Friday, 27 April 2012

Evaluation Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?
This was originally carried out as a voice recording of a peer, however I was unable to transfer this from the recording device onto the Mac I was using, so I have had to write it out instead.


Front Page


"The front cover is really bright so it catches your eye and draws you in. The title is big so you know exactly what it is, and this is one of the first things you see. The smaller pictures down the side make you intrigued as to what is inside. The font you used looks fun and quirky which makes me think it would be an interesting magazine to read. The subheadings at the bottom of the front page allows you to make a decision as to whether you would be interested in what is inside."


Contents Page 


"The big picture of a guitar instantly reminds you that it is a music magazine. It looks professional because of the subheadings, the main title and the editors letter. The signature from the editor makes it feel personal."


Double Page Spread 


"The colours you used on the double page link in with those on the front page and double page spread so it all flows together nicely. The structure of it guides you through the interview with the questions and answers. The pictures are really interesting and personal as well"




After conducting this voice recording it became clear that the changes I made in order to appeal to this audience were successful as these were the point which my peer commented on. 

Evaluation Question 3

Evaluation Question 3
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I believe the most success in sales would come from a national news agents such as WHsmith as this would mean the magazine would reach the entire country. 
Reading the magazine online would come as a result of online subscription, rather than a one-time read. This would generate more profit because the audience would be signing up to a set time period for which they would pay. 

Monday, 23 April 2012

Evaluation Question 2

How Does Your Media Product Represent Particular Social Groups?


What is a Social Group?

A Social Group is 'people sharing some social relation'. This could mean friends, collegues, peers or aquaintances. In the context of music, people will be grouped in relation to their musical preferences, for example Pop fans, Rock fans, Indie fans etc.

What Social Group is my Magazine appealing to?

 As my music magazine is focused upon the Indie genre, it would make sense that my target audience are fans of this. Stereotypes of this social group are that they are fashion consious and like to shop at vintage shops, enjoy festivals and gigs, are laid back and fun loving, are environmentally friendly and their style is edgy (often sporting the messy hair look and mis-matched clothing). As part of my research I conducted questionnaire which helped a lot in the creation of a magazine which is suitable for the target audience




How is it representing this social group?


My front page features a model who fits the Indie stereotypes; she has long relaxed hair, fashionable glasses and jewellery, and the use of the guitar as a prop reinforces the fact that she is a music fan. She has a fairly serious facial expression, which matches that of the previous image of the two indie stereotypes, however this is not a harsh expression. Her brightly coloured clothing suggests the fun-loving side of her personality, while also helping her to 'stand out from the crowd' as an individual. The smaller images of other bands featured in the magazine also fit these demographic stereotypes. The use of the phrase 'festival survival' adheres to the idea that indi fans enjoy festivals. 




 My contents page features a range of band names which are highly regarded within the Indie genre, for example The Maccabees and Laura Marling. I have also included the artist which I created for my interview, Lipstick & Lighters. The heading 'Gigs and Tours' fits in with the stereotype that Indie fans enjoy seeing artists at intimate performances, rather than large hyped up concerts, and the use of Pitchfork Festival not only  provides continuity from the first page ('festival survival'), but also backs up the ideology that festivals are very popular amongst Indie fans.






I believe my double page is the most effective in portraying and representing Indie fans as a social group. The use of the scrapbook theme relates to the underlying theme in the majority of Indie songs (anecdotes and recounting stories), as well as the personal reflection upon memories. All of the images are of models which perfectly fit the stereotype of an Indie fan. I was careful to adapt the text in order to create an artist who is stereotypically Indie through the use of phrases such as 'I'm just having fun' and 'I love to read'. This would create a positive role model for the younger, more impressionable readers, and an inspiring figure to those at a decision making stage in their life.

Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 4
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Laura Mulvey was a female media psychologist who developed the   theory of 'the Male Gaze'. This idea suggests that all media products are created to convey the world through a male's eyes. For this reason, she believed that magazines were designed primarily to be appealing to men. In relation to this, my magazine front cover features many images of females which would appeal to men's desires. The fact that my magazine is a 'girls special' would also make the magazine appealing as they would be intrigued to read about these women. In contrast, the magazine would appeal to women due to the idea that there is a 'girls society' in which all girls stick together - they will be interested to read about other girls in order to find out more about their life, not because they are appealing. 

Evaluation Question 1