post production feedback

                                       

post production feedback

post production feedback

Q7) Looking back at the preliminary task what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to a full product?

since doing my preliminary task i have learnt many skills that have helped me progress to the full product. One of the main things i have learnt that has drastically improved the quality of my magazine is following the conventions of a real magazine and how to present the layout to a high standard in order for it to look appealing. Looking back at my preliminary task it did not look like i was fully aware of the conventions of a real magazines as it looked really poor.for e.g. the masthead and the cover lines are the same font, also the text are right at the edge of the magazine this makes it look very unorganised likewise the cover lines are slightly blending in with the main image.

One of the main tools i have progressed in from my preliminary task to the full product, that really helped enhance my music magazine was the use of photo shop. When making my college magazine i was unaware of how to use photo shop. Analysing different real magazine had really helped my get ideas on how my music magazine should look like, also through the use of photo shop it had helped me to my advantage as i was able to edit images to the standard of a real magazine. Unlike my preliminary task i was not able to manipulate my pictures or use photo shop to my own advantage as i was unfamiliar with these tools.

my preliminary task only consisted of a front cover and a contents page. however my music magazine consist of a front cover magazine, a contents page, and a double page spread.

Through the progression of my preliminary task, i have learnt how to fully attract my targeted audience through the conventions. i felt i had done poorly in my preliminary task as the does not give off any signs or symbols that represents any genre's or a specific audience.I learnt how focus on a particular social group. My music magazine circulated around three specific genre's, so i was able to narrow down and categorise my target audience and target group. my preliminary task consist of a wide audience most specific people in education. roughly the age of 16-19. This meant that i had to research my target group and present my magazine in a way were it will appeal to my target audience.

Since my preliminary task i learnt how to use canon E05 400D camera effectively to my advantage, in taking good quality pictures. with my preliminary task i was unaware on how to keep the camera into focus.

Q6) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

From the process of constructing this product i learnt many things about technology that helped construct my magazine, that i was unfamiliar with before. Firstly through the process of constructing the magazine i learnt the basic and how to use a canon E0S 400D camera to take all my images i also used a bowens gemini esprit gm500 for the flash kit i also used a 60cm soft box to comunicate with each other using a radio trigger. One of the conventions i followed from a real life magazine is to take all my images vertically. I mainly struggled on keeping the lenses on focus as my images consisted on a lot of movements. All my images were taken in separate locations to give it  consistency of excitement. This could be argued that i have challenged conventions from a real magazine, as stick to one location. However some magazines consist of different backgrounds for each image. I also decided to use different backgrounds for each image in order to get different lighting's effects. Also in order to create my desired effect and good quality of images.I had to be aware of the timings i would take my picture as some of the images were outside. One things i was not in control of was the weathering and the brightness outside, so i had to be prepared and fully equip for the actually day of the shoot. I had to stay consistent and stick to the same make of the camera in order to get the same consistency of quality of images, this could prevent any pix elated images from occurring.

another technology i found i had learnt alot from is the use of photo shop, as my skills on photo shop was very poor as i was unfamiliar with photo shop before the constructing of my college magazine. I used photo shop CS3, to construct my music magazine.

One complex technique i have learnt was to edit the photograph and its background . In doing this i had edited the lighting and contrast of the picture. Another thing a did to prevent spreading the image across the magazine is click on the image edit - transform- the scale.

step 1. on photo shop to edit my image i, selected an area of the blue background

2. went transform -> scale. i enlarged the selected area

3. i then clicked on layer-> merged down. in doing this it placed the separate images together.

4.then select polygonal, select and join around the area you need to edit.

5. go on select and modify->feather-> place a number you want example. 25.

6. go on filter-> blur-> Gaussian blur 

I also learnt that photo shop was very useful in creating JPEG files which was need to upload images on to my blog, as photo shop is not accepted onto blog because of the amount of memory it consists.

I also made my own  borders using polygonal lasso tool  from photo shop as i helped me draw accurate straight lines in order for my product to look more presentable

I also used the graph as a guideline for my magazine as i need to be very accurate with the placing of my text and images

Similarly, in photo shop, i learnt how to use the stroke tool and drop shadow, which helped in making a particular text and out and look look 3 dimensional for example my mast head. i felt it was really simply and easy to use, but i finding it was quite difficult as i was not aware in the beginning that you had to double right click the layer [text] is in the hand hand column where all the layers are placed.

Q5) How did you attract/ adress your audience? colour etc...

Using my audience research as my guidelines, i feel i attracted my targeted audience through a respectable amount of ways.One in which i attracted my target audience is through all the conventions in my front cover. This is illustrated as i carefully choose two model's who i felt fit my perfect description that fell in the three genres, also they are roughly the same age as my target audience. So my audience could associate and relate themselves with my two models. My models are attractive, this helps attract the opposite sex as well as my target audience. Both models are wearing different styles of clothing that represents the three genres associated; one of the models are wearing a base ball jacket and her hair is in a Afro curl. The jacket looks quite masculine this contributes to the male audience also towards Hip hop and R'n'b. However the other model is wearing a yellow jumper and a denim waist coat over it, she is also wearing a colourful body con skirt; this looks more feminine whereas the use of colours clashes. Giving a funky look to it. I also introduced a rainbow eye shadow which symbolises individuality; each colour represents a specific style that fits into the genre of these music.

Another way i attracted my target audience is by keeping the focus on the hip hop, funky and R'n'b music theme. Additionally, i used well known names in my magazine to attract my audience and issues that i felt was relevant and would appeal to my target audience, for e.g. one of my cover line includes a well known R'nb singer "John Legend : contributes towards charity". I also included a new artist as well such as Jacob Latimore to keep it contemporary and opened. similarly the headlines in my contents page included a sample of a eyeshadow inspired look as it is also relevant, as it includes a mainstream well known artist "Nicki Manaj". It also shows how i can circulate different aspects into music e.g fashion plays a main role in music as each genre of music has a specific look.

Throughout my magazine i used different san serif fonts to give the magazine a attractive and sophisticated look, which i feel works very well with the genre of music. I used a san serif font i downloaded from dafont.com and added edition's to the mast head using photo shop effects such as (drops shadow , bervel emboss). Also as the magazine message is 'The Unexpected', this is translated to readers as they feel that they are encouraged to express their unexpected side of them. This is also introduced by the selling line (slogan) ".. believe in the unexpected...".

Similarly, i also used a graffiti font (from dafont.com) when i was introducing the main cover line. This would attract my audience because the font is bold, appealing, and is easy to read.It is also very different to the other cover line fonts which makes it stand out.

Another way i attracted my target audience was through the colour scheme of my magazine was mainly based on re, yellow, blue, white, and black as these are the colours associated to the genre of music. The majority of colours are bright likewise i had to use some dull colours like black, as i didn't want my magazine to look to Bright. i had to use black and white to tone down the bright colours as the main image its self is very bright, and i want the min image to talk for itself not the writing. I also attracted and addressed my target audience through the type of language i used. throughout my magazine the majority of the time i used formal standard English which would engage with both audience however i also introduce colloquial language in it as i am targeting a young audience as well. I chose to make my magazine versatile in the sense that everyone in American and England are not restricted to certain words and phrases such as 'SWAGG'.

on my contents page i attracted my target audience by keeping relevent and interesting information consistent, likewise it is very well organised and is placed into a specific category's thereby allowing them to read on because it easy easier for them to know what they are looking for as it would be in a specific genre. Everything is set clearly with readable, suitable size of fonts so the audience wouldn't have a problem reading.

Q4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

As stated in my audience research 'SWAGG' (the unexpected) is targeting a young age range 16-25 both British and American. that's why i included the phrase 'SWAGG' as the phrase was originated in America. I choose this audience as R'n'b. funky and hip hop are highly popular in both countries America and England.

I decided to target a younger audience as the majority of artist featured in my magazine are young artist, also they are from either America or England. My content and terminology used in my magazine are quite colloquial and informal, as informal language are most popular with the younger age range. So it would appeal to them. However my magazine would appeal to an older audience as it cross reference with politics and the artist, as it involves the artist contribution towards charity.

In terms of ethnicity, although Funky, Hip hop, and R'n'b music are usually associated with black male people. 'SWAGG' (the unexpected) target all ethnicity's and both gender's. I decided to include only female images to strongly involve females, as its is well known that 'males' are more interested in Hip hop, and R'n'b. So i wanted to get the female audience more engaged. The magazine is targeted for people who have a greater passion for music, people that like to go into depth with music. Not just listening and gathering information from false sources or just listening to music through Ipods or mp3's, but for people who want o know the truth behind music and the artist's.

Q3) what kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

in reference to the publishing house case study i conducted in the planning and researching stage of my coursework. I think http://www.futureplc.com/ productions would be more likely to publish and distribute my magazine, as they distribute magazine's and different area's of media products. They was also was awarded grand prix and digital publisher consumer in 2011. So this is another advantage as they are mainstream, also it would be more likely for my magazine to be distributed to all my target audience which indicates a wider audience as it would be globally seen.

 

this publisher are most popular for their kinds of music, and as my magazine is based on a different genre to Future PLC ''Future’s music-listening brands Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Revolver'' from this quote it clearly highlight's the type of music genre's they distribute. I feel the fan base of future PLC would find it interesting as it is some thing new, also it could withdraw some of the fan base towards my magazine, likewise my audience would be with-draw with their music genre as well. This would both profit me and PLC as we would be sharing and entertaining both audience. As a result of this i would have a wider audience and a more successful magazine. In the long term this would be fanatically beneficial to PLC as there would be an increase in advertisements and sponsorship because my genre of music draws in a different audience.

 I would most probably distribute my magazine in film, book or music store such a block buster, WHSmith, HMV or a corner shop such as a retail store.The reason for choosing this is because block buster is one of the most biggest media store and it is global. Also by selling my magazine in well known retail stores such as WHSmith it can alter the chances of my magazine being distributed successfully as it in local areas. This makes it easier for the audience to get a hold of as they do not have to travel far to get it.

Q2) how does your media product represent particular social group?

My music magazine is a made to target a teenage to young adult audience (both male and female) who are avid and engaged with funky, hip hop, and r'n'b culture. I made my magazine quite open, in order of doing that i intend on attracting a wider audience. i represented this particular social group through the images and text used in my music magazine. Firstly, my models on the front cover represents a particular genre of music for the targeted audience. ethnic minority

One way in which funky is represented is through there make up; they both have heavily bright rainbow colours. this represents bright extravagant colours as 'funky' is highly represented as colourful.

The second way in which hip hop and funky are represented is through their clothes, and their posture; their clothes are a mixture of casual and outgoing clothes. The base ball jacket represents a masculine look how ever it represent hip hop as its what dancers wear during a dance. On the other hand, the other model is wearing a bright yellow jumper and a colourful body con skirt. this represents funky as there is a variety of clashing of colours. This can relate to both audience (male and female).

another way in which my magazine represents r'n'b is through the use of language. i decided to make my magazine quite formal English as i am targeting the ethnic minority.

The style of the masthead is a style of graffiti. this contributes towards hip hop culture as there alot of graffiti style associated with hip hop.This also gives an informal looks towards my magazine as the language used in my magazine is quite formal.

both heads are tilting back towards each other in a relaxed way. This can contribute to the genre of music as they are not portrayed as violent and aggressive like "rock", but it can be argued that r'n'b are known to be quite aggressive. I decided not to include the 'gaze thoery' as my targeted audience are for both male and females. I feel that through the front cover image the targeted audience would be 'encoded' as the photo is quite revealing in terms of style of dressing towards the genre.


The mast head uses a colloquial language known as "slang" terminology (SWAGG). The meaning of "swagg" means appearance ,style ,or the way he or she presents them selves. Swag is made up of your overall confidence, style, and demeanor. Swag can also be expanded to be the reputation of your overall swagger.

I purposely used the word 'swag' as i am aware that my target audience are familiar with that terminology. Also through audience research i realised that the majority of response was in colloquial language. my age range is from 16-25

Although my models are black, i still intend on targeting Caucasians as well and other ethnic backgrounds, a technique i used is through formal and standard English as i am aware that all ethnics can understand the use of language.

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

Q1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

i first started analysing different existing, mainstream front cover music magazines, so i am aware and knowledgeable on the conventions used. as i intended on making my music magazine look more professional and in comparison to other music magazines. I had narrowed down my choices of music so it can fit in a specific genre, as i am targeting a specific audience of my choice.  In doing this i had to strictly follow some conventions of a music magazine that are the same genre as mine. There are many ways in which my magazine challenges and imitates forms of a real music magazine convention. One of the most common/ basic convention that i choose to follow is a "Big Mast Head" spread across the top of my magazine; i downloaded a particular font from "dafont.com" to do this. By doing this my intentions was to make my magazine look distinctive, this will enable my targeted audience to be more attracted as it very dominating, bold and will stand out amongst other magazines. i also choose this font as a mast head as it could symbolise Independence as each letters are quite apart as i used the font San serif. To adapt it i added a thick border lining around each text and added a drop shadow and a ....Another recognisable convention i decided not to use is placing the mast head behind the object, but instead i placed my masthead above the object; as i wanted both the mast head and object to stand out as individual objects. My mast head looks quite informal as it has a graphite look to it.

i decided to challenge a popular convention from Q music magazine, as the main image of this magazine consist of a medium close up. However i have intentionally used a medium long shot. the contrast between my magazine and the Q magazine is that my magazine obtain of bright bold colours whereas the q magazine is quite dull and is very consistent with the colours as it lacks a variety of different colours. I added a colourful rainbow effect eye shadow as i do not intend on sticking to a specific colour scheme. I intentionally used bright colours as it falls in the genre of funky as well as hip hop/ r'n'b; the colours are also controversial, for both genders (male and females). my models are posing in a quite relaxed way; through this, it should make the audience feel more layed back a relaxed.

- i intended on including this image, but i had to think in debt about it and decided if it was really relevant as it is displayed on my models already (front cover).

in order to fully attract my targeted audience; i had to use cover lines (most specific- interesting ones) this is another convention generally used in music magazines. As the purpose of headlines is to give an insight into what will be featured in the magazine. this also could attract audiences as it is quite short and straight to the point, likewise eye catching. Depending on the font and colour. I stayed consistent with  my fonts and sizes except for the main cover line as it is the feature of the magazine. I decided to give it a bold and unique font from "dafont.com" and adjusted it by including different effects such as a drop shadow, bevel and emboss etc. The main image and main cover line acts as the main selling point of the magazine as it stands out from the rest i carefully analysed different magazines and realised that they left approximately 1cm margin blank on each edges of the magazine. So no text is cut also to Aline each headlinei used the gride on photoshop to help me.

a magazine selling line is another convention that i included in my magazine. A selling line acts in a way to promote the magazine. my magazine is a twist between funky/hip hop and r'n'b. my selling line is another from of N.V.C (non-verbal communicaion), in which it still can effectively engage and communicate with the targeted audience. i quote my selling line as an 'inspiring  quote' "believe in the unexpected...". It could be argued that my main cover line is more like a slogan as it is quite longer than usual selling line also it is circulating more to the main cover not the actually promoting the actual magazine. Also selling lines are usually at the top next to the masthead but mine one is below the main cover.

In order to follow the conventions of a music magazine. I attached a bar code, price and issue date so the audience are aware of the price and date of my magazine. i included a bar code as not all magazine have bar code as some magazines may be free of charge. i decided not to place the bar code at the bottom, but place it at the top corner approximately 2cm below the masthead, as i was following the structure of the "Q" magazine.

my contents page followed and developed conventions used in real life magazines, such as the "L" structure. i included images and labelled them with numbers as a visual way to give the audience an idea of what is inside my magazine. likewise the purpose of the contents page is to give the targeted audience an insight of the issues that will be discussed in the magazine.

similarly, my double page spread follows and develops conventions. i toned down the colours and stuck to a simple colour scheme which consist of "blue, while, red". decided to make the style of my double page spread different to my front cover and contents; as i am simplifying it as i want it to look quite formal. i arranged my article into two columns with a headline and stand first, as i decided to follow the conventions

first draft of double page spread i had to change it. as i had done a survey on which photo was more suitable for my double page spread

-it was said by my follow class mates that this photo looks more like a front cover image.

-many people said that this photo is  much better and suitable for a double page spread, and has a higher quality

i followed some conventions from this double page spread