Evaluation

Evaluation to Media Coursework

by: Andrew Keller

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

I have created my music magazine's front cover, contents page and double page spread by looking at other current chart/pop magazines for insipiration. As there is not a wide variety of pop magazines out presently, I have also took inspiration from other magazines which border the pop genre; such as a dance magazine, which has a small focus on pop.

For my front cover I used three magazines as my inspiration. These magazines were: Vibe; Rave; and Top of the Pops. Each magazine covers a different area in pop music, e.g. Top of the Pops is directed towards younger readers as it ultises loud and bright colours, such as pink and violet; Rave magazine borders the pop and dance genres; and Vibe magazine borders pop and urban/rhymthic music. For my magazine I will be using the same colour scheme which is used on Top of the Pops magazine - this is loud, bright, and bold colours.

The contents pages which I have took

inspiration from our Vibe magazine and

Top of the Pops magazine. The magazines are

both good at using bright colours which are

attractive to their target audience. The

target audience is normally young people, so

the images used are generally of a fun and

good nature.

For my double page spread I decided to do a common

theme by using an interview to fill the spread along with the photographs that accompany the text. Also on my double page spread, I have decided to include a 'side bar', which contains extra information for reference to the reader. In this case I have used a countdown of the UK's Top 7 songs.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product represents a social group of

up-to-date young people, who have disposable

pocket money, and their social life is one tweet,

status update or text away. It is a mainly female

demographic that my magazine is aimed towards,

but it could attract male readers with its colour

scheme of bright colours (my colour scheme is a

mix of black, white, lime green, and some pink for

the exclusive feature in the magazine, which is

Bonnie.

My magazine shows that my target audience want to have fun in their life. It show this through my colour scheme; and my choice of contents in the magazine - this includes the exclusive interviews with Britney Spears and my fictional character of Bonnie. Another way it attracts my target audience is through its use of incentives - £1000 cash, a trip to Los Angeles, and 2 free albums (Bonnie's and Britney's)

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

I have choosen Bauer Media as my media insitution to distribute my media product. I have choosen Bauer Media because they are a company which already has a wide selection of publications appealing to different target audiences. These target audiences include - adult males (for men's lifstyle magazines, and men's entertainment magazines - e.g. Empire, Mojo etc.); adult females (through magazines such as 'Closer' and 'Grazia'. Because of this wide selection and variety of audiences and magazine types, I have chosen Bauer Media as I believe that they could easily target another audience.

Who would be the audience

for your media product?

The target audience:

• 55% Female/45% Male
• Disposable pocket money for competitions
• Like to be connected to latest gossip
• Life is just a tweet, status update or text away
• Mainly a metropolitan audience as opposed to rural

How did you attract/address

your audiences?

I have attracted and addressed my audiences by using stars that my target audience would like to hear about. These stars include Britney Spears, and the fictional star of Bonnie. Also in the Contents page it talks about an exclusive talk with J-Lo because of her new single 'On the Floor' which was released a few months ago. All of these 'exclusive' chats with the stars connects with the target audience and allows the target audience to connect with the stars that are all big in popular culture. This is how I attract and address my audiences - through the magazine's content and through its graphology (colour, etc) which I have already discussed.

Looking back at your prelimary task, what do

you feel you have learnt in the progression

from it to the full product?

Looking back I think that I have progressed from my preliminary task in the creation of a college magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread. I have learnt how to cut things from photographs and also how to use different tools on Adobe Photoshop CS5, like the blemish tool and the marquee toll. Since the preliminary task, I have learnt how to change layers to photographs to make them look different and how to remove spots from people's faces. In my research and planning stage I got a picture of P!nk off the internet and managed to change it so that she was wearing no jewellry and had no spots in the second edited image.

In the creation of my front cover, contents page and double page spread I have learnt how to use computer software that I did not know how to use before. This piece of software being 'Adobe Photoshop CS5'. In Photoshop I have learnt how to cut around people, and move around layers to create a successful and professional-looking magazine. As well as Photoshop CS5, I also learnt how to use my camera for modelling purposes for the front cover, contents page and double page spread of my music magazine.

What have you learnt about technologies

from the process of constructing this

product?