Friday, 9 January 2009
Evaluation
Media Evaluation
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My magazine by and large sticks to the forms and conventions of an average magazine. My front cover doesn’t use more than 3 font colours, using more than 3 colours for the font on my front cover would break the form and conventions of the average magazine. The text also doesn’t have more than 3 different fonts, magazine form and conventions require you to not use more than 3 fonts on your front cover.
I have a selling line across my masthead to describe briefly what my magazine is, as my magazine is not well known I have to stay within the form and conventions and describe my magazine. If my magazine was well known then I could simply have the masthead as it would be recognisable and widely acknowledged.
I have a barcode in the bottom right that also states the issue date and price; this is common of every magazine. Articles are advertised around the main image with more important articles being on the left hand side whilst less important articles occupy the right hand side; this too is common of many magazines.
An exclusive offer is displayed at the bottom in a banner, many well known magazines advertise their offers or competitions in different ways but for a lesser known magazine the most common method is to have it displayed as I have done.
My contents page also sticks to the forms and conventions of a typical magazine. It has a short intro from the editor which is a typical feature not only for lesser known magazines but well established magazines also. The main article is displayed as the top left hand side article and is in larger text than the rest of the listings, this is widely used by all magazines to emphasise the importance of an article.
My double page spread also sticks to the forms and conventions. It doesn’t break the rule of 3 by having more than 3 different text styles of colours and is a typical layout for an article of its type.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My magazine represents a particular social group. It represents people who are into old school hip-hop; these people are likely to try to emulate what the rappers of their favourite music genre do. In the case of hip-hop this includes dress style, hooded tops, wearing clothes too big, wearing jeans low, wearing baseball caps in unconventional ways e.g. to the side or backwards.
People who would purchase my magazine are also likely to find the idea of crime glamorous. Hip-hop artists generally glamorise the idea of murder, specifically drive by shootings and drug use. Fans of this genre and fans of my product are likely to want to emulate these things and because of this my audience are probably more likely to end up in prison than fans of a lot of other magazines.
I don’t think many other social groups would be interested in my magazine as it is a very specific audience, however I wouldn’t call it a niche audience as it has a large following. I think if you like my product you likely it a lot as it is to your taste but if you don’t like it you would hate it, its very hit or miss and solely depends on your taste, both in music and lifestyle. People who my magazine is aimed at are likely to see it soon as they pass it in a shop, a person who would be interested in my magazine are likely to be recognised by clothing and possibly the language they use in conversation. The social group my magazine represents is very stereotypical and is not very varied in its styles and tastes.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media products and why?
Most likely an up and coming institution that isn’t very large. This is because my product could be seen as a risk by large companies. I think this because my product is about a music genre many consider dead including some of its fans, my magazine will attempt to revitalise this genre. A large company probably would see it as a risk and the risk would outweigh the benefit as the money it would make even if it was successful would not be a large amount.
A smaller media institution is more likely to want to distribute my product as they need the money more and are more likely to take the risk in order to obtain that money, they would also be able to devote more time and marketing in order to sell my product as they would not have many other products to sell. A large institution would not want to spend the time getting the name of my product known when it already has many well established brands. A smaller, more recently formed media institution is certainly more likely to want to distribute my product because of these reasons.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
My audience would be fans of old school hip-hop. People who emulate or attempt to emulate old school rappers, are stereotypical ‘gangsters’. They would wear big chains, wear baggy clothes. They are likely to be quite aggressive and are probably more likely to commit crimes due to the want of being like a rapper, rappers who always glamorise crime in their songs. Id predict my audience to be between 16 and 30 as fans of hip-hop are often seen as immature and are unlikely to be older people.
They are likely to buy my magazine as it is the only one that caters specifically for the old school market. Old school hip-hop is hip-hop made around the 80s and 90s, new old school hip-hop artists would have to emulate previous artists to be old school and have songs that follow set trends from older songs. My audience is likely to be very critical of style and vocabulary and so my magazine would have to be carefully written so it still has appeal to this audience.
How did you attract/address your audience?
I attempt to attract my audience in numerous ways. The front cover of my magazine has large text that reads ‘Hip-hop is back’ this would attract a fan of old school hip-hop as they would immediately be curious as to how or why hip-hop is back. My audience generally would be under the impression that modern hip-hop is not good and by saying ‘hip-hop is back’ I am in a way agreeing with them and claiming that true hip-hop is now back, this would obviously interest my audience.
I have a picture of 3 stereotypical ‘gangsters’ from the 80’s-90’s on my front cover, this again would appeal to fans of the genre as they would instantly recognise the clothing. Articles on the front cover would appeal to my audience, I mention artists like Dr Dre, who is an artist from the 90’s and would most likely be an artist my audience would like and be interested in, I also insinuate he may be releasing another album which of course would be very interesting to a fan of his.
Also I mention a guide on how to dress ‘like a g’ this obviously would be an aim of a fan of the genre I base my magazine on and would attract my target audience. I address my audience using language they would be familiar with as it is used in the songs that would listen to. Using words like G it helps give my product identity and causes the reader to enjoy reading the product and interest him or her more.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I was already familiar with using the program fireworks but during the process of constructing my magazine I became even more familiar with it. I learnt that small touches can make a massive difference in regards to impact when talking about images. For example one image my model had 1 eye half shut and this gave the impression he was bored. Bored is not what you want related with a magazine you are trying to advertise and so I had to do something about it. I copied the alert eye and flipped it; I then pasted it over the lazy eye. Using fireworks in this way I managed to make the model look alert and natural without making it obvious there has been an edit.
I learnt that there are many uses to fireworks beyond cutting and pasting, adding bevel effects to text to make it standout and blurring edges in order to make cut outs seem more natural, I managed to increase the attractiveness and impact o my magazine using the program in this way.
I also learnt that no one program can do everything and if you want to make a high quality product that has a high impact then you will need to use multiple programs. I had to use Photoshop for some aspects of my magazine design in order to achieve maximum impact in images and layout.
An important lesson I also learned is that you must always backup your files, sometimes just making sure you save regularly isn’t enough when working with computers as crashes and computer bugs can sometimes lead to file losses when using computers. Also a file could be accidently deleted by another user. USB sticks are a must when working with computers as well as keeping copies on at least 1 computer.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I learnt a lot since my preliminary task. My preliminary task was a lot harder for me as it was my first project of the sort, I needed a lot of assistance and generally found it difficult. However when it came to my full product I felt far more confident in the use of media forms and conventions and in the use of programs like fireworks and Photoshop.
I found it a lot easier to combine my skills to produce an attractive magazine cover that achieved all my targets and was appealing to my target audience. My understanding of media as a whole as increased significantly since my preliminary task. I needed little to no assistance whilst making my media product as I had learned most of what I needed to know since my preliminary task. Most of my amateur errors were made during my preliminary task and so I knew to avoid those errors and pitfalls this time. My preliminary task as a great help when making my full product as I could draw on my experience in regards to what worked and what did not and how to accomplish certain targets when talking about audience.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My magazine by and large sticks to the forms and conventions of an average magazine. My front cover doesn’t use more than 3 font colours, using more than 3 colours for the font on my front cover would break the form and conventions of the average magazine. The text also doesn’t have more than 3 different fonts, magazine form and conventions require you to not use more than 3 fonts on your front cover.
I have a selling line across my masthead to describe briefly what my magazine is, as my magazine is not well known I have to stay within the form and conventions and describe my magazine. If my magazine was well known then I could simply have the masthead as it would be recognisable and widely acknowledged.
I have a barcode in the bottom right that also states the issue date and price; this is common of every magazine. Articles are advertised around the main image with more important articles being on the left hand side whilst less important articles occupy the right hand side; this too is common of many magazines.
An exclusive offer is displayed at the bottom in a banner, many well known magazines advertise their offers or competitions in different ways but for a lesser known magazine the most common method is to have it displayed as I have done.
My contents page also sticks to the forms and conventions of a typical magazine. It has a short intro from the editor which is a typical feature not only for lesser known magazines but well established magazines also. The main article is displayed as the top left hand side article and is in larger text than the rest of the listings, this is widely used by all magazines to emphasise the importance of an article.
My double page spread also sticks to the forms and conventions. It doesn’t break the rule of 3 by having more than 3 different text styles of colours and is a typical layout for an article of its type.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My magazine represents a particular social group. It represents people who are into old school hip-hop; these people are likely to try to emulate what the rappers of their favourite music genre do. In the case of hip-hop this includes dress style, hooded tops, wearing clothes too big, wearing jeans low, wearing baseball caps in unconventional ways e.g. to the side or backwards.
People who would purchase my magazine are also likely to find the idea of crime glamorous. Hip-hop artists generally glamorise the idea of murder, specifically drive by shootings and drug use. Fans of this genre and fans of my product are likely to want to emulate these things and because of this my audience are probably more likely to end up in prison than fans of a lot of other magazines.
I don’t think many other social groups would be interested in my magazine as it is a very specific audience, however I wouldn’t call it a niche audience as it has a large following. I think if you like my product you likely it a lot as it is to your taste but if you don’t like it you would hate it, its very hit or miss and solely depends on your taste, both in music and lifestyle. People who my magazine is aimed at are likely to see it soon as they pass it in a shop, a person who would be interested in my magazine are likely to be recognised by clothing and possibly the language they use in conversation. The social group my magazine represents is very stereotypical and is not very varied in its styles and tastes.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media products and why?
Most likely an up and coming institution that isn’t very large. This is because my product could be seen as a risk by large companies. I think this because my product is about a music genre many consider dead including some of its fans, my magazine will attempt to revitalise this genre. A large company probably would see it as a risk and the risk would outweigh the benefit as the money it would make even if it was successful would not be a large amount.
A smaller media institution is more likely to want to distribute my product as they need the money more and are more likely to take the risk in order to obtain that money, they would also be able to devote more time and marketing in order to sell my product as they would not have many other products to sell. A large institution would not want to spend the time getting the name of my product known when it already has many well established brands. A smaller, more recently formed media institution is certainly more likely to want to distribute my product because of these reasons.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
My audience would be fans of old school hip-hop. People who emulate or attempt to emulate old school rappers, are stereotypical ‘gangsters’. They would wear big chains, wear baggy clothes. They are likely to be quite aggressive and are probably more likely to commit crimes due to the want of being like a rapper, rappers who always glamorise crime in their songs. Id predict my audience to be between 16 and 30 as fans of hip-hop are often seen as immature and are unlikely to be older people.
They are likely to buy my magazine as it is the only one that caters specifically for the old school market. Old school hip-hop is hip-hop made around the 80s and 90s, new old school hip-hop artists would have to emulate previous artists to be old school and have songs that follow set trends from older songs. My audience is likely to be very critical of style and vocabulary and so my magazine would have to be carefully written so it still has appeal to this audience.
How did you attract/address your audience?
I attempt to attract my audience in numerous ways. The front cover of my magazine has large text that reads ‘Hip-hop is back’ this would attract a fan of old school hip-hop as they would immediately be curious as to how or why hip-hop is back. My audience generally would be under the impression that modern hip-hop is not good and by saying ‘hip-hop is back’ I am in a way agreeing with them and claiming that true hip-hop is now back, this would obviously interest my audience.
I have a picture of 3 stereotypical ‘gangsters’ from the 80’s-90’s on my front cover, this again would appeal to fans of the genre as they would instantly recognise the clothing. Articles on the front cover would appeal to my audience, I mention artists like Dr Dre, who is an artist from the 90’s and would most likely be an artist my audience would like and be interested in, I also insinuate he may be releasing another album which of course would be very interesting to a fan of his.
Also I mention a guide on how to dress ‘like a g’ this obviously would be an aim of a fan of the genre I base my magazine on and would attract my target audience. I address my audience using language they would be familiar with as it is used in the songs that would listen to. Using words like G it helps give my product identity and causes the reader to enjoy reading the product and interest him or her more.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I was already familiar with using the program fireworks but during the process of constructing my magazine I became even more familiar with it. I learnt that small touches can make a massive difference in regards to impact when talking about images. For example one image my model had 1 eye half shut and this gave the impression he was bored. Bored is not what you want related with a magazine you are trying to advertise and so I had to do something about it. I copied the alert eye and flipped it; I then pasted it over the lazy eye. Using fireworks in this way I managed to make the model look alert and natural without making it obvious there has been an edit.
I learnt that there are many uses to fireworks beyond cutting and pasting, adding bevel effects to text to make it standout and blurring edges in order to make cut outs seem more natural, I managed to increase the attractiveness and impact o my magazine using the program in this way.
I also learnt that no one program can do everything and if you want to make a high quality product that has a high impact then you will need to use multiple programs. I had to use Photoshop for some aspects of my magazine design in order to achieve maximum impact in images and layout.
An important lesson I also learned is that you must always backup your files, sometimes just making sure you save regularly isn’t enough when working with computers as crashes and computer bugs can sometimes lead to file losses when using computers. Also a file could be accidently deleted by another user. USB sticks are a must when working with computers as well as keeping copies on at least 1 computer.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I learnt a lot since my preliminary task. My preliminary task was a lot harder for me as it was my first project of the sort, I needed a lot of assistance and generally found it difficult. However when it came to my full product I felt far more confident in the use of media forms and conventions and in the use of programs like fireworks and Photoshop.
I found it a lot easier to combine my skills to produce an attractive magazine cover that achieved all my targets and was appealing to my target audience. My understanding of media as a whole as increased significantly since my preliminary task. I needed little to no assistance whilst making my media product as I had learned most of what I needed to know since my preliminary task. Most of my amateur errors were made during my preliminary task and so I knew to avoid those errors and pitfalls this time. My preliminary task as a great help when making my full product as I could draw on my experience in regards to what worked and what did not and how to accomplish certain targets when talking about audience.
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