My Teaser Trailer

This is the horror teaser trailer I produced working with Nicolle Kelly. I starred in the trailer and edited it. Nicolle filmed the scenes of our teaser trailer.

Evaluation

Evaluation

In year 12, I created a music magazine which included a front cover, an advert and a two page spread. I used skills such as Photoshop and camera skills.

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

At A2 level, I worked with Nicolle Kelly and produced a horror teaser trailer as part of my media production. The teaser trailer last for approximately two minutes and needs to capture the attention of my target audience15-30 young adults. We chose the genre horror as we thought we were more familiar with the conventions used in these types of films.

On watching my teaser trailer, I have seen that my media project uses forms and conventions of real media products. There are many conventions that are included in my horror teaser trailer that would be found in other horror trailers, for example my trailer doesn’t give a lot away to the audience as it builds up the suspense making them wanting to know what will happen, making them go and see the film. Another feature in my trailer which is common with horror films is the sight of a chase sequence, which builds up suspense for the audience making them engaged in the film. I have also conventionally used attractive girls which are a common convention in horror films as you always see attractive, vulnerable girls as the main victims within a film of this genre.

I have also created a poster and magazine cover to advertise the horror film, this will attract the audience and make them want to see it once it is released.

The poster uses conventions of other horror posters for films, such as a dull dark background making the main person stand out , in my case the character on my poster is the ghost. It also includes other things a poster should have such as a bold title, actors, barcode and the date the film is released, once again this is the main advertising for the film. When producing the poster, I looked at other horror posters such as Quarantine :
The last house on the left:And The Orphanage:This helped me design and create the poster. When producing the magazine cover, I used what you would see on the film, the model of the ghost/villain

and the creepy mise-en-scene which will create an intense atmosphere for the audience. As I have already mentioned, I have had practice making posters and magazine covers before in my A level project, so I have used the same skills to produce my A2 project.

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

When publicising my film, I will advertise it using the poster and the magazine cover, appealing to both audiences. Two distribution companies that would help promote my film; these are Lions Gate films and Twisted Pictures. I have used these as the public are familiar with both companies and they have produced amazing horror films before. Twisted Pictures are known for their brilliant creation of horror films, this fit perfectly with my film as the genre I have chosen was horror. Also, the public know the company Twisted Pictures and the films they have produced such as “Saw”; this will appeal to the audience as they use shots and scenes to build up suspense to the audience, and make them come and see the film. There would be a website that has been created to advertise the film, this is shown on the poster, this will show that there is more multimedia used in my A2 project. The website will consist of song samples, trailers, video extracts, photographs, interviews, features, competitions and opportunities for fans of the film to give their opinion about it. This could help sell the film as this could show that they have some kind of ownership of the film as they are giving their opinion about it. The film trailer will also be uploaded to YouTube

which is seen as a global platform, which will also promote it showing most of the world the trailer. It will also be uploaded on mobile phones and social networking sites to target the audience my film is aimed at. My film is aimed at 15 and over as its certificate is 15, however, in my opinion I think the age range of the film is 15-30 which is seen as quite a young age range. However, with the film being promoted virally on the internet and other technologies it will favour this age range as they will be more likely to use technologies like this, for example mobile phones. I think a good idea would be that the horror teaser trailer would be released to a popular horror site such as www.bloody-disgusting.com which is one of the leading sources of everything horror on the internet. My film had a low budget, but other successful films were also made based on a low budget, for example “Paranormal Activity”

which was a low budget film, the budget was 17,000, which was placed on YouTube for the public to see. This is how they got their audience and how the film was a success. If releasing my film onto YouTube would get me the same kind of publicity like “Paranormal Activity” received and word spread around the internet it could make my film a major success, however, what I am doing would only constitute part of a larger campaign. However, many films do not make a profit the marketing of the film is a vital part of the process in order to reclaim funds.

When watching the film trailer, you will be able to see a variety of different camera and angle shots that I have used. In particular, making the characters look as vulnerable, for instance there is a high shot of the vulnerable victim, this makes her look small and represents her being powerless, which is perfect for the characters situation. Another camera angle used would be a low shot, which is used on the villain making her look as though she has more power over the victim and is in control. These certain camera angles are perfect when creating a horror film as it gives the film an effect. Other camera angles are also used in the teaser trailer, such as close ups, I am able to get a reaction shot of the victim which emphasises what she is feeling, that she is scared. The close up on the ghost shows her looking dominant, that she is the one in control. Long shots are also used including the surroundings and the character, possibly creating and effect. The panning of the camera is also used showing motion and zooming which would also show reactions and give more of an effect on the trailer. Over the shoulder shots are also used which makes it look as though the victim is being followed by someone and that the ghost is behind her, this may build suspense on the audience whilst watching it. One of the final shots I have used is having the camera at the side from a distance through the trees, this makes it look as though something is hiding watching the victim, by doing this it creates suspense.

Mise-en-scene emerges as a vital technical code in immediately establishing meaning. Certain locations I have used in my teaser trailer are conventional locations in horror films. For instance I created a chase scene in the woods in part of the trailer which is common in horror films, creating an emphasis on the audience and building up suspense. Another location I have used is a spooky abandoned house which is ideal for my film as it is called “The Abandoned” by filming this it helps setting the perfect scene for my film. One of the final important scene I have used is the library scene. This was a perfect location for the film as it was an old library, looking dark and gloomy setting a good atmosphere to film the horror teaser trailer. I searched around for good locations that would fit well within the teaser trailer.

Where possible link to real-life products and campaigns

I handed questionnaires out to the public before I began to create my film, so I knew what the audience would prefer to see. I used the opinions of the audience to create the teaser trailer, because using the opinions of the audience would help sell the film better as more people would watch it and prefer to see what they had suggested. Once I created the questionnaires, I then posted it on my blog. The audience for my film is quite a young and identifiable as the age range is 15-30, as I think the film would suit this age range more. In my opinion, I think that feedback is important when it comes to the media industry, If you don’t receive feedback from the public, you won’t know how successful your film could actually be, and with the help of the audiences feedback you would know for next time on what you have to improve upon to make the work better.

I attracted my audience by using a theory from Laura Mulvey, who suggested that the male gaze is generic and is an important convention of horror genres.

I asked a group of people from an audience to watch the film trailer and give their own opinion about it. After giving their response, it was then posted on my blog. Overall, the audience group I asked said they would be interested to see the film by sitting and watching the teaser trailer. The group I asked were between the ages of 16 and 19.

In my opinion, I think my horror teaser trailer would be quite successful. It shows many conventions of other horror trailers and appeals to the specific audience.

How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

I used a digital video camera to video my teaser trailer which is approximately 2 minutes long. I also used Photoshop to create my magazine cover

and poster to advertise my film, expanding on the skill I already had from the previous year of A level. I also used a stills camera to take photographs and the use of final cut to create my teaser trailer. When using final cut I used new materials I had never used before such as, laying and sorting all clips out into the order they were needed, audio technology and adding effects. When finding research and planning, I analysed many poster and magazine covers to understand what was needed for the conventions of horror posters and magazine covers. Once I had analysed these, I posted them on my blog. I have also analysed horror trailers to show what conventions were needed when making mine. At the beginning of the construction stage, I found it difficult getting used to the editing facilities, however gradually over time it become easy. I started off filming then setting all the clips I needed down, once I had all of this sorted, I started with the music and cutting down the shots and the music I needed. Once all of that was done, I added the effects, making the trailer come together. During all of this production, I have become a prosumer which is a producer and a consumer because I have posted it on the blog. There has been a cultural shift towards prosumerism and how it presents many challenges to the media industry. These problems consist of piracy and lots more people are creating media.

Overall, I am satisfied that my cross media production is an authentic representation of products related to the horror genre, and this opportunity has enabled me to fully realise new skills in practical media production.

My film poster

My film poster

This is the film poster I created to advertise my film. I used many conventions within horror posters to make my poster look effective. By doing this, I will attract the audiences attention and persuade them to see the film when it is released.

My film magazine cover

My magazine cover

This is the magazine cover I have created to advertise my film. I chose Premiere film magazine to advertise my film as I know it is a recogniseable magazine with many audience's, and it will fit my target audience well and attracted them making them see my film.

Analysis of Posters

I have analysed some posters in order to find the common conventions of horror posters for when I create my own.

Last house on the left

Two main colours are used on the poster which is red and white this is a common convention when it comes to posters. It looks like house has been written with blood as it gives an effect that it has been smudge across. There is a dark gloomy background putting most of the focus on the house as there is light behind the house, this may draw the audience in. There is a rhetorical question underneath the actual title of the film "if bad people hurt someone you love how far would you go to hurt them back?" this is another way in drawing the audience in and attracting their attention. As you will notice on the title it looks as if someone has sliced through it, this may represent something that might happen in the film.

The Orphanage

Around the woman in the poster, it looks dark and gloomy whereas she stands out possibly showing she may be the main character in the film. The facial expression the woman has gives off a creepy atmosphere which may build up suspense to the audience. The children in the background, are faded as if they are ghosts, this may show part of the story and also show it is a horror film. The title "Orphanage" stands out as it is gold and looks as though it its meant to be old fasioned writing. This may represnt the film.

Analysis of Film Magazines

I have analysed a few magazine covers in order to get ideas for my own magazine cover I will be creating for my film trailer.

This is a magazine cover of Premiere. As you can see it has coventions of a magazine cover. It contains the date, issue and price which is common in magazines. The title (Premiere) is bold and stands out. There are three different colours used in magazines (in this case there is red, black and white) this is also another convention of magazines. Different fonts are also used on the cover, this is once again a convention with magazines. On the cover there is an attractive, well known actor which will make the audience want to buy the magazine as it will appeal to them. The colour red may be used because, the actor starred in a vampire movie (Twilight) and the colour red may represent the blood and danger. The main story stands out the most on the cover, however smaller stories are shown on the cover as well, for example Iron man 2. Its also as if the actor is looking out into the audience. As you can see the title is over the models head, quite often the head is over the title, so this magazine is a bit different.

This is another cover by Premiere. Once again it has three different colours used (black, yellow and white) this is convention used in magazines and it uses different fonts. Will Ferrell is used on the cover of this magazine, he is a recognised actor and would appeal to the audience making them buy the magazine. The pose he is pulling is meant to be quite comical, this may reflect on the film that he is currently advertising on the magazine. Other stories are featured on the cover of the magazine for example '12 sundance films you'll need to see this year' this may appeal more to the audience as the main story might not attract their attention. On one side of the cover, it mentions many famous actors and actresses (Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Orlando Bloom and Tom Cruise) this might make the audience feel like they need to buy the magazine as they may be familiar with the celebrities. With '& many more' stated on the cover, it may encourage the audience to buy a copy as they will be wanting to know what else is inside the magazine. The issue and date is also on the cover.


This is another magazine cover by Premiere. Once again a recognisable actor is used on the cover to make it appeal to the audience. The date and issue is provided along side the title. Like the other magazine covers, three different colours are used, this is a common convention in magazines and more than one style of font is used. The main story (Spiderman 3) is the biggest on the cover, however, there are more stories too such as: Oscar Bonus, 10 best movies of the year and when stars collide. This will draw the audience in even more. Once again, famous names are mentioned such as Leonardo Dicaprio, Kate Winslet, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jennifer Hudson. Eddie Murphy, Jack Nicholson and Ben Affleck. The date and issue of the magazine are stated near the name of the magazine and the bar code is in the bottom corner of the cover so it doesn't draw attention away from the rest of the cover, this is another convention in magazines.

Storyboards

I created story boards to show what my teaser trailer will eventually look like.

However, changes were made to the teaser trailer and improvement were also made.

'Get Carter' Film

We put our selves into groups and watched a short clip of the film 'Get Carter'. Afterwards, we were given a script, a digital camera and a tripod. We then had to go around the school and film our own version of the scene. This was so we got used to using the digital camera and shooting scenes.
I worked with Niomi Bolam, Rachel Allan, Rachel Talbot, Nicolle Kelly and Stephanie Ingram. We all took turns of filming scenes. Niomi Bolam took the part as Jack and Rachel Talbot took the part as Albert. When we watched the clip, and noted down all the camera angles, shots, positionings and the characters actions. This meant we could make our version of the film 'Get Carter'.

Analysis of Trailers

My teaser trailer will be promoted by comapnies such as Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures. These companies have produced many brilliant films in the past and I am now going to analyse some of the films they have produced.


saw

The first trailer I have analysed is the saw trailer which was released fall 2004.

The trailer starts off with flashes, which represents the male character in the film taking photographs. However, the trailer starts off in the dark which is a typical mise-en-scene to horror films. The male character starts to say “is anyone there” which makes him look vulnerable as he is by himself in the dark. Once that has been said and another flash goes off, a creepy laugh is heard echoing in the background, you can hear it but you can’t see where it is coming from, once again a typical convention within horror trailers as it is building up suspense for the audience. The male character looks shocked and scared once the creepy laugh is heard as he shows a reaction looking terrified as he turns around; this once again makes him look vulnerable putting him in the spotlight to be a victim. The killers face then appears up close on the screen as the victim starts to scream, this is quite jumpy for the audience possibly attracting them to the film. You then will be able to see the opening credits which in this case are lions gate and twisted pictures.

Once the credits have finished, you then see the beginning of the film, this creates effect to the audience as the editing shows quick flashing snaps, and this will create suspense as it is only showing short parts of the clips. The mise-en-scene at this part of the trailer is quite light, however, it shows where the victims are in a creepy shower room that looks as though it has been abandoned for quite some time. Even though it is light, it still keeps up that scary atmosphere as it is showing the location. A Television screen is then shown with the killer “Jigsaw” on the screen. Once again this is short and snappy still creating the suspense. The voice of “Jigsaw” is then played which is deep and whispery.

This also gives a scary effect to the film as it’s a distorted voice and the victims don’t know where it’s coming from. There is a fast camera shot on pinned up newspaper articles showing articles based on the killer “jigsaw” this could possibly create an effect as it is showing the audience that he has had committed murder in the past, building up suspense towards them. There is also a vice over which says his name “jigsaw” showing he is a well know murderer. There is then a faded shot onto a male character behind barbed wire, the voice over heard is from the murderer “Jigsaw” telling the victim what to do. The mise-en-scene at this particular scene is dark and gloomy slowly fading out creating an effect. A black and white shot is then showing making it look as though someone is watching through a video camera. Victims are then shown chained up in a room talking about the murderer. A voice over from “jigsaw” is then heard giving the male character a proposition or someone close to him will be killed.

Once again, the mise-en-scene in this scene is bright, however, it keeps up the creepy effect due to the proposition made by the murderer. The murderer is then shown as a dark figure in the distance, in a gloomy place. This builds up suspense as you can’t see the figures face. The male characters voice is then heard about jigsaw putting a twist upon the story as he states that the killer actually doesn’t murder the victims. Text is then flashed upon the screen showing words such as “madman” giving an effect on the audience making them fell as though they want to see the film. The voice over explains why he captured the victims in the first place. There are then flash shots of victims showing parts of the film to give rough idea to the audience. Shots shown in the shower room are quite light to show what is happening with the victims. However, other shots throughout the film are quite dark and gloomy, these are common features within a horror film. Near the end music starts to build up which will create suspense to the audience thinking something big is going to happen. At the end of the trailer, faster flashes and shots are shown, representing that something is about to happen.

Creepy music is then played at the end while the name of the film “Saw” appears on the screen in misty, fainted writing creating a scary effect. A voice over is then said at the end “make your choice” which also could be aimed at the audience, whether they make the choice to see the film or not.

The Descent

The second trailer I have chosen to analyse is The Descent.

At the beginning of the trailer, the credits appear on the screen, which in this case is lions gate film. The camera then flashes on to a bunch of young women grouped together taking a photograph. The mise-en-scene in this particular scene is quite light, and the young women seem quite happy. It then flashes onto a dark screen, cutting to the women driving in a car, talking about being lost. This is a common convention in horror films as vulnerable women seem to be prime victims. They are then seen climbing down into a cave. This scene is one of the last scenes seen in daylight. Next, the women are seen crawling through a tunnel. This is particularly dark and gloomy creating a scary atmosphere.

The woman is then heard shouting “I’m stuck” which automatically shows a bad situation. She then says that she can’t breathe, claustrophobia is then flashed on the screen in light, faded text. Breathing is then heard in the background building up an effect to the audience. Unfortunately, the rocks collapse trapping the vulnerable women in the cave and sadly there is no way out. Disorientation is flashed on the screen, once again in light faded writing creating an effect. Faded music is played in the background keeping up that creepy atmosphere for the audience. You will be able to here a croaking noise in the background which represents that something is there with them.

The women start to panic in the dark as they think someone is there with them. It then flashes to a dark screen with fear written across it, once again this is to create affect and keep the audiences focus. The text “Fear” then starts to shake representing that something has happened in the cave. Shouting is then heard as the women start to panic even more and it begins to become darker. Flashes of light are then shown toward one woman and you see the terrifying monster behind her. This will shock the audience and attract their attention.

It then flashes to a black screen as you hear the women screaming. You then see the monster try to attack a woman in the water. It then goes silent as one women falls and hits her head. They all suspect something is there now and start to panic even more. Text flashes on the screen to advertise the film. The monsters head then appears from underneath the water in the dark, making a scarier effect for the audience.

Clips start to appear on the screen faster and more shots of the monster attacking people are shown. The music starts to become louder and build up to the main parts of the film trailer. A close up shot is then shown on one woman where you see her eyes, this is to show a reaction shot of what she has saw.

At the end of the film trailer the woman are screaming and from a distance in the dark lots of monsters are seen. Most of the scenes in the film trailer are shown in darkness; once again this is a common feature within horror genre.

The descent is then flashed on the screen in white, bright writing. Fast shots are then shown after the name of the film flashes up this is possibly to engage the audience and make them want to see the film, leaving them in suspense.

Mind mapping of ideas

The brief I have chosen to base my project around is the production of a teaser trailer, developing a magazine front cover for the film and creating a poster to promote the film.
The genre of my film I have chosen is 'Horror'. There were many ideas that I had come up with for my storyline:

• Abandoned House


• Young girls


• Girls last night with all her friends before she has to move away, so they wish to find somewhere quiet and where they wouldn't be disturbed so they can spend time for the final night together as they are all best friends


• However the abandoned house was haunted by a family who had been killed there


• One by one the girls get picked off

Locations

• Abandoned house


• Parks (swings swinging without anyone there)


• Woods


• Dark, quiet places

Actors/Actress

• Emma milne


• Sophie Liddle (me)


• Nicolle Kelly

Second Idea

Two girls are bestfriends. However, one mysteriously dies and her body was never found. The police believe her body is in the river, but her friend thinks there is much more to it than just that. The friend starts to get haunted by her best friends ghost and they eventually find out her friend that had been killed was burried alive. Her friends ghost is haunting her to try and show how she died so her body can be released.

• Chase sequences


• Candles go out


• Best friends bracelet appears


• lights and electricity goes out


• Flashes of her sitting up in bed in the middle of the night


• Blood on the sheets


• friends dreaming about the place


• flashes of photographs of them as best friends


• In the library, books fall off shelves


• Empty swings swinging


• Whispering noises


• Eery, creepy music


• Help written everywhere


• Mysterious scratches

Settings

• Woods


• Bedrooms


• Bathrooms


• Streets


• Park- empty swings


• Dark settings

Basic Ideas

• Need release date


• Website name


• Quiet, then loud screams


• Slow build up to a scare


• Billing block and website


• Use music, text clips and dialogue


• Snappy caption, with the title, helps sell the film

Title

• Abandoned

I will work with Nicolle Kelly to create my teaser trailer and we will split the magazine cover and psoter up with one of us doing the poster and the other doing the magazine cover. I will use a digital camera to shoot the footage for my teaser trailer then edit the footage to actually create the trailer. We will work together to produce the teaser trailer. This year I will also post podcasts on my blog to show what I have done and what will be done. This will make my work realte more to the multimedia.

Review of 'Your film'

'Your film' is a northern media company that had given us some production idea's.

• Pre-production: Idea's, concepts, script, storyboards, planning, permissiopn, casting, crew, reasearch and location.
• Production: filming, sound, the brief, keep the faith, stick to the plan, believe in the idea and get what you needed.
• Post-production: video capture, logging, video editing sound design, effects, animation, titles, voiceover, sound effects and foley

It will all come together, so stick to the plan but allow for creative licence.

Conventions

Look for them, find them, understand them, put them into use, understanding the media before you begin your production will greatly assist you in your own production and get you higher marks. Idea is everything!!

Process> Idea> concept> scripts>storyboards

Dont be scared to make mistakes, learn from them, embrace them and use the experience to make it better. They can lead to better ideas.

Storyboards

• They are not all that!
• Reality tends to be more interesting
• Plan shots ahead
• Real life doesn't fit into a box, so make the box interesting

Easy forgettable items

• Media (tapes, discs, memory card)
• Battery (charged up?)
• Tripod plate

Don't be afraid to do it again : big up the talent!

Keep them happy

• Compliment a good preformance
• Encourage a tepid one
• Explain why you need another take
• Give good direction

Action

• Where is it?
• Get close, we want to see it!
• Background- What's interesting? Why?
• GET IN THERE!!

Don't burden the editor and get your white balance, focus, exposure and balance right on the day.

Dialogue

Get the microphones right, up close to the people.

For films: boom mic (mic on the end of a pole, dangled over the actors as close as possible but out of shot)

Reflective summary of year 12

In year 12 I created a music magazine which included a front cover, 2 page spread article and contents page.

My magazine was aimed at young girls as it was a pop magazine which would appeal more to a female audience. I used a young, attractive female model which would appeal to the audience.

My works consisted of a portfolio that showed photographs I had taken, my questionnaire I created and many magazine covers, articles and contents pages that I had analysed. There was lots of planning to be involved with when creating my magazine. However, I wish I had put more effort into my planning as my overall project would have been better. I learnt many skills when producing my project such as:

• Photography
• Print work
• Adobe Photoshop skills
  

I learnt many connotations and conventions within magazines such as:

• Images chosen
• Using an attractive female to appear to a female audience to buy the magazine, such as Naomi Wolf (1990) using erotic images of women to sell products to
• Only using one picture of a model used because if there was more than one it would look unattractive and cramped, having just using text makes it look
• The pose used
• Three different fonts used or more
• The price, date and bar code
• Website provided
• Hook to buy the magazine
• The title used are bold and stand out

If I chose to do this project again, I would make sure I put more effort into it and spent monger on the project to try and perfect it.

This year I wish to build on my Photoshop skills and photography skills, whilst learning skills with filming and editing. I will use a digital camera to film my work which will be a horror teaser trailer and produce a magazine cover for the film and a poster to promote the film, I will use Adobe photoshop tp design this.

Evaluation

What ways does the media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
I created a music magazine called ‘Jump’ which includes a front cover, contents page, and a four-page spread article. My magazine is aimed at teenagers to the mid twenties adult (13-25) and is more aimed at women than men. I chose to create a pop magazine for teenagers but also for older people in their 20’s, as this is the style of music that I prefer and know most about.

My product uses forms and conventions of real media products; I looked at various magazines such as Vibe and Blender and focused on conventions that they have used within them. I kept the colour scheme the same throughout my product; you will see I have used 3 different colours on the magazine which are Blue, Yellow and Black. It is recognisable that I have used four different fonts in my magazine which is a common convention when looking at magazines. I have used only one image of a model on my front cover (Emma Milne) as it would look unattractive and overcrowded

with other images on the cover, it looks just fine with the text as it looks spaced out and professional. I have also used an attractive model which will inspire the reader to buy it; this will appeal to both men and women. The price, date and bar code are at the sides of the cover so it doesn’t detract attention from the rest of the front cover; I have also provided a website near the bar code to give more information about the magazine. I obviously made my main title larger than the rest of the text on the magazine, so it stands out from the rest if the product and it will attract the audience to buy the magazine. You will be able to see that the head of my model is slightly over the top of the title, you will also find this in many magazines as it is once again a common convention. The text on the front cover curves around the models body, which emphasises her figure.

How does the media product represent particular social groups?
My product represents certain social groups; I would say it’s mainly for women as it has a more girly feel to it. With this magazine being a pop magazine it will be bought by social groups that are more into pop music rather than people who prefer other types of music. The story I have produced may have class issues as it’s basically about a young girl who was from a working class background who had never been able to get what she wanted, she always had to sacrifice something for the family needs and she’s been brought up in a tough life however, she has finally built her life up to be a singing sensation. My article talks about how rough her life has been so you could say that it has a negative look on working class but it has a positive look on the star at how she has made her way into the singing business.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product, why? I think I would use the company IPC to distribute my media product as it is a leading UK consumer magazine publisher. They publish a variety of magazines such as ‘Pick me up’, ‘Ideal home’ and are currently working with properties such as ‘NME’ which is the third largest music website in the UK, which would link into the music magazine that I have produced. IPC offers something for everyone so I think my magazine would fit in right with this company. It is known that over 26 million adults in the UK read an IPC magazine, so by choosing them would promote my magazine rather well. It would appeal to my target audience due to the variety of magazines that they have already published, as my target audience is from teenagers to adults in their mid twenties.

Who would be the audience for the magazine?
As I have said, my media product will appeal to both men and women but will mainly appeal to women. I don’t think that people over the mid twenties would be willing to by this genre of magazine as they may not be interested in the topics that it includes, this is why my target audience is from teenagers aged 13 to people in their mid twenties. Pop magazines are normally aimed at young women instead of men as men tend to keep the interest in music into a later life, by reading music magazines such as ‘Mojo’ and as my magazine is pop-orientated I chose to keep this target audience.

How much would the magazine cost?
The magazine I have created only costs £2.00; I made my price quite cheap because with my target audience starting from young teenagers they may not be able to afford anything over this price. Also with my audience being quite young, they may have to get money off parents or they may be working to keep having the money to buy the magazine. By keeping the magazine at this price will possibly engage more readers as it is cheap compared to other magazines and includes everything other magazines have to offer. This will keep the readers coming back for more issues, as they will enjoy what the magazine contains and will find the price very reasonable.

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

I used Adobe Photoshop to create my music magazine, I learnt new ways in to use photoshop. However, in this process I simply developed my practical skills such as making sure the photo's I have used are cut out correctly, making font styles appropriate for the product I have created and making sure everything looks professional to be able to sell on the shelves and compete with other magazines of today.

How did I attract the audience/address them?
I have attracted my audience by using the story of Latoya Milne. This story may inspire many teenagers and possibly the slightly older audience as she has moved her way from a working class background to becoming one of the UK’s biggest sellers. I have used positive language throughout the story, even when talking about her past life and the troubles she has, it still tries to be positive. On the front over of my magazine I have used the model that is the main star in my magazine (Latoya Milne), this is used to attract the audience as she is an attractive young woman and her story is very interesting. The model that is used on the cover is looking out into the audience which once again is another common convention in magazines and will attract the audience. The choice of colours I have used can be aimed at both men and women as they are Blue, Yellow and Black, this will give me a mixture of readers. I would say my font style stands out and will attract the audience and possibly make them buy the magazine. I used features in my article to responses that I had from my surveys that I handed out, I also used features in my contents page that people said they would like to see inside of my magazine. As you will be able to see on my front cover, it has a hook to catch the reader’s eye and make them want to buy the product. Above the title it says ‘Win the chance to record your own CD with EMIRecords’ this will jump out to the reader and may persuade them to buy it. I chose two of the colours that people picked in my survey which were Blue and Black, the overall decision came down to either Red or Yellow and Yellow looked much better with the Blue and the Black, this made my magazine stand out. I used the theory of Blumler and Katz which was the uses and gratifications as my target audience will identify with the lifestyle. I have also used a model of a similar age to the target audience and it may reflect the lives and problems also in the readers life as well as the artists.

What I feel I have learnt from the progression from preliminary work to the full final product.
Looking back at my preliminary work, I feel that I have learnt lots in the progression from conceptualising to finally producing my full product. I think I have learnt lots as I have studied a variety of conventions of magazines and studied pop magazines which obviously helped with the progress with making my pop magazine. I feel that my product appeals to the target audience that it has been set due to the genre and many common conventions that I have included. With my product having to compete with other magazines, it had to look it’s best to go against other realistic products on the shelves today. I have also learnt many practical skills when creating my product such as making my text stand out which I found was very important to attract the reader and make them want to buy the magazine and making judgements about clear choice and colour choice, by picking the right colours could make a difference in who buys my magazine so it was important to me to get everything just right. The language that I chosen to use in my cover, contents page and article is very informative, yet I think that it has a friendly side shown towards the audience and is positive towards stories and topics within the magazine. Normally, the target age for pop magazines is 12-16 year olds, whereas my magazine is aimed at 13-25 year olds. This can be seen as convention breaking, but may be for the best. For example, Take That’s audience now is now both a younger age and an older age, I see that this is an appropriate choice for my product because it will expand the age range and possibly sell more of the magazine.

Image choice
I have selected certain images to use on my magazine. The model I used was Emma Milne, who is in the target age range for the buyers of the magazine. I chose this model as she is an attractive young girl who will make the audience by the magazine due to the poses, such as Naomi Wolf suggests erotic images of women will make both men and women buy the magazine.

Overall, I am happy with how my final product has turned out, I have used what people have chosen through surveys, used my own ideas and I hope it appeals to the target audience that I have chosen.

My Questionniare

I created a questionnaire to hand out to the public to see what they would prefer to have my magazine like. I will choose what the audience decide on as my product will sell more if I include what the reader wants to see.

Questionnaire

What name would you prefer for a music magazine?
Rhythm
Jump
Beat
Sound

The audience decided on either 'Sound' or 'Jump'. I chose 'Jump' as 'Sound' was more a likely name you would find.

What colours would you prefer to see?
Red
Pink
Blue
Yellow
Black

The audience I asked decided on 'Blue' and 'Yellow'. I will use both these colours, however I may add black to the magazine to make it stand out.

What would you prefer to see in magazines?
Real life stories
Concert reviews
Celebrity interviews

I will create a Celebrity real life story, as the audience decided that they prefered 'Real life stories' and 'Celebrity interviews'.

How much would you be willing to pay for a music magazine?:
£2.00
£2.50
£3.00
£4.00
Or more

I have chose to make the price of my magazine between £2.00 - £3.00 as there was a range between £2.00 and £3.00.

What genre do you prefer?
Rock
Pop
Dance
Country
Hip Hop

There was a close call between Pop and Hip Hop. As these two genres sometime merge together anyways I decided to go for Pop as it got the highest number of votes.

What kind of artist do you prefer to see in magazines?
Male artists
Male bands
Female artists
Female bandsBoth male and female

I chose to have mainly female artists in my magazine as it was what the public voted most liked.

Do you prefer Weekly or Monthly Magazines?
Weekly
Monthly

I will make the music magazine a monthly magazine, as this was the most popular with the audience.

What would you like to add to magazines if you had the choice?
...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................

Most of the public that was asked responded in similar ways, such as having something like top 100 songs and award show information.

Do you prefer celebrity stories or stories based on normal people?
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................

Obviously with it being a music magazine, the public voted for celebrity stories to be seen in magazines.

What is your opinion on music magazines you find today?
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................

The answers from the audience varied with this question. Some of them said that music magazines these days are normally quite expensive, lack information that they may prefer to read and some are normally filled with pointless stories.

I will try and make my magazine what the audience wish to see and hopefully it will appeal to them.

Final Second Page of Article

This is the Second page of my final article.

I have used the same colour scheme in the article (Blue, White and Black) which is a common convention in magazines. The text used is also in columns and is clear for the reader to read. I used the white instead of yellow for the text as it stood out more and was better for the audience to see. Around the page, you will see that I have included quotes from the artist herself , which once again is common in interviews in magazines. I have used a photo in the article of the artist and once again will appeal to the audience as she is an attractive model and is in the same age range.

Final First Page of Article

This is the first page of my final article.

My article is basically about a young girl (Latoya Milne) who has became very successful in the music business. However, the story begins with her talking about her past life and how she was brought up, she never really had it easy. I chose to write a story like this as I thought it would appeal to the target audience which woule be young teenagers.

I have kept the same colour scheme through the magazine, once again it is Blue and Black. You will be able to notice that I have used White instead of Yellow in this article as it stood out more to the audience. The photo I have used is of the same model in the dront cover (Emma Milne) once again I have used this model as she is in the same age range as the possible target audience and is attractive which will appeal to an audience of both men and women. The text is in columns which is also another common convention in magazines.

Final Contents Page

This is my final Contents Page.

Obviously I have used the title of my magazine on the contents page as well. Underneath that, I have addressed to the reader that it is the contents page, making it clear for the audience. The page is basically split in two, once side is to do with the main story that I have based my article on and the other side is to do with everything else my magazine may contain. At the top of one side of the page, you will be able to see that I have included Editors Comments and a photo of the editor, this is to appeal to the audience and inform them of what they will be able to expect in this issue and plenty more to come. Underneath the Editors Comments, are certain pages in my magazine and what is on the pages, explaining briefly to the reader what they can expect to read about on that page. As you will be able to see the page numbers do not go in chronological order, I have done this is it is a common convention in many magazines. One the other side of the page, I have talked about the main story that is included in my magazine and what my article is based on. I have used a big photo of the artist and underneath is a paragraph about the artist and below that is a series of photo's of the artist. You will be able to see under that is a blue arrow and inside that arrow is 2 other artists that is included in my magazine, this will attract the audience. I have used the same colour scheme throughout my magazine (Blue, Black and Yellow)

Final Front Cover

This is my front cover. I have used three different colours on the cover (Blue,Black and Yellow). As you can see I have used only one image of a model as this was a common convention in music magazines. The price and date are on the side of the magazine so it doesnt draw attention away from the rest of the magazine. I have also used different font styles as this was also another common convention in magazines. At the top of the cover I have used a hook 'Win the chance to record your own CD with EMIRecords' this will attract the reader and persuade them to buy it. The main story on my cover is the 'Latoya Milne' story, this is a story that many people may relate to possibly the target audience (teenagers) by doing this, will draw in the audience and make them buy the product. Many of the text on the cover is highlighted in yellow, this will stand out to people and help the magazine sell more. The subheading 'Can you handle it?' addresses the reader questioning them whether they should buy the magazine or not, once again this is a persuasive way to make the audience buy the magazine. I used an attractive model in the age range of the possible audience, ocne again by using an attractive model will draw in both men and women to buy the product. Stories on the page that I have picked to use are ones that are more common and recognisable to the reader, this will once again draw there attention in making them more willing to buy it if they are familiar with what they are going to read.

Photo's I have used

These are the photo's I have used in my magazine.