This needs quite a lot of work.

1. I really don't understand your questionnnaire - all the answers seem to be yes! How many people did you ask? Write a summary of their responses. Can you get a parent to read this after to see if it makes sense to them.

2.The moderator doesn't know the questions we set you - you must write them in.

3.To pick up marks, could you add your pages again into the body of the evaluation and annotate them as in the original reasearch?

Mrs. R

Personal Response

I believe that my magazine looks moderately realistic and is very similar to what I wanted it to originally look like. I think that my pictures represent the music genre well, a long with the title and the articles included on my front page. Also, using references to popular Hip-Hop artists helped achieve this. The use of the programmes (Photoshop and InDesign) enabled me to edit my front cover picture, in order to help it stand out and give my magazine some originality compared to other Hip-Hop magazines in the market. I think I learnt quite a few skills with these programmes and enjoyed making my magazine. Overall, I am very impressed with my final product.

Evaluation

Evaluation: Foundation Portfolio

Introduction

For my media coursework I decided to make a music magazine based on the music sub-genre Hip-Hop. I worked on my own and made all the contributions to my project myself; the research and planning, the preliminary task, the photographs, the text for each page including my main article and also the editing and design of my magazine.

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

The genre of my music magazine is Hip-Hop and I used different key conventions to show this, along with the typical conventions that all magazines include. I used a title, a main image, feature headings, a barcode, date and price to make my magazine seem as realistic as possible. My title was a large, bold, graffiti font in a bright, red colour used in order to attract the readers attention.  I edited my main photo - making the brick wall background black and white and my Hip-Hop artist in colour, also to make it stand out and seem as though this new artist on the scene is the only colour in the world. I used a graffiti font instead of the usual sans-serif fonts that most Hip-Hop magazines use for their titles. I believe that my title complements the main photo as it is against a brick wall background - one of the most popular places where graffiti is seen. Also, I think that the originality of using a different style of font for my title will attract the readers because my magazine is giving them something that others don’t. I chose the colour scheme red/black/white as it is very common with Hip-Hop magazines, such as ‘The Source‘, ‘XXL‘ and ‘Hip-Hop Connection‘. Although I wanted to do something different with my magazine, I believed that sticking to certain typical elements/conventions of the Hip-Hop genre, would ensure that my magazine appealed to my main target audience - genre needs to be a mix of familiar and new in order to remain vibrant. I think that my innovations proved successful with my target audience, as the feedback I received showed that the colour and font of my title helped it to stand out, and my reader’s attention was drawn to it because of the originality. My contents page and double page spread both stuck to the same colour scheme so that the reader could notice the continuity of my house style magazine. The pictures were bright in colour and my sans-serif font stood out, as well as being easy to read. My contents page included the title, date and the website for the magazine,  along with the feature article picture and its page reference number. My articles are written in order of the page reference numbers,  as it is a generic feature in all magazines, and so that the reader isn’t confused and knows where to find the article that they are looking for. It also includes an editor’s note, with a signature, to give the magazine a personal, friendly touch and to make the reader feel more involved with the magazine. My double page spread includes the title in a bold, sans serif font, an introduction to my Hip-Hop artist and the interview, another large picture of my artist along with his tour dates. My interview includes detail about my Hip-Hop artist and he answers questions, about his body language, facial expressions and the way he treats our staff. I also included quotes from what my Hip-Hop artist had said in order to make my double page spread look as realistic as possible, and to intrigue the reader and draw them in.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The main social groups that my magazine represents are mainly young adult, male music artists. I wasn’t specifically representing ‘criminals’ but most Hip-Hop artists do have a criminal past or involvements with crime. The costume used in my front cover and contents page is formal clothing  - used to make my artist look serious and sophisticated rather than a young student. Many Hip-Hop artists are seen wearing overly-large t-shirts and jeans instead of shirts and ties. However, my artist is seen wearing a t-shirt in the double page spread picture in order to represent that although he is sophisticated, he is still on the same level as the readers of this magazine and of his fans. The poses of my artist show that he is relaxed and comfortable,  and the brick wall background shows that my artist is a regular, ordinary person; I believe that it shows he isn’t arrogant about his fame and fortune, and not showing off his money. The dark background shown on my double page spread picture represents the bad/negative side towards the Hip-Hop industry, however my artist isn’t shown on any of the photographs in low-key lighting, suggesting that Hip-Hop might not be what people think it is - a music genre involved with crime and ‘crude’ language etc. Moreover, the language/dialect in my interview such as: “man I really can’t believe it”, reinstates the fact that my artist is an average person that my magazine’s audience, and his fans, can relate to. I believe that my magazine represents these social groups well, as I used stereotypes that are commonly shown in the media, and are easy to understand.

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

Dennis S. Page is the publisher of XXL magazine, a Hip-Hop magazine similar to my own media project. I believe that he would fund my magazine as it has similar features to XXL. The colour scheme of red/black/white appears to be popular with the XXL magazine - something I used with my magazine, and also the use of little writing on the front cover in order to show the artist. However, XXL magazine has their Hip-Hop artists dressed in an informal way, showing a difference towards my artist being dressed in a shirt and tie. I think that this may be likely to make a profit as it is not commonly seen within Hip-Hop magazines.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience for my magazine would be mainly males aged between 16-25, of a UK or African/American ethnic origin. Their socio-economic status would be D/E and they would be interested in the Hip-Hop/Rap genre, and possibly in joining the music industry themselves - big lovers of music. I believe that this is a good audience to target as I think they would be interested in my magazine. It contains all the latest Hip-Hop ‘gossip’ - very suitable for fans who want to be the first to know everything. It would be a niche audience as I don’t think that Rock or Soul fans would be too interested in reading about Hip-Hop. However, my magazine might also attract R&B fans, and maybe even women, if the front cover was a female artist, or if they saw the male artist as ‘objects of desire’. I think that this audience would be right for my product financially as fans of this genre would be loyal towards reading about it, and also a magazine would be more suitable for a younger audience to read as they have a more disposable income. My audience feedback showed that I gained a positive reaction from people interested in Hip-Hop and Rap music - my target audience- , but not so from people interested in Rock.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I think that the choice of my title ‘holla!’ would attract my target audience because it is a common greeting word used within gangsters - people mainly associated with Hip-Hop. The photo on my front cover has been edited to make the artist stand out from the background, his pose is relaxed and laid-back, and he is stood against a brick wall  - showing that he is not arrogant and his fans can relate to him. My artist is wearing a red shirt and black tie in order for it to complement my colour scheme. I used colloquial, Hip-Hop terms on my front cover such as ‘bad blood’ and ‘shizzle’ so that my readers can relate to it as they probably use this type of language in normal, everyday conversations. Also, the use of famous rappers in my storylines mean that the readers know what and who the articles are going to be about - they will have heard of these artists before and will be intrigued to know all of the ‘gossip’. The language in my editor’s note is formal, so that it is taken seriously, though the signature gives a personal touch. However, there isn’t much written about the contents of my magazine so not much is given away, making the reader want to read my magazine. The articles on my contents page are written in the same font used on my front cover, and the colloquial language is used again, showing continuity as to not confuse the reader: “beef”, “swagger” and “fly”. I think that the layout of my double page spread is easy to follow as it is set in columns, just like most magazines. The white title (and text in the interview) juxtaposes with the black background making it stand out, and the contrast between the red questions and white answers in the interview means that it is easy to distinguish one from the other. Also, the orange/golden coloured font is taken from the picture on my double page spread to slightly break up the red/white/black colour scheme, and also to include the photo. The only edits I made to my double page spread photograph was to crop it to size. I didn’t feel the need to edit this photo as I believed the streetlights and car lights in the background had a good, urban effect already.

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

I had never made a blog before doing this media coursework and I found it easy to do after learning the basics. I was able to upload my research that I had found from the internet and from existing products, and also upload my images (preliminary task). By choosing to make a magazine for this coursework I’ve had to use DTP, including Photoshop and InDesign. I thought that the preliminary task allowed me to introduce myself to these programmes and to allow experiments, though when designing my final piece I was still learning new things. I enjoyed using these programmes to edit my photographs and set up my layout for my magazine. I had to alter my front cover photograph when editing as I realised after I’d cut it out that it was too small, but it didn’t take too long and it was soon sorted out. Also, when taking my pictures I used different camera angles and lighting - learnt in my lessons - in order to change the effect that they would have on the reader, as the image is just as important as the text.

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

I think that my final product is a lot better than my preliminary task. Having had the experience with the programmes and more time to make my magazine, I believe I did much better. The photo on my preliminary task is blurry, compared to the more interesting photos on my final product where I used the knowledge of cinematography, and also my time, to make them look as good as possible. My title, font and language is much more suitable on my final product for my genre, than it was on my preliminary task. Also, I believe that my layout is easier to understand and less boring, and my use of a stark colour scheme was effective to portray my genre.

Conclusion

I’m proud of my final product and believe that it would be suitable for readers with an interest in Hip-Hop music. I think its key strengths are the editing of the one photograph used on my front cover, as it is eye-catching and not something that I have seen on a magazine before. Also, I think that the sans-serif font I used is suitable for this genre and the black and white is simple and common, but easy to read. The use of Hip-Hop vocabulary would attract my target audience, along with the articles on my front page. However, I think that the weaknesses of my magazine would be the lack of pictures, and also the lack of articles on the contents page. If I had more time I would have liked to add more pictures, and more articles, to my magazine. I do think that my magazine looks reasonably realistic having given only a few weeks to create it, and believe that it comes quite close to the real article. It’s something I would consider buying. 

Student Feedback

This is the questionnaire I used in order to ask people what they thought of my final product. I asked a wide range of  people, including my target audience, in order to get a fair result.

Do you like my title?

A. Yes. I think the title used leaves you in no doubt the magazine is Hip-Hop. Using slang terminology and keeping the title short will appeal to many young people who I think will be the target audience. The title however doesn’t give you much of an insight as to what the magazine is about and you may not necessarily know it was a music magazine if you saw it in a shop.

B. Yes, very much

C. Yes

Do you like the fonts used throughout my magazine?

A. The fonts used in the magazine are again new, modern fonts aimed at being attractive to a young audience. There are a lot of different fonts used which may distract the reader. However the fonts follow a general theme throughout the magazine so I don’t think this would be much of a problem.

B. Nice and clear to read

C. Yes, they’re bold, bright and big

Do you like my pictures used?

A. Yes, the pictures used are well set up and well composed, they show the artist in poses that give him a Hip-Hop attitude.

B. Yes, I like what the artist is wearing on the front page. They’re bright and eye catching.

C. Yes - the iconography fits the genre of Hip-Hop

Do you think this magazine represents Hip-Hop in a good way or a bad way?

A. The magazine represents Hip-Hop in a good way, it tries to glamorise the musical genre but doesn’t lend itself to some of the negative aspects often related to Hip-Hop

B. In a good way

C. Good - it shows that people from poor backgrounds can become famous

Do you think it would be likely that it would make a profit if it was sold in shops?

A. Yes

B. Yes

C. Yes

Why?

A. It is possible that the magazine would make a profit as although there are other music magazines, there is no real competition with magazines specialising specifically in Hip-Hop. However, the content would need to be kept to a high standard to keep readers buying the magazine.

B. Because it’s eye-catching and there are a lot of people who like that kind of music

C. There aren't many Hip-Hop magazines in the shops and it looks catchy

Would you buy this magazine?

A. I personally wouldn’t buy the magazine as I have no real interest in Hip-Hop music or artists. I do however know many people who would be interested in reading the magazine.

B. Yes

C. No because it is not my taste in music

What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?

A. I enjoy listening to lots of types of music, particularly ‘indie’ music.

B. R&B and Hip-Hop

C. Rock

How old are you?

A. 18

B. 17

C. 17

Are you male or female?

A. Male

B. Male

C. Female

Do you think anything about my magazine could be improved?

A. I think perhaps the tagline under the title could be changed to specifically say the magazine is about Hip-Hop  music. Most people interested in the genre would know from the artists displayed on the front cover, but anyone without much knowledge of Hip-Hop  would struggle to know what the magazine was about.

B. No, not really

C. The photo on the front cover could be bigger and more close-up, and there could also be more articles shown

Do you notice a continuous theme (colour palette) running throughout the magazine?

A. Yes there is a continuous theme, not only with the colour scheme but also the titles on the interior pages

B. Yes, black and red. This helps to show the continuity of the magazine as not to confuse the reader.

C. Yes, it is basic and continuous.

How realistic do you think my final product is?

A. The final product is very realistic in its content and styling, it follows similar themes to other magazines on sale at the moment.

B. Very realistic

C. I think it is quite realistic but could make some improvements in order to increase the quality

Overall, I believe that my feedback was positive and that in some ways it appealed to people outside of my target audience as well as in it.

Final Product

Preliminary Task - Contents Page

Click on image to enlarge.

Evaluation

The title "Holla!" and the "contents" will be in bold, big letters, preferably red or black.

The large image on the left will be the main article; the feature article on my double page spread.

The other features will be down the right hand-side, including the page references.

Also, the other two smaller images will represent other articles with interesting images, including the page references. It will include an editor's note to give a personal touch, and also the editor's opinion on the magazine.

I will attempt to make my actual contents page look similar to this as I think that it is a good template.

Preliminary Task - Front Cover

Click on image to enlarge.
Evaluation
I think that the picture used on this front cover is too blurry and the photo I will use on my actual front cover will look more professional by using the rule of thirds, and also the model will be wearing clothes that I have picked out for them in order to make them look very similar to a hip-hop artist.
I will use a better colour scheme; using colours that don't clash with each other and also colours that complement my photo and also the music genre (hip-hop) that I have chosen. I think that the colours red and black would represent Hip-Hop well as this music genre is seen as 'dark', and there are many stories told about Hip-Hop artists being murdered or sent to jail.
The title used on this preliminary task cover is big and bold and I believe it would stand out. However, for my actual front cover I will use a different font that will attract young readers but I will also ensure that it would still stand out on a busy shelf. For my actual front cover I won't be using a block color to place my title on, the image will most probably be overlapping the title to make it look more professional. 
I will also use anchorage; placing pictures on my front cover that relate to the topics in order to make my magazine cover look more interesting.

Magazine Name

The name that I'm going to use on my magazine front cover is "Holla!" which is a slang term quite well-known within the Hip-Hop community. It's a phrase that can be used as a greeting or can also refer to talking. I believe that this will help sell my magazine, because as the word is popular and refers to talking it shows that my magazine would contain the latest gossip. It could also be seen as personal as this is a term that people would use between them and their friends, making the reader feel an instant connection.

Further research

In order to create an authentic looking hip-hop music magazine, I have been looking at and researching front covers from various magazines such as XXL and Hip-Hop Connection.

I have noticed that:

- The main colours used on these genre of magazines are black, red, yellow and white. I believe that black and white is standard for any magazine as black is a popular colour within the young society, and also to show the mix between different races. Also, the yellow and red would be used for juxtaposition to make certain articles stand out.

- The cover artists used are well-known to Hip-Hop fans meaning that the magazine will sell easier. Most of the artists wear informal clothing including 'bling'. This automatically shows that these people are famous and enjoy showing off their money - indicating that they're successful and resulting in young people looking up to them. To a young audience these artists are seen as role models. The majority of Hip-Hop and Rap artists have come from a bad background yet they have still become wealthy and famous.

- On the Hip-Hop Connection cover that I analyzed before, the font for the articles is serif whereas the title is in sans serif

- The articles talk about new rappers and hip-hop artists coming on to the scene which will attract readers who like to be up-to date with their music. Also, they include articles about arguments that have gone on between different rappers, also adding to the point above.

I will use these points on my magazine cover to make mine look as realistic as possible. I will create a name for my magazine, find someone suitable to use as my artist cover and also use a suitable font and suitable colours.

Good so far but not a lot for four weeks of work. Apart from image/fonts/colour you must analyse the language of such magzines. Very important to this genre. Mrs R

Front cover analysis

I have analyzed this hip hop magazine cover, pointing out the conventions of all magazine covers, and the also conventions of the hip hop genre. I will use a template similar to this for my front cover in order to make my magazine look as realistic as possible.

click on image to see large

Hip-Hop background

Hip-Hop music is a music genre consisting of rapping (a vocal style) and a backing beat. It began in the Bronx in New York City in the 1970's. Most of the artists involved in this music genre are African Americans and Latino Americans. I did research on Hip-Hop artists and found that most where of a African/American ethnic origin. The artist I found were: Chamillionaire, T.I, Ne-Yo, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Nelly, Jay-Z, T-Pain, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, P.Diddy and Ciara. And British artists: Estelle and Dizzee Rascal. As most of these artists are of a dark-coloured skin, I believe that I may have to find a person very similiar for my front cover photo in order to make my magazine look as real as possible.

Media Coursework

For my media coursework I am going to design a music magazine using DTP. The genre I am going to choose is Hip-Hop, as this is the music I listen to the most and there aren't many music magazines in shops with this genre. First I will research the background of Hip-Hop, what Hip-Hop magazines look like, and the artists that specialize in this genre. Then after researching all of this, I will choose an appropriate name for my magazine.