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

Looking at both my preliminary task and my final piece shows just how much I have learnt and my work improved. When I first started my preliminary task I had very little understanding of the programs InDesign and Photoshop. This is apparent when looking at both of my front pages and contents pages together. In the beginning I did not know how to select or change the colour of a section (e.g. hair) in Photoshop. I researched into how to do this and soon found ways to do this. I used this technique a lot in my magazine to change the colour of my models hair etc. Another process which I learnt during the making of my magazine was how to make gradients. This really helped to break up the block colour in some of my boxes. This also meant that the background colour showed through (stars or on the cover the models clothes) This gives a much more professional appearance as it looks less cheap. In InDesign I learnt how to create effects that would help my magazine become more conventional such as having drop shadows on text. This is a stereotypical convention of a music magazine as it helps make the text stand out from the page and again looks more professional. I think the fonts and layout of my preliminary task looks quite unprofessional as the colours don't work and there is too much plain space. I have also learnt that to find the best possible fonts that will be appealing to my target audience, I can download these from the internet. Overall my knowledge and understanding of the programs used to create my final magazine have greatly improved which have enabled me to create a professional and conventional music magazine.

6:What Have You Learnt About Technologies From The Process of Constructing This Product

I have learnt a lot about technologies during the creation of my magazine. I have used the programs InDesign and Photoshop on a Mac to produce my work. To post progress of my work on my blog I have also used the websites YouTube, Flickr and Slideshare. Most of the programs that I used to complete my work I had not used before, and I learnt a great deal, helping me to create a professional looking magazine with a varied well made blog.

Technology has changed a lot in recent years which has made a big impact on the work that I am now able to achieve. In the past in pre-production, the photographs would have had to have been taken using an analogue camera which meant that I either had to pay a shop to develop them or develop them myself. This would have been very time consuming and would not have enabled me to be able to be able to edit my images very easily if at all (this would have been pre-production but can now also be done in the post-production stages. During the production process I would not have had the high tech programs that we now have today. Instead I would have had to create my magazine using a much more basic program. In post production, I am now able to change the photos that I have used along with the layout and fonts etc. The programs InDesign and Photoshop are very similar to those used in reality today meaning that I can create a professional looking piece of work. I can replicate similar conventional features of magazines such as text with drop shadows on InDesign. I can also edit photos to a fairly professional standard using various techniques such as colour changing, and cutting out using Photoshop. One of the disadvantages of digital technology is that there are so many options and programs out there to choose from, meaning that sometimes you don't really now when to stop using them.

Due to the new media technology that we now have, I was even able to create a mock up of the sort of style magazine that I wanted to make. I could do this by downloading different brushes from the internet to use in Photoshop to create a suitable background. I could then surf the internet to find a suitable cover image. This was very quick and easy to do and would not have been possible to do this without the use of the internet as I would have had to go out and take images myself.

In terms of my blog, technology now enables me to be able to post using different methods such as uploading videos via YouTube. This also means that my blog can be viewed by a much larger target audience and will become more appealing to others. I can now also upload PowerPoint presentations onto slideshare, and annotate images using Flickr.

5:How Did You Attract/Address Your Audience- double page

Outloud double page a photo by HarrietASmedia on Flickr.

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5:How Did You Attract/Address Your Audience- Outloud contents

Outloud contents a photo by HarrietASmedia on Flickr.

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5:How Did You Attract/Address Your Audience- Outloud cover

Outloud front cover a photo by HarrietASmedia on Flickr.

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4:Who Would Be The Audience For Your Media Product

The target audience for my magazine is the younger generation from the age of 14, but slightly aimed more at females due to the fashion and celebrity contents.

Name- Zoe Adams
Zoe uses her ipod whilst completing her homework, and also on long journeys. Her ipod nearly always features most of the top 10 and features lots from artists such as Beyonce, Cheryl Cole and Olly Murs. During her free time she enjoys seeing her favourite artists live in concert, however this is not always possible as ticket prices are often very high. When she cant see her favourite acts live she watches them on TV on music channels and award ceremonies such as the 'Brit Awards'. She tends to only go to concerts when she has extra money from occasions such as her birthday or christmas. She goes shopping for clothes regularly with friends and often goes out on saturdays. She has a sunday job which helps pay for her music and clothes.

3: What Kind of Media Institution Might Distribute Your Media Product and Why?

As my magazine is aimed at the younger generation from the age of 14, I think that it should be sold in high street stores such as WHSmiths as these are the most appealing to my target audience. This would make the magazine easy to access by my target audience, as they are often seen out at the weekends in town etc. The magazines would be delivered here in large masses as these are the shops which attract the most customers. I would also like my magazine to be distributed by smaller independent news stands or shops such as the Co-Op, which would mean easy access for teenagers that perhaps live in villages or prefer to buy from a local shop. I also believe that a media institution such as IPC Media would be the be a good way to distribute my magazine. This is because at the moment the company mainly focuses on selling more specialized magazines for specific target audiences of the older more mature generation. Another media institution that I would consider distributing my magazine would be 'isubscribe' or 'magazinesubscription.co.uk'. This is because when young people search for something they usually type what they want and go the the first page that the results show. These websites are the in the top three when you search magazine subscriptions, so therefore would make it worth while for these sites to distribute my magazine as they are more likely to be visited by my target audience and therefore enable more profit.

2: How Does Your Media Product Represent Particular Social Groups

I have chosen to compare this picture of Cheryl Cole with my double page spread photo from my magazine to explain how my magazine represents a particular social group. I have tried to combine aspects of clothing and body language from these images in my own work as I believe they will be appealing to my target audience. The facial expressions of the artists are similar in that they reflect an attitude about them, which is stereotypical of the younger generation. The lighting in the images is also very similar in the fact that they are plain white backgrounds which help make the artist/ model stand out more and become the centre of attention. One of the main differences is the hair style that I have used. Most artists hair is a natural colour however I have decided that my model should have a more eye catching, unique hair colour of red. The colour red also has many connotations such as love and danger which fits in well with the theme of my magazine and my target audience. Overall I believe that my images that I have used in my magazine represent my target audience age group well as they are positioned in the same sort of way with similar fashionable clothes making the models appealing to my target audience. 

My Magazine Evaluation-1: In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms and Conventions of Real Media Products

The Title of the Magazine
I have tried to make my magazine as conventional as possible whist still creating a unique piece. The masthead for my magazine was created using the font 'All Over Again' in capitals. I think that the style of the font represents the genre and target audience of my magazine well as it is quite loose and displays a lot of attitude which is also reflected in the model. I have tried to make the masthead represent the genre like the rock magazine 'Kerrang' as this is really successful and helps let potential buyers know whether this is the magazine for them. I have used a bold white out line on navy text as these colours work really well together and are also unique in the fact that most conventional mastheads feature red. I think that the combination of both conventional and unconventional features that have been used in my masthead have made it more successful and memorable as it is more unique. 
Mise-en-scene of images
I think the mis-en-scene of my images follow the codes and conventions of music magazines well. This is because, I used a variety of camera angles and model positions. The images that I have used on both my front cover and my double page represent the attitude of teenagers which is the effect that I was hoping to achieve as these are more appealing  to my target audience. In addition to this, the majority of my images follow the conventions of magazines by displaying the artist as a typical young adult who does not care what others think. This is partly portrayed by the mode of address as my model is looking directly at the camera in most of the photos. My cover model has similar conventions to the singer Jesse J who has striking hair colour with a fierce attitude. She is very popular amoungst teenager due to her unique style and feistyness which would also suit my target audience.

Costumes and Props
The costumes and props used throughout “Outloud” are conventional and appealing to my target audience. The style of clothing worn by my model is that of a similar style seen in many fashion magazines so will therefore attract my target audinece. I based the idea of the leopard print trousers from those worn by Cheryl Cole in her 'Fight For This Love' video. I think that she is a very popular role model and icon amoungst young people and is often seen as a style icon, which is why I have used her style in my models clothing. The leopard print is also a strong bold print which is currently in trend (fits in with target audience of young adults who are into fashion) however also ties in with the representation of being 'fierce'. In addition to this, the props features are commonly used in existing magazines. For example the model on the front cover of my magazine features a cap which is often seen as an icon of teenagers/ young adults with attitude, which is the impression that I wanted to portray.
People
The people used in my magazine are quite conventional. The models featured on my contents page are dressed in popular highstreet trend which helps the readers relate more to them. The model featured on my front cover and on the double page interview is conventional in her body language as photoshoots are very much posed. The model was chosen by using a teenager/ young adult on the front of my magazine and featuring a girl as the artist, the audience will be able to relate and aspire to be like them.
Title Font and Style
I created the masthead "Outloud" by using the font 'All Over Again' in InDesign and then adding a heavy outline and drop shadow to it. I think my title is slightly unconventional in the sense that mastheads are normally one block colour with no outline. However I feel that this will appeal more to my teenage/ young adult target audience because it will be more visually appealing to them. The title on my double page spread is conventional as it is the largest font size on the page and it’s bold and eye catching. It is also written in a a way which looks like its a persons hand writing which makes the reader relate more to the article. The colour of the text works well in attracting my target audience as it is bold and eye catching. It also fits in well with my house style. 
Written Content
The (copy) written content of my magazine follows the codes and conventions of a real music magazine well  by covering similar topics and featuring popular articles written in an easy to read way. In the interview for example questions have been asked such as what was their life like before they came famous, rumours surrounding them, how they came up with their name and whether the have any tours planned etc. All of these questions could be found in a real music magazine aimed at teenagers and young adults. The standfirst at the beginning of my article is written in a conventional way which gives a breif note as to what the interview is about. I have also included a much shorter quick interview where the artist is asked a range of quick questions which is an appealing feature to my target audience as it enables them to find out quick facts about the artist if the have not got time to read the whole article.
Music Genre And How Your Magazine Suggests It
The genre of my magazine is very much mixed however it mainly focuses on modern chart music which is generally pop. I think that the genre is very clear from the range of images used and the articles featured on my contents page as they include big name stars such as Rihanna who is a very popular pop artist. The mise en scene of the images also connotes the genre of pop as I have dressed the main interview artist in leopard print trousers which are also associated with stars such as Cheryl Cole. I also think that it the genre is reflected very much as chart/ pop music as the contents will include articles such as biggest selling singles of 2010. 

Layout

The layout and composition of my magazine I believe is very conventional. My front cover features an attractive and bold masthead, which helps sell it to my target audience. I have tried to use the rule of thirds whilst constructing my cover for a more conventional finish. The type of shots of images that I have used vary from ones with a direct mode of address and ones with indirect which helps to engage the reader. I have also used a range of fonts on the page to help the different cover lines stand out. In terms of conventional features my magazine also has a banner across the bottom of the page advertising an inside page and a tag line which helps 'sell' the magazine to my target audience. In terms of written content I have used buzz words and tags to engage and attract my target audience. My contents page of my magazine is also conventional in terms of comparison to my main competitors. I have categorized the articles under headings to make it easier for the reader to find what they want. The house style has remained consistent throughout, creating a more professional finish. My double page article is set out in columns with pull quotes from within the article next to the images to help grab the readers attention. A standfirst has also been included which introduces the reader to the article.  
Contents Page
My contents page is conventional to music magazines of a similar genre and target audience to mine. One of the conventional features of my contents page is the image of the front cover. This enables the reader to refer back to the cover without having to turn the page. Another conventional feature would be that the articles are divided under sub headings which makes it easier for the reader to find what they want. The use of colour has been kept to a minimum so it is not too in your face. The colours and style used are part of my house style which was kept the same throughout. A small gutter has been used between the columns to help break up the content. 

My magazine put together

This image shows each of the pages from my magazine put together. I believe that the pages are consistent (colours, borders and content) and conventional in terms of my main competitors. 

Final double page after feedback

My double page is probably the page that has changed the most. There were quite a lot of spelling mistakes in the text, however these were easy to change. Another problem which I had to consider was the fact that Kirsty had been obviously 'cut out' from the background. I softened the edges of the outline of Sasha and re-edited the image so they were less pixelated or Photoshopped. The font of the headings and interview were also changed to make them look more professional and also because after printing the page, the formatting for the text had disappeared as the font was missing. The main problem that was mentioned in my target audience was that the background was too white. To solve this I added a gradient which looked much better as it helped soften and break up the white and also enabled you to be able to see the starry background behind the copy.

Final contents after feedback

There were quite a few changes that I made to my contents page after my feedback. Firstly I expanded on some of the descriptions to the articles as they were a bit too brief. The 'On the Cover' section also featured the same quotes as I had used on the front cover, which meant the reader wasn't getting much of a taster for what the article includes. I changed these quotes so that they were longer, offering more detail. The box containing information about James Claridge also had a spelling mistake in so I corrected this. Another problem which I had to consider was the fact that James had been obviously 'cut out' from the background. I softened the edges of the outline of James and added flashes in the background which also act as camera flashes, fitting in with the theme. The font of the headings were also changed to make them look more professional and also because after printing the page, the formatting for the text had disappeared as the font was missing.

Final front cover after feedback

This is my final front cover after the changes suggested by my target audience has been made. I have changed the X in 'X Factor' to make it stand out more by creating another layer to it which is more realistic and similar to that in the real 'X Factor' name. I have also made the 'Cheryl' part closer to the quote so that it links in more as before it didn't look like it was part of the same cover line. I also added a gradient to the quote from Cheryl as I thought it was too much of a block colour. I believe that it looks much better with a gradient as it is less in your face. I also added a gradient to the Sasha Fierce cover line which has help soften the look, making it look more conventional and professional. The final parts which I changed was that I moved the price down so that it was just above the barcode and also enlarged the 'You' in 'As voted for by you' for more emphasis.

Feed back for my complete magazine

The feed back that I received from my target audience was very helpful. I asked 18 people between the age range of 13 and 46. I found that the feed back from the older generation picked up more on the more technical side of the magazine and the younger more on the actual features and layout. The feed back sheets that I received have been scanned and are shown below. The average mark out of 10 for the magazine as a whole was 8 which I think is quite good, and reflects the fact that it does appeal to my target audience and there are only a few changes that need to made. As to whether or not my magazine was realistic, most of the people asked said that it was, however a couple of them said that it was in places and not in others.

Creation of my double page spread

Creation of my double page

The presentation above shows how I made my double page spread. It describes why I chose certain features and the problems that I had. My next step now is to get a paper copy of all of my magazine pages to get some target audience feedback. I have decided that I will get feedback from my target audience age group and slightly older people as they will be able to pick up different things. I will get this feedback from people who aren't necessarily friends as they will be more likely to give more honest critical feedback.

Final Contents Page

This is the final version of my contents page. I am very happy with the way it turned out as I believe that it looks conventional and professional. The next step for me is to get some feedback from my target audience for all 3 pages (cover, contents and double page spread). This will help to highlight any problems that there may be and will enable me to create the best possible product for my target audience.

Contents progress

This is my contents page after much work. I have changed the subscribe box fonts and I believe that it now works much better. I have also changed the main image to a boy sitting down. He shows quite a lot of attitude through his body language and facial expression which would appeal to my target audience and also fit in with the theme/ genre of the magazine. I have also centered the text box that accompanies the image which looks much neater. The only problem that I think that I have is that conventionally there isn't a border on the left hand side of a double page spread as this is where the pages are attached. This can easily be solved though.

Final Front Cover

This is my final modified front cover. I have changed the spacing between the articles so that it is the same size which makes the piece more consistant and professional looking. In comparison with other magazines, my front cover was a bit too empty. To over come this I added a circle with a 'buzz' word in which should hopefully attract my target audience into buying the magazine. I decided to use this circle to advertise a freebie that will be included in the magazine. This is a conventional thing for a magazine with my target audience to do. The advertisement for the free CD was originally at the bottom of the page in the banner. This didnt really grab the readers attention very well as it didn't stand out. I started with the London Fashion Week in pictures in the circle however as this was quite long it didn't fit in.

Feed back from target audience on final front cover

After changing some aspects on my front cover I decided that I needed to get some feed back from my target audience to see if they like and it and see if there are any other things that I need to change. My target audience really liked the masthead of my magazine which is one of the main issues that is important. They all seemed to find the image striking and liked the different fonts used. The only issues that they picked up on was the white text being lost on the models arm and the issue number being a bit hard to read. The things that my target audience said are really important in making my magazine successful as it will be them who are the ones who buy and read it. For this reason I will try and address these issues.

Contents page photoshoot

I needed to get new images for my contents page to work in the way in which I wanted it too. This meant that I had to arrange another photoshoot with some different models. I believe that the images that I took are appropriate and would suit my purposes well. The clothes that I chose for my models to wear are what I think would appeal to my target audience. I decided that one of my models should wear a hat as I believe that this looked quite unique and 'celebrity like'. Some of the images taken during the shoot are shown.

Problems with contents page

After filling out all of the copy for my contents page I found that I didnt have enough photos for what I wanted to achieve. I really wanted to do something like 'heat' magazine does with having smaller images (long shots) of people related to the stories in the magazine. This looks really effective and would also appeal to my target audience. To solve this problem I had to hold another photoshoot with some different people.

Progress of contents page

This is my contents page in progress. I am really happy with the way in which it is coming along as I believe that it is already starting to look like a real contents page as it follows a number of conventions. I think that the sub-headings of different sections within the magazine look really professional, with the drop shadow really helping them to stand out. I think the sizing of the different artciles and page numbers is good and the colours used on the page work really well together and also fit in with those used on the front page. At the moment I am not sure that the main image of James looks quite right as it might be a bit much having the starry background and the smokey one that hes in front of. Also the fact that he doesnt have a direct mode of address stops the reader really connecting with the star. The subscribe advertisement at the bottom of the page doesnt really stand out and needs more colour added to it.

Contents page progress

My contents page is coming along well. I really like the layout so far and am pleased with the section ON THE COVER. I think this works really well however I am not too sure about how the line goes through the full body image of Sasha Fierce. I have chosen to feature a border around the page in the same starry effect as the front page to keep the magazine consistent and also help it become more conventional. I think that there are enough stories on the page as my target audience is the younger generation (teens). I think that the headings (News, Music, Fashion) need to be lined up as it looked a bit unprofessional at the moment as they are all on different levels. The same goes for the lines near the bottom of the page.

Comparsion to main competitor and the next step

In comparison to my main competitors I believe that my magazine would appeal to my target audience really well. This is because the cover lines are set out realistically and easily grab the readers attention. I also believe that my target audience would be drawn to the cover image as the model is very striking and shows attitude similar to that in the Madonna image. Also my front cover is conventional in the way that I have only used a limited amount of colour which has worked really well as it makes it look more professional. The problems that I have now unearthed is that my masthead doesnt quite stand out quite as much as it should do which means that I will need to go back and change this. Also I think that it needs to have more contents as at the moment there are only 3 cover lines which makes it look quite bare in comparison to my main competitors. I think this will be fairly easy to overcome as it just means I need to add more cover lines.

After completing work on my front cover I have started to work on my contents page. I have started to work out articles to be included on this page and have gathered some more photos. I plan on keeping the consistency between the front page and the contents page by using similar colours, fonts and styles.

Above is my final front cover design after the changes have been made. I am very happy with the way it looks and think that it will appeal well to my target audience. I think that the cover works better with the banner being slightly thinner and featuring a 'FREE' within it as this is a buzz word and will help attract my target audience. I also think that having the other cover lines run downwards instead of across has really made the main article stand out and has made the cover overall more conventional. I decided to leave the cover image as it was as most of the feedback that I had liked it as it was and didn't say anything about it being too Photoshopped as this is genuinely what you see on stereotypical conventional music magazines.

Front cover feedback

Before finishing my final front cover I decided to get some feedback from my target audience. The feedback that I received is shown below:

1. "The layout of the cover is very clear with a good heading which stands out. The hair for me is a bit too bright, and if you were to keep the hair colour you could maybe change the colour of the Sasha Fierce to a more orangey colour to help it link in more. The cover image I would say was a bit too over Photoshopped for me as well.
2. "Love the name of the magazine and it has a clear layout, not too crowded. I find the Photoshopped hair and eyes a little over powering though"
3. "I love the title and the fonts used as well. You can't really see the issue number and if you are talking about the US as in the country then it needs to be in capitals"
4. "I love the title design but the 'you' is hidden by the models arm. Im not sure about the 's' on superstar but overall it is really good!"
5. "Love how the hair really stands out, lovely colour scheme, everything is clear to read and the masthead looks original. It isn't too busy and I would buy this. It also looks good for your target audience."

These comments that I received were really helpful and let me get an insight into what other people thought about my magazine. I have taken into consideration the things that they have said and will make a few changes to my front cover.

Front cover editing

After looking at my front cover I realized that the cover lines were too straight and just looks like a list of text and not like a relevant music magazine. I also found that the cover lines were covering the image too much. I decided to change the text so that it read downwards instead of across.

Cutting out an image

The Screen Flow video above shows the processes on Photoshop of how to cut out a person from an image. I used this process to cut out all of my images from the backgrounds as they were not appropriate. This process worked really well, to produce the effect of the image already being like that.

Changing the colour of the models top

The video below shows how I changed the colour of my models top on Photoshop using the colour adjustment tool. It shows the step by step process of how I achieved this. I created this video using the program Screen Flow. I also used the colour changing process on my models hair and eyes to create a more eye catching striking image.

Front cover progress 2

After more changes had been done, I think that my cover looks much better than it was. I changed the masthead to have a blue outline as before it didn't really stand out and was becoming a bit lost on the page. the blue works really well and helps the masthead stand out again. I have chosen to keep the main colours as blue, red and white as I think these work really well together and also stand out against the black background. The problem is that I have a space on the left hand side of the page which needs something to be added to it.

Cover progress

The images show the first few steps of the making of the front cover of my magazine. The first image shows a rough outline of where things will go and an example of some of the articles. The second image shows the second stage of my front cover production. I didn't think that the yellow worked very well with the rest of the colours on the page as it was a bit too bright.

Problems

After looking at my front cover, I realized that the image that i had selected probably wouldn't work very well. This was because the image was of the whole of a person, where as it is most conventional for the cover artist to me in a mid shot. This meant that my cover was not as appealing/ competitive as it could have been. This resulted in me having to hold another photo shoot to gather more appropriate images. I decided that I would maybe use the image that I initially wanted on the front cover as one to accompany the interview with the artist instead.

Cover Photo Editing

The images below show the process of creating a final image. I did however change my cover image as this was not conventional and would therefore not be appropriate for a magazine cover. I will however keep the image and use it in the article on my double page spread.

The image that I decided to use for my cover shot is shown below followed by the final Photoshopped version. I am happy that I decided not to go for my original photo as it would not have been conventional or appropriate. I believe that the cover image that I have chosen is strong and representitive of my target audience and music genre. On the day of my second photoshoot my model that I had been using had had an allergic reaction to a face cream so was unable to wear makeup meaning that I had to Photoshop the image more than I had planned.