Final post

i have learnt a lot throughout this coursework. I am now able to use a blog effectively and create pieces of work that I am proud of. There is still room for improvement but this will help when carrying on into A2 if i choose to do so.

Evaluation

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

From the textual analysis on front covers I found that the most magazines pick at least 3 colours and used them repeatedly throughout the text on the front page. Also they link the cover lines and photos which create an overall theme to the front covers. The photos that are usually used are of mid shots and of a selection of people relating to the text.
From textual analysis of contents pages and found some key features. They are a big heading, date, columns, page numbers, articles, information split into sections such as ‘news’, ‘reviews’ and ‘features’, blocks of colour, bold writing, tag line, Headline and advert.
From the textual analysis of double page spreads I can see that double page spreads should include an article written about a band or singer. The page should incorporate both text and photos. The photos should feature band members linking it to the article. The colours used in Kerrang are red, black, greys and pink. I think I will use the colours black white and red. It should have an interview and the text should be split up to show the questions, answers and speakers. These will separate the text and make it easy to read.

From the questionnaire I found that my magazines audience should be boys and girls around the age 16+. There should be a varied music genre so it can cater for everyone. It should be £3 and should contain interviews, articles and interesting/ gripping topics.

This picture shows the basis layout of a front cover. The masthead is set out so it covers the whole width of the page, written in the biggest font, stand out and be at the top of the page. The barcode should be small and appear in the corner of one of the pages. The main cover line is usually placed across the page and over the top of a photo which usually links the text and photo. Cover lines are found in columns down the page and written in a much smaller font than the main cover line.

They are used to lure the reader in and make them want to read on. This is important as the front cover is what makes you by the magazine and it usually spontaneous. My front cover shows the masthead, main cover line and barcode in the same places as other magazines but the layout is slightly different from the norm making the magazine unique. My research on other magazines has had an influence on my work as I have used at least 3 colours and used them repeatedly throughout the text on the front page and follows on throughout the magazine. Also I linked the cover lines and photos which create an overall theme to the front cover.

This shows my contents page and all the features that are used on most contents pages. They is a big heading, date, columns, page numbers, articles, information split into sections such as ‘news’, ‘reviews’ and ‘features’, blocks of colour, bold writing, tag line, headline and advert. These are all key features of a contents page showing that my contents page is quite similar to the normal.

This shows the layout of a double page spread. I used it as a basis for my page.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

• teenage girls
• varied music taste
• cheap price to pay
• interviews and interesting/ gripping topics; gossip column

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Bauer Media Group could distribute my media product because they have a gap in their market for a teen magazine. At the moment they publish both Q and Kerrang! Q's audience is described as an open minded experience seekers, which are usually showed by middle age music lovers. Whereas, Kerrang's audience is define as individually minded, independent of thought and musically experienced, this audience is of young spirted teenagers to young adults, manily 16+. So there is a space for a magazine which looks at teenagers aged 14+ and there likes in music.

Who would be the audience of your media product?
From my research I decided that I should base my magazine's audience on teenage girls around the age 14+ who love music in the sense of gossip and celebrity lifestyles.


How would you attract/address your audience?
It is an A4 full colour magazine which contains interviews, articles and interesting/ gripping topics. The cover features girls and boys the same age as the reader, this allows them to relate to the people in the articles. Cover lines such as 'who's with who this week?' appeal to the reader as they enjoy reading gossip and love interests. I feel that the magazine covers all the interests of teenage girls. The quizzes, freebies and poster pages help advertise the magazine make you want to buy it so you can have these things.The magazine covers all areas that a teen magazine usually does. These include gossip, intervies with celebrities, education, new releases and interesting/gripping articles. The language used will be familiar to the target audience so it will be understood easily.

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

I have used Publisher to create my front cover and contents page. This was a good programme to use as it allowed me to set my work out on an A4 page and move it around. I used Paint and Gimp to edit the photos and to add more colour to the pages. I found that it was easier to use Paint as Gimp was quite had to use. I also used a digital camera for taking my photo. This worked well as it enabled me to take my own photos and to see them while doing the photo shoot. I have used the blog to record all stages of the pre-lim task and main task. This made me more organised and set it out all it one place. Also it allowed people to comment on my work which gave me guidance will creating my pieces.

What do you feel you have learnt in the progression from pre-lim task to the main task?
In the pre-lim task I found it hard to start off as it was a new experience and once decided on an idea i didn't do many drafts so didn't experiment. In the main task I did lots of drafts which made it easier for me to come up with final ideas. Also by the main task I was able to use most of software needed to create my final pieces.

Completed Work

I now feel that i have completed the task of producing the front page of a new music magazine, contents and double page spread. All the text and pictures used are my own.
I am proud of what i have done and I have learnt a lot along the way including how to use a blog. My final pieces are:

Final double page spread

changes still to be made. feedback needed.

Draft of double page spread

Research on double page spreads

Ideas for articles for my double page spread are: New releases, unusual facts, dominant genre, youth music, schools pledge for music.
Most double page spreads include an interview

The main coverline is: Giving youth, Music! I need to link this when writing my double page spread.

weekly review

From the textual analysis I can see that my double page spread should include an article written about a band or singer. The page should incoporate both text and photos. The photos should feature band members linking it to the article. The colours used in Kerrang are red, black, greys and pink. I think I will use the colours black white and red. It should have an interview and the text should be split up to show the questions, answers and speakers. This will seperate the text and make it easy to read.

Textual analysis of double page spreads

This double page spread was taken from Kerrang. It is an article is written about the band 'The All American Rejects'. This page incoporates both text and photos. The photos feature band members linking it to the article. Also the photos overlap and are stuck on with sellotape which could give the impression of posters stuck on a wall or a collage in a book. The colours used are red, black, greys and pink. The pink writting and the font of 'Dirty Little' is a good choice of font, it links to the idea of dirty dancing which was written in the same font. It is an interview so it features questions and answers. The questions are in pink, the speaker in red and answer in white. This seperates the text and make it easy to read. Certain words are written in bold, red font to make them stand out. These words include 'All American Rejects' (the name of the band) and 'Don't be fooled'. The fact that they are both in red suggests that they are connected and that they are important points within the sentence. The first paragraph of the article suggests slight humour and this humour is carried on throughout the interview.

weekly review

After doing the textual analysis of contents pages I did some drafts and made a final contents page. I did this by using some key features that I found while doing the textual analysis. They are a big heading, date, columns, page numbers, articles, information split into sections such as ‘news’, ‘reviews’ and ‘features’, blocks of colour, bold writing, tag line, Headline and advert.

This diagram shows the key features that I have used while making my contents page. I feel that there is still room for improvement and hopefully some feedback will help wih that.

Final contents page

feedback needed still changes to be made

Drafts for contents pages

The first contents page is quite plain and leaves a lot of room open for photos. The column down the left hand side works well and is in page order making it easier for people to select a chosen page but because it is written in a list format it is long and not broken up.

The second contents page is set out well and breaks up the text by putting it under different headings such as features, news etc. I think the layout looks good and with the pictures it will probably be the one that I would choose for my magazine.

The colours blue, black, red and white are to be used throughout the magazine. I have yet to upload photos on to here to see which ones go best.

Weekly Review

I did a textual analysis of contents pages and found some key features. They are a big heading, date, columns, page numbers, articles, information split into sections such as ‘news’, ‘reviews’ and ‘features’, blocks of colour, bold writing, tag line, Headline and advert. I will take these into consideration when designing my contents page.

Textual analysis of contents pages

The NME contents page tells everything that will be featured during that week. This is shown by the big heading ‘this week’ and the date underneath showing which week. The column down the right hand side shows all the page numbers and article information. They are all split into sections such as ‘news’, ‘reviews’ and ‘features’. These are all presented in black blocks in bold white writing this makes them stand out and makes it easier for people to locate articles of their interest. The red block at the bottom of the column adds an extra must see page. Also there are arrows to add more detail and to lure you in to certain articles. The left hand side consists of photos, tag line, headline, small article and an advert. The advert is trying to persuade you to subscribe to the magazine but it is placed at the bottom so people go to it after reading the rest of the page. Also using the percentage 'save 33%' makes the reader feel like it is a one off offer so they should subscribe as soon as possible. The small article and photos give you an idea of what is in the rest of the of the magazine. The colours red, white and black are used throughout the magazine. this links all the pages together.

The 'DRUMMER' features examples of the articles by showing photos related to them and the pages numbers in the corner of the photo. In the top left hand corner 'contents is written in bold a long with the date of the issue. The column down the left hand side like other contents pages is the list of articles and page numbers. The colours black, white and orange are used continuously throughout the magazine, this links the pages together and creates a theme. The name of magazine 'DRUMMER' links to the contents of the photos as they all feature drums or band members. At the bottom of the page there is a plus sign which suggest an extra and links the orange box to the rest of information on the page. This box contains a list of regular articles within the magazine which would be easily recognisable by regular customers.

weekly review

I have done research, drafts and a final front cover.
I feel that alterations will still need to be made to the front cover especially when the contents page and double page has been created. This will make sure that they all link and are completed.

Final front cover

Moving on from the drafts i added a barcode, background colours, coverlines and change some of the text. I think to improve this further i could move around the text and make sure everything fits on an A4 page.

feedback needed as changes still to be made

Drafts for front cover

These pictures show the stages I went through to get to my final design. First of all I decided on a layout then added colour a masthead and text. I think it my have been easier if i had decided on a photo so i could have laid out the text on top. After adding the photo i decided it didnt go with the text so changed it thus ending up with my final front cover photo. I moved around the text and added coverlines when happy with the outcome i changed some of the colours.

Ideas for front cover

Masthead- footnote, sounds, note space, unplugged, harmony, maestro, Variety.

Main coverline- New releases, unusual facts, dominant genre, youth music, schools pledge for music.


examples of font

Treatment

The Magazine: Notespace

Target Readership: The notespace reader is aged 14+ but the magazine may also be read by younger sisters or friends who look up to their older sisters. They are interested in a varied music genre. It is cheap because it is brought with pocket money that is given to them by their parents.
Form and Style: It is an A4 full colour magazine which contains interviews, articles and interesting/ gripping topics. The cover features girls and boys the same age as the reader, this allows them to relate to the people in the articles. Cover lines such as 'who's with who this week?' appeal to the reader as they enjoy reading gossip and love interests. I feel that the magazine covers all the interests of teenage girls. The quizzes, freebies and poster pages help advertise the magazine make you want to buy it so you can have these things.

Themes and Typical features: The magazine covers all areas that a teen magazine usually does. These include gossip, intervies with celebrities, education, new releases and interesting/gripping articles. The language used will be familiar to the target audience so it will be understood easily.

Potential advertisers: These will involve new releases, beaty products, chance to win something eg. a makeover.

Editorial Team: The editorial will be made up of experienced writers and designers. These will moslty involve young women as they will be able to relate to the reader. Readers of the magazine will also regularly be asked to contribute their ideas.

Basic Idea

This basic idea covers all general things needed on a magazine. This includes a masthead, coverlines, date, barcode, etc.

Elements of magazine

These are all the main elements of a magazine:

selling line - Exclusive
dateline - 25 Jan 2010
main image- photo shoot
masthead- use feedback from questionnaire
main cover line- Voices Vs Instruments - have singers taken over the music industry
cover lines - latest on singers: name a few , unusual facts, music online- do people still by CDs
barcode- get one off Internet

colours- blue, red, black and white

font- Masthead
Main coverline
Coverline
They all have to be different sizes. The masthead has to be the biggest and placed at the top of the page. The main coverline has to cover the full width of the magazine and link to the photo. The coverlines have to be the smallest but still easy to read.