A MEDIA EDUCATION
Gabrielle J. Sellers
EVALUATION
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How does your media product represent particular social groups?
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What sort of institution do you think would distribute your media product and why?
Following my research into media institutions I have come to decide that my media product, Echo, would be produced and distributed by a large publishing company that would own and control many different magazines from different genres, possibly including other music magazines.
I have reached this conclusion after looking specifically into the sorts of institutions that manage magazines, such as those that Echo is inspired by. Organisations such as The Bauer Media Group own several music magazines of varying genres and audiences in order to gain the widest readership and, as a result, earn as much as possible.
The institution is also likely to be independent with a sole focus on magazines. This means that as the heads of the institution would spread their time across multiple magazines rather than Echo alone, it will be able to maintain certain freedoms and characteristics specific to the product itself rather than being under the full control of an external governing body.
As Echo focusses on a specific genre rather than music or pop culture in general, it makes sense for the magazine to be part of a greater publishing system that has more resources and thus provides a platform for the product with the greatest possibility of financial and social success whilst still allowing the magazine to remain individual. Being owned by a larger corporation means that Echo will not be as much controlled as monitored.
Furthermore, publishing, production and distribution through a larger organisation allows the magazine to be marketed within any of the other magazines published by the institution. Such marketing targets current magazine readers who are more likely to pick up a new serial than the average person who is not a current fan of a specific magazine.
In extension, Echo offers multiple different forms of subscription (i.e. just print, digital or both) which is a common characteristic of larger publishing companies as it allows them to spread offers through all of their readers.
Therefore, as Echo suits a specific genre and would benefit from the greater resources, marketing and freedom that can only be granted by larger, but still private, institutions such as The Bauer Media Group.
Who would be the audience for your media product? How have you tried to attract/address them?
"Hey, my name’s Jack and I'm an 22 year old university student.
I have always loved music; I was in a band at school and wrote reviews for a blog. Since I've started Uni I've had less time to dedicate to my own music but I still love going out to gigs when I can. Echo's list of upcoming live events lets me plan my schedule around seeing the artists I love whilst the feature content provides the perfect break from homework."
What have you learnt about new technologies from the process of constructing this product?
How I edited my cover image:
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full, final product?
Knowing your audience is integral to creating a successful media product. In the development of school magazine to music magazine I learnt a lot about how the audience shaped everything from the language and colours I used to the mind-set I went at the project with.
It is from this I recognised the importance of my research and planning. Whilst, at the time, it was laborious and mundane, by the time I was creating my front cover I knew exactly what I needed to do so each atom of that audience was catered for.
I have also learnt a lot about other forms of popular media. Regardless of form, every media product is constructed to appeal to its audience. From this process I have developed an awareness of audience profiling and needs that I will take with me into the rest of my media qualification and into the external world.
At the time of constructing my preliminary product I was uncertain about the exact audience of my magazine. Whilst school magazines can be divided into genres and subgenres, I felt the lines between them were less clear and thus I was uncertain of where my construct fell within the boundaries of school magazines. As a result, I was afraid of following specific conventions of the form I had seen for fear they were a one off or well-known enough to make my own construct appear like a copy-cat.
The reverse occurred in my main task. Knowing this uncertainty, I looked across several genres of music magazines to produce an idea of the key conventions. Once I had decided upon the alternative genre, I delved deep into it; by looking at magazines and listening to music from the genre I developed a very clear idea about both the genre and its audience.
It was from this I realised that popular magazines from any genre are popular for a reason: they worked. This is why I believe there are certain similarities between the magazines I analysed and the one I created. Having an awareness of the reasons behind every artistic, linguistic and social decision helped me apply, develop and challenge these conventions to produce the ultimate alternative music magazine.
Therefore, from my transition from preliminary to product I have learnt that, in the media, success lies with those who are aware of their audience and know when, and why, to go with the obvious.