Questions 2/3/4/5/6
- 1. How does you media product represent particular social groups? Qusetion2
- 2. • In my magazine the social groups I have represented are multi-cultured and white British teenagers/young adults. This I have done on purpose as it is similar to my target audience and gives them relatable content so they can associate themselves with the featured artists – makes for a closer relationship with the reader and artist (uses and grats.) • Even though my target audience is both genders I have only used female models in both my contents page and front cover, therefore presenting females as the more dominant subjects of this magazine issue. This could be seen as an attempt at empowering young females in the Indie music industry which would conform to Gauntlett’s theory (2008) that argues all magazines aimed at young women must highlight the fact that women should be independent within themselves – so therefore these magazines will present women as strong individuals and not objects for a man’s admiration – this is counter typical of many other magazines. • However, my double page spread image contrasts with this and instead sexualizes the model (red, parted lips carry sexual/ desirable connotations and blank expression could be perceived as inviting) – adheres to Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze – will attract dominantly straight males, which in turn will make my magazine accessible to both genders.
- 3. Front Cover Analysis • Striking female is dominant image of magazine – chose this as will appeal to the straight male audience (conforms to Mulve- y’s ‘male gaze’ theory) – also young females (most predominant target audience) can associate themselves with the artist – creates a personal relationship (which is reinforces by direct mode of address) – uses and grats. • Mise en scene of image is very representative of my target audience – similar clothing and minimalistic make-up (fresh face look). This could serve as look inspiration for the younger half of my target audience to aspire to. • Models facial expression is unclear which is pluralistic and counter typical as it is not particularly inviting the male gaze (Laura Mulvey) but it is also not aggressive, so much to challenge gender stereotypes. • Subjects plain clothing with embroidered detail reflects that of a trendy young teen – presents target audience with a positive role model of their own social group.
- 4. Shot types 1 • In all but one of the images in my magazine I have used eyeline shots which lets the audience to develop a more personal relationship with the artists (uses and grat.) • Direct mode of address also allows for the female to become more of a subject rather than an object (which would typically be the usual convention of a magazine shoot) – because their facial expressions are so visible and such a dominant feature it becomes harder for the subjects to be objectified as their body language is no longer of particular importance. I have purposefully done this as my target audience is aimed at both genders but predominantly females so therefore this makes it easier to attract that audience. • This presents females as strong individuals and more than sexual objects – not in danger of male domination - challenges Mulveys theory of the male gaze (counter typical and pluralistic). • I have also used mid- shots in all of my images which enables the audience to establish the importance of the main feature artists involved • In the last image (see to the bottom left of the page) I decided not to use direct mode of address. This is because I wanted the audience to not just focus on the model as the main subject of the image, but to also focus on the art that was in the background (which is also why I didn’t use shallow depth of field). The art will appeal to my target audience.
- 5. Shot types 2 • In all of my images (apart from on) I have used a camera angle that is level to that of the subject. I did this purposefully as I wanted to give the impression that although the females in my magazine were empowered they do not look down on male artists (thing could be perceived this way if I shot my images from a low angle as this conveys ideas of superiority) – in doing this I am presenting social groups that are defined by gender as equal. • This is imperative as my target audience is of both genders so I do not wish to offend anyone but rather cause interest. The representation of empowered females already appeals to my female audience (counter typical and pluralistic) however it could also intrigue male viewers as to why women need to be presented this way. This in turn could work to increase the magazines popularity as it will appeal to a wider variety of people and features feminist ideas which are very topical in this day and age.
- 6. Contents page layout • Used subheadings, rows and columns in order for my audience to swiftly and easily go directly from the information on the page to the page they desire (this fulfils my audiences needs sufficiently – whether integrative or cognitive). • I have used 3 large images to again fulfil the needs of my target audience as younger teens/adults stereotypically tend to have a lower concentration span and therefore minimal text amount is required • To make the magazine look more professional I could have included more columns with text and less images. However, this would generally appeal to a much older target audience which is not the aim I am going for. • The simplistic layout of my contents page could be perceived as negative as it portrays a representation of youth having lower concentration spans and being more interested by the superficial image of an artist rather than the actual content provided in an article. Although, a positive of this is that these things fulfil the needs of a younger target audience adequately and easily.
- 7. Ideology • In my production I have prioritised the reception theory which is a version of reader response literary theory that emphasizes each particular reader's reception or interpretation in making meaning from a literary text – it concentrates on the audiences response. • This allows the reader to form a more personal relationship with them and the artist/s they look up to and in turn intrigues fans and could potentially create a loyal fan base for the magazine. This has been done through using teenage/young adult artists that other youths would feel they can relate to and makes them (possibly) want to read about their own potential or gives them something to aspire to be like. I’ve achieved this through a variety of things such as using direct mode of address in nearly all of my images which helps create a personal relationship between the viewer and artist as well as basing my double page spread around an artist that had to work hard to get to where she is now (which is something youths may find inspirational. • An example of another magazine that uses relating to their audience as a way of creating a fan base is Billboard. In doing this the audience also gets the content they so desire and prefer. • I have used similar aged models – key aspect as helps audience perceive magazine as relatable (hegemonic). • Audience response – used both white female and mixed race females in images – represents more ethnicity (relatable) so the magazine could become more successful - however, still not that diverse as haven’t got any different social groups
- 8. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? Question3 • Bauer • Jann S. Wenner • Time Inc.
- 9. Bauer Media • Well known European- based publishing company that manages over 600 magazine worldwide. • Most known for publishing the music magazines Kerrang! (indie/rock genre) and Q (urban/rock). Although my young adult target audience is similar to that of Q’s we do not share the same type of magazine content. • Bauer has platforms all across the media spectrum, such as; radio stations(e.g. KISS FM and magic which I could use to sufficiently market my magazine as the stations may be popular amongst my target audience) and television programmes. • In approaching Bauer my magazine could reap an abundant amount of benefits because of their vast experience in managing magazine of all types of genres. I believe they could also benefit from having a magazine like mine as they do not already have one that is similar and could be as up and coming and could potentially bring in a whole different/ broader target audience for the institution. • As Bauer has multi-platform ownership they could release my product much more efficiently which would help my brand become even more noticed.
- 10. Time Inc. • Time Inc is a well known Western based publishing company that merged with Warner Communications and is owned by Time Warner, meaning the company is able to grow larger. • Publishes over 90 magazines worldwide • Most know for publishing the music magazine National Music Express (NME) which is not similar to mine however their target audience is also young adults which could help my magazine progress as if I were to work with Time Inc I would hold the same platform as them and could therefor cross over and gain a larger target audience through association. • If Time Inc were to publish my magazine it could majorly boost their success as they are a company that usually deals with more rock based magazines they typically have a predominantly male based target audience, however, with my mag I will introduce a whole new target audience to their company. Something that would help me in doing this is the fact that Warner also owns television programmes such as E! which has a wide audience that includes a target audience similar to mine (as they are teenagers/ young adults of both genders interested in fashion/culture/music) meaning that I could help create a link between that television platform and my magazine. • A partnership with Time Inc could be mutually beneficial as it would help me market my magazine and I would be able to bring something new to the table for them, bringing them even more success and larger influence over the industry.
- 11. Who would be the audience for your media product? & How did you attract/address your audience? Question4&5 My target audience: • Both genders (leaning towards more females) • Young adults – aged between 14 to 30 • Interested in ‘Indie’ music genre • Interested in fashion/culture/art • Middle/Upper-class with disposable income • Eager to use online outlets, such as; website and social media Throughout the creation of my media product I have conferred with my target audience through my focus group and asked them to give me feedback on any idea I’ve been stuck with. They have helped me to understand further what my particular target audience would want from the (genre of) media product I’ve been constructing.
- 12. Attracting my target audience I decided for my magazine I wanted my target group to consist of both females and males In order to appeal to both genders in the construction of my production I tried to resist using colours that were gender specific. In all of my music magazine research I have found that many magazines tend to go for a harsh, primary colour scheme of red, white and blue. I however, opted for something a little more subtle by using more neutral tones of white, grey and light blue to create a house style that was more delicate. Furthermore, to attract my target audience I have also used reception theory. I did this as I wanted to ensure the audience could relate to my magazine’s artists. This therefore allows for a more personal relationship between the artist and reader and in turn could potentially create a loyal fanbase for my magazine.
- 13. Front cover – Attracting my audience For my front cover I wanted to make it as visibly striking as possible in order for it to stand out when put alongside other magazines. I also wanted it to attract both male and female viewers and to do this I utilised and conformed to Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze by using a visually stunning woman as my image. When editing the image I wanted to draw attention especially to the subjects eyes as they are the easiest way to connect with the viewer. To do this I enhanced the colour of blue in the background so that her eye colour would naturally ‘pop’. Additionally I used features, pull quotes and other band names to attract my target audience as they create hermeneutic questions and as a result spark interest from the reader/viewer. I used other band names primarily because when my target audience reads the front cover they will most likely see a band that they enjoy or have heard of and this works in my favour as it will entice them into reading more.
- 14. Contents Page – Attracting my audience One technique I focussed on when attracting my target audience was allowing the reader to engage with the magazine/ brand in between issues by including links to social media pages. This appeals to my target audience as they are a generation that are constantly on their phones and therefore will have no trouble viewing the magazine through social media platforms. Another technique I have used is including a competition. This creates hype and interest around the magazine as it is an exciting opportunity and therefore will make people visit the magazine online, where they might also be interested in looking at other things to do with the magazine too, furthering the amount of hype, buzz and popularity of the magazine as a whole. The sections for ‘features’ will surely attract the interest of trendy young teens who come to the magazine looking for exclusives.
- 15. Double page spread – attracting my audience I placed the title ‘celebrating creativity’ in bold, block letters (the same as the main title and magazine name font) to immediately catch the readers attention so they have to ask the question, “how is she celebrating creativity?” This title also appeals to my target audience as they will be on the more creative side so will relate to this and want to read on. The artists name ‘Jazzy Ban’ is in the largest font on the double page spread and also has a drop shadow to emphasize its importance. This will appeal to and attract fans of the artist and make them wish to read on. • The image I used is very bold and will attract the target audience because of this. • Paint on face gives the photo a unique feel to it – appeals to the more artsy audience • Using direct mode of address – allows audience to create a personal relationship between themselves and the admirable artist. Pull quote gives hint as to what the article will be about but also creates hermeneutic questions which entices to reader into wanting to know more
- 16. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? Question6 During the construction of my product I have used several technologies for things like; research, planning, production, editing and evaluating. These include – • The internet (Google, Blogger, YouTube, Prezi, SlideShare etc.) • Lighting equipment • Canon 600D • Photoshop CS3 • Microsoft PowerPoint/Word
- 17. Canon 600D I used this DSLR camera to capture all of the images included in my final production. Using this camera was very helpful as it meant I was able to easily and quickly see my images straight after I had captured them so I knew what I liked and what needed to be changed at the time (for example lighting or angle). I have picked up a lot of knowledge about this cameras functions in my time using it (such as ISO, shutter speed, aperture and iris) which has allowed me to get the best possible outcome for my final production. However, on con of using this camera is that it is quite heavy as personally I prefer to always carry around different lenses with me in case I’d like to take a wider variety of shots.
- 18. Blogger posts – camera research
- 19. Lighting I decided because of the clean cut look I was going for, it would be best to use artificial lighting to achieve this. I found manipulating the lighting to be simple. However, getting the lights in the exact correct position was very hard to do as I did not have an assistant to hold them or more them whilst I checked things looked okay through my camera lens. There was a lot of going back and forth involved which became tedious but required persistence as I wanted to create the best possible outcome. I looked at quite a few YouTube tutorials to try and educate myself on how to get certain effects although in the end most of the things I learnt were through trial and error. In the end I decided to stick with high key lighting as I found this was a common convention on a lot of magazine covers and also because I feel it gives the photo a more professional look.
- 20. Adobe Photoshop CS3 In both the creation of my magazine and the editing of my images I have used photoshop. In using this I have learnt how to manipulate images by adjusting things like brightness and contrast. I also used photoshop to add things like text and borders in my final production. To learn how to use this programme I researched multiple tutorials or pressed the help button on the app if ever I got stuck with something. To the left is my main cover image before and after editing it in photoshop. Using the program I made multiple adjustments such as getting rid of the shadow behind my subjects head using the clone stamp tool and adjusting the contrast, brightness and hue to give the image a glossier more colourful/vibrant feel.
- 21. The Internet The internet has been a key factor throughout the whole of my production. It has assisted me in conducting the majority of my research into codes and conventions before I began constructing my magazine. I also used the internet in order to learn how to use photoshop, my camera and how/where to specifically place lights to create a certain affect on the face. Whenever I needed to post updates onto my blog I had to use the internet and throughout the whole process I learnt a significant amount about blogger and how to use it which turned out to be very useful in the recording of my research.
- 22. PowerPoint I have used PowerPoint during my research as a platform to collate and co-ordinate the common codes and conventions of music magazines. I decided to use PowerPoint as it is a clear, quick and organised way of presenting ones informational research in a concise format which makes it easier to refer to at a later date.
- 23. In conclusion… Technology has taken a massive role in both my production process and reaching my final outcome. If I were to not have the technologies I’ve discussed my product would be drastically less professional and certainly of a much lower quality and standard. The tech used has not only ensured my product is presentable but has also assisted in making my work organised with clear research and planning. Without these my work would not show half of the level of understanding or evidence of skills. Before constructing the magazine I was only partially familiar with the technologies I have used however, this familiarity helped me quickly gain a larger understanding which has now lead to a clear understanding how to use them.