Feedback
In this part of the evaluation I needed to get feedback to achieve the last appendix objective. I asked people to look through my front cover, contents and double page spread to see what they thought and if I achieved and professional looking magazine aimed at the right audience.
Josh Rodgers
"The Magazine Cover I believe is pretty well thought out. The shot of the four people are all well positioned and doesn't affect the masthead at the top of the page. I think the masthead has a good colour choice of red which is bright and easy to see. This will be good for catching passing people for potential readers.
The contents has a simple yet affective design which stays in homage to other classic magazines like Kerrang. No faults to point out on the contents page.
The double page spread really has been thought out well. The splatter effect used is very teenage looking with the headline "Teen Spirit" indicating its aimed directly at teenagers so the target audience is achieved.
Overall a very professional looking magazine"
Jade Dannatt
"What I like about this magazine cover is the image used on the front, all 4 people are in focus and it is clear to see even though 2 of them are in the front. I also like the fact that the front cover isn’t too cluttered, this makes it easy to see too. I also like the colour used on the front cover, a good contract between the red and green. As for the contents I really like the placing of the images, I think this because once again it makes it clear, and also makes it look authentic. Finally I love the double page spread. I think the use of the film stripe for images is a great idea aswell as the blood, it looks very professional. Overall I think this magazine looks professional and real."
Friday, 8 May 2009
Evaluation Question 6
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Blog Web 2.0 (blog)
I was already pretty familiar with using the internet for a long time now I already knew how to use a blog etc. While I knew how to use one I have never used it for this much of posting. Throughout my whole project I had to make sure that I kept it up to date with the work I needed to complete. I didn't have much time to change my background etc so I just kept it basic and simple looking because it wasn't really relevant to change any of the background colours or add a logo etc.
Photoshop
I had already had a fair bit of experience with Photoshop. Photoshop is one of the most well known and most used design tool in the industry. I was well aware how to use the basic functions of Photoshop and also some of the advance ones. I really liked Photoshop to design my front cover. Its a really easy program to use and it has all its most useful tools layed out well on the tool bar like the lasso tool which I used to cut out pictures. I also found Photoshop a lot better when it came to adding different text effects like drop shadows. If I had to do a similar project I would use Photoshop again.
Quark Express
I experienced many problems with Quark. I thought it was a pretty basic program and didn't offer as many features as Photoshop did like different text effects etc. I was really dissapointed on how plain my text looked in some cases but due to the task objective I had to make sure I made my contents and double page spread in Quark. I would not use this program again and I think that Quark is overal I much better program in terms of layout and features
Blog Web 2.0 (blog)
I was already pretty familiar with using the internet for a long time now I already knew how to use a blog etc. While I knew how to use one I have never used it for this much of posting. Throughout my whole project I had to make sure that I kept it up to date with the work I needed to complete. I didn't have much time to change my background etc so I just kept it basic and simple looking because it wasn't really relevant to change any of the background colours or add a logo etc.
Photoshop
I had already had a fair bit of experience with Photoshop. Photoshop is one of the most well known and most used design tool in the industry. I was well aware how to use the basic functions of Photoshop and also some of the advance ones. I really liked Photoshop to design my front cover. Its a really easy program to use and it has all its most useful tools layed out well on the tool bar like the lasso tool which I used to cut out pictures. I also found Photoshop a lot better when it came to adding different text effects like drop shadows. If I had to do a similar project I would use Photoshop again.
Quark Express
I experienced many problems with Quark. I thought it was a pretty basic program and didn't offer as many features as Photoshop did like different text effects etc. I was really dissapointed on how plain my text looked in some cases but due to the task objective I had to make sure I made my contents and double page spread in Quark. I would not use this program again and I think that Quark is overal I much better program in terms of layout and features
Evaluation Question 5
How did you attract your audience?
On my magazine cover I have used a few different features in order to attract my audience. I think the image I have used is very effective. This is because the front people of the image are the centre point of the cover. Around them are images and advertisements to whats going to be in the magazines. I think the colour I have used is something that attracts the reader because it the red and white contrast so that it is easier to read and because it makes it clearer.
Behind my masthead I have a grey banner, this makes my masthead easier to read.
The mode of address on the cover is more teacher pupil, this is because it is informing the reader on news and what is in the magazine. Also on the top of the page I have used a sticker feature, this makes the magazine look more authentic in order to attract readers.
By having a group band with Males and Females I did this to attract Boys and Girls because they were featured to attract this audience. I tried to position them so it looks like they are kind of rebellious and they represent the ideal self image that a lot of magazines try to accomplish this. For example of when I looked at a previous magazine with "Avenged Sevenfold" featured on the front cover the magazine tried to make them positioned so they are rebellious and also a gang. I have tried to re create the rebellious look with mine and give this the edge for my magazine to pull in my target audience which is teenagers.
Evalution Question 4
Who would the audience be for your media product?
Len Ang (1991) shows Media Institutions view audiences as a group of imaginary individuals. Therefore this tries to create a generic, typical member of this person to help them to create a demographic group.
The target audience of my magazine is around 14-21 year olds which means that this audience will still be in some sort of education like second school, college or university. To draw people to my magazine I made it look colourful which is what Pop-Punk music is mostly all about. To do this I made my text bright and made it stand out.
Kerrang is a similar magazine and they have a large group following in the UK with having a Radio station and also a music channel to go along with the main magazine. I have tried to base my magazine around a similar group of people because when Kerrang first started publishing it was more a Metal magazine but has changed over the years slightly with now Green Day and Blink 182 on the front. More Pop-Punk mainstream bands are making it to the front covers of magazines like Kerrang.
This is the type of audience I have tried to aim for I and think I have achieved this by using a typical stereotypical group of people for Pop-Punk music on my front cover.
Len Ang (1991) shows Media Institutions view audiences as a group of imaginary individuals. Therefore this tries to create a generic, typical member of this person to help them to create a demographic group.
The target audience of my magazine is around 14-21 year olds which means that this audience will still be in some sort of education like second school, college or university. To draw people to my magazine I made it look colourful which is what Pop-Punk music is mostly all about. To do this I made my text bright and made it stand out.
Kerrang is a similar magazine and they have a large group following in the UK with having a Radio station and also a music channel to go along with the main magazine. I have tried to base my magazine around a similar group of people because when Kerrang first started publishing it was more a Metal magazine but has changed over the years slightly with now Green Day and Blink 182 on the front. More Pop-Punk mainstream bands are making it to the front covers of magazines like Kerrang.
This is the type of audience I have tried to aim for I and think I have achieved this by using a typical stereotypical group of people for Pop-Punk music on my front cover.
Evaluation Question 3
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
The company that will most likely want to publish my magazine will be the likes of Bauer because they have a huge weeky buyers. For example with Kerrang they get over 55,000 readers each week which is pretty large numbers for a weekly magazine at £2.20. I think mine would fit in with this perfectly due to how my magazine is also based around other mainstream magazines and Bauer publishes a few like Q and MoJo. It will take part in synergy to make sure that the magazine will be well marketed and will get the recognition
The company that will most likely want to publish my magazine will be the likes of Bauer because they have a huge weeky buyers. For example with Kerrang they get over 55,000 readers each week which is pretty large numbers for a weekly magazine at £2.20. I think mine would fit in with this perfectly due to how my magazine is also based around other mainstream magazines and Bauer publishes a few like Q and MoJo. It will take part in synergy to make sure that the magazine will be well marketed and will get the recognition
Final Project Magazine
This is the final outcome of the project magazine. I am impressed with how it turned out.
Evaluation Question 2
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
I do think my magazine does represent a particular social group. This is because it features a lot of mainstream bands that you would expect to be featured in this type of magazine. I aimed to reach Pop-Punk fans I do believe I’ve achieved this but that doesn’t mean would only be read by them fans.
My masthead is all abstract and is bright red. This encodes the magazine is trying to reach out to that audience. The masthead looks like it’s had some wear and it looks like a logo you would expect a clothing line from that specific stereotypical readers would wear.
The main cover shot image I used on my front cover looks like a typical stereotypical Pop-Punk group because of the camera medium close up and the way they are positioned in the photo. This is lead to draw in not only Girls but also Guys as well because of the Male and Female members of the band.
Representations can be read in a number of different ways and its not just how they are portrayed to the reader its also how they are shown in the forms of text is used.
I do think my magazine does represent a particular social group. This is because it features a lot of mainstream bands that you would expect to be featured in this type of magazine. I aimed to reach Pop-Punk fans I do believe I’ve achieved this but that doesn’t mean would only be read by them fans.
My masthead is all abstract and is bright red. This encodes the magazine is trying to reach out to that audience. The masthead looks like it’s had some wear and it looks like a logo you would expect a clothing line from that specific stereotypical readers would wear.
The main cover shot image I used on my front cover looks like a typical stereotypical Pop-Punk group because of the camera medium close up and the way they are positioned in the photo. This is lead to draw in not only Girls but also Guys as well because of the Male and Female members of the band.
Representations can be read in a number of different ways and its not just how they are portrayed to the reader its also how they are shown in the forms of text is used.
Evaluation Question 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
I think my magazine uses many features of a real life media magazine. Some of the mains features I have included is a masthead that would fit under a similar based media magazine. I made the masthead different and also colorful to pull people in passing by. This is done by many mainstream magazines. They use a simple yet effective logo and I have tried to recreate this with my “Absolute Punk” masthead. Also another strong point to pull readers in to the magazine is the main photo shot and the anchorage with it. I chose to use a group shot of people and use them to act like a normal Pop-Punk band.
I also added other features that you would expect to see on a magazine front page like “free posters” and other news section. I had to make it for other users that might not be interested by the cover shot but drawn in by something else.
I made sure the text on the front cover was bright and colourfull because this is what Pop-Punk music is considered to be. Songs based around a specific genre in music and this is how its portrayed with bright colours
I believe my front cover has challenged the forms and conventions of a magazine I would expect to see in that genre and would reach the target audience I have aimed for.
Installing fonts
Here I have the font I downloaded from Da Font and now I need to install it
To do this I went to the windows folder and then looked for the folder "Font"
Then I just copied the font from the desktop to the "Font" folder and let it install.
This is me doing an example in Photoshop
Thursday, 7 May 2009
Daft Interview
Interview
Q- First of all we’d like to congratulate you on the sweet success we’ve heard from your new album.
Emma Jo- Thanks,
Mikey- Cheers
Q- How did “This City Sleeps” start?
EJ- We started four years ago
M- Nearly five
EJ- It was a tough couple of years because when we first really got going Pop-Punk was sort of levelling off. Blink-182 had broken up along with other bands like Home Grown.
M- Other bands were starting to take their music in different directions rather than just the basic Pop-Punk
Q- Like how Four Year Strong and Set Your Goals has added Hardcore Elements to their music?
M- That’s right yeah they are rad bands and are really good at what they do.
Q- With the success of your last album been so high have you found it hard to follow up to the success?
EJ- Well actually we did when we came off the Warped Tour in the
Q- Yeah you was headlining so it must have been a pretty hard task to keep up
EJ- The tour was pretty intense and the crowds were just crazy every time.
M- It was our first time in the
Q- Anything funny happen while you were in the
EJ- I remember one of the after parties going on and not ending till mid day the following day.
M- Our sound tech guy Joe got hit in the back of a head with a bottle!
Q- Who was the best band you toured with?
EJ- All Time Low. On the Warped Tour we met them and they are such nice guys. It would be awesome to tour with them again sometime!
M- Silverstein. They are such a sick band.
Q- The hype that picked up for this new album “Tonight We Say Goodbye” was pretty awesome are you happy with the way the album was received?
EJ- It has been a lot more positive than we expected! It’s been our longest time in the studio and we wanted to come out with the best we could.
M- We knew after the release of our last album we had to step things up a gear
Q- What was the main influence for your music?
EJ- New Found Glory, Saves the Day, Blink-182 there’s a lot really!
Q- What do you like to do in your spare time?
EJ- A lot of relaxing but me and the rest of the band usually meet up and go to a gig or two.
M- A hell of a lot of parties I never get chance to see some of my close friends on tour so I have to make sure we have a sweet time when I get home.
Q- And Finally when’s the tour in the UK kicking up?
M-(Laughs) You will have to check our site.
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