evaluation

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

real media products? feel my front cover has been successfully designed to look like a real music magazine. The conventions I have used are very similar to those found in a professional music magazine. The masthead is located at the top of the page, it is also in a larger font in comparison to the rest of the text much like the billboard magazine. The colour pallet of the two magazine are very similar in the sense they are both stylist and only use a few colours. The style of photography is similar, both are medium close ups as its important to focus on the artist and not to be distracted by the surroundings. The poses they both use convey the male gaze as their facial expressions are chosen to make them look desirable, this also relates to the to the ‘free poster plug’ the poster refers to an image of Sav which implies male gaze as it Is a . Simple things like having a barcode, price and date all give the effect of it being a real magazine.

For my contents page I have used conventions similar to those found in a real professional magazine. By using page numbers ranging from 1-28 it implies my contents page is part of a full magazine which makes it more realistic. I have used a variety of photos much like a real magazine would. It is important to use a range of images as it is a visual way of informing the reader about what your magazine includes which will entice them to read more. The colour scheme is very simple, this is because I didn’t want heavy colouring to take away from the key information. The main colour I have used is gold, I have used it as a motif so it reoccurs throughout my magazine. This will make the whole magazine flow better visually and therefore look more professional. The fonts I have used are the same fonts I have used on my other pages, this is another motif and successful presents my magazine as having a recognisable style. The font I have used it ‘skyfall done’ which is a modern, sans serif font. I believe the font is stylish and modern which reflects the style of magazine I am trying to achieve and it also reflects the hip-hop genre as it a very current and modern style of music. The writing style is informal and chatty, this is so the reader can relate to the magazine more as my target audience is (14 - 25) and they are likely to use chatty language daily. ‘Get to know sav’, by implying that the reader can get to know the artist they instantly feels closer to them.

It is also the font that I have used throughout my magazine, making it a motif and therefore makes my magazine flow better. The writing style is informal and chatty. This particular style makes the interview appear friendly and personal, this therefore makes the interview seem more exclusive as the reader feels they are gaining personal information about the artist. Another personal element of the spread it creating what Savs signature may look like, this gives the appearance that she has signed the magazine herself which would appeal to her fans as it makes them feel closer to her. The masthead on this page is larger that the other text . This is important because Sav is the focus of the spread to its important her name is emphasised. I decided to use a slightly transparent text box. This way my main image can be still be seen and the attention is not detracted from Sav. At the same time, with a text box being there it ensures the writing is not lost in the image and the audience can read the text with ease.

The main image is also the background for my double page, I decided to present my image like this so that it is the main focus of the readers attention, this is also emphasised by the fact it is a close up shot. To attract my target audience I chose to use a model that is young and therefore is relatable to my young target market (14-25). The model is also wearing heavy make up which implies the male gaze as it makes her look desirable. The majority of the text is written in ‘skyfall done’ it is a simplistic sans serif font which makes it easy to read.

AgeI have represented my age group through the stereotypes associated with teenage girls. Using heavy make up and statement red lip stick conveys femininity which teenage girls stereotypically portray. The clothing I have used is fashionable, I have emphasised the fashion element by dressing one of my models in a branded top. Dressing in branded clothing is a stereotypical thing for teenagers to do because it shows they are following the current trend. The interview reflects teenage girls as Sav presents herself as a chatty and outgoing which can be associated with the Stereotypical teenage girl characteristics. The style of my writing is informal, this relates to teenagers well as they are more likely to use this language in everyday conversations, for example talking with a group of friends.

GenderMy representation of gender does not conform to the typical reader for this genre. As the hiphop scene is male dominated, it would be stereotypical to use males for my models as it could be seen as reflecting the genre better. However in my magazine, the models are all females. This presents my magazine as innovating and current as its not something usually seen and it shows how it is one step ahead of everything else on the market.

ClassThe class my magazine represents is the working class with that being where rap music is most popular. The language that hiphop music usually uses is informal, it uses both slang and swearing. This is stereotypically seen as the type of language the working class, therefore it is more appealing. The artists within the genre are often a reflection of working class themselves. Often they’re upbringings show a working class background and a struggle to achieve success, so the working class reader would be able to relate. The image of my magazine also represents class well, I have a presented my models in a relatable way. Using high-street and casual clothing is often the standard attire for someone of the working class.

Bauer media is Europe's largest privately owned publishing Group. The Group is a worldwide media empire offering over 300 magazines in 15 countries, as well as online, TV and radio stations. This would mean my magazine would have a large distribution network and would gain a lot of publicity from being promoted by such a large publishing group. Bauer media does not publish a magazine of the hip-hop genre which means there is a gap in the market for my magazine

AudienceThe audience for my magazine reflects the 14-25 age group as the hip-hop genre is modern so is more relatable to a young audience. The hip-hop genre is dominated by males therefore my magazine will instantly attract a male audience. I have used female models in order to appeal to women as well. I believe my magazine will attract a working class audience because the hip-hop genre is relates well to the working class. Many of the artists come from working class background and their songs and image reflect this. The price of my magazine is £2, this will also appeal to the working class because it affordable for them.

How did you attract your audience I feel one of the most important elements on my front that attracts an audience is the ‘free poster’ plug i used. By creating it to look like a sticker it stands out in the foreground and the text is emphasised by the black circle around it. By making the audience aware there gain something extra for free it appeals to them as it make the magazine feel like it has more value. I tried to keep the colour scheme simple, using gold for the majority of the colour in my magazine. I decided to use gold because it implies ideas of being expensive and the best as gold is often awarded to winners, this I believe will attract my audience. In my front cover i decided to use a monochromic image, this is attractive to my audience as it i feel it makes my magazine appear more sophisticated as there are no garish colours that would make my magazine perhaps look tacky, and is there fore more visually attractive to the audience. The models and photography would attract my audience as they imply the male gaze, by making the models look desirable the magazine itself is then desirable. The image i used on the front cover i believe will attract my audience because the pose is strong and dramatic, which will attract the audiences attention.

Addressing my audience When addressing my audience it was important to consider the writing style i wanted to use as i was trying to appeal to the working class. I decided to use chatty and informal language as this is commonly the type of language the working class will use on a daily basis. An example of this would be in my interview with Sav “When people ask for my autograph I'm like ‘who me?’” The use of the word ‘like’ makes the interview seem informal as it breaks up the proper sentence structure. The idea that Sav is surprised that people recognise her as a celebrity shows how she sees herself as a normal person, this is therefore relatable to the working class. Not only is it important to address the working class, but also the teenagers as they are a large part of my target audience (14-25). By mentioning Savs twitter account in the interview it addresses teenagers as it is such a large part of teenage culture and shows how she is young, as it is typical of teenagers to be up to date with latest technology . Not only does using Savs twitter account address teenagers, but it also makes the text personal as it is a method of getting in contact with Sav. Its important to make the text personal because this makes the reader feel more involved. By revealing lots of things about Sav, like album news and her feelings about her success, it makes the audience feel closer to the artist and also like the magazine has more value. Another technique to make the article more personal is describing Savs actions. For example when Sav laughs in the interview i simply write *laughs* to show this. By doing this the audience feels they can relate to her more because it portrays her as friendly, it also makes the interview more visual, almost like they were there when it happened.

Technology Technology use:-camera

The camera i used for my photography is a professional SLR camera. A good quality camera is fundamental as it effects everything. Bad quality pictures will result in a bad quality magazine. The camera i used allowed me to capture detail which therefore makes my magazine more visually attractive.

-voice recorder I used the voice recorder to explore other methods of research. It shows this because with the voice recorder i conducted interviews with various people. This offers diverse opinions which helped with my initial research.

-photoshopPhotoshop is key in creating a successful magazine as it is the software chosen to actually make the magazine on. I found Photoshop allowed me to use different skills which made my magazine look professional. One of the most important was layering. Photoshop allows you to layer text and image, meaning that it was possible to create foregrounds and backgrounds just like a proper magazine. An example of this would be having the masthead on top of the front cover image.

-tumblrIts important to have a blog because this is how you present all your work in an organised way. I used tumblr for my blog as i believe it gives you the greatest creative freedom, you can present your findings however you wish which will allow a better presentation.

-survey monkey Survey monkey is another important method for research. It allows you to create a survey in which variety of people can answer so it helps when researching what the best decisions for your magazine are

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Progression As you can see from my first magazine cover i have progressed significantly. I have learnt what makes a good photograph. By using direct address i can connect my magazine with the reader. Also by using the male gaze and presenting my models as desirable through make up and costume, this makes my magazine look visually more desirable as well.

The fonts on my York college magazine are very basic. I then went on to research different fonts, fonts that are found not on on Microsoft software. I looked at what made my magazine look most professional and what would fit with my genre best.

Progression By exploring different magazines i found i gained inspiration for the style of my own magazine. For example the layout on my contents page was inprired by looking at magazine that have a very simplistic and modern style.

One of the most important parts about my development was researching the genre. I did this partially through creating a mood board of images and colours. By looking at images from the hip-hop genre i could find inspiration for my own photography and also the style of my magazine. The colour scheme was decided by researching hip-hop artists and finding that gold was a colour heavily associated with them as they wear a lot of gold jewellery.

Progression One of the most professional techniques i have learnt in Photoshop is how to make my text boxes slightly transparent. I feel it makes the magazine look professional because it shows off the layers as the audience can clearly see the image through the text boxes.

Through analysing other magazines i have learnt what makes a successful front cover. For using things like plugs and direct gaze to grab the readers attention. One of the key skills in Photoshop that i learnt when creating my magazine was how to edit the background. By blurring the gate behind the mast head it meant the masthead could be seen clearly yet the gate was still visible in the rest of image.