Media Product Evaluation

Media product evaluation

Who would be the audience for my media product? How did I attract/address my audience?
Teenage girls aged 16-19 years old would be the audience for my media product. Girls interested in gossip about fashion and different bands would also be an audience for my magazine. Fans of Pop and R&B is definitely going to be the genre of the audience interested in my product. I attracted my audience by making my magazine fun, colourful with lots of gossip. I included lots of coverage on popular bands to attract readers to want to read the articles. I used headlines on the front cover to attract my audience to want to read the whole magazine. I used gossipy, chatty language to address the audience and I made it seem as if the writer was talking directly to the reader, which creates the impression the magazine is a friend.

In what ways does my media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My magazine is very similar to the conventions of a real magazine. I have used headlines to attract readers and advertise the magazine just like real magazines do. I think my cover image was quite eye catching as all the girls where dressed in black and this helped grab the reader’s attention. Another way I tried to attract readers was with the exclusive cover story. I used the cover story like real magazines do to grab reader’s attention and make them think it is an exclusive story that no other magazine has. On the contents page I included an introduction by the editor about this month’s issue, just like real magazines do. I decided to include this as it is one of the main parts of a contents page for a gossip style magazine. I wanted my magazine to have a gossipy feel to it and I thought this would be a good way to introduce the magazine to the reader and become their friend. As my magazine is for a teenage girl audience I used lots of imagery and girly colours to create a fun and happy mood. I also used colour to represent the music genre of the magazine which is R&B and pop, just like Top of the Pops magazine use colour to represent pop. I used a realistic article which was an interview of a girl band. I tried to include realistic questions and answers and I thought about what the reader would want to know about the band. In the interview I tried to express the importance to teenage girls of being confident and independent, this is realistic to teenage girl’s gossip magazines. I included a competition next to the article to get the read involved with the magazine and hopefully buy the magazine again for the next competition. Including a competition also promotes a good name for the magazine when the readers win which is shown by real magazines.

How does my media product represent particular social groups?
My magazine represents teenage girls and girl bands in the public eye. It represents teenage girls to be quite gossipy but also quite fun and clever as there are facts included in the articles. The main representation is of girls bands. There is a lot of expression of girls being independent, beautiful but clever. It is a positive representation for females in the public eye and they are shown to be good role models.

What kind of media institution might distribute my media product and why?
I believe my magazine is quite realistic and there are a few institutions that might distribute it. I think local shops, petrol stations and supermarkets would be the best place to distribute my magazine as these are the most common places teenage girls go to buy their magazines. Local shops and supermarkets would be a good place to sell my magazine as many teenage girls buy their magazines from local shops because they are local and they don’t want to travel far. Petrol stations are another good place as many girls buy magazines when going on long journeys or just for daily travel. Health and beauty shops like ‘Boots’ and ‘Super drug’ would also be a good place to distribute my magazine as these are common places girls go to get beauty products and often food when on lunch breaks or out shopping. The most obvious place to distribute my magazine is in music shops like ‘HMV’, as it is a music magazine and this is a good place to get the latest news and music. College is a possible new institution that could venture into selling magazines as this is the most common place girls of this age will be most often.

What have I learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have learnt a lot about technologies from the process of constructing my magazine. I have learnt how to deconstruct media products and find out the meaning and reasons behind there use. The intention of my product was to attract teenage girls to my magazine and help give them advice and confidence through a girl band. I used exclusive headlines and imagery to attract the reader and then I used the editor to talk to the reader and create a friendly atmosphere. It was through the article I created the advice and confidence I wanted to create. I created advice from within the answers of the girl band and then I enforced the advice by including an advice section. I used girly colours and images to make it personal to my audience. One thing I learnt was how to address the reader to create a chosen affect. I wanted to create a gossipy feel to my magazine so I address the audience informally by using slang words and I made jokes as if the writer was talking to the reader in a private conversation.

Looking back at my preliminary task, what do I feel I have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Looking back at my preliminary task I believe I have learnt a lot in the progression of my work. I have learnt new media language and their meanings and the importance of using them within my work. I have learnt how to approach the designing process of my product and how to make decisions, by trying different ideas and seeing what works. One way I learnt how to make decisions was through the use of questionnaires. I found out that by asking the right questions to the right people questionnaires can be helpful in finding out what your target audience want and don’t want in their magazines. My questionnaires helped me to choose successful ideas to include in my magazine that will make it a successful product. The main thing I learnt that has allowed me to produce my final product was how to use photo Shop. I have never used this programme before but I now know it is an extremely good way to produce different types of work in a smart and professional way.