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

Throughout the process of making the product I have used a variety of different technologies, I first had to get used to using the Macs which I found very difficult and time consuming to get used to. The technology was completely new to me as before the coursework I had never used a Mac before, I do like Mac computers but I feel that I would've found it easier to use a windows vista PC as this is what I use at home. Also blogging was new to me, before the coursework I didn't even know about blogging, however I found the process of setting up a blog simple and grasped the concept of it quite easily. I found it a very effcient way of completeing courseework and think it's a good idea. The main piece of software we had to use throughout completing the coursework was photo shop, we had to use this during our preliminary task when I first used it i found it very difficult and time consuming as I couldn't grasp the new technology. There are so many different tools and setting that it was very confusing at first, but the more I used it the easier I found it to use. The hardest tool I found was the magic lasoo as you have to have a very steady hand, which I don't. Also the photoshop software crashed countless amount of times meaning I had to re start what I had already nearly finished.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I used many different things to help attract my target audience, the first thing being the competition, all people who listen to house music will definitely be interested in winning that amount of equipment so that is a definite incentive to buy the magazine. I also attract the audience through my main colour of electric blue as this represents electric house music, also it is a bright funky colour and is in your face, this is what you feel like when you are out raving and the colour scheme does well in following this. I have also selected artists that all house music lovers will know and enjoy. I also feel that the way I wrote addressed the audience, as it was funny, put not incorrect and all the text was understandable I made sure it was as if the magazine was talking to the person to give customer confidence that we care. Also the main images target the audience as the image on the cover is of a well known DJ himself, but we get behind the scenes of his track playing to get to know what he really gets up to, anybody who listens to the DJ will definately want to buy this magazine, also as you get in inside infomration on all the hot new tracks people who listen to house music will want to know all of this gossip and definately want to know all the hot new tracks.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

For my target audience, they would be people generally like the couple below. They would listen to artists such as David Guetta, Laidback Luke, Steve Angello etc. They would be generally under 30 and of any ethnic background, they would enjot bright colours with strobe lights and hardcode raves, they would dress like the couple in the image, and would enjoy a drink at a club regularly.

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

The first place I would want to sell my magazine would be tesco, as it is such a national large store it would be easily accessible to anybody. Also places such as WH Smith and all stores that generally sell magazine so that the magazine is easy to find.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product represents a particular social group, it is aimed at people who enjoy going out raving and generally people who listen to house music, generally people under 30 of any sex and of any ethnic background. My main images clear represent my target audience as they are all of people raving, or of alcohol, this clearly showing what the magazine is about, you get a free CD with the magazine so by looking at the tracks on the CD you immediately know whether this magazine is right for you, also the people who do enjoy house music will want to keep buying the magazine as you get inside information on all the hot new raves, also all wannabee DJ's will want to buy this issue as they get hte chance to win a load of DJ equipment themselves. The cover lines on the front cover include many well know DJ's so people who are into house music will immediately recognize them and will want to buy the issue. My main bright colour is electric blue to represent electric house music, I wanted to get the colour scheme as close to the genre as possible and I feel electric blue was the best colour to use for that.

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

Throughout my music magazine i have used multiple examples of conventions, on of them being the pug on the right hand side of the front cover, these are used regularly on professional magazine to make a particular cover line stand out, it has the same effect on my front cover as it is large & eye catching, it also conveys more features of the cover as it gives the cover more variety rather than having all the cover lines near each other in the same font. My pug is advertising a competition, many professional magazine have competitions as it encourages people to buy the magazine. I have included a bar code with the price next to it to make sure that the cover looks realistic. I placed the price next to the bar code so that the price is easy to find, and this is usually where the price is placed on professional magazine. I challenged the convention by having the website on the front cover with the price, I feel that this was the best place to put it without it looking out of place. I have used the masthead convention in the same way as regular magazines, placing it at the top of the cover. I have used and challenged the left side third convention , the two main stories and the bar code are on the left side third however because of my main image is positioned the names of all the artists are at the top right, I did not want any of the cover lines covering the main image. Also I wanted to make the cover look busy so felt that not all aspects of the cover should be on the left side third. I also challenged the strap line convention by placing it at the bottom rather than the top, I feel that because of my image and the thickness of the strap line that it looked better at the bottom rather than the top, I think that in this case challenging the convention was successful. Also I have used the colour scheme of grey white and blue throughout the entire magazine. I also used the convention of having the masthead in the contents page, most professional magazines do this . The aragement of my contents page has been highly influenced by MixMag. I have different sections such as regulars, tunes, vip etc. this following the conventions of most magazines also it enables the target audience to find what they want easily. I have followed the convention of page numbers this is a must have to ensure that the contents page is correct and clear, also under each story there is a breif section about it, these are all conventions to make the contents page correct.

Stage of Double Page Spread

I then realized that I should add in the website at the bottom of the page, now the double page spread is complete.

I then decided that the contents page style should be more represented throughout the magazine so put a border around the title of the page to make it stand out more and to use the house style more.

I then did the same for the events.

I then added in the text for the albums, I wrote the name of the artist and a little section about the album so that readers could see which ones the magazine preferred and why.

The next thing I did was cut and paste the text I had previously written for the double page spread, I chose to use white for the font color as it would still effectively stand out on the grey background, but I didn't want too much of the blue color as it would become too bright and too consecutive throughout the magazine.

I then added in the images of the events and left room to write about them.

I feel that this looks much better and you still have the outline of the blue but it is not too in your face as I have put a grey shape over it. This makes it look more effective.

I then added in a shape so that I could put pictures of event flyers to show readers where they can go to listen to this type of music on the weekends. However I do not want it this colour

I then added in the main image, this is an image of the DJ on the front cover raving to rebeltronic music, it shows him with funky glasses on that many house music listeners can relate too, it is in the middle of the page to ensure that no writing cuts across the middle, it is rather large but leaves plenty of room for text and other things.

I then added in images of different CD's that have rebeltronic music on them, this is so that readers who are interested in this type of music know which albums to buy to listen to this music, also it would make the page more busy and relate more to the target audience.

I then added in the date and page number on each side as page numbers must be present on a magazine or it would be too confusing, I used blue so that the blue was still present and it would keep the page colourful and bright.

I again decided to use a grey background to keep within the color scheme of the rest of the magagzine, I put the title of the story in large bold writing as it makes it stand out and also is loud and bold, so it is loud like the events where you would be hearing this type of music.

Stages of Contents

This is the finished contents page, I used white & grey text for this section as the majority of the text on the page is blue, as this was a separate piece of information it should have a different colour scheme but still within the color scheme of the whole magazine.

I then added in text and an image of the CD, all I had to do now was add in a tracklist.

I decided that I would put a free CD with the issue to encourage more people to buy the magazine, to keep within the style of the magazine I used my borders from the top and placed them at the bottom so I could put text in between but it would be separated from the rest of the page.

I feel this image fits well as it is an image of decks with a blue light surrounding it so it fits in perfectly with my color scheme, I feel that the contents page looks much more professional with the text smaller and more of it, however there is still room at the bottom to add more.

So that I could fit in the maximum amount of text I decreased the image sizes and moved the under the main image so that all the text could fit together, I have left room at the top for another image which I will add in next.

I have now added in the page numbers, I feel that the text is too large and there should be more as there are not enough stories on the contents page.

The next step was to add in the text, I kept the color scheme of grey white & blue throughout the contents page, I now needed to add in page numbers to make it clear to the audience what stories are on what page.

I then did the same for the main image.

I decided that a electric blue border around the date and title would give a much better effect so this was the next step that I did.

I then added in the title and the date, these two things must be present on a contents page otherwise will never achieve a professional look, however where they are I feel they look very bland and on their own as they are a darker shade of grey, I need to make them stand out more and look more independent and away from everything else on the contents page.

I decided on a grey background as it is a neutral color so all font on the contents page would stand out, i added in my four main images straight away so i could get an idea of the layout I wanted and where things should go, I like the shoes are they are in random angles and stand out. also the main image is very effective as it relates straight to the genre of music.

Stages of Front Cover

I think now the font stands out very effectively and I feel the page is eye catching as there are many different colors, this is the final front cover.

I then decided that the audience should know the types of artists that were within the months issue, so I put them at the top right, they are out of the way but clearly visible however because of the busy colored background the font did not stand out as much as I wanted it to, I used alternate colours to make the front cover stand out more and not be all the same.

I then decided that the page looked bland overall and more things need to be added to make it eye catching so I decided to use a electric blue banner at the bottom of the page that states everything we have inside, this way it allows people to know what's inside just from the front cover I also think it makes the page look busier and definitely more eye catching as there is more bright blue present, I used white font as I feel it stands out best on the blue background.

I put a blue background behind the shape to make it stand out more, I chose to put it slightly distorted as this is how you would be feeling at a club, I think it gives a much better effect to the pug as it makes it more eye-catching, this is a must have quality of a front cover.

I then added in a pug as most magazines have one present, I decided to use it for a competition, that way more people would be interested as they have a chance of winning excellent equipment, however I think it looks very bland as it is so decided to make a slight change.

All front cover must have their inside stories printed on the front cover, I have put the two main stories that run throughout my work, Rebeltronic is the main story and Anderson is the boy in the image who has come back to DJing and tells you all about Rebeltronic. To make the color scheme wider I have used white & grey, these colors have also been used throughout the magazine. I feel that it is a good place where I chose as again the stories are not blocking any of the main image.

The next step was to add in conventions, therefore I added in the bar code and the prices, there is no way that it can look professional without a bar code as every single magazine has a bar code, I also added on the website as this is a standard piece of information that must be present, I felt that the place I put them in is convenient as they are clearly visible but out of the way of the main image.

This is the chosen image for my front cover, I chose this one as it looks like they are having a wicked time, also the guy on the right is a professional DJ, this image is taken in a club as the music genre is house, I put the masthead at the top in messy writing so that it relates to the title 'Mess Detectives'

Previous Work

There was a slight problem with my account so I will be using this blog to carry on with my work, all previous work is on www.kirstybriggs.blogspot.com