Orignal photos

Make gif

On the left hand side, are the thumbnails of the photographs taken for this project. I took 28 photographs all together. However I did not use all of these in my music magazine. On display on the right hand side, is the four chosen images for the music magazine. The images on show, have not yet been edited in photoshop, ad these are the original Photos.

Final pieces

evaluation question seven

EVALUATION QUESTION 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?

Through the journey of creating my preliminary task, to creating my music magazine I feel I have learnt an awful lot. By creating the preliminary task, I was given the opportunity to try out photo shop and its tools it has to offer, in order to get a bit of experience using the tools. Similarly, from creating my preliminary task I learnt the importance of the target audience, and to show that throughout the magazine, making it clear who the target audience is.

When creating my preliminary task, there was not much planning and preparation prepared for it. Which meant that I had to make up ideas, and design the magazines on the spot, which cost me a lot of time. Therefore when creating my main task, I was sure to plan beforehand, so that I already had images, and a colour scheme idea, which saved me a lot of time. Similarly, when creating the preliminary task, I spent too much time on it, when it should not have taken that much of my time. Therefore when creating the main task, I was sure to manage my time more carefully so that I was able to complete all the tasks I needed to within the time space available.

When creating the main task, i was sure to refer back to my preliminary task, and to to learn from my mistakes from that task, to be sure not to make these mistakes again.

I chose very different use of colours for the two different tasks, as for the preliminary task, i chose to stay with primary colours, which were simple, and could be related to the school magazine. However, for the main task, i chose to include brighter, more out standing colours, which attract the target audience. The layout of both of these task are very different. For the preliminary task, the cover lines are very basic, and not spread out very well, where as on the main task, i was sure to make sure the cover lines were spread across the front page, and were made up to to colours, in order to make the front cover seem more logistic.

The use of images on the front covers of the two tasks are allow very different. In the preliminary task I chose to use an image of a student, with his gaze on the desk, whilst doing his school work, as this was suitable for a school magazine. However, from my research i realised that most music magazines, had an image, in which the models had a centred gaze looking towards the audience. Therefore this change had to be made for the main task.

Similarly, the target audience for these two tasks were very different, which caused the magazines to look and come across very different. As the target audience was a school for the preliminary task, the magazine was a lot more simplistic,with clear fonts, which and simplistic language which was easy to understand for all year groups. Where as the music magazine, had an older target audience, with a different attitude to the magazine, which needed to come across in my fonts, and images.

evaluation question six

EVALUATION QUESTION 6

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

I am now going to look at what I have learnt during the process of creating this product.

When i began this task back in November, i had very little knowledge of creating a magazine, and what made a good photo or magazine. However, throughout this task i learnt how to use new software, whilst also learning "what made a good magazine".

When i was first asked to take some photos for my media, i did not know what to expect from my results. I knew what i wanted them to look like, however i had no idea how they would turn out. To begin with i used an average digital camera, similar to the one on the right. However, i soon realised that if i wanted to take good quality photos, i would have to use a camera with greater pixels, and a larger lens. As the photos produced using this camera, were not of my best ability.



With this in mind, i then used the Canon SLR camera instead, which gave me much better quality images, whilst also allowing for me to change the settings and quality of my images. However, at first i found it very difficult to use, as it had many different settings, and options, although after playing around with it for a while and trying out different settings, i soon got used to it.

I also had a similar difficulty with the software which i was using, as i was personally used to using windows 7 on a Dell laptop, which i have at home, where as when creating the music magazine, i needed to use a Mac similar to the one shown below. However after learning how to use the keyboard, mouse, and where everything was on the Mac such as Internet, i was soon able to use the Mac.







Similarly the use of software, was also difficult to learn how to use at first however, after using a photo shop tutorial on photo shop, i soon became familiar with the tools and the effects which are available. I had never used these tools or software before, however once i had learnt how to use them i found them extremely useful.

-In photo shop i learnt how to use the magic tool, which allowed for me to cut out and around my images, in order to exclude parts of my photographs. At first this tool was difficult to use, however, once i had learnt how to maintain a steady hand,i soon found it easy to use. I soon began to use this tool for all my images, as it allowed for me to edit the image to how I wanted it to look. I chose to use this tool, as it is commonly used in the magazine industry, to cut out an unwanted background or part of an image.

-I also used the patch tool, which allowed for me to abolish the spots, blemishes, and freckles which occurred on the face of the model, and appeared in the photograph. This allowed for me to make the magazine seem much more logistic as this tool is commonly used my magazine editors, in order to make their models look their best for the magazine. I found this tool a great way of perfecting my work, and making it look as logistic as possible.

-Similarly, the use of the brightness and contrast tool, was extremely useful in making my photographs look their best, and look professional. I used this tool throughout the creation of the music magazine, as it was a great help in maintaining a professional look on the magazine.

When creating the double page spread i chose to use In Design as it allowed for me to place an image, and the text would automatically wrap around it, saving me a lot of time. In order to do this i used the text wrap tool. Using this tool saved me a lot of time, and was quick and easy to do. Once the text had been entered all i needed to do was select the image and select text wrap, and the the text would automatically wrap itself around the image. This made the double page spread look very logistic.

I chose to use this software, as it is commonly used by professional magazine editors and publishers. Instantly, i found this software easy to use, as it is very similar to photo shop.

FireFox, was used throughout, to gather information about other music magazines, as well as research. However most importantly, i used FireFox to use Blogger and document by progress throughout creating this magazine.

Finally, i used the grab tool, in order to document my progress on blogger. This tool allowed for me to grab certain parts of my work, instead of the whole thing within seconds. It was quick and easy to do, and very helpful.

evaluation question five

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

In the previous evaluation question i described, in detail, my target audience, and am now going to discuss how i attracted and addressed the audience. In order to find out about the target audience i had looked at UK Tribes website. To fulfill the task of addressing the target audience, i used ideas from both my target audience and UK Tribes to attract customers of the target audience, and others of a similar target audience, however, i mainly focused on the target audience and their ideas for this magazine.

I used certain images, which would attract the target audience, and would relate to the music genre of the music magazine. As you can see from the above images, the model was dressed to attract my target audience which i had discovered using UK tribes which was the Townies. By looking at the UK tribes website, I was able to discover, what the Townies are like, and how they like to act and dress. This then helped me to make my magazine seem attractive and appealing to this group. As you can see from the above images, the model is dressed in as if she was "on a night out" looking dressed up, with a full set of makeup, and hair done nicely, as if she was going out on a Friday night. I made my model look like this, in order to represent the pop genre, and how most artists in this genre dress. In all four images, the model comes across as confident, as she gazes straight into the centre of the camera.

As you can see from this image which is the chosen image for the front cover, Ruby Sullivan is a young, pop solo artist, who has recently come to fame, and recently released a new album. Personally, my friends are the type of people who would be interested in an artist like Ruby, as they enjoy listening to music similar to the music which "Ruby creates". The way which Ruby is dressed, and her confident posture, resembles the pop genre perfectly, and attracts the target audience, as many will see themselves when looking at Ruby.

Similarly, another aspect of my music magazine, which may attract my audience, is the use of topics which appear on the contents of the music magazine. The topics are all relevant to the pop genre. For example, all the artists featured in this magazine are all of the pop genre, such as Lady Gaga, J-lo and Beyonce. By including these artists in the magazine, it will help to attract the target audience, as the artists they enjoy listening to, and hearing about are featured in the magazine.

Similarly, the use of font and colour scheme throughout the magazine may also attract the pop genre target audience. Stereotypically, the audience of the pop genre, generally like the use of bright colours such as pink. Which is why i have included this colour throughout the magazine, and as the house style. The use of pink was including throughout the magazine as a house style, as it represents a girly pop magazine which i am creating.

When creating the double page spread I was sure to make it, appealing to my target audience, as this would be the main reason they would purchase the magazine, to read the article. I was sure to include an image of a "pop star" and to keep the article relevant to the pop genre, throughout.

Similarly the mode of address and use of language throughout the article, on the double page spread, were direct to the reader. As i was writing to a Townie audience, i did not use "slang" or swear words as these did not seem appropriate for my audience, from what i had researched on UK Tribes. Instead, I used a mush more polite, however informal language, which was relaxed and more like a casual conversation.

evaluation question four

EVALUATION QUESTION 4
Who would be the audience for your media product?

In order to discover the target audience for this media product, i chose to do some research into youth research. To do this, i researched some information on UK Tribes. Whilst on the website, I found a variety of different youth groups, however, it took me a while before i found the youth group which related to my music magazine. The closest audience for my pop genre which I found was, The Townies. The Townies are known for sticking to mainstream, such as pop genre, and not breaking away from the status Quo. This tribe is also describes as being the core of the British population. This tribe are often very interested in Celebrities, and soaps, however the key cultural driver is socialising.

This is a friend of mine Kayleigh. She listens to music of the pop genre, such as sugerbabes, Leona Lewis, and Britney Spears. She also told me she enjoys watching and listening to Smash hits, on the music channels.

Similar to this photo, kayleigh likes to dress for parties and nights out, with extensions, and make up to dress herself up. I asked kayleigh what she thought of my music magazine, she informed me that:

"I'd proberbly buy this magazine, as it includes all of the music artists which i listen to, it also looks really appealing, and attractive"

I also believe Kayleigh is the perfect example of my target audience, because of her age. My music magazine is aimed at young people between the age of 16 and 25. With all of this in mind, i think that kayleigh is a perfect example of my target audience.

I believe that Q magazine and smash hits, share a similar audience to my music magazine, as both of these magazines are aimed towards mass audience, rather than a neish market. Similarly, these music magazines use a similar genre of pop within their magazines, which their audience enjoy. Therefore when creating the music magazine had to include artists of the pop genre, which the audience would enjoy.

Example of pop music which my target audience enjoy listening to.

evaluation question three

EVALUATION QUESTION 3
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

As my music magazine is of a pop genre, i believe that the most likely media institution which will distribute this media product is to be
BAUER media group. I have chosen BAUER media group, as it distributes such magazines as:

BAUER media group is the publisher of such magazines as Q, Mojo, and Kerrang.













Similarly, if i wish for my magazine to be successful i want it to be distributed by a company who have a good track record, and a good circulation which BAUER media do, as shown below:

Throughout the creation of my music magazine i have referred to these magazines, in order to make my magazine legitimate throughout. When looking at the three similar, magazines, i would say that my magazine is most like Q magazine because of its use pop genre, and use of pop artists, and similar target audience to my music magazine.