My Evaluation

Questions
1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?
3) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
4) Who would be the audience for your media product?
5) How did you attract/address your audience?
6) What have you learnt about the technologies from the process of
constructing the product?
7) Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt
in the progression from it to the full product?
8) How successful do you feel your end product is in fulfilling the task? How well
does it fit the brief?

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

Question one- Use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions.
• Throughout my magazine I have tried to make sure that my magazine looked as
realistic as possible by including codes and conventions that a real music magazine
includes. At the start of the year we were introduced to these codes and
conventions and made analyze a popular magazine of our choice adding in all
the relevant codes and conventions we could spot.
This exercise helped me identify and label
the different codes and conventions which
has helped me arrange them on my own
product. It also helped me to understand
what cover lines work best for different cover
stars and how to correctly showcase
them with my cover star I have chosen.
Codes and conventions

and conventions.
So that we understood different types of magazines and how they deal with adding in their codes and
conventions we were then advised to look into numerous amounts of magazines that best went with the
genre that we are trying to showcase throughout our magazine. This research helped me fi d out what I
liked best about each magazine and what could inspire me when creating mine. Above are three of many
magazines that I looked into and picked out my favorite features of each one.

After we learnt about the different codes and conventions, and after applying them to
different amounts or research we applied them to our magazine.
and conventions.
Each code and convention I included was thoroughly thought about and
considered when placing them on my magazines front page as I wanted
to ensure that my product looked as realistic as possible.
I thought about how I would place each convention the front cover of my
magazine in keeping with the style and genre of the magazine.
I made sure that my masthead was simple yet recognizable which
benefits my magazine as although it does stand out because of the
recognizable 'N' in red it doesn’t take complete focus away from the
main cover star which readers/possible customers may find interesting.
I also made sure that my cover lines surrounded my main cover star or
were below the cover stars face so that the focus wasn’t taken away
from the main cover star which makes my front page more interesting
I wanted any text that appeared on my magazine to stand out in its own
way yet at the same time complimenting the overall look of the
magazine. I decided to include a feature picture of one of the other artist
that customers can expect to read about in the magazine and the bottom
left hand corner which gives readers something else to look forward to.

and conventions.
There are ways I challenged the conventions and also ways I didn’t of a
typical magazine in the same genre as mine.
I didn’t mention any real artists in my magazine which can reveal that my
magazine focuses relevant and new artists who are up and coming
stars which based on my magazine research of 'NME' is appealing to
their audiences also which is what I tried to do with my magazine as do
they.
To me her clothing stands out especially against the pale blue/green
combination background, as I done a lot of my research based on 'NME'
they focused more on the main cover star and what type of pose they
portrayed, with clothing I wanted to keep it simple yet in keeping with the
theme of the magazine.
I knew that I was going to incorporate red and white text in
my front cover as have done prior research on what color scheme I was
going to use for my magazine.
My cover stars clothing does challenge typical conventions surrounding
costume due to her casual yet appealing attire. If this magazine was on a
stand I defiantly think it would catch customers eyes due to the fact its not
something you typically see everyday this gives the magazine a
unique identity which appeals to its demographic and an 'NME' type of
audience which may be more familiar with seeing this type of magazine
which features a bit more attitude over appearance.
Colour Scheme

Influences
I was influenced by many different things throughout the process of creating and finalizing my
magazine, as I made sure to look at different magazines which would give me
some inspiration when I started to draft and plan my magazine. I looked at
numerous magazines when I went through the process of collecting information on creating a
magazine and what goes into a successful magazine.
and conventions.
This double page spread that was published gave me
inspiration when creating my own double page spread. I like
the idea of a dramatic full picture of the main artist taking up
most of the left hand side of the magazine. Even though in
the magazines double page spread the artist they
used (Lana Del Ray) wasn’t giving the audience direct
address I felt it would be more captivating if my artist was
to give the impression of looking them straight in the eyes. I
done this due to the fact I wanted my magazine to be simple
yet dramatic and at the same time a magazine that possible
customers felt interested in reading.
Double Page Spread

Further influences;
and conventions.
Deciding on the right front page of my magazine was a very important aspect in my
research. I needed to find inspiration/examples of magazines that I could look into
that may of influenced my work. I looked into this magazine that NME published and
it gave me the idea of sticking to a basic colour scheme which is actually quite
effective as it made the photography that I used stand out to my target audience.
Furthermore this piece influenced me as I didn’t want to crowd my artist
with information around her, this making it more appealing to my target audience
which only improves the success of my media product.
Front Cover Influence

•
and conventions.
This double page spread gave me the inspiration to devote most of
the left hand side to my main cover star as I believe it makes a
statement of not only who the artist is as a person but also what the
target audience can expect from their music. With the use of direct
address it’s gives off a very powerful message as not only does it
entice the reader into reading the article/ purchasing the magazine
it may also influence their choice of music which benefits
the success of the up and coming musician as it grows their
fan base/support.
Also this type of address from the musician to readers may make
the target relate to what the artist is expressing in the article.
Double Page Spread
Influence

and conventions.
While creating my contents page I looked into past NME contents
pages from their past published magazines. I like the idea of adding
sub headings which allowed more important information to be
featured in the magazine. I felt as if this gave my magazine a
more indie appearance s it focused on what indie music lovers would
like to read about, Also allowing indie music lovers to keep up-to-date
with their social groups latest trends and up and coming stars.
I wanted to incorporate this into my magazine so that my target
audience got the best information that I could provide to them.
This overall improved the quality of my magazine as it allowed me to
understand what not only my target audience would expect to discover
in a magazine but myself too. By keeping my target audience informed
with new artists and bands it also increases the awareness of the indie
genre.
Contents Page
Influence

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

Question two -
representing particular social groups
My magazine is aimed towards people who are late teens mid twenties and who are interested
in indie music as that’s the genre my magazine represents.
As a lot of my research is about 'NME' as I thought that, that magazine best replicated what I
wanted for my magazine and showcased why they are such an appealing indie magazine which
I wanted to have influence my magazine due to their strong confidence and attitude as a whole.
My research into 'NME' allowed me to learn about the different ways they promote their artists
and overall message. I wanted to ensure that my main cover star challenged the typical view of
a female artist, I wanted her to show a certain dominance over the camera, by making my main
cover star directly look at the camera in a way that’s quite intimidating yet interesting. I wanted
her appearance to go with this that’s why I chose such a casual look yet still giving if these
different emotions.
Furthermore by doing this I thought that the target market would be able to get a flavor of what
her music may sound like which overall gives them another reason to buy the magazine if they
wish to find out about a new artist that may be someone they are interested in investing their
time in listening to.
Target Audience

For my magazine as an alternative to using either a light or dark background to compliment
my main cover star I looked into different so called 'indie' locations, which gave me a better
understanding of making an indie magazine. It also revealed to me what my target market of
teenagers and young adults would expect to be showcased in an indie magazine and what is
classed as an indie spot. This sort of information can give my magazine a more edgy look
which may be more appealing to someone interested in indie magazines/music.
Also as I have featured different events and reviews on my contents page it may encourage
indie music lovers to check out certain events which will only encourage people to
purchase different tickets to indie gigs which
may increase the awareness of indie music, new artist's and bands.
Question two -
representing particular social groups
Indie Location
Additionally I learnt more about the indie style' so that I could develop my understanding of
this social group. which helped me when making changes to my magazine in the last
stages of editing.
Indie Style

Question three
What kind of media institution might
distribute your media product? Why?

Question three – media institution
Due to my magazine research being solely based upon the magazine 'NME' I
have decided that as my media product being in the same genre as what they
commonly produce I believe my magazine may be something that they would
produce due to their unique appearance.
NME have incorporated a wide range of media and
features which I have tried to introduce throughout my
magazine. NME also tend to do special editions which
they advertise on many of there platforms such as there
online website which they publish all there up-to-
date magazines which keep their target market
interested in the progression of their magazine
company.

Question four
What would be the audience for your media
product?

Question four - audience for product
My magazine targets both female and male people between the ages of late teen to mid/late
twenties (17- 26 roughly). My magazine targets specific people who are interested in the
music that my magazine delivers. Which is indie. Anyone with an interest in that music genre
will enjoy my type of product that I've created as it features new artists, reviews, hottest
performances, etc. surrounding indie music which allows indie lovers to get as much relevant
information as possible.
As the research I have found is to do with 'NME' I have also looked into their target audience
and who they try to reach their products to which is the age range from 18-22, so I used their
general information to base mine around, this improves the quality of information that my
audience is offering its possible customers as its more specific and targeted to one certain
audience. Remake remodel task
- used 'NME's general appearance which helped me create
this task near the beginning of my research.
Target Audience
Remake Remodel Task

Page Plus Task

Target Audience
Questionaire
Target Audience
Colour Scheme
I wanted to ensure that in my magazine met the
needs/wants of my target audience. That I was
why I created the questionnaire so I knew they
were happy with the decisions I was making
surrounding my product.

Question five
How did you attract/address your audience?

Question five- attract/address audience
Throughout my magazine I wanted to ensure that my audience felt as if they could relate to both
the magazine its self and also the artists that were included. The colour scheme that I chose for
my magazine, the images I decided on using for the full product and the article I wrote up are all
methods I used to entice my target audience and encourage them to purchase it.
I wanted to include relevant information for the audience demographic, an example of a way in
which I did this is by including enough important information in my contents
pages under different sub categories, such as newly emerging bands.My edition of my magazine has a contents page that is
reminiscent of an indie album cover which focus more on contents
than appearance. All of the fonts that are used on the contents
page are consistent, and tie in well with the front cover. There are
no dramatic changes throughout the magazine, to ensure that the
content flows from piece to piece.
There are images of young artists that appeal to the target
audience of the magazine, who are in the same age demographic.
Colour is used in the contents page to denote a calm and relaxed
attitude, which is associated with the indie lifestyle.
Colour Scheme

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

Question 6- technologies used in the process
Advantages Disadvantages
Easy to use, wasn’t difficult to load or save
current work.
Can change the quality/resolution of images
that you add into your work.
Allowed me to save my work in different
formats such as a PDF file.
Depending on the computer i used,the
selection of fonts varied.
Gave me a range of different fonts to choose
from which allowed me to compare different
fonts to see what one suited my work and
what ones didn’t,].
Limited selection of brush effects.
Gave me a crop option which allowed me to
edit my photography.
Allowed me to add text boxes and shapes to
my work.
The software/application I used to create my media product was page plus, below
are some of the strengths and weaknesses I came across when working with that
software.

uestion 6- technologies used in the process
Additional Photography
My final magazine

Blogger - Blogger was easy to use and it was an enjoyable experience to use the
software. Its so easy and simple to use which was really good because it was my first
time using the application. It was easy to update my blog with blog posts due to its
simple layout. Its an effective way of showcase all the new things I learnt about and
applied to different topics throughout this task. Also due to it being an online website I
was able to access it at home which allowed me to regularly update my blog three
times a week with different exercises. Also blogger allowed me to view different
peoples work which gave me inspiration on how to layout and tackle exercises. also
it was easy to create my page, as its linked to my Gmail account which made it easy
and fast to log into and look at all my work all allocated in the one area.
stion 6- technologies used in the process
My Blog

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

Question seven- looking back at my preliminary
task
Final Task
In my preliminary task, the cover lines that I use don’t wrap around the
cover stars efficiently so its hard to know what cover line went with what artist
that I featured on the front page. Its clear to see the lack of detail in my
preliminary task compared to my main final task. My preliminary task lacks a lot
of the codes and conventions which makes it a weak an less appealing front
page. Whereas, my final piece I have included these codes and conventions as I
missed out on the URL, price and didn’t make my masthead stand out to my
target audience. In my final task I made sure I focused on all these elements to
make it a successful and appealing magazine and ensured that my
background made my main cover star more interesting than in my preliminary
task where I didn’t think about how my photography would look against such a
bright background as in my opinion it took away the attention of the artists.
Preliminary Task

Question seven- looking back at my preliminary
task
Preliminary Task Final Task
In my preliminary task I was happy with the background and
the photography I decided to use but, it lacked content and wasn’t very
appealing to a target market. My final piece is far more appealing as it
is more interesting and gives readers more content and information to
read about certain things that may interest them. In my final task I had
accumulated more research which allowed me to understand
what goes into a successful contents age which I didn’t know when
completing my preliminary task. This gave me an advantages when
completing my final task. I made my final piece more realistic as my
preliminary task lacked a sense of musical mise-en-scene and wasn’t
something that benefited the future of my media product.

Question 8
How successful do you feel your end product is
in fulfilling the task? How well does it fit the brief?

Question eight - how well does it fit the brief?
Overall I'm incredibly happy with how my
magazine turned out, I think that it fits the brief really
well. I included the codes and conventions of a realistic
magazine which was my intention from the
beginning. Although challenging some conventions at
the same time. My research into different magazines
was incredibly beneficial to my final product as it allowed
me to understand what needed to be included and
what didn’t. I think that my magazine defiantly appeals to
my target audience through not only the use
of photography but content that’s featured in the
magazine too. I tried my best to create an appealing
indie magazine that readers found interesting yet
casual.

My Evaluation

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