Evaluation part 1

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

My Magazine, Indiependence, is of the Indie/Rock genre as I felt it was the genre I could relate to most closely. I used magazines such as Kerrang! and NME for inspiration due to the fact that the majority of my target audience are likely to read or have read them before. I included elements of both to make my magazine look as realistic as theirs.

When I began creating my magazine I tried to conform to the typical codes and conventions of Indie/Rock magazines to make it appealing to my target audience. I referred to my similar product research Prezi throughout the construction of my magazine to ensure I was including as many of the typical conventions as I could.

 Before I began creating my magazine pages, I wanted to create a unique masthead that would make my magazine stand out from other magazines of its genre. I looked closely at the mastheads of other magazines such as NME and Q to gain inspiration for my own masthead. I liked NME’s masthead, it’s very simplistic yet eye-catching, especially through the use of red.  However i prefered the masthead of Q as it was more eyecatching.

Although I liked the look of a small masthead like Q, I decided to go for something that subverted the typical convention of having few letters in the masthead by having a longer word, Indiependence. My masthead is a pun which I hope will be recognised by the audience and encourages them to pick up the magazine. I have added a slogan underneath the masthead, ‘an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself’. The slogan also acts as a USP, as it is in fact the Urban Dictionary definition of the word and something like this is quite unique to a magazine.

I created several designs on Photoshop including a bold design, an almost battered looking design, one that was quite faded and another that was very colourful. However I didn’t feel any of the designs fitted my genre or were the sort of look I was trying to go for.

I kept the font to simple Times New Roman, although the font is quite basic I feel like it conforms to the typical codes and conventions as MOJO’s masthead which is in a basic font as well. I stuck to the typical conventions of a magazine by having my masthead at the top of the page. When you look at a magazine, the first thing you notice is the masthead, I added to my initial masthead design by making the colour a deep red outlined with a black stroke. This establishes my magazines colour scheme, something which I have chosen to keep through the entirety of my magazine.

I used inspiration from Q’s summer issue for my sell lines, by making the band or singers name in bold it highlights their importance in the issue, this conforms to the conventions of a magazine.

 I included a band index on the front cover; this slightly subverts the conventions as this usually appears on the contents page. I have also included a banner at the bottom, a barcode, the date, issue number and price as these are all features that typically appear on a front cover of any genre of magazine.

My contents page has a similar layout the NME magazine, due to the page being split into several organised sections. The column on the right hand side includes heading such as ‘News’ and ‘Features’, these are all typical headlines you would find in music magazines. This is likely to appeal to my target audience as it is easy to look for the desired section and page number, so they can navigate their way through my magazine with ease. On the contents page I have included sub headings below my article headings so that the audience are aware of what each article is about, from this they can decide if it’s an article they wish to read or not. These are both conventions that appear typically on music magazines as it easier for any audience member to navigate their way through a magazine.  

The left hand side includes pictures of the artists featuring in the magazine. The main image is of Bethany George, who is the feature interview for my magazine. The two smaller images are of other artists included in the magazine; this is accompanied by page numbers so my target audience can quickly go to the page of interest.

I have included information about how readers can subscribe, this is a feature included in most magazines. I have also included features such as issue number, date, editor’s note and Facebook/Twitter icons, as these features are all included in magazines such as NME and Q, and I am conforming to the conventions of music magazines by including them.

 

My double pages spreads continue to follow my established colour scheme of red, black and white. On my first double page spread the picture of my model is iconic and quirky, and relates directly to the heading ‘I’ve always wanted to save the world'. The model is looking directly at the audience, with her finger to her lips, this adds a more person feel because it’s like she is speaking only to the person reading. It is common for music magazines to use images that have direct contact with the audience members as it makes them feel as though the artist is directing the answers straight at them. I have included features such as Exclusive banner, photography by and article by at the bottom as they are typical features of music magazines.

My second double page spread follows a typical layout, divided into four columns of article with pull quotes from the article and images of my model. In music magazines in general it is common for articles to be split into columns to make the article easier to read and it flows better.



On my final double page spread I have developed the idea of including an album review; I included this as I feel it breaks up the article more by including something interesting for them to read. It could also expand an individual’s music knowledge, as they could read the review and choose to listen to the album.  

Evaluation part 7

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

When I worked on my preliminary task I had little understanding of what was involved in creating a magazine, although I had created a film magazine in year 11 it was very unprofessional due to my lack of Photoshop skills.


The preliminary task was fairly rushed; I took 5 or 6 quick photos in the library and the canteen with my models standing in very basic poses. I took my photos in a library so that I wouldn’t need to cut out the background when creating the preliminary task. If I was to create the task again I would have spent more time taking the pictures so that I had a variety of successful shots to include.

Whilst creating my current magazine I also took many more photos than in my preliminary task, I took over 500 photos, which gave me much more variety when creating the magazine.  I have also learnt how to take successful and imaginative shots, using a variety of poses and props, at a variety of different angles. This benefitted me whilst creating my actual magazine because the photos looked more professional and interesting. I didn’t put much thought into the planning of my preliminary task, I simply made most of it up as I went along, which resulted in an unprofessional and slightly child-like magazine.

I planned my final magazine a lot more, by creating initial designs on paper, as well as brainstorming ideas about sell lines etc on Prezi and PowerPoint.

When I made my preliminary task I found it very hard to cut out photos on Photoshop effectively which is why I opted to take photos that I didn’t need to remove the background from, however when creating my final magazine I had lots of time to spend on practising this skill which enabled me to improve a substantial amount and cut out photos effectively.

Evaluation part 6

What have you learned about technologies from the process of construction of the product?

When I began this course, a lot of focus was put on researching magazines and the music industry. During this part of the course I found the search engine Google and Wikipedia very helpful as they gave me all the information I needed to know in order to complete certain tasks. When I set up my account on Blogger it also appeared very helpful as not only did it allow me to post any work or progress I had made onto my blog whilst also allowing me to see the progress that my class had made as well. Being able to see other people’s research and progress it allowed me to gain inspiration from them but also motivation to work harder on improving my magazine. Whilst doing my research I used a site called Prezi to make interactive presentations about all the information I had found out. I fund this website easy to use as it allowed me to brainstorm ideas as well as adding pictures and videos as well. I collected all my inspiration and research into the Prezi’s and used them whilst creating my magazine for inspiration.  I created my magazine using software called Adobe Photoshop, which has allowed me to create a realistic and professional magazine using features which are included in real magazines. Doing research I discovered that this software is actually used by big magazine companies to create their magazines. Using Photoshop has allowed me to add many more features to my magazine that I would not have been able to include if I had created my magazine on software such as paint. The most important feature for me was how simple it was to cut out images, by using colour range and colouring in the relevant areas you want to cut out, and then applying a feathering effect to give it a smooth edge. This tool allowed me to use bubbles in my photo shoot, as I knew I would be able to cut them out effectively, which is shown on my double page spread. On my front cover I used an intense colour scheme of red, white and grey so in order to make my image stand out I changed the brightness and made it into black and white. I used these tools throughout my magazines to make it more interesting and stand out. I decided to take a lot of photos in my photo shoots, so I tried to include as many as possible in my magazine, because of this a tool that became very important to me was text wrapping which allowed me to fit the article around the pictures. I used the stroke tool in a lot of my headings on the front cover as I felt it made the words stand out more and also emphasised the important articles to the reader. However although these programmes were all helpful, the most helpful piece of technology I used was the camera, which was a Canon SLR. The camera allowed me to take professional pictures in a variety of ways on both location and on set. By being digital it gave me an advantage over past students who would have had to use a film camera. Another benefit of using a camera like this is that it allowed me to view my pictures as soon as I took them, this allowed me to see which shots worked and which didn’t, which lighting worked and didn’t etc. For my location shoots I used an aperture lens, allowed the camera to only focus on the model in the foreground giving a blurred effect upon the background which made the photos look more professional.  

Evaluation part 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Due to my magazine being aimed at people from both the Indie and Rock Genre, it opens my magazine up to a wide range of people. I have also included artists from other genres, which allows me to appeal to an even bigger audience. I have decided that I am likely to have a primary and secondary target audience that read my magazine.  My primary audience are likely to fit into the indie/rock genre, they are likely to be between the ages of 15 and 25, this means they are likely to listen to the sorts of bands and artists I have included in my magazine. Whereas my secondary audience are likely to be people that are slightly oder, maybe 25-30. They could also be people who  like other genres, which are also incorporated into my magazine. I will also appeal to a few people who like Drum and Bass and R&B because due to me including a variety of artists from those genres as well, such as Pendulum and Jessie J.

 In order for me to fully understand my target audience, I have created a stereotypical 'Indie girl', by doing this I hoped to establish an ideal person that is likely to read my magazine, and then from that included relevant information in my magazine to appeal to that sort of person.  I created a female example, which I referred back to during the construction of my magazine to make sure I was going in the right direction. The typical person that will read my magazine is likely to listen to current music such as The Black Keys, Mumford and sons, Adele and Example, as well as music from other decades such as Nirvana or The Libertines. My 'Indie girl' is likely to frequently attend gigs to see her favourite bands, but will also be willing to go with friends to see bands they might not have heard much of before to widen their music knowledge. This is why it is important that I put huge focus on gig reviews and album reviews in my magazines, as they are likely the sorts of things that would appeal to people like my ‘Indie girl’ who are always looking for new bands to see.

 They are likely to have a rather quirky dress sense and be very individualistic rather than blending in with the majority. Typically people who fit into the ‘indie’ genre were known for wearing skinny jeans, shirts, leather jackets and biker boots. However more recently they are more likely to wear brogues, knee high socks, headbands, floaty skirts and shorts.  This is often a way of picking out an 'indie' person from a crowd of people as they are usually the ones standing out with the unique style rather than those who follow the crowds. My target audience are typically going to be individualists that start their own trends, and dress how they want rather than following the crowds.

Evaluation part 3

 What Kind of Institution Might Distribute Your Media Product and Why?


When it comes to choices which institutional company should distribute my magazine, there are several different choices I could make. There is an oligopoly of distribution companies, as well as more independent ones, which therefore makes it a difficult decision to make. I have done research via the internet, look over my Prezi which I made previously and ask my teacher for his opinion in order to find which company would suit my magazine best.  

One of the companies I looked at was IPC Media, which is part of the oligopoly of magazine distributors in the UK. I already have some knowledge about them, through my research in Year 11 whilst producing my film magazine. This company distributes films such as Look, TV Times and Marie Claire which are all successful magazines within the UK, and even abroad in the case of Marie Claire. However this company also distributes NME, which would be my magazines main competitor due to us sharing the same genre and target audience. Based on this I have decided that IPC Media wouldn’t be a suitable distributor for my magazine, Indiependence, as they won’t want another indie/rock music magazine. 

Another company I looked into was Bauer Media which distributes several very successful magazines such as Empire; Take a Break, Grazia and FHM. My initial thought was that this company would be ideal as they distribute these magazines, but I then discovered that they distributed three magazines that were my direct competitors, Kerrang!, Mojo and Q. These three magazines are all very similar to my magazine, and target the same audiences, so therefore I think that this company isn’t appropriate for my magazine. 

Thirdly I researched into The National Magazine Company which distribute magazines such as Elle, Bazaar and Reveal. However it is most famously known for its distribution of Cosmopolitan, which has been an international success for 38 years. One of the first things I noticed on The National Magazines Company’s website was the statistics; it reaches up to 32% of UK women and 46% of UK males. I found these statistics appealing, and gave me confidence that the company would bring my magazine success. 

Condé Nast is another company I have researched into as it distributes magazines internationally, which is something that I want to achieve for my magazine. It distributes magazines such as Vogue, Teen Vogue and Vanity Fair. These are all upmarket magazines, appealing to very specific audiences, mainly people with a high status. This is not ideal for my magazine, as they have never appealed to a target audience like mine before, based on this I will not be using this company for my magazine. 

Based on all the information I have researched, I have decided that The National Magazine Company should distribute my magazine for several reasons. Firstly, the company doesn’t distribute any other music magazines, which could be used to my advantage. Secondly, they already appeal internationally through magazines such as Cosmopolitan, so my magazine could also be made an international success.

Evaluation part 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The target audience for my magazine is 15 to 25 year olds, who are interested in music, both current and upcoming. I also aim to appeal to people who want to find out about their favourite artists or band. My magazine would be aimed at 15-25 year olds because they are the most likely to read this sort of magazine, and to attend gigs, which is a main section of a music magazine; especially indie/rock. This age group also has the highest percentage of people who listen to music, but the lowest percentage of people who buy magazines, this is important statistics as it tells me I need to focus on marketing my magazine to the correct audience and give them something unique to get them back into buying magazines rather than using technology such as the internet and iphones.  

My magazine, Indiependence, will appeal to individuals in the ABC1 social grade as they are likely to have an interest in indie music, as well as being able to afford the magazine on a weekly basis. There is a lot of pressure on individuals to conform to the way that other people think, especially between the ages of 15-25 as a majority of the target audience will attend a high school, college or university. Through having a desire to fit in and be liked, people are likely to conform to how their friends think. Indiependence is a way for them to almost escape from this conformist world, and focus on something that they truly like themselves. 

The target audience is both male and female because they will both be interested in the genre of music. However I realised that boys are usually more likely to buy music magazines, so I decided I should include feature to appeal to a more female artists to make sure I appeal to both genders have done this by making the main article about a female, Beth George, this way females have somebody they can relate to and can take inspiration from.  The types of people that will read my magazine are Aspirers and Individualists because they would have an interest or a passion in music and are likely to stand out from the crowd rather than blending in with the majority. 

I found that the problems with genres of music, is that it leads to stereotypes, this often leads to people conforming to what the majority like rather than being an individual. For example, a person who listens to rock music is stereotyped as being depressed and walking around being very pessimistic and wearing all black. Also a person who listens to Hip Hop or R&B is a 'Gangster', wears tracksuits and wants to be the next rapper. I think that stereotypes give a wrong impression of people, and it can have a negative effect on the magazine industry. I have tried to avoid this by promoting each individual of my magazine positively. Although my magazine is an Indie/Rock magazine, I have included artist from other genres as well so that it can also appeal to a wider audience and to avoid stereotypes from having a negative effect. I have included artists from the like Jessie J, Coldplay, Nirvana, Pendulum and Florence and the Machine. This is a mixture of both artists and genre which will appeal to a wider section of people, although the main focus is of course indie/rock.

After all my research into target audiences, I tried to incorporate relevant aspects of the genre into my magazine. I also incorporated an aspect of the Rock genre into my magazine, due to both the Indie and Rock genre often being confused with one another. Starting with my model, I dressed her in outfits for our three photo shoots. In the first photo shoot, she was dressed in black leggings with a black vest top with red lipstick; this gave her a more edgy look which will appeal to the audience who listen to the Rock genre. I also used a variety of props in this shoot, for example a glitter and a mask, to make her seem mysterious. I took inspiration from artists such a Florence and the Machine, as her quirky style appeals to a lot of my target audience. The body language my model use through the first shoot made her appear confident and powerful, as well as devoted to her music, this will appeal to my audience as they will see her as a role model, aspiring to be like her.

Evaluation part 5

How Did You Attract/Address Your Audience

The first thing my target audience will see when they look at my magazine is the front cover, which means it is very important that I use it to attract my audience. When customers are browsing magazines in a shop they want to see something that interests them and gets there attention, this is what I have tried to with my front covers.

 By having two front covers it means that the audience can choose the one they most prefer but could also attract new customers that may not have noticed my magazine before.

Both front cover images are quirky and ‘attention-grabbing’. In the first front cover, my model is holding a microphone whilst singing into to; she is also holding direct eye contact with the audience. The direct eye contact appeals to an audience as they feel as though she is addressing them personally. The microphone emphasises the fact that this is a music magazine.

Another way I have attracted my audience is through the emphasis that my artist is British, I chose to do this as I feel that too much emphasis is put on American artists that people forget about talented British artists, by promoting the fact that she is British I feel it will appeal to my audience as there are several British indie artists that have made it big. I have mentioned other artists on the front cover that fit into the genre so that I can appeal to a wider audience, rather than just focusing on the main article artist.

 I used artists that a currently popular and in the charts such as Coldplay and Laura Marling as they are likely to be the artists that my target audience listen to, therefore it would attract them to reading my magazine where they can find out more.

Most of my audience are likely to attend a lot of gigs by there favourite artists, because of this I have made sure I have included lots of gig reviews of popular Indie/Rock artists on my contents page so my audience feel as though they are getting value for money.


Technology has also had an impact on my magazine, through research a became aware that a huge majority of my target audience no longer purchase magazines from a shop but are instead using apps on an ipad, iphone or mobile phones to download music and find out information about there favourite artists.

Therefore I decided to create an app version on my magazine, so that people can purchase the magazine on the go rather than having to go into store. I have also created an advert to appear on billboards for example in train stations on along buses, this way my target audience will be aware that there is a new magazine on the market.

 It can also be difficult for my target audience to find the time to visit a store to buy a magazine, for this reason I have made it possible for them to subscribe to he magazine for 12 months, meaning that it will be delivered for there door and they will receive a discount price. This will attract audience members as it is an easy way for them to retain information about there artists.

How Did You Attract