Final Front page

Final contents page

Final double page spread

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have larnt in the progression from it to the final product?

If we look back at my preliminary task, we can see a huge difference in the professionalism from the first attempt to my final magazine front cover.  as my front cover looks so much better that my preliminary task (named 'goffs gossip'), is that i have learnt a great better knowledge from when i done to my preliminary task to my final piece.

the first thing i found out from doing it the first time and then learning from it, is to definitely have a plain background as if there are shadows or roughly the same colours behind it is so much more difficult to cut out with the lasso tool on photoshop elements.  which means i had to learn of how i would have to place my model on a easy background and so that the model and the background do not blend in.  When doing this i had to learn about the media conventions of the magazines, such as the pugs, cover lines, the images and the barcodes with prices.  They are all there for specific reasons and play their own art to complete the magazine, i have learnt how to do these successfully.  

When doing all of this and the from the run p of my preliminary task i have learnt a great deal of techniques which are used on photoshop elements.  i now understand what each icon is used for, which was enough for me to construct my magazine.

Over the period of time when doing all of this i feel i have made such an achievement in learning all of the technologies used, overall i feel that i have learnt a lot of different things within the space of time when doing my preliminary task all the way up to my final pieces of my magazine.

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

When doing this task there was 3 main parts of technology that i had to get used to.  These were using a camera, using the mac computers which included using photoshop and then lastly using the website of www.blogger.com.  At the start of this product i did not have a clue of how to use any of these, i really didn't like the way the macs are and i had to overcome that.  

When first using the cameras i was quite comfortable using those, but then i wasn't really sure how to focus somethings and get all the lighting sorted out.  i could figure out the camera angles i needed and how it would be placed on a page but there was too many buttons on the camera for me to take in.  

When i was using the second piece of technology was using Photoshop elements software.  I have never used the mac computers before so it was difficult to navigate around them and then also learning how to use photoshop, that was a different matter. When going through my stages of the saving process i had become quite annoyed as some elements of it didn't save correctly and had results in me starting somethings again.  When using the photoshop i had then become more comfortable with using the mac computers, and it had become a lot easier to use after learning about it more.  

With after using the macs and photoshop i then had another software element i had to use, which was on blogger.com.  This technologies hadn't meant anything to me before doing these tasks.  But with the only way to get my work uploaded onto an electronic database was by on a blog.  So i had to gain an understanding of it fast for me to be able to get a good layout on my blog, with the knowledge i had learnt i think i had made an impressive and neat layout on my blog.

All of these technologies has gained my knowledge on lots more of things that i can use again, i believe that i have done really well in using all of these for the first time, and i would love to use these technologies again in the future.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

To attract my target audience, I tried to include everything in which they would of wanted to see and everything that related to them.  My double page spread is to make it look chilled out and that a rock-star can do what he wants.  this is to relate back to the genre and address to the target audience.  the front page model is addressed to look cool and that kind of stare where he is looking at the readers saying i don't care.  this appeals to the audience as they may want to be like him or because he is familiar with one of their favorite members of another band.  The wording around the magazine appeals to the target audience as its punchy and sometime aggressive.  Also within the interview with the artist its relates back to the fans and gives the opinions from the artist, this is what the target audience like to see when reading about their idol.

With the title on the front page looks cagey and scratched which relates again back to the rock feel about, it also looks different and stylish at the same time, people would want to see this instead of a just a big bold font just on the front of a page.

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience for my magazine would be the previously described as rock/indie people.  i have already explained my chosen target audience person and this would be based around Laura(see below).  Their main artists of choice would be Pink, pixie lott, the kooks and scouting for girls.  This is a wide variety of  artists which fall beneath the title of indie maybe pop music.  There is a diverse range of artists here which are both from the UK and USA, which would appeal to my target audience.  These are the kind of artists in which would be featured in my magazine and would interest my target audience.  

3. What kind of media institutions might distribute your media product and why?

The choice of having the right publisher for your magazine is essential if you want it to be a success.  With having the right amount of funds for the publishing itself, the advertising and the nearby printing of the actual magazine, whatever it is, its crucial to make the right choice.  While i was looking for the right source which would be ideal to publish my magazine, i had found an institution which may distribute my type of magazine.  This institution is called IPS media, and they are poplar and well known for distributing magazines.  But in this case they only distribute NME magazine.  The web address where you can find these publishers is on www.ipcmedia.com.  When i chose this i thought that they were the right choice and because they only actually distribute one magazine.  In this case i believe that they will be looking for more magazines and to expand their business.  However with IPC they may actually want to distribute my magazine because of their small business in their music magazine sector.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

With my reference to my target audience, it is aiming at the younger generation, both male and female, with the mid teens early 20's age range.  When i have used the colour scheme, selected genre and the artists featured to reflect on what the audience is receiving from my project.  I have used the colour scheme of Red, purple and black, these are the colours that represent the genre of rock/indie music. The images that were used had kept to the rules with the model dressed in a leather jacket and a guitar on his shoulder, this doesn't apply to all models as this style of clothing is not mandatory.  The rock genre is addressed in all sorts of ways with it coming to dark colours and a rocky look about it.  The model used in my magazine is of a white middle class person, which is what most of the rock community is, with the choice of equipment that the model is using, and also the background of the wall, shows that rock feature, this is the ideal room to rehearse in as being a solo artist you have to start somewhere. 

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

With my media product I think that it sticks to most media products conventions such as having a masthead and a pug, but in some cases there might be signs of not sticking to the conventions of them.

A pug like this one with some kind of offer on it, which is on the front page.  This one is positioned on right hand side of the page, as it is out of the way and is quite out of view of eye view point.

On my front page my pug is also in the same position, this is to get more eye view onto the bigger picture, although the pug is illustrating a competition and wanting people to win it can still be over looked by the picture.

There other ways that my front page keeps with conventions and still develops them further, it would be the sub heading at the bottom of the page, it is made not too large so it can fit other things around it.  Myn is slightly slanted and above the bottom of the page, this is again to add more information around my front page. 

In some ways this does make it look quite unusual, but it still fits in well for me to be able to get other things to fit in underneath, like the barcode and also a tag-line along the bottom which matches it at the top of the page.  With the colours that i have used they are relatively new and i haven't seen a magazine with these specific colour schemes.

With the exception of the magazines that i have analyzed they are quite bright colours that have been used and some of them are dark colours for example the Q magazine is quite a chilling look as there are dark colours and a bright red.

With the magazine of NME they use a medium close up of The gossip, with them looking into the camera in a cool looking way.  The way i have used eugene in this picture has tried to represent this, with him he has got his guitar and this represents the title about the solo question.  With having my model being partly covered up by text this makes the objects and text around him stand out better, this is making my magazine works effectively at challenging the conventions which makes it work.

With all of these effects taking place the rules for my magazine will be making it stand out and to be something different. With shops being interested in having my magazine, with it on the shelf will make customers catch a glimpse of my magazine and be intrigued of how unique it is.

Step by step for Front page

Step 1

I started off with a blank white background, and i have added a picture of eugene, i had used 2 copies of the title to get it with the purple outline.  i had used a neon colour of purple and had colours it in so it comes through to the front of the top title.  This shows the creative side to it.  By having the barcode in the bottom left shows a similarity to any day magazine and has to be sold with one on it.

Step 2

With these next steps i have added a top and bottom banner, where i can input text over the top of it for it to stand out and makes the reader look at it more when buying the magazine.  I have placed a pug on the front cover now which is introducing a co

mpetition where you can win tickets.  I have started to write the first part of this weeks stories with going solo which is a font off the website dafont.com.  With 2 pictures added also on the front this adds another story to the magazine. 

 

Step 3

With this last step i have added a caption to the 2 pictures which i had added and also i have added the rest of the title which has a block of white around it which makes it stand out more.  There is more stories that has been added now.  All of the fonts on this page are from the website of www.dafont.com.

Step by step of Contents page

Step 1
I started off with using a large picture of eugene, i then put the title to the left hand side of the page.  The word contents is from the website of dafont.com.  I think that it works well as it matches some of the other text on the front cover.

Step 2

In this step i then added the captions of the photos and also some detail which is to go under the title.  With the date and the website added this is important for the readers as it gives them another chance to read the magazine online.  I then wrote in the subheadings in with the page numbers.  I also added the title from the front page and added it to the bottom this gives it that touch to say its from the same magazine.

Step 3 

I then added some more captions and some pictures.  i have added a another special effect under the sub heading of special features.  I added the 2 more pictures of the brit awards this is to add some more features for the magazine.

Step 4 

This is  the last step that was made for the final product.  i had added the subheading for the special features.  I also have added two pictures of they are of a drum set and a collection of guitars.  This is to t\relate back to the rock theme and gives it same connection with the artist who is giving the interview.

Step by step of Double page spread

Step 1

When doing the double page spread i have used a plain black background, with a large picture taking up one side of the page, with a smaller one in the bottom right hand corner.

I had got the chain tool ready to stretch the larger picture so it keeps it in all in proportion.

Step 2

I then added the title of this page, and an background box by using the rectangular marquee tool to make the pink boxes where i could place the writing on top to make it stand out more clearly. With the exclusive box at the bottom this also makes the story stand out more. i had chose the colours on this page to match the wall colour in the picture that i had taken so it matched all the way through.

Step 3

I have then added a few figures of speech in red on the corners of the two pictures this is too give it that rock look and to make you get a feel of what the artist is about. I have also then added a quote in which the artist had made earlier on that day, this gives it that personal factor and makes the reader feel part of the interview. I then added a 2 lines of text promoting the artists single, this makes the reader feel part of it and will keep reading on.

Step 4
With the final thing to be added was the actual interview with the artist. This has taken most of the room up on the right hand side of the page, and is the most important things on the page along with the pictures. The colour of the writing had to be perfect so that the readers could read it and understand it.