By Veselina Yordanova Fortismere School

8/14/2019 By Veselina Yordanova Fortismere School

1/14

EvaluationBy Veselina Yordanova

Fortismere School


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Research Process

As a part of my Media Studies As level course, I was assigned todesign a number of publications for a new music magazine. I beganthe project by researching several different existing musicmagazines in order to examine the layout, fonts and articlesregularly seen in such type of magazines. Before I began workingon my own magazine I critically analyzed and evaluated a varietyof different music magazines and articles. I found this researchprocess extremely beneficial as it enabled me to enrich myknowledge on the magazine industry and the features that make amusic magazine an excellent selling product that appeals to its

targeted demographic. The research process helped me considerdifferent styles for my magazine and pointed me out in the rightdirection for the production and appearance of my own magazine,its aims and conventions.

For more Information Refer to: Nirvana research
http://vessymusicmag.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-11-18T02%3A38%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=10http://vessymusicmag.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-11-18T02%3A38%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=10


3/14

In what ways does your media product use, develop or

challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

During the production of my own music magazine I both used and developedthe conventions and forms of a 'typical' music magazine. I felt its importantfor my magazine to reflect the normal image of music magazines. Thats whyI have produced a front cover and contents page with layouts and mise-enscene similar to the usual productions. Through the use of a strong central

image on the front cover I have conveyed a certain theme to my magazine;mirroring the typical rock way of life. I have challenged the convention andforms of existing music magazines by creating the double page spread in amore atypical way by using an interesting and unique layout for it. Thedouble page spread offers the audience an unusual article that consists ofmanipulated images and background that have an enormous effect on theviewer because they are so interesting and engage the viewer by recreating

the context of the themes covered in the interview i.e. fire poi, music love,rock and emotions.

Click to see the processes of production of the Front cover andContents page
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hHovO5cnJWc/S0nv-P-ZXxI/AAAAAAAAAK0/s7VJUq_B50U/s1600-h/front+cover+analysis+jp.JPGhttp://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hHovO5cnJWc/SyfCks9cVYI/AAAAAAAAAKM/jJ91GLhfH0o/s1600-h/untitled.JPGhttp://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hHovO5cnJWc/SyfCks9cVYI/AAAAAAAAAKM/jJ91GLhfH0o/s1600-h/untitled.JPGhttp://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hHovO5cnJWc/S0nv-P-ZXxI/AAAAAAAAAK0/s7VJUq_B50U/s1600-h/front+cover+analysis+jp.JPG


4/14

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My music magazine definitely represents a particular social group(and this was one of its aims). I wanted my magazine to relate tothe group of people who are missing real life essentials such assimplicity, music and true emotions. I wanted my magazine to help

those people by presenting them with something new butdesperately missing in the music magazine industry. I wanted mymagazine to appeal to people who are real music lovers and are tobuy the magazine not because of its glossy cover and expenses butbecause they are interested in reading about people who they canrelate to, people who create music because they love it, people who

they honestly admire and appreciate.


5/14

What kind of media institution might distribute your media

product and why?

There are many different institutions that could distribute mymusic magazine for a variety of reason. I have chosen aninstitution that would ensure that my magazine can reach all thepeople who need it. According to its original website The Bauer

Publishing Group has grown from its humble beginnings as aprinting house into a worldwide publishing empire comprising 282magazines in 15 countriesand annual turnover of 1.79 billionEuro. This information is enough for me to choose this institutionbecause it is perfectly capable of realizing Nirvana and making itthe international magazine bestseller.

For more information about Bauer Publishing Group visit thiswebsite: www.bauer.co.uk
http://www.bauer.co.uk/http://www.bauer.co.uk/


6/14

Nirvana will be distributed through off license shops, newsagents,book stores, music stores etc. Another characteristic that makesNirvana unique is that copies of the magazines will be left inclubs or places where gigs and other concerts are held. The factthat nobody will be paying for the magazine is a bit disturbingbecause the Bauer Publisher would not agree to distribute copiesfor free. Thats why the magazine would have contract with theorganization of the gig which states that the magazine woulddistribute for free( i.e. sponsor the event) if the groupsperforming or the managers agree to give a review of the concertin which they will describe the whole process they went throughto put together the big event. I think that Bauer would not mindit then because the magazine is likely to sell more copies if theyhave such an in depth truthful review of the concert coming frompeople who had actually created it.


7/14

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Nirvana is targeted to people aged 20-25 but everyone who likesthis kind of music is welcomed to read and enjoy the magazine.I have chosen this demographic because middle aged peoplewould be more clear and consistent in their buying habits and

behavior. This makes their age group a serious and reliabletarget audience. The target audiences consist of people who likenatural rock and classic music. This music is not changed usingexpensive technical equipments in the recording studio and themusicians are truly talented and dont create music for free.


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How did you attract/address your audience?

The magazine clearly directs to its target audience through all of itsfeatures including the font, the layout, the pictures and the colours.The colours I have used create an effective contrast betweendark/cold and fright/warm colours, which creates association withdanger, risk and impulse. Its interesting how these three words

relate not only to the associations of colours but the associations ofrock music as a whole. Another way in which Nirvana directs to itsaudience is its pictures and the celebrities featured in the magazine.All the pictures are of people who look like typical rock stars so theywill appeal to the audience. Furthermore, the actual sell lines on thefront cover and the articles as a whole attract the specific target

audience because they are about the musicians they like and are nottoo commercial and teen like. The survey also indicated that theaudience likes this type of information to be included in the newmusic magazine.

Click on thefigure to seesurvey results
http://www.surveymonkey.com/MChart.ashx?sm=XZK5GmHrw3rSJulB8G96PZsl7LTQKLd0zKxA88b9B83V2%2BTHq%2B%2FZ9SU5aW1onfC3ssINAPBLKGLQ7LcqKm3zqPOetBXLhNCjDlx%2ByPhKyj8%3D&cp=1%7C600&d=0.7678137281624108


9/14

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of

constructing this product?

Through the constructing process I have significantly developed myPhotoshop and ICT skills. Photoshop is professional software that isused by most of the magazine editors in the current industry in orderto correct their publication and make them of a higher quality. I haveused this software so I too can produce a magazine which looks

professional and of a high quality rather than amateurish. Beforestarting the course I did not have a basic understanding of Photoshop.The preliminary task trained me the basics of Photoshop such asadjustment and layer manipulation. However during the musicmagazine project I have learned more challenging things such asblending pictures together, filtering an image, blending options etc.

The three publications I have created show more than excellence inusing Photoshop. There is a significant progress in my work which canbe easily seen when comparing the amateur school magazine frontcover with the high quality, professional music magazine cover I havecreated.


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The Blog

Despite learning how to use Photoshop in a more professionalmanner, the project has also helped me gain a basicunderstanding of how HTML. By manipulating the HTML of mydigital blog I have managed to create a blog which has well

structured semantics for text and visual images. The blog looksvery organized and presents the work I have done in an excellentand appropriate way. I have used the HTML knowledge I havegained from the preliminary task to change the template of myblog. I have chosen a template theme which relates to music as itlooks interesting, passionate and magical. Its colours work

exceptionally well in attracting the viewer and creating a patterthat helps the viewer understand the text and make connectionbetween different posts.


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ICT

The music magazine production has also given me valuable ICTskills such as installing different fonts into a PC and using PowerPoint and uploading it into www.slideshare.net. I have used thewww.dafont.com to download more interesting and attractive fontsfor my music magazine which I have installed into my PhotoshopSoftware. I have used Power Point to create this presentation formy evaluation because it offered me the opportunity to use picturesand links with other websites and files. Power Point has helped meproduce an evaluation which is not like an essay but shows the fulluse of media advantages such as links, pictures, and graphics. Nowmy presentation looks more professional, structured and formal.

I have also used the internet to research past productions of musicmagazines and enrich my knowledge by looking at the work ofothers and the ideas they had developed.
http://www.slideshare.net/http://www.dafont.com/http://www.dafont.com/http://www.slideshare.net/


12/14

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt

in the progression from it to the full product?

Looking back at my preliminary task I have developed many new skills and haveimproved my work significantly. The preliminary task was of a great value forme because it was a practice before the real thing had actually begun. I think Idid pretty well in the design of a school magazine. However there is a significantprogress in my technical, creative and organization skills between thepreliminary task and the music magazine project. I am now more independentand confident with the productions I have created because they look far moreprofessional compared to the medium quality front cover I have produced formy school magazine. There is also a progress in my technical language becauseI have enriched my media magazine terminology as I have learnt that there is adifferent language used in magazines to attract and engage the audience. Thisemotive typical language is what keeps the audience interested in the magazine.

This is what was missing in my school magazine but is progressively shown inthe music magazine. Another area in which I show a major progress is theevaluation itself. In the preliminary task I did not pay attention to all the mediamethods I could have used to create an effective evaluation. Now my evaluationdoes not look like a school essay but looks professional and more reflective.


13/14

I am extremely satisfied with my final front cover, contents page anddouble page spread as they appear unique and realistic. I especially like theway I have positioned the pictures of the model within the guitar from thebackground template in the double page spread. This was very challengingand difficult to produce using Photoshop. Another aspect I am proud with is

the colour scheme present in all the three publications. Such colour schemenot only catches the eye of the viewer but reflects the themes of music andpassion. All the publications look professional and realistic which was myaim at the beginning of the course. If I had the opportunity to go back anddo this again I would improve my work by benefiting from other mediasources such as video and podcast. It would be a great idea to use videocamera to record the evaluation as an interview. However I did not have

enough time and equipments to do so due to problematic timemanagement. I hope that the modern style, attractive features and up-to-date content present within Nirvana will appeal greatly to my demographicand all other people who are looking for something new and exiting.

Conclusion


14/14

I hope you have

enjoyed my magazine

and its production

process as much as I

have!

Documents

By Veselina Yordanova Fortismere School