Foundation Production Task

The front page of Hip Hop magazine has certain connotations that follow their particular house style. For example each masthead of issues of the magazine uses the same font. The typography is bold and mostly covered by the main image, this is because the magazine is established and therefore easily recognisable which suggests that it is a very popular magazine and brand name. Every issue of Hip Hop magazine contains a free CD, normally of new unsigned artists that are not main stream, this is stuck to every front page which creates their house style. Bold bright colours have been used in order to ensure the magazine stands out which is done to represent their target audience which is mainly working class street-wise people. They want to be noticed as unsigned artists are included and are striving for attention which is what readers also aspire to be. The camera angel of the main image is taken from a worms eye view as the camera is slightly positioned underneath the artist, this is so he looks intimidating which also suits the house style of the magazine. He is made to look rough and scary, this is emphasised further due to the clothes he is wearing, for example a zip hoody and a fitted hat. The target audience is supposedly meant to wear these types of clothes too, therefore Hip Hop is marketing their magazine as street wise and urban as they represent their magazine this way. There are very few strap lines on the front cover because the CD takes up large amounts of space as well as the main image and artist list at the bottom. The main focus is on the Eminem article as that is the main selling point which is why it stands out the most, the magazine is basic because it is straight to the point. The front cover follows the similar convention of the rules of thirds, this meaning that only three main colours are to be used. They are red, yellow and black. The connotations of red suggest danger and passion which represents the magazines messages as even the artist us made to look intimidating, therefore the suggestion of danger is suitable. Red is also a bold colour which complements the colour yellow as well.

Evaluation

The media product that I produced was a music magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread. The music genre I chose was hip hop, therefore I decided to emulate Hip Hop magazine. The reason for this choice is because hip hop is quite a popular music genre, thus it would attract a more main stream audience as it appeals to a wider range of people.

There are many forms and conventions that my media product uses of real media products. As I was creating a magazine I researched the conventions of magazines, which included the front page, contents page and double page spread, I ensured that I analysed existing music magazines such as NME and Hip Hop magazine. I realised that they all shared similar conventions, for example for front covers a maximum of three colours are usually used, also the layout of straplines and skylines were normally placed in similar positions depending on the type of magazine. Depending on what each magazine was trying to connote these conventions remained similar, however some elements were different.

For my front cover I used mainly white, black and yellow as the colour scheme. I decided to do this as I felt the colours all complimented each other, especially the yellow as the model in my main image was wearing that colour T-shirt. I positioned my main image in front of the masthead ‘Urban Beat’ as that is a well known convention that magazines use. It also connotes that this is also a popular magazine as not the full masthead needs to be seen. The connotations of the title ‘Urban Beat’ suggests quite a street wise young nature, as a result this will hopefully attract the target audience. Additionally I positioned the straplines around the image so that they would anchor it, this makes it more appealing as the sequence structure is better so it’s easier to read, which again is a well known convention. I also wanted the colours to represent the target audience, which is street wise working class people, the yellow and black are two contrasting colours which stand out, therefore it reflects the boldness of the music. As I was trying to emulate Hip Hop magazine the positioning of my front cover, contents page and double page spread needed to resemble theirs, therefore I decided to analyse the conventions they used in order to construct their magazine, then is simply used that as a basis for my own magazine. For example the front cover of every Hip Hop magazine includes a bonus free CD which is positioned on the left hand corner of the page, therefore I created my own CD and placed in the similar to Hip Hop’s. Another convention that they use is that the typography reflects the house type of the magazine, the font is basic and bold as Hip Hop magazine is meant to be straight to the point and is meant to stand out in order to attract their target audience. As a result of this I decided to use bold and straight cut fonts in my media product in order to emulate Hip Hops conventions.

My media product represents a more urban and younger social group in many ways. Firstly the mis en scene on my double page spread is of an urban street, it is clear that the model is situated in a city as she positioned by a brick wall and a street lamp to suggest she is street wise. The mise en scene is significant as she is standing alone in the dark which again connotes urban lifestyles and represents the type of music. The model herself is rather young and is wearing clothing that reflects a hip hop nature as she is wearing a hoodie and a bandanna, therefore this may reflect the people who actually are going to be reading the magazine which represents that particular social group. The layout of the magazine is also constructed to suit a younger audience as the typography and images are bolder and funkier compared to a magazine which would normally be suited for an older audience, therefore it subverts conventions. People from more urban backgrounds who listen to hip hop, base and garage are more likely to buy this type of magazine, therefore the magazine needed to reflect this. The typography is straight forward to make it easier to read as well as make it stand out. The register is written in colloquial language and uses some slang phrases such as ‘lowdown’ in order to relate to a more urban/street social group. Some of the words and phrases in the texts would be familiar to these types of people as they commonly used, for example ‘word up’ in order to appeal to its target audience. This would attract them because they would recognise some of the phrases used such as ‘word up’ this makes the article more user friendly. In addition the costumes worn by all three models in my magazine reflect a ghetto atmosphere as they are wearing ‘street clothing’ this includes hoodies, caps and chains. The expressions on their faces and body language connotes a rough and confident attitude, the camera angle on the main image of the front cover is taken from a worms eye view in order to make her look superior and rather intimidating as this reflects the aspirations of the target audience and social groups associated with the magazine.

Big international institutions would distribute my magazine as it is meant to be appeal to a mass market as it appeals to a wider audience. Many people would buy my magazine as there are many youngsters interested in hip hop music, especially in densely populated urban areas where that type of music and lifestyle is popular, therefore big international institutions would need to publish the magazine and distribute them to various destinations around the country as many people are likely to buy it.

The target audience for my media product is mainly teenagers and young adults aged between 15-26. I addressed my audience in a number of different of ways, for instance the images I used reflected the aspirations of the target audience by using models from different races. As a result readers who buy the magazine will also be of all different cultures and races, therefore are more likely to buy it. Additionally the costumes and expressions they have represent the styles and sorts of attitudes that the target audience may share, therefore this would encourage them to buy the magazine. The language used in the texts, especially in the double page spread appeals to a more younger audience as slang is used as well as common phrases that younger people would normally be associated with such as ‘mates’ and ‘spit bars’. This connotes a more urban and younger attitude which would attract the target audience. The colours I used were vibrant for my front cover and content page such as reds and yellow, I used yellow as it stands out and attracts people so there is a better chance of them buying the magazine. The connotations of red can be seen as dangerous or passionate, these qualities may reflect the aspirations of the target audience, which is why I used them. These colours are also unisex as they appeal to both men and women, therefore this makes the magazine more diverse as it will appeal to a wider audience.

I have learnt a mixture of things about technology whilst creating my product. Firstly in order to edit my images for the contents of my magazine I needed to use Photoshop which meant that I gained various skills. For example I needed to add multiples of layers in order to construct an appropriate front cover, in order to do this I needed to place a free bonus CD onto the front cover, this meant I needed to create a separate CD case and create a new layer on the original image in order for me to upload the CD cover onto it. I also used a range of techniques such as the clone tool which smoothed out the appearance of my models face on the front cover as I have used a medium close up and the face is clearly visible, therefore I learnt about technology through the use of the different tools available on Photoshop.

Looking back from the preliminary task I feel that I have progressed fairly now that I have completed the main media product. I have learnt that various elements needed to be carefully thought about when creating a magazine, therefore planning is an important factor. I have also learnt that creating a contents page and a double page spread can be a lot more complicated then just creating a front cover, like the preliminary task. The preliminary task was quite minimum as I did not include that many layers and the layout of it was not that organised, however, as I needed my media product to look more professional I arranged the layouts if my text and images in a more organised way and which suited my music genre as well as conforming to generic conventions of magazines. I also needed to emulate Hip Hop magazine which meant that my media product reassembled their house style.