AS Media Coursework - Media Magazine

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

There are only four pictures on my front cover and the only social group which they represent are teenagers and young adults. This is represented by the age of the models which I use in all the pictures. They are ages 17- 20. I particularly did not single out a sub such as “emo” or “chav”, because I don’t have a specific audience of that type which I am trying to target. I felt that such stereotypes automatically leads to narrow casting the audience at this age.. In the contents page it represents the same age group, the models are from aged 15 to 19. The double page spread represents the same age because the model I used was aged 17. However I am aware that the dominant representation is of the white ethnic group. This is because where I live on the Isle of Wight, 97% of the population is of white ethnicity. Bizarrely I have no black friends. Mixed ethnic representations is a real issue for Island students. So this has contributed to the reason why all of my models are white. I have not done this on purpose and I understand it would be a lot more rounded and fair if I had a black model in there, I would work hard in my next issue to address this weakness.

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

The main focus on the background of my magazine front cover is of a girls face. I have done this because the magazine industry chooses to have a person or people (I.E a singer or band,) on the front. However I have challenged this convention, because I have put it in black and white instead of having it in full colour. I feel the picture itself is a bold enough statement, and didn’t need colour to make it stand out. It ensures that the focus of the reader is not distracted from the image, however it also lets the audience’s eye wonder around the page, to see the other content which is included in the magazine.

I challenged conventions of magazine products because I have continued the blue colour for my mast head and also for the font. The colour blue compliments the picture and makes stand out more against the contrasting colours (black and white). Not many other magazines use blue for their mast head or font, because it doesn't compliment or stand out against many other colours, many more colours work better and most magazine industries choose to go for these because they are the simple way out of it. They tend to choose bolder colours. I didn't want to follow this trend because, when my magazine is in the rack, the mast head will stand out more from all the rest of the magazines, which would mean more sales.

Further more, I have challenged forms and conventions of other magazines, because of where I put the price of my magazine. Normally, in the case of most products they have their price under or next to the date, which would be on the right hand side under the mast head, with the issue number, so that it still shows when the magazine is in the rack. I have kept this idea in mind, but changed it slightly. I have put the issue number, the date and price under on top of the barcode. I have done this because I didn’t want to hide it from the reader; however I found that it fitted better down the bottom. It looked correct in the placing of it and didn’t make the magazine feel too cramped and full of information. Although I have kept all three bits of information together and not separated them.

In the end thought I have kept to a quite minimalistic, conventional approach, with some slight differences, (enough not make it look different and stand out.) mostly I did my deconstructions and saw what the normal conventions were and tried adding some of them into my magazine because these are the things the industry have found out sell the best and make the most profit, so worth adding in.

My magazine is unique and different. This is the feel which I was going for so it would catch the audience’s eye when in the rack at the shops.

My final Magazine all put together.

It now reads:

Interview with Brogan Ashely.

How did you get into music?

I have always liked music, from a young age. I listened to it, and then my mum asked me if I wanted singing lessons, so I went along and fell in love with singing. From then on singing became my passion.

What was the first CD that you ever brought?

I still remember it was S Club 7. How embarrassing! *Laughs* I always had a really bad taste in music and all my mates laughed at me for it. Know that I think back it was awful I just like cheesey music! Still to this day you give me a cheesy song and I will love it. How embarrassing!

Your new song is called For You Zoey, What is the meaning behind this?

Well before I made this, one of my good friends, Zoey sadly passed away and I wanted to do it in remembrance of her. She was one of my closest friends, and jokingly she has always wanted me to write and sings a song about her, so I knew she would love this. I mainly did this for my friends and her family so we could remember her, i never knew it would be such a hit!

That's lovely! Who did the backing track to the song?

That would be my amazing friend Jake. I've known him for years and he is amazing at what he does. I came to him with this idea and the lyrics in which I knew i wanted to use, and he came up with some ideas for me. He is the one who played the drums, piano and guitar throughout the piece. We did it in his fantastic recording studio and we put it all together. I would like to thanks Jake so much, without him I wouldn't of been able to do this!

Final 1st page of double page spread.

I have changed it so, instead of being a poster next to the model its 'her own' CD cover.

The wording on it is:

For Zoe - Which is the title.
Brogan Ashley - who is the artist
Includes such songs as: I loved you and That perfect smile. - A selling point to the audience, if they recognise the songs then they might want to buy it more.
G rated it 5* - Another selling point.

Change of 1st page of double page spread.

I have change the opacity of the name title and the little section on the side, instead of making it a poster I am creating it so it is the album cover - so people know what to look for.
This is it changed so far:

The text on the picture being :

New CD out now!

This is the aspect I am wanting to change most, and make it look like a proper CD cover.

Change to 2nd page of double page spread.

After I posted that post, I realised the middle of the flowers was too dark, which meant you couldn't read the writing which was on top of it.
I changed this slightly by, taking the opacity down from 100 to 71%, and that made all the difference.
This is now the final draft of my 2 page in the double page spread.

It still reads the same as before.

Final 2nd page of double page spread.

I have changed this quite a lot since the draft:

The font
The background
Some spellings/ different wording.

I have changed the background because it was a tattoo idea, someone showed me, and I thought it looked amazing! There is only one thing I am sceptical about and that is does it make this look too girlie? However personally I don't think it does.