Monday, 10 May 2010
Friday, 30 April 2010
My evaluation
For my AS media coursework- Foundation portfolio in Media, I have chosen to work on Print, therefore it is required to produce a preliminary task - front page of a school magazine and main task- front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine.
In all media products, the audience is the main focus and is very important towards a media product's success. Therefore, I have first produced a front cover and a contents page for a school magazine, and this has enabled me to gain the experience of making a magazine and then go on to apply all the good points towards my main task.
My piece of media product - a music magazine's cover page, contents and double spread page have been produced for and focus on the target audiences and it is for the audience that the media are constructing and passing on information because if it were not for the audiences, my media product would not exist. By focusing on the audience this has enabled me to see the complex process of the construction of meaning made by the audience as a response to media text. No audience will look at the same media product and interpret the insight of media message in the same way.
'' Texts need audiences in order to realise their potential for meaning. So a text does not have a single meaning but rather a range of possibilities which are defined by both the text and by its audiences. The meaning is not in the text, but in the reading. (Hart 1991, 60)''
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
From what I produced, I feel the media product have used, developed and challenged forms and conventions of real media products. I feel I have participated in producing a real piece of media product; from planning, drafting, gaining comments from a focus group and making changes, to producing the final piece.
I have looked at and analysed different magazines such as 'Q' and 'MOJO', from those I have gathered the strengths and weaknesses of each magazine and both of them have allowed me to understand more about the technical terms and what should be in my magazine, such as:- house style, masthead, brand identity, lure, cover lines, puffs and little things such as barcode and price& issue.
These are very important for a magazine as if the magazine has a good layout, the audience are more likely to pick up the magazine and read into it. Puffs would always attracts audiences and I have therefore included it on my media product - 'only £1.50' rather than £2.
…………………
I have also challenged forms and conventional by using ideas from 'Q' and 'MOJO' and laying it out in a different way, I started off using the ideas off 'Q' for my front cover, the way they have a picture in the middle and lay-out all the cover lines, puffs, masthead..etc on both side of the picture and I have thought about it and at the end for my final front cover I have decided I would just put all the cover lines on the left side of the page and on the right of the page I would include a picture that goes right from the masthead down to the bottom of the page. I have also gained the idea of putting a slogan/ strap-line across the top of the page to show what type of audience I am aiming at. As my media product is aiming for the pop and rock teenagers and younger generation, I have kept the cover bright and attracting instead of dull and dark, however, I have used black for the double spread as I am hoping to show the target audience that they will be looking into and read about this 'pop-punk star', therefore I feel using the dark colours along with the white big writing of the artist's name, and orange and red writing could stands out and attracts my target audiences as it is flash and colourful instead of dull and dark.
My front cover have seek to reinforce the stereotypes of a rock punk magazine, it shows audiences immediately that it is a music magazine not just because of the masthead but the strap-line above have stated. The colour scheme I have chosen and the way I have lay-out the page have hopefully put out the fact it is a pop/rock magazine.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
I feel that my music magazine has represented a particular social group, due to:-
• The language I used
• The style and lay-out
• The colour scheme and fonts
• The images I have used
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
The kind of media institution that might distribute my magazine would probably be Emap Limited, it is a British media company, specialising in the production of business-to-business magazines. After researching online, I have found out that it is a producer of a variety of magazines, including the areas in: Built Environment, Education, Fashion, Government, Health, Media and Retail, from this information, I gather it is a company which publishes all different types of magazines for different age groups and gender.
Who would be the audience for you media product?
The target audience for my music magazine would mostly be teenagers and people who are interested in punk and rock hard music. Although it is based around hard rock music, it is also suitable for pop music fans, as it is more like a pop and puck music magazines; it does not just show hard rock music but gossip about the music bands, the top 50 music charts and interviews with artists. I have tried to make it as unisex as possible, so that I could not only attract teenage girls but also boys who enjoy pop rock music. Therefore, I have kept my colour scheme as unisex as possible, by not using too girly colours such as sky blue,baby pink However, it might not be suitable for people who like R&B and surely will not appeal to children, the older generation or people who enjoy classical music. I have tried to keep the language used clear, straight forward and simple letting younger audiences understand and relate to it. For this issue, I have interviewed a created artist aged 14, and hopefully this could enable my target audience to relate to the artist and feel maybe they could become one as well.
How did you attract/address your audience?
Front cover is the first glance audience take when they look at a magazine, therefore the design of the front cover is very important, I have tried to make it as attractive as possible by using an edited picture making the original picture brighter and more contrasted. I have looked at and evaluated magazines such as ‘Q’ and ‘MOJO’ and have found they have a set style and layout to their magazine, for example, “Q” always sets the masthead on the left hand top corner of the page and “MOJO” set its masthead right across the page, they always include date of issue and a barcode. For “Q”, the use of a strap-line has enabled them to tell their target audience that they are the UK’s biggest music magazine, and I realise they both offer a lure, something that attracts target audiences, such as:- “free CDs & exclusive news”.
I have made the masthead really big so that it “jumps out” so that people can identify this music magazine easily. I have tried to use a special font - “trashco” for the masthead and positioned it on the left of the page, the barcode on the right hand bottom corner and I have also added the date of issue under the title and the strap-line on top of the masthead. These are very important as all the other magazines I have looked at have included them and this would help my target audience to realise which date of issue it is and also identify my magazine more easily.
Also, for the cover lines I have highlighted it to make it stand out, such as -“Top 50 Music Charts 2010”, I have included the puff- only £1.50, to try and attract the target audience. I feel these are all essential things that should be included on a magazine front cover.
On the middle page spread I have included more details about the artist and how my target audience should read it more and get to know and understand this artist. The image I have used has taken up most of the front cover page and I have just added a masthead, cover lines, puffs, strap-line, date of issue, barcode..etc around it. I did not want to add more pictures like the other magazines would as this is a pop rock magazine, I do feel my target audience would not like to see a very busy front cover, and I have got this from the focus group's comments.
For the middle spread page, I have also tried to make it more eye-catching, as it would be what the purchasers look at after they pick up a magazine. I have used the photo shop programme to edit and lay-out my middle page spread, I have done a big “Hebe” on the side of the page. I have also added a picture of the artist and put it on top of the words. I have tried to keep it like an interview and have also added a lot of pictures to make it more attractive and not as wordy.
For the contents page, I have also used a picture of the artist and pasted the page numbers and the articles’ titles around the picture. I have tried to make it simple and by using special fonts- “idiot &Rock Show Whiplash”, I hope it has made it more attention-grabbing and I have added a short paragraph under each article and there is just enough for purchasers to read and get interested in.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of contributing this product?
Due to my previous subjects, I have been taught how to use Macromedia Fireworks and this has allowed me to apply it to this piece of coursework, and also, for this coursework I have also tried using the latest photo shop programme to edit some of my pictures. I have also downloaded fonts from www.dafont.com to produce a better looking music magazine. Personally I feel the fonts have contributed quite a lot towards my coursework, as I think the font I have used throughout the pages is attractive and eye-catching, I have tried not to use too complicated fonts where there are bits coming out and hanging down, I have tried to keep it easy for the target audience to look at and read comfortably.
I have enjoyed making this and I have tried to see from the audience's point, whereas I would like to pay for a music magazine which I would enjoy and knowing it is not just a waste of money. I have shown all of these to a focus group and their comments are:-
• It’s attention- grabbing
• They like the middle-spread the most out of the three
• Like the overall layout
• Like all the images in place
Framing and composition are all about arranging the subject of the image. Images are one of the most important thing in print production, as all images have to be original, I have used a digital camera to take different shots from different angle, and I have also managed to use photo editing programmes to modify pictures, I feel the pictures I have produced and developed are appropriate for my magazine. Most of the pictures I have included in my magazine have been adjusted, crop and edited, as this would hopefully lends to better quality of images. I choose to take images in various angles, as the image I have used for the front cover which I took was done as a high angle to suggest a positive image rather than a negative one.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
During this project I have learned more about the music industry and media, just a tiny magazine can provide a lot of information which not all magazines have, such as some in depth interviews on artists and exclusive news on specific artists. I was lucky enough to look at and did some research on a few magazines which already exist and have helped me get ideas of what should be included and how to lay them out, which kind of cover lines would attract target audiences. There are different magazines for different genres of music, I have also learned how to make it more professional and also what kind of photography should be included in certain genres of magazine.
After looking back at my preliminary task, I feel I have improved a lot in terms of the lay-out, programmes I have used to edit photos on, the fonts and colour scheme. I have also understood what should be and should not be included in the magazine I am producing, such as anything to do with classical music should not be in the magazine as it is not that genre and I am not aiming for that type of audience. I have to state it clearly by using the language and how I style and lay-out the magazine.
Also I have improved on the images I have used in my main task from those that I used on my preliminary task. On my main task I have considered the rule of thirds in the images I have used on the double page spread, this is where the frame is divided into nine imaginary sections and this is when the object occurs at 1/3 or 2/3 of the frame, when the main line of interest is the line going through the eyes.
Looking at and comparing my two tasks, there is a clear difference in reaching the different target audiences. On my preliminary task’s front cover and contents page, as I am producing it for a school, I have kept the colouring pale and light, so that it could be easy to read and also could sell to both genders.
For my AS media coursework- Foundation portfolio in Media, I have chosen to work on Print, therefore it is required to produce a preliminary task - front page of a school magazine and main task- front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine.
In all media products, the audience is the main focus and is very important towards a media product's success. Therefore, I have first produced a front cover and a contents page for a school magazine, and this has enabled me to gain the experience of making a magazine and then go on to apply all the good points towards my main task.
My piece of media product - a music magazine's cover page, contents and double spread page have been produced for and focus on the target audiences and it is for the audience that the media are constructing and passing on information because if it were not for the audiences, my media product would not exist. By focusing on the audience this has enabled me to see the complex process of the construction of meaning made by the audience as a response to media text. No audience will look at the same media product and interpret the insight of media message in the same way.
'' Texts need audiences in order to realise their potential for meaning. So a text does not have a single meaning but rather a range of possibilities which are defined by both the text and by its audiences. The meaning is not in the text, but in the reading. (Hart 1991, 60)''
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
From what I produced, I feel the media product have used, developed and challenged forms and conventions of real media products. I feel I have participated in producing a real piece of media product; from planning, drafting, gaining comments from a focus group and making changes, to producing the final piece.
I have looked at and analysed different magazines such as 'Q' and 'MOJO', from those I have gathered the strengths and weaknesses of each magazine and both of them have allowed me to understand more about the technical terms and what should be in my magazine, such as:- house style, masthead, brand identity, lure, cover lines, puffs and little things such as barcode and price& issue.
These are very important for a magazine as if the magazine has a good layout, the audience are more likely to pick up the magazine and read into it. Puffs would always attracts audiences and I have therefore included it on my media product - 'only £1.50' rather than £2.
…………………
I have also challenged forms and conventional by using ideas from 'Q' and 'MOJO' and laying it out in a different way, I started off using the ideas off 'Q' for my front cover, the way they have a picture in the middle and lay-out all the cover lines, puffs, masthead..etc on both side of the picture and I have thought about it and at the end for my final front cover I have decided I would just put all the cover lines on the left side of the page and on the right of the page I would include a picture that goes right from the masthead down to the bottom of the page. I have also gained the idea of putting a slogan/ strap-line across the top of the page to show what type of audience I am aiming at. As my media product is aiming for the pop and rock teenagers and younger generation, I have kept the cover bright and attracting instead of dull and dark, however, I have used black for the double spread as I am hoping to show the target audience that they will be looking into and read about this 'pop-punk star', therefore I feel using the dark colours along with the white big writing of the artist's name, and orange and red writing could stands out and attracts my target audiences as it is flash and colourful instead of dull and dark.
My front cover have seek to reinforce the stereotypes of a rock punk magazine, it shows audiences immediately that it is a music magazine not just because of the masthead but the strap-line above have stated. The colour scheme I have chosen and the way I have lay-out the page have hopefully put out the fact it is a pop/rock magazine.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
I feel that my music magazine has represented a particular social group, due to:-
• The language I used
• The style and lay-out
• The colour scheme and fonts
• The images I have used
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
The kind of media institution that might distribute my magazine would probably be Emap Limited, it is a British media company, specialising in the production of business-to-business magazines. After researching online, I have found out that it is a producer of a variety of magazines, including the areas in: Built Environment, Education, Fashion, Government, Health, Media and Retail, from this information, I gather it is a company which publishes all different types of magazines for different age groups and gender.
Who would be the audience for you media product?
The target audience for my music magazine would mostly be teenagers and people who are interested in punk and rock hard music. Although it is based around hard rock music, it is also suitable for pop music fans, as it is more like a pop and puck music magazines; it does not just show hard rock music but gossip about the music bands, the top 50 music charts and interviews with artists. I have tried to make it as unisex as possible, so that I could not only attract teenage girls but also boys who enjoy pop rock music. Therefore, I have kept my colour scheme as unisex as possible, by not using too girly colours such as sky blue,baby pink However, it might not be suitable for people who like R&B and surely will not appeal to children, the older generation or people who enjoy classical music. I have tried to keep the language used clear, straight forward and simple letting younger audiences understand and relate to it. For this issue, I have interviewed a created artist aged 14, and hopefully this could enable my target audience to relate to the artist and feel maybe they could become one as well.
How did you attract/address your audience?
Front cover is the first glance audience take when they look at a magazine, therefore the design of the front cover is very important, I have tried to make it as attractive as possible by using an edited picture making the original picture brighter and more contrasted. I have looked at and evaluated magazines such as ‘Q’ and ‘MOJO’ and have found they have a set style and layout to their magazine, for example, “Q” always sets the masthead on the left hand top corner of the page and “MOJO” set its masthead right across the page, they always include date of issue and a barcode. For “Q”, the use of a strap-line has enabled them to tell their target audience that they are the UK’s biggest music magazine, and I realise they both offer a lure, something that attracts target audiences, such as:- “free CDs & exclusive news”.
I have made the masthead really big so that it “jumps out” so that people can identify this music magazine easily. I have tried to use a special font - “trashco” for the masthead and positioned it on the left of the page, the barcode on the right hand bottom corner and I have also added the date of issue under the title and the strap-line on top of the masthead. These are very important as all the other magazines I have looked at have included them and this would help my target audience to realise which date of issue it is and also identify my magazine more easily.
Also, for the cover lines I have highlighted it to make it stand out, such as -“Top 50 Music Charts 2010”, I have included the puff- only £1.50, to try and attract the target audience. I feel these are all essential things that should be included on a magazine front cover.
On the middle page spread I have included more details about the artist and how my target audience should read it more and get to know and understand this artist. The image I have used has taken up most of the front cover page and I have just added a masthead, cover lines, puffs, strap-line, date of issue, barcode..etc around it. I did not want to add more pictures like the other magazines would as this is a pop rock magazine, I do feel my target audience would not like to see a very busy front cover, and I have got this from the focus group's comments.
For the middle spread page, I have also tried to make it more eye-catching, as it would be what the purchasers look at after they pick up a magazine. I have used the photo shop programme to edit and lay-out my middle page spread, I have done a big “Hebe” on the side of the page. I have also added a picture of the artist and put it on top of the words. I have tried to keep it like an interview and have also added a lot of pictures to make it more attractive and not as wordy.
For the contents page, I have also used a picture of the artist and pasted the page numbers and the articles’ titles around the picture. I have tried to make it simple and by using special fonts- “idiot &Rock Show Whiplash”, I hope it has made it more attention-grabbing and I have added a short paragraph under each article and there is just enough for purchasers to read and get interested in.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of contributing this product?
Due to my previous subjects, I have been taught how to use Macromedia Fireworks and this has allowed me to apply it to this piece of coursework, and also, for this coursework I have also tried using the latest photo shop programme to edit some of my pictures. I have also downloaded fonts from www.dafont.com to produce a better looking music magazine. Personally I feel the fonts have contributed quite a lot towards my coursework, as I think the font I have used throughout the pages is attractive and eye-catching, I have tried not to use too complicated fonts where there are bits coming out and hanging down, I have tried to keep it easy for the target audience to look at and read comfortably.
I have enjoyed making this and I have tried to see from the audience's point, whereas I would like to pay for a music magazine which I would enjoy and knowing it is not just a waste of money. I have shown all of these to a focus group and their comments are:-
• It’s attention- grabbing
• They like the middle-spread the most out of the three
• Like the overall layout
• Like all the images in place
Framing and composition are all about arranging the subject of the image. Images are one of the most important thing in print production, as all images have to be original, I have used a digital camera to take different shots from different angle, and I have also managed to use photo editing programmes to modify pictures, I feel the pictures I have produced and developed are appropriate for my magazine. Most of the pictures I have included in my magazine have been adjusted, crop and edited, as this would hopefully lends to better quality of images. I choose to take images in various angles, as the image I have used for the front cover which I took was done as a high angle to suggest a positive image rather than a negative one.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
During this project I have learned more about the music industry and media, just a tiny magazine can provide a lot of information which not all magazines have, such as some in depth interviews on artists and exclusive news on specific artists. I was lucky enough to look at and did some research on a few magazines which already exist and have helped me get ideas of what should be included and how to lay them out, which kind of cover lines would attract target audiences. There are different magazines for different genres of music, I have also learned how to make it more professional and also what kind of photography should be included in certain genres of magazine.
After looking back at my preliminary task, I feel I have improved a lot in terms of the lay-out, programmes I have used to edit photos on, the fonts and colour scheme. I have also understood what should be and should not be included in the magazine I am producing, such as anything to do with classical music should not be in the magazine as it is not that genre and I am not aiming for that type of audience. I have to state it clearly by using the language and how I style and lay-out the magazine.
Also I have improved on the images I have used in my main task from those that I used on my preliminary task. On my main task I have considered the rule of thirds in the images I have used on the double page spread, this is where the frame is divided into nine imaginary sections and this is when the object occurs at 1/3 or 2/3 of the frame, when the main line of interest is the line going through the eyes.
Looking at and comparing my two tasks, there is a clear difference in reaching the different target audiences. On my preliminary task’s front cover and contents page, as I am producing it for a school, I have kept the colouring pale and light, so that it could be easy to read and also could sell to both genders.
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Main Task- My final draft for the contents page
My focus groups’ comments:-
• Like the image being put on the side
• Its professional
• Like the way the page is lay-out
• Fonts are special and easy to look at
This is my final draft of the contents page and personally I think it looks better and more professional compare to the first draft, there is not man little pictures that goes with each page but I have included a little paragraph for each under the titles and again I have used the same artist as the front cover and middle spread, I tried to like it all together, therefore it would look much more realistic.
My focus groups’ comments:-
• Like the image being put on the side
• Its professional
• Like the way the page is lay-out
• Fonts are special and easy to look at
Main Task- First draft for my Contents Page
This is my first draft of the contents page and it looks quite simple compare to the other music magazines, there is not much going on and I tried to focus it all to the front cover artist who I am interviewing for the middle spread page, however, my focus groups’ comments are really positive. My focus groups’ comments:-
• Like the background image
• Like the way the page is lay-out
• Page 12 and 15 have the same article
Friday, 23 April 2010
Main Task- Researches on contents page
These are the two contents page I have looked at, and overall I like both of them, I like the way “Q” have kind of based this issue on Cheryl Cole, they have used a close-up picture of her for the Front Cover and the double-spread, and there is also a full-body picture of her for the contents page.
For this contents page, “Q” has a few attracting pictures and there are also page numbers for the cover lines and a little paragraph, just enough information for readers to get interested in.
On the other hand, “MOJO” only have a background image, instead of little tiny pictures; same as “Q” there are description about each cover lines and page number, it is plain compare to the “Q” but it does look attractive.
These are the two contents page I have looked at, and overall I like both of them, I like the way “Q” have kind of based this issue on Cheryl Cole, they have used a close-up picture of her for the Front Cover and the double-spread, and there is also a full-body picture of her for the contents page.
For this contents page, “Q” has a few attracting pictures and there are also page numbers for the cover lines and a little paragraph, just enough information for readers to get interested in.
On the other hand, “MOJO” only have a background image, instead of little tiny pictures; same as “Q” there are description about each cover lines and page number, it is plain compare to the “Q” but it does look attractive.
Thursday, 22 April 2010
Main Task- Final Draft for my Music Magazine
This is my final draft of my middle spread for my magazine, I am happy about it and also I have tried to improve from the focus group’s comments and that I have also removed all the line around the text box and make it more professional and also I have asked some of my teachers to look at it and checked my use of grammars.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
