DONE!

I'm...I'm done?! YEAAAAHHHHH! I did it! *Smacks head onto keyboard from tiredness*.

Although I might have went on a bit of a tangent at times, I feel like I stuck with the task well and achieved pretty much what I have set out to do from the beginning. It feels like ages ago since I set out my original layout plan, but now that I'm done I can certainly tell I have improved dramatically, especially in the use of Photoshop and such.

Ah well. I can now put this all behind.....

*Teacher walks in* Uh, William, could you re-do this please?

AHGHHHGHGHGHG!!!

Evaluation TIIIIMMMMEE!

I have created a magazine cover, contents and double page spread for a pop punk music magazine targeted towards a lower class teenage/young adult audience. In this evaluation, I will explore and evaluate the various features this magazine has.

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





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










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


4. Target Audience

5. How does your product attract/address your audience?

Analyzing what my focus group has told me, I have assemble a review on their statements. One example is the fact that they agreed that the magazine fully conveyed the genre of the magazine, especially through the aesthetics as they emphasizes the "attitude" of the magazine. This all addresses to the audience about what the magazine's theme is.Also, my focus group has stated that the magazine has an overall attractive appeal to it, even if it isn't the genre that they are interested in. This shows that the magazine is well presented, even to an unlikely audience. Another point that was raised was the use of the models in the front cover which also addresses to the audience that the magazine is not trying to be too gender specific either.The masthead's style is also very attracting and visible to the audience as well, as many of the focus group's members agreed mainly on the attention drawn to the typography and style of the text.The style of the magazine mainly conforms to the genre of the magazine. Also, the group has continuously stated that the magazine is "cool" especially when on the layout of the contents page and the elements in the double page spread, meaning that the magazine is quite stylish and relate-able to my audience. 

Q6. What have you learnt about the technology whilst constructing the product?

There are many things that I have learnt whilst I have constructed my media product. One of them includes a better understanding with photography, this includes a more thorough evaluation of the use of surroundings, lighting and models to better my advantage and create more effects with them. One challenge was trying to find the right shot to take as there were quite a few mistakes that were made whilst shooting, which was only overcome by trial and error.

Throughout this project, I have also got a better understanding of the photo manipulation program, Photoshop and its many tools. In the program I have discovered the use of effects by clicking on the layer in the layer window. This allows me to utilize effects like shadow and emboss to create a more 3-Dimensional piece as well as something that looks more professional looking. However, I have also learnt that and over-use of these effects could make the product piece look like it is “trying too hard” and end up looking amateurish. This is something that I have taken into consideration after its discovery.  There also a good tool that allows me to erase pieces of the image I do not want, however it sometimes does not erase properly and I would need to do it manually afterwards. However, considering the effectiveness of this tool, it is a small price to pay. I have also gone a step further and downloaded some brushes off the internet, rather than using the default brushes Photoshop given. This allowed me to create amazing textures and patterns that gave the piece its own individuality. This project has also incorporated the use of In-Design to create my double page spread. There were some problems with this program in the beginning, as I did not realize that the program would lag due to the immense size of the image I imported that I created on Photoshop earlier. This caused a few problems with the program use as I was limited to what I could do. Luckily, I overcame this problem by changing my image size back into Photoshop and reducing the resolution to a workable rate. In in-design, I learnt how to format my layout properly. The program allowed easy manipulation and creation for the magazine as well as allowing access to the different typography I downloaded. However, it did not have as many effect uses as Photoshop and the ability to create interesting effects were a bit more limited. I have also tried out various technology on blogging like blogger and media recording with Quicktime and audio recording with Audiocity. Each with it's own pros and cons, Quicktime allowed me to film good quality videos with sound, however one gripe that I had with the program was the fact that I needed to do multiple recordings as a lot needed re-touching. Due to this, I needed to make multiple recordings, which Quicktime put in multiple windows, so I had a lot of windows in the end result and it was difficult to find the right one. Blogger has been easy to use and I am able to quickly edit my posts without too much hassle, it has also been quick to pick up and learn as well. Other tools also included "screen-grabbing", taking images from the computer and then presenting them onto my blog, this also had the problem that Quicktime gave me, as I needed multiple copies and it gave me multiple copies that looked similar, however this was overcome easily with some clean organizational skills.

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

In the beginning of the preliminary task, there was a more careful approach the the tools and technique that photoshop offered. Probably as I was not as confident or familiar with the tools. However, as the project continued, I was more experimental with the program and created more professional looking pieces. I discovered that I was able to download textures and typography from the internet, which allowed me to make a more unique and individual looking product. I was more through and more cleaner with the use of the magic wand tool and was able to select and delete things more carefully. I also played around more with the layout and the direction of elements rather then staying in a singular place, which made the magazine seem more boring and linear. The magazine I have created now tries to conform with the music genre given, with a more direct colour scheme and also the typography, style and overall theme. This is not to say that the prelim task did not help evolve my piece into what it is, as it laid out the basis for the overall outlook of my magazine and there are some similarities, however, the end result is much more professional then the original set out. 

It also helped that I took inspirational from the magazines that I have taken into account with my research. This included things like what kind of textures, colour palette and theme the magazine should included. It also helped me by allowing me to see the products that were already selling and then taking their best qualities and then adapting them into my own product. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, I feel that I have achieved the goal that I have set out in the beginning of this project. The magazine conforms to many of the requirements I have stated at the start, maybe even more so. I feel that the magazine's style and theme relates to the music genre and appeals to my target audience by trying to be relate-able as possible as well as attractive as possible. However its been stated in question 5, though it appeals to a niche audience, the magazine may not appeal to all of the target audience, which would be missing out on a potential profit venture. But this is in my opinion, is only a minor fault and doesn't affect the overall success of the product as it stills achieve the layout plans I have personally set.