Monday, 8 May 2017

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

For my preliminary task, I had to create a front cover of a school magazine that was mainly aimed at secondary school students. My final piece is a music magazine that is aimed at teenagers or older which is in a mass audience. I was then able to develop my skills and knowledge of editing and creativity when making a magazine and including the conventions.

I was also responsible for all the roles played by industry professionals:

  • Photographer
  • Editor of both images and text
  • Publisher
  • Interviewer
  • Interviewee
  • Director
  •  Writer







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

Image result for bauer mediaMy target audience is seen as a mass audience, this is because the indie-pop genre is growing in size and is becoming much more popular in this music industry. Although the indie genre audience is more niche, the compilation of indie with pop makes the overall target audience larger, therefore targeting my music magazine to a mass audience.
Media institution is an organisation that can produce or distribute media products. This can be done through many different methods, like through marketing or production etc. There are mass institutions and independent institutions. An example of a media institution is "Bauer media" they are responsible for publishing magazines such as "Q" and "Kerrang!". These both appeal to mass audiences and are based on more mainstream music. 

Image result for magazine clipartTherefore, I would choose a publisher that publishes my type of magazine, this is so then it reaches a mass audience. "Bauer media" is a popular publisher that publishes a range of different genre of music magazines with all different genres. Therefore, I believe that if "Bauer media" was to publish my magazine then they would be expanding their audience with this unique and growing genre. My target audience is a mass audience and therefore would be very useful and beneficial to the institution. 

It can be effective based off my target audience to then have an independent institution that would publish my magazine. This is so then my magazine is then straying away from the mainstream industry of music magazines, an independent company would not reach my mass audience as "Bauer media" would. "Bauer media" are very responsible for highly successful prints of magazines and I would hope that if they would publish my magazine, it would be due to my target audience being a mass audience and because of the quality of my magazine, this is as well as being one of the first institutions to then publish a magazine with the rare indie-pop genre.

During the industry of music magazines, there are many mainstream music magazines, mainly focusing on the general pop industry. I believe that there is a massive gap in this music magazine industry for an indie-pop music magazine. Its very new, fresh and innovative and it is exactly what the industry is missing as it is something that is desperately needed in the music magazine industry.

In this modern day music magazines has become very plain, this is due to no one in this industry is experimenting with their magazines as much as they used to. Therefore, many people are sticking to the normal mainstream music because its seen as "trendy" and a large proportion of people have no means of access in discovering new and updated music. This is where my magazine is very unique and different compared to other mainstream magazines, this is due to the fact that it provides a means of access to new themed music which is very different to the mainstream music magazines.

Many of the magazines that are published by "Bauer media" like to focus on the music artists themselves, fashion or artists lifestyles. Therefore, I believe  that my music magazine would be filling a massive gap in the music magazine industry."Bauer media" describe themselves as "Britain's biggest magazine publisher" with many iconic brands within their portfolio.

Image result for target audienceMy target audience would only read a magazine that they would trust if it was produced by a publisher that is reliable just like "Bauer media" this is due to them having published many well known brands of different magazines that have sold really well. I feel that if I had got my magazine published with an independent institution, my target audience may not trusted the unwell known production company. This would then mean that the lack of consumption would make figures very low and my magazine may become very unsuccessful due to a large amount of magazines not being sold. "Bauer media" have described themselves as "Britain's biggest magazine publisher" with many iconic brands within their portfolio.

Sunday, 7 May 2017

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My target audience would be known as 'indie' or 'hipsters'. These type of individuals see themselves as trendsetters and opinion moulders, this is due to the fact that they consist of middle-class young people teenagers or older of whom use social media to show how they are up to date with trends and fashions. Although, I believe my target audience are a unique sub-group of hipsters, I feel that hipsters a group that would stay on trend with the crowd and are focused on mainstream music, My target audience like to stray away from this mainstream type of music and find new and unique styles of music  that many other individuals wouldn't either listen to or wouldn't even find. Therefore, I feel as if my magazine would influence my target audiences taste in music even though they can still be very selective towards some or the music/artists, and so that is why I have included a range of different artists and try to feature to appeal to a wide majority within this social group as I need to supply for both males and females. My talent within my final front cover of my music magazine is representative of this social group; she is wearing very casual clothes although it still looks very stylish and well thought out, she has a chilled/relaxed posture, which shows that my magazine is very open and relaxed about my overall theme of magazine, this is to portray the connotations that go along with the approach of my target audience  as they are very opinionated and relaxed about not following the crowd.

The use of mise-en-scene within my image will also reflect the social group of my music magazine. Even though my front cover model isnt holding any sort of musical prop, I felt as if this shows that you dont have to be musically orientated by a specific instrument used to show your style of music. The setting is very simplistic, with lack of detail on the walls, this is to connote that even though my target audience are very individualised, this lack of detail allows my target audience to feel open minded to music within my magazine.

The social groups excluded from my target audience would be those of whom are the "mainstreamers", whichs are the individuals of whom just follow the crowd and also follow trends or whatever is popular at the current time. This is rather than being an individual and trying to find their own taste and interests within their lifestyle. I wanted these individuals to be excluded because my music magazine does not follow a lot of mainstream music, to allow my target audience to be individuals and follow their own artists that suit their own taste of music. This was by being a source of discoving new and upcoming music as well as supporting new artists within the music industry.

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


When completing me media magazine blog, I have found to have used a wide range of different technologies, equipment as well as different online software. These have all really helped with developing a unique and professional magazine. Due to me not having any previous experience in media software, by using all these different programs, I feel as if it have given me the opportunity to develop my media skills for my AS blog.