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?

When Looking back at my preliminary task and comparing the front cover of my school magazine (right) to the front cover of my music magazine (left), I can see how much I have improved and developed my skills. When I was given the task of creating a school magazine I didn't produce the right amount of planning of which I made when creating my music magazine. For example, planning of the layout and text content of the magazines which left me no choice but to plan as I created my pages. Also, I did not manage my time wisely with the School magazine which resulted in the contents page being extremely rushed.
Photography: I really liked the image featured on my school magazine as it had a huge impact on the page and represented the school very well. Also with my music magazine I really liked the image, it suited the style, the genre and attracted the TA. I also planned the shoot, and organised the appearance of the model in order to achieve a suitable image for the front cover. I also had several photo shoots in order to create more of a selection of images which was very use full as I could select the perfect image out of a huge selection. I also went to see a couple of bands play live, so I could feature images of live bands, which was asked of by my TA.

Layout: I didn't explore many layouts for my school magazine, due to lack of planning and poor time management. However, with my music magazine I created 2 plans for each page, my front cover, my contents and double page spread. I trialled and tested each plan but rejected some as the ywere unprofessional or messy etc.

Fonts: With my original preliminary task, I explored a whole range of fonts, however, the fonts I chose were very unprofessional and unattractive. I also only used way too many types of font throughout the front page and contents page. However, with the music magazine, I reduced the number of different fonts, I also introduced the design and fonts to a focus group in order to choose
the right font and found a suitable colour scheme which attracted the TA.

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

Hardware, I was familiar with the Apple Mac Computer as I have one, however using some of the programs on them was slightly tricky. I learnt that the Apple Macs are a lot easier to use when editing magazines as the programs on them are compatible with the user needs. I also learnt how to use the camera's in school to record my TA feedback, and for some of my images font on the magazine. These were very useful as they were portable and produced great images.

Photoshop: I was already very familiar with photoshop as i have needed to use if for my other courses, however I leant a few techniques when perfecting images and changing the file types. I also discovered how download new brushes and fonts off a website called www.brusheezy.com and www.dafont.com . I used these brushes on my background and the fonts for my mast head and headings.

In Design: Like Photoshop, I was very familiar with the program However this programme was really helpful as it enabled me to compose my pages, also, I was able to explore fonts through this program which was very useful as it gave me a variety of fonts to use in my magazine to give it a professional look.

I feel I have learnt a lot as I had never created a magazine before, however I feel I learnt more about the positioning and the names of the features on a magazine.

Software and Websites: I used www.brusheezy.com and www.dafont.com to gather some more brushes and fonts which I used on my pages, I also used www.flickr.com a website which you can upload images to, I uploaded a few of my images and annotated them, which I had never done before, I also produced a slideshow using Microsoft PowerPoint and uploaded them to a website called www.slideshare.net, this website allowed be to copy the HTML and post my slideshow on the my blog, another tool in which I had never used

5 How did you attract/address your audience?

I have annotated my pages to answer the question, Click the images to enlarge

4 Who would be the audience for your media product?

My target audience will be aimed mostly at males with a passion for rock/indie bands. The age group I have chosen are teenagers+ (18-25). As I am aiming my magazine at a thin range of age groups, I will sell less copies, however, I will have to plan my magazine so that it suites the life style of all the different ages that fall between 18-25. The TA will enjoy the genre 'rock' and will be fans of such bands as, Enter Shikari, Foo Fighters, All time low and Young guns. These bands fall into the category of rock and indie. My Ta will also be interested in up and coming bands and enjoy reading reviews on albums and gig reviews of not-so-popular bands such as Gallows, The Blackout and My passion. My TA will enjoy going to see bands play live and will use MySpace to search for gigs and events. They will love hanging out with friends and listening to rock music. As well as having a massive interest in all things rock related, the TUNE reader will enjoy other forms of entertainment such as films and comedy series.

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

I researched a few different distribution companies and found that the Bauer Media Group were publishing two of my rival magazine companies, Kerrang! and Q. Since I know that the Bauer Media Group are distributing magazines of similar genre I feel that they would be a perfect distributing company for my magazine. I looked a little closer at the Bauer Media Group I discovered that it has grown into a worldwide publishing company, publishing 282 magazines in over 15 countries. As well as this, Bauer also owns several TV and radio stations as well as its own radio station. It also has links to ticketing websites such as www.aloud.com which connects to live music shown throughout my magazine. Here I could sell copies at the Gigs and Festivals as well as advertising my magazine over the radio and TV.

I would distribute my magazine in a similar way to my competitors. I would start by creating my magazine, I would have to put together the pages by creating different articles and features, the magazine would then need to be proof read, in order to remove any mistakes/errors with in the magazine. The editor would also need to check the magazine and finalise everything. It would then send the mag to be printed and distributed by Bauer Media Group. At this stage I will be able to decide where I would want the magazine distributed to. It would be sold in supermarket stores (such as Tesco & Sainsburys) as these are two very popular supermarkets and small independent newsagents. We may also distribute over the web in order to appeal to the international reader. This would be useful as it is making good use of new technology and would reduce costs of distributing to distant locations.

2 How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Above is an image I have taken (on left) as part of the initial photo shoot for my magazine. On the right there is a picture of a previous issue of Kerrang! (who is a main competitor of my magazine Tune). The main image on the cover of the Kerrang! magazine is the singer and lead guitarist of Greenday, which can be determined by the anchorage text. The image I have taken of my model is in fact the main image for my front cover, as I think it is an ideal image to use in order to show how my magazine represents particular social groups and it fits in well with the style and genre of the music.

In both of these images, the costume used is not very visible. However, of what we can see they are similarly dressed. Both are wearing t-shirts of which match the colour of their hair. Both have brightly coloured hair, and heavy make-up which fits in with the grungy theme of the magazine.

The two images are very similar as both the artists have a very similar facial expression and are both holding their instruments. Also the two images are quite dark. The composition of the pictures are maybe the most similar, both of the artists are looking away to the left and have been shot in medium long range.

1 In what ways do your media product use, development or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The title of the magazine: The title of the magazine is "Tune". This has several meanings which links to the style of the magazine and the genre of the music within. The first meaning relates to tuning a guitar, which is essential for rock artists and guitarists, the second meaning describes a song, people often shout 'tune' when a familiar song plays at a club or gig, this links to live concerts and audiences which are strong elements in my magazine.

Mise-en-scene of images: All of the images throughout my magazine relate to music and the rock genre I have chosen. All of the images also relate to one-another due to the the colours used or the photographic techniques within them. A few of my images were taken at live concerts which really helped the images and mag seem more professional. This kind of photography is common in music magazines similar to mine, such as Kerrang and MOJO as live music is an important element. Also the lighting and composition of the images used are important in order to make them seem more professional, more visually entertaining and so they relate and follow a scheme throughout the magazine.

Artists: The artists featured in my magazine all represent the attitudes associated with the genre of music magazine I have chosen. with the use of clothing and stance, they suit the rock type genre. In the live concert images, the bands are wearing typical clothing, due to it not being a photo-shot the artists are also a lot more natural looking. These images are very similar to the images found in Kerrang Etc.

Title font and style: For my masthead, I have used the font "28 days later". This text is ripped and Goth like which fulfils the genre of the magazine. The masthead is the largest font on the page as this will attract peoples attention. I have also used the font "impact" a bold font with a lot of impact! Using a different font makes the masthead stand out from the rest which is also a bonus. I used the two fonts as they're both very easy to read and they fulfil the style of the magazine.

Music genre and how your magazine suggests it: On the front page there are two images of like event photography. This instantly suggests to views that live music is included and that it plays a lead role. Looking at the appearance of the artist featured on the cover, we can see they represent the rock culture and the main target audience can relate to this.

Visit Flickr to view my annotated front cover.

Target Audience

Here are some of the paint brush samples I downloaded from the internet, I used these paint brushes on the images in my magazine to blent the images into the background.

Here is my updated Titles page, here I have chosen a select few colors that fall into the color scheme. I have also chosen my favorite two fonts, depending on the genre, the most professional looking and the font that would suit my magazine best. I feel that white will be the best for my mast head color as it will have a huge contrast with the background image.

This is my first plan for my double page spread. I really like the layout, however I feel that the left page is a bit messy. I also think that the question's box is too small compared to the answers. I do however like the flash, "We play metal really really loud". I think it adds diversity to the page and it attracts the viewers eye. Nevertheless, I have rejected this plan as the plan shown bellow, looks more professional, it looks simple and clear.

This is my second plan for my double page spread. I chose this over the plan above as it follows the design of an existing mag double page spread, which clearly shows that it looks professional. I also feel the left page focuses on the band slightly more. Also the questions and answers boxes are the same width which better as I will be able to fit more information on the page.

This is my first plan for my Contents page. Here you can see where I will position the pictures, the text and the title. I like this layout, however I feel there isn't enough room for the 'list of page headings and page numbers'. This being the most important section of the page, the focus is taken away due to the list of artists and pictures. I also feel that the pictures are positioned in the wrong place. The pictures should be placed next to the 'list of page headings and numbers', like shown bellow. Despite all of these I like the list of artists featured as this will attract readers and make then to read about them.

This is my second plan for my content, again I feel this layout is more simple and professional. I also like the positioning of the pictures as they relate to the page numbers and the pages that can be found with in the magazine. However I was disappointed as I could not find a space to write about the artists that can be found within the mag. On the other hand, I have been able to give the contents a larger section of the page, which is beneficial as it is the most important section.

This is the picture I chose for the main image on the front cover. I chose this as it relates the the style, the genre and the theme of the magazine. I also like the composition as the artist, shown within the mag, is looking towards the left and not directly towards the camera, which could be argued that it takes away the drama and impact of the image, however the image has followed a similar style as none of the images feature the artists facing directly into the camera, which takes away the personality and the connection with the audience, which almost make the readers want to find out more. I also like how the artist shown is using props, like the microphone to symbolize music. I didn't do a lot of editing to this image as the lighting was perfect, not too dark that the artist himself is hard to see but enough so the text which will be written on top will have a great contrast.
This image is shown on my double page spread, I chose to remove all color as the text that will be written on top of the image would have clashed and made the text very hard to read. I also darkened the contrast using curves as the image was too light. Finally I used a brush found on the internet to create the barbed pattern at the bottom the of the image so that it blends with the page and follows the style of the magazine.

Here is a similar image that is found on the left page of my double page spread. I did exactly the same to the image shown above, I used curved to increase the contrast and I removed the color so that the text, that will be placed above, will be easier to read.

This image can be found on the contents page. I didn't remove the color as the color actually followed the color scheme. However I did use the burn tool around the left side of the image and the dodge tool around the right of the image. I also used the paint brush tool to create the barbed effect which follows a theme which can be found in most of the images.

Here you can see the images I edited using photoshop.

For this image I used the burn tool to create the darkened stripes and textured brushes on the image. I also used the paint brush tool change the color of the image, I used pink which followed the color scheme. I used tool such as levels, curves and lighting and contrast to alter the contrast and the brightness of the image.

Here I have taken an image I edited earlier on and applied the flare like brush to the bottom right of the picture, so that it blends with the mag background. However I didn't use this image in my final mag as i found the image looked better with out the flare.

Here you can see my background image for my double page spread. I used the flare like paint brush to create the intense color at the bottom right of the background. The problem I have found with this is the text that will be layered on top clashes with the color and makes the text very hard to read. To solve this is I placed an image on top of the flare, but below the text.