Evaluations

By Kate Kenny

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

My media product varies as it develops forms of conventions of real media products such as the cover star being two thirds of the way up as this is the first thing a reader sees as they pick up a magazine. Furthermore, I have used a range of colours that I have stuck to throughout my magazine which are red, black, white and grey therefore my magazine looks more professional. I have also included the date, and price together at the top of the magazine which is usually seen and the barcode along the bottom of my magazine to make it more realistic. I have included pictures of other stars such as Dizzee Rascal and Rihanna which shows other celebrities presented in my magazine. Additionally on my double page spread I have my picture on the right side as when you read a magazine readers always look at the right page first.

However, to challenge conventions of a magazine I have made some slight changes to my coverstar. For example, I have decided to make my cover star with a black and white picture, therefore it will stand out more compared to other magazines. Also, at the bottom of my magazine i have included a website of my music magazine which isn’t normally seen on most magazines which makes the product seem more popular and realistic. Apart from these slight changes i have decided to stick to the usual conventions of a magazine as they are very successful already and seem more realistic.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

• My media products particular audience is teenagers/ young adults. This is shown as my model for the final construction is a teenage boy representing his age of people. I advertised mostly an R N B magazine therefore I used colours such as black and red which will capture that social groups attention. My magazine features famous celebrities that are quite young and popular worldwide therefore my magazine will be noticed.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?• BRAD Insight is a collection of products that

give subscribers intelligence on the advertising and media industries. BRAD Insight’s products helps you quickly find media that faces your key target audiences; find agencies specialising in the channels or industries you want to capitalise on; target hot new sales leads; or analyse the spend of other companies in your field – right down to where they spend their vital advertising budget.

And also:Genesis which is an online business development tool

that delivers information on the highest spending brands and associated agencies, the key decision makers and their responsibilities in these companies. With an inbuilt contact management system this is a one-stop-shop for those working in, or selling, to the advertising industry.

MDB is the only complete list of magazines & newspapers available for sale on UK newsstands. The MDB is distributed to each and every news retailer in the UK & Northern Ireland including independents, CTNs, C-Stores, petrol forecourts, supermarkets, multiple news agent & chain stores. Be in it to be bought.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

• The audience for my media product would be teenagers /young adults mostly, those in which enjoy R’N’B music especially. However my magazine can range from all ages aslong as they have a love for RNB music. My magazine stars artists such as Jay-z, Rihanna and therefore my audience must enjoy hip hop music.

How did you attract or address your audience?

• I attracted my target audience to my product in several ways. Firstly I used a male, attractive model as my cover star who is young and therefore in the same age range as my target audience. I used a colour scheme of red grey and white to make my magazine more sophisticated. I involved famous RNB artists which are well known to people.

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

• While creating my magazine I have used a number of technologies and I.C.T programmes in which I have learnt how to use them. For example, Photoshop is a compulsory programme I used a great deal and learnt different technologies and tools such as cropping pictures, changing the lighting on original photographs to make my product more appealing etc. Furthermore, I used programmes and technologies such as Microsoft Works, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Power point and a scanner to scan my work on my blog which I drafted on paper.

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

product?

• I think I have improved a great deal looking back at my preliminary work. I have learnt how to use the tools on Photoshop in a better way and make my work more professional such as my masthead. In my preliminary it was a boring font however in my final construction, I discovered a created a font and as my magazine is called ‘pulse’ I had a line which is a line looking like on a heart monitor to show a pulse making my magazine more creative.