Evaluation Question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from that to your full product?

My answer to this question is in the form of an audio below.  I have included my preliminary task and my main task as an accompaniment to the audio.

Preliminary Task

 

Main Task

As I have discussed in the audio, I have learnt a great deal about magazine conventions including composition, font, colour and images.  My technical understanding has developed through my use of Photoshop and my continued use of its tools.

Evaluation Question 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Additional Comment: When approaching Photo Shop, I watched a tutorial video on You Tube to get me started on the software as I had never used it before.  Here is the link to that video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=gDL877V-kPo

Time management 3

Currently, I have two more questions to complete on the evaluation, which I plan to finish over the two-week break.  My evaluation will be completed by the deadline which is the 22nd of April.  My lecturer gave me feedback on my other blog posts and I am going to make improvements to it so that I can dedicate my time to finishing my evaluation.  The improvements to my blog will be done by the deadline which is the 20th of April.

Evaluation Question 5: How did you attract/address your audience?

I have answered this question on Prezi.  There is a link to it below.

https://prezi.com/lfjlcs5efgqf/how-did-you-attractaddress-your-audience/

Evaluation Question 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

I have answered this question on PowerPoint. 

My chosen audience of 16-30 year olds is definitely the age range I would put consumers of my product in.  I feel that my magazine appeals to this age group and that they would be willing to pay for it on a monthly basis.  Despite my magazine being in the Pop genre, it does not apply to singers who would generally appear in 'Teen pop' magazines as they would require far less sophisticated colours such as pink or yellow.

Evaluation Question 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

When researching media institutions, I came to the conclusion that Bauer Media was best suited to publish my magazine: 'Vocal'.  The other institutions I researched were Time Inc UK, EMap, Natmags, Future Publishing and Conde Nast.  I have decided that Bauer Media would be the most likely distributer of my product because it is a large institution based in Europe, meaning it will have offices in the UK which make it closer to home than places like the US or Australia which will have distributing institutions of their own.  Their portfolio manages not just magazines, but digital products, radio and TV stations.  It is a well established institution and the fact that it manages film magazines means it would apply to my magazine even further as 'Vocal' covers music in film in the issue I produced and if it were a real media product, then it would strengthen its popularity by including items that Bauer Media readers were familiar with.

Left: A listing from my contents page which shows film culture entering the culture of music, which fits in with the portfolio of Bauer Media.

 

This issue of 'Q' was one of my front cover deconstructions and has items that were influential to my product.  'Q' is distributed by Bauer Media and it has grown into the mediums of radio and TV.  'Q Radio' and 'Q TV' are best known for music genres like indie and rock.  'Q' is an example of Bauer Media being a very well established institution as 'Q' has its own awards show: the 'Q Awards'.  Bauer also publishes 'Empire', a film magazine which also has its own award ceremony called the 'Empire Jameson Awards'.  By distributing my product, I believe that it would become a well known magazine far quicker than with any other publishing institutions.        
                                            

Mainstream retail magazines are distributed in a variety of ways.  Paid circulation is most frequently used as magazines need to make a profit if they are mainstream.  Not only are magazines sold in print form in stores, they are also sold in a digital format online.  In a world where technology is depended on so much, the digital format of a magazine is becoming very popular and the availability of subscriptions helps to boost the profit made by publishers.  My product would also be available to download on digital stores such as 'ITunes' which could also advertise it on its feature page.  Magazines can be downloaded via the 'Newsstand' app on 'Apple' devices.  This would be ideal for my product because it would gain interest from a large proportion of my magazines' audience.  The fact Bauer Media is such a well known and popular institution means that selling my product on different media platforms would be easily accomplished and would most certainly make large profits.

Link to the Bauer Media website:  http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/

Evaluation Question 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

There is a link to a Prezi below which answers this question.

How does your media product represent particular social grou

Below, I have discussed the similarities and differences between the ways I have constructed the dominant image on my double page spread as a representative for a particular social group and the way another magazine has done so.  The double page spread I will be comparing mine with is from 'Q' magazine.  I did this using Photoshop.