Owen Thomas

Critical Evaluation

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

I have tried to put a new spin on clubbing and trying to create leaders who set a good example and I created this image through trying to portray my artist as ambitious and a good citizen. However my magazine follows many conventions of magazine production for example the mast head is on the left hand side of the front cover of the magazine so it can be read on shelves of news agents. I decided to call my magazine Rewind as I felt it fits in quite well with the club scene as Disc Jockeys often rewind tunes and mix them together. I have also used a lure to draw my target audience in; the lure was a free CD as I found on my questionnaire that most people would buy a magazine if they got a freebie with it. I have also used a main image and lead which all magazines follow. For my contents page I have followed a simple lay out that is demonstrated in “Mixmag” as it is simple and easy and clear to read I have used a house style of black and white and yellow which continues through the whole magazine and I have tried to keep to a grid like layout so the target audience can easily locate a page with minimal fuss. For my DPS I have an exclusive interview with DJ Blitz and a question and answer section which I feel challenges conventions as it is usually one or the other. I have used one Image on my DPS which takes up one full page which many magazines also do so I feel I am conforming to other magazines. I have manipulated the photo so the lighting effects seem a lot brighter and whiter than they really are; I did this through render lighting. So it appears DJ Blitz has got the spot light on him and he is someone to watch, I have put a caption on this photo to state who he is and what the photo is showing.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

A representation is how something is perceived, normally a stereotype of someone or a group of people. For example a representation of footballers is that they are all divers that are money grabbing and far to over paid.In my magazine I have tried to show my artist as a clean, confident citizen, in the pictures I have used I have used white light to show purity. To show DJ Blitz is different and is a role model who should be acknowledged for what he does and to try solving the problem of binge drinking and drugs as the youth of today are getting into the wrong things. I have used a pull quote of “booze and drugs are ruining the club scene” this is to attract a more mature sensible

audience that are with in the 16-24 age barriers. I think this helps to make my target audience think about there bad ways and change and just enjoy life, without the influence of dugs and booze.

What kind of media institutions might distribute your magazine and why?

I would publish my magazine on issuu.com as I feel my target audience is the main age group that uses the internet and are comfortable and confident using it so it would get good publicity, also I would have very low over head costs as printing and distributing my magazine would be an expensive way of doing things. But on the other hand my magazine is quite mainstream so IPC magazines would be interested in publishing it which would mean it could be globally distributed and I could make money like that as it would be quite well known. IPC magazines also produce magazines such as NME and kerrang that are well known household names of magazine and I would be competing with the bigger companies. Another way I could publish my magazine is through the student union at college so students can be ambitious and a success in life. So it would be easy to get hold of and wouldn’t cost to much to fund as it could be subsidised by the college as it may encourage students to follow the example that has been set.

Who would be the audience for you magazine?

My target audience would be 16-24 year clubbers mainly but also anyone who aspires to be a success and live a pure lifestyle, who want to be different from everyone so not getting troubled by peer pressure. The magazine is for people, who just want to get on with life and not get involved in all the bad stuff that goes on in modern day society, my magazine is aimed at people who read Mixmag but want to take a spin a different spin on life. I aimed it at people with quite low incomes such as students so I can get the most amounts of readers possible. Even an older age range, could read my magazine, that have looked at themselves and want to change for the better.

How did you attract/ address your audience?

The unique selling point of my magazine is that it portrays an excellent example of a role model and how they should behave and act in public, each week there is a different example of this to try and change the typical stereotype of British youth.  I think what my readers like about my magazine is how simple but yet effective it is in creating an image of someone also a lot of people can relate to the subject matters. I also pulled my audience in with a lure of a free CD and to win exclusive Armand Van Helden tickets. I think people would buy my magazine as it is a simple read and easy to understand and anyone can read it and learn from it and look at their own ways and consider changing their ways, behaviour and traits. I feel my magazine is different to ones of its kind out there as they all promote negative things in life compared to mine where I promote positive things in life which makes it stand out from the rest so people will buy it.

What have you learnt about using Photoshop CS3 and digital cameras during this project?

I have learnt many various different things during the course of the project. I learnt how to put lighting effects on to a photo through render lighting and make areas of lens glare increased where I want it and decreased where I didn’t. While using the camera I learnt to take pictures with good lighting and how to make the picture focused. I also learnt what places work well for different types of pictures. In photo shop I learnt how to crop a picture so it fits onto the page without affecting the picture quality. I have also learnt how to merge photos and text together so text can be read through an image. I have also learnt how using certain items create mise-en-scene such as white represents purity.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full project?

I feel I have learnt many things through the preliminary to the full project how to make use of space so it is appealing to the audience, but to keep it simple and not to busy so the reader doesn’t get lost or confused. I have also learnt how representation of the artist creates an image and builds up a mental image in the mind of the reader of what they are like. I have also learnt to keep to a simple house theme so it doesn’t look cheap. I have learnt from both

projects to sort out my models a lot earlier and have a back up just in case it doesn’t work out. I have learnt that my magazine has to be different but in keep with codes and conventions of magazine making for example in my magazine I changed the subject matter which makes it stand out from other magazines but I have kept the style similar and how it is presented so my magazine can compete with the big companies such as NME Mixmag and others. With time management I have learnt from the whole project to start planning earlier keep to an idea and not to waste time on the computer and make the most of the time I have on the computers. If I was to do the project again I would make sure I use reliable models who I can depend on who won’t let me down, also to make a plan a stick to it not keep altering my ideas. Another thing I would do is not to get distracted and stay on task so I can get the best quality magazine possible and it would look even better than it does now. Overall I think the project went well considering the problems I faced such as my models not turning up, the amount of time I spent on my preliminary task and how little time I had to complete my main task, I would make sure I managed my time better next time and make a timetable of what I should do and when so I can work to it and keep track of what I have and haven’t done.