In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The conventions of a student magazine are a background picture that relates to what the magazine is about and usually a mid close up is the most effective type of background picture. A catchy and bold masthead is a good thing to have in order to draw the viewer in and to represent what the magazine may be going to contain inside. Eye catching cover lines help to explain a little more about the magazine without having to actually open it, so things that would really appeal to students are a good thing to have on the front cover. Putting a website on the magazine is helps to advertise the magazine further. A bold reasonable price should be used on the front cover in order to attract students, but if its too cheap it could effectively make people think it’s going to be a bit rubbish. The biggest element on the front cover of the magazine should be the most exciting article, for example if you were interviewing someone famous this should be represented big and bold.
I think that I have done all of these but the thing I did slightly differently to conventional magazines is that my background picture is black and white and I have used very restricted colour and I also think that by taking my picture of her face through books makes it a little more interesting to look at whereas other magazines would tend to use a more simple background picture.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
I think that my magazine has represented teenagers in general and I don’t think that it is specifically aimed at students but I definitely think that this would attract students more because it is not specifically aimed at college or school based subjects. The language I have used is basic and easy to read so that at first glance you aren’t bombarded with complex cover lines. I have made sure that my cover lines are well away from her face as to not distract away from the picture, and I think this picture helps to represent that it is actually a student magazine die to the books and glasses.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
A good place to sell my magazine would be a news agent where students would regularly go to buy stuff, and I good place to display it would be on a separate news stand near to the tills so that it could easily be seen and would perhaps appeal more to students when they are buying things, it could also increase their interest in buy one.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
I think that my student magazine could be aimed at both genders but I think due to the picture I think certain issues could possibly be aimed at girls or boys and I think it would be difficult to make every issue right for both genders, but the content in general is directed at both boy and girls. I think that my magazine is mostly aimed at college students or students that are just finishing high school as most of the points contained in the magazine are related to that kind of age group. I think the sort of class that would buy my magazines would be middle class because they would be the class that would usually go to a public college and would relate more to the content of the magazine.
How did you attract/address your audience?
I included things that would interest the target audience of students, for example information about bands and music but then the more serious matters of university information, what is advertised on the front cover is what people would call “the fun stuff” whereas the more important information is still included inside. On the front cover I have also included things that would draw the audience in, for example competitions and a cover line about Christmas. The writing is very chatty and casual as opposed to formal and complex, this is so that instantly the target audience can relate to the magazine and can tell pretty quickly that this magazine is aimed at them.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have used publisher in order to create my magazine, but have also used photo shop for modifying the text. I used a compact digital camera in order to get my pictures for my magazine, and then edited these, I turned the picture for the front cover black and white in order to create a dramatic and individual appearance to my magazine, I also did this on photo shop.
