Formal Evaluation

Shauna Mooring
AS Media Studies
Mrs Doggart
 Q1. In what ways does your media project use, develop, or challenge
forms and conventions of real media products?
Front Page
The title on my product is capitalised and
in a bold font, the colour is dark and plain
but still effectively stands out against the
background. This is quite typical of real
media products, as the title is very
important and needs to draw attention to
the magazine. However, the title is
aligned to the left of the magazine, which
is quite different from pop music
magazines like ‘Top Of The Pops’, ‘Vibe’
and ‘Blender’. The genre of my product is
Indie/Folk music, and I aligned my title
to the top right of the cover as I took my
inspiration from magazines such as ‘Q’
and ‘NME’.
Most artists featured on the cover of music
magazines are young which will encourage
younger people to buy the magazine, which
is why I used a younger model for my artist.
Also, most magazines create a connection
between the feature artist and the
consumers, which I tried to do by having
the artist look directly into the camera,
which creates a feeling of eye contact to
create said connection. I also dressed my
artist in a casual fashion to make him
appealing to the audience. He also portrays
a slightly shy image which may evoke
emotion in some readers, making them feel
more connected to him so they feel
Strap lines are used in real media products
to attract reader’s attention and make them
interested in other features in the magazine,
which is why I included a strap line onto my
front cover to give it a professional feel.
The genre of my magazine is Indie/Folk
music, and as most magazines do, I tried
to reflect this by using natural neutral
colours, an acoustic guitar for a prop, and
a modern style.
The mise-en-scene of my product is quite
different to real music magazines because
usually the image used on the front cover
will be of the feature artist in a plain
setting or studio so that all the focus is on
the artist and not the background. My
product is different because the
photograph I used is taken outdoors and
there is a lot of scenery in the image, but I
arranged the text to cover most of the
scenery so still all the focus is on the artist.
I also think that the colours of the scenery
and background will reflect on the neutral
and natural colours usually associated with
Indie and Folk music, which my magazine
is based upon.
Front Page Cont. The layout of my product is very simple .
Like other music magazines, the idea of
this is to make sure that the audience are
informed and interested in the magazine
and they aren’t overloaded with
unnecessary information. This is the
reason that my text is to a minimum and
I included a question to the front cover of
the colours of the text are all monochrome
my product which will make the reader
so that it’s easy to read in contrast to the
think and they will then want to read the
background.
magazine to find out the answer. This
isn’t always a typical convention of music
magazines, but some magazines (like my
own) ask a question which will lead to the
reader being introduced to a new
artist/gig/product.

I used a large font for a text grab to

introduce the audience to the featured
article. This text is large and stands out
so that, like other products, the
audience become interested. I also used
a pun, as the artist’s new album is called
‘It’s Looking Good’, hence the article
I included a barcode in my product to
title ‘It’s all looking good for Strings’.
create a realistic look to my magazine.
Most music magazines use a pun like
This shows that the product is
this to create an informal and witty feel
purchasable, which is a very important
for the magazine which will further
convention to real media products.
interest the readers.
Contents Page
The title for my contents page is quite
typical as it is bold and contrasts to the
colour of the background. It is also aligned
to the centre and is at the top of the page
which shows the importance of the title, to
show the reader exactly what they are
reading. The only different convention of
the title is that I used another pun, as the
magazine itself is called ‘Find’ and the title
plays on this. The use of ellipsis after the
title seems to be pointing the reader’s
attention towards what’s featured in the
magazine.
My product is different from most
music magazines as I used one main
image to cover the whole page. Most
contents pages have a plain
background but involve more than
one image of what is featured in the
magazine. Whereas, the image I used
is mostly scenery and the artist only
takes up a small section of the image.
The picture was taken this way on
purpose as I had planned out the
arrangement of all the text. I wanted
this photo to include a large section of
scenery so that I could fit the text into
this section. There is still a specific
space set aside for the artist between
the text.

Apart from the main image, the layout of

my contents page is very typical of real
media products. The typical aspects are
that there is a main title at the top centre;
the features of the magazine are in
separate sections such as ‘NEWS’ and ‘GIG
GUIDE’; the page numbers and feature
information are in a column on the far side
of the page, which is split in half (one half
for the text, the other for the image); and
there are text grabs to attract readers.
Double Page Article
I used a drop cap at the start of my article
which is typical of journalism. The only
difference is that it’s a different colour to the
rest of the text.

The image I used in

the contents page is I selected part of the
different from the interview and
front cover to stop enlarged it into a text
the reader getting grab and changed the
slightly bored so I colour of the text so
varied the images. that it will stand out
This photo is very to the readers. This
typical of music will give them a
magazines as the snippet of the
artist is centred with information found in
the text surrounding the interview which
him so that the focus will further intrigue
is on the artist more people to carry on to
than anything. find out more about
the artist.

My article was arranged into columns so that it

looked more realistic and professional. Having
an article written in three columns is a very
typical convention of music magazines and
other pieces of journalism.
 Q2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

In my print project I have chosen a male Indie/Folk artist who can represent other
young males in this modern day as the quirky, unique style which is associated with this
genre is becoming more and more popular. To represent this social group, I styled my
artist in skinny jeans, a hoodie, checked shirt and band t-shirt. I chose this style because
it’s a very stereotypical image which this particular genre portrays. As you can see on the
collage below, the outfit and props I used in my images are very typical of the social
group known as ‘Indie boys’.

In the photographs I used, I used natural

lighting to give an unedited, simple, and
natural feel to the image. Most popular artists
seem to be known for their money or
reputation, and I wanted to show that that isn’t
always the case, which is why I shot these
photographs in a local park so they didn’t look
too ‘fancy’.
A number of famous artists and celebrities also dress in a
similar fashion as to my artist:

Bombay Bicycle Club are usually seen wearing band t-

shirts with eclectic and quirky designs.

Arctic Monkeys’ front man Alex Turner is shown here

wearing a plain grey hoodie, which is also very typical.

Mumford & Sons are know for their more ‘folky’ style, as
they wear checked shirts, chinos and waistcoats.
 Q3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media
product and why?

I would want my product to be distributed by IPC Media as they are one of the largest media institutions in
the UK and they publish magazines like ‘NME’ which I think is most similar to my own. In the UK, 26
million people read magazines produced by IPC Media, so I think that if they were my publisher then I
would hopefully get similar sale rates as magazines like ‘NME’ or ‘Guitar and Bass’.
Also, IPC Media seem to publish music magazines which are aimed mostly at men, which would be very
useful as that may open up my magazine to a wider male audience. Also, the fact that my magazine is aimed
at both men and women will be good for IPC as it would open up a wider audience for their institution.

The fact that IPC have connections with a number of advertisers would open up a huge range of publicity for
my magazine too.
 Q4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

• My target audience would be both males and females, aged from teens to late twenties. I think that starting with
teenagers, perhaps aged around 15 would be the best idea as that’s around the time when people stop following the
crowds and start listening to what they want to listen to, and they begin to broaden their horizons to new and
upcoming music.
• I have kept my target audience age open to late twenties from personal experience, a number of people I asked
were late teens – early twenties and their most popular genre was Indie, and my magazine is appealing to them
whilst still opening them up to new things, like folk music.
• My target audience is mainly British people because I feel that they will like British artists and celebrities more.
Also, I have seen that British people are very open to new music and eclectic tastes, which would be perfect for my
magazine as it also helps to publicise upcoming bands, hence the name ‘FIND’, like they’re the latest find.
• I don’t think that my target audience have a specific socio-economic status, as they could vary from C2-E who
wouldn’t be earning and who would be depending on their parents for money, or A-C1 who earn a wage and have
their own money to spend on what they like, even if its only a small amount.

This would be my target

audience as they fulfil the
stereotype for the genre,
and they are open to new
styles, fashions and music.
 Q5. How did you attract/address your audience?
I chose ‘FIND’ for the title of my magazine to
attract people to a modern range of music.
The name of the magazine has two purposes:
• ‘FIND’ stands for Folk & Indie’s New Direction
which shows that they are trying to publicise
Folk music which is a genre that may have died
out, by combining it with Indie music which is
more popular, so hopefully this new
combination would give the genres a new
direction.
• The other purpose of the name is to introduce
people to new music. When someone is
introduced to new music, they sometimes refer
to it as a ‘new find’. So my magazine is
representing that new find and trying to help
them make it in the industry.
My front cover image was taken in a certain way to attract my
audience. The pose is very important for a cover image, which is why
my artist is sat down clutching his guitar to show that he’s slightly shy
and perhaps he feels that most of his talent comes from the guitar. I
wanted him to look slightly shy so that the audience are empathetic
towards him. He is also looking directly into the camera to create
contact with the audience.
The guitar is the main prop in this image to tell the audience what sort
of music the magazine is about.
The image is taken with natural
lighting as the genre of music is
associated with nature and being
quite calm and relaxed. I didn’t
want the image to come across
‘overdone’.
The colour palette is also quite
natural, with the prominent green
hues from the scenery and the
contrasting monochrome of the
outfit showing that, like the music,
simple is effective.
The use of storylines on the front cover of the
magazine are useful to attract the reader’s attention.
For example, ‘The new sounds of 2011’ section are
introducing people to new music and will make them
interested to read the rest of the magazine as hopefully
they will want to broaden their musical horizon.
Also, the question ‘Who’s this girl?’ will intrigue people
as nobody likes to not know the answer to a question,
so they would have to read on to find out all the
information. Having a question on the front cover will
interest people to buy the magazine in the first place
and then further interest them.

The choice of articles featured on the contents page of a music magazine is very important to interest readers in the
magazine. For example, using the dynamic verb ‘meet’ gives the impression that the readers will feel as though they are
personally getting to know the featured artist which will make them interested to read it. Also, the alliteration on the
words ‘Who, where and when?’ will emphasise the importance of that section – that the magazine will tell you exactly
what you need to know. People feel like they need to know what’s popular and fashionable, so with the magazine telling
them this information, they will want to read more.

The layout of the contents page is very professional as the features are all set out into a column on the far left of the page,
as it’s done in most music magazines. This gives a realistic feel to the magazine and makes it easy for people to find the
information they need and read it easily.
The headline of the article ‘Strings of success’ will attract the audience as it creates an image in the reader’s head that they
can physically hear how successful the band will be; this will make the readers more interested in the band.

When a person reads an article, they expect certain conventions, for example:

• columns

• drop caps

The language used in the article is quite informal, yet

• text grabs
interesting and easy to read. It also combines new
things that people want to learn about the band, with
things that the readers can relate to. The plosive
alliteration on ‘busking, beer, and best gigs’
emphasises this point, as most people can relate to
things like that, which makes them feel equal to the
artist and not that the artist is different or a better
person just because they are normal – my article
shows that the artist is just a normal person, and this
makes readers more relaxed as they feel like they can
connect and relate to that artist.

The image used on the double page article has the same
conventions to the other images used in the magazine, in
terms that the lighting is natural, the colours are simple yet
effective, and the posing creates a connection between the
artist and the readers. All these features attract the audience
and make the article more appealing.
Q6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of
constructing this product?

I learnt a lot about different technologies whilst creating my media product:

• The main technology I used was www.blogger.com. On my blog I recorded all the research,
planning, design, final product and evaluation I had created for my project. I had never
used a blog before doing this project and after the time I’ve spent using it, I have become
very comfortable using the website for my coursework. By using www.blogger.com, I could
access my blog from not only the college Apple Macs, but from my laptop at home and from
other computers around college. This was very useful as I could update and edit my
coursework at any time.

• Another technology I used on the internet was

www.dafont.com. This website allows you to download and
use a wide range of different fonts which made my product
look more professional and interesting. From using this
website, I have learnt what is available from the internet and I
have learnt how to give my product a personal and unique
edge by selecting my own fonts which will be different from
everyone else’s.
• I used my own digital camera to take the photographs I used for my product. I used my own camera as I already knew
how to use it and I knew how to access all the different settings I wanted to use. I didn’t use a backlight for my photos
because I wanted them to have a natural feel. I learnt how to edit the settings of my camera to get the perfect image for
my product.

• To further improve on the photographs, I used Photoshop so that I could edit the colour, sharpness and other features
of the image. I had never used Photoshop before so this project allowed me to learn new skills and Photoshop helped
me to make the images as perfect as possible.

• I used InDesign to create my product. This technology was very helpful as it had all the features I needed to make my
product look professional and realistic, as opposed using Microsoft Publisher which would’ve made my product look
less professional and more like a piece of college work.

• I also used Scribd to upload my PowerPoint Presentations onto my blog. This was very useful as it uploaded the whole
PowerPoint into one post as opposed to having numerous boring posts just containing text. Scribd was quite simple to
use and understand which was very helpful.
Q7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have
learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

After I finished my final product, I realised a huge difference between that and my preliminary task:

• My prelim magazine has a white border

Preliminary Task around it, which looks unprofessional.
• My final product has a barcode and Final Product
selling details, whereas my prelim only
has a price.

• The image on my prelim task looks very

unprofessional as it was my first time
using Photoshop, you can see how much I
have learnt by the image on my final.

• My prelim has a lot of empty space

which doesn’t look realistic.

• The fonts and colours used on my final

product are a lot more professional and
realistic than my prelim.

• The title on my final is very prominent

and can easily by seen, which is very
realistic – unlike my prelim task.
 Conclusion

I’m happy with the layout, fonts, and colours as they are very realistic, professional and I think they
represent the genre of music this magazine is publicising. I went for a very simple layout so that
the reader isn’t overloaded with useless information – they can read what they want to read.
I think the key strength of my final product is the image used on the front cover; as all the attention of
the reader is focussed on the main artist, yet the scenery in the photograph fills up any blank
space on the rest of the front cover, which makes it look more like a real music magazine.
I am happiest about my double page article, as I think the journalism is very believable. I think this
because during my audience feedback, someone asked me if I had taken the article from NME and
just swapped around some details – which I was very pleased with!
I think I have come a long way from my Prelim task and have learnt a lot about the different
technologies I used to create my magazine. I am now very confident in using software like
Photoshop and InDesign.

The only weakness I feel is that my contents page could’ve appeared more professional and realistic,
including images from other bands and other features in the magazine, but I was still pleased with
my end result.

Overall I am very happy with my final product, have learnt a lot and have enjoyed this project!