Final Preliminary and Main Task Productions

Question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

When comparing my preliminary task, the college magazine, to my music magazine it is clear my skills and techniques have developed. Using these skills when taking my photographs, editing them in photoshop and creating my pages in In Design have helped me to improve my magazine. Being unfamiliar with the software during the preliminary task, the techniques, layouts and designs i used were much more basic, however i now have a more advanced understanding of the software's used, making my music magazine appear more professional.

Looking at my first magazine cover, for the preliminary task, it is clear that my skills and use of the software's was not as advanced. I haven't cut out the model on my college magazine and I think the background appears slightly distracting as well as not being relevant to the magazine. As well as this there is minimal information on my college magazine cover, although i have used the typical tag lines they are very basic. Due to not knowing all of the conventions of a magazine cover my preliminary task is quite bare and doesn't include all of the conventions of a magazine front cover. Looking at my music magazine it is obvious i have picked up more knowledge and use of technique to create this cover. I have cut out the model to leave a white background, this is less distracting and makes the model stand out a lot more. As well as this i have used photoshop to edit the curves and contrast of the photograph, making it a lot more effective and less dull than my preliminary photograph. Finally i have followed more conventions of a magazine cover in my music magazine as i developed more of an understanding of these. For example I have used a large, bold cover line to accompany my main image as well as more detailed tag lines. By using more of these conventions and techniques my music magazine looks more professional in comparison to my college magazine.

When comparing my two contents pages it is apparent that my understanding of layout and conventions has improved. Even though i have used the 3 columns in both, the majority of my college contents page is taken up by photography, rather than informative text. My music magazine contents page not only gives more information as to what is featured in the magazine, but the photography used is also relevant and informative. Due to researching conventions of contents pages i have been able to make the page seem as professional as possible, for example i have included page numbers, featured photography advertising an interesting section of the magazine, and even a subscription advertisement. I have also researched what my audience would want to see, so created a page to attract this audience making it easier to make decisions.

Making a magazine can take a lot of time and accuracy, it is important to research into your select target audience to understand what you need to produce to attract. Using software and new techniques can help you improve your magazine further. It is vital to be original with your ideas to make your magazine new and exciting however make sure you follow similar conventions to other magazines so your audience is aware what your magazine is about. By understanding these factors my final production was more effective and professional in comparison to my preliminary task before research. It is also important to relate with your target audience as that is who you want to purchase your magazine to ensure a profit.

Question 6: What have you learnt about new technologies from the process of constructing this product?

PHOTOGRAPHY: In comparison to 10 years ago technology has moved on a lot, including cameras. Through the use of digital cameras it is easy to take multiple photos, upload these to a computer and view them to select the best and most effective ones. It is much less time consuming using a digital camera compared to using a film camera years ago, the shot would have to be set up and more focus was needed to ensure the image was strong and in focus.

PHOTOSHOP: As well as more advanced cameras, photoshop is used a lot in the modern day media industry. Once the software is understood it is simple to manipulate, improve and change images. After using photoshop it is very apparent that the magazine industry especially use the software a lot to make their photographs and products more appealing to their audience. When using photoshop I have learnt techniques such as editing curves and contrast of my photographs, as well as the clone and spot healing tools, to remove unwanted backgrounds or parts of the image. The images below show the technique of cutting out an image on photoshop.

 


IN DESIGN: By learning to use this software it is much easier to present a professional layout for your magazine pages, through the use of columns, bleed and number of pages set. Using the software it is easy to import and export work from one piece of software to another, for example editing the photo in photoshop before moving it into in design.


INTERNET AND BLOGGER: It is very easy and accessible to present work online today, this not only saves paper and is more economical but is also much less time consuming. The internet is available for any research and information needed for projects and media products, helping massively in the research and creative process. We have been introduced to a number of different ways to present work online, for example; blogger, prezi and youtube.

CONCLUSION: To conclude, it is much easier and more efficient to create and present work and media products today, in comparison to perhaps 10 years ago. A lot more technology and software is available to help and to improve products, for example digital cameras and photoshop. Whilst doing this project i have developed a number of useful IT skills that can help in many fields, such as photo shopping skills and photography skills. Due to modern day technology, media production is available to anyone if they have the correct technology and software.

Question 5: How did I appeal to and attract my target audience?

Before planning and producing my magazine i carried out some audience research, as well as research into professional magazine layouts and what makes them effective and successful. I conducted some audience research earlier in my project before creating my magazine, to find out what interests my target audience. 

http://elizabetherinmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/six-strings-readership-profile.html

http://elizabetherinmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/mood-board.html 


After producing my magazine, i presented the completed pages to 10 people for some audience feedback, the results are shown below.

After reviewing my research and my audience feedback, i think overall my magazine appeals to my set target audience. This is proved by looking at some features in my magazine, for example the live gig photography, photos taken and sent in from readers, this is involving the audience with the magazine and making it personal to them, my audience feedback shows that 9/10 people believe this to be the case with Six Strings magazine. I think in a number of ways my audience replicates that of many popular music magazines, for example rock sound, and i considered this when targeting my audience. I used a relevant colour scheme, relevant features and articles to appeal to what my audience wants to see in a music magazine.

Question 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

All media products should have a target audience in mind, and this effects all decisions made about the content and design of the product. Media companies use demographics (http://www.bing.com/search?q=demographics&src=IE-SearchBox&FORM=IESR02) and VALs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VALS) to determine who their audience is and to understand their interests as much as possible. As part of my research I produced a readership profile for my magazine, to learn and understand more about my target audience meaning I could easily produce a media product to suit and entertain this particular audience.




Six Strings magazine audience summary:

Age group: 15-25
Gender: Female 70% Male 30%
Social grade: ABC1
VALs: Innovators and Experiencers
Relevant media texts: NME magazine, Billboard magazine, Rocksound magazine

I selected this particular group as my target audience as I believe it is the most popular group for magazine sales, there is also a wide variety of subjects to explore that will interest this audience.

Question 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Question 2: How does your magazine product represent particular social groups?