Critical evaluation

Benedict Hemmens Critical evaluation In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products My magazine follows all the basic principles and conventions of a typical music magazine. On my front cover my masthead and the titles all follow a z pattern which is a technique that’s commonly used in music magazines so all the important text catches the eye when glanced at. I got some feedback from my classmates and here are a few things they picked up on about my front cover. They all thought my masthead is bold, recognisable and easy to read. I am glad they think this as it is exactly why I chose this font. I got all my fonts from dafont.com which gave me a good choice and a lot of variation of fonts. My class mates also picked up on the limited colour scheme that I have used throughout my magazine. There was a mixed response with the colours used. Some people thought that it was too plain and colourless and wouldn’t be noticed on a shelf in a newsagent and other thought the opposite that the black and white makes my magazine bold and stand out which is what I wanted to achieve with my magazine. Also because the magazine has a limited colour scheme it will be cheaper to print which is good as it is a new magazine and is just being launched.

When I asked my classmates about all of my pages collectively they thought that it had a consistent house style also they thought that the pages all lead well into each other and you would be able to recognise the magazine without looking at the front cover. When I was creating my DPS I tried to follow the same principles that I had used for my front cover so I used a limited colour scheme and made it as simple as possible. I think this helped make it look effective and professional. Also when I was making my contents I tried to follow the same house style and use good photos to attract the audience I want.

How does your media project represent particular social groups?

A representation is how something is perceived, normally a stereotypical view of a particular person or group e.g. chavs wear Burberry and listen to D and B. On my magazine cover I have tried to represent Joe Bridge as an indie kid but not too stereotypical in the photo I took of him in the media studio he is quite clean cut and looks confident and outgoing. I wanted to make Joe look quite neutral and not a certain genre which is what I want because when I did my initial questionnaire I found that most people liked the NME which tries to embrace many different genres and also the people that answered my questionnaire liked loads of different genres.

When the readers see the artist I want them to think he’s a nice confident guy.

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

My magazine would be published by an institution like IPC which would help make my magazine mainstream. IPC is the NME magazines publisher as well and the NME magazine has heavily influenced the decisions I’ve mad when creating my magazine.

I would strongly consider launching my fist issue online as I think my target audience

would be enticed by getting a free magazine online also my target audience are computer literate and computers are used in their everyday lives. This would help get my magazine publicity and also would cut costs dramatically.

What would be your target audience for your magazine?

The target audience for my magazine is 15­25 year olds I decided to aim for people in my own age group because I understand what this age group desire from a magazine. Also this age group are the biggest buyers of magazines which meansI will sell more magazines and get greater profits. The sort of person that would read my magazine would be into any type of music and just a general music lover; they may also go to gigs and wear indie attire. I have made a mood board that shows the sort of things my readers would like to give a clearer view of the sort of person they are.

How did you attract/ address your audience?

The unique selling point of my magazine is the variety of music that is covered and reviewed. Also a mix of big name and local artists are included. It would be popular because the whole magazine is designed to help the reader to look cool and to be in the right scene also it give s the reader something to talk about with their mates which will promote the magazine. Also the interesting way the readers can send in their questions to Face The Music and interact with their idols. This also can make for a great interview because the readers can ask questions that most interviewers wouldn’t dare to ask the artist. I think that my cover would attract the audience as well because it is very modern and bold and easy to see the best features in the magazine which may clinch sales.

What have you learnt about using Photoshop CS3 and digital cameras during this project?

I have learnt many things during this project. I have learnt all the basic tools and effects that can be achieved using Photoshop also I have learnt how to make an effective magazine using Photoshop. When I was taking pictures for my magazine I learnt how lighting can vastly affect the result you get. I learnt how to crop and alter photographs using Photoshop.

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

I have learnt many things through the preliminary task. I have learnt to manage my time effectively and work to deadlines. I also have learnt how to make a simple and effective hose theme that would attract the sort of reader I have been aiming for. My Photoshop skills have vastly improved and I feel confident in using it and not apprehensive like I did at the start of the project. I found that many things are crucial to make the magazine look professional like an iconic masthead and the importance of a “left third” when designing the front cover.

Benedict Hemmens