EVALUATION

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

POWERPOINT:

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

VOICE RECORDING - SOUNDCLOUD:

Go to this link -> https://soundcloud.com/timtimland/new-recording-2

I had decided to do an R&B/ Hip Hop genre, this is because of the results I had received from the surveys I had given online and handout, the highest interest was of this genre. Also seeing the outcomes of choices has chosen the age range.

My media product represents similar social groups to magazines such as VIBE, Billboard, XXL or any other young adult magazines. R&B/Hip Hop originally comes from Black people, but then expanded to all races now as it has hit globally to everyone’s attention.

Therefore the model portrayed as the main featured artist is Asian, which not much magazine have but nowadays, more artists within this race are become known. Therefore this gives a different effect and could also attract audiences within the same race.

This is because it is a “trendy” magazine, which ages 16-24 mostly look at, this, is because of the language used and images used. Therefore it would be most appropriate for people between these age ranges.

The product is not aimed at a specific gender, as I feel this could be at interest for both males and females. This is due to the variety of information mentioned on the cover and contents page. The gossips and fashion tips would be at interest for females whereas the rap battles or albums mentioned it could attract males.

Also the clothing of the models would have a huge impact on the audience as well, the first model who is portrayed in both front cover and double page spread is wearing a fashionable and trendy outfit as it is casual and many guys wear clothing just like it.

The second model who is portrayed in the contents page is wearing a girly yet casual outfit as well but only the headpiece created a more elegance and chic look. But this is what most female artists within this genre would wear, they tend to wear something which is interesting and eye catching whereas the males would wear something a bit more laid back.

The colours as well are dull and neutral yet work very well for the whole mystifying and fascinating look. Although many would have colour especially the females will tend to have bright shocking colour or the makeup would be very abstract and quite wild. I thought having the clothing simple could also attract an audience as they can relate to it.

Having these two different outfits I feel would affect the audience's attention as well as make them want to look through it. As the use of colours and style of clothing would attract the audience age range aimed at, as they are young adults who majority would wear dark and relaxed clothing.

3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media project and why?

VISME:

Go to this link -> https://my.visme.co/projects/evaluation-b63e15

4. Who would be the audience for your media project?

TYPE:

For my project, the target audience would be aimed at teenagers, this is because the genre is of R&B/Hip Hop, which most teenagers listen to, and therefore it would be best if I keep my project at interest for them. 

This means I would have to concentrate on the images and amount of text used, as I would not want the audience to feel bored. And so it would have to be exciting and very attractive as the main reason for teenagers to look at a magazine is because of the cover star, they would then look at the information on the magazine. 

For that reason, the theme would have to be trendy and stylish. But it is not aimed at a specific gender, ethnicity or race, hence why it is aimed at a large audience. This also means that I have a chance of attracting an audience who may not usually read a magazine of this genre but by presenting it in a way for a range of people, helps attract new audiences as well. 

Furthermore, magazines of this genre consists of; gossips, interviews, fashion tips, launches, news etc. for that reason, it can include; posters, ticket offers, inserts etc. which would further interest many people.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

MINDMEISTER:

Go to this link -> https://www.mindmeister.com/526067885/how-did-you-attract-address-your-audience

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

PREZI:

Go to this link -> <iframe frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen="" width="550" height="400" src="https://prezi.com/embed/loqqunzfykak/?bgcolor=ffffff&amp;lock_to_path=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;autohide_ctrls=0#"></iframe>

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


VIDEO RECORDING:

I think I have understood the conventions of magazines better than I did before; this is because of the music magazine analysis of the front cover, contents page and double page spread. I now understand how music magazines have used different features and techniques to draw the audience in.

I found out that a lot of magazines used sky lines above their masthead to get the audience to read it first so that it gives a bit of information to the reader that may be important. And also other structure techniques of a magazine to make it look more professional also adding a bar code which I had completely forgotten on my prelim task. However this could mean the barcode was at the back of the magazine but we did not had to create that but then again most magazines have the barcode at the front.

During the process of my media product, I have also improved my skills on Photoshop and learnt so much more than I did at the start. My preliminary task was a very basic product whereas my final product has a lot more included because of the new things I had learnt.

At first Photoshop was very new to me, using it for my prelim task was quite difficult therefore I had kept it simple and not much has been put into it, the basic edit skills have been done such as brightness, contrast and saturation of the images and then crop or adding text.

Whereas in my final product I have edited the images using a variety of tools such as brush tool that can be changed in a number of ways, lasso tool and spot healing brush tool. There are many editing tools that can be used that created the images I had used for my final piece at a higher standard than the images on my prelim magazine.

Also I think that my photo shoot for the final task went much better than the one in the prelim, the reason for this is because the date and timing was planned beforehand and not last minutes like the prelim. Also the outfits were decided and organised as well as the location of where the photo shoot will be taking place and also I had taken a wide range of images for the final piece.

Creating a questionnaire and seeing the results and creating my product based on what the audience has suggested, has helped me greatly in completion of my work. This is because I then knew what features or how my magazine should look such as genre, colours or even language. Taking the audience feedback is vital in order to create a product as it needs to be at their interest due to them being the customers.

And as a result, my progress throughout the media product had improved hugely even to the final section of the course of the evaluation. Using different technologies and software’s has all been done due to creating the product for this course.

MAIN TASK 2: Final Double Page Spread

MAIN TASK 2: Final Contents Page

MAIN TASK 2: Final Front Cover

MAIN TASK 1: Double Page Spread Development

MAIN TASK 1: Contents Page Development

For my contents page I had gone through a number of processes and developments in order to create my final piece. Screenshots below are the different experiments of my contents page. This altered from images used, sizes, layout of information to colour arrange. However, the screenshots taken was after the piece had been created therefore, on the right side of the images, section "layers" has everything there already. And so I had to unclip those so that it gets removed from the page in order for me to show the different steps.

I first started off by keeping a plain white background and did not want to use the brick wall background or any colours in general, as this is how most magazines had the contents page. But also because I felt it made everything just stand out even more.

I then chose an image, first edited an image of the first model of my brother, but then thought it would be too repetitive and decided to change the image to the other model. However, as the other two style of images I had taken was of different genres, one as a rock theme and the other as a pop look. 

Therefore I tried out both and edited the pop look in order for it to look less "girly". I used a tool which removed the colour of the pink dress and I made it grey, this I thought went well with the look and not the pink. Unfortunately there was no way of removing the floral headband and so I had to change the colour as well to grey.

In order to change the colour I had selected the "colour replacement tool", to then use this tool I needed to set the foreground colour to the colour I want the clothing to be. Below on the left side on the toolbar there is two squares overlapping ne s black and the other is white. 

I then had to click on the top sqaure and a new window will open. This allowed me to choose a colour, next at the top of the screen there are options saying "Mode, Limts and Tolerance" and also a brush otpion.

The mode should be set to colour, limit to contiguous and olernace can be altered this allowed me to paint the edges of the area needed to change colour and not drag out on to the rest of the image.

And so next I had started to paint over the area needing to be changed. But it did not create as much of a change I had hoped it would and so therefore, I had used a different way to alter the colour of the outfit the model was wearing.

I had tried the "Selective colour" method, I went to "Layer" - "New Adjustment Layer" -  "Selective Colour". A box then popped up and I had to just press "ok" because the outfit was changed to a "greyish" colour, I had to select the colour selection on blacks.

Then I used the sliders to change the greys and blacks on the image but as the image has other sections similar to these colours, therefore it had altered those as well. In order to avoid this I would have to use the "Magnetic Lasso Tool" to use this I had to click a point on the edge of the outfit and then move the mouse around the rest of the outfit back to the first point made.

I can then make the same adjustments but only this time the outfit would change and not other black or grey sections of the image. However I wanted to intensify the whole image and so the model's eyebrows and sections of the hair such as the highlighted strands had been "darkened" to create a more dramatic effect.

After cropping the image and erasing around the model in order to get rid of the background. This was quite difficult as the model has long hair, therefore it was very difficult to avoid erasing her strands of hair.

I then started to add text on the page by first starting off with the title, at first I had put "Contents Page" but after realised that it should be "Contents" only. I had kept the font style the same as the title on the cover as I did not want to use a variety of fonts.

I had placed the title to the slight right side as this is where I saw most magazines within this genre or similar to the style I am doing had placed their titles. And so I thought the rest of the text such as the contents would also be placed on the right side.

The colours used are all the same as the cover as I wanted a colour theme, this creates a more professional look rather than having random colours and different styled fonts.

I had to then come up with information that I would like the magazine to include by keeping in mind that the artists mentioned on the cover that would be featured should be included within the contents. And so I took some ideas from other magazines in order to help me know what to put about each artist or band.

I then thought that the page number should be in a different colour as this again is what most magazines had, this would increase interest as well as be more eye catching for the audience as they could directly know which pages include "interesting" information.

And so because I did not have an purple yet on the page, I had changed the numbers to the same purple as the one used on the cover. This again added to the colour theme 

MAIN TASK 1: Front Cover Development

For my front cover I had gone through a series of processes and developments in order to create my final piece. Screenshots below are of the different experiments and drafts of my front cover. This varied from places of the title, to sizes of font, to structure of text or colours. Receiving feedback from the public made me help which ideas to choose, although on many occasions I did feel that my view and choice did look better and therefore had gone with that. But the screenshots taken was after the piece had been created therefore, on the right side of the images, section "layers" has everything there already, therefore I had to unclip them to remove it from the page in order to show the different steps. This had been quite difficult as it would have been easier to just take the screenshots while creating the magazine.

I first started off by placing an image of the model on photoshop which I had kept changing as I wanted something that would be serious and dramatic. I decided that a mid-shot would work best as that is how "VIBE" magazines have most of the time, I then altered the brightness and contrast of the image and also used a "spot healing brush tool" in order to get rid of any blemishes on the model's face.

Then I started placing the title, I had first thought of having the title as "BASE" but then as it was too short, I could not find a font where it would stretch the word in order to fill the entire top section of the page and so I had changed the title to "OVERDOSE", which is a longer word, therefore fitted well. I altered the position many times by having it placed at the top, at the bottom and along the right side, vertically. This was because, having the title at the top it had overlapped the model and covered his hair. 

And so I changed the positions of the title, but then decided it would be best to have it placed at the top, as most magazines have it there and also in the other placed would overlap the model's clothing which I did not want.

I then had to decided that to have the title there, I would have to change the size of the model and have it smaller, but I could not do this as the background and model was one image. And so I decided to have the two separate. As I wanted more of the brick background to be seen, therefore I had placed only the brick wall image on the entire page. 

I then got an image of the model and had to re do the brightness and contrast, I then cropped out the background, I had to also erase sections around him, which was quite difficult especially around his hair.

But as it is placed at the top, this enabled me to change the image size of the model as first, the font was too big and overlapped the model, covering his hair. Therefore I re-sized the image, I then chose the font and I wanted something quite thick and bold, I went through the entire list of selections and chose "Impact". This was already a capital letter word therefore it worked perfectly as capital letters are more bold, even when it is in a thin font.

To then add a slight shadow around him, as by erasing the background off the image made it look very clear that it has been "rubbed" out and so I  had to add something that would smooth out the image and add a bit of a shadow blending onto the background. In order to do this, on the right side of the image below is the section of the different layers. The one highlighted has the steps below of how it had been done.

However, most magazines I had seen especially "VIBE" had their titles placed next to the image but the image overlapping the title. And so as my image of the model and background was separate, this enabled me to have the title in between in the layer section, making the title placed under his head but due to the slight shadow around him, it created a nice blend.

I then added the name of the "artist" making sure it looks like a stage name as most R&B and Hip Hop artists have a stage name and not their real name. This is because their real name is considered unattractive, dull or it presents an undesired image. And sometimes they change their name to something unusual or outlandish to attract attention. Therefore I had chosen "Zed Eclipse" as it is not a normal name but sounds very interesting and so could appeal more to the audience.

I then added a barcode which I had downloaded from "Google Images", as it opened up on another photoshop page, I had to drag it into this page. I then added a price of the magazine, by seeing the results of the questionnaire, it allowed me to choose a price on the most suggested. I then converted this price to "$", this shows how it can also be sold in the USA, showing how it is quite broad and at a high level.

Next I added a question "Who is the best rapper ever? you decide", this had been inspired by one of the "VIBE" magazines. I felt that this engages more with the audience by asking them a question and specifically mentioning "you" made a greater impact. Also as this genre involves rappers, therefore the magazine would likely to contain some information about famous rappers. I made the section where I wanted it to stand out, in a different colour to the rest of the text, in this case I made the "The best rapper ever" in purple, making it eye-catching.

Then I added a list of artists who will be featured within the magazine, again I thought of creating some as stage names to attract the audience. As well as I added some "normal" names as some artists do still wish to keep their real names. Therefore I felt it would be best to keep a variety, and most likely groups would have a stage name. This is evident about which names are a group and which are a single artist. I then changed the colour by having a pattern of white and purple, this created a more captivating feel as by having it all in white would be quite boring.

I then thought that it would be quite vital to have a subheading of the list, in order for it to be clear what the list is of, this is due to the audience not knowing the artists names. I changed the "10" to a slightly bigger font than the "Featruing" this is becuase I noticed that the numbers on "VIBE" or other "Hip Hop" magazines have the number in a larger font to the rest. 

I wanted it to be different but be the same colour font, therefore I decided to have an outline around the text. To do this I had to double click on the layer of the "Featuring 10" and this box would pop up which is shown below. I would then have to click "stroke" on the left side of the panel in order to choose the colour I want the outline to be and I also can alter the "thickness" of the outline.

Next I added a short quote which links to the genre and theme, this was found from "Google" by simply typing in "R&B quotes". I changed the position of the quote a few times by having it at first in a slight bigger font and placed above the name of the artist. This was so that it looked like a main quote in general from all artists as it involves them all. But then I wanted it to seem like it was a quote from the artist shown and so changed the colour to white so that it matched and placed it below the artist's name.

To then add some of the purple colour on the left side of the page as well, as I felt it was all on the right side only. I added "New takeover", this creates a very powerful look of the artist shown as this mentions how the artist is a "new comer" as well as showing how popular or well the "singer" is by taking over within this genre. And as it is placed just below the name of the artist, it shows a linkage of the artist to something for example, some people are known as a "legend". Having a characteristic linked to the name makes the person more well known.

Looking at the "VIBE" magazines I noticed how all of the magazines have a line of text along the top of the page. And as this had space at the top, due to the title being placed near the head, this gave me plenty of space to have text at the top. And so I put a word on each topic, that summarises what is included within the magazine. This I believe would grow further interest due to the audience immediately knowing what else is in the magazine without really opening up the magazine. And as it is put in one word for each section, this gives a quick idea of what it involves.

Due to the left side of the page being quite plain, I thought of putting another piece of information but decided to put something that would include a number. This is because magazines under this genre have a lot of bold numbers placed on the cover. And so I thought of having the information of "20 new tracks" being added, in order for the audience to know that it includes information about new songs.

But I then looked at "XXL" magazines and saw that a few have the information of "Hip Hop" being for 40 years and so I thought that would work nicely with my magazine as I already have something linking to "R&B" but needed some information about "Hip Hop" as this is intended to be both genres. I then added the outline and had the fill in the same as the background, this is how the "XXL" magazines had done it as well which I thought looked delicate yet stands out.

I then decided that the colour theme of white, grey and black was evident but the colour of purple being the main featured colour was not too noticeable. And so I decided to change the title to purple, but it did not look professional as it was a matt finish.

 But looking at one of the "VIBE" covers, I thought of having the title in two colours horizontally, by blending the purple into black. So in order to do this, I double clicked the layer of "Overdose" and selected the "Gradient overlay" on the left side. To then change the colours I had to double click on the section where it has the drop down button of the colours.

This box below, had then opened up, to change the colour I had to double click the little dragging arrows on the either ends of the line of colour. I could then alter to how much black I wanted by increasing or decreasing by the use of the arrow. To also change the sharpness of the two colours by either smoothing it out in order to blend nicely or to have a sharp change between the two colours.

 And as the model's hair is black, I thought the purple side should be near the model's head and the black part at the top.

COLOUR EXPERIMENTATION:

During the process of creating the front cover, I had also experimented with different colours, which I had done right at the beginning. These are the different colours I had experimented with,I had first tried out a bright blue but it was too subtle and blended with the grey background, making it not stand out. The green also I felt was too bland and not eye catching, however these two colours blue and green are very rare in R&B/Hip Hop magazines as the colour most often used is red. Therefore I tried that colour, but felt it was too mainstream as the front cover just looks too similar to "VIBE" OR "XXL" magazines. Whereas I wanted to go for something different yet very eye-catching and suits well with the theme.