Evaluation - Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Looking back at my prelim task, it looks so simple and....boring!! I remember being happy with the way it turned out and thinking I could never EVER create a magazine that looks remotely professional. I never thought it'd be quite so challenging to create something that'd actually look decent.

I used Microsoft Publisher to create this, and to be honest, it really is clear the difference in quality of the programs used to create OFCs - because for my real OFC, I have used, GIMP, Picasa and Picnik. In a way, seeing as this is a school magazine, it doesn't really have to look incredibly professional, because it suits the school environment being the way it is.



Looking back on it, it really is quite awful... the sell lines are small and pathetic and definately wont catch anyone's attention.


I think I have learnt the concept of better photo angles and poses to suit a certain genre. Also learning about the layout of a OFC has helped me hugely when deciding when to put what where and when it looks too cluttered.








I'm still quite shocked at how long it took to complete the magazine considering how much time professionals have. Although I am proud of the workload I've done (62 posts :P) and also of what I've managed to achieve :)

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

During the making of my magazine, I have been experimenting with different types of technology. I have to admit, I have never used an editing program for more difficult tasks like this before, so it was a new challenge.

Firstly, I'm stating the obvious a bit here, but the better the camera was, the more professional my magazine would look. I used my own camera to take all of my photos, including the photos of locations and target audience. My camera is a Panasonic DMC-Z51 which is also known as a Panasonic DMC-Tz6. It has 10.1 megapixels and has 12x optical zoom. I actually love my camera and find it very easy to use. It has complicated settings to improve the photos, but are easy to use. Here are some photos of it:

Computer-wise, I have used an Apple iMac, a ACER Aspire One D255 and a Dell Dimension 4600.

I found the iMacs rather unsusual for editing on. I think this is because I'm used to Windows and not Apple software. I didn't get how to use iPhoto, and I felt more comfortable using a Windows based programme. Although, they are good for using the internet. Very fast and very efficient.

My ACER Aspire One D255, for me, was the best computer I used. It was very fast and rarely froze. I got along with it well because it has Windows software, although I had to get used to Windows 7, which I soon got the hang of. Considering it is only a netbook, it suprisingly had enough space to download editing programs and still work without a fuss!

The other computer I used was a Dell Dimension 4600. I found this okay to use, but considering it has aged quite a bit since we bought it, it has slowed down a bit and froze often. But when it was busy freezing or messing up, it was very handy to upload things to my blog with!

When I wanted to use examples from a magazine that I couldn't find on the internet, I would use my scanner that is built into my printer, to scan the pictures onto my blog. The scanner/printer I used was a Epson RX620. It is a very good printer, it scans quickly and easily, the controls are easy to follow and it generally does a good job.

I orginally wanted to use Photoshop to edit my pictures with, but as I've said earlier in another post, the part of the Photoshop website that you use to download the free 30 day trial version, wasn't working. This really annoyed me so I had to find another editing program. On the home computer (the Dell one) we have a program called GIMP. I had never used it before but remembered the name. So I downloaded GIMP to edit my photos with.
I've got along quite well with GIMP. I find it relitively easy to use, depending on what you want to do. Adding layers can get quite complicated, whereas so can the simplist of things, like resizing a photo. This got quite tedious but eventually I figured out how on earth to use it. On GIMP, I learnt things like how to put a layer on so the subject of the photo was infront of the text.

I used a free online editing programe called Picknik. I found this very easy and simple to use, but I could tell it wasn't desinged for huge editing projects, just little pieces of editing here and there.

I have also used Picasa to create my magazine. I used it to put the text on the OFC. I cant say I get along well with Picasa but it's bearable.

I've also used webistes like Wikipedia, Fontspace and Google. They have all been very helpful and very efficient. I've also used Publisher to help get my results from the questionnaire into a pie chart.

Evaluation - How did you attract/address your audience?

I have addressed my target audience by creating a questionnaire. This gathered some fantastic results, and it helped me create my magazine.
I think I have attracted my target audience well by using models that the readers can relate to!
I specifically chose people who wore makeup (eyeliner in particular), had piercings (Loz has her nose pierced and Pie has scaffolding). They both dress in an appropriate way for the genre of music and both look young enough for the readers to be able to relate to.
In my opinion, I think that I chose the selection of bands featured well. It has a mixture of old and new, e.g Guns N' Roses. But the teenagers of this generations are seriously into old rock music as well as new, I personally LOVE Guns N' Roses and Nirvana, and I know many people of my age and younger that adore them.

Evaluation - Who would be the target audience for your media product?

After finishing my magazine, I thought I'd try and find some people who would actually enjoy reading it. I asked a range of people whether they liked it or not, here's how one person reacted:

I guess he didn't like my magazine... So he definately ISN'T my target audience!

My target audience would be teens and young adults who have an interest in rock/metal music...that would look something like this:

I wanted to find out some opinions on my magazine, so I sent a copy of my work to my cousins in London over msn. I thought it'd be fair to get some fresh opinions from people who haven't been working on the same task. This is exactly what they said in the conversation:

Me: What is it about the OFC that makes you want to read my magazine?

Steph: The stars featured in the main image, they suit the genre of music, which would draw people in.

Laura: The size and colour of the font also stands out a lot, the white is a big contrast against what Georgia's wearing, so it'd grab my attention.

Me: What do you think of the contents page?

Laura: I swear I've seen one similar to this...

Steph: That's because it's based on Kerrang! ... noob.

Laura: I knew that...yeah, I like the amount of pictures, it's easy to scan over and see if my favourite bands are featured in it.

Steph: Yeah, I agree...is that Bon Jovi?!

Me: Yep

Steph: NICE!!

Me: How do you think my live review DPS would attract my target audience?

Steph: I like the way you've used a photo from the concert as the background image, it gives a sense of what it was like to have been there.

Laura: Yeah, what with teenagers being avid concert goers

Steph: And what you've written too, the language you've used is exciting and attention grabbing.

Evaluation - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

For this part of my evaluation, I researched the magazine distribution companies. I found out the names of two of the major companies:

• Bauer Media Group Inc


• International Publishing Cooperation

Bauer Media Group Inc distribute magazines such as Kerrang! and Q, whereas IPC distribute NME.

I'd like Bauer Media Group Inc to distribute my magazine, because they seem to deal with the higher quality magazines. The paper is glossy, the paper feels like it's good quality, and if my magazine was with this company, it'd be turned into something professional.

Evaluation - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

To help gather an opinion on whether my product does represent my social group well, I inteviewed Becky Tye and Sophie Oliver.
Blogger wouldn't upload it so I had to create a new youtube account and upload it there...
On the name of it, I put ignore it, so other youtubers wouldn't pay much attention to it and it wont waste their time.
Here's the video:

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

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

View more presentations from Sarahhh-WOO.

for some reason the presentation cuts off some of the writing in one of the slides... o.O

Contents Page, Redone.

I decided that I really did not like my old contents page. To be honest, I thought it was terrible and didn't know what to do about it. So recently, I looked at existing contents pages in Kerrang! and tried to base mine on that, seeing as Kerrang! is my model magazine.

Here is my new contents:

Im not quite sure why it's turned out so blurry...I cant get it to be clear...

This is my old contents:

I think my newer contents page is far better because it looks more organised and more realistic.

This is the contents page I based it on:

Making of 2nd DPS.

During making my second DPS, I had a lot of trouble making the photos fit well onto the page, what with making them blend into the background well and choosing where to put them.

Here's how my DPS started off:

I really didn't like the way I had put the photos on, and I couldn't get the photos to blend into the background well.

Then I decided to come back to the photos later, and put the text on instead:

I used Picasa to get the text onto the photo.

Then I tried again on Picnik to get the photos the right colour to blend into the background. I had to flip a photo of M. Shadows, because he was facing to the right and it just looked wrong, so now he is facing the left. Here are a few of my failed tries:

These photos didnt blend into the background well enough, then I jumbled around the photos to make the brighter ones to be closer to the top of the page, where the fire is, and the darker ones to the bottom of the page.

Then I wrote the review itself. This is the body of the text:

"Tonight's Halloween gig will certainly be one to go down in history, and what better way to start off the night with Avenged Sevenfold as they take to the stage flanked by a trio of sinister looking gates and a huge painted deathbat, and then the place spontaneously erupts.

The darkly atmospheric "Nightmare" eases us in - evil laughs, phantom keyboards and all - before "Welcome To The Family" and "Beast And The Harlot" crank the energy levels sky high. They slow things down mid-set with singer M. Shadows delivering a tribute to their departed drummer - Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, which avoids being trite and is instead necessary and affecting. "So Far Away" is delivered with grace and poignancy.

As we're reminded tonight, A7X are so important, even God is waging war on them, as M. Shadows informs "We're going to hell for writing this song!" before "God Hates Us". This is then followed by the oldest surviving song in the set - "Unholy Confessions". Soon after, "Almost Easy" brings things to a gloriously flashy climax with the band mixing those fluid sinuous solos and licks with sharper edged riffs and clean, clear vocal melodies.

Avenged Sevenfold will be continuing their tour throughout the UK."


And this is the final piece:

2nd DPS (Live Review)

I know we're not really supposed to do more than one DPS but I originally planned to do a live review, so here it is :) The reasons for my photo choices are, I had to include one of the lead singer (M. Shadows), I also included one of the guitarists: Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance. I used that photo because they are doing their famous back-to-back pose (I'll post a professional photo to back up my point). I would've taken a photo of the crowd like they do in Kerrang! but I was in the seated area of the venue so I would've got an awful photo.

It took ages to get the photos to look right on the background image because I couldn't get the faded colour the same as the background colour. Hopefully this looks good to everyone else, I'm pleased with it :) And also I like the actual review I've written :P

Here's Syn and Zacky's signiture pose that I said about earlier:

I used the idea of using one of the photos to be the background, I had this idea thought out a while ago, then I saw one of my Kerrang! magazines had done this too. I've scanned in the picture and here it is:

Finished DPS SPELLCHECKED

Okay, I'm an idiot and forgot to spellcheck the interview. So here it is, corrected. :)

Finished DPS

Here is my finished DPS for my magazine :) I'm quite happy with it and how it turned out. The reason I changed the colour of the font half way through is because it was against a white background and it couldn't be read :/

feedback would be cool :)

Finished Contents

This is my finished contents page. I'm not fully happy with it...I've tried using different fonts on the bit where the contents are listed...it just looks naff with whatever font. I cant think how to change it, but im pleased with the top half of it.

Finished OFC

This my finished OFC. I think I have kept it quite conventional - I've sticked to the 3 colour colour scheme (Pink, White and Yellow). I dont think it looks too cluttered, I think it has just the right amount of things that should be on a OFC.

Kerrang! has been the magazine to influence me. Heres a similar Kerrang! OFC:

OFC half completed

I've been editing this for the majority of the day. The thing that took up the most time was the torn out pages. After I erased the black background on the page, I put it on my OFC. Then I had to erase some white on the upper layer so the lower layer (where the photo is) can be seen. Heres a screenshot of it:

This is my OFC so far:

(The name of the band is Page Two...thats because both their sirnames is Page...and I made a very bad pun out of it xD )

Mounted poster previews, finished.

This took ages to get the notepad template and also GIMP decided not to work -.- so I had to uninstall it then reinstall. Finally got these finished though. They will be on the OFC.

Poster Previews

Previously, I have said that I wanted to mount my poster previews onto a template then onto the OFC so it doesn't look like it just been put carelessly on a page. Kerrang! sometimes uses a notepad template although I cant find an example at the moment..and I stupidly threw away the Kerrang! that had the example on it... :( I have tried to find one like it, but most of the ones I found you had to pay for. I found one for free but it had a black background so I had to get rid of the black:

I liked the torn notepad idea because it gives the magazine a rough look to it, which is one of the stereotypes of rock/metal.

Which one to use?

I've created two OFCs with just the banner edited on. Im stuck deciding which one to use.

Here are the two:

I like the 'Shockwave' one because it goes all across the top of the OFC. But I also like the 'Decibel' one because I would have space to put my tag line (Ready...Steady...ROCK!) above Loz's head. Although the 'D' on 'Decibel' isn't as easily recognised as a 'D' as the 'S' on 'Shockwave' is.

I'm kind of towards 'Shockwave' to be honest...

Maybe could some people comment and say which one they like better and why? Thanks :)

Layering my OFC photo.

I have FINALLY figured out how to use GIMP. I tried to look through the instructions manual...but it made no sense...at all! So after...25ish mins of fiddling with GIMP, I've finally figured out how to master layering! :D At first I started playing with layers trying to cut out the text on one of the layers so the heads would be infront of the text...this didn't work in the slightest (to be fair I've never edited properly before).

Eventually I found this method: First I placed the text on the image:

Then I zoomed in and used the eraser tool to erase a part of the layer: (baring in mind..these aren't finished so thats why they dont look good at the moment)

After finishing that, I merged the layer into the orignal layer, and here's the layering finished:

And heres it out of GIMP:

I'm very happy with how this turned out seeing as I never thought I could get anywhere close to actually being able to layer photos! :D