preliminary evaluation

For my preliminary task magazine I decided I wanted to do a magazine for Leyton Sixth Form college students so therefore I called the masthead LSC which is an abbreviation of it. It’s simple and straight to the point which is what students like and also it relates to them as that’s what they call the sixth form college. I placed the masthead in the top left corner, it is a big sized font and it is in black so that it will catch the reader’s attention as it is against a white background and white and black are contrasting colours.

 

My main image is a medium close up of a student and it is placed in the middle and in front of the masthead which is the most suitable shot as it shows there student ID and the biology book she is carrying and also connotes that at LSC the students are more important . She is using direct mode of address and she is smiling which connotes to the readers that she is a happy student and is enjoying her time at LSC.

 

My main cover line links with my main image as it talks about the person in my main image it’s the only piece of writing apart from the masthead that is on the left hand side and it is in a bigger font than the teasers so it stands out to the reader.

 

I also added teasers which inform the reader of events that are going on in the college and they will know what’s going to be inside the magazine which will make them want to look inside to find out more.

 

To do all of this I used Adobe Photoshop which I found my way around quite easily as I had used it before I asked for a bit of help to shrink my main image, however apart from that I worked things out myself and managed to get it to how I wanted it to look. My Photoshop skills still can be developed so that my music magazine can be to the best of my ability and look like a magazine that can be sold in stores.

 

My contents page matched the colour scheme of the front page so its obvious they fit together I also added the masthead in a small font in the corner of the contents page as I saw from looking at other magazines they sometimes include that. The word ‘contents’ is in black and a bigger font than the rest of the writing on the page so the reader knows instantly what page they are reading.

 

I put 2 photographs I had taken myself on the contents page below the word ‘contents’ so that the reader would be immediately drawn to those images after reading what page it is. These images are of students working I chose those 2 images for the contents page because what the students are working on looks exciting which will attract the students attention.

 

I also included the different events that will be on each page and a little description which is a code and convention for contents pages.

 

To do the contents page I used Indesign which I found quite easy to use but my skills can always be developed so I can make my magazine look even more realistic.

preliminary task contents page

preliminary task front cover

induction evaluation

                                               Evaluation

For my induction I was asked to produce a double page spread where I had do a journalistic piece of writing and include pictures, I found researching was quite easy and quick finding artists that either agreed or disagreed with illegal downloading as I had the internet as a source but that could be a weakness as I am too reliant on the internet and It would be more beneficial for me if I looked at magazines for research or any other alternative source.

 http://www.popeater.com/2009/10/21/shakira-illegal-downloading/

  This link shows what website I went on and where I got my quotes and artists from.

 

In my piece of journalism I used common elements such as; rhetorical questions, statistics and quotes. I used a rhetorical question as my subheading to get the audience thinking, to draw them in to my article and make them want to read on. I used statistics to show how many people illegally download and so the audience can visualise that amount and I used quotes to make my article more interesting and so the audience can read what the artists actually said about it. I feel for my next magazine I should add more statistics.

 

 The software I used to create my magazine was Indesign I hadn’t used it before so it was all new to me but I managed to find my way around it quite easily, so I was able to add text boxes, pictures and margins without a problem, however I would like to be able to do more on Indesign as right now I just know the basics so I can start to develop my next magazine and it will look more like one you could buy in a shop.

 

 The benefit of publishing on the web is that it’s cheaper as you don’t have to pay for copies of your magazine and for distribution. It also gives you a global audience which gives your magazine quick exposure, however this excludes people in third world countries who may not have internet and some people prefer to read magazines.

 

When I go on to make my proper magazine I would like to improve my on my layout and think properly about where I am placing images and texts and also think about what colours to use and why I’m using them. I want to develop my Indesign skills so I can make my magazine more realistic. I should also read magazines for my research instead of relying on the internet and lastly I want to improve on my journalistic skills.

 

induction magazine

illegal downloading article

You’re breaking the law!

If so many of us illegally download should it be illegal?

This whole controversy about illegal downloading is becoming a big issue but most of us do it. It’s free, quick and easy which are the three things us as human beings are drawn to. It gives underground artists exposure as people download and share their music, no one is going to pay for music they haven’t heard before that’s why people selling their mix tapes on the street have more people walking past them than people actually stopping to buy them.

Some people may say that mainstream artists miss out on the money they deserve but there are a few artists that actually support the idea of illegal downloading such as Shakira she says "I like what's going on because I feel closer to the fans and the people who appreciate the music. It's the democratisation of music in a way, and music is a gift. That's what it should be, a gift.”

Nelly Furtado is another mainstream artist that supports this idea she says "If you love music you're going to make it anyway. You'll find an audience, and you may not make like millions of dollars but you'll make enough to have a house and a family and a car." This is true a making music should be passion money is just a bonus the artists get for it.

On the other hand some people disagree with illegal downloading, singer Lily Allen states that "If what the consumer wants is good music, then they are going to have to start paying for it. The music industry is run by a bunch of f**king idiots and if you're giving those people less money they are going to invest in bands that aren't very good. The more money there is in the industry, the more they are going to have to invest in quality bands.” And she went on.

This is true as good bans aren’t getting that chance to get signed due to lack of money the music industry has which isn’t really fair as they do have a passion for music and just need chance.

There’s also the point that it is against the law and people that do it run the risk of prosecution and mainstream artists lose money as their albums or singles aren’t selling. American recording artist and entertainer Britney Spears has said that “stealing music online is as bad as stealing a CD from a store.” This is true as you don’t pay for either.

However legal or not, harmless to the music industry or not millions of people do it and they will still remain doing it because it’s free.

timetoast production schedule

http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/magazine-production-schedule