Sarah's Media

Evaluation

2009-01-23T01:10:00.000-08:00

1. My music magazine had to follow specific types of magazine conventions so that it would look real and have real features. On the front page I looked at the different types of hip-hop magazines and looked at what types of camera shots they used and saw that a majority used a mid-shot but when there were groups on the front page the shot was usually a long-shot. The layout of the front cover was similar to a couple of hip-hop magazines that I looked at. There was a mid-shot image with cover lines on the left and right of it, there is a strap line above the mast head which was at the top of the cover. The tone of the front cover had to follow the genre of the music magazine, which is hip-hop and we had to make sure that it reached the target group as well. We had to make sure that we used the right figures of speech and the right terminology so that the audience would understand the text on the front page and especially in the feature article and be familiar with certain words. Because our genre was hip-hop we had to make sure the the model had certain props so that it would be cohesive with the rest magazine.

2. As the genre of my music magazine is hip-hop I to make sure that all the models I used were representing the hip-hop culture. The artists on my front cover is very known to hip-hop fans so we looked at how he posed for other music magazines, we had to look at his facial expression which varied from being aggressive to smiling to looking nonchalant and by looking at most magazines we found that there facial expressions were more vigorous. We also looked at their body language which was usually showing an “I don’t care” attitude, where they would be leaning against a wall or sitting slumped over on a chair. Props also help with representation where that could be carrying a knife to represent violence on the streets and so on. We had our model look as if he’s leaning against something and had to get his facial expression to show a laid back attitude whilst also looking stern and serious. We had the model wearing shows that represented the hip-hop culture, which was baggy clothing and New York hat, all the colors matched and we made sure that earning was showing as we noticed that most hip-hop artists had their ear pierced. The target audience were mainly boys aged between 15 and 18, although some of the target audience where boys girls seemed interested so we had to make the magazine look more masculine than feminine, we did this by making the colours more masculine and by having information on the front cover that would appeal more to boys. By doing some background research on T. I we found that although he is very street wise he is smart so throughout the feature article we had to make sure that we represented him in this way. We did this by asking suitable questions with answers that would get the reader to realize this too.

3. Magazine publishers that look at the genre of hip-hop conventions. The music magazines that I looked at were Vibe who is distributed by Time Inc. I also looked at King Magazine who is distributed by Harris Publications. The Source magazine was originally distributed by David Mays and Jon Shecter from their dorm room whilst in university. I think that my magazine would’ve been distributed by these guys because it is a magazine with the same audience who are interested in the hip-hop culture, fashion, music and technology.

4. The audience for my music magazine would be anyone, but mainly guys aged between 15-18 who are really interested the hip-hop culture and always want to be up to date with the latest news. Boys who are interested in the latest fashion and trends and want to know what everyone is wearing. Also people who like high tech gadgets and what’s new to buy. This is because people like to have a reliable source of information knowing exactly what is in and what is out.

5. If my target audience saw my music magazine on a shelf I think that the masthead would attract them the most because it is in a big thick font with a bright colour and thick outline. The colour scheme is very attractive as everything matches and the layout of the front cover is simple, which makes it easy to read and understand. There is only one image so the audience knows who the magazine is targeting for that issue. Little snippets of stories that is in the magazine would attract them as they would want to read more and find out who’s doing what

6. Whilst making this product the main type of software I used was Photoshop, InDesign and Microsoft Word. Out of all them I found that using InDesign was difficult as I have never used this to create any form of document. However throughout the ending of the project I became used to certain things I had to use buy trial and error which made it easy to use. If I was to use this again I would most probably still have to ask for help with certain things. I didn’t’t really enjoy using it because there was so much stuff I had to remember to use before I could do anything like clicking on the cursor icon before could continue what I was doing which was frustrating I kept on forgetting to do it, but using it for my magazine made the task easy to do. I’m used to using Microsoft word so that was not a problem and I have used Photoshop in the past so I could mange with changing the pictures and so on okay. I dint really learn a lot which using InDesign because it is similar to Microsoft Word.

7. Looking at my preliminary task to my magazine I have seen a huge amount of progress. My music magazine actually looks real as my other one didn’t’t look it as much. I have a wider understanding of how music magazines are produced and know that it is not an easy thing to achieve but looking at my ending results I can see a big improvement and I’m very happy with my finishing product. Mistakes that were made in my first task like uploading pictures and getting them to look right on the page and so on. I was really struggling to get the pictures to look less stretched out and more appealing. I also managed to get colour co-ordination to make a difference because it made it look more professional and appealing. I don’t think that I managed my time correctly as I seemed to always be rushing around making sure certain things were completed so that I could continue and go further. But in the end I managed to finish completing them. I realized that am not very good at keeping deadlines and need to make sure that I complete the tasks as soon as I get them. I worked well with my group, better than I thought I would as we all set assignments for ourselves. The Photoshop went well as we all picked what images we were going to use. I found that this task was much easier than the preliminary task because was working in a group and learning skills and relevant information from the others.

Contents analysis

2009-01-09T05:20:00.000-08:00

Sarah Akanbi

O-Zone contents page analysis

The contents page for O-Zone magazine is similar to the front cover. Showing cohesion across the magazine. Because of the magazines house-style you are able to see the similarities between the two. The same colours that were used on the front cover are used in the contents page. The font used is sans-serif, just like the on used on the front cover so text on both pages go together. The contents are aligned form the left with each article on the page in bold black font. This helps the reader to navigate through the magazine. This is a typical convention that magazines use. The contents are divided into two sections. One section showing the actual contents and the other showing the letters form the editor, telling the reader who’s on the team, information about the magazine and how to contact them. This is useful to readers as all information that they need is in the contents, saves them form having to flick backwards and forwards. There is a sub-heading called “Interviews”, with pages of interviews on it then there is a sub-heading with “Monthly Awards” and there are page numbers allocated with the main parts of the magazine and another sub-heading called “O-Zone awards” where there are images of recent artists and accomplishments. Having sub-headings in the contents page is a usual magazine convention. The sub-heading is in sans-serif font, which makes it easier to read and it is the same as the front page. It is in bold white font with a red outline to make it stand out more. On the other page to the contents page there is a medium close up image of the artist Lloyd as part of the background. On the image there is a strap line with the page numbers with the feature article on it, this lets the reader know immediately where the main story is if they want to read that first. Also the voice of the contents page fits the target audience. This image is in colour this time but with a golden, brown tinge to it to add the mature look to it. This is done because the colour again like on the front page is not bold and vibrant as a teen hip-hop magazine would be.

Feature article analysis

2009-01-09T05:19:00.000-08:00

Sarah Akanbi

Feature article analysis on O-Zone magazine

Key features of layout:

· First page is of key feature is an image of Lloyd at a medium close up shot, with a banner above his head with “You think you know Lloyd”, this is like a lure to get the reader to read on and find out all they need to know.
· The columns are split into three
· The text is aligned from the left
· As there is an interview in the magazine thee are colour codes with blue and black font.
· Sans-serif font used throughout.

Key features of language/style within article:

· First letter of article is a capital “L” for the artist’s name. This is a convention that all magazines follow.
· It reads “Lloyd insists he is ready to leave his comfort zone” this sentence works well because it is talking directly to the audience as if it is a one on one conversation.
· The tone of the article is mature, simple and uses language that appeals to the target audience.
· The audience gets the tone of the artist as he is replying in the interview so his tone of voice is used more
· This is good as the reader feels closer to Lloyd as they are getting a feel of how he talks.

Front cover analysis

2009-01-09T05:18:00.000-08:00

Sarah Akanbi

O-Zone Magazine: Front Cover Analysis

The front cover of the latest edition of O-Zone magazine follows the conventions of a music magazine very well. The front cover is well presented. The masthead is positioned at the top of the page, in the largest font so that it is noticeable and the target audience is able to identify it amongst other magazines on the shelf. However the masthead is partially covered by the image on the front of the magazine, which shows this. This is a convention that most magazines follow, showing the target audience will still recognise this. The “O” in O-Zone is made in a unique way, with the “O” at a slant, joining in with the rest of the text “zone”. As the audience are familiar with the type of layout there is a house-style. The house-style is very important as the reader will always know the type of magazine they are looking for. The house-style includes the type of font, colour theme, music genre EST. The repetition of all this is important as the audience is familiar with it. In this particular edition the main colours used are black, red and white. Music magazines usually just use three colours; this is a typical magazine convention. Above the masthead is a strap line stating” Your favourite rappers favourite magazine”, this is making the audience feel that all the rappers that they listen to buy this particular magazine and that they are all featured in this magazine. This is almost like a lure as well, to get readers to buy the magazine that is full of information about their favourite rappers and knowing that they buy the magazines too.
The image is of the artist Lloyd at a medium close up. He is posited centre of the magazine cover with his tattoo on his chest visible. The image fits with the type of genre (hip-hop) as it is black and white making it dark. The facial expression used is of him looking as if he is screaming. This would make the reader want to read on and fid out why he is screaming and what he has got to say. Next to the image is his name in large bold grey font so that the audience knows who he is and are able to know that he is going to be featured in the article. Underneath this are other cover lines telling the target audience what other artists are featured in the magazine, this is in bold font using colours like grey, red and white. The white text is on the image and as the image is in black and white the white stands out more making it clear rather than having it in red or grey. This worked as it fits in with the house-style being used. Looking at the front cover you are able to see who the target audience is, it is a mature hip-hop magazine as the colours and fonts used are simple and not as bold as it would be as if it was a 15-20 year old target audience. The target audience for this magazine is between is 18-25year, however age groups at 15-18 still tend to buy it as well.
The magazine is first to promote artist who are not in the U.K yet. Black males tend to buy the magazine more 58% with only 42% of females buying it. 24% of white people buy the magazine. I think the magazine meets the target audience of mature men.

2009-01-09T05:16:00.000-08:00

Feature article

2009-01-09T05:14:00.000-08:00

Front cover final

2009-01-09T05:06:00.000-08:00

Contents page final

2008-12-15T08:31:00.000-08:00

Here is the feature article of the magazine that i needed to analyse

Photo

2008-12-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

Here is the mgazine contents page that i was asked to look at and analyse

Photo shoot up-date

2008-12-11T01:54:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday me and my group did a photoshoot and looking at the images they are quite good and we are happy with it

Photoshoot

2008-12-08T08:10:00.000-08:00

With the results of the questionnaire we are planning to do a photoshoot with a student from my media group. We want it to l0ook as if he is on the street so we are going to be taking the photos outside with a brick like background. We will be bringing in props like a hat, hoddie, rubberbands to make him look more like the artist T. I

sep2008

2008-12-04T01:41:00.001-08:00

sep2008, originally uploaded by saraha8.

This is the fornt cover of hte magazine that I wrote a feature article,contents page and front cover for.

Magazine analysis

2008-12-01T08:07:00.000-08:00

I was asked to analyse a hip-hop magazine to look at the front cover, contents page and feature article. The magazine i looked at is O-Zone and i managed to get the media pack and find out who the target audience are, the age groups, whats popular ect. By doing so I'm able to know what kind of things my target group likes to see in the group.

Questionnarie

2008-12-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

Me and my group have made up a questionnaire to know what artists the target audience wants to see in the magazine, what features they would like to see, colours and types of fonts ect.

Main task

2008-11-19T14:39:00.000-08:00

I am now going on to do the main task which is to create my own music magazine. I'll have to decide on the genre of music, target audience, what people want to see in a music magazine, colours and fonts and create a house-style. For me to do this i'm looking at a variety of hip hop, r'n'b,grime soca music magazines to see what kind of things are inlcuded in that type of magazine.

COMPLETED FRONT COVER

2008-10-23T03:52:00.001-07:00

INSIDE ORPINGTON2, originally uploaded by saraha8.

My final peice for my front cover

FINISHED CONTENTS PAGE

2008-10-23T03:51:00.001-07:00

CONTENTS2, originally uploaded by saraha8.

My final peice for my contents page

Text

2008-10-23T01:10:00.000-07:00

Whilst making the front cover i had to make sure that i used the right font and colour. As my picture has quite light parts and dark tones in it i had to place the text in places where it could still be read and i also had to choose appropiate colours that go well with it to

Magazines

2008-10-21T06:18:00.000-07:00

I looked at a range of different types of magazine covers and college prospectus to see how they set up their front page and the layout of it. What different styles their are and how they carry it out within the whole magazine and contents page. I also needed to know what types of colours and fonts to use that would suit the variety of audience i.e gender, age, intrests etc

Diffculties with InDesign

2008-10-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

I've experienced a couple of difficulties whilst using InDesign as it is a new programme that I'm getting used to. It was weird knowing how to use the right tools to help do what i needed to do but it in the end it got better and i was able to tweek certain things into place to make it look professional.

PHOTOSHOP

2008-10-16T01:57:00.000-07:00

In my media lesson I went around the college to find a suitable model for the cover of my magazine. I wanted the cover to show a student doing some form of creative work, and luckly I found a friend doing art in the libary. I then played around with the picture in photoshop, making it lighter, fading out the background, just trying to get to know and get used to photoshop as I havent used it before. It's an easy programme to get into and it really helped me with my work.

InDesign

2008-10-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

In InDesign I'm learning how to set up magazine layout. Like in Photoshop I had to play around and find out what kind of things I had to, to make the magazine look professional and up to date. InDesin is a suitable programme for magazines we are lucky to be able to use it.

Marketing Workshop

2008-10-03T04:31:00.000-07:00

I am going to be making a college prospectus and I've been giving these tips to make it.

Who the target audience is for the prospectus - 14-19 year olds,older students and adults. You also have to check for gender, to make sure it applies for both females and males. Make sure the font and text size is suitablbe for thoes with reading disabilities.
In the pictures use a range of different ethnic groups so that it looks appealing to thoes are interested.
To make sure there is a "house-style". Making sure that the theme of the prospectus is the same throughout each issue i.e colour, text, layout ect.

Semiotics

2008-10-03T04:13:00.000-07:00

Signs:

Iconic - look like what they represent e.g a photo of you
Symbolic/Arbitrary - meaning must be cultrally learn, dont look like what they represent
Indexical - have a connection to what they represent and are suggestive rather than directly resembling e.g no smoking sign or crucifix.

fashion-magazine

2008-10-02T01:51:00.001-07:00

fashion-magazine, originally uploaded by saraha8.

Here is an anotated magazine cover. It gives me ideas on what I need to include when making my own magazine.

rayyyyx

2008-10-02T01:23:00.001-07:00

rayyyyx, originally uploaded by saraha8.

oreo-semiolgy..

2008-10-02T01:16:00.001-07:00

oreo-semiolgy.., originally uploaded by saraha8.

Signifier- a biscuit
Denotation-it is a snack,comfort food,fatty,nice to eat
Connotation- I like it, makes me happy

Flickr

2008-10-02T01:15:00.001-07:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.