Foundation Portfolio Evaluation!

Hiii,

I had to create an evaluation for my overall magazine including my preliminary task. I had to answer a variety of questions for the evaluation in good detail. The format i used to produce my evaluation is Microsoft Powerpoint, this was a good format to use as you could make it more professional by adding animations to your work also i found this was an easy way of presenting my research and my actual magazine. Most of my reseach into my magazine is displayed in both powerpoint and my blog. This is because this is the easiest format to use to present my work in good detail without having any trouble. I found these questions easy to answer as the knowledge i needed was already taken upon whilst creating my preliminary magazine and my music magazine, this defiantly was an advantage as i wouldnt have been able to answer such questions without my understanding of simple things such as codes and conventions of magazines. I had to answer the following questions:

In what way’s does your media product use, develop or challenge form’s and convention’s of real media product’s?

How does your media product represent particular social group’s?

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

Who would be the audience for your media product?

How did you attract/address your audience?

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

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

Overall Magazine!

Overall i am really pleased with my music magazine and my preliminary task. I really enjoyed working on my magazine from the start untill the finish. Working on my magazine has helped me alot with my skills in technolgy working with different programme's such as adobe photo shop. I can now take these skills away with me and work on different subjects using the skills i have learned. When we first got told the task that we had to take upon, i didnt think i had enough knowledge to get how far i did. But when i started with the preliminary task it really helped me get the hang of what i needed to do. I think if we didnt do the preliminary task i dont think i would be able to complete the music magazine looking as professional as it does. Keeping on track with my preliminary task and music magazine was hard to get a grip of. I found when creating my preliminary task it was hard to keep up to date with my work as this was the first time i had designed a magazine. But once i moved onto my music magazine i had the hang of the time management. My blog really helped me on this as i could keep looking back at the previous work i had done, i also created title drafts which i had created to remind myself what work i needed to get done. I really enjoyed using Adobe Photoshop as gave me great advantages to make my work look more professional. It also made me put more detail in my magazine both the preliminary task and the music magazine, even though i was limeted on my sources whilst creating my school magazine the reason for this is because i didnt know alot of skills from adobe photoshop whilst working on my preliminary task, but this advanced whilst creating my music magazine as i had practiced more skills and worked with different tools. Since i have finished my magazine i have used my photoshop skills in further subjects this has not only helped me in media but also in a wider range of subjects. I have really loved designing and creating my preliminary magazine and my main music magazine, this has gave me inspiration to take my skills further on in life, and maybe pursue a career in the subject.

My Magazine Interview.

Hii,
I have now finished producing my interview with M'A. I had to make sure it consisted with my target audience as i couldnt make it sophisticated as my target audience is teenage girl's and in the interview if i had complicated long word's they would struggle to read it. I had to make the interview very "girly" so it made them want to carry on reading and persuade them to buy the next week's issue. I had to think carefully about the style and attitude i was going to use in my interview before writing it out, this is because using the wrong stlye of writing and the wrong attitude could push my target audience away. First of all i had to think about what my interview would be about, this didn't take me long to figure out as my tagline from my magazine told it all! My tagline is "Gossip, Boys and Fun!" obvousily my interview would consist of this. I included questions about boy's, her friendship's and the latest gossip i thought carefully and relised this is what teenage girl's would want to know about.

This is my interview:

Joining us this week is M’A, recently added to the charts in 4th position with her latest single “Sunshine”. She recently spilt from a band known as “The Girl’s” due to a crisis with the girls and wanting to take upon a solo career. Here in this week’s issue we get to hear some of her latest gossip, boy crisis, and what made really made her ex band split!

BOP BOP POP: Hello M’A, welcome to your first interview with BOP BOP POP. How are you today?

M’A: Heyy, yeah its really cool to be interviewed by you. Im okay thanks.

BOP BOP POP: Just okay? Whats really going on in your head?

M’A: Boys (Giggle’s)

BOP BOP POP: Is this about Christian Lopez by any chance?

M’A: Yeah! But hes just a friend honest (Blushes)

BOP BOP POP: Ok, even though you were seen with him smooching..

M’A: That was a goodnight kiss (Laughs)

BOP BOP POP: Moving on, its finally nice to see you persuing your solo career.

M’A: Yeah its great being able to produce and sing my own music, I had to wait until i got things sorted out at home.

BOP BOP POP: Things?

M’A: Well I when i was with “The Girls” we all lived in a pad together and i thought the best thing to do when we split was to move as i got the blame for the band splitting.

BOP BOP POP: You got the blame? Wasn’t it a joint decision?

M’A: Well we all went through a stage of not talking and arguing, i really don’t know why. Then one day our agent got us all together and told us to sort it!

BOP BOP POP: what happend once it got sorted?

M’A: well i suggested we split for a while to see if space was needed away from our band, after i suggested that our agent said well thats that! Then we split.

BOP BOP POP: The media was very harsh publishing stories about you causing the band to split, did this worry you when you went to pursue your solo career?

M’A: Yes they was alot said about me that was untrue, but im back and im going to prove to people it was wrong. I have changed alot and my music is different from how it used to be.

BOP BOP POP: Yes we know you want to inspire young teenage girls is this true?

M’A: Yes my music hopefully will inspire teenage girls i think they are the best audience to support you.

BOP BOP POP: Are we going to see more of you since your on your singing alone now?

M’A: yes i will be doing alot of concerts and appearing live on shows. I really hope my solo career kicks of.

BOP BOP POP: Yes it certainly has kicked of, youve made it 4th in the charts with your new single “sunshine”

M’A: whoooo i cant actually believe it, im so happy. I would really like to be number 1 (laughs)

BOP BOP POP: Youve plenty of time to become number 1, what inspired your single “sunshine”?

M’A: I really don’t know to be fair, i just thought of a song one morning and came up with a name. Thats the truth (giggle’s)

BOP BOP POP: Its good to be honest, would you appear in this magazine again?

M’A: Yes certainly maybe once i have published more music and become number 1 (smiles)

BOP BOP POP: Great, you really want to become number 1 why?

M’A: Just to prove to people i can do it alone (Laughs)

BOP BOP POP: Everyone cant wait for your single “sunshine” to be purchasable.

M’A: Me 2 im gunna buy loads of copys (smiles)

BOP BOP POP: thats all we have time for thankyou for taking time to get interviewed with us
M’A: yeah thank you for having me.

To catch M’As latest single “sunshine” she appears live on gossip Thursday 24th april.

Overall i really like the style and attitude i used, i think it really links in with the target audience i had chosen, also i think my magazine would be competition towards other magazine's if it was published. I think it consists of all the codes and conventions of magazine's.

My Magazine Factfile.

Hiii,

I have now started to produce the work that need's to be put in the magazine. I produced a factfile and a interview to be shown on my 2 page spread. My factfile is about my artist M'A, i had to keep it linking with my target audience so when thinking about question's i had to remember not to change my language as it is going to be aimed at teenage girl's. I thought this was relevent for my target audience as it isnt too over powering and will defiantly be easy to read if it was published in a magazine. This is what i produced to go into my 2 page spread:



Fact File of M’A
Real name: Emma (M’A)
Age: 19
Location: County Durham
Hobbies: Singing and Dancing
Loves: Her pet Poodle Poppy and ice cream
Hates: Creepy crawlies
Favourite Drink: Strawberry milkshake
Favourite food: Granny’s Sunday dinner
Quote: “Singing is my life”


I thought this would link in with my target audience, as the language is very basic and the attitude is "cheesy".

Editing My Picture's.

Hii,

Once i had taken my picture's i had to edit them to the standard's i wanted for my magazine. I used a variety of techniques to manipulate my pictures. The reason for editing my pictures was to make them more professional looking. I used tools such as the magic wand tool, crop tool, clone stamp tool, impressionist brush, paint bucket tool, gradient tool. Also i adjusted the lighting and the colour to make it look more effective. Heres an example of a picture i manipulated:

from this... To this!

Adobe photoshop gave me great advantages to make my work more professional. I dont think my work would be as good and professional looking if i didnt have these tools and skills to use on my magazine. Also if i didnt have photoshop to use whilst creating my music magazine i think my magazine would just have the same codes and conventions and skills used as my preliminary task, the reason for this is because whilst creating my preliminary task i didnt know the knowledge about photoshop as i do now, so i wouldnt be able to add these to my music magazine.

Taking My Magazine Picture's.

Hiii,

For my magazine i had to include image's that would link in with my double page spread, also to be on the front cover. I decided to use natual settings in the background of the images i had taken the reason for my choice is because my artist is a natual looking girl and i thought the natural light in the background of the scenery would just add the final touch to my images. I took around 100 image's as i found taking loads of shots using different camera angle's would help me choose the best image for my magazine page's. Before taking my magazine pictures i had to produce shooting plans to set up what i needed to consider before taking them. This really helped me as if i took the pictures first hand without researching what i actually needed to consider my pictures i dont think would be as professional as i would want them. Whilst taking my pictures i did take around 100 shots, some that i hadnt planned on taking. Some of these picutres actually turned out to be the chosen pictures for my magazine. I think the reason for this is because my style for my magazine that i wanted was "Natural" and the pictures that i didnt actually plan on taking were more natural looking than the pictures i took time on and planned the position for the artist. i choose to take my pictures on a bright and sunny day obviously to match the style of my magazine this was an advantage because it had been sunny weather all week. I loved taking the pictures for my magazine as i felt like a photographer and i used all my photography skills into getting the pictures i wanted.


Here is a variety of images i had chosen to be included in my magazine:



For this image i choose to have a natural background, the reason for my choice is because this makes the image link in with the style of my magazine as my artist is very natural looking. I think i would spoil the main style of the magazine if i started using backgrounds that took the contrast away from the picture this would not look right considering it is a "POP" magazine.








The reason for choosing a white background is because this shows innocence and purity of the artist herself. I also choose my artist to have specific body language this is to show her natural personality and to show she hasnt been set up to be fake and acting like someone eles, this is her herself; her personality outside the work industry.






I decided to dress my artist in very plain, simple clothes as my artist is seen as a simple young singer. This i think is inspirational for my target audience especially those who aspire to be like popstars. I think the fashion accessories just top her style of as she isnt overloaded wearing too much, she is keeping her style plain. This will also be an advantage for my target audience as its easy to copy her style for those who look up to popstars as a fashion icon.



I really enjoyed taking the pictures for my magazine, i thought about the camera angles and lighting whilst taking them by using the planning shoots i had created. I like the way i have used natural light in all my pictures this is to show my artist being herself. This will attract my target audience as every teenage girl aspires to be like natural, girly popstars "Wannabees". By planning my photoshoots this was a really good advantage as it gave me a step ahead and it let me get take my pictures for my magazine without wasting time taking images that wernt going to be used.

My Artist For My Magazine.

Hiii,
For my magazine i needed to create an artist or a band that would appear in my magazine. For this i needed to imagine a new artist that nobody knew of. I started to think about my target audience and came up with a few idea's that i think would look good.

Genre of music: POP
Reason for my choice: i choose this music genre as i took a liking to the genre itself, and i knew i would find it easier as i took an interest in it where as i wouldnt of been able to handle the work if i done a music genre such as rock as i dont have an interest in this music genre.


Target audience: Teenage girl's
Reason for my choice: i choose this target audience as i knew it was an easy target audience to aim things at. Also its easy to think of codes and conventions that would be in a POP magazine.


Name of band or artist: M'A shortened for her real name Emma.
Reason for my choice: The reason i choose this name for my artist is because i used my inspiration for other bands and artists which have broken down names. I thought this name is catchy and easy to remember, as it is simple.


Who is in the band: A female singer called M'A, who recently split from a band to persue a colo career.
Reason for my choice: I choose to use a female singer this is because it would link in with my target audience as my magazine is based for teenage girls, and it wouldnt really inspire them if i choose a male band.


Looks/Dress/Hair: My artist will have a very girly style, wearing sweet dress's and minimal make-up. Her hair she designed herself very "Puffy" and blonde to match her personality, as she is very bubbly and polite.
Reason for my choice: Again it links in with my target audience, my artist will be very natural looking as they are role models for teenage girls. I defiantly wouldnt use a artist that wore a face full of make-up, this would be wrong as teenage girls wouldnt look up to the artist as a role model.

History: M'A was oringailly in a band called "The girl's"who decided to split die to a crisis, and she wanted to persue a solo career as the band wasnt exactly working out. After the split she met up with a new agent and he set her up with one of the best contract's available. Now M'A has reached 4th in the uk top 40 chart's with her new single "Sunshine".