To the examiner: Welcome!

Hello, my name is Sian Lynes and welcome to my AS Media Studies Coursework Blog 2011/2012. I hope that you enjoy the work that you see and the hard work I have put into it. Use the label bar to the right to navigate to the each section or  navigate through 'older posts' at the end of the web page to see my weekly progress. Thank you!

Final Product: Cover, Contents, Double Page Spread

Final Evaluation Question 1

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


After looking extensively at the variation in genre conventions of mainstream pop magazines such as RollingStone, Billboard and Q Magazine I picked several elements to expand on for inspiration for the overall look of my magazine. Firstly, I used a serif font for my coverlines to conform to the conventions of typography during the time period my magazine takes inspiration from which is the 1950s. However this challenges modern mainstream pop magazines such as Billboard who typically uses serif fonts consistently to appeal to their mass audience; but will create a unique look against the popular magazine market. The masthead on my cover also challenges typical real media conventions as I use two separate font styles to create a vivid logo as well as using a low filled orange photo screen overlay on the text to create a soft tone to both colours and give it a retro look. In my draft, I did not adhere to the conventional banner that many magazines I had researched adopted to either sell the particular issue or draw in on exclusive as I felt it would take up too much space and wanted my cover to be simplistic in terms of coverlines and a spacious image.

This will stand out against standard magazine logos that use only one colour for the masthead. For my contents page I tried to imitate the layout of Billboard magazine by using some negative space between the image and text to give a clean and precise finish to the edge of the image. By also using one image that has been cropped using the polygon tool I challenge typical magazine conventions as the contents is not overcrowded with framed photos and bold text; allowing the house style to be simple and stylish to appeal to my female audience. I developed my contents title further by adopting a heart shape and implementing a light to dark gradient overlay on the hot pink colour to give a 3D effect.

 I decided not to visually implement a clear divide in the double page spread, such as a photo or shape division, as I felt that this restricts to spacing of the article text and the amount of images allowed on a page. Therefore, I resized several images using the grid across the top third of the page to balance to page and allow more images to convey the context of my article further. Although I did use several shape divisions in the form of three lines which would then tie in with my American theme of the page to give a clean cut it did not look unprofessional. I found on conventional magazine double page spreads that a realistic image of a persons in a natural scene or a or posing in a full studio shot that would span across the page. I did not think that staging a realistic scene for my artist was appropriate and did not fit into the fun theme; I felt it was also better to manipulate the image to give a professional look. It was important that I investigated the conventions of other magazines types of the same genre so I could be able to imitate similar layouts but adapt it so that it had a unique selling point in comparison to other generic magazines, such as Billboard.

Evaluation Question 1 on Prezi - Generic Conventions Explored and Compared

Final Evaluation Question 2

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

My cover artist shows a young female adult who is using a scarf as a prop to position across the end of the mid-shot by biting it in her teeth. This is used to represent my model provocatively but also show the fun characterisation of my artist. The scarf is used to imitate a style of Marilyn Monroe which appeals to the social group who are familiar with pop from the past as well as the future. The young female will allow my target audience of young female adults aged between 16-25 to relate to the artist and entice them into buying the magazine. It was important to use intertextuality by adopting conventions of media and art influences during the 50s/60s such as art deco and bright colours in order to embed them into my front cover particularly to attract my audience. By incorporating the social influence of 'Marilyn Monroe' onto my front cover and into the subject of my article within my double page spread I therefore adhered to the 50s/60s theme by using this as a selling point for my artist.

The cheerful yet emotive expression on my artist’s face allows her fun characteristics to be implied on the cover and will imitate the positive ideology of my magazine and will connote that it is a positive purchase. I used an orange overlay onto the front cover so that it brightens to tone and levels of my photograph which makes it stand out. These bright colours of the pink scarf and the blush tone on the artist make it subtly appeal to my majority of female audience and women who enjoy using make-up and hair styling. I purposely increased the saturation of the image so that these stereotypical feminine tones would be emulated on the cover.  This look therefore represents a social group of females who have a disposable income and enjoy styling themselves and looking up to role models in the music industry.

I emulated my artist profile in the typography by incorporating a different style font for the ‘X’ called LeviBrush to make it appear as if a lipstick had been swiped on the cover. This also connotes the idea of my artist’s fun style and how she enjoys fashion and sexualising her image for her career. For the double page spread I transferred the personality of my artist profile through her posing as she is doing a cute salute which ties in with the fashionable American theme. I also used several photos at the top third of the masthead of different outtakes of my photo shoot so that my young, fashionable, female social group will like the artist’s fun and wild side.  Through my contents page it is evident that a social group who listen to music from the late 50s to present would enjoy my magazine as I devote a section to “Past and Present”. The type of person would also be interested in current chart music which is shown through the “In Every Issue: Charts”. Therefore it shows that the type of person would be a young female who enjoys a wide range of pop music from every decade and is not confined to just present music.

Similarities & Difference: Cover Artist
During the research process, I considered the genre, being a 50/60s magazine and then based the features of my cover star among this. For example by having iconic curly hair which was a popular style at the time and adventurous make-up with thick eyeliner and bright lipstick to emphasise the feminine side to my artist. In terms of age, I decided my cover artist would be 23 as this is a prime age for many other pop artists and my target market were more likely to buy the magazine as she would be seen as an idol at that age.

Here, my cover artist is similar to pop superstar Katy Perry. In terms of styling they are similar as they both have brunette hair with make-up and red lipstick. This makes them both more provocative and interesting cover star to feature. In terms of pose they are similar, however the mise-en-scene of my flag makes it more appropriate for my music magazine in comparison to the purpose of FHM. The styling of the hair is also similar as they are both curled which gives the cover artist a more attractive and fun style for the cover.

However they both have props, whereas I have chosen a flag, Katy Perry adorns a cat mask to make her seem sweet and innocent. The differences would be the angle of which the artist is facing. Katy Perry is facing forwards straight into the camera whereas my cover artist has a titled head slightly to show innocence and also make room for the prop position biten in her mouth.

Although they do have a mid-shot so that the reader focuses on the face and top half of body. I also chose Katy Perry as her pop music is the kind of music my cover artist, Sophia Fox, would create to give her a cute and mass appeal but have a unique selling point in comparison to other pop artists. I think they appeal to non-gender specific as well so they would have a young audience of females who would idolise them and males who would be drawn towards their appearance.

I made my cover artist appear on the cover, contents and double page spread. This was because the reader could then see the different poses and angles of her outfit because the flag covers her outfit, whilst the contents shows the long dress and heels and the double page spread focuses on the middle of the dress.

Final Evaluation Question 3

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


I think that the most appropriate distributor for my magazine would be IPC Media. This is because they already have a vast portfolio of magazines that range from different genres. This means that they have good profitable revenue so could invest in a magazine like PopHeart because it appeals to a more niche market yet still has a profitable wide target audience of young female adults aged 16-25. It also means that it will not be a financial risk to the magazine company. This is because their wide range of magazines such as 'NME' and 'Woman' suggests that IPC is a profitable company and can invest in new niche magazines. IPC Media is also a subsidiary company of Time Inc. (Time Warner) which has a large net income and so can invest in new ideas in order to expand their brand even more.

Similar to my magazine, IPC Media publishes 'NME' which also has their own individual niche market of a young audience 16-24 and has a specific genre they focus their music magazine on which is Indie/Pop. My magazine would have similar components but be aimed at the majority of female ratio, young adults between 16-24 with a lesser male majority and focuses on Pop music as well as past music and its impact on modern day music. This focus on both present day and past would be its unique selling point and would captivate their target audience and will retain a regular readership this way.

When observing magazines that IPC Media distribute such as ‘NME’ and gossip magazine ‘Pick Me Up’ I noticed that each magazine has either male or female majority appeal. This was clear when I looked at ‘Q’ magazine where males bought the magazine at a greater 70% majority. Therefore I decided that it would be more marketable if my magazine to a specific gender and chose that females were most appropriate for the genre of pop music that my magazine would be based on. The current music magazine industry is now moving changes to using technology to distribute their magazines. This is evident not only with the musical genre but the overall magazine industry too as readers look for quick and fast ways to source their information. IPC Media is moving at a moderate pace with these changes by incorporating apps relating their magazine or brands, for example the NME App for all Apple products. This will enable their audience to not only share an interest in their web based information, which targets the younger population of 16-40, but to then hopefully entice them into buying the magazines too or vice versa.

Transcript: 

A publishing company such as IPC Media deals with the process of production from creating the magazine contents to printing. This allows for the magazine to be available to the general public and especially their target market. My magazine would be best suited to IPC Media, which stands for International Publishing Corporation. The logo reflects to variety of magazine it sells by using different fonts for each initial; as the company ranges from sports magazine like Golf Monthly, to women’s gossip magazines like Pick Me Up and women’s fashion magazines such as Marie Claire and LOOK. These are all reputable brands in their genres.

A distribution company, of the same organisation or different, specialises in the dispersion of the magazines to other companies who then sell them to the general public. Therefore my magazine will be distributed to supermarkets and newsagents where popular magazines are sold. This is important as it results in sale increase, satisfied advertisers within the magazine and a more recognisable brand on the market.

The first stage would be briefing and planning, where the layout and content is suggested for the first and other issues. The second would then be the designing and writing process to create a fully formed issue that looks professional against other competitors. The sub-editing process would then be enabled in order to check that the content is ready for printing and distribution.

Once a business plan, market and niche to sell a new magazine have been obtained, money must then be funded for the publishing and distributing expenses. In this case IPC Media can invest in a new magazine by obtaining profitable revenue from other successful magazines such as NME or Marie Claire. IPC Media is also a subsidiary of Time Inc. (Time Warner) which is an exceptionally successful organisation in several roles of media, from magazines to film most notably. Therefore they would have a large net income and can expand their brand further by investing in new markets such as my own magazine. They can also afford to release the magazine for several issues to see whether it is profitable enough to have a long-term investment. Magazine promotion would then be organised, such as selling advertisements and launch parties and TV promotion. The company, such as IPC Media, would already have connections to advertisers who feature in their current publicly available magazines, and see which would be interested in the target market of my brand, of young females aged 16-24. This would also fund the costs of printing, employers and distribution primarily. My magazine would then be able to expand further as more revenue would mean more exclusive and specific content for my market.

Magazines similar to PopHeart would be NME because they both have a niche market. With my primary audience being young adults a multi-media platform would be essential to promote the brand, such as with its own website and radio based on the magazine genre of modern and retro pop. My magazine could also be promoted on these sites, especially on its own radio station. My demographic could then also use the website in order to place a subscription and enable a ratified readership. 

Final Evaluation Question 4

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?


My primary audience who would purchase my magazine would be young female adults aged 16-24 who have a disposable income and share an interest in pop music from the past as well as current charts. I chose this age group as they are more interested in finding up coming as well as mainstream artists and also take interest into popular music from the past such as Michael Jackson to Elvis Presley. I also have a secondary audience of males who will share an interest in the genre and the style of the magazine. I reflected this in the colour scheme and tone of my front cover where I use a soft red and blue that is bright but stands out against other magazines. This red and blue colour scheme has a stereotypical unisex appeal but the majority of red on the cover lines and the larger ‘Heart’ masthead indicates a more feminine look.

To reflect the intertextuality by absorbing the media and social influences of the 50s/60s I made it prominant in my design as well as choice of artist etc. The serif typography that is prominent in the cover lines connotes a very stylish and retro look, since art deco was a popular form of art at the time, so my females will like the house style of the magazine and attract to it more on newsstands. I included this as it would stand out against conventional magazines who adopt modern typography on the present day.

The characterisation of the female artist shown through the mise-en-scene and poses on the photo shoot also allows my majority female audience to relate more to my product. It is important to convey to your audience a relatable and sophisticated layout which appeals to their liking otherwise they may be put off by the cover artist or font type simply because it may not be of their taste. My music magazines focuses on music from the late 50’s/early 60s onwards so it would right to exclude anyone born before that so those in their early 50s+ may not be interested in the magazine. Also this is appropriate because the content will be applied in such way that it appeals more to a younger audience as it will relate to new technologies such as the internet and discuss present pop music primarily. Therefore those of 50+ may not purchase the magazine if they are only intending to read content on the past music as it may not be worth their money.

On my cover I made clear that the tributing to Marilyn Monroe is a primary factor to draw in the readership. On my contents page I adopted features and subheadings that are appropriate to my genre, by catergorising 'past and present' music to the current charts in 'whats happening now'.

Above, here is a female aged 17 who fits in my primary target market of 16-24 reading my magazine. They would buy my magazine as they like the artist included in this months issue. She can relate to the artist because she is young and stylish as she reinvents her style by taking inspiration from the past and therefore very unique. The article appeals to her as it is very informative and she wants to know exclusive gossip and information that the artist is talking about, such as her single release and childhood memories. She also likes the features of it being past pop music from the 50s/60s which is an era which my reader loves as well as present pop news. Therefore she would buy my magazine is it uniquely focuses on two decades of music instead of just present which is a unique selling point that she loves.

Final Evaluation Question 5

5. How did you attract/address your audience?


For the front cover it was important to address my audience visually first so that is why I used a young pop artist on the cover which would not deter them from reading the content. I think the layout of my double page spread would appeal to my audience because I use negative space between the sub quote, columns and main picture in order to simplify but balance the page so it did not appear intimidating. By also having a cover artist of a similar age the reader would be able to relate more to them and therefore understand the social influences they will have on society.

I have assumed that my audience will be knowledgeable with past artists as well by paying homage to Marilyn Monroe by posing similarly to a famous shoot she had once done. I also used the American theme throughout my double page spread to appeal to my audience because it is a well recognised symbol and also a large contributor to pop music throughout the world. I applied it in a stylish fashion by using an American flag clipart and applied it as a pattern before increasing the contrast and saturation. I also used an italic font to reinforce the appeal to my female audience as it is stereotypically more fashionable font to use.

By also using a font called ‘Market Deco’ which I had previously tested for my house style (used in the masthead, title of contents and title and sub quote on the double page spread) this appealed to my secondary audience who share an interest in that era because the Art Deco style was particularly popular during the late 50s/early 60s and therefore could relate more to the magazine’s style. Particularly through the contents I devised sections I believed would be the most appealing to my audience. Therefore I used categories such as ‘Music’ for present music and ‘Past and Present’ to delve into music that is from the past.

COVER:


CONTENTS:


DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD: