EVALUATION.Victoria McColl

IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA

PRODUCT, USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND

CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

My music magazine ‘StarStruckk’ is an original music magazine

aimed at 15-18 year olds. In order to find a niche in the market of

music magazine I created a pop magazine which isn’t widely covered

by the magazine industry. This initially gives my magazine originality.

However, I have stuck with the original conventions of a music

magazine because I have used some of the same features. In

contrast to this, I have given my magazine a celebrity interview as

found in some music magazines but mainly in gossip and celebrity

magazines. This then breaks through a typical convention of a music

magazine. It also features a fashion feature which is again a

convention of typical gossip and celebrity magazines. The

appearance of my magazine is a typical layout using the design rule;

rule of thirds. I have also covered the white space with

advertisements as done frequently in the magazine industry. I did this

because this typical convention makes my magazine appealing.

HOW DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT

REPRESENT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS?

As my music magazine is aimed at 15-18 year old females ,I have

made my magazine with bright colours with many advertisements to

attract my audience. By using bright, attractive colours my magazine

will be eye-catching and will appeal to my audience. By using many

advertisements the features will be an attraction to my audience also.

I have used stereotypical colours such as pink as this is a

stereotypical colour for females. This is also a bright, eye-catching

colour and will further the eye-catching effect my magazine has.

It represents my target audience because of the music genre I have

used. There is a large percentage of rock magazines that are

available to teenagers aged 15-18 whereas there are no pop music

magazines. Therefore I decided to represent the majority of teenage

girls who listen to pop music by using this genre for my music

magazine. After conducting my research the results shown have

influenced my magazine’s appearance and features.

WHAT KIND OF MEDIA INSTITUTION MIGHT

DISTRIBUTE YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT AND WHY?

EMAP is a media group that connects many companies by portraying

the latest news, analysis and access. It covers many different sectors

of work such as retail, fashion, health, education government and

media. It accesses product quality and represents many brands such

as Guardian, Observer and Broadcast.

If my magazine was a real media product I would like it to be

represented by EMAP because it connects many different companies

and has a range of media products. My magazine genre is a niche in

the market since Smash Hits! and Top of the Pops, which have been

discontinued, my magazine will be filling the gap in the magazine

industry and adding the wide range of magazines on offer by EMAP.

HOW DID YOU ATTRACT/ADDRESS YOUR

AUDIENCE?

I have addressed my audience coherently through the particular

colour pallet I have used in the presentation of my magazine and the

features which are included in my magazine. For example, by using

a stereotypical colour (pink) this immediately states that the

magazine is aimed at a particular gender, in this case female. I have

made the magazine seem sophisticated in the layout without it

becoming too traditional through the use of bright colours which

initially appeal to my age range. This also reinstates the target

audience. I have used my research as an indication of the features to

put in my magazine and as my questionnaire was filled out by

teenagers in the target audience, it is indefinite that these will appeal

to my audience.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES

FROM THE PROCESS OF CONSTRUCTING THIS

PRODUCT?

During the construction process I have learned how to use

Photoshop more effectively and how to edit pictures to make them

more eye-catching. Photoshop helped me to create my magazine

that looked like a real media product by giving me a range of effects

that helped me to improve images, change texts and stick to a

certain colour pallet.

I also learned how to take a picture that would be more efficient and

successful for my front page. I have incorporated these into my work

and my cover page is now more appealing. I used the rule of thirds

design rule to size my image so that the model’s eyes were two

thirds up the page. She is also looking directly into the

camera, therefore looking directly at the buyer appealing to them to

buy the magazine.

LOOKING BACK AT YOUR PRELIMINARY TASK, WHAT

DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE LEARNT IN THE

PROGRESSION FROM IT TO THE FULL PRODUCT?

As you can see when viewing my preliminary task, compared to my

final construction piece I have used much more Photoshop effects to

make my final construction piece more effective. I have learnt how to

use more successful shots to appeal to the audience and also how to

use different effects on the background and text. These helped me to

make my magazine seem realistic and more appealing to the

audience. By changing the text I can see which fonts are appealing

to my audience, for example I have chosen a sans serif font rather

than a serif font as it is more eye-catching and not as formal as I feel

by using a serif font I would have made the magazine too regulated

and this would be more appealing to a higher age range of target

audience. In my first draft I used a gradient effect on the background

but after criticisms I used a plain white background as it made the

magazine more sophisticated rather than the child-like look the

gradient effect gave me.