The BIG 8

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

My music magazine uses real media forms and conventions by following all the typical conventions like masthead with the image overlapping the masthead as well with the image being placed in the middle of the cover, as well as the barcode being used for an example, the reason why I decided to follow these certain code and conventions because I think that every magazine needs to include these things. All of the codes and conventions that I followed are:

·         Masthead

·         Issue Number                                                                                          

·         Ear piece

·         Date of edition

·         Banner

·         Subheading

·         Outward gaze image

·         Barcode

·         Price

·         Celebrity Endorsement

·         Front cover on contents

·         Editor’s note

However the codes and conventions that I developed was the use of Celebrity endorsement, the reason why this was developed was because I didn’t use this as the main feature for the selling point as I wouldn’t the image that I did use to represent my theme of my magazine so it reaches out to my target audience better. The other codes and conventions that I developed was the layout of the contents page, where I decided to use subheadings to show what topic in the magazine comes under.

2. How does your media product represent particular social group?

My media product represent a particular social group by putting a unknown upcoming black singer in the latest fashion clothing as my main selling point for my magazine, I did this because I wanted my magazine to be aimed at social group where young people who want to become an upcoming singer/rapper and someone who they can look up to as a role model. As a result I used a singer (Jerome) who talks about how it got this far, what he did and who inspired him to do so, I also used celebrity endorsement in Professor Green where he had an hard time before he become famous, so using a black and white males who’s been through a similar situation before becoming big in the music industry.

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

The institution that I think may want to distribute my media product is intermedia partners. The reason why I think this would be good for my magazine is because they distribute magazine ‘VIBE’ and Vibe magazine is similar to my magazine gender, I think that they would get my magazine big and well-known as they already proven this by producing VIBE. I also think that they would be interested in distributing my magazine because I wanted to basically make a UK version of ‘Vibe’ so it will be sold more in the UK.

4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

My target audience is young black/ white males age between 14-21 who interested in RnB/rap music who maybe don’t come from the best of backgrounds and maybe want a career in the music industry and see how the stars of today has come to where they are today. So I want lower class black or white young people who maybe have a religious background.

5) How did you attract/address your audience?

I reached the target audience by using an upcoming young black artist(Jerome) as the main theme of the magazine I also used a white young singer in Pro-Green, the reason for this is because his came from a hard background before music with him getting stabbed, so I think he represented my magazine gender well. I also called my magazine 'Beats’ this was used to link to younger generation with the new headphone dr.beats

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

I think that I have learnt a lot because considering that I never used In-Design before I started this task, I think I have learned a lot and it’s helped me to get better because I learned what I had to do and what tools do what. So I feel I got a better idea what to do and the basics on In-Design I now know. But also it helped me to make the magazine as I did have previous experience working on Photoshop unlike In-design, so that helped me to do the cropping of the images in Photoshop.

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

I think the things that I have learnt since the preliminary task was how I could change the image needed in Photoshop and effectively move it on to In-design without making unprofessional and out of place. I also learned how you can put your writing in columns this helps with making the magazine more organised and professional. Also I learned what didn’t go well the first time round like the colour schemes or the placement of certain codes and conventions so overall I think I have learned a lot from my preliminary task on In-Design.

8) Submit your product and records

All work will be submitting on Friday 23^rd March 2012!!