Question 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I think my media product would be distributed by a smaller company due to my target audience only being small in size.

One smaller publishing company that could distribute my media product would be Imagine Publishing. There are only 20 different magazines this company distributes which are all of different genres such as SciFi Now, Now Gamer and History of War. If not a small publisher I think an independent publisher such as Clash would also be more suitable than a big company like Bauer. An independent publisher would also give more independence and freedom to the gothic sub-culture, so IPC could take my company on board.

My target audience of the Gothic sub-culture are not very large in comparison to other audiences such as Indies or hipsters, therefore a smaller company would be ideal although less magazines would be published, they would still reach out to my audience. It is rare to find a magazine like my media product which is based all upon the genre of Gothic Rock so I think my magazine would sell well for those who are interested in it.

Although my Magazine is suitable for being in stores as it uses informal language the audience would use and has a suitable image of an idol for them to be looking up to, depending on the lifestyle of my target audience and where they live, publishing would vary. If my target audience of Goths lived in more judgemental and religious parts of the country it could be dangerous for them to be seen buying my media product in a store. Therefore I think it would be best for my magazine to be distributed online. This way, as my target audience are of quite young ages, they could assess my media product better and safer. Being published online is also easier for Goths if they would rather not go outside and buy the magazine they are after.

Question 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

 

The particular social group my media product represents is the gothic sub-culture. Usually, Goths are seen as being lonely and depressed by society due to their dark clothing and heavy makeup. It could be seen as to gain attention from others but in reality Goths are happy and kind people that would rather be different from other people then follow the crowd or 'the norm'.

This particular social group range in age. Goths can be any age compared to other social groups such as hipsters who are usually younger people, but Goths most likely consist of the ages 14-mid 30's. I expect that Goths would be interested in Gothic Rock music as well as writing, reading and the

majority of artistic subjects such as drama and photography. Phychographically, Goths are aspirers of a kind who seek enlightenment within media products but society would see them more as strugglers who seek escape from reality. With this, I decided to show the gothic sub-culture more positively as I know many Goths are clever and want to achieve big things in their future, therefore I used a positive role model for my feature artist of my media product, for my target audience to look up to. Demographically Goths would come under class E as the majority are only students or workers. I think most Goths are women, therefore fashion and make up would be something they are interested in along with Gothic Rock, so I have also covered fashion in my cover lines on the front cover of my magazine. However, I think there are also many male Goths who would be interested in my media product for the music information so have included male and female artists.

I used a female role model for my Gothic audience to aspire to be like. My pictures focus a lot on my model's clothing that would interest the women. I decided to have a more medium shot for my front cover to show the landscape of gravestones in the background, of which my target audience would take an interest in. My model looks quite natural in these pictures with an expression of looking out to the distance to show her professional side. Throughout my media product I have edited the pictures black and white as I believe colours would not interest Goths so much. However, I have used a few, darker, colours to make certain things stand out. I have used mainly informal language for particular social group I am representing as they would be quite young. For my writing I have used a more interview-style for my feature article to make it more enjoyable as well as informative for my audience.

Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Drawn Drafts of My Three Products

 

Audience Questionaire results and Analysis

 

From these results it is clear that the audience for my magazine will be people of both genders but mainly females. Although it is close with this question, females are only 10% higher than males so I need to bare this in mind and use language and pictures that are suitable for both when making my media product.

 

 

These results are as I expected of my target audience. The most popular response is "16-20" so my media product will be aimed at mainly for teenagers and young adults.

 

For my media product I am going to produce a music magazine of the genre gothic rock. Rock is among the 5 most popular genres as chosen by my audience in my questionnaire as it "other" which gothic rock would be specifically associated with.

 

It is obvious that my audience would rather pay £2 for a music magazine. £2.50 is also another response that gained attention from the audience asked and so, to make a profit with my media product, I will ask for £2.50 when my target audience buy it.

 

 

The colours Black, White, Red and Purple have been chosen most by my audience for attracting them to a music magazine. I will use these colours when making my media product. My pictures will all be in black and white to fit with the gothic theme of the magazine and appeal to my audience. I will use red and purple for body text and titles to stand out against the rest.

 

 

This is a result I expected from my audience questionnaire. The house style they would rather a music magazine be published with is informal or a mixture. I will use mainly informal and a mixture of formal and informal language when appropriate throughout my media product.

 

 

It is obvious that 'Monthly' is the most answered in this question asking how often my audience would like their ideal music magazine to be published. Therefore I will definitely imply that my magazine is published monthly to appeal to my audience. 

 

 

It is clear that my audience are mostly interested in watching TV. I will attempt to include some information about shows that may appeal to them in my music magazine. Playing games and fashion are also interests of my target audience so I will also try to include these to attract them even more so.

 

Location, Props and Costume Report

For my media product I decided that a grave yard would be a fitting location to take pictures for the front cover. I decided on this location as they it is usually sociated with my target audience of the gothic sub-culture. In my pictures I took, the gravestones in the background can be seen so my audience of goths would be interested in the front cover.

I decided to use a female model on my magazine as I expect both males and females would be interested in it. I think mainly females who read my magazine more so I thought it would be best to use someone of the same gender, for them to aspire to be like. I used fashionable clothing that my target audience would be interested in and possibly wear themselves, such as patterned shorts and a fluffy overcoat.

Original Images