ellie h -media

evaluation -questions

ellieholden — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:31:20 +0000

my media product uses forms and conventions of real media products although throughout i did try to create my own unique product. however, i have tried to include conventions of already known magazines. for example the title for the front cover is on the left hand side and the barcode is positioned on the bottom right hand side. my research into existing products has enabled me to create a conventional product as i have already looked at what exsisting products use for inspiration.

the audience for my media product is teenagers and young adults between the ages of 17-24years old, who are both male and female. i decided that this would be the best target audience as they are most likely to be interested in an indie magazine, and this would be a wide audience. i also found that through research that this is a niche market, as there aren’t many magazine of this genre aimed at this age group.

i believe that i have attracted my audience in many ways, one example being that i have ensured that my image takes up the entire front page, and this uses two models, a male of 20years and a female of 17years, they are at each end of the target audience age band. i made sure that each model was dressed appropriately, although i didn’t need to impose on this too much because they have that style of dress anyway.
i used certain conventions to ensure there would be an attraction from the audience. i have used a bold font, and colours that stand out red and yellow against black throughout, so that there is a consistent house style.

i have used photoshop and microsoft publsiher before and used skills that i have developed previously, throughout this project. however i have expanded my knowledge on how i can showcase my work. i would normally have taken the opportunity to evaluate my work in a powerpoint presentation, but instead used a blog. although i already know how to use photoshop i did enhance my skills and used these on my images, for example, editing my models’ skin so that it appeared airbrushed, just like in a conventional magazine. i feel that with my exsisting knowledge, and what i have acquired throughout this work, that i could create another magazine which is potentially improved dramatically.

my media product represents the ”indie” social group, teenagers and young adults. the appearance of both my models is laid-back and very casual, as if they don’t really care about what they look like, and the images i have used portrays this completely. i also think the informal language i have used helps to complete the representation. i have tried to ensure that my models are within my target age and of both sexes, so that it appeals to a wider audience.

i think that these institutions are most probably to distribute my product; an example is facebook, or digital publishers, music stores, convinient stores, and could also be found at festivals or gigs. however, i think that the most likely area of distribution would be music stores because they target a wider audience, and will be avialiable to many more consumers.

planning -Drafting

ellieholden — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 19:40:45 +0000

i created a draft of my front page i used on image that i took of my models, which is a medium close-up and is of a high-quality once i had edited the lighting on Photoshop.the image is black and white and this will have a positive effect on the cover. i’m only going to use three colours, so that it doesn’t appear messy or look unprofessional.
the first thing i did was set quide lines on Microsoft Publisher, as this will help me align my text and images. i decided this would be the better software to use as it is easier to manipulate the where abouts of the layers.

from this image i manipulated the image so that the photo was in black and white, but the males t-shirt stay red. i copied the red area, so that it was on the clipboard and then turned the image black and white, i then copied the layer, and changed that layer back to RGB index, so that whatever i put on this layer was in colour. i merged the layers down, and pasted the red area of shirt.

i then inserted this image into Microsoft Publisher, the background is relaxed, and i’m lucky enough to have a black area at the top of the page so thati can put text in and other smaller, simpler images on too. however, as i tweaked the image, and the size of the font i could put in the space, i realised that this didn’t work for me at all, i didn’t like the image, and especially the space at the top as it was too large. i decided to use a different image instead:

this is the original image, it is based upon The Ting Tings image on a previous page. on Photoshop i edited the image so that the models skin appears smoother, and with little or no blemishes. i then lightened the image, and made the female models hair a lighter shade, and added eye make-up. (i do not have screen shots of this process, as i forgot to do them) although, this is the finished product;

i used this image as the whole background with a black box, and then inserted the masthead that i created in Photoshop, a while ago.

this is the background of my front cover with the masthead inserted. i placed it in the top left corner as my previous research shows that this is the most common place to out it, unless its larger enough to cover a top park from left to right. the red font works well with the red t-shirt and stands out because the rest of the colours are simple black and whites. the yellow around the masthead makes it stand out more, so that it grabs your attention. the rest of the front cover is type made in Microsoft Publisher, and then layerd and linked with eachother so that the layout is tidy if any future edit needs to be made.

i think that the end result of my draft is positive. i asked for feedback from friends and family, and all gave encouarging feedback.

above, is my final copy for this draft. i think it looks really professional, and clean cut with block capitals for the font. its bold, and stands out because of the contrasting colours. i think that the research i did has reflected in my work, i think that the image is my favourite part of the document, purely because it took alot of my time perfecting the edit, but i think that the finishing image is perfect. i did face soe difficulties though, for example the font. i had to download it from the internet, and import it into my computer at home, so that i could use it in all my software.

planning -Organisation of Photos

ellieholden — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 17:36:57 +0000

to ensure that my photoshoots are organised, i need to make sure that all aspects of the photo shoot are in order and able to be used.

models;
i have two people lined up to be my models, one male and one female. i’m going to base them upon The Ting-Tings, so that the front cover is balanced. i’ve also taken into account their hair colour, as i want them to enhance eachother, the male is dark-haired, whilst my female model is light-haired. i won’t be taking the images in lesson because my male model isn’t a member of the college, and this would prove difficult for me, so i will take them in my own time outside of college. i will also use them as my double-page spread material aswell, as i want an image to be the ntire background with text upon it.

locations;
i made note that the majority of images taken for magazine covers have a white background, however, i thought it would be a creative edge to have a different type of background, so i chose a local park as the location, where i can make the images as creative as i want with props and features already on hand.

costumes;
because The Ting-Tings (who i am basing my shoot upon) are an indie band who have a relaxed dress about them and quite quirky, it helped me to decide on my models even more, as i feel that both my models have the same dress sense as the band. i looked on the internet at images of The Ting-Tings, and decided that i would base the photos i took on them. i want my photos to be of a medium close-up shot, so that you can cleary see their faces, but also their clothing.

props;
from research, i found that there isn’t actually any use of props on magazines cover. they are focused on the artists themselves rather than anything else. so i won’t use any, i’ll just focus on my models and the location being bold.

an example, of an image i would like to base my own photos upon.

planning -Potential Audiences

ellieholden — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 17:07:16 +0000

now that i had my research done, i was able to start designing ideas specifically for my target genre and all i had to do was to settle on a target age. the students in my college and students in the coinciding school who filled out my questionnaire are 14-19. i thought that this would be a good audience to aim for as i can relate to them. however, a music magazine of such a popular genre wouldn’t neccaserily aim only at teens, so my target audience is 17-24 years old.i came up with a couple of names that would be suitable for my magazine to communicate to my audience;

jenkins, chase, chemical and impact. i thought that ‘imapct’ would be best for the title of my magazine, as the word has a bold effect as you say it.

a defintion of ‘impact‘: the force or energy of a collision of two objects.
this relates to my magazine as it brings togther the collision of bands and solo artists, plus information which will collide with these artists and images.

another definition: a significant or strong influence; an effect.
i want my magazine to have a positive and strong effect on the audience, and these definitions sum up the aim of my magazine perfectly.

planning -Researching Existing Media

ellieholden — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:46:40 +0000

as part of my planning, i decided that it was essential for me to research a magazine of my chosen genre. i had looked at NME magazines in college, and thought this would be the best one to research further.
whilst looking into this magazine, i concentrated on the layout, the text used and how it is placed, as well as the content in the magazine that appealed to the audience.

NME is famously respected music magazine, and stands for New Musical Express, published by IPC Media. it is a popular magazine in the UK and has been published weekly since March 1952. the target audience is both male and female, and the colours aren’t sexist to either. the same colours of red, white and some yellow in the layout have been used ever since it was first published. the fonts are bold, and appear to be the same type-face other than the main mastheads font. the layout is very in-your-face, with a big image of a respected band, and other information placed smaller around it. the straplines used are enticing and i hope to have the same effect with my magazine. however, on the right-hand NME cover, there is no main image of a band or artist and this isn’t the usual house style for them. there is still a massive use of body text in the centre of the page, with other straplines underneath in a coloured block. few images have been used on this cover, and it isn’t sterotypical of NME to focus on words more than images. i do like this layout, although i think i will go for a similar layout to the cover on the left-hand side because i prefer the use of an image against writing, that isn’t as interesting to a consumer.

planning -Beginning

ellieholden — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:24:48 +0000

for my main task, i had to create the front cover, contents and double-page spread of a music magazine. my experience of print tasks is very advanced due to being an ICT student through GCSE and then at AS Levels too, and because of this, i am hoping that i will be able to effectively produce quality designs. once i understood the task, i had many ideas of what i wanted the magazine to look like, and entail. magazines were provided by the college for us to look through and these were popular music magazines, it was knowledgable to be able to look at the layouts and colour schemes. from this point i could begin to draft the ideas i had for my own music magazine. the results that i got back from my questionnaire, pointed me towards creating a magazine focusing on ‘indie and rock‘ bands.

questionnaire -Music Magazine

ellieholden — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:30:34 +0000

one of the tasks we had to complete, was to design a questionnaire, i used this as a guide as to what genre of music my magazine should be.

What type of music do you listen to?
Do you listen to music often?
If you buy a music magazine, which do you buy?
If you don’t which would you?
What other magazine do you like?
What are your favourite colours?
Who is your favourite band?
Who is your favourite solo artist?
What do you expect to see in a music magazine?
What else, other than music information would you want included?
Would you expect extras, for example freebies?

there are paper-based versions, one filled in, and the other blank.

key concepts -Media Designs

ellieholden — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:13:05 +0000

connotation;
associative, interpretative. a symbolic meaning, for example.. what the picture means, or what it says to the audience.
denotation;
basic and literal meaning, for example.. what the picture actually is.
anchor;
an image is anchored through the use of a caption and creates meaning for the audience and ensure the message understood.

audience;
this is the term used to describe the people who watch, read, buy, listen to, or use a media product. and the people that a piece of media is aimed at, for example.. a magazine or website.
target audience;
this describes the people who will buy a particular product, for example.. the people who buy NME magazine, are stereotypically ‘indie’ enthusiasts.

institution;
an institution are those responsible for creating media products, for example.. magazine, EMAP. these institutions play a major role in the response an audience gives to events. many media companies are driven by money, however some have another motive, education.

language;
media, has its own language, however, i am looking at music press -magazines. these are useful terms i have come across.
bar codes;
a code that consists of black lines of varying thickness that are read byan electronic scanner to register its price at a till, these are printed on magazines, and from research i found these are in the right-hand bottom corner.
body text;
the main text on the page.
byline;
a credit for the journalist who wrote an article.
caption;
describes an image.
copy;
text that will be laid out and printed on a page.
drop shadow;
a shadow drawn on a type or image to make it look as though it is raised off the page.
editorial;
all copy in a magazine that has no advertising in it.
genre;
a category of media texts characterized over a particular style, form or content. for example.. rap, classical or indie.
logos;
an easily recognised design used by an organisation to represent itself.
masthead;
the main headline on magazine.
stereotypes;
an oversimplified way of classifying people on a narrow set of attributes.
strapline;
a smaller headline summing up the article in a neat way.

ellie h -media

evaluation -questions

planning -Drafting

i used this image as the whole background with a black box, and then inserted the masthead that i created in Photoshop, a while ago.

i think that the end result of my draft is positive. i asked for feedback from friends and family, and all gave encouarging feedback.

planning -Organisation of Photos

planning -Potential Audiences

planning -Researching Existing Media

planning -Beginning

questionnaire -Music Magazine

one of the tasks we had to complete, was to design a questionnaire, i used this as a guide as to what genre of music my magazine should be.

What type of music do you listen to?

Do you listen to music often?

If you buy a music magazine, which do you buy? If you don’t which would you?

What other magazine do you like?

What are your favourite colours?

Who is your favourite band?

Who is your favourite solo artist?

What do you expect to see in a music magazine?

What else, other than music information would you want included?

Would you expect extras, for example freebies?

there are paper-based versions, one filled in, and the other blank.

key concepts -Media Designs

institution; an institution are those responsible for creating media products, for example.. magazine, EMAP. these institutions play a major role in the response an audience gives to events. many media companies are driven by money, however some have another motive, education.

If you buy a music magazine, which do you buy?
If you don’t which would you?

institution;
an institution are those responsible for creating media products, for example.. magazine, EMAP. these institutions play a major role in the response an audience gives to events. many media companies are driven by money, however some have another motive, education.