Evaluation of magazineCaren Salarna

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

products?My media product produces many conventions that are seen are many RnB magazines today, which is the genre which I have chosen. For example, on mymagazine I have produced conventions such as a masthead, kicker, strap lines,sky line, barcode and price. By including the sky line ‘Win VIP tickets to see Rihanna live in LA!’ I have made the magazine more familiar to readers as it isrealistic, as so is the standard price of 3.95 which is what a monthly issue of anRnB music magazine would cost. I decided to create my own twist on the kicker, asInstead of just writing ‘STAR’, I wanted to placed an actual star instead of the letter‘A’, I did this to portray the difference between ‘$WAGGA’ and other RnBMagazines, as they do not do this. I decided that the girl in my image should wearSomething glamorous, to show that she is a famous singer, therefore I thought aGold sparkly dress would be suitable, as it also represents the genre of my Magazine- bold and glamorous. I also thought she should pose, to give the overall Front cover of my magazine more depth and edge.The language that I used on my front cover also Appeals to my target audience, as it is simple and informal which they may relate to,Encouraging them to buy the magazine and look at the content of it.

I have related my media product to ‘Vibe’ magazine, as I included the conventionsthat it also uses. For example, I have created my masthead as very bold and eye-catching towards my audience. I decided to call my masthead ‘$WAGGA’ as I feltthat it was associated with the genre of my magazine, RnB, as so it ‘Vibe’ becauseit suggests rhythm and that the magazine is upbeat and up-to-date. I placed my strap lines on the right hand side of my front cover, as I saw that ‘Vibe’ magazinehad also done this, and I thought that It would have been more clearer for the Audience to understand what else the magazine contained, rather than having my Strap lines on both sides. I have also only placed a main image on my front cover,Rather than one main image and several smaller ones. I also used a templateFrom ‘Vibe’ magazine to do this, however I also decided to use one main image Because I felt that it was clear to the audience who the magazine was based on

And also emphasized the importance of the artist by having a image of just her.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The media product I have produced represents a social group of bothmale and female teenagers, age ranging from 13-19. I have chosen myMagazine to be aimed at this audience because it relates to the artists Which I have featured in my magazine such as Lil Wayne, Drake etc. Also, the red and black text on the white background makes the textStand out, as the colours contrast well together. I decided to keep this colour scheme throughoutMy magazine. The Informal use of language in the interview, such as ‘so you’ve got got the lovebug then…’ also represents this social group because it is clearer for them to understand, and they can relate to it more, rather than just using words which they would not be able to understand and words which are not usuallyfeatured in an RnB magazine, such as ‘Vibe’ which may use words that teenagers cannot relate to and may not interest them.

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

The kind of media institution that might distribute my

Media product would be the publisher of ‘Vibe’

Magazine, Quincy Jones. This is because ‘$WAGGA’

And ‘Vibe’ magazine are the same genre and have a

Lot in common, such as the layout and the target

Audience. For example, the front cover of ‘Vibe’ has a

White background a majority of the time, and one main

Image. It also has approximately 3 or 4 strap lines and

A bold kicker, and other conventions such as the tag

line, barcode, etc.

The template of ‘Vibe’ magazine which I used to create

My magazine was an issue with an image of Akon. I

Decided to use this because I felt that the layout, such

As the mid-shot view of the image and the places in

Which the strap lines and kicker was placed, fitted in

With how I wanted my magazine to be and I felt that it

Was the most appealing for my target audience

Because it was clear and the colours contrasted nicely

Together, which is what I had aimed for.

Who would the audience be for your media product?

The audience for my media product would be teenagers from 13-19 year olds, however it can be aimed at older males and females as well such as people in their early 20s. People in this age range should be inspired by the main image, because it is about being a role model and it is also showing the older generation that teenagers are not as bad as they are made out to be. Another reason why 13-19 year old males and females are targeted for this magazine is because of the main image, she is a young girl wearing attractive clothes and the audience may want to find out more about her in the magazine, as she is

new to others. The name of the magazine, ‘$WAGGA’, may also interest the audience, as it is different and respresents the genre of the magazine, it has attitude and is interesting. Also, they may be interested because of the image itself, it is a mid-shot view and she is posing which makes the cover look more edgy.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted and addressed my audience is the angle which I had taken my images from, the colours that I had used and The layout of my front cover, contents page and double page spread. The images for my front cover and contents page were taken from a mid-shot angle. By doing this, the images fitted Suitably around my text rather than, for instance using a full body shot angle. For my double page spread I decided to Use a full body shot but having the girl in my image sitting down and I had cropped off part of her shoes, because I did not want A full image in my double page spread, because I wanted to make my image more interesting and different. In all of the images, she were looking at the camera; I decided to do this because I thought that it would show that the person in the image is

interacting with the audience. The layout of my contents page was a template which I used from Hip Hop magazine, and fitted the image around my text. Likewise with my double page spread, I had used a template from ‘Vibe’. I chose to do this because I felt that it was aimed better at the audience because of the colours, the way in which the text was arranged around the images, etc.

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

The technologies that I have learnt from the process of

Constructing this product is that my magazine has to

Consist of all the things needed to make it look realistic

And believe to the audience. For example, I included

The price, barcode, strap lines and I had ensured that

The colour scheme was appropriate for the genre of

My magazine, as I would have a better chance at

Attracting the audience.

Other technologies which I have learnt is using tools

On Photoshop and how to edit my images. For

Example, I learnt how to use the blur tool to blend my

Image into the background, so only certain parts of the

Image stand out, such as what is worn and the way

That she is looking at the camera. I wanted to use the blur tool

In order to make my image look more effective and erase parts

Of the image that I did not want to include. I also learnt how to

Use layers on Photoshop and how placing certain

Layers above each other could make my magazine

Look more realistic and 3D.

I also learnt about the different ways I could take my

Images such as mid-shot, full body shot and leaving

Enough head room to make the images look more

Effective.

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

the full product?Since my preliminary task, I feel as though I have gainedMany skills such as improving the layout of my work andThe way in which I have taken my images and the colourSchemes. I have also gained more knowledge of how toUse Photoshop, which I have used to create my full productto a high standard.

My choice of colours has improved, as in my preliminary task,I used red, green, light blue, dark blue and yellow which do notNecessarily go well together. However, for my full product I haveUsed a limited amount of colours, red, black and white. I did thisBecause I had also taken into consideration the genre of my Magazine and also the audience for which it is aimed at and how to attract their attention. My skills for using Photoshop have also improved, as compared to my preliminary task my full product looks more 3D and realistic. For example, I have simplyBullet pointed my strap lines on both sides and have not madeThem very clear, they look rather out of place; whereas on myFull product I have placed the strap lines clearly on the right hand side and I have used boxes and a simple layout to portray them, in order to make the magazine look more realistic. Also, the layout of my tasks have improved, such as the way that I have arranged the text around my images instead of just placing the image behind the text. I have also learnt how to attract an audience more and make the magazine suitable for them in my full product, such as the colours used and the language, rather than in my preliminary task where I did not consider this as much, hence why I have improved since.