Evaluation 7

Evaluation 7

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

 Looking at both covers together, there is quite a contrast. The cover on the left (my preliminary) is uninteresting in it's minimalistic style and so it seems unprofessional and unfinished. However, the cover on the right is far more full of life as it includes important features such as previews, other images and special offers.
My preliminary also seems a little washed out and almost appears as though the colours have faded which creates a less eye catching image. This is different in comparison to my final cover as this cover is more strongly coloured and so it stands out more. This again applies to the previews, etc. as I have used a more vibrant colour scheme for my final magazine and so everything stands out and is more capable of grabbing attention.
The Mastheads are also contrasting in comparison as my final one has a far more interesting choice in font and also stands out more due to the use of bright white. My preliminary Masthead is less eye catching as it almost seems to blend with the rest of the magazine and and has an uninteresting font so it doesn't really draw attention.
Another aspect which I have improved is the positioning of my models. In the first cover, I have used an uninteresting pose which doesn't really say anything about the model. On the other hand, in my final cover, I have posed my model differently so that the cover does not appear too straight forward.Due to having done this, I left myself with far more space around the model for previews, etc. and I think I used this space effectively.

 In my opinion, my contents page has also developed greatly. In the contents on the left (my preliminary), the page appears to be split in two and so it almost appears a little too top heavy. On the other hand, the contents on the right (my final), while still separated, fits together better due to small links such as the magazine name that brings it all together.
Due to the visually displeasing top heavy look of my preliminary, I made sure to structure and layout my final contents in a different way. I chose to put the contents on the left of my final page as we read left to right and so it is more visually pleasing this way.
My colour scheme also changed to something more vibrant as my preliminary isn't very eye catching due to it's muted colours whereas my final uses more attention grabbing colours such as white on black. Something I did keep the same however, was my use of titled sections in the contents as this made it easier to navigate. I developed this slightly by adding subtitles and a line about the article in my final as this made my contents appear more professional and gave readers a better idea of what's inside.
Another feature that has improved is the photography as my preliminary used dull, uninteresting photography that didn't really say anything about the magazine, whereas my final has images that are far more full of life due to the concert scenes which are relevant to my type of magazine. These images hold far more energy and colour, just like my final does overall when compared to my preliminary.

Evaluation 6

Evaluation 6

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

For my product, I used a variety of different technologies, for example, for my photography I used both a Canon EOS 550D and 600D. These were both very good choices for my photos as they take high resolution photos and so my magazine was given a more professional appearance. When using these, I learnt a lot about taking the right photos as I found that manual zoom works best to get the best photo possible and I also learnt which settings are best for my kind of photography.

I already had quite a lot of experience with Photoshop as I had previously used it in Art, Graphics and at work experience. This helped because it meant that I could do what I needed to my magazine without worrying about how to do it. However, during this process, I did find some things to be troublesome and so I learnt some new and helpful things such as how to use guidelines which was extremely useful when it came to the time of typing up my magazine interviews which needed separating into three columns.



On the other hand, Indesign is a program I struggled to use greatly. I began using it to create my double page spread as I felt it would be better when separating the text into columns and adding a page divide. However, I found it hard to use and after spending much time unsuccessfully practising on it, I moved back onto Photoshop as I felt it would be better not to use all of my time on a program I couldn't use.

For features such as my photography slideshows, I used Powerpoint Online. In the beginning I had been trying to use the usual installed Powerpoint, however, I soon found that I could not import my slideshows onto my blog through this. Later, I found that Powerpoint Online had the ability to generate an embed HTML code and so I chose to create my slideshows on this as it was easy to use and easy to embed.

I used Blogger to present my work online. This was, in my opinion, an easy site to use and so I have been able to display my work with ease.

Evaluation 5

Evaluation 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

I attempted to attract the attention of my audience using multiple techniques such as appropriate photography.
The photography and models
 were important parts of my magazine as they will be the main thing people focus on. In order to chose my models correctly, I had to think about my target audience and about the kind of person they would most relate to and look to see in a rock magazine. This is why I used Anna as my main model as she is the same age as my target audience and so a lot of people will be able to relate to her and feel more personally towards the magazine. I used 2 Foot Moose because I felt they related very well to my genre of music due to their style. For my photos, I tried to get my models to look into the camera as this addresses the audience through direct eye contact and almost seems to draw them in.
I also used other features such as special offers and previews to attract the attention of my audience. For example, I used a special offer with "WIN" in large noticeable letters to catch attention and and attract my audience to the idea of winning something to do with a band of my chosen genre. I also used the offer of free posters to attract my audiences attention. I did this because a lot of the people I know who have an interest in rock, have an extensive amount of posters from magazines stuck to their walls and so I know posters would be a popular feature. Previews were also meant to catch the attention of my audience as I used band names to grab the attention of other fans. I feel I was addressing these fans by adding a selection of bands in so that they might buy the magazine due to having seen another band name they liked on the cover
Other ways in which I attracted my audience were the use of a dark forest background. I used this as it created a horror movie style of scene which helps to connect with the darker members of my audience.
I attempted to directly address my audience by having "YOU" in large eye catching letters on my double page spread as this makes the interview seem more personal due to the band member directly addressing the reader. Another way I tried to attract attention was by using the word "Exclusive" to describe my interview as this implies that my magazine is the only one containing this interview and will therefore give it a quality of being 'rare' which will make readers want to know more.
On my contents page, I included other images from separate photo shoots as these will, again, help in attracting the attention of other fans and will show a variation in the content of my magazine.

To find out which features my audience preferred most, I asked a few people in my chosen age range to give me their opinions on my magazine. This is shown in the video below.   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFzUhfLU7zA&feature=youtu.be

Evaluation 4

Evaluation 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?
After doing my survey, I found that the majority of those who read music magazines are 13-18. After asking about gender, I decided to focus on a more female audience as the majority of people answered as female, however, I also added features to attract a male audience as well. I found that rock was a popular genre among those who read music magazines and so I decided my magazine would be aimed at people who are 13-18 with an interest in Rock.

Once I had decided this, I started to look into other bands with a similar target audience to find out what sort of things they use to connect with their audience. I found that dark makeup and black clothing was a popular part in this and so I decided to make this a feature of my own photography. I decided my magazine band would be based on other bands such as The Pretty Reckless and Bad Pollyanna who are both female fronted bands and so they hold the ability to address a mainly female audience who might think of them as role models.

Along with this, I have made my price fit my audience as it is only £2.99 which was most voted in my survey. I did this because a lot of people who are 13-18 are Pre-cash and so they will therefore have little money which means I must use a reasonable price in order to sell more copies of my magazine to my chosen audience.

Evaluation 3

Evaluation 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Which media institution distributes my magazine is important because this is how my magazine will reach it's intended audience and could also later help in the retail and advertisement of my media product through other platforms. A good media company could also boost the reputation of my magazine which will then be able to boost the popularity of it.

Evaluation 2

Evaluation 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?
To make my magazine represent a certain social group, I used different features such as style and setting. For example, I dressed my model to appear Gothic with the use of dark make up and black clothing. This dark makeup helped emphasise the serious look on my models face, a look which is important because conventionally, all magazines of my chosen genre are very sombre in appearance. I attempted to base my model's look on Taylor Momsen as she also has blond hair and has the ghostly yet Gothic look I am going for in my magazine. I have represented my audience through this style as my model is based on the style of the audience and other rock stars. To further the rock star style of my model, I used props such as a microphone and electric guitar.

Evaluation 1

Evaluation 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
I have answered this in the Powerpoint below, click the right arrow to proceed through the slides.

The Finished Double Page Spread

This is my double page spread for Plectrum magazine.

I did not make any changes to this as I felt it looked finished and also no suggestions were made.

The Finished Contents Page

This is my finished contents page for my magazine, Plectrum.

The only suggestion that was made towards this was that I add more page numbers as it originally ended at 31 which wouldn't have been enough for a weekly magazine. This caused me to decide to bump the numbers up and leave spare pages for adverts which would likely be inside a music magazine.

The Finished Front Cover

This is my finished front cover for my rock magazine, Plectrum.

As an improvement, it was suggested that I take away some of my previews, however, I decided against this because the majority of conventional rock magazines are very crowded and busy in appearance as this gives them a more energetic look. It was also suggested that I enlarge the previews but I felt this would cause overcrowding and also distract from the main cover line and model.

Magazine Cover Plans and Ideas

To help with my choice in magazine cover photo, I created some rough drafts and tests which helped me see which images would look most fitting and appropriate for my cover.

This could be a good choice of front cover as the model I have used in this photo is centred, leaving a reasonable amount of space for previews, special offers and extra photos around the edges. The position also leaves enough space for the models head to be over the Masthead without making the words unreadable. Along with this, due to the low positioning of the guitar, there is a convenient placing for the band name as there is nothing to obstruct the view or damage the readability of the writing. 

I feel that this could be a good choice in cover image as it shows the whole band. However, I feel that the image is not quite right as the band look a little caught off guard in the photo, for example, the model on the far right isn't looking at the camera. I also feel that it doesn't work well as a cover image because there is no space left around the edges for previews and special offers, therefore meaning that writing would have to be over-laid on top of the band which would give it an untidy finish.





In my opinion, this would make a good cover image as, unlike the image before, there is enough space around the edges for previews and special offers. Along with this, there is direct eye contact which makes the cover appear engaging. I feel that the general positioning also creates an interesting cover photo as it is different and more eye catching than a completely centred pose. However, I feel this image is too over exposed and lacking in colour to create an eye catching cover because all colours in the photo are muted.

This cover, in my opinion, would be the best choice as it holds many aspects which make it fitting to be a cover. Aspects such as the positioning are good because the way the model is positioned means that plenty of space is left for previews, special offers and other images. I also prefer this cover as the forest background gives the cover depth and creates an eye-catching appearance.

Magazine Photos

This is a collection of the final images I have chosen to go inside my magazine. Although I will be unable to use all of them, these will be the final images I choose from as they were the most fitting of my large collection.

2 Foot Moose
2FM are a five piece rock band based in Gillingham, Dorset. Minus a bass player, they allowed me to take photos of them for my Media Studies magazine.
These are the 30+ best photos from my whole collection of approx 500. Due to the type of photoshoot and type of photos being taken, I felt it would have been easier to take as many photos as possible so not to risk only having photos that went wrong or had blurs of movement. In my opinion this worked as the majority of my photos did end up not working out and so this helped me to narrow it down to the best few.

I feel this could be an effective choice of front cover photo or page photo in my double page spread as it is set at an interesting angle, therefore making the cover appear more interesting and 'quirky'. Along with this, the reader will feel engaged due to the direct eye contact in the photo.
However, in order to make this photo look more professional, I will have to crop it slightly and replace the background for a plain black one. Cropping will get rid of the extra space on each side and will also ensure that the heads of each member come over the Masthead.

In my opinion, this is a good photo due to the lighting coming from behind that causes illumination. However, this photo would not make a good cover photo due to the lack of eye contact and positioning/angle of the photo which is not centered. Be that as it may, this photo could make a good extra for my contents page or 'posters' section on the cover.

Both of these images could make good front cover photos as each holds direct eye contact and is centered, allowing space for previews and special offers along with extra photos and the Masthead. To help them to stand out and to create a less distracting background, I would replace the background with one of plain black.








Anna Bundy
For my second photoshoot I took photos of Anna in my chosen location of Bluebell Woods. I chose Bluebell woods because I felt the location seemed menacing with it's looming trees and darkness. For this photoshoot, I took more precise photos as I had planned exactly what poses were needed and so I took a smaller number of photos, ending up with 24 good images out of 56.

I feel this is a good photo because the focus is on the model and there is direct eye contact to engage the audience. Along with this, the image is made appropriate to the magazine name of Plectrum due to the use of guitar in the photo. However, this photo would be unsuitable as a cover photo due to the obstruction of the face and position of the camera. As this is an extreme close up shot, there is no space for the Masthead or previews unless they are layered on top of the face which would be a bad choice as a lot of magazines place text around the model rather than on top.

 Both of the photos could make suitable cover photos as they each make eye contact and also leave enough space for the Masthead and previews around the edges. Along with this, the image on the left was taken from a low angle which creates a sense of power and popularity in the model as an artist.

Magazine Name

To help me create a name for my magazine, I created a mind map. This helped me come up with ideas that were appropriate to my magazine, music and genre.

I chose Plectrum because I felt it was appropriate to my genre of rock as rock is often known for it's use of heavy/electric guitars. I also felt that I had some interesting ideas as to how I should design the masthead and the rest of my magazine to fit with this name.

Masthead Font Ideas

To help with the end design of my masthead/magazine name, I have chosen a selection of fonts which I feel would fit my magazine and which I can later develop into something unique.

Alterations of Chosen Masthead

As it likely my magazine cover will have a black background, I have designed my logo on black. In this particular design, I have fitted the 'C' into a metallic in appearance plectrum which gives the Masthead a rock/metal look. However, I feel that the change in colour perhaps fades the 'C' out too much and almost splits the Masthead in two.


I have chosen to use a plectrum in all of my designs as it is appropriate to the name. In this design, to make the Masthead appear less divided, I have faded the plectrum into the background so that it doesn't distract from the name. This also helps the Masthead text to stand out as a whole and appear more bold.

For this design, I only made a small alteration of shadow inside the 'C' in an attempt to combine the two designs above.

To help the plectrum stand out a little more without seeming overbearing, I added a thin white line. However, much like the shadow inside the 'C', it made little difference and is almost unnoticeable.


I also experimented with putting the plectrum in a different place, however, I feel this was less visually pleasing and made the end of the Masthead appear cramped.

Location of Photography

These are my possibly locations for the photography of my magazine.

Photography Studio

I feel it would be good to get photos of my models with a blank background behind them as a lot of magazine covers have plain backgrounds to bring all focus to the band. A plain background is also easier to cut out using programs such as Photoshop. Along with this, such a place would be appropriate for experimenting with different light sources such as single and three point light sources.

Marnhull (or Mere) Graveyard

This graveyard would be an appropriate background for my photography as I could create a theatrical Ghostly/Zombie scene in it and Goth's are stereotypically said to 'hang out' in Graveyards. I feel there are several parts which would make particularly good backgrounds such as the large iron gates or the huge church doors as both have a Gothic look and would be much like the architectural feature in the Bad Pollyanna image I analysed earlier. Along with this, having gravestones in the background would create an appropriate background for a Ghost/Zombie scene as they are symbolic of death and would make the band seem creepy and deathly. If I were to go inside the church, I could take some Gothic looking images much like the ones I analysed earlier of the dramatic close up shots and the interestingly posed model with a slightly theatrical style. Another feature could be the small cluster of trees in the graveyard as these create a menacing and dark appearance with many dark shadows, therefore making the band seem somewhat evil which will separate my imagery from the far friendlier look of other magazines such as pop.

Old Sherborne Castle

In my opinion, this would be a fitting scene as there are lots of dark and abandoned in appearance parts to the castle, for example the photo on the right. Along with this, I could take some interesting photos with the ruins of the castle in the background and perhaps have the band emerging from the fog, this would cause the castle to appear faded subtley into the background, much like the architecture faded into the background of Bad Pollyanna's image.

Shear Water

I could create many atmospheric shots either in or around this lake. For example, I could have one of my models emerging from the water as this would relate to most horror movies and create a frightening atmosphere, therefore creating a Gothic effect of fear. Along with this, I could have the silhouettes of my models stood in front of the lake on a stormy day, therefore making the lake appear grey and lifeless and the overall image to appear somewhat angry and intense.

Crockerton Forest

To make my magazine obviously rock, I am sticking to a Gothic stereotype which is often associated with horror movies. A forest is often set as a scene for horror movies, therefore making it fitting for my photos. I could get many photos of my model(s) emerging from the trees and create ghostly horror movie style images. However, I also feel that Blue Bell Woods in/near Mere would be a good choice due to the many fallen trees and great height of the upright trees, along with this, there is an abandoned tent that looks as though it were attacked by an animal. I feel this abandoned tent would create some great images as they would appear frightening and as though they had come straight out of a horror movie.