FRONT COVER

IN WHAT WAY DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

Comparing my magazine to a professional magazine I can look into my magazines conventions. I feel that my magazine is very unconventional as areas of the magazine are not what we usually see. The image that is used makes the magazine instantly stand out with the main character being in front of the two shadows. The use of colour in the text makes it unusual, this ay make it again stand out, unconventional like this give an effect on the reader. The difference in bright and dark colours makes my magazine a lot more unconventional, customers don’t expect to see this every day. It creates an effect on them. Also, the headline of the magazine is very much a key part of the unconventional features of my magazine, the colour pink is not what my target market would expect to see. This will create a great effect bringing them in to want to read more on the magazine.

First of all, the title of the magazine is very much unconventional. The colour pink is not what my target market will expect on a magazine. Making them to want to read the magazine, not making it boring.

The headline of my magazine is also very unconventional. This is a headline which is also presented at an angle as well as an unusual colour to create a affect. This will make the magazine stand out on the shelf and intrigue customers.

The background of the image is also very unconventional. The way in which the light is positioned only in one area of the background makes it stand more. This is what my target market doesn’t expect to see.

The use of the shape behind the text emphasises it on the page. This is very unconventional as my target market may not always expect.

This section is a grab the audience section which makes them want to read on n the magazine. The bright colours emphasize the competition. This is very conventional. They may want to find out what the competition is.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

When I consider my media product, I feel that it aims itself towards the younger end of the rock music market. This is clearly represented through the image used for my front cover. A character standing tall, acting in control, linking directly to a rock musician. Also, when I consider my magazine, it would be a better representation of the male rock market. This is shown through the image used as a male is on the front. There is only a slight link to males with the headline.

The fonts hat are used in the magazine cover link very much to the rock music market. This has a feel that links to rock music. Making my magazine a representation of the rock market. When we consider the colour used in the headline font, it may link and attract the females, however, this will stand out to males very much, they may not expect this use of colour, making them to read on and find out the purpose of this. This use of colour may attract either males or femalesto the magazine. Men are becoming attracted to pink a little bit more thanother years.

When I consider the design of the magazine, the rock music can be seen and felt as soon as this magazine is seen, instantly the image is strong and stands out. Then the colour in the headline gives it an effect to make the customer to want to read on, they may not always expect to see this use of colour. Then they may see other information that is included that will want them to read on. The slight light glow behind the main character in the image suggests he may be quite famous or popular with the fans. This effect is very much like the rock stage, lights are all used.

My media product represents one specific type of music. Rock however, can be seen to attract a range of areas. This can be identified by the use of multiple colours used on the front cover. Males and females will look at this magazine and may want to continue to read on and be attracted.

The use of the image will suggest that men will be more into this magazine, this representation of men will mean my magazine will attract a much more niche market. I may then not have much competition. But when we consider some of the information on the front cover can be considered to attract females. This may lead to females feeling the have a right to read on as it is aimed towards them as well. Furthermore, males may be intrigued to why the use of pink is used on a magazine aimed more towards males.

Also, when I look at my magazine front cover, I feel that it has more of a serious feel to it, this is first shown from the image, the character standing tall. This could attract more of people are great fans of rock. This will be the people who follow rock every day. This is due to rock being a lot more emotionally serious than any other type of music.

The use of the conventional image aims to attract many young teenagers who like to be very social with friends, this is continued throughout my media product with many stories in which teenagers can be social. This will lead to many readers of my magazine to come back and want to read more.

When we consider my magazine, we can also consider where it fits within the class of my media product. From my front cover I can say that it straight away aims to attract a both lower and upper class. It however, is aimed to be attracted by lower class customers. This use of colours are a lot more harder and ranged rather than softer and soft. Also, the image used is more serious and has a don’t care feel to it rather than a soft more posh feel. However, this style can also work to my advantage and also attract upper class to. The use of the image and colour to make it stand out to any type of class.

What kind of media institution would distribute my media product and why?

As shown on MusicMags website if we choose to use them then I will gain increased revenue due to it having a small footprint generating a high volume of sales. We get to sell more gear with the magazine I have created which may associated with its genre. Also, we get to attract the appropriate style of customer which may be associated with my magazine. This may then lead to my magazine becoming established in its specified market.

When I consider my magazine compared with the magazines sold by this institution I feel it may be possible my magazine would fit into their styles. The magazine which is shown on the website is very much like my style of magazine, the magazine shown is a rock style. However, the institution also sells other styles and ranges of music which may not compare with my magazine. This institution therefore sells a range of music styles from classical to rock, this may mean that magazine has a chance of fitting in with the music styles already available. From looking at this magazine institution I can identify that I may have a large amount of competition. If there is a lot of competition on this institution , then my magazine may be rejected due to consistent magazines of the rock theme. Also, this may lead to many problems when trying to establish my magazine in its niche market. From looking into this institution I could clearly identify this problem. My magazine will have an unpredictably long amount of time to actually establish itself in the market . Also, when considering all types of magazines that they sell I could easily identify that they have a huge range. This may help as they are very popular institution increasing my sales revenue. However, unless my magazine has features that really make it different from the rest sold, This can sometimes Be hard. This is especially true when Other magazines that are in the Institution are attempting the same. In Order to consider whether my magazine Would fit or be sold within this institutionI would need to consider what my Magazines needs to be like. From what I have seen I need my magazine to be Completely different from al other Magazines. I need a key USP so that my magazine will stand out. There needs to be a feature on my magazine that grabsMy audiences attention.

Who would be the audience of your media product?

From the research I conducted earlier in the process of making my media product, I identified several magazines which helped me identify a suitable target audience and genre for my magazine. I could then use this data finally see that the rock genre which my magazine was aiming itself at was in fact a niche market. This market is much smaller and condensed market rather than a mass market which is aimed at everyone. This is a great advantage to me as I would not have to design my product at a huge population, therefore meaning I can be more specific with my design.

After conducting research into magazines in the same niche market/genre I could identify design features that would attract many of the target market in my genre of magazine. I was able to identify a more serious rock feel over other styles of rock. I did not want to go not heavy metal but keep with a more serious feel. When I took design features from several magazines alike I could intervene those into my own style to make it different from others.

My front cover has specific features that you would expect from a rock magazine. The title “Amplified” has the rock theme to it, it is a usual rock name. This feature shows how my magazine is shown as a niche market magazine. Due to me wanting to have a serious rock them, I had to be cautious of what colours I used. The colour black and red are two key colours. When together they have a serous feel to them. Also the use of the blue is unconventional, it may be colour used in rock music to attract consumers. This feature is key to my magazine being in a niche market.

By using the image of a person standing tall on the front of the page, again brings in the serious feel to rock. This can then be seen as the person in the image not wanting to mess about, linking to the serious feel.

How did you attract/address your audience?

My magazine attempts to portray the theme of rock in a way that stands out from others. It attempts to be different from the rest, this can be identified through the serious feel to the way the design is shown.

The masthead of m magazine purposely uses the colour pink to make it stand out. The use of the glow is key as it represents the lights that may appear on a rock show. The use of font is key, It is simple but effect as it covers the feeling of seriousness.

The use of the image is what helps the magazine to stand out to its target market. The use of the straight face and the low angled shot of the person in the shot is key, he is shown as not messing about, a high powered rock character who is very serious. The use of this style will make the magazine stand out to its target market.

The use of colours in the image to the right is a very key area. This is what helps the consumer decide whether they want to buy the magazine or not. They will choose whether the information is side is worth reading. When I look at the font used, it needed to be simple to read, but also to portray the rock theme throughout. This can also be seen through the use of colour. The darker tone of the colour red represents the serious rock theme. We can then see the use of pink and blue which are used to entice the customer into the magazine. This once again portrays the theme of a serious feel to rock.

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

When I consider the processes that I have gone through to construct my final product I can see that I have used many technologies available to be used.

To begin with, I can identify that when using fireworks, I have been able to use many design features like the glow and drop shadow on my features. Throughout the processes that I have gone through I was able to learn how it was best use these in the construction of my product. I could use these features in my final product to create my final product.

Next, I could consider the use of many image editing software like Photoshop which I used to create images that would fit into my final product. I could use many of Photoshop's available features to change some images which I used on my final product. This could range from the use of tone on images, to adding saturation onto these images. These in turn helped me to create images for my final product.

I was then able to create several design features from a program called which would help my product to look better. The use of these design features on the program will be applied to my final product making it much better in the end. I could then consider how these are used when next using the program for other features.

When considering my final product, I feel I have progressed quite a long way, my preliminary task allowed me to get use to the areas I may cover when making my final product.

For my front cover, I can say that I have progressed a long way. The features that I have included in my final front cover compared to my preliminary task are massive. Much more detail is provided in my in my front cover of the final products. This shows a massive progression in the detail that I have applied.

As shown in the two magazine, I have used colour much more effectively, the use of fonts is shown in much more detail and care. And finally, the overall lay out of my magazine is apparent. The final product is carefully constructed.

Looking back at your preliminary task, What do you feel you have learnt in the progression to the full product?