This is the contents page i created for my magazine

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This is my magazine double page spread

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Magazine front cover

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

When I first started my preliminary task I had a few basic skills which would enable me to complete the first task, from this I developed my skills in photography from using the digital cameras in a less skilled manner to being able to produce better quality images using rules a learnt from reading professional photography books, I have learnt that using natural light is better when taking a photo as it allows for a sharper quality image compared to that of one using artificial light. I found this information useful after completing my preliminary task and decided to take my main tasks images outside, where I could get as much natural light in the image as possible.

From the start I had almost no knowledge of how to use Photoshop to its full capability and struggled when creating my preliminary task, but by using guides which were easily located on the internet I was able to advance my knowledge greatly developing techniques in how to create these magazines.

I think that i have learnt more about how different audiences are targeted by the media and i feel i have adapted to these conventions of targeting audiences as shown by my preliminary and my main task.

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

During the progression of this project I have developed my skills in many different areas, such as, Photography, photo editing, Photoshop, blogging. In terms of photography before I embarked upon this project I had a very limited understanding of how to successfully take a professional looking good quality image. To help me improve my photography skills I purchased a book, called Digital Photography for Dummies (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Photography-Dummies-Julie-Adair/dp/0470250747/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260996008&sr=1-2) this book helped me learn theories such as the Rule of thirds, I applied these theories to the photos I took for my magazine and the quality seemed a lot better.

I had a limited amount of previous experience in photo editing, in photoshop, I was more used to using Adobe fireworks but photoshop seemed quite easy to use and I quickly gathered basic knowledge of how to use it properly, after a few hours of playing around I decided to look for a tutorial on how to manipulate colour in images and taught myself to use a variety of different effects and manipulate an image in different ways. This tutorial I found on youtube helped me develop my image editing skills http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vd1ZuxAGLU.  This video allowed me to change manipulate specific areas of an image changing its colour making it black and white as shown on the front cover of my main task.

Before starting this project I had never used http://www.blogger.com/ before I was more accustomed to using social network sites such as Facebook, I quickly adapted and picked up on how to use some of the features available to use on blogger. This allowed me to post questions to help with research, upload images and receive feedback from people.

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Who would be the audience for your media product?

I’ve identified from my research that my main target audience is a mainly male audience aged from mid – teens to late twenties and who have an interest in the Indie Rock culture. I have chosen to appeal to the characteristics of this audience as from my questionnaire I identified that my main target audience was male. I handed my questionnaire to forty people, twenty men and twenty women; from my results I established that it was mainly men who purchased music magazines. These fitted mainly into the age range of 16 – 28. I chose to appeal to a popular music genre which can be associated with this age group.

How did you attract/adress your audience?

I have tried to address this audience by making it follow a more mature structure in the layout and the articles used but still making it appeal to different aspects of what people like to read and see in music magazines, such as competitions, reviews, bands and more these aspects appeal to each reader. One way in which I found some useful information was from the forums which are on the music magazine websites, (e.g. http://ubb.mojo4music.com/ubbthreads.php this is the Mojo magazine user forum) I gained a few ideas on what people liked about certain issues of mojo and decided to incorporate them within my own magazine.

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What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I fell that from my research into different distribution companies that my magazine would be best suited towards being distributed by The Bauer Media Group (http://www.bauerverlag.de/) . This institution already runs two of the most successful music magazines on sale at the present moment, Kerrang and Q magazine.


As well as being the distributor for Kerrang and Q magazine they also own large stakes music Television (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_Television) This runs all the major music channels such as Kerrang, Smash Hits, and Q.


By The Bauer Media Group publishing my magazine I feel that it will be able to be taken to its maximum capability because it has all the necessary assets to promote my magazine to its intended audience. The Bauer Media Group has previous experience in promoting a magazine of this genre and I think it would benefit them and my magazine well to distribute it.

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This is the contents page i have created for my magazine

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My magazine’s main focus is mainly upon the one artist. My magazine portrays him as being from an Indie rock culture. This is shown by the way he is dressed which is in a smart casual way and dressing in this way is stereotyped as being part of the indie rock culture. This is typical of an Indie rock culture as shown by this picture of Johnny Borrel, the lead singer from Razorlight. I feel by using the clothing worn by the main person in the image it reflects the genre of magazine I have chosen to aim towards.

The way in which I have edited the photo allows his mood to be represented in a different light to the world around him this reflects the type of music that is typically related to this genre. For example – Band of Horses – The Funeral is part of this genre - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibE7IqEjni4

I think that this articles representation because of its nature will apply itself to other social groups such as ‘Emos’ or ‘Goths’ this is because the nature of the picture and article can be a typical issue in which some people in these groups can relate to from the way they interoperate the representation of person. I have achieved this through making the image black and white in a certain area displaying feelings towards the situation which the article is about.

My magazine although it will be mainly aimed towards a specific genre because of the genre and stereotypes it represents. It will also be able to represent indirectly other social groups because of the nature of articles featured within the magazine.

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

My magazine uses some of the typical conventions from popular music magazines such as Mojo and NME. My magazine follows a similar layout to that of NME, I achieved this by sticking with a simple layout which accentuates the large image and it’s Anchorage.

I feel by using a similar style to NME it allows the full effect of the dramatic image to be emphasised to the reader. By using the simple layout convention it allows for the image to be interpreted in different ways by the audience making it more of an appealing magazine to purchase. I chose to challenge the convention mostly used by NME or Kerrang of having the person in the main image fill the entire front cover. I did this as it allows for the surroundings of artist to reflect the mood of the article setting it out as dramatic story.

With the severity of my main article being used with such a dramatic anchorage I feel that a more mature colour scheme was needed. Rather than going with a similar colour scheme to that of NME which is more vibrant. I used a similar convention to that of Mojo magazine which gives it a darker feel allowing it to reflect the main articles purpose.

My double page spread shows similar conventions to those used in an article I researched from NME of Lily Allen. With a large picture being used on the right hand side of the page I think this grabs the reader’s attention and makes them wonder why such a large image is needed causing them to read further on into the magazine. The text I’ve used can contradict usual conventions of music magazines as instead of using a structured interview I allowed the telling of a major event I felt it would give more effect to the article if it was told in a freely flowing manner, compared to more structured interviews which are shown in other articles from magazines such as NME, Kerrang or MOJO.

I used a formal font for my double page spread to reflect the formality of the story and keep a mature image allowing it to relate to main story.

By sticking with the conventions of some typical magazines and altering a few of its own, I think it allows for STRUMLINE to be shown in its own unique way drawing more attention from its audience.

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Contents Page Analysis!

This is my analysis of a contents page from NME magazine.

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Questionnaire!

This is a short questionnaire i have constructed to gain an awareness of my target audience and what drives them to buy, a magazine or not.

Contents Page Mockup
This is my design template for the contents page i would use for my school magazine.
I decided to keep, using the same style that i used on the front cover to keep the magazine
consistant throughout. I used this layout as from looking through most, magazines this is a typical layout for, the majority of the magazine's that are published today.

Textual Analysis!

This is another double page spread i have chosen to analyse.

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Double Page Spread!
This is the double page spread i have decided to analyse!

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Magazine Analysis!
Mojo Magazine Cover Analysis!
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Front Cover Analysis
This is a front cover of Q magazine which i have conducted an analysis of.

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Preliminary Task Front Cover!

This is my front cover for my preliminary task. I decided to keep with the school's professional image and ideology, "To excel in all that we do so that everyone flourishes and achieves their full potential" it also keeps my magazine formal, but still allows it to appeal to parents and students. I took the picture in the school library, using a sixth form student. I did this as the sixth form is a large part of the school community and, this sort of magazine would appeal more to the sixth form students rather than the lower years. A benefit of the magazine appealing to the sixth form is that they are more likely to have a disposable income.

I used the font colour's red, white and blue to keep with the schools semniotic patterns, this helps make the magazine noticeable and easily identifiable as a Deyes High School magazine.

MastHead/Logo for Preliminary Task!

I created this masthead using a program on the school's computers called Fireworks. It allowed me to manipulate images and join them together to form my masthead.


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Preliminary Task Template!


For my preliminary task i have to create a school magazine. I have chosen to keep it formal, sticking with the schools general image, but in a way that makes young students want to read the magazine as well. Here is my first template of what i think I'd like the format of my magazine to have:

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Daniel Lynskey's AS Portfolio!

Hi, and Welcome to my blog!
This blog will contain, my AS portfolio and the step's i have taken to complete both my preliminary, and my main task. I will be updating this on a regular basis, adding to previous post's, making new post's, asking for feed back and creating surveys or questionnaire's as part of my research. Please leave your feedback on any of my posts if you have any idea's of how i could improve things.

Thanks for visiting!

I look forward to your feedback!