Showing posts with label Evaluation DRAFTS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Evaluation DRAFTS. Show all posts

AS Evaluation Question 7 DRAFT

Posted by Martyn Hollinshead | Labels: | Posted On Thursday, 29 March 2012 at 13:32


Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?
I feel that I have learned a great deal during the progression from my preliminary magazine, ‘The Bulletin’, to my final product, ‘InstruMENTAL’. With my preliminary task I wanted to see what I could do to make the magazine look unique and stand out amongst others. I focused on colour palette and layout mainly as I saw them as the most striking features of the design I had created. However I soon realised that there was much more to a magazine than its appearance. By looking at the features of other magazines I found that my preliminary magazine was rather bare in content; there were only two sections and the listings only went up to page twenty-six. A real magazine would obviously contain much more content than this, so I ensured that the amount of content included in my final product would be adequate enough to have a realistic representation. The cover lines were also low in detail and too large in size. I found that in other magazines there were normally subheadings below the cover lines to add detail to what was being represented. So I learned that the content had to be sufficient enough to attract the reader and give the magazine a professional feel so that it could compete effectively with others.
With regards to the layout, I decided to keep the main format of the contents page as I felt that its structure had both the organisation and aesthetic appeal that would interest the reader in viewing the articles; the large image that took up half of the page worked well to highlight the main feature article, so I wanted to use this in my final product to give the magazine a consistent feel throughout. However I completely discarded the layout of the front cover as it was not suitable for both the image and context of my magazine. I instead chose a cleaner layout that focused the attention solely on my artist as this is what the main feature of my final magazine was about. The masthead also didn’t suit my title, ‘InstruMENTAL’, as the word was too long for a ‘Golden Spiral’ layout that the preliminary cover contained. I therefore decided to stretch my masthead across the width of the front cover as not only did this fit better, but also it gave me the ability to add a banner at the bottom of the page to help increase the detail shown. Whilst I wanted a clean layout I didn’t necessarily mean that I wanted it to be completely bare.

In progressing from my preliminary magazine to the final product I believe that I have been able to construct a magazine that has the professional appearance and content that it requires to succeed in the current music magazine market. I have learned that it is important to consider more than just the way it looks as this is what people purchase it for. I was satisfied with my preliminary magazine at the time, however in my opinion InstruMENTAL! magazine is a massive improvement over this, and will fully connect with my audience.
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AS Evaluation Question 6 DRAFT

Posted by Martyn Hollinshead | Labels: | Posted On at 12:10


What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
From constructing my magazine I have learnt numerous skills and techniques for creating multiple formats of media. First and foremost, my ability to use Photoshop effectively and productively has increased dramatically. For example, when I began constructing my preliminary magazine I only had a brief understanding on how the program worked, what the different tools did and how to use the expansive adjustment options. I therefore searched through endless tutorial websites and experimented with different techniques and designs, picking up the knowledge of the program as I went along. What I found was that as I used Photoshop more frequently I understood just how complex the suite can be; you can create literally anything you want to, as long as you know how. I also learnt how the program can be used in a professional manner for creating advertisements and publications such as the magazine that I have constructed. From constructing this product I think that I have benefited somewhat as it has taught me how to develop my skills through experimentation and 'trial & error’. The main feature that has stood out for me though in Photoshop is the blending options. From here you can add effects to the layer you are working on, for example I used it to add shadow to the text on my contents page to help it stand out and look dynamic, rather than simply let it lay flat on the page. Furthermore, I found that despite the fact that shadow is only a small detail of the image, it made a dramatic difference to the impact of the magazine as a whole; the masthead had the pronounced look and feel that it needed and the clarity of the cover lines on the background improved too.

Photoshop however was only one of the tools that I used when creating my magazine. Another piece of technology that had probably the most significant impact on the appearance of the magazine was an SLR camera. The camera in question was a Canon EOS 500D, which had a pixel rating of 15.1 megapixels and a strong built-in flash. An 18-250mm Sigma lens was used in conjunction with the camera. The reason why I opted for an SLR over the common digital camera was because the detail of the image is always of a better standard; you have a much higher resolution to work with and greater control over the focus, lighting and shutter speed settings. Another advantage with the Canon was that it could take RAW data of the shots. This image data is uncompressed and so, when placed in Photoshop, extra tweaks and adjustments can be made to every aspect of the image, from colour temperature to sharpness and noise levels. To ensure that the shots I took were sharp and clear I used a tripod for stability and control over the height and angle. The end result of all of this made for a vivid end result; the images were sharp and detailed with a good balance of colour and light. I found that taking the right photos depended on technology that would be able to reflect the real thing, so that the audience could be brought closer to the action and feel connected to the photo.

The final piece of technology that I have used to construct my magazine was my laptop. I decided to use my own system rather than those of the college as I owned my own copy of Photoshop CS5. This meant that I was able to spend much more time on the construction of the magazine as well as create all of the other work (including this evaluation) for my blog anywhere. I felt this was extremely important as the extra time that was available allowed me to refine and enhance my product until it was to my liking. A second advantage of using my laptop was that the specification of the system was more than adequate to run Photoshop smoothly and without crashes. The program recommends 2GB of ram, a fast processor and a dedicated video card in order to perform well, and my laptop met these requirements comfortably. In short this allowed me to have a consistent workflow in which I could switch between my files, the internet, Photoshop etc. without having to wait or suffer crashes, meaning that more time could be spent on editing and less on troubleshooting. In the context of constructing this product, the computer that you use is important in the fact that it allows you to manage the construction of the magazine effectively by keeping all of the resources in one place where they can be accessed quickly and smoothly. 
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AS Evaluation Question 5 DRAFT

Posted by Martyn Hollinshead | Labels: | Posted On at 01:22



How did you attract/address your audience?
To attract my target audience I looked at making sure that the genre was conveyed in the appropriate way so that it would appeal to the reader as well as meet the assumed criteria. Looking at the majority gender of the audience, namely males, I decided to use typography that would be easily associated with them. Rather than use curly, wavy or ‘pop-art’ fonts that are stereotypically seen as ‘girly’ I used bold, distorted and worn fonts that would suit not just the target gender but also the genre of the magazine.
Another aspect of my magazine that I developed to attract and address my audience was the content of my magazine. The articles and sections that were featured relate to the lifestyle I assumed my audience have; I have included an ‘Online’ section for example that I believe would appeal to the target age range of 18-28, as this age are actively using the internet and so a website/blog might interest them. Furthermore, as technology advances and influences the way in which we view our media, magazines could become obsolete to webpages, as the costs of running a website are presumably less than that of printing publications. So by attracting the audience to the magazine’s website, in a way this creates a ‘future-proof’ base for the brand to continue were magazines to fall out of public interest.
To expand on the relevancy of the articles, I assumed that my audience would have a fairly strong interest in music, with the majority (approximately 75%) regularly attending gigs and events. I therefore included two concert reviews and a guide to the best upcoming gigs of this year, titled “Instrumental! Gig Guide 2012”. Based on my assumptions, the audience would find this particularly interesting and informative as it would allow them to plan their year of events by looking at what is recommended and thus worth the price. To help attract attention to this section I formatted the listing on the contents page by placing it on an orange box; this colour contrasted powerfully with the grey background and fitted in with the colour palette for a professional, consistent look. The text in the box was enlarged, coloured white and finished with a rough typeface, giving it a ‘feature’ feel that has greater importance than the other content listed.  In combination with the subject matter, this ‘gig guide’ is a strong feature of the contents page that grabs the reader’s attention with its design and draws them into reading on with its appealing details.
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AS Evaluation Question 4 DRAFT

Posted by Martyn Hollinshead | Labels: | Posted On Wednesday, 29 February 2012 at 01:25

Who would be the audience for your media product?
The target audience for my magazine is mainly males that are aged between 18 and 28. Approximately 80% of the readership would be male and 20% female. The reason for this is reflected in the featured content and general appearance of the magazine. The majority of the bands that are interviewed or written about in the particular issue I’ve created are male, with exception to Paramore, who have a female lead singer. Furthermore, the music that they produce is normally aggressive and heavy in nature. I think that stereotypically a female audience prefer songs about love or happiness rather than the sometimes negative outlook that rock can show, so this is why I think that by tailoring the magazine towards a male audience, the chances of it selling successfully would increase. I tried to show this through the article that I wrote for my double page spread. It focused on an artist who had a troubled past full of violence and prison convictions. I tried to make it as appealing towards males as possible, so that my respective audience would find it entertaining.

My colour palette is another feature that I tailored towards the target audience. Whilst the colours appeal to both sexes, they suit the age range of the audience (18-28 years). When red, black and orange are combined together they start to show representation of the gothic and darker side that rock has to offer. This usually doesn’t appeal to a child audience; lots of colour is normally associated with them. Furthermore the ideas that the colours represent are not easily understood by an audience of minors, with black connoting death and red representing evil or, more commonly, blood. These ideas are also unsuitable for children to focus on as generally they do not understand the concept of death or the genre associated with it; they have a low ability to rationalise, and so by learning about death and blood (with which violence is associated) a child can become aggressive. For this age related reason then, the colours are highly important in signifying that the target audience is more mature, and it will possibly be the first aspect of the magazine that would grab the reader’s attention (aside from the masthead).

When deciding on a target audience I believe that being highly selective is essential to both the appearance and potential success of the magazine. For example, if you were to create a magazine that was aimed at a younger audience you might use smooth or cartoony fonts as opposed to the rough, grungy fonts that I used in my magazine. The placement of text might be more organised for easier readability and cartoons may be used instead of real people, as a child was find this especially entertaining. The language however would be completely different to that of a magazine aimed at adults; there would be no taboo, no sex references and very mild if any references to violence. Another reason why it is important that you select the correct target audience is because the scope of the readership varies depending on age and gender. Generally children’s magazines sell less than their adult counterparts; this is down to the fact that normally it isn’t actually the child that purchases the magazine but the parent instead. This means that before the magazine can even be bought, the target audience would have to play a ‘game of persuasion’, with a 50/50 chance of success. Typically then an adult audience would be the most appropriate option as it is much less likely to be subjected to these odds.
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Hmmm... Seems like I need to improve

Posted by Martyn Hollinshead | Labels: | Posted On Tuesday, 28 February 2012 at 06:46

Looking at the feedback sheet from my teachers today I found that there were many issues with a lot of aspects of my magazine. In general I need to just move and adjust things such as text boxes, font sizes and the contrast of my images. However, my main issue at the moment is my photography. Before looking a the feedback sheet I believed that my photos were varied, however I only took into account camera angles and forgot that what was shown in the scene was very similar throughout; my model was shown playing a guitar, and that was it. I think that by taking some new photos, perhaps of other people or different objects, I may be able to add some variation in the appearance of my magazine. My old double page spread was apparently the weakest element of my magazine, but after discussing my new double page spread that I recently uploaded we decided that it was of a much better standard than the old one. I will therefore continue to improve the new double page spread by using the most appropriate points that were expressed about the old page, as there are some pointers about my font size and photography that I could use to help guide me in making my improvements.
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AS Evaluation Question 3 DRAFT

Posted by Martyn Hollinshead | Labels: | Posted On Monday, 27 February 2012 at 17:05

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
There are several publishers that are currently very successful in the music magazine industry. Bauer, who play host to market giants such as Kerrang and Q, Dennis, and IPC, who publish NME to name but two. However, for the rock genre I believe that Future PLC would be best suited to publishing my magazine. They have an extensive portfolio of music magazines that mostly focus around the rock genre, with Classic Rock and Guitarist magazine being amongst their bestsellers. Founded in 1985 by Chris Anderson Future have not only gained success in the music category. Some other notable brands are Edge, T3, SFX, and Total Film. They are also one of the only publishers to have official magazines for the three major consoles; Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii. They also have many clients to which they publish for such as Sony, BskyB and Tesco. It is for this reason that I believe Future would be the best publisher for my magazine. They have a very strong portfolio, excellent distribution sales and more importantly a distinctive footing in the music category. I have full confidence that were my magazine to be published by Future, it would be guaranteed a prime distribution pattern that would span the majority of the UK, meaning that the readership could most definitely be increased.

As the standard of technology continues to increase at an alarmingly rapid rate it seems that we are also letting go of the older traditions. Rather than sending letters (socially) we can now text or instantly message one another. Rather than read a book from a full bookcase we can now read from an eReader that isn’t even a quarter full. This pattern unfortunately has begun to impact on magazines too, with information freely available for access on sites such as Google News or The Guardian, and the like. Future PLC however are taking action on this, and have started to update themselves into the 21st century by increasing the amount of websites for their magazines, allowing subscribers to read their magazines on Android tablets and iPads, and creating applications for mobile devices such as iPhones and Android phones that are also specific to certain magazines. These steps will become fundamental in the future development of the magazines’ readership, and gives me further confidence in knowing that were the readership of my magazine to decline due to technology taking over, it most certainly wouldn’t mean the end.
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AS Evaluation Question 2 DRAFT

Posted by Martyn Hollinshead | Labels: | Posted On at 16:21

How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My magazine represents the rebellious and outspoken type of person through the language and illustrations shown throughout. On my front cover the model is male and looks to be around the age of 18-21 (actual model age is 16). I decided to use a male model as in general the artists that are normally featured in rock magazines are male; this could perhaps be down to the fact that stereotypically males are more aggressive and therefore suit the style of music more appropriately than their female counterparts. To show that my artist fitted firmly in the rock genre I had them dress in fully black clothing, representing the ‘emo’ or heavier variant of rock. I also chose a model who had dyed black hair as this emphasised the dress style well. To help connote the emotions that not only the style represented but also the article inside, I instructed the model to stare blankly at the camera, showing no expression; they look fed up and detached, and this helps to intrigue the reader whilst representing the particular social group. I used a guitar as a prop in this photo to show clearly what kind of artist Pyro was, and the positioning of the guitar (centre of the chest) suggests that he keeps it close to his heart. This is elaborated on inside the magazine. To help show that the main feature was about the cover model I used flame brushes and a red/orange gradient to add fire to the background. This increased the vibrancy of the cover making it more noticeable and furthermore related to the artist, as Pyro means ‘fire’ in Latin.

To construct my artist profile for my double page spread I looked at the background artist profile that I had written for my blog. Using the back story from that I began to create an interview around certain aspects of Pyro’s ‘life’ that I felt would appeal to the audience and also help to convey the related emotions. I decided to split the article into two sections; one half detailed his past, and the other showed what Pyro was planning to do in the future. This gave a real insight into the kind of person that my artist was and also helped me to create a sense of realism by detailing information about an upcoming album and tour. I used different colours to show the difference between speakers and used a dark red for when Pyro spoke, connoting emotions of anger and discontent in the artist.

In my contents page the type of person that is represented is someone who has a broad interest in rock, but likes to play music too. They like to read about what is going on in the rock world as well as find out what equipment is best and which gigs to get tickets for. The reason why I mention that they enjoy playing music is because the guitar is frequently mentioned throughout; there are articles on guitar based bands, reviews of guitars, and a completion in which you can win a guitar. Even the main feature comprises of an interview with a guitarist. In some ways it could be argued that the content is aimed only at guitarists, but that is why I have added a news section and varied features that aim to break this up so that the magazine can appeal to all rock fans, musical or not.
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AS Evaluation Question 1 DRAFT

Posted by Martyn Hollinshead | Labels: | Posted On at 15:37

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My magazine has taken inspiration from Kerrang Magazine and Classic Rock Magazine. Both of these publications conveyed the rock genre effectively, with Kerrang focusing on the aggression and Classic Rock looking at showing the ‘rock star’ lifestyle. I tried to pull in both of these aspects by using an aggressive appearance in conjunction with content that gives an insight into the life of the artists themselves. For the fonts I decided to use the website dafont.com to find grungy and worn typefaces to show informality and a relation to the ‘alternative’ division of rock that I had chosen to show. For the masthead I used white for the text to allow it to stand out on the black background, and increased the size of the ‘mental’ part of the word ‘Instrumental’ to also show context. Taking inspiration from Kerrang’s masthead, I added an exclamation mark to show volume, as if someone was shouting the word. This connotes the style of music featured in the magazine, namely loud, eccentric and powerful riffs. For the colour palette I looked at how Classic Rock magazine used colour to highlight or emphasise the important aspects of the page. The particular magazine that I looked at which had a main feature on Led Zeppelin used red, white and black in a rather striking way. The reason why red was used was because it relates to the general branding theme used by Led Zeppelin to show relevancy. This seemed like an interesting idea to use colours relevant to the artist so I used red, orange, white and black because my artist, Pyro, relates to fire (or red and orange colouring). Pyro means fire in Latin, so I based my palette around this accordingly. Another reason why I chose these colours is because they fit nicely into the rock genre, with red and black in particular representing the heavier side of rock. This means that the chances of dedicated rock fans noticing the magazine will increase, along with the potential profits.

Another convention that I tried to imitate was the layout of the Kerrang contents page. I liked how the main feature piece was shown by using a large image that took up around half of the page as this really grabs the attention of the reader and also makes for a good background for listing the other feature articles in detail. The actual contents part was split into sections such as features, competitions and reviews, so I decided to carry this method into my page. Furthermore, this layout as a whole rejects the usual F and Z models in favour of a golden spiral, which was particularly useful for me as I was able to ensure that the audience focused on the main features first before reading about the less important content. Typography-wise I chose to use similar fonts to those on my front cover to show theme and reinforce the genre, and ensured that the sizes of the fonts varied appropriately e.g. large text for headings. However, for the body text I used a clear font (Tw Cen MT) to ensure it was easy to read at a smaller size.

In my magazine I wanted to feature content that would be easily associated with rock and the people that place themselves within.  My target audience is 18-28 year olds, so as this age group is fairly young I decided to add an ‘online’ section to the contents page which informed the reader that the magazine has a website. Stereotypically the younger generations are more likely to use the internet than older people because they are generally more technologically endowed. I also touched on the social networking side of the internet by mentioning a relevant blog, in the hope that this would also appeal to the target audience. For the news section I focused on including popular bands that would interest the reader, and these ranged from old to new acts. Rather than focus on one time period like the magazines that I’ve look at for my research I rejected this and included past bands such as Metallica and Guns ‘N’ Roses as I believe that they still appeal to today’s audiences and thus should not be forgotten. It is also shows an understanding of what the rock genre is all about, which helps the readers to trust that the articles will be written with this firmly in mind. With the competitions I detailed ‘prizes’ that would interest the reader like a limited edition guitar and Foo Fighters tickets, and for the features I looked at showing a different aspect of rock for each one. The ‘Rock: revolution’ feature looks at the genre in history by going back to the start of punk rock in the 80’s, there is a mini biography of Steve Ouimette (popular guitarist); an article on power metal band Dragonforce and the main feature artist Pyro. One piece I wanted to add in was a guitar tutorial feature that showed the reader some tips and tricks on how to play the guitar like a professional. I didn’t really see this in any of the magazines I looked at but I think it would be an appealing and useful feature for the target audience. furthermore, by using professional artists such as Slash in the feature it allows multiple fans to find appeal in the feature, as well as give a good ‘education’ on different styles of guitar playing. 
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