Wednesday, 21 January 2015
Tuesday, 20 January 2015
question 7 - draft
Looking back at the preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
In the beginning of my media product from the creation of the college magazine I felt that I have progressed. In the college magazine I did not use as many features, and my college magazines house style wasn't aesthetically pleasing towards the target audience who were college students.
In accordance to my final media product which is the BlackHeart publication, I feel as if it more professional as all the features are applied within the magazine front cover such as using, a free giveaway, main cover line, different fonts, a relatable colour scheme and a professional photograph of the cover star.
My contents page for the college magazine was also not good as it lacked a lot of features, the layout was not considered reasonable for the target audience and the colour scheme didn't go well as it didn't follow up with the colour scheme and house style which was used in the college magazine front cover.
In relation to my final contents page product, I have added several more feature as well as this all boxes are aligned to fill in white space which is important as it gives a well organised layout as well as appearance. I feel as if I have learnt as I progressed from the preliminary tasks in to the final product as a change can be seen also I have learnt how to apply the conventional features appropriately to the contents page and added a bit extra from looking at my case studies which was subscription and an editors letter.
I have used Photoshop for both my college magazine and final media product. I feel as if I have learnt how to use more technical tools than the college magazine I created before, such as adding stroke, shadows and manipulating various features.
I feel as if I have learnt how to use the correct journalistic in association with my target audience, as they're more formal than informal. The journalistic language is also clear and gives direct details and attention towards the audience, as I have also used double page spread conventional features such as the use of pull quotes, appropriate suitable and clear font styles, and the use original images.
Overall, I think I have learnt a lot since the preliminary task as my skills in using different software's and programmes such as Photoshop and InDesign as during the preliminary task I wasn't able to use the tools as I struggled a lot, however now I am able to use both programmes as I have used it several times from preliminary task to the full product.
In the beginning of my media product from the creation of the college magazine I felt that I have progressed. In the college magazine I did not use as many features, and my college magazines house style wasn't aesthetically pleasing towards the target audience who were college students.
In accordance to my final media product which is the BlackHeart publication, I feel as if it more professional as all the features are applied within the magazine front cover such as using, a free giveaway, main cover line, different fonts, a relatable colour scheme and a professional photograph of the cover star.
My contents page for the college magazine was also not good as it lacked a lot of features, the layout was not considered reasonable for the target audience and the colour scheme didn't go well as it didn't follow up with the colour scheme and house style which was used in the college magazine front cover.
In relation to my final contents page product, I have added several more feature as well as this all boxes are aligned to fill in white space which is important as it gives a well organised layout as well as appearance. I feel as if I have learnt as I progressed from the preliminary tasks in to the final product as a change can be seen also I have learnt how to apply the conventional features appropriately to the contents page and added a bit extra from looking at my case studies which was subscription and an editors letter.
I have used Photoshop for both my college magazine and final media product. I feel as if I have learnt how to use more technical tools than the college magazine I created before, such as adding stroke, shadows and manipulating various features.
I feel as if I have learnt how to use the correct journalistic in association with my target audience, as they're more formal than informal. The journalistic language is also clear and gives direct details and attention towards the audience, as I have also used double page spread conventional features such as the use of pull quotes, appropriate suitable and clear font styles, and the use original images.
Overall, I think I have learnt a lot since the preliminary task as my skills in using different software's and programmes such as Photoshop and InDesign as during the preliminary task I wasn't able to use the tools as I struggled a lot, however now I am able to use both programmes as I have used it several times from preliminary task to the full product.
Question 6 - Draft
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Photoshop – Photoshop was a program I used in to constructing my music magazine, Photoshop is a program to where you can create designs, illustrations and graphical products in relation to my coursework I used it to make the front cover of my magazine, and from the process I learnt many technical details in to using Photoshop. First of all I learnt how to layer my layers on photoshop, by rearranging the order and moving the layers and editing them around. I also learnt about different ways of using several tools in the tool box and techniques to manipulate text such as by adding shadows, glows and strokes.
InDesign - I used InDesign to construct my contents page and double page spread. With illustrator I learnt how to use align text boxes, columns and rows to create gutter space and to neaten my contents page and double page spread. In addition to this, I created a lot of text boxes for different conventional features which fit in to the contents page and double page spread. I also learnt how to use different features such as adding in suitable fonts, captions, headlines, journalistic language and placing images in. Most importantly, I have learnt how to export my file as a jpeg.
Blogger - Blogger, is our blog in which we upload our coursework on. Blogger is a form of technology and I have used this piece of technology to construct my coursework on to the blog. From this programme I have learnt how to embed links from other programs on this program in which it is then transferred from the website on to the blog by putting in the embed code. I have also learn how alter text, size and upload images. Lastly I have learnt how publish, save, edit my posts on the blog which has been very useful.
Photography Studio - To construct the music magazine I had to use the photography studio, to photograph my cover stars. I learnt how to use a professional DSLR camera which was a Nikon D7000. In addition I learnt how to control the use of flash, and to changes the colours of my photographs such as using monochrome or standard depending on the colour I wanted my photographs to be. I also learnt how to use a soft box and by using this it allowed me to manipulate shadows on the models.
Timetoast - Timetoast, is another handy piece of technology In which I used at the start. Timetoast is a timelines plan of events you create. This has helped me become organised and keep on track with my coursework deadlines for each event deadline on the timeline.
Prezzi / Slideshare - Prezzi, is one of the first programs I used to create my proposal. I have learnt how to configure and create a online presentaitions through the use of this online program. Slideshare is also a really handy programme, this has helped me upload my power points online quicker than usual just by embedding the URL on to blogger.
question 5 - draft
How did you attract/address your audience?
Masthead -
The masthead of my publication will be named, BLACK HEART the reason for naming the masthead black heart is because it reflects on the genre of the publication, it also sounds edgy and rock like and gives a mysterious and distraught atmosphere. The publication is a mixture of 2 words but combined. The word black detonates darkness, emptiness and desolation, and the word heart, suggests life, energy and vitality. The words combined gives a binary oppositional contrast between the two words within the masthead, as if it’s a heart of darkness. This attracts the audience, as the title is related to the genre and also sounds catchy. The masthead is going to be called “Black Heart” as mentioned above, the masthead resembles the genre and reflects upon it, as “alternative rock” is stereotyped, to have a menacing title which tends to be edgy and slightly rough, this also stereotypes the audience itself, as it gives the audience to be seen as “rebellious”, The stereotype is used to emphasise the genre in a neutral way as it is neither positive nor negative.
Cover stars – The cover star is a female, who is dressed up cutely, this attracts the audience as the male audience of my publication will follow sex appeal in order to gain a sense of gratification. In addition to this, the appearance of the cover star and the use of props and clothing may also address and attract the audience, as the target audience may want to dress up like the cover star.
Genre - The genre of my publication is a mixture of JRock (Japanese rock) and alternative rock, I did this because I wanted to have a more diverese and larger audience, as rock music is already mainstream, I wanted to mix it up with a bit of Japanese rock, to give the target audience a different taste in music and also to meet the target audiences needs, this addresses and attracts the audiences, as J-pop and different variations of the rock sub genre may be new to the audience and may appeal to them.
Subscriptions - Subscriptions, is when the target audience subscribe meaning, they want more from the publication, they do this by giving their details and then receiving an email, with every email is an update, so it updates the target audience on upcoming magazines , tours, apps and live shows, it also gives information about upcoming events and artists. Subscription helps the target audience socially engage with the publication as they are retrieving information that is useful for them. This will attract the audience as they would want more from the publication and will receive it by subscription.
Colour scheme -
The colour scheme attracted my audience as the colours were appropriate to the target audience, I have used the three colours which are black, white and pink. These colours contrast well against each. Furthermore, these colours are used throughout the media publication as it is a chosen house style I chose to stick with.
Social network - Social networking attract and addresses the audience, as in my contents page, different websites were shown where the target audience is able to interact with the publication or retrieve information about the publications. I use the social networking sites which are Facebook, instagram and twitter and the official BlackHeart website.
Masthead -
The masthead of my publication will be named, BLACK HEART the reason for naming the masthead black heart is because it reflects on the genre of the publication, it also sounds edgy and rock like and gives a mysterious and distraught atmosphere. The publication is a mixture of 2 words but combined. The word black detonates darkness, emptiness and desolation, and the word heart, suggests life, energy and vitality. The words combined gives a binary oppositional contrast between the two words within the masthead, as if it’s a heart of darkness. This attracts the audience, as the title is related to the genre and also sounds catchy. The masthead is going to be called “Black Heart” as mentioned above, the masthead resembles the genre and reflects upon it, as “alternative rock” is stereotyped, to have a menacing title which tends to be edgy and slightly rough, this also stereotypes the audience itself, as it gives the audience to be seen as “rebellious”, The stereotype is used to emphasise the genre in a neutral way as it is neither positive nor negative.
Cover stars – The cover star is a female, who is dressed up cutely, this attracts the audience as the male audience of my publication will follow sex appeal in order to gain a sense of gratification. In addition to this, the appearance of the cover star and the use of props and clothing may also address and attract the audience, as the target audience may want to dress up like the cover star.
Genre - The genre of my publication is a mixture of JRock (Japanese rock) and alternative rock, I did this because I wanted to have a more diverese and larger audience, as rock music is already mainstream, I wanted to mix it up with a bit of Japanese rock, to give the target audience a different taste in music and also to meet the target audiences needs, this addresses and attracts the audiences, as J-pop and different variations of the rock sub genre may be new to the audience and may appeal to them.
Subscriptions - Subscriptions, is when the target audience subscribe meaning, they want more from the publication, they do this by giving their details and then receiving an email, with every email is an update, so it updates the target audience on upcoming magazines , tours, apps and live shows, it also gives information about upcoming events and artists. Subscription helps the target audience socially engage with the publication as they are retrieving information that is useful for them. This will attract the audience as they would want more from the publication and will receive it by subscription.
Colour scheme -
The colour scheme attracted my audience as the colours were appropriate to the target audience, I have used the three colours which are black, white and pink. These colours contrast well against each. Furthermore, these colours are used throughout the media publication as it is a chosen house style I chose to stick with.
Social network - Social networking attract and addresses the audience, as in my contents page, different websites were shown where the target audience is able to interact with the publication or retrieve information about the publications. I use the social networking sites which are Facebook, instagram and twitter and the official BlackHeart website.
Question 4 - draft
- Who would be the audience for your media product?
The target audience for my media product are of the ages between 15 – 24. The reason why my target audience is in between this age range, is due to many teenagers are becoming more interested in to rock music, to have a theme of being a “rebellious teenager”
My target audience is 70% female and 30% male, the reason why I have more of a female target audience, is because this media product is aimed at female in comparison towards the male audience. Also the male audience for my chosen institution which is Bauer has a wider percentage of a male audience in all there media products which makes my media product different.
The ethnicity of the target audience for my media product are mostly from UK, Japan and America. This is the target ethnical audience as my media product has artists and cultures from all 3 of these countries.
My target audience, holds social norms however, they will not be religious, and they would hold the appearance of looking “rebellious, dark & cute”. Some of the target audience will be in education, have a job or will be jobless. The target audience will likely have a drunk, partying lifestyle to show their rebellion by attending clubs, gigs and concerts.
Question 3 - draft
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Institutions - Institutions are established organisations in which own many publications which produces magazines, apps, social networking cross platforms, Ezines and freebies. Institutions can produce their own music magazines and as well as this institutions can produce many publications in different formats in particular they tend to produce music magazines, which link to builds on through different methods of media platforms as mentioned above.
There are 3 really succesfull instituions which are famous for producing music magazine and have a mainstream amount of fans which appeal to both niche magazines and main stream music magazines these are
BBC (British broadcast corporation) - BBC is its own producer and they produce a genre of music which is classical hence why their publication of their music magazine is named "Classical Music"
Bauer Media - Bauer Media are successful and have many publications they are in charge of Q, Mojo and Kerrang which are mainstream magazines and have a huge fan base, also this Bauer Media's music magazines tend to be based on alternative rock music
IPC (International Publishing company) - IPC are in charge of publications which are specialise in rock they are in charge of the publications NME, Guitar and BASS.
The media institution I will choose to distribute my media product will be Bauer Media. Bauer Media are successful and have many publications, they are in charge of Q, Mojo and Kerrang which are mainstream magazines and have a huge fan base, and also this Bauer Media's music magazines tend to be based on alternative rock music. This also links to my case study’s, as Kerrang! was a chosen case study and Bauer media represents that.
Another reason, why I choose Bauer media is because of the ethnicity that Bauer media targets, which is mainly Americans and Europeans in this case (United Kingdom), and these all link to the ethnicity of individuals my magazine media product is based upon in addition to this, it will target Japanese individuals, as my media product is both of rock and j-rock with a variety of sub-genres.
Bauer media is also good marketing wise, as a lot of their monthly magazine products are placed in stores such as Tesco, WHSmith and online website such as Kerrang!, Mojo and Q. These stores are also popular and known which will help distribute the media product.
Question 2 Draft
Question 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My social group for my publication Black Heart are mainly teenagers and young adults (ages 15 – 24) of both genders. My social group data on my target audiences 70% female reader and 30% male readers. My media product has a social group from many countries as it is a magazine product which is sent overseas, the social groups are mainly from America, UK and Japan, as my media product includes artists from these countries.
The way I portrayed my magazine is by displaying a female, this challeneges stereotypes as women aren’t seen in society as “rockish”, and my front cover also shows the cover star being cute and light in clothes that would represent alternative rock groups. This represents my media product to my particular social groups as the audience is more of a female audience compared to males. The body language of the Demonic Cats member is laid back and chilled, it goes against the rock stereotype, as rock front covers are portrayed to be messy, dark and rough.
The gesture with the hands in the front cover in the form of a peace sign being directed diagonally. In my case studies both Kerrang! and BigCheese it shows the cover stars both being of the male gender, wearing trashy clothing with a messy appearance, however In my magazine cover I kept it neat. This represents the social groups as the audience are mostly rockish, however they have a neat and tidy appearance which then relates back to the stereotype “Not all female rockers are messy”.
My media product represents particular social groups, as my artist band represents Japanese culture, by wearing Japanese rockfish / street fashion, this would attract social groups to be inspired by the particular clothing the artist wears. Accsesories, are also a feature in which my cover stars have on which
My media product also represents my social groups as all of the artists in the rock band Demonic Cats are all youths and within their teenage years, this instantly gives the audience an insight towards their target audience also being youths, however there are some fans who are within their adulthood, and adolescent stage of life.
My social group data on my target audiences 70% female reader and 30% male readers. My media product has a social group from many countries as it is a magazine product which is sent overseas, the social groups are mainly from America, UK and Japan, as my media product includes artists from these countries.
Question 1 - Draft
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media conventions?
My media product BlackHeart uses real media conventions, as the conventions used in my media product are all of the features in which established magazine products use. In my front cover the conventions I have used are, enticing cover lines which draw the audience in, I have used a barcode, title, date and issue, skyline and merchandising. My front cover relates to the Big Cheese case study I have done as they have also used the same features as I have used. I gained my inspiration from both the Big Cheese and Kerrang! Magazine. The Big cheese magazine used merchandising within the skyline, However I took the concept and altered it to make it my own, by using merchandising within the centre of the magazine front cover as well as a competition in the skyline, it enabled me to entice the audience as these are persuasive conventional features which catches the audience’s attention.
Conventions used for front cover –
Masthead – The masthead used was “BlackHeart” simply because all of the publications of the media products I have created were called BlackHeart. This instantly relates to my case studies as they all have mastheads and are named after their publications such as Kerrang! and BigCheese. The masthead for my media product was positioned on top of the music magazine front cover, the reason being this is almost all mastheads are positioned on the top, it also helps the target audience notice the music magazine due to the publications name being on the top of the publication. My publications name is also positioned just beneath the skyline, and is behind the cover stars head, which shows the cover stars head being on front due to the perspective of the masthead of the publication.
Cover lines – The cover lines in my magazine front cover, are used to show information of what would be inside the actual magazine, it also displays cover lines relating to the cover star. This relates to the case studies I have used as they also used cover lines which relates to the content of what will be displayed inside the magazine, it relates to my all my case studies as they also have cover lines which link to the cover star displayed on the magazine front cover. The cover lines I have used for my media product is “J-rock vs American rock who will win” this is a quite controversial question as a cover line, as it questions the audiences to acquire opinions of the target audience, it also relates to the theme of my media product as the genres of music inside my magazine front cover, are both of American rock and J-rock along with sub-genres. Another cover line I have used in my media product is “Are Japanese masks rock inspired” this also questions the audience upon opinions, as its quite an opinion based cover line, which talks to the audience and makes them think, In society not many rock musicians use masks however, in Japan the use of masks is rock inspired as a lot of Japanese rock bands use masks, to partly conceal identity but to also influence their audience to wear them. Furthermore, I have used a Main coverline, which is the coverline that relates to what the magazine products relates to the most, my main cover line was “Demonic Cats release their new album CATastrophic” This was my main cover line, it was also noticeable due to the size of font being in a large sized font, and in the centre of the music magazine product.
Price – Price is one of the main features of a media product, and just like all media products my media product displays the price of the product. The price of my media product is “£2.99” the reason being this, is because the target audience of my media product are between the age range of 15 – 24 which makes it quite affordable for my target audience, along with this, the media product is a monthly issue which makes the circulation of the media product acquirable for the target audience to receive. The conventional use of price relates to my case studies, as Kerrang! which is a mainstream magazine was “£3.50” and my other case study which was a niche music magazine was “£4.50”, This helped me configure the price of media product, as I wanted it to be affordable to for my target audience due to my media product being targeted to a niche/mainstream market.
Cover star – The cover star is the main focal point on any magazine product or publication. This convention is used in real media products, usually in every magazine front cover there is always a cover star, in which the cover star features upon all segments of a media product, in my case study the cover star is shown throughout the front cover, contents page and double page spread. The cover star is the biggest image on the front of the magazine, which always has a relating cover line which is linked to the cover star. My cover star also has a dress code along with props, to show how J-rock stars dress, this also appeals to another target audience based on fashion, although it is a music magazine. The props I have used are bags, badges, masks, and clothing which is dark and gives the theme of being “rockish” with a sense of also being “cute”. In relation with the case studies I have used, they all have a cover star which is displayed as the main focal point on the magazine front cover. The other cover stars for example on Kerrang! And BigCheese they used props, such as the usage of a microphone to denotate that the cover star is a singer.
Barcode – In every magazine product, there is always a Barcode, mainly displayed in the bottom left or right hand corner. The main reason for having a barcode, is simply to show the price while be scanned. In my magazine product I have altered the use of the barcode as I have shown the barcode positioned portrait rather than being landscape in the magazine product. This conventional feature challenges real media products, as I have manipulated the use of a barcode, and altered it due to how I positioned the barcode, it is also seen as “abnormal” to position it portrait, as a majority of media products are placed in the format of being landscape.
Date & Issue – Lastly a media convention which I have used, is the use of having a date and issue, the whole purpose of having this feature is to display the date and issue of the media product. All magazines use it to show the circulation of media product whether it is a weekly, monthly or annual magazine. I have challenged real media conventions, as I have showed that my media product is exclusively a winter edition magazine, which is seasonal and only exclusive towards the season, although my media product has a monthly circulation. The date and issue was also used in my contents page.
Conventions used for contents page – Just like my magazine front cover, my contents page also includes several conventions which is used through the contents page. Sections – In my contents page, I have several sections which is coloured in accordance to the segments shown in my contents page such as lifestyle, features, regulars, fashion and culture. This feature challenges real media conventions as I have included several sections and colour coded the sections on the images on my contents page which are numbered in the specific colour, other magazines usually just have their own section, regulars and featured, although I have expanded this concept.
Images – I have used a variety of images in my contents page to show different variations in accordance to the segments I have. The photographs, I have used were all taken at different events or places, I also made sure I had used my cover stars in my contents page. The photos I have taken were both studio and outdoor photos, which meant I have a variety, the images also link to the genre of my theme and relate to the headlines which are shown in the contents page. This feature relates to my case studies as they also used a variety of images, both in the magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread.
Page numbers – Page numbers are a vital convention to have in both the contents page and double page spread. Page numbers are simply used to help navigate readers to what content they would like to see. Page numbers are usually visible and shown in both bottom corners. My media product uses this feature in addition, my case studies have page numbers to guide the readers.
Social networking – Social networking are social websites in where the readers, can receive information based on the publication. I have used this media convention in my contents page, to show the readers about where they can receive information about the publication. It is also a good way to enlarge the fan base through social media as this convention works through both ways vice versa, however, in this case I have used this feature in my contents page. The use of including social networking also raises awareness to the audience on how to contact or find the publication.
Subscription – Subscriptions, is when the target audience subscribe meaning, they want more from the publication, they do this by giving their details and then receiving an email, with every email is an update, so it updates the target audience on upcoming magazines , tours, apps and live shows, it also gives information about upcoming events and artists. Subscription helps the target audience socially engage with the publication as they are retrieving information that is useful for them. My publication uses this convention to entice the audience by giving discounts worth 20% and exclusive contents. My case studies also uses the same feature in their contents page to satisfy the target audience and give them the content and giveaway’s they want to receive.
Headlines / sub headlines – In my contents page there are a variety of headlines and sub headlines the reason for this is to tell the audiences what sort of articles, double page spread and content will be within the magazine, It helps the target audience understand and see if they would like to acquire the content which is within the media product. Both Kerrang! and BigCheese use headlines and sub headlines in their contents page for the same purpose which is to tell the target audience what certain articles and content is about and what would feature inside the magazine.
Editors letter – An editor’s letter, a note which is mainly in the contents page, which is directed towards the reader telling them what content will be in the magazine. It also tells the target audience who the editor is and credits them, they also sign of their name on the bottom of the media product. I have developed and challenged the usage of real media conventions as not many media products use an editor’s letter as one of their conventions inside their media product.
Conventions used for double page spread–
Pull quote – A pull quote is a quote from an individual or group which is within the article, it is abnormally positioned in between the columns or rows of an article. In my double page spread it is in-between the columns and a quote from the band member. I have used this convention to show an opinion from the band which shows a quote which is directed towards the target audience. My case studies both Kerrang! and BigCheese use a pull quote to communicate towards the audience.
Font – The use of font has been altered through my front cover, contents page and double page spread. The font is readable and clear for the target audience as well as this some of the fonts I use such as the one I used in my double page spread title links to my genre which is rock, Rockish fonts are usually big and bold with a hint of horror. My case studies also use big bold fonts throughout their magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread, and they are of the rock genre.
Journalistic Language – The journalistic language I have used for my target audience is in formal language, the reason being this is my target audience is from the ages of 15 – 24, and as my audience are in their teenage years as well adolescent, and they would understand formal language compared to informal. Due to my magazine being a rock magazine, it is stereotyped that my target audience will understand informal language more than formal however, I have gone against this stereotype. My case studies also use journalistic language, however, they use both informal and formal language to communicate towards their audience.
Drop Cap – Drop caps are the beginning letter of an article which can be placed anywhere, it is enlarged in size and clear to the reader to see, it can also be used to create a pattern or fit in to the start of a sentence in an article. I have used this convention in my article for my double page spread as I thought it would be a nice feature to add in to start of the article making it clear to read and to also give the audience a view of perspective to see where the article is layered out. Both my case studies use this feature, to show where the starting point of the article is and to emphasise the word which is drop capped.
Gutters – Gutters are the space in between the columns or rows. I have used gutter space to even out my columns to show my columns being neatly positioned due to the gutter space in between.
My media product BlackHeart uses real media conventions, as the conventions used in my media product are all of the features in which established magazine products use. In my front cover the conventions I have used are, enticing cover lines which draw the audience in, I have used a barcode, title, date and issue, skyline and merchandising. My front cover relates to the Big Cheese case study I have done as they have also used the same features as I have used. I gained my inspiration from both the Big Cheese and Kerrang! Magazine. The Big cheese magazine used merchandising within the skyline, However I took the concept and altered it to make it my own, by using merchandising within the centre of the magazine front cover as well as a competition in the skyline, it enabled me to entice the audience as these are persuasive conventional features which catches the audience’s attention.
Conventions used for front cover –
Masthead – The masthead used was “BlackHeart” simply because all of the publications of the media products I have created were called BlackHeart. This instantly relates to my case studies as they all have mastheads and are named after their publications such as Kerrang! and BigCheese. The masthead for my media product was positioned on top of the music magazine front cover, the reason being this is almost all mastheads are positioned on the top, it also helps the target audience notice the music magazine due to the publications name being on the top of the publication. My publications name is also positioned just beneath the skyline, and is behind the cover stars head, which shows the cover stars head being on front due to the perspective of the masthead of the publication.
Cover lines – The cover lines in my magazine front cover, are used to show information of what would be inside the actual magazine, it also displays cover lines relating to the cover star. This relates to the case studies I have used as they also used cover lines which relates to the content of what will be displayed inside the magazine, it relates to my all my case studies as they also have cover lines which link to the cover star displayed on the magazine front cover. The cover lines I have used for my media product is “J-rock vs American rock who will win” this is a quite controversial question as a cover line, as it questions the audiences to acquire opinions of the target audience, it also relates to the theme of my media product as the genres of music inside my magazine front cover, are both of American rock and J-rock along with sub-genres. Another cover line I have used in my media product is “Are Japanese masks rock inspired” this also questions the audience upon opinions, as its quite an opinion based cover line, which talks to the audience and makes them think, In society not many rock musicians use masks however, in Japan the use of masks is rock inspired as a lot of Japanese rock bands use masks, to partly conceal identity but to also influence their audience to wear them. Furthermore, I have used a Main coverline, which is the coverline that relates to what the magazine products relates to the most, my main cover line was “Demonic Cats release their new album CATastrophic” This was my main cover line, it was also noticeable due to the size of font being in a large sized font, and in the centre of the music magazine product.
Price – Price is one of the main features of a media product, and just like all media products my media product displays the price of the product. The price of my media product is “£2.99” the reason being this, is because the target audience of my media product are between the age range of 15 – 24 which makes it quite affordable for my target audience, along with this, the media product is a monthly issue which makes the circulation of the media product acquirable for the target audience to receive. The conventional use of price relates to my case studies, as Kerrang! which is a mainstream magazine was “£3.50” and my other case study which was a niche music magazine was “£4.50”, This helped me configure the price of media product, as I wanted it to be affordable to for my target audience due to my media product being targeted to a niche/mainstream market.
Cover star – The cover star is the main focal point on any magazine product or publication. This convention is used in real media products, usually in every magazine front cover there is always a cover star, in which the cover star features upon all segments of a media product, in my case study the cover star is shown throughout the front cover, contents page and double page spread. The cover star is the biggest image on the front of the magazine, which always has a relating cover line which is linked to the cover star. My cover star also has a dress code along with props, to show how J-rock stars dress, this also appeals to another target audience based on fashion, although it is a music magazine. The props I have used are bags, badges, masks, and clothing which is dark and gives the theme of being “rockish” with a sense of also being “cute”. In relation with the case studies I have used, they all have a cover star which is displayed as the main focal point on the magazine front cover. The other cover stars for example on Kerrang! And BigCheese they used props, such as the usage of a microphone to denotate that the cover star is a singer.
Barcode – In every magazine product, there is always a Barcode, mainly displayed in the bottom left or right hand corner. The main reason for having a barcode, is simply to show the price while be scanned. In my magazine product I have altered the use of the barcode as I have shown the barcode positioned portrait rather than being landscape in the magazine product. This conventional feature challenges real media products, as I have manipulated the use of a barcode, and altered it due to how I positioned the barcode, it is also seen as “abnormal” to position it portrait, as a majority of media products are placed in the format of being landscape.
Date & Issue – Lastly a media convention which I have used, is the use of having a date and issue, the whole purpose of having this feature is to display the date and issue of the media product. All magazines use it to show the circulation of media product whether it is a weekly, monthly or annual magazine. I have challenged real media conventions, as I have showed that my media product is exclusively a winter edition magazine, which is seasonal and only exclusive towards the season, although my media product has a monthly circulation. The date and issue was also used in my contents page.
Conventions used for contents page – Just like my magazine front cover, my contents page also includes several conventions which is used through the contents page. Sections – In my contents page, I have several sections which is coloured in accordance to the segments shown in my contents page such as lifestyle, features, regulars, fashion and culture. This feature challenges real media conventions as I have included several sections and colour coded the sections on the images on my contents page which are numbered in the specific colour, other magazines usually just have their own section, regulars and featured, although I have expanded this concept.
Images – I have used a variety of images in my contents page to show different variations in accordance to the segments I have. The photographs, I have used were all taken at different events or places, I also made sure I had used my cover stars in my contents page. The photos I have taken were both studio and outdoor photos, which meant I have a variety, the images also link to the genre of my theme and relate to the headlines which are shown in the contents page. This feature relates to my case studies as they also used a variety of images, both in the magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread.
Page numbers – Page numbers are a vital convention to have in both the contents page and double page spread. Page numbers are simply used to help navigate readers to what content they would like to see. Page numbers are usually visible and shown in both bottom corners. My media product uses this feature in addition, my case studies have page numbers to guide the readers.
Social networking – Social networking are social websites in where the readers, can receive information based on the publication. I have used this media convention in my contents page, to show the readers about where they can receive information about the publication. It is also a good way to enlarge the fan base through social media as this convention works through both ways vice versa, however, in this case I have used this feature in my contents page. The use of including social networking also raises awareness to the audience on how to contact or find the publication.
Subscription – Subscriptions, is when the target audience subscribe meaning, they want more from the publication, they do this by giving their details and then receiving an email, with every email is an update, so it updates the target audience on upcoming magazines , tours, apps and live shows, it also gives information about upcoming events and artists. Subscription helps the target audience socially engage with the publication as they are retrieving information that is useful for them. My publication uses this convention to entice the audience by giving discounts worth 20% and exclusive contents. My case studies also uses the same feature in their contents page to satisfy the target audience and give them the content and giveaway’s they want to receive.
Headlines / sub headlines – In my contents page there are a variety of headlines and sub headlines the reason for this is to tell the audiences what sort of articles, double page spread and content will be within the magazine, It helps the target audience understand and see if they would like to acquire the content which is within the media product. Both Kerrang! and BigCheese use headlines and sub headlines in their contents page for the same purpose which is to tell the target audience what certain articles and content is about and what would feature inside the magazine.
Editors letter – An editor’s letter, a note which is mainly in the contents page, which is directed towards the reader telling them what content will be in the magazine. It also tells the target audience who the editor is and credits them, they also sign of their name on the bottom of the media product. I have developed and challenged the usage of real media conventions as not many media products use an editor’s letter as one of their conventions inside their media product.
Conventions used for double page spread–
Pull quote – A pull quote is a quote from an individual or group which is within the article, it is abnormally positioned in between the columns or rows of an article. In my double page spread it is in-between the columns and a quote from the band member. I have used this convention to show an opinion from the band which shows a quote which is directed towards the target audience. My case studies both Kerrang! and BigCheese use a pull quote to communicate towards the audience.
Font – The use of font has been altered through my front cover, contents page and double page spread. The font is readable and clear for the target audience as well as this some of the fonts I use such as the one I used in my double page spread title links to my genre which is rock, Rockish fonts are usually big and bold with a hint of horror. My case studies also use big bold fonts throughout their magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread, and they are of the rock genre.
Journalistic Language – The journalistic language I have used for my target audience is in formal language, the reason being this is my target audience is from the ages of 15 – 24, and as my audience are in their teenage years as well adolescent, and they would understand formal language compared to informal. Due to my magazine being a rock magazine, it is stereotyped that my target audience will understand informal language more than formal however, I have gone against this stereotype. My case studies also use journalistic language, however, they use both informal and formal language to communicate towards their audience.
Drop Cap – Drop caps are the beginning letter of an article which can be placed anywhere, it is enlarged in size and clear to the reader to see, it can also be used to create a pattern or fit in to the start of a sentence in an article. I have used this convention in my article for my double page spread as I thought it would be a nice feature to add in to start of the article making it clear to read and to also give the audience a view of perspective to see where the article is layered out. Both my case studies use this feature, to show where the starting point of the article is and to emphasise the word which is drop capped.
Gutters – Gutters are the space in between the columns or rows. I have used gutter space to even out my columns to show my columns being neatly positioned due to the gutter space in between.
Friday, 9 January 2015
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