Final Product 

Byline/bar code

5.Byline/Bar code 

Here I have showed the comparison between my byline and the byline of a published magazine. I have contained the popular and normal conventions of a bar code, web address to allow readers to gain more information about the magazine, one of the articles or enter a competition, as well as the price of the magazine. 

Similarly, the example published magazine I have shown also gives its web address in the same area of the page as I have placed. However, they have added the date it was published, and a quoted example of anchorage text. Some magazines do add the bar code on  the bottom right hand corner of the page, but some also place it on the back cover instead, perhaps to give the cover more room or to make it look more tidy. 

One convention I did miss out was the date the magazine was published, I did not add this anywhere on my cover or inside my magazine and this may be a downfall as it is a common and important convention for magazines to contain.    

sell lines/anchorage text

4.Sell lines and Anchorage text 

I decided to keep my sell lines fairly limited, which does not stick with the normal conventions of music magazines. I did this because I was influenced through my research and planning by certain magazine issues who limited there text for special issues different from the rest (exclusives) 

I strongly believe that I can use this to my advantage because it makes much more of an impact, rather than overwhelming readers with too much writing on the front page, when in fact all exclusive information should be kept inside to avoid spoilers, making readers feel they have to buy the magazine to gain more information, and also gives those who are part of the main story the full spot light, proving that the main article about them is an 'exclusive.' 

  

Main image

3. Main Image 

The convention of a main image on the cover of a magazine is of great importance, the photography and the technology behind it make a big impact, and is very affective if done correctly. A main image can vary from each article using different angles and shot sizes to create different messages/moods. 

If the aim is to focus on a certain artist/celebrity a close up is popular to give them attention and importance, but when using band members together it is popular to use a longer shot to show the whole band equally which was my aim for my photography.  

I have slightly gone against popular convention by using software to edit the colouring of my photography dramatically, where as most photography is simply structured and colouring is only slightly edited. My photography also has an open, real and colourful setting backdrop, when it is common practise for magazines to use a shooting studio with green screens etc. I did this to stand out and be unique as much as possible.

   

Strapline

2. Strapline

This is an example of a strapline you may regularly see on the top of published magazines. These can help to attract a reader by sticking out of a magazine rack, with its use of splash colour and bold writing. It can be used as anchorage text/sell line or used to display the magazines slogan, price, date etc.

However, I have decided not to clutter my strapline with sell lines and stick to the simple use of the NV's slogan, this then allows the photography to have a bigger impact and keeps focus on my main anchorage text and main article.

Q1

These are some of the typical conventions of a magazine which I have used for my final product, similar conventions are found on popular published magazines. However, I have not added all conventions that typically appear on a magazine cover, and I have changed the conventions I have used to fit a more unique individual style to stand out from all the other music magazines similar to my genre.

1. Masthead

Arguably the most popular colours used in music magazines are red white and black, these colours are neutral in gender and can create a bold statement with many connotations surrounding the rock genre. Examples of this are NME, Q, KERRANG, Rolling stone and MOJO magazines.

Because I believed these colours were so popular, in fact too popular, I believed it would be best to go against the normal trend, this way my magazine is much more noticeable on a shelf compared to others of similar colouring blending in to one another.
I decided on a dark shade of orange which is eye catching and can fit in well with most colours on a colour pallet, its white lined boarder allows the masthead to pop out of the page giving it a bold finish against to contrasting dark background.

I have placed the masthead in the top left hand corner of the cover which is the most common choice for all magazine covers, however some spread across the whole of the top of the page. But because my masthead only consists of 2 letters it is best to keep it to a corner in a good size rather than stretching it across.      

But what is the social group for my media product?

Connotations of rockers 

Popular brand names - Fred Perry/ Converse/ High street

Iconic items of clothing - Jeans/ Beanie hats/ denim/leather jackets/ trainers 

This style is universal because it is popular all around the world, it has been around for decades and is still popular today, it is heavily revolved around rock music and is represented by many bands and artists. It typically sticks to darker colours and tends to be very casual, it is popular to have the names of bands or members posted on clothing. Those that are part of a rock based social group tend to go to many concerts and festivals as music is the foundation of they're style. Example bands that inspire the style would be Nirvana, Red hot chilli peppers, Arctic Monkeys etc. Because of its dominant dark clothing style, and sometimes aggressive music, rockers can be connotated as misunderstood, rebel like unhappy people.

This is in fact the social group I wish to focus on, as I have chosen alternative rock as my genre to focus my magazine on. This is the social group my target audience are represented in, and all the connotations that are given match this.
My photography matches the style in dress well by using certain stereotypical items worn in a rocker social group, including the baggy jeans, trainers, denim jacket and beanie hat. Even though each shirts the boys have worn are colourful when the rocker style consists of mostly dark clothing, the baggy style chequered shirt is an item commonly represented by indie/soft/alternative rock listeners.    

 

Q2

How does my media product represent particular social groups? 

Examples...     

Mods 

Connotations of mods 

• Popular brand names - Fred Perry/ Ben Sherman/ Doc Martin 
• Iconic items of clothing - Braces/ Harrington Jackets/ Doc Martin boots/ Polo shirts

This is a very English based style and was most popular in the 80's, it connotates a hard rebel exterior for 80's men and represented mod music lovers around the country. The most famous and biggest icon for the style is Paul Weller lead singer of The Jam, this band belongs to an indie/ alternative rock genre, and people of the mod social group would tend to go to many concerts and festivals. The style is still around today but is however much less popular than when in the 80's. 

Chavs  

Connotations of Chavs 

• Popular brand names - Adidas/ Mackenzie/ lacoste 
• Iconic Items of clothing - caps/ tracksuits/ football shirts

Again this is a English based style and was at its peak in the late 90's and 2000's, this also connotates a rebel like exterior and is associated with those of lower class and low income. There is not a chav related music genre but the style cpuld be represented by garage/ rap music. Icons for this style may be represented by the likes of Ndubz. 

Definition of a social group -  a group of people who share similar likes and interests and share some social relation. 

  

My niche

Within music there are many different genres which are all very different from each other, pop, rock, jazz, house, classical are to name but a few. There are also niche genres within these that split off for originality, for example within the genre of rock there is screamo rock, indie rock and alternative rock etc.

This then meant it was difficult to choose to either make a magazine which was broad and looked over many genres or to choose a specific genre to look at for my magazine to directly address readers who listen to a certain niche of music.
I chose Alternitave rock as my specific genre, I chose alternitave rock because that is the genre of music I most commonly listen to, meaning I know a lot about it and being a member of its target audience, will also be able to have great understanding of it and how it works.
Theres is a large following for rock and alternitave rock is one of ots most popular niches, therefore I know that my magazine would have a good following. 

audience profiling evaluation

When looking back on my research and planning before the production of my final product began. I found my audience profiling work, looking at gender ratio, age ranges etc. This were all an attempt to create a reader profile and establish my target audience.
The most popular age range consisted of the younger generation from the age of 16-25 years old, so this meant that although older generations are targeted I should focus my work ethic towards attracting those of a younger age, this may mean adding more splashes of colour and less formal language.

I also planned my gender ratio to show if I needed to have more of a male or female vibe.
The ratio showed a male audience dominance of 70%, by working this out then aloud me to think wisely as to how I produced my magazine attract a male audience, but then allowing some female elements.

question 4

Who would be the audience for my media product? 

Bauer = Chosen Institution

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

Overall, all 3 institutions I researched are impressive and useful, however when taking into account my own magazine, I must look at certain factors which are of great importance in order to gain the best profit for my magazine. These main factors include...

• Good sources of promotion for my magazine on the website 
• A mission statement I have created which will be posted on the magazine, in order to give the correct purpose of the magazine and as proof as to who my target audience are. 
• The institution must understand my magazine and how I want it advertised, and must have knowledge and experience with music magazines 

All these factors I believe to be valid and of importance, and these lead to one institution, Bauer. It's website is very impressive and each individual magazine, radio station, TV show etc is looked after and promoted equally well as the rest, making all fare with time and attention well distributed.
It gives the necessary information needed (editors name and contact information) but is careful to not give too much away.  

Emap

When comparing Emap to IPC and Bauer I found that it is not very popular and does not have control over many brands, and the brands they do control are not well known, this may because they are more towards the business side of media, rather than the more popular side of pleasure in music fashion etc. 

I am impressed by its professional outlook and well structured website, however I believe the because of its lack of experience in music media I believe that Emap may be an unpopular choice when choosing an institution to back NV magazine. 

IPC media

Another largely popular media institution is IPC media, similarly to Bauer it works with big name media magazines, radio stations, TV stations etc. Some of the most well known include NME, LOOK, Marie Claire, and NOW, among many others, across a wide genre again from music to homes and gardening. 

NME is huge in the music industry around media, and is a very popular magazine, which posed as a great inspiration when creating NV magazine, as I researched into it a great detail. 

Although this institution is largley popular and in control of big names, I was unimpressed with its website as it had a lack of interesting and useful information, it did not give a clear mission statement in order to attract its correct target audience, and in my opinion it was lazily set out and a bit outdated in its use of technology when creating websites, this makes me doubt whether or not if I was to publish NV magazine, if I would use IPC media as my chosen institution.     

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM7wMhImgNY

This video allowed me to understand the website further and understand the workings of the whole institution. 

http://www.ipcmedia.com/brands

Bauer

I have researched into the huge media institution that is Bauer by watching clips on YouTube and reading through their website. 

Both are very impressive and prove just how much work they do in order to create the best publicity for each magazine they represent.

They represent a wide range of genres, that spread across a wide area of media, not only in magazines but also in radio, TV, mobile and online. Some of they're most popular and well known include, KERRANG, Q, Empire, and Grazia, among many others. The genres they represent span across a wide spectrum from fishing and cars to music and fashion, however music media is deemed as most popular. 

Because KERRANG is the most similar compared to NV magazine I chose to look further into its place on Bauer's website. I was impressed by the page as all relevant and needed information was given, I showed the types of media KERRANG spans across (radio and magazines,) and then gave a detailed, information and persuasive mission statement directly addressing its target audience. After this it gave the names of the main people involved with the magazine, including the editor, editors assistant and then links to how to listen/ read KERRANG. 

From the knowledge I have gained during my research into this institution, I believe it may be one of the if the the best choice to choose as an institution to represent NV magazine. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcElGMpLTi4

http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/

Institution Research (Start of question 3)

Cross process 1 Befunky

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

Befunky Redeye and blemish

Befunky rotate

question 6

 http://www.befunky.com/ By using this Befunky website I was able to experiment and play about with editing techniques as much as I please from airbrushing skin to making the photo black and white, it was extremely useful and quite easy to upload the pictures I wanted and then edit them as much as I pleased.

Print margins eval

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


Looking back at my preliminary task, I feel that I have learnt and progressed a great amount in comparison with my school magazine to my full product of the music magazine.
During my preliminary task I had little knowledge and experience in Microsoft Publisher, therefore I was unsure on print margins and how my magazine would look when printed off, as shown in the pictures below my school magazines mast head and sell lines did not reach the print margins, so when it came to printing white gaps and odd spaces would be left making it look unprofessional and lazy.
Furthermore, when working on my full product/music magazine, I had now gained an understanding of publisher and how it worked, I made sure I stuck to the print margins and did not leave sloppy gasps and odd spaces, but allowed all images and sell lines to flow round the edge of the page.

Representation/ direct address eval

Looking back at my preliminary task, I feel that I have learnt and progressed a great amount in comparison with my school magazine to my full product of the music magazine.

Direct address - making the audience feel they are participating in what is
happening, eg newscasters use direct address as if they are
speaking directly to the viewer.

During my preliminary task I had a good understanding of representation for target audience, but struggled with direct address by connecting with the audience. For example eye contact is key when captivating a reader if direct address is to be achieved, yet the photography on my school magazine cover does not have this aspect and may be a downfall.
Whereas, when producing my full product I gained a wider idea of representation and a better understanding of direct address, especially in the music industry.  

Anchorage text eval

Looking back at my preliminary task, I feel that I have learnt and progressed a great amount in comparison with my school magazine to my full product of the music magazine.
Before I developed my full product I had basic knowledge of anchorage text, I knew that it is used for persuasion, and an attempt to attract the reader by showing off a magazines main attractions, by using key words such as "Exclusive," "Revealed," "Shocking" etc.
However I could not distinguish the difference between anchorage text and the likes of a masthead, strapline or sell line. Before my full product I saw all elements of writing on a cover as anchorage text when in fact all elements of text on a cover have a name a meaning and a purpose. I now know that...

The strapline is the bar of information which runs across the top of the cover.
The masthead is the main title of the magazine and the size, clouring and font is very important.
The sell lines are small elements of information around the page which tell of the features inside, to distinguish who would like to read the magazine (Target audience.)
The anchorage text poses as a lure to read the article inside.  
 

Photography eval

Looking back at my preliminary task, I feel that I have learnt and progressed a great amount in comparison with my school magazine to my full product of the music magazine.

I used basic elements of camera shots and angles for my school magazine's photography, and used 'safe' unoriginal methods. For example, I used on my contents page 2 face on medium close ups, with eye contact, although this is what was asked for the magazine, and I may have taken the photos correctly, I could have changed them through editing methods or played about with my angles and shots a little more, for originality.
It is clear to see in the 2 contents pages shown below, the difference in quality of my skills, my preliminary task contents page was clearly unedited and consisted of a boring setting, with lack of anchorage text and other persuasive language. Whereas, my full product is bold vibrant and filled with colour. My photos are clearly edited to give better effects and give a sharper image.

Finished Contents Page

sierra photography

contents - Czech - Writing

I have placed the medium close up of the boys in the left hand corner of the page, so it is naturally the first thing a readers eye would be drawn to when turning to the contents page.

I blew the photo up so it took around 2/3 in width of the page, and around a 1/4 of the length, so that the photo was big enough as I wanted it to be viewed as a main feature, living up to the expectations of exclusive as stated on the cover, but then also leaving plenty of room for other features and writing on the page.

Unfortunately there was no space suitable enough to hold my album cover photography on my double page spread, I was hoping to place it next to the interview in the corner of the page, but my individual member profiles took up this space. So I have decided to place it on my contents page instead along side my photography of the boys. 

I then added the bold quote taken from my double page interview, changed the colour to a light blue as I believed it mated and fitted in better alongside the album cover photography.                                               After this I also added the page number taken from the double page to tell readers what page this exclusive interview will feature on. 

     

Starting my contents page

These are 2 examples of photography I will be adding to my contents page. These will take up a large space of the page as well as some writing about Czech and the interview featured in the magazine.
Other articles will be advertised here including posters, competitions etc.

Starting my contents page 

In my interview of the band I have contained interesting and relevant questions, followed by interesting answers which allow for exclusive bites of information to be shared with the readers, which is promised on the front covers anchorage text. 

I have covered...

• Their new album, its name and release date
• If the band members argue, how well they get on as a band
• Which band member works the hardest 
• If any any member is currently in a relationship, and if so is it hard to keep up with
• What other artists/bands have inspired them in they're work 
• If they will be touring 
• Where the band name 'Czech' comes from 

My interview in progress...

Direct address - I have included the website address as a feature that will appear on each page

I have also added the feature of adding the name of the interviewer/writer of the article, because this is a popular occurrence for a small feature at the end of most magazine interviews.

I have made the page number to be easily visible but to fit well into the corner without taking up too much page space, I will keep this and the website address the same for the contents page to connect the pages and build a lasting image for the magazine.    

James photography

This is again a medium long shot, which views the head shoulders and upper torso, although James is also not keeping eye contact with the camera this is an eye level shot. The expression posed on his face shows a calm peaceful exterior, which comes in contrast with the 2 other band members. Again this shot is unique because shots usually consist of full frontal views and eye contact.   

When I place all 3 photos on my double page spread vertically down the right hand side the 3 photos will follow as, 1. Front on 2. Looking towards the right 3. Looking towards the left.
Because of the difference between each photo it is will be easy for the reader to distinguish each individual member and give them equality.

The genius

Finally, I have chosen James' profile to be 'The Genius,' this is because it is very different to my other two chosen profiles and I believe this matches well with the photography I have chosen, showing James as a calm character.  

John photography

This is the photography I have used for 'The Rebel,' I have made John center of the image and used a medium long shot with the flash making his bright blue shirt pop with colour in contrast with the black back drop. He has not made eye contact with the camera, pulled his head slightly to the side and opened his mouth wide sticking his tongue out, this use of body language can be used to express his rebel profile and exterior, it can show he has a careless and bad attitude. Also by not having eye contact with the audience no emotion or compassion can be viewed in his eyes or face.