Resit- Final Double page spread

Resit- Final contents page

Resit- Final Front Cover

Question 7: Looking back at the preliminary task what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to a full product?

 

By doing my preliminary task I have learnt many skills to help me produce my full final product. The main thing being learning the different conventions of a magazine and what the names of different parts of the magazine are called such as 'mastheads', 'cover lines', 'selling lines' and others. These have all helped my magazine reach a higher quality standard as I now understand where to place cover lines, what shot I should use for my front colour, how important the font I use is to the way my audience sees it. Having looked at my preliminary task I feel that I have improved a bit because the layout of my cover was a bit messy and rushed and the image could have been resized better. The end result of my preliminary task looked more like an incomplete product.

I also learnt how to create a double page spread which was not present in my preliminary task and this also helped me learn how to challenge myself more using the photoshop software. My preliminary task only needed me to use the text and resize tools to complete the two pages. I didn't have to edit my pictures for my preliminary task and this might have reduced the quality of my images. I felt more challenged to do so with my final project.

I put in more research and time after my preliminary task and I feel that this has helped me bring my final project to the standard that it is now. I feel that because I done my audience research I was able to understand what readers want to see in the media that they read, this helped me narrow my target audience and focus more at looking at magazines that have a similar audience to the product I had in mind. I learnt how to ensure that my audience wasn't a broad one which would confuse everyone unlike my preliminary task which has a specific audience and will be found only in colleges. By having a magazine that would be circulating I found that it is important to make your magazine attract a certain type of social group.

I still do think that if I could make another magazine having done both my preliminary task and the final product I would be able to make it more professional.

Question 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

 

Since starting this project I feel like I have learnt quite a lot about new technology and software to successfully construct a magazine. I already knew my way around cameras and the process of capturing an image but I found that I have learnt the importance of head space when taking a medium shot of a subject that will be used as the front cover of my magazine, looking at my images after taking them I found that I had quite a lot of negative headroom present in my images, this means that I need to learn how to centre my images using the metering function in the camera. I also learnt more about the importance of soft boxes and extra lighting used in studio shoots, I learnt to how to measure the distance needed from my subject and the soft box. I learnt how to use the different functions a Canon EOS 400D, which is the camera that I used for both my preliminary task and the final magazine. There are many pros that come with using a high quality DSLR camera like the 400D, the main one being the quality of the images produced. Most companies/institutions that provide a visual service use DSLR's rather than manual SLR's which take up time to get the image developed and it's also expensive in the fact that we would have to buy chemicals to get the images processed and there is no guarantee or way to see how your images have come out until after you have developed them. So by using a Canon EOS 400D I was pleased with the result and quality of my images. 

Through this project I have also learnt how to use most of the tools in Photoshop CS3. I did find it a bit challenging at some points of editing my pictures such as changing the background of my pictures, I tried too but the colours didn't work too well and came out blotchy using the paint bucket tool in photoshop. My teacher advised me to leave the background as it was because the lighting I had in the picture was good so I just adjusted the brightness and contrast a bit using the image adjustment tool.

The other tools I learnt to use in photoshop were the text tools I used to write my text with; I also explored using the line tool to create some boarders/lines to divide my text like the ones I used in my contents page. These were very easy to use as they are similar to the Microsoft word text tools. To enhance these I used the special effects 'stroke', 'inner shadow' and 'outer shadow' effects. These all helped make my text more colourful and stand out a bit more in the double page spread where the white text can clash with the white shadows of the denim jacket.

Question 5: How did you attract/address your audience?

Having looked at the feedback I got from my audience research, I took into account what my friends had said about what they would like to see in the content of the magazine. To ensure this I used a model that I felt could relate to all types of classes and looks interesting, the clothes I dressed her in were also a way I thought would make my target audience attracted to her. By having a strong yet relatable model on my front cover I feel that it's a way for the readers to associate what genre the magazine is and what it has to offer the public. Another way in which I feel I have attracted my audience through the model is the items of clothing she is wearing. By having her dress in dark, simple clothes I feel that most of the indie/alternative audience would be able to feel like the artist is 'one of them', I came to this conclusion after realising that most front cover models especially those classed in the indie genre dress quite simple unlike those out in the hip hop/r&b genre who over accessorise and use primary block colours in their clothing.

Another way I feel I have addressed my audience is through the cover lines which are present on my front cover. I have included some artists such as Santigold and Bombay Bicycle Club who are quite popular at the moment in the indie/alternative genre. By doing this it should make it much easier for the reader to recognise the artists and therefore the genre that my magazine is targeting. I have also used a classic convention of having a giveaway cover line on my front cover, this helps draw the reader in because everyone wants a free gift especially since we're in a recession and some may not be able to afford tickets to see a band that they love.

The font I used was very simple and easy to read. I used the Impact font for my cover lines and all other writing present in the magazine. By using a simple font it would clearly make it easier for the reader to read the magazine articles and also make them comfortable while reading instead of stressing while straining their eyes trying to read it. I also used the red stroke effect to make some of the fonts on my front cover stand out a bit and also used an inverted stroked cover line talking about the regular specials the magazine has to offer. I purposely used inverted colour format to attract my reader to other free giveaways the magazine has to offer.

For my contents page I kept the layout very simple, I used a white background and a similar colour scheme to that I used on the front cover to make it more interesting for my reader to read. I purposely didn't place my topic titles in a boarded shape because I wanted to make the contents page feel less barricaded and more open planed. I like the simplicity of my contents page and some magazine such as Q magazine also use a similar concept with their contents pages. I included a short editor's note which talks about what the team have been up to while the issue was in the process of being published and also to give a little hint to what the reader should expect in the magazine. Every magazine has an editor's note to inform the reader what the magazine holds and to give a personal touch to the final edit of the magazine.

Question 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

As I have stated in question two, the target audience for the magazine would be teenagers aged between 14 and 28. I came to this decision after doing my audience research which is up on the blog. Also through extra research I've found that the main age group that consumes magazines similar to mine are young adults who still enjoy going to gigs and haven't hit 'mid-life' crisis.

I decided to target this audience because they are more likely to buy my magazine because they are kept informed with what some of their favourite artists/bands are up to through reading our interviews or reviews. The magazine will also be looking at culture issues such as new night clubs, new fashion trends and the latest that is going on. It's usually people in the age range that I'm targeting that are interested in this type of news. In terms of social groups the indie/alternative group would be my most targeted audience as they will have better understanding of what is being discussed through out the magazine as well as wanting to know what gigs and events will be going on.

In recent years ethnicity in the indie/alternative culture has become more diverse so it will be enjoyed by people from different backgrounds, however in terms of social class people that fall under the middle class umbrella would be able to afford my magazine on a monthly basis but this doesn't mean that working class people will not be able to buy one or two issues of the magazine if they really enjoy it. That might be the only limitation when it comes to my targeted audience.