Toby Howell AS Media Blog

Saturday 3 May 2014

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

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

Probably the most important technology I used throughout the making of my product was Adobe InDesign. Without this software my product wouldn't exist, it helped me create all my magazine pages with quality and sophistication that can be seen on the most professional of pages. It wasn't an easy experience, at first it was a very hard time, as I couldn't adapt to the software straightaway. However as soon as I did, I learnt how to make a magazine cover, contents and article page. I learnt that imitating a real magazine page and drafting it's structure is way more beneficial than just drafting your own structure, as it looks way more professional and sophisticated. The process of layering, was at first a very challenging part of the making of the magazine page. However once I had learnt it's process, I realised how important and beneficial the process of layering is to a page. Without it the page would be very one dimensional. The actual process of making a good looking double paged article was a big challenge, that significantly had eased by InDesign's marvellous software. InDesign has little touches on how to make sure everything is in line, equal in size, how to change the colouring/size. These "little touches" helped me dramatically as I arguably haven't been the most well equipped with the technology required to succeed in the task. Overall with InDesign I learnt how sophisticated modern day software is. I have learnt that the making of a single (never mind three) page(s) can be a lengthy experience, but the best thing to do is to not only stick to it, but be confident with what you see on the InDesign draft. One of the hardest things I did was say that the pages were done, I knew that I could have done better in some areas but I had to let go. Even though I knew they looked good on InDesign, I couldn't believe anyone would appreciate them in real life, so I had to learn to trust technology which took a while.

A crucial software in the recording of my product was/is Blogger. Blogger has given me the perfect platform to record all my magazine's drafts, pictures and evaluations, in a very accessible setting. Blogger is a very easy site to where I can blog, save and then edit posts, so all my posts are at the best quality they can be. I have learnt that it is very easy to get noticed on the web, the number of page views I have from this blog alone proves this. I have also learnt the detail people have to put in to achieve an effective and intricate analysis/evaluation, is very, very high. This is something I have tried to replicate on my blog. I have also learnt that presenting blogs with pictures/videos is a much more preferred visually than just having a blog with masses of lines, because readers don't want to just move their head left, to right with no engaging features - again something I've attempted to incorporate into my blog.

Another crucial software in the making of my magazine pages is the software Photoshop. Without this software my magazine pictures wouldn't look as professional as they do. This software has enabled me to edit the pictures to the degree of cutting, pathing, and clipping the pictures. At first (like InDesign) it was hard to adjust to level of technology but after I did, it greatly benefitted the quality of pages. An example of how beneficial the software has been is in the picture to left. The picture is the very first draft of the picture on my front cover.

Below it, is one of the final drafts of the front cover, which has on it, the very final draft of the photo after editing it in Photoshop.

The obvious enhancements include the colouring and the cutting of the background. But this shows the degree of software Photoshop truly is. From editing my product on this software I have learnt that the editing process can be a very long and frustrating process as it is a very easy place to make mistakes and ruin the edit. I have also learnt that the editing sequence is essential part of the magazine making business. Without nicely edited photos pages on magazines would look bland and boring, whilst edited photos bring words, features and the photos themselves off the page and so, begin to look more eye-catching.

The software Prezi has been a very useful piece of software to present information in a more engaging way. It allows me to have presentations rather than normal blog posts and this keeps the reader more engaged. It allows me to experiment with the information I share to the reader, in a either more complicated or simpler format. The presentations can contain an awful lot of information which makes the job easier, however it can (in some cases) be more confusing to handle. The software of Prezi made me learn there are more engaging and exciting ways to present information, this is something Ive tried to show in my Prezis and work. Another thing I've learnt from using this technology is that it is easier and appealing to the reader to group a chunk of information and then present that, rather than talking heavily on the whole spectrum.

The Digital Camera was such a helpful piece of kit, interms of making my magazine, without the camera my pictures wouldn't exist and a magazine without pictures wouldn't exist. Yes, I could have used a phone or lesser quality camera to take my pictures, however the quality of my pictures would have dropped. This was something that I felt couldn't happen, as in real magazine pages - all the photos are of the highest quality. By using the Digital Camera I learnt that the picture and its details have to be so fine. The lighting, the positioning of the model (and camera), the background, the colour etc have to be perfect to get the right shot. This was something that in my first couple of pictures, I struggled with but I soon got the hang of it by taking a lot of the same photos with different lighting, background, colouring etc to experiment and realise what pictures were best versions .

Evaluation Question Five

How did you attract/address your audience? from TheTobyHowell

Evaluation Question Four

Evaluation Question Three

What kind of Media Institution might distribute your media product and why?

My choose of publisher is Bauer Media, it apparently reaches "nineteen million UK adults a week" and is arguably the biggest and most powerful magazine publisher in the UK. It is a shareholder of the leading distributor Frontline (meaning a fruitful working relationship) and has a massive multi-platforming empire. Bauer Media has arguably the best record of brands and sales in the UK - which means that choosing Bauer Media was simply as no-brainer. Bauer Media's brands include "Q" "KERRANG" "MOJO" "EMPIRE" and "HEAT" all very successful in the declining magazine market. Bauer Media control most of the most defining music magazines in the market today, which would help to increase my magazine's reputation. With all the other music magazines that are under Bauer Media's control, Bauer could use Synergy in their other magazines to promote my magazine, this would be very useful in not just expanding the magazine's exposure, but also it's sales.

Bauer Media has a limitless empire consisting of brands in Magazines, mobile, the web, on the radio and on the TV. This fabulous array of multi-platforming brands commands me to choose Bauer Media over their counterparts such as Future plc. Multi-platforming is a method my magazine would need to commit too, especially in the declining magazine market. Multi-platforming, especially in Bauer Media's case would benefit my magazine greatly. It would greatly expand the readership, by massively increasing the magazine digital promotion on the web. It would be able to sell the magazine in digital formats such as on iPads. Multi-platforming would also bring more exposure to the brand, bringing not just readers, but sponsorships (which are essential to run a magazine).

Frontline are quoted as being "UK's largest magazine distributing institution". They have been working for Bauer Media since 2005 and they distribute to "55,000" different retailers in the UK. All these facts have made me come to the final choice that Frontline are the right media institution for my magazine.

Frontline distribute the most leading magazines, they include Bauer Media's "Q" and "KERRANG". This gives me further faith that Frontline are the best choice. It is the largest distributing institution in Europe, delivering to the wholesalers, meaning they will get to the shops (and if Bauer use it, I know Frontline can be trusted).

As well as being widely known for getting the most known magazines on shelves, the company Frontline owns the international distributor Seymour "the first choice distributor for independent publishers" This means that because my magazine would be new, Frontline help my magazine to be seen more and widely promoted. It might be suggested that with Frontline's professional relationship with Bauer Media, Frontline and Bauer Media could engage in synergy to help promote my magazine.

This also means I could use Frontline's Seymour to distribute my magazine internationally and expand it's readership massively. As well as distributing Bauer magazines, Seymour also distributes magazines from Future plc (owners of magazines such as "Total Film"). This tells me that Frontline is most defiantly the best choice for distributing my magazine.

To conclude, both of these institutions have a beneficial working relationship which would help my magazine be published and distributed. Both of these companies have arguably the best record (in terms of brands, partners and success) in the UK, as well as Frontline's ownership of Seymour would allow me to distribute and sell my magazine internationally, and thus upping the sales, reputation and exposure of my magazine.

Evaluation Question Two

How does the Media Product represent a particular social group?

If there were to be one big downfall on my pages it would have to my photos. All three are incredibly similar, and thus not offering a wide range of social groups or perspectives.

However these photos do present one fairly important social group, that being the same social group of my magazine's target audience. This particular individual, originates from a working class family, with a moderate/poor income. He/she does reasonably well in school and going on to university and so on. Most of the particular social group would have aspirations to become musicians. As a fair majority of the social group are going through adolescence their view on life might be slightly grim and they may feel unhappy (as teenagers do).

I feel I have represented this social group (on the front cover) by in the Splash using the wording "MICK JAGGER, SIT DOWN" This presents a sense of arrogance and attitude that is commonly depicted in that very social group (as described above) The colour scheme of the page (that being red) symbolises danger. This is something that this particular social group admires, (sometimes) encourage and quite possibly desire.. This is due to their erratic and sometimes immature behaviour.

Moving on to the Main Image we are presented with a young male model with a sense of arrogance and attitude-again mirroring the particular social group. The model is pretending to a musician, of which most of the social group aspire to become, making the model the spitting image of the social group. The style of the Main Image is very heavy, with the camera being so close to the model's face it gives a sense of intimidation, something that the very poor parts of my social group could be considered as being like. The model's clothing in the Main Image is a basic hoodie. This is meant to symbolise his working class roots-again working class is the class of which most the particular social group have originated from. The model's facial expression and (ever so) slanted head again suggests a sense of intimidation, but also confidence.. This is something that the social group holds as confidence and hard work have got them to where they are. The model himself does genuinely look like someone in a band, either a Indie or a rock band (two music choices that are covered in the magazine, and genres that the social group like) The model's hair in the Main Image is a very modern style. This shows that the social group is very much in touch with modern day style.. and music. The black and white effect of the Main Image symbolised that the particular social group is sometimes marginalised. That their voice/viewpoint isn't often heard. The model's artist is in the magazine to defy this. The social group has sometimes been marginalised due to the middle/lower class background, The Mix (if real) would defy this.

All of these observations have been made, after taking influence for the particular social group after seeing the cover (to the right) it possesses the same degree of intimidation and confidence as my magazine's model does. It might be argued that the Arctic Monkeys were once part of the particular social group I take about above.

In my contents page image the same model has been placed against a wall. The wall is meant to symbolise the struggle to achieve his dream, the writing block he has recently gained, his childhood roots and his honesty as an artist. This shows that the social group are very much aware and proud of the background and upbringing, that they don't shy away from it. This also mirrors their honesty as a person, in fact echoing my description of my model's artist. To further prove their honesty as people the following Pull-quote perfectly exemplifies it , "I accept I've been in trouble and sometimes I've had to pay the price".

I told the model to have one ear-phone in his ear. This shows that the social group are very much into music. This again proves that my choice of model has a (near) perfect representation of the social group

My final picture is probably my weakest and probably represents the social group in the most little way. It does however echo the representational factors in the previous pictures. The "in your face" intimidation, the confidence and energetic youth all mirror the representational factors in the previous factors.

The use of "...FINALLY" mirrors the social groups idea that the good in life has finally arrived, that they have been hard done by. They may very well have this view because most probably are in their teens and feel that things are going against them, and just having a negative view on life.