Final Product Of My Magazine

Evaluation Of Magazine

 

This is the front cover for my magazine (second out of third draft). To improve this I need to make sure that there is less space in the left hand corner of the cover, perhaps another cover story or to move some of the existing covers to fill the gap. I also need to make the title 'Smoke and Mirrors' darker to make it stand out the background of the cover.

 

For my contents page (second out of third draft) I also need to make the colour of the text for the title a lot bolder due to the fact that you can't see it against the background of the page. I also need to make the editors photo bigger and move it down so it is nearer the bottom of the page and make the text wrap around it a little more. I also need to add a page number at the bottom of the page as I didn't do so beforehand. Lastly, I need to move the contents list up a little more so there is space at the bottom of the page so I can move the editors note over a little more.

Question 6 ~ What technical skills have you learnt and how has your understanding of film or muction developed during the process of constructing the product?

Question 6 ~ What technical skills have you learnt and how has your understanding of film or magazine production developed during the process of constructing the product?

n the process of making my magazine, I have used several different elements of technology, one of the main ones of these was Photoshop, this was to put the magazine together as a whole, adding text, editing pictures and making sure that the magazine was put together properly.

The other important element of making my magazine was using Blogger to track my progress and write down and difficulties and/or progress I was making with my magazine over all, I used this through all stages of production with my magazine.

I also used word a lot due to the fact that photoshop does not have a spell check and I want to make sure everything was grammatically correct before I put it into my magazine. And although I wanted it to be aimed at fifteen years olds to mid twenties, I still wanted it to have the appeal of using the correct spelling and grammar before I put it into my magazine.

Q5 : How did you attract/ address you audience.

I attracted my target audience, all genders aged 15-21, through making sure that the headlines and cover stories were up to date and to do with the music that they would listen to. I used artists such as Paloma Faith to do this. My cover story is also about an up and coming, not very well known artist who is starting to make it big in the music industry, this is so that if a member of the readership also wanted to become a musician one day, they would be able to see that it was possible. The pricing of my magazine was also used to attract readers, due to the fact that it would be able to be brought with pocket money or a little money that they were keeping for themselves.


~ Paloma Faith is one of the real life artists that I am incorporating into my magazine. I am including her into my magazine due to the fact that she relatively new and up and coming and people can identify with her.

Q4 : Who would be the audience for your product? (age, gender, social group, other interests, lifestyle etc)

The audience for my product would be of a younger audience as the target age for my magazine is mid-teens (15+) to young adults (23+), although it does not have a specific gender I am aiming it, I do think that it would be more appealing to females due to the fact that two of my cover stories are about female music artists. There is no specific ethnicity that I am aiming my product at as I am covering a range of different artists in my magazine so not to be biased.  Due to the pricing of my magazine (£2.99), it would be able to be brought with pocket money and isn't really limiting anyone from buying it as such, although I do doubt that those of a higher class would buy the magazine, this could be due to the language used or the fact that it isn't aimed at a higher class audience to begin with. The magazine would be sold in local newagents in villages and high streets, therefore it wouldn't restrict the availability of buying the product. Also, if some people weren't able to buy it, it would be availible for online subscriptions.

Q3 - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

This is the logo of the company that
I think will be appropriate for publishing
my magazine.

The kind of media distribution that might distribute my media prouduct is Bauer Media Group, this is the magazine company that published both Kerrang! magazine and Q magazine which are my two stylistic influences with my magazine, so I thought that with my magazine being quite similar in content that this would be the right magazine publishing company to publish my magazine as the target audience is a very similar to the audience that Q and Kerrang and targeted at. However, I wouldn't want it to be a glossy magazine as it is aimed at mid-teens to young adults, so I wouldn't want it to cost as much as glossy magazines do, but if you look at Kerrang! magazine, it is not a glossy magazine either and is published by the same company, so this is the reason that I can see them being the ones who publish my magazine as they will publish magazines that are less glossy and aimed at teenagers.

Updated Magazine Comparison - Question 1 Redo.

NME is the magazine that I am opting to use for inspiration for my magazine front cover as I like the layout and it would be appropritate to use for my front cover as it is one single picture across the whole thing with a few sub headings and stories. The title is also bold and visible against the layout of the background `

My magazine is using the styles and conventions of the one above 'NME', although this is not the finished and final draft of my front cover as I need to add some more cover stories and make the title bolder, I am aiming to use brighter colours as NME does as it is eye catching and is a popular magazine to buy.

Evaluation Question Two: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Evaluation Question Two: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My magazine represents particular social groups in which my main cover story and the artist on the front cover is up and coming, therefore not that well known, however she is representing the best of British musicians, therefore is representing somebody who didn't have that good of an upbringing but has made a name for herself in the music industry and she is showing that just because you have had a bad start in life that if you try your hardest, then you will be able to make something of your life.

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

My contents page (so far) follows the conventions of a typical magazine, or the magazine that I used for my stylistic influences (Kerrang and NME magazine). In which it has the name of the magazine and 'contents' at the top with an issue number and date. And then there is the actual contents with headings and content down the right hand side of the page with the editors not and competition on the left, the competition at the top, nearly center and the editors note (and photo) are in the bottom left hand corner of the page. Which as you can see below follows the conventions of the magazine.

The title of my magazine is at the top of the page, it's bright and bold and catches the eye of the reader, which is typical of a magazine as the name 'Smoke and Mirrors' as it is the name of my favourite song and it is unique, although it doesn't sound like the typical name of a music magazine, therefore it challenges the norms of a music magazine as it is different and I like it. The photos that I have used for my contents page and front cover are unique as they are original images that I have taken myself, although they are of a similar style and placement on the page. There is one large image and two smaller on the contents page, along with the editors note, this uses the styles of magazines and what the contents pages looks like. The double page spread will go along the usual styles of magazines and be similar to my stylistic influences as there will be one large image that goes across both pages with a small article that will either run along the bottom or down the side of the page with a large title in the left hand corner of the page. I may also use quotes and spread them across the pages, I haven't quite decided yet.

Foundation Production Evaluation

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

My contents page (so far) follows the conventions of a typical magazine, or the magazine that I used for my stylistic influences (Kerrang and NME magazine). In which it has the name of the magazine and 'contents' at the top with an issue number and date. And then there is the actual contents with headings and content down the right hand side of the page with the editors not and competition on the left, the competition at the top, nearly center and the editors note (and photo) are in the bottom left hand corner of the page. Which as you can see below follows the conventions of the magazine.

The title of my magazine is at the top of the page, it's bright and bold and catches the eye of the reader, which is typical of a magazine as the name 'Smoke and Mirrors' as it is the name of my favourite song and it is unique, although it doesn't sound like the typical name of a music magazine, therefore it challenges the norms of a music magazine as it is different and I like it. The photos that I have used for my contents page and front cover are unique as they are original images that I have taken myself, although they are of a similar style and placement on the page. There is one large image and two smaller on the contents page, along with the editors note, this uses the styles of magazines and what the contents pages looks like. The double page spread will go along the usual styles of magazines and be similar to my stylistic influences as there will be one large image that goes across both pages with a small article that will either run along the bottom or down the side of the page with a large title in the left hand corner of the page. I may also use quotes and spread them across the pages, I haven't quite decided yet.

Magazine Front Cover Feedback

Magazine Feedback

 

First of all for the front cover there is too much space on the whole and to fill the spaces there needs to be more coverlines, these shall be displayed in a bigger font and a different colour so that they are visible from a distance and easy to see. It also needs to be more obvious that it is a music magazine, to do this I will add a symbol or something of that nature so I can show that it is a music magazine. I shall also make the added coverlines to be more obviously related to music. And for the contents page I shall have to add one strong image that is going to be for the prize winner and and thumbnail photograph of myself for the editors note. As for the actual contents part of the page I shall have to add more section headings to the list of contents so that I am able more content underneath those headings.