Question 6 of Final Evaluation

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

Before starting this product I had never come into contact with or used an Apple Mac before. Straight away I found it easy to navigate around and the updated version of windows and Photoshop were very beneficial when I was making my final product. Without the Apple Mac I would have had to use a less up to date version of Photoshop which would have hindered the quality of my work greatly. The large display of the computer was also very beneficial as I was able to see the tiny errors when making my magazine, and as a result was able to fix them.

I had also never used or even heard of the website blogger.com before I started making this product. The website was easy to use, and to navigate around and I learned how to edit my text posts after posting which was very beneficial is editing any spelling or grammatical errors. The use of blogger has helped me to collect all of my coursework and arrange it in chronological order which is massively helpful for when I need to look back on any improvements I could do to work. 

Before starting this product I had little next to none experiences with Photoshop. I have learnt how to edit backgrounds, skin, outlines, text, colours and opacity since starting this product all of which are evident on my magazine. 

Question 5 of Final Evaluation

How did you attract/address your audience?

The double page spread attracted the audience by again giving the reader a direct mode of address. There was also a pull quote from the artist that stood out from the rest of the text, this would have attracted a reader as they would have to read the article to put the quote into context. 

Question 4 of Final Evaluation

The following link can be copied and pasted into your browser:

http://prezi.com/lxjm7hiorkrm/present/?auth_key=npdtch2&follow=lw2kuxfalh0q

Question 3 of Final Evaluation

The following link can be copied and pasted into your browser:



http://prezi.com/fqascqsjd8y9/present/?auth_key=7po9kew&follow=lw2kuxfalh0q

Question 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

This is an image from a Top of the Pops magazine front cover and an image of my own magazine front cover

The postures of both women are similar in that they are both slightly tilted to the right hand side of the magazine with their right shoulder farther forward than the left. They are also both giving a direct mode of address to the audience which makes them look captivating. In addition to this both women are wearing blue clothing which contrast with the colour schemes of the magazine and help them to stand out on the page. These clothes are also similar to what the reader would wear or like to wear and would attract the audience as they can get fashion tips as well as information of the artists. The lighting used in both of the images is also similar as they both have a white background which makes the page appear bright, the brightness of the lighting makes both of the images appear appealing as well as giving hints to the genre, i.e light and without a didactic purpose. Both of the models have different hair, the model on the left has conventional long dark brown hair whilst the model on the right has short lilac hair, this could be a unique selling point for this particular issue of the magazine as it would attract an audience who could be curious about this model with unconventional hair on the front cover of a conventional pop magazine. Overall I think these elements of the photos represent a normal young social group and that my magazine reflects this throughout – the people featured in my magazine are mostly normal looking, though they have coloured hair, which is becoming more popular and prevalent within today's popular culture.

Article from the Double Page Spread

Who is this pop whirlwind and where is she headed, well we at Beats have found just that out.

As I walked up to the front desk there was a certain buzz in the air. Everyone knew exactly who was staying at the Hilton Hotel in London, the staff, the guests and of course the paparazzi littering the curb and nearby pathway outside. The woman on the front desk greeted me with a hesitant smile, she knew why I was here but why was a strapping 6ft 2 bloke here to interview the newly crowned princess of pop? She directed me to the lift and up to the 27^th floor. In my hurry to get to the long awaited interview I missed which room she was staying in. I realized this just as I reached floor 27 and the lift doors opened with a ping. As I was about to press the button back to the ground floor to ask the nice lady at reception exactly which room I was headed to I noticed possibly the immense body guards I had ever seen in my entire life, these guys were huge even by my man-mountain standards.  Taking my chances I walked over to the two giants guarding room 207. As it turns out I was at the right door, this was the room pop icon Violet Sky was currently staying in whilst she was playing her 3 sold out London gigs. I was shown into the room by one of the bodyguards, whom I later found out was named Darren. The room to put it in simple terms was H U G E, and there sprawled out on the couch eating crumpets was Violet Sky. Dressed in her famous purple galaxy leggings she also sported a black skirt and a white flowery crop top with a ribbon in her hair to be complete the look. She gestured for me to sit down opposite her and being the gentleman I am, I waited for her to finish her very English breakfast and we began the interview.

BeatsLegion: Hi, sorry to interrupt your breakfast

Violet Sky: [laughs] No it’s fine , my fault, [I] woke up late. Anyhow let’s get down to business shall we I’m sure you’ve got some great questions to start my day off with

BL: Well we’ll certainly try to live up to standard. So, you grew up in a little village called Whitburn near to Sunderland (North East of England), what first brought you to London?

VS: Well I started begging my mum to bring me here after I saw something on TV, a show perhaps, I can’t remember, but I saw on the TV that London was the place to be for aspiring artists. So for the Easter holidays we got the train down to London and stayed in the dankest hotel imaginable and I went about handing in a homemade demo cd of me singing and telling the receptionists ‘Hey I’m 12 and I want a record deal please. Call me.’

BL: And how did that work out for you?

VS: It didn’t! And it helped me realize really quickly that I needed to find a way to have a fighting chance of making it. I started writing songs and playing the guitar and keyboard, I wanted to stand out, and I pull all I am into my songs. One of the songs on the album was actually one of the first songs I ever wrote and that’s really important to me, as it’s all about what I was feeling and going through at the time due to an awful school experience. Getting bullied was really hard for me and I want to let people know that it happens to everyone and you CAN get through it.

BL: When you were just 16 you signed a song writing deal, moved to London, and now here you are. Did you ever see those bullies again?

VS: Actually, I did! I played a show in my hometown about 6 months ago and they showed up wearing my T-shirts and asking me to sign their cd’s. It was bittersweet because it made me realize that they didn’t remember ever being mean to me and that I needed to forget about it too. And to tell the truth, if I hadn’t come home miserable every day, I would never have written that song or had the motivation to write other songs. Maybe I should be thanking them!

BL: Totally! Since you’re known for writing very honest, almost confessional lyrics, everything is fair game. Has that changed the way you approach your relationships?

VS: Well, I’m typically single. I have girl-next-door-it is, the hot guys are friends with me and get their relationship advice from me but they never considering dating [me]. Right now I’m not opposed to the idea of falling in love, but I’m not exactly out looking for love either.

BL: Does success make it easier to meet people?

VS:  It’s kind of weird actually, I thought I’d have so many more friends, but I feel like I’m less popular than I’ve ever been. It makes sense though when you think about it, it’s harder to trust someone new as they could have other motives other than simply being your friend. It makes me value the people I can trust even more though; I still have the same best friend I had when I was growing up.

BL: So we heard you’ll be appearing as yourself in the a new upcoming movie? Any hints on what this move might be, and are you interested in acting?

VS: Unfortunately I can’t give anything away about the movie just yet, but keep an eye out, I know there is going to be some really cool advertising starting really soon. And for me as a little girl it was always either about music or acting,  but I knew that if acting came first I’d use that as a platform to break into a musical career. So I guess I’m not interested in acting as for me I’ve got the job I’ve always seen myself in anyways.

BL: On your track Take Me Down, you sing about jumpers, t-shirts, jeans and trainers, yet it seems like you’ve been busting out some pretty glam looks on the red carpet lately.

VS: Thank you! I can make myself look presentable when the occasion calls for it, but I’m more comfortable in my leggings with a baggy t-shirt on top.

BL: Does it feel strange to have so many people take your picture all the time?

VS: Well at first it was really strange yeah, in fact it still is but every time I get annoyed I just remember that I knew the cons to being a star, if I dare call myself that. It’s flattering that the paparazzi take photos of me when they could be out taking photos of actual celebrities.

BL: At what point did you realize you finally made it?

VS: Well, I don’t think I’m ever going to have that moment. All of this is amazing but it doesn’t guarantee anything about the future. I still haven’t made it to where I want to be. I have to leave a legacy. 

Final Magazine -Photos and Rational

These are the photos that were taken at the photo shoot. My friend Holly is the model, who is portraying herself as the artist 'Violet Sky'

I decided not to use this photo as Holly appears to be squinting and her shoulders appear rather square. This was not the look I was aiming for to be on my front cover.

Although I really like this image, I decided not to use it in the end as it would contrast with the quote I am planning to use on the front cover.

Again, although I like this image I decided not to use it in my magazine. As it is landscape it would be hard to incorporate into the magazine and goes against the flat plans that I designed.

I decided not to use this image in my magazine as Holly is bunched over as well as squinting, this image would make the magazine look unprofessional as an image like this would not be used on a real magazine.

I decided not to use this image in my magazine as Holly is mostly over to the left of the frame and I need her to central so I can write the text around her on each page she could be featured on.

Her shoulders also appear more hunched than usual, making her seem less professional than relaxed.

I decided against this photo as it would contrast with the quote that would go with it on the front page.

I was going to use this photo as the image on the front cover as I liked the overall look of the picture, but I noticed there was some writing on the left hand and decided to use a different image instead.

I decided to use this image for my front cover as Holly is centered making it easy to fit the text around her, she fills up the page enough that her head covered the mast head like I wanted it to and she has a positive direct mode of address to the audience that is warm and inviting.

I decided not to use this photo as Holly is squinting at the camera. Her arms also look carelessly placed and awkward and I thought this image does not fit in with what I was aiming for the magazine to look like.

I decided not to use this image as Holly is slouched and her facial expression does not convey true emotion, and as the reader you can tell that the smile is fake. Therefore I used a different image that conveyed true happiness and laughter instead of this image. 

I decided to use this photo as my main image for the contents page of my magazine as her body is facing outwardly towards the left meaning she nicely fits onto the right hand side of the page yet still looks engaging. Her direct mode of address is again portraying true emotion of positive energy that would make the reader interested in her.

I decided not to use this image as even though you can tell that Holly is laughing, you cannot see her eyes and therefore she is giving no mode of address to the audience.

I decided to use this photo as the main image for the double page spread as it looks like a poster you would find in a regular pop magazine. The image portrays the artist well and I decided this image could be cut out by the audience and used as a poster.