My Finished Magazine

Evaluation question 7-What have I learnt from the preliminary task up to now after the completion on my music magazine?

Here I am going to look at how my media knowledge has increased from the start if the year up to now at the end of making my music magazine.If you scroll to the bottom of this post you will see the IshowU where i explain this post and look at what I have learnt.

Evaluation question 6-What I've learnt about the technologies used?

Please ignore the last 40 or so seconds of this video as I thought I had turned IShowU off .One of the technologies I am not so good with haha !

I have learnt to use many new technologies during my time in media.There are some that I have already used but in a different way.Facebook is a technology that I have used before but just for social networking rather that helping me with feedback.

One of the main programmes we have used is Blogger.

www.Blogger.com

Our Blogs have proved to be a diary of our work.Using Blogger has enabled us to show videos , photos , links and more.Before starting media I had never heard of Blogger  so my knowledge has come a long way and I now feel confident using it.

Then there is Prezi

Prezi is a website where you can create a presentation showing the links between different topic areas and photos.I have used Prezi to show my thought paths through making my media magazine.Although at first Prezi seemed to be quite complicated it proved to be easy produce a nice show for work and make information easy to look at.

Flicker

Flicker is a photo sharing website .For the purposes of media I have used it to show off my finished magazine in photos and use the descriptions to describe the distribution(you can find this in question 3)

Slideshare

 

Slideshare has been used to present our Powerpoint made presentations.It works by uploading our powerpoints onto the site .It then puts them onto our accounts on the internet and from there we can use an embed code to connect them to our Blogs where they will be viewed along side our other work.

Powerpoint

Powerpoint along side Microsoft word has been used as a way of displaying information.PowerPoint has been used to display information on slides.I did use Word occasionally if I needed to jot anything down and It was the software I used to write my magazine article before then moving on to  Photoshop to finish editing and any adjustments.

Photoshop is the main program I used to create all of my music magazine.

Photoshop has allowed me to edit photos , create shapes and add texts.With the use of layers I have been able to add different elements to try them , if they prove to be unsuccessful then they can be removed just as easily.Another advantage of using Photoshop is that my work could be saved as a Photoshop file meaning it wouldn't be flattened and could be worked on again and again.Using Photoshop also gave me the option to photo edit , such as using the spot remover tool.

Indesign

Indesign was used during the making of my college magazine.Its a good software to use because of its layout meaning that columns are easy to create and use.Although I could have used Indesign for my double page spread I found Photoshop easier to use so I decided to use that.

Iphoto is the software on Apple Mac computers that allows you to import photos from a camera.

Iphoto is a simple software that automatically pops up when a camera or device is connected to the Apple Mac computers.From there you can select which photos you want to import and then they are ready to use.

The final pieces of equipment I have used are the SLR cameras themselves.They are the best type of camera for the job as they have a good resolution and can produce crystal clear images as well as having a good flash to light up images.The SLR camera also allows you to focus the camera yourself as well as it doing it automatically but it's your choice.

Evaluation question 5-How did I attract and address my audience?

Evaluation question 4 -Who would be the audience for my media magazine and why?

To answer this question I have drawn a member of my audience , scanned the image onto a computer .I then used the software Paint to add the text and detail.I wanted to use a software that I haven't already used before.

Here is a member of my target audience.As you can see there are a number of pieces of information surrounding her.Heather would buy my magazine because Country and western music is one of here favourite genres.As heather is only nineteen the magazine will appeal to her  age group because of its style and layout.I think the fact that Heather seems to be someone who likes to spend her time outdoors could be a contributing factor as country and western magazines tend to have an outdoors feel(through the settings used etc).Heather may also be interested in the fashion side of a country and western magazine and so I think the costumes I have used would really attract Heather.

Evaluation question 3-Which media institutions might distribute my product and why?

Evaluation question 2 -How my media magazine represents particular social groups

Here is the photo of my double page spread on the left.On the right is a photo taken for an existing magazine called Up country.As you can see from the screen shot I have put the photos side by side in Photoshop.The reason I have put the photos onto the same canvas is so I can clearly compare them.

Both photos represent similar social groups and below I am going to look at the similarities and differences between my photo and an existing one. 

Firstly I am going to start by talking about the posture of both models.Both models look fairly relaxed but there bodies are taught to show how they have been positioned for the photo.Both models have been positioned in the centre of the image showing them to be the clear focus of the articles.Both models also have one or more arm raised and I think this reflects their confidence.

The expressions on each of the models faces differs between my magazine and the existing one.My model has a friendly smile whilst making eye contact with the viewer which I think reflects how relaxed and natural I wanted my model to look.The Up country model is making the same eye contact but with a much more serious expression on her face and one that I believe does look posed.I also think that the Up country's model looks to have quite a stiff tight face in contrast to my models loose and friendly smile.

Both photos have been taken from roughly the same distance with mine being slightly further and showing more or my model.Both are long / medium long shots and I think that this shows confidence as the models are not cut out of view from the reader.

The lighting that has been used for each is different.My magazine photo used natural lighting as the photo was taken outside whereas the other photo has clearly had lighting added.This is high key lighting and I think this is to brighten up the model and make her stand out from the plain white background.Although both ways of lighting the images are different I think both are equally as successful with the backgrounds, as the whole model is clearly visible including the details such as hair and makeup.Neither artist is surrounded by shadows and I think this reflects the genre of country far better than an image where low key lighting had been used for example.

Both models are dressed very differently.My costume was chosen very much to reflect the genre of the artist and designed to look quite casual whilst still being able to tell she was modelling.The Up country model has been dressed to show off her feminine side as well as her body in my opinion, the colour of the dress compliments her skin tone but the outfit is still basic and doesn't detract away from her face. Jewellery has been added to the Up country magazines model to add glamour to the overall photo.

The hair in each photo is very different .This is due to the lengths and styles of hair of the artists although both photos show that effort has been made with their hair and both are down and on show.

The makeup worn by both models is fairly similar as both are simplistic, however Up country's model is wearing lipstick and slightly more make up but I believe this is because there is such a plain background being used and that the style of the photo means that most of the viewers attention would be on the models face and therefore more make up is needed.I am happy with my model only wearing a touch of makeup as I didn't want to loose the natural relaxed look she has.

My magazine very much represents females as all of my photos are of women models.Due to the ages of my models used I would also say that my magazine represents younger people.I feel that my magazine is by no means at a disadvantage because it represents young girls ,as I feel it just gives me a more direct market for advertising and selling my product In the same way that a traditional car magazine would be directed towards older men.

Evaluation question 1-In what way does my magazine USE , DEVELOP and CHALLENGE forms and conventions from real media products?

Here is a Powerpoint I have made showing where I feel my magazine looks the same as , similar and very different to existing media Products.

Media evaluation question 1 from RhianRose-Jones
 

Media evaluation question 1 from RhianRose-Jones

Research and Planning-Finishing off my magazine with the last changes

Here is the last post containing my magazine changing.As you can see there have been some quite dramatic changes on the front cover.Basically I had looked at my magazine and decided that I liked it but didn't love it.A big problem I felt was that the font used didn't look professional so once that was changed I needed to change the positioning so it didn't just look like it had been thrown onto the page.I then looked at a how I could fill the cover more and make it look like there was more happening in the magazine.I also think that through making the changes I have made the colours more apparent and am very happy with the finished result.

Research and Planning-Social networking feedback

Here is a screenshot to show some of the feedback I received from my friends on Facebook.com. I was happy with what people said to me and will take it into account.

Research and Planning-What changes I have made today

Today I have been sorting out my blog and have been making some changes to my front cover.My issue at the moment is how to place my cover line onto the page.I have been looking at changing the sizing and fonts to see what work but I think I need to make extra changes to make it look perfect.The image has also been slightly enlarged .At the moment my aim is to just make sure that everything is in exactly the right place now that all of the elements are on.

Research and Planning -Additional research of poses

Here I have done research into poses used in country.I have taken images of Google looking at front covers of existing magazines and other photographs of country singers.Under each photo I will explain what I think of the shot and why I think it would be effective.This post can be used as inspiration when it comes to shooting my own photos.

I Like this photo on a front cover, the neck is made to look long and and the face is illuminated.I like how the hat is clearly in view as it clearly displays that the singer is country.

The hair being wild is a big part of this picture and because she is blonde the whole page is bright.This isn't a type of image that I would use because It would be difficult to get the hair to look as good and I want to have a picture that shows off the costume.

This sideway position allows the face to still be clearly seen as well as it being more interesting than a straight on shot.Also this pose could work well depending on a models hair , if you wanted to have it swept on one shoulder for example.

This long shot very much concentrates on the costume and background as well as the bridle in her hand.I love how the model looks like she is stood naturally and not posing and how she's not looking at the camera.I think for a magazine the model would have to be looking at the camera but like how she's holding the bridle and looks quite western causal.

Both of these images have been posed and thought out but they are both designed to look natural and relaxed.I love the one on the left and think the background completely suites the pose and costume also the colours(browns) really compliment each other.

This pose is different than usual and I think it would make a page look more interesting.Obviously with a position like this its obvious that the model is posing and so it wouldn't be any good if you were trying to create that natural look.The hair can be manipulated to work with this pose as it has been done here.

This pose could be associated with more or less any genre of music.Its done to try and show off the models body and give them the sex appeal.A pose like this wouldn't be suitable for my magazine because I want a more natural looking pose.

This is a very natural pose.I like how the hat is clearly visible but isn't covering her face at all.This type of shot would be good for my magazine as the hair , makeup and costume could still be seen as well as the hat.

This pose is fairly plain however the lighting highlights the face and hair making it look like a very posed shot.I think for my magazine I would like to have a background  which would add interest but would also help to display the genre of the magazine more clearly.

This shot and pose is all about the hair really as you cans see the entire face clearly and barley any of the background.In order to create a picture like this it would require a lot of hair styling and make up as well as the correct lighting.I think it looks too posed for what I'm looking for and I also want to be able to see some of the costume and background.

I absolutely love this pose .Although it is very posed the horse is bright and alert and the pair look great.If weather conditions allow and the local pony is available it would be great to try out some shots with her even though it wouldn't look as grand as this horse because its only small.Using an animal always makes a shot more exciting and this photo was taken just at the right time when the wind was blowing to get the hair and mane in action.

This pose is what I consider to be quite a typical pose for a cowboy/girl.The tilting of the hat (or just hand at hat)The smile looks nice and natural and her position looks relaxed and not stiff.I think this holding of the hat pose would look good straight on as well as side on too.

Reserch and Planning -What I have done today

Today  I worked on finishing my contents page, I had seen a contents page that I liked that had some detail down the side so I decided to see what I could create using one of the photos I had taken.The picture below is the image of straw I cut from another photo.

Below a screenshot showing when I had added the straw photo to my contents page.As you can see it makes the text hard to read so I am going to cut the side picture down so that it is just a fine strip to add more detail.The bottom doesn't look too bad because the photos go on top.

Here is my contents page once I have changed around the size of the straw photo.I think it looks good and I have tried to blend the bottom strip of straw into the white using the rubber tool.I am happy with how the contents page looks and I think I will now just add some more stories and page numbers. 

Here is my front cover in the middle of changing around the colours to see what works best.