Overall evaluation of funk magazine (State O’Mind)

Mary Nzeh

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

real media products?

• My double page spread can be said to challenge certain codes and conventions of double page spreads. I say this because, I have tried to avoid the use of colours to attract both my primary and secondary audience. However, professional double page spreads use colours to achieve this. A good example of this could be my style model (below)

Style model.

Having said this, I acknowledge that the use if black and white tends to appeal to funk artists and the older generations, rather than the young. To me this is a positive because they (the older generations) are the primary audience for the magazine.

However, I have used certain conventional feature such as the bold Bold heading used to attract the audience, the use of a sharp image, which keeps the audience attached to the article. Just like my style model; I included a drop cap to show where the article begins.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

• Funk is stereotypically seen as a “wild” way of expressing ones self, this is because when an individual is classified as funky they are perceived as different. I could not avoid this stereotype when creating my double page spread. (and also although out the making of my magazine) having said this, I had use this stereotype to demarcate my magazine from every other magazine, as it was my unique selling point.

However, having said this, I tried to avoid making this a negative as it would be seen as an “insult” to my target audience.

I achieved this th0rough the use of positive quotes such as “its not about the freakish hair, or the ridiculous outfits, its about the individualism” quotes such as this allows funk fans to and non fans to see funk in a positive light, different from the way it was seen as in the 1960.

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

• First of all, i would have to say that my media product has a niche audience. This is due to the age of funk, as it is no more well known. However, I strongly believe that magazines such as smash hits magazine and rolling stone could distribute my media product; this is because of the extent of diversity in these two magazines, as it has no fixed genre.

However, I can see magazines such as billboard distributing my product, again this is due to its diversity. Also, it is to is an international newsweekly magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world; meaning it is much more experienced.

I cannot see small magazines distributing my product because they also; have niche audiences, just like my magazine; unlike my chosen magazines.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

• My media product has been created for a niche social group. That is, funk fans. Due to this, I have created my magazine for my primary audience rather than for my secondary and primary audience.

• Having said this, my product would be for the older generation (30 and above) this is because they were around during the rain of funk.

My target audience would have to be people who are in love with soul full music, people who not afraid to be their selves and people who are not afraid to be different. (these are all stereotypes of funk)

How did you attract/address your audience? • An obvious way of attracting my audience was through the use of the

colours used on my magazine. Colours such as purple, yellow and green were used in both my front cover and my contents page, however, I tried to avoid using them in my double page spread as well, this was because it would compromise the serious side to my magazine, and subsequently look like a child magazine rather than a funk magazine.

The main image has been made Photoshoped into black and white; which gives it an old fashioned look, to suit the music genre. This was done, to help to achieve the serious side to my magazine.

I also attracted my audience through use of the first person plural “we” used in my contents page.

Also, the use of freebies on my contents page is another way of attracting and drawing an audience towards a magazine, just like competitions this allows further and greater interactivity between the readers/buyers of the magazine and the producers of the magazine.

Rhetorical questions is another way in which I attracted audiences towards my my media product “funk or preppy??” (this was used on my contents page)

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

• All throughout the making of my contents page, front cover and double page spread, I was constantly learning new skills and techniques of certain software's. I was already quite familiar with the use of Photoshop, However, found it quite hard trying to grasp how to use Indesign, this was because I was not familiar with it. (but with time; became familiar with it)

While producing my product, I found out that Photoshop is used to manipulating and editing images while indesgn was used for page layouts and constructions.

While using Photoshop to manipulate my front cover image, I found it quote difficult trying to change the colour and extent of brightness of my characters hair. So i searched curve adjustment. This was because although I am quite familiar with Photoshop, I do not use curves on my image.

Curve ajustment found

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt from it in progression of the

full product

Since the making of my preliminary task, I think I have learnt a lot more about manipulating images to suit my magazine genre. This is thought the use of props and background. These make my magazine much more believable.

I have also noticed that I have learnt more about magazine codes and conventions which I applied in the making of my front page, contents page and double page spread unlike in my preliminary task

Since the making of my preliminary task I have become much more aware of the use of colours and how to link the front page and the contents page; through the use of a colour scheme.

I have so been able to put my creativity and individuality to my product. This is through the use of original images and computer generated images on my products.