
To make my magazine attractive in design i added
colours that were eye catching but not overwhelming, the colours i chose for my music magazine were red white black and grey, i did not choose these colours at random, as i took specific research into magazine on shop shelf's and noticed many magazine of a similar genre to mine had these colours. Therefore these colours must be easily recognised by the audience as they are prominent on other magazines similar. I also used a range of requirements a normal magazine has to make it attractive such as pull lines, quotes, tag lines, plugs, mastheads, offers, competitions etc. on the front cover to portray the best points of my magazine so that the intended audience would buy it.

Final Magazine 21/02/2012

My final magazine on the 21/02/2012. Including my Front page, contents, double page spread intro, double page and poster.

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

My target audience for this magazine would be an indie rock genre aged between 15-30 however I believe that 80% of these readers would be at the younger scale being around 15-20 as this magazine has many young features such as new bands, the younger themed holidays, competitions and images. Also the young look and similar layout to present magazines such as Q and NME help my magazine appeal to the older audiences. My magazine is only £2.50 yet again representing how it appeals mostly to the younger audiences as it’s cheap and wouldn’t require having a salary to buy it, making it an easy buy when looking for a magazine. The new bands and younger bands help make this magazine a good buy and what makes it relate to the younger audiences however many old classic bands such as ‘Oasis’ are featured broadening the audience and making it relate to many adults. Cross media convergence is a big part of audience in my magazine as its helps to broaden my magazines audience, when I created my magazine the next step would to promote it on websites such as facebook, twitter, myspace and on its own website giving it more chance of being seen and recognised as a successful magazine.My magazine appeals to mainly both genders as its an indie rock magazine and doesnt specifically focus on one gender unlike some magazines on the shelf, as it relates to both genders there is no specific boy or girl theme and most colours are very neutral and none are stereotypically for either gender so my audience will notice this and not be afraid to pick it up.My magazine's mise en scene also helps specify a style and characteristics for the audience through there clothing and setting, my models are wearing trendy and indie/vintage style clothing therefore signifying the theme of the magazine and letting the audience know that they have something in common with these models, the setting is a graffiti ridden street in London portraying the laid back theme of my magazine and where it originates from. The models poses also portray this as they all look cheeky and cool and as if they are not trying to hard. The models are also reasonably young portraying the younger audience and signifying the young teen genre of music magazine.

Diary Entry 16.

This lesson i have gathered feedback on my magazine and made most of my final edits and changed them to what i believe is the best they can be, i have also started to gather feedback for an evaluation so i can evaluate and have better awnsers for my media essay that i am currently doing each week.

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

The company I will be using to distribute and promote my magazine would most likely be IPC, I have chosen this specific publisher as it has published magazines very similar to mine such as NME, this would help distribute my magazine as my target audience can realise that this is a good distributor as many of its magazines have been very succesful. IPC would also give my magazine a chance to reach success as it has been around for numerous years and is the current publisher of NME its only other music magazine, therefore this will reassure that my magazine would have a chance to be successful as NME is a huge magazine which has always been very successful, NME is also a similar genre of magazine as mine is also indie/rock genre, this may be a bad idea as they may not want to publish two very similar magazine however people knowing its published by the same company being IPC may intise people to buy my magazine as they distribute very well known magazines.

Magazine Poster

This is a free magazine poster. I have added this in my magazine as an extra to give the target audience something free that they can enjoy and use, this is also common in real music magazines and helps make my magazine seem more realistic.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media magazine represents particular social groups by using a specific mise en scene that will catch the eye of any one of my intended audience by using certain colour themes, photos, fonts, words and layouts. This makes it easier for the audience to recognise and notice if my magazine would relate to them.

I ensured my front cover would relate to my intended audience and represent my social group in a positive way as it’s the USP of any magazine, so the theme of indie/rock has really been emphasised so the audience can feel a relation between them and this page. First of all the low contrast black and white picture is very retro and classic and portrays three members dressed to a indie style as well as all having different positions and poses, the background also helps portray my gritty urban London feel. I then chose the colour theme of black, red and white as similar magazines such as NME and Q have this colour theme making it a recognisable magazine and maybe one that’ll stand out from others. Not only does my magazine appeal to this audience and social groups through graphology but through words too, as on the front cover a lot of classic indie bands have been displayed in bold eye catching fonts so they’re not missed. Particular social groups have demographically been selected through advertisement of facebook and twitter apps and competitions that individually relates to a younger teen audience that will recognise these as something they enjoy whereas some adults wouldn’t. These certain features may represent my social group as being party animals, into the simpler things in life such as chilling out with friends and that music is a big part of their life. The Title ModernWaste portrays this young teen attitude to everything and that not to take life to seriously however does explain the importance of hard work and achievement.

The images displayed throughout my magazine are very ‘London’y’ and put a positive impact on the representation of teens at this day and age. As teens can be stereotyped to being young drinkers, smokers, involved with knife crime an portrayed in a negative way so I ensured that all my images were impressive yet still sensible.

My images will also relate to my audience and inspire them to get on with it and make success as the band portrayed are a young and very famous, this helps aspiring musicians feel that it is achievable and to get out there. Overall my social group is represented in a professional and cmuch more grown up way as all my images are mature and of a good quality however still represent them with certain stereotypes of a young adult.

Diary Entry 15.

Today i added comments to my final magazine and recieved feedback so that i could improve my magazine and get it to the highest standard possible.

Magazine Updates.

This is my Updated Magazine front cover however I still need to change a few things such as the plugs as they are not very clear however this is all going to be on my development essay and how i developed my magazine to make the most successful magazine i could that followed all the codes and conventions a typical magazine would.

Final double page spread.

This is my final double page spread intro. This page introduces my double page spread and whats going to be happening on it by introducing the band.

Diary Entry 14.

Today i completed my title page for my double page spread, i did a title page to make my magazine look more professional and to give the interview a bit of an entrance. I still used all typical codes and conventions when making my title page and included all my key requirements.

Essay on Codes and Conventions.

The magazine I have created follows the norm of codes and conventions that are portrayed in all magazines on shop shelves at this date. My magazine follows codes and conventions by making everything in it appeal to a certain audience. For example my target audience would be of the ages 16-29, this is portrayed through not only the visual design but also the featured content.

Starting with the visuals my magazine follows all codes and conventions of a professional magazine such as the front cover, contents, title page and double page spread. Starting with the colour scheme, the messy gritty down to earth feel of my magazine with a dark contrast representing the rebellious side to the audience and the white and red representing power and truth as well as honesty makes this colour scheme very successful and appealing to the eye. 

The front cover of my magazine features a masthead, large in size and bold enough to see from a far distance it states ‘MWS’ standing for ModernWaste. The masthead is in red with a stylish metallic look and has the full name of the magazine placed above it which is also very clear. We then move onto the background Image, I believe my background image is a very professional looking image, I intended this because this is the main focal point of any magazine and pretty much sells the magazine. I followed the codes and conventions when taking this picture to ensure i came away with a photo that would work, i used audience specific mise en scene to make the image appeal to the audience and make them feel as if they can relate to the picture and notice it as something they would like. My image is in black and white and at a high exposure rate making it bright and very eye catching, the picture features three young boys in a band called ‘Urban Kicks’ they are all dressed according to my theme indie and have the backdrop of graffiti showing the gritty urban city feel to the magazine itself. My magazine front cover follows all the norms of any other magazine such as including plugs and ears of competitions, special features inside and interviews and a barcode, price also in foreign currencies, date and issue number representing my product research and how i have followed all the C&C of a already produced magazine.

My Contents page also follows all the rules; I have a large contents page featuring most but not all of the pages as this is unnecessary and only the most important pages should be shown similar to a magazine on the shelf. I also featured another main image that draws in the audience as it yet again features mise en scene and my audience can relate to it. I have portrayed competitions and other forms of media to broaden what my audience can do and all these other forms of media to keep them entertained such as Apps, Games and Write in’s. This follows all the typical conventions of a magazine as yet again its relating to the audience and I similar to a real magazine as i have followed all the requirements needed.

My last two pages are the double page spread and the title page for it, these two pages use images and text at an advantage as they are on a larger page and the images are more easily spotted. The colour scheme is the same throughout my magazine and helps make a proper theme making the audience feel that is all one magazine and doesn’t feel like they are flicking through 5 different magazines at once. There is a large tag title featured in the middle of the page stating ‘I live off fame’ portraying what the article is about and who. The text featured is an interview similarly to real magazines and portrays a young and upcoming band and what they have got to say. Overall i believe i have followed all the norms or codes and conventions within my magazine as I want it to be as classy and professional as possible when i have finished it to the best of my ability.

Diary Entry 13

This week i have spent completing my final drafts of my magazine, for example getting feedback and working on it to make it a more productive magazine.