Q.7. Looking back at the preliminary task what have you learned in the progression of it to the final product?

Looking firstly at the cover I can see that compared to my preliminary task I have chosen a much more conventional image. Where in the preliminary task I chose a shot which left a lot of dead space I have since learned my lesson and Equalizer has no empty space to ruin the look of the magazine. Furthermore my Photoshop skills have improved greatly with the subjects head in the prelim being 'blocky' with a number of un-necessary straight edges. I have also adopted the convention of having the subjects head slightly overlap the magazine name. Something i didn't feel confident in during the prelim.

My prelim contents page while conventionally things were in the right place it was sparse and lacking extra information like email and/or social media. In my final contents page I indicated which stories were on the cover by making them larger and bolder. I feel however that i had a lack of shot variation in my final piece, something i didn't notice while putting it together. Matching fonts between cover and contents was extremely important as it ensures continuity throughout the magazine.

Taking what I had learned from the preliminary task and what I had applied to my music magazine I put together my double page spread. This followed a number of industry conventions With one large image of the musician taking up one page and the start of an interview (This would continue for many more pages),

Q.6. What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

New media technologies have played a huge role in both the collection of data and the creation of the product. Below I will be listing some of the technologies I used and how they benefited me.

Facebook is one of the largest and most used social media products in existence today, as well as owning other popular sites like 'Instagram'. This site gave me access to the rock community and gave me the option to ask questions when choosing the name genre and content of my magazine. Facebook is a tool that can be utalised to get in touch with ones audience and allows for a more immersive product to be created because of it.

Adobe Photoshop is the other big hitter without which I would have no media product whatsoever. It's wide range of varied tools and easy to use UI allowed me to create professional looking work with relative ease. Tutorials like the one below really opened a door and allowed me to do things with my product which I didn't previously know was even possible. I have learned so much about Photoshop over the course of this task that I feel much more confident in the program.

Considering how lacking my knowledge was in using Photoshop, YouTube played a major role through it's various videos which informed me as to how I should go about the creation of my task. With YouTube being linked to google plus i had the added luxury of people being able to answer my questions on G+ rather than youtube.

Q.5. How did you attract/address your audience?

To attract my audience I ensured that I replicated some of the conventions in other rock magazines. It utilises dark colours and contains a number of freebies, for example a GTA V dlc. As my target audience will most likely be earning minimum wage freebies are the best and most successful way of enticing them into reading my magazine. Furthermore it features a wide variety of both popular and obscure bands.

The design of the magazine is easy to follow, with my article split into columns and the it's white design, while simple does not distract the reader from the article. This contrasts heavily with the rest of my magazine which adopts very dark colours. This helps the article to stand out and will attract the readers eye as they flick through the magazine. This is crucial as many people when considering whether or not to buy a magazine they will pick it up and quickly rummage through the pages. By making my double page spread stand out it increases the chances of the reader seeing my interview.

To further attract my audience, an audience which is varied and far apart, I have a number of different social medias listed. This wide range of media increases the chances of fans being able to connect with one another as well as being able to receive the latest news from all their favorite artists and bands. Social media plays a huge role in the lives of everyone meaning that it will appeal to the new generation as well.

To further appeal to my readers I created a character that captures the essence of rock and roll. He is rude, cocky and doesn't take anything from anyone. This character type fits the stereotype of the rock crowd and would be most appealing to the demographic.

On the contents page i have an area of the magazine listed as the "tour guide" while it is an interesting play on words it also does exactly what it says, is is produced with the latest tours and events being mentioned,

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

This is David Johnson; he is 21years old and lives in London. He enjoys hanging out with "the bro's" and often dresses casually donning one of his many hoodies and a pair of jeans. When he's not playing video games he often enjoys going to the cinema and watching the latest box office hits. In terms of films he enjoys the action and adventure genre dabbling slightly in the world of science fiction. He is rather outgoing and enjoys going to parties, carnivals and of course music festivals. With regards to music his favourite genres are rock and metal with his favourite band currently being AC DC. He is rather social and has a job that pays just above minimum wage as he lives with a flat mate he is able to use more of his money on entertainment. While this will not be the case for all the readers of my magazine people like David make up a large majority of my audience. While he has money David would be more inclined to buy a magazine if it contained “freebies” meaning when I craft my media product I will have to look closely into what is has to offer. David also has a love for comedy watching shows such as mock the week and live at the Apollo as well as having gone to many live stand-up events. He enjoys it when someone makes him laugh and says that a little wit wouldn’t go amiss.

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

Q.2. How does your media product represent a particular social group?

After carrying out research on my target audience I discovered that my readers would likely be males aged between 17 and 25. These people will have an interest in much of the media looking for something good rather than something of a specific genre. I feel that by using dark colours and a bold font I will have successfully appealed to my demographic as it looks rather rough. The heavily contrasting colours also add to the atmosphere I try to create of a rock magazine that will cover less mainstream higher quality music.

taking photographs I tried to create aggressive and dominating poses further adding to the atmosphere I was trying to create.

These three different poses capture the attitude of the character as cocky and fearless, an appearance some have come to expect from rock music. My demographic will either empathise with this character or envy him meaning they will want to read about his life. Using a particular artist will also encourage their fanbase to buy the magazine. This means picking a well-known artist within my target audience will boost sales. Comparing this to some other characters in magazines I have looked at my artist captures the image that is conventional within rock music.

My magazine represents this audience as it represents their lifestyle. Young people (more so in men as portrayed by the media) tend to live reckless lives, drinking too much and partying too hard. Rock culture is shrouded in this image and my magazine through the use of bold fonts and a cocky artist as the subject. Besides this I also appeal to a much older audience as my magazine covers band which are not currently popular but considers as “vintage” or “old school”. This brings in a separate part of rock culture with people looking to rekindle their youth through the feeling of nostalgia.

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

My brother the devil: various trailers

The Hobbit desolation of smaug: Various trailers

The Hobbit the desolation of smaug: The star system

The star system was the method of creating, promoting and exploiting movie stars in Classical Hollywood cinema. Studios would select promising young actors and glamorise and create personas for them, often inventing new names and even new backgrounds. Examples of stars who went through the star system include Cary Grant (born Archie Leach), Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur), and Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer, Jr.)

The star system put an emphasis on the image rather than the acting, although discreet acting, voice, and dancing lessons were a common part of the regimen. Women were expected to behave like ladies, and were never to leave the house without makeup and stylish clothes. Men were expected to be seen in public as gentlemen. Morality clauses were a common part of actors' studio contracts.

This however, is no longer the case with the star system being exploiting or hiring an actor to ensure commercial success. Some actors will become specifically tied down to a role as Robert Downey jr is to Iron Man and Ian Mckeller is to Gandalf. The Hobbit employed a number of well known british actors in order to appeal to the british audience. The main 4 were Ian Mckeller (X-MEN), Stephen Fry (QI), Martin Freeman (Hot Fuzz) and Benedict Cumberpatch (Sherlock) who are notoriously known for a variety of British films and television series.

My brother the devil: Soundtrack analysis

My brother the devil's soundtrack was a compilation of relevant music which helped to set the scene, promote unknown rappers and draw in the fans of well known rappers like "Cashtastic". Being reflective of the atmosphere of the film these songs would often play in the background un-noticed although the film would feel empty without them. They are urban tracks creating a dark backdrop. Featuring artists like Benny Banks, Joe Black and Cashtastic.

The Hobbit desolation of smaug: Soundtrack analysis

The music of The Hobbit film trilogy is being composed, orchestrated, conducted and produced by Howard Shore. He was the obvious choice for the soundtrack as not only did he work on the original Lord of the Rings trilogy but her also worked on The Hobbit and unexpected journey.

Howard shore has made a big name for himself in the film soundtrack world having worked on other films such as the twilight saga, Eastern promises and the departed. This repertoire and a need to replicate the feel of the original LOTR trilogy means that his place on the crew was almost ensured.

A surprise addition to the soundtrack was Ed Sheeran and his song "I see fire". Written specifically for the Hobbit 2 it created buzz within the Ed Sheeran fandom and also gave the film something to promote that wasn't so fantasy heavy. This synergy benefited both The Hobbit and Ed Sheeran with their fan bases crossing over.

My brother the devil: Classification and intended audience

My brother the devil was given a classification of 15

Any film Classified 15 will contain:

Any of the following:

•   strong violence
•  frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***').
•   portrayals of sexual activity
•   strong verbal references to sex
•   sexual nudity
•   brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
•   discriminatory language or behaviour
•   drug taking

-BBFC official website

As this film will have a much more niche audience to that of The Hobbit desolation of smaug it had to ensure that it could be viewed by as many people as possible without detracting from the message of the film. This film appeals to an audience between the ages of 15- 25. Had the film been more gory or taken a more graphic approach it would have gained an 18 classification. This would have been detrimental to the performance of the film as less people would have been able to see it. Further considering that this film is a social commentary on a very real if not hidden part of British culture it was important that it could be seen by those who would enjoy it the most.

Unlike Hobbit this film wouldn't be releasing play sets or games as it's just not intended for children. The only thing which could be marketed would perhaps be the soundtrack, composed by a number of (with want for a better phrase) urban artists.

The Hobbit desolation of smaug: Classification and intended audiences

The Hobbit desolation of smaug was given a 12A rating

"12A is advisory, which means that as with U and PG, parents can make up their minds about whether they think a film is suitable for you. 12As are stronger than PGs and Us though. When BBFC Examiners recommend a film should be a 12A this means they think it is suitable for children aged 12 and over. However, your parents may decide that you are likely to enjoy a specific film." 
-CBBFC main site

This age rating was instrumental for the films success as it allowed parents to see the film with their children. Every parent taking their child to the cinema would have to buy a ticket for them and most likely popcorn and drinks for a well rounded cinema experience. It also allowed for the film to be shown more times throughout the day as anyone over the age of 12 could see the film unaccompanied.

Considering this fact I would assume that the age range intended for the audience was 12- 45 a huge margin meaning that even with it's very niche fantasy audience it was still expected to make a lot of money. Along with this many products could be sold to this wide and varied audience. Action figures for young children and collectors, games, replica weapons and LARP, as well as the original book.

My brother the devil: Budget and critical acclaim

My brother the devil was given a budget of £650 by it's production company PACHA pictures. Since then it has grossed £1.2 million meaning it cannot be considered commercial successful. Unlike the Hobbit however this film received much critical acclaim and was awarded 12 awards, 1 honorable mention and 17 nominations.
Some of which included:

• Won Best European Film (Europa Cinemas Label Award) at Berlinale
• Won Best Cinematography at Sundance Film Festival
• Won CBA Worldview Sundance Impact Award at Sundance London
• Won Best Newcomer - Sally El Hosaini at BFI London Film Festival
• Won Most Promising Newcomer - Sally El Hosaini at Evening Standard Film Awards
• Won Grand Jury Award at LA Outfest
• Won Audience Award - Annonay Film Festival, France
• Won BIFA for Best Newcomer - James Floyd at British Independent Film Awards
• Won Best Actor - James Floyd at Milan Film Festival
• Won New Vision Award for Cinematography - Manaki Brothers Film Festival, Macedonia
• Honorable Mention Outstanding First Feature, Frameline Film Festival
• Nominated Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival
• Nominated BIFA Douglas Hickox award for Best Debut Film - Sally El Hosaini at British Independent Film Awards
• Nominated Sutherland Trophy (Best First Film) - Sally El Hosaini at BFI London Film Festival
• Nominated Most Promising Newcomer - James Floyd at Evening Standard Film Awards
• Nominated Best Newcomer - Fady Elsayed at BFI London Film Festival

Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian wrote this:

"First-time feature director Sally El Hosaini makes a bold and terrifically confident debut, hitting her stride with this urban drama set in east London. It's well made, well acted by a largely non-professional cast and seductively photographed by cinematographer David Raedeker – a muscular and heartfelt film with Stephen Frears's My Beautiful Laundrette somewhere in its DNA."

The Hobbit desolation of smaug: Budget and Box office succes

The Hobbit desolation of smaug was given a budget of $225 million much smaller than the previous film in the series, an unexpected journey, who's budget came to $315 million. This being said the hobbit desolation of smaug was commercially successful, on the opening weekend it made back $73,645,197 the 56th most

successful opening in film and only 14 places behind it's predecessor an unexpected journey (that came in at 42). 

Since this time the film has grossed $953 million meaning it made just over 4 times it's budget. For a film to be commercially acclaimed it must make back at least 2 1/2 times it's budget.

The Hobbit Desolation of Smaug: Peter Jackson

Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, producer and screenwriter. 

He is best known as the director and producer of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003) and its prequel The Hobbit trilogy (2012–2014), which are adapted from the novels of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien. Other notable films include King Kong (2005), District 9 (2009) and The Adventures of Tintin (2011).

His production company is Wingnut Films, and his most regular collaborators are co-writers and producers Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Jackson was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2002.

 Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro wrote the screen plays for the entire Hobbit series with Guillermo del Toro initially set to direct.

My brother the devil: Sally El Hosaini

Sally El Hosaini is a British film director and screenwriter.

El Hosaini was a trainee to the late renegade theatre director, John Sichel. She began her career in Middle East documentaries and then moved to independent feature films, where she was a production coordinator for many years. She has stated that her work in television documentaries felt "formulaic", and that she found she could be more truthful in fiction.

She was the script editor/specialist researcher of the BAFTA and Emmy Award winning HBO Films/BBC Drama mini-series House of Saddam. She spent 2¹⁄₂ years in research for the series,which won a Grierson Award for best factual drama.

She received a regional BAFTA for her 2008 short film, The Fifth Bowl.

In 2009, her short film Henna Night was officially selected for the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. It was in competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and the Raindance Film Festival.

El Hosaini participated in the 2009 Sundance Directors and Screenwriters Labs, developing My Brother the Devil .

She was named one of Screen International's UK Stars of Tomorrow for 2009.

My Brother the Devil was released theatrically in 12 US cities, May 2013 and had a wide release in UK cinemas, November 2012. Further releases in Canada, Australia, New Zealand & Germany. The film screened at over 40 International Film Festivals, where it received 12 awards, 17 nominations & an Honourable Mention.

As Writer/Director of the film, El Hosaini won the Most Promising Newcomer Award at 2013 Evening Standard Film Awards, Best Screenplay at the 2013 Writer's Guild of Great Britain Awards, the Best Newcomer Award at the 2012 BFI London Film Festival and the UK New Talent Award at the British Women in Film and Television Awards in 2012. She was also nominated for the BIFADouglas Hickox award for Best Debut Film at the British Independent Film Awards and the Sutherland Trophy (Best First Film) at BFI London Film Festival.

She has been profiled by The Guardian,BBC America,IndieWire and Variety who named her a 2014 'Brit to Watch'.

My ideal reader

This is David Johnson; he is 21years old and lives in London. He enjoys hanging out with "the bro's" and often dresses casually donning one of his many hoodies and a pair of jeans. When he's not playing video games he often enjoys going to the cinema and watching the latest box office hits. In terms of films he enjoys the action and adventure genre dabbling slightly in the world of science fiction. He is rather outgoing and enjoys going to parties, carnivals and of course music festivals. With regards to music his favourite genres are rock and metal with his favourite band currently being AC DC. He is rather social and has a job that pays just above minimum wage as he lives with a flat mate he is able to use more of his money on entertainment. While this will not be the case for all the readers of my magazine people like David make up a large majority of my audience. While he has money David would be more inclined to buy a magazine if it contained “freebies” meaning when I craft my media product I will have to look closely into what is has to offer. David also has a love for comedy watching shows such as mock the week and live at the Apollo as well as having gone to many live stand-up events. He enjoys it when someone makes him laugh and says that a little wit wouldn’t go amiss.

Analysis of 3 music magazine covers

After choosing the rock genre I began to look at various rock magazine covers for inspiration. After trawling through a large variety of magazines I settled on 3 which I felt would be most beneficial to the creation of my own magazine. These magazines where Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Big Cheese.

3 example magazine covers

This magazine is a review piece in which the entire school year is analysed. The layout is extremely simple with one wideshot showing a group of drama students being placed at the top of the page. there are then 3 smaller medium shot imagesd which display aspects of student life (sports and charity work). The images are seperated by a yellow banner stating the school name and the year. It finally has a large black banner with the school logo showing. Whilst i like the choice of photo I feel that space is wasted and the large black banner is unappealing to the veiwer's eye.

The messenger is far more upbeat than the previous cover with the focal point being a women surrounded by her are work. The type is clear to read and nicely contrasts the darker backdrop. The focal point is a smiling women who's talents have "bloomed" with A level art and design.

This magazine is an Australian magazine which promotes an outdoor education. The layout of this magazine is extremely well considered with an awe-inspiring image of 3 students hiking on top of a mountain. The title is all in lowercase creating an informal feel to the magazine as well has having the main story in capital letters placed above the people. There is also a banner which most likely shows some of the other internal stories.

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