1. In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My media product does all 3 of the above; on my front cover you can see I have challenged the forms and conventions of real media products. I have done this by having my title stacked instead of having it in a straight line, whereas most magazines would have the title straight along the top. Also my photo of the artist on my front cover is to the right of the page whereas in normal magazines the picture would be central as they would see this as the most eye catching position on the magazine and would attract the audience the most. On the other hand my front cover does use some of the forms and conventions of a real media product by having some words in bigger bold letters than the others, for example “Exclusive” on my front cover is bold and in Capital letters. Professional media products would do this to get the audience’s attention and interest them. My contents page does follow the forms and conventions as it is a basic layout and would normally be used in real media products. Some may be more attractive to the eye as they may use more colours and pictures and they would say that they have done this to interest the audience. My double page spread does use the forms and conventions of real media products because I have taken some ideas from real media magazines. On the left hand size is a picture of the artist who the interview is about; this immediately shows the audience who the next few pages are about. On the right hand side is the interview. I have taken up one whole page with a picture because I did not want too much text because my magazine is generally directed at males and other magazines that are directed at males are not very text heavy. Also I have Photo shopped the artists name so that it stands out and it is an associated logo. If the audience see an associated logo then they will know who their reading about, real media products would also use this method.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
The target age range of my product is 16-24 and it is a unisex magazine but is generally targeted at men. The way my media product represents a particular is social group is by having a picture that an indie/pop social group can relate to. The reason for this is the artist in the picture is related to that type of music and the audience that read the magazine will be interested in his music and his life. It also follows the form and conventions of similar magazines related to the same genre. This means that if an audience see’s a magazine like this then they will know what the magazine is about immediately and they would be interested to see what the magazine includes because they will be interested in the artist and other things included in the magazine. The language used in the magazine also relates to the particular social group because there is no slang language used whereas in magazine targeted at a younger audience would use slang words but would not use crude language whereas my media product does which relates to the audience and they will feel that they are reading a magazine that is directed to them.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
There are many distributors of media magazines; some if these include IPC media and BBC. There are vast differences between these two particular groups. IPC media covers nearly all different types of magazines and distributes many different genres, whereas BBC only covers magazines that they are concerned with. For example BBC distributes magazines like MOTD magazine and Doctor Who magazine, this is because they air these shows on their television channel, they do this so their shows are further publicised and hopefully will attract even more viewers. Whereas IPC media is the biggest magazine distributor in the 4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
My magazine would have a selected audience as I have directed the magazine at a selected audience. I have aimed for a social group of D up to C1; this means that I have targeted a social group that consist of working class and middle class people. I have done this by having an artist represented being at a working class background and talking about his controversies, this will interest the selected audience because it will have someone they can relate to. Also higher classes would also be interested because they can have an insight into lower classes lives, and see what trial and tribulations they have to face on a day to day basis. The age I have targeted is 16-24 and I have done this by including a lot of content that will interest that age group. It may also to appeal to an older age group as they may be interested in that genre still or younger people may also purchase the magazine if they interested in the music at a younger age.
5. How did you attract/address you audience?
My media product attracts and addresses my selected in audience in many different ways. Firstly attracts the audience by having bold writing on the front cover in red writing. The colour red is associated with danger, power, passions and desire, this means that the colour will immediately alert the audience’s senses and tell them than this is nothing ordinary but something exciting and exhilarating. This will automatically attract the audience and when they look closer at the front cover they will be addressed by the word “EXCLUSIVE” on the front cover, the audience will then immediately know that the contents of the magazine is exclusive to that magazine and no other media product will have the same contents as the magazine they are looking at. Also in my contents page I have made the words “BIG INTERVIEW” stand out so the audience know that the magazine includes a big interview and that it is very important and they want to read it. This will then lead to the person being attracted to the magazine because the audience know that there is no other media product with the interview in. In the interview I talk about subjects that the targeted age range are stereotyped to be involved with. For example in the interview the artist talks about his drug abuse and the trouble it caused. The media largely stereotype these problems with 16-24 year olds and this is a story to do with the artist they like. This means that they will be interested in what he has to say as they can relate to that. For example a magazine aimed at older people would not talk about wild parties and alcohol in their magazine because it would not interest the audience and they are not associated with such subjects.
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have learnt a considerable amount about technologies in the construction of my media product. Mainly I have gained skill and knowledge about the computer program Photoshop. This is a complex program to use but does achieve a greater finish and can make a media product look much more stylish. The program is very difficult to use and has many different options to alter your work, but I feel I have learnt a lot about Photoshop and have used it effectively. For example in my front cover I have used the magnetic lasso tool to cut around my photo then I have then placed it onto my front cover to make it look like a professional front cover with a professional artist. I have also done the same on my contents page where I have cut out a picture of the featured artist and included it in my contents page to make it look more professional and to show my Photoshop skills. In my double page spread I have included a large photo of my artist on one page which has been altered on Photoshop. I have altered it by improving the picture and making the artist look better, and then changing the contrast so that the photo is now black and white. The photo in black and white represents the dark times that the artist has been through and that he is living in a very dark world. On the other page I have used Photoshop methods by altering the artists and name and the name of his new album so that it looks like that artist’s logo and the audience will then recognize him and his new album which he is soon to release. On Photoshop you can alter the text considerably and add very good effects, I have learnt how to put outer shadows in and inner shadows in the writing. As you can see the logo I have made would look very simple without being altered in Photoshop.
7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I feel that I have learnt a lot in the period between the preliminary task and the main task. I feel that the main task was a lot more challenging than the preliminary task because of the introduction of Photoshop which I feel is a very complex and difficult programme to use without previous experience. Also the depth that this work has been in is very frustrating and long. In my preliminary task I did not work to my full potential and did not achieve the standard of work I can and want to achieve. Although I did complete the preliminary task and I need to do this because I did not gain marks for this but I did not lose any. When I made the transition into the full product I had to start using the program Photoshop more as this would show more skill to the examiners, I completed my Front page and Contents in Photoshop but I constructed my double page spread in publisher which the I transferred over to Photoshop. My work was then put into a further program but I was not responsible for this but I will be willing to use further programs in my A2 work.
