After thinking about the cover shoot In did for the preliminary task (school magazine) I have been much more aware and considerate of the kind of shot that would be suitable for the music magazine.
For the school cover shoot it took roughly 10-15 minutes to get a decent shot, whereas the music cover shoot took much longer so from the time it took to get the shot alone shows how much effort and thoughour thinking it took. Finding the right images proved to be the most difficult out of the project and by doing so I've learnt that it is not as easy to create cover shots. Even after taking the shot it takes more time to edit and adjust it so the image will be suitable for both cover and feature article page.
Since the preliminary task I haven't used any other different piece of technology or software as the process was similar however by doing the music task, I proved to use these technologies and software more effectively to produce better results.
In terms of layout, I made sure I followed the magazine convention better and I included more puffs and text than I did for the school task.
Compared to the school article I feel that the music article was much more interactive. It gave a sense that I was with the artist and getting to know her whereas the other article was more about advice and the only interaction I included was an image of a volunteer. I've also learnt how to structure and present a feature article better and how to arrange images which would look suitable. I've also learnt to write more entertainingly and learnt to use puns to engage the reader/audience which is something I definatly did not do in the preliminary and which I believe has been a progression
What i've learnt from the previous AS is to establish a clean, clear and structured house style and theme. I realised that I did not have enough content and my layout was weak. This time I chose a certain magazine (NME special edition) and followed that ayout closely whilst also putting my own ideas in. Overall I do find that my second attempt was far better but by doing the first magazine, it enabled me to review my mistakes and learn through this progression.
Monday, 7 November 2011
Q. What have you learnt about technologies?
The main software I used to construct the magazine was Microsoft Powerpoint which seems to be unusual for some but I found it to be very easy as I was comfortable with the software and it seemed to have more useful features and options.
However, I did also make use of Fireworks for my images as I had to crop around them. Before doing this project I had never used or even knew of the magic wand tool which is used to crop around an object. By doing this project I was introduced to that feature.
However, I did also make use of Fireworks for my images as I had to crop around them. Before doing this project I had never used or even knew of the magic wand tool which is used to crop around an object. By doing this project I was introduced to that feature.
Q. How did you attract/address your audiences?
ColoursI used a very subtle red, while and black colour scheme and used the red to make the cover eye catching. The black and white helps make the cover stylish and in some way classy. Very appropriate for a special edition issue.
Fonts
The font is fairly basic.The main concern was whether it was readable and worked with various sizes and colours. Certain peices of text such as the artist's name was noticably different to add intrest and edge. For the title I used a basic shape font but the effect on the font interested me. It had a decay, crumbly style effect which could emphasis the artists 'break-though' into the music industry. I also used the 'impact' font for the puffs to keep it from being too basic whilst keeping it readable.
Images/mise-en-scene
The image is not too different form what a real magazine would do and works well with the genre of the magazine and can relate to the readers in terms of style.
Language
The language I used was quite informal but not so much that I used slang which would help relate to my audience and show the type of audience I want to attract.
In the contents page, rather than simply stating the topic of each page I tried to make it sound more interesting such as 'Picnic with Ellie Goulding' which shows quirky-ness and fun.
Now with the feature article I tried a pun, to incoopriate asian into sensation to add to the humour. I am pleased to say that it did work as I got much positive feedback. From this the artice title was the second most difficult task I faced but I am happy I got there in the end.
I also upt a sort of pun with the anchoring text (SHHpecial), linking it with my image
Fonts
The font is fairly basic.The main concern was whether it was readable and worked with various sizes and colours. Certain peices of text such as the artist's name was noticably different to add intrest and edge. For the title I used a basic shape font but the effect on the font interested me. It had a decay, crumbly style effect which could emphasis the artists 'break-though' into the music industry. I also used the 'impact' font for the puffs to keep it from being too basic whilst keeping it readable.
Images/mise-en-scene
The image is not too different form what a real magazine would do and works well with the genre of the magazine and can relate to the readers in terms of style.
Language
The language I used was quite informal but not so much that I used slang which would help relate to my audience and show the type of audience I want to attract.
In the contents page, rather than simply stating the topic of each page I tried to make it sound more interesting such as 'Picnic with Ellie Goulding' which shows quirky-ness and fun.
Now with the feature article I tried a pun, to incoopriate asian into sensation to add to the humour. I am pleased to say that it did work as I got much positive feedback. From this the artice title was the second most difficult task I faced but I am happy I got there in the end.
I also upt a sort of pun with the anchoring text (SHHpecial), linking it with my image
Q. Who would be your media audiences and why?
AgeIdeally the age range for my magazine would be between 15-25 max. The reason I have 15 as my minimum age is because younger ages are exposed to more mainstream music and at this age they would be exploring other options.
Gender
I find that this magazine is pointing towards a more female audience and some of the things i've included in my contents such as 'fashion' does not relate to boys, however this does not restrict them from reading the articles but the majority of audiences would be female.
Race/ethnicityAfter looking at magazines such as NME and Kerrang, I have found that they do not feature much multicultural bands/artists and by having my main feature revolving around the ethnicity of the upcoming artist, I would like my readers to be multicultural. As well as indie music, the magazine will also focus on incorporating world music.
LifestyleAs the age range of my target audience is still quite young they would still be in some form of education whether it is secondary, college/sixth form or university. Being socially active would be important and also image. Music would be a huge part of my target audiences lifestyle which could include money spent on audio devices, CDs/downloads, merchandise and gigs/music events.
Gender
I find that this magazine is pointing towards a more female audience and some of the things i've included in my contents such as 'fashion' does not relate to boys, however this does not restrict them from reading the articles but the majority of audiences would be female.
Race/ethnicityAfter looking at magazines such as NME and Kerrang, I have found that they do not feature much multicultural bands/artists and by having my main feature revolving around the ethnicity of the upcoming artist, I would like my readers to be multicultural. As well as indie music, the magazine will also focus on incorporating world music.
LifestyleAs the age range of my target audience is still quite young they would still be in some form of education whether it is secondary, college/sixth form or university. Being socially active would be important and also image. Music would be a huge part of my target audiences lifestyle which could include money spent on audio devices, CDs/downloads, merchandise and gigs/music events.
Q. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
As the genre of my magazine is indie I feel that it would be best if it was also an independent publishing. Indie music represents ambition and success without the need of major companies who take most control in that artists work and so I would like my magazine to be successful in it's own terms without having a big publishing house to sell it for me.
In order to do this i'll need to thouroughly research my target market more than I did for this project. I'll also need to gain better knowledge of the topic/genre of the magazine if i'm to truly relate to my readers. To enable to get this to my potential readers I would firstly advertise it via the internet as it proves to be more effective. Promote through sites such as social networking (facebook fan pages), chat rooms, blogs and of course producing a website. Then I would distribute my magazine I would mail copies around, local newstands, shops and supermarkets.
To encourage the repretation of the magazine I would hand out promotion/sample copies and also organise a magazine launch party.
I'd also seek out new musicians or artists and organise free gigs which will appease my target audience and also help promote new talent as well as my publication.
In order to do this i'll need to thouroughly research my target market more than I did for this project. I'll also need to gain better knowledge of the topic/genre of the magazine if i'm to truly relate to my readers. To enable to get this to my potential readers I would firstly advertise it via the internet as it proves to be more effective. Promote through sites such as social networking (facebook fan pages), chat rooms, blogs and of course producing a website. Then I would distribute my magazine I would mail copies around, local newstands, shops and supermarkets.
To encourage the repretation of the magazine I would hand out promotion/sample copies and also organise a magazine launch party.
I'd also seek out new musicians or artists and organise free gigs which will appease my target audience and also help promote new talent as well as my publication.
Q. How does your media product represent social groups?
The social groups that are represented within my magazines are young people making their way through the music industry.
The particular social group that this magazine is aimed at are those who have an apprecation for inependent artists.
The indie representation in my magazine are represented as highy ambitious, independent individuals. The physical image is similar in terms of styling and choice of clothing whcih I have incoopriated with my cover model after researching indie style. I noticed that indie artists wore bright, block colours, skinnies, dresses and boyish, lace-up shoes and this is exactly what I did in my magazine. On the cover she is wearing a dress to show feminity but also opts for skinny trousers and a shirt to represent that she can go out into the world and do what she loves.
This is also an inspirational peice especially for young females and to encourage them to follow their ambitions.
The particular social group that this magazine is aimed at are those who have an apprecation for inependent artists.
The indie representation in my magazine are represented as highy ambitious, independent individuals. The physical image is similar in terms of styling and choice of clothing whcih I have incoopriated with my cover model after researching indie style. I noticed that indie artists wore bright, block colours, skinnies, dresses and boyish, lace-up shoes and this is exactly what I did in my magazine. On the cover she is wearing a dress to show feminity but also opts for skinny trousers and a shirt to represent that she can go out into the world and do what she loves.
This is also an inspirational peice especially for young females and to encourage them to follow their ambitions.
Q. in what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Layout
I feel as though my magazine is quite conventional as I followed the special edition issue closely and although some of the layout is different, it does follow the basic convention rules such as the anchoring text, linking colours on text and props. Another thing I did was to ensure that I had the Z shaped layout which is conventional in most magazines to help lead the readers eyes across the whole page.
With all magazines such as NME, their house colour scheme is red, white, black and yellow. This type of colour scheme is common within indie and rock magazines. I felt it was necessary to follow this cheme as well but the way I carried it off was different.
Also within actual magazines, the publishers tend to match parts of the model to the text (colour of lips, eye makeup, certain peices of clothing, etc) and as my cover was purely black and white, I would have had to pick out a colour to work with and so I picked out the red in the lips and bracelet and made that my on-going colour scheme. This is similar to what was done on the NME cover. They used pink this time and obtained the colour from her lips and tips of her nails. Blue is also incoorpriated but not seen in text.
Editing contents
For the contents, I swapped the subscribe section and enlarged it to fill the page a bit more. I understand that this is not my strongest page but I worked on my feedback and ensured that it was better than my previous attempts.
I made sure I used a variety of fonts to break up the continuity and presented more colours as the cover lacked a range.
Friday, 4 November 2011
More puffs
I've added a few more puffs on the right hand side, leaving the left side clean as I dont want to clutter the cover.
I've also changed the font of the quote to 'Gills Sans Ultra Bold Condensed' in order to make it more readable.
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