1. Media Studies Coursework –
Evaluation
Connor Kelly

2. In what ways does your media product use, developer
challenge forms and conventions of real media
products?
I have followed the conventions of Real on the market music magazines and
tried to make similarities between ‘Mainstream Music’ and magazines like Hip
Hop connection, VIBE and XXL. Who are all popular music magazine with their
own way of appealing there genre to there audience so it is recognizable. You
can see in the two pictures that my magazines challenges the forms and
conventions of the ‘ on the market’ magazine as VIBE and Mainstream music
have same layout.
They have the same type of picture
with the pose and then cover lines
around the main image. I have also
challenged VIBE magazine as we
have similar color schemes using
Bold and bright colour to attract
the audience. The red, white, black
and bits of yellow make the two
magazines look identical.

3. How does your media represent
particular social groups?
• In Mainstream music I think I have represented social
groups by the genre of music I have picked. I have picked
two types of genres in this magazine them being Hip-hop
and R’n’B and they are quite similar so I have interlinked
them which means I would have a larger audience to aim
my magazine at. I have represented this through the
conventions shown in my magazine with the different
unique font to attract the audience and especially with the
picture where the model has a pose like in professional
magazine of this genre. An unusual background and the
costume that the model wears contributes to the
professional look of this genre of magazine. These are all
conventions that I believed would attract the target market
that I have aimed for.

4. What kind of media institution might distribute
your media product and why?
I think companies like Vibe Media who already produce Vibe
magazine which is known for there hip-hop and R'n'B music artists and
actors which feature in this would distribute and promote my media
product. I think they would distribute and produce my product
because the genres are very similar as well as the conventions of the
magazine. For example on Vibe magazine they have one main picture
in the front surrounded in cover lines. They also feature the same
content that this magazine does with it having the same genre of
music and along with the interviews and the way it is laid out.
Another media Institution like Infamous Ink who are the company
behind Hip-Hop Connection magazine and like Vibe magazine my
media product also follows very similar conventions of magazines and
this can be seen with the similar front covers and Double page
spreads.

5. Who would be the audience for your
media product?
• The Target audience for my magazine would be young
people mainly between 14 – 25 years old. As well as
targeting an age group the magazine also target people
who like the R’n’B and Hip Hop genre of music. So this
magazine is aimed at a specific age group along with
followers of a specific genre. I have tried to use specific
fonts, pictures and layouts on the magazine to try and
capture the eye of the target audience as they would
look at the magazine and see that it appealed to there
favorite genre if music. I learned the ways the picture
are took, the type of fonts and the look of the layout
from the research part of the project as these
magazine have worked in capturing there target
audience.

6. How did you attract/address your
audience?
I think I attracted my target audience using such techniques as the font,
colors, layouts and picture throughout my magazine, m target audience
was for people between 14 to 25 years old and people who have a
particular interest in R’n’B and Hip-Hop. The model on the front cover
pulls a pose which is him pointing out of the magazine and targeting the
audience by pointing at them.
I think the picture, colors and the font style
appeals to the audience. The picture represents a
upcoming music style who looks cool and laid back
which can represent to my audience as they can
see him as a role model. I used attention grabbing
language and cover lines that make people want to
open up and read the magazines by giving the
hints to what is inside the magazine.

7. What have you learnt about technologies from
the process constructing this product?
In the production of making my final product I used such technologies
like Paint and Photoshop. I improved the final pictures on the magazine
as some of the pictures straight off the camera looked quite dull and
boring as the day I took them on was dismal day. They needed to be
brighter so I did this by using paint and Photoshop. I also used paint to
crop and edit some of the photos on the magazine as I thought they
needed changing before they could be put in to the magazine as it
would add quality to the magazine because the picture is the main part.
With pictures being one of the main features about my magazine felt
that I had to change the quality of the picture and this made a dramatic
difference to the final outcome of my magazine, I have also learnt how
to use a Mac during the use of coursework as this has helped me
develop a high quality professional product as well being able to use
different programs that I would not of used on windows.

8. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel
you have learnt in the progression from it to the full
product?
I feel I have progressed a lot from the preliminary task all the way to the final full product
as I have noticed so main differences and learnt new things that can adapt the media
product to make it audience appealing. Many differences that stand out from the
preliminary front cover to the final front cover is that the whole picture is now on the
front cover.
I have also used colour schemes
throughout the magazine to keep
a good house style and have
adapted the fonts so that they
relate to the genre of the
magazine. Also I have not had
boxes on the final as I found out
this makes the page look untidy. I
believe I have learnt a lot through
this progression as I have stopped
looking at the media product as
my own work and started to look
as it from a consumers point of
view.