Evaluation Question 7: Looking Back at Your Preliminary Task, What Do You Feel You Have Learnt in the Progression From it to the Full Product?

Evaluation Question 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

When I began to construct my music magazine, the first piece of technology that I had to use was an Apple Mac. I have never used or worked on a Mac before as I have always used my Microsoft PC. I found that using a Mac for its specialised use became very fluent and easy to do after I had completed my preliminary tasks.

Before creating my preliminary product, I attempted to use the software programme called InDesign, I originally planned to use this for my preliminary task but found that it was too complex for the task that I had to complete with my current Mac experience. After opting against using InDesign, I decided to use a program called Pages. This programme was much easier to learn how to use in a short space of time and enables me to use this particular program more confidently, efficiently and to its full potential. I created this basic page to experiment with page layouts using InDesign. I used their text wrapped feature to enable me to insert an image around the text. I also used a feature to allow me to create a ‘two deck’ headline.

This was the trial draft for my contents page for my magazine, I used Pages to create this draft and then with this result I created my final product using Pages as well.

The camera that I used to take the pictures that were in my draft were taken on my iPhone 5s, I used the iSight camera as it produced pictures that were a high enough quality for my draft product. I was also very easy to use as I was already familiar with how it worked. I was also very easy to transfer my images onto the Mac as both pieces of hardware were Apple so they were compatible with each other.

 I then went onto using a DSLR camera to take my pictures for my final product as I felt that to have a product that looked sufficient, I required higher quality images. Fortunately, I had a friend that familiarised me with how the camera worked so I could use it to its full potential during a gig, where the band was performing.

I then went on to edit these images in Apple Mac’s preview software, as I didn’t want the background in some of the image and it allowed me to have a smoother crop, which resulted in the image looking higher quality. I used the lasso selection tool to remove most of the background, as the majority of it was black.

I then imported my images into Photoshop to adjust elements like lighting and colour balance as the lighting as the gig was constantly changing and I found it difficult to time the image capture with good lighting. My final images looked more professional and fitted in with the rest of my magazine.

After all of my images were edited to the standard I was happy with, I imported them into Pages. With this I then positioned them in the places indicated in my draft. Unfortunately, I found that my images has became transparent in the Photoshop editing process so I then used the online photo editing software site called Pixlr, I found this a lot easier to use that Photoshop so I used this site for quickness and convenience. I layer the image to make it less transparent, saved and the imported it back into Pages. Finally, I used Microsoft word to type up my articles but came into an issue when attempting to copy and paste the text. However, I resolved this issue with converting the document into a Rich Text format.

Evaluation Question 5: How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation Question 4: Who would be the audience of your media product?

Evaluation Question 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product?

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

Evaluation Question 1: In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and convention of real media products?

Audience Feedback from Finished Production Work

FINISHED MUSIC MAGAZINE (production work)

FRONT COVER

CONTENTS PAGE

DOUBLE PAGE

Development of Double Page

These were my final drafts, before I got my final pictures. I found that they looked too armature for my final idea so I decided to have a high quality image dominated my final product as it would make it look more conventional.  

Front Page Development

This was my final draft of my Front Cover. I didn't change it much when I added in my final images as I felt that it already had a good structure and layout. All that I had to do was to move the text a bit to fit around the new image.

This was the first original trial for my music magazine front page. I felt the chosen font was good but I felt even using red didn't help it resemble blood, so in my final idea I decided to change it to black as it was easy to read and fit the house style of my final magazine. I also decided that it would be best to discard the background as I felt it made my magazine look very noisy difficult the read as the only words that would be readable is my masthead. 

Early Stages of Contents Page

With these early drafts, i wanted to experiment with the basic layout of my contents page as I felt that it would be a good method for me ensuring that all of my proportions are correct with suitable image sizes, text sizes etc. I found that I boxy layout for my contents page would be best to ensure that everything is spaced equally and looks right. As I had so many different elements that I planned to put in, I found that pages guidelines and margins were very helpful as anything that I inserted clipped to the lines and were equal with anything clipped to the same line.

Basic Music Magazine Design/Construction

Magazine Moodboard

Magazine Annotation/Deconstruction 'Metal Hammer'

Magazine Annotation/Deconstruction 'Sniffin' Glue'

Magazine Annotation/Deconstruction 'Terrorizer'

Image Deconstruction: Amon Amarth

The basic appearance of the artists was intentional as they're meant to look scruffy and un-groomed as it is part of their image. They beards are also a large part of their image as it adds to their burly look. Their shirts are intentionally tight to show their physique as they aren't intending on being shown as scrawny because they are representing burly Vikings.

The first thing that you notice about this picture is the strong use of the colour black, the artists are dressed fully in black and the background of the shoot is also black. This contrasts heavily against the artists light coloured hair and fair skin so it makes them stand out more. The main intention of the heavy use of the colour black is to make the artists look intimidating.

The angle that the picture is taken from is from a low angle to give the artists more height and make them look larger overall. This is again to make them look more intimidating and potentially aggressive.

The way the artists have been directed to stand was very intentional for the they photographer was trying to achieve. The are all stood closely but you are still able to see all of their body shapes and sizes. They are also purposefully in a specific way, not in any placement of their choosing but the way they have been placed would be similar to their on stage placement. With the singer at the front, the two guitarists by either side, the bassist a bit

further back and the drummer right at the back.

The way they all have their arms is very purposeful as well as they are all hunching their shoulders to make them look bigger as well as clenching their fists to add tension to the picture. Their facial expressions are also very intimidating as they are all making direct eye contact and aren't smiling at all to again reinforce their intimidating look as this is a key convention for bands within the same or similar genre.  

Why Heavy Metal Fans Are Most Loyal

Spotify last month published data that found heavy metal has the most loyal fans across the world of any major genre by a wide margin. The music streaming service put together a series of charts and interactives showing the variety of musical genres online and how these genres vary around the world. Pop came in second place, with folk, country and rock fans rounding out the top five.Spotify's research arm The Echo Nest "identified 'core' artists that are most central to each genre" and quantified genre loyalty worldwide by "dividing the number of streams each core artist had by their number of listeners" and then normalising the charts. Spotify's lineup of "core" heavy metal bands included such names as METALLICA, SLAYER, JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, SEPULTURA, PANTERA, CRADLE OF FILTH and ANTHRAX.In an e-mail to Mashable, Bob Lugowe, director of promotions and new media at Relapse Records, stated about metalheads' dedication to their genre: "Whether it's wearing a 'battle jacket' full of sewn-on patches of their favourite bands, buying every vinyl colour and edition of their favourite album, tattooing their favourite band mascot on their arm or traveling exceptionally long distances to concerts and festivals, metalheads are extremely diehard and dedicated to their favourite bands and the genre as a whole." He added: "Streaming has been particularly beneficial as a promotional tool and a discovery vehicle [for new artists]."
Although heavy metal fans tend to be stereotyped as angry, alienated, and rebellious, a 2013 study found that fans of metal tend to have higher openness to experience, more negative attitudes toward authority, lower self-esteem, greater need for uniqueness and lower religiosity than those individuals with a preference for other musical genres.
Michael Friedman, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist specialising in how social relationships influence mental and physical health, wrote an article for the Psychology Today web site last year in which he stated about heavy metal devotees: "People who like intense and rebellious music such as heavy metal… [are] more likely to engage in civic activism. In fact, research suggests that heavy metal musicians and fans are 'gifted outsiders with feelings of low self-esteem that develop from their sense of alienation. They turn to heavy metal for inspiration and support. This is perhaps one of the reasons that heavy metal musicians and fans are so dedicated. Pop bands may come and go, but a METALLICA fan is a fan for life."
Biff Byford, singer of British heavy metal legends SAXON, told Independent.co.uk in 2010 that "heavy metal is a tribal music and everyone is a member of the tribe. The audience is very, very loyal… especially the Germans. It's not like pop music, where if the next song isn't good enough then forget about it; with our music, people will allow you to be shit sometimes, and that's one of the great things."
He added, "The music's not about love. Our songs are more about Richard The Lionheart, steel trains and thunder. But when you do click with a big audience, it can be quite an experience, a massive connection… I suppose you could say it is a religious experience in a way."

Target Market Questionnaire Results