Pre-liminary Task - Photos

I took around 15 photos for my school magazine. None of these photos were taken in an organized photo shoot. i could have taken much better pictures. I had a lesson on taking good photos after the pre-liminary task had been competed. if i did not take photos for my school magazine, the images i got for my music magazine would have been of low standard. 

My Final Image

Before edit. 

After edit.

I edited this image in Adobe Photoshop. I had to edit out the background lighting and take away any blemishes on Paul's face.

My Magazine. Double page spread.

My Magazine. Contents page.

My Magazine. Front cover.

Evaluation - Music magazine

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

I have structured and created my magazine, using codes and conventions of Media. some of the codes and conventions i have used and portrayed in my magazine are; The Masthead, the layout of a music magazine and some of the pictures i have used.

 

I have used many different fonts throughout my magazine. I done this to make the magazine look more interesting, however, i decided to use a minimum amount of different fonts. 

- My contents page.

- The Contents Page Font.

 - The main headline on my front cover.

My contents page is original and simple. I started to form my contents page from a contents page i saw in the Top Of The Pops magazine. However i thought i would make my contents page different to other magazines. This is what makes my contents page original.

My theme for my music magazine is the genre of Pop. I think that my front cover makes that clear to the reader. I have previews of articles that will be in the magazine, E.g. Review of the charts. The background colour is suitable to a pop type magazine as it is bright and outstanding. This helped my pic the font and the colours of my fonts for the rest of the magazine. 

For my contents, i have listed what is going to be in the magazine and what page number. i also have various pictures on my contents page, this makes the contents page interesting. 

For my main headline i have used a separate font to the rest of the magazine, i did this to make the headline stand out and attract the readers attention. I downloaded this font on www.dafont.com. this website has been very useful to me, in making my music magazine. I like many things about this font. I particularly like that this font is simple and can be read easily

My Double page spread is much like, that of a professional magazine. I looked at many Pop magazines, as well as other magazines. i chose to base my double page spread on one that i saw in NME magazine. On my Double page spread i have the main article on one side of the double page and then on the other page i have a main picture that represents the article. 

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

When i was creating my music magazine, i was thinking of all the different social groups that would need to be thought about. The different social groups such as male, female, age, sex etc, will make up my target audience. I wanted to make my music magazine, so that it appeals to all social groups. If my magazine does appeal to all social groups then it will be successful and sell. i need to include suitable content, the layout of the magazine and the design. Different layouts, designs and content of a magazine will appeal to different social groups. On my contents page i have included the website of my magazine. This is where anyone can find out information about the magazine. I have also stated the Twitter and Facebook page. This makes the magazine more suitable to the social people, as they will know about my magazine via social websites. On my contents page i have outlined that there is a free soundtrack CD, that comes with the magazine. This makes my magazine unique as my not all magazines include a free soundtrack in their magazines. The ideology of my magazine is relatively clear from the font cover of my magazine. It is about gossip, mainly celebrity gossip. 

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

I have done a wide range of institutional research. During my time of making my music magazine, i have taken on many different roles; An editor, photographer, an interviewer and a journalist. This helped me to construct my magazine to my full potential. The institutional roles that i took on, fit perfectly into a professional practise context.  I think that my magazine could be sold by a big publishing group or an independent group, however i think that my magazine would sell better if it is sold by a large publishing group such as IPC Media and bauer media group. As the Web (Internet), is quickly advancing, i thought that, not all of my potential target audience will buy my magazine. This is why i have included a website page, a Facebook page and a Twitter page. This is where my audience can read about the current issue of the magazine as well as other things that revolve about my magazine.

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

When i thought about my target audience for my magazine, i was unsure. If i had a younger teen audience, then not many magazines would get sold, as the typical average teen would not buy a magazine, they would just look this up on the web. i found this out from my survey and questionnaire, If i had an older audience then i would have to make my magazine sophisticated and not to fun. If the magazine contained lots of competitions pictures etc, then not many adults would look to buy the magazine. This is why i chose my target audience to be in the age range of 12-22. This is my age range, so this way i can include what i would want to read in the magazine, it can be well adapted to my age group. My survey also told me that most of the 12-22 year age range preferred 'pop' music. Demographically i found out that my magazine would classify with the categories B, C1 and C2. 

and psychographically are for people known as 'Yaks' (Outgoing, Young, Single) or 'Yuppies' (Professional, young).I feel that other people that are not included within my target audience, would look at my magazine and the context of the magazine as unsophisticated. Some of the fonts i have used, wouldn't be used in a high class' magazine. The fonts are retro. My audience research was completely how i expected it to be. I thought that my target audience would be teenagers to young adults. 

 

5.How did you attract/address your audience?

I feel that the main thing that attracts my target audience to my magazine is the features of my magazine. I have listed some of the articles on the front cover of the magazine. This gives the reader information on what the magazine consists of. I have used the codes and conventions of media, to attract my audience. The 'hotspot' of the magazine is the top half of the magazine. This is where i have included the subtitles, the mast head and the teaser of a free CD. The 'hotspots' are at the top, because when the magazine is on a shelf, it can be visible. My magazine has a unique selling point, as i have free gift included, and i have repeated it on on front cover and contents. On my magazine, the picture of the two man band takes up the nearly the whole page. As the 'Superstars' are nearly taking up the whole page, this is the first thing the reader will see. This is what will make the reader buy the magazine. The colours i have used are also unique. The picture and the masthead stands out from the background. This makes the front cover easily visible. The mode of address i have adopted for my front cover is relatively straight forward. I have made it so it stands out, i have also included information on it, so that the reader knows what they are going to be reading. As for the contents page, i have adopted a stylistic mode of address. I have used many pictures, to make the contents page eye catching. The double page spread is straight to the point with the text, it also has a picture that takes up a whole page. 

I want my magazine to be recognised throughout the UK. This is why i would market my magazine, where ever possible. I would start to market my magazine in local newsagents, and then take it up to big supermarkets. If my magazine was on an advert on the television or the radio, then it would gain popularity

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

I had no experience of using the Apple Mac, before i started Media Studies. I have had to learn and adapt to using the Apple Mac over a standard Windows PC. I have learnt to use most of the Apple Mac applications/software. Pages, Photoshop and iPhoto have been the main programs i have learnt to use in constructing my music magazine. 

Adobe Photoshop.

iPhoto

I also have learnt to use professional cameras. My teacher also gave me a lesson on how to structure a photo shot. I learnt that i need to plan the lighting and the angles of the shot. This makes the image more precise and professional. Without such applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Pages, i would not have been able to construct a decent magazine. For instance, Adobe Photoshop is needed to edit photos. I needed the programme Pages, to construct and put together my magazine. I could not have made my magazine on any other programme. I have learnt to use this software from the start of the school year. I do not think i had any limitations, as i did not know how to use the software and technologies before i started this course. I think this was mainly because the Apple Macs have so many useful programmes. However if i had learnt how to use such software as Photoshop and Pages more fluently, then i feel i would have been able to make my magazine look more professional. 

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 first took on the Pre-liminary task, i was unconfident about Media Studies. I did not know how to use the Apple Macs, I did not know of any software that was on the Apple Macs. Therefore i had to learn how to use the Macs. This decreased my time to complete my Pre-liminary task. This is why my front cover of the school magazine was rushed and put together at the last minute. My school magazine looked dull as my picture were scattered all over the place i have text over text, this is going against the codes and conventions of Media. Their wasn't enough detail on the front cover either, i have learnt, that there needs to be information on articles inside the magazines on the front cover as sub titles, this entices the reader in to buying the magazine. As for the contents page, there was a picture as the background, and coloured text boxes overlapping the picture. The picture was of a girl, it had no relevance to the contents page. My contents page had random colours and fonts, it did not match my front cover at all. This goes against the codes and conventions of media. I felt that i did not have much time to complete me school magazine, this is why it was of low quality.

If i compare my Preliminary task to my music magazine, there is a huge difference is quality and the understanding of codes and conventions. After having a greater knowledge on the music industry, cameras and a 'good' photo shot, i was set on accomplishing my music magazine to a high order. My music magazine follows most of the codes and conventions of Media such as; the 'Hotspots' of a magazine. An example of a problem-solving decision i made was to re-create an image i found in another magazine for my magazine article. As i had taken various diffrent pictures in mass, i had a few images that fit in perfect with my article. However placing the text and knowing what to write on the article was the real challenge. The ammount i have learnt over this term about the Media industry and the many technologies that surronded by it is extrodianary. 

The link to our conversation about moving from the Pre-Liminary task to the Music magazine:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeKRtVZ_MVg

Photo Shoot - Planning sheets

Qualitative Data - Interview/Conversation

For my research into planning this music magazine, I collected different types of data (quantitative and qualitative). For this section I will outline the questions I asked to my next door neighbours, as they are musical enthusiasts. I interviewed 2 people between the ages 17-26.

The first question I started off with was do you buy and read music magazines daily? They both said they do buy and read music magazines daily, however, they did say they only buy 1 copy of each magazine they will read, so the both of them can read it (readership). After establishing they did read music magazines day in day out, I asked them which music magazines do you read then? The first response I got was Kerrang! And NME, this quick response took me by surprise. I know knew I was in for an interview with 2 people with a vast amount of musical knowledge. After knowing what type of music magazines they read, I wanted to know why they read them types of magazines? They both said, because that’s the music genre they are interested in. They also said that many of their favourite bands feature in them types of magazines, so that is another reason why they read. One of the girls said that they read the magazines sometimes purely because information about gigs is stated in the magazines. This way she can get tickets and go to the gig.

I then asked would you consider reading other music magazines? One of the girls said that she would read other types of magazines such as Top of the popsif it didn’t have immature content. I thought that was fair enough as a magazine like top of the pops is aimed at a young teenage target audience. The older girl, who said she is interested in going to gigs, festivals etc. Said that she would not buy a magazine like top of the pops but she would read it if she was perhaps waiting at the dentists. This excited me, because I found out that older people, that potentially are out of my target market, would still consider reading and musical gossip type magazine even if they had no interest in it what so ever.  I then asked them what appeals to you the most in music magazines?  The younger girl named Chloe said the musical gossip and the main headlines from the musical world of rock. She said that if there wasn’t this type of information in the magazines, then she would not read them. The older girl named Katie said that the news about gigs and festivals make her want to read a music magazine, she also said that if there were not any gigs going then she would buy the magazine to read up on the latest musical gossip from her preferred genre of music. This gave me crucial advice, which I need to include proficient information about music and specific genres of music in my music magazine.    

I had many different ideas on what to include in my music magazine. So I asked the 2 girls about unsigned artists and their thoughts on them.    Chloe actually said that she finds unsigned artists to be very interesting and popular with people all around the world. She mentioned that she listens to many unsigned artists on the internet, through the form of musical videos on YouTube, such as; Ed Sheeran. She also said she likes to listen to them because they work on their songs that little bit harder, in order to be recognised worldwide, so they can get signed by a music company.  I then asked what would be your thoughts on a music magazine about unsigned artists? This time Katie spoke first and said it would be brilliant, because then she and whoever else that reads that magazine can come to know any new musical talent there is out there. I then thought I’d ask them about a music/gossip magazine. Chloe said it would be a fantastic idea, however there should not be too much content on off topic subjects that don’t relate to the musical industry. However Katie said, it was an okay idea, but she said she would not like to read it if there was content about other stuff such as current affairs outside the musical world. 

I then asked if they would like varied headlines in the music magazine or just one main heading that runs throughout the magazine. They both said that in any magazine, let alone music magazines, there should be variety, because if there was only heading throughout the whole magazine the reader would become bored and uninterested. However if the headlines are varied then different parts of the magazine will be interesting and keep the reader, reading the magazine. I started to wrap up this interview/conversation, as I was asking my last couple of questions. I asked them how often would you like my music magazine to be published? Chloe said it would be wise to produce issue each week, as this would keep the customers in tune, for when the magazine will be issued and also that they can talk about the latest news on the music industry for that week. Katie also thought producing my music magazine, each week would be a good idea, for more or less the same reasons as Chloe. My final question that I asked was how could I ensure my magazine succeeds in the market? Katie said that if the magazine contained suitable information, a good range of high quality photographs and main headlines from the musical world then the magazine would be a success. Chloe on the other hand said if there was a catchy front cover each week the magazine would be a success, she also clearly stated that the magazine should have suitable and interesting content, as this is what would draw the readers into the magazine.

This interview/conversation has helped me in many ways. It has gave me advice from 2 music enthusiasts on how I should go about in producing a music magazine. I have taken their opinions and I will develop my music magazine on their opinions as they are a part of my target audience.

Survey results (Bar Charts)

Front page and contents page sketches.

Front Page. 

This is the front sketch of my music magazine. I am looking to have one main picture, a masthead, various sub-headings and other previews of what is going to be in the magazines. As the above picture shows, the main background picture covers a part  of the masthead. This gives the main headings of the magazine, superiority over the masthead of the magazine.  

 
Contents Page.

This is my contents page draft sketch. the page includes 2 side pictures and a main contents text box. By having images on the contents page it makes it more interesting and eye catching. i will use pictures that link to the main headline. The way i will layout my contents text box, is in the form of a list. Tis is because it is simple, not to complicated. i will have no further information, on the contents page.       

Flat Plan

I created a flat plan, to plan ahead to what would be in my music magazine. my music magazine will have a lot of content (as shown above). My plan includes a magazine of 37 pages, including the front cover and back cover. as you can see in the above picture there are various adverts, positioned at various places. This is one of the main features in any magazine. i have also got various double page spreads in my magazine. These are the main headings and sub-headings.

Photo Shoots.

For my first photo shoot, I wanted to do a natural photo shoot. I did not want any additional lighting, just the blue skies and the sun. I will do more photo shoots, where I will use special lighting and different background to blend colours.

The 1^st photo shoot will happen at a primary school. I have made up a two man band. The headline is: a famous two man band visit and help primary schools for charity. I have taken various different shots, were they have different poses. As I have said above, there was no lighting involved, therefore my photo shoot does not look professional. My photos are of high quality, due to the camera I used, however they are of a low standard, as I have not used a solid background and extra lighting.

The 1^st photo shoot I done was a natural photo shoot. I wanted nature in the background.  I am currently planning on doing 2 or 3 more photo shoots. In these photo shoots I will aim to have them more professional; they will all have a solid back ground, I will also like to use lighting gels of different colours. This will then make my photos look more professional after I edit them using special technology. 

Here are some of the pictures i took from the photo shoot:

 These are some of the best photos i took during the photo shoot. i will probably use one of the photos as my front cover picture. i have taken many more photos. The photos above ae unedited. i will edit them using Adobe photoshop, this will enhance them to look more professional. 


Contents page photo shoot.
I did a photo shoot fro the contents page. i am looking to include two photos on the contents page. as my mian headline is a famous two man band visiting a school, i want the two pictures to be of the band either side of the text on the contents page. This layout will look good. Below are some of the photos i may include.

 

I am looking to include two pictures on my contents page, 1 picture either side of the text. In my opinion this is a good layout, it looks catchy. This has been planned, when i completed the rough sketches of the front page, contents page and the double page spread.

Equipment

To be successful in this project of making and producing a music magazine, I have to have the right equipment and software to enhance all my work. Some equipment is necessary to complete basic things in this music magazine project such as: the Pages software for Apple Macs. This will be the programme that I will create and edit my magazine on. The list below is all the equipment I will be looking to use during this music magazine project. 

· Apple Macs, Iworks Pages + other Apple Mac software.

The Apple Mac computer is a vital component of my project. The Macs have specialist software, were if can develop, enhance all my work, including the actual music magazine using the software Pages, any photos I take using Adobe Photoshop etc. 

· Memory Stick.

I will need a memory stick to save my work so that it can be done in my own hours. If my music magazine is going to be the best I can make it, then I will need to put in many extra hours of work at home to enhance the quality of my work. Having a memory stick to transport my work from the Apple Macs to my laptop at home gives me the option to improve my work from home.

· Camera and Lighting gels.

I will have to do many photo shoots. To do photo shoots I will need a good camera. The photos that go on a magazine are the main piece of the main heading. Without a photo to back up the text of the main heading the front cover, contents and double page spread will look dull and uninteresting. This will not persuade a customer to buy my magazine. Therefore having a good camera that can take clear and precise shots is important. The lighting gels help me to take clear and focused shots. They change the colour of the shot from the normal background colour to the colour of the lighting gel; this makes the photo look professional. 

· A guide to help me through the project.

I have received a guide to help me through this project. The guide helps me to develop skills on how to write evaluations; it also guides me through the project, helping me understand what to write in the different sections of the project. 

· The internet.

The internet is vital to my success during this project. The internet can help and benefit me in many different ways; research, image downloads, view on other music magazines, upload my work to a blog, look at the work of my fellow students etc. This all helps improve my work, so that it is to the best of its ability. 

· Music magazines.

If I look at professional music magazines that get published weekly/monthly, then it will give me an insight on what my music magazine should look like and contain. I do not have to produce a whole magazine, but I do have to produce a front cover, contents page and a double page spread. By looking at professional music magazines it helps me to understand a good way in doing all those things. 

· Various different types of paper.

I have to plan everything before I make any final decisions. By planning my layout I will need various amounts and sizes of paper. This will affect the quality of my work.

Audience research - Quantitative data (Survey)

I wanted to collect quantitative as well as qualitative data, because I wanted to find out what my target market/ audience would want in my magazine. For the quantitative data I created a survey on a website called survey monkey, www.surveymonkey.com is the link. I thought that making a survey was the best method of achieving precise qualitative data. The link to my survey is: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XSZT5CL

Analysis of the questions: 

1. Do you buy and read music magazines?

Yes – 19%

No – 42.9%

Sometimes – 38.1 %

I thought that asking this question is a good way to start of a survey about music magazines. Although I got a negative reply, I respect that they have been honest in the matter. 42% of 21 people said that they do not read music magazines, however 38% of people said they occasionally do, this is promising, because I would be receiving unreliable information from my audience.

2. What types of music are you interested in?

Hip hop – 61.9%

Indie rock – 33.3%

Pop – 23.8%

Rap – 47.6%

Classical – 4.8%

Country – 0%

House – 9.5% 

This question was a necessary question that I had to include in my survey. I wanted to know what type music my audience listen to and to do that I listed various different music genres and waited for a response from my survey. The majority of the people said they listen to Hip hop music. I now know that I have to include a Hip hop section in my magazine so that it appeals to the majority of my target audience. My magazine is not going to be concentrated on a particular genre, however by looking at the results of this question; I know to include a lot of hip hop news. 

3. On the front cover of the music magazine, who would you want on the front cover?

A good looking boy – 28.6%

A good looking girl – 33.3%

A band – 38.1% 

This question was ideal, because the front cover need to be appealing a persuasive in order for my target audience to pick it up and buy it. If I ask what the main picture and focus should be, then it will appeal to them. As the results show the voting was quite close, but the majority voted for a band to be on the front cover. I think that this is the best way forward as well. If there are two or more people on the front cover, it is easier for people to recognise who it is; also I think from experience, that it is easier to get a good photo shot if there is more than one person in the shot.

4. What is your opinion on a music/gossip type magazine? 

I got many replies on this question. Most of the people that answered this question said either that they do not have enough time to read magazines, they think the written content inside them types of magazines is not true or they do not like them. Although some people said they liked them, the majority would rather read something else. This is my main idea, however I will not change my idea, because this survey has only been distributed to my friends on facebook, therefore it does not represent for all types of people such as: musical enthusiasts. To have a proper opinion on a magazine of this type I will go on to musical forums and ask questions, this will be my qualitative data. I will respect everyone’s opinion. 

5. What do you think a suitable name would be for a music/gossip type magazine?

I got a good response to this question, however some people did skip the question, and this may have been because they didn’t have a suitable idea. Most of the suggestions that were put forward are okay, but I am looking to give my magazine a catchy and persuasive title, also some of the suggestions are more than one word, I want my masthead to be one word long, as this means it is straight to the point and catchy. 

6. Would the magazine be better if it concentrated on one particular story, rather than lots of different stories?

Before I asked this question I thought that most people who say that variety in a magazine is important. This was the case; most of the people who answered this question said variety make the magazine interesting, fun and diverse. Most of the music magazines I have read in preparation, to make my music magazine, have one main story and then lots of little stories within the magazine. If a magazine completely concentrated on a magazine then it would become boring for the reader. If my magazine is interesting then it will attract advertisement.

7. What do you think the target market would be for this musical/gossip type magazine?

Under 10 – 14.3%

11-15 – 28.6%

16-21 – 81%

22+ - 4.8%

This may have been a biased question as the majority of the people I asked were in the age range 16-21. However the people I have asked chose the age range they thought would be most suitable for my music magazine idea. Personally I think the music magazine I am going to make could come under two of the categories above. 11-15 & 16-21 are the main age categories I will look to have as my target audience. The voting is particularly in favour of the 16-21 age range. Due to this I will look to include more mature news in my magazine. 

8. Does this type of music magazine appeal to you?

Yes – 71.4%

No – 28.6%

The feedback I got from this magazine is quite helpful. The people that answered this survey are all in the age range 16-21, one person was over 22. This means my main target market does appeal to a music/gossip type magazine. This also means I have chosen the right aspects of the musical world; I have also manipulated the use of gossip to enhance my idea.