EVALUATION QUESTION 7 -LOOKING BACK AT THE PRELIMINARY TASK WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE LEARNEDIN THE PROGRESSION FROM IT TO THE FULL PRODUCT?

My preliminary task was to create a front cover, contents page and a double page spread for a music magazine. In-order to do this I need to take photos, (Canon EOS 400D camera) at first instant I found it difficult to focus my images but after a few practices, I found myself to be a lot more familiar with the camera. With my rehearsed skills I found that there were conventions in how images were taken for music magazines. After doing extensive research as well as looking at recognised and well known magazines, I found that the image on my contents page will challenge the standard conventions of a music magazine. At the early stages of constructing my contents page I was hesitant to challenge the standard conventions, however after looking more deeply into my research I found that other magazines as well as the well established ones have challenged the standard conventions of a music magazine, this gave me reassurance as I realised convention are what is identified to a certain genre but they can be broken and do not always need to be followed. We this relevant information I have both followed and challenged conventions of a music magazine which can be found in my first question.

A main issue that I encountered was time management I found my-self really struggling to get tasks completed on time, this brought me a lot of stress this also gave me taste of how a professional who has a short space of time to create a magazine must feel. However after going over things a couple of times and managing my time better I found that I could complete tasks on time, this also gave an indication the professionals manage their time well and focus which is why the majority of the time they meet their deadlines. Focusing also allowed completing task at a faster rate as I progressed with it allowed me to complete Photoshop tasks quicker which gave me more time for other assignments i.e. evaluation.
I also learned a great deal about the equipment needed to take pictures such as what is known as the soft boxes diffuse the light so that it hits the subject softly eliminating harsh shadows and creates a smooth effect when lighting a subject. This allowed the images of my models to look very natural which was beneficial in creating the magazine, however there hazards with working with the soft box, this equipment needs to be operated with caution and attention as it could cause injury to an individual uses it in the wrong way. The result of misuse of the soft box could result in an electric shock.

Q6 WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES FROM THE PROCESS OF CONSTRUCTING THIS PRODUCT?

I learned a great deal about Photoshop as I was not familiar with it before hand. I used adobe Photoshop CS3 it is an advance editing software. This software helped me to do two things, firstly it enabled me to create and edit my media product. When creating my media product I used tools such as the spot healing brush tool to improve the appearance of the models and blending options to lower the opacity of the images as well as the horizontal type tool for the purpose of text. I used the brush tool in order colour various components of the magazine in my chosen colour which is purple. Secondly it helped me to convert files, for example from a Photoshop file to a JPEG file as Photoshop files can not be placed on blogger.

I used the search the Google search engine in order to provide me with various music magazines which I then used for my textual analysis. Google has a large image database which I could view a vast number of professional magazines. In terms of research Google provided me with web search to find a range of different publishing companies. It is hard to put a number on the amount of images Google have stored which is way I used this search engine in order to supply me with images relevant to my coursework.







Before hand I have already used the Canon EOS 400D 10.1 megapixel camera so I did not learn anything relatively new about it, however when taking the picture for my magazine there was a need for lighting to improve my images, I learned as you take a picture using the cannon it had a sensor on the top of it which gives out inferred readings, the camera the sends a reading to the other inferred sensor which then makes the light flash. This all happens in a few seconds which means as the picture is taken with the cannon a flash is given off at the right time. This light that is given off has the ability to lighten a picture in the right places depending on where it is located.
I a used software on the computer called Microsoft word 2007 this is where I typed my work before it was transferred to blogger. Word was used frequently in order to finish my work and it has a feature called spell check which prevented me from making a lot of grammatical errors as well as providing word count to track how much I was writing. The similar software before, however I have not used the 2007 version, this version allowed me to change the font quickly and easily. The software also provided me with a dictionary to find or check any words I was pondering on.

EVALUATION QUESTION Q5 HOW DID YOU ATTRACT/ADDRESS YOUR AUDIENCE?

My magazine attracts my audience by having a very large dominant central image which features a young 16 yr old using a model of this age may encourage teens of this age to purchase the magazine. The costume that the model is wearing fits the trend or is very fashionable of what teens are wearing currently by young teens. The clothes being worn by the model is very expensive and this is what teens want have or aspire to have, which will again attract the audience that my magazine is aimed at. The clothing also helps the audience keep up-to-date changes in fashion. Teens have grown with technology with technology and are the consumers of most headphones, which is a reason why the model on the front page is wearing headphones. Most of all teens who will purchase the magazine will be owners of their own headphones; this will attract them as the model fit into the category or group they do. This also gives a clear indication along with the mike that the magazine also includes forms of music technology which as what my chose publishing house Musicmags specialize in.


The model is holding a mike in his hand, not only will this give an indication the audience about the artist but it will attract musicians. Musicians of this genre use mikes a lot and connote a saying in the rap industry which is “king of the mike”. The make signifies that the artist is a rapper which will cause anyone wanting or aspiring to be a rapper to purchase the magazine. The model at the front of the magazine will attract males, not only because of his sex but because he represents a music genre which dominated by males. On the contents page there is an image teenage male with a teenage female sitting on his knee this to show a strong female within the industry which all also attract females.

At the top half of my magazine where my masthead is situated I have used a large bold sans-serif font which gives an indication to my target audience that it is contemporary and the content which is inside. The cover lines are all highlighted in order to make them eye- catching as well as this the cover lines include “Exclusive interviews” which will attract the audiences as these are things the would like to read and will entice them to purchase the magazine

Q4 WHO WOULD BE THE AUDIENCE FOR YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT?

Base magazine is aimed at people of all races that listen to rap music. At first the large majority of people who listen to this genre of music were people of a black ground however this has changed over the years which means that the audience has also evolved. The magazine is aimed at people In the British and American culture as they have the most artists involved in the genre of rap in its current form. The culture presented in this genre is also British and American. In terms of age base magazine is aimed at teenagers and up from ages ranging from 15-30. There is a high age range of 30 to give people of this age who are within the rap music industry and others who also still listen to this genre of music. Typically people at the age of 30 enjoy reading relevant information and reviews within the music industry as well as the artists.
Teenagers are the main audience as the majority of the models within the magazine are teenagers. This is because the vast majority of music technology such as mp3s, iPods and the new doctor Dre beat head phones belong to young teenagers, this means that teens listen to a lot of music especially rap, suggesting that they are the right target audience. In addition to this the magazine contains information and reviews about interviews as well as concerts which is watched and attended by a vast number of teenagers.

EVALUATION QUESTION 3: WHAT KIND OF MEDIA INSTITUTION MIGHT DISTRIBUTE YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT AND WHY?

Link: http://www.musicmags.net/

Referring back to my case study on I found that they would be likely to distribute my music magazine
This would be beneficial for Musicmags as there is no magazine within their portfolio like or similar to the genre of my magazine. Although Musicmags focus mainly on music technology for music dealers having a music magazine of a genre similar to mine, will see Musicmags move into a new market. If this particular media institution does this it may increase its total market share throughout the total music magazine industry. As well as this it may also bring in a new stream of revenue for the media institution which will increase finance.

As the genre which I have chosen is Rap/hip-hop which is one of the most popular genres of music plus it is also entwined with products and advertisers. This means that a lot of advertisers will want to advertise within the magazine. An example of this is may be the headphones that are coming out from one of the most well-known rapper 50 cent; Adverts like this will provide Musicmags with another stream of revenue.
I would also choose to distribute my magazine through music stores and magazine retailers such as WH smith not only is this a well-known retailer but a means for the possible consumers of the magazine who live in the city to access the magazine. Also by using retailers such as WH smith connotes a sense of quality which can be indicated by the level of the price, different to a corner shop.

EVALUATION QUESTION 2: HOW DOES YOUR MUSIC MAGAZINE REPRESENT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS?

My magazine design has been made to represent teenagers ranging from ages 15 upwards, particularly teens that listen to the genre of rap/hip-hop music. This audience was selected from the results of my questionnaire. The magazine features a mixed-race male of the rap/hip-hop music genre, I represented this culture by allowing the model to fit in to the stereotype. For example the model is wearing a new era hat baseball hat which is a prop which is has been around since the birth of the genre.
This male model which I have used for my magazine cover is wearing the stereotypical costume a UK rapper would wear. The puffy jacket which he is wearing as long been associated with teen (youth) gangs it was is commonly worn by young people who are associated with a gang, this then in tern then represents teens. As well as this particular fashion and music are also linked, the change in urban fashion has seen the puffy jacket being worn by not only people in gangs but by a lot of young people which comes back to the sense that it represents them, which is why I have used it. Commonly the new era hat has become iconic not only is it worn by the rappers the makers of the music, but also the teens who listen to the music is know become part of the culture and fits into the stereotype of what a young urban teen who listens to rap/hip-hop music will wear. The hat alone represents both young teens and rappers.
The model is wearing a gold chain this is a well-known fashion statement which is to show the wealth of the individuals and is often linked with the stereotype of a rapper. I have researched and looked at many magazines of the genre and I have found that well-known rappers such as Kanye west and Jay Z wear these gold chains. For teens wearing a chain is an indication of how much money you have, how cool you look or if you fit in to the term “fly”. I also think the chain represents young black males as they are mainly the ones who dress like these and the rap music industry is also mainly dominated by black males which mean that the magazine also represents black males.  The model is also wearing an Armani top which is expensive clothing, in rap music having or wearing expensive clothing shows how cool you are and is once again an indication of how much money you have. In almost every example of a big rap/hip-hop music magazine it will be rare for the person on the front of the magazine to be wearing clothing which is not expensive.

EVALUATION QUESTION 1: IN WHAT WAY DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT, USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENEGE CONVENTIONS REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

This is the magazine I analyzed in the begging, after looking at the denotations and connotations of the magazine based on the conventions, I decided to base my magazine on the one I previously analyzed. In order to make it look as realistic as possible as well as attracting the typical audience or people in this genre of music magazines, as a result I allocated similar conventions.






An example of this is my masthead which is in a large font size at the top centre of the magazine which is which is a frequent convention used throughout the rap music genre magazine. The font is similar to the example above which shows the sort of bubble writing this particular genre regularly use, this gives it its unique but typical look.

I have used a central image of a rapper on the front of my magazine, music magazines such as NME usually use a group as their central image but in terms of the rap/hip-hop music magazine genre usually use medium close up, as my magazine is of the same genre I have used the same convention. An example of this is shown the left






The medium close up connotes a sense of space for the audience make them feel closer to the person on the front of the magazine. Throughout music magazine history a long-shot could not be said to be the most dominant shot on a magazine cover.
I have also used cover lines on my magazine cover this convention I used in almost every area of the magazine industry and most importantly it is used by my magazine genre. I have used this convention in-order to attract my audience the cover line gives them an indication of the content within the magazine. In-order to separate my cover lines I used the plus sign this allows me to differentiate the cover lines.

A way in which I have challenged conventions is adding the editors note which is rarely used on a contents page. I have only found a small number where this is used out of the majority of the magazines which I researched. The reason for doing this is for an assurance of quality for the target audience. Within the note it is noted that the magazine and its contents has been checked by a test group beforehand.
Another way in which I have challenged conventions can again be found on my contents page, again this is not always found on a magazine contents page. At the bottom left my contents page is slot for competitions this is to tell the target audience where they can find possible prizes they could win. By doing this it will become a known feature of the magazine which audiences who purchase the magazine will always look for. For my magazine this my influence repeat sales.
Barcodes are always situated at the bottom left or right of the magazine this is because it is for the purpose of scanning and purchasing the magazine and therefore does not need to be eminent. The scratch magazine which I have analyzed, which is shown above has its barcode at the bottom left, this is also where I have situated my barcode

Unminpulated Photos

Music magazine double page spread

Music magazine contents page

Music magazine front cover

Case study of a publishing house

(Musicmags.net) in 1996 there were several publishers that joined together and formed the MMPA. They tested the concept of a consolidated program with various distributors  retail vision was selected and in the time of 1998, the music magazine authorized dealer program (which is a former name of music mags) was created. A music mag addresses retailers concerns by providing a single distribution. Music mags is managed by the music magazine publishing association and distributed by Alfred music publishing. Music mags exclusively provides a selection of over two dozen leading music magazines to music instrument dealers in the US and Canada. A MusicMags rack has an extremely small footprint generating exceptional sales per square foot, the annual is 2.5 times the industry average.

 Music mags also offer a broad selection of magazines. Music mags titles cover every category, for example pro audio, band orchestra and performing to even music business, education and entertainment. Titles include REVOLVER, JAZZTIMES, ALTERNATIVE PRESS MAGAZINE and many more. All of music mags magazine are aimed at a range of different ages for example revolver is aimed at people who are interested in rock and heavy metal music. Another example of this is Keyboard which is dedicated to music technology for the recording and performing keyboard player this shows the wide range of audiences that music mags cover.

 Why may a business attempt to cover different audiences? The reason for this may vary sometimes according to the publishing house however reasons for this are as follows, publishing houses need to cover different audiences in-order to reach out to as many different audiences in terms of the world of business if a company has to relay on one product it means that if one magazine no longer sells the company will collapse, however if there is range of different products i.e. magazines it means the risk is spread. As well as this aiming at different audiences, maximizes possible sales that music mags may gain as they are able to reach out to a much wider audience.

By targeting different audiences with each magazine it means that it allows MusicMags to accurately target their customer’s magazine needs. This then ensures that the company can attract most of the customers that fall into that category, which means an increase in sales and may also lead to a larger market share of which MusicMags gaines.

Alfred music group On June 1, 2005 took a step to further growth in acquiring Warner Bros. Publications from the Warner Music Group. Overall sales increased to $60 million. Since then the company has continued to grow and as sated above have become the largest educational music publisher. They now have staff members in seven offices worldwide. They also have products on different platforms of media such as CD, DVD, and blue ray.

As shown to be successful publishing house i think that it would be ideal for a magazine such as mine within the hip-hop music genre. This publishing house will gain an advantage of moving into another market as they do not have a magazine of that genre which will intern, help the publishing house to attract different audiences that it could not reach out to before hand. As a result of this it will lead to the publishing house gaining greater income and will be more stable as the publishing house will no longer need to rely on other magazines, which means if one collapses due to decrease in sales the company can still carry on publishing different magazines without being totally effected.

Profiling the audience

The magazine that i am creating is similar to established magazines such as scratch on which a wrote a a textual analysis. By selecting a specific music genre it then means you can focus on a particular market. The chosen genre of my magazine is hip-hop. The genre then has a direct effect on the particular age group, for example the majority of the audience who consume hip-hop music has changed in modern times. The audiences who listen to hip-hop now are younger appealing to ages as young as 13 years of age. As a result of this in-order for my magazine to be successful this audience must be at the center of the composition and marketing of the magazine. For an established magazine such as scratch there target audience is 16-28+ similar to my target audience which is 17-28. As a result both music and the teenagers who listen to it have now become in part what is known as youth culture where both come hand in hand with the youths of today.

As well as this the age of are artist within the genre has been become younger as time goes on which indicates for a magazine of this genre that by not aiming at this age group it will be difficult to become a noticeable or established magazine.

Jerry is 18 years old and a passionate hip-hop fan. Not only is Jerry a consumer of the hip-hop music genre but fits in with the age range at which my magazine is aimed at making him a perfect example of my audience. jerry is of a black background this is the ethnicity of the majority of the audience who consume music of this genre, as well as this the large majority of artist of the genre of a black ethnic background. However there has been significant growth in other audiences from different ethnic background who now consume the genrewhich has welcomed even more young audiences  Jerry is a perfect example of what is known as youth culture, he regularly attends parties  social events and etc, which are all popularized within the hip-hop music genre. Therefore taking this into consideration it makes Jerry the ideal example of my target audience.

Research

Magazine mock-ups

Mood board

Analysis of a music magazine

Intro: The name of the magazine that I am analyzing is called scratch. This magazine is specific in its music genre, which is hip-hop, therefore appealing to consumers that enjoy reading as well as interest in hip hop. The target market of this magazine will obviously people who like and enjoy hip-hop, but in terms of age this magazine is aimed at young teens to young adults at an age of 13-28+.  

Masthead: This is situated at the top of the magazine which is the largest font on the magazine front cover. This is done in order to make the masthead recognisable to the audience, as well as noticeable as this is its visual branding. The colour of the font is yellow with a black outline the combination between these colours with black as the outline makes the lighter colour yellow pop out, as it is a contrast to dark and a lighter colour this makes it more recognisable to the audience.  The colour yellow connotes happiness and health while black connotes serious sexy and mysterious. The two colours together connote a sense of vibrant mysteriousness and sexiness which give a sense of being bold and happy with being sexy and mysterious. 

Coverlines: This is used to invite the audience into reading the content of the magazine. The first coverline that I am going to analyze is the one situated at the top left of the magazine, which says “SNOOP DOGG BEATS BY THE POUND” they have a coverline about “Snoop dogg” which entices the audience to read as this is a well known hip-hop artist. The coverline is written in blue which connotes peace, calm, cleanness and freshness in this case is it connotes freshness which when translated in terms of hip-hop means looking good being cool and so forth. Telling the audience hip hop and the artists are cool. 

The second coveline below the first one says “INSIDE KOCH GREAT LABEL OR GRAVE YARDS?” this coverline attracts the attention of the audience as it asks them question allowing them to think about it and wanting to read more. This coverline is written in white in this case white connotes coolness and cleanness because it’s the colour of snow which again when translated means being cool and looking good, it also connotes goodness which shows the status of the people in the magazine telling us how important they are. 

At the right of the magazine close to the middle is the coverline which gives a list of artist (UGK, THE FLEXXERS, MANNIE FRESH, T-PAIN& AKON, MARLEY MARL AND SWIZZ BEATZ) this shows the audience a list of well known artist which intrigues them to read more. The colours are done alternatively starting with blue then white and so on which again connotes coolness, freshness and goodness. 

Main image: This is the biggest image on the magazine which In this case covers the whole magazine. The back ground of this image is dark green which is commonly associated with money this tells the audience that people within this image are rich and have a lot of money which in hip-hop is “cool and fresh”. At the right of the magazine is an image of a well-known hip-hop artist (Lil Wayne) on the background he is wearing typical stereotypical costume (clothing) which consists of a light brownish baseball hat, greenish and greyish hoody and a blue jeans. His costume (clothing) fits the music genre hip hop and lets the audience easily acknowledge that it is a hip hop music magazine as it fits the magazines criteria. In his hand he is holding a prop which is a mike over is shoulder with a thumb pointing to wards him, suggesting status and matching part of the main coverline simply the best, as pointing towards yourself portrays a sense of self-confidence. The mike also identifies that this is a music magazine as mikes are associated with music. 

At the left corner underneath “lil Wayne’s” arm is an image of a well-known DJ called “DJ Khaled”. The DJ is wearing a light blue jumper again to show freshness, he is also wearing a range of different props such as sun glasses, watch and chain. Within this genre of music jewellery is associated with showing of and being cool, which is seen as being a good thing, showing to the audience that he is a cool and hip-hop character. The character is also has a prop which is a DJ mix and turn table this prop shows that he is an DJ therefore relating to music which is the main topic of the magazine. 

Main coverline: The main cover line says “lil wayne DJ khaled simply the best” this is in the biggest font other than the masthead to indicate that it is the biggest and most important coverline. “lil wayne” is written in white and “ DJ khaled is written in blue, again this is done in order to portray a sense of cleanness and freshness which is seen as cool in the world of hip-hop. These two names within the coverline will attract consumers of hip-hop music who know a great deal about this genre as they thoroughly known in the industry. “Simply the best” is written in a rough font also in yellow, the roughness of this text is done in order to stand out from the rest of the coverline as there is no form of text the same giving it a sense of individuality. The connotation of yellow is cheerful and happy and in this case is used to back of the individuality of the text making it cheerful and exciting. 

Selling line: This is situated at the left of the magazine which says “XXL presents the blue print of hip-hop” this indicates to the audience that this magazine is the making as well as the map to hip-hop music telling consumers that this is the magazine for them to read if they wish to know a great deal about hip-hop enticing them to want to read more and purchase the magazine. 

Date line: The date line is situated at the bottom left corner at the left of the barcode, this is in a small font as it does seen as necessary for the consumer to see. It says “ jan 7th 2007” 

Barcode: the barcode is situated at the bottom left corner of the magazine this is so that the magazine can be registered quickly for purchase and contains a unique code. 

Codes and Conventions of a Magazine Double Page Spread

Colour scheme:  The colour scheme used in the double page spread is left simple and formal as the image also look relaxed and this goes well with each other.

Image:  The image is the most dominant image that may appear in a double page spread and it shows the purpose of the page in relation to the text. The main image is normally placed on the left side with the text on the right however, other methods include placing the image on the right or allowing the image to overlap on to the page as well as being used as a background image.

Quotes:  In a magazine double page spread there is often quotes taken from the person being interviewed or those who are involved in the story. This would be normally placed under headlines, pictures etc.

Headline:  For the double page spread, the headline is the main text used to attract the audience and relates to the text. This normally appears larger in relation to the other texts on the page, the headline may sometimes appear as a quote.

By-Line: A by-Line is simply where the editor’s name is situated on the double page spread and also the photographers.

Columns:  There are mainly 2-4 columns placed on a double page spread. However some magazines may challenge this by horizontally along the bottom of the page or have more or less columns.

Strap Line:  A strap line shows the subject is matter which is placed either the top or the bottom of the page.

Codes and conventions of a Magazine Contents page

Colour Scheme: The contents page features the similar colour scheme used on the front covers so that title magazine gives a sense of continuity so that it all relates to the same theme.

Mix: Content pages have a range of different features on it such as photo/pictures, the text boxes and heading and these may add up to 2 pages in total.

Columns:  Content pages in magazines usually feature columns this enables it to be easier and quicker to locate information.

Main Image: The main image on the contents page is the largest and most visible which will relate to the magazine as well as the front cover.

Other Images:  Content pages also feature smaller images which are mostly situated next to a page number and the text which shows you a insight or sneak peak of what the text is about using the image illustrate this.

Masthead:  The masthead is the same as the front cover however this will be smaller  than it appears on the front cover and is usually placed at the top of the contents page.

Title: The contents page includes a title called ‘contents’in order to allow the audience to easily find out where to find out the contents of the magazine. The contents page consists various components such as the contact information,  issue date, the web address, the pages numbers, Images and much more.

Categories:   The categories shows the magazines articles and regular features. it also consists of one off articles exclusive to the issue.

Sub-lines:  The Contents page uses Sub-lines which is usually used in a smaller font size in comparison to the sub-heading and this gives us a clearer description of what the sub-heading is about.

Preliminary task: College magazine contents page

Preliminary task: College magazine front cover

Questionnaire for college magazine (target audience for magazine)

• What is your age?      16            17            18              19  above  19               lower than 16 

• What is your gender?  male                 female

• What is your ethnic background?

Jamaican/ Barbados (other Caribbean country)
Nigerian/Ghanaian  (other African)
Indian/Chinese (other Asian)
English/French (other European)
other

• What sport activities do you take part in at Christ the king?

Badminton
Football
Table tennis
Rugby
Other
 

• Do you find college to be important for your aims in the long term?   Yes                 no 

• What are the highlights of college life so far at Christ the king college?  Socialising 

Extra activities                 work                   events            other

• Would you like a weekly article by different students every issue?     Yes                 no 

What is you favourite traditional event at Christ the king?
Halloween
Black history month
Easter
Christmas

• What is your favourite magazine genre? 

Gossip
Cars
Sports
Education
Fashion
other

•  How often would you like the college magazine to be released?

daily
weekly
monthly
per term

•  Would you want interviews with past students?  yes           no  

• Would you want an agony aunt section in the magazine?  yes         no            

• What colour scheme would you like to be incorporated into the magazine?

Red/blue
Green/yellow
Silver/blue/ purple
Pink

• How much are you willing to pay for the magazine?

£1.00-£1.50
£1.51-£2.00
£2.01-£3.00

Introduction

My name is Craig Thoms and I am a media student. This blog which I have created is a documentation of my media coursework so that I may be assessed. The coursework for this project involves research in constructing and publishing a music magazine.