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

Once I had made my preliminary task, I realised creating a questionnaire really helped as I could then ask my target audience questions that benefited me in making my magazine. Once I had the answers I could then make my magazine the way my target audience wanted it. I also found that deconstructing similar products to what I wanted to create was helpful as that showed me the conventions that could be used, developed or challenged to make my magazine look more professional. When I was making my main task I was 6 months into an AS Photography course, this taught me about the simple rules of photography and framing of images, this really helped me make my images effect, whereas when I created my preliminary task I had only been in that course for a month and I hadn’t learned everything that I really needed.  

Question 6: What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

To edit and manipulate my images I used Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 rather than Photoshop itself, as for me this is easier to use, it is also like a digital darkroom therefore you can change some of the main features of the image such as:

Exposure

Clarity

Brightness

Colour Saturation

Crop

Etc.

This was helpful as I could edit all of my images but at the same time still make them look natural, rather than fake.

Once I had manipulated my images and had done all of my research I needed to learn how to use Adobe Photoshop CS5  to create my magazine, whilst doing this I found out that this wasn’t the easiest programme to use to design a magazine as it is really hard to work with text as Photoshop treats everything as images. This was difficult because I had never used it before. I luckily picked it up quite quickly and figured out how to move layers, how to create text and move it and how to make my magazine look good. To present my work I had to learn how to use Blogger, this was quite easy as it wasn’t that hard to learn how to publish or edit posts. After learning this I could then publish my work and start to create an online diary of my work and progress. I found using the blog to present my work was a lot easier and better than having to hand in a hard copy and printing everything off.

I also had to learn how to use Slide Share, this was so that I could then publish Power Points onto my blog as this was a easy way to show pictures or results of surveys.

I used Windows DTP to create my preliminary task, I found that this didn’t give me as good a result as Photoshop did because I couldn’t get as high quality results, however this helped me in my progress from my preliminary task to my main task.

To take my images I used a Nikon D70 this is a semi-professional digital SLR camera, I used this to take all of my posed images, however to take the images taken at concert and gigs I used my Nikon Coolpix as it is a compact camera which is easier to use at gigs.

Question 5: How did you attract or address your audience?

Doing a questionnaire to my target audience gave me the information about what my target audience want to be included in my magazine, this then helped me create my magazine to the needs and wants of my audience. The majority of people who took part in my questionnaire said that they would lie a monthly magazine that is A4 sized and costs between £1.50-£2.50. In response to this information I have designed my magazine to be monthly and A4 sized, I have priced my magazine at £2.35 as it is near the top end of the price margin my audience would pay. I also found out from my research that my target audience would like the magazine to include information on local or unsigned bands and reviews on TV, books, film and albums I have therefore included these aspects into my magazine as this will make my magazine more appealing to my target audience.

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

I am targeting my magazine at both males and females, between the ages of sixteen and twenty one years old. I wouldn’t say that they had to enjoy a specific genre of music as my magazine has all genres included in it. I am targeting my magazine at the working/middle class BSG scale C1,C2 and D. I think that students would be interested in my magazine, as I think that they would relate well to the articles included but also, most students have part times jobs so they would have a little bit of extra money to spend on a magazine as they could see it as giving them some escapism. My magazine isn't aimed at any sort of stereotype, just the general teenager and  young adult.

I think that the type of audience that I am aiming my magazine at would spend their time listening to music, socialising, watching films and partying. I think that they would shop anywhere (E.g. Top shop/ Top man, Primark, T K Max) but would be stylish. My audience would spend their money on socialising, clothes, drinking, magazines, trips but would know that they have to save for food and rent

Question 3: What Kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I think that my magazine would be distributes in mainstream newsagents (e.g. WH Smiths) as well as individually ran newsagents, that then gives my magazine more places to be sold. I think that my magazine would be distributed by a large media institution like Bauer Media, I think that my magazine would be appropriate for this media institution because it is similar to some of the other magazines that this institution already distributes, however it is new and different at the same time.  I believe that this institution would distribute my magazine in shops and online, this would be advertised by radio adverts and pop ups on social networking sites as well as by word of mouth.

Question 2: How does your media product represent a particular social group?

I don’t think my magazine represents just one social group as it focuses on unsigned and individual music groups as well as bands in the charts. I believe that the only image I have used on my front cover represents young adults as the model is 19. I believe that my contents page represents the same age group as the majority of my images have models between the ages of 17-19. I have used two older models on my contents page, but both of these images were live at concert or at a festival which is where most of my target audience would see them. I didn’t single out a certain social group like “Goth” or “Indie” as the music discussed in my magazine isn’t a particular genre therefore it reaches out to anyone who likes music in general.

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

My media product uses forms and conventions of media products, as I have chosen to present my magazine in an A4 size rather than A5 as this is most common for magazines as they then are the right size to fit stacked up on a shelf. Also, after researching some examples of music magazines I have found out that most supplements or extras included in music magazines are A5 size, this is because they then fit perfectly inside the A4 sized magazine.

My media product develops forms and conventions of media products as not many magazines show just people in their main image, I have done this rather than having my model holding a musical instrument or microphone as I wanted my main image to show dominance and I wanted it to stand out on the shelf of a store, I have also used the colour scheme of red, white and black I did this because I wanted my masthead to jump out but I also did this because it complements my model and I believe that it makes the main image stand out. Most other magazines try not to use red for their masthead colour because there are a lot of colours that does not work with red, however I decided to use it as I thought that it would make my magazine stand out more from any other magazines.

My media product challenges forms and conventions of media products because of where I placed my price, date and issue number, I placed them above my masthead and to the right rather than beneath the masthead, I did this because I thought that it looked better and you would still be able to see it when my magazine was stacked up in shops. 

Furthermore I have decided to keep my magazine quite conventional with some differences so that it looks different, my deconstructions helped me see what the usual conventions were and therefore helped me make some changes to my magazine to make my magazine different.