To take a look at my Pre-production task click on the Link below

http://www.slideshare.net/timnoyce

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

I feel that I have learnt a lot in the progression from the magazine in my preliminary task to my music magazine, such as my understanding of using microsoft Publisher. For example my knowledge of how to use new fonts for titles to stand out and give more of a conventional appeal as well as I discovered how to take certain parts out of images on Digital image suite 2006. I learnt to use the cut out tool to take out the backgrounds of photos that I want for my magazine, an example of this would be the artists on the front cover of my music magazine which concentrates all visual attention on them and not on what is behind. I have also increased my understanding of magazine codes and conventions in terms of visual appearance and layout, along with the features that attract target audiences to that particular product.

Therefore, my understanding of the programs and equipment used has massively improved since the begining of my preliminary task, this is because when I started this project I'd never properly used Microsoft Publisher or Digital Image Suite 2006, now I've created quite a coventional and impressive magazine.

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

This piece of equipment is the LG computer with Samsung monitor which I used to construct my magazine on. Out of lesson time I did use my Compaq laptop to continue my work, but most of my overall creation and research was done on this computer.

I used as well this HP scanner to transfer any sketched work of my magazine for evidence of drafting.

I went and used this Vivitar 4 megapixel camera to take all my photos for my magazine.



I also used the microsoft office program 'Microsoft Publisher' to create and design my magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread.

For my preliminary task I set about using microsoft 'Powerpoint' to present all the steps in which I took.

I used the 'Digital Image Suite 2006' by microsoft to cut and alter some of the images I planned on using in my magazine.

For the evaluation I set about creating myself a blog on 'Blogger' so that I could post all my findings and research on, as well as my final pieces of work and the evaluation.

I also created a profile of 'Slideshare' in order to upload the research and development from my Preliminary task to the internet and linked it to my blog on 'Blogger'.

Therefore, I feel that I've learnt alot about the technology and programs needed to complete this project. Before starting this project I'd never really used Publisher in depth, but now I can have the knowledge to use most of the tools there to craft and design a magazine cover as well as other things. I'd never before used Digital Image Suite 2006 or Blogger either, but now I know how to cut out images and create a blog. Overall I can know say that I can with confidence used and work all of these programs and applications.

5.How did you attract/address your audience?

 

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One thing that I find that is an unique attraction for my magazine and a unique selling point, is that most music magazines will be just single genre, with prodominently that genres' sub-genres. These magazines will only have artists who are bands from that genre or lead singers of those bands, making my magazine have a finer edge as although I have still followed rock conventions I have used others conventions of the two other genres featured, giving my magazine a more varied style than singular conventional magazines such as Kerrang or Vibe.

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

The target audience for magazine will be in the age range of those aged 15-20 and is aimed at both males and females, though there is a slight bias towards males due to the artists on the front cover, presentation and the way in which it is written.
Really he will be a person who enjoys more than one genre of music, being that my magazine is multi-genre and that he will be looking up alot of the lastest artists either on Youtube with his mates. What he does with his spare time is either going to band concerts or chilling out, listening to music with his friends so he won't be watching too many music channels such as the Uk top 40. The music he'll type in on Youtube will be most commercial artists of the three genres that my magazine features, bands like the Editors, Eminem and Swedish house mafia. Due to spending alot of money on downloading the latest music from Itunes and going to festivals he will not care too much about what he wears. Preferably buying clothing from places like Next or TK maxx. The types of clothes he will wear will be shirts that he himself finds stylist and T-shirts of his favourite bands and jeans.

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

After researching alot of publishing brands I find that the publishing brand IPC media would be the most adequate to distribute my product. I find this as my magazine is multi genre which is something new to this particular brand of publisher. Although IPC media has already got music magazine brands such as the 'NME' the magazine 'NME' is more of a magazine with sub-genres within a genre, my magazine has different genres within it and would therefore bring a wider range of music to the IPC media publisher than the more constrainted magazines such as 'NME'. I also find this to be a good start for my magazine to get it's name out there because IPC does alot more than just music magazines, it branches out into others magazines such as celebrity and fashion magazinjes such as 'Look' and 'Marie Claire' and works with a newspaper magazine called 'The Daily Mirror'. All these different brands of magazine would be excellent for distributing my magazine as vertical integration would allow my magazine to recieve high advertisment.
Although my first initial choice would have been Bauer consumer media as they are the publishing brand for Kerrang and Q wich have been two of my main research brands and inspiration to the creation of my magazine. Though they already have a multi-genre magazine Q which a new comer would not be able to compete with and the approach to a younger audience would not help as both Kerrang and Q reach out to the age group to my target audience, so in the end my magazine would not be able stand against the already existing brands.

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

I have decided to use this picture of the lead singer of Green day from 'Kerrang' with the middle image of my magazine front cover to show how my magazine portrays a particular social group.

The way in which these two images are taken is the same, both not giving a direct mode of address by looking away from the camera. The actual angle of the camera in which the images were taken are also the same as these are taken looking up at the artists from a mid-shot view. The way that both of them have one hand in their pocket while the other is holding their instrument. The costume of both these men are roughly show comparison as they are both wearing a stylish collared shirt/coat and wearing trousers. The hairstyle of both images are similar as they both have a scruffy style, though Ian has a more quiffed up style rather than the messy hanging down style of the leadsinger of Green day, and his hair is a lot darker than Ian's. Therefore the features of these images do portray the target audience of a young rock-loving group, which my magazine tries to portray in every part. The people featured in my magazine do show the codes and conventions of their represented genres and there isn't anything too wierd or uncoventional about them.   

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

1-The Title of the Magazine(both the name and design)
For the title of my magazine I taken the conventions of the Magazine 'Kerrang', such as the posintioning on the page(spread across the top of the page as well as its theme and design. Like 'Kerrang' I have followed the same type of font on my title as  it gives the magazine a rock-like appearance with is the dominant genre of my magazine, which adds to the theme of my magazine as a whole. Though as my magazine is not just about rock it also contains other genres such as Hip-Hop and Drum and Base so there are some features that match those genres. The name given to my Masthead has followed the convention of 'Kerrang' by having a word wich is not a real word, but a a made up word which has a ring to it and is a word that the targeted audience will remember it.

                                                    
                                                             

2-The Mise-En-Scene of Images

The colours of my magazine tend to go against the convention of the magazine 'Kerrang'(above) apart from the use of luminous yellow which goes across the top of my magazine, while mine tend to have a much darker range of colours in order to appeal to the 3 genres I've chosen. The main image of 'Kerrang' doesn't give the target audience a direct mode of address which I have taken for the front image of my magazine, it looks up as if to show superiorty as my image has done and shows the conventions of rock as the image remains concentrated on playing his guitar. For two of my front images I have followed this convention as they do not give direct mode of address and seem to be contrated on their current task, though for one of my side images to the left does give the audience a direct mode of address which goes against the convention set by 'Kerrang' as it gives creates a link between the buyer of my mazine and the side image, giving them a feeling of individuality.

3-Costumes and Props

The items of both clothing and props in “NOYCIAM” I find are conventional, I made sure that each of the images on my front cover matched the conventions of the genres my magazine holds. The far left image of my front cover is wearing a sleeveless shirt and wearing a watch which are conventional to most hip hop images on magazines such as Vibe. The middle figure of my magazine is wearing a fashionable coat and also has an electric guitar which are both common features that most faces of rock are styled to have (especially the guitar). Also the far right is representing hip hop so he has a casual shirt on and wearing headphones which is conventional to the style of drum and base.

4-People  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         The People I used in my magazine are unconventional. This is because the people I got to pose as music artists are a bit young for real singers, though this is due to my limited resources in which I had to create the magazine. But they do have the look that is conventional to the genres they are meant to be representing. I have also gone against the conventions of a multi genre magazine because unlike most multi genre brands like ‘Q’ which have either one male artist and two female artists or the other way round, I have used predominantly male figures to fill the from page, though this is alright as my magazine is aimed at teenagers with a bit of bias to males from the images in the content and the way I have presented it, though from this I have followed the convention of ‘Kerrang’ by having only male artists and being presented in a male like style, but that shouldn’t effect how good the magazine is as ‘Kerrang’ being my main inspiration (see image in paragraph one.) I feel that it will attract the same type of audience ‘Kerrang’ receives as well as others like ‘Vibe’.

5-Title Font and Style

The methods I used into creating my title ‘Ian Brown and the Wolves of song’ was by going to word art and creating the title using college semi-condensed to create a kind of blunt masculine approach, this is conventional to the kind of rock star style. It is unconventional as it does not have the biggest text (second to the masthead) though it does follow conventions in the way that it is straight along the page and dominates its centre. Though I feel that it may not appeal too much to my target audience as it doesn’t hold as much visual impact as the masthead. Though I have followed ‘Kerrang’s convention of having the band highlights as the next boldest thing other than the masthead which will still grab attention. The unworn bold font of the title does hold some similarity to other magazine I have research in the earlier stages of my work

6-Written Content

The written content of my magazine does follow the conventions of most music magazines, by going over the similar themes of an interview. Like when talking to Ian Brown he is asked about how he got to where he is, what’s his favourite band (inspiration) Also well as his feelings on his experience of touring. The content may not follow the convention in terms of the way it is laid out, like most music magazines have the interview questions with the response written underneath. While mine has the theme that you’d usually expect to find in a news paper, though it does appeal to teenagers and is conventional in the way that it introduces the band first. Though it doesn’t have the editor’s letter which is unconventional.

7-Music Genre and How Your Magazine Suggests It

The main genre for my magazine is rock but with hip hop and drum and base influences, this is shown from the mixed features on display. For the masthead I’ve used a style that is typically used in rock and metal magazines and gives influence that rock is the main genre. As well as the metal like font of the sideline. The colours my magazine has shown the genre, the use of black and red which is classic rock colours, as well as the use of yellow which is a common colour used to portray hip hop. The mise-en-scene of the images also shows features of the music genres of my magazine. They give the expressions you’d expect to find the artists of those specific genres; most real music magazines do the same to show that their magazine is that genre. The bands featured along the top of my magazine front cover are all from the three genres my magazine contains. So my magazine is typically rock, though some other features show the side genres. So it is easy to point out the genres of my magazine making it conventional.

8-Layout

The layout of everything in my magazine is conventional; the main images of my magazine revolve around the centre of the page and the masthead is positioned at the top of the page. Following the conventions is also shown on my double page spread where half the page is taken up by the main image and the rest by text. The article being in columns with a quote from it as the title and quotes being placed around the page are conventions I have followed. The positioning of the barcode is conventional as most magazines have it in the bottom right hand corner. Though having the images of the contents page on the right side of the page isn’t conventional as most are on the left.

9-Contents Page

The contents page of my magazine has followed the conventions of real music magazines because of the separation of my images by gridding them apart with lines, a convention I followed from ‘Kerrang’. The order in which I set out my page references and features is following the codes of most real music magazines due to me setting them out into a straight line down one side of the page. However there is no editor’s note or signature on my contents page which from the magazines I have researched has proven my contents page in that aspect to be unconventional, despite this my contents page does follow a lot of real magazine convention which my target audience will appeal to.