Finished Piece and Preliminary

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

When creating my preliminary task I had a very basic understanding of how to use Photoshop, I didn't fully understand how to access the full potential the program had to offer, but after creating my preliminary I learnt some more skills within Photoshop, such as, applying blending options to text and pictures to add drop shadows, glow, etc.

I also did not have a very good understanding on how to use a camera efficiently to achieve the best possible photos, with the use of lighting, angle, distance etc. but after having taken the photos for my preliminary I grew a larger understanding on how to utilise these skills. When I took the photos for my preliminary task I did not use any lighting, whereas when I took the photo for my music magazine I used 2 lights to remove unwanted shadows, and also used a great angle and perspective to incorporate all of the models within the picture.

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

 I have learnt how to utilise the different tools available within Photoshop to create a professional looking media product. I did not know how to use many tools within Photoshop beforehand as I only had a very basic understanding of how to use the program, I often avoided using the program as I found it too difficult to use. However I now understand most of the tools available to me in Photoshop and understand how to use them to create a professional product.

I learnt how to use different types of brushes to add different effects to my magazine, on my front cover I painted on areas that I could write sell lines onto, such as the area about the exclusive interview, and at the bottom of the page on where it mentions a free poster. I also used this effect on my double page spread when I placed quotes onto

the page that were from within the article itself. This allowed me to make a more visually appealing article to draw in the reader. The effect of the running paint is similar to graffiti, and could stereotypically be represented with teenagers and their destructive natures, this effect fits in nicely with the image on my double page spread as it is of a teenager swinging a guitar through the air. 

I have also learnt about adjusting colours, brightness, contrast, etc on images, after having taken some of my photos, I wanted to make some of the brighter, and some darker, so I was able to adjust my images accordingly to create these effects, the two images at the top of my contents page both consist of adjustments to brightness, contrast, hue and saturation.

Through the use of shapes and adjusting layers I was able to make my photos appear to have frames, this can be seen on my poster special on my contents page as I have arranged the layers to create a 3D effect.

I also learnt how to take better looking photos. I originally had no understanding of how to use a camera to generate professional quality imagery, but after my preliminary I learnt to use lighting and better angles to create high quality images.

Evaluation - How did you attract/address your audience?

I feel that I attracted my target audience from my front cover using various conventions such as sell lines, imagery, colours, and central image. I feel that my sell lines appeal primarily to my more adult audience as this will appeal to their cognitive and perhaps even release needs, these sell lines may also help attract my teenage audience for social integrative needs. My central image will directly attract my teenage audience as the models in the image are teenagers which will help me to draw the attention of this half of my audience. I aimed to keep my colour scheme quite dark, using a dark red and black primarily, not only to fit in with the general rock genre of my magazine, but to also emphasise that this magazine is not childish, as if I had used brighter colours, I feel my magazine would have been deemed more a children's magazine, especially alongside my central image.

Within my contents page I aimed to ensure I addressed both my young and more mature audience. The top half of the page consists of primarily imagery to attract my teenage audience, whereas the bottom half consists of primarily text to address my adult audience. However my teenage audience may also be drawn in by the bottom half of the page for social integrative needs, by listing lots of different things within my magazine it will give the impression to the reader that the magazine is packed with information, also drawing in my audience to appeal there cognitive needs.

Similarly to my contents page, my double page spread consisted of an even ratio of images to text, one half of the page consisted of an image, whilst the other consisted of text. The article could primarily be aimed at teenagers to appeal to their social integrative needs and cognitive needs as the article is focused on a teenage band, however the article could still draw the attention of my adult audience to appeal to their cognitive and maybe even release needs. 

Evaluation - Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience for my magazine is teenagers and adults; I decided upon this target audience as my magazine resembles Kerrang, Kerrang also has a very similar audience. I have also chosen upon this audience as the models available to me were all teenagers, this would make it easier for me to direct my magazine to a teenage audience but as I also wanted to incorporate a more adult audience for my magazine, I needed to ensure my magazine had features that would appeal to an adult audience.


As I was also aiming to appeal to an adult audience I ensured to fill my contents page with a number of different page references to a variety of different topics to allow my magazine to appeal to my adult audiences cognitive needs, I felt that an adult audience would be more interested in reading up about a certain topic than just simply viewing images of it, especially as all of my images consist of teenage models which will not attract my adult audience. To keep consistency throughout my magazine, my contents page and double page spread both consist of an even mix of text and images to draw in both readers, particularly aimed at my adult audience as I feel they will be harder to draw the attention of as my magazine originally appears to primarily be targeted at a teenage audience due to the central image on the cover.

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

My magazine closely resembles Kerrang, which is published by the Bauer Media Group. The Bauer Media Group also publish Q magazine, because of this, I may struggle to get them to distribute my magazine, especially considering this part of the market is already catered for by Kerrang. I may be able to get IPC media, the publishers of NME to distribute my magazine as my magazine is directed to a different genre of music to that of NME and they may take my magazine on board as competitor to Kerrang.

IPC media is the UK's leading consumer magazine and digital publisher, IPC media currently only distributes two different music magazines in the country, NME, and Uncut, another rock magazine, Uncut, appears to attract an adult audience whereas my magazine caters for teenagers and adults containing a range of conventions to draw in both age groups, I feel that this means that my magazine would be ideal for IPC media to distribute as they are the leading distributer for consumer magazines, my magazine contains a lot of information on a number of different topics and uses different conventions to convey this to reader, my magazine could be published alongside Uncut as a partner magazine so that both age groups are being drawn in by IPC media.

Evaluation - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product primarily represents teenagers, particularly through the imagery that I have used, this is because the models available to me were all teenagers but this is not a problem as this will help me to attract teenage readers to my magazine as they will see the focus of the magazine is teenagers and may help to create a connection between the reader and the magazine.

My magazine may not represent teenagers entirely in a positive light; the image I have used on my double page spread may give the impression that teenagers are destructive as it shows one teenager about to hit the ground with a bass guitar. However this may be a negative representation in the eyes of my more adult audience, but could help me attract my younger audience as the image provides a feel of rebellion. This destructive image however could help me attract my male audience as males are stereotypically perceived as being aggressive and destructive.

The language used within my magazine is informative which will help me attract my more adult audience, whilst the imagery helps attract my teenage audience, the primary content of my magazine is more formal and mature to help appeal to the adult audience and help construct the image that my magazine is professional.