AS Foundation Portfolio Evaluation Questions 1-7

Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In the first instance my contents page is an attempt to follow that of the contents page of Kerrang when I mean follow I mean it’s based upon a loose example of the Kerrang contents page which uses their layout but nothing else.

In the second instance my magazine in terms of colours uses something similar to that of other magazines like NME, Q and others liking Rolling Stone in the way that they use one main image intended to capture the readers eye and to promote their magazine in a sense it is what i’m trying to re create in my magazine in the way that I have one main image on my front cover with overlapping text on the front.

Thirdly, I am different to that of Kerrang and other different magazine’s in the terms that I don’t have secondary images posted on the front of my magazine I just stick to the other method of just using one image to captivate the reader’s minds and attention.

In the fourth instance the lettering on the contents page is somewhat the same in comparison to that of Kerrang but with some very apparent differences, the differences are that Kerrang has an introduction on the top left and other quotes where as I do not, also they have a shorter type of contents column in comparison to what I have.

In the fifth instance in comparison on my double page spread in the terms of layout it is different to that of most other magazines out there in the way that my double page spread has two edited and photo shopped pictures that are the captivating backgrounds and then in the middle of one there is text in columns and also quotes around the page and other various phrases and words, but in one way where it is similar to that of other magazines is the way that the left hand side of the double page spread is bare and has space for the image to be looked at and captivated upon with glory.

 In the sixth way the forms of pictures in my magazine is relatively the same, the way that the picture is focused around one person and one person alone in each shot, this adds emphasis on the way they are presented and their surroundings, this allows the reader to study that image and pay attention to the detail of it and how well it is structured and taken.

In the seventh way in comparison of the amount of text in the magazine and the way the layout is conscribed is much the same as NME as for example the way the front cover page is, that is laid out with one picture edited and surrounding text but still keeping and adding emphasis on to that single picture, much the same with the double page spread is with the text on one side but the image sprawling over to both sides to be seen and emphasis added.

In the eighth way is that of editing, editing done in my magazine is much the same as all forms of magazine editing which is the same as the other conventional methods in photoshop which i used to create my own music magazine and this is the most straight forward and most simplest way.

In the ninth and final element my magazine pushes some boundaries with other magazines but overall it uses all the best aspects from all of the other magazines and attempts to combine them in order to create a better magazine with fewer flaws than its real media counterparts.

Question 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product represents a young hip hop culture social group this is made apparent by the onslaught of image in my magazine, this is shown also by the facial expressions of the artists in my magazine and also the other magazines, this social group is noticeable by the serious, sophisticated and also “strike a pose” photography they have and re enact.

Question 3 - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I think that IPC Media would be the most suitable media institution to distribute my magazine as they already distribute NME and also Uncut two very successful magazines in their own right and i believe that another magazine that shares features with NME but is not the same will bridge that gap they have in their selection and form a strong market in the IPC Media group that will maximise that potential for IPC and also for the magazine, also with their experience in distributing music magazines they will have the knowledge and also the fan base in which to distribute my magazine successfully.

Question 4 - Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience for my magazine is that of young males & females aged 16 – 24, this is as this is the age range where rising rap, r&b, and other stars start to take their dreams seriously and if a magazine advertises that this is where stars are born then they will take an interest into what that magazine publishes and aims to achieve, also this audience are most likely to engage with the magazine and find the content interesting and useful to themselves.

Question 5 - How did you attract/address your audience?

 With the front cover in an attempt to attract the audience i have used attractive pictures and also added content on the side in a bid to entice the reader with information and other things in order for them to purchase the magazine.

With the double page spread it is also laid out in order to show the reader attractive pictures and giving them the best of both worlds in terms of content and also information along with attractive pictures that are pleasing to the eye and that compliment eachother.

With the contents page its attempting to attract the audience by displaying the most attractive qualities inside the magazine and the most attractive parts that should interest the reader or make him think to purchase the magazine in the hope that some part of the magazine will interest him into purchasing that magazine or at least think twice.

Question 6 - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

The technologies i have used in the creation process are technologies which i already possessed the knowledge on how to use and how to create the magazine that i needed to create, for example;

I used Adobe Photoshop CS3 to edit the photo’s and also to edit and merge everything together.

After using Photoshop to merge the photo’s together i used the website Blogger to add things to my already previously created blog in order to make sure the blog remained updated and up to scratch, like i previously stated i already possessed the needed knowledge on how to construct the magazine, the only thing i did learn is a smoother process on how to merge and construct images and text together along with editing it.

Question 7 - Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Through my school magazine to the finished product magazine my understanding of the task at hand and the seriousness of my attention to the finished product as increased considerably as when i first started the school magazine task i did not fully understand nor was i aware of the considerable size of the task or the seriousness and concentration that it would take to complete, since undertaking the task of the finished magazine i have learned and developed the necessary attention needed to undertake the task to a professional photoshop standard and also have understood what was needed to make this task go through with the best of my ability.

Also if you compare the two front covers you see that the school magazine lacks in any substance, for example their isn't really an eye catching image, nor an eye catching title and also lacks in any magazine features apart from that their is a barcode sticker located on the front, even the shape of the front cover differs from that of a music magazine, and when you look at the music magazine front cover which was my final piece you can see that their is a relative title which is catchy also a subtitle which catches the eye, a eye catching image which catches the reader's eye and also it is edited in photoshop to make it look more professional as well as the different colours included in the front cover.

If you compare the two contents page's you see that one has a distinct different to that of the other one in the way that the school magazine contents page is just a plain background with simple words and no real unique layout coupled with just one plain image, this was simple and wasn't attracting any attention, in comparison with my final contents page my final one is on a plain black background with stand out font which is red and a selection of different photographs which each entice the reader to look more through the magazine to read all the different stories, also on my music magazine contents page you see that on the top in bright white font is a label saying contents page to capture the readers attention.

Overall i have successfully grasped the concept of successfully developing a magazine and also understood the concentration needed to produce a magazine which is up to standard and not a below par attempt at magazine through medial tasks instead i have produced a magazine using photoshop which is a professional tool used by many to create professional magazines such as NME, Kerrang, Q and XXL, also my lack of knowledge in the use of complicated tasks on photoshop prohibited me from making my school magazine as successful as it could of been, but for my music magazine i learnt to do more complicated things with photoshop in order to make my music magazine look more professional as well as feel more professional.

Contents Analysis

 - The title is clear and stands out from the rest, it is bold and simple font, their logo is only seen once at the top as it stands out and is spaced out from the rest of everything else.

-The image is symmetric  and is iconic and also stands out and catches the eye of the reader,  the layout of the image is good as it gives the reader something too look at and scan with their eyes and to add to effect their is only one image to look at.

- The headings are simple and only relate to the features of the magazine and the main cover story.

- The background colour is just simply the image so their fore the font and text just overlap over the image and give more effect on the image.

- With the columns of the text their is only one column so this also adds effect to the picture as with less text the reader has more emphasis to look and study the picture with their eyes and think about that picture.

-The title of the magazine is in apparent view where it clearly is displayed  as “XXL” that is a house style and always in clear view for the readers too see clearly.

- The images in this magazine are different to the other magazine as their are more here than one, this is a good thing as it gives the reader something to establish their self with as it also gives something to look at, as although their are more than one image they are all iconic images of celebrities that the reader will find appealing in more ways than one.

-The headings in this are useful as they highlight both sides of the contents page by displaying “the a side and the b side”  in this their are many headings displaying the various parts of the different parts of the contents page.

-The background colour is a plain white which adds effect to the pictures and plain black text in a bold font, it aids the images in the sense that a plain blackground gives more room for the images to be studied and looked at rather than a colourful background,  this aids the text by allowing a black type of text to stand out more on the white background.

-The information in the columns are laid out only too the picture’s, so this allows you too keep your attention focused in one place and one place alone.

Magazine Contents Page

Contents Page of magazine

Double Page Spread Of Magazine

This is the double page spread of my magazine

Front Cover Of Magazine

This is the front cover of my magazine

Music Magazine Plan / Planning Grid

Magazine Research

The genre of my magazine is Grime/R&B/Hip Hop it is diverse and has different genre’s to promote those different things and also as it has a multitude of information that i can include in the magazine.

Magazine that also show the genre of these include.

Similarities

1.       They all have one bold title

2.       They all have loads colours that intend to catch your eye

3.       They all have one main photo to cover most of the front cover

4.       The photo is eye catching and will always draw the attention of the reader to that before anything else.

Differences

1.       All have different colour schemes

2.       All have different photos

3.       All have different font’s and sizes of writing

What I will do on my magazine

1.       Use a bold title

2.       Use on main photo for the cover

3.       Use an eye catching design and photo to promte my music

4.       Combine different techniques and schemes.

Resources	The resources I will use will include the use of a dark room with a spot light, stairs and also the use of a camera
Location	The location of the shoot will either be in the drama studio or in the main hall, this so that i have darkness and also so i can manipulate the lighting conditions to my liking and also so i can play around with the settings to get the right photograph.
Props	The only props that i will use will be possibly the use of steps from the drama studio as this adds effect and emotion to any style of photo that i will take
Costume	The costume will be casual and not at all formal, it will be on rising stars and also stars of Hip Hop and grime and also rising stars of R&B.

I chose to edit this photograph in a different grain style on photoshop to entice my reader's to look at the photograph and relate to it in a more iconic status in a different way then if it would of been just a plain picture and not edited.

The edit was designed to promote the figures in the picture and to make it stand out from the rest of the text whilst making the image seem more iconic to the eye and different to anything else you'll see.

 

Analysis Of A Double Page Spread - Florence NME

Analysis Of A Double Page Spread – Florence & The Machine NME

The target audience of NME is anyone who wishes to be informed about music in depth and also see high definition pictures of the said band or singer.

The language used in the article is articulate and language only suited for the intelligent reader that likes to be informed in depth and educated with a heap of information for example “ She has spent the last two and a half minutes raucously insisting to the 4 million viewers of the late show with David Letterman that a kiss with a fist is better than none and providing them with an indelible mental image of a porcelain skinned forest nymph assaulting a floor tom”, this type of language will only be found in NME and would never be found in Kerrang or any other music magazine, this language is quite a lot to grasp for the average magazine reader and takes intelligence to comprehend the article at hand.

The colour used is plain, it is plain as this double page spread is based around intelligence and the desire to be informed in-depth about the person or band and also the desire to be swamped with information in attempt to absorb it,  the plain colour shows intelligence as in magazine’s for readers that like pictures the pictures swamp the text and have variance of colour, in this double page spread its all the same colour apart from the massive background image that stands out from everything else.

The style of text used is standard font and is the same throughout the NME magazine, the image of the magazine is intelligent and also highly informative and the audience of this magazine are the readers who like to be informed in-depth about that band or singer or performer and know the bulk of the information present, even with the style of text on the double page NME still makes it remain intelligent and also in-depth in appearance as well as unique content.

The double page spread is laid out with intelligence, style and poise that of which is different to the Kerrang double page spread of that all of it is designed for reader’s whom prefer to look at just images and less text, this double page spread of NME however is one massive image for the background with a heap of text and supporting paragraphs , this reflects the audience as it shows that their target audience are people whom prefer to read rather than look at a barrage of images, they prefer to divulge and consume information rather than information from pictures, they value informing their audience and giving their audience information which they can value as oppose to just a glimpse of what they can learn.

The tone of the magazine when addressing the reader is an informed intelligent fan and also a member of their in crowd, for example “David Letterman just touched my elbow! Florence Welch comes spinning into the green room, a tornado of crimson hair and black chiffon”, this for example is directed towards an intelligent and informed reader base as it is informative and packed full of intelligence in that sentence.

The artist is presented to the audience through the images on this double page spread in just one eye catching and out their image, this image is professional and also attractive to the eye as it catches the attention and also provides the thought to the reader that she is a rather big influence in the music world and the influence of her can be seen in the image alone.

The style of the double page spread matches the front of the magazine, with only one eye catching and professional background image and also an informed and intelligent hoard of information and text for the reader to absorb and become engulfed in.

This double page spread and following articles do not demand any prior knowledge from the reader as they are informative and are a different story entirely for example “David Letterman just touched my elbow! Florence Welch comes spinning into the green room, a tornado of crimson hair and black chiffon”, this is another story entirely and does not require any previous information, much like a newspaper article it informs you entirely on something different and new, this is much the same and shows that previous knowledge of the article or artist is not required.

Analysis Of A Double Page Spread - MCR Kerrang

Analysis Of A Double Page Spread - MCR Kerrang

The choice of band featured in this double page spread suggests that the target audience is also the normal target audience of Kerrang which is also Rock fans worldwide, also from the pictures shown it further suggests a Rock audience.

The language used in the article is that of standard article form but also with Kerrang’s home twist in the form of their own writer adding his phrases too it “ are the most raucous, dirty rock ‘n’ roll gems we’ve heard from MCR since their 2002 debut”  this is something that Kerrang add themselves in order to not only publicise the band but to also publically support that sound in their magazine furthering their own brand image.

Colour is not used much in this double page as it is mostly black and white to add effect and to show and add effect to the size of this band worldwide, it also shows how big they are and the presence they ensue in the reader.

The style of text apart from being a standard small font in order to maximise the availability of space in order to include pictures is also one sentence standing out from everything else by saying “we’re being the best MCR we can be” this hits home to the reader to read the article more to understand that sentence fully, also in that article linking to that sentence is the page editor or the interviewer saying that that album is the best thing he’s ever heard from MCR since their own debut album in 2002, the bold text of just that sentence reinforces that idea that Kerrang is purely a Rock type magazine and the audience is a Rock specific audience.

The double page spread is laid out like a standard Kerrang double page spread, as most of the double page is taken up by images and some paragraphs of text but the main focus is around the band and the images, this reflects the Rock audience as they’d rather look at more pictures rather than read and sift through mountains of text.

The tone of the magazine when addressing the reader is more of the tone of an in crowd of Kerrang, addressing their target audience and selected readers more than addressing a broad range of fans, for example “ My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way has revealed to Kerrang! That the emo superstars’ forthcoming, as yet untitled album will be a vast departure from the epic grandeur and theatrics of 2006’s The Black Parade”, this sentence for example shows that it’s aimed at an in crowd of readers, their target audience, this is apparent as this could not be aimed at anyone except them as you need previous knowledge of MCR as it notes that their new album will be a vast departure from their 2006 album The Black Parade without the previous knowledge of the band you will be in the dark about what half the article is about and what it means.

Through the images the band is presented as professional and hard working, showing them performing and also recording what is most likely their new album in the making, the images also show them being passionate about recording music and doing what they do.

The style of article matches the front cover, as MCR are featured on this particular front cover as being one of the main features in the magazine and that is the Kerrang way as the publicise openly on the front cover the main features of the magazine, and the biggest features get the biggest space on the front of the magazine, which always follows in suit in Kerrang.

The article demands prior knowledge of MCR and what their previous albums were like and how successful they were, this just reinforces that the target audience of the magazine is a specific audience and the magazine does not aim to branch out to any other reader apart from their ‘In Crowd’ rock audience for example ““My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way has revealed to Kerrang! That the emo superstars’ forthcoming, as yet untitled album will be a vast departure from the epic grandeur and theatrics of 2006’s The Black Parade”, this shows that to understand their new album and how different it is you will need to have knowledge of their previous albums to comprehend the difference of their new album and the new sound they bring in their new album.

Kerrang Analysis

Kerrang Analysis

The fonts used are eye catching and intended too capture the attention of the reader and target audience, they are used too be different from other magazines on the stand, and also intended too be appealing and interesting too look at and also too read.

 The size of type is a about 72 – 100, it is that big in order too catch the

Attention and eye of the reader, and also too stand out from other magazines

with smaller fonts.

 The weight of type used is quite bold but not italic, the bold font is used too become eye catching, and also too further appeal too the reader as it stands out and is more attractive.

 The colours used are quite stand-outish and designed too capture attention

with the colours and font and weight of type all in one which should capture
the readers attention.

The photo’s used are close up shots and shots designed too show only the face of the person to inform the reader who the people featured in the magazine are and too possibly interest the reader into buying the magazine out of interest in the photo’s relating too the people and stories enclosed.

 The stars used are relevant only to the intended market as the people who do not recognise the stars are not the intended market, as they have no clue who the stars are.

It is a mixed gender front cover and magazine as it appeals too both sides of the gender, male and female, also it gives the contrast in male and female by being a mixed gender mag.

 They are arranged to give you a highlight of what is included in this issue of this magazine, to show you the best sections of the magazine and highlight these in an approach to ensure that you purchase this magazine, after highlighting the best things included they give a small list of what else in the magazine after the feature articles and feature information.

 The page elements are laid out in a sort of collage form, for instance the picture’s are laid out in a collage format with some overlapping the others and overlapping words, this gives the reader a chance to scan the front cover incase they find anyone that they’re interested in or interested in reading about them further or reading the magazine to find out what the information regarding that artist is.

 The white space on the front cover of the magazine is used to promote that specific feature of the magazine which in this case is “50 sexiest people in rock” this is an eye catching sentence as it is an interesting read as well as an interest to read further and look at the picture’s included in the magazine.

 As a whole colour is pretty simplistic and doesn’t really include any complexity, the colour is just plain black and white in this issue, this simplicity is one of the reasons why Kerrang is popular as many of their own readers dislike the whole barrage of colours you get with other magazine’s on a whole.

  Your eye navigates the page from top to bottom scanning the pictures which are arranged in a collage format which is easier on the eyes to scan through the images on the front cover of the magazine, also as soon as you get to half way down the cover your caught by that big sentence saying “ 50 sexiest people in rock” which automatically makes you want to read into the magazine more and also the images make you want to read more because if you see a face that you recognise or like or are interested in and then you’ll be pushed to see what the magazine has to say about that following person.

 The images on this front cover relate to the text as it says “50 sexiest people in rock as chose by you” and then it has the collage of images located around it so therefore they link as it’s giving you a preview of who will be included in this list of 50 as chosen by the readers.

 The cover relates to the rest of the magazine by highlighting the main features of what will be included in this issue of the magazine therefore giving the reader a sample of what is inside beyond the front cover, beyond the front cover is more of what is shown on the cover itself.

 The name of the magazine is onomatopoeic and is a reference to the sound made when playing a power chord on an electric guitar or as well the sound made when a guitar is smashed. An onomatopoeic in simple terms is a word that imitates or suggests the source of the sound that it describes.

 The connotations or the concepts and images associated with this word are that it is the sound made when playing a power chord on an electric guitar or the sound made when a guitar is forcefully smashed.

 The photo’s denote that they’re quite serious in their profession and remaining professional for that specific photo to create and reinforce their image, also the hairstyle suggests a rock front, image and also pose.

 The connotations that photo’s have are that the image is a rock front as in conjunction with the hairstyle a rock front is created, the attitude is serious and also possesses a rock front, the behaviour can be determined as a rock behaviour were they do what they want when they want, the status can be determined as a rock god front were they are the elite and no one else is above them.

 They use the myth that only a certain category of people can be described as sexy and that anyone out of that category can not be defined as the sexiest people in rock.

 Kerrang was initially published by Geoff Barton as a onetime supplement in the Sounds newspaper, you cant tell this fact without researching the magazine before hand as the magazine has considerably changed since its first launch in 1981.

 This media text makes it’s money by circulating the magazine through supermarkets, shops and other retail establishments and putting the issues of the magazine for sale in these establishments were the large number of Kerrang fans purchase this magazine and also through the other divisions of Kerrang such as their music channel, radio, awards and also the Kerrang Tour.

 The interests of the reader are very important to Kerrang as the publications of the magazine are on what the reader wants to see most, for example in this issue the 50 sexiest people in rock, that is chosen specifically through the reader through a poll, Kerrang thrive on what the interests of the reader are in order to generate substantial sales.

 The Kerrang magazine is also connected to other types of media such as  Kerrang TV, Kerrang Radio, Kerrang Awards and also the famed Kerrang Tour which has major headlining acts each and every year.

 The market place is quite substantial in terms of the different types of music magazine’s available to purchase, Kerrang has a lot of other competitors in this sector, but they are the market leaders due to the age of the magazine and also due to the other sectors they have in their empire and the other forms of media they have available at their disposal to publicise and endorse their magazine.

 No institutions are in control over the content they publish but the British Standards Institution do regulate the content of the magazine just for standard purposes and to make sure that it is appropriate for the public.

 Kerrang is quite independent as it is based on their own views in relation to what the reader wants to read and not want their own corporation want to publish in their magazine.

The changes taking place in this media are just changes that adapt to the current world and adapt periodically to ensure that they always meet the needs of the growing population of the readers and meet the different needs of the ever evolving reader, the original issue the first issue of Kerrang which was just one picture and words was suitable to that time as people were interested in just one picture and words, which was suited to that time, but now in the current time people are more interested in seeing a barrage or collage of pictures and seeing less words than what would of been used in 1981.

These changes are taking place to ensure that the magazine stay up to date and in time with current events and also to meet the needs of the evolving readers.

The values that Kerrang appear to support are the values of listening to what the reader wants and not what the corporation want, what the reader wishes is more important to Kerrang and this is one value that Kerrang appear to support.

The magazine appears to challenge the norm of what corporations include in their magazine for their best interests and not ideally what the readers would like to see included in their magazine, but Kerrang challenge this and include what the readers select and what the readers would like to hear about.

Other similar magazine that are direct competitors of Kerrang are NME, Q and Rolling Stone and also many other magazines.

The Kerrang title extends to their many other forms of media they produce such as Kerrang TV, Kerrang Radio and also the Kerrang Tour which has major headlining acts each year.

The main genre they represent is just plainly rock which they focus on which is why they have such a wide and big fan base as rock is a main genre which is associated with music on a whole.

The musical genre’s which are represented is everything other than rock as they put all their attention and focus on rock.

The stylistic features that identify the genre is that of tattoo’s and the different associated hair styles in the pictures to do with people of rock and also the way the layout is also that of rock.

The content typical of a rock genre is the double page spreads featuring solely one band and an interview with them.

The target audience of this magazine is that of a rock audience an audience solely interested in the rock culture and rock information, that is the only target audience as Kerrang does not aim to satisfy anyone else.

The magazine is targeted at them by using the information gathered by market research and meeting the needs of the rock reader by only covering articles and information that they want and nothing else.

That sentence highlights that they’ve whittled all the rock acts in the world and as chosen by the reader they’ve created a poll with the 50 sexiest rock acts in the world insinuating it’s a prestigious list to be a part of.

The people being represented in these photographs are the 50 sexiest people in rock and no one else.

The people that are missing are the people that are no substantial in the list of 50 sexiest people in rock.

It says that the sexual attraction towards men and women is heightened through this poll and that they’re mostly of a white ethnic background or origin.

The social status needed to be a part of this magazine shows that it’s only for people who are at the top of the rock game and are highly successful.

It shows that the music biz is highly competitive but Kerrang stick to what the reader wants and not what the corporation want.