Final Product

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

How does my media product represent particular social groups?

http://prezi.com/wur3fvu7lf9v 


My target is audience is teenagers, and I feel that my final product represents the teenage punk rock generation, much like popular rock magazine Kerrang. For those interested in rock music, there are many different aspects to their interests, such as clothing, color schemes, and the music itself. 

When I type ‘Rock Music’ onto Google images, I get the following results. The images shown are quite dark, involve many electric guitars, and some show fire. I have tried to involve this in my work. The colours black and yellow are frequently used in my magazine. Therefore I am representing rock music, and in particular, rock music fans,  in my color schemes and mise-en-scene.

(Results for 'Rock Music')

(Results for 'Rock Music Fan')

This shows that the stereotypical rock fan wears dark clothing, contrasting black and white makeup. I chose to represent this in my final product with my models, such as with Cisterc, who are shown in black and denim clothing, which is quite a 'rock' style. Rock fans are also stereotypically shown with either unnatural colored hair, or black hair. I have shown this with my front cover model, Shanice, who has very dark, black hair. Her eye makeup is also thick, black eyeliner, which is typical of a rock fan/artist, even male ones. Therefore I feel like my magazine is representative of rock fans (mostly teenagers), because of their clothing, hair and makeup.

The colors that I have used in my final product are mostly a variety of blue and black, with the exception of some yellow, red and white, to contrast with the darker colors and stand out. Rock magazines such as Kerrang usually use dark colors, but have some bright colors to stand out. Such as the magazine to the right, which features rock band All Time Low, which also features in my magazine. Most rock fans wear dark colors, with some bright colors to stand out (such as an unnatural hair color), and therefore I feel as though I have represented them in my work. My product is more attractive to the target audience because of this.

The article itself is written about the front cover model, Shanice. I have made it about "The Stories Behind The Lyrics", so that the audience feel like they have been given an insight to the celebrities inside thoughts and feelings. The audience will be therefore be inspired to by the magazine, as it will give them a taste of what it's like to be famous. With my article, I feel as though I have represented my audience (teenage rock fans) by involving things such as partying, the after party, and McDonalds, which are all very relatable to their social group in particular.

I've tried to make my article as funny as possible, as I believe this makes it more interesting. Some times, there are obvious swear words, but they are covers with asterisks (*). Most teenagers swear, stereotypically rock fans, and so I believe that I have represented their social group by involving swear words, much like popular rock magazine Kerrang does in many articles.

My magazine features other artists. These artists are secondary to the main feature (about Shanice). In the contents page, I include photographs of popular rock bands All Time Low and You Me At Six live, in Manchester. The target audience, teenage rock fans, will recognize All Time Low and You Me At Six, and will want to buy the magazine because of this. Teenage rock fans are a niche audience, however here is a variety of fans, such as those who prefer heavy rock, those who prefer punk rock, and so on. Therefore I have tried to include a variety of different bands from different rock genres in my final product to represent the wide range of rock fans and their interests. And so I believe that my magazine, and it's many features is an accurate representation of teenage rock fans and their interests, and therefore they are more likely to buy the magazine, as it relates to them specifically.

What kind of media institution might distribute my media product and why?

My product may be distributed by a company such as Bauer Media, which specializes in distributing a variety of magazines to target every audience. Such as Bird Watching, Car and Golf World, which target a variety of audiences of different ages and interests. The target audience for my magazine is teenage rock fans, which is both a mass and niche audience. This is debatable as pop music may be the most likely to be in the charts, but results show that rock music is the highest sold genre. 


The aim of Bauer media:

"Our aim is to connect audiences with excellent content 

through our broad multi-touchpoint brand platforms.  

Wherever, whenever and however they want" - Bauer Media

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2lKQt6t9Fk

My magazine may be more likely to be published by TimeIncUK, as Bauer Media does already publish very similar rock music magazine Kerrang, and TimeIncUK doesn't publish a magazine like Kerrang. The closest that TimeIncUK publishes is NME, which features more 'indie' artsists than rock artists. Therefore TimeIncUK can target rock fans by publishing my magazine, increasing it's scope in the publishing industry. 

Who would be the audience for my media product?

My magazine is in the rock genre, and statistically, rock is the most sold music (according to http://www.statista.com/statistics/188910/us-music-album-sales-by-genre-2010/). However, rock music never seems to make the charts, except from the 'odd few' songs such as The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. Therefore it is debatable whether rock fans are a mass audience or a niche audience. According to the sales of Kerrang (which is what I have based my magazine from), compared to the sales of NME, NME is proven to be more popular than Kerrang, as they sold more copies. However, indie music has a smaller audience than rock music. Also according to figures, Kerrang's audience is 56.1% 15-24 year olds, showing that most of the market is to teenagers/young adults. With this data in mind, the target audience for my magazine is teenage rock fans, who are a mass audience when compared to yearly music sales, but a niche audience when compared to yearly magazine sales. 

The content of my magazine (as shown before in a previous question) is representative of teenage rock fans, my target audience. Therefore I believe that my magazine will be popular amongst the teenage population, and that it will sell many copies, much like similar rock magazine Kerrang. 



Kerrang usually features fashion retailers in the magazine as adverts. These advertisements are targeted specifically to the magazine target audience. Therefore my target audience is an important factor on the planning of my magazine, and everything needs to be specific to it. 

Teenagers are most likely to buy magazines as they have more 'time on their hands' compared to adults. Teenagers are obsessed with image, and magazines are seen as 'fashionable', and therefore teenagers may think that they are 'cool' by buying magazines, and will do it more often.

http://www.powtoon.com/show/bUQBAqabDDh/chelsea-sellers-as-media/#/

How did I attract/address my audience?

http://www.powtoon.com/show/eKMvH0W0Nsm/how-did-i-attractaddress-my-audience/

Popular music magazines also interact in social media, such as Twitter and Facebook. They use this as a form of advertising, so that more people know about the magazine and it's contents, therefore making them want to buy it. Many music magazines have social media, such as Kerrang and NME for example. They use usernames such as @kerrangmagazine, which is verified, and therefore people know that it is the magazine.

The magazine may also use paid for advertisement, such as TV adverts, radio adverts, and online adverts (such as the adverts towards the right on Facebook desktop). These are the main way of attracting an audience, as these adverts (especially online) target people specifically by target audience. If I were to create an advertisement with Facebook, I can choose who I wish to target, by age, gender, interests and location etc. Based from their readership survey, a magazine such as Kerrang will most likely target 15-24 year olds with interest in rock music. For example; they already like You Me At Six (a rock band) on Facebook. Paid for advertisements require money, and therefore an advertising budget must be allowed if I was to choose this type of advertisement.

Sponsorship's are also a good way of becoming more known. However magazines are usually not the business to sponsor other things, such as TV programs or footballers, and it more often other brands such as clothing, alcohol or phone companies. However many smaller businesses can sponsor magazines. For example, the video game, The Evil Within, sponsored Kerrang magazine, and had an article written about it. 

Usually, advertisements for music magazines consists of who is in the magazine rather than what is in the magazine. Such as Kerrang having All Time Low as their main feature, as this would be their main selling point. In my own music magazine, Anarchy, Shanice is my main selling point as she is the celebrity in my main feature. Anarchy, like Kerrang with All Time Low, would post on social media that Shanice is featured in this weeks issue. The star featured may also post on social media that they are part of this weeks issue, increasing sales as people buy the "one off" issue just because that star is in it. They may continue to buy issues in later weeks if they find it interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXgz-JCVwbA

Above is a paid for TV advert by Kerrang magazine. This advert doesn't necessarily state what the magazine is about, but makes a point of the artists featured in it, showing that the artists are it's main selling point. I would use this as a guideline when attracting/addressing my audience.

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

http://prezi.com/lw2cjux5jtke

To create my final product, I have used Adobe Photoshop. My teacher has guided me on how to use the software, however I have used online tutorials and YouTube videos to assist me when I am struggling without my teacher. Whilst using Adobe Photoshop, I have learnt how to use the Polygon Lasso Tool, the Magic Wand Tool, the Quick Selection Tool, the Brush Tool and many more. I have also used image adjustments such as Levels, Contrast and Brightness to edit the images that I have used, to give them a more professional look. Therefore I have increased my technological knowledge by studying media and using Adobe Photoshop. I have used Adobe Photoshop on my front cover, my contents page and my double page spread, and without it I would have to find a different software, such as Microsoft Publisher, which isn't as professional or or as easy to use as Adobe Photoshop. Therefore my product wouldn't be as high quality, and would look less professional.

www.blogger.com is the website I have used to store all of my planning, final product and evaluation. It is very useful as it can split each piece of work into categories, make it easier to read and make sure that I have done everything. Blogger supports many imbedded file formats, such as video, GIF, Powtoon, Prezi and Go Animate, which are what I choose to use when evaluating my product. Blogger also stores all of my work online, so that if I was to lose my USB stick or my laptop was to break, I could still access my files. Blogger is ran by Google, so is very reliable. Without Blogger, I would have to print my work to get a physical copy, however these could be easily lost.

The camera I used is the one on my phone, which is a Samsung Galaxy S5. The Samsung Galaxy S5 has a 16-megapixel sensor and f/2.2 lens with a equivalent focal length of 31mm, which is very good for a phone camera. The images I have taken with my phone are in full HD, which makes both my college magazine and my music magazine have a professional finish. The images are placed onto a micro SD card in my phone, and then transferred through a Samsung cable onto a computer for editing on Adobe Photoshop. Without my phone, I would borrow a camera from my college, which would take images in the same HD quality.

I have used Microsoft Powerpoint and Word throughout the creation of my work. Such as during the planning, with the music questionnaire which was created on Word, and the results were edited on Powerpoint. In the evaluation, I have used Powerpoint to answer the "In what ways does my media product use, develop, or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?" evaluation question. Without Powerpoint, I would use online presentation sites such as Powtoon and Prezi, which are similar but not as user friendly.

I have used different hardware in order to store my work, such as a 32gb micro SD card (to store the images in my phone) and a 16gb USB stick (in order to transfer files from my home to college and vice versa. A negative to this is that they are easy to lose, and without a back-up, I would have to redo all of the work I have lost. Without these, I would have to use online sites such as Dropbox. These aren't as reliable, as without an internet connection, I wouldn't be able to access my files.

I have made a GIF of my final product so that it shows my work one after the other. A GIF is a collection of images put together to make a video like file, however it does not have sound. GIFs are easy to make, and increase the professionalism of my blog, however they are not essential. Without the use of GIFs, I would put the images on my blog in the correct order.

In my final evaluation question (looking back at my preliminary task, what do I feel I have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?), I have used iMovie to answer it, as well as writing a short essay. iMovie is a very user friendly, video editing software created for Apple, for Apple products. I have used iMovie on my iPad to edit images and voice recordings into a video clip. I then uploaded the video clip onto YouTube, and imbedded it onto Blogger. Without iMovie, I would have to use a different video editing software such as Wondershare, which is not as easy to use, and does not include the more professional options that are available on iMovie.

In conclusion, I have increased my technological knowledge by studying media and constructing my product. This is by using different software to plan, edit, and evaluate.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQOFGlGqcJI

When comparing my preliminary task (the college magazine) to my final product (the music magazine), there are many differences. Both use conventional methods such are headers, footers, primary and secondary features, and barcodes. However these methods are used in different ways, in order to create a professional look. My college magazine is very 'blocky', and the main title is in an unprofessional and unclear font. This isn't very stereotypical of magazines as the title shows the reader which magazine they are buying. I have corrected this in my music magazine by making the title bright, bold and putting in a different font. I have also used the shadow tool in Adobe Photoshop to make it stand out against the background.

I have edited the images on each magazine differently. In my college magazine I have only increase the brightness, whilst in my music magazine I have used tools in Adobe Photoshop such as levels and contrast. These are also used by professional magazines such as Kerrang and NME to edit their images, therefore giving my magazine images a polished and slick look. The background of my college magazine is a separate image I have taken. I have made the image blurry, however it is of lockers found in the college corridor. The background of my music magazine is not an image, but a mixture of browns to comply with the color scheme, and I believe this gives it a much more professional feel and finish.

Graphics have been added on both magazines. On my college magazine, I have used little circles in my header to split the magazine categories, however these look very unprofessional. The arrow on the footer points towards the opening of the magazine, therefore making the consumer want to read it, however it looks out of place, and the text displayed on it is placed disproportionately and is too far towards the bottom. The graphics used in my music magazine are much better than in my college magazine. This may be because I have used logos, such as those for 'Fall Out Boy', 'Paramore', and 'Reading and Leeds Festival', which would be out of place if put onto my college magazine.

I have used conventions in both magazines, however in my music magazine I have used them more appropriately. Which are explained in my "In what ways does my media product use, develop, or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?" evaluation question. It is clear that the better use of conventions does increase the professional quality of my magazine, making it more equal to mainstream magazines such as Kerrang and NME.

All of these factors put together, create a very full and detailed cover, which is essential to give my magazine a look of completion. The main point of a magazine cover is to sell the magazine, and therefore empty spaces (like on my college magazine) don't allow the magazine to feature many articles on it's cover. With my music magazine, I have tried to fill all empty spaces to go that it will draw the reader in, unlike with my college magazine. 

My contents page from my preliminary task contrasts with my overall contents page. Much like my college magazine cover, the contents page is very blocky and lacks a variety or fonts and colors. When compared to my music magazine contents page, there are many clear differences, such as the bright colors, use of images, and 'spotlight' like background (which complies with the music genre).

In conclusion, during the progression of my preliminary task to my full product, I have learnt that the use of magazine conventions such as headers, footers and barcodes will increase the professionalism of my work. I have also learnt the best ways to edit images, by using editing software on Adobe Photoshop and the Polygon Lasso tool to remove backgrounds. I have also learnt to include a variety of colors, fonts and graphics. This is so that the cover looks full and interesting, in order to catch the eye of the audience and increase sales. What I have learnt is vital to create a professional magazine.

Current Product

The following images are what my current products look like, and what they have progressed to. I am happy with how they look now, apart from the contents page, as I am going to add images of a concert I am going to on 13/02/2015. A poster is shown to the right describing the concert (support has been recently announced as 'Walk The Moon'). These images will increase the believability and verisimilitude of my overall product as a rock magazine, as it features images of real rock bands/artists.

My Contents Page Draft

My contents page is very nearly finished, I am only going to add a few more images of 'All Time Low', 'You Me At Six' and 'Walk The Moon' when I go to their concerts this week. If these images are low quality, I hope to write a short article about 'Cisterc' to put fill the space instead, which I have planned, but is the second choice after the images I hope to take. This is what it currently looks like:

I am very happy with how it looks, as it has a very professional feel to it, and it looks as though it could be an actual contents page in a mainstream magazine.

My Double Page Spread Article

I have written an article about "The Stories Behind The Lyrics" for my double page spread in my music magazine. For this article, I have to think of original song titles and lyrics that reflect the rock genre. I am going for a "Fall Out Boy" theme, as their song titles are ridiculously long and make no sense, such as the following:

I have reflected this in my own song titles, such as "My Big Mac Came But It Didn't Have Gherkins".. which I explain how it is a metaphor for life. This article is not serious at all, but I feel as though this reflects rock, as it's a "fun" genre, and isn't meant to be taken very seriously.

The Making of The Contents Page

The following is a partial draft for my contents page. It is not yet complete, but currently this is the stage that I am up to. It features my sisters as the band 'Cisterc' (which is sisters with C's as the start and final S). I am going to a concert to go see You Me at Six and All Time Low next month, and whilst I am there I will try and take some good images to also use in my contents page.

Contents Page Text

The following text will be inserted into my contents page:

NEWS

04 You Me at Six... Go classical?!!?

06 Behind the scenes of All Time Low's "Something's Gotta Give"
08 Can Green Day top THREE ALBUMS IN A YEAR?
10 Muse to headline download

FEATURES
14 Shanice - The stories behind the lyrics!
20 Gerard Way - Rocks the UK!
24 30 Seconds to Mars - Tickets sold out within minutes
26 Introducing: Cisterc

POSTERS
30 Frank Iero, Slipknot, Ozzy and more!

ANARCHY
40 Who's touring near you?
42 Panic! Top the Reverb charts
43 WIN! VIP tickets to Leeds Fest

REVIEWS
44 Fall Out Boy - American Beauty/American Psycho
46 Paramore - Self-titled Deluxe
48 Bring Me The Horizon - Drown

Double Page Spread Screenshots

Below are screenshots of the beginning of my double page spread. I have 'dabbled' in different schemes, and am very happy in how it looks now. Text needs adding towards the right, and I will write my own article on 'The Stories Behind The Lyrics'. The second screenshot shows a separate photo shoot that I did, however the photographs turned out very grainy and the lighting was off.