Evaluation of Preliminary

Q1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In my college front cover I used a master head, medium close-up image and cover lines. All these are stereotypical magazine conventions. I developed the convetion of the stereotypical masthead as i used a fun font which attrects the target audience as using stereotypical fonts such as aerial can bore the audience before they have even started reading the magazine.

Q2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The magazine front cover tries to include every type of individual as it has cover-lines that includes most aspects in school/college life. Therefore not trying to leave people out making it universal.

Q3. How did you attract/address your audience?

I profiled the audience with a questionnaire and put it into graphs. Also i used a young male around the same age as the profiled audience on the front cover to draw their attention so they know its reaching out to them.

Q4. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I have learnt how to use photoshop and do various techniques. The techniques i used for the magazine front cover and the contents page are cropping (using the lasso tool), also how to make a drop shadow/inner shadow, make new layers, contrast, brightness, and sharpness.

Q5. What are the strengths and weaknesses of your final product?

The strengths of my final product:

1. It had good research to get to the final product (profiling the audience).

2.. It reflects the task (you will know that it is something to do with school/college)

3. The contents page uses a range of different techniques.

The weaknesses of my final product:

1. The front cover isn’t as attractive as it could of been.

2. The picture crop was messy.

3. 3It could of had a more significant relfectiong of school/college.

Contents Page for College Magazine

Front Cover of a College

Write up about progress of photos.

The equipment I used to take the photograph for the front cover is a Canon Eos 400d Digital camera, I used this equipment under my teachers supervision.

I used a medium close-up shot, with my model posing with a prop (folder) looking towards the camera.

The costume I used for this shot was a black suit with a blue jumper inside to reflect school/college, professionalism and smart. Also the blue and black contrast well.

(picture coming soon - on school computer)

result graphs from the questionnaire

result graphs from the questionnaire

questionnaire

.

Questionnaire for a college magazine

1. How old are you?

15 – 16

16 – 17

2. Do you like a magazine with a lot of colour?

Yes

No

3. What type of magazines do you like to pick off the shelf?

Celebrity

Sports

Music

Fashion

Educational

4. Do you like a magazine front cover with:

a main focus

loads of different items

5. Is it easier to pick up a magazine that has a big bold heading?

Yes

No




How often do you purchase a magazine?

Everyday

Every week

Every Month

6. How much would you pay for a college magazine?

50p - £1

£1.50 - £2

£2.50 - £3

£3.50+

7. Do you like a lot of writing on the front cover?

Yes

No

8. What do you prefer to have on the front cover of the magazine?

Male

Female

Both

9. Do you buy a magazine because:

The content

Or the front cover

college magazine anaylsis

Analysis of a college magazine.

The setting of the front cover of this college magazine is that it denotes a few people standing/sitting in a green land like a garden or a park environment, with a clear blue sky. The park/garden with a clear blue sky connotes that it is fresh, clean and friendly place.

The costume in the front cover of the magazine is that everyone is wearing smart/casual clothing. The men are in trousers and shirts but without any ties on, short sleeves and rolled up sleeves. One of the women is looking more fun and wearing a bright blue skirt and white top however the other woman is wearing a full trouser suit. The connotation that the women show is that business has a diversity in it, the women that is looking more casual than the other is showing us that business isn’t always just all hard work and it is enjoyable at the same time the bright blue skirt suggests to us that it is a lively as bright blue is a vibrant colour. The men’s costumes connotes to us that it isn’t always a stressful business as the sleeves are rolled up means it’s a relaxing environment, also the fact that one man is in a pink shirt which is a fun colour and shows that there is an interesting side to business.

On the front cover of the magazine there is no props being used for it. This can imply that business is straightforward and there is no need for extra detailing in the shot. The connotation of this is that business is enjoyable and interesting in itself.

The lighting in the magazine front cover is high key lighting so it is bright and free from dark shadows, which brings the connotation that as it’s a business magazine front cover it shows us that the future is bright in business, bright lighting can imply that there is happiness, enthusiasm and success. Also it is seen as positive as it is high key, which is persuading and eye-catching for the targeted audience that this magazine is appealing to.

Another mise en scene is NVC (non verbal communication). The NVC in the college magazine front cover is that four of the models in the shot are standing each one smiling, one with his hands in his pockets, another with his hands behind his back, one women with her arms relaxed down by her sides and the other with her hands held together in front of her. The other two models in the shot are sitting down also smiling, one sitting up straight with his hands on his on each lap, and the other which is a bit more hunched over with his hands together resting his elbows on his knees. All of them smiling connotes that they are enjoying what they are doing and they are benefiting from the success they are striving towards. The woman that is holding her hands in front of her shows that she is professional, determinate as well as serious and passionate about business.

In this magazine front cover the shot size is a long shot, the camera angle is straight on, the lens type is standard, composition is symmetrical, the focus in the shot is soft and the clear blue sky and the fresh green land connotes that it’s fresh, straightforward and optimistic environment.

Introduction

In the preliminary task we had to produce a college magazine front cover and contents page. Before we did this, we got a picture of a front cover of a college magazine and done an anaylsis, then we made a questionnaire about college magazines and put the results into graphs. Then we took a medium shot picture of one person to put on the front cover of the magazine. We had to sketch a drawing of our front cover and scan it on to the computer.