1)
In what ways does
your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real
media products?
A usual magazine cover will include a large main image
along with a title and some subheadings that intrigue the reader as to what the
magazine will entail and what could be expected in the magazine. On my front
cover I have included all of these following aspects to give the appearance of
a magazine that’s typical to any other but the contents will be exceptional and
better than what other magazines have in theirs. However professional magazines
stick to quite typical, sophisticated font types and writing styles where as I
have tried to use more modern fonts for my text because as it is a school
magazine intended for children I need to keep the magazine current so they will
be interested in reading it. The colours on my magazine cover picture are very
exposed and this is because I wanted the colours to stand out against one another
and not be washed out by one another, so to enhance them I have over exposed
them. The type of shot I have used is a medium close up which can be used in
magazines and is often used to focus on a certain aspect of something and to
eliminate the background but I have put a twist on it by not having the model
central of the page and having it towards the left of the page instead. Similar
to any other magazine there is predominant colour scheme that also ties in to
the schools colours, there is also a blue glow around the text to make it stand
out.
2)
How does your media
product represent particular social groups?
The social group that I am attempting to steer this
magazine towards would be school children, mainly the ones that attend Biddulph
High School due to the information linking directly to the school. The image I
have chosen is of a male pupil of the school wearing the school uniform
indicating that he is an attendee of the school. Other aspects of the male in
the image are of no importance to the school of the magazine such as
race/gender/class/culture etc… because he is an attendee of a public school so
the image I have chosen could have been of anyone which also demonstrates a
non-discriminate school. The image chosen does not relate to the content of the
magazine it just merely shows an example of those who attend the school. The
articles chosen are all for the school children’s benefits and they are there
for them to read them-as that is my target audience.
3) What kind of media institution might distribute your
media product and why?
This magazine is not intended for people to buy
because it is for such specific people, school children, with likely no wages
it wouldn’t be profitable to sell them through the school as if they were not
free I doubt that people would buy them. Also as previously stated the magazine
is for the benefit of the school pupils so will be given to them on behalf of
the school.
4) Who would be the audience for your media product?
The target audience as previously stated would be
pupils that attend the school because I feel that the magazine would be
tailored for their reading and it would be extremely relevant to them as appose
to the parents of the pupils or perhaps any rival schools
I used very modern text and very modern fonts that
will appeal to a younger audience as appose to an older audience who would
expect perhaps a more traditional approach to magazine designing and the layout
of a magazine. The model portrayed would also be of this children’s age range
and they could relate to that person and see that it is for them. Having a
smartphone barcode scanner on the front of the magazine is also current and the
majority of the people in the school will instantly recognise it and realise
that it’s almost an interactive magazine, increasing interest because it gets
the kids involved with it and they can use their ever-popular mobile device. I
have also abbreviated to word ‘magazine’ and changed it to ‘mag’ to get on the
same level as the children and it also
makes the magazine current.
6) What have you learnt about technologies from the
process of constructing this product?
To construct this magazine I have used a program
called Photoshop which has allowed me to make my magazine better than I could
with any other technology or downloadable program because I have now learnt how
to control Photoshop and all the different aspects I can use such as clearing
blemishes on the models face or enhancing colours both of which I had the
opportunity to use. I have also used blogger throughout the course of making my
magazine as a reference to the work that I am doing or work that I have
completed as a backup store in case it is ever lost and it can also be used to
track my progress. Blogger has also been used to communicate with my teachers
so they can look at my work without coming directly to me as it is on a public
blog, and also for sharing my work with them. A professional camera was used to
capture the image demonstrated on the cover of my magazine.
7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Through the course of making my preliminary product I
have learnt many different aspects about creating a detailed magazine. Such as
learning how to program Photoshop to a high degree and level so when I next
make a magazine for the exam I will be able to complete a product that will be
of high standard. I have also learnt about different camera angle techniques
such as a low shot to increase the size of something giving it an intimidating
or overbearing feel, or the opposite, taking a high angle shot to decrease the
size of something giving the reader all of the power. I have also learnt how to
tailor a magazine for a specific audience, such as using slang words to try an
attempt to connect with a younger audience or using bright, contrasting colours
to target an eccentric audience. And we have also learnt how to communicate in
an effective and concise way grabbing the reader’s attention purely from the
text on the front cover.
