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

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

When I started this project I had no knowledge of how to use a Mac, Pixlr, Blogger, Camera, Uploading and Pages. However through taking part in this project I have now learnt to use all of these things and more. For example, I edited a lot of my images on Pixlr, by learning how to layer images and turn saturation down then erasing parts of the saturation, to bring out the colour. Learning how to master this was key in my project, as I had no prior knowledge of how to edit photo's and then create the images that I did.

I use Blogger every week, multiple times a week, and I have been able to upload drafts and edited images of my magazine and of other things things I felt were relevant. At first I found this slightly difficult because of the layout, deciding what was worth blogging (all of it) and because of having to upload images but I quickly overcame it and I have now produced a blog I am proud of.

The Macs have been a real struggle for me, as I do not get to use them often, I found myself falling behind on how to operate pages and to use them to create my magazine. However, through practice and a little more time, I now feel confident on the macs and I think I can use them effectively, and to their full potential.

I was worried about the images that I would get from my camera, as it is only a simplistic and basic thing, with not many mega pixels. The images I took however turned out exactly as I hoped, and through the enhancement and adjustment of Pixlr, I am really pleased with the finished result.

I used safari and internet explorer to their full uses as well. I was already confident with both of these and have used them both throughout my project, for research, planning and a general source of information.

I think that I have benefited greatly from all of the new technologies I have been introduced to, and after having had thorough practice, I think I have developed an understanding for them all, and that, as I was able to learn all of the above and more, I could easily learn new technologies that may be introduced to me in the future.

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

I think my text is aimed at a recently turned mass audience. Indie Folk was never as popular as it is today and I think that IPC is the publishing house I would choose to publish and distribute my magazine. Also publishers of the NME magazine, I think it would make sense to be published by them, as NME is of a similar genre to my own and is incredibly successful in the UK. IPC has three publishing divisions, and I think mine would be included in IPC inspire. This publishes lifestyle magazines, including NME so I feel this would be the best fit for my magazine. I would like my magazine to be distributed to shops like WHSmith, HMV, Newsagents and supermarkets like ASDA and Sainsburys. These are popularly visited places by my TA and are the most likely and expected places to purchase  music magazines. IPC is also well known for its digital market. This would be very beneficial for my magazine, as my target audience could access it anywhere, on their phones, tablets and computers for example. This would help my magazine to reach all corners of my TA. 

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

I think I have represented my social group of male and female, Indie Folk lovers, in a positive way. I think the images and style of my magazine, represents these men and women as quite cool and alternative. For example, the front cover image, has several effects and adjustments in place, like a light chemical burn and decreased saturation, to make it look similar to an album front cover, something that would not look out of place in a music store, which is a primary place for my TA and social group to spend time.  
However, in my text there is an unintentional signifier  in that I think the magazine represents this social group as being quite effeminate. I believe I have unintentionally let my own preferences influence the style of my magazine slightly, therefore making it appeal more to women and disrupting my preferred reading slightly. I wanted the magazine to appeal equally to men and women, but looking at it I can see that it may not be something a male would be very interested in upon first look. I still think that it would be a popular magazine with this social group however, because I have still included what both genders preferred in the questionnaire I distributed before starting my magazine.  

Evaluation: How did you attract/address your audience?

I used intelligent vocabulary and friendly/inviting language within my text to address my audience. The interview that I carried out used informal language, and was written exactly as the artist responded to the questions, helping the interview to feel more like a conversation between friends than a stilted and edited piece that is purely fact without giving any insight into the artist's personality. The image used on my DPS is of the featuring artist, lounging on a park bench in a natural setting, she is looking directly at the camera, providing eye contact for the readers. It often happens that the set-up, purposely shot for effect image, is used as the glossy front cover to provide the initial appeal, and that the images of the artist in a more comfortable and personable setting are included inside the magazine, to make the readers feel more engaged in the interview. This is what I did with my magazine to attract my audience. I think the photos I used represent my audience exactly as I want them to be, - relaxed, cool, authentic and alternative. My model was displaying exactly the style of my TA and the final images put her in a setting that my audience can relate to and feel comfortable in.

Evaluation: Who would be the audience for your media product?

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

Final Double Page Spread

This is the final right hand page for my double page spread. It is quite simplistic and professional and I took my inspiration from Q magazine, minus the large lettering it uses to cover its interviews. I have stuck to my house theme of white red and black and have complied with typical magazine conventions and written in columns.  

Final Double Page Spread

This is the final left hand page of my double page spread. I have used the artist featured on the front cover in a long shot and edited the image on Pixlr, to bring her out in colour, to make her metaphorically 'shine' in the world around her. I used one of the more memorable quotes from her interview and placed it over the top of her, to give the reader an initial look at what the interview is going to include 

Final Contents Page

 

This is the completed version of my contents page. I have made a few changes, including the font style and layout. I think this version is a bit more interesting to look at and flows better on the page.

Final Front Cover

 

This is the final version of my front cover. I have used a mid shot of a featured artist in the magazine, used a bold masthead, and I have also included particular points of interest within my magazine on the cover. I used a font colour theme of white and red to stand out against the darkness of the image, and I edited my image on Pixlr. I turned down the saturation on the image, and then highlighted the flower in its original colours. I think this front cover is appealing to my TA, as it maintains simplisity, whilst still managing to look professional and displaying some of the typical conventions of a music magazine, like the date and the barcode. The artist featured has the indie folk style I am trying to sell, which will also be appealing to my target audience. 

 

 

New Contents

 

This is another version of my contents page. I decided, instead of featuring a person on this page, that I would try to be a bit more creative, so I used one of my books of sheet music and see what shapes I could create, I found that the loveheart shape was most successful and the most appealing to my TA. I did not edit the image, as I felt the neutral colours and the lighting in the picture were already appropriate and fitting for my house style. I have used a different font than on my most recent front cover, but they will be changed to match for the final edit. I did not use a particular order for the colours in the text, I left it up to what showed up against the background the best, but at the same time making sure I was in keeping with my three font colour scheme, and ensuring that I highlighted the key words.

Contents Page

This is one version of my contents page. I used a mid shot of a 'festival goer' behind the text, and I enhanced the colours and vibrancy of the picture to give it a bright and summer feeling tone, I then blurred the image slightly and placed it behind the text as it is not the focal point of the page, the text is. I wanted my text to look inviting and interesting to look at, so I continued with my house theme of red and white and then added black to help the text show up against the models skin. I did not use any particular order for the colours in the text, I only based it on what is easiest for my TA to read against the colourful background. I included several things in my contents page that I think would appeal to my TA most, like the mention of a particular festival and a few bands that my TA would typically listen to. To improve this page and make it look more like a typical music magazine contents page, I would decrease the image size and place the text to the side of it. I would also include page numbers and vary the fonts and font sizes to highlight particular points of interest. 

Front Cover

This is my nearly complete front cover. I have used a mid shot of a featured artist in the magazine, included a masthead on a vertical and I have also included the points of interest within the magazine. I used a colour theme of white and red to show up against the black and white image, and I edited my image on Pixlr. I removed the colour and highlighted one particular point in the image in colour, the flower. I think this front cover will appeal to my TA as in my opinion it looks quite classy, and inviting, and the artist featured has the style usually associated with indie folk, which is what I am trying to sell. To improve my cover, I would need to add things like a headline and links o social networking sites perhaps, but I do not want to disrupt the look and design with things like bar codes and icons, because I think it will look irregular and unappealing to my TA.  

Health & Safety

When capturing images and doing recce for my music magazine, I have to take in to account health and safety issues in terms of my model(s), equipment and the environment. 

- When shooting on location, if there is any other technical equipment around, I need to make sure there are no loose cables, that could become a trip hazard.

- If there are any low hanging spot lights that people may hit their heads on. 

- I can not take a camera into the school toilets for ethical reasons. 

- I also need to keep the people I am going to use safe, so not letting the images I have captured be distributed, if they do not want me to. 

- If I am shooting outside, I need to make sure there are not any hazards like broken glass on the floor.

Contents Page Draft

This is a draft of what I would like my contents page to look like. Very minimalistic, like my cover page, to remain in-keeping with the rest of my mag. I am sticking to my colour theme and also, I want to feature one of the artists who will be playing in the Lunar Festival as I feel this will draw my TA in.

Double Page Spread Draft

This is the basic layout of what i want my DPS to look like. I will have a mid - long shot of the artist, with one of the quotes from the interview printed over the top. I will then use the right hand page for the interview, using my colour scheme of black, white and red throughout. This layout is similar to Q magazines interviewing style, so I used it as a style model for my own magazine, because Q is the type of magazine my target audience are likely to read.

Inside Page

This is a draft of one of the inside pages of my music magazine. I created the page on Pixlr and included the Lunar Festival Tour Dates, which is something my TA is very interested in. Also to help this page appeal, I included a long shot of James Vincent McMorrow, one of the artists playing at the Lunar Festival. It is agin quite minimalistic like my cover, to help continue on with the style of the magazine. I also stuck to my 3 colour scheme and used black and red fonts.

First Draft

This is a rough draft of what i would like the front cover of my magazine to look like. A large close up of a featured artist and a clear magazine name on a vertical. There is a 3 font colour theme of black, red and white. I want to keep the cover quite minimalistic as i feel this will appeal most to my target audience. It looks more like an album cover to me, which is what i think my T.A. wants, as they are more about the music than the presentation. The title of my magazine is named PICK, I chose this because of its relevance to a guitar pick, and the fact that my magazine is indie folk so a guitar plays a big part in the type of music my TA reads, and also as i want them to pick my magazine to read over the others.

Photo Edits

These are a few examples of some of the photo editing we did in lessons, using the website Pixlr. We selected multiple images and experimented with various different effects and colouring. I have included the originals to show how we proceded to edit the images and our final results.