Question 7 - Evaluation

Question 7

- Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt and what progress has been made?

      From my preliminary task I have learnt many things on how to create a better and more professional magazine. Looking back on my preliminary task I have noticed I didn’t put enough effort and detail into the little things. For example on my contents page my numbers we’re all different sizes and out of place whereas now I look at my music magazine they are one of the first things I spot out making sure everything is in line and order. My preliminary task was very simple. I had many colours all over the school magazine and the images not contrasting well with the text. I have realized from my music magazine. I have made it more professional adding in lots more detail to each page of my magazine. I have learnt to use InDesign for my music magazine whereas with my preliminary task I used Photoshop I have now found that InDesign is much simpler to use and with InDesign you can do a lot more for example with InDesign you can have your whole magazine on one document and have the text flowing from one page to another with Photoshop you was unable to do this so this consumed a lot of my time stopping and starting. 

Question 6 - Evaluation

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



Before this project knew basic skills on Photoshop as I had used it prior in year eleven for my GSCE coursework. So I was able to get straight into the task using my knowledge and skills to help me create my preliminary task and my music magazine. Although I had this knowledge throughout the task I have learnt to use InDesign. We was told to move from Photoshop to InDesign as we would benefit from this. At first I was clueless about Indesign and did not like the program but as I started to piece my magazine together I started to learn more and in many ways Indesign is the easiest thing to use once you know how to use it. The thing I like about Indesign the most is you can have all your pages on one document adding and removing things from your magazine quite simply. i also like that you can click certain buttons to make your text flow onto the next page. This came in handy for me obviously with my article. You can also put my text straight into colloums with a simple button without having to piece out different texts boxes like Photoshop. I think using InDesign has benefited me and my work and hopefully helped me create a better magazine.

Question 5 - Evaluation

Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

- I have ensured my magazine will sell by adding unique selling points to my magazine. Many successful magazines do the same. I have included many top known artists within my genre of music. This helps the readers to understand the type of magazine and connects with their taste in music.  I am sure my magazine will sell because I have made my magazine professional and perfected all the faults in my magazine from having the perfect photograph on the front cover to having the twitter @ logo in the corners of each page.  I have made it attracted to the buyer by adding free posters, freebies & personal parts like adding a ‘tweet in page’ to give the audience a chance to feel included and secluded to the magazine, this would get seen by other followers on twitter and create a bigger audience which is great for me as I shall then sell more magazines. 

Question 4 - Evaluation

Question 4

Who would be the audience for your magazine?

 – The audience of my magazine as it is very tricky having two genres mixed into one. My magazine is rock and indie so it is attracting a wider audience. I have tried to make the target audience both men and women. Aged 17-25. Below I have created two characters both male and female which are a perfect representation of the target audience I am going for and who I would like to be reading my magazine this includes their likes, age genre and social class.

Josh, 18 lives in London and is well and truly in love with music. He loves a lot of rock‘n’ roll music. His favourite band is all time low he has been to reading festival over three times and seen all time low four times. He keeps up with all the latest releases and gossip by reading Kerrang magazine monthly and reading online. Josh has just started uni and is studying media studies and English language. He is very keen that he knew of the band ‘ Mallory Knox’ before they we’re mainstream and famous within the rock music industry he tells us that he had found them on twitter when they followed him and was trying to make themselves big. Josh is a big twitter fan and follows all the artists on twitter always trying to get the latest gossip. Josh also enjoys going to small gigs as well as big festivals like reading he finds his last minute tickets on apps like twickets. His other interests also loves football, comedies and inbetweeners. Rachael, 20 lives in Reading and her favourite artist is Ellie Goulding. She enjoys going to festivals such as tomorrow land and Glastonbury. Rachael enjoys going into town with her friends and going to small gigs. She is very open minded to listen to new music as she sometimes goes to gigs with friends without known the artists name or type of music.  Her interests besides music are shopping (topshop, urban outfitters etc) dancing and going on nights out with friends. She has a secret love for the lumineeers she thinks their music is very calming after a night out. She uses tumblr more than any other social network as she can upload her own blogs and speak about her gigs and festivals with people that have missed out and enjoy the same music.

My magazine is only £3.99 as I am trying to attract a wide audience of all social classes. And as my magazine is aged at 17-25 year olds many people that age are students or just starting out. So having the price any higher would put them off buying my magazine as they need to save all the money they have but spending a few pounds for amusement and enjoyment is perfect for the genre.

Question 3 - Evaluation

Question 3

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

The company I shall pick to distribute my magazine will be one that doesn’t yet distribute my genre of magazine or style. I believe this is the best option as then the company will have something fresh, new and exciting to distribute for example I would not choose IPC media as the company already distribute magazines like Q and Kerrang which are very alike to my magazine and this wouldn’t work well. I would want something different for my distributors to produce to their readers. Future LPC would be perfect for my magazine as they do not publish my genre of magazine but do distribute magazines for my target audience which would mean possibly getting a bigger audience the other magazines distributed talk about music e.g. guitars and bass. They also have a great connection with ps3 and Xbox which all teenagers love and enjoy. This would benefit me as I could have them advertise my magazine on game adds and create talk about my magazine and what is involved within the magazine.

Question 2 - Evaluation

Question 2

How does your media product represent partilcuar social groups?

My magazine is great for representing certain age groups my magazine is created for both males and females aged 17-27. My magazine has been made and set for that age genre you can tell this by the language I use in my magazine. I have some swearing added to my magazine to make the readers feel like my magazine is real and isn't covered up. It only tells what it’s been told straight from the mouth itself. I have added images from people the same age as my audience this makes the audience feel they aren't looking at a much younger/older audience the models and artists have been made directly for them. I have also added festivals that are age appropriate for example you have to be 16+ to attend reading festival without an adult. The main part of my magazine showing the certain age group is my contents page with all the bands in the same particular age group. The style of images on my magazine help the audience to engage with my magazine as most of my audience are older teens. Most teens are stereotyped as moody, no eye contact, reckless etc I have used this is my images to make the audience feel at home with themselves and feel like they can connect with the mood of the magazine. Using red in my magazine  also makes it very bold and aggressive adding a rock tone to it which my magazine genre and audience is made for. 

Question 1 - Evaluation

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

Final Magazine

Article Draft

Breaking the rules and dominating the music charts, a new star is born to glorify women in rock music. Effy Stone storms past Jess Bowen, trumps Grace Slick and demolishes Amy Lee with her new edgy album ‘Burn’ which has been number one for four bass kicking weeks. Volume is in ecstasy to land the privilege of catching her backstage at reading festival to find out all the dirt on how her life has changed so quickly as we dive headfirst into her personal life. Last year Effy was just a common 18 year old partying it up, avoiding education and kickin’ back. Effy was a in her first year at Sheffield uni studying Law which she just repelled against, she only applied to uni as her parents told her she needed to make something of herself instead of waiting around for something to happen. Although Effy went to uni she didn’t learn much she’d roll up to her lectures ‘still drunk with a bottle of Jack Daniels in her hand, kicked her feet up on the table and slept through them ready for the night ahead . She’d go out every night and get ‘mortal’ as she explained to us, she used to get so wasted she’d get up on the stage at clubs and belt her heart out. Her friends never stopped her because they knew how incredible her voice was and thought she should show it off to the world. Although when she was sober talking about her voice was a myth, unspoken and unknown. Everyone in her block had nicknames hers had to be ‘QUEEN OF ROCK ‘N’ROLL’ this nickname caught on quickly for effy as all you’d hear from her dorm was her dancing around her room to a bit of ymas or mallory. She told us it was her dream to perform with the likes of them especially because she has a thing for Josh (ymas lead singer) as we got into the conversation of lads I asked her if she has a boyfriend or was looking for one she told us ‘I’m fucking single and loving it’ she also when into detail about how she doesn’t need a relationship so young and she’s enjoying being young and careless! Bit cheeky we think. A year later and its all changed now she’s a rock sensation performing on stages with the likes of Mike Duce and Josh Franceschi, her dream come true and we get to tell you all how it happened when we talk to Effy backstage, exclusively at Reading & Leads festival. One night Effy was out on the town with all her girlfriends, they came across a small bar and saw there was a little gig going on. Effy’s friend persuaded them to check it out, Effy wasn’t really interested she just wanted to party. Once they got in there and once Effy had a drink in her hand there was no stopping her. Dancing and singing around this pub. The guy performing on this gig was a little scrawny, messy hair had that rock look about him. Effy got up on the stage and started singing with him and dancing. It’s not till she realised “YOUR DEC HART, LOWER THAN ATLANTIS “her friends all told her to shut up as they had no idea who she was on about, they tried to pull her off the stage and then he replied ‘yeah, god you know how to rock’ After the gig him and Effy got talking a lot about music and how she is so into them and saw them perform last year at R&L Festival. Effy’s friend Olivia came over telling Effy they was ready to go home as it was hitting 3am Olivia also managed to pop in to Dec that Effy is an incredible singer and doesn’t stop in the shower. Dec seemed surprised and questioned Olivia again. Olivia replied “Trust me I live with this Diva” Effy went quite and put her head down as she was in some sort of shame. Dec pulled her head up and said ‘common give us a line” Olivia had never seen Effy so speechless and quite. It was madness. Dec persuaded her to sing a few lines from a LTA song with him and he was blown away. Dec didn’t know what to say after she had finished singing he was in such shock on how her talent had been so unknown for so long. He finally came to terms with her voice and just screamed and shock her saying she has to be a backup singer in his band or he’d quit. Such a big statement from such an amazing band member. Effy was overwhelmed this was all too much for one night out on the town but obviously Effy wasn’t going to miss out on this opportunity so she agreed. Her friends tried to persuade her out of it as they said there rock n roll people they will just drop you when they get bored. But that was a chance Effy was willing to take. She wanted this more than anything in the world. Nothing or nobody was going to get in her way. So a month later she was still at uni but was getting ready to pack up her stuff and join the UK tour with LTA. Her parents didn’t agree in the slightest they wasn’t ready for Effy to get her hopes up and then crash and burn having her best interest at heart they said no but Effy wasn’t having any of it. This was her dream, her time. Effy explained to Volume that she wasn’t going to miss out on an opportunity of a lifetime she wanted it and she wanted it now. It couldn’t wait. She couldn’t wait. So off she went ready to storm the UK with LTA, what a dream. The first few nights on tour didn’t seem real to Effy it was all a dream to her. She was living her dream. Effy got to know all the route teen of every night. Perform, party, drink, and sleep. What a perfect life style for this rock ‘n’ roll diva. Three weeks into the tour and Effy had gained over a thousand followers on twitter on instagram everyone wanted to know what she was doing and where she’d be next. She was famous autographs coming from left right and centre. Eventually the tour ended and the guys went on their break but it didn’t stop for Effy she had been asked to perform do a UK gig tour and to perform at Reading Festival she told us “reading is my favourite festival, I go every year and now to perform on the main stage, INSANE “it was such a great opportunity for her, she was never going to turn it down. So two weeks later had performed in over eleven venues and had over 1,000 fans. Everybody loved her. She had gotten reviews and press from bbc1 radio, she’d been asked to do campaigns flyers and just in her words ‘live the dream’ Effy was asked to be in the up and coming film “the awkward moment” starring Zac Efron but rejected the offer as she just wanted her fame to be about the music and not to get side tracked with what’s most important to her. Although she did weep a little when she found out the main character in the film was Zac Efron, I mean how could you reject kissing Zac Efron? Crazy right! But it wasn’t all about that for Effy she was in it for the music and only the music. Finally the last date on her tour, Reading Festival. Something she’d always wanted to do and it was happening! Effy gave us the time after the festival to tell us every little detail about the weekend. Although if you perform at reading festival you have to perform at Leeds too. Effy refused she just wanted to make an appearance at her favourite festival. The day began with her being prompt with hair and makeup, effy didn’t really care about all the gilts and glam she was just so ready for the music. Backstage she met Arctic monkeys, you me at six and the 1975. She was blown away to be hanging out with such incredible artists. Matt Henley from the 1975 sat down with Effy before his performance and told her what life is like being famous. He said “it’s the time of your fucking life but you gotta work hard and always remember why you wanted it so bad in the first place, don’t get side tracked with drugs and money, music is what’s important” Effy was over the moon that she Matt had given her the time to sit down and talk to her. Out of all people he chose her. He must like her? Effy just giggled when we asked if anything would happen between them too.. I guess we’ll have to wait and see! Olalla! It was finally time for Effy to perform. All different emotions flying everywhere. Feelings that she never knew she had coming out. Butterflies and a hint of sick. So she got vodka shot downed it and ran on stage. What a rock star! Effy stormed the main stage with her sensational voice and wowed the crowds. Over 2,000 people turned up to see her perform it were incredible. “Every time I finished a song I was just blown away, it didn’t feel real”