FINAL PRODUCT. Cover, Content, Double page spread page one, Double page spread page two.

EVALUATION QUESTION 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
After looking at many different varieties of magazines from fashion, such as VOGUE and ELLE to music, Q, Interview, Billboard to free paper magazines, cooking and even housing magazines, I found different elements i was inspired by and from which i developed and put into my magazine. Firstly, i was attracted to the idea of having a odd and edgy magazine to what was already currently available. I wanted to created a mixed magazine which would include the three main media institutes that the world is always judged by, but also inspired by. These are Music, Fashion and Art.  

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

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My cover artists is Vladana, she is a old teenage/young adult. She is dressed fashionably in a white polo shirt, a back and white spotted blazer over the top, a pleated skirt with her hair is effortlessly curled along with a smoky eye look to blend in with the dark sophisticated look she gives off whilst also enhancing her eyes and creating a mystery about her. This image and styling of the artist will attract the target audience and reflect the stereotypical reader of this magazine. I wanted to be creative with the shot on the cover to represent the quirkiness of my magazine. I tried lots of different shots; such as - with props, using a tea mug, sitting down on a chair, holding flowers and leaning with a light. Also, Downward and Upward shots, Full body shot, Close up, Mid shot ect. (https://picasaweb.google.com/115835603471050886051/MediaPhotos?authkey=Gv1sRgCNGVsZ7apouFTQ)  For the cover i ended up choosing a simple but effective shot. It doesn't follow the conventional rules of being a mid shot because its a close shot but because it challenges the conventions of a normal magazine it shows the difference between them, making mine stand out. My artist has a very simple expression on her face however you are attracted to her eyes because they have direct contact which would pull in the reader. Also the attraction you get to such a simple photo is effective because it reflects my artists personality and story which is then shared in the double page spread. 

Throughout my research process i discovered that the look i origninally wanted to go for, a really wierd and arty cover shot would be hard to achieve with the materials i could get myself in the space of time. From this learning curve i went down a route of then changing the idea of having my magazine really abstract and computer edited, to being simple but effective. By doing so i had to think up a new look for my artist which lead to more sinister. My artist is a old teen which is at the starting age of my target audience but she is shown in a mature way which will then still attract the older audience too. Also because my target audience is at women, because my artist is a young adult, she will still aspire to many. 

I think that my cover artist, Vladana is similar to Lana Del Rey. Lana Del Rey is a new up and coming artist who first time hit it big with her single Video Games, which is the story I was inspired by for my artist. They both look rather alike, with an almost old fashioned twist to them which gives a mysterious feel and edge to them both. They both have brown, natural curled hair which gives them the girly feel with then, interesting defined facial features which makes them unique and unusual but defiantly beautiful in their way. This is good for my magazine as it's fighting against the usual and putting across the weird and wonderful which is shown through the style which runs throughout, incorporating art.  
The differences would be the angle of which the artist is facing. Vladana is facing straight on but her face is positioned away to the corner but her eyes are left dead on to the camera, almost like her attention has been grasped for a split second which then shows an intriguing side to her whereas Lana Del Rey is standing diagonally then positioning her face slightly down to the have her eyes slightly looking up toward the camera which creates an innocence to that shot. The serious expression on both of the artists face gives them also a sexual appeal too which will also engage the male audience too. This adds to my artists personality as she isnt a 'flaunt it' sexy but its her mysterious and unusual ways which make her attractive too. This will win my audience over too as the women wont feel intimidated by her as she is represented as pretty 'normal' so the target audience will be able to relate to that making them feel close to the artist and the magazine. 

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 3

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


What Kind of Media Institution Might Distribute Your Media Product and Why


A publishing company like  Prometheus Global Media was formed by the sale of the entertainment and media division of Nielsen Business Media in December 2009. The company's CEO is Richard D. Beckman, previously an executive at Condé Nast and Fairchild Publications, and former publisher of magazines GQ and Vogue, would be good to publish my magazine because it is a big publishing company and they have past experience with different genres such as vouge which will be good as my magazine ties with fashion, art and music. 

Prometheus Global Media recently changed it's name from e5 Global Media. Prometheus was originally formed when Pluribus Capital Management and Guggenheim Partners jointly acquired a handful of publications from Nielsen Co. Under CEO Richard Beckman, a former Condé Nast and Fairchild Fashion Group executive, the company has taken a consumer-oriented approach to some of its publications. For instance, Janice Min, formerly editor of US Weekly, was named editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter. Additionally, the company has reduced the frequency of the publication to weekly and has courted a broader audience to attract more consumer advertising. 'The company is all about engaging people and marketers at the intersection of culture's most powerful forces -- music, media and entertainment.'
This shows that the change in the recent name was to uplift the company and to give it a new start bringing in new members to the business to help lift it higher. Successful writers are now working for this company in which they also have a lot of experience with different genres which will help create my own, Forward magazine and take it the the high quality standard which is needed to be published by this company .

PGM publish; Adweek, Back Stage, Billboard, Film Journal International and The Hollywood Reporter. These are different varieties in genre which is another way in which i believe that Prometheus Global Media would be suitable for publishing Forward magazine also. 
' The Hollywood Reporter is the definitive interpretive voice of the entertainment industry. Informing, engaging and empowering content is delivered across a multimedia platform that includes: a weekly magazine, bi-monthly special reports, quarterly glossies, a Website, a daily news PDF, iPad app and events. The Hollywood Reporter is read by the most powerful people in the entertainment industry and the most influential consumers who follow it – those who shape desire, set trends and ultimately drive culture – providing an unmatched level of access and influence.'
Is said about Their magazine, The Hollywood Reporter. This shows the high quality and standard they set for their magazine in which they publish which I think Forward magazine reaches. 


I believe that this is a good publishing company to distribute Forward magazine because it already runs very successful, high end and appreciated magazines of different genres and in my own Forward magazine it incorporates a mix of genre (Music, art and fashion) to give it an inspiring twist which i think will work very well with Prometheus Global Media.

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Abbey Brighty is a 16 year old girl who lives in Leicester; she is studying Dance at college, Studio 79. She loves listening to the newest, funnest and most popular music before anyone else. As a dancer music is an important part of her life as she has to be inspired and connect with music. She has to have a good knowledge and understanding of different genres and styles of music so she can apply that knowledge to her dance works. Because of this she has to listen to a wide range of music but her favourite genre is defiantly the most 'pop'ular music tied with r&b. Abbey is a fun, daring and adventurous girl who loves socialising with her friends whenever she can, she enjoys going to party’s with loud music and shopping the latest trends. As a dancer she also has an individual look about her, she doesn’t follow the crowd of being 'indie' but she wears what she wants. Abbey is a brilliant example for a target audience member for my magazine as popular music is a big role in her life, but so is her individual appearance and expressing herself which is what my music magazine, tied with arts and fashion is all about. She would buy FORWARD magazine as it features everything she is interested in with a different new twist. Forward magazine is aimed at female’s young adults (16-28) with an interest in the different side of materialism and music. She would be able also relate to the Artist as they are both a similar age so this would appeal to my younger target audience. The article is all about the newest celebrity and her raise to fame which would definitely interest Abbey as she is a performer herself. In the issue I have created for FORWARD magazine overall it includes the popular, London fashion week, download lists, up and coming music, inspirations, an interview with other popular artists, fashion pages and articles with fashion designers and artists.  

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 6

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

The main technological item i used throughout making my product was Photo Shop CS5. I was lucky enough to also have this at home this way i could easily send home work i did in school to carry on with at home and vise versa. I learnt from using Photo Shop about the different layers needed to be used at all times when creating a new section, this way you don't get confused and work doesn't get lost within the process of making the product. From using Photo Shop in my own time i didn't struggle with figuring out how to work it because I have used it a lot before, this was a good advantage as i didn't have to waste time trying to pick it up and learn about it.



I used picasa to upload the images that I took and to view them all together. Picasa is a quick, simple and easy way to upload and view photos. It was easy for me to see in sections the different style of photo i took because the layout is so clear. I then needed to share my pictures and out them onto my blog but taking 293, this could have proven difficult. I think remembered you can use Picasa Web Albums with a google account so i easily figured out how to create a web album which i then linked onto this page to view my photos.

A problem i faced was not having a camera at the time i needed to take the photos. However I ended up using my iPhone 4s with an eight mega pixle camera. Also on the camera there was a setting to use the important camera grid and apply the rule of thirds to my photographs. The more I did with the grid the more i got use to it with fitting everything in the right place to create a correct photo. The quality of the photos was surprisingly really good and not having a proper camera to use didn't effect me in the end!  

 Scribd is a good way to upload word, publisher documents to your blog by uploading them which then automaticaly transforms it into a Scribd document which you can then easily embed onto your blog. Its easy to view from and helped me clearly see the work I had done after being embedded.

 I really like Animoto, I think its a new and different way to share and explore work. I created a mood board on here which was fun because it edited it all for me in a funky way which was good to watch. It allowed me to upload images and add text along with music to help bring together my magazine idea and really show it through for an audience to watch. I then easily embedded it onto my blog which was then able to view any time after for a quick reminder of my inspirations. I would definitely use this again.

Prezzi is like a slide show of a mind map. It was interesting to get the hang of but after i had gotten use to it, i managed to create good work on it. I like the easy flow throughout the slide which is good for an audience to watch because its continuous. This is a lot more visual but it can be edited and changed to many way to keep it original and fun. 

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 7

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



Looking back at the work I did from my preliminary task of the school magazine, I can see a big improvement. The school magazine was really rough, just exploring different ideas with fonts, colours, sizes and shapes that i put together to create a mishmash of a magazine. I definitely didn't follow the magazine conventional rule of using 3 fonts, you can see that it looks messy and not appealing to look at. Also the tag lines I used in all four corners are all out of shape and different. Nothing is equally level or symmetrical like it should be. My model, Danny, is looking down at a folder creating no eye contact what so ever, and a quarter of his face is hidden by hair and shadow which is not good for a front cover photo as you want to interact with the target audience. The cover lines aren't clear and 'Danny Medland' is blurred into the other Cover Lines when he is the main story. On the other hand, you can see a big difference in the use of Photo Shop used to create my final product of forward magazine. I found out you could use rulers and grids on Photo Shop to make sure everything is even to create a professional look which I used throughout the course of making my product. I knew i wanted a close shot for my front cover which would challenge the conventions of a normal magazine but it was to create the look I was going for - odd and different but classy and mature.


Throughout the making of my magazine I have had a clear idea of where I was going with it and what I wanted to represent through it. I knew it would be challenging to try and successfully create a different genre of magazine whilst still keeping it focused on music. I did this by just referring to my research, inspirations and then making sure i took good use of the information and research I found out. I feel I did well creating a new vibe magazine with twists and an edge to it. I am happy and pleased with my overall media product of FORWARD music magazine and I am proud of myself for the effort I put into creating it and the improvement I have made along the way.

FINAL MOCK. COVER, CONTENT, DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD PAGE ONE, DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD PAGE TWOe spread page two.

Final changed i need to make are
Cover:
- Change so main focus is music
- 'Love of fashion' change to music because first thing you see and it is a music based magazine.
- Add real artists at the bottom - strip line.

Double page spread 1:
- Make text level at the bottom of article colum

Double page spread 2:
- Add make-up and hair by... styled by... Words by...

Contents:
- Change the pictures at the top

- Make bottom two picture mirror size
- Add more music to music section
- Sort out layout/sizing

Over all:
- Check spelling!
- Check all symmetrical spacing/layout

EDITED PHOTOS

MOCK UP 2

DRAFT OF LAYOUT

PHOTOS

PLANNING - NEW COVER AND CONTENT PAGE IDEA

This layout is a lot more grown up, smarter and more magazine like than my previous mock up. I think when i have tweaked this a bit more and added in the actual text and photos then this will look really effective and smart and like a proper professional high end magazine. I think this because of simplicity that I will be using. I will be using conventional aspects of a magazine such as Cover lines, Masthead, Main image, strap line at the bottom and key features like a bar code, date and price. My magazine is starting to look a lot more professional now i have decided defiantly where i am going with it.