Evaluationby Amy Sheldon

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

1. Does it follow the codes and conventions of magazine layout?My media product conforms the rule of thirds and challenges the Gutenburg Diagram. I have only used a couple of rules from the Gutenburg diagram, such as placing the logo/title in the top left corner of each page. On the front cover there is also an instance where I used a Gutenburg Diagram rule which was not adding information into one of the ‘dead corners’ of the page layout, (bottom left & top right corner). I have used the rule of thirds to layout my cover lines in the outer-two columns of the page to further conform to the rule of thirds. This makes it look professional because most magazines that you’d pick up use this layout. 2. In terms of layout, how have you used conventions?In terms of layout I have placed the barcode on my front cover in the right bottom corner which is conventional for most magazines and the Gutenburg Diagram. I have laid out my cover lines in the outer-two columns of the page. I laid the cover lines over the main front cover image because that’s what I found to be conventional for most magazine covers. I have laid out all my pages into columns to be conventional with most other types of magazine layouts. This layout technique makes the pages look professional and makes them easy/familiar to navigate around. The masthead/dateline are at the top of the page, I felt it was a must if I wanted the front cover to look as conventional as it could. I have used the byline in my feature article at the end of the introductory paragraph to make the article more informal/chatty. I used the sub-heading for my feature article in the mast head at the top of the page. I wanted to make it look like the “meet & greet” feature was a monthly feature in the magazine therefore the only title I needed was of the artist’s name of whom I was interviewing, which I think subverts conventions. I have over laid the copy on the front cover over the main image which is generally a massive magazine convention. I haven’t used that many images in/on my magazine because I wanted the big main images to have a dramatic impact on the reader, I thought about the shots/angles I used so I didn’t want the drama of the image content to have it’s thunder stolen; so to speak.Of the products I have researched the main similar magazine to my product is ‘Vibe’ magazine. It has a similar genre to my magazine so that’s why I centred my research around a lot of the page designs because it is a successful American magazine for the mutual genres.

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

I have only used a couple of rules from the Gutenberg diagram, such as placing the logo/title in the top left corner of each page. On the front cover there is also an instance where I used a Gutenberg Diagram rule which was not adding information into one of the ‘dead corners’ of the page layout, (bottom left & top right corner). I have used the rule of thirds to layout my cover lines in the outer-two columns of the page to further conform to the rule of thirds.

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

Masthead

Title/Logo

Dateline

Cover lines

Headline/Caption

Barcode

Main Image

Mise-en-SceneThe image has been taken as a medium camera shot and has been manipulated to add drama to the image in terms of colouration and contrast. I took this image on a white background so the tone of a slight grey shadow is incorporated in the background, but adds definition to the image even in greyscale. The dramatic expression of the girl grabs the audiences’ attention. It also addresses, stereotypically younger audiences because the image connotes that the girl as being rebellious, loud, dominant and almost aggressive; like she’s trying to break through a mould of what young females used to be expected to be like. I went for a gold/white/black colour scheme/house style because I wanted the magazine to sell the idea of success and money which is what young up-and-coming artists are mostly aiming for these days, and I think it does this successfully.Mode of AddressThe front cover addresses the audience/is appealing because, like I wrote before, it breaks the stereotypes of how young women are meant to be seen in today’s society, the ‘girly’ stereotype you could say. The negative connotations of this image are probably addressed by people who still believe in a patriarchal society and don’t want to see women as powerful or successful, which is what this main image connotes.

2. How does your Media Product represent particular Social Groups?

My media product subverts stereotypes of young people. The general stereotype of the 16-24’s or below age group is that they’re miserable, maybe involved in gang culture, ASBO’s, and lazy etc. This social group is represented totally different in my magazine images and language from other media products, like tabloid newspapers for example. I have tried to break these stereotypes. Starting with the images, I have made sure that the girl I have used is suitably fully-clothed which breaks the mould of girls in magazines having to wear little or no clothing to sell a magazine. This tells girls out there that you don’t have to wear little clothing to get into a magazine, so this is a positive message. I have used a soft colour scheme which again softens people’s expectations of the image of this girl who is making a name for herself, sending a positive message. The medium shot of Melody on the front cover suggests that she is strong and is making a stand on the page because the mise-en-scene is so dramatic because of her facial expression and the props used in the image to make her look like she’s escaping a stereotype of being changed and made to look like everyone else wants her to: to break the mould, which is a very positive message to young girls out there who shouldn’t have to change themselves.

2. How does your Media Product represent particular Social Groups?

The language I used in my music magazine also has a massive effect on the way the social group of young people is viewed. I have represented her as a successful young girl who is really motivated for such a young age which I think will shed light on people’s views about teenagers being lazy and lacking in ambition. The fact that this 18 year old is establishing herself in an industry filled with mostly men breaks another stereotype of women not being able to work and should stay at home cooking etc. I have represented Melody as unstoppable in the music industry, but not an extreme feminist. The language and images I have used represent her as a normal 18 year old, wearing normal clothes and just being a good person. This I hope, would inspire lots of young people who don’t think they can make a life for themselves because they aren’t ‘special’ or whatever. But Melody is just a normal teenager with a talent and is making a name for herself, which young people and artists should aspire to, to not have to change yourself.

3. What kind of media institution might distributeyour media product and why?

According to paidContent:UK  :“the UK’s top-selling 100 magazines lost 17 percent of their active sales between 2000 and 2009. That’s 10 million fewer copies being sold in ‘09 than at the start of the decade.”

This and the descending graph, show that the print media industry is under threat presumably because of the growth of internet use and the recession. People can get the same information in the magazines, cheaper on the internet at their fingertips, without having to go out and buy a copy. This is a real shame and poses a massive threat to the industry.

3. What kind of media institution might distributeyour media product and why?

PromotionMy music magazine could be promoted on the television, on the radio, on the internet in promotional advertisement banners, on a specific website that would be created for the magazine because I researched and a lot of magazines like Vibe (which was one of my main inspirations) have a website. I could perhaps create a viral video that would be sent out via email or on YouTube. The social networking boom of the last 10 years has made websites like Facebook a main advertising target because over 500 million people use it worldwide. Therefore, with this useful knowledge at hand I could create a Facebook page for my magazine and pay for it to be featured on people’s advertising banners on their profiles, which in time would create a massive buzz and the magazine would make more money in sales. Also, I have recently been using the music player application Spotify, and unless people pay for the premium and use it for the free 20 hours of music for a month, they have to listen to the advertisements. This could be a very useful tool in getting my new music magazine promoted, especially to those who listen to music and have a keen interest in the genre.

3. What kind of media institution might distributeyour media product and why?

Publishing This is the company overview of the publishing company that publishes Vibe Magazine which was my main inspiration in my research:

“Intermedia Vibe Holdings, LLC publishes magazines and digital content related to hip-hop generation. The company offers news, music, movies/TV shows, photos, videos, and blogs related to hip-hop. Its publications provide urban music, entertainment, culture, and lifestyle content for aspirational ageing from 18 to 34. The company was founded in 1993 and is based in New York, New York. Intermedia Vibe Holdings, LLC is a prior subsidiary of uVuMobile, Inc.”

I think this publishing company would be ideal for my music magazine. The company only publishes Vibe Magazine and because my magazine is similar in genre and style to Vibe magazine I think it would be good for the connections. The publishers at LLC would make SUB another competitor to compete amongst the other big magazines like XXL and The Source who are the other main competitors in this genre.

SellingI think the best time for the magazine to be released would be around March/April time, because people will have made their money and rekindled their bank accounts from Christmas. Spring time will be the time where the target demographic will be getting excited about Music Festivals to-come in the Summer and will be excited about the live acts that will be playing. So that should attract some interest to SUB magazine because of the specialist content that tell the readers about festivals to do with the genre and the big artists that will be at Glastonbury etc.

4. Who would be the audience for your mediaproduct?

My Target AudienceMy audience is mostly young people aged 16-24 who like reading music magazines, are interested in R&B/Hip-pop/Grime music and like going to festivals/gigs. I think my audience is working to middle class because most people I asked said they would pay £0-£4 for a music magazine. I think the magazine targets the socio-economic groups of C1, C2, D and E because I think the wealthier people in groups such as group A or B maybe in a higher social class and weren’t brought up around hip-pop music, which I know is a stereotype of the higher classes, but originally, the grime scene was big amongst the working classes and street scenes which doesn’t really make the magazine appealing to the higher classes I don’t think. I would say that my audience is a niche one because people who aren’t that interested in the genre would get information off the internet instead of buying a magazine.

My Secondary AudienceI think my secondary audience are a older than my initial student-based audience. I would say my secondary audience are young professionals, maybe starting their careers and starting a family, aged 25-35 who still like this music genre from their youth/childhood. I think the social economic groups go higher up the scales this time, definitely the B group and maybe edging into the A bracket as well. These male or female people with probably be interested in more mainstream music genre’s too like Rock and chart music.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

I have used language in my music magazine feature article that will hopefully appeal to my target audience. I have used phrases that my audience will find easy to relate to, like “converse and back-pack wearing teenager”. I used this to represent my made up artist “Melody”, as a normal everyday teenager living her dream. I think that this is appealing to my target audience because hopefully, they’ll be inspired to persevere because she’s seems as normal as they are. I have used another quote that I think will keep spirits high despite high youth unemployment figures. I used “Never give up. I believe we all make our own luck”, because of the troubled times we live in, I think it’s appropriate.

6. What have you learnt about technologies fromthe process of constructing this product?

Original

Finished Edit

6. What have you learnt about technologies fromthe process of constructing this product?

Using Layers Using Levels

I used layers on Adobe Photoshop so I could see the difference between the effects I was using, so I could decide if anything was too over-the-top or didn’t add to the image.

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feelyou have learned in the progression from it to the full

task?

Research skills and Codes & ConventionsI think my research skills have improved massively since the preliminary task. I now have more knowledge about magazine conventions and when those conventions have been subverted or conformed. I have used this new knowledge of magazine layout conventions to construct my music magazine ‘SUB’. As you can see, the difference between the magazine layout’s is great. My preliminary task of the College magazine looks much more amateur than the than the music magazine on the right. There is much less white space in/on the music magazine which makes the music magazine look much more professional, sophisticated and appealing to my audience. The more there looks on/in a magazine, the more likely, I have found, that it will sell more copies. I can think of exceptions for this point, but in this case I find it to be true.

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feelyou have learned in the progression from it to the full

task?

Questioning styleMy questioning style has been consistently quantative throughout the process of the two projects because I have mainly used multiple-choice questions. I then used the data to make statistics and went with either, the most popular option and/or the one I wanted to use. So my question style hasn’t really developed that much in terms of questioning style, but I would say that my questioning style has changed in terms of what statistics I chose to take from the questionnaire results. I wouldn’t say that I completely disregarded my peers’ choices, but I definitely kept them as a high priority when I decided what I chose to do. In the long run, I went with what I thought was best in terms of suiting the genre, if the questionnaire results weren’t decisive.

Preliminary Task Questionnaire Music Magazine Questionnaire