Music magazine

My media product uses forms and conventions of a real media product in a variety of ways such as making sure that somewhere in your images there is something that helps to relate with the music genre (this being rock), whether it be an instrument or the way that they dressed. This is shown on the front cover through the use of the guitar and the image of the band Tora Hearts who are dressed in a way that people associate with rock music. This being the bright coloured hair, styled in a way that shows individuality both males, which links with the magazines target audience of ‘rebellious’ and individual teenagers. I placed a main image in the middle of the magazine front cover to show what is important and the highlight of the magazine.

The main image is of a ‘famous guitarist’ holding a guitar, which again establishes the genre. The image is also purple which links with the narrative of the magazine, this being that Lee Bryne is releasing an album called Ultraviolent. Also the colour purple connotes violence, which links in with a stereotypical view of rock genred music and addresses the audience of the magazine. However the colour also connotes a soothing and calm, which more relates to the females of the genre. So by placing the main image which is male shows that this magazine also relates to the female audience along with the male.

Furthermore the use of a slightly low angled shot allows Lee Bryne to look superior, which supports the fact that he is seen as being legendary. Also the expression on his face is serious, which shows that he is serious about his new album, it also shows experience and maturity. This is also supported by the fact that he is not making any eye contact with the audience. In addition having his hair spiked reflects the rock genre of the magazine, along with showing individuality.

I have used the rule of three as I’ve have used only the colours red, purple and white. Purple plays the role of the magazines narrative and associating with both genders, red connotes danger and links with the target audience of the magazine, being rebellious and white was placed as it stands out to the rest of the magazine, it also shows innocence within the magazine.

The last image is of two members that are representing their band, which is backed up by the text that says how their doing a signing at a shop. By including this it shows the magazines exclusivity through the fact that they already know that a band will be doing a signing in the ‘Future’.

Certain words are highlighted in different colours in a sentence, this allows the audience to see what has the most importance in certain strap lines or kickers along with the way it is capable of catching the eye of the audience. By putting the words 'Legendary Lee Bryne' it helps to anchor the importance of the main image and give the singer a status which could also be seen outside the music industry.

The magazine is called Resistance; this title was decided as it relates to the target audience, being mainly young people. Resistance is when a person is 'fighting' against something they do not wish to do. This is stereotypically associated with the teenage age group. The masthead is placed in a 3D, jester like way (as the title font is a Victorian card pack look) showing that this magazine isn't as completely serious as it is, expressing its comical side. This links in with the type of target audience who like their share of humour. (Exact font Rosewood STD)

The strap line Hime-Wings is used to show that Lee Bryne isn't the only important factor of the magazine, enabling the magazine to show that it contains a variety of news for its readers. Allowing the magazine to have a larger target audience which leads to better profit and so forth.
For my contents page I used images of people that look to suit rock music, which will easily allow the audience to recognise the magazine genre, along with the names of bands that can also establish the genre of the magazine and also attract the audience as they will be interested to see what their favorite band has been getting up to. For the contents page I also used the layout of an actual magazine, using the idea of columns to make it easier for the reader to understand what they are reading.

For both the front cover and the contents page I also used the way that rock magazines make it appear that a lot is going on, which links in with the genre of the music, as when it comes to rock there appears to be a lot going on in the background. In the contents page I used a lot of images which shows a lot of commotion. For the front cover I placed the background of a studio, which is where all the music is made. The blurred effect used on the studio links with the genre of rock which can be seen as a blur to people.

In the contents page I challenged the idea of using 3 main images instead of just 1, as all contents page within the magazines that I analysed used only one main image. I did this as a way to help create a narrative for the magazine and establish the girls status as the girls had split to take a break and have a holiday but are now reuniting.

For the double spread page I used the way that there is always a main image of the band/singer being interviewed/mentioned. I also made it clear that the reader knows exactly who is speaking in the text the same way that all music magazines do it. The house style of the magazine remains the same throughout as the colours used are the same, this being purple, red and white. Also the images and text used throughout reflect each other, for example; place the bands name ‘Hime-Wings’ and then placing an image of the band next to it.

My media product represents teenagers/young people mainly through the use of images, these being images of young people/teens that the audience can associate with, examples such as Lee, the 3 girls and other bands that contain young members.It also targets the social group of people who generally love rock music, shown through the use of images. This being the use of guitars which is usually associated with rock/indie music. Also the images of people are dressed in a way that relates to the audience, as the audience tends to dress in similar ways whether it is due to the trend or seeing their favorite band dress the same. Furthermore the language of the magazine represents the target audience throughout by using language that isn’t sophisticated but relevant to their age group. Also by shortening words such as ’Bring Me The Horizon’ to ‘BMTH’, the magazine assumes that its audience know who they are just from the initials.
Kerrang! Radio station might sell my magazine as it links very well with their music genre. Even though they have their own magazine they could still sell this magazine as it narrows down the different types of rock and some people may not buy kerrang magazine due to the fact that it contains a genre like metal.

There is also ‘Scuzz’ a company that also associates with rock music and are likely to distribute my media product.

The target audience for my media product is teenagers/young people, specifically people who love rock/indie music. The magazine is targeted at this age group along with this type of music is because a lot of people in this age group listen to the rock/indie genre music. The magazine is also targeted at both genders to increase the amount of people who consume the magazine, thus creating a larger profit.

I attracted my target audience through the use of images, such as the images of young people that the audience can relate to. Also images of guitars will attract them as it links with the genre of music that they would listen to, along with images of well known bands. These images will attract the audience the moment they see a picture of the band or just their name. To attract both genders I used images of males and females to show that this magazine is for both genders. Furthermore the camera angles on certain images contribute to attracting their audience, such as the mid shot of Lee Bryne looking away from the camera, as if teasing the audience.
Also the language is appropriate to the audience and therefore they are willing to read the magazine with out getting confused about words or sentence structures that they do not understand.Also to address teenagers/young people I use colours that are stereotypically associated with them, this being the colour red. When a person visualizes red they think of danger/warning, so by using this colour it shows the association with the colour/magazine and teenagers, this being rebellion/communism.

I have learnt how to use Photoshop effectively, understanding the different effects that it can produce and how they affect what you are doing. How they can allow you to do things that help you connote something or tell a narrative, such as making Lee purple to tell the narrative of the magazine. From the preliminary task to the final product I have learnt that the more you explore with Photoshop the more you will find that could help you with the making of your product and the easier you will end up finding things.I also learnt that when it came to taking photos it is best to take the photo on a background that you want it to be on, or take the photos on a plain white background. It can also be very helpful if you took a photo of the background itself as it would lead to help making things easier.