In what ways does you media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of a real media product?
I feel that my media project is like that of a real media project in many ways. For example the layout of the front cover portrays the same kind of layout as other magazine covers; for example the large heading in the top middle of the page is bold and eye catching like that of others, it stands out and uses pink and white colours, which is carried out throughout the rest of that page. I have also added a ‘tag line’ underneath the master heading. I think this is will become a hook line for my magazine and would be something that people would recognise, it is unique and catchy. The images which I have used follow typical conventions of real media, a large image in the centre of the page representing the main story, it is large enough to become the main focus however isn’t too big that it over crowds the rest of the text. I think the image is particularly good to use as it is giving a realistic sense of what sort of genre the magazine has. It shows a pop/dance theme which will attract those people who wish to purchase this type of magazine. The model is wearing bright colours and is an attractive girl, which the young female audience will look up to, the pose of the model I feel is very successful as she is looking directly at the camera, this is again a technique which is already used in real media as it draws the reader to look at it, she is standing suggesting a dance affect which I also feel is successful in order to attract the reader. I have also used a bar code, and added a price, again a typical example of original products already available. My magazine is a monthly product, which is why it has the month named as the date rather than a specific week date. My contents page also follows conventions of existing media, by this I mean that it follows the same layout of other products, for example when I looked at other products I noticed that there was a simple series of photos representing stories inside the magazine, I followed this example and added four photos along the bottom of my page, also there is regularly a list of stories split up into different sections; I therefore divided my page into three, world exclusive, features, and on the cover this is once again a regular technique used in real magazines. To maintain a house style I have used the same subheading which follows the theme from my front cover and then in the corner of the contents page is a copy of the front cover, I researched this by looking at other contents pages. My article follows the simple conventions of that of others also; there are six columns which I have used, each following the theme of question and answer interview, I have included quotes which I feel was necessary after researching other articles. And finally I have included one large image and a number of smaller ones, all of the ‘singer’ included in my article.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My product is aimed at the female audience who are interested in pop music, simply as it has a theme which follows that of dance and pop music, there are girl bands and gossip pages included in the magazine and in my opinion would not be as suited for a male gender. It is aimed at a working class group as I feel my magazine is a suitable price for the working class market to be able to purchase the magazine and fashion followed throughout my product from celebrities. I also feel there is a certain social group that it is aimed for, and don’t believe that it will appeal to Goth or rock audience, I aimed it at a audience who enjoys the dance and pop genre, and feel teenagers will also enjoy it more rather than a older audience. I feel that the working class people will be most likely to purchase this magazine as it is a reasonable price and has those features of a typical magazine, such as chat columns and gossip interviews.
What kind of media institution might distribute product and why?
I think that because of the unique style of my magazine product that there would be no gap in the market for a company like Bauer to distribute my magazine, as it is a different style and genre to any of the existing products on the market such as Mojo and Q magazine.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
In my opinion music magazines with a pop orientated genre are most likely to appeal to a younger female audience, I feel that the male audience generally read mostly, however not always rock orientated magazines and not generally at a younger age. Like I have previously mentioned I have aimed my magazine to the teenage audience which I feel will be successful as it includes features which the younger female audience look for such as free pop concert tickets and the latest celebrity gossip. A working class audience in my opinion would be a successful target as it is a reasonable price for young girls to be able to purchase. I feel that it would appeal to those who are regularly have spare change and wish to purchase it, those who are interested in music and wish to catch up on the latest stories from their favourite bands or artists.
How did you attract/address your audience?
I feel that my magazine attracts the expected audience in many ways; I first of all composed a survey which I handed out to a number of people. From this I gathered information about what the majority of people enjoyed and wished for in a magazine. I have therefore added stories to the cover and contents page that will be suited to my audience. I have produced my product based on these ideas and think that the genre, colour scheme and interview suit what was asked for. Also from the existing products which I researched i was able to see what customers preferred and didn’t prefer in magazine already on the market. I included the interview rather than a basic report as I feel these appeals to the younger audience as they aspire to be like celebrities and wish to hear about their stories. From existing products I was able to see what sort of shots I needed to take for my main photos, a medium close up with the model looking directly at the camera. I feel that I was successful in doing this as I produced a clear image for my front cover which in my opinion will attract the audience, as it is like other products by the size and also structure, for example most magazines I researched had a medium close up of a attractive model, so that others were interested to look. I have used bright vibrant colours on the model to again attract a young female audience. In my contents page I have included stories which people suggested that they were interested in from my survey which I previously mentioned, I also included reviews from popular band names, which I found was a popular theme throughout the magazines I had researched. to sell more copies i took advantages of the theory of uses and gratifications (Blumler & Katz 1974) because i used models the same age range as my target audience so they could relate to them & aspire to be like them
I showed copies of my final magazine to members of my target audience and they were very positive about the final result. i showed it to one of my friends Trudy Smith and she said 'wow this looks like a really professional magazine and if it was available to buy i would definitely have to purchase it.' i was pleased with the feedback i recieved.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Through my product I have learned a number of new techniques, for example I have edited and colours and tones on the layouts of each of my pages. I have taken a number of photos using different shots, to capture a successful image for my final product. I have also cut and edited photos on Photo shop; I have adjusted the contrast and tones of the photos in order to make them look more affective and suitable to be presented on my magazine. I have learned how to manipulate digital images and have also established how to incorporate text and images on the page: I have added outer glows to the text on my front cover as an extra effect and have learnt how to add added detail to simple shapes such as drop shadows. For my article I have learnt how to construct a simple layout of columns and layout and in the text have used colloquial language to appeal to my audience. I have edited pictures by changing the hue, saturation and many other aspects in order to perfect my final product.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Since my preliminary work I feel my final product has been improved dramatically. I believe this is simply due to the amount of research I have studied since then. After my preliminary work I started to look through existing products on the market and researched what the audiences where interested in. I have produced more research into products, and looked at theory in terms of research: I have took into consideration how audience research is necessary to compete with these real media pieces, and tried to aim my work to be at a acceptable standard. I have thought about the page design and use of colour; For example I have included a lot more detailed text on the front cover and contents page, all of my information and images which I have used are actually relevant to the market I am aiming my final product at. Also I have improved my practical skills whilst constructing my final product. I feel I have a better interpretation of what my final product should be expected to look like than what I did when I constructed my preliminary work. In my opinion my practical skills are at a much higher standard, I can now judge which is a suitable size, font and colour of text and have a better understanding of what people expect to read on their magazine. I have filled the space better on all pieces of my work, and have a more realistic layout than my previous work. The basic cutting and editing of the photos which I have used has improved, and overall I feel I have successfully created a suitable final product, hugely improved from my preliminary work.
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