Tuesday, 25 November 2008

Evaulation

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

My magazine has all the conventions you would see on any other magazine. It has plugs, a title, a price, date and issue number, strap line, barcode, main headline, main photo and more plugs.
I have used plugs which will directly appeal to students (NUS card and the benefits, UCAS application forms, Party pictures)
I have also used a headline which will directly appeal to students (Exam Stress article). The main headline is in a bold font and written across the main picture which covers nearly all of the magazine, this is a feature you would normally see on a real magazine.

How does your Media product represent particular social groups?

My magazine represents the student social group as it is a college magazine and the minority of people who will read it will be students.
The plugs and headline which I used on my magazine also represent students. The NUS card represents students as liking to get a discount on certain items as that is what the NUS card is for.
The Halloween party pictures shows that students like to go out and have a good time after college hours.
The exam stress article shows that nearly all students who have any upcoming exams do worry about them and feel pressured to do well. And once they have passed their AS levels and are thinking about going to university they will have to fill out a UCAS application form (which is another plug on my magazine). Students may be struggling to fill out this application form, so I thought the article would help.
So basically my magazine represents the student social group as liking to get discounts on certain items, liking to have a good time, stressing out over exams and once that’s all over going to university.

What kind of Media institution might distribute your Media product and why?

A publishing company might publish my college magazine. I would have to take my magazine to a publishing company who doesn’t already a publish a college magazine because if they already publish a college magazine the two magazines may be in competition with each other. I have looked on the internet and I have found a magazine publisher called ‘S&G magazines’ they publish over 300 different magazines and are based in South Wales. To get my magazine published, I would take my idea of a college magazine for Wyke College students and if they liked the idea of a college magazine, then my magazine would be published.

Who would be the audience for your Media product?

The audience for my magazine would be Wyke College students both male and female, Wyke College teachers both male and female and the parents of Wyke College students. The target age of my audience would be 16-19 year olds because that is the age of most students at Wyke College. Year 11 students who are coming to Wyke in the next college year may also be interested to read the magazine as it will give them a idea of what Wyke College is like and what events happen at the college.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my audience by putting on plugs which I knew would relevant to most students. I used the NUS card and the discount students get as a plug, because most students don’t have that much money so I knew that advertising the card would appeal to a lot of students as this is a card that will get students money off clothes, food and to the cinema.
I used the UCAS application forms as a plug, because second year students will have started applying for university and to get into university you need to have filled out a UCAS application form correctly. Some of the second year students could be struggling with this, so I decided to advertise help that will make sure their UCAS forms are all filled out correctly.
I used the Halloween party pictures as a plug, because as most students did actually go to that party they will want to see the pictures which have being taken and if they are in any of them.
I used ‘Exam Stress?! Top distressing tips inside!’ as a main headline and had a picture of a student looking stressed, because all students feel pressured and stressed to do well in exams. And some worry more than others, so I decided that this will appeal to students as they will want to see what distressing tips are inside and if they will work.
The colours which I used for the plugs at the top of the magazine are written in pink and blue. To show that the magazine is for both male and female students and these colours represent that.
I decided to call my magazine ‘Chatter’ as it is a ideal name for a college gossip magazine and a magazine which makes sure the students get all the information they need about upcoming events at the college and all the pictures and stories from past events which have already happened at the college.
I used bright colours to catch the readers eye. I think that most people would like to read a magazine which is colourful rather then a dull coloured magazine. I know that people read magazines for their content which is why I made sure the plugs and headline was in bright colours too, catching the readers eye again.

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

I have learnt that Photoshop isn’t as easy to use as it looks. In class we did get a class on how to use Photoshop which was helpful. I’ve learnt that Photoshop is better for editing and resizing images, but Publisher is better for actually making the magazine as it is simpler to use. And I think the end product looks better. I made a magazine cover in both Photoshop and Publisher, and the Photoshop copy looked like a poster but the Publisher copy looked more like a magazine.

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

I have learnt from the preliminary task, how to use Photoshop properly. I learnt how to edit an image and make the quality of the photo look better and also if the person in the picture has bad skin, I’ve leant how to use the cloning tool. To use the cloning tool you clone a bit of the person’s skin which is clear and then apply it to the bit of skin that isn’t clear and it gets rid of the person’s bad skin.
I have also learnt how to make the picture look bigger then it is without pixalating the image. I have learnt how to use the cropping tool as well.
I’ve learnt that Microsoft Publisher is better for publishing and making magazine front covers, the Photoshop. Well that’s just my opinion, but Photoshop is better for editing the image whereas Publisher is better for making the magazine because it is a lot simpler to use.
I’ve also learnt that you don’t need to put a lot of fancy writing and colour onto a magazine to make it look good. Often the simpler fonts and less colour make the magazine look more realist then fancy fonts and lots of colour. Also you do not need to put lots of plugs on the magazine to make it more appealing, if you just put a few plugs which will defiantly appeal to students, for example student discounts, UCAS application forms and pictures from parties.

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