Matthew Gilroy

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

The main image I used takes over the front cover and will stand out the most; this would be used to draw in the target audience. Also some of the audience may be drawn to the front cover because of how the main image shows a stereotype Indie genre singer. I used bright colours and large san serif fonts much like the music magazine NME, which would appeal more to my target audience. Teenage audiences would be more attracted to modern and outstanding, bright colours and fonts. My target audience for my magazine is around 16-21 year olds. The mast head I chose represents the genre of the magazine; it is called ‘Strum’ which refers to a guitar which is mainly used in Indie genre music. It is also in a stringy font to emphasise this to the audience.

I added extra bright features to the front cover to enhance it for the audience to be more attracted such as the white outer glow on the masthead and putting a yellow box behind the main magazine details and masthead so they jump out more. The lead and strap line where placed in the centre of the magazine to get the most attention as they are the most appealing part of the magazine. They are bright on a dark background and on top of the main image showing they are linked together. By using a pull quote as well it appeals to the audience making them want to read more – they can have a small preview of what is inside. I used promotions like they would be used in real magazines to attract the audience in as they receive extra things. I put them in different bright shapes to stand out but not take over the front cover just adding to its appeal. The main sells I chose are laid out in an easy to read way so the audience can see straight away what is inside as well as just the lead. This will keep them interested along with the use of exclusive additions that they can only find in this magazine which will appeal to them greatly. This is used very often in real magazines to draw an audience in because they can find out inside information that can only be found in that magazine as it’s exclusive.

For my main image I used a medium close up which I found was the most common camera shot used for real magazine front covers. It instantly shows the audience who the person is and yet they are far away enough to fill most of the front cover and show any facial or body expressions. My front cover would be more mainstream instead of niche because more than one type of person could enjoy it as its not too focused on one type of genre which also opens the number of audience how will read it.

My Double Page Spread is colourful, mainly using blue and red because that will appeal to my young audience more. I chose to use dark font for mostly all of my text so that it stands out more against the light background which will attract the audience and make it visually easier to notice and read smoothly. The mast head of the DPS is in a clearly different font from all the other text along with being a lot larger so that the audience will see that part first and realise what it is immediately. I tilted the text because it gives a more modern and vibrant representation of the DPS which will appeal to the young audience. The text ‘Matt Gilroy’ in the masthead was given an outer glow so that it stands out the most making the audience realise instantly who

and what the DPS is about. This is much like other music magazines made for young people such as Kerrang or NME as they use young, modern and vibrant text and house styles which I used as inspiration for my magazine. The images I used all represent a stereotype Indie singer because of the clothes worn and the acoustic guitar, also with the retro style images including a dog. This will appeal to the target audience who will enjoy the Indie genre. I spaced them across the DPS so the audience will follow the images all over it instead of looking in the same place. I placed them around the outside so that the text could easily be fitted around them on the inside. I also pulled one image a bit further in to add more of a modern effect to emphasise to the audience that it is made for young people.

The pull quotes were placed in between two columns of text so that they are clear and jump out more. I put them in a larger and bolder font so they stand out more; they would draw the audience to them first before reading the main text and will attract them to want to read further. I used quotes that would appeal to the younger audience as other mainstream magazines do, usually including parties, alcohol and exclusive information. The main text is written out in five clear columns and begins with a drop cap so that the audience is drawn to where the article begins.

The masthead on the contents page is bright yellow on a black square background because it jumps out at the audience so they will clearly see what it is instantly. It also keeps up with the house style of the magazine as everything else includes bright colours because younger audiences are more attracted to that. I added an editor’s note in the corner so that the audience can see what the best parts of the magazine are and to make it look more professional to the audience who could be attracted by that. I also put the name of the editor and signature because it makes it look more authentic as all other magazines include this when they have an editors note.

I placed a main image of the artist that the magazine is focusing the most on because it will draw the audience further in as they will want to find out more about him. Also it adds to the Indie theme of the contents page appealing to the audience more. I put more pull quotes next to that image so that it justifies the image being there as well as appealing to the audience so they will want to see the DPS about the artist. To add to that I put the artists name in bold with the page number that he is on which will draw the audience in. I put a small image of the front cover so that the audience can remember the most attractive parts of it and see where they are inside the magazine.

I created two colourful columns on either side of the contents page for the information of what is inside and separated them by images in between. The images will draw a young audience in as they are more attracted to image led magazines than text led. I also put captions on each image so if the audience find some images appealing they can see where there is more information about it. All of the images have an Indie or Pop theme to them which adds to the house style of the magazine. I used the left column to put three images of the most attractive features inside including a description about them which will attract the readers further in. On the right column I included all the pages and small descriptions of what they are about which will make the audience want to look through the magazine to find the parts that would appeal to them the most. I highlighted the titles of the contents so that it is clear to the audience they are separate categories which also attracts them in more because of the large font, colours and modern san serif text.

PLEASE SEE ART BOOK FOR SCREEN SHOTS AND IMAGES OF MY WORK.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The artist I used in my main image and for the double page spread was made to represent the same thing to the audience in each image. For the main image on the front cover the artist is standing calmly in front of a light blue background which will represent him as relaxed and easy going to the audience making him seem more open which will appeal to the audience. Also it will appeal to parts of the audience who can relate to the body language or emotions being represented by the artist.

The clothes worn by the artist are simple but emphasise the Indie genre to the audience. Also the facial expressions on all of the main artists images are relaxed and quite serious which represents him as being focused but also mysterious to the audience which would draw them in more. The styles of photographs used are simple but retro style because of the old style backgrounds and acoustic guitars and dogs in shots. Also the clothes chosen are simple but fashionable up to date clothing and quite tight which emphasises the Indie genre of music to the audience.

In the interview I included parts that talked about the artist always doing something funny or exciting which would appeal to the young audience who can relate to what he is talking about. The questions chosen for the artist in the interview were a wide range so that the answers could differ from each other keeping the audience entertained and interested. The head line is tilted, large and outstanding which will grab the audience and appeal to them because it looks modern and informal. This will also represent how the rest of the magazine will be and so will set the scene for the audience of what else to expect.

The pull quotes I chose were all different from each other so that they can appeal to the audience without sounding the same and so boring. They are funny and entertaining quotes which represent how the rest of the interview will be making the audience want to read it. All of these will give a representation of how humorous the artist will be and what kind of things will be talked about in the DPS. The image I have given my artist is of a young Indie artist who likes to have fun but is serious about his work. I did this because it will appeal to a wider audience because he can produce good music which the audience will like and he can keep them entertained with stories and his personality. The audience will also be attracted to reading about him because in all the images they don’t show a lot of facial expressions or body language which makes the artist more mysterious to the readers.

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

Through what I have found I believe that one of the most suitable magazine publishers for my magazine would be IPC. They publish NME which is very similar in style and genre to my magazine. They deal with more mainstream magazines how aim for wider audiences and so would suit my style of magazine. NME was one of the magazines that inspired me for themes and other ideas when making my magazine.

Although the publisher Music Mags would also be very useful for my music magazine because they publish a wide variety of music magazines and specialize in doing that.

They deal with more niche magazines that are aimed at specific audiences but could be useful with their knowledge of music magazines. I think that my magazine would be quite effective to my target audience by being an online magazine as my audience is around 16-21 and they are known to use the internet the most. By using the internet it can emphasise that it’s a modern magazine and be noticed and distributed to my young audience more easily. This has been proved to be quite effective on the website www.issuu.com which specialises in online magazines. Also I found that between JulDec 07 and Jul-Dec 08, magazines similar to mine such as NME and Q dropped circulation figures by a lot which could show that the audience are not being attracted as much by the same themes and ideas as much as they used to. This also shows that for my magazine to be effective in the same market as similar mainstream magazines I would have to appeal to the audience in a new way that would interest them.

Who would be the audience for your Music Magazine?

My target audience for my magazine was 16-21 year olds. I chose this because they are attracted the most to the house styles and themes I was using. My magazine would appeal to that age group the most because of the use of colours, fonts and text. The people that would be attracted to my magazine the most would be young audiences who enjoy Indie or Pop music. I have many features inside the magazine that are related to that genre so they would be most suited for it.

I received feedback from a focus group of my target audience and these were some of the replies: 1. I think your magazine would suit people are age around 18 because of the colours and text used. I like the amount of colours and different fonts you have on all pages and I think the pictures go well with the genre you want. The mast head is very big and clear and draws you in first and the picture on the front cover goes well with the style of it all.

2. I really like the layouts of all the pages especially your double page spread, the pictures go well and add to the genre of Indie music. The way the front cover jumps out would really attract the audience that you are aiming for. Teenagers enjoy modern looking magazines a lot more than formal ones and so this would work well. The competitions would be good for 16-21 year olds because they look for winning things especially like gigs a lot more than an older audience would.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my audience by using my unique selling point of the main artist to lure in the audience and make them want to find out more as it’s an exclusive interview. I added a competition and extra information about new albums which would draw the audience in because they would want the chance to win something. I put the names of the most popular bands in the main sells so the audience will be attracted in to the magazine. I used a lot of images through out because the young audience enjoy that more and will be drawn to that before the text, so by seeing the images of people they like the audience will read further on.

I used a lot of colours and different sized and angled text so because it attracts younger audiences more. I kept the same house style through out of a young, modern and bright music magazine. My audience would like my magazine because it gives them information about the artists and lifestyle that they can appeal to and because it is laid out in a colourful modern way that they find attractive. I have included entertaining features to keep there interest and put more than one interview so they can find out more about there favourite artists. I think that 16-21 year olds would buy my magazine because it can appeal to something they enjoy and is not aimed at a specific audience but a wider mainstream audience who enjoy Indie or Pop music. I added information about gigs and free tickets as a majority of the audience enjoy them and so will be more drawn in by the sight of free tickets and reviews of new gigs.

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

Through the course of making my music magazine I have learnt many skills on CS3 and using a digital camera. On photo shop I learnt how to successfully edit and cut images without being able to notice, I learnt how to make images look better by adjusting the brightness and colour. I also learnt how to give text effects such as outer glow and inner glow making them stand out more and creating a realistic look for my magazine. By using the magnetic lasso tool I learnt to cut a single object out of an image without it looking bad and also to add new backgrounds on to images making it look real.

With the digital camera I learnt a lot about what type of shots look the most appealing, I found that the medium close up was. I used the light around me to produce a well lit but not to bright image. I also learnt different angles to take pictures from so that the images can differ from each other and show different details and surroundings. Finally I learnt how to position the people and things in the shot to make them look the most appealing and professional and also reducing red eye from having the flash to close to people’s eyes.

SEE ARTBOOK FOR SCREEN SHOTS OF PHOTOSHOP WORK

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

Over the time from the preliminary task I have learnt how to make a magazine look realistic and most appealing to a target audience. I have learnt how to make a good stereotype of an artist in certain genres so they appeal to your audience more. My time management and giving in work on deadlines increased a lot and became a lot more punctual and successful as I learnt what to do and how to do it by the end. Audience research was very important to creating my work because I can then make it the most pleasing and attractive based on what the audience would enjoy seeing and reading.

Also by finding their interests I can then know what I need to make and do not have to waste time trying to think of ideas. Making a clear and iconic masthead proved to be very important because people can find the name more easily and notice it straight away. Also the placement of the mast head is important as well as the left third of the magazine because the audience need to be able to see it clearly if it is in racks in a shop which is why I put it at the top left corner. The most appealing parts of the magazine front cover are on the left to draw in my audience. Overall the magazine is clearly represented as an Indie magazine for a young audience and all of the house style and colours and texts. The only thing I would change about my magazine would be to put less writing in the double page spread as my audience would be more attracted to images more the text but it is still represented well to the audience I chose.