Evaluation

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

The titles-

The title of my cover page HOLLA MG isn’t like other Hip-hop or other rap/ urban magazines as it is an actual slang word which has been around for many years being used throughout the world by those of different ethnicities, ages, etc. this reflects my target audience and product as it is sold both in the UK and America (making it an international product), a wide age range from those 16-early 30’s, people of all different backgrounds, men and women etc. I got the idea of having my title in a text box from the XXL magazine. A text box separates the Masthead from the rest of the page and giving it its own space which draws attention to it, on top of that the red and white clearly stand out on the black background.

Like XXL my contents pages have a clear bold title similar to each other. XXL’s titles are the A-side and the B-side while mine is INSIDE THIS MONTH and INSIDE THIS MONTH. The pages are like positive and negative which reflects the entrance and exit on the line below the title separating the title and contents information. I was able to change the colour of the title by copying the title from dafont.com by snipping it, pasting it onto paint and inverting the colour. The font is old school, rigid and different to what is used in other contents pages as I looked through my case studies and other student’s case studies which were off this music genre.

Most titles are placed at the top of the page but on a double page spread it is common not to be placed at the top on mine it has been placed at the bottom of the page where the page is its whitest and where the base of the t-shirt is. I could have placed the title in the middle of the chest which would resemble the model being at the heart of the group, as if to say without him there is nothing but I thought that he is the foundations of the group and place the text at the base of the page. The colour of the title is golden yellow and black because they are clearly seen on the white t-shirt. The Young Stars part is golden to resemble that they are stars like on the cover page.

Distribution-

In most magazines the title font is big and bold because it has to be easy to recognize when being sold in shops this why I have done this; this then relates to the distribution methods. When sold in news stand the left side of the magazine is put on show, this is why it has been placed on the left side of the magazine and not in a central or right position.  This is also why the majority of cover lines have been placed on the left hand side. For a new and uprising magazine competing with other magazines u need to get the reader interested in the magazine. This is why I placed the Nas tickets on this side of the page; Nas is an older artist and very well known, this would be appealing to many people. Part of my distribution plan was direct distribution, selling magazines to people on the street with reduced prices of £1.50, I was originally going to sell them for free but my teacher said the cost of making a magazine would need to be paid for.

A lot of magazines have a website where u are able to view the magazine issue or subscribe to as magazine so you  can have the magazines sent to your house or preferred place, this often involves deals and readers saving money this another way of distribution. I applied this at the bottom of my contents page where I said subscribe to HOLLA Magazine at HOLLAMGINTERNATIONAL .co.uk

Layout, font and colour scheme-

Like my title, the layout of my magazine was helped together with the aid of my XXL case study because in my case study the photograph was taken so that text could be placed down either side of the page. My chosen photo of my male model was just right because my model was right in the middle of the page allowing me to place my cover lines on either side of my model. The space available could have been used better though as there are a few patches of space on the page, e.g. the Kendrick Lamar cover line; the name in the cover line could have been bigger so that it took up more space  because there was plenty available. Again the idea of having various fonts, font sizes and colours derived from my XXL case study the range of colour makes and fonts makes the magazine more attractive to its audience. I applied the darker colours of red, black and the golden yellow to the white areas and the other colours like white to the black jacket where they were going to be visible.  The Stars part in shoot for the stars cover line is golden to resemble that they are stars.

The line that separates the title form the contents on the contents pages was an idea that I picked up from the XXL magazine, I just made it my own by adding enter and exit to the bold lines. On the second lines which are at the bottom of the page include subscribing details and social networking information. The side on photo allowed me to place my contents information in vertical fashion. Unlike most magazines where the listed content is posted up against the side of a page mine runs freely with the central alignment set to flow with outline of the model.  The colour scheme of the magazine was originally supposed to be golden yellow, white and black. This remained the same on the cover page and double page spread but in in the contents page the golden yellow was replaced with red because the double page spread and cover page linked   together whilst the contents pages were but wasn’t at the same time as the contents page was and overview of the magazine as a whole and the cover page was showing of the feature article. On the second contents page I wished for there to be more photos that were studio and non-studio based photos to give an better overview of the magazine and make them more interest in it but for non-studio base photos the camera that I borrowed was not good enough for the magazine; I was lucky to get a decent picture of the trainers with it.

The layout of the double page spread is simple compared with the rest of the magazine; the first page is of the model which featured on the front cover with the title at the bottom of the page. The second page is of the journalism. At the top of the page I placed the introduction to the group. Then I placed a quote from the interview below the introduction. Below the quote I placed the question and answer in two separate columns because columns something that many magazines do and it is a clearer layout. The quote is in the golden yellow colour because e it represents that what they say is gold, it is important. I did not put the answers to the questions in golden because I know white is easier to read on a black background as the different is greater than any other colour. The questions were in gold just so that everything fit the colour scheme. The font of the text was between size 11 and 12, not too big and too small, big enough to read and small enough that I can fit enough text on the page. The questions being in italic to make them stand out as much as possible, this is helped by the colour of the questions.  This is generally the size used in magazines. I think the layout of my unique; a quote is common in double page spreads, the same with an introduction but not to be laid out in this way.

Models and Props-

The lighting that I was using was ok but one of the soft boxes was broke so I only had one to use, this would mean that the light would be directed onto one side of the models face as you have seen in the studio photos taken.

My model typical of a lot of most R&B, Rap and Hip-hop magazines as he is black in race although my model differs from other models based in magazines. Because my feature article is on an upcoming group I wanted the audience to see the artist for who he is and look how he would normally. Unlike many models in magazines where they wear the most attractive and expensive clothes possible; this goes for all my models.

The shoes that are within the contents page were taken in urban area as u can just about make out from the concrete slabs on the floor and the back ground, I also picked a spot where there was a few leaves on the floor to reflect the time of year. The jeans that the model is wearing are also the coloured jeans would suit this type of/ coloured trainers.   

The photo of the double page spread was a photo caught whilst my model was laughing. On the cover page the look he portrayed a serious almost evil look, this image on the DPS has shown another side to him, the coat resembling the serious working side and the white t-shirt resembling a relaxed

Journalism-

The journalism in magazines is used to attract and make things seem appealing to the audience the using attractive adjectives e.g. the contents and cover pages, or to relate to the audience.

On the front cover there is the cover line about the Nas tickets which includes the word exclusive, this means that the tickets are currently only available from the magazine at this time, this would attract people to look for the tickets or article on the tickets, as they flick through the magazine, as they go through it they will most likely come across something that they are interested in and carry on reading the magazine. This is something that is done in most if not all magazines to gain more interest in the magazine. I have also used slang on the cover page and throughout the magazine to relate to my chosen audience. The listed artists that are featuring in the magazine which I have place down the right hand side of the magazine, in the list there are various artists, old, new, commercial, non-commercial, American or British etc. the idea of listing the artists down the right hand side came from XXL.

 

 

 

 

Question 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

I think that my media product represents a lot of different social because it varies within the magazine. Although I think that one particular social group stands out over the rest. A young social group is represented by the use of young models in their teens and the use of social networking advertisement because most young people use social networking sites all over the world. The bright colours on the front cover also represent the younger audience because the younger generations usually judge things by their appearance before going any further into something.

 My main model particularly resemble the stereotypical type of person that is the face of RAP and R&B music, those of the black ethnicity play a large part in my target in my audience, I also presented the black ethnicity through the large amount of black artists that featured in my magazine.

Those of a middle or working class are also represented because of the cheap price which was lowered to draw readers in but make it available to more people at the start. Also the fact that my models are not dressed up like in some magazines, where they attempt to look their best, in my magazine they are casually dressed how they usually would be.

Question 3 - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product?

About the magazine-

My magazine is R&B, Rap and Hip-hop based, there are a lot of  base on this genre magazines in the media industry that are based on this genre and many publishers and companies that distribute this genre of magazine.

My audience has a wide price range (16-those in their early 30’s) this means that my product would need to be in a wide range of stores as those older may go in different shops to those of a younger age. I think that my magazine would have to be distributed to stores like local convenience stores and off licences because most people have a regular local shop that they will visit to purchase things from, especially teenagers. The older people of my audience may be seen in supermarkets more often has they require a lot more shopping than teenagers do. There for I would also distribute my magazine to supermarkets. I would also distribute it to shops specialising in music e.g. HMV and would ask them to place my product around my music genre’s section in the shop. WHsmith’s would be an ideal place to sell my product as they distribute many magazines. But being a teenager I feel that not that many young people that I am targeting would regularly visit the store.

Another way that I would be able to distribute my magazine is at social gatherings or big event or big social areas such as shopping centres. At social gatherings such as concerts where artists of my genres would be would provide a good place to distribute and present my audience with my product. At big shopping centres people are looking to spend their money which provides an opportunity to sell my product as it smothered with my target audience. 

Another way is distributing the magazine over the internet via subscription. Subscription means regular payment which means a regular and reliable income. And the audience may find it more attractive because subscription usually includes discounts compared to the full price.

The best way to distribute this is by offering the magazine monthly as those with less money to spare have plenty of time to gain that money and purchase the magazine, this and also having the option of having a subscription on top.

I have gone with the option of choosing the BBC to distribute my magazine because the distribute a wide range of magazines on history, food, wildlife, but none based on R&B, Hip-hop and Rap. This is a gap in the market seeing as BBC 1Xtra is world renowned looking at the Hackney weekend and some of the programmes they have set up around music. Because they are so well know and have such big links to organise big events such as the Hackney weekend my product would be able to take Advantage of the advertisement the BBC could possibly provide.

 

 

 

Question 4 – who would be the audience of your media product?

 The audience-

My target audience consists of large variety of people from the ages of 16 to 32 of different social and ethnic backgrounds preventing any stereotypes and emphasising equality. The audience is likely to come from urban areas or large towns and cities where they are able to access the magazine. My audience will be of those in America and Britain so I have a greater number of people to purchase the magazine. This magazine is purely for those who love music and wish to keep up to date with their favourite artists and genre/ genres of music.

The way people act or seem doesn’t make them your target audience, u don’t know if someone is of your target audience so distributing your magazine to places where a wide variety of people would visit is a good idea for example theatre’s, stadiums and local and general shops.

 

Question 5 – How did you attract/ address your audience?

Front cover- The price is very low and most people would be able to buy it, because it’s so cheap people may look at it and just buy it without looking inside. The same price continues onto the next issue which would encourage them to buy the next issue. This would encourage the audience to buy the next issue.

The bright colours would make the magazine more interesting and attractive especially for the younger audience because they generally rely on the look of something when judging something.

The bold title HOLLA MG, those of my target audience would immediately know what genre the magazine is of because holla is a slang word commonly used my many people who are of my target audience.

On the cover page I have placed a number a few cover lines that would appeal or excite the audience more than others, for example the G-unit vs MMG, resembles ‘beef’ or clashing which would appeal to the majority of my audience because it’s exciting. This would then attract the audience inside the magazine.

Contents page 1- The ‘…’ of the title of the contents page suggests that there’s more to see or that the contents page continues which draws the readers further into the magazine.

The use of a website and competition allows the readers to get more involved with the magazine and win what’s up for grabs this is the same for the social networking advertisement on the second contents page.

The long list of the contents proves to the reader that it is worth the money and ‘the and more’ makes them want to find out what other things are in the magazine.

Contents page 2-

The use of younger models addresses the younger audience.

Having artists from both the UK and the US featuring in the contents page catches the attention of my audience in the US and UK.

Double page spread-

The big quote makes the reader curious about what the article is about

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

In the studio-

In the studio we used a lot of lighting based technology for the photography. We used soft boxed lighting which was pic lights that had filter like structures on them which lowered the intensity of light which reached what was being photographed. You are able to increase or lower the power of the flash using the buttons on the back of each of the lights. There was another spot light which you used when using the white background. This was used to make the white background brighter. Each of the lights was remotely connected to the camera; when you pressed the button the lights would flash simultaneously. The Camera we used was a DSLR, an expensive and professional camera producing high quality images.

Software-

We also learned about the software behind making a magazine; Photoshop and Adobe InDesign is the actual software they use in making a magazine. We used Adobe InDesign when making our contents pages and double page spreads and Photoshop when making our cover pages. We learnt how to use the software mainly on our own and were quite hard to use.

Presenting-

There is a variety of things that we use to present our work.

Blogger was used to show the progress of our AS coursework and the production of our magazine by regularly posting updates onto the blog.

Slide share was another way in which we presented out work; it is a website where you are able to upload PowerPoint presentations onto the website to be viewed.

Prezi

Flickr

Question 7 – Looking back at your preliminary task what do you feel you have learned in the progression from it to the full product?

Front Cover-

Looking back at my preliminary my skills on Photoshop and InDesign have improved a lot more this has enabled me to produce a more professional product.  I found it much easier to use Photoshop than InDesign, the contents page of my student magazine clearly shows this as the arrangement of cover lines is messy as they are not even aligned properly. Whilst the layout of the cover page made by using Photoshop is almost as good as the final product’s cover page although this is just affected by the poor quality of the picture place on the background of the page another thing I have learned is to use the space available better but I could still develop on this.

For the preliminary task we was restricted to using small canon cameras which produce poor quality photos and we had no aid of having professional lighting whereas for the final media product we was able to access professional DSLR’s with high numbers of mega pixels to increase the quality of the photo taken this made a big difference between the student magazine and the final product. The photos produce were sharper with much more detail.

The font for the student magazine cover line could have been a bit bigger as there was plenty of space to be filled although the feature article font was plenty big enough I also find this cover line to look more attractive than the one I chose for my final media product. The mastheads of my product both have big bold fonts although one is more attractive that the other. The student magazine’s masthead’s colour wasn’t designed for other issues and looking back I don’t feel like white is suitable for a mast head because in other issues the background may be white. Having a masthead within a text ensures that it will always be able to be read.