Question 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge

forms and conventions of real media products?

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

The titles font I felt was a little too similar to the font used for the title of Kerrang however it is different enough for me to have used. Using the cracked font gave it quite an urban feel which is what tends to be used with media magazines, it's also trendy and looks pretty good.

The cover lines used I think are pretty realistic compared with what potential lines would be on professional magazines. The use of two colours and only a few basic fonts make it seem authentic, They are also differently spread out so that they form a typical layout yet staying around the cover image.

The cover image, although very striking and quite typical looking does have its faults, it had a shadow for a start which is not usually done in terms of cover images however I think it really works in this case, it gives him a sense of realism and personality against the background which he is on. The model is also quite typical of the industry, he's been quite heavily airbrushed as cover models never seem to have imperfections.

The use of band names across the top and the bottom of the page is something frequently done in the industry, it gives the potential consumer the chance to see what’s included in the current issue and entice them into buying the issue.

The barcode and the price are a huge give away that the product is a professionally printed magazine, it gives the magazine not only a look of realism but also a necessary quality to it. I have seen quite a few different placements of the barcode and price but I felt that this fitted best up at the top of the page.

The incentives that I have put onto the front cover are a very common feature of magazines, they are there to draw in the reader and also to advertise companies, they often have “associated” with captions so other companies have key advertising space.

The main cover line is very bold just like in real magazines, it stands out and is relative to the cover image.

Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social

groups

Being a multi-genre magazine I feel like my magazine represents all of the population. Everyone is individual and had different music tastes however music is common through all stages of life, this includes age, class and nationality. Whether its African drumming in a 3 rd world country or hip hop in a ghetto of America, music is a world wide entertainment.

Loop would be suitable for all sorts of people, keeping it low cost would enable all types of people to be able to read and enjoy it. I think the use of internet however would be very helpful or at least a CD player, for example the magazine could give away CD’s or suggest websites that readers could visit to hear different music types, the magazine could even launch its own website.

The cover model I think is very relevant to the type of people I would expect to purchase this magazine, he’s young and trendy and looks very open to suggestions, he has quite a plain personality for example he isn’t dressed completely in black not that the way you dress necessarily defines your music taste but it seems to often be that way.

I feel that the colour scheme I used makes it a unisex magazine, I didn’t use all pink or all blue. I think the language used in the article is of quite a basic standard, this was deliberate as I want it to be available to younger members of society interested in music.

The images and content of the magazine are also very suitable to a wide range of people, there are no “adult” sort of articles however there are some more sophisticated articles included on the contents page, this could potentially detract younger audiences.

I think the categorisation on the contents page makes this very magazine very open to all sorts of different people, with the idea you spot a genre you like and end up reading the whole magazine, this means even if the magazine isn’t especially relevant to you one week chances are it shall be next issue.

How does your media product represent particular social groups

Question 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media

product and why?

Media institutions that I feel could benefit from distributing Loop would be conglomerations such as IPC Media. Currently there are no “multi-genre music magazines” on the market in the UK. As a predominant leader in the magazine industry in the UK they would be filling a gap in the market leading to high income for the company. I feel Loop magazine would be perfect for IPC Media as they already publish a few magazines such as NME and adding more styles of magazine to the music magazine scene will help them to continue to control it. As nearly 27million UK readers read an IPC Media produced magazine I feel that they could do well in advertising Loop in other magazines and media types to get the name know.

BBC Magazine I think would also be a suitable institution to publish Loop. BBC have a very vast range of different services that I think could fit very well with my magazine such as teaming up with Radio 1 who play a lot of different genres of music. Plus BBC Magazine already have experience in magazine publishing after their successful classical music magazine “Music”

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

Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Andy is 17, He lives in Ohio with his mum and dad. He loves to listen to hardcore bands such as bring me the horizon, however he isn’t too sure if this is the “style” for him. He loves the way he dresses in tight jeans and band t-shirts but sometimes he gets bored of screamo music, he wants to look at different styles but doesn’t want to appear like he’s changing as he has a very dominating group of friends who want to stay the way they are.

Billy here is often classed as the “lower end” of British society. Music hasn’t played much of a part in his life. He seems to only hear it when he's working on the building site and the radios on or when he's at the pub and someone puts on the juke box. He doesn’t stay in a shop for long because shop keepers look at him suspiciously, however he would like something to read when he’s not at work.

Millie is 15, she loves her boyfriend, surfing and eating sweets. She lives on the outskirts of London is a 9 bedroom house. She spends roughly 6 hours a day surfing the internet on her Apple Mac. She sings in the school choir and has been to a Spice Girls concert when she was younger. She tends to listen to bands such as JLS.

Robbie is a native Australian, out on his ranch he looks after 1000+ sheep. He doesn’t get much time to himself however when he does he visits the local town in his 4 by 4.

Louisa is Lewis’ full time career. At the age of 50 she’s spent her whole life looking after people with disabilities. She recently has been looking for new activities that Lewis and her can do together, she’s tried books but he complains they’re too babyish for him.

Craig, from the Bronx. He’s been beat boxing on the streets for over 6 years, he wants to start taking his music career seriously and start making money from it. He buys all sort of different magazines to check out competition but also to have a look at what's going on near him

Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

How did you attract/address your audience?

The bright colours, captivating image and bold “win” stamp are the three main things I think that initially entice a consumer. The choice of front cover model is aimed at the type of person I expect to be buying my magazine. Making this link between cover model and consumer make it more relevant to the people. The choice of titles are also very captivating and appropriate as a method of attracting attention; seeing stories that interest you would encourage you to purchase the magazine.

The categorisation of the genres makes it very easy to see what is included in the issue; this could not only attract but also detract prospective consumers. If they like the specified genres then they will be more inclined to buy the magazine however if they don’t then the genre choices could put off the buyers. The magazine would try to keep a very wide choice of genres to try and keep the latter problem to a minimal.

The choice of image is what should be capturing a readers attention. Having a person that they might recognise would be an incentive to buy the magazine. However even if they don’t recognize the picture they should still want to buy the magazine as they should be able to hopefully relate (same age roughly) to the person. The very contrasting titles stands out on the double page to catch the eye of people who might be flicking through the magazine.

How did you attract/address your audience?

Question 6

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

I did the majority of my research on Google, I was able to look at online copies of magazines and also look at different types of camera shots and styles for my Photoshoots.

Nikon D40 was the camera I used through-out the project. I used different light settings and learnt more about the exposure and settings on the actual camera itself. I found using an SLR gave you far greater range of what you could actually do and the picture quality was also fantastic.

For this project I was working on an apple Mac which I don’t usually do, I usually work on a PC, so it was a good thing to learn about. I found particular aspects of the Mac hard to use for example no right click and the complex shortcuts in order to print screen.

Blogger was the online blog site that I used to display all of my research and final products. I loved using this site however it did take some time to get used to where all of the buttons were and also how it all worked, I also learned a little about HTML.

I used Indesign to write out my actual article. I found that it was easiest to do it on Indesign rather than Photoshop as you have far more text options and it’s much easier to move around text boxes etc.

Photoshop was very much used through-out the whole project, I used it when creating mock ups, doing mood boards and also my final magazine. I already knew a fair bit about Photoshop but I did pick up tips here and there white definitely helped to improve my final magazine. I don’t think I would have been able to create a magazine of such standard on any other program as I took full advantage of the layers and other aspects of the program.

I have learnt and developed new skills through-out the entirety of this project from simple things such as camera settings to more advanced editing on Photoshop.

Question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you

feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full

product?

I feel there hasn't been a huge difference in my preliminary cover and my final one. I think they are both quite good and look really quite professional. I think that the development of the article titles has been the biggest improvement. I think they are much more effective on the second one as I really tried to look hard at how other magazines do it.

Both colour schemes are pretty similar as I felt it was one that worked quite well together, the blues and the reds make the magazine eye catching but also unisex, this is one characteristic that I wanted my magazine to hold. I feel that also the new features on Loop are also a big selling point such as the free posters advertisement and also the win stamp. I think this adds to the authenticity of the magazine.

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

I think that the contents page was the most improved part of my magazine. The layout, details and pictures used I think are very, very different. The use of a coloured background on loop magazine makes the contents page more legitimate, also the crowding effect that goes with loop magazine makes it look like the contents page of a real magazine. I think that the contents of Radical was good for a first attempt however it doesn't look like a real magazine, theres too much white and the editors not down the side doesn't really fit. I tried to use continuity on both of my contents pages as even though the preliminary task was only really a starter I wanted it to be as good as possible.

In all honesty I prefer the cover image of the Radical magazine as I think it looks most professional and the lack of shadow makes its all technically correct. However the over all look of loop is far more advanced, well thought out and aesthetically pleasing. I think the progression is very obvious from the beginning to the end with the help of research and studying.