Evaluation

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

Seeing as my magazine is aimed at students aged 16-18 and is a sixth form magazine. Worldwide distribution and commercial success would not be expected. However,  seeing as there is not a dominant magazine in the Sixth Form magazine market, if my magazine is widely critically acclaimed a publisher such as IPCmedia would be preferred as a publishing house. Firstly, due to their success with starting off independent magazines into mainstream mags in the media, and their quality funding.

If my magazine was to be independent, I would get it to the target audience via ‘word of mouth’ I would put reminders in my mag, to ‘tell a friend’ if they enjoy it. Advertising at this point would be too costly. Furthermore, going by ‘word of mouth’ my magazine will be new on the market and ‘cool’. Not plagiarised by mainstream media, or big controlling customers. I will envision my target audience to see this and spread the word.

Ideally, I would want my magazine to be away from the book shelf on shops, away from other magazines. This is due, to the want of my magazine to stick out, and appeal to my target audience of 16-18. I therefore would appear my magazine at school receptions, library’s, HMV, Game shops etc. This is to filter out people who have interest elsewhere, and focus on the main place where my target audience go to.

Preliminary Magazine; Liberated Interlude.

Grotesqcue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9vfWilQX78&feature=related



Grotesque (グロテスク Gurotesuku) is a 2009 Japanese splatter horror film written and directed by Kōji Shiraishi. The film is about a sadistic doctor who tortures people for sexual stimulation. The torture scenes include a couple who were out on their first date, but kidnapped and shackled in a basement. The doctor in turn tortures and mutilates them. Initially, he punctures one's belly with a screwdriver and slices his tongue, then rapes both, one at a time, forcing the other to watch. Sometimes he stops the torture to provide medical assistance and cure the couple's wounds, so they can continue to live for a long period of time. This way he cuts off all their fingers, makes collars with them, pops out the male's right eye, removes the girl's nipples and cuts off her right arm. (see link for torture scene)


This film was considered controversial, due to the amount of torture scenes, gore and some scenes showing rape of both genders. This film was banned by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) as it was refused an 18 rating, and was quoted by BBFC director David Cook "Unlike other recent 'torture' themed horror works, such as the Saw and Hostel series. Grotesque features minimal narrative or character development and presents the audience with little more than an unrelenting and escalating scenario of humiliation, brutality and sadism.


Since this movie was banned in the UK, finding sources of audiences and reactions proved difficult. I therefore took the reviews from Imdb.com and used that as a guidline. Firstly, the majority of reviewers were, horror enthusiasts, therefore preferred readers. The movie had 6 nominations for different awards but the reviewers had mixed critical reception. One horror enthusiast wrote; ''the film was quite well shot and the acting for what it was - was good. All and all the production values are great. I wouldn't say gore wise this over-tops anything else that is out there especially from Japan (thinks Ichi the killer) but it is as full on as it can go.'' This gave me the impression that Japan had the norm of violence to this degree already, therefore being exposed and numbed to the hypodermic syringe theory. Thus, in which British audience were not ready for yet. Another reviewer states; ''m a big fan of Horror and especially import Horror movies, But this wasn't my thing at all. The new wave snuff films (or rebirth of 70's uber violent films) are just not my taste... this movie is a prime example of these pointless torture movies,'' This person is an oppossed reader as he is against the movie, quoting it as 'pointless and wasn't my thing'.

The student magazine ‘PLAYGROUND’

•The magazine is laid out, to draw attention to the fact that the season is changing. By doing this, then show two female teenagers, staying close in warm clothing and holding what appears to be hot chocolate.

•The two basic colour schemes are black and white. White representing winter; snow, christmas etc, and a slight bit of blue which can emphasise the coldness.

•Iconography; Woolly hats , scarves, gloves and snuggling close to show and emphasise again the change in weather.

•Content; Pun on ‘Playground.’ PLAY which is in a bolder font size. Pun as we wouldn’t associate ‘playground’ with students 16+ but in a younger audience. This gives the message that, ‘this is the time of your life, to have fun.’

Decomposition of a Media advert

The first thing I noticed, which drew my eyes to this advert is the sexual nature taking place within it.

Every type of Calvin Klein Jeans is being modeled. (Boot cut, Skinny, Shorts, fitted) This shows that the adverts purpose which is to advertise the product and not the brand itself, this idea is backed up by the fact that the company logo only appears once in a small font at the bottom right corner of the frame.

The Calvin Klein logo, at the bottom right, is in a 'sans serif font' This is considered to be more trendy as oppose to a serif font.

The models’ being young and seemingly sexually engaging creates a representation and gives the impression to live life to the fullest, showing how their jeans can indulge that, and possibly help you become sexually active. This subliminal message would appeal and be directed of people similar to their age group.
The advert connotes that buying the product will potentially make you sexually irresistible in attempt to convince possible clients to buy their product.

On the other hand the person, alone on the floor, not engaging with intimate activity with the others, can be a contradiction, and a balance of the product, expressing views that this product does not make you sexually irresistible. 

Questionnaire Evaluation + Update 2.0

Evaluating my magazine questionnaire. The questionnaire I produced firsthand, to give me feedback on what type of magazine, students aged 16-18 would want, did not go as to plan. Firstly, because the questions I provided, was not sufficient enough, to retrieve a clear pattern as to what students would want. Secondly, as a few errors such as the duplication of a question and the basis that some questions was irrelevant to my research.

In my second updated questionnaire I plan to design, I shall include these questions to broaden my knowledge of my target audience;

Aspirations; If my target audience aspire for the future, what they're hopes are, their dreams, what they plan to be.

Languages; This will be a question I add, as knowing what first language or if my targeted audience are bilingual. This could be beneficial, as directing a certain aspect of my magazine towards that group, will attract more people.

Hobbies/ Free time; What students do in their free time, what they like/do. This is to ensure the content in my magazine will relate, and not bore the reader.

Interactive; If people like to interact with magazines; E.g. sudoku, crosswords, word jumbles, quizzes etc.

Age; Finding out the age of the majority of my readers. For example, if most of my readers are aged 16, then content prior to university, or travel may not be in interest to them.

To spread my questionnaire, I plan to take a sample from Year 12, and Year 13 in my sixth form. I will be selecting 5 male, and 5 females, to ensure a broad range of people will be covered. I shall also be posting it to social networks; Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. This is to get the opinion of people in different cultures, and to see what their interests are and to ensure my magazine is diverse.

Magazine Questionnaire

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Y7XTDZ2

My Magazine Questionnaire. The link I have placed here, was placed on the noticeboard in the sixthform area. I shall use the results I have gathered from my research, to incorporate and improve my magazine, based on what the people want.