The uses and gratifications theory is a modernistic and humanistic approach to media it’s an optimistic approach towards audiences that assume everyone is media literate and consciously makes choices about what type of media to use, when, how and why they use it. It suggests there are four needs that explain why we consume certain types of media. It’s important that every media producer understands this theory as it allows them to successfully create and market their media products. There are many ways in which I have done this in my music magazine ‘Nu-music’.
One way in which I considered the needs of my audience was to present information in my music magazine. On the front cover I included ‘upcoming gigs and tours’ of many relevant bands to the genre of the magazine, making sure this information was relevant to the young indie audience as it would draw them in to buy the magazine and perhaps interest them to become a consumer in the future. A way in which I emphasised this information was to carefully consider the language choice; I made sure to convey the fact that the articles presented information clearly, for example ‘up and coming albums of 2010’ which explains what albums in the specific indie genre are coming up in the next few months. I also included information within the contents page such as top voted live bands and reviews on bands, this was important to include in the contents page as it gives them a chance to read up on others opinions of bands they may or may not know, and as ‘NU-Music’ specialised in up and coming bands, it gave readers a chance to see expert opinions on new bands. The interview gave information in terms of information about the artist, new tour dates and albums as this is what the target market would be looking for most in the article.
Another way that I included the needs of my audience was to consider entertainment; I did this by including a quiz ‘What 2010 summer festival is best for you?’ I included this for the key purpose of light entertainment for the audience, and I would assume that the majority of my target market often visits summer festivals they would be interested in seeing the line-ups and pictures of all the different festivals. I also included my main article as entertainment for the reader as they would be able to read up on a controversial musical character that they are familiar with. I included informal chatty language to present an entertaining read for the audience as well as interesting pictures and quotes.
In terms of personal identity I made sure that pictures were the main focus of this, I thought about the costume of the models in my images as these should reflect those of the target market. Readers may compare themselves to the models in the images, or simply take tips on what their type of ‘scene’ should be wearing and what message they should be giving out to others. To do this I considered my use of angles, lighting, mise en scene and model positioning. I used many low angles to the images and made sure I focussed on the models by making the background as natural as possible. I edited my images to change the lighting and colouring to make the images as professional and interesting as possible. I also included the ‘best dressed of ’09 award’ feature for similar reasons; so that my audience can find a sense of personal identity within how artists of their genre dress.
Social interaction was another thing I thought about including, I did this primarily through my main article. Mostly I created a sense of social interaction by writing a controversial article including such issues as drugs, relationships and music which the readers can then go on and discuss further having their own opinions and thoughts. By doing this I also created a sense of empathy with the artist as the readers were getting a first hand account of the type of feelings and experiences the artist went through. Another way in which I considered social interaction was to include many examples of new bands, new albums and reviews so that my audience may then take this information and turn it into different discussion topics.
Overall, I made sure to think about all four of these different needs of the audience and try to include these within different parts of my music magazine. I believe that in a big way it is industries that are in control of the media by including such needs as information, entertainment, personal identity and social interaction. However I also believe that it is the audiences that buy into these types of things, therefore it is both sides that contribute to what you find in the media.
Friday, 16 July 2010
‘’Digital technology turns media consumers into media producers’’ In your own experience, how has your creativity developed through using digital technology to complete your coursework productions?
The development in digital technology has allowed consumers of these specific technologies to become producers of their own original pieces. In my experience of creating a school magazine front cover and contents page and a music magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread, my creativity had developed greatly with the use of various digital technologies used in new and different ways.
Firstly my preliminary task was to create a magazine suitable for schools. I used a PC in this task to help me because of the ease of access both at school and at home and the different types of software available to help me create the magazine. An example of the software i used is Microsoft word; I used this to upload my images, text, and overall layout to create the magazine on. In this task I used little else to help me in terms of creativity and construction in the magazine, however when I came to planning and constructing my music magazine I was able to take full advantage of all different aspects of the PC software. In the planning stages in particular of the music magazine, I made use of the internet and in terms of creativity it helped me greatly to brainstorm many different ideas about typical conventions such as fonts, layouts, colour use and house style. I did this by creating mind maps of existing products. I also used Microsoft word to help planning, I created a questionnaire for the magazine to find what my target audience were looking for in a magazine.
In my preliminary task I knew little about how to make my magazine look as professional and high quality as possible, I did not include any special effects in images and did not take into consideration things such as lighting, positioning, location and mise en scene of my images. However in my main task I learnt that these aspects of images were very important to the overall effect of the magazine. One way in which I improved my images was to mind map ideas about what aspects would look best and keep to the correct genre of my magazine. I used a digital camera in both tasks but improved the images in my music magazine by taking into consideration the most important aspects of images. Such as bright lighting, dark costume and I also used post-production on my image fixer on my laptop to create the very best look for all my images.
In the school magazine I chose to use just the PC, however in the music magazine I was able to use a pen drive to quickly swap between PC and laptop as there was a wider range of software on the laptop. On the laptop I was also able to easily change the colours and layout of the magazine so that I could test what looked best and fitted with the original indie genre. Another advantage of this is that I was able to email work across and get opinions on what needs improving.
Firstly my preliminary task was to create a magazine suitable for schools. I used a PC in this task to help me because of the ease of access both at school and at home and the different types of software available to help me create the magazine. An example of the software i used is Microsoft word; I used this to upload my images, text, and overall layout to create the magazine on. In this task I used little else to help me in terms of creativity and construction in the magazine, however when I came to planning and constructing my music magazine I was able to take full advantage of all different aspects of the PC software. In the planning stages in particular of the music magazine, I made use of the internet and in terms of creativity it helped me greatly to brainstorm many different ideas about typical conventions such as fonts, layouts, colour use and house style. I did this by creating mind maps of existing products. I also used Microsoft word to help planning, I created a questionnaire for the magazine to find what my target audience were looking for in a magazine.
In my preliminary task I knew little about how to make my magazine look as professional and high quality as possible, I did not include any special effects in images and did not take into consideration things such as lighting, positioning, location and mise en scene of my images. However in my main task I learnt that these aspects of images were very important to the overall effect of the magazine. One way in which I improved my images was to mind map ideas about what aspects would look best and keep to the correct genre of my magazine. I used a digital camera in both tasks but improved the images in my music magazine by taking into consideration the most important aspects of images. Such as bright lighting, dark costume and I also used post-production on my image fixer on my laptop to create the very best look for all my images.
In the school magazine I chose to use just the PC, however in the music magazine I was able to use a pen drive to quickly swap between PC and laptop as there was a wider range of software on the laptop. On the laptop I was also able to easily change the colours and layout of the magazine so that I could test what looked best and fitted with the original indie genre. Another advantage of this is that I was able to email work across and get opinions on what needs improving.
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
How has your creativity developed throught the use of Digital Technology to complete coureswork productions?
Through my own experience of producing a preliminary magazine to a creating a music magazine, digital technology has enabled me to improve the quality of my work, widen my methods of research and enhance my final product. Without the help or use of digital technology I would have suffered long, time consuming procedures which are today considered unreliable and unprofessional.
When producing my preliminary task I experimented with digital technology trying different computer programmes, cameras and editing software. Experimenting gave me the results I needed to produce a more satisfactory product, shrinking the gap between professional and amateur work. This was also useful when it came to creating the music magazine as I knew which technologies were most appropriate for the task. I found that using a digital camera with a mega pixel of 5 or greater gave me the best results, as when I wanted to maximise or blow-up a photo the focus was still clear rather than becoming pixelated. This allowed me to create images which were zoomed, varying the different shot types as well as making the magazine more interesting on the eye. I also found that a good camera would have a long battery life which enabled me to take thirty plus photos on location without having to change batteries or having to re-schedule the day. The long battery life allowed me to take a selection of shots, some with media conventions and others which followed no particular media rule or framing. With a digital camera photos are much easier to take as you can view what you have taken, and if you wanted a particular shot made up of the rule of thirds and framing, a digital camera allows you to produce this compared to a manual camera where you would have to develop the shot in a dark room and if the photos weren’t correct you would have to re-shoot. A digital camera saves time, money and improves the overall professional effect and look of my magazine. Editing software is key in the media industry, not just music magazines, however I found that editing software for my magazine allowed me create special effects and change the colour filter in the photos if the shot wasn’t quite satisfactory. This type of technology improve the quality of photos and layout of the pages, giving the magazine a more appealing and professional style.
Computer programmes such as Microsoft word document and PowerPoint allowed me to carefully conduct my research and planning for my magazine. The easy use of both programmes and the accessibility of them, as they are on nearly every computer, saved me time especially compared to hand writing an evaluation and drawing from influences. Using the programmes I was able to create mood broads, mind maps and write ups of my findings. This helped my creative approach to the task because I could clearly see my ideas and similarities between music magazines. I found mind maps easier to produce on a computer programme such as Word because I could visually analyse my work and ideas, it was also easier for others to read my work and the clear, computer font replaces “rushed” hand writing. I found that both programmes had many different effects and extras in them and that I could create links between the style I wanted to create through my research and planning and the house style I wanted for the magazine. This was only achievable as I could not have produced such work by hand and not to the standard of a computer either.
Through out my progression from the preliminary task to the creation of the music magazine I found that the use of computers and laptops were crucial from beginning to end. The computer allowed me to save work automatically and manually, which reduced the amount of lost work or unsaved work. A laptop allowed me to transport my work from one place to another which meant when I had a new idea or free time I was able to continue with the work. The programmes on the computers also increased accuracy in analysis and made drafting a plan of the final product easier. From a simple constructed word document I was able to hand draft the front cover, contents page and double page spread of my magazine, developing my ideas as I progressed. Alongside the computers and laptop was access to the internet. The internet was vital for my primary and secondary research as the there was a huge selection of results of examples of magazine structures, layout and their house style. The choice enabled me to select the best ones for examples demonstrating influences for my magazine. The internet helped to develop my creativity as I discover music magazines and artist I haven’t heard of before which actually could have influenced my final piece.
With out the aid of digital technology my music magazine would have nearly impossible to produce to such a standard. The amount of time saved, the work managed and product enhancement by digital technology means that my creativity towards the project has been more focused as I haven’t had to worry about loosing or ruining work. Digital technology has been a huge influence on my research and planning work to producing the final product. I found that in both areas the technology was important to my creativity as it was limited by the restriction of programmes compared to hand drawing. However this meant I followed typical magazine conventions such as using the primary optical area to my advantage and placing images on lines of interception and applying the rule of thirds. I understood I had to produce I product that would sell rather than an original music magazine, and I believe that digital technology has given me a successful magazine as an example of using modern, reliable digital technology.
Sophie Binns
When producing my preliminary task I experimented with digital technology trying different computer programmes, cameras and editing software. Experimenting gave me the results I needed to produce a more satisfactory product, shrinking the gap between professional and amateur work. This was also useful when it came to creating the music magazine as I knew which technologies were most appropriate for the task. I found that using a digital camera with a mega pixel of 5 or greater gave me the best results, as when I wanted to maximise or blow-up a photo the focus was still clear rather than becoming pixelated. This allowed me to create images which were zoomed, varying the different shot types as well as making the magazine more interesting on the eye. I also found that a good camera would have a long battery life which enabled me to take thirty plus photos on location without having to change batteries or having to re-schedule the day. The long battery life allowed me to take a selection of shots, some with media conventions and others which followed no particular media rule or framing. With a digital camera photos are much easier to take as you can view what you have taken, and if you wanted a particular shot made up of the rule of thirds and framing, a digital camera allows you to produce this compared to a manual camera where you would have to develop the shot in a dark room and if the photos weren’t correct you would have to re-shoot. A digital camera saves time, money and improves the overall professional effect and look of my magazine. Editing software is key in the media industry, not just music magazines, however I found that editing software for my magazine allowed me create special effects and change the colour filter in the photos if the shot wasn’t quite satisfactory. This type of technology improve the quality of photos and layout of the pages, giving the magazine a more appealing and professional style.
Computer programmes such as Microsoft word document and PowerPoint allowed me to carefully conduct my research and planning for my magazine. The easy use of both programmes and the accessibility of them, as they are on nearly every computer, saved me time especially compared to hand writing an evaluation and drawing from influences. Using the programmes I was able to create mood broads, mind maps and write ups of my findings. This helped my creative approach to the task because I could clearly see my ideas and similarities between music magazines. I found mind maps easier to produce on a computer programme such as Word because I could visually analyse my work and ideas, it was also easier for others to read my work and the clear, computer font replaces “rushed” hand writing. I found that both programmes had many different effects and extras in them and that I could create links between the style I wanted to create through my research and planning and the house style I wanted for the magazine. This was only achievable as I could not have produced such work by hand and not to the standard of a computer either.
Through out my progression from the preliminary task to the creation of the music magazine I found that the use of computers and laptops were crucial from beginning to end. The computer allowed me to save work automatically and manually, which reduced the amount of lost work or unsaved work. A laptop allowed me to transport my work from one place to another which meant when I had a new idea or free time I was able to continue with the work. The programmes on the computers also increased accuracy in analysis and made drafting a plan of the final product easier. From a simple constructed word document I was able to hand draft the front cover, contents page and double page spread of my magazine, developing my ideas as I progressed. Alongside the computers and laptop was access to the internet. The internet was vital for my primary and secondary research as the there was a huge selection of results of examples of magazine structures, layout and their house style. The choice enabled me to select the best ones for examples demonstrating influences for my magazine. The internet helped to develop my creativity as I discover music magazines and artist I haven’t heard of before which actually could have influenced my final piece.
With out the aid of digital technology my music magazine would have nearly impossible to produce to such a standard. The amount of time saved, the work managed and product enhancement by digital technology means that my creativity towards the project has been more focused as I haven’t had to worry about loosing or ruining work. Digital technology has been a huge influence on my research and planning work to producing the final product. I found that in both areas the technology was important to my creativity as it was limited by the restriction of programmes compared to hand drawing. However this meant I followed typical magazine conventions such as using the primary optical area to my advantage and placing images on lines of interception and applying the rule of thirds. I understood I had to produce I product that would sell rather than an original music magazine, and I believe that digital technology has given me a successful magazine as an example of using modern, reliable digital technology.
Sophie Binns
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