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AS Media Evaluation. In what ways does your media magazine product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?.
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In what ways does your media magazine product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Masthead stating “Mango”. Using a word that is recognised and used within the UK hip hop community. Mango fruit within the graffiti font. Easily recognisable to any person into UK hip hop. Barcode. Graffiti font strongly representing genre, target market and mood of the magazine. Issue date. Large main photo of the main artist displayed on the front cover showing artist smoking showing the mood of the magazine. Lots of space, not an overcrowded front page. Showing more style than a scream for attention such as in Kerrang. Other artists listed down the side. Divider. Border also adding to the style of the cover.
All following the same colour scheme. Issue date in graffiti font. “Contents” written in graffiti. Intimidating photo of group listed in the contents. Artists listed down the side with brief description of the story. Another photo of main artist with a smoke effect, highlighting the link between hip hop and smoking cannabis. The use of colour and font styles helps to read and distinguish text from other text. Larger writing standing out from rest.
Title of interview relating to text. Elusive photo of main artist. Cannabis leaf representing character and target audience. Important quote from interview. Artist name in graffiti. Interviewers question in green so it stands out
Whilst creating my media magazine cover, contents page and double page spread, I chose to further develop styles and layouts used by similar genre magazines such as Wordplay magazine, in which was my main influence for my cover. Wordplay magazine is also a UK hip hop magazine in which uses urban graffiti designs and strong character representation to express its individuality and how the magazines have a specialised target audience whom which will recognise these artists, phrases and styles shown in the masthead, sub headings and photos used. • The strong use of character representation was my main influence for my cover, using an obviously recognisable artist to show genre, target audience and mood of the magazine. Also the use of small and simple sub headings of other various artists helped me to emphasise the main artist that is advertised on the front cover of the magazine. • I think my magazine uses a similar style to the cover of Wordplay magazine as in the fact it is not overcrowded with lots of gimmicks and advertisements (like in magazines such as Kerrang), but only shows the key information whilst still drawing the attention of people in their chosen target market by using a strong and striking front cover picture, use of graffiti and simplistic and stylish designs. In some ways my magazine cover challenges other forms in the fact that my magazine is more reliant on a specialised target audience in which will recognise the character on the front cover of the magazine only by the photo, without any subheadings or descriptions to aid them. Also, my cover uses simplistic and stylish designs to attract readers to the magazine, whereas other magazine covers will use colourful pictures and advertisements saying “FREE POSTER INSIDE” to attract readers to the magazine.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Throughout my magazine, I have frequently used a similar social group of male, rebellious teenagers in order to represent the magazines genre and mood. When people think about hip hop, it is immediately associated with the urban society, linked with graffiti, skateboarding and youth today which is why I attempted to use as many of those aspects in my magazine as possible. • The front cover of my magazine has many aspects that emphasise the urban culture and the youth today. Firstly the main photo on the cover is a photo of the main artist with smoke coming out of his mouth. Smoking is usually associated with todays urban youth and shows the “I do what I want” attitude to the readers. I believe the main picture is the most effective representation of the genre of the magazine as the picture also shows the artist with the Nike hoodie and backwards cap, immediately representing teenage fashion and culture. • Another factor in which helps represent the urban social group is the graffiti font I have used in the masthead and to show the main artists name in my cover, contents and double page spread. The graffiti font represents the teenage social group due to the fact that graffiti is an illegal and underground interest in which is not widely accepted by all social groups. Teenagers are one of the social groups that may find graffiti as an interesting and aesthetically pleasing art form. Graffiti can easily be associated to the hip hop culture due to the many album covers, music videos and magazine articles in which widely use them.
The language within the interview on my double page spread also shows aspects of young, urban culture with the use of slang and informal text. Within the interview there is frequent use of words like “popping” and “cypher” or “chilling”. These are the type of words you would not here from any other social group apart from teenagers whom are into the hip hop culture and interest. • I have also chosen to price my magazine at £1.70. I chose this affordable price so that teenagers or students are easily able to buy it, whereas Vogue Magazine who is aimed mostly at an older and female target audience is priced at around £4.10.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
I have chosen to self publish and distribute my magazine due to the fact that my magazine appeals to a niche market. The market niche defines the product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs, as well as the price range, production quality and the demographics that is intended to impact. It is also a small market segment. For example, sports channels like STAR Sports, ESPN, STAR Cricket, and Fox Sports target a niche of sports enthusiasts. My magazine is an even smaller market segment as it is aimed at hip hop obsessed teenagers in the UK. This would mean that worldwide, multimillion dollar publishing institutions would not e attracted to invest a lot of time and money into distributing a magazine with such a niche market. • I would prefer my magazine to be self published also due to the fact that the UK hip hop culture and scene does not look too kindly on big industries and commercialisation of today's music. The reason for this is that they believe that the music industry is now controlled not by the artist themselves and the music they release, but by big companies influencing the minds of music listeners in order to boost profit. Self publishing my magazine would allow my magazine to be effectively underground and only available in particular, independently owned places such as skate shops, music shops or in music studios.
