Harry's As Media coursework blog: March 2012

Monday, 26 March 2012

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

Since the creation of my student magazine which was the preliminary task i have realised that all the little things are worth taking into account because they can determine whether your magazine is good or bad. I have learnt that attention to detail is very important. The little things make a difference. I have also learnt how to make my magazine look attractive and professional at the same time. I have also learnt that practice make perfect because I learnt so many things from the creation of the student magazine and I made mistakes and learnt from them, I learnt what works well and what doesn’t and I took everything I learnt into account and I think I have managed to create a really good final Music magazine and I am proud of what I have achieved. I have also learnt how to make my work appeal to my target audience. I have also learnt how to use many new applications since the development of my student magazine like slide share and survey monkey.

Evaluation Question 6. what have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I have learnt how to use many different things in creating this Music magazine, but I have also helped improve my knowledge in a few different area’s. I furthered my skills with blogger, Photoshop and i became a more accluplished photographer. But the things i have used for a first time were in design and survey monkey. They both took a while for me to get to grips with but after a while of experimenting and getting used to it i was soon able to carry out the task of creating a music magazine quite easily.

Evaluation Question 5. how did you attract/address your audience?

During the creation of my magazine I made it really colourful so that it would attract the attention of the buyer in the shop, this is important as 70% of people who their magazines on the spur of the moment. I also created a very eye catching masthead and main image on my front cover for this reason. My masthead font was very different and it will attract people’s attention straight away. There are also puffs and pugs on my front cover and they will attract the readers attention right away as they are brightly coloured, the one says ‘Free posters inside’ this will also attract the buyer to buy the product as he will be sure that he is buying a poster as well as a magazine that I a bonus. The cover model was photographed with a smiling happy face to connote to the readers that they will be happy if they read this magazine, this will make the reader want to buy the magazine even more.

Evaluation Question 4 who would be the target audience for your media product?

My music magazine is aimed at people aging from 12-28, so there is a large age range but i think anyone in this age bracket will be able to appreciate the magazine. Both genders will be able to appreciate the magazine. The magazine will be relatively cheap so that youngsters will be able to afford it.

Evaluation Question 3. what type of institution might distribute your media product and why?

My magazine is ideal for any mass media institution to distribute. An example of a large institute is Bauer Media who currently publish Magazine like Kerrang! So they are obviously experience in this market and I think would be an ideal institution for my music magazine. They would gain a large amount of profit if they were to produce my magazine as it is very good. They would be able to expand there audience and improve the respect they get off many people globally.

Evaluation Question 2- how does your media product represent particular social groups?

In my music magazine I have represented teenagers and young adults. I think I have done this
really well by using a lot of colour and trying to make my magazine as happy as I can, by
using bright colours I have tried to show a teenagers happiness. I have also not made my
magazine overly complicated because I realized that some young people will be reading the
product and there is no bad language in it, because of the age range that is going to be
portrayed too. I think I made a good choice in using a young musician on my front cover
because this will make young people more likely to buy the product if they see a youngster on
the front cover, they will think of how this person has become so successful and they will
want to read on and find out for themselves. I have done so in a fairly stereotypical way,
maintaining a mass market appeal by keeping to the dominant ideologies. I have also made the Writing really chatty which appeal to a teenage audience.

Evaluation Question 1- In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products.

The first thing that I did before I started creating my magazine was too analyse professional magazine like Kerrang! And many others. This then gave me an idea of the form and conventions that I needed to include in my own Music magazine. There are many conventions that customers look at when glancing at a magazine that will make them more likely to buy the product, like the Masthead for example. If the masthead is all bland and in a small font the buying is a lot less likely to buy the product than if the masthead is Large, bright and in a nice font, so this is one of the conventions that I have looked at in detail. I think that Many people tend to look and read about music online a lot more these days so for a new music magazine to really be a success they need to take into account everything and produce a astonishing magazine that will catch the ye of passers by, and this is what I have tried to create, A magazine that a costumer will glance at, and it will grab there attention straight away and they wont be able to resist the temptation of picking it up and flicking through it, which will hopefully result in them buying the product. I made sure that I chose an irregular font and made it very big just so it stands out to potential customers. I tried very hard to make things stand out on my magazine whether it be the masthead, cover lines, puffs or pugs I have made them extra bold, because I want people to notice my magazine when it’s on the shelf. Throughout my magazine I have tried to keep the layout of it very simple so that people don’t find it confusing and so they find it easy to read. A few magazines have given me inspiration in my creation of a music magazine; one magazine that has been overly helpful was Kerrang! Magazine. I have read this magazine and have noticed that it is very formal and is a very good read. I also know that Kerrang! Magazine is well respected amounts readers of music magazines, so I thought that there is no better magazine to take inspiration from. My magazine even helps advertise for certain brands, for example on the front cover Ray ban sun glasses are being advertised as Chaz Jones is wearing them this will know make people want to buy the product.