1. How are you using media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
In the research and planning stages of my product I was able to use a wide range of media technologies. These technologies enabled me to:research real newspapers and their conventions, select my demographic, select the price of my newspaper, and select the frequency of the newspaper. Media technologies also helped me design and create my Newspaper front page, inside page and poster, I was also able to write scripts, record my radio advert, and edit it. Technology also helped me learn how to use some of the programs effectively.
The Internet:
The Internet was used at all stages of the creation of my Newspaper, Poster and Radio advert.
I used search engines to research my product, even before I had decided I would be doing the newspaper I was able to research short films and how they were made. For my newspaper I researched frequency and pricing of newspapers similar to mine, I found that local newspapers are usually weekly. But because I want my newspaper to always have “up-to-date” information I decided that I want mine to be released every other day, like the South London Press. I was also able to research the prices of local newspapers which never surpass £1, because of this and the frequency of my newspaper I was able to decide that 10p is a good price for my newspaper. I also learned about my demographic using the Internet. I also was able to research my demographic, what appeals to them most, and where they are located. I learned that local newspapers are normally read by the working to lower middle class males and females with children.
Here are some pictures to give an example of my target audience (youngest at the top, oldest at the bottom) these images do not represent the ethnicity of my target audience, this is because I think that local newspapers reach out to all ethnicities within the community. Battersea has a wide range of different races and ethnicities.
I was also able to use the internet to research the layout for newspapers and the colours that are used in newspapers. I researched headlines, and the style of writing adopted by local newspapers, I learned that local newspapers often use language that is easy to understand, colloquial/every day.
When I was researching my ancillary products the internet allowed me to listen to radio adverts without having to listen to the radio, I listened to the radio anyway, but being able to listen to them online allowed me to repeat the radio advertisements as often as I needed to and notice trends such as the amount of times the name of the product is repeated. I was also able to research newspaper posters; this was very difficult because there are a very little amount of newspapers that promote using posters. They may have a plain white background that says the headline of the newspaper, but advertising in this was would not work as a way to launch the newspaper because of the lack of information given.
At all stages of creating my products I used Blogger.com to keep record of all my research, planning and production.
Image manipulation software:
Image manipulation software such as Adobe® Photoshop was very useful because during the production stages of my newspaper I was able to edit all my pictures, for example I edited the following picture:
I have used Photoshop to adjust the contrast and brightness of the image because I was told that the image is too dark in the centre. I also cropped the image to allow the woman’s smile be the focus of the picture, along with the location, which is in the background.
Layout software:
Layout software such as Adobe® InDesign was used when I was planning the layout of my newspaper cover and inside page. I also drew up some layouts but it is much clearer when they are designed on InDesign, I was able to place things directly into the layout I had created, even if just as a mock up.
Below is an example of a layout I created using InDesign.
I also used InDesign to do everything involving text. This is because the clarity of text in InDesign is much better than that of Photoshop.
I also used InDesign to create mock ups for my cover page:
I created my cover pace, inside page and poster using both InDesign and Photoshop. I used Photoshop to put all images in place, while in Photoshop I put the text there but only as a guide as to where it would go once it was in InDesign, I made sure to remove all text before putting it into InDesign. When I took it over to InDesign I was able to move all text around freely.
Below is the inside page that I created using InDesign and Photoshop:
Audio editing software:
I used Adobe Audition to edit my radio advert. This was my first time ever using this software so I did some research into how I would use the software. I found out a lot about it, such as keyboard shortcuts and what each button means
When recording the advert I had to use a studio so that the quality of sound was good, we used a microphone and microphone filter and we used ProTools when recording the sound so that we were able to cut the sound, ready for me to take into Adobe Audition in an mp3 file format.
Evaluation stages:
During the evaluation stations of this project I used Microsoft word and PowerPoint to discuss each step taken during the process of making my media product. I used the blogging website Blogger.com to create an online blog.
2. In what ways will your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My local newspaper uses a lot of typical conventions; this is mainly because as a newspaper there are not a lot of ways to break away from conventions, and still be a newspaper.
In my local newspaper I have used a similar layout to what is expected of a newspaper, at first I wanted to have the same layout as the Metro newspaper, but as my research developed I decided that this was not the best layout for a newspaper that is just launching and is only for a local community. But I did keep some aspects of its layout, such as putting the date of the newspapers release beside the name plate, and placing an advert across the bottom of the page.
I was unable to create a layout for the cover of my newspaper that includes several pictures without losing article and advertising space. I think this is because the size of paper I am using (a3) is smaller than the size
of paper that is used for a real newspaper.
On the inside page of my newspaper I tried to use as many conventions as possible. I used a similar layout and heading as we would expect to see on a real newspaper.
Another way I have used the conventions of a real local newspaper is my use of images. I have used more than one picture, as most newspapers do, and one of these pictures are linked to the headline. Although, a lot of newspapers do not link their biggest, or main, picture to their headline, I have. So I have challenged this convention, by linking my largest, or main, picture to my headline and article. I did this because I think that it is better to be able to read the headlining story on the front page, then the story can then lead the reader to the inside of the newspaper. In my opinion this is much more effective than placing a large picture on the cover but it has no significance to the article or headline, only a short caption describing what’s in the picture and which page to turn to, in order to read the article. Although, I did use this method, but for the smaller picture that was for the article on the inside page of the newspaper, I did this because I wanted to make sure that I was able to let the reader know that there is another story to read, especially because I was only able to use the cover page and the inside page.
The use of bright colours us typical for all newspapers. This is because in order to sell a newspaper it is important to make sure that it stands out from the crowd. It was also important for me to use bright colours on because the name of the newspaper is South London Shout, which suggests loudness and since this is a print based product, the best way to be loud is through the use of colours.
The font sizes I used are also typical of a local newspaper. I used large fonts, 128 for the headline and 130 for the nameplate. It is as important to use a large font as it is to use bright colours. It will help ne newspaper stand out from all the other newspapers.
A convention of local newspapers that I have challenged is the article. The article I have created is much more up-beat than the news usually featured in a newspaper. Normally, newspapers talk about crime and violence, my article is about the success of a person within the community, which should encourage people within the community to aspire to succeed.
The advertisement I have used at the bottom of my newspaper on the cover challenges the conventions of a local newspaper because I have noticed that normally the advertisements on newspapers are usually for things such as used car sales, bicycles, or carpeting. These are items that are normally seen to be ‘meant for men’, whereas my advert is for a shoe shop called ‘Berties Boots’, this can be seen as a masculine advertisement because of the name, but I have used female shoes to show that the shoe shop is mainly for females.
On the inside page of my newspaper, the advertisement breaks conventions as well. Instead of advertising a product I am advertising, advertising space. This is because the newspaper is brand new and I think that it may not have many advertisers. And it also encourages small local businesses to use this advertising space. This ultimately increases the revenue of the newspaper.
Typically, a newspaper poster does not have a picture of a person on it, but mine does. I did this because I think that it makes the newspaper identifiable. I have chosen to challenge the convention of ‘pure text’ advertising that the majority of the newspaper advertisements usedbecause I think it will make my advert stand out, also because I think people will be able to relate to a picture of a person, as opposed to pure text which they may not be able to read as the drive past the advertisement on the bus stop.
I also incorporated the ‘pure text’ advertising style of most newspaper advertisements. If the image was taken away, this advert would look similar to all the other real posters because there is just text behind it.
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