My completed magazine.

Evaluation: Question 7

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







Music Magazine Cover

College magazine cover















Looking at the images above it shows how my magazine has drastically changed from my preliminary task.



The pictures takens for my college magazine were taken with a blackberry phone so the quality of the picture is quite poor compared to the photos on my music magazine as they were taken with a cannon SLR camera, the SLR has many different settings and a flash so the pictures were of a high quality. Also not much thought was put into the mise en scene for my college magazine however I was more prepared when taking the photos for my music magazine as I had done research into location, costume, shot types and the genre. During the production of the magazine my skills in photoshop have improved therefore it has improved magazine and the editing of my photographs.



The layout of the two magazines are different. The college magazine looks unprofessional as the font sizes are inappropriate and the bar code is too big. This is different for my music magazine as I took time to research the other magazines and their layout which helped me achieve a much more professional look. I have added more cover lines and a main cover line to my music magazine which filled up more of the space and gave the magazine a more professional look, whereas my college magazines coverlines are not structured and there are fewer of them. I also used guide lines when producing my magazine whereas I did not do this when creating the college magazine.



The mast head of my college magazine is not very creative as it was rushed however I put a lot of thought into the music magazine mast head searching for the appropriate font on dafont.com and I took my time and asked my peers for feedback on the name I had chosen for the music magazine.

The font sizes of both magazines are different, the college magazine font was not took into consideration when creating the magazine, I think that the font size is inappropriate for the magazine as it is too big and the font used is a san serif font therefore it can make it difficult for the reader to read.

When creating my college magazine I did not have alot time and it was rushed, unlike my music magazine where I had months to research and then produce my magazine.



Music magazine contents page

College Contents Page







 

The layout of both contents pages are completely different. My music magazine has columns unlike my college magazine, also there is lots of space on my college contents page and have not used the space well. On my music magazine I filled the space with more articles and page numbers, I placed the magazine logo in the top left corner and included the date. The college contents page does not catch the readers attention as there is nothing eye catching.



When creating the college magazine I used a blackberry phone camera to take the photographs therefore the quality of the photos were poor. Not much thought was put into the photographs on the college contents page, whereas I had put a lot of thought and consideration into the photographs of my music magazine. I did not edit the photographs on my college contents page as I did not have a lot of skills in photoshop at the time when creating the college magazine.

On my music magazine contents page the font is a serif font which makes it easier for the reader to read, also it is the appropriate font size as it is size 11-12, unlike on my college magazine which is a sans serif font and a bigger font which makes it difficult to read. Both follow a three colour rule however my music magazine looks more professional as I put more research into the genre.









Evaluation: Question 6

What have you learn't about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

1. Blogger
I used blogger to upload my research and planning, progress of my music magazine and then to evaluate the final product. After each lesson I would upload any work I had done that lesson to blogger. I have also embedded codes from presentations that I created on such sites as Prezi and SlideShare in my posts.

2. Prezi
I used Prezi for the planning of my magazine and then again when I was evaluating the final product. I first used Prezi to create a publication plan and to talk about my target audience and then when in my evaluation which you will find on the previous post.

3. Adobe Photoshop

I first used Photoshop to create my prilimary task and then used it to create my music magazine and also to edit my photographs. I had not had much experience with Adobe Photoshop before, however over the period of time producing my magazine I have got to learn new skills in photoshop.

4. Flickr

I have used Flickr for my evaluation on question 3 where I talked about media distribution. This was the first time I had used Flickr but I did not have any problems with it as I found it quite straight forward to use.



5. iPhoto 5
I used iPhoto to download the photographs I had taken to the iMac and then selected the ones that I wanted to use.

6. iShowU

I used iShowU in my research and planning and in my evaluation as I created podcasts to highlight what I had done on my blog and work, also to show what I have learn't.



7. Cannon SLR camera

I used a SLR camera to take the photos for my magazine, the photos taken with this camera are a better quality than photos taken with a standard digital camera. I first used the SLR camera for a task I was set when I was asked to take SLR test shots through this I learn't how to use the camera to create higher quality photographs using the different settings on the camera.

8. SlideShare

SlideShare converts presentations made on such programmes as PowerPoint into embeddable digital presentions. I had no previous experience with using SlideShare before, however it is simple to use and I used it to upload a presentation I had made on PowerPoint to show the answers to my questionnaire which my peers had filled out. Furthermore I used SlideShare to present question one of my evaluation.



9. Apple iMac

Another technology I have used is an iMac, I had never used an iMac before as I usually use Windows 7. It was quite strange at first as the setting and layout of Windows and iMacs are completely different but I got used to it quickly. At the start of the production of my magazine I worked on an Apple Mac Mini, however part way through I started to use an iMac.

10. The Student Room

The Student Room is an academic discussion forum for school and university students. I created a thread asking other students for their feedback on my music magazine and then uploaded screenshots to a posts on my blog.

Here is a video taking a closer look at the technologies that I used when creating my magazine.

Evaluation: Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation: Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product? Why?

This is a pictute of a person who represents the target audience of my music magazine. I believe he is a stereotypical reader as he is the same age and sex as my target audience. My target audience is male as this is the gender that is typically associated with the same genre as my magazine.

The clothing he is wearing is quite simple and show his status as he is a student and normally students are known to not have alot of money. He is wearing converse and skinny jeans, these items of clothing are usually woren by this age group. The clothing also is similar to thoses of the models in the magazine.

'James' studies music at university and plays guitar that is why he has a guitar next to him, this would be a reason why he would be interested in the magazine. The guitar also represents his passion for music, he write music and preforms at student bars. 'James' is a typical student he likes to go out with friends and enjoys going to gigs. His favourite bands are featured in my magazine which would persuade him to buy the magazine.

Evaluation: Question 3

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

Please click the images to be taken to Flickr.

Evaluation: Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Posture/ Gesture/ Expression: The model in my photograph (left) has similar gesture to Jake Bugg in the other photograph, as they are both sat down and playing the guitar. They both aren't looking directly at the camera, instead they both look like they are in deep thought and look serious this may show they both are serious about their music and put a lot of thought into their lyrics, which ties into my article.

Angle: Both photos are at eye level which could suggest the two artists are down to earth and that they are someone the reader could relate to.

Shot type: The shot type is a medium close up, this shows both of the models facial expressions clearer. Also it helps the readers understand what type of artist they are and if it is a genre of music they listen to as the shot lets the readers see the what the artist is wearing.
Lighting/ Colour: The lighting of both photos look like it is natural day light, however both images have been edited and have a black and white effect so it is not clear. This effect could show their emotions and feelings, the effect also makes the photo more simplistic which shows that he doesnt care about the "flashy" side of fame, its simply about the music.

Costume/ Hair/ Mise-en-scene: The costumes are quite similar as they are both in casual wear, which could show they don't care about what they wear or fame it is all about the music. However the artist on the left is wearing sunglasses which could suggest to the reader that he is hiding something, this could make him more interesting therefore the readers may want to find out more. The whiskey bottle in the photo to the left could show that the artist has been through a lot to get where he is today and may have faced many problems. The aritst to the left also has facial hair which makes him appear "scruffy" which suggests he has been through alot. In both photos include a guitar which implies what genre and artist they are. The two artists are of similar age and the same gender to the target audience, also this social group is usually assioated with the same genre of music of the artists.