Friday, 24 March 2017
Thursday, 23 March 2017
Evaluation Question 6
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have learned a lot about constructing this product, I've learned a lot about photography and Photoshop and how to use each of these technologies to make an effective media product.
Photography
I hadn't spent much time developing my photography skills before starting this project so my understanding of how a DSLR camera works was limited. One of the things I learned about was the cameras aperture, what is was and how it works. I was able to adjust this in my preliminary project to create a blurred background and a focused foreground. I had also learned about the shutter speed and ISO but didn't feel like I needed to adjust these as I wasn't taking pictures in low light or of moving objects.
Another thing I learned about was the importance of camera angles. I had used a bad camera angle for the cover image of my preliminary project which makes the picture come across as confusing, I then learned from my mistake and used a camera angle to my advantage in my actual cover image.This knowledge will be useful in future as I would say that I now have a moderate understanding of DSLR cameras and photography.
Another thing I learned about was the importance of camera angles. I had used a bad camera angle for the cover image of my preliminary project which makes the picture come across as confusing, I then learned from my mistake and used a camera angle to my advantage in my actual cover image.This knowledge will be useful in future as I would say that I now have a moderate understanding of DSLR cameras and photography.
I had used Photoshop before but I would have still considered my self as inexperienced. I have learned new things in Photoshop as well as building on my current knowledge and understanding of the software. I have build on my understanding on tools such as the lasso and magic wand tool, and basic effects like text manipulation and drop shadow. All these tool became most useful when I was constructing my double page spread article because i had to remove the background and put in my own.
One new skill I learned was how to change the contrast and colour levels of a picture. I did this to make the pictures on the contents page look brighter and more colourful to match the colour scheme on the page.
I also learned how to add more blur to pictures using the blur tool and effects. I used to the blur tool to soften the edges of things like the models hair in front of the masthead. I did this because using the lasso tool and magic wand tool leaves harsh edges to pictures and makes them look unprofessional. Blurring the edges makes the picture more natural and is hardly noticed when used in moderation.
Overall I have learned how to make more than one technology work together to create a good media product. Using good Photography skills and Photoshop skills together make for a very good looking final product rather than just using one or the other. If I where to do anything different I would try to incorporate even more technologies into my media product to try and make it as professional looking as possible.
Tuesday, 21 March 2017
Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Evaluation Question 4
My media product would be for males in the age bracket of 17-27. I made a profile for the type of person my magazine was aimed at here.
Friday, 10 February 2017
Evaluation Question 3
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
There are two different media institutions I would choose to distribute my music magazine, one being Time Inc. and the other being Bauer Media. Both are big companies that publish a very large selection of magazines.
Time Inc.
Time Inc exclusively publishes magazines, it has over 100 titles to its name including People, Time, Life, Woman's Weekly and many many more. It also owns the NME magazine which has had a heavy influence on the design and planning of my magazine.
Bauer Media
Bauer Media is part of Europe's biggest publishing company. It publishes over 300 magazines in dozens of countries as well as owing other forms of media such as TV and radio. Some of its publications include Empire, Grazia and closer. Bauer also publishes a lot of popular music magazines including Mojo, Q and Kerrang. These magazines are all very successful and popular in the UK.
I could choose Time Inc to distribute my magazine as it publishes a range of magazines popular with my target readership such as the NME. However the NME had to be re-branded to keep it selling, although this was a great move from Time as it kept the magazine alive, it may suggest that Time will not be able to reach all of my target readership and therefore keep my magazine in print.
Bauer on the other hand have over 300 publications to its name which suggest that it has the stability and experience to keep my magazine alive. It also publishes Mojo and Q which have very similar target readerships to my magazine. This would give me confidence that Bauer could reach my target readership as it has already demonstrated this with two existing magazines.
Overall I would choose Time Inc to distribute my magazine. I came to this decision because I decided that the readership profile of my magazine was too similar to Q and Mojo. Although Bauer has a significantly larger portfolio than Time I thought that the fact that it already had two magazines similar to mine would negatively affect my magazine as Bauer has already reached into my target market. However Time on the other hand, currently doesn't print any magazines like mine. This could potentially make my publication very successful as I could possibly use Time to appeal to the NME's readership as well as appeal to Q and Mojo's readership. I feel like if i gave Amped to Bauer media it would be overlooked whereas at Time it would be focused on and made successful.
There are two different media institutions I would choose to distribute my music magazine, one being Time Inc. and the other being Bauer Media. Both are big companies that publish a very large selection of magazines.
Time Inc exclusively publishes magazines, it has over 100 titles to its name including People, Time, Life, Woman's Weekly and many many more. It also owns the NME magazine which has had a heavy influence on the design and planning of my magazine.
Bauer Media is part of Europe's biggest publishing company. It publishes over 300 magazines in dozens of countries as well as owing other forms of media such as TV and radio. Some of its publications include Empire, Grazia and closer. Bauer also publishes a lot of popular music magazines including Mojo, Q and Kerrang. These magazines are all very successful and popular in the UK.
I could choose Time Inc to distribute my magazine as it publishes a range of magazines popular with my target readership such as the NME. However the NME had to be re-branded to keep it selling, although this was a great move from Time as it kept the magazine alive, it may suggest that Time will not be able to reach all of my target readership and therefore keep my magazine in print.
Bauer on the other hand have over 300 publications to its name which suggest that it has the stability and experience to keep my magazine alive. It also publishes Mojo and Q which have very similar target readerships to my magazine. This would give me confidence that Bauer could reach my target readership as it has already demonstrated this with two existing magazines.
Overall I would choose Time Inc to distribute my magazine. I came to this decision because I decided that the readership profile of my magazine was too similar to Q and Mojo. Although Bauer has a significantly larger portfolio than Time I thought that the fact that it already had two magazines similar to mine would negatively affect my magazine as Bauer has already reached into my target market. However Time on the other hand, currently doesn't print any magazines like mine. This could potentially make my publication very successful as I could possibly use Time to appeal to the NME's readership as well as appeal to Q and Mojo's readership. I feel like if i gave Amped to Bauer media it would be overlooked whereas at Time it would be focused on and made successful.
Evaluation Question 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My finished magazine follows many conventions typical of music magazines such as the NME or Q. For example I used a bold masthead with a unique font, this was inspired by the Rollingstone magazine. I used Rollingstone as inspiration for my masthead because the magazines readership closely matched my target audience of young adult and adult males. Therefore I decided that the type of masthead Rollingstone uses would best suit my magazine.
I also used a simple colour scheme of under 4 colours for a minimalist style. This was inspired by magazines such as the NME and Q. Q uses a very minimalist style on its covers which makes it easy for readers to read and gather information from. However Q also includes quirky cover lines to advertise articles. I used a very bold cover line to advertise my featured article, I did this because the band I created 'Johnny Jet' was created to appeal heavily to my target audience. By using such a bold cover line Johnny Jet becomes obviously featured and advertised on the cover and therefore should attract more of my target readership.
My cover image somewhat challenges traditional music magazine conventions as it is a low angled full body shot of my band and is not taken in a studio setting. Most cover images are a mid-shot or close up of an artist or band in a studio setting. I did this because I wanted to communicate the bands attitude to the readers. The scruffy wall and the low angle shot I've used make the band seem more rough and defiant. They are staring directly into the camera, this direct address makes the image more personal to the readers as it is like the band are looking directly at them making them want to read the article however the low angle shot makes this eye contact seem very challenging and adds to the defiant feel of the picture. Making the band look defiant should attract my audience as I'm trying to attract young adults who are renowned for being rebellious and defiant therefore making Johnny Jet like this will make my cover appeal more to my target readership.
I tried to make my double page spread look less traditional, I did this by writing the article around the image rather than having one space for the image, and one for the text. I did this because, again, i wanted the band to be the biggest focus on the page. My article fills the space around the image, it doesn't draw the readers eyes away from the image. However my double page spread is not entirely un-conventional as I used some features that are commonly seen in other double page spread articles. For example I used a large pull quote at the top of the page that briefly describes the content of the article, this is a common convention used in music magazines as it gives the reader all the information about the article before they decide if they want to read it. It also acts like a masthead or title for the article and gives the page an ordered layout.
My contents page is very conventional, I decided to make it more conventional than my other pages because I felt that the contents page should be clear to understand and ordered. I achieved this effect by making the page numbers big and easy to read, I also broke the page up with red boxes which makes it very easy for readers to identify different sections of information. Furthermore I separated the text and the images onto different sides of the page, this not only makes it easy for the readers to look at but draws more focus to the images. The fact that they are against a red background makes them stand out to the rest of the white page.
Overall I think that I have made my music magazine fairly conventional, however I have added enough un-conventional twist to keep it fresh and interesting.
My finished magazine follows many conventions typical of music magazines such as the NME or Q. For example I used a bold masthead with a unique font, this was inspired by the Rollingstone magazine. I used Rollingstone as inspiration for my masthead because the magazines readership closely matched my target audience of young adult and adult males. Therefore I decided that the type of masthead Rollingstone uses would best suit my magazine.
I also used a simple colour scheme of under 4 colours for a minimalist style. This was inspired by magazines such as the NME and Q. Q uses a very minimalist style on its covers which makes it easy for readers to read and gather information from. However Q also includes quirky cover lines to advertise articles. I used a very bold cover line to advertise my featured article, I did this because the band I created 'Johnny Jet' was created to appeal heavily to my target audience. By using such a bold cover line Johnny Jet becomes obviously featured and advertised on the cover and therefore should attract more of my target readership.
My cover image somewhat challenges traditional music magazine conventions as it is a low angled full body shot of my band and is not taken in a studio setting. Most cover images are a mid-shot or close up of an artist or band in a studio setting. I did this because I wanted to communicate the bands attitude to the readers. The scruffy wall and the low angle shot I've used make the band seem more rough and defiant. They are staring directly into the camera, this direct address makes the image more personal to the readers as it is like the band are looking directly at them making them want to read the article however the low angle shot makes this eye contact seem very challenging and adds to the defiant feel of the picture. Making the band look defiant should attract my audience as I'm trying to attract young adults who are renowned for being rebellious and defiant therefore making Johnny Jet like this will make my cover appeal more to my target readership.
I tried to make my double page spread look less traditional, I did this by writing the article around the image rather than having one space for the image, and one for the text. I did this because, again, i wanted the band to be the biggest focus on the page. My article fills the space around the image, it doesn't draw the readers eyes away from the image. However my double page spread is not entirely un-conventional as I used some features that are commonly seen in other double page spread articles. For example I used a large pull quote at the top of the page that briefly describes the content of the article, this is a common convention used in music magazines as it gives the reader all the information about the article before they decide if they want to read it. It also acts like a masthead or title for the article and gives the page an ordered layout.
My contents page is very conventional, I decided to make it more conventional than my other pages because I felt that the contents page should be clear to understand and ordered. I achieved this effect by making the page numbers big and easy to read, I also broke the page up with red boxes which makes it very easy for readers to identify different sections of information. Furthermore I separated the text and the images onto different sides of the page, this not only makes it easy for the readers to look at but draws more focus to the images. The fact that they are against a red background makes them stand out to the rest of the white page.
Overall I think that I have made my music magazine fairly conventional, however I have added enough un-conventional twist to keep it fresh and interesting.
Thursday, 9 February 2017
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