AS Media Studies Music Magazine Evaluation
Ryan Neal
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
Elements of my music magazine challenge the conventions of music magazines for example I have included a tag line at the top of my magazine. In many music magazines you see a tag line at the top of the page.
My music magazine uses the forms and conventions that is mostly seen in Q magazine. This is because I used Q as my research.
The use of a big main image is a typical convention used by music magazine and is familiar to my target audience, many music magazines use a main image surrounded by lots of smaller images. From my research I found that the majority of Q magazines main images were of band member or other artists, so I used the same element for my music magazine.
This convention can be familiar to the target audience. The audience being for my magazine teenagers.
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
Like many music magazine mine has a issue date, this is a typical convention that many music magazines have. I have also included a scan code on my magazine cover this is where a reader can scan this code on their smart phone. This convention is not used in most magazines
By including the main image the target audience can relate to the image of the music star, when a reader see’s a image of their favourite music star they are more likely to buy the magazine.
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
In every magazine I researched there was evidence that there was a specific house style to the magazine. Specific colours and fonts were used throughout the magazines to make it easier for then target audience to recognise. I also used this convention in my media product.
In Q’s contents page the layout of the page is text on one side and images the other side. In my media product I have tried to use the same technique.
A typical convention that music magazines use is having a barcode on the front cover. For my media product I have followed this convention
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
I created my own magazine logo and name. This gave my magazine a dissimilar feel and look; however I used Q magazine’s logo and a base for it.
This logo however is different too the other music magazine logos such as Kerrang or Nme .
In my media product I used the typical convention by having sell lines around my main image. I used this firstly because Q magazine use this convention and I have used this a my research. Secondly I used this as many music magazines such as Kerrang or Nme also use this convention.
Q magazine keeps the title and logo on the left hand side of the page. I have also used this technique in my media product.
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
On my contents page I have included the use of page numbers on each picture so that the audience can navigate more easily. I have used this because Q magazine uses this technique and I used this as my research.
On my double page spread I have made it so my audience can easily see the text against my background
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
Most of the magazines I looked at and researched all helped me to think about what age group I wanted to represent with my product. I wasn’t really sure what age or social group I wanted to aim my product at. I thought maybe to aim the magazine at teenagers aged between 13- 18. I think I achieved this but I think I didn’t only aim for teenagers, I also wanted to aim at young adults as well. Maybe aged between 17- 25. With the 12 to 15 year olds, I thought by putting a teenager on the front of my magazine, I could attract their attentions and get them into learning more about the different styles of music by buying the magazine. I also wanted to attract an audience of anyone who can afford to buy the product.
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
To try to represent this specific social group I added in specific language to help gain the readers interest. I used words such as “beef” to do so. I used this because most teenagers speak quite informally and it will grasp the audience’s attention as the will understand the dialect of my magazine. So I used this language specifically for my chosen target audience. From my research I have noticed that other magazines used quite similar techniques to gain their audiences attention and make sure they can relate to what is said in the magazine.
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
Secondly, the main genre I aimed at with my product was indie. I chose this genre because most teenagers nowadays listening to indie music more than any other genre such as pop or country etc. According to my research I found that most magazines have different music genres, in Q magazine for example they don’t have a specific genre, the magazine uses all sorts of music genres to attract to a wider audience. On most music magazines I researched I found that there is always an image of either a famous singer or a famous band, so to follow this convention and did the same and added a band member to my magazine. By putting an image of a famous musician onto the front cover, it aims to attract audiences of both sexes.
Q magazine front cover with Katy Perry on the front. This uses a famous person on the cover so that audiences can recognise them
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product?
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
The kind of media institution that wold distribute my media product would be IPC media. IPC distribute magazines such as Nme and Nuts magazine. They also do a whole range of magazine themes from shooting to TV guides. From the background and the history that IPC has I am really considering using uses IPC as my main distributer for my media product.
I have found some quite interesting information on IPC. The International Publishing Corporation (IPC) was formed in 1963 . An it used to be a newspaper. The very first magazine published by the IPC was in 1911 when Woman's Weekly made it into shops.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
My media product tried to target an audience of teenagers from ages 14-19. Within this age bracket I will aim for both genders male and female. I chose my colours for my house style to not be gender specific. I made sure that in my questionnaire I made a question so that I can find out what genders mostly read magazines.
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
By using this specific social group I was easily able to grasp my audiences attention. The effect of my media product is to get my primary audience (teenagers) to read my magazine. My main image to my magazine doesn’t have a famous artists on the front but a average 16 year old. I used this image to try and represent an indie band member. However to try and attract my secondary audience (anyone who would buy the magazine) I have made sure the price of the magazine is relatively cheap and affordable so people can buy it.
My magazine is aimed at people who are into any sorts of music. I have done this by including indie references (main image), pop (Rihanna tickets), hip hop (Professor Green). I have done this due to the fact that Q magazine do the same. From my research I saw that Q magazine does not aim at a specific music genre and I did the same.
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
Next my content page attracts the audience by having a very organised structure which makes it easier for my readers to navigate themselves around the contents page and find what they want. Also the general colour scheme of the magazine makes it clear for my audience to read the text, also the white on the background makes the page look crisp and fresh giving it a professional look to the magazine.
With regard to my magazine the audience I am intending to persuade to read are teenagers so older people may not seem interested in it.
How did you attract and address your audience?
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
To attract my audience I made sure that my front over was interesting and was easily see able from a far. I did this by having a image that stands out from the background which will automatically draw the readers attention.
Big bold bright text to stand out.
Sell lines that stand out from a far. This is so that the audience can see it from a distance
Skyline that says “Your number one source of the latest music gossip” this will make the audience want to read it.
Same style of front is produced throughout the page to give a professional look.
“Exclusive” my audience will read this because only here can you read this article.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
Before the preliminary task I had no clue on how to use the software Photoshop. Which made it difficult for me as I had to learn everything in a short period of time before we began the task. My Photoshop skills have dramatically improved over time and this task has given me a chance to try new things such as.
Through Photoshop I was able to satirise the image making the boy seem more vibrant than pale. I was also able to remove his spot and any moles off his face to give him the celebrity look. Also I was able to remove the background from the photo to make the
I have also learnt that Photoshop is very temperamental, sometimes during the task my work wouldn’t save and one of my fellow students lost their work because of this.
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
This is the original photo I used (un edited)
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full production?
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
I have learnt to organise my time better, in the preliminary I was rushed to finish, it didn’t happen with my full product.
I am now a lot better at using Photoshop , my skills on Photoshop have improved a lot. I have learnt about the use or image manipulation of pictures.
I have also learnt how to take photos professionally and use correct lighting and effects
I learnt how to research effectively and how to back up everything that I am saying with evidence from other magazines.
I still think there are many more things I need to change on my magazine and many more things that I could of changed. I think this is a skill I will be able to take into a further career.
I have learnt that to maintain your target audience’s attention you have to add in a lot of key conventions
By Ryan Neal AS Media Studies Evaluation
Ryan Neal