Media Blog: First Article

Evaluation

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

TEMPO uses the forms and conventions that are usually expected from a Hip-hop music magazine. It does not challenge conventions of real life either; however i have tried to develop some real conventions such as the layout of the context in the magazine and my font choices. Mainly my general purpose for doing that was to help the magazine have a professional tone to it although still being able to show the differences from other music magazines. I chose to use a typical magazine colour scheme convention being the use of three colours (black, red and white). My font choices were mainly based on trying to give the magazine a professional tone however still trying to give it a less formal tone to suite it for my target audience, as the magazine is directed towards people between 13 and 25 year olds. The artists used are also adopting the right look for the genre of the magazine, mainly because of their clothing looking so casual and suited for the dress codes of pop and Hip-hop lovers. The artist is also keeping eye contact to attract reader’s attention.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My magazine represents particular social groups through age, the different social classes and the artists clothing. By taking a look at my music magazine you can tell as i said before that my target audience are teenagers and young adults between the ages of 13-25. My magazine represent age social groups in the simple fact that all the artists used are all aged between 13-25.It also represents different social classes in the fact that it is aimed at middle/ working class people as they are usually ones to purchase such magazines and have the most interest in the artists i have chosen to include. As i have previously mentioned that the clothing also represents different social groups as the artists in my magazine are seen to be wearing the typical dress codes within the genres.

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

The people that may publish my magazine will be a publishing company like Bauer Media as they have published magazines such as Q and KERRANG! Which are related to the type of music magazine i have produced. Also Bauer Media offers a gap in the market (niche audience) for me to be able to publish the magazine as the ground of the media outlets are mainly aimed at the older generation. Furthermore the genres i have chosen are dominant in the charts, which appeal to young people.

Who would be the target audience for your media product?

As i have said before my target audience for my music magazine are youths from the ages 13-25. The gender of them doesn’t matter as it is targeted to both males and females, mainly because the context within the magazine would attract both sexes. Ethnicity is not a specific one either as it will appeal to any youths of the age living in the west. As they are usually ones to purchase such magazines and have the most interest in the artists i have chosen to include.

How did you attract/ address your audience?

My magazine attracts its audience mainly with the help of the regular items such as free posters, tickets or props. We also provide information about new artists/bands. News on celebrities will help attract them as well as they like to hear latest gossip on their idols as Pop/ Hip-hop lovers. Last but not least, album reviews are also a great way of attracting the public.

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

I personally have learnt how to use a professional camera using the studio as well which was an interesting experience as i was so used to taking picture using an ordinary one. In the process of constructing the magazine, I have also learnt new Photoshop and In Design skills. Blogging was a skill that i have never used before it did get quite annoying having to blog everything as sometimes it would not work however it did make every thing much easier rather than printing all the document we produced in class. Finally i also learnt how to create a suverymonkey it really helped gather audience feedback rather than manually handing out questionnaires.

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

Looking back at my preliminary task and comparing it the Student Magazine I feel that I improved a lot in terms of layout, use of colours, editing skills and text. The improvement i had made is evident. My music magazine has a much more professional feel compared to my student magazine, mainly because it uses forms and conventions that are appropriate for its type and its genre. The house style is much more interesting, the text is much more informative and the photographs have better quality. Picking colours that go well together and using the appropriate language for the target audience is another aspect that I had to learn, which is very useful. My image editing skills are what i would say i have improved the most and due to the fact that i am now confident in my editing skills i have managed to input those skills in my music magazine to help attract my target audience.