Evaluation; Evaluation 6

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

When I initially started the process of exploration with technology I remained to the programs I was comfortable with, such as paint and Microsoft word, I didn’t consider the relevancy of these programs in relation to my construction. When I first started using Photoshop Cs4 and Cs6 I found it very challenging understanding this new source of technology and programming that I was unfamiliar with but throughout the progression of my magazine construction I gradually developed and became more advanced. The video below shows my exploration of using the different aspects of the blur tool when constructing the background for my double page spread.

INTERACTIVITY- The impact of using the internet and visual mediums to not only research but to create my Magazine worked to my advantage in having the benefit of being able to explore; sound, images and videos. This flexibility also allowed me to put my creative ideas to practice.



I also used a variety of websites and programs in which support Photoshop when constructing my magazine and also to present an exhausting use and exploration of ICT. Further supporting the post and video shown, the list below shows the selection of programs and websites I have used;

Evaluation; Evaluation 3

  

What kind of Media institution will distrubute your media product and why?

A Media institution is often a profit based establishment that is in charge of distributing, marketing and producing different media products. There are two types of distribution networks;

Major- this is where stratagies are aimed to saturate the market by promoting their magazine in major retail stores such as Sainsburys, HMV and itunes. Mass produced produced products are able to be sold at a lower price in which the magazine can invest the money in creating creater success for the future editions.

 Independant -  Whereas major networks focus on profit, Independant networks concentrate on the audience and the individuality of the magazine. Due to the unique authenticity of these networks, the distribution of these magazines are Urban Underground shops or online. This highlights the niche market and the true fan basis of the magazine. With the popularity of the internet growing each year this has resulted in being successful.

 My research on networks made me concider taking a gamble in exploring Independant networks. But my conclusion would be to portray aspects of the Independant network such as individuality and audience consideration in my Major networked magazine.

Magazines can be distributed through bookstores, news stands, mail, via the internet

 these have three elements of circulation; Paid circulation- Paid circulation is where the issue or subscription of magazine is sold to the readers for a price, either annual fee or monthly price and then the magazine is delivered directly. Non-paid circulation- Non-paid circulation is where there is no set cover price for example given away or distributed with other products or publications. Controlled Circulation- Controlled circulation is where the magazine is only distributed to a niche market often identified by a survey.

These statistics represent the the downfall of circulation of music magazines conciderably decreasing in recent years, I had to concider innovative ideas in which would not only increase my target audience but contribute in increasing the technology fuelled world into reverting back to Music Magazine consumption. This information helped me identify the importance of shared camaraderie and how the financial state of the publisher I chose would have to be considered due to the industry being in a state of flux.










Overall with my first choice of publishing being IPC Media, I feel I am taking risk. When placed against other magazines I feel my magazine is more unique and individual, whereas in other companys it will fit as a collective. I also relied on statistics to help me make this decision. I would like my my magazine to appeal to both Males and females, therefore a more mainstream audience and from previous research there is a gap in the market for this type of wider audience.

Final Pieces

Double Page Spread Final pages 3-4

Planning; Double Page Construction 3-4

 These screen shots present the gradual construction of my double page spread pages 3-4. The construction was madein Design CS6 rather than Photoshop which I found bennefitial in creating a proffessional and realistic outcome. The first screen shows the placing of my imagery and background. The second presents the addition of text. The fourth shows the continuous progression and addition of further imagery as well as exploration with colour and puns. The Final image presents futher development of text and colour.

Evaluation 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The position of my model on my cover is similar to the NME Edition featuring Florence Welsh. The hand positioning and body angle is very symetrical to one another as well as the positioning of the legs and feet. The dress style and hair between both models are very similar also, such as the amount of reveales flesh, hair style, ankle boots and body jewellry on the exposed hands.Both models show how a consuming environment resorts to the models having to adapt, such as the taxi for Florence and the circular chair for my model. Both images consist of high key lighting but the mis-en-scene of NME is dark whereas WW Indie cleary presents the day light. Both outfit colours of the models in the foreground compliment the outer background. There is a medium long-shot of both images encouraging the audience to observe the mis-en- scene of the image and the use of plain expression with a serious undertone lure the reader in further to discover the meaning hidden behind lack of expression. There is a slight diference in posture, Florence is more slouched and relaxed as if here next motion would be to leave the taxi whereas my model is more upright structured depicting false positioning. I constructed my image to provide space for Coverlines yet reveal the power of positioning of my model. A clear difference is the eye contact of the models, Florence directly faces the audience consuming the audience attention whereas my model looks out into the near distance but the power of her lipstick contrasting with the vibrant shoes draws attention. To justify the use of eye contact not directly consuming the audiences attention being used, I have presented two Rolling Stone editions in which show that this can be successful if the image is crisp , clear, creative and powerful.

To explore any further similarities and differences between the two magazines, I asked a member of my Niche Market to identify the factors between the juxtaposing magazines in depth and detail and mark them.

Evalulation 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The music Magazine industry is consistently competing to be unique yet attract a large niche market. When constructing my Magazine this was the main priority of mine to maintain the structure of a Music magazine but present it in a different manner in which the Industry has a space in the market for.


The different aspects and conventions I had to take into consideration were:

Title of the magazine- A majority of Magazines in which dominate not only the Music Magazine industry but the Music Industry in general such as NME have acronyms. Due to the power and recognition of the Magazine NME, people outside the niche market may know of the name but not the meaning. After struggling to create my Magazine Identity independently my target audience voted; WW INDIE being the clear vote. To make the readers aware of the acronym, I made it a priority that they and any other audiences whom may be aware of the magazine knew what the letters represented. With my Preliminary Task I feel that the title; "Wilmington View" consist of a unique name but this alone without the support of imagery and Cover lines connotates little about the content of the magazine de-valuing the strength of the title.

Mise-en-scène of images and props-My research consistently showed a contrast between two environments. These being a Concert, festival, Gig based atmosphere with an audience or the complete opposite setting of a home, relaxed and calm environment. I therefore included a contrast of both. My opening Double page spread imagery consist of a home environment almost exposing to the reader an invasion of privacy and welcoming them to the secrets of the Artist. A similar comparison to this is shown in Radar of a bedroom atmosphere in which the band are positioned in a relaxed manner. My main contents page image of Ben Howard clearly shows him in action, the artificial lighting and microphone emphasises the concert environment and this image contrasts well with the main image from DRUMMER magazine. I also attempted to use props in which altered the power of mis-en-scene, manipulating the image and the readers perception of the picture as shown in my Contents Page Image luring the reader in to read the Leyla Hills spread.

In my preliminary task I also used the power of props to contribute to the mis-en-scene. The arrangement of books was used to present a student in the mode of studying.

Costumes & Colour scheme- A common yet recent trend that suits the members of my niche market consists of facial piercings including stretcher earrings and an accumulation of bracelets. These observations were made when addressing my target audience directly. Paying attention to detail was a crucial factor when dressing my model as my aim was to make her unique to the indie/rock/folk genre and also abide my colour scheme. The marked circles present the minor details that contribute into creating a relation and connection from the niche market to the Cover model. Therefore my Cover model clearly compliments the target audience, being able to adapt into one of the audience herself. The vibrant red Dr. Martens provide the rocky edge to the indie/rock/folk based magazine as well as the facial piercings and the bandanna providing a folk undertone. There is a dominating red, white and black colour scheme throughout the magazine with the exception of pages 3-4 of my Double page spread. My research showed that this colour scheme may be perceived to be stereotypical due to many competing magazines following the same scheme, but this colour along side the imagery not only lures the target audience in, but suggests the genre of the magazine without the reader having to involve too much attention into the cover lines and content of the magazine. When placed alongside two competing magazines with the same scheme, I feel that WW INDIE is the perfect balance between both magazines and all three magazines stand out individually. Not only colour scheme wise but genre wise, NME is more Indie focused whereas Kerrang more rock, my magazine is the perfect contrast of both.

For my school magazine less creativity and originality was put into the costume design. A school blazer in which complimented the logo as well as a tie in which all consisted of the red and blue colour scheme warn by the model.

People- My previous research expresses that the use of a Musical figure in which compliments the genre of magazine and features an exclusive double page spread is the main focus image on the front cover.The music knowledge of the Target audience should also make them aware of the Artist on the cover without the use of Cover lines. In my Magazine Leyla Hills is the main focus therefore she dominates the Front cover and also one of the two Contents pages. As well as having a dominating model I had to present versatility and include other Musical figures. My research revealed that the current Music Magazine contents pages focus on a variety of articles as well as the features from the Front Cover. On my Contents page I adjusted the focus onto the dominating image of Ben Howard by increasing the image size and using text to also seek the readers attention. In my Preliminary task I also used more than one model but included the Cover model again on the Contents, just in a different atmosphere and change of clothing as I did with my Music magazine Cover model.


Title font and style- My research showed that the usage of fonts contributes in representing a unified house style so I had to consider this carefully. Magazines such as Kerrang sometimes ventured up to 8 different fonts on the cover alone whereas others such as DJ MAG only used two. Due to the space consumed by my main image I decided to use 4 , this excluding my title fonts. The font style and colour is the only continuation throughout my magazine symbolising its significance and importance. For my Preliminary task it was also challenging identifying a suitable font, my aim was to present sophistication and formality yet clear visibility.

Age- Due to my magazine being aimed at " Indie Rockers" whom stereotypically fall between the ages 13-23 seek interest in the content of my Magazine, I feel an age range shouldn't be compulsory due to my previous research; Guitar World had the Beatles as the main Cover image this presents versatility and could attract a variety of an audience. My preliminary task was less challenging or specific in identifying an age category as the target audience was very specific to pupils of Wilmington Grammar School. The range would be from yr 7 pupils up to sixth form.

Columns- With my Front cover I applied a right and left alignment in photoshop. I also used flat plans for my Contents page and Double Page spread in which I struggled to keep the order of. I therefore had to gradually make adjustments till the use of columns was clearly visible. When constructing my Preliminary task I was unaware of many of the properties and functions of photoshop so did not acknowledge the significance of alignments and adjustments of text.

Mode of address- I included the use of puns and rhetorical questions in order to address my audience; " The Maccabees buzzing into the scene" and "Kings of Leon, Kings of Indie?" were used on my cover in order to provide mental images and thoughts of my niche market. In my Preliminary task I was very reliant on my Cover lines to address the audience. Only when I researched into Mode of address for my Music magazine did I realise, that there were many other contributing factors in which I could use to address my audience.

written content- As shown on my blog, the use of colloquialism has been adapted with the use of explicit language; " Because it's a pile of crap" and slang terminology such as "grotty." As my blog shows, my evaluation of existing spreads was applying these following factors. I then applied this to my own spread;

1 Mention an existing source of media that has promoted you and promote them. (Such as Annie Mac promoting Radio 1)

2 convey passion for music and style. ( A common trend that all the spreads follow)
3 Present stereotypical activities of a person who fits the genre. ( UK Tribes )
4 Come across articulate yet intelligent. ( Magazine Research)

Music genre & Front page layout- My magazine continuously suggests the music genre of Indie/rock/folk. I feel that the most obvious ways in showing this are by the Musicians mentioned on the cover lines and contents As well as the Cover model and colour scheme. Folk artists such as Ben Howard and Mumford and Sons are mentioned as well as Indie artists such as the Kooks and The Maccabees and Rock artist Kings of Leon are all on the cover in order to present the contrast of the three genres.  

My Front page layout was very un-organised in contrast to my Double page spread and Contents page. I think this was due to lack of planning and usage of flat plans. The use of text over my image, initially seemed to be consuming my front cover but then I used block text in which like SPIN magazine emphasises and encouraged the sharpness and power of the Image. For my Preliminary task my Front page layout was very basic with the Cover lines to consuming the audiences attention. 

Page numbers- The post below represents the process into how I concluded the amount of pages hat my magazine consist of.


Contents page layout-I continued the block like layout from my Front Cover to my Contents to continue the urban edge feel to my Magazine. In order to truly understand the layout and dynamics I de-constructed a Contents page from "DRUMMER" Magazine as shown on my blog; " de-constructing contents pages."


Double page spread Layout- I made flat plans before constructing the pages. After struggling to construct my Contents pages and having to gradually improve I found the Double page construction much more easier. As my blog shows I explored into different layouts due to my concern that my layout was too basic. My initial layout plan is shown below alongside my final spread in order to present the contrast in development from my initial planning.

Research; Current Feedback

In order to gain an understanding on the Links between my Front Cover, Contents Page and my Double page spread, I requested some valid feedback from my niche market.

• Like how Coverlines stand out, but may block too much of the image
• Good colour scheme, maintained well
• Has 4+ photos
• Nice little design features on Contents page
• Photography clear and crisp
• clear genre
• House style very obvious!
• Front cover clearly the best
• Not too keen on the image on the Contents; "Anon responds to mail."
• Front Cover is of really high quality

Double page Spread Final 1-2

Research; Double Page Spread

 

My further research showed that Double Page spreads that consisted of a main image introducing the spread did not contain a pull quote, simply the spread introduction Title. I therefore made these adjustments according to my research and the image presents my change in construction.

Research; Double Page imagery

Due to my concern of my imagery I did some further research into current spreads and how imagery is used.

Even through my research was focussed on Double Page Imagery, I also discovered the use Drops cap to lure attention towards the context of the spread.

This Lily allen spread has a dominating image, but also dominating text, there is a balance between the two but little space left for the spread itself with an unclear drops caps.

This spread caught my attention due to the power of attention on the main image being focussed elsewhere to the vibrant turquoise highlighting and various promotion along side the spread content. I had not seen this on previous spreads but feel that it draws attention away from the spread meaning I will not include this on my spread.

This Lady Gaga spread caught my attention due to its power and poise of imagery in contrast to text, the layout is simple yet affective and similar to my double page spread layout. After seeing how successful a simple layout can be with a powerful image, this clarifys that sometimes less is more.

The Vaccines spread caught my attention due to the minor shapes and lines throughout the spread, the use of creatvity compliments the image and text providing an urban edge. I will therefore concider this for my spread.

Overall, my research shows that my use of Imagery is successful in having my main image taking up one page, or slightly over taking the second if need be and my text on the second page, with creative factors on both pages that personalise the spread.

Research; Conciderations when constructing a Double Page Spread

How is the build up from the Front cover to the Contents to the Double page Spread shown?

My contents page image in reference to the front cover is a combination of the Double page and the Front cover combined. In showing the bright red shoes which capture the attention on the cover along side the Vinyl record which is a main focus on my double page spread. This alerts the reader and lures them into the spread.

 

The use of language and text also presents the build up my pull quote on pages 1-2 of my spread will provide the reader with an insight on pages 3-4. Also the focus on Leyla Hills dominates my Front cover.

How is the Magazines identity and unified House style presented ?

From my Front cover to my Contents page the unified House style is shown in the continuation of the red,white and black colour scheme. The magazine logo will also shown on page 1-2 on my spread as the colour scheme does not continue.
 
Another consideration is the use of personalisation. My previous Research shows patterns and creative designs are used to personalise the spread.

Does my spread need to include Page numbers?

My research shows that the wider majority of spreads include page numbers. Spreads that consist of more than two pages tend to only have the first pages numbered. Whereas spreads that consist of two pages are both numbered.
 

How has language and colloquialism been adapted?

My previous research on Double page spread research provided me with an insight into the language and terminology used in Double page spread. My spread content consist of  explicit language such as "because it’s a pile of crap" and slang terminology such as "grotty".

Planning; Double Page flat plans

Double page spread flat plan pages 1-2

INITIAL Double page spread flat plan pages 3-4

 Pages 3-4 may need a alternative flat plan if any of my further research suggests a different layout for the main spread.

Contents Pages Final

Research; Contents Page further alterations

When finalising my construction after referring to my research, the layout of my pages still lacked structure and presentation of a Unified House Style. I then had to develop this even further.