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.

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

When I created my final product I aimed to make it look as professional as I could by following codes and conventions of other media magazines. I got the inspiration for my magazine from Kerrang, after having researched into the front covers of Kerrang, Q, and, NME. Out of these three magazines I preferred the front covers used for Kerrang the most as the cover of this magazine was similar to what I was aiming for with my own piece. I used similar effects within my magazine to that seen in the Kerrang front cover, contents, and double page spread that my researched was based on.

When researching the codes and conventions used within music magazines I noticed that a common convention within the front covers of magazines was that the central image was often placed over the masthead of the magazine to create a three dimensional effect to the reader, I decided to use this convention within my own magazine as my original intention was to create a magazine that looked professional and followed conventions of that seen in existing magazines.

I have chosen to use a bold font for the masthead as this helps me establish the name of the magazine to the reader and as this is a new magazine I feel that this would be a good convention to use for my magazine.

I decided to name my magazine "RENDER", I decided upon this name as it is a very creative word, and what I have created is a new magazine for an audience of teens and adults, I also feel this name is quite masculine and my magazine aims primarily to a male audience due to its choice of colours and artists.

The colour scheme seen on the front cover is consistent throughout my entire magazine to give a professional image to the magazine, I have used a dark red and black as my two primary colours in my magazine, I feel these dark colours attract the reader's attention and also create an interesting house style for my magazine. I have used different colours and fonts for my sell lines however as I want these to stand out to the reader, by making these different from the overall house style of the magazine I feel that it makes them more eye catching to the reader and will draw the attention of the readers who are aiming to appeal there cognitive needs. 

The central image used consists of a teenage band sitting on a staircase; I felt that this setting created an interesting image for the front cover rather than a simple photograph against a white screen. I aimed to make the image quite bright, whilst this goes against the photographs seen in the magazine that I researched, in my own magazine I didn't want the central image to be too dark, so I applied lighting at the top of the stair case and at the bottom, the light at the bottom was slightly dimmer than the top light so that the image gets slightly darker from top to bottom. Although in all of the front covers I researched the band was almost always looking directly into the camera creating direct mode of address which helps to suggest a connection between the artists and the reader.

My header and footer consist of sell lines and additional information as to what the reader is likely to find within the magazine, this will help me to reinforce the idea that my magazine is packed with information to help appeal to my audience’s cognitive needs and also there release needs. 

I have divided my contents page into 3 different sections, the primary contents is at the bottom right, the main content and focus of the magazine is addressed to the reader with images of the two focus bands and smaller articles on famous bands are presented in the bottom left.

I have listed the contents in columns to make navigation through the text easier for the readers; I have also used different colours for the page number, main header, and brief explanation of what the reader can expect to find on that page, I have done this to make it clear to the reader and appealing to read.

As my target audience incorporated teenagers I decided to use an even mix of pictures and text as I felt that pictures of a band that my audience are interested in reading about, will more likely draw them into reading it, so I used the top half of the contents page primarily pictures, and the bottom half primarily text to reinforce the idea that my magazine is not just aimed at teenagers. I feel the bottom half of the contents page will help to attract my more adult audience as the text provides a variety of different topics for the audience to read about and will help them to fulfil their cognitive needs.

My double page spread also consists of an even mixture between pictures and text, one half of the page is an image of a teen swinging a guitar through the air, and another is of a teen standing looking directly at the camera to provide direct mode of address, this is a common convention seen in many media magazines, in the Kerrang double page spreads I researched into, one consisted of a single artist, and the other contained a group, I decided to focus on the double page spread containing the group as my article was not focused on a single artist.

My double page spread was primarily aimed at my teenage audience as the article focuses on a teenage band who have been head hunted for the line up to reading, this double page spread focuses on addressing my audiences cognitive, and social integrative needs. Whilst this page is primarily aimed at a teenage audience, the article could still draw in my adult audience to appeal to their cognitive needs.

I have incorporated 2 different pull out quotes from within the article in the double page spread to draw in the reader and grab their attention, I have done this to pull in the reader who may be just passing by and to also entice readers who are interested in the band to read the article.

Finished Product - Double Page Spread

This is my final draft for my double page spread, I am pleased with the outcome of this page. I like the quotations that have been extracted from the article as I feel they help me to draw in the reader, I am also pleased that this is consistent with the colour scheme used throughout my contents page

Chosen and edited photos for double page spread

This is the photo i have chosen to use for my double page spread, because of this I will need to alter the style of my double page spread as I do not feel it will be fitting for this picture to be used with it. I will most likely use a similar style to the other double page spread from kerrang that I looked at in my research.

Chosen and edited photos for contents page

These are the photos I will be using in the contents page on my magazine. The images on the left will be used at the top of the contents page as images of artists that are within the magazine. The images on the left will be used for a sell line near the bottom of the magazine as a "Poster special".

Chosen and edited photos for front cover

This is the photo I will be using for my front cover, I feel the setting of this photo is ideal for my front cover.

Finished Product - Contents Page

Here is the final draft of my contents page, this now includes all of my photos that I have decided to use and the edited text to suit the new pictures, I have also used a sell line in the bottom right "Poster Special" This also uses my own photos, I feel this will help attract my teenage audience.

Finished Product - Front Page

Here is the final draft for my front cover, containing my photos and different text to suit the new band on the front cover.

Final Artist - Alana

 Here is my final set of photos (before editing) for my
music magazine of a solo artist called "Alana". 

Addition Insignia photos

 These are some additional photos I have of the band
Insignia, I will likely use a selection of these photos if I decide to use this band to write a double page spread about.