Evaluation of final product

My media product stays well within the conventions of a real media product and this is greatly due to the target audiences age. They are only just coming to terms with what the normal conventions of a music magazine are, therefore it would not be wise to challenge these conventions due to their understanding being very minimal. I have managed to keep the conventions accurate to that of a media product by using a consistent house style which consists of only 3 main colours (red, yellow and black) and 2 main fonts. It is conventional for the mast head/ logo of the magazine to be on the top left hand side of the magazine, this may be because the eye naturally goes here first due to us reading from the top left, hence I positioned my masthead here too. Also, by adding aspects to my media product such as page numbers, issue dates and a bar code it gives it a realistic feel as these are expected on every magazine. In all magazines images are used of celebrities etc. therefore I made sure that I included images of pop artists within my magazine to match the genre. When taking the pictures I used props on my model such as headphones to once again represent what type of magazine Tuuune is by looking at the images.


My media product represents teenagers around the age of 12-15 which enjoy popular music, there could be a wide range of different types of social groups which my magazine could represent due to the flexibility within the pop music culture, it is not a niche audience therefore the magazine does not represent specific types of people, it represents a range of people. The magazine represents teenagers by including teenagers within it and also including things which teenagers will be interested in. My model "Jade Watson" is a representation of teenagers as she is in fact a teenager therefore dresses like a teenager and also behaves like a teenager, we see this within the magazine through Jades innocent poses which are not promiscuous in any way. Also in the article on the double page spread, Jade is asked about a possible romance and she reacts as a typical teenager would which is to shy away from the question feeling embarrassed. The conventions of a typical teenager whom likes pop music would be happy, optimistic, polite and talkative therefore Jade represents this well.

One of the media institutions which I believe may distribute my media product is the publishing company, IPC media, I found a gap in their market for a few genres of music, pop music being one of there and I feel due to the vast amount of people which listen to pop music, IPC would benefit greatly if they distributed my magazine for the pop genre. My media product may be distributed in shops such as newsagents and supermarkets nationwide and through the Internet via its own website or even on well known websites such as "amazon" and "greatmagazines.co.uk" which is a site specifically created to let users subscribe to magazines.

The audience of my magazine would be around the ages of 12-15 therefore belonging to the socio economic group E, due to them being in full time education they will more than likely all be unemployed. The audience for my media product would also be very interested in pop music, they may have the same personality which Tuuune magazine tried to create which is a fun, friendly, energetic vibe with an all round love for pop music. My audience feedback showed


I attracted the audience first of all by making a large and brightly coloured mast head which the target audience would be able to recognise with and spot from a crowd of various other magazines easily. Within the age group 12-15 images are more focused upon in comparison to the text therefore it was important to use appropriate images for this age group to be exposed too, this was addressed by dressing the model in sensible yet fashionable clothing and keeping the poses polite and friendly with no adult or sexual content within the poses as this would set a bad example. Using images of artists who are around the same age as the magazines target audience will also attract the audience because they will be more likely to be interested in reading about people their own age. The pictures also involve the reader as they give the impression the artists are looking directly at them, props have been used in the images to attract and address the audience, for example having the artist wear headphones clearly represents what genre of magazine it is and also shows she is not only interested in singing music but also interested in listening to it. I feel the models dental braces are a good prop because braces are connected to teenagers due to the vast majority whom have them, they also show innocence which gives off the right persona for the artist. This emphasises that Jade is just like the any other teenager which lets the audience relate to her as even aspects such as her name (Jade Watson) is considered normal. Direct mode of address is used throughout my media product so that there is a level of interaction between the magazine and its audience, it makes them feel more involved and valued as a reader.


I have learnt how to use Photoshop to a high level throughout the process of constructing my magazine, this has ultimately improved my overall editing skills and made the appearance of my magazine seem more professional. Photography is another technology which I have gained  confidence in whilst constructing my media product, I could already use a camera to an acceptable level however I was unaware of the detailed thought which goes behind the poses, lighting, scenes and clothing until I had to plan these aspects for my model, the right pose creates the correct vibe and message and this is essential to the artists image and also the magazines genre and values. I experimented using a number of different poses, props, settings and even camera angles to create the right image for my models, for example, on my front cover image I had Jade smile showing her teeth and dental braces, she also had headphones on to Incorporated music within the picture. I got Jade to pose laying down on her front, resting her head in her hands because this is a pose associated with teenagers and emphasises her innocence and happiness, she is looking straight into the camera as to engage with the audience.

I feel the preliminary task, which was to compose a college magazine, helped me dramatically when considering the production of my magazine. I had no prior experiences using the programme Photoshop before the preliminary task therefore I must emphasise how greatly this task helped me towards gaining the basic skills to produce a high level magazine. Through the preliminary task I learnt to use new tools which worked more effectively than others and was also more time sufficient, for example, there were aspects of the images which I wished to eliminate and at first I did this by carefully rubbing these parts out therefore this was both very time costly and quite difficult to do, however whilst experimenting with Photoshop I found a tool which allowed me to select certain areas and delete them making the outcome neater and quicker.


My interpretation of my media product
I have tried to make the conventions in my magazine consistent with that of a real music magazine, I have done this by including a range of terminology with in my media product.

I placed the mast head at the top left hand side of the page as this is where it is traditionally placed, I emphasised the mast head by using a large bold font and giving it the bright, contrasting, energetic colours of red and yellow to attract the eye.
The images which I included in my magazine were suitable for the genre, message and most importantly the target audience. In the photo taking process, I made sure I experimented with various shots to show I am aware of the different types of cinematography such as camera shots and angles, I also did this to ensure I had a large amount of images to choose from when in the editing stage. 
For my front cover I chose to stay within the magazine conventions and used a mid-shot, I also used a long shot in my magazine, once again to emphasise that I have thought about using a range of different shots. The poses of my models are very sensible, this is because of the target audiences age, it is not appropriate for teenagers around the age of 15 to be exposed to suggestive pictures therefore I kept them very age appropriate, I did this by using suitable clothing and not showing too much skin, Jades smile is also very innocent and non seductive.
I have also used anchorage in my media product, this is text combined to the images in my magazine which gives the photo a purpose and meaning, for example, on the front page on my magazine the banner headline which is located in the middle of the page links to the picture of the artist Jade Watson. It is obvious that the text is directed at this image as it is placed across the model and both are two of the most emphasised aspects on the cover.
I have made sure that my house style stays consistent throughout my magazine, therefore I have chose only 3 main colours to use throughout my magazine, red, black and yellow. I have also kept to only two main styles of fonts and I have tried to maintain the same style of images.
I have used direct mode of address, which is calling the reader "you" and having the model look at the camera and therefore the reader. In my magazine I feel I have used direct mode of address effectively. My audience will feel valued as a reader and due to them being teenagers they may enjoy the feeling of inclusion and get the chance to express their full opinions on each topic via the Tuuune website. They could interact with the magazine by e-mailing in (as no one in this age bracket would be likely to write a letter) and getting the chance of having their opinions published into the magazine on a letters/ "have your say" page. This is also a sign of synergy as the website and magazine help promote one another.
I applied an issue date and bar code to my media product, this was to simply add reality to the magazine as real music magazines will use issue dates and numbers so that the readers know if it is the latest edition and the frequency of the magazine.