In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
When I was researching other music magazines for inspiration, I specifically looked out for a cover which was simple in its layout, rather than being 'busy'. I came across a particular issue of NME, which featured Florence Welch on it. It was different from the usual covers that NME had done before; I later found out that this was because they had recently changed the look of their magazine. The cover with Florence on it was just how I wanted to make my magazine. Usually, when buying a magazine, I focus on the main image and decide whether I want to buy it or not. Therefore, I wanted the main image to be the focus and sell point of the entire magazine. I had this decision in mind when taking the pictures. A lot of the pictures I took were medium close ups or close ups. I took inspiration from this specific issue of NME, but also from general issues of NME/Q. This is because they are both laid out in a very structured way. Q does this because they represent different genres of music and so they layout isn't too specific to one genre. NME focuses on indie music, but it also covers news about popular artists. Its layout is, however, quite messy and all over the place, but it still has clean fonts and edges. Another reason why I chose to use the cover of Florence as direct inspiration, is because it featured a woman. The picture I used directly addresses the audience with expressive eyes looking straight at the camera. I wanted the artist featured to come across as an enigma with a knowing look on her face; her genre of music shouldn't be obvious from the main image. I have challenged the convention of featuring a provocatively dressed female on the front of a magazine.This would hopefully persuade people to buy the magazine. I put my masthead across the top; because it was a first issue, the name should be clear to read. I was attracted to the idea of the coverlines and everything else on the page being laid out in a way that it almost encircled the main image, because it draws all attention to the image first and foremost. I didn't want too many vibrant colours, because they tend to connote more energetic music and appeal to a young audience, e.g. Kerrang!, Smash Hits, etc. One of my main aims was to create a more sophisticated magazine for 16-20 year olds.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My magazine is not aimed to listeners of a particular genre. It is similar to Q magazine, in that it features popular artists, regardless of genre; this ensures that it gains a wide audience. The featured artist on my cover is Asian, which is something that is unusual in magazines, as there are not many Asian artists who make popular music in the UK. I am hoping to represent females as equal to males through the use of my featured artist. Generally, females in music, especially in the pop genre, dress provocatively and use their image as a way of gaining more exposure or success, which tends to be aimed at a male audience. My magazine features a young girl, dressed demurely but still slightly made up. The fact that I have challenged this convention doesn't mean that it won't attract a male audience. When asked, a college student chose my magazine out of the whole class' because it "looked official; I would buy it even though it doesn't target 18-year-old boys". This shows that for this particular member of the audience, the artist on the front doesn't matter more than the actual layout and construction of the magazine. Aside from this, my magazine doesn't represent any particular social group. It features and represents 'normal' teens and young adults.
Distribution/Target Audience
I have answered these two questions in the form of a magazine pitch, as if I were pitching to IPCMedia in order for them to distribute my magazine:
How did you address/attract your audience?
I think that I have attracted my audience mainly through the layout ans structure of my magazine. It is clean-cut and structured neatly; what I was hoping to connote through this structure was that it is a magazine aimed at both genders, who listen to a diverse range of music. Q Magazine does something quite similar; the simple, bold layout that is consistent throughout all their covers reflects the range of artists and genres which is featured. I have attracted girls aged between 16 and 20 with my front cover image because I have featured a female artist looking stylish but natural; as opposed to the female artists dressed provocatively and outlandishly who are normally seen on music magazines. I have also attracted Asian girls, as it is not often that you see an Asian female on the cover of a music magazine. The male gender is also targeted through the use of images of a male indie band, White Lies, on the contents page. They may also be attracted because they would like to read about the featured artist. As a regular music magazine reader myself, I enjoy the relaxed and casual language which is used in the magazines I read (NME, Q); I decided to use this sort of language in my magazine also.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
There are several things I learnt about technologies throughout this project. Firstly, I learnt how to use Blogger to my advantage so that I could present my work in a structured way. I learnt about camera shots and which would be best for certain parts of a magazine - however, I did have setbacks to do with my photos. Originally, I was going to do a feature on Radio 1's annual 'In New Music We Trust' concert, in which new acts perform in order to boost publicity. A lot of the pictures I took that night were unusable, so I had to change my feature. I did use a few pictures from the concert which came out well, because instead of trying to take pictures of the stage I took pictures of the plasma screens inside the venue. The pictures look great, although it looks as if they were taken professionally. I already knew how to use Photoshop to a large extent, before the construction of the magazine, through my own personal use. I did, however, learn to refine my skills and adapt them specifically to the construction of the magazine, e.g. text, layout and picture effects.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
When comparing my music magazine with my preliminary task, I can see that there are both similarities and differences between them. The font is the same on both covers, and the level of consistency is similar, also. I personally think that the picture on my music magazine is better in terms of shot, angle and lighting. The lighting on the music magazine is more reminiscent of studio lighting, whereas the school picture is outside and therefore there weren't many problems with lighting. The mise en scene, however, is better on the school magazine, as it is evidently taken on school grounds. The layout, of the coverlines especially, is much clearer and appropriate on the music magazine; the coverlines on the school magazine make it look almost like a poster. There isn't much difference between the layouts of the two contents pages; the music magazine one is A3, however. They both have the same font, font size and inclusive language in the editor's note.I feel that, most of all, I have learnt how to make a magazine appeal to a target audience more and use software and layout techniques in a way that is appropriate for a magazine.
