Evaluation Question 7

Evaluation Question 6

Over the course of the production of my music magazine my technological skills have improved no end, particularly using software and hardware I would not have been exposed to otherwise. I have also learnt a great deal about presenting work using a number of methods online that makes my Portfolio far more visually pleasing. The technologies  have used are as follows:



I used Adobe InDesign for most of the year to create my preliminary task (School Magazine Cover) and my final task (Music Magazine Pages). When I began using Adobe InDesign I found it difficult to use, but with some help and demonstrations as well as a great deal of trial and error on my School Magazine Cover, I found it much easier to use when it came to creating my Music Magazine. Much of the production process was spent on this application, and I found it highly useful as it allowed me to become even more creative and experimental in producing my pages.






I used Blogger from the beginning of the year I recording my every step from the market research phases, to actually creating my music magazine pages. This form of application was alien to me at the tart of the year as although I have used various social networking sites before, I was not a fan of online blogging. My mind was changed however soon after first using it when I found it to be an easy way of recording my ideas, using a diverse range of tools such as videos, photos, powerpoint presentations and prezi posts for example. I found this particularly useful in this evaluation stage to be able to look back with ease at my thought process throughout the production stages.

I had no prior experience of Adobe Photoshop before my AS Media Course, and so I originally found it a complicated tool to use. Thankfully after a few demonstration lessons I was able to utilise it to benefit my magazine pages. I mostly used photoshop on my final task, where I removed the backgrounds of a number of photos including the Main Image for my Front Cover. Although I found this to be a laborious task, I did see the benefits on the final product as I felt it enhanced the quality of my images, giving them a more professional look. Because of the time consuming nature of this program I adjusted the filming locations of my article photos to incorporate a blank background so as to be more efficient in producing the images for my magazine pages.






Prezi was a ground breaking piece of equipment I used in both presenting the findings of my market research and answering evaluation questions as two examples. The program allows you to use a diverse number of patterns and animations to invigorate your presentations, beyond other more boring and rudimentary products. The addition of this to my arsenal has made my presentations far more visually pleasing.







Throughout the production process I have been introduced to a number of pieces of software, hardware and programs that have meant I have been able to create my music magazine pages efficiently in a number of ascetically pleasing ways, which has introduced me to the workings of the production side of the media industry, Along the way I have learnt a great deal about photo shoots and the importance of camera angles and the inclusion of props to get the best images possible.

Evaluation Question 5

Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 3

 

 

What Kind Of Media

Institution Might Distribute

Your Product & Why?

 

 

If my music magazine were to be published, I would use a number of institutions to maximise it's potential by distributing it to it's target audience. The first of these companies would be the Bauer Media Group.

 

 

Bauer was founded in 1875 in Hamburg Germany and since then has grown to become a multinational media group. Bauer's slogan "We Think Popular" adequately sums up why they'd be the perfect candidate to produce my product: a company with their fingers firmly on the pulse of all that is great and good and popular about the media industry. The recognition and prestige of Bauer would nourish my product and help it grow. Bauer own over 300 titles, meaning they have a strangle hold on the market place with majority ownership. This means that Bauer producing my product would ensure it is competitive with other big selling brands on the market, ensuring it's longevity. Of it's 300 titles, Bauer owns many house hold names such as Kerrang!, Q and Empire. The prestige of these titles would mean my product would become far more lucrative for a potential buyer, therefore increasing it's appeal and ultimately expanding it's readership. Bauer is a multi platform brand owning many  TV & Radio Stations as well having a major input on the internet. This is a crucial weapon in promoting my product to a wider audience, appealing directly to the technophile nature of younger target audiences interested in interactive content. Lastly Bauer operates in 15 countries around the Globe. This would make my product infinitely successful due to the dramatic increase in market.

Secondly I would consider using Time Inc. to distribute my product. Time Inc. are the largest publisher of magazines in America, with a total annual profit exceeding $2.4Billion. As a division of the Time Warner company formed in 1990, they publish 130 magazines, most popular
of all being "TIME" magazine. I believe my product has a huge potential to become successful in the American market due to a number of reasons including it's comprehensive coverage of some of the world's most popular music genres and it's championing of some of the biggest bands in music history. Therefore for this to become a reality, the involvement of such a prestigious and successful company would be of great importance.




Last company I would use to distribute my product would be Frontline. Frontline is Great Britain's largest distribution company and so would prove an ideal candidate to distribute my product.


Frontline are an important business partner for Bauer, as they distribute 160 of their magazines, 58 of them being in the top 200 selling titles in Great Britain. I therefore would see the involvement of Frontline in the production and distribution of my product being of paramount importance.



 



 

 



Evaluation Question 2

 

 

How Does The Media Product Represent A

Particular Social Group?

 

 

When I began my research for my music magazine, I discovered that I wanted to champion the legends of Indie/Rock/Brit Pop scene. I wanted to bring them to a younger market of roughly 16-25 year olds. My magazine would also focus on the modern equivalent of these idols, bringing them to market of 38-48 year old, which I felt would also appeal to the younger target audience at the same time. Ultimately the publication I would produce would provide a comprehensive view of the genres selected. Therefore I would have to represent a variety of ages and social groups in my magazine, which I felt I did in a number of ways.

 

 

 

 

 

 The Front Cover appeals to the target audience in the same ways that Q Magazine does, as the text is largely informal, details of a variety of features & artists appear, and universally popular contemporary artists appear as the main focus of the Cover. I chose to deviate from the latter by extending the coverage to "older" artists to appeal to both ends of my target audience.

 I took inspiration for the facial expressions of my models from the Q Cover featuring Jay Z. as it is a Close Up of his face, the emphasis is on his facial expressions. We can see here how he's frowning, suggesting he's unhappy about something, or perhaps he is displaying his famed cocky care free "c'est la vie" attitude which could arguably display how he's become comfortable with his surroundings and where he is in his career. The Models featured on my Cover give off the same cocky, care free vibe which represents the constant partying attitude of my younger target audience.



Through the body language of the models I displayed a "bad boy" image to the group. The band are seen smirking, showing they have little or no respect for authority. They also have their arms crossed, suggesting impatience, showing a boyish arrogance to the group. This attitude, and one's described in the above paragraph are also reciprocated throughout the genres of BritPop/Rock &Indie, in the bands as well as the groups of fans who follow them. I believe therefore that the facial expressions and the body language of the models represent the social groups that follow Britpop & Rock music.

 

 

 

 The colour schemes of both "MELODY" and Q Magazine represent the genre and subsequent social groups. One colour scheme (usually focussing around red and black) is selected, and stuck to across the cover. This perhaps shows the "no nonsense" approach to music and life in general of bands and the music enthusiasts that follow this genre. This idea is followed through in the organised structure of the Cover, however this is more seen in MOJO Magazine, where it possibly represents how their target audience (roughly 35+) prefer to listen to music in it's purest form (often seeing bands live), using more traditional forms (on records, without modern developments such as iTunes).








Artists of both genders also appear on the Cover. This appeals to the politically active nature of followers of Indie music, who are concerned with a number of social issues such as equality for example. The fact that there is an equal representation on the Cover "MELODY" and other music magazines on the market shows how social groups and followers of music are concerned with identity.





The clothing of the models on my Contents Page are equally important in the representation of the target audiences of my music magazine. The prop of the acoustic guitar suggests connotations of singing songs round a camp fire, maybe on a beach. This idea represents freedom; a popular image for younger generations, which therefore represents my target audience. This idea is carried on in the provocative "War Is Over" prop. Here this represents how young people question social issues around them as they become more enlightened through education.









 The clothing of this model is fashionable and therefore appeals to the vanity of the younger generation. The clothing here represents again how fashion is equally important in the modern era, as it was in the sixties and seventies.







I have also appeared to the a younger target audience through the promotion of social networks and websites. This inclusion benefits the brand as it makes it consistent with other titles on the market adopting a similar approach in becoming multi platform brands. Therefore this expansion of services with the technological boom represents the needs of the younger, computer savvy, generation who could be considered a technophile. Practically every other music magazine on the market has had to move towards an inclusion of social media and modern technology for their product to attract and maintain readers in order to survive in a cut throat market place. Examples include Kerrang & Q introducing their own TV Stations.







The wide variety of artists and bands covered in the Contents Pages appeals to the "music enthusiast". These types of fans are ordinarily identified by their love of live music, necessity to collect B- Sides as well as live recordings as well purchasing high volumes of records outside their preferred genre. "Music Enthusiasts" are typically in the ABC1 income bracket and are described as a more "mature music fan". Therefore this diverse selection of bands on offer represents my older target audience. Kerrang also include a wide range of reading materials in order to cater for their younger target audiences thirst for knowledge, particularly with their favoured genre.














The props of the blazers represent the importance of fashion in social groups such as Mods &  Rockers. The band t-shirts also displays how the youth feel the need to assert their musical tastes on their surrounding environment, therefore representing followers of the Punk Scene for example. I felt also that the fact that their pictures appear as four individual close up shots represents the individuality and need to express personality of my younger target audience. The Mod target symbol also represents the older target audience of my publication as it pays homage to the sixties London scene as well as the Mod movement. MOJO magazine often pays tribute to iconography in this way, mostly through references within interviews and props in photoshoots to represent their target audience.









The mode of address through out my magazine pages was light and informal, using with & humour to engage with the target audience. Q Magazine use this technique to give the impression that the reader is equal to the journalist's intellect, can match their music knowledge and their opinions are as equally valid. I used a number of colloquialisms, slang and expletives to engage with the target audience further as it represents the way they speak and address one another, particularly friends. This also personifies the rock and roll lifestyle and attitudes of amny of the bands featured in "MELODY" and other magazines on the market such a NME and Q. Examples of this can be seen throughout my pages. Kerrang adopt a similar approach in their mode of address to engage with a similarly youthful target audience.



 

 



Evaluation Question 1

On the previous post I have included a Prezi detailing the final stage of production on my Front Cover. The time span for this development stretches from Monday the 24th March to Thursday the 3rd of April.

Above is my Contents Page with the inclusion of yet more Subsidiary images, along with a completed Front Cover in the top right corner of the page. I have tried to stick to the overall concept of Publication in the remaining Subsidiary images by including props such as leather jackets, crucifixes and guitars to give a rock and roll influence to the photos. I have also finally extended the Preview Section by removing the image box.

I have now began adding in both images from the Front Cover and subsidiary images to the my Contents Page. I decided to take the image of the model holding the "War Is Over" sign outdoors, to show the artist has a caring side, particularly towards nature. She may possibly be on a protest march. The sentiment "War Is Over" is controversial and eye catching and suggests folk, indie and hippy connotations as well as being inspired by John Lennon & Yoko Ono. The props of the sun glasses and hat finish off this chic spiritual look which I feel complements the concept for the image.

To accompany the addition of the Preview Section on the opposing page, I have now added a box with Contact Details for the editor of the magazine including Mail, Phone and E-mail addresses. I felt that this range of contact points would appeal to older and younger members of my target audience, both who favour either more traditional or modern methods of communication. This I felt again would add to the Participation link between the magazine and it's audience. I have also begun adding images to my Contents page.

Page numbers have now been added to each image on my Contents Page. This was inspired by an edition of Q magazine, and I feel it offers a creative alternative to simply listing each article in the magazine. I've updated the page numbers in each column of articles to be consistent with those used on the images. I also feel they now stand out more effectively, and are therefore more pleasing to the reader. Finally a "preview" section has been included. This provides insight on upcoming live gigs and festivals, which is something that proved popular amongst my target audience in the Questionnaire completed during the market research stages of production.



I have now moved forward with my Contents Pages by adding space for a further subsidiary image. I have also added an image of the cover in the top right hand corner of the Contents Page, in an attempt to replicate a similar feature used in other well known music magazines. the Cover image seen above is a mere example and will be replaced by the finished product once completed. I have also added the Masthead in each corner at the bottom of the pages, as well as the page number and issue date. Finally I have added the website to create a multi platform image for the brand, that appeals particularly to the younger section of my target audience, who can be considered mostly technophiles.



In my "Regulars" section I have given the Publication a diverse selection of features. The "Mail Bag" section is a popular feature in many music magazines, and is one many ways a magazine encourages Participation with it's audience. This is one of the four ways (including Support, Status and Trust) that a magazine engages with it's audience. The Fashion Analysis section gives the impression that the magazine is about more than just the iconic music, but the image that accompanied it too. The "Magic Melody Moments" section is one example of both how the publication provides an education for younger audiences, and a nostalgic look back at the past. Finally the competition section is an added incentive for readers to buy the magazine.

I have now added my new and improved Masthead to the red bar atop my Contents Page, along with the issue number and title "Contents". I placed the issue number higher up as I wanted the magazine to seem to be an established and trusted brand, rather than a newer publication. I felt this would add to the authority and status of the brand. Now I have added references to articles down both column spaces on the left and right flank of the Contents Pages, with detailed synopsis included. I have organised them to include a "Regulars" section down the right, and an articles down the left.

 

Due to the fundamental changes made to my Publication regarding the branding and subsequent Masthead, I have re drafted my Front Cover. Now I have included more Sell lines on both sides of the Cover, including a wider range of features in the magazine (including a fashion focus, as well as music) to give the publication more depth. A use of colour has been used in an attempt to make the Cover more ascetically pleasing.  I have modified the Splash to include the name of the band, the "Day Trippers", in an attempt to create a symbol of status and prestige for the band and magazine, as though they are "big" enough to be used a major selling point for this particular edition of the magazine. Finally I have retaken the Main Image to include more musical references, with the inclusion of a number of prop musical instruments.

Seen here is the article featuring in the November 2013 edition of Q magazine, interviewing the band the Arctic Monkeys. I have been inspired by the layout of the article with a huge opening paragraph atop the page, with the main text beneath. I also found the image of the band engaging and felt I could draw much inspiration from this, adding in my own mise-en-scene and props to add to the symbolism of the overall image. This would effectively create an image for the band and the magazine.

Over the course of the school break I re evaluated the name of my music magazine. After much deliberation I felt that "Modern World" was too genre specific and that only a small percentage of my younger target audience would understand the connotations to the genre. It also therefore meant that the magazine would not automatically be associated with Music. The overall aim of my Music Magazine was to bring iconic music to a younger audience. this therefore meant my Masthead, "Modern World", did not adequately sum this concept up.


Behold then, the new and improved Masthead for my music magazine "Melody". I felt that this both immediately associated the magazine with music but also harked back to the iconic publication "Melody Maker". The phrase "Yesterdays Music. TODAY" accompanies the Masthead and is an extension of the message and concept that the Masthead represents.

I have now began drafting the initial stages of my Contents Pages. Here on the left hand page I have included space for an image from the main article of the band featured on the Front Cover. On the right hand page I have left spaces for a number of subsidiary images for other articles in the magazine. I have also left spaces down both left and right for links to other articles in the magazine. the red bar featured across the top of the page will possibly feature the Masthead of my Publication.



I have decided to create a double page spread for my Contents pages for my music magazine. I have come to this decision after analysing a number of popular publications, and seeing them use a similar approach. I also felt that a single contents page would not provide my magazine with much depth to the content. Above is the particular edition of Q that has inspired me in terms of layout and structure.

Now I have added more Sell Lines to my Front Cover. I've played around with a number of colours to make certain buzz words like "EXCLUSIVE" stand off the page. I am currently experimenting with the idea of using the Mod target symbol as a bullet point for each individual Sell Line. I felt this genre iconography would appeal to my target audience. I have also added a Pug detailing a competition inside that adds to the range of content of the magazine. Finally I've added the issue no. and issue date beneath the mast Head and content for the Footer Line.

Today I added a Splash and Pull Quote. I chose the Splash "Help!" as it was consistent with the Beatles image of the band on the cover. This is continued further with the Pull Quote beneath, as it contains yet more Beatles connotations. I've also inserted a barcode which adds to the dynamics to the layout. The content added to my Header Bar is consistent with the genre of music in the magazine. Finally I've now began trying out ideas for Sell Lines.

I now have added a first draft of a Masthead for my publication "Modern World". From studying other magazines such as Q, Mojo & NME I have noticed that generally, Mastheads follow a certain pattern: bold, prominent (along the top of the Cover) and placing an emphasis on colour. I have therefore used some of these ideas when drafting ideas for my own Masthead.

 

Today I began my Cover for my Music Magazine. I began by taking some preliminary shots inspired by the Beatles images shown in previous posts. I inserted a header and footer bar so as to begin to create the initial layout inspired by industry conventions.

Above, is the Album Artwork for "The Beatles: Abbey Road". One of the most iconic images of pop culture, being recreated many times over the decades by numerous famous faces including The Simpsons and One Direction. For this reason, I aim to reproduce this image in my article, due to it's iconic status.

Above is the Album Artwork for the album "The Beatles: Live at the BBC Voolume 2". I intend to attempt to recreate this on Contents Page, and have selected this articular image as it shows the band in full, and highlights the suits and mop haircuts that became famous thanks to the Beatles. This backs up my decision to include the fashions of the era that these legendary musicians came from, a point highlighted on my moodboards that, often, it was about more than just the music.

 

 

 

Above is the first draft article for my music magazine. Much like any other conventional article, I have placed an image on the left hand page, and the body of the article on the right hand page. In keeping with the Beatles theme of the band I will attempt to recreate the famous Abbey Road image from their 1969 Album of the same name. Beneath the band on the zebra crossing I could possibly place a Pull Quote from the article. This would be possibly controversial to spark the audiences interest. On the right hand page, a two line introduction to the band would be placed atop the page, below an eye catching title. The title suggested on my first draft reads "BIGGER THAN JESUS? HELL YES!" and pays homage to a famous John Lennon quote. The main body of the text is split into two block columns with a large capital letter to begin and a pace for a Pull Quote on the right hand block. I felt this added a sophisticated touch to the article.

Above is the first draft for my Contents Page. From my research into Contents Page used by other magazines such as MOJO and Q, I found that a simplistic layout was often used, which I feel is done to be more ascetically pleasing to the target audience. With this in mind I've placed the actual Contents on left hand side, clearly divided into numerous sub sections so that the magazine is clear to understand, and takes a no nonsense approach. An image of the front cover is placed in the top left hand corner of the page, which I found is often reciprocated in numerous other publications, of any genre, hereby giving my music magazine a more professional touch. An image of the cover artist is used as a back drop to the contents page to reiterate their importance in the issue. Finally a Pull Quote from the main article concerning the band covers the bottom of the page to maintain the audiences interest in reading further into the publication.

Here is a first draft of my front cover design for my music magazine. I have included all the conventional areas including a Masthead, Pull Quotes, Sell Lines, a Barcode, a Splash and finally, a Pug. I have decided to go ahead with my original idea of trying to re create the album artwork for The Beatles Red/Blue Compilation Albums with an imaginary band, as this is an iconic image which is immediately eye catching for a potential reader. To compliment this, my Splash will be a title of a famous Beatles song to be in keeping with the theme set by the Main Image above. "HELP!" is merely used as an example in this scenario.

The MOJO reader.

Gender Ratio

26.9% 73.1%

ABC1 profile

59.5%
% of ABC1 Profile

Age Range

15-24	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65+
24%	17.1%	17.2%	28.8%	10.4%	2.5%

 

Above is the Reader Profile of another inspiration for my Music Magazine; MOJO. Here w can see that the ABC1 Profile is smaller percentage (60% approx.) than that of Q's, with an even greater male readership (73% approx.). It is here then, that perhaps MOJO's more nostalgic approach is shown as the music covered mostly include artists and bands that grew in the 60's and 70's from working class backgrounds, such as The Kinks, The Clash, The Who and The Jam and so their loyal followers from a similar era and background prefer a publication that champions their successes. This point is supported by the Age Range data, which shows a wider range of ages in MOJO's Reader Profile, and includes greater percentages for the more "mature reader" than that of Q, which favours a far more contemporate approach to music.

Source: NRS January 2011 - December 2012

The Q reader.

Gender Ratio

31.7% 68.3%

ABC1 profile

70%
% of ABC1 Profile

Age Range

15-24	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65+
35.5%	26.3%	19.8%	13.9%	3.1%	1.4%

 

 

Above is the reader Reader Profile for Q Magazine, one of the publications I have used as a model for my music magazine. We can see that over two thirds of their readership are male, with their

audiences mainly (70%) falling into the ABC1 Profile of income. This shows that their audience is largely an affluent male populous who can afford to not only purchase the magazine, but indulge their musical tastes in other areas such as music festivals as well as downloads of their music. Q has therefore expanded itself to a TV and Radio station, as well as a popular website, live concerts (including supporting Glastonbury) and an annual awards ceremony, which has grown in prestige since it's inception with artists such as U2, Adele, Sir Paul McCartney and Oasis attending previously. This is all been done with an aim to cater for the need of the music enthusiast status of the average Q reader.

Source: NRS January 2012 - December 2012

For my general music board, I have chosen to portray on the iconic eras and bands I wish to focus on in my music publication, and their relationship & influence on society and the people who followed them, who potentially form a large group of my target audience. I have chosen to do this in order to examine why they are so legendary, backing up my decision to focus on them in my magazine, rather than contemporary artists. The moodboard is organised so the American influences are on the left, and the British down the right.

 

 



• 1950's - images of fashion in the 50's and an early McDonald's have been used to show an explosion in style at this time. A similar change occurred in music, with Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley used to display this. This was largely down to the young people wanting to rebel against the older generations, and become more expressive and free. The characters in the 1978 film "Grease" display this. McDonald's and Ice Cream Parlours, along with the main characters from the previously mentioned "Grease" display the clothes worn by the youth at the time, and the places they hung out. This lead to....

• 1960's - Music now exploded in both the States and Britain, with the emergence of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. However, music was now used as a powerful tool to express distaste at a number of Political situations at the time, such as the Vietnam War. This music influence combined with a major social movement known as "the hippy movement", in which large groups of people both sides of the pond championed peace over death and drestruction, and it is here, the iconic Peace Symbol was born, originating with the CND (Complete Nuclear Disbarment) movement. These changes to society are so great they've entered Pop Culture, and have influenced the world since, even engulfing The Beatles during the later stages of their career as a group. The next major music development came during the....

• Mid 70's and Early 80's - In America, artists such as the Jackson 5 and their increasing popularity meant that more ethnic artists had more air time on popular broadcasting. This came to a spearhead when in 1983 Michael Jackson released "Thriller", which became so popular (the biggest selling album of all time) it opened doors for black artists and their music on MTV and other such programmes. Meanwhile in Britain, artists such as the Jam aired the grievances of the down trodden working classes against social injustices, which often wen hand in hand with such events at the miners riots and the Brixton Riots. The Red Wedge were a group of musicians whose music was focussed on bringing down Margaret Thatcher and Social, Moral and Economical injustices. The Union Jack was used as an symbol of unity by such groups as the Mods at this time, and is still used greatly in fashion, with the company "Rimmel" taking great influence in their advertising, which is why it is placed with such prominence on my mood board.

Overall I have used this moodboard to display how much music and it's great artists (of which my publication will focus on) have affected society and have cemented their place in history, and how their popularity is as fresh today as it as ever been, justifying my decision once again to champion their music. This is personified by my use of up to date images of Sir Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones, some as recently published as last year for a 50th Anniversary tour, rather than images of them in their "heyday", as such, to show just how popular they are in today's market.