Progression

http://prezi.com/luuslmkwgd5t/evaluation/

Distribution

I am going to be discussing the different Publishing houses I think could distribute my magazine and will be explaining their values. I will also be explaining where I believe my magazine will be distributed and finally I will be thinking about synergies and convergences for my magazine.

VIBE

VIBE is a music and entertainment magazine founded by producer Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip-hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. As the magazine doesn’t solely focus on music it enables the magazine target more of a mass market meaning that more people are likely to buy their magazine as it has a variety of topics. I think VIBE would be a good publishing house as I think they are one of the largest and most infamous music magazines allowing me to automatically have a large market audience. Also due to the fact that the magazine doesn’t solely focus on music it allows my magazine to branch out however this may be a negative as the main feature of my magazine which is music may be overlooked.          

Kerrang

Kerrang is the world biggest selling weekly Rock magazine, being a rock magazine could make it easier for my magazine to be sold as the genres are very similar and due to the fact my genre is a form of rock it may make it easier for  the audience to accept the magazine. I think my magazine would be best suited to Kerrang as I think the genre are so similar it would make the most sense to choose them as my publishing house.

Store Distribution

I think that my magazine may have to be sold in stores that specialises in rock or alternative rock as my magazine targets a rather niche market it is unlikely to be sold in the larger mainstream stores due to the lack of demand. However my magazine may be sold in such in certain mainstream stores such as HMV as they specialise in music they are likely to have more of a variety due to the numerous types of genres people are demanding for.       

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

I have used a variety of technologies when constructing this project ranging from Photoshop which I used for editing my photographs and for the general outline of my magazine, a digital camera which I used to take pictures for my magazine, Blogger, Prezzi for the planning and evaluation stages of my project and generally the internet for the majority of my secondary research on magazine conventions, magazines, publishing houses and many more things.  

I chose to use certain technological devices that I felt I was rather good with using and had a fair bit of experience with such as using the internet for my research, I chose to use the internet as I thought It would be the quickest and easiest way if finding the information I needed to help me to complete the task. The internet was very useful as it enabled me to research many topics I was unsure about and made it easier for me to get the information about the magazine I needed to research meaning I was able to use certain conventions of magazine in my magazine.

With the rest of the technological devices such as the digital camera I was relatively unsure about using them and with some were completely new to me and I found it very difficult to use such as Photoshop, Prezzi and Blogger.

The digital camera was extremely useful as it enabled me to take high quality pictures which made the photos seem more professional and therefore making the magazine seem more professional.




Photoshop was useful when editing my photos however I had never used the programme properly before so it was very difficult to get used to so it took some time and effort when trying to edit certain photos.

Prezzi was helpful when trying to express and show my work in new and interesting ways. I mainly used Prezzi when evaluating certain parts of this project. At first I found Prezzi rather hard to use as I was new to the site and due to certain problems with the internet it made it very difficult to access the site sometimes.

I have developed and improved numerous skills while on this project such as organisational skills as I had certain problems with my timing and organisation in my previous project meaning I was unable to meet certain deadlines. Another skill I have developed is my editing skills I have been able to use Photoshop much more comfortably now and feel that I know how to do a lot more; I think this is shown through the work I have done and the difference in the quality of my work.


If I was to make another music magazine I feel that if I was taught how to use certain technological devices properly, such as a detailed explanation of how each devices works and the way in which I could the best out of the device. I think this would be most useful when using the camera or Photoshop as I feel these are the main features that helped me make my magazine look so visually good.

How did you attract/address your audience?

When starting the project I chose indie pop/ alternative rock as my genre. Due to the fact it focuses on quite a niche market I had to do the same. I started by sending out a SurveyMonkey,  when sending out the survey I focused on a smaller group of people who I know enjoy/like listening to indie pop. Doing this enabled me to get a quick response back from people I knew whose opinion would help me get the best and most realistic product I could. After sending out the SurveyMonkey I asked some of the people in person what they thought I could do, doing this meant I had more in-depth answers meaning I got better results.

When asking my target audience questions I found out certain things like: the colours they thought would most attract them to the magazine,how they would prefer more images on the front cover than text, the social websites they use, the way in which they get their music,the stores the buy their clothes from.

When looking at the results I tried to include as many of my audiences specifications as I could in my magazine although some specifications were harder to include than others for example the audience asked for more images than text however I tried to create a good balance of text and images although I personally prefer more images on the front cover so I chose to have one very distinctive larger image, hopefully appealing to the audience.

I tried to include as many items of clothing I could from the stores my audience specified as I could. I chose to do this as I thought it would be the best way to get the most realistic looking model possible.

When finding out the social sites they used I tried to include miniature icons on certain pages. The two social sites I included where Twitter and Facebook, I chose these as my two as from the results I gathered I found that theses where the two main sites.

When they told me the colours that attracted them I had to think about the choices I made. For example certain people chose the colours that are rather vibrant like greens, reds and yellows and some thought that the those colours would be too much and how I should stick to a simpler colour scheme. So when editing my magazine I had to choose certain colours that may make some people unhappy but I thought that the colours they choose complimented the magazine nicely and especially made the front cover look very attractive.

To find out what my target audience think about my magazine I asked  some of the target audience  to  separately to view all three parts of my magazine and leave their comments in the box I provided on the computer and here are their comments:

I think the front cover looks good I like the colours used as it allows the page to stand out which I think is the main idea of the front cover. However the writing is very hard to read as it doesn’t stand out that much cause of the colours. I like the use of black and white on the contents page, makes the writing seem very important and the layout makes it very easy to read everything. I think that having the numbers in red breaks up the black and white. Similarly to the contents page the double page spread is laid out in a nice way makes everything seem equally important. Like the photos, but don’t understand why there are three the same?

I like the name of the magazine I think it’s smart and the font style used stands out as it’s really bold and white which contrast to the other colours. I like the picture of the artist I think it looks professional. I think the contents pages looks really good I think that the image on the left where her hair is red is really good. I think that the black and white looks good but when comparing it to the front cover it looks a bit boring. I like the numbers in red stands out and kind of matches her hair. The contents page photos are good but they are black and white would have maybe have been better colour. Think that having the text under each image makes everything seem more spacious.

The front cover looks good, the masthead stands out and the use of direct address from the artist makes her seem kind of angry but I think that looks good. The front cover text doesn’t stand out as much as it could be bolder and maybe be boxed so it seems more like a focal point. The contents page is really different from the front cover I think that it looks good as it makes the front cover seem more important and makes it seem to be more visually important. The layout is good as are the pictures; I think you could have made the images on the right a bit bigger as the one on the left is too big. I like the writing near the images on the right looks quite professional even though it’s hard to read. Next time I would say add more images that aren’t so similar.    

The front cover is kind of messy, the text is hard to read and there are too many colours in the image. I like the title of it stands out and the clothes the artist is wearing suit the genre but she looks a bit angry. The contents page is better as I think the black and white makes everything seem more professional and realistic, the images are good and I like the font style as it suits the contents page. The image on the right looks good as her hair stands out. The double page spread is nice, again I like the idea of the images being black and white. I don’t know why the text is in pink boxes, I think they are unnecessary. 

   

I think that my magazine was somewhat successful when addressing my audience. From the comments I received it seems like I have done some good work and there are certain aspects of my magazine I should change however I think that overall it has met their demands. 

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

There are certain differences between the two magazines such as the imagery such as the editing process of each front cover and the text and language used on the front cover. Certain differences that stand out are the use of so many colours on the music magazine compared to the simplistic colour scheme used in my preliminary stage.  Another difference is that when using the preliminary image I chose to edit it a lot to get the image I wanted and the image I thought would look the best. However with the final magazine cover I chose not to edit the image too much as I thought that doing so would make the image seem more professional. Also most images on magazine are natural in the sense of little or no editing I have chosen to stick to this convention. Another difference is the shot type used for the actual magazine I chose to use a long shot for many reasons such as costume and setting. Whereas for the preliminary I chose to use a mid-shot doing so allowed his abdominals to become a main focal point of the cover.

I think that I have progressed to think more about certain conventions of magazines. While completing the actual magazine I had to look at different magazines that specialised in the same genre to find how some of them laid out their front covers and conventions of each. 

In my opinion I think that my preliminary magazine looks more sophisticated due to the very basic and simplistic colour scheme. For my music magazine the colour scheme is rather hectic due to the mise en scene. However I feel that the magazine cover suits the colour scheme due to the genre of the music I have chosen, so even though I don’t feel that it looks sophisticated I feel that it suits the genre which in my opinion is more important than sophistication.  

I think that I have learnt numerous skills while completing this task some of those skills consist of time management and research and planning skills. I have learnt the importance of research and planning when trying to complete any task but none so more when trying to complete a task you know little about. I have learnt that if I conduct a good amount of research whether it is primary or secondary it still allows for a good basis to start from and also meant that my magazine was able to look more professional.

Before this project my time management was rather poor which meant that the workload I had became quite overbearing. However when completing this task I tried to organise myself more by designating specific times and days for certain tasks doing so meant I was able to complete the task much easier and felt that the work I was able to produce was of a higher standard as I had more time to focus on each task.

If I was to given a new media project the first thing I would do, would be to plan out how I am going to complete the task. I would do this by organise the work I had been given into specific tasks and allocate days to complete them by. After doing so I start both primary and secondary research enabling me to  have a greater knowledge of the task at hand. 

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

I think the magazine is mainly representing the younger audience who have some interest in music but don't completely indulge themselves in it; I believe this due to the high levels of teens in the images it made it easier for them to relate to the images. I also think the language in the magazine isn't as complex as I hoped this may be due to my lack of knowledge and the little amount of music magazine I read. However I feel that the language was rather intellectual maybe appealing to the younger audience who are possibly in further education.

The artist on the front cover is represented as being quite intense, rebellious and this could possibly misconstrued as angry or unhappy, I think this due to the fact the image uses direct address adds more intensity to the image making her seem more serious. The miser-en-scene of the image consist of the setting which may be hard to make out but is a graffiti tank, this setting is rather strange and unconventional this in my opinion fits with the genre of the music and also the use of the tank could be representing the artist as being rather powerful. The artist costume is rather stereotypical of an indie fan/artist usually the females wear larger clothes so that the clothes they are wearing are baggier, this could represent the artist as being insecure or scared. However the artist is wearing red which is quite bold and draws the reader’s attention possibly a connotation of teens and the idea of how they want attention from those around them. The artist hair is also bright red even though covered by the hat you are still able to see the hair this is another connotation of indie artists such as Paramore’s lead singer (Hayley Williams) . 


The jacket could be seen as the artist being quite informal or “street” a typical stereotype of teens, I have chosen to stick to this stereotype as I think that it may appeal to the audience more as they may feel they can relate to the image more. Another part of the artist costume is the oversized beanie again I think this piece of clothing is very indie and reinstates the fact that the artist is meant to be indie. In the background there is a large amount of graffiti this again makes the artist seems more “street” and due to the fact that there is so much graffiti and due to the fact it’s rather hectic it could represent the artist as being rather hectic.  The shot type I used was a long shot this enabled the reader to see my artist costume, setting and her positioning which is rather aggressive due to the fact her hands are folded may show how she wants to be alone and the way in which her back is slumped may show she is comfortable being alone, linking nicely with the artist main story and cover line.

In my opinion the artist does conform to certain stereotypes this is mainly due to the costume I have chosen, the shot type and the use of direct address. I think the use of all of these factors have made the artist seem “street” and follows the conventions of a typical teen. For example her costume is the biggest factor that reinstates the stereotype due to the fact that she is wearing jeans , a beanie and a jacket which is rather baggie conforms to the teen stereotype but more so in my opinion an indie stereotype. The shot type makes the artist seem rather angry or careless, in the news teens are constantly shown to be angry or reckless; her facial expression, posture or position could represent those emotions.

I have chosen to represent the artist in this way as I think that it may appeal to the target audience more, due to the fact my target audience is teens I think that conforming to these stereotypes could mean the audience is able to relate to the image more therefore the magazine. I also think that it is easier to conform to a stereotype. However I feel that I didn’t conform to one stereotype and that was the female stereotype of being quite sexual, provocative and submissive. I think there are numerous ways to achieve this stereotype such as the positioning, lighting, facial expression, mise en scene and in my opinion the main way the stereotype is achieved is through the use of costume. I think that overall I didn’t conform to the stereotype of women being sexual however in certain images I may have conformed to the idea of women being submissive; I think the main way I achieved this is through positioning, certain images the model had her face covered or she was looking down towards the ground. I think doing this made the model seem more unconventional and more natural in my opinion. I think the main reason I chose not to conform to this stereotype is that I think that being unconventional makes my magazine stands out from the mass marketed magazines. I also think that certain females within the genre don’t rely on being sexual to sell their records or to promote themselves within the industry, for example  

Hayley Williams or Florence from Florence and the Machine.  

Unlike the front cover the artist isn’t represented as being so “street” or rebellious this may due to the fact that on the front cover there are various bold and bright colours used to draws the reader’s attention however on the contents page the use of black and white imagery makes the artists seem more mature and creates more of a sophisticated page. There are numerous pictures of the artist on the page, on the contents page these are grouped into three small sections on the page. The first three images represent the artist as being alone. This is achieved through the use of an extreme long shot, this shot enables the audience to see little features of the artist such as her costume or facial expression but more so of the mise en scene which mainly consist of the background as there is nothing in the background it reinstates the point I made earlier about the artist feeling/being alone. The setting which are steps, this could be used as some sort of representation of a hierarchy within her life or in the music industry. Even though you are unable to see the artist facial expression you may be able to presume she is unhappy due to her body language and positioning, as her head is down and her arms are folded her it makes her seem somewhat upset.

The second image is similar to the previous three however the shot type has changed from an extreme long shot to a long shot even though the shot type has changed as had the setting there is little difference in representation of the artist, keeping with the representation that the artist is shy, alone or upset.

The final image is different from the previous images and any previous image I had chosen as in this image you are able to clearly see the artist face, I think this is important as this makes the artist seem new and almost changed. I think the order in which I have placed my photos allows the audience to clearly see the transition making the link between the text and the images seem more important.    The use of a medium close up in this image enables the audience to see the artist facial expression and certain aspects of her costume. The artist has chosen not to use direct address in this image I think that doing so has made the image seem more natural and represent as being rather shy or timid; but at the same time rather proud as in the other photos she is hiding the majority of her face unlike this one making this image more important.

I have chosen to represent the artist in this way as I feel that representing the artist as being a new/different person from the use of different shots and different colour schemes. Doing this allowed the front cover stand out more and makes the front cover have more of an impact on the audience. The artist on the front cover seemed to targeting a specific target audience, I think the audience may be teens who may feel they are quite rebellious and would possibly class themselves as being quite urban or street. On the other hand I feel that the contents page targets a different target audience, I think due to the fact that the contents page was so different visually compared to the front cover it seems to have focused on more of a sophisticated and simplistic audience.