Final Drafts

Conclusion

Overall i think my product was a really good representation of a music magazine, it represented its genre really well and from a technical point of view it was a really good attempt at a competent music magazine. It was well tailored to my audiences preferences in colour scheme and contents. Its also very original with its small details that make it into its own. ITS DONE :D *wooooo*

Question 7; Comparison between prelim and music magazine.

Since the prelim task my technical skills have improved so much, both my covers were made on photoshop (would you believe) but you can clearly see that my skill has improved greatly. For example the layout, i learnt all about adding the shapes such as the banner at the bottom of Express and also the blocks between the contents subheadings.

My photo editing skills have improved no end, i could't edit The Students photo at all because i just didn't have the knowledge, but with the Express photo, i managed to brighten her eyes, change the colour balance, banish her blemishes and dark circles, and lighten her hair.

In The Student none of it really goes together, it doesn't please the eye, where as with Express the reds are all matched exactly as i colour dropped her lipstick to ensure they all tied in and looked really good together.

I didn't only learn technical skills, i also learnt a lot about time management and my creative eye.I managed to plan what i wanted to do with Express magazine each lesson and stuck to that, and if i didn't finish that then i would stay and finish it so it wouldn't carry on into the next lesson and get in the way of what i wanted to do next. Where as with The Student i rushed it a lot, and just placed things any where and didn't give it any consideration, where as with Express I thought about photo placement and the pose of the model before hand so i could organise my cover around her.

Question 6; technologies

I improved a lot in my technical skills in all aspects of magazine creation, an example of which is my photography skills. I learnt how to set up the lighting to create a flattering glare on Emma. Also i had to consider her pose and how it would come across on camera, I wanted to create two different sides to her so the cover would be the media side to Ophelia and the DPS would signify her true side. When editing the photos i learnt how to remove blemishes with the cover up blush, along with removing her shine. When it came to brighting her eyes i used the lasso tool and then edited the colour on the colour balance setting to make them brighter and to ensure they stood out on the cover.

I found it challenging to create a photo that didn't look over edited as i keep getting the incorrect colour balance on her eyes, but i eventually managed to get a natural and bright looking green after a lot of trial and error.

I learnt a lot from photoshop such as how to edit emma's silhouette out and place it on a different background to make the cover look professional, i also learnt how to use the layers and how to place certain ones over the other so I overlapped them. We also learnt how to cut certain parts from our front covers and also about finding typography when using dafont.com. We learnt how to insert shapes such as rectangles and circles and fill them with text to create extra details that will boost our marks.

When using InDesign i learnt how to format and how to bleed my photo into the next page which was something i really want to achieve as i wanted Express to look as professional as possible. I learnt how to wrap text around my photo to achieve an aesthetically pleasing title. i also learnt how to manipulate typography to fit around my main letter and keep consistant with the style of Express.

I also used blogger which was the highlight of my music magazine experience as i found it really enjoyable and found blogging came a lot more naturally than i though it would. I learnt how to embed prezzis, slideshows, and youtube videos into my posts which are skills i will use for the rest of my life. I also learnt to use quick time player to record my focus group and my Question 2 which was very helpful as i had never used filming technologies before. I learnt to record myself and edit out parts I didn't need and also to upload it to youtube.

snow is falling, all around me..

So its snowing. of course. Typical. which means we have missed two days of college due to it being dangerous to come in, so we have had our deadline pushed backward to this friday, 2 days! eeek! I'll be quite sad when it's finished i think! i've grown quite fond of you little blog!

Question 5; Focus Group

Focus group analysis;

Question one; what are the strengths of my front cover?

-       The group mainly commented on my different typography use, we discussed at length the subheading typography as William didn’t like it as he think it lacked style, it was too simple and not what Express magazine should convey, when asked what whether he thought it fitted with the genre he agreed but said it just didn’t work, but Katie chimed in saying it needed to be like that so people could read it which is very true so i believe I made the correct choice of typography. They also commented on my ‘Ophelia’ typography saying it gave it a very feminine feel which is what I was trying to express, I wanted to show Ophelia’s personality and create a personal. They also really liked the typography of the masthead as it was different and really stood out. Will commented on the music tape, which he liked as it conveyed genre and also it was original which he really liked. They also commented on the eye contact of the model, which invited them in and portrayed the emotion in her.

Question two; what on Express’ front cover first caught your eye?

-       The group commented on the way everything stands out mostly.  For example Katie and jack said the bright colours (red and white) that contrast with the dark background encourage a consumer to actually read the text and take it in as opposed to just glancing. Tim commented on the fact she is looking right at you, it invites you in. Jack also commented on the fact the photo was a focal point as it’s large and Will liked the way it overlaid the title, it looked very cool.

Question three; Does the typography and cover in general fit with the artist and theme of the cover?

    -   Although the group commented fairly heavily on this previously, they added when asked that the Ophelia typography was very fancy which coincides with the way she looks in the photo, and the red connotes to Katie love and passion, which is a very strong factor of ballad songs.

Question four; How do you feel about the layout of the double page spread?

-       My double page spread was said to be structured very well, organized and really easy to follow during the discussion, they really liked the way that the photo contrasted with the front photo showing another side to the artist, Will also commented on how the photo bleeds into the other page which was a really nice touch. The general lay out fits nicely with convention Tim said making it look professional. Jack also really liked the pull quote positioning. Which I'm very glad about.

Question 5; does the language used fit with the artists persona?

-       The group believe that the use of some formal and some colloquial language fitted appropriately to the genre and artist as will said “Ballads are for posh sophisticated people’.

Question 6; Is it competent as a magazine? Would you buy it?

- Katie and Tim both said they’d buy it because it’s different. It provides a new angle on the typical music magazine, and even those in the group who’s type of music it wasn’t would still be attracted to it if they saw it in a shop, which is very positive in my eyes/

Question 4; Audience profile

Express magazines target audience in terms of age is mostly those age 17-25, because i believe at this age people are really getting into new music and rediscovering old music and 'Express' covers all sorts of music genres and stories. Gender wise Express is aimed at both overall, but this specific issue is more suited to a female consumer as the content talks a lot about love and that is something men typically dont wish to read about. Other parts of the magazine are aimed at men as well such as the hottest gigs, and ticket information to gigs and festivals etc.

Question 3; Media Insitutes

Media presentation from katerogers96

Question 2; social group representation

Question 1; Forms and Conventions.

Evaluation Introduction!

Hi! This is my introduction to my evaluation of my music magazine 'Express'. 'Express' is a music magazine aimed at young adults based around a 'no specific genre' genre. Just good music, gigs, tickets, top 10s and music journalism.