AS Media Coursework Evaluation

OCR G321: Foundation PortfolioName: Catherine Riozzi

Candidate Number: 3188Centre Number: 16603

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DPS

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

• When creating my media product, I have tried to include as many of the usual magazine codes and conventions as possible that I have learnt from my in depth research into different magazines. For example, I chose a distinct font to use for my magazine masthead which I then carried out throughout each of the pages of my magazine. I decided to call my magazine “Voltage” because it fits in well with the bright layout of my magazine, and conveys an obvious link with loud music which is what the magazine focuses on. I chose to use similar fonts carried out through the magazine that are bold and clear for clarity and to make it flow smoothly. My media product could be most easily compared to Kerrang magazine as it uses similar layouts that are known for attracting young teenagers and adults as they have a “fun” feel to them with bright colours and dynamic layout. It differs from Kerrang in the way that it isn’t quite as “in your face”, but still has that feeling of controlled chaos as there is a lot of different cover lines included, making the reader feel there is going to be a lot of different things within the magazine- making it good value for money. As I based my magazine off of Kerrang and Rocksound magazine, I decided to price it at £3.50. Because it is a monthly magazine like Rocksound (priced at £3.99). This price is both affordable for my young target audience, and uses psychological pricing to make the audience think it is good value for money as it is cheaper than some of the alternatives. I used a clear colour scheme of pink and yellow throughout my pages along with the standard black and white to create to create continuity along with a bold colour scheme that creates a loud air about the product that intends to make the audience excited and enthusiastic about it.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

• My media product represents both young adults of all social groups. It also focuses solely on “alternative” genres of music such as rock, punk, heavy etc, so is aimed towards people in alternative social groups as opposed to social groups interested in popular culture. I have tried to convey this through the cover image that I chose along with the band I interviewed, my colour scheme (especially the dark double page spread background and image), and even the title and cover lines included within my magazine. I chose to interview and photograph a band that have an image and look that you would associate with the social group I was targeting towards, and that were in their early 20s so as to be a similar age to my target audience, but also slightly older to be people that some of my audience may want to look up to.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

• If I were to sell my magazine independently, it would be highly likely that large retailers such as HMV, WH Smith, and other newsagents/supermarkets would be willing to sell my magazine, and this would be unlikely to happen anyway as I would lack the funding needed to maintain a magazine.

• There are not many media institutions running in the UK that distribute magazines other than Bauer Media. Bauer is a division of the Bauer Media Group, which is Europe’s largest private-owned publishing group. It is a worldwide media empire that sells more than 300 different magazines- including Kerrang and Q- of all sub-genres to multiple countries, and also owns online branches, TV such as 4Music, and radio stations like KISS FM. The Bauer Media division of BMG has been running since 2008 and makes billions of pounds every year.

• Because it is such a powerful institution, it would be wise to get Voltage Magazine to be another one of the successful magazines housed by Bauer Group as it would be far more likely to succeed. It would also mean that my magazine would have promotional links with well renowned companies and could be publicised in formats such as radio and TV adverts, reaching a wide audience.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

• After conducting my market research questionnaire, I decided it would be best to target people aged 14-20 through my magazine, as this was the age of people that were interested in similar magazines such as Kerrang, Rocksound and NME that I was hoping to use as inspiration for my product. I made sure I could cater for this young audience by keeping the magazine at a reasonable price of £3.50 which is amiable for a monthly magazine.

How did you attract/address your audience?• To ensure that I catered for my intended audience of alternative young adults, I have made sure to

create an exciting and enticing looking magazine that is dynamic in both colour and content. When I received the results from my market research survey, I found that my audience wanted a magazine full of news, interviews, and popular elements for my sub-genre such as a gig guide and regular music features.

• My magazine includes popular artists from the alternative music scene that would also be featuring in the likes of Kerrang etc which means that by including popular bands and artists in my cover lines and stories, I will be attracting a wider audience than if I were to use just small bands that weren’t famous.

• I did not choose to aim my magazine at a certain gender as this would be putting a cap on my audience. However, the results from my survey showed that 16 of the 20 people that took the survey were female. Due to this statistic, and the fact research shows that more females tend to buy music magazines more and also more frequently, I wasn’t hesitant to use my yellow and pink colour scheme because I would presumably have a larger female than male audience, and the high gender equality of today means that young males would widely not worry about buying a magazine with pink on it.

• A specific example of how I attracted my audience on my front cover was by using a standard convention that most magazines do; a buzz word. I used the bold word “WIN!” in a pink box as this is a well known way to attract attention to an item- it creates a psych that we are getting more for our money in the form of an added extra.

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

• From my preliminary task, to adding the final edited touches to my three components of the music magazine, I have learnt many useful technological skills in multiple formats.

• Firstly, I have developed the research skills I already possessed. By researching multiple things such as the codes and conventions of magazines and music magazines, how magazines are formatted, and the techniques of interviewing people. I have learnt from my research that it is important to always be very specific in searches, and use trustworthy sources on the internet. When analysing both physical magazines and images on Google, I have developed a good eye for detail and for noticing when codes and conventions are being used, as well as what magazines are trying to convey or express by using or changing conventions.

• The main skills that I have learnt have been on the programs of Photoshop and InDesign on a mac computer. Throughout the coursework, I have further developed the skills I already had in Photoshop, and have finally mastered the art of the dreaded Lasso tool. I’ve learnt how to link both programmes by finding where they are similar, and for example ensuring that I can access the same specific fonts and colours on both platforms. I had never used InDesign before this project, but think I have learnt on it very quickly as I find it quite straightforward to use. I think that my double page spread was the most professional looking and well composed of the three pieces of work I produced in my final task, and think this is because I have developed my InDesign skills well.

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

• Looking back on my preliminary product, I think I have progressed in my skills development, which can be seen when comparing this and my final product. Completing the preliminary task helped me to learn the basics of the programs I would be using to create my final product- Photoshop and InDesign. The preliminary task also helped me to create a basis of how to lay out my final project on my blog, meaning that I would hopefully not forget to include anything. It has also helped me to learn to manage my time, as I could learn how long it would take me to produce each individual blog post, piece of research, and make each of the three elements to my magazine. I used a lot more of the generic magazine codes and conventions such as using more cover lines, creating a clear masthead, and using specific fonts throughout for continuity when creating my music magazine than in my college one.

• I learnt from taking photos on my iPhone for the preliminary task that I would need access to a proper camera with a decent megapixel to insure that I had high quality images. I also learnt regarding photos that I should plan a photoshoot rather than taking the photos with no planning so that the end result would be of better quality. By using a dark background for my photoshoot for the final product, I was able to create photos with a real atmosphere rather than the busy-background shots of my preliminary photos in a less ideal location.

• Overall, the progression from preliminary task to the final outcome of my music magazine has been a good one. I’ve learnt how to create a high quality and professional looking magazine using usual magazine codes and conventions whilst creating a product that is unique in its bright and expressive presentation.