Media Studies Evaluation- Looking back on your preliminary project what do you think you have learnt?

media studies

View more presentations from Jackmedia.

Preliminary Project

Media Studies Evaluation 7 - 2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Media Studies Evaluation - In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of a real media product?

My media product was a music magazine in the genre of hip hop and r & b. This genre of music is stereotypically linked with young adult males of a low rating on the Jicnar scale and usually of radicalist and aspirational social values. For this reason they are often perseeved by other people as quit ea negative group of people who are not doing anything of value. My magazine challenges this representation of them and portrays them in a positive way by saying that the graffiti work that they are partaking in its a positive contribution to society and showcases their talent. My graffiti showcase challenges the usual forms and conventions of a double page spread in this genre as it does not have much writing and the pictures are not of any real boldness. Instead I have taken a different approach in which I attempt to make the images and fonts stand out in a more sophisticated fashion instead of a bold and brash approach. The varied use of sans serif font makes the page appear more sophisticated which challenges the ordinary forms of these magazines are sterotypically they look for an underground feel. My magazine aims to be more sophisticated and look at the other end of the hip hop spectrum by trying to be quite classy and at the high end of the social spectrum. This is linked in with hip hop artists lyrics and would attract my aspirational target audience in a different way to ordianry products.

With my front cover I stuck with the ordinary conventions of a hip hop magazine by using a bold picture with the focus on a mid close of a young male. The male is posing in a dominant position at the forgeround of the photo which connotes strength, wealth and superiority. I used bold font which stood out from the page in their reversed out status.

My contants page was left very basic and was again breaking the conventions of an ordianry magazine of this genre. The page was not filled with photos and bold fonts as a usual magazine would be. The contents has small serif font which is capitalised and placed in red text boxes which are'nt reversed out and quite plain. The photo itself is quite stereotypical of these magazines and it is based around graffiti and basketball which are both linked in with this genre of music.

In conclusion I would say that overall my magazine with its large scale inclusions such as photos and captions is very sterotypical and does nothing but develop forms and conventions of normal magazines. But on the other hand the smaller things such as articles and fonts are relatively unconventional and aim to be quite sophisticated and classical in comparison to the ordinary magazines which are quite dark and have an underground feel to them.

Media Studies Evaluation - What have you learnt about technologies from constructing this project?

Before this project I only had a small amount of knowledge on technologies including Quark express and Photoshop. This project has taught me how to edit photos effectively in photoshop including changing the opacity and contrast of photos to manipulate them into the photo that I wanted. Also i have learnt how I can remove small objects and anything of dissatisfaction to me from the picture. For example on my contents page the camera case was left in the picture and due to this I have removed this from the photo using various tools.

With Quark Express I have learnt how i can use various colour schemes and layouts in order to completely change the feel of a photo and manipulate it in order to create a completed project with a completely different feel to it. An example of this is how i have hidden the trees in the background of my contents page by arranging the contents page around this to take the focus away from the trees. During my preliminary project i would not have known how to do this effectively.

Also with this project I have learnt how to use a camera in a more effective way than just taking photos in a standard way. To get the photo i wanted for my project I have used zoom and changed the focus in order to fit everything in the photo and give it the feel that the image is bold and very prominenet and dominating. I also changed the brightness settings in order to make the image seem darker to give it that underground feel that before was not possible due to the weather on the day of my shoot.

Media Studies Evaluation - How did you attract/address your audience?

Media Studies evalu

View more presentations from Jackmedia.

Also to attract my audience I used various forms and conventions such as bold mastheads and reversed out coverlines and straplines. The impact of this was that it grabbed the readers attention and makes my magazine stand out from the crowd.

Media Studies Evaluation - Who would be the target audience for your media product?

Media Studies Evaluation - Who would be the target audience of your media product?

View more presentations from Jackmedia.

Media Stuides Coursework Evaluation - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

In my opinion my Media Studies Product would be ideally suited for an alternative market due to the connotations and overall feel of the Magazine. There are various Institutions which I feel would be appropriate for the Marketing of my Media Product. Places such as small privately owned Record stores, small Newsagents away from the mainstream corporations such as WHSmiths and also depending on the success of the Magazine a multi platform consumption idea could come into practice through internet distribtuion on Websites which are linked closely to the Genre of music which my Magazine is based around. I feel that a small Record Store would be a suitable place to market the Magazine as these "old school" institutions are very alternative and due to the alternative nature of my magazine, would suit my target audience due to their Radical values. A radicalist would like the idea of not shopping in mainstream stores as sterotypically they like to break away from the norm and find alternative ways of doing every day things. Also as the genre of music quite niche, i feel that marketing it in such a place as WHsmiths would be inapropriate and that more would be sold in smaller institutions which my target readers are more likely to shop due to their low value on Jicnar scale and also their physchographic values. I feel that Internet distribution would work well as due to the genre of music my Magazine is centred around the most common place to find the music of the artists is on the small websites often set up by the Asrtists themselves. I feel that this would be a good way to boost the sale of my Product as a large amount of people interested in my Magazine would be on these websites looking to find things which are linked to the genre of music on such sites.

Research and Planning For Hip Hop Music Magazine

Initial Idea

I am going to create Hip Hop magazine.

The plus side to this genre is that there are various means of media conventions can be used to connote the same feelings which are linked with this genre of music.


My Target Audience

Jicnar Scale = C2 + D
Social Values = Materialists and Hedonists
Psychographics = Aspirers and Radicals
Age Range = 16 - 25


Consumption Profile

They listen to programmes such as MTV Base, Flava and Channel U.
They spend their time buying jewellery and clothes similar to what they see on people wearing on videos but for a fraction of the price.
Radio 1Xtra is the radio station of choice which pioneers in the mainstreaming of black music.
Their job is just a way of bringing in the money and the nights out and underground gigs are what really matter.

Conventions of Hip-Hop Magazines

The Hip Hop industry is often represented through the media proxemics of smart dress, big sunglasses, expensive and brash jewellery and fancy cars as this connotes wealth and power and prosperity.
As this project requires me to take all of my own pictures I feel certain aspects of hip hop will be difficult for me to recreate. I do feel however I could create the same connotations of hip hop by using a different approach with similar aspects involved.

The magazine cover sticks to the conventional approach to hip hop magazines as the artist (Jay-Z) is shown looking smartly dressed in a suit and the mid close up shot makes him seem imposing and due to him being the main focus of both front covers It connotes success, power, respect and financial success.


My Idea

I believe a close up shot of somebody dressed smarty in a suit or something similar will always create connotations of sophistication and class which hip hop artists seek to do. The difference from the stereotypical magazine and mine however will lie in the background of the picture. Another aspect of hip hop completely contrasting to the posh, expensive lifestyle is the working class housing estates which many influential hip hop stars grew up in. In many hip hop artists’ lyrics they relate and mention they’re upbringings and the connection and love that many of them feel they share with their childhood homes. An example of this is in Lil Waynes 2008 song "Mr Carter". "Like I'm from Colli Park but I'm from Hollygrove". The impact of this lyric is that the artist is showing pride in his neighbourhood all these years on now he is an internationally renound musician. Another example is from Lil Wayne's 2007 song "La La La". "Born in New Orleans, raised in New Orleans, I will forever remain faithful New Orleans". The shows how Lil Wayne loves and respects his neighbourhood and feels that it was key in shaping the way that he is, which in turn has led to his massive success. This shows his appreciation for his upbringing, no matter whether it was good or bad.

More often than not the lyrics are speaking of poverty, having no money and very working class homes. I feel that a picture of somebody dressed very smartly representing a hip hop artist would connote the same hip hop image. I feel that a shot of somebody in front of a wall of building which has been vandalised or has graffiti on it would be a good example of this.

This would also allow me to connect with my readers because my target audience is going to be living in similar circumstances as portrayed on the cover of my media text. Hopefully this will help the reader connect with the magazine and see a bit of themselves in my main focus on the cover of the magazine.

This is the sort of image I am looking to recreate as it connotes feelings of financial prosperity and success aswell as making the artist seem as if he has not forgotten his roots and still respects his upbringing and the environment he grew up in which will appeal to my target audience.

Stereotypically in Hip Hop magazines they have double page spreads which have the same colour scheme in the background that follow the same structure. They tend to keep the background colours very simple and use more bright and noticable colours for the font such as red and yellow. There is a tendancy to have large pictures with the main focus being very prominent and noticable in the foreground of the shot. This is all linked in with the idea of hip hop artists being dominant and strong figures.

For my magazine I feel a link could be created between the magazine and the brand called "Star In The Hood" which is endorsed by a popular grime artist "Tinchy Stryder". I believe a link between my magazine and this brand would make the magazine a lot more attractive and give it credability as it would be linked with a popular and well documented brand which has a very successful artist affiliated with it.
The style of clothing which "Star In The Hood" concentrates with is hoodys and t-shirts with a bold logo with very bright colours as the logo. The clothing is very "Bling" which is associated with hip hop but also has elements of sophistication and style which i feel my target audience will be attracted to due to their materialist and hedonist social values.

For my front cover I am going to fill the page with coverlines offering freebies and promotions. This will appeal to my materialist target audience. I am going to use bold serif font for them all with either black or gold colouring to make it stand out and look classy. I am going to reverse out as many of the coverlines as possible to make the magazine stand out compared to the rest. I am going to give away freebies such as chains which are seen to be bling and similar to those which hip hop artists would wear. I am also going to promote a discount on Star In The Hood clothing if people subscribe to the magazine as I feel it will be an added bonus to the magazine.I am going to keep my straplines short but catchy to give the attitude an informal and easy to read approach so it will appeal to all types of readers and help fit in with my target audience who are on the lower end of the Jicnar scale predominantly.

I feel that if I can effectively use all of these media conventions then I can create a magazine which could rival all of the already functioning hip hop magazines such as Hip Hop world and Grime Scene magazine.


Time Plan

2nd February - Completion of Research and Planning
9th February - Have found a suitable location for shoot
16th February - Get a good shot for cover.
23rd February - Begin Photoshopping
2nd March - Begin to plan layout on Quark Express
9th March - Complete Cover And Contents page.
16th March - Complete evaluation of project and get magazine printed out.