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

 My product uses the conventions of real media products in various ways. For instance, eye catching titles are a conventional and iconic aspect of magazines that I have used in my product; this feature has been tried and tested in the form of whether the magazine stands out from a far back distance by myself and a few peer groups. Conventions are developed in the use of typographic styles and image styles to suggest and reflect the genre of the magazine as well the target audience. The title’s font style that is used reflects on the pop culture, and acts as an ‘iconic’ font that will reflect on the magazine and make it a well-known just like Top of the Pops.

Here are a few examples of existing ‘typographic’ font styles on real media products that make them well known brands:

Adobe is a worldwide known brand especially in the subject media. It’s well known for changing the world through digital experiences. Who help the customers create, deliver, and optimize content and applications. This logo and the typographic 'font' that is used by the company is what make it a global success that is well known.

 Sight and Sound is magazine is a world known media magazine. It is target at teenage or older people who focus on film reviews, features and commentary, film and TV issues, world and classic cinema, and story archives. The typographic style is a conventional feature that makes the product the 'success' it is. The font allows for the magazine to have it as a 'trademark' allowing people all over the world to recognise this significant font.






Other conventional aspects of existing music magazines that I have picked up were features such as the ‘lures’. These are conventional aspects that apply for all magazine products; this was an obvious feature that I recognised and used in my existing product. But features in the ‘contents page’ like the layout with ‘band/artist shots’ and an image of the front page with arrows directing the lures was a feature I developed from existing products like ‘Top of the Pops’ and ‘We Love Pop’.

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

The target audience for my music magazine are the ‘pop divas’. The pop divas mainly consist of teenagers who dress in the cool trendy clothing, who listen to a range of music that completely changes. This age group can vary from 11 – 15 (roughly the age of a typical young teenager). Representative of this social group are elements such as the use of models, the use of typographic fonts and the use of language. Other elements that may suggest the social group are the actual ‘stories/ articles’ in the magazine themselves.

This is an image that represents the social group that are my target audience. As you can see they are all of the age of about 11 - 15. Their fashion sense and mannerisms are typical of the 'pop' social group. Though people who represent this target audience will find it hard to notice that they fit in with the 'pop' social group as I am one of them I found it this was normal and was hard to put them into a category of what I was used to seeing.

Here is a Prezi showing how my media products represent particular social groups:

http://prezi.com/rnmjxewcjagp/evaluation-question-2/

Evaluation. Question 3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

The media instition that I would choose to publish my magazine would be PPA. The reason for choosing this institution is due to the fact that they publish 'We Love Pop' magazine (a magazine that is aimed at my target audience and which has influenced my media product dramatically in terms of conventional features). PPA are a large WELL KNOWN company as well as the company having their own advertising sector, meaning the advertisement of my magazine would result in it become a possible leader/ well known product in the market.



http://www.ppa.co.uk/news/industry/egmont-launches-new-we-love-pop-teen-title/

An institution to distribute my magazine would be 'newsagents'. One of the newsagent leaders is WH smith. This newsagent is well known for distributing magazines as well as providing in-store exclusive 'subscription' services. I feel that one of the market leading companies for distributing my media product would help for it to become a 'well known', national success. In store the magazine will be placed on a rack. The magazine will be surrounded by contending products so 'eye catching' features were considered before the production of the product. The success of display in WH Smith is that the product will be placed at 'eye level' height, allowing for instant 'awareness' of the media product. As well as the leading newsagents to distribute my media product I would like 'smaller' chains of newsagents to distribute the magazine such as Post Office, Happy Shopper and Co-Operative.


Another distribution method that I could possibly use is the use of publishing it 'digitally'. This will allow for the magazine to be easily seen as it follows new media convergence. Such technology as home computers and laptops but also more up to date phones e.g. the iPhone. 'iPhone' are a quickly growing popular way to view the web, and host genre specific 'apps'. This allows the accessibility of the product to be greater as it can be viewed on the way to school and the digital format of the product will be cheaper to publish compared to 'print' format.

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

The target audience for my media product will be young teenage girls and primary children. An exact age barrier will be '11-15'. Splitting this age group into two sections (young teenagers and primary children) there are many reasons for this target audience. Teenagers nowadays are social segregated. There are teenagers who are interested in 'pop’ music, metal, hip hop, R n B, Drum and bass, Dubstep and Indie rock. Within these 'music' genres social groups are formed in terms of lifestyle activities, fashion and people’s opinions. The genre of magazine will be aimed at the 'pop' genre, this means that elements such as 'pop' music will have to be conveyed throughout the magazine as well as 'fashion icons'. Young teenagers of this social divide typically range from the age of '11 to 15'. The second section is 'primary children'. Primary children to me are typically from the ages of '11 to 12' as this is the typical age children who attend primary school. The reason for aiming the magazine at primary school children is mainly because of the different social groups, but also because they are just understanding the terms of music but also grasping together other people’s opinions which is included in my media product quite a lot.

Evaluation. Question 5. How did you attract/address your audience?

• Here are some  particular furniture and code and conventions that will attract/address my specific audience:

Gaze Theory -
For my magazine I have chosen models that represent and reflect the target audience. The main model that is used is a girl, late teens (17 years old). She is seen to be wearing a bright pink dress with flowing long hair which reflects the genre. As well as costume props allow for reflection on the genre and target audience, in this case the artist holds a lollipop which represents the heading ‘Pop Candy’, the way in which it is held seems 'diva-ish' and shows that it is an fashion 'accessory. These features allow for the play of gaze theory. The young female target audience will look at the model and aspire to be like this pop singer.

Typographic Font-
The font style that is chosen is consistent throughout the magazine. This is because it follows a house style. The font reflects on the 'fashion' culture as the letters appear to be slightly 'bright' and 'bubbly'. Some letters are even slanted which reflects on the 'subverted' views of the 'independent world'. To me this fashion typography is perfect for the magazine and helps to convey and attract the attention of the chosen social group.

Language/ writing style -
Colloquial language is used throughout the magazine. Instead of 'formal' text this to me helps to attract the interest of the target audience. The use of colloquial language means that the target audience can relate as well as understand certain articles. Articles are written in an 'informal' way which again the target audience will understand and be able to take in what has been said in a mean-full way to them.

• I asked students to review and comment my media product. The targeted audience were asked to comment on what they found attractive and what attracted them to the magazine. A Wordle image has been created to show the good comments of the final and drafts of my media products.

•  I also asked one of my peer group the eact same question:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBoWxbbmRy8&feature=g-upl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daqOuUR-ct0&feature=g-upl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8Kww8pU_Xg&feature=g-upl

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

From the start of the preliminary task I had basic knowledge in using software such as Photoshop, Illustrator and In design to produce a media product. As well as software I had basic knowledge in taking pictures of an satisfactory standard. This is shown in the preliminary task where studio shots haven't been used. But along the way my skills have rapidly grown. At the start of the main task I had a stronger skill-set in laying out and producing strong content of a music magazine.

• Photoshop specifically deals with controlling images, this is a skill that I have strongly adapted. I am now able to take a picture in a 'professional' way i.e. on a green screen, and use full media equipment e.g. the lights. I produced a detailed and professional image that will successfully reflect on the product and then I am able edit and amend in a certain way, an example of this is rasterizing an image of a person, saving an image of Polaroid then rasterizing this then merging the layers together to become one image.

• InDesign deals with the layout and composition of the page itself. I am now able to comfortably create a basic layout of a magazine and transfer conventional aspects to create a professional or near realistic media product.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0Kg9TS3kB8&feature=player_embedded#!

• Illustrator specifically deals with 'graphics' and 'text'. I am now able to create graphics for titles which conveys a professional product. Positioning of text was made easy in the program as features such as 'text overflow' and 'text wrap' allowed for me to create a conventionally correct product.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NurhfyMod-A&feature=player_embedded

Evaluation. Question 7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

The development of the preliminary task was fairly smooth, time management was a vital factor in this task. Towards the end of the task, time was against me, and with a stronger schedule the final outcome could have been a stronger media product. Time could have allowed me to plan pictures more thoroughly for such things as the front cover. Features such as composition and perfectly creating an iconic/ conventional mise-en-scene could have lead to a stronger product. Improving this would involve me having to use stronger conventional features of a pop scene. Instead of this the final product conventionally represents and focuses on other topic e.g. fashion. Around the beginning of the music magazine, one key factor was put into place to allow for a steady and successful process though this was not fully met which I would change in the future.

I have learnt how to organise time into creating a successful production process but notso much time managing. This skill was primarily learnt at the end of the preliminary task as I was finding my position in 'production', 'distribution' and 'exhibition' methods. A solid and strong skill has been learnt in 'new media' technologies such as 'Photoshop' and ‘Illustrator’ that has allowed for me to create media products such as my magazine. Taking these skills onboard I have been able to adapt them to create a strong media product. Creating these products (preliminary and main) will allow me to expand skills into creating strong media products in the future for example in A2. Another area that I have strongly learnt about through the progression of this process is a clear understanding for the different 'media platforms' 'Print', 'New media' and 'Audio visual'. Such platforms as 'New media', has allowed for me to understand 'new' ways of creating a successful product as well as 'Exhibitioning' and 'distributing' it (digital media such as 'iPhones' instead of other media ways such as 'Print' and 'audio visual').