Tuesday, 12 February 2013
Evaluation - Forms and Conventions
http://soniaenorf.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/B.%20Evaluation%3A%20forms%20and%20conventions
Evaluation - Representation
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Media products take the world and RE-PRESENT it to us. In doing so they make choices about HOW to represent different sorts of people. Think about how you have represented, say, male youth, or early teenage girls, or heavy metal fans, or indie music fans, or your target audience generally (say who they are demographically and psychographically).
Illustrate your answer with clips from your products to show what you are talking about, and if you like compare them to clips/images from ‘real’ media texts. Take one photograph and compare it to a photo of a similar person taken from a real media text. How are they similar, and how different? When discussing photos of the group you have represented you should consider posture, gesture, angle, shot type, lighting, costume, expression, hair, etc. Outline the social group you are representing using demographics (age, gender, class, where they live), psychographics (mainsreamers, aspirers, reformers, individuals), sub-cultures and tribes (goths, steam punks, hipsters, ravers, geeks, townies, metalheads, etc.
PRESENTATION SUGGESTION: Do this as an illustrated blog post or as a Word document, uploaded to ISSUU as a PDF then embedded in your blog
Media products take the world and RE-PRESENT it to us. In doing so they make choices about HOW to represent different sorts of people. Think about how you have represented, say, male youth, or early teenage girls, or heavy metal fans, or indie music fans, or your target audience generally (say who they are demographically and psychographically).
What qualities have you implied that this group of people possess? You have represented them through your photos, your choice of language, your use of colours, your writing, and even the things you have LEFT OUT and assumed they are NOT interested in. For example, let’s say your magazine is aimed at early teenage girls. What sorts of personalities and interests does your magazine suggest teenage girls have? Have you reinforced stereotypes (eg interested in clothes, makeup, boys, etc)? Have you challenged stereotypes? (Eg aggressive poses in photographic shots, or use cover lines about ‘unusual’ topics such as politics or fast cars?)
Illustrate your answer with clips from your products to show what you are talking about, and if you like compare them to clips/images from ‘real’ media texts. Take one photograph and compare it to a photo of a similar person taken from a real media text. How are they similar, and how different? When discussing photos of the group you have represented you should consider posture, gesture, angle, shot type, lighting, costume, expression, hair, etc. Outline the social group you are representing using demographics (age, gender, class, where they live), psychographics (mainsreamers, aspirers, reformers, individuals), sub-cultures and tribes (goths, steam punks, hipsters, ravers, geeks, townies, metalheads, etc.
PRESENTATION SUGGESTION: Do this as an illustrated blog post or as a Word document, uploaded to ISSUU as a PDF then embedded in your blog
Evaluation - Institutions
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Look back at the work we started with this year, and decide on a company to produce and distribute your magazine. Think about what sort of magazine it is and which company would be best to sell the idea to. You need to refer to actual company names and processes. If you think you could get your magazine produced by a big publishing house, like IPC, Bauer, Dennis, Future etc you’ll need to justify it in terms of the size of your target audience, the advertising pull they would have, and the company’s existing range of magazines.
Consider whether it would be best placed with a major, medium and small/independent publisher because there are advantages and disadvantages of each route. Clash is the only magazine published by Clash Magazine Ltd but actually it is more successful than NME which is published by IPC.
What would be the advantages/disadvantages of going with a big company (e.g. IPC) compared to self-publishing (e.g. Clash)?
Finally don't forget to reflect on the need for synergy e.g. there will probably be an online version of your magazine, there might even be sister products such as a radio station. Some magazines get involved in sponsoring awards ceremonies. Maybe there are tie-ins with iTunes, Spotify, etc depending on the scale of your venture, the genre of music and your target audience.
Note: Don't forget to use company logos and images of related magazines to illustrate your post.
PRESENTATION SUGGESTION: You could present your response to Qu3 using a Word document which you .pdf and upload to ISSUU and share onto your blog.
Look back at the work we started with this year, and decide on a company to produce and distribute your magazine. Think about what sort of magazine it is and which company would be best to sell the idea to. You need to refer to actual company names and processes. If you think you could get your magazine produced by a big publishing house, like IPC, Bauer, Dennis, Future etc you’ll need to justify it in terms of the size of your target audience, the advertising pull they would have, and the company’s existing range of magazines.
Similarly if you think you could get it distributed by one of the big UK distributors, like MarketForce, WH Smiths, Menzies or FrontLine, and into the major retail spaces like WH Smiths and ASDA, you’ll have to explain why.
Also remember that digital distribution is possible, or selling through subscription, or even giving it away and relying on advertising revenue. The key here is to consider all these issues and name some real companies and their products. And be realistic about the potential of your magazine - don’t be naïve! Can you remember how many titles fail within their first three years? (Bonus marks if you can, and put it on your blog!!!).
Finally don't forget to reflect on the need for synergy e.g. there will probably be an online version of your magazine, there might even be sister products such as a radio station. Some magazines get involved in sponsoring awards ceremonies. Maybe there are tie-ins with iTunes, Spotify, etc depending on the scale of your venture, the genre of music and your target audience.
Note: Don't forget to use company logos and images of related magazines to illustrate your post.
PRESENTATION SUGGESTION: You could present your response to Qu3 using a Word document which you .pdf and upload to ISSUU and share onto your blog.
Evaluation - Target Audience
How to Answer Evaluation Question 4
Who would be the audience for your media product?
Take a photo or find an image online of a representative of your target audience and profile them in terms of demographics, psychographics (and use these terms), lifestyle choices, tastes in music, films, shopping habits, etc.
You could use UK Tribes links and you should find an image or do a drawing of a typical member of your target audience (remember to post it to your blog) and give an explanation of who they are, where they would shop, what music they would listen to, what their favourite tv programme would be, etc. You must also refer to your audience research here.
Tip: look at the type of content featured in the media kit for magazines (sometimes called the audience profile) which you can find on magazine websites or look back through your notes. Be sure to include similar details about your planned target audience.
Write a few lines on why they would buy/subscribe to your magazine.
Make sure you think about the AUDIENCE AS A PRODUCT too – what sort of advertising could you attract through your audience. Are they a viable audience for a magazine to target?
PRESENTATION SUGGESTION: You could present your response to Qu4 as a video clip or flipbook using a Word docuement, converted to a .pdf, uploaded to Issuu or Flipsnack and shared with your blog.
Take a photo or find an image online of a representative of your target audience and profile them in terms of demographics, psychographics (and use these terms), lifestyle choices, tastes in music, films, shopping habits, etc.
You could use UK Tribes links and you should find an image or do a drawing of a typical member of your target audience (remember to post it to your blog) and give an explanation of who they are, where they would shop, what music they would listen to, what their favourite tv programme would be, etc. You must also refer to your audience research here.
Tip: look at the type of content featured in the media kit for magazines (sometimes called the audience profile) which you can find on magazine websites or look back through your notes. Be sure to include similar details about your planned target audience.
Write a few lines on why they would buy/subscribe to your magazine.
Make sure you think about the AUDIENCE AS A PRODUCT too – what sort of advertising could you attract through your audience. Are they a viable audience for a magazine to target?
PRESENTATION SUGGESTION: You could present your response to Qu4 as a video clip or flipbook using a Word docuement, converted to a .pdf, uploaded to Issuu or Flipsnack and shared with your blog.
Evaluation - Addressing My Audience
How did you attract/address your audience?
Use Flickr's annotation tools or create a Prezi to highlight the ways in which your magazine is designed to attract and address your audience. Why would they buy it and what would keep them interested?
PRESENTATION SUGGESTION - ALTERNATIVE: Interview a member of your target audience on your finished work in the form of a short video, uploaded to YouTube and share to your blog.
Use Flickr's annotation tools or create a Prezi to highlight the ways in which your magazine is designed to attract and address your audience. Why would they buy it and what would keep them interested?
Begin by thinking about the ‘point of sale’ (ie a shelf in Asda, WH Smiths or whatever). What element of the front cover are designed to ‘grab’ the target audience and attract them to pick up the magazine in the first place? Does the main cover photo use a direct address (eyes to camera)? Do the cover lines use second person pronouns (‘hey YOU!’) or command or question sentences which demand action or an answer (‘You MUST see this!’)? What other elements would attract the TA – masthead, colour scheme, font styles etc? Explain why. And don’t forget you can think about the CONTENT of the magazine implied by the cover lines. Are there competitions with prizes that the TA will want, etc?
Now move on to thinking about how the CONTENT and LANGUAGE is appropriate to your TA. Concentrate on your use of language, photos, colours/graphics. What ‘mode of address’ does your magazine adopt towards the reader and why would this be appropriate for your target audience? Is the magazine trying to be like a best friend? A knowledgeable older brother/sister? An expert in its field? Analyse in particular the language of your DPS article – does it use slang? Is it relaxed or more formal? How is its attitude appropriate for the audience?
What is the Unique Selling Point of your magazine, which you expect to attract your audience?
Refer to the fact that you constantly asked for feedback from your audience throughout the production process.PRESENTATION SUGGESTION - ALTERNATIVE: Interview a member of your target audience on your finished work in the form of a short video, uploaded to YouTube and share to your blog.
Evaluation - Technologies
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Make some images that show your use of the various technologies you have used. You could take a picture of each other holding the kit you have used. This might just be the camera and tripod, the lights and a PC but there may be other things you want in the shot. Do some screengrabs of techniques you used in Photoshop. You could use the logos of Blogger, Flickr, and the online graph maker you used.Post these images onto your blog and annotate them, adding details of what you learnt about them/from using them. Your written text need not be too long, but should be specific. Eg describe some of the tools you have used in Photoshop.
List the advantages and disadvantages. Consider some of the disadvantages to relying on free internet applications like Blogger and Flickr, especially over the College network.
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