Question 7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Front Cover

When I look back at my two completed front covers, I can notice a huge difference in the quality between the two. I have used the knowledge and experience gained through completing the preliminary task to create and develop my main music magazine. 

Firstly, the difference in the photographs is  very obvious. When I took the first image, I didn't put as much thought into it as I should have, and used the lighting and contrasting to help disguise this. The image on MYL however, is high quality and has been much more thought out. The camera definitely helped make a difference, and I spent more time on the editing, which has paid off, as the image is clear and sharp, with much better colouring than the image on the cover of the preliminary magazine. 

I feel the colour scheme used for the main task reflects the genre of the magazine much better than the preliminary. It is gender neutral and is subtle, but stands out. The colours used on the preliminary are relatable to the issue of the magazine, as it is the Christmas issue, but they do look a little childish and bright, and looking back at it now could possibly be a little feminine. 

I chose to have the masthead within the left third of the magazine for my final task, as it makes it much easier to see on the shelf, rather than having it across the middle of the page, as in the preliminary which would be unclear to which magazine it was if on the shelf. 

Contents 

Again, I feel there is a difference in quality between my preliminary contents page and my music magazine contents page. Although the design is fairly similar, I think my final contents page has a much more professional, adult look to it than the first one. 

The images used are 

Question 6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

The programme I used to create my front cover, double page spread and contents page was Microsoft Publisher. I had used this programme previously (to create my preliminary magazine), but never in as much depth as whilst creating the magazine. I didn't have much difficulty using Publisher, as the layout and tools are fairly similar to the other Microsoft programmes I use frequently, such as Word and Powerpoint. However, it is of course a completely different programme, and has many features that are not available on the others. I found the guidelines and boundaries useful, as they show you clearly where everything is on the page, and allows you to line things up, ensuring they are all within the same proximity as each other. I found this especially useful when creating the coverlines on the front cover and when creating the lists of contents on the contents page. 


To take the photos for my magazine, I borrowed a friend's camera - Nikon D90 with a 50mm 1.4 lens. I hadn't used a professional camera before, but with some guidance from my friend, and lots of practice I got the shots I wanted, and am very happy with the results. 


To edit the photographs, I used Photoshop CS3. I tried not to edit the photographs too much, as I didn't want them to look too over-airbrushed and unrealistic. I tweaked the colours using curves, then made them richer by enhancing the saturation. After I had done that, I used the healing brush tool just to remove a few minor flaws. This was the first time I had used this version of Photoshop, and I did find it quite complicated at first, but after a while I got used to how it worked, and began to understand how the tools worked so it became easy to work with. 

Question 5. How did you attract/address your audience?

Prior to creating my magazine, I carried out a questionnaire on 30 people from my target audience to give me guidance as to the kind of thing people would expect from the magazine i.e. colour scheme. I used the information from the results of the questionnaire to influence and help plan my production. Using the results, I was able to choose factors that would attract and appeal to my target audience.


The image I used on the front cover would attract most people in my target audience, as it represents the genre of the magazine and by using a female, it is more likely to appeal to both genders. By using direct mode of address, the image creates an automatic interaction with the reader.

When choosing coverlines to add to the front cover, I chose ones that would be appealing to my target audience. Festivals are extremely popular within the younger generations at the present, which is why I chose to have 'this years hottest festivals' featured on the front cover. By having 'big names' on the front cover, more people are likely to pick up the magazine as they'll want to read about them and find out the gossip inside. Having a competition on the cover will also attract people, as most people love being in with the chance of winning a good prize.


I have continued the colour scheme throughout the contents page, and used images that relate to the genre of music and the featured articles. 


I have used a large image on one half of the double page spread, as images attract people, and by using the guitar as a prop, as in the image on the front cover, it reinforces the genre of music to  the readers. The interview features the sort of topics my target audience would be interested in, such as upcoming music from Kasia, which festivals she will be playing at during the summer, and a few facts about her background.


I have used basic fonts throughout my magazine, sticking with similar colours. This ensures it is easy to read, and that the magazine looks neat and uncluttered. Also, by using basic typography, the magazine remains gender neutral. 

Question 4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience for my magazine would be males and females with the age group of 16 - 30 who have an interest in music outside of the typical rock categories. I have used two people I know that would be the ideal reader of MYL.

Factfile

Name: Heidi Bennett

Age: 18

Occupation: Full time life guard

Favourite genre of music: Indie

Favourite colour: Red

Favourite artists: Adele, Beyonce and The White Stripes

Interests: Music, keeping fit and reading

Factfile

Name: Josh Bettoney

Age: 18

Occupation: Full time student

Favourite genre of music: Indie and hip-hop

Favourite colour: Blue

Favourite artists: Noah and the Whale and Mac Miller

Interests: Socialising, going to the gym, music and playing the drums. 

Question 3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

The type of media institution that may distribute my music magazine is Bauer Media. They are a division of the Bauer Media Group, which is Europe's largest privately owned publishing group. Bauer Media Group currently offers over 300 magazines in 15 countries, as well as TV and radio stations, and online.
( www.bauermedia.co.uk / www.bauermedia.com )

Bauer Media produces two of the UK's most popular music magazines: Q and Kerrang! as well as other popular non-music magazines such as heat, GRAZIA and FHM. All of these magazines are popular and successful magazines, which is one of the reasons I would choose Bauer Media as the institution to distribute my magazine.

I think there would definitely be a gap in the market within Bauer Media for MYL, as the two popular music magazines they currently distribute (Q and Kerrang!) are listed under the 'Men's Entertainment' section along with Empire and Mojo. As the target audience for my magazine is unisex, this gap in the market would benefit my magazine. 

My magazine would fill a gap in the current market of Indie music magazines. It is for a younger generation, both male and female, and is up to date with the current world of music, however unlike most other music magazines on the market, it is not of a 'rock' genre. Whilst I was researching music magazines, I did find that most of the magazines that are currently on the market have a tendency of focusing on rock music.

If Bauer were to distribute MYL, I would choose to distribute it to shops within cities and towns that accommodate colleges, universities and busy town centres - places with a high population of 16 - 30 year olds. I feel this would work best as these areas would be most likely to have the highest clientele. I would also distribute it throughout large chains of supermarkets such as Asda and Tesco, as this would make it available to everybody, especially people that live out of the city centre. I wouldn't choose to distribute my magazine to local village shops and corner shops, as doing this may cause a loss of profit. This is because not many people would choose to go to their local shop for such magazine. 

I would also have an online version of MYL available, and even a facebook and twitter page, as they are two of the most biggest tools for distribution and advertising at the present. 

Question 2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

MYL is a music magazine aimed at both males and females within the age group 16 - 30 years old. 

I aimed to portray an Indie/R&B style on the front cover as this would appeal to my target audience. 

The image I've used on the front cover uses direct mode of address and gives off a certain attitude that would appeal to the readers. The guitar the artist is holding represents the Indie genre, and makes it clear to the readers that this is the kind of thing this magazine is all about. 

Cover lines used represent this social group as there is a wide variety of Indie/R&B bands included, for example 'On tour with Taylor Swift'. 

The colour scheme I've used reflects the answers I recieved from the questionnaire I made at the beginning of this project. Reds, purples and blacks were the most popular colours chosen by the age range I am targeting. 

By using a young, hot female artist on the cover, my magazine will easily appeal to people in the age group 16-30, as she is of a similar age, therefore easy to relate to. 

Both males and females aged 16-30 are the type of people most likely to attend British summer festivals. By mentioning festivals on the front cover, it is likely to attract this type of social group. 

Question 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products

Front Cover

Whilst creating my music magazine, I made sure that I referred to the codes and conventions of real media products, using existing music magazines such as Q and Kerrang to ensure what I was creating was following the forms and conventions of todays media.


The music magazine I have created does follow most of the current music magazines forms and conventions, as I have used these as guidelines whilst making it. I have, however created a magazine of an indie/R&B genre, which is an uncommon genre of music magazine currently in the UK. I chose to use this genre for this reason, as there would be a gap on the market for this type of magazine, and it allowed me to develop my ideas on what I have seen in the shops.

I chose to use a female artist on the front cover, as most people would be attracted to a female, rather than a male. This was reflected on my original questionnaire, however it is also fairly well known that men will be attracted to a female as they would see her as desirable, and women would also be attracted to a female as they would see her as somebody they would aspire to be like. Having the artist looking straight into the camera creates a 'bond' with the reader, as if she is looking into their eyes. This helps to entice people to buying the magazine. I chose to use a solo artist on the cover, as this was also what the result of my questionnaire showed to be more popular.

The colour scheme I used reflects the Indie/R&B genre, as the colours are fairly neutral, and almost 'earthy'. These colours do not appeal to a particular gender either, ensuring the magazine is gender neutral.

I chose MYL (Music You Love) as the title for my magazine. I chose this name as it is un-biased towards any type of music, and is short, sweet and to the point. The magazine is for people who love the type of music it contains, therefore the name suits perfectly. I stuck to the codes and conventions by ensuring the masthead has the largest, boldest font on the cover, and that it is within the left third, allowing it to be seen easily whilst on the shelves in the shops.

The coverlines on my front cover are all similar fonts and colours, following the the codes and conventions. Each coverline gives the reader information on what is going to be featured in the magazine, and is of the nature my target audience would be interested in.
I added a barcode to the bottom left corner of the magazine, containing the issue number, price and date. This fits in with the codes and conventions as most magazines will have these details on the front cover.
The 'win' feature on the cover, would help to attract the target audience, as most people love being in with the chance of winning a great prize. 

Double Page Spread

I have created my double page spread by filling one page with an image of the artist , and the other page with an interview. I have split the interview into 3 columns, as is typical of a real media product. 

Having an image fill the whole page is a clear indicator to the reader that the interview is about that person. This allows more space on the opposite page, as there is not a strong importance on having a large title. Another reason for having the whole page filled with an image is that the reader could use it as a poster if desired. 

By not using  a title on the double page spread, I have challenged the codes and conventions, however as mentioned, I feel the use of the large image takes away the need for a large title, instead including the artist's name in the top right hand corner of the interview page. 

The image is similar to that used on the front cover to allow people to easily recognise who it is without any confusion. 

I have used a stand first before the start of the interview, as is used in most music magazines. This gives the reader a little introduction as to what the interview will be about.

The colour scheme fits with the front cover and the contents page, sticking to the same neutral, earthy tones. The two colours used throughout the interview shows to the reader who is who throughout the interview, as is used in many interviews in magazines.

I have kept the font fairly small (size 10), to keep with the codes and conventions, and also because I have only used one page for the interview, the smaller the font means the more space there is to fill with the interview. 

Contents Page