Media Evaluation
Q1. In what ways does your music magazine use, develop or
challenge forms and conventions of existing magazines?
My music magazine follows the typical forms and conventions of
a pop magazine, and this is because before I started my magazine, I analysed a 'Top of the Pops' magazine which helped me out with
the forms and conventions that I was going to use within my own magazine. By
doing so I was able to find out what types of things that my target audience
would be attracted to so I was then able to add them to my music magazine. Things
such as colours, the type of language I use, graphic features, buzz words and
puffs and teasers are a great way to attract your target audience because if
these look good on the front cover then it will engage your target audience to
buy the magazine. On the front cover of my music magazine I have included a
central image which is of the main artist within my magazine. The image is big
and in the centre and I have done this so that my target audience will be
attracted to this image as it is quite bold and strong. Some buzz words that I
have used are WIN and EXCLUSIVE and I have used informal language as it is
quite easy and less formal so it will fit in with my target audience which is
mainly girls around the age of (12-17). Throughout the front page and the
contents page of my magazine, my font and colour scheme and continuous. The
colour scheme that I have used throughout my magazine is quite boyish; however
quiet mutual and I have done so because the central image on the front of my
cover is a male, and however he is there to attract the female target audience
with his boyish charm. Therefore I used the colours, White, Red, Black, And
Bright Blue, as they seemed to be quite neutral colours. I have used the 'Top
of the pops' magazine to help me with my own, such as a well-known boy band is
on the front cover of the magazine I was using to get ideas from, so I wanted
to do the same and put an image of someone that girls would be attracted to as
they are my target audience (Not a real celebrity). On the contents page and
double page spread I have used columns to organise my contents as the readers
will be able to read the information clearly and because it will make it easier
for them to find what sort of things they want to read. For example if they was
looking to read celebrity gossip, then they would find the sub-heading “Celebs
and gossip” then chose which page they want to go to. My font size and colour
scheme is consistent on my contents page and double page spread. I have used
page numbers on my double page spread and they are the same as they say on the
contents page. I have also included an editorial note within my contents page;
it is a competition for the readers of the magazine to win an ipad. I have
included this in my magazine because it will attract readers to buy it.
Q2: How does your music magazine represent particular social
groups?
My target audience are teenage girls between the ages of
12-17 who enjoy listen to pop and RnB music and
that why I have put an image of a teenage boy pop
sensation (not a real celebrity) on my front cover. The
images that I have used within my magazine support this because on my front
cover there is a boy smartly dressed; he is dressed and positioned as such
because it will attract a teenage female audience. There are some assumptions
that can be made about the interests of the social group my magazine
represents, through the content that I have used. Such as there is some
celebrity gossip and news about different music artists and these are the types
of things that such social groups enjoy. My contents page represents my social
group as again the teenage boy pop sensation is on the contents page along with
other images from my magazine. There are two more images of the new singer on
my double page spread.
Q3: what kind of media institution might distribute your
kind of media product and why?
I have chosen Bauer Media to publish my magazine as it
produces many worldwide bestselling magazines. They produce a mixture of
mainstream and niche, radio and television magazines. Bauer extends to many
part of the market as it has a high variety magazine production and their multi
genre media they are able to content a target audience for all ages, both male
and female. Therefore my target audience will be interested in my Turn it up magazine
because it is being produced by the best seller. Some of the magazines that Bauer
has published are Bella, Take a break , Tv guide, and that’s life!. Also they
make use of new media such as having versions of their magazines on ipads, or
smartphones, so this would appeal to technical users.
Q4: who would be the audience for your music magazine?
Age, gender, race, interests
To find out who my target audience was going to be, I did a survey
on survey monkey when I was planning my magazine. My target audience is teenage
girls from around 11-17, I have chosen this age range because my magazine is a
pop music magazine and quite girly, so therefore I think my target audience
fits in with the kind of genre that my magazine is. The audience that I have
made my magazine for is people that enjoy pop and RNB music, and also enjoy hot
celebrity gossip and interviews with pop starts. Girls that are interested in
boy pop sensations and reading interviews with music pop stars about their
lifestyle and relationship etc. I haven’t targeted the type of race or social
class that my audience will be as I think that people from all different races
and social classes will enjoy my magazine and what is inside it.
Q5: How did you attract/address your target audience?
To attract my target audience, I have put up an image of a
boy pop sensation, this is because the large central image will catch my target
audience’s eye and engage them to buy the magazine. Also I have put some female
celebrities on the front cover as my target audience may look up to female
singers therefore will want to read about them as they are some sort of role
model towards them. Also I have used some buzz words included on my front cover
to attract my target audience, which are “WIN” and “EXCLUSIVE” to grab my reader’s
attention. Also as I have made a music magazine, I thought an appropriate
magazine title would be “ Turn it up”, I think my readers will enjoy this
because whatever music you like, you always want to turn the volume up so it is
louder, so my title will draw people in also. The type of language that I have
used is somewhat informal, I have used words like ‘Vid’ and ‘hitched’ and also
on my double page spread, the interview is very informal and this is so that my
audience feel involved and close to the interviewee.
Q6: What have you learned about technologies from the process
of constructing the product?
When making my magazine I have gained many skills, in used
adobe Photoshop and illustrator, using a digital camera, using blogger and
using survey monkey. I used both Photoshop and illustrator while making the
pages for my magazine. I learnt how to add texts to the pages, to add images,
and also adding colour, boxes, also how to take out the background of images
quickly. I now know how to change the brightness and contrast of my images to
make them look better. To take the images used for my music magazine I used a
digital camera. It had various settings such as zooming, flash, scene modes and
lighting. I was able to test out all of those and find out which ones fitted
well with the images that I was going to take. When taking the images, I
changed the zoom so that my images could be close up, or far away, so I could
get different types of shots (close up, two-person shot, mid shot). I
created a blog using blogger; this is where I presented all of my work pieces.
I learnt how to upload my work, and images, how to edit the work I have put on,
I was able to make a title for the different posts that I put up, I was able to
decide which order I wanted my work to go in, and I was able to add links which
was helpful when asking people to complete my survey. I also created a
survey on a site called survey monkey. I did so that I was able to get idea and
also feedback on my magazine from others, it was easy to create the survey and
also easy for my audience who were answering the survey.
Q7: what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from
the preliminary task to the full product?
Looking back at the preliminary task I complete with a front
cover and contents page, I noticed that I did not edit any of the images that I
used, this is because I was unsure how to do so, but by continuously using
adobe Photoshop I picked up how to do so and I realised that it makes the front
cover look more professional. I changed to brightness and colours of my images
in my music magazine. I also learnt that to make a front cover look good, you
need puffs, graphical features etc., I have not used these on the preliminary
task because I did not know how to add them, however I have added them onto my
music magazine because it needs to be eye catching and engage its target
audience.
