Evaluation questions

Question 1 in what ways des your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

1. The title of my magazine. To do this I had to think about the genre of magazine which is pop and relate it to my target audience which would stand out for people to see clearly and be interested in the magazine. I decided to call it Intune because it relates to being up to date with latest music and the variety of artists that would feature in the magazine. I think its conventional because it definitely has connotations of music within the title and should draw people to it.

2. Mise en scene of images and Costumes. The pop genre is a very open genre that does not signify a specific look or unique adaptation. I chose to keep the images simple and let the models express themselves and portray themselves through expressions rather than looks and appearances  such as clothes although they look up to date there was no one that stands out more than the other.

3. Models.  I asked Ruth for my front cover and main article for the double page spread. I asked her because she is within the age of my target audience therefore it is easier for the audience to connect with the article and feel it is worth while reading. There are also other models male and females to make it a mixed gender magazine specifically for my initial ideas.

4. Masthead font/ title style. The title of my magazine is Intune. I tried to relate it to the genre with the splats from the title to make it stand out more, the colour of it is black because it is then suitable for various colours of backgrounds and if I needed to change the colour of the title then it is still identifiable because of the splats which identify the magazine as a pop genre.

5. Music genre. The genre is pop and highlighted throughout the magazine within text and layout, it looks fun, up to date and we use artists that are most popular with charts to interview which is the unique selling point of interviewing artists exclusively.

6. Layout.  They layout of my magazine follows conventions, for example within the double page spread the body text is placed in columns which is easier for the audience to consume and follow. Another convention is the importance of articles for example within my magazine I have conveyed the importance by the size of the font to make it stand out  for the audience to perceive it as the most important on the front page and contents page.

Photoshoots

Masthead Ideas

Looking at other masthead I wanted something a little bit different that will stand out from the simple ones used most commonly for example Q magazine, although it stands out with the red background it only covers a small amount of the page so I wanted it to be seen from all different angles when on the shelves. I really like the fonts on this Kerrang magazine, they are very simple but have little quirky tweaks which makes the magazine original and stand out from others.

The font I have chosen is similar to this style of masthead but with its own unique tweak of circular splats with I think is eye catching for the target audience to look at.

Analysis of contents page

This is an NME contents page. I like the main image in the centre of the page it stands out a lot and guides you round the page and the information below the image tells you exactly where to go and tell the audience that this is the main article of the magazine. I like the contents mast head it really stands out with the black background which is a theme carried through the magazine within the subheadings, I think the subheadings are very conventional because it divides up the sections and makes it easier for the consumer to find what they are looking for. The limited colours work for a consistent convention because it does not look to overpowering for the audience to consume. However I do feel that there is too much text to look at can I think people will just avoid the page.

Analysis of double page spread

This double page spread is from NME. I think that this suits the age of my target audience well but only targets at a male audience because of the distinct colours of the blue, black and white. The key aspect of this double page spread is the image on the left hand side which really stands out and the audience is in no doubt what the double page is about, it makes it very clear with a long shot of the band. The layout out of the columns is very conventional for a magazine and it makes it easier for the target audience to read and follow. However I don’t like how close the paragraphs are to each other because there is no space it does make the page seem very busy. The small image beside the text breaks it up a little and makes it more attractive to look at as a reader.  I like the bold text in the with the coloured background, this makes it stand out more and livens the page up. There is also a fact file about the band on the left hand side which is useful for new reader if they haven’t heard of the band before. There are lists of bands on the right hand side which stand out with their thoughts about a topic of discussion which could appeal to someone even though they may not be a fan of the band being interviewed. 

Readership

Readership for my magazine, mainly my target audience consists of male and females aged between 17-24 however special additions of the magazine will draw in a wider audience. The specific target audience is relevant for gigs and concerts and will benefit from the exclusive ticket offers especially to the members of the magazine that subscribe to it online.

Initial ideas - Flat plan and changes

This is an initial idea from my flat plan. However i have found that the background image is hard to match colours with for the masthead and text, for instance the only suitable colour to go on top of the image is black, this is because of the brown cardigan and it would look very basic if i had of chosen a white background and not attract to the target audience. I was also struggling to find a suitable colour for the masthead which would look appropriate. I plan to improve this by taking new images and thinking carefully about colour schemes which will relate to my target audience. I don't think that the name of the magazine works well for my specific target audience and I think that its hard to relate it to a music magazine.