The audience that would mainly buy and read my media product would be teenagers interested in the rock music genre. This is because my audience research told me that they would be interested in the stories that I had chosen to include within my magazine on my particular music genre, rock. My product is a direct response to my pre-production audience research. I found out from that research that 40% (most) of my readers will be 16-18 year olds; however I already had a good idea that my target audience would be a similar age group to me interested in the rock music genre.

After attaining feedback from my target audience about the overall look of my front cover, contents page and double page spread, I made some improvements to my music magazine, taking into account the comments they had made.

The audience liked my bold title on my front cover and the consistent colours used for my texts. They thought my contents page was simple but easy to read. My double page spread got the most approval for its amount of information and pictures being just right.

How did I attract them?

My research also told me that my target audience wanted to read about a band’s information, names and history. My target audience also wanted to know about concerts in which a particular band had played such as the venue, music and crowd. In direct response to my findings, and limited to pictures that I would have to take I included information on the new band, Stealing Fortunes.

My double page spread write-up was focused on a concert that a reporter/journalist of my magazine had been to. It included the bands names and instruments. I had illustrated my page with many pictures from the concert in order to drag the reader in to the story just as if they were there, live.

My main image on my magazines front cover uses a direct response of address. This is where the band is looking strait into the camera in order to drag and convince the reader into buying and reading my media product. The folded arms make the featured band seem powerful to the reader. However, I did not want to make the band look threatening so I chose to have a medium close up strait camera shot.

 I also showed, using band names and story titles, that there were other bands included in my magazine from the same music genre. This is to further attract my target audience. I listed the other famous bands on my front cover as well as a story title; this was to make my magazine even more desirable with the amount of stories on big successful bands included within my magazine.

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

I looked at other music magazines from the same genre, and took notice of the types of layout they had used. The Front covers of all the magazines I looked at had one main image with the stories listed down the margins with the main story in bolder or bigger font at the top or bottom margin. I used this format on my front cover as it was a simple and tidy page layout. I used a similar format on my contents page, but separated it into ‘main feature’ and other stories that were included in my magazine. I chose to layout my contents page in this way because other magazines had done this to tie in formats and layouts with the front cover. For my double page spread I used more pictures to keep the reader interested as there was also a lot of writing. I made sure that the pictures related to the write-up so that the reader wants to read on, finding out what happens.  

How does my media product represent particular social groups?

I don’t wish my magazine to represent any particular social group as I like to think that anyone can read my music magazines specific genre. In all of my pictures of the featured band, they are wearing quite plain and casual clothing representing no particular social group. From my audience research I know the specific ages of potential readers however I noticed when collecting my research that there was an interest from both genders. There were no specific social groups I had to represent. This gives my media product a wider potential audience.

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

When I started to research a suitable distributor for my media product I found that one company doesn’t distribute magazines of the same genre but from a wide variety of genres. I then found WorldWide Magazine Distribution Ltd (WWMD). They distribute many different magazines to all over the world. These magazines include any thing from ‘Cosmopolitan’ to ‘NME’. Obviously I was interested in their music magazines with a similar rock/alternative genre to my product. These included: NME, Q, Uncut and Rock-A-Rolla.

I think that WWMD would be a great distributor for my music magazine as they have lots of experience both in the UK and oversees. I like how wider variety of magazines they distribute and I am sure that they have a good reputation in the industry.

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

I am new to using the Photoshop software programme. However, I quickly got used to it and was able to use its full potential to accurately crop images, add effects to images and text. However Photoshop is a large programme, and during the creation of my media product I added many layers to my front cover, contents page and double page spread which made opening and saving my progress a long commotion. Hard drive disk space was also a problem due to this particularly large file. The Edublogs website that I used to post my work on was a difficult site to navigate and use. There is very little disk space for new posts such as my Photoshop picture files even after compressing them into a Jpeg file. In order for my audience to analyse my media product I had to print it out to give them an idea of the layout of my front cover, contents page and double page spread as they where unable to navigate the Edublogs site. I enjoyed the photography, and was pleased with the finished pictures. I feel that I enhanced my camera work by using the rule of thirds and a variety of angles.

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

I have learnt how to use Photoshop applications to their full potential, by cropping images to a higher standard and using more effects on those images and also on text. After looking at other music magazines I was able to understand what layouts can achieve and how different layouts and colour schemes work. My audience research was much more thorough and taken into account when producing my final product.

call-of-duty

I have a very clear idea about the lifestyles of my magazine consumers. I will create a detailed profile about my audience, down to considering which breakfast cereal they eat.

The target consumers of my Rock Magazine will be young teenagers to early twenties.

The type of breakfast they may consume will be toast on the quick, due to their busy social life. If they are old enough to drive they will have typical first cars, hatchbacks. They may well still live with their parents or be in university student halls or a rented flat. My consumers will drink alcohol socially. TV watched, will be music channels such as Kerrang and Q. They will eat takeaway food or quick tined food. If my audience plays sport they will play typical games such as rugby or football. They will go on holiday with their mates to Spain clubbing.

I will be looking into detail, the media film text ‘Memento’. Discussing the different audience theories used during this particular text. 

Memento is a psychological thriller film. Leonard, a former insurance fraud investigator, is searching for the man he believes raped and murdered his wife during a burglary. Leonard suffers from anterograde amnesia, which he contracted from severe head trauma during the attack on his wife. This renders his brain unable to store new memories. To cope with his condition, he maintains a series of notes, photographs, and tattoos to record information about himself and others, including his wife’s killer. He is aided in his investigation by Teddy and Natalie, neither of whom he can trust.

My first impression of the text was the obvious, but different layout. The text runs in a reversed order. Uncovering the story as it proceeds backwards. But to remind the viewer the scenes jump back into chronological order and uncover the real reason to what is happening. Laying out the text this way allows the viewer to see what happens at the end of the film but without giving away why what happened, happens.

We learn that Leonard has found Teddy who he thinks raped and murdered his wife. As the viewer we see the murder of Teddy in the first scene. Leonard shoots him in revenge. This violent and disturbing act occurs at the very beginning of the text. This act occurring so early on, exposing such violence can tie in with the ‘Desensitisation audience theory’. This theory suggests that the audience attitudes to violence can be affected by having been exposed to it. Memento may encourage the audience to become less sensitive to violence because the text shows a number of violent acts occurring throughout the text. If an audience were continually exposed to media like this it may alter their perception about violence and how acceptable it is, this is known as the ‘Cultivation Theory’.

The ‘Copy-Cat Theory’ simply states that negative behaviour is imitated. This theory is common because of the way in which the media tells news stories relating violent acts to the rest of the media, almost in a vicious cycle. This theory could apply to Memento because the viewer might relate to the way the characters act, and the way in which they sort it out. 

Viewers will fall for the love Leonard shows towards his dead wife and his determination to uncover who raped and murder her. This relates to the ‘Uses and Gratification Theory’ of ‘Personal Identity’. The film contains a lot of action and is a physiological thriller, these both appeal to the ‘Entertainment’ side. We view this text because we can relate to it and because of the clever and complex layout and plot. ‘Social interaction’ with the viewer helps them to understand the text.

Overall the film is highly rated and recommended by reviews, this proves the ‘Two Step Flow Theory’, which means the media is not as stronger influence as conversations amongst the viewers about the media. Also ‘Social interaction’ meaning the viewers will talk about the text, their opinions and ideas.

Understanding of the film can differ from viewer to viewer because it has many features and details in each scene that aren’t noticed straight away. You are required to keep thinking to piece it all together. The end of the text changes our understanding about Leonard due to the twist in which the film takes. It leaves everyone with a difference of opinion.

Memento was a great text to relate to the audience theories. The Most relevant theories being, ‘Desensitisation theory’ because of the violence portrayed throughout the text; ‘Personal identity’ because of the relationship between the viewers and Leonard; ‘Social interaction’ which uses the viewers discussing the text; ‘Entertainment’ with the well written plot. But mostly the ‘Two step flow theory’ because of the well written and clever layout the text has, introducing lots of ideas from different viewers.