My Media Blog

Evaluation for Preliminary Task

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

Front Cover

My front cover uses man forms of conventions of real media products. Like all magazines it contains a masthead at the top of the page, this is in larger font than any other text on the page this is eye catching and reads ‘ The Arts’ I have also positioned a strap line above the masthead which is another conventional idea although strap lines normally fall below the masthead so I am developing media conventions the strap line reads ‘The students own monthly telling you all you need to know’ this is persuasive and directly appealing to the readers attracting them. On my front cover there is also the use of kickers which promotes the features within the magazine, I have only used three and should have perhaps included more as most standard magazine include six, and consequently have challenged a convention of real media products. Most magazines have a plan background then with a photograph of a model often followed with an interview with them inside the magazine, as this is only a monthly school magazine and the model is not ‘well know’ or famous I will not be conducting a exclusive interview and I have used a whole photograph for the cover. I have also included a button on the front cover you often see this on real magazines promoting something within the magazine or a feature within it. My button is letting reader know the new performing arts building is open, also a feature within the magazine that month. My magazine has a more informal approach as the age group it is targeting students and feel informal language will appeal to them more.

Contents page

My contents page does not include as many forms of a standard conventional magazine, as it does not have a list of all the pages and features. I have chosen a colorful lay out with different shaped buttons and within them contain the contents of the magazine, this appeals and reaches students as I believe they would not enjoy reading a list of text and this way they can skim over the features and turn to any that take there interest. This could be a form of developing media products as the layouts and structures for different age groups may vary.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My front cover represents students who are interested or attend a performing arts school, for my model I have chosen a female dance student holding a dance pose, automatically potential readers can see what the magazine is about and represents the school to be a performing arts school. The features on the front cover also talk about the music department and dance show again representing those interested in music, drama and dance in any years in the school from year 7 to sixth form.
The contents page is eye catching and colourful and could represent any social group as it is not specific however the features are again related to performing arts.

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

The magazine would be distributed in a school environment as it is extremely exclusive for the students and relates and often features them, it also refers to school life. If this was distributed on the high street this would have no relevance or market.

What would be the audience for your media product?
My audience would be primarily student at St. Marylebone school, this is as the language used is related and extremely inclusive to the school community. It would be mainly targeted at sixth form students as a way of helping them become more involved in the school community but available to all years from ages 11 – 18 varying article ranges as well.

How did you attract/address your audience?The colour schemes used within the front cover and contents page bottle green and yellow are the school colours this makes the magazine feel part of the school and this will attract them, another way of addressing the audience is that by having a dancer in the dance studio will appeal to all the readers of all ages as all years attend dance lesson as this will reaches them all. The cover lines are all about things that are happening within the school such as ‘Sixth form prepare for dance show’ and ‘new building opens’ these are both topical issues within St Marylebone.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Whislt creating this magazine I have found many useful techniques, the technique that I felt most useful was the magnetic lasso tool on Adobe Photoshop. This allowed me to highlight sections of images and delete the background.