2. ■ As digital technology has taken over the world in
which we live in, it has created more opportunities for
niche, unknown businesses to become recognisable
in the media industry. It is argued that greater access
to professional cameras, social media and marketing
software is created a PULL MEDIA.This is the idea
that the audience are free to choose what is seen in
the media opposed to PUSH MEDIA which is the idea
that the media content that we consume is controlled
by mainstream products by huge corporations. For
example, pull media content includes an independent
film ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ which was created by only
using hand held devices and also in the magazine
industry, an example is ‘Pigeons and Peacocks’
magazine which was created by London College of
Fashion, demonstrating how the availability of these
technologies creates greater diversity in the media
industry. Therefore, with this in mind, I have used
numerous technologies when constructing, planning
and researching for my production. Many of the skills
have been transferred from AS, for example, my
knowledge of how to use Paint.net and presentation
software however I have also learnt how to construct
a website from scratch which has been challenge in
attempting to this new technology.
3. Search Engines
■ During my research period, I used these two major search engines that allowed me to access the
internet. Firstly, internet explorer was used at college and Firefox was used at home and I would
argue that Firefox allowed me to be more productive because the software was quicker compared to
Internet Explorer which is often slower to use. Additionally, at college ‘Internet Explorer’ is the only
accessible search engine however due to age constrictions of particular students, a lot of information
and sites are blocked. Hence, this gave me limited information so I completely a majority of my
planning at home via Firefox. However, arguably both sites were crucial as they gave me access to
reliable sources and websites that allowed me to gain a crucial understanding of the conventions of
fashion and lifestyle magazines. For example, through looking at images of other regional magazines
such as ‘Dluxe’ to gain an insight into how to make my product look exclusive through conveying that
it is regional. Additionally, at home I could access clothing websites in order to research about the
latest trends to ensure that my product was relevant.This is especially important to allowThe Uses
and GratificationsTheory to take place as individuals can build personal identity through feeling
confident that they are wearing current trends, thus, boosting their self esteem, fulfilling Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs.
4. Useful websites-Vogue, Cosmopolitan,
Sixty Nine Degrees, Style Birmingham
■ In order to gain inspiration on what fashion and lifestyle magazines look like I used
the websites above to get an idea of what the magazines looked like but also the
website layout which would create greater knowledge on how to produce a
website- thus making it appear of a higher quality to the audience Additionally, the
websites would reveal the kind of features that the websites would include so it
gave me inspiration which would allow me to make my product look more
professional. I decided to look atVogue and Cosmopolitan as they are popular
women’s magazines and are known to be of a higher quality, thus, it gave me a
greater understanding over how to make the product look prestige and allow the
audience to respect the institution.This is because it allowsThe Uses and
Gratifications Theory to take place as the reader will gain personal identity as by
reading a higher quality product, it would allow the reader to gain personal identity
and also meet Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as they will feel a sense of importance.
However, I also looked at regional magazine websites such as Sixty Nine Degrees
and Style Birmingham in order to give me inspiration and how to make the product
feel regional and exclusive to the people that live in Leicester. Therefore, I looked
at how they promoted local events and this would influence social solidarity as part
ofThe Uses and Gratifications by bringing the people of Leicester together through
allowing them to relate through popular culture.
5. Google Images
Google images were a useful technology to use in the research stages of my
production as they contributed towards my textual analysis, allowing me to
discover the do’s and don’ts of the magazine industry, to prevent my product
from appearing of a lower quality which is off putting for the reader and
discourages them from reading further through the product. Additionally, it
was useful because I gained an understanding of effective and conventional
fonts ( which is mainly the use of serif fonts), shot types ( close up with eye line
match) and also colour schemes to encourages mass engagement with the
audience so that a large demographic can be achieved, therefore increasing
recognition. Additionally, google images allowed me to look a variety of
different magazines, from mainstream magazines, student magazines (
bottom) and also regional magazine, therefore giving me a rounded view of the
expectations that my audience would have when they read my product which is
that the magazine needs to be interactive, eye catching, informative and
inspirational.The latter is an important aspect which will allowThe Dyer Star
Theory to take place as if the audience idolize the models clothing, they will see
them as a commodity and look up to their style, therefore, feel encouraged to
purchase the product in the future so that they will re-read the magazine in the
future.
6. YouTube
■ I usedYouTube in the planning stages of my production in order to gain some research on the representation
of women and also cohesive marketing campaigns- allowing me to understand how to make my product look
desirable through marketing and promotion. I firstly wanted to research the video 'SuperVenus' which I had
previously seen on Facebook and it is an indictment of the presentation of women in the media, criticizing how
they are molded to fit a certain stereotype- one that is impossible.Therefore, by finding this and placing it on
my blog, it inspired me to use 'natural' looking models to prevent the reader from feeling under pressure to
look a particular way as this can be detrimental on their hierarchy of needs, as their emotional needs are
eradicated due to a reduction in self-esteem.Additionally,YouTube was used both to upload recent updates of
my progressed which made me appear more personable but also for educational purposes, for example,
to research skills on how to use particular software.This was extremely important as it made my time
management a lot easier but also allowed me to use the skills to make the end product look more realistic and
professional.This was extremely important in allowing my product to gain a positive two step flow effect as
when the product looks of a higher quality, it is more likely to get a well-respected reputation and this will be
shared with their friends, thus, encouraging people to participate. I think if my product was successful, in the
future,YouTube could be another way for the audience to connect to the institution, through watching ‘behind
the scenes’ videos of photo-shoots in order to produce interactivity and greater engagement with the
audience.
7. Clothing websites
■ Bellow are some of the clothing and beauty websites that I looked at to gain inspiration on the latest trends and popular
beauty products. I chose to look at these brands because they are suitable to my ‘20 something’ target audience due to
being focused around popular cultures and inspired by celebrities. For example, Missguided is very glamorous and the
buyers choose a lot of club wear, thus, it is relatable to the outgoing lifestyles of my demographic.
8. Clothing websites
Using clothing websites in the research process of my production was effective
because it allowed me to get an idea of what kinds of clothing is the most
popular for my target audience and this would allow me to understand the types
of styles, cuts, fabrics and colours which would inspire my audience and make
them more likely to purchase the products.This is because it will allow the Dyer
StarTheory to take place as individuals will see someone wearing a particular
product and idolize their look, thus, repurchasing each magazine to see what the
latest look is.This consumer loyalty is what will allow my product to secure a fan
base and appear established in the industry.
Another important aspect of looking at clothing websites is that I can get an idea
of the price that the audience are willing to pay for clothing and this allowed me
to cater clothing prices to my audiences needs.This will support their financial
needs within Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs by making products affordable to the
audience.This would perhaps lead to social solidarity as part of the Uses and
GratificationsTheory as people can participate in the popular culture of the
latest trends and looks, thus preventing social exclusion. Marxists will be in
favour of this as there is no financial barrier that oppresses and restricts those of
a lower income.
9. WGSN- ( World
global style
network)
WGSN is a website that specializes in fashion and style and is a great source to discover the latest fashion events,
news and trends. As this is all available on one sight, I used it to discover current trends but also trend forecasting for
the spring season as this made my product look ahead of the game due to being aware of future styles.This is
effective to the fashion pack as these members of my audience will want to stand out, becoming trend setters rather
than a trend follower, therefore, by researching this site, it will allow my audience to gain personal identity as part of
the Uses and GratificationsTheory due to being able to prepare for next season which will make them feel a sense of
importance.
Additionally,WGSN allowed me to gain inspiration on fashion based events that will lead to interactivity, for example,
when I saw images of London Fashion Week, it inspired me to showcase ‘Leicester FashionWeek’ to allow fashion
lovers to integrate with others who have similar interests.Thus, my institution will be popular as it is community
based and specific to people in the Leicester region.
10. Presentation software
PowToon
I decided to use PowToon to present some of
my research and planning. I was aware of how
to use it as it was used in my production during
AS however as it can be slow, I only used it to
present visual research and planning such as
the cast or costumes because this research
could be more simplistic to read on PowToon
and also interactive due to slideshow motion.
PowToon was an effective way to make my
blog look more engaging due to the music that
can be inserted into a slideshow and makes it
feel more like a video opposed to a boring,
ordinary slideshow. Although this was effective,
visual and eye catching, I only used it on
numerous occasions as the slides are only 20
seconds long ( which is not enough time to read
a slide with lots of content) so it could limit
understanding, therefore, I adapted other
methods to present my research and planning.
Blogger
Every major process of my journey in
producing my magazine and ancillary
products has been posted on Blogger
which is important to connote that my
research and finding are valid which not
only symbolizes originality but also makes
my product(s) appear more reliable. I have
used the blogger presentation its self, for
example, to post recent updates and this
often reveals my own personality which is
effective as it is more inviting and relaxed
but this is often boring and creates a
sameness.Therefore, to prevent
repetition, I have embedded different
links to connote variety and to make it
appear more exciting. However, what was
extremely important when using blogger
is that the embedded posts fitted the
proportions of the blog, this had to be
changed at first because they exceeded
the length however this was important as
my posts appear more neat and efficient.
Prezi
Prezi is a presentation software which
allows you present your work as a journey
set on a particular theme. In my
production Prezi was effective when I
wanted to present detailed work in a less
conventional way, for example, when
presenting my textual analysis.This way, I
could make it legible and clear to connote
my understanding of the task whilst
making it more visual and entertaining.
One way that this made this effective is
through embeddingYouTube clips to
support my research which not only
shows a different viewing experience for
the reader but it also backs up my
research to make it more reliable and
persuasive. However, this was limiting
when using the convergence of Prezi and
YouTube at college because many
YouTube videos are blocked, thus,
limiting my access.Therefore, this is why
a lot of my research and planning took
place at home as I could work more
efficiently without any errors or
inconveniences.
11. Presentation software
Another form of presentation software that I
used was ‘emaze’ which is a PowerPoint
software however it differs from Microsoft
PowerPoint because there is greater
visualisations due to the unique transitions
between each slide, as if taken from the eyes
of a viewer scanning around a room, thus, it
creates this idea of involving the reader in the
media industry. Likewise to the other
PowerPoint software used in my production,
this was used for detailed work to show it in
an easy and simple format so that it is legible.
I could also addYouTube clips and individuals
designs and it is another way to make my
blog look more eye catching due to the
variety of different software used.
Microsoft PowerPoint although may be a basic presentation software
was important in every element of my coursework, to present clear and
informed progress throughout my production. One benefit of using
PowerPoint is that everybody is familiar with this presentation software
so it means that interactivity will be easier and prevent frustration and
confusion. However, one thing that prevented PowerPoint from being
completely engaging is that the transitions do not work when a
PowerPoint is uploaded on blogger as it must be placed onto SlideShare
first, therefore, this is why using triangulation of different presentation
methods creates a variety of different platforms for individuals to
contact with.This could be beneficial as it could educate the audience on
different methods of presenting work, therefore, reaching the aim of
informing the audience as part of the Uses and Gratifications Theory.
12. MicrosoftWord
MicrosoftWord is a platform where you can produce documents,
reports and any content in written format. For my production, this
was important and used continuously, for example, in my research it
was used to type up my transcript from my focus group, therefore it
was easily legible and clear and the numerous choices of colours
allowed me to highlight different individual responses which made it
more informative, allowing the Uses and GratificationsTheory to be
achieved as the aim of being educated is reached. I then used Zoho,
an online website to allow my transcript to be put onto blogger.
Another use of Microsoft word was to copy, paste, crop and save
screen shots as there is no other way of securing them in your own
documents, therefore, this was useful in the construction to show
evidence of my progress through screen shots which conveys that my
products are authentic and valid, again making my institution more
trust worthy to the reader- leading to a well respected reputation.
13. Survey Monkey
Survey Monkey was the perfect website to gain reliable and
representative audience research, I used this website to find
research in my production last year however I did not get many
responses as I shared it via email and therefore, it only accessed
people of a small social group which is not valid to represent a
wholesome argument.Therefore, this year I shared the link via
email, twitter and Facebook and gained a much larger response
rate which demonstrates that my understanding of how to
encourage the audience to engage allowed me research to be
more representative and trust worthy.Thus, by using this
questionnaire platform, it allowed me to gain research on
audience preferences on lifestyle, clothing and even their price
range to make the products specific to the majority of interests.
This means that the audience are more likely to purchase the
product as it will be more relatable to their needs, which is to
follow fashion, explore the nightlife scene and to socialise with
peers. I found that Survey Monkey helped me to think of a pricing
strategy which would both provide profits for the institution but
also be affordable. Conventionally regional magazines are free
however as the audience expressed that they would spend £2 (
the majority vote) I changed my plan as this also made the
product appear more luxurious which is again an attractive
selling point
14. Social Media
Social media is a crucial part of our everyday lives, a place to
find the latest news and connect with friends. For my target
audience (18 to mid 20’s) they are constantly using this, in any
moment of passing boredom as a way to fulfil their needs of
boredom and asThe Uses and GratificationsTheory
demonstrates- allowing the audience to ‘escape’ from ordinary
lives.This is arguably a positive and a negative. Nevertheless, in
my production social media was used continuously, for
example, I used Misguided’s Instagram to gain inspiration on
the mode of address they use to engage with the reader- the
use of slang created a relaxed tone, hence, this inspired me to
create a casual atmosphere in my production.Additionally, as
mentioned on the previous slide, Facebook andTwitter were
important in distributing my survey to wide demographic, to
secure a reliable response rate to make the research more
representative of the interests of my target audience.
15. Acer Laptop
The Acer laptop was used at every stage of my production and this was used to
access the internet, present my work and also use Paint.net which was
unavailable on most laptops in my college.This laptop is my own laptop and
this was again a benefit as I could save my work securely without the threat of
losing it due to the interaction of other students, therefore, it was a more
reliable source. However, again like last year, I found that the continuous use of
different software slowed down my laptop, meaning that very often it would
crash and I would lose my work and have to start again.Therefore, I need to
ensure that I am always backing up my work on another device to prevent
wasting time in my production. Although I did use the Apple Mac’s that were
available at my college, I found them more difficult and awkward to use for
numerous reasons. For example, I am not a Mac user myself so it was very
fiddly which made the process of small tasks much longer and also as the Mac
was old, it was less responsive and would often take a while to load content,
therefore, Mac’s were often used for smaller tasks that would require less use. I
used camera of this continuously to discuss final plans and I felt that this was
more effective than presenting it in a digital presentation method as I could
explain in a personable way which perhaps gives the choices greater meaning.
Additionally, I felt by using the camera I could elaborate more which is
important to back up my choices and decisions.
16. Nikon D810 Camera
iPhone 5c
In myAS production, I used this Nikon D810 camera and a phone camera however you could clearly see the distinction of
quality which made my product less continuous and some elements appeared less professional ( for example the image on
the double page spread in myAS production). However, in my A2 production, I used this camera for all of the shots in my
magazine as these are large images that needed to be of a good quality in order to promote professionalism.This image
was suitable to pick up the detail of the clothing and the makeup- something that all cameras do not show so it allows the
audience to get a clear and precise look at the model and her look.This allowsThe Dyer StarTheory to take place as the
audience are more likely to see the star as an ideology if the image is clear. Also, if the model is clear in an image, it helps
with familiarity and recognition of the brand face. Additionally, the use of a high quality camera gives the institution a
prestige reputation due to being advanced in technology- this also means that the institution appears more established
and therefore trust worthy. The camera was especially helpful when taking images of objects for my website and for my
contents page as occasionally the lighting was dark but the use of flash preventing the images from appearing dull and of
a poorer quality which is off putting for the audience.The only inconvenience of using this camera is that it had to be hired
from the schools media department and therefore could not be used freely, therefore, this is why occasionally I had to use
alternatives such as the iPhone 5c.
The iPhone 5c was used when the Nikon D810 camera could not be accessed and although the camera is of a much lower
quality (640 pixels by 1136 pixels ). I used this to take photos of the manequin for my website and also to video an
interview with a brand specialist at a high street shop and although the images are not as precise, the manequin images
are a long shot and therefore it is less recognisable than a close up shot which should make every feature clear, therefore,
when used in moderation, it does not eradicate the proffesional reputation of my product. However, one issue is that
when recording my interview, it was wobbly as I did not have a tri-pod, therefore, it made it of a poorer quality and less
precise, therefore, in the future I would ensure that the camera is stablized in order for the interview to appear more
prestige.The use of smart phones for some of my images could encourage interactivity as younger people may test their
own photography skills through using hand held mobile devices which influences pull media as the audience have greater
control over the content that they view in the media.
17. Polyvore
Polyvore is an online scrapbook that allows you to build
and create outfits on a digital mood board. Many people in
the fashion pack are probably aware of this but I found this
useful when planning the outfits for the models as the
clothing was easily accessible and even though not every
single item was the same, it gave me an idea of the look
that I was aiming for.This helped me in the planning stage
as I could get organised and prepared. However, I did end
up opposing to one outfit which was planned and perhaps
this is where Polyvore is at fault because although you can
see the outfits, clothing looks different on women with
different body shapes, something I did not take into
account when planning. In the future, I would ask the
models on the types of clothing they usually wear and feel
comfortable in, in order to make sure it suits individual
tastes and will feel more appropriate.
18. Facebook Messenger
BBCWeather
Facebook messenger is a social media platform that strands off of Facebook
and this is what allows you to chat and connect with friends. I managed to
use this in the planning stages of my production in order to contact a model
to be part of my production and plan the dates of the photoshoot.Without
this, it would have been difficult to contact and organize with the model and
therefore I would not have been able to have the look that I wanted, for
example, the model herself and the autumnal weather conditions.
Another important technology that was used in the planning stages of my
production was the use of BBC weather, to plan and predict the weather of
the date that was planned with my model Kaitlyn. Planning the weather was
extremely important as the photoshoot was intended to be outdoors so if it
was extreme weather conditions such as rain, it would have been impossible
for the photoshoot to go forward and would have possibly caused practical
problems such as damage to the camera, therefore, this is why it was
important to forecast the weather to prevent any inconveniences that could
put my production back weeks!
19. Gmail
■ Gmail is an online emailing software which allows you to contact others through
messages and unlike Facebook, you can message anyone ( as long as you know
their email address). As many institutions show their email address on the
‘contact’ hyperlink of their page it means that this is accessible to people that
want to find out information ( like myself). I used Gmail to contact Style
Birmingham, a regional magazine based in Birmingham and I emailed them
asking for advice on how to make my product catered to my Leicester audience
and how to become successful. Not only is this beneficial as it allows me to gain
expertise advise but it also means that I have made a crucial link to a
neighbouring magazine which makes the product feel more established and in
the future, this could perhaps lead to a convergence, for example, Birmingham
Style and Grace Magazine £2, like how Heat magazine and Closer do these
deals.Therefore, it would attract a wider demographic and allow my institution
to become more recognisable and popular.
20. Font Space
■ Font Space allowed me to use and find a variety of unique fonts
to use in my production and appear fresh as they contrast from
the boring standard ‘comic sans’ or ‘arial’ as this would not be
effective and make my products feel more like a document
opposed to a visual masterpiece as this would not reach the aim
of being entertained as part of the Uses and Gratifications
Theory as there would be nothing new that makes it seem more
exciting.Therefore, I founded my masthead via font space,
allowing me to use a masthead that was conventional to the
fashion industry and make my products feel more realistic to the
audience. As I needed my font to be black instead of white, it
was easy to change the colour so that it suited my colour palette
so this made it specific to my product so it appears more original
( and therefore of a higher quality) but also it remained of a
good quality- making it clear to the audience so it is more likely
to be remembered. However, I tried not to overuse font space as
some of the fonts are very elaborate and it could make the
products look too embellished and therefore lacking the
maturity that my 18- 20 something target audience desire.
21. Bar Code Creator
■ Every product that is for sale must have a bar code on it, although
this is certainly something that we never look at in detail, I still
wanted to create my own bar code so that my product looked
original and authentic and therefore must trust worthy to the
audience. Of course I could have copied and pasted the bar code
from google images however I felt that this was not creative and
lacked the individuality that a new magazine requires in order to
be respected by the audience.Therefore, I used a website called
Bar Codes Inc
(https://www.barcodesinc.com/generator/index.php) to achieve
this.This allowed me to create a bar code that does not fraud any
other company and this makes it feel like a realistic product for
sale.
22. Paint.net
■ Paint.net was the most important software used in the
construction of my magazine and billboard. I used it to
edit my pictures through changing the brightness,
sharpness and also the filtration of the pictures and this
allowed the images to look polished and neat, to appear
more professional to the target audience. Additionally,
this was a lot simpler to use than PhotoShop so it was
less time consuming however I do think that PhotoShop
is more precise in their editing so in the future, I would
perhaps find ways that PhotoShop was more accessible
to make my images look more prestige. I also used this
software to construct my pages, through creating
magazine canvases and layering each image, this made
it easy to remove unwanted items without ruining the
entire look of the product, therefore, this awareness of
using layers allowed me to remain organised. As I used
this software last year in my AS production, I felt much
more confident with the navigation of the software
which meant that ( in my opinion) my production skills
have improved due to understanding the proportions,
colours and fonts that are suitable for magazines.
23. PHOTO SHOP
Photo Shop is a photo editing software and is used by
many professional institutions. In my production, this is
my preferred use of photo editing software however as it
is not free, it made it less accessible to me.Therefore, I
tried a ‘free trial’ which was supposedly for 30 days
however this was false advertisement as after my first
trial, it told me that my trial was over!This meant that I
could not access the software anymore which is why I
used Paint.net. However, I found that the practice within
one trial was useful in building my photo editing practice
as these skills were transferred onto Paint.net which uses
similar ( but not as advanced) technology.
