1.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions
of real media products?
The masthead for my magazine HAZE, I used American Captain which I downloaded from
www.dafont.com, which I then imported it onto Photoshop. The font I used is bold and stands out
due it being large. I got the idea to make my masthead large and bold from the magazines CLASH
and WIRE as these both have all capitalised letters which makes it stand out; therefore I have used
a similar style to these magazines. I put the masthead centrally at the top of the title page; I did this
as I feel that it makes the magazine look neater, simpler and more professional. I placed the
masthead at the tap as it does not take the attention away from the main image of the artist
although it does standout due the font I have used.

Throughout my magazine I have kept to two different fonts, one for the headings of each page and
on or the content. For the headings I used American Captain as it is bold, easy t reads and stands
out whereas for the content I used Agency FB as this was very easy to read and looked somewhat
similar to the other font. The colours I have used are very plain as I have used black, white and blue.
For the masthead I used black as on a white background it stands out and therefore this will catch
the eye of a potential buyer/reader.
The rest of the text on the front cover is black as it will stand out and the readers will know the
details of what the magazine will consist of. These are common in magazines as it is easy to read.
However, Whats on Joey Dres Mind I used white and black font colour for this as I wanted it to
stand out more than the other text as it is the main piece of the magazine. For the fonts I am using
conventions as I have changed the font style and size throughout the magazine however I have
challenged this as well due to only using two different fonts throughout.

The use of a white border around the front cover makes the image stand out which would catch the
eye of a potential reader; it also makes the magazine look stylish and neat yet keeps it simple. I also

put a thin black border around the main image of my front cover as then it would stand out from the
rest of the page. I am using conventions from the magazine LOUD AND QUIET due to the white
border around the cover.

I am using conventions of real magazine due to what my model is wearing as this links to my
magazine. On my model I had him wear a vintage coat, a knitted sweater and skinny jeans. This
keeps the same indie/vintage style my music magazine is going for. I have used conventions from
other magazines as my model suits the genre/style of music for my magazine (Indie).

For the camera work I have used a variety of shots such as close ups and mid shots. I have used
conventions from other magazines as this is what one would expect in a magazine also due to the
mise en scene of images I have differed from magazine as majority will have something in the
background with the model standing centre frame. I have placed my model in the centre of the
frame as I believe this makes him the centre of attention. On all the images I have used I edited
them, I made them lighter so that all of the models features could be seen clearly.

My artist is represented as an indie musician throughout the magazine, via the use of images and the
article. The images show him in his natural comfy clothes, although they are plain and do not make

him stand out; this is how I wanted him to be shown as some indie artists do not want to stand out
with their costume they want to be known for their music. My target audience can relate to him as
he is not wearing expensive clothes, this is because I wanted him to be able to relate to the
common reader, as some people believe indie artists are stuck up, I wanted to challenge this. I am
using conventions of real magazines as my model does not look out of place in the images and
represents the genre of music my magazine is showing off.
My genre of magazine is shown throughout the magazine due to the simplicity of the layout on the
cover page, contents, and the spread. I have kept to a similar layout on each page which is simple
and monotone. I have used a three colour scheme, black, white and blue. This is because I wanted to
keep the magazine very simple and constant. On the cover page and double page spread I have kept
a white border around the images and article, this is because I wanted this to stand out and look
neat.

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

During my research and planning for my magazine I used UK Tribes to find the correct audience for
my magazine so that I can direct it to the target market. The audience I have directed my magazine
at is indie/alternative social groups as these will enjoy reading about the latest artists, they are also
known as Indie Scenesters. After finding what my target audience was I then conducted further
research to see what they enjoyed and what the dressed like.
Both of the artists look as if they are indie musicians, due to my artists looking similar to the actual
artists this means that I chose the correct person. However my artists does not look scruffy which is
a common trait in indie artists, however this is counter balanced by his costume. The attire I got my
artist to wear, although is different to the artists on the right, is wearing similar clothes to what an
indie artist would wear for example skinny jeans, knitted vintage sweater and a formal vintage coat.
The clothes I had my model wear were stereotypical indie music artist clothing, vintage coat, skinny
jean although that is not what the artist I am comparing mine to, this is something that he may wear
as it represents what the indie genre would be seen wearing.
I have represented my artist Joey Dre based on the Indie Scenester social group, the artists I have
used to compare is Andrew Hozier-Byrne, otherwise known as Hozier, I have chosen him as I believe
they are very similar in ways however can be very different. I have used Hozier to compare as he is a
very well-known indie rock musician, styling my artist after Hozier would show readers who Joey
wants to be like when/if he becomes a well-known musician

3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
There are many distribution and publishing companies within the media such as: Bauer Publishing,
IPC Media and any others. Another is Time Inc. one of the largest media companies in the world with
almost more than 130 million sales a month across multiple platforms. Time Inc owns IPC Media, the
UKs leading magazine publishing company; IPC Media publishes/distributes magazines such as NME,
NOW and NUTS. To gain funding for my magazine distribution I would be by promoting other
companies such as festivals. By advertising festivals this would be beneficial for both the festival

company and my magazine as the festival would get pages dedicated to the festival and it would
reach a large audience due to the vast success of Time Inc.
I believe that Time Inc. would be a suitable institution to publish and distribute my magazine as with
the sales they make and the wide audience that they reach, this would allow my magazine to be sold
worldwide. As IPC Media are the producers for NME this will allow me to gain information about
how to sell my magazine For example, where to distribute the magazine to as I will have to distribute
to a well-known company so that my magazine has the best possibility of sales.
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
My target audience for my media product is 17 to 25 year old males that enjoy indie music. Due to
the age range I have directed my product to I have made it a low price so that I know they can afford
it, 4. My target audience would commonly shop at places such as charity shops, Urban Outfitters,
SCRT, Stope etc. The life style they would live is relaxed, they enjoy playing instruments, culture and
arts, drawing, watching live gigs.
They would be describes as Indie Scenesters they enjoy new music and searching for the new
things. They will search long and hard for new artists so that they can say they have heard of the
artist/s after they become a hit. They are willing to try new things and are open to all genres of
music. Normally they will wear vintage or homemade clothes although the will change their look
depending in the genre of music they are listening
I have done a profile about a possible reader of my magazine.
Sam is a 17 Year old male from Lutterworth, in his spare time Sam enjoys playing various
instruments and performing at local venues. He says that his inspiration for music comes from a
variety of artists that are not well known, such as Hudson Taylor and Frank Turner. On Sams phone
you will all types of music genres as he enjoys listening to the difference between genres. His style is
very important to him as he likes to be ahead of the trends, often he will be wearing clothes from
the charity shop, ASOS or vintage this is because he does not want to fit in with the majority, he
wants to be a trend setter not a follower. Sam works at a local tea room as he is being payed a little
above minimum wage he does not have a lot of money to spend on himself, he uses his money to
buy music at HMV and buy music magazines so that he can keep up to date with indie artists.
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
My cover page attracted the audience as on the shelf this will be what you can see; this attracted the
audience as it was eye catching due to the main image in the centre of the page with a black border
around it, the bold font for the masthead at the centre of the page. I also included, at the bottom of
the page, other bands that were featuring in the magazine; this will have helped attract audiences as
the bands would have notified fans that they would be in the magazine. This is the main page f my
magazine as I this did not capture the attention of the audience they wouldnt buy the magazine.
Similar to my magazine is Clash magazine and Loud and Quiet magazine as they both have very
simple coves with an image, masthead and a few lines around the page with information inside the
magazine. I have used the conventions of these magazines so that my magazine will attract an
audience with similar music taste.

My masthead on the front cover of my magazine is bold; this is because I want the name of my
magazine to stand out when on the shelves so that it will be noticed by a potential buyer. I used a
black coloured font as on a white background this would stand out the most and gain attention. I
used conventions from CLASH and LOUD AND QUIET magazines as they have a big bold masthead
for the same purpose, due to a vast amount of magazines in my genre using a bold masthead this
meant that it appealed to my target audience.

On my contents page I used relevant topics to what my target audience would enjoy reading about,
such as information about gigs and interviews with multiple bands etc. I kept the same theme as my
front cover as they are both very simple with just one image on. I left the main article in a larger font
size as I wanted this to stand out more than the rest as that is why the customer bought the
magazine. I did the main text in white as on a dark background white was the easiest colour to read,
this will appeal to my target audience as it means they can read it easier and go to the page they
want. However, Contents and the date above that was done in black, this is due to being on a
lighter background making it easier to read and I then also keeps to the theme of my magazine. My
magazine contents page is different to any magazines I have seen as none of the use a picture similar
to mine and the way the text is lain out is different.
On my double page spread I had a heading that was the name of the artist in the article Joey Dre
this was placed at the top of the page in the largest font and bold as I wanted this to stand out more
than the rest so that when a reader is flicking through the pages this would catch their eye.

Next to the image on the DPS I placed a quote from the artist; this gave the reader
an insight into how he feels about performing in front of various crowds and how
he is as a person.

I used one image to take up the entire left page; this is because the reader needs to know how the
article is about. I had my model styled in a vintage coat and black skinny jeans, this appeals to my
target market as this is the style of fashion they would wear. I had him face the camera and stare
directly into the lens so that it would capture the eye of the reader; this interacts with the reader as
it seems as if they are looking at the reader.

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

Camera: For the photography of my media product I used a Nikon D3200 camera, whilst using the
camera to take the photos for my preliminary magazine I found that the quality of the images were
high therefore this prompted me to use this camera for my final images. The images looked natural
and to a professional standard, this will make the reader feel as if they were reading a mainstream
well known magazine. The use of artificial light in the photos meant that when my model was
standing in front of the camera there were no shadows behind him, this made the image look
clearer. By using a white back drop this meant that the look of the model would be clearer also he
would stand out as he was wearing dark clothes in the photos.

Software: To create m magazine and edit the photos of my model I used the programme Photoshop
on the school computers. Using this programme allowed me to gain appropriate skills to create
pages and edit images to that of a professional standard. For example I learnt how to manipulate
images so that they would fit in with the surrounding information, I did this by cutting out particular
parts of an image using the lasso tool this allowed me to remove the background of an image. All of
my magazine pages were created using Photoshop CS6, in which multiple layers were made so that I
could edit each part of my pages. Before using Photoshop I had little experience using the
programme, although after using Photoshop to create my magazine I now feel comfortable using it.

Other: I used a wide variety of other resources to create my magazine research and planning. I used
blogger to post my coursework; this allowed me to post updates of what research I had been doing
to improve my magazine when I came to make it. I also used scribd to put Microsoft word
documents onto my coursework blog; I would upload them to scribd and then embed them onto
blogger in a post. To create my magazine pitch where I identified my target audience and the plan
for my magazine I used Animoto, this created a video in which I could add text and images in, I then
embedded this into a post onto my blog. I also used a selection of websites to help research for my
magazine, such as Google: which I used as my search engine, Da Font: to find an appropriate font
and download it to Photoshop, YouGov and UK Tribes: to get an idea of what our target market
enjoyed.

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression
from it to the full product?
Mise en scene: After reviewing both my preliminary magazine and my finished magazine I have
improved on what I have produced. I have made improvements on mise en scene and the camera
wok I have used; these have made my magazine look more professional. I have improved on these
areas as during my research and planning I looked at multiple well-known magazines, this helped as I
used conventions form these magazines make mine look more professional. I have also improved on
the images on my magazine as I have learnt how to style my model in ways hat suit the genre of the
magazine and in ways that appeal to my target market so that they will be interested in buying my
magazine. In my preliminary magazine, the model on the font cover was wearing a black hoodie,
although this would have suited the target audience for the magazine it would not have helped in
my final piece due to it being an indie music magazine. However on the front cover of my final
magazine I have styled my model in a way that appeals to my target audience as he is wearing a long
vintage coat, which you can only see a small section of it as I wanted the focus to be on the artists
face. These changes in style improved the mise en scene.

Camera Work: My camera work skills have also improved from the time of preliminary magazine and
final product. When taking the photos for my preliminary magazine there were shadows on the
white wall behind the models, this was due to not knowing where to position lights so that there
was no shadow and all of the models features were clear. Whereas when I took the photos for my
final product I used 3 lights, each positioned in different places so that my models face was evenly lit
up making him clear. I have improved on my directing, this means that I could manipulate my
models position to make the image more interesting. When taking photos for my preliminary
magazine I had the models stand facing the front with a blank expression on their face, aside from
one image. However when taking photos for y final product, although I had my model do a basic
pose by standing with his arms by his side, on the front cover I had him look toward where his name
would be. My use of camera shots has improved as during y preliminary the photos were all mid
shots, this meant as a reader you would not be able to see the facial features in as much detail,

whereas in my final product I used mid shots, close ups and medium long shots, these allowed me to
see in the photos what the model was wearing so that it could appeal to my target audience.
These are images from my final product.

These are images from my preliminary magazine.

Layout: I have improved my layout as I have learnt where to place images and text in harmony with
the page, this means that where the readers eyes will be drawn to and how to layout out text so
that it is clear. On my front cover the masthead is placed at the top centre of the page this is
because it will grab a potential readers attention, this is why it is bold and in all capitals. Also the text
around the image of the artist is laid out so that it does not bock out a large part of the image and it
is clear and easy to read.

I have made improvements on the contents page, which has made it look more professional. For my
preliminary magazine I did not take into account how many pages that the average magazine
features as mine only included 9 pages. When laying out the content of this page I did not do any
further research on actual magazine to see how they had laid out their contents page, also due to
my lack of knowledge using Photoshop I was not confident in using the software. When producing
my final product I had done vast amounts of research on different layouts and I had tried multiple
before deciding on my final contents page. After my research I found that music magazines tended
to have a lot of pages that consisted of various different topics, I then decided that it would be more
appropriate to have 123+ pages, also during this research I saw how different magazines would
layout their contents page, I did not model my contents after another magazine as I feel that and
indie magazine should be somewhat different to the mainstream magazines.