Over the course of this task, I feel that I have learnt a considerable amount, and have developed a range of new skills. In particular, I feel I have learned much about creating a professional looking publication, which I am quite confident that I have done throughout this project, with relative success.
I have also learnt about various different technologies, how to use various image-editing programs, and have gained a greater ability to plan my projects, such as organising my time effectively, organising events (such as the photo shoot) and have improved various skills (including my photography skills, editing skills, etc.).
There is no doubt in my mind that this project has been a great benefit to me, in improving my abilities in various areas, and allowing me to develop many new useful skills which will be beneficial to my learning on whole.
Tuesday 15 December 2009
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?
I feel that the experience of constructing this piece as a part of my coursework has helped me with my understanding and capabilities with using technology in many ways; the initial gathering of the images to be included into the coursework involved working with a camera I was not familiar with – A Canon PowerShot SX100 IS. It was a learning experience, adjusting to the camera, etc, and on whole I found the photoshoot to be a learning experience in itself, finding angles which gave the correct lighting, deciding how much backdrop to include etc.
This instance was also my first time using Photoshop Elements 7.0, as my own version is different (Photoshop Elements 5.0); originally I intended to use Indesign, as I did with my contents page, however I had issues transferring an image onto the program without it pixelating, and so instead worked on the other photoshop, and at a later point, Macromedia Fireworks, as it was a program I felt more comfortable adding smaller details on.
I found the creation of the contents page to be quite a learning experience as this was my first time using Photoshop InDesign, and I initially found it rather awkward and confusing to work with – I had issues in particular with resizing of images, as the program seemed to fail to do this as expected, and tended to crop images instead. However, I persevered, and soon enough found that I was able to work with the program relatively efficiently, and am pleased with the overall turnout of my contents page.
In the case of my double-page spread, I was using a version of Photoshop which I was not entirely familiar with, however there were fortunately not too many differences between this version and the version I use at home, and I was even able to continue work from the school Photoshop version on my home computer.
Overall however, as I was quite familiar with the programs I used in the creation of this piece, and thus had little trouble throughout, and do not feel that I learnt very much from its creation, especially anything I had not already learned from the creation of my Front Cover and Contents Page.
This instance was also my first time using Photoshop Elements 7.0, as my own version is different (Photoshop Elements 5.0); originally I intended to use Indesign, as I did with my contents page, however I had issues transferring an image onto the program without it pixelating, and so instead worked on the other photoshop, and at a later point, Macromedia Fireworks, as it was a program I felt more comfortable adding smaller details on.
I found the creation of the contents page to be quite a learning experience as this was my first time using Photoshop InDesign, and I initially found it rather awkward and confusing to work with – I had issues in particular with resizing of images, as the program seemed to fail to do this as expected, and tended to crop images instead. However, I persevered, and soon enough found that I was able to work with the program relatively efficiently, and am pleased with the overall turnout of my contents page.
In the case of my double-page spread, I was using a version of Photoshop which I was not entirely familiar with, however there were fortunately not too many differences between this version and the version I use at home, and I was even able to continue work from the school Photoshop version on my home computer.
Overall however, as I was quite familiar with the programs I used in the creation of this piece, and thus had little trouble throughout, and do not feel that I learnt very much from its creation, especially anything I had not already learned from the creation of my Front Cover and Contents Page.
(Above is an example of an image, before and after I edited for use in my product - I took the original image and, using photoshop and fireworks, I edited the levels of saturation, lighting, the hue, etc, until I was satisfied with the final outcome.)
How did you attract/address your audience?
With this front page, I attempted to be as open and inviting to my audience as I could, incorporating several features from existing music magazine covers, and using those designs as a starting point to expand on my own ideas, hoping for there to be a sense of familiarity between my work and the existing publications. Thus I had the title of the magazine running in a banner across the top of the page, much like the KERRANG! and Metal Hammer issues I analysed previously in my blog did, and included the band who would be the focus of the double page spread on the cover.
In my title design, I decided to include an image which is considered ‘famous’ amongst the rock/metal music crowd – the anarchy symbol, which has been a frequently recognised image, particularly since the days of punk music, etc. In a sense this would insinuate that the audience is expected to at least be familiar with this image, however as it is a world-famous symbol, I felt that it would be easily accessible to even new fans, and those who would not ever typically read a magazine of this genre.
In this piece, though I do not feel that the audience is addressed in many ways, I do feel that I present my magazine as expecting an audience who is as concerned with the music the bands produce as with the bands themselves, which, in my opinion, many other magazines fail to do. This can be seen in the contents page designs and double page spread articles of magazines such as KERRANG or Metal Hammer, who seem to focus more upon the band and band members than the music, which seems unusual, considering that the genre of the magazine is ‘music’.
Through my studies of other music magazine articles, I realised that the majority of articles seem to focus more upon the band’s personal lives rather than their actual music, which tends to have much less of a focus in the extracts. For example, in the article I analysed, regarding the band ‘The All American Rejects’ – the majority of the paragraphs focussed on the band’s personal lives, particularly that of the lead singer, and even when discussing the band’s music, the subject was quickly returned to focus upon the members of the band themselves.
(The extract above is an example of this.)
Realising that this must be due to the interests of the audience, I chose to write my article in a similar style, attempting to give even new audiences an account of this band so that they might find the group more accessible as they know their roots, motivations, etc. Thus, the majority of my article focussed upon the personal lives of my band, how they formed, their problems on their road to fame and other subjects I hoped the typical rock/metal magazine audiences would appreciate.
In my title design, I decided to include an image which is considered ‘famous’ amongst the rock/metal music crowd – the anarchy symbol, which has been a frequently recognised image, particularly since the days of punk music, etc. In a sense this would insinuate that the audience is expected to at least be familiar with this image, however as it is a world-famous symbol, I felt that it would be easily accessible to even new fans, and those who would not ever typically read a magazine of this genre.
In this piece, though I do not feel that the audience is addressed in many ways, I do feel that I present my magazine as expecting an audience who is as concerned with the music the bands produce as with the bands themselves, which, in my opinion, many other magazines fail to do. This can be seen in the contents page designs and double page spread articles of magazines such as KERRANG or Metal Hammer, who seem to focus more upon the band and band members than the music, which seems unusual, considering that the genre of the magazine is ‘music’.
Through my studies of other music magazine articles, I realised that the majority of articles seem to focus more upon the band’s personal lives rather than their actual music, which tends to have much less of a focus in the extracts. For example, in the article I analysed, regarding the band ‘The All American Rejects’ – the majority of the paragraphs focussed on the band’s personal lives, particularly that of the lead singer, and even when discussing the band’s music, the subject was quickly returned to focus upon the members of the band themselves.
(The extract above is an example of this.)
Realising that this must be due to the interests of the audience, I chose to write my article in a similar style, attempting to give even new audiences an account of this band so that they might find the group more accessible as they know their roots, motivations, etc. Thus, the majority of my article focussed upon the personal lives of my band, how they formed, their problems on their road to fame and other subjects I hoped the typical rock/metal magazine audiences would appreciate.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
I believe that this magazine would be best published and distributed by a company that is already established as successful, in order for it to be accessible to a wider audience – should it be published by a newer, lesser known publisher, it might only create a niche audience who are already familiar with the brand.
I feel that the majority of rock/metal magazines are steering more towards a 'softer', and espeically in the cases of rock music magazines, a more pop/punk rock genre, and feel that a magazine like my own, which focusses much more strongly on heavier music, would stand out from other publications of a similar genre.
Thus, I feel that a publisher such as The Bauer Media Group would be a suitable choice; their most popular music magazine publications in the UK are Q and Kerrang, thus a magazine orientated towards 'heavier' music, would, in my opinion, be an appropriate addition to this collection.
http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/
http://www.qthemusic.com/
http://www.kerrang.com/
I feel that the majority of rock/metal magazines are steering more towards a 'softer', and espeically in the cases of rock music magazines, a more pop/punk rock genre, and feel that a magazine like my own, which focusses much more strongly on heavier music, would stand out from other publications of a similar genre.
Thus, I feel that a publisher such as The Bauer Media Group would be a suitable choice; their most popular music magazine publications in the UK are Q and Kerrang, thus a magazine orientated towards 'heavier' music, would, in my opinion, be an appropriate addition to this collection.
http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/
http://www.qthemusic.com/
http://www.kerrang.com/
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
I believe that my representations are similar to those of already existing publications, however I do feel that my representations do differ in some ways from the typical representations of the rock/metal crowd. The band members represented in my magazine did not necessarily look like ‘average’ members of a rock or metal band, as I personally feel that the average representation given by most magazines can be a little unfair and over-exaggerated; Not everyone who listens to this form of music dresses in the rock/metal fashion style, as some people are more open or closed about their interest than others.
Thus, I believe that many fans of this genre of music might not necessarily enjoy the fashion sense too, and attempted to incorporate that into my band’s attire.
The setting chosen for the front cover image was one that I felt would be representative of the band who is the focus of two-page spread – the dull, grey and rusted, industrial feel to the background of the image is a distinct contrast to the stark blacks and white of the band’s attire, as well as the bright shock of the pink hair of the lead singer.
Honestly, I do not feel that the Contents page is representative of any social groups at all, as there is little that can be represented when considering the style of contents page I created.
I would not necessarily say that my double-page spread is representative of many, if any social groups – though in the article itself, as a means of creating a more ‘intriguing’ account of the band’s history, I do suggest that, as some of the band member’s were foreign, they encountered some forms of racism during their rise to fame, as well as suggesting that the majority of rock-bands who become famous are less sincere than rising bands, who have not yet experienced ‘fame’. In a sense, this is representative of some social groups.
Thus, I believe that many fans of this genre of music might not necessarily enjoy the fashion sense too, and attempted to incorporate that into my band’s attire.
The setting chosen for the front cover image was one that I felt would be representative of the band who is the focus of two-page spread – the dull, grey and rusted, industrial feel to the background of the image is a distinct contrast to the stark blacks and white of the band’s attire, as well as the bright shock of the pink hair of the lead singer.
Honestly, I do not feel that the Contents page is representative of any social groups at all, as there is little that can be represented when considering the style of contents page I created.
I would not necessarily say that my double-page spread is representative of many, if any social groups – though in the article itself, as a means of creating a more ‘intriguing’ account of the band’s history, I do suggest that, as some of the band member’s were foreign, they encountered some forms of racism during their rise to fame, as well as suggesting that the majority of rock-bands who become famous are less sincere than rising bands, who have not yet experienced ‘fame’. In a sense, this is representative of some social groups.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
It is my opinion that my front cover does, in most senses, conform to the forms and conventions of typical music publications/magazines, as the features of the rock/metal music genre tend to be quite narrow, and so it is difficult to defer from the expected style without accidentally giving the wrong image for the publication.
There are only a certain number of colours and colour-schemes, front styles and layouts that truly act to represent this style of music – for example, bright colours would not be entirely appropriate, whereas darker colours most certainly are.
Thus, I incorporated a darker colour scheme in order to reflect the typical representations that magazines of these genres attempt to give.
There are only a certain number of colours and colour-schemes, front styles and layouts that truly act to represent this style of music – for example, bright colours would not be entirely appropriate, whereas darker colours most certainly are.
Thus, I incorporated a darker colour scheme in order to reflect the typical representations that magazines of these genres attempt to give.
(The examples above show why I came to develop the opinions mentioned in the former paragraphs, whilst the third image - my own magazine cover design - shows the influences I took from these types of published items)
I do not feel that the contents page particularly conforms to the expected norms of music magazine contents pages – the majority I studied, including the KERRANG! Magazine contents page that I analysed as a part of my research, feature images of the band included inside, editors notes and other side-notes, and perhaps puff’s which advertise subscriptions to the magazine, offers available to readers, etc.
I do not feel that the contents page particularly conforms to the expected norms of music magazine contents pages – the majority I studied, including the KERRANG! Magazine contents page that I analysed as a part of my research, feature images of the band included inside, editors notes and other side-notes, and perhaps puff’s which advertise subscriptions to the magazine, offers available to readers, etc.
As you can see when comparing the images above, I included no such images, my only image being the guitar surface of the background, and I felt that this failure to conform helped to show individuality in my work – the magazine doesn’t rely on heavy advertisement of itself, and focuses more on its content to ensure it gains a regular audience.
I would personally say that my double page spread conforms to the typical conventions of music magazines; if comparing my own work to an extract from an actual music magazine, particularly the ‘Muse’ article which I used along with the ‘All American Rejects’ double page spread, there are some similarities; such as the layout of the text, the incorporation of quotes from the main article into the layout as a way to entice the audience into reading the article, etc.
However I feel that, in taking some of the conformities to the extreme, I have in a sense deferred from the typical rock/metal magazine image – the use of dark colours in my double page spread was more extreme than a typical article would use, and the lack of an article title, replaced by the band name alone, is something which few magazines seem to incorporate. However, as I wanted this interview to be ‘exclusive’ – perhaps even a first interview with the band, I felt that the band name as a title for the article would be the most appropriate choice.
I would personally say that my double page spread conforms to the typical conventions of music magazines; if comparing my own work to an extract from an actual music magazine, particularly the ‘Muse’ article which I used along with the ‘All American Rejects’ double page spread, there are some similarities; such as the layout of the text, the incorporation of quotes from the main article into the layout as a way to entice the audience into reading the article, etc.
However I feel that, in taking some of the conformities to the extreme, I have in a sense deferred from the typical rock/metal magazine image – the use of dark colours in my double page spread was more extreme than a typical article would use, and the lack of an article title, replaced by the band name alone, is something which few magazines seem to incorporate. However, as I wanted this interview to be ‘exclusive’ – perhaps even a first interview with the band, I felt that the band name as a title for the article would be the most appropriate choice.
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