Note to examiner

Dear Examiner/Moderator,
I hope you have enjoyed reading through the contents of my AS Media blog, and I hope that you too believe that its contents is of a high standard, and note the vast improvement in my abilities across the board, particularly the development of new skills and creativity work.


Thank you, Dan Collins.

Magazine front cover (Final piece)

Contents page (Final piece)

Double page spread (Final piece)

Question 7 Evaluation

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
When looking back over my media coursework and comparing my final product to my preliminary, I feel that I’ve improved significantly. An example of this would be in my preliminary the quality of the photos is far less considered than that of my finished magazine which were took with the intention of having a finished look to my magazine. I believe this is due to various skills and concepts that I’ve learnt about magazine creation over the coursework process. One of these concepts being the concept of genre and target audience. Over the duration of the process I've become increasingly aware of how important it is to have a set genre and target audience when creating a media product. Having a target audience and genre aided me in the creation of my magazine because it helped me understand how I should design my magazine. Looking back, I also learnt about the importance of what editing software to use when designing magazines as although for my preliminary magazine I used Photoshop, I learned through trial and error how to use the software to a higher standard which was illustrated in my final piece. Moreover I felt my choice of clothing for my models has improved as I placed a lot of thought into the final outfit of my artists to be appropriate for the genre of music I was trying to convey and I hoped that my target audience would appreciate this.

Question 6 Evaluation

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








For the photography aspect of my magazine I used a Nikon D3200 camera, this allowed me to take photos of a higher quality than the use of a standard Iphone camera or other handheld phone.When using the camera I also used a tripod with it. This meant that the camera was always still preventing any blurred images. I felt that the higher standard of photo gave my magazine a much more professional look to it and therefore supported the higher price. I also used artificial lighting to remove any shadows that may distort or make the picture less clear. The computers I used were mainly the IMac's in college however I also used the Intel core 13 system and edge 10 monitor. Another piece of technology I relied on massively was Photoshop, this allowed my to crop, enlarge and change the colour of photos to create my final piece. Furthermore I used sites such as Scripd,Slideshare and Infrogram to present my work in a more interesting format than the standard word document or blog post, this is useful as it gave me skills to present work in a more engaging way to the audience.

Question 5 Evaluation

Question 5

Question 4 Evaluation

Question 3 Evaluation

Question 2 Evaluation

How does your media product represent particular social groups?  | Create infographics

Question 1 Evaluation

Question 1 Evaluation

AS evaluation questions Draft

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? When designing my magazine I incorporated elements of Clash magazine and Fader magazine. The front cover is clearly influenced by Clash magazine with the font and layout of the text all influenced by the covers I have studied. When deciding on the graphological layout of my magazine I did not stick with the classic Z, H or E layout as I felt that the influences from the magazines I had chosen would allow me to develop my own unique style to my magazine. The costumes used were deliberately chosen to represent the style of music magazine I had chosen (HipHop) which meant incorporating dark streetwear clothing and the standard serious stance/pose for the pictures. I had no influence on the hair styling however felt the contrast of 'T Raws' long style of hair was a good difference to the short cut of 'Kamikaze' which insinuates to the reader of the varying styles of artists surrounding Hip Hop nowadays. For my contents page i took inspiration from Fader magazine as I didn't like the layout aesthetically of CLASH magazine as I thought it was too basic and plain, I used 3 photos with the main attention of the reader being drawn towards the central photo of the artist 'T Raw'. For my double paged spread I used inspiration from CLASH with the design layout and experimented with two smaller photos as a posed to the standard photo covering the entire page. 
For the Camera work and framing of my images I have specifically chosen a mid shot for my front cover. When researching Clash magazine it seemed like the best looking choice and a mid shot is well suited to my magazine. Another thing is that on 3 out of 4 of my photos, the model is making eye contact with the reader which is a very powerful tool when attracting your target market. For my double page spread photos I have purposely made the models alternatively look away and staring straight into the camera as it creates an 'I don't care' look which suits the Hip Hop scene.

How does your media product represent particular social groups? 
My media product was deliberately designed for the Hip Hop genre so to attract my intended audience. I attempted to use grey, black and white throughout as this is the colour scheme of CLASH magazine, moreover the serious nature of my model 'T Raw' links well with the serous nature of such a serious natured magazine. I believe that the outfit and the general way that he acts would link with artists such as Yung Lean/Spooky Black which in comparison makes him look appropriate as a white rapper. I deliberately chose the clothing of 'The North Face', 'Palace' and 'A Bathing Ape' jackets/hoodies for my artists as that again link correctly with the Hip Hop genre. Finally I have mainly aimed my magazine at Males between 20-30 as I believe the choice of male models and the music being shown would be more appropriate for this gender and age group. According to UK tribes research that I conducted into the target audience of my magazine, the main audience for my magazines would be 'Skaters' and 'Get paid crew' which again reinforces the outfit in which my artist 'T Raw' was dressed in. 

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
The media institution in which i chose was Bauer media, which is a division of the Bauer Media Group (Europe's largest privately owned publishing group). Bauer Media is a UK-based media Group consisting of many companies collected around two main areas - Magazines and Radio - widely recognised and rewarded as being industry innovators. The reason for my decision to choose Bauer was that if they were to publish it they would be advertising it to a worldwide audience as they already are an established company with millions of readers internationally. Although Bauer publishes magazines such as 'Q' and 'Kerrang' I feel that there is a space in the market for a Hip Hop magazine from this publisher and believe the size of the company would lead to success due to contacts, readers etc.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
The audience for my media product would be males between 20-30 who enjoy listening to Hip Hop/rap and spend their spare time going to Hip Hop concerts and buying similar streetwear clothing to that of my models. I also felt that my magazine would appeal to those interested in the slightly more underground aspect of Hip Hop with artists such as Bishop Nehru and Rejjie Snow featuring who are up and coming artists with growing reputations. I took into account the 20-30 age bracket I was using as my target market when coming up with the £4.99 price tag as I felt that this age group would be better financially equipped to purchase a magazine such as this, in comparison i felt that a younger target market may struggle to afford the magazine when others such as 'Vibe' can be bought individually for around £2. I felt this gave my magazine a more 'upmarket' look to it which would link back to those interested in the underground music scene as the mainstream teenagers would not be able to afford it. My artist 'T Raw' aesthetically was influenced by artists such as Yung Lean and Spooky Black however the music released by him was more from the classic Hip Hop genre rather than alternative rap genre of the previous artists mentioned. I felt that an artist of this calibre had a gap in the market to succeed as he would appeal to my target audience with not just his music but also clothing. 
How did you attract/address your audience?
I believe that my front cover played a large part in attracting my audience as although I went for relatively low key colours I felt that the 'Levels' masthead was eye catching to the reader. The font I used was 'Bebas Neue' which I felt again was bold enough to catch the eye of the reader. This was supported by the clothing in which I styled my model in which included streetwear brands which my target audience would appreciate which Included 'The North Face', 'Nike' and 'A Bathing Ape' which I felt gave my magazine a unique selling point and may encourage the reader to purchase the magazine to study the style of the artist. Moreover another feature was the listing of artists to feature in the magazine as I felt that large names In the Hip Hop industry such as 'Wu-Tang Clan' and 'MF Doom' had a huge selling point as any avid fans of this genre would more than likely be familiar with these artist work. When choosing my models I felt that the two I selected styles/appearences best represented the kind of music I was trying to convey with my Artist 'T Raw' and 'Kamikaze'.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
For the photography aspect of my magazine I used a Nikon D3200 camera, this allowed me to take photos of a higher quality than the use of a standard Iphone camera or other handheld phone. I felt that the higher standard of photo gave my magazine a much more professional look to it and therefore supported the higher price. I also used artificial lighting to remove any shadows that may distort or make the picture less clear. The computers I used were mainly the IMac's in college however I also used the Intel core 13 system and edge 10 monitor. Another piece of technology I relied on massively was Photoshop, this allowed my to crop, enlarge and change the colour of photos to create my final piece. Furthermore I used sites such as Scripd,Slideshare and Infrogram to present my work in a more interesting format than the standard word document or blog post, this is useful as it gave me skills to present work in a more engaging way to the audience.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
When looking back over my media coursework and comparing my final product to my preliminary, I feel that I’ve improved significantly. I believe this is due to various skills and concepts that I’ve learnt about magazine creation over the coursework process. One of these concepts being the concept of genre and target audience. Over the duration of the process I've become increasingly aware of how important it is to have a set genre and target audience when creating a media product. Having a target audience and genre aided me in the creation of my magazine because it helped me understand how I should design my magazine. Looking back, I also learnt about the importance of what editing software to use when designing magazines as although for my preliminary magazine I used Photoshop, I learned through trial and error how to use the software to a higher standard which was illustrated in my final piece. 

Draft double paged spread

Draft contents page

Draft front cover

Institutuion analysis

An institution who would publish my magazine would be 'Townsquare Media'. As well as publishing rights it also owns 171 radio stations in 36 radio markets across America where it based in Greenwich, Connecticut. This institution is best known for publishing 'XXL' magazine which it releases 6 times every year. 'XXL' magazine generally focuses on the Hip Hop genre and this links with my magazine as it includes lots of the artists that I wish to place in my magazine.

Draft Article

Review of album - Nehruviandoom.


In 2014 the long awaited collaboration between the Hip Hop legend MF doom and the upcoming talent that is Bishop Nehru was released, Nehruviandoom was a huge success on the underground Hip Hop scene due to the build up that was created from Dooms previous success with albums such as Operation Doomsday and Madvillain. Furthermore Bishop Nehru has amassed quite a reputation for an up and coming rapper with massive potential, this may have been what drew Doom towards this collaboration. The album has a variety of different beats to the songs with tracks such as 'OM' and 'Darkness' featuring Dooms classic slow guitar riffs and deep tones for the chorus with Bishops higher beat rapping over the top, this mixture works really well and creates an almost father/son relationship between the two rappers. Moreover songs such as 'Mean the most' illustrate how Bishop Nehru stands out from other rappers of the same genre, Bishops flow and lyrical content gives him a maturity beyond his years.

60 minute magazine design

Music playlist

25 word Pitch

Updates

Work I have completed:
- Title decision
- Audience profile
- Fashion associated with my genre
- Analysis of magazine titles
- Style of magazine
- Language register
- Front page analysis
- Contents page analysis
- Double paged spread analysis
- Examples of other text
- Prelim magazine front cover
- Prelim magazine contents
- 25 word pitch
- Playlist





Work I haven't completed:
- Colour Pallets
- Audience research (UK tribes)
- Photographer/Magazine creator/ Graphic designer
- Comment on peers blog
- Mood board
- Institute to publish my magazine



Organisation and time management - I felt that I spent too long on the preliminary magazine front cover and contents page task and not enough on the rest of my work, furthermore we didn't take our photos till the 3rd lesson which slowed us down quite a bit.

Research and planning - Through research of this industry I have learnt the amount of effort that goes into it, furthermore how time consuming it is.

Technology - For the preliminary task of designing the magazine cover and contents page I used photoshop to design and edit it. Moreover I used a camera to take the photos which didn't require a lot of effort however the use of lighting and the white screen behind required setting up.

Title Decision

After lots of thought on what name would be an appropriate masthead for my Hip Hop inspired magazine I have settled on Levels. This I believe reflects what I am trying to achieve with my magazine as I intend to incorporate various levels of Hip Hop from those who already have world fame down to the urban underground Hip Hop scene which have not been unearthed to the mainstream public. I chose this name because I believe it to be short and catchy enough  for it to stick in the readers mind without it being easy to forget. Moreover it isn't a too bigger word in that people will struggle to pronounce it or be put off by its complicated vocabulary when picking it off a shelf.

Audience profile

Name: Tom
Age: 18

Occupation: Tom is currently studying for his A-Levels in Media, English, Geography and Drama, his understanding of the English language would allow him to relate to what i'm writing in my magazine and interpret the meaning of various terms and the English vocabulary.

Interests: Tom enjoys listening to Hip Hop in his spare time where he can relax and forget about college, he enjoys listening by himself but also with friends so they can share opinions on various artists. Fashion (and in particular streetwear) play a large part in his life as he enjoys buying and wearing various items from the streetwear scene, you'll often see tom sporting designer clothing such as Nike, Undefeated and Supreme.

Favourite music: MF doom, Bishop Nehru, Yung Lean, The Notorious B.I.G.

Favourite Magazine: Vice, Respect, XXL.

Favourite Places: House partys, clubs and Hip Hop concerts.

Favourite activities: Shopping, Socialising, Partying.

Fashion associated with my Genre of Music

The clothing often associated with the Hip Hop genre/scene would be more commonly referred to as 'Street wear'. This is generally expensive brands which owning an item of raises the the individual status above those around them and are often limited or even deadstock so are difficult for 'normal' people to get there hands on without spending a large amount of money. The brands commonly associated with these items of clothing would be A Bathing Ape, Supreme, Nike, The North Face etc. However brands which would have often been often associated with the upper class such as Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Raf Simons have recently begin to be more commonly worn on the street scene. The stereotypical image of a Hip Hop artist would often feature a large fur coat, jewellery and diamonds which often feature prominently within the hierarchy if the Hip Hop culture.

 

Double paged spread Wiz

I chose this double paged spread due to the fact I like the look and design of it, the cap worn by the rapper Wiz Khalifa matches the gold/black colour pallet which runs throughout this article. The main cover line has been cleverly edited from 'UK' to 'WK' using a bold black font which immediately suggests to the reader that the purpose of this article is to talk about the affect that his music has had on the UK rap scene. Furthermore the words 'HOW HIGH?' are printed as a subtitle underneath which links with the stereotype that all rappers smoke Marijuana and that he featured in the film 'How High?' with Snoop Dogg, this is a deliberate tactic to obtain the readers interest. In addition the text used is all in standard font, apart from an oversized gold 'B' at the beginning which is used to intrigue the reader into reading the smaller text.

Double paged spread Rick

I picked this double page spread to analyse as I liked the main image that is a full body shot of the rapper Rick Ross, the way that he is dressed and the clutching of a (presumably expensive) bottle of champagne suggests that he has made it as an artist. Similarly this image links with the main title which states 'MAN MADE' in bold black font with a reversed reflection beneath. The colour pallet of this spread is completely black and white which again gives it an almost 'classy' look about it. The text that features is all in black with an oversized 'T' beginning the paragraph which is eye catching for the reader. Underneath the title 'Rick Ross' is printed in bold to announce the artist to the reader.

Double paged spread analysis Lupe

I like the colour pallet in this double page spread as the gold and white colours connote class and power which is something in which the Hip Hop artist Lupe Fiasco has succeeded in on the Hip Hop industry. Moreover the inclusion of two pictures with a main image and a picture of him performing means the article does not look boring aesthetically, the clothing in which he is dressed in with the hoodie and gold watch are common links with the Hip Hop genre. Furthermore the text is all written in white or gold to stick with the colour scheme, words such as 'struggle', 'God loves' and 'Humble' are all written in white enlarged writing to draw the readers attention to what he had to say. Similarly 'FIASCO' is written in bold gold as the main line of the text, this is to attract any possible fans of his music to  read the magazine/article.

Contents page analysis Usher

 I enjoyed the layout of this piece with the oversized mid shot of the artist Usher with the contents down the side, the style in which he is dressed such as the inclusion of fur on his coat all have links to the Hip hop genre. I like the neat layout of the text in this contents page with the colour pallet being all grey, white and black which you can associate with the serious pose of the artist. In addition the masthead is small however placed in a position in which the reader would still acknowledge it, the positioning is important as it may cause the reader to remain interested or not. Overall I may choose to include elements of this in my own contents page as I like the precise look of it.

Contents page analysis 50 Cent

For this contents page I liked the use of the mid shot of the Hip Hop artist 50 Cent which was placed down the left hand side of the page with the 'features' on the opposite side. This is something I may consider using during my own contents page. Moreover the colour pallet in this particular page is collaboration of red, white and black which again is a colour set often associated with this genre of music. The features are all written in small black font which I personally would change as I believe it gives it a monotonous look and would not grasp the readers attention. Furthermore the masthead of this piece is not very eye catching for the reader which is something which would be important for the reader to remain interested.

Contents page analysis Kanye

   
In this contents page the use of the black and grey colour scheme works really well as it links with 'moody' nature of the Hip hop artist Kanye West, moreover the splash of colour on his heart which is clutched by what seems to be a womens hand has various connotations about his life. Another feature of this page which I liked was the giant 'V' behind the main picture to subtly remind the reader of the magazine in which they are reading. The masthead and text all stick with serious mood of this piece by the use of grey and black and I believe this to give this a balanced look to it.

Jay-Z Magazine Analysis

Analysis of magazine titles

The initials NME stand for 'New musical express', this is largely due to it often featuring bands who are relatively unknown to the public. The use of the red font with the black and white outline is deliberate as it is eyecatching to the reader. Moreover the use of the short 3 letters allows for a large masthead which would stick in the readers mind.

The term 'VIBE' is often associated with enjoying or relaxing to the sound of music, often which includes a beat which again is associated with the Hip Hop genre. The black bold writing gives off a Hip Hop feel to it which is something I'm going to consider in my magazine's masthead. One minor problem for the colour scheme is that the mastheads colour is changed to represent each different colour of the magazine, this is something I may have to consider as it would not make the masthead easy to recognise.

I intend to include elements of the simplicity of this logo in my masthead, the basic red, white and black shadow make it stand out and easy to recognise even when this colour pallet is often used with magazine of this genre. Furthermore the lack of text aside from the 'Q' will allow for maximum size of the masthead to grasp the publics attention.

Style of magazine

After thoroughly researching the different genres for my magazine I have settled on Hip Hop, I considered using Indie Rock however I felt that through using a different genre to the generic Kasabian etc I would be able to be more creative with my final piece. Since considering possible style models for my magazine I have settled on using 'Levels' as this generally represents Hip Hop artists and would allow me to use elements of its design when considering my final piece. Another reason for me choosing to use Hip Hop to alternatives was that I listen to a lot of this genre of music and feel I could use this knowledge to good effect in my magazine. Moreover the clothing styles and setting in which I will take my pictures will be good to experiment with.

Language Register

The type of target audience in which a magazine is catering towards will affect if they choose to be formal or informal register, even if the genre of music they have is the same as others. An example of an informal magazine aimed at younger people/teenagers would be 'NME', this includes lots of slang words and youth dialect that older people may not understand or be able to relate to. Furthermore an example of a more hip hop orientated magazine would be 'Vibe', this similarly to the 'NME' magazine includes lots of slang and modern day jargon which is often associated with the hip hop culture. On the other hand, an example of a formal magazine which target market is adults would be 'Q' magazine, this would often appeal to those who are interested in music which pre-dates more modern music and would include bands such as Oasis. For my magazine I intend to do an informal hip hop piece aimed at teenagers through to early twenty's, this would include a variation of artists from The Notorious B.I.G to MF DOOM.

Tyler Magazine Cover Analysis

Drake Magazine Cover Analysis Finished

Magazine cover analysis

I chose these 3 examples as they all represent (possibly with the exception of Tyler, the creator) the genre hip hop, I am hoping to use this type of music to represent in my magazine. I'm thinking of taking influence from these kind of magazines and using the red, white and black colour scheme. Moreover I liked the use of the bold print to announce the artist to the reader and the informal quote about/by the musician as I felt this plays a large factor in drawing in the reader.

Examples of other text

The NME magazine featuring Ian Brown and Jay-Z i chose because i thought it included a good colour scheme and use of various texts sizes. Furthermore the positioning of the two celebrities on the front cover are proportionally correct.

Another cover i chose was the NehruvianDoom album cover as i believe that the almost 'cartoon' aspect of the cover draws in the reader to the finer details on the cover, certain parts of this imay choose to include in my magazine. Moreover i like the 'alternative' look to a classic hip hop album which commonly include monotonous black and grey colours.
Additionally I chose the Rolling stone magazine featuring The Notorious B.I.G due to the fact that I like the colour scheme of red, white  and black as these colours compliment eachother well.

Prelim magazine contents page

Prelim magazine front cover