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

I think that the genre of my music magazine is based on rock/classic rock. My media product uses ‘MOJO’ and ‘Q’ magazine as its inspiration as I like the way these magazines look professional but edgy at the same time. The conventional layout for a music magazine is having the main image slightly over the mast head which show confidence in their target audience, the coverlines do not stick to the left third and they use bright colours to highlight the coverlines. I stuck to mostly all these conventions, although I didn’t have the main image covering the mast head as my magazine isn’t as established as that of ‘MOJO’ and ‘Q’. The other conventions I followed were not sticking to the left thirds for my coverlines and making them bright and bold to attract my target audience. I found that I didn’t have an obvious house style but I did continue with using the colour pink over all the pages.

I based my double page spread heavily on some of the conventions of ‘MOJO’ magazine. The conventions of real media products have a large picture before the introduction on one page and the article starts on the next. Mostly the conventions of articles in real media texts go over more than two pages, so I had to adapt my magazine. I found that after writing my article it wouldn’t all fit onto the two pages, I decided that as I couldn’t find anything to cut out, I made it look like it would carry on to the next page by adding in an arrow. I really liked the idea of using a large picture on the first page before the article intro. I also used smaller pictures to create a collage. However, I challenged the conventions as I decided to slant my pictures to make it look more interesting and busy to show the band’s hectic year. I also added in a side bar which asked fun questions for example, ‘Toast or Crumpets?’, this contrasted with the serious question of their music as I went for a quirky angle which suggests and shows the bands real personality and a more relaxed theme to the magazine; it made the magazine seem a lot less serious. When it comes to pull quotes, real media texts tend to put them in line with the text but they sometimes put them around the main image depending on where everything is placed. I put my pull quote in line with the text as it looked neater and more professional. I did try slanting it but it seemed to take the interest off the pictures doing it this way and it isn’t conventional. It was important to get the background right because if it was too bright it would defer attention away from the text and pictures. I found that ‘Q’ and ‘MOJO’ double pages stuck to a white background and concentrated on the text and pictures adding in a bit of colour every now and then. I followed this example as I found that my previous background of faded pink to white looked too much like a school project, the white background made it look professional and more likely to be read. I also tried it with a white background in which I put all the text in pink, this made the piece look too garish and hard to read, I found that a bit of pink was better than lots. I decided to keep my questions in pink and have the answers in black; this seemed more conventional as most music magazines seem to keep their text in black. When it came to writing my interview, I tried to keep it sounding professional but friendly as I wanted my audience to read want to read it. I found that on my first draft it was too formal and didn’t show off the band’s personality so on my second draft I thought carefully about what the band would say and things that would make it seem more personal. My introduction to the interview was also too formal, so I added in an observation of the scene like where the interview has been set, what they are wearing, what they are drinking etc. to make it more personal and so that they reader can imagine/picture it all while reading.

In ‘Q’ and ‘MOJO’ magazine, they have two page contents; I decided to adapt this convention and combined two pages into one. The first page of the contents page usually has the main features, a picture background, the masthead in the centre at the top of the page and the date and issue number. The second page is all the regulars that are in the magazine for example monthly album charts; in ‘MOJO’ magazine they also have a montage of photos of some of the stories.

Firstly, I had a plain black background which follows the conventions of real media products. I found that this was a bit boring and mundane, so I decided to try out one of my pictures that I took where the light casts a strong shadow upon the person, this picture looks really effective. By using it as a background I found that it complimented the text rather than taking your attention away, which made the outcome look professional and stylish. This went with the conventions of real media texts because mostly music magazines; for example ‘Q’ always seems to put a picture as their background, following this I also added in some pictures of my main stories at the bottom of the page as a mini montage. I liked the way ‘MOJO’ made their page numbers stand out on the page, clearly indicating where to go for the article. I put my page numbers by each of the stories, also overlapping the pictures, indicating and making it easier for the reader to know where to go for the stories. I used the text type Broadway in white, which added to the theme of a classic music magazine. I also put in ‘features’ and ‘regulars’, and the date, issue number and masthead of magazine at the top of the page, these all go with the conventions of real media products. On reflection, I found that my contents page reflects other media products the most out of all my pages.

I challenged the conventions of real media products in this sub genre mostly on the front cover as I have added more colour to my cover, while as ‘Q’ and ‘MOJO’ mostly stick to two or three colours. I did this to go with the theme of my magazine and blend in with the picture, and most importantly to attract the audience to my magazine showing that it is bright and bold and isn’t afraid to stand out. I also have kept the background of my picture while I found that mostly other magazines cut out the background and add in colour instead. I kept my background in as it represented the theme of the photo shoot being set in a park. I think that it helps to project an image or impression of the band as it shows that ‘Eliza Crosses’ has character and a fun personality. However, their clothes and make-up reflect their bands’ persona more then their individual personality. The dark make-up and clothes shows that they are part of a rock band, it was essential for the band to look edgy and strong as they want to be taken seriously and be respected in the music industry. Like ‘Q’ and ‘MOJO’, I kept my magazine cover minimal focusing on the main image and the main cover lines. The wording on my front page was to draw the audience by adding in words like ‘Exclusive’, it makes them feel as if they can read it first and be a part of a community. I made sure that all my text through out my magazine was friendly and welcoming to draw my target audience in.

There are also many ways in which I have followed real music magazine conventions; I have not kept my cover lines solely to the left hand third of the page, I have them on both sides like ‘Q’ and ‘MOJO’ magazine do. A typical view of main cover lines on a music magazine is the name of the band and a brief description and what we are writing about them. I have made the main cover line of the bands name the largest to attract attention to the main story in the issue and added in a quick note of what it is all about. When it came to the main image for my front picture it was important to think about which picture would look the most effective reflecting the band’s personality and grab the attention of my target audience. I had many possibilities for the front page, the one I chose in the end showed the band to be powerful through their stance and positioning in the frame. To also add to the idea of strength, I used different camera angles and shots; I used high angles, close-ups to show the strength of the band and long shots to show their stances and positioning. I did a number of shots to give the magazine a variety of pictures. I think my photo shoot shows the personality of the band well and I think that it does follow the conventions of some real media products as I tried to represent the band as they are by keeping their whole look the same and showing their personalities.

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

I think that it may represent women between the ages of 18 to 30 who are essentially interested in music, through the bold pink writing. However it is not limited to just women, men can read it too as it has all different types of music e.g.Rolling Stones. The pink is only a representation of the band being women but I find that the magazine is all about the content rather than the colour. I guess that this could also appeal to women as it shows a strong female band through their stances, their responses and status as the front cover feature. It could also represent teenagers because of the different colours on the cover and the young people in the pictures. Also the lists of the bands at the bottom of the page could follow certain social group of teenagers because of the number of modern bands. However it does not at all conclude that it is just for teenagers, for one reason it has a number of older bands too e.g. ‘The Rolling Stones’ and ‘U2’, this could suggest that a more mature audience may also read it. To support this I have added in a story and picture of an older artist/singer who is ‘returning to the music’, it may interest older audiences as he may have been around in their teenage years. The band 'Eliza Crosses' could represent the strong side of women because of their powerful stances and postioning in the pictures. However, the fact that they're smiling softens the theme and is inviting.

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

I have looked at the media institutions that distribute different music magazines and found that Bauer media may be suitable to publish it. ‘MOJO’ magazine is one of the many magazines that Bauer media distributes and as it has mostly been the inspiration for my magazine through a more sophisticated layout. I found Bauer media is a more appropriate distributor.

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

I think that my magazine can essentially be for men and women between the ages of 18 to 30 but mostly for those who are interested in rock/indie music. However, it may appeal to people in the age range between late twenties to mid sixties, as it features new and old artists and gives the reader an option of many music styles and genres. Some people may enjoy the more sophisticated layout and the professional look by text type, mise-en-scene and the layout of the whole magazine.

5) How did you attract/address your audience?

I believe that when it came to attracting my audiences I relied largely on my pictures. I am a confident photographer and understand how to frame pictures, for example I used the rule of thirds. I think that I wanted my audience to look at the front cover and see the personality of the band and get a clear sense of the genre e.g. smiling faces to invite the reader in. Through the picture, I hope that the audience would be able to relate to the band. I wanted the text colours to compliment the photos so I found a colour scheme through the colours in the pictures like their clothes, so that the writing didn’t defer away from the images. I also thought about pictures which would be audience appropriate too, if the pictures weren’t friendly looking the reader wouldn’t necessary want to read magazine. I needed the masthead to be bold so I used black to capture the attention of the reader. My masthead also refers to music as ‘JAM’ which can be a slang word for playing an instrument. The slogan ‘The Music Magazine Jam-packed with all the Music’ is a pun from the masthead, hopefully representing the magazine as fun and interesting with a focus on real musical talent. Showing that this magazine is dedicated to the music and will not disappoint with its contents. I tried out different ways in which to add pink in to the magazine without going over board and putting men off from buying the magazine. I knew that I wanted the pink to represent my band, I found a dark pink looked less girly but kept the established theme of a girl band. I found that in the end this pink added colour to the magazine and became part of my house style for the issue. When it came to my writing I wanted it to be personal so that the audience would be able to relate to it “We’re welcoming him back to the music”, the word ‘we’re’ makes it seem if you can be part of a community. Also by writing in first person in the introduction “I knew they were ready for the interview” shows that there can be a connection with the reader. The language of the piece is colloquial “Well, the band consists of…” it shows that it isn’t too serious and that the reader can feel involved.

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

I have found that I have learnt a lot about different technologies from the process of constructing this magazine. I used my digital photography skills for my photo shoot. I used a variety of shots like close-ups, mid and longs shots so that it was more interesting. I used Photoshop to manipulate my pictures; I cropped them by altering the framing to make it look more dynamic and to focus on particular aspects. I didn’t want the framing to be too perfect as that is not what I wanted the magazine to be. Also when cropping I managed to edit out distracting elements. For example I didn’t always need all the grass surrounding the figure so I cut it out, in doing so I hoped it made the picture look more professional. In Photoshop I also used different saturations to change the lighting of my photos, it was important for the pictures to be vibrant and clear to go with the band personalities. I found that some of my photos were too dark, for example the original picture of the figure standing on the see saw was too dark by lightening it, it looked more striking. I tried a new skill with a cutting tool on Photoshop, i did it to remove the irrelevant backgrounds from around the pictures, again it worked successfully making the picture stand out. I also used the blur tool in the background, to make the figures stand out.

With this picture, I cut around the figure removing the background.

In this picture, I cropped it and put it in black and white to give the magazine variety and age.

With these pictures, I altered the the saturation to make the picture look brighter and more interesting. I also cropped out excess that wasn't needed.

With this picture, I have cropped and brighten.

I found that the picture beforehand look dull and was hard to see, so I lightened and brightened on Photoshop. I also cropped the excess of the fields out.

I cropped this picture taking out irrelevant background

I lighten and cropped this picture

I constructed my magazine on publisher; I have used it before but only for simple things like posters. Designing the magazine can be differcult especially when it comes to adding in text and pictures together as I wanted to make sure the layout looks evenly laid out. New things that I learnt about were how to put all the elements of the magazine together and where best to put them. I used the process of trial and error for example when it came to positioning my pull quote “it was about time we had a decent girl rock band”; I had to think about where the text will lie around it. I originally had it in text wrapping tight and the text was all over the place and difficult to read, I changed it to square so it fitted nicely around the main text. I don’t think that I have learnt a huge amount when it came to using publisher as I learnt most of it when making the prelim task. Another new technology I used was dafont.com where you can access lots of different styled texts so you can get away from word art. I used it on my Eliza Crosses double page masthead and decorated it in paint; I found that having this made the magazine look more professional and graphic.

6) Looking back at your Prelimary 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 more about the conventions and how to follow them. Some magazine do not stick to strict layouts by keeping cover lines on the left third and the mast head in the centre at the top of the page. I have learnt how to use Photoshop to make my pictures look professional and worthy of being in a music magazine however it was important to also think about mise-en-scene as well as Photo shopping. I learnt how to lighten, cut around pictures and use different saturation to make them look more effective. I found that when I made my school magazine it was too neat and kept to the strict conventions, I also found that I didn't use Photoshop to my full advantage. so this time around, I decided that it was vital to use photoshop more so that I could make sure my pictures were of a high standard. I also loosened up on the coventions, I didn't stick to the left thirs for my coverlins and a strict font or colour scheme. Although, I think that I took a lot from the prelim as I learn't the basis. Overall, I have learn't how to set out and make a double page spread as we didn’t do this when making our prelim. Through much research into different music magazine, I have found that making the double page was a fun challenge in which I could learn new ways in which the magazine industry works. Also, the ways in which music magazines set out their pages to make it look effective and readable.