Evaluation notes

I learnt how to elaborate on my evaluation for my magazine and here are the notes that I have taken.


 

Task 11 evaluation

 

Repetition will be used.

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

More detailed response

Conventions – rules - what are the rules of country magazine?

How is your mag like a professional mag and how is it unlike professional mags

Case studies used to answer the question. Use specific examples to answer, the more specific than the better.  E.g. what did you like about Q magazine, the contents page? What about it? The genre of the magazine.  Reflects examples on the case studies and give specific examples.

 

2)       How does your media product represent particular media groups?

How do you portray? Young people, fans of…, urban groups, social groups

Elements of mise en scene, elements of costumes etc.

How are messages and values attached to this?

3)      What kind of media institution will distribute your magazine and why?

Publishers, online distributions.  (baeua media, IPC, BBC ETC)

The existing publishing covers your genre? Would you have a website? Electronic publishing?

Role of technology, Facebook groups, hash tags? Ways of engaging with your audience

4)      Who are the audience for your mag?

Define them in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, area (if city based magazine), lifestyle issues (hobbies), what do they do in their spare time.

 Typical audience: What are they wearing? Where do they live? City based area? Describe the audience

Remember work on press packs and media kits, refer back to those.

Use an image to show what your audience looks like, a person.

 

5)      How did you attract and address the audience

What does the audience want? What do they notice in particular and like?

6)      What have you learnt about technology throughout the process of constructing this mag?

Talk about Photoshop, print screens to show what you’ve learnt about. Give examples

7)      Have you improved from your college magazine till music mag?

Have you improved since college mag? Give examples. More thought in photography? Masthead is more sophisticated? What have you done differently this time?

Take a look at my college magazine. How have my technical skills in Photoshop and InDesign improved?

What could I improve in my music magazine?

What elements do you like? e.g photography

How are the individuals portrayed and represented in terms of country pop music? Do the images etc reflect the genre or show any symbolism?

Feedback on music magazine

Who do you think the audience are? My intended audience were mostly females ranging from the ages of mid teens to Young adults (16-28)

magazine cover

DPS

Magazine Contents page

Contents Page Process

Front Cover Process

Magazine Proposal Feedback

 

For my magazine proposal, I was told that the genre of my magazine (country pop) was a good genre to do. Someone further commented that I should make sure the magazine is relevant to both country and pop, and I should not talk about one more than the other.

 

I chose a range of fonts for the masthead, so I asked the class which font would be relevant to the genre. We done this via a vote and I think it really helped me choose the right font.

Contents page, need to improve on it

Contents page process

Here is how much I had done when I first started doing my contents page.

The photoshoot

 

Here are the images I have taken from the photo shoot. I feel as if not all of these pictures were a success because of the lighting in the background of most of the images. I feel as if some pictures did not fit the theme, however I will be using the images with the guitar to represent country music. Moreover, these images will be used in the contents page because I was unable to reschedule time with the model to redo the images. I have now got a new model for my cover and DPS.

Props

I have decided to use a guitar as a prop for my magazine because the instrument seems to associate well with country music and I feel it would be a good prop to use.  I have also used a hat that looks very country.

My model

 

Here is an image of my model that I'll be using for my magazine cover and dps.

Who's modelling for my magazine

I have chosen a female model for my front page. I have chosen a girl to do it because the target audience is mainly aimed at a female audience so it seemed more relevant. I will be uploading an image of my model soon.

Case Study Redraft 2

 

Here is a redraft of my second case study which helped be achieve a higher grade

 

 

 

Case Study Redraft

 

 

I had a chance to redraft my case studies which I did. This helped improve my grade and helped me gain a better understanding of how the magazines should be represented.



 

Magazine Mock Cover and Contents page Evaluation

Evaluation

We were asked to make a school magazine cover and contents page that had to do with our college Leyton sixth form.  This task helped us develop skills that would come in handy with our music magazines.

Magazine Cover

Image

We had to take a photo of a student in a medium close up form which was from the upper waste and up. I think the medium close up seemed appropriate for the magazine because it took up most of the page which seemed relevant. The student in the picture is looking at the camera which I think is a good way of engaging with the audience and drawing them in.  I had used a canon 12mnp camera and had taken the photograph in the hallway where light had been exposed on the student which highlighted the students face.  

Layout

The layout of the magazine seems to look like a typical magazine arrangement. This is because of the information I had gathered in which I learnt what makes a magazine look appropriate and what it needs. I learnt where to put cover lines in appropriate places so that when it is on a magazine shelf, the cover lines on the left is what attracts the audience so I tried to make the teasers seem catchy. The cover lines are well lined together so it seems professional as opposed to making it look messy if they were put in various places. One of the main cover lines, ‘Geek it up’ anchors the picture of the student which I think is a good feature to have in the magazine. It anchors the picture in the sense that the student is wearing big glasses that look ‘geek like’ which reflects the text.

Colour scheme and font

For the masthead, I made it bold so it could stand out as it is one of the main features on the front cover. The masthead is shown to be dark green which contrasts well with the image, making it stand out even more. I chose the colour because it seemed to go well with the image and would attract a bigger target audience, the reason being, if it happened to be a pastel colour e.g. lilac, then the female audience would find the magazine more appealing. This wouldn’t be appropriate for a college magazine so I went for a more elusive colour, which I think works well with the colour scheme. The colour scheme consists of three colour, dark green, orange and white. I think these three colours work well together and don’t just attract one group of a target audience but a variety. I chose orange and white because they contrasted well with each other and looked bold against the background. I only used three colours because it makes the layout seem more formal and professional as well as properly put together. The font I used for the cover lines was franklin gothic heavy which I think looked formal and well used as well as relevant for a college magazine cover. If I used an italic or curly font, the cover would look inappropriate and completely irrelevant. For the masthead, I used the font Copperplate gothic light. This ‘gothic’ font contrasted well with the cover line and made them seem well put together. 

 

Contents Page

Images

I went around the college and took pictures of students doing things, such as, using the computers and studying in the library. I took various shots of pictures ranging from close up to long shots so I could show the college surroundings which seemed relevant for a contents page. I used a canon 12 mnp camera for these shots making the images look clear and professional which is important for a magazine to make it look formal.

Layout

The layout of the contents page looks like a typical contents page you would get in a magazine which I think is appropriate.  I have set the contents page out on a double page spread with sections that categorise what is held in the magazine. The sections included are ‘on the cover’ which will include the features that I have on the cover. The contents page also includes regulars which helps create a pattern of what is featured in the publication. I added information underneath the sub headings to elaborate on what that individual article is about. This helped the layout look more like a contents page as that is what you generally see in contents pages.  

Colour Scheme and Font

I have used a colour scheme for my contents page which consists of the colours, maroon, green and white. Green has connotations that make you think of the environment and greenery which I think is appropriate for a school magazine. I thought the maroon and white contrasted well with the green, white helped make the contents page look less dull. I used these colours so that they seem relevant for a wider audience if both male and female, the reason being, if I used pastel colours, a female audience would be able to relate to it more. The font I used for the masthead is Perpetua Titling MT. The font seemed simple and suitable and contrasted well with the fonts I used for the other texts for the subheadings etc. the other font included on the page is Myriad web pro. I think this font also seemed appropriate because it was simple and relevant to a school magazine as opposed to other fonts, for example, a curly/ italic font would look too formal or feminine for a general school magazine.

 

 

What I could improve  

I am generally happy with my mock cover and contents page but feel as if I could have added or improved a few things. I think my cover seemed a bit too simple and I could’ve added more cover lines to it to make it seem more interesting and as if more is going on. Looking back at my contents page, it didn’t seem as attractive as it should of because of the background colour that happened to look like a dull purple/grey colour. However I think the font colours stood out well against it.

Weaknesses and Strengths

I think my weakness throughout this task was that I didn’t have very good Photoshop and InDesign skills and learnt as I went along. I think if I had the advantage of being familiar with these software’s, it would have helped make my mock pages look more attractive and professional.

I think my strength in this task was that I developed skills on how to use Photoshop and InDesign. I learnt as I went along which comes to my advantage in the sense that I have now improved my abilities that will be reflected in my actual magazine features.

Photo shoot preparations

I have been looking for props and locations online and around the city that would be relevant for my magazine genre. I have booked studio time for next for my photo shoot. I will soon be updating who I will be using for a model and what locations I will be taking pictures in. 

My magazine Proposal

I done part of my presentation prezi and the rest on PowerPoint. Prezi link:
http://prezi.com/e6rkat9jkiaj/magazine-proposal/

Photography

 

We learnt new photography skills that would help us gain a better understanding of how to take photographs for our magazines.

 

I learnt that Colourama meant the black backdrop that is used in the background behind the model.

I know that there are two lights that stand on either side of the model that are used to channel great light across the subject. These lights contain something known as soft boxes which have square grids in them to help diffuse the light and create perfect symmetry of light. Along with the flashlights, we learnt that poly boards were used to reflect/bounce light of the model. Reflector boards are also used to help compose light on the model, gold gives a warmer tone to the face as opposed to silver, which creates a harder light upon the models face.

 

Moreover, we learnt how to use a Nikon D7000 camera which holds 16 million mega pixels. The camera is 3.5 LDC.

There is two camera settings, A and S.

The A stands for aperture priority: how much light there is in the lens

The S stands for shutter priority: how quick or slow light comes through the lens.

 

There is a remote control on the lighting known as Godox. The camera transmits a signal and the godox receives it.

I still have to prersent my magazine propasal to the class so I'll put it up soon

Magazine newstand

 

 

The photo I have taken is of a newsstand at a newsagent and had used an iPhone to take the picture. The layout of it is shown to have kid’s magazines and comics at the bottom. This tells us that it is visible for children to see and easier to reach. The freebies from the children magazines are shown clearly which could attract the young target audience even more. This layout looks persuasive in the sense that the child would want to buy it. The colours at the bottom are visibly more colourful which could further attract the young target audience. From looking at the children magazines, I have learnt the layout does not need to show the cover lines to attract the audience because the colours and freebies displayed happen to do that anyway.  Moreover, the kid’s magazines are shown to be mixed with teen magazines such as Bliss and Shout. They are not overlapping each other as both magazines are shown clearly. However the teen magazines are not as visible and look well blended amongst the others. The middle shelf of the layout would be the one you look at first. This shelf consists of women magazines and TV magazines. I think these have been put there because they are the most popular ones. The middle shelf also holds individual magazine holders which could be because theses magazine are more commonly bought. The bottom shelf and the middle shelf are the only ones that do not have the publications overlapping each other as they normally should do. However, you can see from the top shelf that the magazines are over lapping and the cover lines and teasers that are more important and attention grabbing are shown. These magazines are gossip magazines and on top of them would be adult magazines. These magazines are usually placed there so they are out of reach for children.  I have also realised that the stand has newspapers laid out right at the bottom of the shelf which is appropriate and common for newsstands to have.

Newsagents and supermarkets are one way of distributing a publication amongst others. Newsagents are known to buy 20 copies of the publications. If for example, fifteen of those publications are sold, then the remaining five are sent back to the distributor. This means the buyer will not lose any money which comes to a huge advantage for their business in the sense that they are still making a profit and attracting customers to their shop.  Another type of distribution could include online distribution. This the biggest type of distribution because it can be easily accessed and once you have subscribed to the magazine, you do not have to go out and get it because it comes to your doorstep.  Moreover, when people subscribe to a magazine, they have the advantage of receiving a free gift which is a good technique in persuading people to buy it. It makes the publication a bigger success and I think it is a good way of distributing a magazine.

Another way of accessing a magazine is electronically. This can be done via a kindle, ipad etc. I think this is a good way of publishing a magazine because technology has become a part of everyday life. People can access these via phone apps which mean they don’t have to waste paper and it takes up less room as the magazines are all stored in one place.

The distribution method I would use is subscribing to a magazine and having it delivered to me so that I don’t have to go out which comes as a huge benefit. I like the fact that the magazine comes to you monthly and becomes a regular read.

Mock Contents page for school magazine

Here is my mock contents page

Mock magazine cover

We were asked to make a mock magazine cover and contents page so it would help us develop skills on Photoshop and Indesign. Here is my cover for my school magazine.

LSC Magazine

 

 

 

Here is a draft I have drawn of the for the school magazine. I have drawn it so I could visualise what my magazine will look like. It has helped me aknowledge where the coverlines, masthead, barcode etc go. I will be doing the official magazine cover on Photoshop as well as the contents page on Indesign. The draft gives me a rough idea of how my work will look.

 

 

 

Press pack

 

 

Q Media Kit

A media kit is an information pack that gives us information about the product (in this case it happens to be the magazine) and tells us about the publication and what it consists of.

 

 

 

The first thing you read on the media kit is the company’s history that is being introduced. It tells us the magazine had been launched years ago which evidently backs up how successful the magazine is.  The introduction also consists of facts that tell us ‘97%’ of readers find Q magazine a good quality publication. It further explains what achievements they have recieved (photography). This confidently tells the reader the magazine is successful and is doing well in the market. A cover is shown opposing the pitch letter which gives the reader a more sightful look of what the magazine consists of and is an example to back up all the praise they are giving to the magazine. The other thing you notice on the press kit is that they used sex appeal as an advantage where one artist is shown to be half naked and the other looks to be seductive.

The media kit also consists of a quote from the editor in chief which is good to add.  This is written in the mission statement alongside facts and figures that tell us how many people read the magazine and how many people have liked it on facebook . They have linked the page to their facebook and twitter page which is good for the publication.

On the right hand side of the page, curious readers are able to elaborate on what else the magazine consists of and what it is about. More facts and figures are given to back up the publication on how successful it is and why people should advertise with Q magazine. The tone of language draws you in as it is shown to sound persuasive and can seem influential on the reader such as ‘Only Q can give you exclusive maagzine advertising...’ The information written can be answers to frequently asked questions which helps the editor determine what to include in the article.

 

 

 

A ratio is shown which gives further information on what type of people read the magazine. It tells us that majority of the audience happen to be male as opposed to female. It also tells us what age ranges read the magazine. From this information, the reader is able to gather that teenagers to young aduts happen to be the biggest audience. This helps improve chances of publication in the sense that they are now familiar of what type of people read the magazine. Moreover, people are able to contact the magazine with the email address that it clearly written on the side where they are able to find out more information e.t.c.

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, the lay out happens to be basic and simple as those who want information on the media kits do not expect it to look attractive and glamorous but simple as they only want to read the information.

Photoshop

We learnt how to use photoshop for our magazine cover and contents page.

I learnt how to resize an image: First I had to go to pre-set, then international paper and then click OK
I then size my viewing page to 16.7. To zoom in I type CTRL + and to zoom out CTRL -

To lock the layer I have to double click the icon and click OK. I can put images, text etc.
To manipulate an image or edit it, I press CTRL T. The shift key allows me to make the image bigger. CTRL Z means step backwards.

I learnt to click text tool to go straight to document.

Here is what I have done so far on photoshop

Case Study

 

 

 

 

 

 

Call Sheet

 

Call sheet

Date: 116/10/12                                                                                                     

Assignment: Portfolios shoot                                                                             

Location: Leyton sixth form studio                                                                     

Client: N/A

Compensation: Trade

Media:  Nikon D40

Compensation: trade

Primary shoot conduct: Neyha Patel

Photographer: Neyha Patel

Hair Stylist: Sadiyya Nawab

Wardrobe Stylist: Sadiyya N

Model  1: Sadiyya N

Model 2: Zara M

Model 3: Alisha H

The following was requested items that each model has for wardrobe:                                                            Variety of collared blouses                                                                                                                                     Country Hat

Timeline:

Tentative: subject to change

1:00: Models and team meet at LSC studio

1:00-1:30: models get into costumes and makeup

1:30-2:30: photo-shoot progresses   

Concept: A young newly-comer country artist is shown. The shoot has a country vibe to it, hence what the model is wearing, (country hat and collar blouse).

Case Study

Timetoast

I have made a timetoast to help keep my coursework organised and up to date.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Magazine article evaluation

Evaluation

We were asked to look at file sharing and illegal downloading for our blog that has to do with our individual magazines. I had chosen to revolve mine around Norah Jones the singer who has quoted on file sharing as being a positive thing.

Research skills:

I had done most of my research online independently and had compared it to other sources to check if the information was reliable. Some of these sources included the guardian and BBC. I looked at information on file sharing on these websites.  I found out information on Radiohead, 50 cent and Norah Jones who have also quoted file sharing as being a positive thing. I elaborated on my research by sharing ideas with other individuals in my class. The class also got together for a for and against argument on file sharing which helped me gather up more information on the subject. I think the information I gathered on the internet really helped as I could elaborate on it by finding out more by comparing notes with other people in my class.

During my research, I found looking for my favourite artist’s quotes on file sharing challenging. However, Norah Jones is an artist I was familiar with so chose to make her the main image of my article.

Journalistic and writing skills:

I think my English language and writing was accurate and clearly expressed in the journalism text.  The text was partly written in first person towards the end as I added my own opinion in on the subject however the rest approaches the audience in a third person manner. I think my writing skills were something I did not lack in. The skills that I did lack in were my Photoshop skills. Although I am familiar with the software, I learnt more as I went along with the task and feel that next time I will not be too hesitant to use certain features.  I also feel the text font of my writing does not seem to reflect the theme of the page.

Feedback:                                                                                        

I managed to receive feedback from people in my class. It was said that the colours were not contrasted well and seemed too simple. It was also said I should have used a full boarder on my magazine page and that the writing structure seemed too essay like which does not seem to inviting to read. On the other hand I was told the heading that stated a question and the quality of the picture was good. I was also told the colour of the quote that stood out against the picture was well used.

 

 

 

 

 

Target Improvement:  

I know the magazine page was definitely not to the best of my ability and next time I should spend more time on it accessing what to do creatively.

I have now gained more knowledge on how to use Photoshop which will now come to an advantage.

I have learnt colour schemes have a huge impact on how a magazine page looks and I should focus more on that next time

Here is my magazine page on an article about file sharing.

Welcome to my Blog, this is where I will be keeping my AS Media work.