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

Here are my front cover and contents for both pieces, premilinary task on the left and main task on the right as you can see straight away the images on the left are very basic and look very tatty, for example the picture of the cover on the left is when I had just started out on photoshop and was still learning how to cut an image, as you can see it is very tatty and there a pieces missing out of the image and still bits of white background, this is because I only knew how to use the magic wand tool back then. The title is very basic on the left hand side image where as on the right it is how a magazine should be, big and bold and standing out to start off with I just went for fancy fonts but after using photoshop for a while I learnt that you can do all different things to the text such as put a drop shaddow on it or pull the text out a bit so it has a border on it which is what I have done with my music magazine cover. Also on my first magazine cover I have used big block colours as I didnt know how to use colour very well on photshop but now I know how to put an effect on and select certian colours or just change the contrasts which is what I have done with my final magazine, also the space I have learnt not to leave space on the cover of a magazine as it has to be attractive to the reader as it's all about first impression. Another good feature I learnt was how to create this black box and white lines which I have on my main music magazine cover which makes it look better than just having plain text on the cover.

For the two contents pages they are both very different my first one on the left is very simple and has a lot of block colour I feel a contents still need to have an image on which I have done with my final piece as it gives a better feel to it instead of just being text. From the left hand photo you can tell that I had just started using photoshop with how basic everything is, and the right hand side image looks a lot more professional as I have used a lot more photoshop features such as I have added a background too the image and changed the opacity to give a background that is not too heavy or light and it is better than being plain or having a block colour in there also I feel it is set out in a lot better manner with the main features on the right hand side of the page as that is where you automatically look with all this text and layers I didn't want to move anything to mess it up, so I used a new skill I had learnt which was to link certain layers together so that when you move one they all move, this helps as I wanted to keep it as a block of text and nothing can be messed up this way, it also makes it a lot less confusing as you have to have a different layer for each peice of text

I feel that my research and planning method's have come on leaps and bounds to where as before designing my college magazine I just found a template cover or contents and based my work around that just placing for example a square block and just putting my own on, but with my music magazine I actually looked around the internet for a number of different magazines and took ideas from each instead of just finding one and copying it out.

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

      

I have used these websites, Google, Flickr, Blogger and used the editing programme Adobe Photoshop CS5 all of these have helped me put together my work and my final piece of work which is my music magazine.
I used google to find information when desiging my magazine such as covers to get ideas from and to analyse other magazines.
I have used Flickr to add notes and text to pieces of work to explain what they are and what they are all about this made it easier as I could just pick a ceritan part instead of have to load the photo and then write a big document after it, also Flickr allowed me to attach things straight from Flick too my blog.
I have used blogger to present my media work as it is somewhere visible for everyone too see, also it is able to be easily edited and updated whenever needed in and out of college
Finally i have used photoshop to design my music magazine, when i first used photoshop i was hopeless with it  it was so confusing and i never thought i would get to grips with it, but after a few lessons i managed to learn a few basic steps and from there everything else is basically self taught. I used things that were new to me such as the lasso and magic wand tool which i used to cut out parts of an image to use i was using shape tools, also experimented in editing the contrast and brightness of photo's to get the 'perfect' look on a picture or get the light how i wanted it to be. I also learnt alot about layers and how they are key to getting the design you want such as which order to put the layers in etc. when i first started I just found these confusing and didnt really know what they were for but after using photoshop for some time I quickly got to grips and understood I feel understanding layers helped me a lot with my finished piece.
I have also looked at different magazine covers and pages to get a idea for my magazine which I then drew out a rough draft to see how it would look when created, things such as media packs of different magazines have helped me choose my target audience and types of advertising for my magazine.
I find writing blogs a lot more easier than sitting down and writing an essay as they usually have a structure to follow when writing but a blog you can handle better and put things where you want, you can also add pictures and diagrams to explain what you are doing or have done I find this helps me a lot more in my work via blogging than what it does if I am told to sit and write a fixed number of words essay.

How did you attract/address your audience?

My magazine attracts the target audience thought the big bold text on it and also through the images that are displayed, the language I have used is formal although I have used things such as exclamation marks which can be seen as being not very formal I feel they are only used to give an impression on the artist therefore it does not make my text less formal for having these . I have mainly put things about my feature artist on it to attract the readers attention, also I have put some other information on there of what is to come but i have not made this stand out as much as I have the things about Max. From the main image it also gives off a clear reading of the genre of magazine that it is, also the title is very big and bold with the bands at the top which would be the next thing to catch the eye so if the reader didn't get the genre from the title they will easily know after reading the top line of bands. I also have added some sticky note/poster type of things on my front cover to stand out by using different colours advertising give away's from my magazine which are good things to lur the reader in.

The contents page I tried to keep quiet plain and simple with the title and used my 'Bass title' throughout the magazine to keep it there to be recognised, I have chosen to only show the main features on my contents as I feel this keeps the reader more interested in what there is in the magazine as they do not want to be reading a page full of what their is, they just want to know the best and main points of what their is to be shown in this issue.

I have laid my double page spread out in columns to space out the writing this allows the audience to see the text more clearly and they find it a lot easier to read, the interview gives inside information and gives you a sense of feeling as being into Max's life and his busy schedule, I have also used pull quotes to keep the readers attention and also a little to let them know what else there is to come in the interview. I feel the image also brings the reader into the atricle as the close up gives you a feeling as being in the artist's head and sense of thought this can be very affective towards the reader. I then added a little factual box which will stick into readers brains. 

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Above is a representation of the type of people who may be likely too read my magazine, in these photo's they show there own fashion styles and also the 'indie' 'rock' style that they are representing. My magazine Bass is probably aimed towards the C1 E end of the social economic class scale I know this usually means that these people are down market but for my target audience I feel that they won't have too much money to be spending being as the target audience for my magazine is from 15-24 year old's which will mean that they wont have too much money and will all be student's or people going into their first full time job therefore with this I had to think hard about the price of my magazine taking into consideration the point where these people are in there lives and had to decide to keep the price low or the magazine just wouldn't sell. The pyscho graphic of the target audience for my magazine I believe to be individual as all thought these people are in groups they tend to try and be their own person and have their own styles between them all, they even try to be different in the music they like, yes they all do like the same type of music but tend to listen to different bands to try and be unique.
My chosen audience's lifestyle would be of a busy one as they knee's deep in work most of the time if they are studying at college or uni. Which means they will be demanding as they are all striving to achieve in their lives.
I feel that these bands are a good representation of the type of bands and music my target audience will listen to and will be interested in finding out about and hearing about what they are and have been doing also they give a sense of fashion and style across that I feel my target audience try to copy or be like.The types of bands that will be talked about in my magazine are either indie or rock bands mainly, but could sometimes include different here are a few examples of the bands:

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Advertisement is a major part of a successful magazine as advertisers will pay you for a page of the magazine so a lot of research has to go into advertisement so that you can be sure you have the correct style and fashion to be advertised in your magazine as this is what makes the mag. I feel that for my magazine clothing brands such as Fred Perry, Fila, Topman, maybe river island, and some 'Old Skool' clothing lines/shops would fit well into my magazine, aswell as I feel it would be able to pull of advertising things such as hair products, games and gadgets even thinks such as alcoholic drinks are just a few things that spring to mind that would go down well for the audience of my magazine.

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

I feel that my magazine would be published by either of these two companys ,IPC MEDIA or BAUER as IPC is a big multinational media company and BAUER is the largest privately owned publisher in Europe.
The advantages of using these companies are that they are both big and well known very successful magazine publishers having published magazines such as NME. Also using these publishers it would be easier to get my magazine distributed to big selling places such as the supermarket and retail shops. However the down side of this is that they tend to publish more magazines for older and more higher class people, but I want my magazine to be for teenagers/ young adults so that could cause a problem, also IPC tend to focus on the advertisement side of things.
With my magazine being like a Kerrang style magazine, they are published by Bauer, so it wouldn't be a very good idea to go into publishing with them as they already do Kerrang, it would be a  lot better to go with their biggest rivals IPC as they would be willing to take my magazine on and make it more successful than what Bauer our doing with Kerrang, this is one main thing I would have to take into consideration when choosing who I would go with out of IPC or BAUER.
My magazine Bass would also have its own website so it is available in more than one form, it would be available in print form and E-media form, the website would be successful as my target audience is young adults, who now a days only really use the web so this would be a big feature for my magazine it would be updated regularly and would even have sections for customers to leave their own feedback on and about the magazine. Also their would be a radio station made for my magazine which would be playing all the latest music that is shown in my magazine and also give listeners a chance to phone in and suggest songs to play, linking in with this there could be a television channel from this which would be used the same as the radio but would play the music video's aswell. My magazine would also try to get an advertising deal with I-tunes as that is the largest music downloading place in the world and everyone goes their so it would be good for Bass to be recognised from that

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

For my music magazine I wanted to attract an audience in age ranging from 15-24 years this will then be for teenagers in there last years of high school up to college and university, this will mean I can keep my music to recent bands and bands at the time, not having to go into old bands from the past. Also this will allow me to involve things such as gigs, festivals and fashion etc. My type of reader is anyone interested in the rock/indie scene such as the Kerrang type of magazine.

My main imagine is the image on the right of Max, i found the pose on the left online and decided i would like to use something like that for the cover of my magazine, the image shows both of them looking like they have attitude and are both standing with the same pose/gesture of 'rock on' showing a bit of a 'bad boy' side or that there is more too them than what just meets the eye, both shots are from around the same distance and when put together there body postions almost match up.Both people seem quite confident in themselves but Max looks a little bit more aggressive or appears to have a bit more attitude than what the other picture does.

On my cover there is no fashion being shown, it is just Max's own fashion and not something that my magazine would be delebrate advertising or even use that photo to advertise. I will be looking to attract the the social group of 'Rock fans' this image shows the rebellion and that they are not afraid too do something or break the rules in life, they have and show a no fear approach to life and don't let nothing stop them or get in their way this image shows that they are laid back and don't really care what's going on or if they are rebelling against the law etc.

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

This is my masthead its conventional because its big and bold which will attract the readers attention. I have also placed it at the top of the page and put it in the centre so that it is easily visible to the readers point of sale. The thick black outline makes the white text stand out as it contrasts with my background instead of fading into it. I chose this font which is one I found that I liked as it seemed quite an old font with thick straight lines on it also looks as if it can be a logo instead of just a magazine title which helps it to stand out ,it is not all squished up it is big bold and can be easily read even from a distance it would still catch your eye

Dateline- This shows the issue date of my magazine and also the price of which it is to purchase my magazine, this needs to be visible so the person buying can decide weather to buy it and to see which issue this magazine is.

Main image- My main image is taken at a long shot, i have decided to keep the background to my picture as it went well with my magazine but kept the person in the image in colour while changing the brick background to black and white, this made my image stand out on top of the wall and look bold on my magazine cover. I have decided to take the photo in this pose as the person i am using in my magazine is a 'rockstar' and the hand gestures put across that he is involved in the rock/indie scene of things. It also is a bit of an offensive pose which shows rebellion and that the artist is not just all good, he does have a bit of a wild side too him.

Cover line- This cover line is used to show a piece of what else is in my magazine with the subhead of 'Rising stars!' i have also used a picture of one of the people who are involved with this article as it gives you in insight to one of the rising stars. This cover line has to stand out on my cover so that it can grab the readers attention

Cover line- This cover line is used to explain what is going on in the music world and what there is to be talked about, it also has '& much much more' to let the reader know that there is still more to be found in the magazine instead of just what is on my main cover. The colour of the text is almost the same as what it is for my masthead which keeps it simple with not lots of random colours about the place and also links well to keep the same theme going.

This is my main cover line it is big and bold and straight too the point with 'MAX ANDERTON' immediately telling you who this interview is about, again this is the same as my masthead in the colour scheme of things but not the same font or one wouldn't stand out above the other. Underneath i have used a little sub head telling you what it is about Max that their too be read in this case an interview also i have added a little quote onto my front cover to give a taste of what there is and for mine i have added quite a humorous quote.

 

Bar code-  a bare code has to be on every magazine to be able to sell as it shows its official and can be brought, I have put a bar code on mine and decided to place it in the bottom right hand corner of my magazine as it is not taking up too much space and is out of the way.

 

The main conventions for a double page spread are body text, title, gutters, drop caps, main image, pull quotes, I have followed many of these main conventions, i have used quite a few pull quotes throughout my double page spread as it intrigues the reader in what's to come and it makes them want too read on. I have kept to a house style of mainly black and white, with there also being some red and yellow in which is also visible on my front cover this makes the reader feel comfortable in what they are reading as there is not all different colours everywhere about the page the photo i have used for my double page spread was taken before I wrote the interview but it's taken as if its a photo shoot either before or after the interview with the artist looking into the camera which helps to draw the reader into the interview as they can put themselves into the artist when he is speaking. i took inspiration in my double page spread and contents from ones that can be found in actual magazines, i looked around in real magazines and online to find styles that I liked and thought would work while designing my magazine this is an example of a contents i followed for mine:

For my contents I have used the image above to influence me but I have changed things such as the colours on the page and changed the pose of my artist also I haven't kept the text all straight I have twisted some of it.
On mine I have continued to use black and white text with my 'Main Features' section that is written in bed which is also a colour for my house style. I have only decided to put the main features on my contents as what people are most interested in are the big stories in the magazine, they are not always bothered about the regular features and frequent readers already know what the common features are in a magazine.
The imagine I have used gives the person a bit of a rebel look to them , with standing there smoking a fag, also the facial expression could show that something is on their mind or something is getting to them at that moment in time as there is no smile and eyebrows are raised.

The genre of my magazine was a music magazine, a rock/indie music magazine almost a Kerrang style magazine so there had to be a fashionable side to my magazine as well as fashion is quite a big part to a magazine for advertisements. My magazine is mainly aimed at teenagers to early adults so from the ages of 15-24 as I feel there is a gap in the market for this age group.
The most important conventions of my magazine are:
Firstly the title of my magazine 'Bass' it is music jargon and comes from music which works well as my magazine is a music mag. The model I used in my magazine and the different type of shot's I used , for my cover I used a long shot so you can see all of the model and get an impression from the sign he is doing and what clothes are being worn. The contents was a medium shot as it was from head to waist and the double page spread shot was a close up as it lets you get into the model and put yourself as them.

The language I have used is quite formal throughout although in the double page spread interview there are some swear words, but that just shows the natural aspects of the interview and what the person is like. The genre of my magazine is music, obviously as it advertises bands, up and coming stars and a one on one interview with Max Anderton

Here I have started my Double paged spread with a drop cap to grab the readers attention too the article also it looks better than just having a capital of the same font and size. I have also used pull quotes throughout my double paged spread which give the piece a better feel too it and also it helps the reader know what there is to come next and get a feel for the person, these have to be selected quite well as they interpret the reader as what is too come next and if they think the next thing will be boring this may put them off reading the rest of the interview