Evaluation - Looking back at my preliminary task, what have I learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Looking back at my preliminary task, what have I learnt in progression from it to the full product?

Evaluation - What have I learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

This is my evaluation in the form of a stop-motion movie, made on 'Windows Movie Maker'.
(I didn't make the transition time as fast as a normal stop-motion film, as it would've been hard to read the information!)

Evaluation - How did I attract/ address my audience?

I asked 3 friends who I think would be my target audience some questions about what attracts them to different sections of the magazine:

The three people I asked were Carly, Anna and Charlotte.

The first question I asked was 'What instantly attracts you to the magazine?'

Anna: 'The picture attracts me instantly, because front cover photos are normally shot in a studio, the different location makes it quite unique.'

Carly: 'The white text makes you look at the stories first, you can instantly see what's in the magazine, and it makes me want to read the magazine.'

Charlotte: ' The stories attracted me most, the competition to win festival tickets would interest me.'

The second question I asked was 'What do you think of the contents page?'

Anna: 'It's set out well and looks fashionable.'

Carly: ' It's easy to read and lets me easily see what the main stories are.'

Charlotte: There are a range of stories, there is something for most people to read.'

The third question I asked was 'How do you feel the magazine addresses its readers in the double page spread?'

Anna: 'I think they are really positive about the band, and talk to the reader positively too. I noticed that they use emotive language to talk about the bands troubles, it makes the article a bit more personal. I also like the background of the pages. '

Carly: 'They are positive about the band, and quite complimentary, they show the band in a positive light. I like how in the contents page it said in the box about the festival 'Will you be going?' The direct address makes me want to say yes!'

Charlotte: 'They compliment the band a lot, and the article would probably help their popularity. What I like is that the girls aren't heavily made up or wearing ridiculous clothes, it's quite realistic of girls our age. They are friendly towards the audience, and the pictures also help with the bands positive image.'

Evaluation - Who would be the audience for my media product?

I think my target audience would be a mass audience, as the content won't be so 'out there' as some bands and magazines aimed at a typical niche audience. My audience would be part of the western culture as they live in the UK, and would have spare money to spend on magazines. The articles may be of more value and interest to them, than someone from an eastern culture. I don't think socio-economic groups are important to my audience, because of the Penumbra effect. My audience would generally be from the C1,C2DE groups because of the age of them, and the lifestyle that comes with that age range, but a music teacher from the B group might want to read my magazine because of the news on the latest music and gigs.


So could it be him?
No, Sean would not be my target audience. He generally listens to heavier music and doesn't regularly go to gigs. Also my magazine would be generally aimed at young women, however due to the Penumbra effect he may want to read it. He isn't overly fashion concious and doesn't spend a large amount of money on clothes, or on music.



Could it be her?
No, my media teacher is not my target audience. She does not like the rock/indie music that my magazine would be focused around, and isn't likely to be seen at a festival, caked in mud! She has a family at home, so has more priorities and responsibilities than looking at the latest trends and planning to go to gigs.

Could it be her?
Yes!

She would be my target audience because she has a broad taste in music, but her favourites are indie, dance and rock music. She is usually seen listening to Chase and Status, Foo Fighters, Lost Prophets and Florence and The Machine, but is always open to listening to new music. She regularly goes to gigs and has been to Reading Festival and Underage Festival. She is a sociable person who likes to go to parties and have a good time. Fashion is another passion of hers, and likes to wear the new trends, whilst keeping her rocky style. You would normally see her in Doc Martins with Levi's vintage jeans and a lacey top, and the red streak in her hair shows that she has a unique sense of style. They would possibly be at sixth form, maybe thinking about going into further education, and face the issues of trying to find a job. She isn't interested in clothing and music that is overpriced, she lives in the age of the high street and downloading music for cheap prices.

Evaluation - What kind of media institution might distribute my media product?

As my magazine would be aimed at a 'mass audience' I decided to look at the most popular and well known media institutions that I think would want to distribute my magazine. I would also pick one that would distribute the magazine to well known stores such as WHSmith, Tesco and Sainsburys as they sell lots of magazines, including music ones.

This is my evaluation, produced on Microsoft Powerpoint.

Evaluation - How does my media product represent particular social groups?

The pictures above are of my friends, and are the ideal social group that I would want my magazine to relate to. I wanted my media product to represent this type of social group, that enjoy socialising together, going to gigs and festivals and are also interesting in the latest fashions and music. I feel I have done this by:
- One of the main stories on the front cover is advertising the chance to win 'Stoked! Festival' tickets. I wanted to do this as the audience would be interesting in social events such as a festival, and the oppurtunity to win tickets, as festival tickets can be very expensive. As my magazine would be aimed at a young adult audience, offering the chance to win tickets would suit their lifestyle as they may not have a highly paid job, or are still students.
-My cover appears to be very current, by using phrases such as 'Indies new It girl' and '2011'. It shows the audience that the magazine is fast paced and keeps up to date. Young people want to hear the latest news, know the latest bands and want to be up to date with whats happening around them.
- I have created fashionable elements in my media product, to represent people who like rock and indie music, but also want to keep up with latest trends. I've done this by selecting models with red hair cuts, as the colour is fashionable in hair trends at the moment. On my contents page I have an article featured that includes a new clothing label.
- My contents page is mainly focused on the social side of the music genre. In the poster box, it is a 'Festival Special', using my own photos from a previous festival. In 'The Regulars', one of the pages is called 'Gigs and Shindigs' to represent the idea of going to gigs and social events revolving around the rock/indie genre. There is also another mention of the 'Stoked! Festival' to give it more hype and to highlight it more.
- My double page spread photos include the models in clothes that could be considered in fashion right now, such as shorts and graphic t-shirts. This helps keep the magazine current and up to date with today.

I think my magazine represents the target social group in a positive way because of the positive language and atmosphere around the magazine. My preferred reading would be that the magazine is seen as being positive and fashionable. For example it wouldn't be aimed at metal fans, as typically that genre is quite pessimistic and has negative lyrics and images.

Evaluation: In what ways does my media product use develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Front cover

Contents Page

Double Page Spread

My final front cover, contents page and DPS.

Here is my final front cover, contents page and double page spread!
I am happy with my front cover, it took a while to get to grips with some of the Photoshop tools, but I learnt a lot and am pleased with the results. I managed the achieve the style I wanted with the black and white writing and this was my favourite photo that I took.


My contents page has the grid/box style that I liked with small pictures to illustrate the main stories. The font is coming up blurry on this picture but you can see it clearly on the original. I used 'Special Type' font from 'Dafont.com' as I liked the slightly feminine look it gives the contents page. The font in the middle I made myself from adding spider webs to 'Georgia' font on 'Microsoft Word' and 'Paint'.
My dps was made on Photoshop, with a cloudy smokey background. I wanted to use a variety of photos to make it look more interesting. I am also pleased with the results of this page.