final drafts of magazine pages

Evaluation of my music magazine

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

My media product (music magazine pages) takes the structure and layout conventions of existing products such as “Q magazine” and “Kerrang!”, and develops them to fit my magazine “Thrasher’s” own unique style for its heavy metal fan niche audience. The main layout of the pages is similar to existing magazines and conforms to codes and conventions of existing leading music magazines.

My product challenges the forms and conventions of music magazines by mainly focusing on new and existing bands and artists in order to be current and appealing to the niche target audience, but the product mainly takes and uses the forms and conventions of real music magazines and keeps to them. It does this by using the same colour scheme throughout, the layout of the front cover with the use of sell lines and pull quotes is also used by real music magazines such as “Q magazine” and “Kerrang!”

2.    How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My music magazine represents a niche target audience of 14 to 25 year olds that are fans of heavy metal and its related artists and bands. My product represents this group by focusing the textual content and images on the topic of heavy metal, and clearly shows this by the main image on the front cover of the music magazine being a male between the ages of 14 and 25 dressed in the typical clothing and style of the target audience and making a gesture (devil horns) commonly associated with the genre of heavy metal.

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

Bauer publishing would be the kind of media institution that would publish and distribute my product. They would distribute the product using Bauer’s sister company Frontline distribution. This company is owned by Bauer as it personal distributor. This not only makes it easy for the product to be distributed but will also save Bauer money because they wouldn’t have to hire a company to distribute the product, which could be unreliable due to other bookings or commitments to other companies. Bauer bought another company called Emap as part of its growth and expansion.

Bauer has nearly 180 publications to its name some of which are popular weekly women’s magazines but they also publish and distribute music magazines such as “Kerrang!”, “Metal Hammer” and “Q”. This gives me confidence that Bauer as a media institution might distribute my Music magazine.

4.    Who would be the audience for your media product?

The Audience for my Music magazine would be 14 to 25 year olds mainly male who have a strong interest in heavy metal and its affiliated artists and bands. The audience would be people who would like to know more about a band or albums which would be featured in the music magazine.

5.    How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my audience using sell lines and pull quotes on the front cover of the magazine which inform them of the artists, bands and other related topics that are featured in that edition of the magazine. The magazine would be a weekly publication to keep the audience informed on the latest upcoming bands and new releases but will also keep them up to date with the goings on and back stage antics of established bands.

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

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

From the preliminary task I have learnt that the way you structure the magazine using the layout, colour scheme, sell lines and pull quotes is what turns a magazine from an amateur product to a professional one. I have learnt that a music magazine is a lot more complicated to keep to the codes and conventions of music magazines because there is so much variation between the different music magazines available.

Contents pages by KERRANG!

double pages i took inspiration from

Music magazine front cover

Music magazine images

Mission statement

Unplugged is a new style of music magazine which incorporates aspects of the music industry that are not the standard format, such as cartoons of bands as they get up to their weird and wacky back stage antics and reader interviews with artists.

Unplugged is aimed at 14-25 year olds. Unplugged readers are heavily influenced by rock and heavy metal. They have a wild side and are usually a free spirit.

Unplugged contains interviews with bands and artists, a gig guide and a who’s hot who’s not section. Unplugged is all about having fun and the appreciation of rock/metal.

Unplugged will give its readers a sense of what is cool and what they should be listening to.

Unplugged will become a necessary part of a readers life and they will feel lost without it.

The first issue will be available December 2010.

Audience research

 Rock `n roller / Metal head

Age: 14-25

Interests: Rock / metal / thriller films

Clothes: hoody / Skinny jeans / band T-shirt / DC`s / converse

Wants to be: in a band / famous for music production

You will find them: At a gig of a popular band / Drinking with their mates on a Saturday night / At a horror/fantasy film e.g. Twilight

Reader profile

Male: 70%

Female: 30%

Average age:  20 years old

ABC1: 85%

Still studying: 89%

Work full time: 11%

Image of what my reader will look like

School magazine front cover evaluation/analysis

I feel that over all the school magazine front cover I produced was quite successful in meeting all the required elements.

        I still think that e few improvements could be made to the magazine front cover to make it even more publishable. I would retake the main image, as I feel the background could be improved and the lighting could have been better. I think that adding the shadowing to the text on the magazine front cove not only gave it a professional feel but makes the magazine catch your eye more than it originally would have.

        When I was initially starting to produce the magazine I chose a “flame” text for the masthead as I thought this would make it more appealing but after discussions, I decided against the idea, which when I look back at now was a good idea. I chose to put the date, price and slogan in a red font because I believe it will attract people’s attention not only to the whole magazine but to the information letting you know it’s a current magazine and what would soon be a well-known slogan.

          For the main image I took inspiration from many top weekly magazines as well as a few monthly ones to place text around the main image rather than placing it over the top.

This I feel would have detracted from the image and made the magazine feel unprofessional.

         As the majority of the people answered my questionnaire answered that they would prefer the yellow and blue colour scheme, I feel this was a good choice as it is in keeping with the school colours and people will be able to identify it as a school magazine.

School magazine front cover evaluation/analysis

Music magazine questionare

Dan Ashton 12nw

Media studies

Music magazine questionnaire

·         What sex are you?

·         Male

·         Female

·         How old are you?

·         11-14

·         15-18

·         18+

·         How often do you read music magazines?

·         Never

·         Once a week

·         Once a month

·         More than once a week

·         What genre of music interests you most?

·         Heavy metal

·         pop

·         jazz

·         R n` B

·         Rap

·         Hip hop

·         Rock

·         How much would you be prepared to pay for a weekly music magazine?

·         50p

·         £1

·         £2

·         More than £2

·         Which of the following would make a good masthead

·         Rockers weekly

·         Unplugged

·         RWE (Rockers World Exclusive)

·        

·        

·         What colour would be best suited to the masthead/ front cover design?

·         Yellow and blue

·         White and orange

·         Red and Black

·         White and pink

·         Green and orange

·         What topics would you like to be mentioned in the magazine?

·         Gigs

·         Tours

·         Who’s hot and who’s not

·         New releases

·         Interviews

·         gossip

·         Which of the following would make a good slogan for the magazine?

·         Live for music? So do we!

·         All the exclusives in one place!

·         Living life large every Tuesday!

·          

·        

Schol magazine front cover

Kerrang! front cover design that i like.

i like this cover because the main image is well composed and the layout is well structured.

School magazine front cover mock up

Questionare Evaluation

1. five males and five females compleated the questionare. 
2. The average age of the people that compleated the questionare was sixteen.
3. Eight out of ten people read magazines weekly and the other two read them monthly.
4. The most popular genres of magazine were Fashion, Music and Gossip.
5. The price people would be prepared to spend on the magazine is one pound.
6. Pupils were the main image selected by all the people that compleated the questionare.
7. The most popular masthead was school news.
8. The most popular colour scheme for the magazine was yellow and blue.
9. Exam results and sport were chosen for the main topics.
10. "All the inside news just for you" was the most popular slogan for the magazine.

I have taken the results into consideration but have chosen to change the masthead to "KHS NEWS" because i feel it is better suited.
Also i have chosen to go with "ALL THE GOSSIP WHERE YOU WANT IT" as the slogan.



Questionare

Dan Ashton 12nw

Media studies

School magazine questionnaire

1.       What sex are you?

·         Male

·         Female

2.       How old are you?

·         11-14

·         15-18

·         18+

3.       How often do you read magazines?

·         Never

·         Once a week

·         Once a month

·         More than once a week

4.       What genre of magazine interests you most?

·         Music

·         Gossip

·         Fashion

·         Celebrity

·         Other (please specify)

5.       How much would you be prepared to pay for a magazine?

•          50p
•          £1
•          £2
•          More than £2

6.       What would you prefer as the main image on the magazine cover?

·         Pupils

·         Teachers

·         The school building

·         Sporting event

·         Lessons

7.       Which of the following would make a good masthead

·         Kings news

·         King henry times

·         Eighth news

·         KHS

·         School news

8.       What colour would be best suited to the masthead?

·         Yellow and blue

·         Red and Black

·         White and pink

·         Green and orange

9.       What topics would you like to be mentioned in the magazine?

·         Sport

·         School uniform

·         Curriculum

·         Exam results

10.   Which of the following would make a good slogan for the magazine?

·         All the gossip in one place

·         News for pupils and teachers

·         All the inside news just for you

·         Its going on in your school, you should know about it