Course Work Evaluation Questions

8/9/2019 Course Work Evaluation Questions

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Coursework Evaluation.

Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge

forms and conventions of real media products?

My music magazine is A4 sized, the same size as many other music magazines,for example Kerrang:

I have also followed this through with my contents page and for my double page

spread I altered the width and the height turning the A4 in to landscape for my

double page spread.

Full Monty magazine. Kerrang magazine.



While creating my double page spread I also had to consider the positioning of

the text, this is due to the centre line where the seam goes so that the pages can

turn over. I had to position my paragraphs so they were the same size and equal

distance away from each other and from the centre line, here is how I did this onphotoshop.

My magazine also contains a barcode, this will be found on any media product

which is being marketed.

Kerrang magazines barcode.

It is important my magazine has a barcode as any magazine

being sold must have one, this is so that it can be scanned in

stores where they are distributed, this prevents them from

I

inserted

a shape

where

my

paragraph would

go and

to guide

me on

size, I

then

decrease

d the

opacity

so I

I

duplic

ated

the

layer

so

that

all my

colum

ns

were

the

same

size to

guide

me on

where

I

I drew a line down

the centre of mypage ensuring I

had the rulings on

so I could find the

halfway mark, this

then guided me

where my text

could go as I

cannot write text

on the seam as you

would not be ableto read the story, it

also helped even



being stolen as they are censored whilst going through alarms and it also helps

to scan the price through the till and tell what item it is.

My magazine (full monty) barcode.

Another feature I have included which is a convention of a media product is the

price, this is import as consumers will want to check the price before purchasing

products and it also helps for consumers to compare the price with other

products. This is usually placed in the corner of a magazine, however some do

advertise their price more, but I have chosen to do mine in the bottom corner to

not make my magazine too fussy and busy so that it is more difficult for

consumers to look at. I have made sure my price is in a visible colour so it can be

easily read, and still however sticking to the colour scheme and in

a large enough font for people to read it. From my image you can

see that I have placed my price at the bottom of the page in the

right hand corner.

The date of my magazine has also been included, this is placed near the barcode

and price area, by keeping the price and date together it makes it easier for the

consumers to read, rather than trying to look for it on the cover.

Suscribtion: Many magazines

have a subscribtion, this

promotes the magazine and

helps people to buy the magazines regulary at a lower price, a few magazines

give people the option of winning a prize if they suscribe to the magazine and

therefore after research and feedback from my poll I decided that I would

promote a subscription on my contents page and promote that it is at a cheaper

price than you would pay monthly to get one in the shops and that many people

wanted cash prizes therefore every person who suscribes gets entered for a



draw of winning £500 in cash. I have also ensured I have stuck to the British

theme for my suscribtion box and stayed to the colour scheme(white, red, blue,

with black writing so that text stands out). I have included a screenshot of the

front cover aswel on my subscription to add more images to make my magazien

more busy and interesting and to show consumers what the subscription is if

they are unaware.

Some more feature I have included are taglines, these are important factors of a

magazine as they help sell magazines due to the story lines and contents of

what’s inside the magazine. For my taglines I have related them to music , to

promote a music magazine and come up with interesting stories which wouldappeal to my target audience ages ranging from 16 to 18 years roughly.



All magazines have a masthead, this is the magazines signature feature. The

more interesting and unusual it is then the more it is likely to be remembered.

This appears on the magazine everytime. You will never see a magazine without

a masthead. Here is my mast head which was positioned at the top left hand

side of my front cover as humans read from left to right, therefore it stands out

straight away.

Headlines are always a key selling feature for magazines, therefore it was

important for me to include a headline as it sells the main story usually making it

appealing to consumers so that they will purchase your magazine.

Examples of headlines....

Main images

are also a key

feature of a

magazine, you

will never find



a music magazine being distributed without a main image, this promotes your

magazine by selling a story through images. The main image is usually the main

story included in your music magazine.

Other main images.

Pugs: These advertise certain contents in the magazine, usually competitions

and prizes. Sometimes certain stories. I have used a pug as it promotes my

competition prize, therefore it influences people to buy it if they want to have the

chance of winning the prize.

Skylines and banners: These usually appear at the bottom and top of the page

on the front cover, the top on a music magazine usually promotes what artists

are included in the magazine whereas the second can be whatever magazines

wish for, in my case I have chosen to use my banner as revealing gossip and my



skyline revealing artists who appear in my magazine. The banner also includes

the price, bar code and date.

Skyline

Banner

Broken down contents: Many contents pages in media magazines, especially

music magazines break down the contents to make it easier to find what you are

looking for, for example reviews, regular news, live events, news.

Here is an example of Q magazine’s broken

down text:

Here is an example of my broken down text:

Question 2: How does your media

product represent particular social

groups?



The colours I have used appeal to all type of social groups as they are uni sex

and do not favour any type of genre of music, heavy metal and rock magazine

use alot of black and red and white, rnb and hip hop magazines use bright

colours which I have featured as do all other genres such a dance, pop. Dubstep

etc.

The photography I have taken appeals to both genders, this is because she can

seem seductive to males and therefore teenage boys will be attracted to it as at

this age they are in to girls. I t will also appeal to females as she is a pretty

famous music artist who many girls would look up to and aspire to be. The

photos also appeals to teenagers as the clothing. Makeup, pose and even the

age of the girl herself in the photos is the same age of my target audience; this

will also appeal to my target audience as there is a sense of similarities and as

she is a new artist out teenagers love to be up to date in music, therefore this

appeals to my audience of 16 to 18 year olds.

The tone I have used in the magazine also appeals to teenagers as I have made

my magazine tone, similar to how teenagers would speak, for example my

double page spread where I have ensured the interview with ‘Valerie Lights’ is

not very formal, for example “if Paul McCartney were 40 years youngers well....”.

The language is also appealing to teenagers as I have used certain swear words

such as “bitch”, many music artists can get away with this language in

magazines as they come across ‘reckless’. I have also used the language of how

a teenager today would speak for example “I aint” this is nit formal which

appeals to my target audience as it gives them a sense of comfort.

The typography of the magazine if not exactly what an adult would enjoy readingas it is very playful and un-formal. The different colours and commotion of the

magazine also appeal to teenagers rather than adults. The font is a main feature

of what makes the magazine appealing to teenagers as many adults would not

be attracted to that writing as they tend to read more formal magazines,

compared to what a teenager would.

The features and contents inside the magazine are also a very big key points

which would attract a certain social group, if the music artists are a range of

genres then the magazine can appeal to many social groups as they have a lot of

variety. I t also appeals to teenagers as they often want to know a lot of gossipabout their role models etc.



Question 3: What kind of institution might distribute your media product and

why?

Places such as WHSmiths, tescos, co ops, and many other supermarkets would

sell my magazine as they sell a huge variety of different types of magazines as

they are a very big store, therefore as supermarkets are not fixed on a certain

genre of magazine they distribute all different types, even smaller magazines as

so many different types of people shop in these stores they must provide for all.

Places such as news agents would also distribute my magazine as they specialise

in selling many different genre of magazines and again many different types of

people shop in newsagents and they must accommodate everyone. Mail order

subscription is another way to distribute my magazine. However the only place

which is less likely to distribute my music magazine is magazine kiosks outsidestations etc which mainly sell newpapers and gossip magazines such as heat,

they have very limited space and therefore only sell the countries most poplular

magazines, which does not include music magazines, they stick to a niche

market unlike larger stores. Before magazines are distributed a publishing house

will turn it into a magazine and will print it and distribute it, www.ipcmedia.com

and www.bbcmagazines.com are publishing houses which my magazine could be

published by as they produce music magazines, they will also distribute it by

sending my magazine to stores, such as Tescos, WHSmiths and other large

supermarkets and stores which would sell music magazines, however they may

not want to publish my magazine as they may not has a space in the market forit as they are very big in the magazine industry. This is why I have to ensure my

magazines have all the conventions of real media products and the use of colour,

image, text and font etc will appeal to them.

Question 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

This is Kelly Fowler, she is 17 years old and lives in North london. Her

dress sense is quite unique, not your average plain t-shirt and jeans. Shelikes to shop in topshop, h&m and jack wills. She enjoys being around

her friends and going to parties, she is a very easy going and carefree

person.

She enjoys watching TV programmes such as channel E4's Skins,

90210, and ITV'S America's next top model and ITV2's secret diary of a

call girl. Kelly listens to a wide range of music, although mainly indie,

house and also some pop and dubstep, she often listens to music via the

radio in which she would listen to either KISS 100, Capital radio or

http://www.ipcmedia.com/

http://www.bbcmagazines.com/

http://www.ipcmedia.com/

http://www.bbcmagazines.com/



radio one depending on the time of day. She often listens to her music through her ipod, the

radio and music channels.

The above is my aim for target audience as this reader listens to various music and from my

poll I have had the results of all different music preferences and all from 16 to 18 years olds,

therefore it was clear that by producing a wider range of music I could sell more copies of mymagazine, I also got inspiration from Q magazine which appears to feature different genres of

music. Because my magazine is diverse it is easier to distribute to 16 to 18 year olds as it

acquires many teenagers needs for music magazines. Kelly Fowler who represents my target

audience also wears diverse clothing, listens to different radio stations and tv programmes

which are all targeted at the younger generation, this was a big influence on making my

magazine diverse. 16 to 18 year olds are possibly the largest amount of people who consume

media products also, which means my magazine should be easily distributed.

Question 5: How did you attract/ address your audience?

The style of my photography attracted my audience as a 17 year old girl is representing my

magazine and ties into the target audience age for my magazine, the clothing is also up to

date which would appeal to teenagers as they were all the new clothing that is introduced.

The bright colours and unique dress sense would also appeal to teenagers as they are very

naive and love all the latest fashion, if they see my model wearing these clothes they will

want to pick it up and read it as she is someone they may aspire and go and buy those clothes.

The language of my magazine also attracts my audience as I have used slang and swear

words which are common words coming out of 16 to 18 years olds mouths today. The articles

are also featuring the latest fashion, latest hit music and interviews, live performance reviews,

young people love music and will be fascinated by the stories of their favourite music artists.

Teenagers love live music as well and majority who are music fans would jump at the chance

to go and see live performances of their favourite artists, therefore by reading about them

gives them the chance to imagine what it would be like and even go and book tickets for the

next gig they play. Interviews where magazines get close and personal with music artists

would appeal to teenagers as they are possibly more star struck than most adults and would

want to read about their way of life. Festivals are also a big attraction to many 16 to 18 years

olds and therefore by featuring reading and leeds lineup and mtvs music festival appeals to

my target audience as it is the type of events they would like to go to. MTV is also very

diverse in music which meets my target audience and Reading and Leeds festival is a diverse

festival with many types of musicians performing over the weekend.

Question 6: What have you about technologies from the process of

constructing this product?

I have used many different technologies during this project

such as:

Photoshop, computers, USB sticks, photo memory cards,

camera (canon 450d), internet.



I learnt how to use

different modes

on cameras, and

how megapixelsaffect the photos,

how to use photoshop and how to use the internet to research

and create a blog, I used my USB stick to hold all my work on and my photo

memory card to upload photographs to the computer.

From using photoshop I have now found many different tools with I never knew

before this project.

The dodge tool:

The dodge tool enables you to fade certain

areas of your work, whether you want thewhole layer faded or just a certain part of it

you can adjust the size of the dodge tool and

the effect.

By moving andclicking the

mouse over the

layer you can

fade by using the

dodge tool.



The Magnetic lasso tool: I have used this tool a lot in my coursework as I have

cut my images out, so they are away from my background, this means you can

overlap images and place them all around the page.

By doing

across the

whole image it

makes the

image lighter,

this worked

well for my

double page

spread as I can

now easily

read the

writing over

the top and by

missing out

the model sheBy going

around the

image the

magnetic

lasso picks

up the pixels

and cuts

them out for

you

Once cut out you can then move

the image anywhere on the pageyou want or overlap them.

By cutting them out you can overlap

images and place them around the

page wherever you wish to



The magic wand tool: I used the website www.dafont.com to find my fonts for my

music magazine and to insert them into photoshop they had a big white

background, by using the magic wand tool I managed to get rid of the white back

ground so my magazine blended together better.

By clicking the magic wand on

the white back ground it should

highlight itself. You then press

the command button and the x

button and this should

disappear.

http://www.dafont.com/

http://www.dafont.com/



Burn tool: Although I did not use this in my media product I did experiment with

the burnt tool to make me images darker.

This is opposite to the

dodge tool rather than

making the imageslighter it makes it

darker however I

chose not to continue

with this effect as I

felt it was too dark.



Question 7: Looking back at you preliminary task, what do you feel you

have learnt in the progression form it to the full product?

My preliminary coursework was very basic in comparison to my full product. The

colours were not matched well, the theme did not really stay sustained

throughout the contents and front cover. I was not familiar with the magnetic

lasso tool and therefore my images have been cut out very poorly as I did not

feather them, which has improved my final magazine as all images are cut out

neatly and smoothly. The font was very boring and not appealing and looked

basic and dull whereas in my final project I have used a variety of fonts rather

than just one. The font also stands out on the pages whereas my preliminary

coursework does not, especially the contents page I have blue on top of blue.

The text is extremely dull, just going straight across the page, no broken down

contents whereas in my Final I have. I have also produced a double page spread

which I did not do for my preliminary task. Another error with my preliminary is

my poor attempt to rub out spots on the boys face as I have just left a huge blob

there which looks very unprofessional. As a magazine my preliminary is

extremely dull and has no life to it in comparison to my final project. I have

certainly made progression which I think is clear to see from my preliminary to

final. My preliminary does not contain conventions of real media use such as

dates, prices and barcodes, this is very unprofessional as a magazine and would

not be distributed, the style of photography is also very dull, there are no

interesting colours in the photos nor are there any interesting make up and hair,

the majority of the posing is also very stiff and dull. From all of the technologies I



had learnt on photoshop really helped me to improve my final product, my

preliminary is dull and plan whereas my final product is busy, colourful and

caotic.

Dull pug from clip art.

Poor use of magnetic lasso

Bad use of tools on

photoshop and eraser.

Dull colour,

dull font and

not well

No barcode, headline, price

or date.

Poor anddull

masthead

Dull use of text, font, no

broken down contents, no

page numbers. No

suscribtion

Limited

photographs

Limited use of text.

No subscription

Very plain, not



Front cover is colour schemed.

Eyecatching (masthead, taglines,

images, text) realistic and involves

real media conventions. Tools been

used well to crop, cut out, smooth,

blend etc. Skyline and banner

include information whereas lack of

information in preliminary. More

detail in photography and layout anddesign also.

A lot is going on here it is

not dull and boring unlike my

preliminary, this had broken

down contents, images, page

numbers, colour, subscriptions

and a good use of photoshop



tools such as dodge tool. The text stands out the background is is easy to read,

but has a very interesting font.

My images on the side have been produced to look like a film

strip, this is very effective as it is very vintage and retro. The dodge tool which

was used on the background image has allowed me to write over the image and



it be easy to read. I have enlarged important quotes which would appeal to

readers at first glance encouraging them to read. Page numbers are also

included and who the photographs were taken by which is featured in many

double page spreads. The main story line and quote from my music artist is

used as the title, this makes the audience aware that they are her words and

then encouraged them to read more into what the words mean. I have decided

to do an interview as this is the most fun to read and I have involved humorous

questions and answers which would appeal to teenagers. All of my questions are

involved with music so it addresses the genre of magazine.

In comparison with my preliminary coursework I have learnt how to use many

tools on photoshop, who to change contrast and brightness of photos, the main

progression I have made is the content of what goes into a magazine, looking atthe differences between my full product which is jammed packed with vital

information for a music magazine whereas my preliminary was very vague and

dull. I t is not as appealing as my full product. I have also learnt about the

conventions which go into a media magazine, positioning of text and how to

appeal to my audience.

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Course Work Evaluation Questions