Evaluating Your Preliminary Task

These questions are the evaluation questions required by the exam board.

You must answer all questions as separate posts on your blog.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

·         Break down the different elements of your magazine (images, fonts, colours, layout, language).

·         What industry conventions have you used? Create links to actual magazines to show you understand the conventions and how they help a magazine reach out to its audience.

·         Have you thwarted any of the conventions? If so, explain why you did this. Why would this help you to attract your audience?

·         If you haven’t been able to use a convention, but know that you should have done, acknowledge that here – explain what the problem was (technical expertise; resources; time.) At least you show you know it should be there!

·         Always use REAL magazines as a reference point for the analysis of your own magazine.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

·         What social groups are represented in your magazine?

·         In what ways are they represented – through what kind of images/connotations?

·         Is this a positive or negative representation?

·         How does it compare to the way these groups are represented in other media – provide links.

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

·         Most magazines belong to one of the big publishing houses, and get distributed via their extensive network. What publishing house would you use? (You need to fill a gap in the market.)

·         Do you envisage your magazine being independent or part of one of the big publishing houses? Explain your choice?

·         If it is an independent title, how are you going to get it to your fans? You’ll need a third party distributor.

·         Where will your magazine appear? Music shops (be specific on which ones!); general newsagents – how will you make sure you reach your target audience there? Music venues? Anywhere else?

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Outline in detail the demographic of your target audience. This should include:

·         Age

·         Gender

·         Class

·         Race/ethnicity

·         Profession

·         Lifestyle (hobbies and interests)

·         Youth Tribe

·         Attitude and beliefs

How did you attract/address your audience?

·         You need to justify every decision you made in relation to attracting an audience.

·         This should include:

o   Colours

o   Fonts

o   Images – mise en scene; framing; camera shots and angels

o   Language

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

·         Photoshop

·         Fireworks

What do you feel you have learned about the following?

·         Creativity

·         Originality

·         Technology

·         Photography:  layout and shots. Planning a shoot.

·         Layout

·         Colours – what works; reflecting audience; keeping the colour palette limited

·         Fonts

·         Writing articles