Evaluation

In this evaluation, I will be answering many questions which show what I did for my magazine and how I did these things. I will answer each question by evaluating each one by showing what I did throughout the coursework and what I did well and not so well.

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

To complete my magazine I had to research real magazine examples on the internet to see how they are laid out and what they have included on each part of the magazine. I researched two front covers, two contents and two double-page spreads. I then analysed each part of the magazine. After analysing them, I used a similar layout to my research for my magazine. I did this because most of the examples of magazines had a similar layout with parts of it in the same spots.

My magazine front cover looks like a traditional music magazine front cover because it has a large title at the top, a main image which covers most of the page and some informative text below the image. I also found that the colours are similar throughout the magazine, so I tried to keep the same colours throughout my music magazine to keep it traditional. My contents also looked like a traditional contents because it had a large title at the top, a list of text of what is in the magazine and some images that relate to each part of the text. Finally my double-page spread looks traditional as it has a large title at the top, a main image which covers a large amount of the two pages and articles of text around the image relating to the image.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

For my preliminary task I had to create a sixth form magazine front cover. To represent a particular social group on the front cover, I had to have a representation of sixth form students. I did this because I took a picture of a sixth form student with the camera and placed it onto my sixth form magazine front cover. This made the front cover have a representation of sixth form students because I have used a real life student in my magazine. I also added text onto the front cover which are about sixth form students and some relates to the photo that I took. This also represents sixth form students because the text is about sixth form and the students and not just anything.

For my main task I had to create a front cover, contents and double-page spread for a music magazine. I had to have a representation of musicians/bands in the magazine. To do this I had took a photo with a camera of my friend who acted as a DJ. I got him to put some DJ headphones to make him look like a real DJ and made him do an action of what I researched a DJ would do. By doing this, I represented a musician in my magazine as the musician is a DJ. The text that I added onto the magazine was related to the DJ on my magazine and it all is about music and DJ’s. This means that I have represented a musician throughout my music magazine.

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

IPC would be the ideal magazine distributor for my music magazine as they are a very large company who are the leading magazine publisher in the UK. They would fit perfect for my magazine as they have already distributed music magazines before which have been very successful. IPC make similar products to mine such as home, men, women, cycling, sport and much more magazines. They produce a variety of magazines which have been successful. This is why I have chosen IPC to make my magazine. The main audience that they are aiming my music magazine at is the more male and female young adult audience because they have produced many other magazines which are aimed at this audience.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The main audience that my music magazine would be aimed at is the young adult/teenager audience. I would target this type of audience because I feel that the type of music that my magazine is representing fits this type of audience and the layout and colour scheme etc. also fits the young adult/teenager audience. I did some research on what audience music magazines target on the internet and I found that the type of music that I have chosen for my magazine which other magazines have used have targeted the more teenage audience.

Other magazines that represent a different type of music are more aimed at adults. But not many adults read the type of magazine that I have created, so I thought this would fit my magazine well. If I was concentrating on a different type of music such as classical, the magazine would appeal more to the old adult audience. My magazine is more of modern music and DJ mix tapes. This I think, appeals to teenagers more than any other audience.

How did you attract/address your audience?

Because my audience is directed to teenagers, I had to find out what sort of things they like in a magazine. So I did some research on some magazines that are also targeted at the teenage audience. I found that many magazines similar to mine had bright florescent colours with big bold text which catches the reader’s eye. I also found that there isn’t too much text in the magazine and that there are prizes to win and interviews with famous people. Overall, the magazines looked exiting to look at and there is a lot going on, on the page.

To attract my target audience, I have used many ideas from my ideas. One of these ideas is to have bright florescent colours on my magazine, so I put some of the main colours as florescent blue and green to catch the reader’s eye. I did this by putting the colours around the titles and images. The next idea I used from my research on my magazine is to have big bold exiting fonts for my text so it looks easier on the eye and makes the magazine look good. I chose an exiting font and used it throughout the magazine. I also added an interview with a famous DJ in my double-page spread because this is what I found that my target audience likes in a music magazine. I dedicated a whole double-page spread to this interview and I added little advertisements to win prizes on the page because this is also what my target audience likes.

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

The technologies that I have used to construct my product are:

· Camera – I used this to take the photographs of my friend for my famous DJ. From using the camera I learned how to operate a high quality camera and how to get the best picture.

· Adobe Photoshop – I used this to create the whole layout, background, colours, text etc. From using Adobe Photoshop I learned how to add affects onto images such as adding drop shadows and strokes.

· The internet – I used this to research real magazines and all my other research. From using the internet, I learned how to find examples of magazines to help with my research.

· Microsoft Word – I used this to create my plans for my front cover, contents and double-page spread. From using Microsoft word, I have learned how to create a series of boxes to make a plan and to create different shapes.

· Adobe indesign – I used this to create my double-page spread. From using adobe indesign I learned how to get the page to be a double page spread form and how to add different documents on to it.

What was easy to learn?

Throughout creating my product, I found taking photos and importing them onto the computer to add to my magazine was easy to learn because it was made easy to get the images straight from the camera to the computer. I also found creating a magazine to a teenage target audience as I am a teenager so I can relate to what is good and not good in a music magazine. I found creating titles, backgrounds and adding affects to the text and images on adobe Photoshop easy to pick up. I quickly found out what target audience I wanted my magazine to be aimed at and what type of music my magazine would be representing so I found this easy to learn.

What was hard to learn?

Throughout creating my product, I found getting used to adobe Photoshop was hard because I had never used it before and there are so many things that you can do with the software. It took me a while to be able to get everything on my magazine to look professional and all in the correct place. I also found it hard to fit all the text onto my double-page spread and I had to keep on changing font size to get it right. I found it hard to make the magazine look like a traditional music magazine that looks professional.

I have learnt many things during the construction of my product. The main things are that I have learned how to use adobe Photoshop correctly, how to take photos that look professional by using different lighting, I didn’t know how to use adobe indesign correctly and I now know how to edit images and text to make them look better for example adding a drop shadow and inner shadow. I have also learnt to add photos onto a magazine and edit them to get rid of the background and add another one.

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

I have had to make many steps for the production of preliminary task of making a sixth form magazine front cover. These are the steps I had to take to create it and what I have learned from each step:

Step 1 – Firstly, I had to research real life sixth form magazine front covers from the internet. I found two front covers and analysed them to see what ideas I could get for the creation of my front cover. The things that I learnt from this step is how a traditional magazine is laid out, what amount of text is used on a front cover and how many images are on a front cover of a sixth form magazine.

Step 2 – Secondly, I planned the front cover out on Microsoft word using the research of sixth form front cover magazine examples. I created many boxes which are labelled what each box represents. From this step, I learnt where to put each part of the front cover on the page and what layouts work and look best on the page.

Step 3 – The next step that I had to do in the construction process of my sixth form magazine front cover is to take a photo of a sixth form student which will be the main image on the front cover. I learnt from this step how to use a camera professionally and how to get the most out of a photo by using different lighting.

Step 4 – I then had to start producing the front cover on adobe Photoshop. I started with the basics by putting each part of the front cover on the page such as the background, a basic title and placing the image and text in the correct places. From this step, I learnt how to place a photograph onto adobe Photoshop and create text and titles on the page.

Step 5 – For step five, I had to edit all the text and images by adding colour and adding effects to each part such as a drop shadow on the title and creating a different background for the image to match the front. The things that I learnt from this step are how to edit different types of text and images.

Overall, I learnt many things during the preliminary task which later on helped me complete my main task. But the main thing that I have learnt is that the production process of creating a magazine is that it takes a very long time to construct and complete it.

Construction

For the construction of my magazines, I started to create my sixth form and music magazine. I did this by using all the research that I found and all the photos and pictures I took and found.

Sixth form magazine front cover

Firstly, I created an adobe photoshop document and made the page to the correct dimensions for my front cover. I then chose the colour that I wanted for the background which was dark blue. I then added the title of my magazine which was Waseley Hills High School & Sixth form Centre. With this title, I made it look proffessional by adding drop shadows, choosing the colour and font. The title looked like this:



I then placed this title on the top of the page.

Secondly, for my sixth form magazine front cover, I needed to have a main image for the magazine so I took a photo of my friend who will represent the sixthformer on the my front cover for my magazine. I took many photos with the camera and chose the best one. This is the photo that I chose:



I then adjusted the background so it matched the front cover and adjusted the photo slightly to make it look proffessional and so it suited the front cover. I also positioned the photo on the left hand side covering most of the page but leaving some space for text.

After adding the photo to the front cover I created some text which I added to the front cover. I made them in different colours and fonts so they stood out and added some affects to them. I also created a little star with the price of the magazine in it on a word document and added it to the front cover to make it look like a real magazine. I also found an image of the school crest which I also added to the front cover. With both the star and the school crest, I made sure that their backgrounds were the same as the front cover and made them blend into the background to make it look proffessional. This is what the school crest and star with price in looked like:




After constructing the front cover and finalizing it all this is what the sixth form magazine front cover looked like when it was finished:



Music magazine front cover, contents and double page spread

Firstly, for my front cover of my magazine I created an adobe photoshop document and made a page which is the same size and dimensions as the sixth form magazine front cover. I chose the colour for the background which was white with a hint of grey. I then created a title for the magazine which was tune and I made it look like a real, professional title by choosing a font, colour and adding affects to it such as strokes and drop shadows. This is what the title looked like:


I then needed a main image for my front cover so I took a photo of my friend and blacked him out leaving an outline of him. This gave a great affect to make the magazine look proffessional and real. This photo takes up nearly all the page and acts as the main image of the front cover. Next, I created lots of short texts that I could place around the main image to make it look like a real magazine. I changed the texts font and gave them different colours and strokes and I positioned them horizontally to make it look more proffessional. Here is what some of the text looked like when I finished them and placed them onto the front cover:



For the next bit of the construction for the front cover of the music magazine is I found an image of a bar code which I placed on the bottom right of the front cover. This makes it look like a real magazine and this is what I found in my research of other music magazine front covers. I also created another star with the price of the magazine in on a word document. This is what the bar code looks like:



After I have constructed all these things and put the front cover together, this is what the final product of the front cover looks like:

The next part of the task was to create a contents page for my music magazine. To construct the contents I firstly had to create an adobe photoshop document which is the same size and dimensions as the front cover. I chose the colour which was a fading black to grey which suited the type of magazine that it is and I also created a title for the top of the page. The title is Tune This Week. I gave it a different colour and added affects to it to make it stand out.

The next thing that I constructed for the contents is to add an image which relates to the text. I took a photo of my friend who pretended to be a DJ and I edited the picture by changing the background and placing it onto the page. I also added a green fade around the outline of the photo ti give it a proffessional look. This is what the photo looked like when I first took it:


The next part of construction for the contents is I had to create some text to put as my page listings. I made the font different and gave them a different colour than the page numbers. I also added a fading green line which seperates the images and the page listings and it goes right accross the page giving a very nice affect. After all this construction this is what the contents looked like when it was finished:


The final part of construction for the main task was to construct a double page spread for the music magazine. The first thing that I had construct was to create another adobe photoshop document. I chose the colour which was light blue and made it so the dimensions were like two pages stuck together. After I done this I created a title for the double page spread which was the title of the main article which was exclusive interview with DJ Wrighty. I made the title large, bold, changed the font and gave it affects to make it stand out.

The next thing that I constructed was making a main image which would take up most of the two pages. To do this I used the photo that I used in the contents but made it larger. I added a green tint around the photo to make it stand out and look proffessional.

The final bit of construction for the double page spread was to create some text for the main article. I made the text and made the font very small and all in the same allignment so it looks like a real magazine. I also made the text a different font to everything else to show that it is the main article.

After contructing all these things to make the double page spread, this is what the finished product of it looks like:

Planning

For my planning of my sixth form and music magazine, I created plans on a word document to outline my layouts for each magazine. These plans helped me construct my magazines and made it easier for me to know where each part goes.

Firtsly, for my sixth form and music magazine, I created a front cover plan to help me layout my front cover for the proper task of making the magazine. The plan looks like this:

I put a box for the title on the top of the page which nearly covers the whole of the top of the page. I did this because in my research, In all the front covers that I researched, they had a large title right at the top of the page. On the right of the title, I put a box for the school logo. I did this because on the other sixth form magazine front covers that I researched, they had a logo of the school on the top of the page, so I decided to put it there. There is also a main image, other articles and two other boxes for other information such as the barcode and other informative text. I placed these boxes in these positions as in my research they were in a similar position.




Secondly, I created a contents plan for my music magazine. This would then help me complete the actual contents for my music magazine. The plan looks like this:

At the top of the plan I put a box for the title of the magazine as in my research I found that the name of the magazine is put at the top of the contents page. Below this I placed another box for the word 'CONTENTS' I did this so the reader can tell that the page will be the contents. Below the two top boxes, I have put two more boxes for the page listings and the images which relate to the page listings. I did this as in my research there are many pictures which relate to the page listings which take up most of the page.

Finally, I created a double page spread plan for my music magazine which would again help me to complete the double page spread accurately. The plan looks like this:



I put a box on the left top hand corner for the title of the main article as the double page spreads that I researched had their main title as the main article. Next, I put another box below the title box which is going to have the main article text inside which will cover the first half of the page. On the right hand side, I put a large box for the main image of the double page spread and another box above this for the smaller articles in the magazine.

Research

I have chosen to do the print brief where i will create a front cover, contents page and a double page spread for a new music magazine. The first thing i did was to research for my preliminary task which was looking at examples of sixth form magazines.

I analysed similar texts. I looked for examples of 6thform magazines and music magazines on the internet to see how they are layed out and to give me some ideas for my 6thform magazine. I analysed the magazines by writing information about what I need to include on my magazine for my task.

Below are print screens and descriptions of my research of 6thform and music magazines front covers:
The first thing that the reader sees on the front cover of the magazine is the title. The title is in a large, bold and a professional font. this represents the magazine as being classy and gives the school a good look. The next thing that the reader sees is the line of photos just below the title. These photos catch the readers eye as they are displayed very well and are in good quality. Below these photos there are some more text which gradually get smaller the lower you go down. This represents the importance of each bit of text. The most important text is at the top and in a large font, and the not as important text is near the bottom. At the bottom of the magazine there is another photo of the front of the school. This is faded into the background which also catches the readers eye and again makes it look professional. Finally, the background of the front cover is a cross between grey and light blue which makes it easy on the eye and makes it easy for the reader to read off.
Firstly, the title is in a very large font which covers nearly one half of the front cover. It is sideways down the page and is transparent so the reader can see the photo behind the title. All these things catch the readers attention so they want to read on. The next thing on the front cover of the magazine is the smaller informative text. This text is much smaller than the title but it is big enough to read. There isn't that much text on the page but this is good as too much would make the front cover look messy. The two photos on the front cover are both faded into the background to give a good affect which makes the page look more interesting. The background is basically the one big photo of the sixth form centre. it fills the whole page and acts as a background for the front cover.
The title on the front cover of this music magazine is very large, bold and stands out on the page. The sub headings are in a smaller and different font to the title so they stand out. The text below the title gradually gets smaller as it goes down the page. The background is a photo of a celebrity which covers the whole page. There are two other photos on the front cover. They are good quality photos which stand out to the reader.

Firstly, the title is in a very large, bold font with a very distinctive colour which makes it stand out and makes it clear for the reader to see. The colour of the title is the same throughout the front cover with the other text on the page. The next bit of text on the page is smaller than the title and some of it is the same colour as the title which makes it look good. The background is just plain white. Although its a plain colour, it works well for the magazine as it goes well with the other colours on the page. The photo on the front cover, covers nearly the whole page. It catches the readers eye because of its size and that its a celebrity.

These are the print screens and descriptions of my research of music magazine contents:

This music magazine contents has two tittles on it. It has the name of the actual magazine and the title of this certain page. They both are in a large, bold font and stand out more than the rest of the text on the page. It has lots of text on the right hand side to show what is in the rest of the magazine. This text is smaller than the title but it is still big and is easy to read. There is a photo of a celebrity which is part of the main article. It fills nearly the whole page to show the significance of its importance. Below the photo, there is part of the main article in the magazine to make the reader want to read on. Finally, the background is white but it compliments the other colours of the text and the photo and makes them stand out more.
Here is a similar magazine contents. It has nearly the exact same layout as the last contents. This shows that most magazine contents are based on the same layout. The title is in a very large and bold font which has a strip of black behind it to make it stand out more. Below the title, there is a photo of a celebrity who is a part of the main article. On the right hand side of the page there is some smaller font text which shows what is in the rest of the magazine and at the bottom of the page, there is part of the main article in the magazine to give the reader a taste of what is in the magazine.The text gradually gets smaller which relates the importance of each part of text. The background is white but all the other colours from the text and photo make up for the lack of colour on the background.

These are the print screens and descriptions of my research for the music magazine double page spreads:

Firstly the title of the double page spread is in a large and bold font which covers most of the top part of the first page. It has a splattered paint effect on the title to make it look more exiting. There is a photo below the the title on the first page which relate to the article that is underneath. It is a big photo so the reader can see it and is drawn to it. The photo has a caption underneath it to tell the reader what it is about. It has lots of text underneath the photo which are full articles about a certain subject. The text is in a very small font so all of it can fit onto the page because some of them are long articles. On the next page there is a huge advert covering the whole page. This will definitely catch the readers eye just because of the size of it.

There isn't a proper title on this double page spread which is unusual as there is normally always a title. However, there are many sub headings which are all in a large and bold font which represents each different article. There is an advert on the first page like the previous magazine. It covers the whole page. This is a good spot to put the advert on as this is the first thing the reader will see. It has clear, bold text with a professional looking image. On the next page there is a large photo at the top which relates to one of the articles. Underneath the photo there are many articles which have very small text just like the other double page spread. The background is bright and colourful which will catch the readers eye and bits of text is highlighted to tell the reader that its important.