Double page spread final draft

Evaluation Question 7

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

I feel that my preliminary task is alot different to mymusic magazine. Just in the ways that i have learnt new styles of making magazines and editing things in different ways to make it alot better and more effective.

My prelim task was very simple in the way i went about everything, as in the colours that i used, and the limited amount of editing that i did. This made it look very cheap and like someone without a lot of Photoshop experience did it. The ways in which i editied images of people that i had for my school magazine was very simple, as i hardly did any image manipulation> whereas in my music magazine, i did alot of work on the images as i wanted to make them perfect like what they look like in the big magazines that are around.

I spent alot more time on my music magazine than i did on my school one. This was because we had more to do on the music one and had nore editing and that to do, whereas in the school magazine, it was quite simple to do the work, even though i didnt really know how to use some of the technology we had available.

The main differences between my preliminary task and my final pieces are the amount of space that i have left on the pages. With my school magazine front cover, there is alot of open space which could be filled for more information to be added to help the reader have a good understanding of what is going on in the magazine. Whereas in Replay, i have used the space efficiently, so that the reader can have a good idea of what the magazine contains. Also i used one big image for my school magazine background, which shows how i didnt have much knowledge of Photoshop, as i wouldve preffered to cut the image out and put him on another background, like what i have done for Replay. This way the main image can take up more of the page rather than just being in the corner and not looking very important.

Also the fonts on the school page are very simple and kind of hard to see, whereas in Replay they are very prominant and very easy for the reader to pick up. The main articles are alot brighter than the articles of less importance, this way the reader will immediately see the main features and this would keep them interested and make them want to read on through the magazine. Al of the different faded touches that have been added to the music magazine, give it that extra bit of elegance and class to make it see more like a authentic magazine. This was down to hours of hard work trying out different things on Photoshop and it all paid off. Whereas in the school magazine, it didnt take as long and not as much experimenting took place, which makes the magazine look quite simple and slightly cheap.

The music magazine had artificial lighting added to it to make the most out of the models look. Also it was tampered with in Photoshop to make the perfect look for the magazine, with a slight touch of gloss added to it. However in the school magazine, it is all natural lighting and the image was not manipulated as much as the other image. As the image gets manipulated, it gives it that more authentic look and gives the model that feeling of perfection, which is what most famous musicians are thought of as. One thing that i used in both images was the spot healing tool, this gets rid of any blemishes on the face, this gives it more of an airbrushed look and adds to that perfection look that i was looking for.

It is the same story with the two contents pages. The school one is very bare with not alot of writing or images on it, whereas the music one is filled from each corner to corner with writing, images and general shapes added to make it look better. The school magazine is the colours of the schools colours, but i feel i coudve done that alot better if i had the knowledge of photoshop that i have now. I compared my music contents page with those that are in stores now and it is quite similar and i feel that it is of the same standard. Same again with the front page, as i didnt do much image manipulating, however i did do some to the school one, but i dont feel it is as effective as the music magazine one. Also the fonts are very simple in both magazines, however i feel it is very effective in the music one, whereas in the school one it isnt as effective, because the two colours dont go as well like the music one. The amount of text involved in the music one compared to the school one is also very different, even though there isnt much to write about the school, compared to music, it shoudve had some more to atleast fill the page up. I think the inexperience i had of Photoshop at the start of the year was the factor for the two magazines being completely different from one another. If i had the same knowledge, then i feel i coudve made a better school magazine which would be up at the same level as my music magazine.

I feel that i have learnt alot about Adobe Photoshop just from the general day to day use of it. Also i have learnt many key technquies that i would need for the future if i was to make music magazines. I have to make most of the space i have on the page and make sure i dont leave any gaps which make it look bare. Try and get as much info in as possible without making the page look too loud as in having too much of one thing without another. The tools that i have picked up and am able to use with relative ease now will also help. I can use them quickly and not spend too much time messing about with one part of the picture which is what i done with my school magazine, whereas now i can do things together at a good steady speed and get more work done, which is what i have achieved whilst doing my Music magazine.

Evaluation Question 6

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

This i the recommended process that should be used when it comes to creating a music magazine as this is what the major music magazines have stuck to.

The print process of these magazines would be very similar to those that are in the market these days. This way the magazine can be of the same quality as big named brands and would sell in vast amounts. Then you will have to select a firm to join with.Magazine Publisher understands one of the most important decisions made by a publisher is selecting their printing partner. When creating a magazine, these 3 factors should be taken into account. Time-With deadlines, print schedules, and advertisers late submissions - days cut off the finishing cycle can make a great final impact. Money- Every pound saved on pre-press, printing, and mailing is profit in your corporate account. Quality- Magazine Publisher offers quality Newsstand style (Heat set web) magazine print options.

Then you will need to get a Print Rep. Your assigned Print Rep will contact or visit you introducing themselves and give you an overview of the press facilities.The Print Rep will become your one-on-one permanent sales contact and can service all your publication needs as your title evolves. Then you have to prepare and submit your digital files for print. This is critical factor in preparing a quality digital file that is in hi-resolution format that will deliver a quality magazine publication. It is recommended that you are clear on the files preparation before you build your magazine layout which can avoid any possible delays in print file submission. The major types of programmes that re generally submitted in magazine layouts are: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe in-Design, Quark express and Hi-Res PDF's.

Then you will have to approve of colour proofs. This is where everything is read over and proof read so that no mistakes are there for when it is ready to be sent off to the printers. Also colours would be checked to see if they all go well together and just to check whether everything in general is ready to be printed. A customer Serive rep will be assigned. They will be there to track and service your publication from the arrival of digital files through the print and bindery cycle preparing all the final shipping and mailing documents for your magazine.

Then you come to the most important part of the process, which is the printing. Magazine Publisher's technical expertise and commitment to innovation ensures your access to the latest technologies in magazine production and printing. High speed, full web color offset presses produce your title on printing systems that expand publications flexibility and deliver quality finished magazine titles often amazingly fast. This way you can get the best of what your magazine has to offer to the public to read and enjoy. Then it is time to send off your magazine all over the country so that the shops can distribute them to customers. This whole process would take about 10 days, depending on what technology and equipment that is available to the publisher.

From this whole process i feel i have learnt quite alot of what actually happens when magazines are processed. I didnt know that there was so much to do with creating it, but since i started, i have picked up all of these techniques and feel i would be able to create one myself if i had the right equipment.

I have also realised that technology has alot to do with how they are created because it involves alot of work with computes and different types of programmes used to manipulate images and make different layouts.

In my two images above of people are the pictures that i started off with and what my final piece was. I coudnt have done this without all the technology that i had to manipulate images and just create a general look to make the magazine look realistic.

The technolgy used is very hard to use when you are not used to it, but when you pick it up and start learning more and more and then know where all the key tools ae then it is very easy to do. For a beginner a front page could take weeks, but for someone with a lot of experience, it coul just take a couple of days, just sorting out where you want everything to make it look as best as possible is the toughest part of creating it.

Using photoshop is very easy for me now, i can use the smudge tool, spot healing brush, free transform, red eye, etc. All very easily, this is due to practice and watching many help videos which are posted on youtube. Also In-Design i have picked up, not as much as Photoshop, because i have spent alot longer on Photoshop, but still i can do things on In-Design that i didnt think that i would pick up at the start of the year.

Evaluation Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?


I attracted my audience letting everyone know about it and its features and articles. I made it as similar to the real thing as possible so that people would prefer to buy my one ahead of others. Of course i added my own unique touches to make it my own magazine otherwise it would be copying which was not the task set.


The main target audience i am going for is that of people of the age from about 15 and above. This links in teenagers with the adult world and they can get a good feel of what adults like to read as they become one themselves.


The magazine would be posted all over social websites and television programmes, also it can be mentioned throughout radio stations which are the genre of music that the magazine is about. This way, the more press it gets the higher the magazine sales would be.


Writing about what the readers would be interested in is also another way to get alot of readers, as if they see an article that affects them , they would be more likely to purchase it as they would want to read more into it and see what other people have been affected or even read about it to get more information.


Another way to attract a huge audience for the magazine is by word of mouth. once people get talking about this magazine, more and more people would be interested in what it is about and then want to purchase it. As long as people are constantly talking about it, then the chances of the sales increasing is very high.


Also the audience would have to be kept interested throughtout the whole magazine, so many featured articles that the reader would be interested in are put into the magazine so that they wont lose interest and would want to buy the next issue once it is out. This would help to attract a higher audience as when people read it and enjoy it, they would tell their friends who in turn would buy the magazine and be pleased with their purchase.


The school pupils will be kept interested in the magazine with weekly competitions in which they have to get the next weeks issue to find out who has won the main prize. This way they would be looking forward to purchasing it, and whilst this is going on they would read the rest of the magazine and take more interest in school.

Interesting reviews and interviews with pupils and teachers would also keep them interested so that pupils find out what teachers actually do out of school times, which is what all kids want to know. Each week would be a different teacher, so they would look forward to each issue to find out their secrets.

Evaluation Question 3

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

I feel that many big shops and supermarkets will distribute this magazine as it would be very successful. I have made them as closely linked to the magazines in the industry at this present time without copying them exactly as this is lillegal. This way i feel that i would make alot of sales as these magazines i have got ideas off of are very successful in their own unique way.

This magazine is meant to be a top quality music magazine which would easily be placed in stores and could sell very well like other big music magazines. I tried to make it as similar as possible to the other types without being a carbon copy. I gave it my own touches of inspiration which i thought gave it that extra edge ahead of other magazines on the market.



I feel that the magazine can be easily placed in stores and also can replace some magazines that are in the industry at this very moment.



The image i have used here is a very simple image of a friend. he is meant to represent the sterotypical musician. I have used him because i feel that he does represent that in some way. All music magazines have a main headline including a big picture of the person that it is about and this is what i have done in the magazine. The image is meant to show the reader what musicians ae like these days compared to what they have been percieved to be like a few years ago, where they were completely different, from the days of Elvis.




Magazines such as NME, Q and Kerrang would be classed in the same way as Replay, well that is what i am aiming for. I want them to be as close together as possible just like they are with eachother at this precise moment. This way they can be sold in the same way and the first music magazine that they think of would be Replay if it sells enough.



The print process of these magazines would be very similar to those that are in the market these days. This way the magazine can be of the same quality as big named brands and would sell in vast amounts. Then you will have to select a firm to join with. Magazine Publisher understands one of the most important decisions made by a publisher is selecting their printing partner. When creating a magazine, these 3 factors should be taken into account. Time-With deadlines, print schedules, and advertisers late submissions - days cut off the finishing cycle can make a great final impact. Money- Every pound saved on pre-press, printing, and mailing is profit in your corporate account. Quality- Magazine Publisher offers quality Newsstand style (Heat set web) magazine print options.



Then you will need to get a Print Rep. Your assigned Print Rep will contact or visit you introducing themselves and give you an overview of the press facilities.The Print Rep will become your one-on-one permanent sales contact and can service all your publication needs as your title evolves. After all of this you would follow the steps in evaluation question 6 and then you can produce your final music magazine.

The school magazine would very simply be distributed by schools for their pupils and parents.

Evaluation Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?



Replay is going to be a magazine for teenagers and above. i want them to be able to feel that they are involved in the adult world with all whats going on and those types of things that they usually feel left out on. From about the age of 16 and above because it would involve some types of adult themes but not strong enough that needs to be seen with parental guidance.



The readers would have to be interested in RnB music as this is the type of magazine that it is going to be. However some other parts of the magazine anyone can relate to as it is general day to day stuff of what famous musicians get up to in their spare time. This way i can get a wider audience to read the magazine which in turn would increase sales and popularity of Replay.



I also want this magazine to be sold in clothing shops, specific to ones that Musicians in the RnB world would shop at so the readers could purchase the magazine as if they are already at that shop then they already take an interest in the genre of the magazine.


The main types of television programmes that are related to the magazine are those that are on the music channels. I want the magazine to be posted all over the big programmes so that when people are watching the programme, they would see it and then instantly want to buy it.

However i also feel that people of an older nature will be able to relate to the magazine quite easily. This is because the content involved in the magazine can be for people of all ages with the interviews and stuff they have. This way the magazine sales would be alot of higher if the target audience varies between all ages.


For my school magazine, my target audience would be people that attend the school and have a connection with the school. this way they would be in the know how of what is going on at school and always updated. I tried to make the magazine as easy as possible for the children of the younger years relate to as well as their parents being able to pick it up and have a keen interest.

The magazine would keep children posted on what is going at their school in the easiest way possible. A weekly newsletter would help them to understand more about the school and help them get involved in more social activites that take place at their very own school that they woudnt have known about without the newsletter.

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Posture:

In both of the pictures, they are both centered in the screen and they are both standing. The two stances are not exactly the same as in my picture, Jerry has his arms folded and Nelly in the other magazine background image has one hand in his pocket and the other on his neck. They both don't have a very good posture as both of them have a slight tilt in their necks. This also gives of the effect that it is more natural rather than both models being stiff and robotic.

Gesture:

The two images both have very simple gestures as they are not doing much in the pictures. In my image, Jerry is just standing there without any emotion with his arms folded and Nelly is looking casual whilst posing for the camera. They are both looking straight into the camera, which shows the interest towards taking the picture rather than looking away, which would make them seem uninterested and the reader would not feel as if they would want to read the main article as they already know that the person is uninterested in being there.

Angle:

In both images, there isn't much of an angle to the pictures. They are both centered and taken from a level angle. Some other magazines would take a picture from below or above to add an extra effect to the picture, but in these two, there is no such angle. I feel that this way, it gives the people more importance as they have been centered and are the main attraction of the front cover and take over most of the magazine. Different angles can also be used to go with the theme of a magazine. Say for example if your magazine was called From The Top, you can have a picture taken from above which would also add an extra effect to show that the title can have two meanings.

Shot Type:

My image i have used is a medium close up, which means from the waist upwards. This is a commonly used trend in magazines as the most important part of a person is the waist upwards, unless the magazine is showing off jeans and shoes, then a long shot could be used. However as this is a music magazine, a medium close up is more than adequate. However in the picture of Nelly, it is a mix between a medium close up and a long shot, as half of his trousers are shown. They showed his trousers to show the undone belt buckle which adds to the laid back effect of the rapper.

Lighting:

Both images are very similar in the way they are lighted. The backgrounds are quite dark, but it is lighted well just behind the models heads, which is the most important part of them. This way the face seems more predominant than the rest of the body, which is the aim of most photographers. The rest of the body is darker than the face area, but it isn't that dark so people can't see it. However if the pictures were lightened too much, then it would ruin the image and take away the readers attention to the light patches on the picture, which is not the aim of the magazine. You want to be able to see every part of it at the same level of brightness.

Costumes:

Both of them are wearing very simple casual clothes. It shows that they don't have to put that much effort in to try and make a good music magazine cover. Simple works as long as the model is well known. Jerry is just wearing a black shirt, which is meant to go with the name of the band, The Black Polos. The black shirt gives the sophisticated but cool look which most drummers have about them. Nelly is just wearing a vest and trousers. This is meant to show how he is laid back in life and has no worries. Also it is to show off his arms and tattoos he has. Also the trouser with the belt buckle undone gives off a laid back look as well, but maybe even shows a lazy side to him. This can also give off the image that he is a confident person who doesn't mind letting his trousers hang low as he doesn't care what people think of him, he has his own style.

Expression:

Jerry and Nelly both have very simple looks on their faces. They have no expression, which shows that aren't really too bothered about getting their photo taken as they both are used to it. Just looking into the camera with no expression is probably the most used expression that is used in magazines as sometimes a smile makes them look innocent and that is not the impression that they are trying to give to the public. As they both look straight into the camera, it shows that they have an air of confidence and they want to look straight into the readers eye and this way the attention of the public gets caught straight away as they look straight into their eyes.

Hair:

Not much to comment about the hair as they have very simple haircuts. Nothing too flashy as you can see in some magazine front covers. For example Lady Gagas or La Rouxs hairs. The simple effect shows that they don't care what they do with their hair, because they know that they will still look good if they don't do it. This could be a sign of confidence but maybe even arrogance which is what most rappers and musicians have. Both have flat black hair, which is not too extravagant, simple but effective.

Hand Positioning:

Hand positions are very useful for a way to tell what a person is like. Most of the time if the hands are hidden or set in an awkward way, it shows that they are quite shy and don't want to be there. However in these two pictures, one of them has their arms folded and the other has one hand in his pocket and the other behind his neck. This brings through the confidence of the people as they are happy to place their hands wherever. A good hand positioning can tell a lot about the persons attitude to what they are doing, in the two pictures, you can tell that they don't mind being there as they both look like they are enjoying it as they are finding everything that they do quite easy.