Sunday 23 March 2014

Evaluation Activity 7 DRAFT COMPLETED

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?


Since doing the preliminary task, I have learnt and progressed in many ways.
It has become extremely evident that during the preliminary task, I had no knowledge on how to use Photoshop. The preliminary task allowed me to experience the programme before creating my final magazine. It has became noticeable that I have learnt a lot about how to use the programme when comparing the preliminary task and final piece together.Through research, planning and experimenting, I was able to create a professional looking magazine.

When reflecting on my preliminary task, I noticed that I had not thought about the main features/ conventions to my greatest ability. 
One of the features I had noticed mainly was the fonts I had chosen. The fonts did not compliment each other well and I had not stuck to an overall font theme. The text looked unprofessional and confusing. However when creating my final piece, I took fonts into consideration by researching and when I had finished I had matching fonts which complimented each other well. My magazine looked organised and professional.
I also noticed the preliminary magazine layout was unorganised. The magazine did not look appealing. Due to the magazine looking unappealing, I decided when creating my 25 word pitch, I wanted to create a organised magazine. This was provided through the final magazine.

When creating my final piece, I had to take the colour scheme into consideration. The prelim magazine's colour scheme was boring and unappealing. It did not stand out or address my audience effectively. However, when creating my final magazine, I thought about the colour scheme more. The 25 word pitch allowed me to think about who I wanted my target audience to be and this helped me to pick certain colours. The pink colours on the final magazine helped address my female audience effectively.
The main image on my front cover of my prelim magazine is non-effective. This is due to a lot of reasons; one being the image being edited. Because I had removed the background of the image, it left a rigid edge around the picture. This looked unappealing and unprofessional. However, learning to use Photoshop allowed me to soften to edges around the image of my final magazine. It now looks more professional. The preliminary image was not effective also because the chosen model is not looking into the camera. This meant the model could not draw in the readers with his eyes. I took this into consideration when creating my final piece and made sure the model drew the readers in.

During the project, I was able to use tools on Photoshop I did not have knowledge in before. I was enabled to use tools such as the 'Marquee select tool', 'magic wand', 'healing brush', 'paint bucket' and many more.

Overall, I believe researching and creating the preliminary magazine gave me an insight on how to use Photoshop effectively and to a high standard. The programme has allowed me to create a realistic and professional magazine which I have pride in. I feel that the following research and experimenting has enabled me to reach my target audience in the most effective way possible. I believe I would not have been able to create such a professional magazine without researching and the access to Photoshop.


Evaluation Activity 6 DRAFT COMPLETED

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

During my music magazine coursework, I have used a variety of technology including a Canon 1000D, photo shoot lighting supplied by Lutterworth College, Apple Mac Computer and many more.


Scribd is an effective online document publisher. This has helped me to open up what is available for websites to use on the internet. Scribd has helped me to upload documents which are too large to write into Blogger. Scribd has kept my blog looking professional and tidy. The website has allowed me to develop my blog by presenting my work in a variety of ways. This website allowed me to produce word documents without having the trouble of publishing them on my blog. 


Prezi is a great online presentation application. This has helped me use a different type of presentation application other than Powerpoint. Prezi helped me develop my 25 word pitch in a more interesting way rather than just writing it in Blogger. Prezi has kept my blog looking innovative and creative. This website has also taught me that I can present my work in a more innovative way than just the traditional applications such as PowerPoint.

Blogger is a very effective online blog powered by Google. This has allowed me to present my coursework online for everyone to see. It has also allowed me to keep up to date with work and to view others blogs for inspiration and present my work in a more creative way. It has also helped me expand my knowledge on the media and websites.
Google is a online search engine. The search engine has effectively helped me with researching magazines. It has also helped me to find and research all of the other websites which has helped me to create my coursework. Google has been one of the most effective applications I have used. The search engine has allowed me to research and experiment with different websites in which my work can be presented. 


Flickr is an online photo sharing website. This website helped me get feedback on photos. It also helped promote and present my work in a more effective and clear way.  


Da Font is a website which produces many fonts. This website enabled me to experiment with fonts I could use for my mastheads. Having a variety of fonts to choose from meant I could find a font which was perfect for my pop music genre. 


Photoshop is a graphics editing programme. This programme helped me create my preliminary work, magazine draft and my final magazine pieces. Photoshop has made me learn about the ways professional magazine industries get the results they want. The programme has helped me use tools to get professional results. Photoshop has allowed me to create my work to a high standard. The tools I learnt to use on Photoshop include:
  • The 'Move' too' enabled me to move around features such as text and images to experiment and discover where they worked best.
  • The 'Rectangular Marquee' tool allowed me to crop and delete sections of images to ensure they fit on my magazine without looking stretched or blurry. 
  • The 'Magic Wand' tool enabled me to remove backgrounds of my images to replace with a colour of background I enjoy. It also helped me remove stands of hair from the models if they were out of place. 
  • The 'Colour Sampler' tool helped me get the colour from my models lipstick to use in my colour scheme. This helped me sustain an aesthetically pleasing colour scheme.
  • The 'Spot Healing Brush' enabled me to fix any gaps in my models hair to ensure she looked pleasing and like a realistic model. 
  • The 'Paint Bucket' tool allowed me to fill my background with a colour which appealed to me and attracted my target audience.
  • I used the 'Line' tool to add straight lines within my article. This was effective because it  made my double page spread neater and look professional.


My Canon 100D is a professional camera. It has allowed me to take clear, crisp images to the highest standard. Without this camera, my images would not have looked professional. This camera has taught me to take professional images and to experiment when taking them. The camera allowed me to be independent and I did not have to rely on the college camera supplied. 


Apple Mac Computers are supplied at school. They are high rated, modern computers. Using this computer helped me to upload work quickly and effectively. The computer also allowed me to discover a new type of technology which I am not used to. This has been effective because it means I can use this computer even more effectively next time I have to use it. Mac's are modern technology and I have been given the opportunity to get up to date with them. The computer allowed me to gain access to the internet to research and also use applications to produce my work on. This includes Photoshop, Word and PowerPoint. 

Evaluation Activity 5 DRAFT COMPLETED

How did you attract/address your audience?

When creating my magazine, I attracted and addressed my audience in a variety of ways through themes, layouts, features, colours and many more.

Firstly, I attracted and addressed my audience through my chosen models. My main model, Sydonie Spiers helped highlight that the magazine was for young females. Because she is attractive and appealing, it meant audiences may look up to her and be interested in the magazine article on her. Her facial expression on the front cover is serious which connotes independence and strength. This could be one of the reasons why a younger audience may aspire to be like her. The models on the contents page are effective. They are all at a similar age, which highlights the magazine is for a younger audience. The models are all smiling; this is welcoming and draws in the readers. On the double page spread, Sydonie presents an unusual facial expression. I believe this is effective as it looks mysterious and intriguing; it draws readers in and allows them to question why she looks this way.

I also attracted my audience through the models make up and clothing. On the front cover, Sydonie wears simplistic make up with a bright pink lipstick and a black long sleeved jumper. The use of mascara is effective as it brightens her eyes, drawing the readers in. The bright lipstick compliments the colour theme and also is a reminder of the female target audience. The use of a black jumper is effective as black is a mainstream colour therefore highlights the mainstream target audience. The models on the contents page are all wearing different clothing however it is not revealing. I believe choosing non-revealing clothing is effective because it is more mysterious and does not reveal anything about her which would make readers want to read the article. Choosing revealing clothing may have attracted a male audience. Sydonie wears a mesh dress on the double page spread. I believe this is effective because it is currently a fashion statement therefore mainstream audiences will recognise this. 

Thirdly, I attracted and addressed my audience through the colour scheme. My colour scheme consisted of black, grey, hot pink and very light pink. I believe these colours are effective because they compliment each other and are not over complicated; they stick with the overall idea of being simplistic and modern. The colour pink is stereotyped as a female colour therefore I believe it addresses my target audience well. 

My justification for only taking mid shot images is because I believe that following a theme throughout shows consistency and professionalism therefore only taking mid shots supports this. I also believe it captures emotion and facial expressions more this way.

My magazine has attracted it's audience through the simplistic layout of the magazine. When considering my 25 word pitch, I decided on a simplistic and modern theme. When sticking to this theme, I decided not to use too much writing throughout my magazine. I think this addresses my audience well because younger audiences do not enjoy reading as much as older ages therefore promotes the target audience well. 

I also attracted and addressed my audience through the features on the contents page. I used younger models to address my young target audience. I believe this allowed the audience to recognise this magazine was targeted to them (see evaluation activity 4). The models are presented attractively and positively through mise en scene and editing. On my contents page, I used pull out quotes. I believe this is effective because the language used on the quotes is both formal and informal. This allows readers to identify that the quote is addressed to them in a less-formal way. This particular language may be used everyday by a lot of my target audiences therefore I believe this would address them. I provided a pink colour scheme for my contents page. I believe this attracted my female audience as pink connotes and symbolises females. I have also used celebrity names to attract my audience. I believe this is effective as the audience would recognise their names. 'Kate Moss', 'Hannah Montana', 'Cara Delevigne' and 'Miley cyrus' are all celebrities which have either been in the media recently or will have been known throughout the target audience's life's. I believe these chosen celebrity names indicate what genre of magazine I have created. Kate Moss and Cara Delevigne are models, therefore the public would be interested in their fashion tastes. Miley Cyrus is a pop artist. These names highlight my aim of having a music-fashion magazine. 

My magazine addresses it's audience through it's language. My language is both formal and informal. It is not too informal for the audience not to enjoy and to not understand. The use of formal language keeps the magazine professional. Using both formal and informal language highlights the audience I am trying to target. My audience profile friend Lizzie Flynn (she is apart of the mainstream fan girl group) says she would be satisfied if a magazine she read used both formal and informal language as it is not too informal for her to not understand but formal enough for the language to feel like it is addressed to her. I believe this opinion is important because it ensures I am addressing my target audience. 

Lastly, the language register of my magazine is both a formal register and a casual register. I have challenged the formal register because I wanted to also ensure my article felt personal and appealing to my target audience as well as being formal so it looked and sounded professional. I used a mixture of formal and informal language for this. This is because I wanted the readers to recognise the magazine was suited to the mainstream target audience before readers read the article. 



Evaluation Activity 4 DRAFT COMPLETED

Who would be the audience for your media product?

My target audience is for females between the ages of 15-25 years old. My magazine is based around these ages and this gender because it is a fashion-music magazine therefore would be aimed at this target audience mainly. I believe women read more magazines than men because there are more female-related magazines than male magazines, therefore my target audience is effective if I want many people to buy my magazine.

When researching, I based my audience research around my friend Lizzie Flynn. She is female and is 19 years old so is perfect for my target audience. Lizzie is currently at University studying Event Management and is always travelling long distances to see her boyfriend. I believe choosing Lizzie to be my audience profile is effective. She aims to be a wedding planner therefore is always reading wedding magazines. She is always open to new things therefore I believe my magazine would gain her interest. Lizzie travels a lot, which means she is always listening to the radio. Orla East is a part of popular music, and if she was to be on the radio, Lizzie would recognise her. This is effective as Lizzie may want to read my magazine to read the article about her.

Lizzie fits the idealised stereotype of a mainstream teen. She tends to go with the flow and not stick to a particular genre. I believe this is effective because it means she is open to any music genre therefore she will be interested in my magazine. 

I think my chosen target audience (mainstream females between the ages of 15-25 years old) is effective because it means this audience can look up to my chosen artist. Orla is quite young, therefore younger ages may aspire to be like her. Also, the use of a female target audience is effective because it enables me to stick to a certain theme whilst I created my magazine, for example a pink colour scheme highlights a feminine magazine which may not be appealing to males. The female target audience has allowed me to decide on whatever I want in my magazine without having to consider both genders. Being a female myself means I know what my gender finds appealing. Having my magazine appeal to a mainstream audience is effective as it is a particularly large audience so many people would be interested in purchasing it. Having a young audience means they would understand the themes and features used. Modern magazines such as my own are simplistic and minimalistic. Older audiences may not understand this as in past years as magazines contained a lot of writing. In recent years, modern audiences can be satisfied and more interested in just one star image. This is because many mainstream audiences look up to the same group of artists. The recent generation are willing to buy a magazine on the strength of just one star because the audience may be interested in everything about the star therefore magazines may go into a lot of depth about the artist to ensure they satisfy their readers. 




Saturday 22 March 2014

Evaluation Activity 3 DRAFT COMPLETED

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

The media institution which may distribute my media product is Hearst Magazines. This distribution company publishes famous magazines such as 'ELLE', 'COMPANY', 'Harpers Bazaar' and 'Cosmopolitan'. I believe this is a positive institution to use as the magazines they produce are well known which tells us that they are professional and know what they are doing. The magazines they publish are mainly aimed at women. This is effective as women are my target audience. The institution also publishes well known fashion magazines such as 'ELLE'. This is effective as I wanted my magazine to contain fashion so this institution would have a lot of knowledge in this specific magazine type. I also believe that 'Hearst Magazines' should publish my magazine because they are an national magazine. Due to my magazine being published in this company I think having this institution publish my magazine would be effective as it would target certain audiences (such as mainstream females). I also believe that having the magazine be published by a UK institution is more trustworthy than an unknown source. Audiences will be able to identify this institution therefore may consider reading my magazine. Unfortunately, this magazine institution do not publish a music magazine. However, I believe they are professional and have the potential to do this. The institution already produce many magazines, and publishing a different type of magazine may open up a wider audience for them, allowing them to become more and more popular. Although my magazine does not appear to look like the magazines they publish, I think they would enjoy publishing a new, upcoming and modern magazine. 
Publishing could be simple for this magazine. I could publish them in popular shops such as 'ASDA', 'Morrisons' and 'Tesco' to ensure many readers can get access to the magazine. I could also post the magazine for subscribers who want to access the magazine monthly. I would offer a subscription for my magazine because it allows me to identify weather my magazine is successful enough to be purchased on a regular basis. Many modern, upcoming magazines publish their magazines online to ensure all interested readers can get hold of it. I would have my magazine published online because my target audience is young and younger audiences are more interested in the internet therefore they may appeal to this specific idea more than the other ideas. I believe all of these publishing ideas are effective because it ensures many of the target audiences can get hold of the magazine efficiently and effectively.
I want my magazine to sustain it's professional look, therefore it will be a similar size to 'Wonderland'  magazine. I believe this size is effective and the most appropriate because it gives the magazine a professional yet expensive look. I believe this look is presented positively than simple paper magazines such as NME Magazine. NME does not appeal to me because of this. 

Evaluation Activity 2 DRAFT COMPLETED

How does your media product represent particular social groups?


My artist Sydonie Spiers (Orla East) is similar to the artist Rita Ora. They both share the same fashion and make up tastes such as Topshop, River Island and MAC etc. The artists both produce the same music (popular music) and are in the charts regularly. The artists are both popular icons and appeal to a younger/middle audience. Both 'Rita Ora' and 'Orla East' sing rather than playing a musical instrument. The artists are both bubbly and outgoing and share a similar personality. The artists are both British. This is effective because they would apply to the same social groups. Lastly, the artists both have significant features. For example, Rita ora has large lips and strong eyes and Orla East has bright eyes. 
Although these artists have many similarities, they also have some differences. Firstly, the artists are different ages. Rita is 23 whereas Orla is between 17 and 19 years old. Although this is a difference, it is irrelevant because there is only a small gap in age therefore they would both still apply to the same target audience. Another difference would be a slight change in personality. Rita is quite outspoken and Orla is used to going with the flow. These personalities may change the target audience due to everyone having different personalities and one may not appeal to people who do not like outspoken people etc. 

The hair of my model is short and light, this links with the similar artist Rita Ora. She has short hair therefore it highlights the pop genre of the magazine and also it creates an edgy look for the artist. The hair of the model is light. This connotes that she is feminine and also presents her as more noticeable. The make up of the model is basic. This highlights the mainstream target audience. However, the use of a bright lipstick compliments my magazine colour scheme and adds personality and edge to the model. The lipstick is pink therefore connotes that she is feminine and perhaps has confidence as she is wearing such a bright colour. 
My model is wearing a stripy boatneck top. I was inspired by actress Jean Seberg. She was an icon as she played roles in many films therefore many found her fashion sense interesting. Coco Chanel first introduced the breton stripe to the fashion world in 1917 therefore I decided to use a striped top on my model because I wanted my magazine to be classy. As Chanel is seen to be quite expensive, I thought it complimented my magazine as I wanted it to be professional and classy not just a basic magazine. 
The model provides the Marjorie Ferguson theory of facial expression- the 'super smiler'. This is having a full face, a wide open yet toothy smile, head thrusted forward or looking back to the camera and hair often wind blown. This particular facial expression gives the artist a sense of attitude which makes readers want to look at her. The model looks bubbly and full of personality.


By using the website 'UK Tribes' i was able to identify who my social group were. Due to the popular genre of my magazine, I looked under the 'mainstream' category. This came up with a list of categories. The category which stood out to me most was the 'fan girl' category. 'Fan Girls are an entry level, heavily female-biased Tribe who are passionately devoted to pop icons and twitter.' I believed I reached this target effectively because my target audience is females and I have created pop icons for my magazine. I believe all these similarities highlight that my artist would be a successful star as she shares similarities with an already successful star.  Although the artists have some differences, they are not major enough to not represent some social groups. My artist was aimed at mainstream fan girls and I believe I achieved this as I was influenced by popular artists such as Rita Ora and by comparing them I can identify that my artist fits the mainstream fan girl group. 

Thursday 20 March 2014

Evaluation Activity 1 DRAFT COMPLETED

In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms And Conventions of Real Media Products? (i.e. Of Music Magazines)

During the course of researching to plan my magazine, I researched highly rated magazines which were similar to the genre I was attempting. It enabled me to discover the most used conventions, how they appealed to target audiences and how they were developed in order to create an aesthetically pleasing magazine. 

Researching allowed me to consider titles for my magazine. When looking at similar genre music magazines, I discovered that shorter titles were more aesthetically pleasing than longer titles. The short and sweeter they are, the more they are remembered by readers. 'V' and 'Spin' magazine titles were particularly effective as they stood out (depending on where they placed the title) and I wanted to challenge this idea. When shorter magazine titles are used, you can experiment with them, for example, 'V' magazine was used in-between the main image to look like Beyonce was holding it. This is effective because it highlights it's importance. I did not choose to have my title in the centre as I wanted to challenge where the title worked best. However, it was still effective on my front cover as it took up negative space and stood out significantly. I decided used this convention in my own work by naming my magazine X. X has connotations of both mystery and paradoxically very specific detail as my magazine includes both specific things associated with my genre of pop as well as the mystery and fun that goes with the genre. I developed V's use of the masthead by placing mine in the traditional area of the upper left hand corner, this both used an existing convention (see Q, NME) but challenged and developed the masthead convention from magazines such as 'Clash', 'Love' and 'Wonderland'. These magazines have a focus on fashion and this is something I developed in my own magazine as I wanted to create a stylish and aesthetically pleasing magazine.



Researching allowed me to discover the most popular front page layouts (known as the 'F' and 'Z' layouts). I particularly liked the 'Z' layout because it is simplistic which goes with my idea of having a simplistic magazine. 'F' layout's needs more text to be used therefore would not fit with my simplistic layout. The preliminary work allowed me to experiment with other front cover layouts however they did not fit the look I was attempting.
Rule of thirds and the golden spiral layout was taken into consideration. Many magazines I researched used rule of thirds which is why it interested me. Researching this made me think that readers may find this layout more aesthetically pleasing than the golden spiral. I believe the rule of thirds is effective. Although the images may not cover the whole page, it allows masthead's and cover lines to be placed effectively rather than text going over an image. 
Basing my magazine front cover around these layouts allowed me to create a simplistic and modern magazine cover. Due to my magazine being very minimalistic and simplistic, it was difficult to maintain a layout. I tried to sustain the Z layout as it goes from left to right. I developed my layout by researching 'Love' Magazine. The magazines recent release consists of a layout similar to my own. It does not fit an ideal layout however still looks consistent and effective. I challenged 'Wonderland' Magazine because my magazine is similar to this layout and genre, however my magazine has less text on it to ensure I reach my simplistic theme.
It have become evident from these images that I have challenged the Swiss Page Harmony layout. Although some of my features do not fit in the grid box, other features on the pages fit into other areas. For example, the masthead on the front cover fits perfectly in the top right box. My text on the contents and the pull out quote on the double page spread fits in the centre box. 




Researching costume, props and iconography, allowed me to see what I should consider within my feminine music magazine. 'Billboard' and 'GQ' magazine used props or jewellery often. Although this looked effective, I thought it would be too distracting on my own therefore I did not use these features. Prop idea's were replaced with make up. I developed this idea from 'Love' magazine. They did not use props on their front cover. This was an effective replacement because it made my model stand out and her make up also goes well with the colour scheme. The pink lipstick highlights the female target audience as pink connotes females. 
'Billboard' and 'V' magazine's clothing are usually quite simplistic. I used and developed this idea into my magazine. The use of simplistic clothing compliments both the model and the cover well as it contrasts with the colour theme of the magazine. Beyonce wears white on 'V' magazine. This goes well with the masthead colour and compliments the navy background. I ensured in my photo shoots the models wore either black, white or grey to compliment my pink colour scheme and overall magazine. I developed my magazine by looking at the front cover of 'Wonderland' and considering the clothing used. The model on the front cover is wearing a crochet material. The idea of using a different outfit material other than cotton was effective because it stands out and compliments the simplistic magazine. I challenged the material of the clothing the model was wearing by introducing my model to a mesh material. It is presented as flirtatious and adds personality to my model. 



Researching camerawork and framing of images made me realise many music magazines similar to my genre chose mid shot angles. This angle is effective because the upper half of the models are shown and their eyes can draw in the readers effectively. Having a mid shot on the front cover of a female magazine is effective because it is inspiring. Younger audiences may aspire to be or look like them if they are appealing. I only maintained mid shots throughout my magazine because I was influenced by other magazines mainly 'Clash' 's pop issue. This magazine uses many mid shots and I was inspired to find out more about the camera angle. Websites suggest that mid shots capture a subject in more detail and also capture enough for the audience to feel they are looking at the whole subject. I agree with this statement because the audience do not need to see the artists lower half of her body therefore other camera angles such as long shots are irrelevant. I developed the mid shot idea into my magazine. I challenged 'Clash' by having a clear consistency of mid shots (Clash use mainly mid shots however there is some close up's and long shots). I am aware that is a challenge to the conventions of many of the magazines used as examples by the exam board (see my AFL post) BUT as my genre is different from those provided by the board and keeping with 'real media texts' I have taken the risk and stuck exclusively with the more professional looking mid shot. To avoid my photo's looking boring and dull I ensure that I took great care with the mise en scene within the images. Myy additional three models (Bryony, Emma and Alex) on the contents page chose their own clothing for the photo shoot. This was effective as they all stood out individually.  Bryony chose a t shirt with an 'acid' look. This worked effectively because it complimented the black and white edit and it also looks like clouds on her t shirt. This could connote that she is innocent and goes with the flow. This juxtaposes with the quote underneath her image on the contents page. Emma chose a t-shirt with greek-mosaic sleeves. This connotes that she is quite quirky which would draw in readers. Alex chose an aztec-mosaic shirt. This connotes he to stands out from the crowd and perhaps has an iconic personality. There costume highlights that they fit the idealised stereotype of a mainstream social group and they do not need any other camera angles to present this.






I researched articles to consider what language I could use in my magazine. The double page spreads I analysed used informal and formal language. Researching helped me consider these languages in my magazine and the idea of using them all appealed to me. I used and developed them in my magazine. Due to my magazine being for females, I used descriptive language so my article appealed to them. I developed and used the language register from magazines such as 'Spin', 'Q' and 'Wonderland'.


When analysing the headers of the double page spread, I noticed many of the magazines used the artists names as headers. This is effective because it ensures readers know who the article is about. I used my artist as the header because it promotes the artist in a positive way. I developed this idea from 'V' and 'Spin' magazine. 


The magazines analysed used simple fonts for articles. This is effective because it is easy to read therefore readers would be drawn in. I used the Calibri font as it's a simple font and easy to read. For mastheads and the title of the magazine, I used a different font. I wanted the most important pieces of text to stand out. When I analysed magazines they had used other fonts for certain pieces of text to stand out. The other fonts give an edge and personality to the magazine. I developed the idea of 'Q' 's magazine font as it sustained a simplistic look to the page. However, I did challenge this idea because the font from 'Q' looked old fashioned and I wanted my magazine to look modern therefore I used the Calibri font as it is more modern. I maintained the simple, straightforward font. 


   I chose a variety of genre magazines to analyse. Analysing a variety of genre's is effective as I could choose the one which appealed to me most. I chose Popular Music because it appeals to a wider audience rather than just a certain target audience. My magazine suggests a popular music magazine for many reasons. The colour scheme is bright which connotes loud and well known music. My font is also large to stand out. Models on the contents page look the part and do not look apart of a specific genre therefore apply to a wide area of genres. I developed my magazine by viewing similar genres to my own such as 'Love' and 'Wonderland' magazine. 'Love' has an exaggerated front cover through colour, fonts and mise en scene therefore I believe I challenged this using bright colours and large fonts to maintain the popular music genre. 



Tuesday 18 March 2014

Weekly Target Post

This week I will be completing my evaluation questions of the coursework. I believe this part of the coursework will allow me to reflect on everything I have learnt during the process of my magazine and how I can reconsider all techniques used etc. Later in the A level course.

Thursday 13 March 2014

Magazine Photoshoot 2

Due to changes on my contents page, I needed more images of other people to create it to the best standard. In order to do this, I had to find models which fit the genre of my magazine appropriately. This had to be a quick and effective decision as I did not have much time left to finish my magazine. Luckily, my friends Bryony Middleton, Emma Mackey and Alex Rhodes agreed to help me. These three people are of the same age, so was effective to address my target audience of young adults.
I asked all my models to smile when taking the images. This is because the picture I had chosen of Sydonie Spiers (Orla East) on the contents page; she was smiling. This was effective because they all looked appealing and welcoming. The smiling also carried out a organised pattern within the contents page. I also asked the models to style themselves in black, grey or white clothing. This is because I wanted them to compliment the colour scheme. Excluding Alex Rhodes, the two female models achieved this.The females also wore similar make up to my main model, Sydonie. This looked organised and showed consistency. They made the finished page look appealing and professional. 
My model Alex Rhodes was a different situation. I had entered the AVS suite as I was supposed to be using it after A-Level Media student, Will Jones. Alex was a part of his photo shoot. I then had the idea of having Alex be one of my models. Will was able to give me some shooting time with Alex to take some images of him for my magazine. I was pleased with the results but unfortunately, Alex had not been styled with either black, white or grey clothing. I fixed this issue by editing the images I took of him in iPhoto to black and white. This complimented the colour scheme.

Overall, my models made a positive contribution to my magazine contents page in such a short period of time. They address my target audience well and look appealing.