Evaluation

Music Magazine Evaluation Script

Slide 21
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

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My media product conforms the codes and conventions of a music magazine. I did not develop or challenge the codes and conventions so that I could compete with the other leading music magazines such as ‘Q’ and ‘Kerrang’ and also so that it can be recognised as a magazine. However I have used different techniques such as colour scheme, fonts and style of images to make it ‘stand out from the crowd’ and so that it can be recognised as ‘Strum’ magazine.
- I chose the title ‘Strum’ because it is an onomatopoeic word that denotes music and also links with the genre of the music magazine because Indie music is predominantly guitar based. Strumming is also a very light-hearted and upbeat action. This reflects the tone of the articles in my magazine.
- I have used the positioning statement ‘Stand out from the crowd’. This has multiple meanings; to indicate that my magazine is unique and to show that by buying the magazine the readers will stand out from the crowd.
- The colour scheme of my magazine is blue and white. This is because my questionnaire results showed blue was the most popular colour. Therefore by using blue it will appeal to a large number of people and catch their attention.
- I have included the date so it shows that the frequency of publication of my magazine is monthly.
- My main image is striking and uses direct address to create an attitude. It reflects how people who like the ‘Indie’ genre are relaxed, cool and stylish.
- The cover lines I have used are intriguing and don’t give much away about the articles; this is to attract my audience.
- I used a barcode because it follows the codes and conventions of a magazine.
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- On the contents page I have used the header ‘Contents’ to indicate to the reader what it is.
- I have used page numbers to link the articles with the images.
- I have included a website address so my target audience could potentially subscribe to my magazine.
- I have included a list of what’s on the cover, features and highlights in my magazine so that the reader can quickly turn to the article they want to read and also to summarise what is in the latest issue.
- I have included various images either represent or are the artists featured in my magazine and to link with the articles in the content.

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- On my double page spread the headline fills the width of the two pages to link them.
- A striking image is used that follows the codes and conventions because it takes up one page of the double page spread and is on the left so that it cannot be mistaken for an advert.
- There is an introduction that gives the reader an indication of what the article will be about.
- I have used a drop capital to show where the article begins.
- I have used quotes from fans on the image and embedded within the article to break up the text and to give another point of view similar to the readers own about the band and to make them feel more involved.
- I have used a Byline so that the reader knows who the article was written by.

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Slide 25
How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The main image on my front cover anchors my target audience because the artist is Indie and shows that the target audience will be fans of that music genre. Every detail of the Mise-en-scene such as hair, makeup and costume conveys that it is an Indie artist. My audience feedback before I produced my magazine showed that many people associated skinny jeans, pumps and curly/ volumised hair with Indie. Therefore I used these results to produce my main image. I made sure that my model wore a long cardigan, skinny jeans, pumps and had back combed hair.
The images of the artists also convey that the people who read my magazine are likely to be chilled, relaxed and have a good sense of humour because they relate to an aspire to be the artists. This is represented through the stance, gesture and facial expressions of the artist which either connote a ‘cool’ attitude or lively character.
The relaxed approach to the writing style in my double page spread conveys that my magazine will appeal to a wide range of people because it is not tasking to read which makes it more enjoyable.
The content also shows a great deal about the social groups. The content is mostly about gigs which shows the fans are represented as having active social lives and music is a key aspect.


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Slide 26

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

I have chosen the leading supermarkets in the UK Asda and Tesco to distribute my magazine because then my product can be made easily accessible to the readers because they are likely to go to their local supermarket weekly
WH Smith would be a good distributor because it is the biggest newsagent in the UK, therefore you would expect it to be very popular and for the sale of my product to increase greatly. Other newsagents across the UK would also help increase sales, because they may be more localised than WH Smith and the supermarkets.
I would also distribute my magazine in small independent record shops and on the internet. I would advertise my magazine on websites like HMV, Music award sites and on popular Indie bands official websites. This is so that fans of Indie music can recognise that the magazine will appeal to their taste as it is on websites that they regularly view. The advertisement would then provide a link to my magazines website that I would set up and people could subscribe for the magazine. This then gives my target audience an easier alternative to buy the magazine.

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Slide 27
Who would the audience be for your media product?

As I stated earlier my target audience is people aged 16-25 who are fans of Indie music. This is clearly evident because the images within the magazine convey young, relaxed and confident personalities. The writing style is also very simplistic and light hearted.
How did you attract/address your audience?
The audience research questionnaire I produced helped me to see what would appeal to my target audience and the results influenced my decisions.
- I used direct address on my cover image to make it appear that the artist is looking straight at the audience, to include them and draw their attention.
- I also used direct address on one of the coverlines ‘your say’ which also makes them feel involved and singled out.
- I used the buzz word ‘exclusive’ to appeal to my audience.
- I used the colour scheme of blue and white because blue appealed to most of my target audience in my questionnaire results.
- I used Impact for the title ‘Strum’ because it stands out and catches the eye of my audience.
- The images I have used are striking so that they would catch their eye.
- The article is simplistic which appeals to the reader.
- There is a lot of feedback from fans, which appeals to the audience because they can read the opinions of people like themselves.
- The content appeals to them as their lives are closely linked with music.

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Slide 28
What have you learnt about the technologies from the processing and constructing of the product?

I have learnt new ways to manipulate my images on Photoshop for example using the lasso tool to cut out my image and then manipulating it further by duplicating it and erasing areas and adding effects on Filter like charcoal.
I have also learnt about desk top publishing and how simple the program Quark Xpress is to use when producing magazine pages. It is possible for anyone to create a professional looking magazine, as long as they have the right equipment.
I have also developed my photography skills by using a DSLR camera to experiment with camera different camera angles to convey meaning and also using lighting to create the right atmosphere.

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Slide 29
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

You can see from I have made a lot of progress in the quality of my work in the final task. During the production of my first magazine I was very subjective. In my first product I would justify the decisions I had made by simply saying that I liked the way it looked. However during the production of my music magazine I became objective. Now I can effectively justify why I have included things on my product by following the codes and conventions and making sure that it appeals to my target audience. By following the codes and conventions my final product looks a lot more professional.

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I have also improved the quality of my photographs as the Mise-en-scene is more carefully thought out which is due to the extensive amount of planning I made before I took the photos; rather than rushing them. This has made my overall product appear more sophisticated.

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I have also developed my journalistic skills. This is because in the preliminary task I did not create a double page spread. So in this task I learnt the different techniques to keep the audience focused on the article and entertained. I also had to keep the tone formal but lighthearted which was a challenge.
I also received positive feedback from my target audience when I quizzed them about what they thought about my product. This shows me that the quality of my work has improved.

Here is my product before I made changes to it

Monday 1st December- 27th January 2009

Monday 1st - Friday 12th December

This week I did some research for my article that would appear on my double page spread. I originally decided to produce an article about how discos are no longer as popular and how gigs have replaced them. However I decided that the content of the article didn’t match the genre of my magazine so I decided to write a biography on ‘The Script’ with quotes from fans about either their album or a review of one of their gigs.
I used The Script’s official website and their Myspace page to gather my research. On their Myspace page I requested for fans to give their opinions on the band in general, their gigs and a review of their album. Here is the response I received;

Club Academy Manchester. The perfect setting. The perfect venue. For a perfect band. THE SCRIPT :)
As 200 eager fans filtered through the doors into the club, excitement rang throughout the air. The anticipation was immense; you could feel the expectation as the clock ran down. But how could a three-piece from Dublin cause such a stir?
Take a trip back 6 months previous. The Hoosiers are playing at Manchester Academy 1. Their support, the unknown Irish trio, take to the stage, opening with We Cry, and immediately capturing the hearts of every girl in there that night.
We had The Script Bug!
Back to the Club. The night was young, the fans were buzzing with excitement, hoping that the boys played their favourite.
All of a sudden, the lights dimmed and three silhouetted figures slipped onto the stage. Deafening screams rang throughout the tiny venue, and immediately, Glen drummed his way through Before The Worst's intro, sending the hoard of fans into deliria. Danny steps out of the shadows, and his husky voice won us over yet again. Their debut single, We Cry followed, accompanied with the voices of the 200 fans there, leaving Danny in disbelief. Genuinely humble guys, they even had the time to chat with fans from the stage. After playing a few of the favourites, the boys launched into a song that was totally unexpected, but did nothing to disappoint by any means. A cover of Heroes by David Bowie- Danny's improvisation and its catchy revamp left the fans in absolute raptures.
Beautifully composed, yet clearly shocked by the support, Danny and co thanked the devoted fans as they left the stage, but not before leaving an imprint of an unforgettable gig in each of the fan's minds with an encore of We Cry and The Man Who Can't Be Moved.
An unbelievable, unforgettable night, and the best gig I have ever been to!

Noz, 17 Manchester.

I knew by the first track, that this band was like no other, very unique, yet a mixture between maroon five and Timberland. The up-beat tempo His lyrical frameworks explore many problems faced with today’s society and love, fitting them around the music frame was proven difficult but The script have proven the task was easy for them as they have sold millions of albums already. The Dublin trio have portrayed that mixing urban, lyrical and R n’ B can be very pleasing to an audience. I particularly liked the song ‘Rusty Halo’ as the song writer contrasts in tone and tempo, it starts of slow and suddenly becomes an upbeat chorus stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Danny, the main singer has an incredible voice as shown in the album, his vocal range is something unique and gives the band the extra amazement. There’s not song I’d skip, they’re all great and unique in different ways which makes them stand out. There first major hit album is a great success in my eyes.

Lauren, 16 Wallasey

I then used my research and the fan reviews to write my article.

http://www.thescriptmusic.com/
www.myspace.com/thescript


Monday 15th – Friday 19th December

I started producing sketches for my magazine cover, contents and double page spread. I also planned the photographs that I would need to take. This involved creating the Mise-en-scene, thinking about the location I would take my photograph, the props I would need, the different camera angles and how I would manipulate my photos on Photoshop to produce the final image that would appear in my magazine.

Monday 5th – Friday 9th January

Today I started to produce my magazine front cover. I created the layout for my cover and then imported my main image that I had taken during the holidays. Out of the several different shots I had taken, I chose this particular image because it was the most striking and it was of better quality. My model uses direct address and creates a cool and stylish attitude.
Here are the photos:

the last photo is my main image on the front cover of my magazine. I did not manipulate my main image I only resized it to fit the page. A lot of thought went into the location, costume, hair, makeup and stance of the model to create an impression of the magazine rather than manipulation.
I then made my title ‘Strum’ and placed it in the top left hand corner to follow the codes and conventions.

Monday 12th- 23rd January

I added the coverlines to my front cover to entice the reader, the barcode, the date and the positioning statement.
Then I produced my contents page on Quark Xpress. I created a 3 column layout and then started arranging my pictures into two of the columns. I created my images that I was going to use over the Christmas holidays.

I created this image to go on the front cover of my magazine. In order to do this I took an individual photo of each of the chimneys and rooftops, I then used the lasso tool to cut out my image so that it could be placed on the background. I created the background using the gradient tool; I used different shades of orange to represent a sunset like on the scripts single cover for ‘We Cry’. My intentions for creating this image was to recreate the iconic symbols for the script (rainbows and an industrial working class landscape) that appear on their CD covers and would therefore be recognisable by the fans, however after creating this image I decided that I would not use it because I needed one striking image to capture the attention of my target audience. On this image there was too much to look at and it doesn’t look as professional as my other images.

I therefore adapted my original idea of recreating the scripts album cover for my contents page; however I created a strong bold image. I manipulated the photograph of the hand by cutting it out using the lasso tool, I then experimented with ‘Filter’ and using different effects to see which one would make the hand look; worn, dirty and stereotypically working class. I finally decided to use Charcoal to create shadows and to contrast with the bright colours of the rainbow. I did a similar thing with the rose but I rotated it and used the rough pastel effect to make it look less blunt and more delicate and smooth. I then duplicated the hand layer and used the eraser tool to erase part of the hand and thereby make the rose appear like its resting on the hand. The rainbow was created using the line tool and paint bucket and then I used a number of effects to blend the colours into one another.

The other photos on my contents page were resized, cropped and arranged appropriately on the layout.

After I was happy with the layout I then added a blue border at the same to link to colour scheme of the front cover to the contents page. I added the heading ‘Contents’ to indicate to the reader what it is and then I listed my content under the headings; ‘On the cover’, ‘Regular features’ and ‘Highlights’. I went through my content and made all of the band/artist names in bold so that the reader could find their favourite artists efficiently. Then I added a page number, website address and added page numbers onto my images to link them with the articles.
Once I had completed my contents page I moved on to my double page spread. First I inserted the image onto the first page of the double page spread.
The image I used on my double page spread has not been edited, but it has been resized to fit on one page of the double page spread. I was not sure about whether this image would be suitable for my double page spread because the quality of the image is not as good as the photos I have taken using my DSLR camera. However the lighting looks very effective as it highlights the artist’s facial features and emphasises the emotion and stage presence.

Next I added the headline and colour coded it so that it matched the lighting on the photograph and I also made sure it stretched across both pages to link them. Then I wrote my introduction and placed it directly under the Header. After that I inserted my article, made a drop capital and adjusted the paragraphs so that they would fit perfectly on the page. I put quotes from the fans responses onto the image and in the article to break up the next. Finally I added the website address, page number and by-line.

After I had completed my work and got feedback from my teacher I continued to make adjustments to my magazine so that it followed the codes and conventions, appealed to my target audience and looked professional.

Monday 26th January

Today I produced an audience feedback questionnaire so that my intended target audience could review my magazine and I could see whether my finished product would be a success. This questionnaire will also help me to evaluate my work by recognising the strengths and weaknesses of my production.

Audience Feedback Questionnaire

If you saw this magazine would you want to buy it? (please circle)

Yes No

Why?




How does it appeal to you? e.g. the main image, the bands included, the colour scheme etc.




What improvements could be made?




Any other comments?




Thank you for your time.


Tuesday 27th January

I started my evaluation. We made a note of the questions we would need to cover in our evaluation and we discussed what things we would include for each answer. I then started my evaluation on Microsoft PowerPoint by annotating the choices I had made for my front cover with justifications.

Friday 21st November 2008

Today we looked at an example of a publication plan and then we were told to produce our own at home. The publication plan will give me a guideline of how I will produce my magazine from what font I will use, the font size and the content. This is what I produced.


*****publication plan****

Monday 17th- 20th November

Today I tallied up the results of my questionnaire so that I could then produce graphs and charts in Microsoft Excel which would show me the popular trends. Therefore this would help me to make the right decisions about: the content, price and frequency of publication in my magazine.
Once I had produced my graphs in Excel I moved them onto my PowerPoint document and wrote conclusions for each one stating what the graph shows and how it will affect my decision about the choices I will make regarding my music magazine.

Wednesday 12th- 14th November 2008

I continued with my PowerPoint, by adding a summary slide of the content in each magazine and I also included a list of codes and conventions for; a front cover, a contents page and a double page spread, that was adapted for my genre of music magazine.

Thursday 6th- 11th November 2008

· Continued to research different magazines for my PowerPoint presentation.
· We had a class discussion about the audience research task. We decided that the best way to record our research was to produce a questionnaire and give it to members of our target audience to complete. We also decided that we would need open and closed questions to get a good response.
I produced 20 copies of my questionnaire for people to fill in. This is what I produced.

Questionnaire

I have produced this questionnaire to help me with my AS Media Coursework; I would appreciate it if you would take the time to complete it.

1. Are you…

Male? □ Female? □

2. How old are you?

15-18 □ 19-22 □ 23-25 □

3. Who is your favourite band/artist?


4. What words do you associate with ‘Indie’?



5. How often no you buy music magazines? (Please circle)

Weekly Fortnightly Monthly Never

Other (please specify)



6. How much would you pay for a magazine?

£0-£1 □ £1-£2 □ £2- £3 □ £3-£4 □

7. What is your favourite colour?


8. On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is the most important and 5 is the least important, how would you rate the following aspects of a music magazine? (please circle)

Interviews 1 2 3 4 5

Reviews (gigs, albums) 1 2 3 4 5

Posters 1 2 3 4 5

News articles 1 2 3 4 5

About award ceremonies 1 2 3 4 5


Thank you for your time.