Evaluation part 7 - Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Throughout this part of my Media course, i have learnt a lot of what actually goes into creating just one issue of a music magazine, or any magazine for that matter. Although when it comes to creating a real music magazine, the roles of who does what are divided up, for example, there will be photographers, editors, and writers. Whereas, i had to carry out all of these jobs myself.
Additionally, i had a few months to create my music magazine pages, whereas most companies that produce music magazines only have a couple of weeks. This made me realise that a lot of hard work and effort goes into making a music magazine and the people from these companies must be amazing at their jobs because they produce extremely professional magazines very often.




When comparing my prelim task to my final magazine front cover, you can tell the difference in the quality of the two and therefore how much i have learnt in the process of making my magazine. My final magazine cover has more professional looking tag lines and a more attractive looking title. Additionally, the front cover images both differ greatly. The image from my prelim was taken in a hurry and did not have a lot of thought put into it. On the other hand, the image on my front cover was well planned and thoughtout.

Evaluation part 6 - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

There are lots of things i have learnt from the process of constructing my music magazine.
I mainly learnt how to use the Apple Macs as this was the first time i had used them to help produce a media text. I learnt how to import pictures from a camera and then edit them and uploads them onto my blog. I also learnt very small thing such as how to copy and past text as i was not very good at this in the beginning!
Following on from this, another aspect I learnt about was setting up my blog and maintaining it regularly. However, when looking back on the blogging process, i was not very good at including and blogging about all the work and steps i had taken in researching and creating my magazine.
I used Picasa to edit my pictures in, as i had used this many times before and i knew i would be very quick at producing my work on it. However, when it came to actually putting my finished magazine pages together i realised i had never done anything like this before on Picasa so i had to learn to use new features on it to get my finished result.

Evaluation part 5 - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

As part of this evaluation i researched the publisher of 'Top of the Pops' magazine. This was because i based my features, and target audience on this magazine on this one so they are therefore very similar. 'Top of the Pops' is published by BBC magazines as the magazine derives from the BBC programme of the same title. BBC magazines are experienced in distributing and publishing magazines to mass audiences all over the UK and so is my magazine, 'Burst of Pop'. Therefore, if i were to pick a magazine publishing company to distribute my magazine then it would be BBC magazines due to their experience.

Evaluation part 4 - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

As mentioned before in my blog posts, my target audience is mainly teenage females although my magazine is also aimed at teenage males too. Nearly all of the pictures in my finished magazine are of young females, so because of this, i feel that my main target audience is represented. Additionally, i feel that my main target audience is represented in a positive way, because the artists i chose to feature in my pictures are ones that my target audience would see as role models.
My magazine is not really aimed at any teenager of a specific social class, but when planning the aspects of my magazine i decided that the price of it should not be too high, as this means that more people will be able to buy it and enjoy it. Another reason that i decided to price my magazine quite low was because my target audience are extremely likely not to have a job, so instead buy things for themselves out of pocket money that they receive.

Evaluation part 3 - How did you attract/address your audience?

The language in my magazine is informal and friendly. I did this because my magazine is aimed at 'tweenagers' and they are more likely to read and enjoy a magazine with a more informal feel to it.
Unfortunately, my audience isn't directly represented in my text by the pictures i too. The pictures i have included in my magazine are all of celebrity music artists. This is something that i think i should have thought more about as the audience would have felt more involved if i included images which would represent them.
To attract my target audience and to represent their general spontaneous behavior, i used bursts on my front cover to house a headline in. My target audience are the type to be more interested in the pictures rather than the text so i had to use pictures of current artists that they were interested in.

Evaluation part 2 - Who would be the audience for your media product?

My target audience at which my magazine is aimed at is most 'tweenagers', very young teenagers about the age of 9-13 years old. This therefore makes it a mass audience.
The age range of my target audience is fairly broad because within the UK roughly over a million people will fall into this group.
My magazine is mostly aimed at 9-13 year old girls. It is also aimed at boys of the same age, although i do not think the nature/genre of the magazine appeals to them as much.
My target audience have the general interests that most people in the 9-13 year old bracket have in the UK. Activities such as swimming, going out to play with friends and listening to pop music are all included in this.
All my target audience would either be in primary or secondary school. 'Burst of Pop' is not really aimed at people of a particular social class.
As part of the penumbra effect, parents and guardians of the children who buy this magazine may read it. For example, a young girl's mother may read the magazine to check its suitability. Also, children often let their friends borrow their magazines to read, or they read them all together.

Evaluation part 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media texts?

My finished media product has very similar conventions to real similar media products. For example, I have a variation of about two fonts. This is so that there is still some sense of house style continuing through my magazine. The layout design is similar to most magazines because it is clearly spaced out and therefore makes it much easier for the audience to understand. The layout mainly consists of structured columns of text with appropriately placed pictures and headlines. By using columns of writing, this could possible be challenging the usual conventions of a magazine aimed at my target audience (9-13 years old). This is because, these magazines sometimes place their text in bursts or bubbles to make it more interesting for the readers to read.

My finished magazine

final ideas for my music magazine

Due to the responses i got from my questionnaire, i found out that there was a gap in the market for a new childrens pop magazine. Similarly to Top of The Pops, and Smash Hits, my magazine will include stories on and interviews with current pop stars admired by children.
I have also decided to include a gossip page, music and film reviews, a letters page, and a horoscopes page. This is because these are the most likely aspects to appear in a music magazine aimed at a younger audience of children.

front cover
my front cover will have a main, midshot image featuring a new and upcoming artist. this will be a picture i have taken and organised myself and will feature a friend who is willing to help me out. Below this picture i am having an eye grabbing headline including the artists name and a quote from their interview (see double page). i feel this will grab the readers attention and make then intriged to read the magazine. also on the front cover, i am going to have a section featuring the latest fashions based on well known and liked artists and bands of the readers. additionally, i am going to have a few more small headlines along with pictures on latest stories and gossip about the reader's favourite artists. finally, my front cover will have its title at the very top and will also feature a small barcode section which will provide the area for the issue number, date and price.

Contents page
my contents page will have the different page topics and sections down the left hand side of the page with the page number following soon after. the page topics will include some very typical ones of this type of music genre. For example, i am going to put in a horoscopes page, simple children's film and pop music reviews, fashion section, gossip page, exclusive stories, and an interview page. the house sytle and colour scheme of this page will be the same as the front cover, this is to show continuity.

double page spread
my double page spread will be an interview with the artist featured mainly on the front cover. this interview will be made up and will include more pictures of the artist taken myself.

Evolution of genres in music magazines

These theories originally and usually apply to film studies, however they can be adapted to other mediums such as music magazines too.

Prototype(s):
this is the original seminal texts of a genre. At this point conventions are not yet set so there may be variety in magazines.

Classical:
the conventions are established here. Texts are 'perfect' examples of genre. These dont have to be good, just conventional.

Revisionist:
the conventions are rewritten here. this is becuase society changes and classic conventions become stale, therefore they are modernised to that they are not changed dramatically.

Postmodern:
one of the main aspects of post-modernism is bricolage. this is where old elements from different cultures are recombined into creating something new. It is also the obsession with 'retro', as people claim that everything has been done before.

with this in mind, i think my magazine would fit into the revisionist theory on evolution of genres.

Questionnaire

As part of my AS media coursework, i am producing a new music magazine. The magazine will have a main front cover image, contents page and a double page spread. This questionnaire below will help me to decide what genre i want to base the magazine on, and more importantly, what consumers want to have provided for them in this magazine.


1) how often do you read or purchase music magazines?

• Weekly
• Fortnightly
• Monthly
• Every few months
• Never

2) what genre of music would you prefer to see this new music magazine based upon?

3) list some of the following that you like to see/have in music magazines

• free downloads
• posters
• interviews
• tour dates
• music charts
• featured columnists
• news/stories regarding bands, artists and upcoming music events
• upcoming bands
• suggestions of new songs to listen to
• film, tv, and music reviews
• letters page
• horoscopes
• band merchandise
• fashion based on band/artists

4) what do you feel draws your attention to a magazine in a shop? (eg, types of colours, pictures?)

5) do you feel that there is a need for a new innovative music magazine aimed at females?

6) which do you prefer?

• A weekly magazine with all the latest news/music
• A fortnightly magazine with a longer period within each issue, therefore being able to put more content into an issue.
• Or, a monthly issue with all the biggest news/ music of that month

7) how much would you be willing to spend on an issue of a music magazine?

• £1.00-£2.00
• £2.00-£3.00
• £3.00-£4.00
• £4.00 +

Mood board

This is the mood board which i created. The colour scheme displayed here is similar to the once which i am thinking of using for my magazine. This is because, most music magazines are male orientated, so i would like to aim mine more towards women.

Recce

Firstly, i need to decide where i am going to take my pictures for my music magazine front cover and pages. Initially, i thought that using a plain colour background will be effective. this was because it meant that i could allow the models and objects to stand out a lot more and put the emphasis on them without the reader being distracted by something is the background. By taking these pictures inside, i have have the opportunity to manipulate the lighting and make it more effective. I have noticed that many other music magazines have chosen to do this. For example, this Q magazine cover featuring Lily Allen has a plain background and makes her stand out.


Still focusing on my plain background idea, there are a lot more locations i could try. A popular one with many magazine pictures is a brick wall as a back ground. This would be effective and fit in with the theme of a music magazine, but there will be the complications of taking pictures outside. Lots of things could affect this such as the weather and different dangers specified in my risk assessment blog.
At this point in my progress, i have not decided what kind of shot i am going to use. I think the most simple shots are almost the best ones. For example, a close up or a mid shot. I do not think a long distance shot would be adequate for the front cover image. This is because, this image needs to have an impact on the reader and grab their attention and this kind of picture would not do that.

Risk assessment

By taking my pictures outdoors, there are many risks involved. Below, i have listed as many as i can, along with the measures being taken to control this and any addition relevant information.

Hazard: Traffic/journey to venue
Control measures: be aware of all crossing points in advance, then look out for everybody in the group when crossing roads.


Hazard: fire/insurance
Control measures: fire protection and procedures in place and checked on pre visit. in the event of the building needing to be evacuated, all members of the group should be briefed on an emergancy action plan in event of a person/group of people becoming detatched form the main group.

Hazard: lost member/stranger danger
Control measures: always be aware of everybody around the group, and do not give any reason for a stranger to come into contact with the group.
Additional information: always have a contact number for everybody in the group and also an emergancy contact number for a next of kin for everybody in the group.

Hazard: slipping/tripping/falling
Control measures: previsit to determine tripping hazards, for examle rocks/change in ground levels.
Additional information: have a first aid kit handy incase of any accidents.

Uses and gratifications

Denis McQuail is an academic and a writer in the field of communication theories. In 1983 he classified four main, common reasons for media use: Information, Personal Identity, Integration and Social interaction, and Entertainment.

Information

This means finding out current events and information. So for example, in music magazines, the reader is given information about current music events, for example tour dates, and the latest information on bands. This information also satisfys the curiousity and interests that the reader has. Additionally, this information educates the readers on a topic the they are initially interested in. The readers will have the opportunity to learn about things such as the history of certain music genres, information about the bands and general knowledge about music.

Personal Identity

In music magazines, readers often find reinforcement for their personal values. For example, when reading a music magazine orientated around a particular music genre, readers can often find other views similar to their own which are meaningful to them. Additionally, within music magazines, readers can also find role models which they aspire to. These role models can also influence the behavior and ways of life of a person. Finally, many readers of music magazines feel that they can relate to the band and artists featured in the issues, as a result from interviews and personal quotations. This can make the reader feel valued and also have a sense of belonging.

Integration and Social Interaction

Readers of media can gain insight into the circumstances of others. This can then lead to them identifying with them and learn about different situations and hardships that bands and artists in the music works can go through.
As i said before, music magazine readers can also identify with the people they read about and therefore achieve a sense of belonging. They may feel that they have been through similar experiences and matters as the bands or artists they read about.
Information in music magazines and other media, provides a basis for conversations and social interactions. This is because many people can enjoy one genre of music, and therefore use this as a basis for conversation. In music magazines, there is often a thead for conversation about a range of topics. For example, about a certain band, or a tour.

Entertainment

Many people like to listen to or read the media to escape their own personal problems. For example, to read a magazine to take them somewhere else. Therefore, a person who reads music magazines may read a magazine containing articles and stories about recent performances and upcoming tours, to take them somewhere else and to relax from everyday stresses.

Textual analysis and deconstruction of an existing music magazine 2

The colours that really stand out on this magazine cover are red, white, and grey. This is because the title logo is white text with a red background and the main headline, 'Liam's beady eye kick off' is in red and white text. The main focus picture of this front cover is the close up head shot of Liam Gallagher, this can emphasize that the issue is mainly focused on Liam. The cover has tag lines which gives the reader an indication of the contents of the magazine. For example, there is a large tag line with the band name, 'Noah and the whale, your new favourite band'. Tag lines make the magazine more attractive to buy, as a potential reader and fan sees the band name, they are more inclined to buy the magazine.

Summary post of what conventions i have learnt so far and what i may include in my final piece.

So far, i have learnt that most music magazine titles are related to music. For example, 'Kerrang!' could be an onomatopoeic word for the sound that a guitar makes. All front covers of music magazine feature a band or artist as the main focus picture. This is to entice the potential readers into buying the magazine. Usually, this picture is a close-up or a medium close up. Next, there are a lot of bold colours and fonts that are used, and usually in a colour scheme of three.
I my final piece, i wish to use a main focus picture on my front cover, with the magazine title above it. After i have done this, i am going to use headlines and tag lines about different stories. Finally, to complete the magazine cover, i will put on some incentives for the readers. For example, free music downloads.

Textual analysis and deconstruction of an existing magazine cover.

This magazine cover is very typical of an NME one. This is because, firstly, it has its title in the usual place with the usual font and colour. Although the image on the front does not have a specific band or artist, it was a variety of artists as this issue of NME was dedicated to 'the greatest 100 albums ever'. According to this magazine cover, the issue offered incentives to its audience; a HMV discount card, and the chance to win tickets to the NME awards tour. The headline, '100 greatest British albums ever', is in a large font so that it can be read from a distance away and attracts attention of potential readers. Another thing which attracts the reader's attention is the bold colours used on the magazine cover. The background is a union jack which consists of the bold colours, red, navy blue and white, and on top of this the text is written in light blue and magenta. Below the headline, there is a list of bands and artists who could potentially appear in the 100 albums countdown. When the reader or sees this on the cover, they are more inclined to buy the issue if they find these bands/artists appealing.

Research Methods

There are four main types of research methods that are used when creating a new music magazine. These are, primary, secondary, quantitive, and qualitive.

Primary

Primary research includes methods such as questionnaires, interviews, polls, survays, focus groups, email, text. phonecalls, social networking, and letters. This is research that finds out information first hand.

Secondary

Secondary research includes, internet, media theory books, industry and individuals websites, magazines, newspapers, and textual analysis. This type of research is where the information is found from other sources.

Quantitive

Quantitive research aims to look for patterns and trends in the results of methods, such as, questionnaires and survays.

Qualitive

Qualitive research aims to find out peoples opinions on subject matters. For example, in newpaper articles and focus groups.


When i do my research before creating my magazine, i am going to use questionnaires, magazines and interviews to find out the information i need. I could have used sources such as text books, but these would not give me the detailed information i am looking for.

Research on two music magazines currently on sale in Britain

NME and Kerrang are two music magazines on sale in Britan, which are both based on two different music genres. I have researched these magazines and found out the followng;

NME

Brief history; NME stands for the New Musical Express, and was first published in march 1952. In the 1960s the magazine became very popular due to frequently due to it regularly featuring groups such as The Rolling Stones and The Beatles on the front cover. During the 1970s, NME was the best selling music magazine in Britain. A major milestone in the history of NME, was when they offered a reader incentive to its audience. This was a cassette tape that was available for readers to buy at a discount price.

Typical content; The typical content of NME includes: music charts, music reviews, cocert dates, music news, upcoming bands/artists, albums and reviews, movies.

Typica reader; On average, around three times more men than women read NME magazine. The average age for NME readers is between the ages of 15-44.

Housestyle;The title on the front cover is always in a big font and has capital letters. This is to make it stand out and to help catch the readers eye. Also, the red colour of the title font is typical of every issue and is part of the magazines housestyle. Therefore, the magazine is very noticable to its regular readers.

How social groups are represented; I think this magazine is aimed at mainly males between the ages of 16-40. However, many women still read this magazine regularly. The reason i think this is because, the type of music that is featured, is mainly associated with females.

KERRANG

Brief history; Kerrang was first published on the 7th june, 1981 and it was edited by Geoff Barton. This issue of kerrang was only intended as a one off supplement which focused on the new wave of heavy rock music in the UK, in 'Sounds' newspaper. AC/DC was the band which was first ever featured on the cover of Kerrang.

Typical content; rock music chart, music reviews, cocert dates, music news, upcoming bands/artists, albums and reviews, movies.

Typical reader; Roughly, around three times as many men than women read Kerrang. Also, just over 14 times as many people aged between the ages of 15-44, read Kerrang than people aged 44+.

House style; All the titles in Kerrang are usually the same font and colour, mainly red, yellow or black. The title is always at the top of the front page and below it is a picture of a band.

How social groups are represented; Kerrang is mainly aimed at males who are interested in heavy rock culture and music. However, there are women interested in this that also read the magazine.

this information came from various websites including, Wikipedia, NME.com and Kerrang.com

Music magazine terminology

To create my final music magazine cast, i will have a to use a new range of terminology. There are:

• Balance- the design principle that one side of a layout must be given equal weight compared to another. Balance is achieved through the placement of type and graphic elements.
• Banner- the place where a magazines logo appears.
• Body copy- the main text of an article.
• Brand- the magazine is a 'brand', in the same way as GAP or Levis is a brand. With growth of synergy, a magazine might have spin off products such as a radio station, TV channel. clothing line or merchandise.
• Bullet- a circle or dingbat before each item on a list.
• Byline- the name of an articles author.
• Callout- explanation of a specific area of an illistration or diagram.
• Caption- also called a cutline.
• Consistency- the principle that a magazine should retain some elements throughout an edition of a magazine and also from month to month. Inconsistency in typeface, design, layout etc. can confuse and alienate readers.
• contrast- the principle that important elements are given emphasis on a page through the use of size, colour, texture or placement whilst less important elements are minimised.
• copy- the written text.
• Cover- divided into OFC, IFC.
• Cover lines- also known as sell lines, the lines on the front cover that advertise the contents.
• Crop- to cut or trim an image.
• Deck- text below a headline that summarises or provides a lead-in to the article.
• Display type- that is a larger than body copy, such as a subheading and pull quotes.
• Drop cap- the large letter, like illuminated writing, sometimes found as the first letter of an article.
• Font- all the sizes and styles of text.
• Fours fs- Format, formula, frame, function
• Glossy- a magazine with glossy pages.
• Graphic- the visual elements of the magazine like the illustrations and photographs.
• Grid- an invisible structure that guides the placement of graphics and text on a page.
• Logotype or logo- the name of the magazine, also known as the flag. Found in the banner space, but often repeated elsewhere, like on the contents page.
• Margin- the measured white space at the top, bottom, left and right edges of the text. If any thing goes over the margins it is said to 'bleed'
• Masthead- a box, usually about a column wide, that lists the magazine's editors, designers, business staff and information about the publishing company.
• Matte- a dull, unglossy finished page.
• Montage- the assembly of several photos or illustrations into a single piece of art.
• Pagination- the process of creating complete page layouts and putting them in order using DTP.
• Palette- a set of colours that can be used in a magazine, defined in advance to ensure a consistent look and brand from issue to issue.
• Pull quote- an excerpt from an article, often a quotation from an interview, that has been pulled out, enlarged and used as a design element to break up body text.
• Sans serif- a font without feet.
• Sequence- the design principle that the designer can choose the order in which readers look at items on a page, using size, colour, shape and placement.
• Serif- a font that has feet.
• Slab serif- a typeface using heavy, even serifs.
• Subhead- a short headline used to break up paragraphs within body copy.
• Subtitle- a heading beneath the logotype that acts as the magazines motto.
• Typeface- a style of font or type.
• Unity- a consistency in design style throughout the magazine.

preliminary progress 26/01/11

For the preliminary exercise so far we have:

• Looked on the internet and in the library at other existing school/college magazines to look at inspirational ideas for our own magazine.

• Taken our medium close up picture to use for our front cover image.

• Considered in our group, some headlines and text to also go on the front cover.

For example, 'exam tips', 'revision techniques'

We are now aiming to start putting our front page together with the final headlines and text we choose.

Coursework task

My preliminary task is to create a front page of a new school/college magazine. The front cover must include a mid shot close up photograph of a student, appropriately laid out text, and a masthead. Along with this, I have to produce a mock up of the contents page to the magazine.

The main task for this coursework, is to create a front page, contents, and a double page spread of a new music magazine.