Double Page Spread

Evaluation Activity 7.

Looking back at your preliminary task (the school magazine task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

My first task was to create the front cover and contents page of a school magazine. I was very pleased with my preliminary task, as I had never used photoshop before, I had not learnt that much about it at that point and so I think it went quite well. Looking back and comparing it with my music magazine it shows how much i have learnt about the programs. Although I am still pleased with my preliminary task, the lack of photoshop skills at that point show compared to my music magazine. My preliminary task was very much a practice, almost like trial and error for using photoshop, to prepare me for my main task. I had to start thinking about target audience for my preliminary task, how I was going to attract to the students and how I was going to make a school magazine interesting. Thinking about these things again prepared me for my main task, as target audiences and appealing to people are key issues to deal with when making a magazine.

Main Task

Since doing my preliminary task I have learnt a lot of new photoshop skills. I have learnt how to do different lighting effects, how to retouch images properly, how to cut things out and move things around (magnetic lasso tool) and how to put effects on text etc. I also did much more research for my main task, and so I had a much greater idea of what sort of things to include in my magazine, and how to appeal to my target audience. By doing so much research I also had a clear idea of the typical conventions of a music magazine, and so I was able to include all of these on my magazine, to make it look as real as possible. I did not research typical conventions of a school magazine, and so I did not really have a clear idea of what to include in my preliminary task. Because I also had a lot more time to complete my main task, I was able to do proper plans, and so I had a guide of what I was going to do which made completing the final piece a lot easier. When it came to taking photographs I new the typical posses of models, and I also knew I wanted a teenage girl to appeal to my target audience, and for this girl to be the USP of my magazine. I can see now hoe basic my preliminary task is compared to my main task, which reflects the skills I have since gained in photoshop CS4.

Both of these photos are unedited, but these are the two main photos. Th one on the left I used for my preliminary

task and the one on the right is the picture I used for the main cover of my music magazine. Despite the fact that

they are both unedited, I can tell the difference in quality of the pictures. For my preliminary task I did not really think

about location and lighting ect, I just took a picture. From researching it was clear that the main image was vital for

your magazine to appeal to your target audience, and so everything about it had to be perfect. I had planned the

location for this picture, I had properly dressed my model up making her look the part, and I had to make sure the

lighting was right. After taking much more care of the photo, the quality s much better.

I found my main task a lot easier to do than my preliminary task. This was for several reasons:

- I was more used to and had gained much more knowledge of photoshop, and so editing my images became easier.

- I had carried out a lot more research and so I knew what the typical conventions of a music magazine were.

- I was better prepared because of the preliminary task, it gave me the practice in photoshop that I needed for my

main task.

Evaluation Activity 6.

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

I have learnt how to use quite a lot of new equipment from carrying out this task. I have used a mac computer before, but I have never used that many programs on it. During this task, the main programs I have used are Photoshop CS4, Indesign CS4 and Blogger. I have also used more general tools from the mac, such as the grab tool.

Photoshop CS4 was the main program I used to construct my magazine front cover and contents page. I have never

before used photoshop and so it was completely new to me. Although at first the whole thing was very confusing I

quickly learnt how to use it, and am now confident about using it. I have learnt a lot about this program.

Just some of the things I have learnt include:

- how to put effects on the text.

- spot healing and skin retouching tools.

- the magnetic lasso tool.

- gradient effects.

- lighting effects, such as background lighting, drop shadows, lens flares etc.

- enhancing images, touching up photos with different tools.

The other main program I used was Indesign CS4. I used this to complete my double page spread. After editing my

image in Photoshop CS4, I then placed the final image into Indesign CS4 and added the text to it. Like photoshop I

had never used Indesign before and it was quite daunting at first. After getting used to Photoshop I was a bit reluctant

to get used to a whole new program, however once I got started I quickly got the hang of it and I am now comfortable

with using this program. Just like photoshop I have learnt a lot of new skills for indesign, for example how to wrap

text.

The last of the new programs I had used was Blogger. Just like with photoshop and indesign when I first looked at

this I did not understand it, and did not have a clue how to use it. I had never even heard of blogger before this task

so it really was completely new to me. But once again once I got going with it, and started to upload work and just

have a look around the bogs, I realised that it was quite straight forward, and quickly got the hang of it.

I also used cameras for my project. I have used cameras before so these weren't completely new to me. However I

have never taken properly focused and good quality pictures before. I had to learn how to frame my pictures, and

exactly how to use the camera to get the best possible pictures for my front cover, contents page and double page

spread.

Evaluation Activity 5.

How did you attract/address your audience?

Throughout the making of my music magazine, I gathered different ideas from many other real music magazines. This helped me to gather what sort of things attract people to music magazines, to make sure that my music magazine appealed to my target audience. By looking at other music magazine I got a clear idea of the typical conventions of magazines.

To make my magazine appeal to my target audience, I made sure that my magazine had an appealing main artist. So on the front I placed a picture of my 'special interview' artist, which would attract people to read about her. I also made sure that I had appealing stories on the front about what else I was in my magazine. For example I had headlines of 'JLS BACKSTAGE TOUR ENCOUNTER.' The aim of this was that JLS are a well known group, and so people would be intrigued to read about them. I found that all magazines do this, and so it is clearly a typical convention to attract people to the magazine.

I also wanted to attract young people who are into R&B style music, and so I made sure that I had plenty of stories about R&B music artists and groups on the front cover and also in my contents page, so people know what is in the magazine and would want to read it. The genre of my magazine is R&B and so that should attract my target audience.

Evaluation Activity 4.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

When I started making my magazine I immediately had an idea of the type of magazine I wanted to make, for example the genre of it. I knew I wanted to make a music based around R&B music, and so I had to look into how I was going to attract the right target audience. I wanted to attract the younger generation, as I do not think that in general many people from the older generation would like R&B music.

From looking at other magazines, it is obvious that the genre is immediately conveyed through the image on the front. For example, this issue of Q magazine with 'THE KILLERS', everyone knows they are rock/pop group, and so when you immediately look at the cover, you relate the magazine to that genre. So with my magazine I put my picture of 'Christie' on the front, who people would know as an R&B artist, and so like real magazines, people would instantly assosaite my magazine with the R&B genre.

Evaluation Activity 3.

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

From looking around at real music magazines, I can see that Bauer

media produce about 230 magazines, as well as working with

Television programs. Bauer media Bauer Media reaches over nineteen

million UK adults across multiple media channels. We have more than

eighty influential media brands spanning a wide range of interests,

including heat, GRAZIA, Closer, MCN, FHM, Parker's, MATCH,

Magic 105.4, Kiss 100, Kerrang!, 4Music and the Big City Network.

So my magazine would be distributed by Bauer Media, is it is one of

the biggest magazine production companies. My magazine would be

distributed in a similar way to 'BLENDER' and 'VIBE'.

Evaluation Activity 2.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

- I think that this issue of Q magazine bears some similarities to my music magazine. Firstly it is a close up shot, you can only see Cheryl Cole's face, just as you can only see Christie's face. Christie has a slightly different pose with her hands, but the type of shot is the same.

- Another similarity is the general layout with all the writing. Cheryl Cole is the centre of the cover, with the writing being shaped around her. I think that this layout makes not only the artist stand out more, but also the writing, as it is properly organized around the page. I did the same with 'Radar', I made sure that Christie was the main attraction of the cover.

- The lighting on both covers is quite dark, with exaggerated light on the artist, to draw attention to them a bit more. However the lighting is much more apparent on the Q magazine, making Cheryl Cole look more dramatic. My Radar magazine is much more subtle, and the lighting makes my artist look much softer. I have a lens flare on my artist, which does make her stand out of the cover. However if I was to go back and make another magazine, I would probably make the lighting more prominent, as I think the dramatic look of Q's artist is extremely effective.

- There are some similarities in the writing of the two magazines, as both focus on whats inside the magazine that will attract the target audience, and both magazines have wrting shaped around the artist.

Evaluation Activity 1.

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

I think the main design of my music magazine has the conventions of other real music magazines, for example a typical convention is having a photograph of an artist or group on the front cover, and then text wrapped and shaped around them. My magazine also follows this, with my artist as the main attraction to the front cover, and text including what else is in the magazine wrapped around it.

Examples of real front covers which follow this typical convention:

Other elements of my magazine also follow the typical conventions of a real music magazine. Firstly, the title. In researching music magazines, the title is always the boldest and biggest text on he cover. This is obviously to attract the reader, as the title instantly jumps out and attracts readers to certain magazines. So with my title I tried to achieve the same effect. I made it the biggest text, and have put several effects including a 'drop shadow', 'outer glow' and 'bevel and emboss.' I found that these effects made the title really stand out. The title is also the unique part of magazines, as it is the only part which stays the same in every issue, plus no other magazine has the same title. With the effects I also found it made the title look more unique and original. The last thing I found when researching music magazines, was that the title implied the genre. For example RAVE, KERRANG, VIBE and ROLLING STONE are all words people associate with music. So I named my magazine RADAR, as i think it implies music and so instantly indicates the genre of my magazine.

By looking at many other real music magazines, as well as other types of magazine, it is clear that a main convention of magazines is the artist or people on the front. The pictured people always cover the whole front cover, they are the focus and the main selling point for that particular issue and everything else on the cover is shaped around them. Within the music magazines that I researched I found that there are not that many magazines use things like props in their pictures, so I decided not to use props for my artist. However there was always a unique pose adapted by the cover person, and there were lots of interesting costumes and outfits used in photos. This is obviously to attract readers attention and draw there focus to the magazines. So I decided that I would have to put quite a lot of thought into how I would dress my artist. The make-up is also a key aspect in real magazines, the people must look perfect and almost flawless. I carefully edited my artist, and adjusted her make-up in photoshop, with tools such as the blur tool, adding eyeliner and the skin healing brush. Although I dressed her as i thought appropriate, if I was to redo this task again I would probably put brighter clothes on her, as looking back at it her clothes do not attract too much attention to her, and if they had more color the magazine would simply have a brighter look to it.

Music Genre

Apart from the title which immediately suggests the genre of the magazine from researching real magazines there are also other elements which show the genre.

This is a front cover of Rolling Stone magazine. The image on this cover conveys the genre immediately, as the artist is holding a guitar, which people obviously immediately associate with music. Taylor Swift is also a very well known artist and so by having her name in large bold writing on the cover straight away tells people it is a music magazine, and attracts people to it.

I tried to create the same effect with my magazine, by having bold writing. I did not use props as I did not see it as a typical convention. So I made the writing 'EXCLUSIVE CHRISTIE' bold and a different color, to make sure it stood out. As she is an artist, people would know her and so by having a close shot of her face on the front, people would immediately realize this was a music magazine. I also added other writing, about other artists and 'this weeks top 40.' Again these are things that are linked to the genre of music. Looking back at my front cover, all though props are not a typical convention, I realize that it would have been a lot easier to convey the genre if there were props, such as some kind of instrument. This would have made the genre even clearer to audiences.

Contents Page

The contents pages in the real magazines I researched all had very similar layouts and contents. There tended to be one big image, as you can see in this NME contents page, and then sub headings, for example NEWS, REVIEWS and FEATURES. So i created the same effect for my contents page, a big photo and sub headings so I could write everything that was in my magazine. However I feel m contents page could have had more on it, as comparing it to this NME page it looks a bit to empty.