Evaluation

This is an evaluation of my media studies coursework. I had a preliminary task which was to make a college magazine, this was to help me prepare for my main project which was to create a music magazine.  In order to complete this task, I researched existing music magazines to give me inspiration and to learn how a magazine of this genre would be put together. This then enabled me to make my own magazine. I will use various multi media tools in order to explore the successes and setbacks of the project. 

Q1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?



Q2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?


In this audio recording I've talked about the model as there is only one, i spoke about the typography as well with the photo demonstrating a young, white male. The urban culture of hip-hop and how i have demonstrated a particular social group, I have added a slight twist to the ethnicity.

Q4. Who would be the audience of your media product?




Q3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Q5. How did you attract/address your audience?

Using peer review, I realized that I attracted my audience by making the cover bright and structured with an interesting photo. I also discovered that I adressed the audience in a very structured way and gave them a unique perspective on hip-hop.

Q6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
 

Q7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

 

Throughout the project, I feel since I first created the preliminary front cover of the college magazine, until I made the final edition of the music magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread. That the progression of the professional appearance of the cover is vastly improved. The photograph is much better quality; this is due to the higher resolution, better use of lighting and much better pose of the model. All of this I have picked up and understood from not only the errors in the preliminary task but also by comparing the cover to other existing magazines and how the photographs in them are constructed and used.

The typography fits the genre in the music magazine as a pose to the preliminary college magazine. To be honest I didn’t focus as much on the typography in the preliminary task and I really only based my concepts on famous magazines that had no relation to college magazines, in the music magazine used DaFont to find the font that I felt best reflected my genre and so the audience could actually judge this by it’s cover but have a positive effect as well. The structure and layout of the page was also a big thing that I enhanced in the music magazine in comparison to the preliminary task and I feel that the research and planning helped a lot with the construction and made the cover look exceptionally professional.

The colour scheme in “Trax” is a lot more effective than the preliminary front cover, it is bright and bold, and it really stands out which is necessary in attracting audiences, be it online or on the shelf. Another aspect I have learned is the effects on the page, in Photoshop there are a lot of tools that allow bits and bobs to be chopped and changed. Some of these effects are very small or subtle but putting them all together makes for a massive difference. The preliminary task has no effects what so ever. On the other hand, the full product “Trax” has glow on some text; drop shadows, texture and scoring. Also I slightly altered the lighting of the picture using the curves function, giving me the picture I aspired.