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AS Media Coursework Evaluation Hannah Clark 12W

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Page 1: AS Coursework Evaluation

AS Media Coursework

Evaluation Hannah Clark 12W

Page 2: AS Coursework Evaluation

Conventions of a Music Magazine: Busy and expressive front

covers Eye catching imagery A set colour scheme Bold text for emphasis Masthead Cover line Issue Number and Date Barcode Taglines Various other articles

featured throughout the magazine

Codes and Conventions

Page 3: AS Coursework Evaluation

Primarily my music magazine has been inspired by various different globally recognised magazines already selling on the magazine market. The central one that really caught my eye was VIBE magazine. I consider the colour scheme used to be really effective, because of that I decided to use the same colour scheme however in a different context. I enjoyed the effective simplicity of VIBE magazine through studying its codes and conventions.

Although I highly admired the fonts from VIBE, Q and Mojo to name a few, I decided I wanted a font which was slightly unique to the other magazine fonts. That’s when I decided to look to the internet to download unusual new fonts for my magazine.

All the writing featured in the magazine is for the majority formal however with parts of little chatty colloquial language. This keeps the feel of the magazine friendly and user friendly.

What I feel CLASH challenges is that the features aren’t globalized celebrities such as Madonna and Eminem but famous smaller mostly British acts like the Streets and MGMT. They also give a lot of limelight to upcoming performers who aren’t so well known to give them recognition. This gives the audience a sense that CLASH cares for the wellbeing of the audience, has a honest purpose and not majorly interested in media attention. This catapults CLASH away from the norm.

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

real media products

Page 4: AS Coursework Evaluation

One of the central purposes of my magazine to me is to promote and represent, young aspiring musicians trying to break into the music industry and be noticed.

For example, my front cover, contents and double page spread all feature a young, different upcoming performer. The alcohol, cigarettes and unkempt clothes demonstrate an image of individuality. I am pleased with my work as it clearly signifies just what CLASH is about.

My general audience would be from around the ages of 18-25. The reason for the starting age of 18 is because some of the content revealed in the magazine may not be seen as appropriate for a younger audience.

The core selling point of CLASH is that it steps away from the stereotypical mainstream music and steps outside the box. This is what gives CLASH its unique edge.

My magazine would attract a unisex audience. The colour schemes and fonts used appear relatively masculine however the performers and content contained inside appeals to both male and female equally.

How does your media product represent particular social

groups?

Page 5: AS Coursework Evaluation

Ideology - The primary Ideology behind my magazine is for it to signify, up and coming performers struggling for recognition in the present time. CLASH makes it clear that’s their core focus and present CLASH consumers would realise this automatically from the language presented, acts presented and promotion schemes featured towards the young artists. CLASH acts as a role model to all aspiring performers and people who enjoy a slightly alternative edge of music and interests.

Ideology and Purpose

Purpose – The purpose of my magazine is primarily to entertain however it’s to also to inform the CLASH audience of new performers on the market. Also Introducing smaller performers with great music to the audience which Is catering to its specific target audience. I used reasonably formal language in the double page spread of my magazine because as students being my primary audience, stereotypically they would be educated to understand that type of vocabulary.

Page 6: AS Coursework Evaluation

In order for it to be distributed successfully, CLASH needs to be taken care of by distributors with impressive connections. Although the magazine would need to keep its primary purpose of promoting young aspiring musicians trying to break into the music industry. Also to keep smaller bands in the public eye to raise their awareness. As that’s what the target audience is looking for.

IPC Media would be the perfect distributer for CLASH as it has all the connections needed to make it a major success. IPC distributes a huge range of magazines globally small and hugely successful, a real diverse mixture. IPC Media would be interested in CLASH primarily because it’s unique and brings something to IPC’s collection that it doesn’t already have.

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

Page 7: AS Coursework Evaluation

The typical audience for CLASH magazine would be 18-25. The age range Is of a rather small range however I think it’s the most appropriate and appealing age for CLASH as other ages might not be interested in the content of the magazine.

I would say that CLASH magazine would appeal to just as much males as females and vice versa. The content has something for everyone.

I would imagine the ideal CLASH reader to fall under the category of a wide range of social classes. However social class C1 and C2 as a majority however CLASH caters for every social class.

The Idea reader would have the social values/mind sets of innovators as they would be risk takers and seeking new and different things, setting their own targets to achieve what they aspire.

Who would be the audience for your magazine?

“Holly is 19, young, vibrant and full of life. She performs in a band called Southern Mission in her spare time

whenever she’s not out socializing with friends.

Holly isn’t a huge fan of having loads of technological devices but has an

extensive music collection on her most prized possession, her iPod.

Holly's musical heroes are the band MGMT and Passion Pit, bands fairly

unknown from the mainstream world . She enjoys going to regular gigs are the

bar Thekla, a boat conversion in her hometown, Bristol with friends on

regular occasions which features unique edgy bands however at times plays more of a mainstream feel of music.Holly carries a confident persona and

has a strong ambition to reach musical fulfilment by playing at The Thekla one

day with her band.”

Page 8: AS Coursework Evaluation

Gender – Unisex - completely equal Age – 18-25 Work Status – student Common Interests – socializing, performing, music,

partying, concerts/gigs Music Genre – Indie, Alternative Preferred TV Channels – MTV, Kerrang, 4Music and House

Music Channel Preferred Films Genre- Comedy, Drama

Typical Audience Profile

Page 9: AS Coursework Evaluation

Maslow’s Hierarchy of NeedsOn the scale of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs I feel that my magazine would sit appropriately on the ‘Self Actualization’ stage as an CLASH reader is a dedicated performer full of creativity and spontaneity. However it would also sit appropriately on the ‘Esteem’ layer, as aspiring performers they are confident, aspire achievement and crave the respect from the music industry.

Page 10: AS Coursework Evaluation

Analysis of my Front CoverMasthead in bold rebellious font symbolizing the edginess of CLASH

A main central image of the focus of the magazine. The main feature and ‘star’. The way the photograph was taken suits the cover well as it keeps the celebrity central and focused. The glare of eye contact is very eye catching would helps to attract potential buyers.

Being repetitive about the word ‘exclusive’ gives the audience the impression that it really is exclusive to CLASH readers only and the information contained will only appear in CLASH.

Using a bright vibrant Red signifies power and youth. Very eye catching.

Price and Barcode

Quote from the magazines star focus to try and emotively grasp the audiences attention.

Page 11: AS Coursework Evaluation

Analysis of my Contents PageRed colouring used to purposely contrast against the black and white colouring scheme to catch the eye.

Large photo of primary story featured in the issue of the magazine. Emphasises the importance of the story.

Logo and special font of the magazine featured throughout.

A ‘monthly’ section of the magazine to demonstrate to the audience what is featured monthly in CLASH. This is shown separated from the main ‘exclusive’ focuses of this months issue of CLASH. The purpose of this is for the regular users to identify to.

Numbered index to show the audience what the magazine contains.

The image the main photo portrays fits in perfectly with the genre.

Page 12: AS Coursework Evaluation

Analysis of my Double Page SpreadName of person who's featuring the double page spread. Big bold and vibrant in order to stand out and catch the audiences attention.

Questions written in another colour in a slightly larger font so the audience can have a clear image of what the page will consist of without reading the whole page.

Pull Quote – gives audience a idea of what the article will contain

Colour scheme suits the house style

Small picture of the artists new single and tour tickets release date ensures audience that CLASH is sticking to their aim of trying to get young aspiring performers a chance and some kind of recognition.

I chose for the photos in my magazine to be edited in black and white to stay in kept with the colour scheme.

Page 13: AS Coursework Evaluation

I feel that CLASH has many different valuable aspects which attracted my audience to CLASH. The key colour scheme I used was very simple yet effective. The

colours included signified to me power, success, youth yet maturity. All of these are aspects of which I wanted to convey into CLASH and are aspects which I felt would strongly appeal to my audience.

The fonts that I decided to use I feel would appeal to my audience as its unique and diverse which is something a CLASH reader would highly value.

CLASH has a very specific genre, alike almost every magazine on the market today. The performers I included in CLASH were of a very wide variety with very little mainstream acts. A CLASH reader would be drawn towards interested, new, unheard of acts and like to rebel slightly against the norm.

The photographs presented in CLASH are including a young performer and a person who enjoys music, which you can clearly appreciate from just the images. This would appeal to the audience as they would share the same interests as ‘Gemma Clark’, featured in the images.

The advertisements used in CLASH are all featured around promoting the up and coming artists and competitions for the audience. CLASH isn’t full up with mainstream advertisments which is something the audience would appreciate.

How did you attract/address your audience?

Page 14: AS Coursework Evaluation

At the beginning of this AS course I had never had any experience with Photoshop which I found a slight barrier at first. However with the practice of the preliminary task it enabled me to make errors, learn from then, gain new skills and slowly became accustomed to the program. I came across and learned the purpose and how to use these tools and studied if they would be appropriate to create my own magazine. I became very well accustomed with tools such as; Magic Wand Tools, Brush Tools, Brightness & contrast tools and gradient tools, just to name a few.

Something that struck me was how much hard work, creativity and dedication actually goes into the magazine process. I also learned of how much of a competitive market that magazines are in. With the rise of popularity of the internet, magazines and newspapers and becoming less and less popular as they can simply access the information, free of charge online whenever they desire.

The process of making my own magazine, even though I knew it wouldn’t be an easy task, took a lot longer than I predicted. It took a while even with practice to become accustomed with all the tools available and to make the pieces look as realistic as possible.

For my preliminary task I used a basic standard digital camera although you can’t tell with the creative editing I done. When using a professional camera for my final piece I recently purchased I realised the value of a good camera and how much of a impressive difference it can make on your images.

I learned throughout the process that you could download out of the choice of thousands of fonts, off the internet and use them using Photoshop on your work. This enabled me to have the choice of a much wider variety of fonts.

Overall throughout the process I have learned an excruciate amount on Photoshop and the whole process of making a magazine and gained a lot of information on the magazine industry as a whole.

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

Page 15: AS Coursework Evaluation

Throughout the whole AS process of making a magazine, I feel that my knowledge of all aspects has improved massively.

When first beginning the course even though I’m a very regular consumer of a broad range of magazines I’ve never really analysed and paid attention to the conventions presented in a magazine. In depth research and studying various types of magazines has significantly broadened my knowledge. I first of all really struggled on how to give my work the professional looking edge I was aiming for. Thorough research and gaining inspiration enabled me to overcome this. Research is a fundamental element in composing a magazine which is something I now appreciate.

A major skill that I have gained through this part of the course is how to use Photoshop. In the past I’ve had very little if any experience in the Photoshop, photography and editing department. This has broadened my knowledge vastly and now have the skills and ability to use a number of tools and create a number of pieces on Photoshop.

At first I didn’t understand and have much knowledge magazines and on the magazine industry. This project has really opened my eyes to all the various aspects you need to consider before yourself creating one.

Looking back in contrast I’ve really began to comprehend how my skills and knowledge have improved massively. The preliminary task provided me with practice and helped me greatly in order to create my final piece.

Looking back on your preliminary task, what have I learned in the progression

from it to the product?

.

Page 16: AS Coursework Evaluation

Progression between My Preliminary Task and Final

PieceFor my preliminary task I composed a school magazine. It had a very feminine, girly tone to the cover. The colour scheme I used in hindsight wasn’t very carefully thought out, if it caters to the audience it was required to.

Preliminary Task School magazine Final Piece

Music Magazine

Colours are universal and would appeal to a broader audience.

Structure was very basic and didn’t have the professional looking layout needed.

The background image didn’t compliment the chosen fonts and colour scheme. The text is visually harder to read than my final piece.

More professional edgy looking fonts which more appropriately suits the genre.

Poor quality of picture focus

The photography used is edited very naturally to keep up with the professional look

For my preliminary task I used the standard fonts provided by the computer. In order to give CLASH a look of its own I downloaded fonts from dafont.