Stages of my Magazine Double Page Spread

Stages of my Magazine Contents Page

Stages of my Magazine Front Cover

Evaluation

Evaluation

For my Foundation Production, I have created a music magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread using original images that i have took myself. I have used conventions real music magazines and I have analysed other music magazine front covers, contents pages and double page spreads using the key concepts of LIIAR (Language, Institution, Ideology, Audience and Representation).

My music magazine is aimed at a young audience between he ages of 16 to 24. I have used many conventions of a real music magazine to try and make it as realist as possible. The genre of the music magazine is mainly Indie and alternative rock. I studied many other music magazine, similar to what I wanted mine to be like, such as Q, NME, Kerrang, Mojo and Uncut. I have included all of the main elements and conventions of a music magazine into my created magazine, such as a colour consistency (house style), a masthead, date, price, bar code, main cover line, cover lines and a main image. The cover lines I have created on the front cover, with a white box around them, I am very pleased about because they stand out and they look professional and convention to a magazine. Like many other magazines, I have over-lapped the main image and the masthead. This is to show that the masthead is and should be well known and that even if it is partly covered up, my audience should still know what the magazine is. I feel that this is an essential conventional on a magazine front cover. Other conventions which I used include mise-en-scene. It was essential that I used effective mise-en-scene to portray the genre of the magazine, allowing the target audience to be drawn to the magazine. I have used a consistent house style throughout my front cover, contents page and double page spread, using a silvery background in them all and using the same colours and fonts. I have done this so that you can piece them all together and that it is recognisable that all of these different pages are all from the same magazine.

My media products that I have produced are aimed at a younger audience therefore my media product is representing an Indie kind of group. With it being the Indie genre, the ideology has created an alternative type and style to pop and mainstream music. It is aimed at people who like easy listening music, people who wouldn't really fit into a category or social group, and people who consider themselves to not be in any kind of group. My music magazine is aimed at both males and females and all ethnicities, also.

With my music magazine being for a younger audience and more aimed at teenagers, this would mean that the type of institution which is going to distribute my magazine will be the average corner shops, supermarkets, and book stores such as WHSmith, Woolworths, Asda or Tesco as well as distributing my product on the Internet. My magazine is going to have its own website which will be able to distribute my magazine through a subscription service. Also, for another subscription (the first one not needed) the audience will be able to view the magazine online. I want to distribute it this way because the Internet is used mainly by the younger generation are therefore are more likely to see the magazine and maybe even purchase it online. My magazine would be distributed by EMAP along with other similar commercial products such as Mojo.

I have created my music magazine with a young audience in mind, people around my age, 16. The age group I have aimed at is between 14 and 24. I have chosen to aim my magazine at this age group because I feel that these are the kind of people who are most likely to read a music magazine, out of all of the ages, the younger generation are the most likely to pick up a music magazine.

To connect to my targeted audience and attract them to look at my music magazine, I have placed elements in my front cover, contents page and double page spread that can relate to a younger audience and I have made it so it isn’t too formal and can be understood easier by my target audience. To attract my target audience I have made my front cover eye catching with the simple use of colour, not too many different colours but enough to make it stand out. By using a contract between the black and the white colours I have made it look effective and therefore will hopefully attract my target audience and catch their eye.

I have learnt a lot about technologies whilst creating my music magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread. The use of Photoshop is the most important in this case because this is the program that I used to create all of my products. I have learnt how to use Photoshop very well from the beginning of Media when undertaking my preliminary task. I now find Photoshop easy to use and enjoy using it. I used Photoshop CS3 to create all of my components for my music magazine and I really enjoyed using it and creating all of my components for my music magazine. To use Photoshop is a very good thing to know and I am glad that creating my music magazine has helped me teach myself on how to use Photoshop. To create all of the original images, I had to use a camera. I found this easy as I knew how to work a camera.

Looking back at my preliminary task, I can see a great difference. The change in professionalism is what stands out the most, you can really tell a difference between the college magazine and the music magazine. I feel that I have learnt a lot from creating the college magazine to finishing the music magazine. I feel my use of Photoshop and skills on it have dramatically increased (hence the fact that I feel that my music magazine looks more professional). I now feel that I have used the conventions more and addressed my audience better in this music magazine task. I have kept a house style and made my music magazine look professional. I feel that my skills overall have improved and I am happy with my created music magazine overall.

Audience Feedback

To gain audience feedback on my music magazine I have set up a poll. There are a series of questions about my magazine and answers to choose from on the right hand side of the page. I created this in order take into account peoples thoughts, opinions and criticism on my music magazine. The majority of people who have completed my poll have been within the ages of 16-24, which is my target audience. This is good as they would be the potential audience for my media product.
My audience feedback is all positive and on my blog, on the right hand side, you can see the results of all audience feedback

Word Count: 1,188

Draft music magazine front cover.

my first draft of my contents page

Images I did and did not use

Basic Planning - Mind Map

draft design for music magazine front cover

Draft Double Spreads

My music magazine second draft

I think I am going to take a new picture, I'm not happy with this one as it is a bit blurred

My music magazine first draft

I am going to change the font of the masthead to make it appeal to my target audience as it is between 16 and 40 year olds. I will change the background and the colour of the main cover line as well.

Textual Analysis Contents page 3

Language: This contents page taken from the music magazine 'Q' has a big main image of the band 'The Courteeners'. The magazine always has the same colour scheme which is red an white and is show again in this contents page. The contents page conventionally features images of bands which appear in the magazine and in this case is a long shot, showing them on a hill. this is the only large image so this shows that this is probably the main storyline or article.

Institution: in the top right hand corner of the contents page you have contact information, which are websites to the Q website.

Ideology: Quite basically, the ideas in which the contents page is trying to portray include the highlighted headings being the highlights of the magazine along with the photos featured on the contents page.

Audience: The audience would most likely be someone looking for a certain article of interest and/or a regular reader of Q magazine. It is difficult to say who the audience will be as it is only the contents page.

Representation: The models on the contents page all look different, interesting and alternative; the style which Q utilises in order to make it stand out amongst the dozens of pop magazines that are out there. Most of them look quite dirty and sweaty which denotates that they're tired and connotates that they have just done a performance or even performed live at a festival.

Textual Analysis Contents page 2

Language: This contents page has been taken from an issue of the Kerrang magazine. It features many images, most of them are the same size apart from one, which therefore you can tell is the main feature of the contents page. Looking at the main larger image, you can tell that this is a form of rock magazine because of the clothes he is wearing. You can tell he is rebellious from the pose he is doing. So from just looking at one main image you can establish the genre of the magazine, also looking at the other images, they are similar and you get the feel that it is a rock magazine.

Institution: Looking carefully at the magazine, you can see there is a mention of a website for Kerrang just underneath of where the says 'contents'. But apart from this, there is no form of advertisements or any contact information.

Ideology: The way in which the people in the images are portrayed are that they are all 'rockers' and the way they have been shown to is, you can tell that the type of music to expect to be featured is heavy metal and/or rock.

Audience: The audience that would read this magazine would be, obviously music lovers and the genre of music would be heavy metal and/or rock music. The age group for this magazine would range from teenagers to up to about the ages of 40. You wouldn't expect the older generation to be interested in this genre of music.

Representation: The way in which the people on the pictures are represented are, like i have said, are quite rebellious; by the hand gesture shown in the large picture you can tell this.

Textual Analysis Contents page 1

Language: This contents page, taken from an issue of the Mojo magazine, is conventionally split up in to two sections for easy navigation. One side you have images and the other side you have text, the images obviously relate to the text. The contents list itself is placed down the right-hand side of the page, with pictures on the left. This allows the page to look professional whilst being simplistic and not cluttered with boring amounts of text. You see the use of colours such as black white and red used for the font and this is kept consistent throughout the contents page. The main image you would presume is the one at the top because its larger than the others and is at the top. The way the images are placed randomly and are on top of some others reflects on the genre of the magazine, it is rock and rebellious.

Institution: There appears to be no mention of institution on this contents page. This shows that the magazine is confident and feel it is well known enough not to have a mention of the institution on the contents page.

Ideology: This contents page is ideological to the rock and pop genre. The bands situated on the contents page are represented as talented and powerful due to the camera angles. the people situated in all of the images are dressed casually and how most people who like the genre also dress so is ideological of the target audience.

Audience: The audience that would read this magazine would be, obviously music lovers and the genre of music would be rock. The age group for this magazine would range from teenagers to up to about the ages of 40. You wouldn't expect the older generation to be interested in this genre of music.

Representation: The models are represented as quite hard-rocking and professional due to the use of the costume, props, mise-en-scene and camera shot and angle.

Textual Analysis Front Cover 3

Language: This magazine front cover has been taken from an issue of 'Uncut'. The main image (of The Smiths) is very engaging because you get eye contact from all of the members of the band and this then engaged the audience and drags them in to look at the front cover if the magazine. the camera shot is a Medium shot and therefore shows most of the bodies of the subjects and mainly the faces. You can tell who the dominant one is of the band from the arrangement of the subjects. The masthead is being covered a bit by one of the band members, but does not matter as you still tell what it says. You can tell the genre of the magazine by looking at the colour and the font of the cover lines, they are very simple but yet bold and the genre you get across is a kind of casual/normal rock. The colour scheme for this front cover is clearly yellows and whites, which are effective because they contrast between the black and dark image.

Institution: The institution who makes the magazine is recognisably; Uncut. They are an established institution with a very recognisable masthead. Because the masthead is so recognisable it can have the main image overlapping as people can tell what it is without all of the masthead showing. Apart from the masthead, there is no other mention of the institution (including no visible contact information, including websites or subscription service to the magazine, and there is also no mention of the company that owns and publishes the magazine).

Ideology: This cover is ideological to the rock and pop genre. It gives out the message that rock is simple and laid back, just like the main image. Also the artist on the front creates 'indie' music and the cover lines are all 'indie' related.

Audience: Looking at this magazine front cover, you would say the targeted audience for the Uncut magazine would be from teenagers upward to about the age of 40. It would also obviously be aimed at music lovers too.

Representation: Here, the models; The Smiths, are represented as a very laid back band, they look cool and relaxed in the main image on the front of this magazine. Looking at their costumes and prop and their posture, they are represented as a casual and laid back sort of band. The representation also creates a sense as though if you by the magazine you can be like them if you buy the magazine.

Textual Analysis Front Cover 2

Language: This magazine front cover has been taken from an issue of 'Q'. The main image (of Bono from U2) is very engaging because you get eye contact from the subject and this then engaged the audience and drags them in to look at the front cover if the magazine. The camera shot is a medium shot and therefore shows most of the bodies of the subjects and mainly the faces. The masthead is being covered a lot by Bono's head, but does not matter as you still tell what it says and shows the importance of the masthead and the popularity. You can tell the genre of the magazine by looking at the colour and the font of the cover lines, they are very simple but yet bold and the genre you get across is a kind of casual/normal rock. The colour scheme for this front cover is clearly yellows and whites, which are effective because they contrast between the black and dark image. The main image is the main focus of the front cover and there isn't much writing or many cover lines, this shows that the main image is most important.

Institution: The institution who makes the magazine is recognisably; Q. They are an established institution with a very recognisable masthead. Because the masthead is so recognisable it can have the main image overlapping as people can tell what it is without all of the masthead showing. Apart from the masthead, there is no other mention of the institution (including no visible contact information, including websites or subscription service to the magazine, and there is also no mention of the company that owns and publishes the magazine).

Ideology: This cover is ideological to the rock and pop genre. It gives out the message that rock is simple and laid back, just like the main image. Also the artist on the front creates 'indie' music and the cover lines are all 'indie' related.

Audience: Looking at this magazine front cover, you would say the targeted audience for the Uncut magazine would be from teenagers upward to about the age of 40. It would also obviously be aimed at music lovers too. But with it being Bono, some of the older generation could relate to it also.

Representation: Here, the model; Bono, are represented as a very laid back band, they look cool and relaxed in the main image on the front of this magazine. Looking at their costumes and prop and their posture, they are represented as a casual and laid back sort of person. The representation also creates a sense as though if you by the magazine you can be like them if you buy the magazine.

Textual Analysis Front Cover 1

Language: This front cover of the Mojo magazine features the famous singer David Bowie. The image is very bright whereas the background is dark and makes the main image stand out a lot. The way he is positioned is vital to the way the audience see him because it looked like he is coming from out of the dark. The famous 'lightening bold' look that David Bowie has has been shown to be on his and on the front cover as well, so its not just on the pictured person, its on the front of the cover also. The masthead is easy to read and is simple. The main cover lines retains the simple them as this again is in a basic font, is in grey but just in a larger font, this ensures it stands out from the other cover lines however is still very simple.

Institution: The masthead on this cover is very recognisable to the institution which is 'Mojo', it is so recognisable of the institution as it is so original and simple however is different to most magazine mastheads. It is a small masthead just consisting of four letters.

Ideology: This cover is ideological to the rock and pop genre. It is simple, casual but yet still attractive, which is how the rock and pop genre movements are seen to be, this music guides the fans of this genres life because they are casual just like the genre. The band in the main images of magazine often are powerful on how people who like the genre dress, the band are dressed casually and how most people who like the genre also dress so is ideological of the target audience.

Audience: Looking at this magazine front cover, you would say the targeted audience for the Mojo magazine would be from teenagers upward to about the age of 40. It would also obviously be aimed at music lovers too.

Representation: David Bowie is represented in a mysterious way because he is coming from out of the dark. the way he is putting his hand in his mouth shows that he is timid or vulnerable.

Textual Analysis Double page spread 3

Language: This double-page-spread is from the magazine NME. It is about 'Kings of Leon' and therefore relates to the main headline. The band are dressed casually, this shows that they aren't really bothered about their appears and are laid back. You can tell who is the 'main man' in the band because he is the main focus and is looking at the camera and is also on the right hand side of the page in a smaller image. The font is very simple but yet bold and simple, it is over the top of the main image if this double page spread and therefore works well and is easily legible. The mise-en-scene shows that they are on a sofa and a place that you wouldn't think to take a picture like that. So this is like their dress sense, its laid back and a relaxed environment.

Institution: There is no appearance of institution on this double page spread, which may put the magazine at a disadvantage. The lack of identity on the page means that if you didn't know which article it derived from and you hadn't seen the image and text style from the front cover, you would have no idea which magazine it derives from. There is also, conventionally, no form of advertisements nor is there any contact information.

Ideology: The ideas in which NME is trying to convey is that Kings of Leon are cool and laid back and relaxed by their poses and facial expressions, you can tell this. There is also, conventionally, no form of advertisements and there isn't any contact information.

Audience: Looking at this double page spread, you can identify that the target audience is a young age, like from the age 16 and above. But you can see that there is a lot of writing in this certain article so you would say that the people who would read this would need a big interest in the featured article and in music generally.

Representation: Kings of Leon are represented as an indie band due to their costume, mise-en-scene and the text associated with them. They are also represented as quite rebellious by the way the singer isn't looking directly at the camera lens and also their posture and their facial gestures.

Textual Analysis Double page spead 2

Language: This double-page spread from the NME issue features Lily Allen. She is wearing an iconic costume such as a 'lumberjack' chequered shirt, which is iconic of Indie. Her hair is also black and swept to the side of her face, which is an iconic hairstyle. The make-up she is wearing is also thick black which is iconic. She does, however, keep some part of her girly style by the use of the prop necklace, which allows her to express herself as still girly and not a 'tomboy'. The text is also connotates punk as the iconic punk band 'The Sex Pistols' are often wrote in that font style. She is slightly leaning, connotating that she's a bit tired or fed up, but she is still happy, and has her hands on her waists, allowing the girly side of her to still be seen. The layout of the article remains conventional; minimal text, large dominating image taking up one whole page and a large headline, in this context, in the form of a quote. It then, above the article text, has a small headline to start it off. The colour scheme, reflecting the cover models personality, is red and black, connotating, through mise-en-scene, that she is not as good as she appears to be, she has a darker side and is dangerous (the use of red connotates this). The colour of her costume (shirt) also connotates this as the mise en scene of this is the colour red, mostly dominating the article, and the black lines on her shirt. There is also high, artificial lighting showing her good side.

Institution: There is no appearance of institution on this double page spread, which may put the magazine at a disadvantage. The lack of identity on the page means that if you didn't know which article it derived from and you hadn't seen the image and text style from the front cover, you would have no idea which magazine it derives from. There is also, conventionally, no form of advertisements nor is there any contact information.

Ideology: The ideas in which NME is trying to convey is that Lilly Allen isn't a 'chav' anymore (that was her first image) and is now quite cool and indie. It also shows us that she's quite sexy which is connotates through the use of her costume (shirt) being unbuttoned at the top.

Audience: The target audience is 'indie', style-conscious, UK teenagers from the age roughly 15-25 years of age. They would be in a low class system as they wouldn't have lots of money, but wouldn't necessarily be poor as they would be in to the latest fashion.

Representation: Lilly Allen is represented as a bit of an 'indie/emo' person due to her costume, makeup, and the text associated with her. She is also represented as quite rebellious in the way she, unconventionally, isn't looking directly at the camera lens. This makes the image look professional but not conventional. Social groups such as chavs or 'gangsters' (people who idolise rappers or R&B artists) as these are the styles and forms of music which NME doesn't deal with, and therefore would clash with its overall image. To properly convey what I am trying to say about the text use and The Sex Pistols, here is a poster of them, and note the similarity between the two texts.