Q7 Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

The top two images are the front cover of my final magazine on the left and the front cover from my preliminary task on the right. The bottom two images are the contents page from my final magazine on the left and the contents page from my preliminary task on the right.

When i was first asked to create two pages for a magazine I hadn't had much experience in doing this before, so I struggled to make it look professional. As I did more work on the preliminary task I gained more ability in making the magazine and I started to learn various techniques on the software Serif Page Plus I was using to make the magazine look better. 

The front covers are similar in the way  that they both have the masthead in the top left hand corner and they both are blue. They both have one main image that fills up the whole page with the text on top. On the school magazine there is the school logo in the corner and on my music magazine there is a barcode. The house style is similar in the magazines as they are both include blue and white. They both have smaller images placed around the main image that are used to get the reader interested so they will want to buy the magazine.

From the preliminary task to my final magazine, I think I have learnt a lot in terms of creating a magazine. Looking at my front cover from the preliminary task, the masthead doesn't look very good compared to the masthead on my final magazine. When i created the masthead for my final magazine, I used a free font site where there are a lot of different fonts to choose from so I had more choice, whereas in the preliminary task I didn't know about this site and I created it in microsoft word so it looked more basic. On the front cover of my final magazine, I made sure the model was looking straight into the camera so it would draw the reader in whereas on my preliminary task, the model was looking down so she wasn't connecting with the target audience. On my final magazine front cover I included a price and a strap line which are both conventions of a magazine, however I didn't include these conventions on my preliniary task so I have learned from this.

When i made the contents page for my preliminary task, the background was a pale grey colour and there wasn't many images so the page looked a bit plain. On the final front cover, I overlapped smaller images over the main image because I had learned how to do this during the process of making my magazine. The contents page from my preliminary task just had the subheadings in a collumn but on the fiinal contentns page I arranged the subheadings in a different way to make a staircase effect which meant I could slot in my images better on the page.

Q6 What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

During the process of creating my magazine i used several technologies to make it the best it could be. The technologies I used are Serif Page Plus 11, photoplus, power point, slide share, paint, eblogger, microsoft word, internet explorer, and a blackberry curve mobile phone.

I used serif page plus 11 to produce most of my magazine. I found this really easy to use as I have used it a lot of times before so i was able to use it to its full ability as i was aware of all the various effects i could use.

I used microsoft word to write my main arictle for my magazine. I found this very easy as Microsoft Word is a programme I have used a lot before and it's quite simple programme to use. I used powerpoint to create my powerpoint on music magazine research. I think this was a good programme to use as you can create slides, so all the information is broken up and makes it a more interesting to read.

I used Blogger to post things on my blog, and this is a good way of recording my research in the process of making my magazine. I used slide share to upload my powerpoint to my blog. I used microsoft Paint to create collages like the one above, and my collage of things that represent my target audience. I think this was a good programme to use this as it lets you place the images where you want on the page easily.

I used my Blackberry Curve mobile phone to take a picture of my ideal reader. If i was to take the picture again I would use my camera as it would be of a better quality and I could edit it more efficiently without the picture going blurry.

I used internet explorer to do all of my research when creating my magazine. I also used the internet to send my pictures I had taken which were on the home computer to the computer at school through email as I don't have a memory card. Next time I would buy a memory card so I could transfer pictures from different computers easily without having to email them.

During the process of producing my magazine, I have learned new techniques using all of the software I used. I learned how to use blogger which I didn't know how to before. I learned different ways of editing pictures in PhotoPlus to make my pictures look the best they could. Even though I had used SerifPagePlus before, by creating my magazine with it I have learned a lot more about the programme including all the different effects you can use including blurring the edges of images and adjusting the transparency of an image.



Q5 How did you attract/address your audience?

Click on the image below to make it larger:

Q4 Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience for my magazine is 16 year olds to twenty two year olds, but people of ages either side of this age bracket will enjoy my magazine. My magazine is target audience is mixed genders so i made sure my house colours were unisex so both female and male readers will want to read my magazine.

My magazine is based on mainly one genre which is electro/techno, but i've also included different genres, so all different people will be interested in buying my magazine.

The type of people my magazine will appeal to is people who like clubbing, new music and like going to festivals and music events. I have made sure these kind of people will be interested by using live images of a music event of Deadmau5 who is an electro artist. I also used pictures from a festival I went to called Creamfields which is specifically for electro/techno music, which my target audience will be interested in. 

I used brigt fluorescent colours often throughout my magazine because they are  used in night clubs and at music events/festivals as lighting and strobe lights to portray a electro/rave scene.  I thought about this when creating my house style and my masthead by using fluorescent colours to give it a digital feel.

I took a picture of what my ideal reader would be:

 

Q3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I have researched music institutions to help me decide which one to pick to distribute my magazine. The first one i researched is Bauer. It has the market leading music and entertainment titles, Q, Mojo and KERRANG! 

The second one i researched is IPC media. IPC Media produces over 60 iconic media brands, with print reaching almost two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK men – almost 26 million UK adults – their websites reach over 14 million users every month. IPC's print and digital portfolio offers something for all different types of people, with a focus on three main audiences: men, mass market women and upmarket women.
After researching these two media insititutions i have decided to pick IPC media to distribute my magazine. I have made this decision because at the moment IPC media only market NME magazine, whereas Bauer markets Q, Kerrang!, and Mojo. By choosing IPC media it would mean my magazine has a better chance of success because there is a gap in the market at IPC for my magazine as they only have one other music magazine. IPC media reaches 26 million UK adults, which means a lot of people would see my magazine.


I would sell my magazine in places like HMV as lots of teenagers between the age of 16-22 would go here to buy CD's and then see my magazine. I would also advertise my magazine on websites such as youtube because this is where a lot of people listen to electro/dance music. Not many people buy electro CD's as it's quite a new and developing genre, so it's more listened to on online music sites like youtube, limewire, and iTunes. I would also sell my magazine at music events of artists like Deadmau5 where my target audience will be.

Q2 How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My magazines target audience is sixteen to twenty two year olds and i think that the pages i have created appeal to this target audience. The target audience i have tried to address are people who are interested in new and upcoming genres of music such as electro and techno, that have been around for some time but has only become more mainstream in the last couple of years. More and more mainstream pop artists in the charts are now producing music which is electro inspired, which means there is now a gap in the market for a music magazine like mine.

 I wanted to create this magazine so people who like this genre of music can find out more about it, as I feel there isn't any other magazine like this at the moment. Although i wanted to keep the focus on electro/techno, i wanted to include a range of genres so my target audience will be wider and include more social groups. I have aimed my magazine at an age range of sixteen to twenty two year olds but i think people of ages either side of this age bracket will still be interested in my magazine because people are becoming more interested in this type of music younger and older now, as it's not typical rock music which is seen in magazines like NME and KERRANG, it's a developing genre so you will get a wider range of people listening to it.

The artist that is featured in my magazine 'Elektricity' is made up of two DJ's. The inspiration behind it is Chase & Status who are an artist who have been around for years but have just recently become more mainstream and as a result more people are listening to drum and bass. The artsit 'Elektricity' are in their early twenties which is an ideal age for my target audience as they are an age which the younger end of my target audience look up to and appeal to the older end of my target audience as they are the same age. I haven't picked one specific social group as I want all different kinds of people to be interested in my magazine. However, i have mainly focused my magazine on one genre and included more than other genres so by doing this i have made my target audience wider and appealing to more people.

1: In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms and Conventions of Real Media Products

My magazine follows the forms and conventions of real media products in quite a few ways. While following these forms and conventions, I also tried to challenge them to make my magazine different to any other and something that is unique

Front Cover

When creating my front page i wanted to make it look different to any other magazine currently on the market. It has a digitial feel to it and I used bright colours to represent the electro scene.

1. The Masthead


The masthead of my magazine is in the top left hand corner which is typical of a music magazine. The font is in capitals and quite large to make it clear to the reader the name of the magazine, and it's likely it's the first thing they will see when they are scanning the shelf for a magazine. This is the same with magazines such as NME as you can see below:

The masthead for NME is in capital letters and in a large font which makes it stand out. This is what i thought about when creating my masthead, which meant i was following the forms and conventions of a music magazine. It is also on a black background which is similar to the masthead i have created.

Although i have followed the forms and conventions of a music magazine when creating my masthead, I also challenged them to make my magazine different and stand out to my target audience. I wanted to make my masthead have a digital look to it instead of the usual plain font you would see on a masthead such as NME. This is important to draw my readers in, as my target audience is people who listen to Electro/Techno/Trance and Drum and Bass.

I chose to have my masthead in a blue font as my house style is blue, green, black white and pink. I chose these colours as i feel they represent electro colours, and the type of colours of neon lights you would expect to see in a Trance club/scene.  I feel this challenges the forms and conventions of a music magazine as they usually stick to red, white and black colours for a masthead to go with the Indie/Rock feel of those types of magazines such as NME and KERRANG.

2. The Main Image

I have followed the forms and conventions of a music magazine by having one main image where the model is looking directly into the camera which addresses the reader. As you can see above on my front cover, I have the model looking directly into the camera and almost smiling but not at the same time to make the magazine seem inviting and mysterious at the same time to draw the reader in. This is similar to other music magazines such as KERRANG as you can see below:

I have challenged the forms and conventions of a music magazine front cover by using more live and spontaneous images on my front cover than posed. As you can see I have used a live image of my featured artist 'Elektricity' which gives the readers a taste of what type of artist my article is about. This is unusual for a music magazine as usually they have mostly posed images of the featured artists and sometimes only one live image.

 

Contents Page

                                                                         

For my contents page i used a picture from a live music event of a electro/techno event i have been to. I feel this challenges the forms and conventions of a music magazine as usually they don't have one big image that fills the whole page. I followed the forms and conventions of a music magazine by using smaller images on top of the main image as magazines like NME and KERRANG use small images on their contents pages. I decided not to have my subheadings in collumns like music magazines usually do, insetad i chose to make it look like the subheadings are going down in steps like a staircase to make it unique. I've made the text black or white all the way through so it's easy to read and doesn't blend in with the background. I have put numbers on the three different pictures which represent which page you will find the feature they belong to on. I have kept to the house colours of my magazine like NME which sticks to the house colours of red and black.

Double Page Spread

For my double paged spread i wanted to keep the electro/techno scene and i used a mixture of images of live acts and different coloured techno lights all which use the house colours of my magazine which are blue green and pink. Although bright colours and lights don't follow the forms and conventions of a usual music magazine, i kept the traditional look for an article by just having straight collumns of text. I chose to keep the text white to stand out from the black background which makes it easier to read. I put my qoute from the article in bright pink so it would stand out and draw the readers attention, even if they werent planning on reading the article they might be pulled in by the qoute so it's important for it to stand out. I kept the same font for my title as the masthead so it creates a house style and keeps with the electro/techno theme throughout the magazine. I think all the bright lights against the black background are effective, as the genre of my magazine is electro/techno i feel this will appeal to my target audience.

Researching magazines powerpoint

Powerpoint on Music Magazine Research

Researching magazines powerpoint

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Questionaire

I created a questinoaire for people to fill in to help me find out who my target audience were and what people want in a magazine. This includes features, interviews, reviews, pictures etc.

Are you male or female?

Male
Female

How old are you?

16-18
18-20
20-25

If you brought a music magazine, what would you like it to include?

Posters

Interviews

Features

Reviews

Music chart

Music events/Gig guide

Pictures

Are you interested in finding out about new artists and genres of music?

Yes
No

What type of music do you like?

Rock
Pop
Hip hop
Drum and bass
dubstep
electro/trance
classical

What type of images do you like to see in a magazine?

Live images

Posed images

Spontaneous images

Which one of the following would be most likely to make you buy the magazine?

Competitions

Free CD's

Gig/festival tickets

Posters

How do you download/buy music?

Youtube Limewire/other online sites iTunes CDs How often would you buy a music magazine? Once a week Once a fortnight Once a month Once in six months Once in a year Never How much would you be willing to pay for a music magazine? £1-£2 £2-£3 £3+

Draft Article

This is the draft version of my article. I still need to get feedback on it from my teacher to see what i need to improve.

Electricity are the most exciting and upcoming drum and bass artists of the last 5 years. You may have heard their unique sound on the radio or in a club and wondered what they’re about – but who is behind the infectious beats of Electricity? Elektricity is made up of two DJs who go by the names of Sam Middleton and Will Farrell. Middleton and Farrell originally came from a council estate in Birmingham, but since then the pair have risen to be one of the most talked about drum and bass artists in music. They’ve produced two hit albums, which were both hugely successful. Their hit single ‘Running’ reached the top 10 in 5 different countries. Working with the likes of Jay Z, Rihanna and Chase and Status, they are quickly becoming more successful then they ever imagined. Catching up with the lads in the studio, Will grins as he tells me that he and Sam are still overwhelmed by their massive success.

 Two Manchester University students turned international drum and bass stars; Elektricity has had a speedy rise to success. Just 5 years ago they were practicing in Sams basement, now they’re making music for the millions.

 ‘It’s crazy really. We never thought we would have this level of success. From my basement to some of the biggest clubs in the world, now we’re lucky enough to produce albums and influence people with our music. Sometimes when we’re on stage, I just turn to Will and I’m like, are we really here? Sounds cheesy but we really are living our dream.’

Despite not breaking into the world of drum and bass until their early twenties, the pair have achieved things that many artists would dream of in half the time. When I asked the boys what its like to have millions of people listening to their music, Sam replied ‘It’s wicked! We can’t get over how lucky we’ve been really. We dropped out of university to do what we’re doing, and at the time it was a big, big risk. We got a hell of a lot of grief, people thinking we were crazy for believing we would ever make it.  Ben chipping in, ‘I guessed we proved them wrong though. The fact that people like our music and go and buy it is unbelievable. I have to say dropping out of university to follow our dream was definitely the best thing we’ve ever done!’

After a massive year of success with their smash hit album ‘2x2=4’ which included successes like the number one single ‘Running’, along with  ‘Hide and Seek’ and other hits, Elektricity have secured their spot in the top 10 of the Worlds Best DJ poll. 

Although Elektricity are highly established in the world of music, I still wanted to know who their inspirations were. ‘Pendulum are a massive influence for us. They came from the same underground scene, and to be compared to an artist as big as pendulum is such a compliment to us. Also Skream and Benga are a massive inspiration. We’d love to work with some different artists like rihana or drake. Yeah, that would be insane’. 

With their new album coming up and set to be released before summer, elektricity assures us they has some surprises lined up for us. Revealing Magnetic Man as their surprise guest at Creamfields festival at the end of August, who will they collaborate with next?
"We’re working on some new tracks right now but we don’t want to give anything away. We can assure you though that the collabrations we’ve got lined up for you guys are going to be massive. We’re working with some amazing people, and some you probably wouldn’t expect. Don’t worry though, it’s not gonna be some classical singer or something! You’re in for a treat definitley, we just can’t wait for all you lot to hear these tunes we’ve been working on.’