AS Media Studies evaluation question 1.

1. Question 1.
In what ways does your media
product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real
media products?

2. Title of the magazine

3. The title of my magazine was originally the name of a Kings of Leon song. The
word ‘revelry’ means noisy party making, which I thought to be appropriate for
my magazine, as my target audience are those who like to party, be loud and
enjoy life with lots of rock music. I also thought the title was appropriate to be
the name of a rock magazine as it is a song by a rock band, so I felt it was a
good link that is fitting to the rock genre. I decided it should be white to be in
keeping with my colour scheme. The shadow around the edge and the 3D look
were to make it stand out against all the other information and the picture as it
would have been lost in the lighter background and wouldn’t have been as
effective with all the dark colours if I hadn't have done this.

4. Mise en scene of images
and costume and props

5. Costume and props Mise en scene of images
I asked her to wear a shirt and braces attached to This image was edited black and white and
her shorts so that she would look ‘boyish’, this is the artist is looking to one side to show that
because there are many women in the music she has always been seen one way, she
industry and what sets the women in the rock wants this to change and she is focusing on
music genre apart from the rest is that they look her goals, not what other people want her
very different and don’t tend to wear dresses and to. The relaxed pose with her hands in her
if they do, they will wear leather jackets and pockets was to show that she is fed up of
boots with it to maintain the ‘boyish’ look. being viewed this way and that it is time to
change.

6. Mise en scene of images
The way she is sat and how the image was
taken, represents how she wants to distance herself
from her past and as the media was a part of this
the camera was placed away from her. The whole
body picture represents how she wants everyone
to see all of her and leave no part out, she wants to
be seen for who she is not what others see her as.
Costume and props
I used a chair in this image so that I could get a
picture of all of her, but also to make sure the
audience could still see her face and so it wasn’t
too close up. I wanted her face to stand out on
this image and also to make sure she was wearing
the appropriate clothes for the genre so I asked
her to wear dark clothing.

7. Mise en scene of images Costume and props
The artist has her hands up to the lens in the form I didn’t want to change the costume for this
of a circle to symbolise the human eye, this is image as I wanted to show that she needs
because she wants her story to be heard and that stability in her life and that she has already
because she is going solo so she wants all eyes to changed so much recently, that she feels she
be on her. It also shows that she wants people to can’t change another thing, she needs
focus on now and not think about her past and the consistency. Also I wanted the focus to be on
things that went wrong for her. her face in this image.

8. Costume and props
Mise en scene of images The use of a background of magazine posters was to
This image was taken close up to show she make the connection between the artist and her past, I
wants attention but on her terms, it is a wanted to show that she it putting the past behind her
powerful image as her facial features stand and moving on. It also symbolises that it is a part of
out and it makes the reader feel they have a her and it is hard for her to let go. The bright make up
connection with her as she is looking at them. makes her face stand out from the rest of the image to
The image was edited to have a glow to it to focus our attention and the pink lipstick shows she has
symbolise that she wants to be seen in a new softer side as it contrasts with the darkness of her eye
light. make up and her clothes.

9. Costume and props
For this photograph I asked the
group to be quite mismatched in
terms of their clothing but I also
wanted them to wear something
blue so that they would have
something in common and also
that in the editing process the
colour could be picked out of the
picture. The blue stands out on
the image as well as the green on
the girls jeans this shows they are
in the band together but the girl is
the centre of it as the lead
vocalist. The chair was used in
this image so that the boys could
get really close to her to reflect
how close they are as a band and
friends.
Mise en scene of images
The band was posed in this way, surrounding her and all higher in the image to her, to show the male
domination in the group but also to show that the girl in the centre of the band. The individual poses
show that they are a band that likes to have fun. The expression on the girls face was to portray that
she is used to their antics and that she just takes it in her stride. The image overall was to appeal to
female readers and fans of the band as they know what the bad are like and they can relate to this
scenario as they encounter boys doing these silly things in everyday life.

10. Mise en scene of images
This image was used to
reflect the quote next to
this image on the contents
page of the
magazine., “People call us
weird, we like to think
quirky is a better word”, as
the artist felt she couldn’t
speak without being judged
and that she just needed to
keep quiet. The dark editing
was used to reflect that she
feels she is blending into the
background but the lighter
parts show that she is still
holding onto her opinions.
Costume and props
As I mentioned in the previous slide I asked the band this artist is a part of to wear some blue
clothing. As I wanted this person to stand out from the group to show she was the front
woman I asked her to wear this striped blazer, this also shows that she is still trying to
maintain the boyish style whilst breaking the genre conventions by wearing colourful clothes.
The red hair is to draw your attention to the image, it is like an explosion of colour to excite
the reader and show the ‘quirkiness’ of the artist.

11. Costume and props
For this photograph I asked her to wear converse as
they are stereotypical of the music genre, rock, many
artists are seen wearing these and it reflects the rock
culture as they will all have something in common. I
also asked her to wear the leopard print jacket to
show diversity in the rock culture and that the artists
are willing to adapt to society and there views as the
stereotypical black clothing has come under scrutiny
for causing teenagers to have suicidal thoughts, I
wanted to address this by challenging the genres
conventions, however to keep the costume colours
consistent throughout the magazine I asked her to
wear a black top.
Mise en scene
I took the picture this way as I wanted it to represent
her starting from nothing, the background suggests
this and I also wanted her to look down and look quite
shy by turning in her foot. I wanted to portray that she
was nervous and scared of this big world as she enters
the music industry.

12. Mise en scene of images
I wanted this image to represent his love of music. He is
completely ignoring the presence of the camera and he
is concentrating on the music he is listening to. The
relaxed pose suggests that he is relaxed and happy with
the situation and that the camera and fame does not
phase him, he embraces it and it is what he wants to do.
The corner of the brick walls and the way he is looking
down makes the audience feel he is being trapped, as
though he is told what to do and where he will
perform, yet the relaxed stance means he can deal with
it.
Costume and props
I wanted him to look quite normal so the audience would
feel that they don’t have to dress stereotypically and ‘out
there’, again breaking the conventions of the genre.
However his hair is his statement and this shows that he
does what to be different and noticed. The use of
headphones in the image makes the audience see how
much he cares about music, so much so that he can’t stop
listening to it, even whilst having his picture taken.

13. Mise en scene of images
This picture was taken from a
lower angle looking up at
them to portray that they
have the power now and they
have finally made it to the
top. This ‘looking down on
the world’ pose suggests that
they see the world as
somewhere they can be in
charge and in a way control
the people to like them and
their music. The background
also suggests this as they are
in the woods and this is
considered a scary place, as
many horror movies have
scenes set in wooded
areas, so it makes them seem
quite sinister.
Costume and props
As in many of my other pictures I wanted them to wear black to keep the colours consistent. The
‘batman’ logo t-shirt adds some colour to the image showing they aren’t willing to fade into the
background. It also suggests that the artist on the right sees himself to be a ‘hero’ and as the front man
of the band, he wants to be noticed before anyone else. Whereas the artist on the left is the one you
notice second, he seems to blend in. I didn’t use any props in this image so that the focus would be on
the artists and so no attention is taken away from them.

14. People

15. I choose these people as they are already in bands and I
thought it would be appropriate to take pictures of people
who fit the rock genre and the band look. I especially
thought this of the boy in the right hand picture, he has
been in 3 bands, so has had lots of experience and his image
fits what I was looking for, as he dresses to fit the stereotype
of people who listen to and play rock music. The picture
above is of the founding members of a band and I wanted to
use them to show that you don't have to dress
stereotypically to be in a rock band.

16. These people where chosen as I wanted to This person was chosen as I believe she
show the more quirky and fun side of rock and also has the right look for the magazines
show that it isn’t serious and gloomy but that genre. I picked her as her fashion style fits
some bands write upbeat rock music. I knew the rock genre and the stereotypes of
that this group of people like to be loud as they people who listen to rock
are part of a big group of friends and they also music, alternative and ‘out there’.
have a lot of confidence so I knew they would
be willing to act quirky and ‘out there’ for my
photo shoot.

17. This person was chosen as I believe This person was chosen as again I wanted to show that the
she has the right look for the artists in my magazine don’t all look stereotypical to the
magazines genre and the readers genre. I wanted to break the conventions and stereotypes
would be interested in reading an of the rock music genre with some aspects of my
article about her. She also has the magazine, to create a magazine that does have a specific
same taste in music as the audience audience, but that is also suited to others who may be
for the magazine I created. interested in the magazine but feel they shouldn’t buy it
because they don’t fit into the audience it is aimed at.

18. Written content

19. This is part of my written content shown in a screen shot. I decided the
article should be an interview as the artist had recently split from her
band and gone solo. I wanted her to be able to have a chance to explain
her side of the story. This was also the first interview with her since the
split and so this would make my magazine stand out from others.
This is another part of my magazine, a
quote picked out from the text. I chose
to do this as I had seen it done in many
magazines such as KERRANG! and NME
and it is an effective tool to get people to
read the article. This is also seen above in
the picture of an article from NME.

20. Music genre

21. ROCK
The magazines music genre is rock. I chose to
do rock as some of the best selling music
magazines are rock. My magazine suggests
that the genre is rock because of the colour
scheme the red white and black is seen on
and in many rock magazines. The dark picture
on the cover and the way she is posing all
shows that the genre is rock. By looking at
these examples above and
on the right and comparing
them to my magazine cover
we can see the similarities
and as they are all rock
magazines this shows the
rock genre has been
portrayed.

22. This genre was also chosen because of the people I was able to photograph. As
most bands have a certain look I felt that the people I chose also had this look.
The way they are stood also suggests that the magazine is rock as there are
certain ‘poses’ seen in rock magazines compared to other music magazines. An
example would be KERRANG compared to VIBE...
I also used this idea in my magazine as I used the covers from
KERRANG! As guidance for how my ‘models’ should be posing.

23. Layout

24. Front cover I used four aspects of this front cover on my front cover as it is
full of information and the readers eyes are drawn to the main
article and the large image. This makes the reader want to buy
I used KERRANG and NME as
inspiration for my front cover as they the magazine to read the article, which is why I chose to use it
are both top selling rock music for my front cover. I also used the circle with information inside
magazines and both covers caught my it and the banner containing more bands
eye during research. names at the bottom of the cover as they
also draw the readers attention to them
and give them more information. If they
want to know if their favourite band is in
the magazine they can quickly look at the
banner and they will know. Finally I
decided to put the picture in front of the
title so that the artist could be the main
focus of attention much like on this front
cover.
I used two aspects of this front cover for my
front cover, the strip of posters in the
bottom left and the brief explanation of the
contents in the top right. This is because
they give you more information and make
you look at the magazine and buy it. They
also allow you to see if anything you are
interested in is inside the magazine so you
know straight away if you want to buy it.

25. Contents page
I used NME magazine as
There are many factors mentioned below to why I used this
inspiration for my contents page. magazine as a template. It attracts the attention of the
reader and makes them want to buy the magazine. The
large pictures, title and quotes keep the layout simple but
effective as the readers are given a taster of what the
magazine will contain. The simple colour scheme of white
and black really brings to life the pictures, making the
colours in them stand out and lets them
tell the story. The splash of red used for
the Christmas subscription promotion
really draws your eyes to it and makes
you read it. This is something I decided to
use in my magazine as I believe it to be
effective.
The large pictures let the audience know
exactly who will be featured in the
magazine and the large page numbers
are clearly visible and readable, this makes
it easy for the readers to find an article they are
particularly interested in. The quotes from the
articles draw the readers attention to them making
them want to read the full story.

26. Double page spread
This double page spread was used as inspiration for my double
page spread as it was in keeping with my colour scheme and it
drew my attention to the image . The black and white gives a sense
of mystery to the article and so was fitting to my article that I had
written. The columns of text look easier to read than rows, this
makes the reader feel that they can read the article and follow it
easily. I included 2 smaller pictures in my article and had a large
title so the readers attention would be drawn to many different
parts of it and it would excite them.
The small paragraph of text at the top of
the article introduces it and as it is a small
amount of text the audience will read this
to find out what the article is about and
they will be drawn in to read the rest of
the article to find out more information.
The page number is clear so that the
reader can find the article they want
quickly. As with all the magazines I have
researched, the writer and photographer
for the article has been displayed vertically
at the side of the image and so I put this
feature on my magazine.