PRODUCTION

These are my finished products!

Preliminary products:

 

EVALUATION

Q1 - In what ways does your media product use forms and conventions of real media products?Evaluation Question 1

Q2- How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Q2- How does your media product represent particular social groups? on Prezi

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

Question 3

View more presentations from sophierussell94.

Q4- Who would be the target audience for your media product?


Males and females, age 15-24, interested in current rock music.

Here are videos of my intended target audience at gigs:




Q5- How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation Question 5 on Prezi

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

SLR CAMERA- this is what I used to take all of the images featured on my product.
I had to learn what shot types I needed for certain photos and how best to take them.
Here is a link to the shot types I practised: http://sophierussell94.blogspot.com/2011/09/camera-shots.html

I enjoyed using http://www.slideshare.com/, as I am familiar with the miscrosoft powerpoint software, therefore uploading it to this website and embedding it on my blog was easy!

At first I found http://www.prezi.com/ a bit difficult to control, however I watched the interactive tutorial and practised, therefore I can now make Prezi presentations efficiently.

Q7- Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Evaluation Question 7
by: sophiemedia

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

I conducted a questionnaire to find out whether my product is suitable for the target audience. These are my results.

Feedback

 

View more PowerPoint from sophierussell94

Target Audience Feedback

by: sophiemedia

Female, aged 15

Male, aged 19.

Production in Progress

 FRONT COVER PRODUCTION


1st picture: I cut around the photograph I took of an artist. I placed it slightly over the title, so that the title can still be seen, as it's new to the target audience. The font appeals to the target audience and the image reflects the mode of address.











2nd picture: I have put on a gradient background and the main coverline for my magazine, anchoring the image. The black box at the bottom is for extra coverlines to entice the audience. Also, I lightened the photograph to make it stand out more and also blend in better with the magazine, so that it doesn't look seperate from the cover.

3rd picture: Here I have taken the main coverline off whilst focusing on the look of the rest of the cover. I changed the black box to red, so that it will stand out more and look more captivating to the audience. My positioning statement is 'DARE TO BE DEAFENED', situated undeneath the title on the left side. I added my coverlines in an appropriate font and the star at the top looks exciting to the target audience and highlights the special offer: 'Free Downloads!" 'Free' is a puff

word, used to draw in the consumer.

4th picture: I wanted to see what a black background would look like, but as you can see, the picture disappeared into the blackness and the coverlines didn't stand out enough. Although the main coverline looked eye-catching in the foreground.

5th picture: I put the gradient background back on, as it makes the main image stand out and the coverlines clearer.

The coverlines are now red so that they stand out more, also it ties in with the colour scheme reccommended by my target audience.

I made the positioning statement smaller, to mirror existing magazines.

The buzz word 'EXCLUSIVE' is now also red and I have rotated it on a larger angle, so that it looks more exciting.

The star with 'Free Downloads' written on didn't match the style of the rest of the magazine, therefore I replaced it with more coverlines.

Some of the stories in my 'PLUS!' section were the same as my coverlines, so I changed them to add more things to draw in the target audience, and give them more options to look at.

I resized the main image so it is bigger and is more capturing to the target audience. It prevents the page becoming full of text and it looks more visual.

CONTENTS PAGE

Picture 1: I have the title 'CONTENTS' at the top, so that is it clear what page it is. The website, issue number and cover date is shown underneath. I have also put the magazine title logo on it to reinforce the brand.

I have started to put page numbers and coverlines on it. I've decided to put the stories into sections, as it reflects the Kerrang! contents page I have studied. This will make it look realistic and appeal to the target audience. As I start to fill the page, it will develop into a professional contents page.

Picture 2: I moved the text and title to the lift side of the page, as this is how other exisitng magazines have layed out theirs.

The main image is of Geoff Gardiner, the subject of my double page spread.

I also have another image of a band and a photo of the artist on the cover. 

Picture 3: I kept the coverlins on the left, but played around with where I wanted to position the title. Here it is on the right, above the images. The numbers on the images anchor them to the page and what story it is. There are still some spaces which need to be filled and I need to include subscription details.

I've now put on my subscription details in a box at the bottom on the left. This stands out, so that the target audience will be more likely to look at it and want to subscribe, meaning the magazine will have permanent customers and make more money. I added credits for the cover photo and contents page, however I feel it looks a little out of place.

By splitting the coverlines into 3 columns, it looks more professional. I decided that the contents title looked better on the left side. I moved the images to see how they would look in different places.

I made the title fit across the whole page, as this appeals to the codes and conventions of contents pages. I changed the main image and image of the artist, as they looked too similar to the ones on my other pages. This is still in progress and I will be adding more text.

All of the coverlines are on now. The pictures fit together neatly. The numbers are in red to stand out and my contents page now looks real!

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

Before starting my double page spread on 'Quark', I had to change the number of columns to 3. This is so my article will fit better and look professional.

Here is my article in short paragraphs on the right page, with the stand first positioned above. My stand first is "Scar. Techno. Angry." -Three words Geoff Gardiner used to describe the amazing sound of White Trash ana Half Cast. They may not have played Leeds yet, but these four men are definitely on their way to being total rock legends!
The image on the left page is a photograph I took of a guitarist.

Here you can see I have included a drop capital at the beginning of the article, a drop quote on the image and I've put on a title. Also, I have cropped the image to make the guitarist stand out and draw in the reader.

Here you can see that I've made my title, drop capital and band name red. By adding colour, it makes the article look more interesting and the text appears broken up. Also, the end of my article (Free single) is in red. The title stands out in red. I've moved the drop quote to get a better look at my double page spread before adding it back in afterwards.

I made Geoff Gardiner's name larger to make it really eye-catching. The red definitely makes it more capturing to the target audience. I've put page numbers with the website next to it, this matches the codes and conventions of dps. I've put a drop quote within the text, which draws in the reader and the larger text also looks more visually appealing. I moved the drop quote on the image to where there is a white gap, making it fill the space better.

My ttitle was boring, therefore I changed it to an intriguing quote. The title bleeds onto the image, bringing the pages together. I have zoomed in on the image, so that the artist is the main focus of the page. His use of direct address draws in the target audience. My stand first was too long, it is now: "Geoff Gardiner. Rock legend." -This is short and sweet. I took a few lines out of my article to make it shorter and more appealing to the target audience. My drop quote is now in white text on the image, making it stand out more. Credits are beneath the stand first.

My internal drop quote now fits within the guidelines to match the text in my article. At the end of the article, I indented the red text, rather than it being seperated from the article. My article now looks very neat and it all blends together.

Rough Layout of DPS

This is what my double page spread will look like.

Production materials

Cover photograph-

This is an image I have taken of an artist.
It appeals to the target audience and relates to the magazine genre.
The mode of address is informal and matches the tone of my magazine.










Contents Page-

This will be the biggest image on my contents page, as it is for the main story on my double page spread. The number on the image which anchor what story it is.

The blind fold matches the coverline "Blind date with Brendon Urie".
The skulls on the blindfold make it appealing to the rock genre.
The model in the picture has a long fringe, which will mirror many of my target audience.
It will be smaller than my main image.

This is a band I interviewed, however I felt that the interview with the guitarist, Geoff Gardiner, was better.
I will use this picture on the contents page, but I will crop it to fit in with the rest of the page. It will be small, as it's not a main feature.

Here is another photograph I have taken of artist James Costello. It is different from the front cover and reinforces the exclusive interview to the reader.










Double Page Spread Photo-

ARTICLE

After interviewing the artist I will base my DPS on, I listened to the audio clip I recorded, then wrote everything onto a word document. This will help me to conduct my article and then put it on Quark. (Please click to enlarge image)

Planning production: rough sketches

Today in the lesson, I drew rough sketches of my front cover and contents page.

Article Research

Interview Questions
This is what I will ask the guitarist.

1.       When did you start learning to play the guitar?

2.       Can you play any other instruments?

3.       Who are your main musical influences?

4.       What is your favourite famous guitar solo?

5.       What is the first record you ever bought?

6.       Do you still own any vinyls?

7.       How do you think the internet affects the music industry?

8.       Describe your music in 3 words.

9.       Is there any rivalry with other bands?

10.   Who have you most enjoyed working with?

11.   How did it feel to headline for the first time?

12.   How do you feel when you perform?

13.   How did you find your tour?

14.   What warm-up methods do you use before a gig?

15.   Is there any conflict between band members?

16.   What would you do if you weren’t in the band?

17.   Has it always been your dream to pursue a career in music?

18.   Who would you love to record with?

19.   How would you react if you were asked to perform at the Leeds festival?




DPS article:

Geof Gardiner. Rock legend.

Geoff’s laid back demeanour came across as we started to talk with his appearance and passion for black alluding to his musical style.

“My favourite place to be is on stage,” enthused Geoff Gardiner, lead guitarist of White Trash ana Half Cast. “As soon as I start playing, I sorta get lost in it.” From the moment Geoff started talking about his music, he changed from a shy guy to the confident, energised performer we see on stage.

Inspired by his dad, his passion began when he was 14, having started learning the guitar, his love for music grew.

Some of Geoff’s influences include Radiohead, Rancid and Nirvana, with Jimmy Hendirx’s ‘All Along The Watchtower’ being his favourite guitar solo, as you can’t help being drawn in by the hypnotic sound. The first albums he bought were ‘Nevermind’ -Nirvana, and ‘Dookie’ –Greenday. “I still buy vinyls quite regularly” -It’s always a good sign of a hard core music enthusiast to hear that!

Having gone through college with singer, Collin Jones they worked on numerous projects outside Geoff’s band and Geoff told ROCK that he’d love to work with him again. “We’ve learnt a lot together music-wise”. Clearly Geoff has taken inspiration from many sources.

White Trash ana Half Caste were fortunate enough to capture the attention of Alan McGee, the manager of Oasis. Having recognised their talents, he took them on and they were soon on tour, supporting White Mice. “It was good, yeah! It’s a way to get out there. I did enjoy it, it was a good experience.”

Not long after, the band was asked to perform at the Leeds Festival. Unfortunately there was personal issues and they had to pull out, but “at the time we were very excited! It was a letdown not to, but actually getting to play it would be absolutely brilliant!”

Geoff describes headlining for the first time as “the best feeling in my life. I’ve never come across anything better than that.”  He still gets nervous before a live gig and does warming up exercises to get his fingers going. By the time he’s on stage, Geoff is full of energy and ready to rock!

There was a slight hesitation from Geoff when we asked if there was any conflict between band members. “There has been, nothing too major. There’s been a few discrepancies with which direction the songs should go, or which songs shouldn’t be played live. But nothing too extreme.” Luckily for fans, there’s no sign of them breaking up.

Can Geoff play anything else? “Not competently, no” Geoff says modestly. “I can do a little bit on the drums, little bit on the keyboard, but mainly guitar”.  You get the feeling that Geoff likes to try out all the band’s instruments and he’s most probably better than he’s letting on.

As it’s always been Geoff’s dream to pursue a career in music, he admitted: “If I wasn’t in a band, I’d be wishing I was!” We were also told that he’d love to record a song with Tom Waits. So would we!

 Geoff sees the emergence of the internet as a great place for young bands to be heard. Their  popular myspace page got them a lot of acknowledgement and they gained many fans via this platform.

There was a slight hesitation from Geoff when we asked if there was any conflict between band members. “There has been, nothing too major.  There’s been a few discrepancies with which direction the songs should go, or which songs shouldn’t be played live. But nothing too extreme.” His hesitation causes some suspicions but, luckily for fans, there’s no sign of them breaking up.

It was an absolute pleasure to talk to Geoff Gardiner and we at ROCK, are hoping that White Trash ana Half Cast will be at Leeds soon, as we just can’t get enough of this awesome band!

‘Voices In My Head’ is now free to download on iTunes until 1^st January 2012!

Planning Production

These are the detailed decisions I've made about what I'm going to produce.
Front cover image: James Costello, Rock artist.
Coverlines:
MAIN STORY- Exclusive! James Costello.. "Drugs influence my music"
Roy Reynolds reveals... We get the inside scoop about Enter Shikari's constant conflict!
Blind date with Brendon Urie... We picked one lucky subscriber to unexpectedly meet the singer of Panic! At The Disco
Patrick's new partner... Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump takes time out of the band to work on a project with upcoming artist Dennis Jones.
Competition! -Win tickets to a gig of your choice!
FREE downloads!

Text for contents page:
Regulars:
Fan letters
Album reviews
Gig reviews
Upcoming gig list/ tour dates
New bands and artists
Poster page
Music-related crosswords
Features:
Best English venues
Blink 182's new tour
Leeds festival line up
Free stickers
Exclusive poster of Tom Delonge
Competition- Win tickets to a gig of your choice!
Band news- MCR have split up!
Vote for band of the year
Tribute to casey Calvert
Competition winner interviews Blink 182
How to become the ultimate band
Quiz- How well do you know your music?
Free downloads
The Stone Roses reunion
Guns 'n' Roses UK tour
Exclusive interview with ____ (new artist that will be my main cover story)
Roy Reynolds reveals... We get the inside scoop about Enter Shikari's constant conflict!
Blind date with Brendon Urie... We picked one lucky subscriber to unexpectedly meet the singer of Panic! At The Disco
Patrick's new partner... Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump takes time out of the band to work on a project with upcoming artist Dennis Jones.


Images for contents page:
(Blind date with Brendon Urie article) Close-up of someone wearing a blindfold
James Costello- image on front cover.
DPS image.
Small image of band

Double Page Spread:le photographs that I took which I could us

Photographs I've Taken

View more presentations from sophierussell94

Publication Plan

This is the information about my music magazine.

Title: ROCK
Positioning statement: Dare To Be Deafened
Frequency of publication: Weekly
Price: £2 (Although my questionnaire showed that £3-4 was a reasonable price, it is too expensive for a weekly music magazine. My target audience won't be able to afford to buy it every week.)
Distribution: Supermarkets, newsagents, music shops e.g. HMV
Rationale: The appraoch of the magazine is to relate to fans and get involved and personal with bands, so that readers feel like they've met them. It will appeal to young people who are more open to different aspects of rock music.
Style: Informal, slang, laid back, exciting, short paragraphs, relevant images, consistent colours.
Regulars:
Fan letters
Album reviews
Gig reviews
Upcoming gig list/ tour dates
New bands and artists
Poster page
Music-related crosswords
Features:
Best English venues
Blink 182's new tour
Leeds festival line up
Free stickers
Exclusive poster of Tom Delonge
Competition- Win tickets to a gig of your choice!
Band news- MCR have split up!
Vote for band of the year
Tribute to Casey Calvert
Competition winner interviews Blink 182
How to become the ultimate band
Quiz- How well do you know your music?
Free downloads
The Stone Roses reunion
Guns 'n' Roses UK tour
Exclusive interview with ____  (new artist that will be my main cover story)
Roy Reynolds reveals... We get the inside scoop about Enter Shikari's constant conflict!
Blind date with Brendon Urie... We picked one lucky subscriber to unexpectedly meet the singer of Panic! At The Disco
Patrick's new partner... Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump takes time out of the band to work on a project with upcoming artist Dennis Jones.
House Style
Title: Defused (www.dafont.com)
Coverlines: Impact 14pt
Headlines: Arial Black 54pt
Standfirst: Arial 14pt
Credits: Arial 10pt
Body text: Arial 11pt
Colour scheme: Black, red, white

Audience Research: Questionnaire Results

This is a presentation I made to show the results of my questionnaire. These results will determine things about my magazine, e.g. price and publication frequency.

Questionnaire results

View more PowerPoint from sophierussell94

These are videos of my target audience answering the questions:

Voice recording:

Questionnaire

I created a questionnaire aimed at the target audience for my music magazine. The results will provide me with information, which will enable me to make my magazine appeal to the intended clients.

Q1- How old are you?
From this I can see what my target ages have answered, therefore I can add content which will interest them, and make my product more successful.

Q2- Male or female?
This will help me to compare the similarities and differences in what males and females want to read in a music magazine.

Q3- Which magazines do you read? (Rock Sound, Kerrang!, Rolling Stone, Metal Hammer)
By stating which other music magazines they read, I can see which articles appear in all of them and what interests people the most.

Q4- Who is your favourite band/singer?
I may include these bands or artists in my magazine content, making it more realistic and appeal to my chosen target audience.

Q5- What is your favourite song?
This may influence the design of my magazine. Also, the lyrics may inspire the title of my magazine.

Q6- State 5 words associated with rock music/magazines.
I included this question so that I can convey these themes throughout my magazine production and it may help me to decide the name of my magazine.

Q7- What colours do you link to rock music?
I will base my colour scheme on the results of this question. I have given the following choices; black, red, yellow, white, grey, pink, blue, green. From my research, I predict that black and red will be popular answers.

Q8- What are the main articles that interest you in a music magazine?
I will include these in my magazine contents.

Q9- State 5 regular artciles in the music magazine you currently read.
This will help me to find out what artciles regularly appear in music magazines.

Q10- Would you buy a magazine just to read 1 article that interests you?
If people are willing to do this, I can include one thing that interests everyone in my target audience so that they will buy it.

Q11- Do you feel encouraged to buy a magazine if you know and like the artist/band on the front cover?
I would like to find out how the image on the front cover effects sales. I can include known artists and bands on my coverlines to attract my target audience.

Q12- Would you still buy a magazine if you didn't know who was on the front cover?
Same as question 11, I hope my target audience will still buy it with an unkown band or artist on the cover image.

Q13- Name some bands and artists that would make you more likely to buy a magazine.
I will include these in my content and coverlines to encourage people to buy my product.

Q14- How often do you buy music magazines?
This will influence my frequency of publication.

Q15- How much do you spend on music magazines per month?
Q16- Which of price do you think is reasonable for a weekly magazine?
Both these questions will help me to decide what price to make the magazine.

Analysis of Double Page Spread Articles

I have created a slideshow to present my analysis of double page spread articles in Rock music magazines. I have also listed the codes and conventions on my slide presentation.

Analysis of Double Page Spread Articles

View more presentations from sophierussell94

Analysis of Contents Pages

This is an analysis of a professional music magazine's contents page. I created it on www.prezi.com, I found this website extremely difficult to use. I will refer back to this analysis when I create my contents page so that mine will look professional.

Analysis of Professional Magazine Contents Pages on Prezi

Analysis of Professional Magazine Covers

In today's lesson I analysed some existing music magazine front covers. Some things that I found out were that bands and artists shown on the front wear similar clothes to the target audience to appeal to them, the bar code should be in the bottom right corner, the mast head is always a unique font. Here is a slide show I made to present my analysis'.

Music Magazine Analysis

View more presentations from sophierussell94

Initial Plans for my Magazine

Genre: Heavy Rock
Target Audience: Both genders, ages 15-24
Issue size: 70 pages
Frequency: Weekly
Price: £2.50

Regulars:
-Gig reviews
-New artists/bands
-Upcoming gigs
-Posters page

Features:
-Exclusive interview

Market Place Research

I did some research to find out information about other Rock music magazines on the market which I may have competition with. Looking at these will help me to make a good magazine.

Name: KERRANG!

Price: £2.20

Issue: 1226, Sept. 6 2008

Issue size: approx. 70 pages

Average reader age: 22

Frequency of publication: Weekly

Positioning Statement: Life is Loud

Secondary leads:

 FREE STICKERS! ENTER SHIKARI NINE INCH NAILS 30 SECONDS TO MARS

Regular content: reviews of CD's, Radio, TV and gigs, new album releases, upcoming gig information and tour dates, letters from readers.

Feature Articles: About bands/ artists, e.g. 'Foo Fighters is it all over?', 'What would Wentz do?'

An exclusive interview with an artist/band, one-off posters, further articles about other artists/bands.

http://www.kerrang.com/

http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/

The magazine's name is
onomatopoeic and refers to the sound made when playing a power chord on an electric guitar. I should consider musical factors when choosing my name.

The top of the masthead has the special offer of a gift and band names that will be inside the magazine and relate to the genre of the magazine.

Here is a link to Bauer Media's media pack about Kerrang! It includes the average reader's age, information about the magazine, the percentage of readers that buy every issue, their mission and influences.
http://bauermediaadvertising.com/uploads/Kerrang!-MediaPack-2011.pdf

Name: Rock Sound

Price: £3.99

Issue: 129, December 2009

Frequency of Publication: Monthly

Audience: 59% female, 72% aged 15-24

78% of readers want to know about new music and trends.

Positioning Statement: New Music First

Secondary leads:

FREE CD + POSTERS + STICKER SHEET!

Content: The contents page lists the main feaures, e.g. band names with a short description about what the article will contain.

In October 2011's issue it is split into:

'The Noise'

'Exposure'

'Features'

'Reviews'

These sections all contain music-related articles.

http://www.rocksound.tv/

http://www.sonicpublishing.co.uk/rock-sound/

The secondary leads above the title entice the audience.

Name: Rolling stone

Price: $4.99

Frequency: Fortnightly

Readers: Median age 32

Positioning Statement: None

Regular Content: Album reviews, Grammy guide, festival guide, yearbook, previews of seasonal music and events.

Features: Album preview, artist interviews, music-related news, coming soon...

http://www.rollingstone.com/

Media pack:

http://www.srds.com/mediakits/rollingstone/demographics.html

(Contains demographics: age and ethnicity details)

Name: Metal Hammer

Price: £4.99

Frequency: Monthly

Positioning Statement: None

Target Audience: Fans of metal music

Regular Content: Gig information, music reviews

Features: Interviews with bands

http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/

http://www.futureplc.com/

Metal Hammer magazine was recognised for its outstanding design winning best entertainment cover at the PPA Maggies Awards, beating Empire, Heat and Hello.It has launched mobile apps, and has more than 100,000 Facebook followers. This is a successful magazine.

Main Task- Initial Ideas

Today I planned my initial ideas of what to do for my music magazine. This is what i have decided to do:

Genre: Heavy Rock
Target Audience: Rock-lovers of both genders. I will focus on more current Rock music. This will appeal to 15-24 year-olds. It will be aimed at the niche audience that listen to the bands and artists that are shown on the front cover. To appeal to them I will use aggressive images and include bands/artists related to the Rock genre.
Influences: Kerrang!

Preliminary Task Evaluation

I think that both my school magazine front cover and contents page have been quite successful, however some improvements could be made:

Front Cover

You can see part of the fire door sign on the door in the background, which ruins the look of the magazine.
My photo is of a high quality, and my music magazine photo will be too.
I have included a buzz word: 'Exclusive', although my main story isn't eye-catching enough. In future I could make it bolder, bigger, perhaps a different colour. This will make it better for my main task.
The free ruler entices people to buy the magazine, and the freebie appeals to the target audience and relates to the subject of the magazine.
My masthead is in a unique font and all of my coverlines are in the same font. The masthead is eye-catching.
The barcode is situated in the bottom right corner. This conforms to the codes and conventions.
I like my positioning statement, however it could be smaller. It captures the magazine's ethos.
The 'PLUS!' section at the bottom looks professional, because many magazines put extra things to make the target audience feel like they're getting something special if they buy the magazine. I can use this on my music magazine.

Contents Page

I've followed the codes and conventions by having larger page numbers in a different colour. The coverlines are in bold, with a short description is smaller text below.
There are too many white gaps and the subscribe part looks out of place. I will look at existing music magazines before creating my main task so that I can improve this and make it more realistic.
My main image is quite big and takes up most of the page. It needs to be a bit smaller.
I've split the page into regulars and features, which is good.
My stories relate to the magazine and the pictures are anchored by page numbers, to show what it's about. This follows the codes and conventions.
I forgot to add the website when producing my contents page. I will need to include it when creating my main task.

I'm pleased with the outcome of my preliminary task.

Production of Contents Page

This is my school magazine contents page, created on Quark.

This shows the production of my contents page. I added the title, issue number, date and credits for cover photo.

COMPLETED CONTENTS PAGE