Magazine Final Pieces

Evaluation Question 7

Look back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Evaluation Question 6

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

Evaluation Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product? Why?

Gender: Female

Age: 17

Name: Megan Ryan

Occupation: College Student

Favourites

Film: Step Up

Show:  Geordie Shore

Book: The Bad Girl's Guide to Getting What you Want

Music Artist: Chris Brown

Song: Chris Brown featuring Jhene Aiko - Drunk Texting

Genre: R&B

Social Media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube

Megan enjoys to go out at weekends with her friends and spend some girly time with them or maybe go to a party. Through the week Megan works hard in college and attends work, in her free time she enjoys going shopping. She aspires to be a dancer, she dreams of being a back up dancer for artists such as Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown or Rihanna. Megan loves reading R&B magazines to find out future updates in the charts and what the hottest R&B artists are up to. Her favourite feature in magazines are special offers and the upcoming charts. Her role model is Beyoncé as she is one of the biggest artists today, she feels that because of her going from a band to solo is shows a strong independent woman which is what Megan aspires to be.

Everyone sees Megan as a strong, kind-hearted girl with big dreams. People believe that Megan would be a good role model to younger teens. She is very passionate about dance and her love for R&B music. She keeps on track with college even though she has a part time job.

People such as Megan would buy my magazine because it features her favourite genre which is R&B and it includes special offers on iTunes and concert tickets which is very useful. It also features the upcoming charts which again is useful for Megan. It also includes her favourite artist Chris Brown, and other artists she aspires to work with such as Nicki Minaj and Rihanna. Her favourite TV show is Geordie Shore which includes lots of gossip as does my magazine. Her favourite book shows her trying to be a strong and independent girl which is the vibe that my magazine lets off through the model on the front cover and the double page spread. Marketing of social media such as Facebook and Twitter will keep Megan and people like her in the loop and make my magazine popular with the right target audience.

Evaluation Question 3

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

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Using these two R&B magazines (Billboard and Vibe), I have managed to create my own R&B magazine (Drive) which can help to reach out to different social groups. For the Billboard magazine, I have referenced to the main image of a strong and independent woman. I have used a very similar dress for my model and also included wrist jewellery, also I have made sure my model has direct eye contact with the camera. The use of a mid shot captures my models view where you can see a strong and happy woman. My message from my model is to bring femininity to the R&B genre and show that it isn't such a 'thug' related genre. Therefore, I have tried to make my model look kinder and more innocent and I think the white glow around her helps to portray that innocency. My model denies the stereotype of R&B being a 'thug' or 'criminal' related genre and this opens up my magazine to more social groups such as young teenage females. My model is using different hand gestures to the model in the Billboard magazine, this is to show a less sexual view to again portray a new view to R&B, however the body language is still similar to show the strength of women in R&B. The hairstyle of my model is curled and has a similar hairstyle to the model in the Billboard magazine which shows relation to R&B, as does the dress. Because of my model representation, it opens my magazine up to a new audience of young teenage females that are in high school or college and are trying to find independence. Young teen boys will also be intrigued by my magazine as they will have an attraction to the innocence of the woman and as young boys they will be attracted to the R&B genre.

To open my audience up to even more target audiences, I have also referred to the Vibe magazine. The use of the black, red, white and grey colours maintains my R&B audience of older teen boys and girls (18-22 years old). Also the title is similar as it includes similar font and a similar gradient. The use of block writing and small writing again refers back to the Vibe magazine. If my model wasn't included then it would follow the fonts and colours of an average R&B magazine, however I have included an organised and sophisticated layout which again portrays femininity stereotypically. Again, this opens my audience up to more social groups. Although my magazine does produce the same colour as the Vibe magazine, I have included 3 extra colours of yellow, green and blue. I feel that if I over-did these colours then it would ignore the R&B genre however I feel that I have used a perfect amount of these colours. Even though these colours were used the make certain things stand out, it can again open my magazine to more audiences as it gives the R&B genre a softer less stereotyped feel - the younger teen generation may be open to my magazine because of this.

Evaluation Question 1

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

Double Page Spread Step by Step

I have created a double page spread as part of my AS Media project. The first thing I did was create an A3 spread on photoshop for my double page spread. I then added a border to my double page spread os I could then see where the page would 'fold' in the middle if it was too be a real magazine. The next part of my process was to change the page colour (which I made an off-white). I downloaded font from dafont.com which was font that I had already used on the front cover for the main cover line (Bethany Brandy) and I used it again for her name in the background which I made grey and turned the opacity down on the name. I then added the image in which I took of my model. I changed the brightness, contrast, vibrance and saturation of my model to create the image in the middle, I also added a white outer glow. Then I duplicated layers of my image creating two more of the same images. I rotated one and added it to the right, the other one I added to the left. On both the left and right image I turned the opacity down. I then downloaded a sans serif font from dafont.com. The reason I used a sans serif font is because it makes it easier and 'cleaner' for the reader to understand. I started to type up my article onto photoshop which is an interview. I ten decided that I needed to wrap my text around the model so therefore I moved my process onto Indesign. When moving it onto Indesign, I wrote up the rest of the article using a different sans serif font from dafont.com. I outlined the model on the right on Indesign and then I wrapped the text around the outlined photo and it created the curve around my images. I then saved the text as an image and opened that image up back onto photoshop. My next step on photoshop was to highlight the interview questions in red to follow the colour scheme and make them stand out. When I finished that I decided to add my pullout quote, I used a font that I had downloaded from the font.com for this and I made it white with a faint black drop shadow. I then added the number for the bottom of the page which I made blue for ever to the front cover colour scheme and I again used font from dafont.com. For the final improvement process, I moved the quote around, added an extra quote to the top with the same effects as the other quote, I made the page numbers smaller as they were to large, I added an 'available on iTunes' referring to the artists new song, and I added a stylist and photographer credit.

Contents Page Step by Step

I have created a contents page as part of my project for AS Media. I have created my contents page in photoshop. The first thing I did was open up an A4 page on photoshop. Using a reference from a Magazine named Vibe, a followed the process in my own way. I added the letter "D" to the background of my contents pages to represent "Drive". I used the black and white colour scheme and made the "D" a greyish colour. I then added the contend title, using font from dafont.com. I changed the spread of the font, the thickness and the closeness of the letters. I used black too make the title stand out. I then used a photo I took of my model who is wearing a different outfit and I used the magic wand to cut out the background. I also used the rubber and turned down the opacity to create a smoother effect around my model. Then to edit my model, I used a blue outer shadow to add an effect around her. I used the adjustments of brightness, contrast, vibrance, colour balance and saturation to adjust my model and make the photo look more professional. As I made my model a black/white/red colour, I decided to make her lips stand out and I used the paint brush tool to colour in her lips. I then added the text/articles and page numbers where I have used similar font to the font on the front cover. I at first made it black to make it stand out more but I decided that I wasn't fully happy with the way my contents page looked. Therefore, I changed the size of my font and made it blue to link back to the colour scheme but I stills as unsure about the way it looked. I then decided to make the font thicker using the font options, I added a drop shadow and made the page numbers a larger size. I used a dark grey on the nu,her, a light grey on the article descriptions and a light blue on the article titles. I also added a 'features' in curly font as that is what was on my reference contents page but again I was still certain that something didn't look right. I tried a different approach where I added a black block around my articles, made the page numbers bigger, made the article titles big, and made the article descriptions small; I made all of these white. I also added a red and black gradient to the title to represent the gradient on the title of the front cover. I again, still felt that there was a disadvantage in my contents page therefore I decided to change the contents page reference form the magazine Vibe and used a different contents page reference from the same magazine. As I started to use this reference I instantly noticed a massive difference. I made the background a red gradient with a darker red at the top. I made the "D" bigger and also added a gradient of a dark red and a darker red blending into black. I used a different font but not to different as it was still similar to the last font. I made it white, made the page numbers bigger, made the article titles big and made the article description small. I also added more articles and I added it to the left side spreading it out more. I also changed the font of the 'featured' to make it more clear and appropriate for the R&B magazine. I cleared all the effect I made on my image and started again. I used vibrance, brightness contrasts and colour balance to change the image. I added a release date and the title of my magazine to the top right of my page as that what was not he reference. I kept the title contents and the font I used but I changed the colour to white to make it stand out more. I was instantly pleased with the improvement I had made. However, I had used the same model throughout my front cover, contents page and double page spread. Therefore I decided to change my model for the contents page. I used two images in which I took of my model for my Contents page. With both images I used the magic wand to cut around the images and then I used the rubber and turned the opacity down to create a smooth edge around the surface which became successful. For the first image I used a wide shot to create his full body in the image however when I added the other image it turns into a mid shot. For the first image I turned the opacity down to create a sutle effect in the background. I then added the second image where I made the image black and white, I also changed the brightness and contrast of the image. Then with the first image I blended it into the background and change the colour of it so it was the same colour as the background. I then used the spot healing tool to create softer skin on my models face as he was not wearing makeup. I then added exposure to the first image to create a darker shadow.  For the final process, I added more stories to the article stories and spread them out more to use up composition, made the page lighter and added a stylist and photographer credit.

Front Cover Step by Step

I have created a R&B magazine for my AS Media project. I created my front cover on photoshop. The first thing I did was open an A4 spread. Next, I added a black and white gradient to the background as after looking at other R&B magazine, the majority featured black and white or a gradient background. I then opened up a photo of my model which I took and I used the magic wand to cut out the background, I made my model where a black jumpsuit as I thought black was the most popular colour for a female R&B artist and a jumpsuit was appropriate. Throughout the process of my image I changed the contrast, brightness, vibrance and colour balance after adding it to my magazine cover as the main image. I then, after downloading different types of font from dafont.com, added the masthead 'Drive' where I adjusted the spread and thickness of the letters, and the space between each letter. After deciding from a range of masthead titles, my audience through social media decided that Drive was the best name. I then added a red and black gradient to the masthead to follow the colour scheme of red, black and navy. The next thing I added was the top banner which is "30th Anniversary Collectors Edition" which presents the magazine as popular and ongoing. Again, I used red to follow the colour scheme and downloaded the font from dafont.com. Within the articles, which is the next step I followed using font from dafont.com, I added them down the side of the model using different colour of red and black to make certain things stand out. I then added the release date, using blue to make the release date more noticeable against all the red, also again using font from dafont.com. I then added the bottom banner again using blue to make that part of the magazine stand out against all the red as it is a magazine offer which will make the buyer want to buy the magazine more. I then added the name of my model which is 'Bethany Brandy' as I felt the alliteration and the use of the last name makes a popular artist name. I used a drop shadow of the colour blue to make a glow around her name, this again made the name stand out as the name is the main coverline, I also again downloaded the font from dafont.com. I then added the graphic feature which is the green/blusish circle that appears on the cover where I used the same font as I used on my articles. The reason I used a different colour is because this point of a magazine is a big feature to R&B fans to a tour featuring in 2015 therefore it is a selling point for my audience. I then added the selling line/slogan which is 'Ride and Rhythm', as my magazine is called Drive, Ride and Rhythm fits with the masthead and genre as my genre is R&B. I next added a small menu strip to the right side, this opens up my target audience to a wider range as I have included a big company (MTV) and other feature artists which opens up my magazine to their fans. I have made this black to stand out and again used font from dafont.com. I then added the barcode which is an important feature as to buy a magazine you need a barcode. The next thing which I did was add the cost of the magazine. As you can see I have added it in dollars and pound as I want my audience to be open to a wider international range of people. I have used blue for this and used the same font as my top banner. I then changed my image as I felt the image I added wasn't strong enough for an R&B magazine. I dressed my model up in a better outfit to fit the genre more, I added a gold watch to her look to show connotations of wealth and fame as gold costs a lot of money. I used the magic wand to cut out the background of my model and I added her to the cover. I again used brightness, contrast, vibrance and colour saturation to adjust the image of my model. I also used a white outer glow to make my model stand out more as the main image. Then I added the issue number which I placed under the slogan in blue and made it smaller but used the same font. I then made all my article text in line and made the main cover line (Bethany Brandy) in line. For the final part of my of my progress, I changed the colour on some of the articles to grey, I again messed about with them and moved them around, and I changed the colour of the release date bar to yellow.

Infograph - Magazine References

Flickr - Magazine Progress Uncompleted

This is what my front cover, contents page and double page spread look like so far. I am happy with the outcome but I can still see room for improvement. I have used Flickr to show my images as I am trying to experiment with more media products. To improve my front cover I believe I need to add more colours and spread out the article font down the side to use up composition.  For my contents page I feel that I need to spread the articles out downwards - maybe change the font -  and I need to add a stylist and photographer credit. Finally, for my double page spread, I think that another pullout quote at the top would forfil the page further, and possibly including an iTunes credit, also again a stylist and photographer credit.

AS Media Magazine Interview

Analysis

The first question I asked was "what do you like about my magazine front cover". She describes how she likes the use of the image, colours and the main feature. This makes me believe that my magazine front cover has a strong bond to it and will easily attract the reader. I then asked "what could I improve on my magazine front cover"; her response was nothing as she believes it is already satisfactory. This makes me confident that the front cover will appeal to my audience, The third question I asked was "what do you like about my contents page", I continued red colour scheme which was appealing to the individual who is part of my target audience, she also liked the use of the two images and how they come together. This makes me believe that it is easily noticeable that it follows on from the front cover and that it is still as strong page. I then asked "what could I improve on my contents page"; she replied that she does not know. Again, this makes me confident that my improvements are well thought out. This fifth question I asked was "what do you like about my double page spread"; she insist that the use of the same image three times is strong and makes the magazine look professional, she also likes how it is lay out. This makes me believe that my double page spread fits in with the other 2 strong pages as she used the word 'professional' to describe this page. The final question I asked was "what could I improve on my double page spread"; she continues to describe what she likes and has no evaluation for improvements. I now feel that my magazine itself has gone through a strong change and is almost finished due to the strong feedback from a member of my target audience. 

Contents Page Process Podcast

Double Page Spread Podcast

Front Cover Process Podcast

Music Magazine Process and Improvements

Podcast - Front cover and Contents page magazine Process and Improvement

Model Photos - Magazine

These are the 3 photographs in which I decided to use for my music magazine. I used Beyonce photographs and Rihanna photographs to help come up with the body language, the facial expression, hair and make-up as Beyonce and Rihanna are R&B singers. These are the cut out photoshop versions of the photographs. I feel like the use of black clothes works well as they are appropriate but 'sexy' clothes. Also, the gold watch in the first photograph which I have used on the front cover represents connotations of wealth and fame. I also feel like the lighting in each photograph works well as each set of lighting shows her facial expression. 

Celebrity References

With these celebrity image references I was able to make a look of how I want my model to look like, With these images combined I created facial expressions and body languages on my front cover, contents page and my double page spread. This helped to create an R&B image as the 2 celebrities (Rihanna and Beyonce) are both R&B singers. I also got an idea of how I would want my models hair to look and how I would want my models make-up to look. With the hair we went with putting it down and a bit messy in each photo-shoot. With the make-up we made the eyes bold in each photo-shoot. Also, with these images, I got a reference on what contrast and lighting to use for my model on photo-shop whilst also using references from R&B magazines.

Contents Page References

For my contents page I started following the reference of the black and white contents page from Vibe. I followed the title of the font, I followed the color scheme of the background and the image and I followed the idea of the lettering in the background. I also tried to add my own influence onto the contents page, however, I was not happy with the progress therefore I changed my colors and layout.

I started again with my contents page and used the second image as a reference. I followed the same as before withing the letter being in the background and the title of 'contents' being the same, however this time I followed the red color scheme. I also added the title of my magazine to the corner with the date as the second contents page does so. I added more writing to the contents and put it on the left side. I felt happier with the second contents page. I also feel that my image fits in well with the contents page and as I have edited the color of the picture it is well improved to fit the R&B title.

Facebook - Front Cover and Contents Page Feedback

Looking at the feedback in which has been produced over facebook it has give me strong ideas about the improvement that needs to be made within my media front cover and contents page. Whilst most of the feedback is positive, there is also room for improvement. This then gives me an idea of what people of my target audience (mostly older teens) would want to see to make them want to buy the magazine and how I can improve it to make it look more professional. However, I am very pleased with the feedback and I am confident that my music magazine is taking a successful direction.  

Instagram Reviews

In this social experiment, I got my model to post pictures of my magazine onto her instagram page. This meant that I could get opinions on my magazine from other peoples social groups and the feedback was positive which meant that so far my media magazine was looking good which I am quite pleased with.

Double Page Spread

Through this gif you can see the process of my double page spread and the improvements it has gone through. At the start of making my double page spread I was unsure about the direction I was going in I was thinking about starting from scratch as I wasn't sure where it was going. However, when I moved onto InDesign, I could see strengths coming into the double page spread and I continued to work on it. I am extremely pleased with the final outcome o my double page spread in which I have added onto the end.

Double Page Spread Process

I have added photos of my double page spread process so you can see a clear view of my process. You can see how I have developed my magazine through Photoshop and InDesign and how doing that has brought the double page spread to a more professional look.