My media magazine conforms to most of the real forms and conventions of media products. I have placed my masthead in the appropriate place at the top of the page, well aligned in the center. Most media magazines follow this convention with the text being slightly more enlarged than the rest of what’s on the page to make the title stand out. The images I used are very appropriate for the audience I am attempting to target for this magazine, by conveying the message I want to get across about the school, I feel as though they themselves conform to the conventions of a school magazine. This said, I have placed three images together in a line without one being enlarged and central on the magazine cover and am therefore challenging the conventions by experimenting with different shots and placements. I do however think it’s relatively effective, the images on the right and left are similar in terms of the positioning of the students, making the image in the middle stand out more as it’s a medium close up and different from the long shot images that surround it. The layout of the magazine doesn’t particularly follow the conventions one would expect a school magazine to, as it arguably looks more like a flyer than a magazine cover. Some of text looks out of place, by using long banners as apposed to the short, sharp snippets of text that are seen on real media products tests the conventions and doesn’t look as effective. The fonts I used demonstrate both the professional/fun side of the school. I chose a simple, smart looking font as the masthead as it looks very appropriate and follows the conventions of a school magazine in terms of establishing an ‘image’. For the remaining text, I thought it would be more appropriate in terms of following conventions to look at using a font more appealing to the target audience.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My media product represents particular social groups by using appropriate images and taking into consideration the conventions of school magazines. The message it attempts to convey is that the school is a fun, working environment with many opportunities demonstrated by the students in the images. Students are represented through image choice in which they are seen to be following the dress code and taking part in some of the activities that take place out side of the classroom. Because they are students at the school, people are aware of the fact that these people are true representations of what it stands for as an institution, and also what is expected of students who attend. Students are made to appear enthusiastic and hardworking – exactly how I wanted them to appear.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
As it is a magazine about one particular school, the likelihood is only Plumstead Manor Sixth Form would be willing to distribute my magazine. Having designed it to be the magazine of just one school limits how widely I’d be able to distribute it. This said, it conveys are very positive message about what the school is about and the distributor would most probably take pride in it. The message coincides with what the schools is about the brilliance of exam results and satisfaction of students. In terms of ways the magazine could be distributed internally, it could be offered in tutorial sessions or at open evenings for prospective students to gain an insight to what does on at Plumstead Manor Sixth Form, hopefully persuading them to attend.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
I would say the target audience for my media product is very obviously aimed at prospective and current students between the ages of 15-19. Choosing purple to be the most prominent colour of the magazine targets both genders – though it has a feminine edge, masculinity is reinstalled by is being a darker shade of purple as apposed to a lighter shade/colour. The main three images are all of students, targeting the important relatability between the reader and the magazine. I would say the front cover attempts to target both prospective students – through heightening the relevance of the current exam results and using positive images of students, and current students – by the reminder and consistency of the purple colour throughout, and also the dress code working as a reminder to what they should be wearing at school.
How did you attract/address your audience?
I attracted the audience initially by using engaging, eye-catching images that meet the conventions and what they would expect to see on the front page of a magazine of this nature. I think the colour scheme is perhaps the most attractive element of my magazine, the school is known for having purple as it’s colour theme and this magazine conforms and addressed that need of consistency for all products that are related to/produced by the school. As purple is neither too masculine or too feminine, it attracts both genders without one feeling isolated by the colour choice – something I felt important that I achieve being a sixth form predominantly dominated by female students most years. The use of humor too addressed the audience’s needs, poking fun at the strict teachers who have a strong work ethic without accepting the importance of having time to take a break. Directly talking about seemingly exciting opportunities entices the audience to continue to read what’s inside the magazine, as students they might be looking for fun opportunities like the ones described. Using splashes and banners also adds something to the cover, not only does it remove some of the blank space, it also makes the cover look lively and energetic which the audience would appreciate as students.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Using publisher to create my product worked to my advantage as I already had some previous knowledge of how to use it including basic construction skills. We looked briefly at the differences between Publisher and Photoshop, and how to use Photoshop for our actual magazine covers for which we will be marked on. Editing images differences dramatically, there is multiple ways in which they can be constructed and formatted. I learnt about removing backgrounds from images and the importance of layering and labeling these labels so they could be easily identified and be changed. Alignment is something I learnt about too, I had to use a ruler to make sure all my text was in line with each other. Although I have blogs outside of the one I need for my Media coursework, the construction of this one was a new experience and something I have had to think about carefully to meet the purpose and also audience expectations that one would expect. The process of converting and overwriting files was also new; saving word documents as JPEG files was something that I struggled with at first but now have enough knowledge to go forth with my actual coursework. Learning about slide share and upload limits was valuable, I know how certain hosting websites have limits to what they will hold.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt?
I have learnt a considerable amount about the importance of conforming to the placed conventions of a media product, or challenging the said conventions with justification for going against them. Being consistent in all areas of my work is something that I have learnt will help me achieve success in my media work, not only in the layout of it but also being on top of the given tasks. The evaluation of my images has made me realize a great deal about the changes I will have to make when taking pictures for my actual magazine, lighting, mis en scene and also the people I use will be an important part of determining whether my images are well produced. Continuing from the idea of things being well produced, I have learnt that I will need to use different software if I want my magazine to look as professional as possible, though for the time that I had to produce this product I feel as though I did a relatively good job with the resources I had. I think that when I do my actual coursework task, I will focus a considerable amount more on following the smaller conventions that we subconsciously ignore in well-circulated magazines in terms of the placement of images and positioning of the masthead.
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