Evaluation...


• In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
- I decided to base my products on many ideas i got from my research, i liked the way media institutes uniquely advertised their artists, merchandise, and supporting companies. Every didfferent Music Magazine business had their own ways of doing this, there was one magazine from my research that caught my eye because of its design. I decided to use a few of the ideas from this magazine in particular, i liked the way the featured artist was standing infront on the title. It made the artist stand out so i added this technique to my magazine. I then decided to look at other features but turn them into my own, On many different types of magazines there are other featuring artists pictures in all shapes and sizes. i liked the idea of little bubbles here and there so added a 'competition bubble' to my front page. i also decided to challenge media conventions, they normally decide to keep the theme the same on the front page's main artist along with the double page where the artist is talked about. I decided to do the opposite, i had a light theme on my front page and a dark theme on my double page, i dont this to tell everyone that on the grime scene two identities are needed. One for all your fans and another for all your enemies, you have to keep yourself to yourself and this can sometimes be darksided.
• How does your media product represent particular social groups?
- My magazine focuses on one particular social group, Grime is a very niche genre and there is only a majority of people who listen to it. Normally the age range is about 15-24, and is more known to black boys but is having a fast growing effect on white people.

• What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
- Any music companies would distribute my magazine becaue its relevent, in return they might ask for there name to be on the magazine, or advertise there merchandise.

• Who would be the audience for your media product?
- My audience for my magazine would be teenagers from the ages of 15-24, any race and any sex.

• How did you attract/address your audience?
- My magazine is a grime magazine, this would automatically attract many boys to read it because they like to keep up with street life. Girls would be harder because not many of them like grime, but to do this i would include girl artists, and equally advertise girls and boys merchandise, and have pages for modern fashion for both sex's to keep them reading my magazine.

• What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
- I already had an idea about programs like photoshop and indesign but since i started to expand my design and things started to get more technical, i learnt easier ways to do things, i found out how to blend two pictures together, how to blur easily and so on.

• Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
- Since my Preliminary task i have learnt that magazine involve more than what i included on my school magazine so took this into consideration and dealt with it on my Music Magazine. When i first started my preliminary task i didnt know how to use indesign, but my skills have improved and i started to learn a few valuble things about how to use it.

Okay, so my double page spread took me longer than i thought, i had to arrange to meet with the artist and hold a little interview, as you know all aritsts lead busy lifestyles, so this set me back on my plan a little bit. Eventually i got an hour to ask him anything, he also gave me his biography for me to extract information from. i made a little review/report and included some questions as if it was an interview. i decided to make the background pictures darker, it gives people the idea that on the grime scene you have to be witty. you have to be clever and make sure noone takes advantage of you. So this is what i tried to portray with the way my pictures are. so finally all my products are complete. now time to evaluate!

For my contents page i kept to the theme that i used on the front page- london to show my artists on top and i kept to the same colours , once again for a smooth contrast. I included quotes from other artists to show that it is a very popular magazine and everyone thinks its great. As all contents pages do they show whats in the magazine, ive included all my page numbers along with whats on the page and pictures that are featured on the page. Last but not least, my double page spread....

For my front page, i decided to change the background of my feature picture to make the magazine stand out, the idea of mixing a picture of my main artist with Big ben was to send out a message that he was on top of london at the present time. I kept my colours to a them so it contrasted smoothly but was still bold enough to stand out. I included little slogans from the magazine itself and from my artist along with headings and sub headings for this issue of 'Hood Stars'. To attract readers attention i decided to include 'competition bubbles' these feature the competitions that can be entered inside the magazine. At the bottom of the magazine i have the price along with the barcode, running beside it are other artists talked about in my magazine. Time for the contents page....

After doing all my research i decided that my magazine would follow the grime genre. I had a serious think about what would be easier to do, and because of the part of london i live in, the genre that influences me and the people i know i decided that grime would be the best as it has most relevance to me. I had a word with a few people and finally managed to get and up and coming artist to be my main feature artist. He is currently making his break into the charts, his album is being put on disc and the album artwork is being designed. i took this great oppourtunity and used it to create my magazine.

I'm lucky enough to know an up and coming grime artist, his background started on the streets and has ended up in a position to where his life involves music, i got the chance to attend one of his photoshoots and the photographer allowed me to take a few photos which i have used in my magazine. Because of this oppourtunity i have decided to used him as my main story in my magazine. The pictures i uploaded are included.

I stuck to my plan that i drew up, i got the idea from researching alot of Q magazines, they are not the same genre as my grime/hip hop magazine but its hard to find exapmles as its a hard mag to get hold of unless you got to a market/ or deep into the areas that focus on grime. I liked the ideas of this first cover because of its features, I.E bright/bold title, competition circle, big picture, other featured artists, big headlines and sub headlines.