Week 5

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

My media product is a college magazine front cover. It is colour co-ordinated with blue, white, black and yellow. It uses persuasive and bold text that stands out to catch the audiences eye. These magazine covers inspired me in creating my college magazine.

The magazine cover on the left, inspired me because it used specific colours and its layout is really appealing. I liked how the text was all on one side or the other, and it wasn't all scattered around every where, it shows that its simple but effective. My media product uses, develops or challenges forms and conventions of real media products because like this magazine, my magazine also has a constant colour co ordination to it. My media product also consists of a masthead and cover lines which are arranged on either side of the magazine, and a main image. i also included a left third, except mines is located in the middle third as i thought it would be more effective throughout my magazine, and would be a good combination with my media layout.

The magazine cover on the right, inspired me as it is simple and because it helped me decide that what image i would like on my front cover, and how i would style my masthead to fit it. My media product uses, develops or challenges forms and conventions of real media products because like this magazine, it uses a bar code, a date line, and a selling line.

The magazine "secondary teachers" inspired me, because of its content and what kind of style and uniqueness it has. My media product uses, develops or challenges forms and conventions of real media products because it includes a main image that targets my specific audience and a bottom strip. Like this magazine, my media product also uses similar conventions.
This is my college magazine front cover:

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

I am targeting teenagers and college students, as my media product is a college magazine, therefore they are the social group that my media product is representing.  My media product represents teenagers and college students. It does this by capturing what college students are interested in, striving in, and what’s on offer for them. 

College students and teenagers are interested in a majority of things. Within my magazine I included examination techniques, extra curricular activities and fitness. 

Within my media product, I reference social networking, which is very popular to teenagers and would represent their age group. The two social networking sites i have mentioned are Twitter, and Facebook. These two sites are highly popular with teenagers and college students as a majority of them are involved with either of these sites. 

3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

IPC media is a media institution which distributes media, for example magazines. This media institution will distribute my media product because my magazine is similar to the other media products they distribute. My media product is a lifestyle magazine for teenagers and college students to keep them up to date with the latest in college, and what's new, for example fitness and other opportunities within the college environment.   

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

As my media product is a college magazine, my audience will be college students and teenagers. Their ages will range from 16-19. Also it will be aimed at both male and female. The socio-Economic categorisation in which my target audience fall under will be the E category, which consists of Unemployed/Casual-workers/Students/pensioners. The picture on the left shows diversity and multi culture within the teenagers, this relates to my magazine as i want my magazine to be diverse and target a multicultural society, no matter what kind of teen, my magazine should fulfil there needs within the magazine. The image on the right shows unity within the teenagers, as I want my magazine to be able to reach out and help the students unite. My magazine will encourage students to be social and be hardworking. The psycho-graphic categorisation is based on personality type, therefore my magazine will have to meet the requirements as my audience will range from, succeeders, aspirers, carers, mainstreamers and individualists.