Wednesday, 19 December 2012

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

After I completed my perlimonary task and now my main task I have learnt some new skills as well as developing some during the process of making my magazine.
During my work I have learnt that planning is a key part of designing and making the magazine. During my perlimonary task I did not plan very much and my time keeping was very bad. However Now that I have started my main task I have been able to keep to my timing using the time toast program in order to lay out what needs to be done when.
After looking at conventions of takeing an image for a magazine I have been able to take an image. In my prelimonary task I only used Photoshop to cut around the edge. However I have now used a camera to take a quality photo aposing conventions but making up for it in other ways and then using photoshop to change the whole style of an image from a red eyed bright image to a black and white clean image.
Before I completed my main task I had never used photo shop in my work. However when I stared my perlimonary task I learnt about how to use the basics of Photo shop in oreder to simple enlarge and cut out the image of the cover. Once I started the main task I felt more confident in using photo shop and after talking to more experienced peple and looking and videos, I was able to use more advanced techniques such as changing the colour, black and white, or vibrance if i chose to.
I also learnt how to use InDesign, this program was easy to use once I had used it in the perlimonary task and I learnt how to use some of the basic skills. However During the main task I have not expanded on my skills using InDesign but I was able to use the basics to my advantage and was able to making it look affective without making it complicated.
During this project I have learnt lots of new skills such as using Photoshop, InDesgin and prezi to display my work and i now use them for other things. This project has taught me about th abilites of different programs. These programs have allowed me to see how media resorces are developed to a basic degrea and has given me an insite into developig media products.
My targets were;
  • To thoroughly plan my work and what will be involved by time keeping and keeping to a schedule.
  • To be more creative about how my work is layed out and how I present it.
  • To look into anything I do not understand fully and ask questions about my work .
I beleave I have met my targets. I have planed all my work using Time Tosterbenifit my work and the way it looks to the audience. Finaly I have asked questions about the computer programs and any tasks that I dont fully un derstand and how to aproach work.

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


Monday, 17 December 2012

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

I had decided who my target audience was before I had made my magazine, they were ABC1 males with a minority of females and they are aged between 16-27. They were studying and still making a decision about life. They were also Aspirer and individualists/ non-conformists.
Now that I have made my magazine I have found that my target audience has not changed much. The magazine is now even more female orientated than before however as my audience are individualists they will eventually change that so that there are more female artists and as they will aspire I believe this will eventually change it completely to female orientated. I also believe that the audience are now more AB on the jicnar scale than before as they will like expensive branding but also the amount of money it will cost to travel to these gigs.

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

Thursday, 13 December 2012

How does your media product represent particular social groups

Throughout my magazine I have carefully considered the representation of different groups of people and decided whether to go against them or not. This will affect the way the audience look at the magazine as well as themselves. My magazine cover has some clear stereotypical conventions. The mast head is 'Vacant', this means to be free or unoccupied. To me this suggests that indie rock music and the groups associated with it are lade back and relaxed about life, however to other people who are not in these social groups could view them as slacking and not caring about there way of life. By having it the mast head written and rotated so it is vertical suggests that the social group reading this are individualists and like to be known as people who don't want to follow the crowd but be who or what they wish to be without being judged. It also suggests rebellion, by having the title 'the wrong way up' says that the indie rock group are trying to be different by pushing the bounders of right and wrong.
By linking the mast head to the image you create a stereotypical view that teenage boys are lazy or relaxed. The image is meant to represent its reader so that they can relate to the model.
The fact the model is male already suggests that the magazines audience are mainly male. The connotations of this are masculinity and power over women. However the body language of the model doesn't suggest masculinity, however the black and white shading highlights these features.The position he is sat in is not how anybody would normally sit in a chair, this would suggest that teenage boys are rebellious and going against the norms and values of society but also wanting to different.The models long hair goes against the stereotype of men as it should be short to define genders. However by having longer hair again suggests rebellion against society norms and values as well as being an individual.
The checked shirt suggests being in the wild and is a typical convention of a lumberjack. This also suggests that he is free do do as he pleases. Also the T shirt underneath has the symbol from the D.C comic Green Lantern and this would appeal to comic fans or stereotypical geeks. This would go against the stereotypical teenage boy image as they are viewed to be lazy but this would suggest intelligence but also an interest in comics.
 The magazines cover lines all suggest gigs, bands music and festivals. This would suggest that my audience are ABC1, as it costs around £140 for the tickets alone. however it would also show that they are loyal to there favorite bands and how much they really enjoy music.
In my magazine content page you will find one image of a female indie rock artist. This suggests that there is only a minority of female artists, however by having her face blurred out also suggest that they are not so important in the music industry and not as successful as male artists.
 The colours in the inside and content page are mainly black, red , yellow and white. This suggests that teenage males are bold but also suggests danger. To this group of people they may see it as some fun or an adventure, however people looking in would see teenage boys being reckless or irresponsible.
 In the double page spread the main body of text is all in capital letters. This would suggest rebellion and being different as it is grammatically incorrect but is all for show. However this would also suggest to people who do not like indie rock music would see poor literacy skills and laziness.
 The main image in my double page spread is of the model wearing a hoody.This suggests a more relaxed approach to everything. However someone not in this social group would look at the connotations and say it suggested thief's and laziness leading to other conclusions such as high school drop outs and so on.
To conclude my magazine suggests that the music industry is built up of mainly males and are of a higher rank than female artists, they like to rebel and be an indevidualist with an element of taking an adventure by doing new things. However someone not in these socail groups would say that teenage boys are lazy and arogent and are not resposible enough to do anything, they would say they are dangerious and care free which could lead to ileagal acts.

Friday, 30 November 2012

Tuesday, 27 November 2012

Magazine print

I have printed my magazine in order to see what it would look like in real life. This has helped me see what I need to improve and what works well.

Tuesday, 20 November 2012

Photo shoot

My third photo shoot was successful! I have decided to photo shop the images to make them look much better and then arrange them on my pages, which I had prepared during the photo shoots.

Thursday, 15 November 2012

Photo shoot

I had my second photo shoot and have decided that some of the photos are much better and would work very well, however some of the photos were once again unsuitable for my work and so I will rearrange my shoot to Saturday 17th November. I will try a different approach  to my work and try working with different backgrounds.

Monday, 12 November 2012

Photo shoot

I did my photo shoot however I think that the quality of the images could be much better and so I will rearrange the shoot to Wednesday 14 November. In the mean time i will carry on developing my magazine pages leaving space that I have pland for the photos later on.

Tuesday, 6 November 2012

Focus group- Font types

I have been looking at fonts for my magazine weather on the cover, content or double page spread. These are fonts I selected from www.dafont.com
I have spoken to my focus group and asked them what they thought about the selected fonts.

They liked the scruffy look of this one as it gave it a personal touch as if it has been hand done. It is also clear to read. However it is too busy for a cover but would be OK in a double page spread


 They also liked this one as it had a rugged edge to it but is very clear to see.


 This one was good as it would look like the text off an album cover but the group thought that that would be the only thing its good for

 They didn't like this as it was too plain for a magazine and wasn't as eye catchy.


They liked the sketchy writing in this but decided it wasn't clear enough and wasn't bold enough for a cover


 They liked this text as it was clear to see and plain so that it wouldn't draw attention away from the rest of the article, but it had an edge look that would be good in a double page spread.


 They weren't sure about this one as it was bold and had an edge look but the style of the text would not suit the genre of the magazine


 They decided that this was to plain for a magazine but they liked the style of the text and would like it more if it was bolder and had a edger look to it.


They decided that this text would be best for the cover as it fits the genre, is bold, has a edge look and will not draw the attention away from what's around it. They decided that this would be perfect for a magazine cover or content page


Shoot date

I have spoken with my model and have decided that the shoot date will be Friday 9th November. If the shoot due to illness or weather for the outdoor shoot we will then discuses if we should do the shoot on the Saturday 10th November or Sunday the 11th November.

Monday, 5 November 2012

Location and health and safety

My location for the shoot of the magazine cover will be held in my houses garden. I will complete a risk assessment for the first shoot.

Trip hazard- this could lead to broken bones or sprains. To Prevent this I will do a sweep of the area before hand and collect anything that may be a trip hazard, if there is anything I can't move I will warn the people in  the area of this hazard and try and cover it with clearly visible tape.

Thorns- Could lead to cuts . To prevent this I will ensure that the plants are out of the way and we don't work near them, if it does happen I will put a plaster on the cut and if a thorn is in the cut we will try and remove it and place antiseptic spray and plaster on it.

My second location is my living room. I will also complete a risk assessment for this.

Trip hazard- this could lead to broken bones or sprains. To Prevent this I will do a sweep of the area before hand and collect anything that may be a trip hazard, if there is anything I can't move I will warn the people in  the area of this hazard and try and cover it with clearly visible tape.

fragile objects- they could lead to being broken which in turn could lead to a cut. To prevent this I will move any objects out of harms way and should an accident occur we will stop the shoot, carefully pick up large parts carefully and then vacuum the smaller parts till we are fully satisfied.

Sunday, 4 November 2012

Draft of cover and double page spread

This is a draft of my double page spread. My focus group decided that they liked the layout with the text mainly on the one side and the main image on the other. However they would like to see one main image and several different images within the text of the artist playing or working.
They also liked my cover draft, they liked the idea of the scrap ripped up paper on the cover and I thought it would give it a rebellious touch to it. They also liked the thought of the artists name in a different colour to the rest of the page to make it stand out.














Final I have done a draft of what I think my content page will look like in InDesign. My focus group liked the style of the layout. They liked having the main article having the large image and the next main articles having smaller ones to point them out to the audience. They also like having feature sections so the readers can find what they want much quicker. Final they liked the idea of an artist index to name all the artists mentioned in one place so the readers can look through and see who is in it.

Model, costume and props

Image from Facebook
Thanks to the help of my focus group I have found a model who fits my criteria. He is 17 years old and also likes indie rock music, my focus group said that his hair style would work well and that he would be able to wear the same style of clothes. He will also be able to mimic my target audience as he is a college student, wears checked shirts, likes to go to music festivals and is male. This will allow me to make a connection between him and the audience as they will be able to relate to them.
I will make my model wear a checked shirt which I will supply, dark or black jeans which he will supply himself and converse or shoes in that same style. I want to make the model feel relaxed and comfortable so I plan to do the shoot in a place that he is happy an d is in a relaxed environment. For my front cover I will take the photo outside to relate to the style of music but also make the shot look more natural and the photo will be a medium close up. He will wear a hoody and black jacket for this to relate to the season. The double page spread will be set in a front room on a sofa. The props needed will be cushions on the sofa and a bowl of sweets or popcorn I would like to take several different shots in different style in different places on the sofa. This would then be cut out to try and make the end result look like lots of the same model on the one sofa. I would also like to make it look as if he is in front of a television so I want to try and creat the lighting to look like its coming from a t.v.

Tuesday, 30 October 2012

Saturday, 27 October 2012

My target audience


This was created on prezi

Friday, 26 October 2012

Note to self

I will finish my presentation of who my target audience are by the latest of 4PM and will begin to gather information and opinions from my focus group by 28th October 4PM

Thursday, 25 October 2012

Note to self

Find out what people think about what they would like in the magazine and who would like to see what.

Time Management

Analysis of a magazine cover, content and double page spread (Kerrang)



The genre of the music magazine Kerrang! is indie rock. The audience would be people aged 16 to 30 years old and who enjoy the indie rock Genre.
The title of the magazine is written in sans font and capitals. This suggests power or straight which I belave connotes that there main audience are males. The title of the magazine has lines going across the font. To me this suggests that the font is like broken glass. This would suggest that the magazines audience are rebellious compared to other music magazines.
The colour black in the magazine suggests secretes and bold. This would appeal to the audience as they would see the magazine as it stands out from other magazines but also the black would suggest to them that the magazine would revel information about the artists featured in the magazine. The red suggests danger or passion. This would also appeal to there audience as they would be passionate about the artists and music itself but also the element of danger would like back to the rock genre and the rebellion of the stereotypical rock or indie listeners.
The magaze title goes across the whole of the top of the page, this stands out to its audience as it covers a high percentage of the page. The cover lines and reversed cover lines boarder the image of the artists that make them stand out with the main cover line of the artists name in white, a different colour tho the magazine. This would appeal to the audience as the artists name would be going against the trend and would make them individual and unique.
The font style is mainly sans which suggests the magazine id more for males as sans forn tconnotes strenght and power.
The content I beeave you would find in this magazine are interviews with artists which would appeal to the audience because they feel thay have a persnal connection with the atists without actually knowing them as they will find out more about the artists lives. There would also be concert or festival reviews, this would appeal to the audience who are i nterested in seeing there favourit artists and would like to see live artists.
The magazine adresses the audience by usin you, your or we. This would give them the feeling of a personal connection with the audiennce and talking directly to the reader. It also uses slang on the cover magazine. This would apeal to the genre of the magazine as stereotpicly slang would be used frekuently and also explicit language of suggestions of sewaring.
 The cover is very simple with a white background which makes the artists stand out and draw your attentine towards them. The artists in this perticular cover are stagered from the for ground and the background. The manin artists is stood in front of everyone else. She is wearing retro clothes which are a contract to the rest of the band as they stand in more nutural clothes in the background and her ginger hair makes her an indervidual in the band.

The content has a title in yellow and black in the top right corner in the colours which the matches the cover of the maagazine and is constant throughout to link each page together. The content is split into sections of different types of features available. This would appeal to the audience because it would allow them to go to anything directly if they wished to find something specific in the magazine. The main articles have images to go with the the page name and number. This is used to draw attention to there main features and would be linked to the artists on the cover. The audience would like this because it would mean that they could easily see what would interest them more in the magazine.
The double page spread is about an artist or artists allowing there fans to know what there lives are about. This would make the audience feel as if they know the artist on a personal level without actually meeting them. the artists name would be written on the page so that if the image of the artist was not recognized then the name would be. This particular group have had a photo shoot on some stairs, the rest of the band are in black and white but the main person is in full color. This would suggest that the article is mainly about the main artist in the band. The setting is a normal place. This would suggest that the group are more down to earth by not being in any other setting or it may be linked to there beginning.

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

Analyse of a magazines cover, content and double page spread (NME)


 The music magazine I will be looking at is NME music magazine. The magazine genre is indie rock bands and appeals to the people who enjoy that style of music
The title of NME is written in sans font. This style of font is very simple but has a big effect as the text is written in capital letters it suggests its being loud or being shouted. This appeals to the style of magazine as indie rock music is meant to be loud and heard by everyone. The sans font is simple and has the connotations of being bold, strong and powerful. This links in with the indie rock genre of the magazine as the music is not widely popular and so needs to emanate the power and strength to be different to other genres such as pop music. The white text suggests being pure. This suggests to the audience that the music is not fake or made by a computer but is raw talent of groups or solo artists.
The colour of the text is white which stands out against the background colour of the red hair. This makes the text really bold and eye catchy. However the artists name is written in black which also stands out against the white back ground of her clothes but also signifies the main story and who is featuring in the magazine. This also creates an sense of individuality whereas instead of having smart and the same colour to make it all tie in it create an identity for the artist that appeals to the audience for the artists real identity. This would also appeal to the audience as the black suggests secretive and so that would suggest to the audience that secrets may be revealed in the article and would entice its reader to buy the magazine.
By having the title as the boldest part and at the top left stands out within the cover page. By putting  The title at the top left means that it’s the first thing that people will see because everyone reads from left to right starting at the top of a page and so  it stands out and is eye catchy. The text that is quoting the artists words gives the audience a tester of what they can find inside which draws them into to find out why they have said and what else they have said about it. The text is also written in sans serif, this gives the readers an idea of who is saying the quote. The serif part of the font gives the quote are more feminine touch to tie in with the artistes article but by having the sans part of the text will like to the rest of the magazine style but shows some of the characteristics of masculinity such as power and strength.
The features I would expect to find in this magazine are article or interviews on artists that would entice readers who are fans of the magazine and wish to know everything about the artist. This would create a connection between the artist and the audience as they feel they have a personal connection between themselves and the star without them actually knowing them. I would also expect to find articles on new and under the radar bands. This would be a way of introducing people to new music and recommending new bands with reviews and information on them. This would appeal to the audience as they would be willing to try new music and support them on their journey.
The magazine addresses its audience by using the words you, your or we. This creates a bond between the magazine and the reader as that person now feels involved with the magazine and is addressing them directly.  The language of the magazine is simple to understand and straight to the point.  This would appeal to the audience and potential buyer as the cover lines are short and catchy to get straight to the point in what is inside. Some superlative would be used to make the article or the magazine more desirable to buy as the readers are persuaded to buy the magazine or read it. However they may not need to use a superlative as by placing the name of a very popular artist may be just enough to persuade the audience to buy it as that person is idolised.
The cover model of this particular magazine has had close up image taken of them. This will work well for some artists as different people are known for having a certain style. For example the magazine cover I am looking at has Florence on the cover, she known for her music style and red hair so they have only used her face. The image is very simple as it has no background visible and no props but the direct gaze which makes people look directly at her and creates a connection between the magazine and the audience.
The content page is laid out by having the title at the top of the page to show the audience what they are looking at. There is also a large image in the centre to signify there main story and what it’s about written in a larger text. This will draw the attention to the main story as it will be the main selling point of the magazine to the audience. The rest of the content is split into categories down the right hand side of the image. This will allow the audience to find specific article when looking back through for something specific or wishing to pass it on to other readers. Down the left hand side there is a band index; this will give the audience an idea of who is in the magazine and give them a name to refer to when looking at artists they are interested in.
This particular article is about the artist Florence and the machine concerning America. This is key to the image as the artist is representing that by sitting on American flag to support the idea of the article. The artist is wearing black clothing. The connotation of black in that image suggest that the artist has some secretes and are going to reveal them in the article written about them. The text uses a drop capital in serif font is a design feature to make the text look more sophisticated and appeal to its audience by making the article appear serious and so would interest the reader as to why it’s so formal. Also the serif font used makes the article seem more feminine which is the opposite to the sans font that USA is written in. To me this suggests that the USA is more masculine but is being concurred by the femininity suggesting that women are more powerful than men.
The artists name is written in blue compared to the black writing through the text. This draws attention to the artists name so that if anyone did not recognise the artists image then they should recognise the name.

Monday, 22 October 2012

Need to do

Remember to finish the 500 words on two magazine covers, content and double spread page.

Main Task

I am now going to start my main task. The main task is to produce a cover page, content page and a double page spread of a new music magazine.

Sunday, 21 October 2012

Evaluation

The purpose of my research was to find out any common trends within the magazine covers and content page. This would allow me to understand what I should find on any magazine I looked at and what I should include on my own.
During my research I discovered that most magazine use a medium close up shot of the model in order to keep the audiences concentration on that person and nothing else. i also learnt that magazine use cover lines to entice there audience to buy the magazine as it gives a little teaser as to what is in the magazine and is followed by a description of what it is.
To create my front cover I used Photoshop. This was because I would be able to help preset the model in the magazine and change the was they look slightly to appeal to the audience more. I also used it to cut out the model from the background and place it on a new one to make the model the centre of attention.
To create the content page I used InDesign. This allowed me to easily create a layout and then fill it in with text quickly to fill the space. It also allowed me to stick to a colour scheme on the page s that I was not using to many colours and was sticking to the theme. I also was able to group sections so that they stayed together when I needed to readjust the layout.
By using InDesign and Photoshop has taut me different techniques to help my work. On Photoshop i have learnt that when transforming the scale of something, by holding down the Ctrl on the keyboard will allow you to increase the size of something without it becoming pixelated and distort. Also using the blur tool to soften the edges of an image that has been cut out poorly in some areas. When using InDesign I used clipping path, detect edges to make an image have an outline around the image and then allow the text to wrap around the shape of the object. I also learnt that by selecting a text boxes and clicking type and fill with place holder means that the text boxes can be filled with text and hold its place which helped me remember what was meant to go where.
The targets I will set myself when I begin the main task are:
  • To thoroughly plan my work and what will be involved by time keeping and keeping to a schedule.
  • To be more creative about how my work is layed out and how I present it.
  • To look into anything I do not understand fully and ask questions about my work .

Thursday, 11 October 2012

Appealing to my target audience

 By knowing who my target audience are I am then able to find ways in which I can appeal to my target audience.

 My target audience aspire and so i will create something that will challenge my audience.To do this I have created a cover line "Boys vs Girls" competition in which to challenge my target audience to try and learn to do something as well as be competitive. This will appeal to both males and females because it dresses both genders and does not stereotype art related things as being a female subject at college.

My target audience are also lacking in money. i have used this to my advantage by creating a cover line quoting "Make do and Mend" which suggests to readers that they can do things for cheaper by taking old objects and transforming them into something new.This draws the audience in by suggesting ways to live for cheaper appealing to struggling students whom are trying to save money. 

I have made my magazine suitable for males and females by using a variety of stereotypical things. I have used an image of a male as my cover model to suggest that it is suitable for males to read. However I have made it feminine by using the pink background which is stereotypical of females and by having both of these characteristics creates a oxymoron and so it is suitable for both genders.

I have also offered an chance to win a trip. This relates to my target audience by offering something for free as students lack money but also an opportunity to see something amazing and giving them the chance to do something different. 



Wednesday, 10 October 2012

Magazine Cover and content page

This is my magazine cover that I have created on Photoshop and my content page i created on InDesign.

Monday, 8 October 2012

Tuesday, 2 October 2012

My Target Audience

This is my mind map of who my target audience is for my magazine.

Monday, 1 October 2012

Initial Research


I have research different student magazines and have looked at the connotations they have.

Thursday, 27 September 2012

Preliminary Task

The Preliminary task is to produce the front cover of a new school or college magazine by using DTP and an image manipulating program. The magazine should feature a student on the cover in a medium close-up and appropriately laid-out text and a masthead. Also I must create a mock-up of the contents page to show my skills with DTP. 

Tuesday, 25 September 2012

Hello,My name is Maddie McCollin and I am an AS Media Studies student. On this Blog I will present my work for my Poliminary task and my Main project research and plan.