Evaluation Question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task (the school magazine task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full prod

This is the prelim for my first piece of work at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College;

This is my magazine;

Evaluation question 7

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Evaluation Question 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Below is all the software that i used in the designing and making of my magazine;

Above is the icon for Photoshop CS4, i had this software available which really has benefitted my product when designing and making my magazine.  With this piece of Software it enabled my to edit my photography which was a great help for my front cover, contents page and DPS.  Within this i found it useful to have layers, which has benefitted every image for my magazine on the front cover, contents and the DPS which made my magazine look more professional which was vital as i wanted to make it look as good as possible.  For my main image for my front cover i used the magic wand tool which was a great help as it allowed me to cut out the image from the original photograph and therefore this allowed me to use photoshop brushes, this tool also helped me for the contents page as it allowed me to desaturate the photograph whilst leaving the baseball cap red which was a vital part of my design which would not of been done if i did not use photoshop.  I also found this a very good programme as it allowed me to manipulate the photo's that i wanted and use them for everything that i needed them for and it also helped me in uploading to my blog as it converted all the files to JPEG which is a good thing as JPEG is easiest to deal with and upload to Blogger, etc.  Overall learning to use photoshop for me is a very good thing as it is used within the industry as it is a top-quality programme for magazine making etc, and it has given my magazine a professional look which is good.  

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InDesign CS4 was also a vital part in the making of my magazine, it was the programme that i used for my contents page and DPS which was good as InDesign is better for text than Photoshop which makes my magazine look more professional and i could get the three columns evenly set up so that my article was equal.  Also it has got so many useful settings for the text alignment which was good as it allowed me to have the correct spacing between the letters and the lines so that it would give my magazine a more professional look which was a bonus for me as i think this payed off.  Also this software was good for me so this is widely used in the industry also so this has prepared me for using this at University as i would imagine that this is what they would use as it is used by the professionals.  This programme is good also as it allows me to view a DPS rather than 2 separate A4 sheets and therefore allows me to make any alterations that maybe i would not of seen if there was 2 A4 sheets.

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Blogger has been very useful in the presentation of my designs and all the research and planning.  This is as it allows people to easily view and assess my work, it allows me to use all the other online systems that i would need to use in order to get the best from my work.  This is as it allows me to put in Videos, Prezi's and Pixton's, which all helped me in both the evaluation and research and planning of my product.  Blogger also allows me to upload images with ease as they can be uploaded and deleted in an instant which is very efficient for what i needed.

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The three online programs above have all helped me throughout the evaluating, making and researching for my product.  Prezi, helped me with me textual analysis and allowed me to do things that i wouldn't be able to do as all the information that i put could be easily adjusted so that i could fit more in rather than doing a spider diagram which would of got over-run with ideas and i would have had to do many different things so that it could of worked but with prezi that was all made easier.  Pixton, an online programme that allowed me to make a comic strip for evaluation question 3, helped me as it showed that i able to use a variety of programmes within media, it also made things easy and time efficient as i could edit a slide with the click of a button which was very time efficient. Slideshare helped me to upload powerpoint's onto my blog which was very easy and time efficient, it also allowed me to show that i can use a range of programmes. 

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Firefox and Safari helped with all of my research as it allowed me to get front covers for VIBE and XXL which i needed as both of these magazines are only available in specialist stores and online.  I used Google for all the searching that i had done.  It allowed me to make the most out of my research which was a good thing as this benefitted my product a lot.

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Final Cut Express, i used this for my evaluation question and for my pitch reflection, they helped me as they allowed me to show that i have got a range of skills and has also allowed me to work with another programme that is widely used through industry.  It allowed me to use professional effects so that i can make my evaluation look as professional as possible.

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Photobooth helped me also with my evaluation questions as it allowed me to get people and record their thoughts and ideas on my product which was a lot easier than going out and recording it on a recorder, and also as it allowed me to show people my product on screen as they are recording as if i printed them out they may not of been in colour so therefore this was a good programme to use.

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Garageband helped me with the music for my video's as it allowed me to use a range of sounds that were not under the copyright legislation which helped me a lot with the questions for the evaluation.

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Grab, was a useful tool on the mac's so that i can get images off the web easily and without the hassle of cutting them all out.  It was useful for my costume research also as i could cut out what i needed from the websites that i needed.  This has benefitted my product a lot as it has allowed me to so things that i couldn't of done without it.

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Microsoft Word, i did not use this programme a lot but from what i learnt from it was all useful skills on writing an article to doing my hazard and risk assessments.  

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The Hardware that i used is listen below;

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The Apple iMac's were very good for my design as it was good for programmes such as Photoshop and InDesign which with this software i would not of been able to complete my product or some of my research as it allowed me to modify my prezi's which i wouldn't of been able to use without the iMac's. They allowed me to use all the software such as; Garageband, Final Cut Express, Firefox, Word, Photoshop and InDesign.  Having not use these before i have gained key skills in doing so this year and i am now very confident in using the mac's which is good as these are used in industry.

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The Canon SLR was a vital part of the equipment that i used for all my photographs which gave me the best possible results for all the images that i had taken.  The canon SLR's were also very good as i had a memory card inside these which recorded all the shots that i had taken, and therefore made it very easy to put my images onto the mac as the mac had a slot for the memory card which allowed me to just upload all the images straight to my blog, on Blogger.

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Evaluation Question 5: How did you attract/address your audience?

In my magazine i used things like fonts, costumes, colours and poses.  I used a basic colour scheme of red, white and black which as you can see that they have used also, which makes my magazine appeal to my target audience.  The poses are similar as they don't have an expression and that is what i went for when making my magazine.

Evaluation Question 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

Below is a montage of who my target audience is and what they like;

Evaluation Question 3: What kind of Media Institution might distribute your media product and why?

Evaluation Question 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Evaluation Question 1: In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms and Conventions of Real Media Products?

Final Product

Layout of Double-Page Spread

Layout of Contents Page

Layout of My Front Cover

This is the mast head for my front cover, i have used things on photoshop to make it stand out with the tools such as stroke and drop shadow and make it be overlapped by the main image.  I have downloaded a font for the crown symbol and have used the colour red throughout the magazine so that it shows consistency and is looked at to be a trademark for the magazine.  I used the font that i downloaded from dafont.com 

This image is the main image that i have used for my front cover, it is the only image i have on my front cover this is from what i have learnt from my research into front covers of magazines of the same genre.  I used photoshop to cut out the image from a black background and then i used the brightness/contrast tool to make the image stand out more from the background which i downloaded as a brush as i found that there are not many walls with graffiti so i downloaded a brush for the wall and for the graffiti which has worked well.  For the image i used a spotlight which worked very well, as it fitted the genre. 

The 2 images above are the sell lines from my research into magazines i found that it is better to have sell lines either side of my page.  i have used red, which fits with the colour scheme that i have used throughout the magazine but also i have used the white text to be different,  i then used the red, yellow and green to connote being "original" is from Jamaica etc.  I put the subscribe advertisement on the front page and in a red box and with white text to fit with the colour scheme and used the stroke tool to make it stand out.

This is the barcode, and i put it in the bottom left corner to fit in with the magazines that i had researched,  so this then helped my product.  I then put the issue number around it with the price in a white box to make it stand out and make people notice that it is cheap as it is only £3.00.

Second Pitch Reflection

From these notes that i have received from my peers i will change and modify my magazine as the feedback that i received was very good and would benefit my magazine a lot.  The positive feedback i got were things like "Represents the genre very well" "Good Colour scheme and like the photography" "Article looks good, set out well" "Colour-schemes work well" "Contents is good" etc.  Which meant that i should not really make drastic changes to my colour scheme as it works well and my contents page.  The feedback that i received that was constructive criticisms were things like; "model to saturated on front cover" "Maybe get more photo's?" "Maybe add more colours to add some depth" "Bigger Sell Lines? Difficult to read" "more content in contents" "subscription box?".  All these things have helped me as i have acted on these suggestions and  am now happier with my product as all these things have improved my product and made it look a lot more professional.

Rough Cuts

Photoshoot for Front Page

This photo (above) is a good photo for my front cover in my opinion, this is because i have left rom for the mast head of my magazine as i want it to slightly overlap.  The pose i think is good also as it fits the genre of the magazine and also the lighting fits in well as its a dark and dingy background so it makes the artist stand out with his blue and white adidas jacket.  I used a single light for this photo which was a spotlight which makes it really stand out and light only one side of the artists face.  I will take into consideration using this for my front page.

Again, i used the spotlight only for this photo also which i have found works well for my genre as it makes the artist appear from the darkness which is the case most of the time with rap artists as they seem to just appear and either make it or break it.  Also i shot this photo from a higher angle which would have worked well. This photo would have been better if more thought had went into the pose unfortunately i don't think that i will be using this for my magazine unless i use it for some small photos on my contents or DPS.  

I also used the higher angled shot for this photo and the spotlight only but tried a different pose of the model looking away from the camera which lights up the face of the artist which connote lots about the artist which is what i wanted so i will use either this or the first photo for my front cover.  However, i think the first photo will fit the genre better as he is not looking away as on my front cover i want a photo that will interact with the readers so the first photo would be better i think.

First Draft of Article

KING magazine sent me here for an exclusive interview on set with "O.D." whilst filming the new video for his first release off the new album "Can't Keep Everyone Happy" this exclusive interview will give us the inside information on the latest release "Till its Over".  It will also let you know how this young kid from the North East of England made it against all the odds.

Firstly, we would like to know 'O.D.' who has inspired you to make it big in the music industry? Why?
Well, i have gained experience from UK artists like, Devlin, Giggs and Professor Green.  But, the main influence of my music is Lil' Wayne this is because i feel that he is the best of the best and his rhymes are sick and the base in his music is the best base i have ever heard and as a kid i used to sit and vibe to his music without his words.  Although i do like Lil' Wayne the most the help i have received from UK artists has helped me most as it is something i can relate to whereas, in america everyone raps and writes there own rhymes so over there i would not be unique. Whereas, in the UK, i am an individual and i am recognised for who i am and what i can do.

How did you get to where you are today?  
Basically, i got to where i am today through hard work, a lot of persistence and a bit of elbow grease.  It started when i realised that i was not normal as i was not into ; Rave, MCing, Rock, Heavy Metal or Indie. This then lead to me looking up to the likes of Eminem as a youngster at the age of 11 i took up music as a way of life and begged and pleaded for a chance for small time gig's and then there was the school talent show which made me step up my game as i won 3 years running, to which then i was approached and asked that if had somewhere to upload my songs to which i had no idea it was so easy just to upload a video of me being 'me' to which this went down to be a success which then lead to the interest of many music labels as i had already established a fan base of over 15,000 people who had followed me online for over 2 years.

What target audience to you wish to appeal to?
I don't really know i guess i would like to appeal to everyone, but, obviously you can't please everyone can you?  Although i would really like to its not going to happen now is it?  But ideally if not everyone i would like my music to appeal to both males and females and around about my age (17) if not a bit above that.  But i still want to appeal to as many people as possible so...

Personally, do you think that you are ready for the big time festivals etc? Or are you a bit young?
Your never to young are you?  After all only i know when i am ready, this is something that i have learnt over the years as i have went from stage to stage begging and pleading for time to show what i am capable of.  Which i am hopeful that i have done so, well i'm sure i have done so as i am where i am now because i must of impressed someone.  Although people will say i'm too young i am ready to take on challenge and if the offer comes in for a big festival i won't fail to impress, i promise.  Of course i would like to be playing all the big festivals such as leeds, etc.  I would love the chance to do EVO as it close to my hometown which i have a lot of fan's from there and it will give me a chance to go home which is what i really want to do so that i can tell stories and let them know that anything is possible.

Article Drafts

My article is about an up and coming Grime and R 'n' B artist.  I am going to us the question and answer technique which i think will suit the magazine as it gives the readers information on a new artist which is what i found that people like when they pick up a magazine and that is what they expect in a magazine as it gives inside information on artists so that they can compare themselves to the artists of there choice.  The article is going to based along the fact of coming from a mic in his room to making it big on stages, which gives the magazine a sense of reality as it makes people think anything is possible so that they will not give up on there lifetime goals.


The style of my magazine will suit my target audience as i will use language that suit the genre of music with like an Urban Slang which i will use from the front covers that i researched.  The language tends to be pretty simple and the use of slang is used with words like "MAMA" so i will use this kind of language so i won't be able to use sophisticated language this will not appeal to the target audience.  Words to do with the music industry can be used for the article but tend not to be in this genre of magazine as they are often advertised on a separate page.  Therefore, from this i will try and avoid using these but it may tie in well with the article so i will use them if i have to.


There are 196 words in a similar article used in VIBE this is an article about Drake, who is an established artist and still they do not used lots of words as the dominate the DPS with a photo and have very little information. In a paragraph there are 127 words in the similar published article.  On average, there are about 16 words per line in this article.


I will make my article title grab attention as i will use a bold font for this to make sure that it grabs peoples attention. My title will be "Over.Dunn by The Famee!!" I will use a colour of font that will stand out off the background.  Which will make the title of the article stand out and grab the readers attention.  


Olly, the grime and R 'n' B artist know as "O.D." was once a small time artist pleading for concerts, stand ups and mini-giggs.  After 5 years of learning rhymes and focusing on getting it right he finally had a break through through the social networking site "MySpace" to which he was posting lyrics, videos and music which has allowed him and his closest friends to take in criticisms and positives.  The story will be a question and answer on how he feels about making it big on the big stages asking things like about his personal life, giving a scope on how he has done everything and what persuaded him to take on the music business and make a success of his talent.  I will not use play on words as i feel it will look more professional if it is an interview situation.


The beginning of the article will sound important as it will address the reader directly as it will be a question and answer.  I will make it exclusive by making it about an exclusive new artist who has made it from writing lyrics in spare time and being a no-body to a star who has a choice of where he wants to perform and who he wishes to perform to.  I will make it so that people want to read as it will give an inside view of what it is like to be followed by paparazzi everywhere.  


I will try and make my article as interesting as possible, to do this i will try and make my interview as fun and full with interesting information as possible.  Although i will have more important things at the start as it will introduce the artist and have a brief explanation of what he has come from and throughout the interview i will find out what he would like to do in the future.  I will give them an insight to what will be asked in the interview to make them want to read the full interview i will advertise the DPS slightly on the front page with a small picture located in the top 3rd of the page situated in the right 3rd of the page which will have a slight snippet from the interview to intrigue people into wanting to read more about this artist.


For the ending of my article to have an impact i will put in a range of gigs in which the artist in the DPS will be doing throughout which will get across the impact that this new artist is having.  Which will have an impact on the reader as it will make them want to go see this artist to see if he lives up to this hype which would boost the sales of this artist which is what i would like to happen.  The intentions of the interview is to find out that this guy has made it from nothing and it will prove that anyone can become a somebody who has there names among the modern stars of today, which will also make people want to show people what they are capable of.  The interview will also show that this guy is still in touch with where he comes from even though he has made it big and that fame doesn't turn people arrogant and make people forget where they come from.

Production Schedule

This week beginning the 7th of February, i am starting production on my magazine.  I have a rough cut deadline of wednesday 2nd of March to work towards. Therefore; I must organise my time in order to complete my magazine by the 2nd of March. I am planning on;

• Plan the article by the 8th of February
• Finishing my article by the 10th of February
• Photoshoot for my Front Cover on Saturday the 12th of February 
• Photoshoot for my DPS on Sunday the 13th of February 
• Photoshoot for my contents on Monday the 14th of February 
• Front cover mock-up Tuesday the 15th of February 
• DPS mock-up Wednesday the 16th of February 
• Contents mock-up Thursday the 17th of February

Model Release Forms

Call Sheets

Risk and Hazard Assessment

Recce of Location

This is one of my locations that i will be using I have chosen to use the Studio to achieve good quality photographs and a good level of lighting.  Also with me using the studio it will allow me to get a professional shot and saves me the trouble of asking for permission and the rights to use this for my shots.  I have chosen this location fro my front page so that it gives my magazine a professional look.  I also chose the studio so i can gain high key lighting and a 3 point lighting set up which will make my magazine look very professional.

Font Research

I researched for the fonts that i would use for my magazine using dafont.com.  I was browsing looking for fonts for my mast head, sell lines, etc.  First i found a font for part of my Sell line which is shown below;

I found this font (above) that would suit the 'NEW' part of my sell line the reason that i chose this is as it is a bold font and fits the genre of the magazine that i am making.  I like the way it suits my flat plan as the letters are close together and are in a bold kind of font.  I found that this appeals to my audience with the use of my focus group and my research into magazine front covers.

I researched fonts using dafont.com i first looked for a font that i think would suit my mast head and i focused on the letters in KING and from this i chose the font 'Juicy' which i think would suit the magazine genre that i have chosen.  I also chose it cause it has the correct connotations for the target audience i think after my research into magazine covers.

Costume & Props

I have used Lil' Wayne to base my model's clothing and will base the clothing on these photo's.  From my research into my magazine front covers i have came up with the images below of what my model should ideally wear i will try and look for clothes like these i have already got a baseball cap that i will be able to use which is very similar to the 'Houston Astro's' cap below whereas my cap is a New York Yankee's cap with the same colour scheme.  I need to consider where i would be able to purchase some heavy necklaces and 'bling' for cheap so i will take into consideration shops like primark where they will be cheap as i cannot afford to be spending lots of money on chains etc. So it is very handy that i have a baseball cap as it saves a lot of hassle finding a model that already has a baseball cap.  

Above is an idea for my first costume for the male on the front cover of my magazine this is what i will base his costume on.  Although i may have to have some alterations as i do not want him to have to purchase these clothes for the occasion as that would make it far to expensive.  Although, i would like to do that unfortunately i cannot, i will try and make my model look as professional as possible. I have chosen the Baseball cap as it is a very useful prop throughout this type of magazine also the hoodie will be used and i will have the hood up to gives a sense of mystery etc. which also ties in with the sunglasses as a sense of mystery about the artist.  I chose the shoes as they are basketball shoes and are associated with this genre of music.

This above is the other costume i chose which i will use for the model on my contents page, this is ideal as my model already has the basketball shorts and the shoes do not really matter as these will not be in the shot that i will have.  The artist may not be able to get all the clothing that i wish for him to have but if not we will be ok as he has the basis of the costume.  I used footlocker.com to find the clothing items that i would wish for my artist to wear.