Wednesday 18 March 2009
Saturday 17 January 2009
EVALUATION
ADVANCED PRODUCTION
For Foundation Production I participated in a project based on creating a psychological thriller. We were asked to plan and construct our own opening sequence, each of the group members had to adhere to the generic conventions of a psychological thriller in order to obtain the desired effects. After a great deal of reflection for Advanced Production I decided to do something different, which lead to the choice of producing an Islamic magazine. The product I aim to produce is aimed at both the Muslim and the Non – Muslim members of the market, which is generally unconventional of an Islamic magazine. This is what spurred me onto wanting to produce a sample magazine of this genre. The sample I am going to produce will include a front cover; a double spread contents page, an advert and two articles.
PART ONE
After careful consideration I decided to create a sample from a magazine on a very topical and debatable issue such as ‘Islam’. I chose to produce my magazine on this subject matter not only because of the passion I have for religion and Islam itself but also because of the great knowledge I acquire, as a direct result of this I also hope to distribute the information I know and wish to represent the truth in regards to Islam for the British audience in the simplest format I am accustom to as I not only feel that Islam is being shown in a format which is very difficult for the Non – Muslims to comprehend with but also negatively portrayed by the Mainstream British media. However there are very important issues I must consider before creating a magazine of this kind. The most significant being ethics, this is because if I were to portray the wrong information about the subject matter the Muslim community may feel offended.
I initially began my planning by creating a list of research, which I would need to carry out in order to produce a realistic yet accurate product. I then decided to plan out what equipment I would require in order to make my magazine, for example cameras, tri – pods and what type of software I would need. I felt that in doing this it would give me a head start on working out when I should use the equipment, which would ultimately save me valuable time. I also attended on a weekly basis the CLC at Southfields School, which is a workshop that educates young students on how to produce a magazine of high standard and excellent quality, we were taught numerous amounts of skills such as how to use the software ‘Photoshop’, how to edit our pictures and how to get the most out of them in the short time that was allocated, I felt that this was extremely beneficial as prior to attending these sessions my knowledge on how to use ‘Photoshop’ was very limited. I also never really grasped how difficult it would actually be to produce such an item as a magazine but this gave me an insight into how much effort I would need to put in to attain the goals set out.
I felt that the audience research was pivotal to the success of my project, as I needed to be aware of what both my target audience and the niche market I am aiming my product at wanted to gain out of my magazine. This not only gave me an insight into what I must produce, but also as to what type of media consumption my audience are already involved in. I also constructed questionnaires because I felt that this would provide me with an insight into what the Muslims already know about their own religion and how they feel information regarding their religion is being represented by the British Media.
I originally carried out three pieces of audience research; I created various types of questionnaires and ended up distributing them to both my specific target audience which are Muslims, the information distributed to this particular target group by the Islamic mainstream providers is exact, however my niche audience which is the Non – Muslims are not being targeted correctly by the British media or the Islamic mainstream providers. I also created a schedule and a day-by-day diary, I felt that in doing so I would be able to refer to each step by step process and it would hopefully help me manage my time more efficiently. The results I obtained were very similar in the way that the Muslims I had questioned seem to know a great deal about their religion, so the media consumption they receive would not have the same effect on them. However the Non – Muslims I had questioned do not seem to know a great deal about Islam, which means that the Non – Muslim market would be effected by the representation of Islam through the British media. It also seems that both Muslims and Non – Muslims agree that the British Media is depicting Islam in a very negative manner and the term ‘TERRORIST’ was used on nine separate occasions in the way that both Non – Muslims and Muslims felt Islam was being portrayed. This denotes that the British Media institutions are representing Islam a negative light and is a good example of Cultural Imperialism, another example of this is a mixture of recent research projects prepared by members of an expert panel who examined published newspaper articles and the results had revealed a torrent of negative stories and widespread prejudice. According to a report published, research into one week's news coverage alone showed that 91% of articles in national newspapers about Muslims were negative in tone and content; this goes hand in hand with both the magazine and the advert I have created which questions the media consumption both my target audience and my niche audience are receiving.
The second piece of audience research that I undertook was to show the audience two very different front covers; one was from ‘Al Jumuah’ and the other from ‘Emel’. The ideology behind this was to get a view on what was thought about the only two Islamic paper based magazines that exist to my knowledge. However I must carefully consider the ethics involved as I must produce a product which is truthful yet careful. I discovered doing this very beneficial to my assignment as the two front covers varied so I was not only able to explore all options and all ideas but also to deconstruct them to not only get the best out of both the Islamic genres and lifestyle based magazines but also to hit the generic conventions. I used the two front covers to generate opinions from my target audience and audiences in general. I then converted my findings into a series of graphs to make my results much more visual which resulted in them being easier on the eye. I hope that my magazine, which is aimed at both Non - Muslims and Muslims will give everyone an insight into the real Islam and will hopefully change the Non - Muslims perceptions.
I intend to gain the attention of the Non – Muslim audience members by using celebrities on the front cover and throughout my Magazine, which is something that ‘Emel’ has done successfully. I wish to incorporate this approach into my magazine, as this would make my magazine more appealing to a wider selection of the audience rather than just a niche one. Another element I wish to incorporate will be to use straightforward language so that the wider audience is able to consume the information with ease, I will also use a great deal of imagery, as this would take the main focal point away from the language used within the magazine as the vocabulary may sometimes be specific to Muslims only. I then proceeded with the institutional research which was based on my two chosen magazines ‘Al Jumuah’ and ‘Emel’ magazine, I chose these two magazines as these were the only two paper based magazines to my knowledge. I found out that out of the two magazines Al – Jumuah was the more serious; the masthead used when defined means ‘prayer’, there is also a crescent moon within the masthead which instantly denotes a serious element to the magazine, whereas in contrast Emel is more of a lifestyle magazine as they have cover stars on the front of their magazines and the main stories are generally about the celebrities on the front rather than the religion. I also learned that ‘Emel’ magazine is a British lifestyle magazine that celebrates contemporary British Muslim culture, the editor of the magazine was a catholic as a youngster but converted to Islam, however she did lecture on Islam both within the U.K and internationally and It was the first mainstream Muslim magazine in the U.K to also target Non – Muslim readership. ‘Al – Jumuah’ has offices based within the United States, United Kingdom, one in Africa, India and Saudi Arabia. Their main aim is to address the religious concerns of Muslim families; they also suggest that they base their monthly magazine on the Quran, the Sunnah and the hadith, which denotes the seriousness of the magazine. I am hoping to base my magazine on ‘Emel’ as it is the less serious brand out of the two in question and I feel that in order to reach a wider audience and attain my goals I must follow this approach.
For my product research I scrutinized two existing magazines from both ‘Emel’ and ‘Al Jumuah’, which helped me a great deal as I got a chance to see the type of front covers they produce, what the contents pages looked like and what kind of articles they make, I found that ‘Al – Jumuah’ is the more serious magazine out of the two and is a specific religious magazine whereas ‘Emel’ is more of a lifestyle magazine which covers religious issues, the use of a cover star for ‘Emel’ is also key as this denotes a less serious nature whereas with ‘Al – Jumuah’ it suggests the opposite as no cover star is used, ‘Al – Jumuah’ only use graphic religious imagery relating to the specific topics. I also found that ‘Al – Jumuah’ was mainly aimed at the Muslim market as the language within the magazine is a lot of the time Islamic based, whereas in contrast the language used within ‘Emel’ is very simple yet effective. Also in ‘Al – Jumuah’ the use of the black and white font suggests simplicity and that the image is not the most important element of the magazine but the content within the magazine is which is fairly similar to my ideology. The tagline within the magazine is a personal pronoun to engage the audience and finally the fatawa at the bottom could again put emphasis on the seriousness of the magazine and the religious factor of the magazine rather than a lifestyle factor. Whereas in contrast in ‘Emel’ the masthead is being blocked by the cover star which could suggest the importance of the cover which could also take the audiences focal point away from the magazine and its content to the cover star, this could also denote that the magazine is well known across the world, there is also a certain use of color code throughout the magazine which suggests an element of seriousness, the colors used are red, white and black. Finally the tagline suggests that it is not only a religious magazine but also a lifestyle one as well. All of the above information gave me an insight into the type of quality pieces I must aim to manufacture.
PART TWO
My specific aim was to manufacture a media text, which not only represents Islam in an accurate manner but also adheres to the generic conventions of both a lifestyle and religious magazine. In order to obtain these objectives I had to pay cautious attention to the ethics involved as I established that Muslims would be offended if I were to distribute inaccurate information regarding Islam. I had initially decided to name my magazine ‘the thin lines between truth and beauty’, but after careful consideration I felt that this was quite an extensive title so I decided to change it to ‘the lines between truth and beauty’. This denotes Islam as both truthful and beautiful, which is a complete contrast to the way in which it is being depicted by the British media. The sell-line I have selected is ‘live a life of unity not hatred’, I decided to choose this sell-line as it suggests unity for both Muslims and Non – Muslims all around the globe and because I wanted to establish a bond between the two religions, it also implies peace, coming from the word Salam which originally derives from the word Islam.
For my front cover I chose to use a mid - shot of my celebrity looking up towards the right, I felt that this showed my celebrity looking up to something higher than himself and that this takes the main focal point away from his celebrity status and shows that he is nothing in comparison to God, which is a key concept within. He is also dreaming about a future in boxing with the headline “dreams can come true: from the alleys of Accrington to the arena of Alabama”, I believe that the use of alliteration is pivotal in creating meaning and enticing an audience of all kinds as it is catchy yet accurate. This is the same celebrity that will feature throughout my magazine. The celebrity in question was impersonating a boxing legend who is probably the most famous Islamic convert. I felt that I had to alter the image from colour to black and white not only to make the image seem more timeless and because of a higher production value but also because I felt that this effect worked well with the rest of my magazines colour scheme and style. The colour scheme I have chosen to employ throughout my magazine is black, white, yellow and blue, I believe that this connotes simplicity yet seriousness I have kept the rest of the magazines colours simple. In doing this it suggests that the main focal point should be on the content rather than the aesthetics. The typography is both distinctive yet abrupt as it seems to clash with the rest of the colour scheme of my magazine; I have decided to use yellow as it stands out. I came to the conclusion that this would be a respectable colour to use as it stands out and catches the audience’s eye and is serious yet enticing. I decided to use images of people, which is different to some of the religious magazines I have deconstructed, I believe that in doing this it enabled my audience to interact more with the magazine and it got the point of the magazine across with ease. I felt that in not using images I would be portraying the magazine to be too serious, thus resulting in putting some of the Non – Muslim readers off. I have tried to keep the magazine consistent throughout so that it is constantly recognisable by producing the same colour scheme throughout my magazine, using the same fonts, the use of the title at the bottom of every page and finally by trying to position things within the page in similar places.
If my magazine were to be placed on the shelf, I believe it would be issued weekly as I felt that the demand for this type of genre was high as there is a niche gap within the market for this kind of magazine as the content within the magazine is both educational and entertaining, I will use a vast amount of imagery throughout and keep the language within the article fairly simple, I also felt that the use of a celebrity figure would be key to the success of my magazine especially to the Non – Muslims members of the audience. Another element that affected my decision regarding the price was that the majority of the audience suggested they would pay £1.99 for this type of magazine.
After careful consideration I came to a decision to make my contents page a double spread. This was because I felt that this would not only make it more spacious but also it would be easier on the eye. Another benefit was that it would allow me to be able to use additional pictures, which would entice a wider variety of audience. I had been inspired by ‘Emel’ magazine, which had incorporated similar yet diverse ideas to mine. After scrutinizing ‘Emel’ and paying particular attention to the contents page I found out that they use clear and enlarged fonts, I have decided to include this idea into my magazine, another addition I have made is to enlarge the numbers on top of each picture and changed the colours to yellow, this connotes that my magazine will not only be easier on the eye but also will look more professional. I have also broken up the contents page into five various sections which are as follows: cover story, additions, features, sports, cars and gadgets and life, I have decided to subvert the generic conventions of an Islamic magazine as I felt that these categories were not only essential to hold the Non – Muslims attention but also because I felt that my magazine was going to be a lifestyle one as well and that these are essential to lifestyle magazines. The images used are both large and spacious. On the images I have entitled the numbers, which have been changed to yellow, I have done this to emphasise the similarity between the title on the front cover and to emphasise a reoccurring theme throughout. Another key element is that throughout the contents page, as I stated a story I would put arrows adjacent to the writing, which points in the direction of the image. This links both the story and the picture. For the article ‘the real meccah’, I have placed it on page number ‘99’. I have done this on purpose to symbolise the 99 names of God, which connotes the seriousness and religious elements of the magazine. I came up with the decision to construct an advert which involved the media consumption we receive concerning Palestine; the ideology behind this was to create awareness regarding the type of media the British public consume on a subject of such a debatable event, which affects the world. My aim was for the British public to question the Media consumption they receive and to possibly label it as accurate or inaccurate. The simple question I posed to the readers of my magazine was ‘do they feel the media consumption they receive on Palestine is a window on the world or a mirror’, this questions raises all kinds of issues. I simply wanted to put forward the question are we being shown the reality or what they want us to see. I have also used the slogan “Palestinian people are just dieing to live’. This slogan touches hearts all around the world and effects millions as the ironic nature of this line suggests that they wish to live yet they are dieing, this line puts emphasises on the word dieing, which is a key element. This is good use of shock tactics; which makes people think about the situation and sends a powerful message across. The overall objective of the advert is to try to gain opinions on what type of media consumption we receive and also for us to be aware of it as well. I believe that this was a remarkable idea as this consensus ties in with the whole theme and basis of my magazine, which regards the topic of media consumption throughout.
I made the decision to produce two articles; the first was based on a celebrity boxer called ‘Yusuf Joe Khalid’. The idea behind this article was to attract the Non – Muslim readers by using a celebrity figure within my magazine. I initially wanted to formulate an article on the legend himself ‘Muhammad Ali’, but later found out that in order for me to meet the criteria I was unable to do so. I also came to a decision to place a big image at the front of my article, showing the boxer punching the camera in an extreme close up. I felt that this was a great shot, which showed the depth of field tremendously as this makes the audience seem as if they can instantly recognise who he is and it is as if he is almost playing with the audience, which then creates a relationship between them. I also used shots of the boxer in a community centre with other kids, I felt this was beneficial as this showed the type of influential figure that he is. I used a long shot of him walking away from the camera towards the end of the interview which reiterates the interview coming to a close. For the final article I decided to base it on two very different people one was a Non – Muslim lady and the other was Muslim lady, I started by introducing the two people in question and to take away the serious factor of the magazine I decided to put some funny facts about both, which reiterates and denotes the less seriousness nature of the magazine. The ideology behind this was for both people to put questions forward to one another about their religions and have a friendly debate. I had seen this idea within the magazine called ‘observer woman magazine’ and decided to incorporate it within my magazine as I felt that it would help promote understanding between two similar yet distinctly diverse religions and possibly create harmony for all world religions. I have put the Muslims questions and answers to the left of the page and the Non - Muslim questions and answers to the right of the second page, which reflects the way in which Arabic is written from the right to left, I felt that this gave it a very vibrant and desired effect, I also took into account the content which I was producing as well and the language within both articles was fairly simple as I believe that all audiences would be able to understand it with ease.
PART THREE
My main objective for this project was for the pieces I created to be as successful as the media products on the shelves, in addition to having similar traits to ‘Emel’ yet encompassing its own identity. I believe that each page has adhered to the generic conventions of both a lifestyle and religious magazine in its own right as the content within the magazine varies from interviews with celebrities to looking at ‘the real Meccah’, I believe that the content I have produced is accurately aimed at the Non – Muslim and Muslim members of the audience. Once I had completed producing my magazine I decided to create audience feedback sessions, which entailed me giving my finished pieces to diverse members of the audience such male Muslims, male Non – Muslims, female Muslims and female Non – Muslims. This gave them the chance to analyse the samples I had given them and in return for them to give me feedback on what they thought. The feedback I received was mainly positive as many members of the audience who were not media students themselves or had never really studied media recognised the elements and the connotations behind each of the pieces. The first member of the audience I questioned was a Muslim male who suggested that my front cover was different as the majority of the colours used were relatively simple in black and white; this person also stated that the contents page was easy on the eye and very realistic. The second person I questioned who was a Non – Muslim female suggested that my advert was accurately stunning as the ideology behind it was clear yet affective, however they felt that the colour scheme used could take away the seriousness of the advert and the whole magazine. I then showed a Muslim female the two articles I created, she suggested that the first one was excellent and that it adhered to the conventions a generic article, she had also noticed the reoccurring colour scheme throughout and had suggested that the layout was fantastic and yet again easy on the eye. On the second article she suggested that this didn’t really seem to tie in with the rest of the magazine with reference to production value as she felt it looked a little rushed. I then showed a Non – Muslim male the contents page of the magazine and he suggested that the language used was simple to understand and that the pages were uncluttered.
The next person I questioned was a Non – Muslim male who also suggested that I should use more colour throughout the magazine as the current sample suggests lack of capital.
With regards to content within the magazine I questioned a Non – Muslim male who suggested that the content was simple and easy to understand and although there were some terms which may have been difficult to understand the majority of the content was easy, I then questioned a Muslim female and asked her if the content used within my magazine may be offensive or if I have depicted Islam in an incorrect manner, she suggested that the content was accurate and that my magazine was not offensive, I then asked a Non – Muslim male about the celebrity who was on the front cover, I asked him if using a celebrity would make him purchase this type of magazine he suggested that it would help him in his decision and the final question I asked the audience was if they could suggest any improvements, one person suggested that I should have spent more time of the second article and another suggested that I use more colours rather than just sticking to the simple colour scheme, although I wanted to do this to push the focal point away from the aesthetics and more on the content within the magazine.
I believe that the majority of the work turned out the way I wanted it to. However following feedback from the audience members I questioned and after careful consideration I felt that the front cover lacked a little colour although I intended to produce magazine that way as I wanted to focus more on the content rather than the image, I also felt that the second article was a little rushed. The software was very new to me so I felt that it took me a little longer than most to complete the task required. This may have also affected the overall product quality. Another major problem was finding time slots for both my model and myself. However we both managed to find solutions to this inconvenience and as a result I decided to select a model that had the same schedule as me which had benefited me. Another problem I was having was the picture quality and I needed to take extra precautions when taking shots as I needed to use a high-resolution camera as I found that the first images I took when imported into Photoshop were a little pixelated but this was easily rectified.
My overall objective was to produce a magazine that depicts Islam in a truthful yet simple manner, which could be understood by all types of religions and not just Muslims.
I had found that in order to cater for all types of audience I needed to produce a magazine that not only contained simple language that all types of audience would understand and feel comfortable with but also something that would appeal to the Non – Muslim market. Upon first thought I found this difficult to adhere to, but after careful consideration I felt that I had found the solution, which was to use a celebrity figure, this would draw the Non – Muslim market towards my magazine and would enable them to read freely about Islam and allow them to understand Islam in the way that it should be rather than the way in which it is being depicted currently by the British media. I believe that these grounds set my magazine apart from the rest and make it a truly unique experience.
By Ahmad Farhat
Bibliography:
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/6239
For Foundation Production I participated in a project based on creating a psychological thriller. We were asked to plan and construct our own opening sequence, each of the group members had to adhere to the generic conventions of a psychological thriller in order to obtain the desired effects. After a great deal of reflection for Advanced Production I decided to do something different, which lead to the choice of producing an Islamic magazine. The product I aim to produce is aimed at both the Muslim and the Non – Muslim members of the market, which is generally unconventional of an Islamic magazine. This is what spurred me onto wanting to produce a sample magazine of this genre. The sample I am going to produce will include a front cover; a double spread contents page, an advert and two articles.
PART ONE
After careful consideration I decided to create a sample from a magazine on a very topical and debatable issue such as ‘Islam’. I chose to produce my magazine on this subject matter not only because of the passion I have for religion and Islam itself but also because of the great knowledge I acquire, as a direct result of this I also hope to distribute the information I know and wish to represent the truth in regards to Islam for the British audience in the simplest format I am accustom to as I not only feel that Islam is being shown in a format which is very difficult for the Non – Muslims to comprehend with but also negatively portrayed by the Mainstream British media. However there are very important issues I must consider before creating a magazine of this kind. The most significant being ethics, this is because if I were to portray the wrong information about the subject matter the Muslim community may feel offended.
I initially began my planning by creating a list of research, which I would need to carry out in order to produce a realistic yet accurate product. I then decided to plan out what equipment I would require in order to make my magazine, for example cameras, tri – pods and what type of software I would need. I felt that in doing this it would give me a head start on working out when I should use the equipment, which would ultimately save me valuable time. I also attended on a weekly basis the CLC at Southfields School, which is a workshop that educates young students on how to produce a magazine of high standard and excellent quality, we were taught numerous amounts of skills such as how to use the software ‘Photoshop’, how to edit our pictures and how to get the most out of them in the short time that was allocated, I felt that this was extremely beneficial as prior to attending these sessions my knowledge on how to use ‘Photoshop’ was very limited. I also never really grasped how difficult it would actually be to produce such an item as a magazine but this gave me an insight into how much effort I would need to put in to attain the goals set out.
I felt that the audience research was pivotal to the success of my project, as I needed to be aware of what both my target audience and the niche market I am aiming my product at wanted to gain out of my magazine. This not only gave me an insight into what I must produce, but also as to what type of media consumption my audience are already involved in. I also constructed questionnaires because I felt that this would provide me with an insight into what the Muslims already know about their own religion and how they feel information regarding their religion is being represented by the British Media.
I originally carried out three pieces of audience research; I created various types of questionnaires and ended up distributing them to both my specific target audience which are Muslims, the information distributed to this particular target group by the Islamic mainstream providers is exact, however my niche audience which is the Non – Muslims are not being targeted correctly by the British media or the Islamic mainstream providers. I also created a schedule and a day-by-day diary, I felt that in doing so I would be able to refer to each step by step process and it would hopefully help me manage my time more efficiently. The results I obtained were very similar in the way that the Muslims I had questioned seem to know a great deal about their religion, so the media consumption they receive would not have the same effect on them. However the Non – Muslims I had questioned do not seem to know a great deal about Islam, which means that the Non – Muslim market would be effected by the representation of Islam through the British media. It also seems that both Muslims and Non – Muslims agree that the British Media is depicting Islam in a very negative manner and the term ‘TERRORIST’ was used on nine separate occasions in the way that both Non – Muslims and Muslims felt Islam was being portrayed. This denotes that the British Media institutions are representing Islam a negative light and is a good example of Cultural Imperialism, another example of this is a mixture of recent research projects prepared by members of an expert panel who examined published newspaper articles and the results had revealed a torrent of negative stories and widespread prejudice. According to a report published, research into one week's news coverage alone showed that 91% of articles in national newspapers about Muslims were negative in tone and content; this goes hand in hand with both the magazine and the advert I have created which questions the media consumption both my target audience and my niche audience are receiving.
The second piece of audience research that I undertook was to show the audience two very different front covers; one was from ‘Al Jumuah’ and the other from ‘Emel’. The ideology behind this was to get a view on what was thought about the only two Islamic paper based magazines that exist to my knowledge. However I must carefully consider the ethics involved as I must produce a product which is truthful yet careful. I discovered doing this very beneficial to my assignment as the two front covers varied so I was not only able to explore all options and all ideas but also to deconstruct them to not only get the best out of both the Islamic genres and lifestyle based magazines but also to hit the generic conventions. I used the two front covers to generate opinions from my target audience and audiences in general. I then converted my findings into a series of graphs to make my results much more visual which resulted in them being easier on the eye. I hope that my magazine, which is aimed at both Non - Muslims and Muslims will give everyone an insight into the real Islam and will hopefully change the Non - Muslims perceptions.
I intend to gain the attention of the Non – Muslim audience members by using celebrities on the front cover and throughout my Magazine, which is something that ‘Emel’ has done successfully. I wish to incorporate this approach into my magazine, as this would make my magazine more appealing to a wider selection of the audience rather than just a niche one. Another element I wish to incorporate will be to use straightforward language so that the wider audience is able to consume the information with ease, I will also use a great deal of imagery, as this would take the main focal point away from the language used within the magazine as the vocabulary may sometimes be specific to Muslims only. I then proceeded with the institutional research which was based on my two chosen magazines ‘Al Jumuah’ and ‘Emel’ magazine, I chose these two magazines as these were the only two paper based magazines to my knowledge. I found out that out of the two magazines Al – Jumuah was the more serious; the masthead used when defined means ‘prayer’, there is also a crescent moon within the masthead which instantly denotes a serious element to the magazine, whereas in contrast Emel is more of a lifestyle magazine as they have cover stars on the front of their magazines and the main stories are generally about the celebrities on the front rather than the religion. I also learned that ‘Emel’ magazine is a British lifestyle magazine that celebrates contemporary British Muslim culture, the editor of the magazine was a catholic as a youngster but converted to Islam, however she did lecture on Islam both within the U.K and internationally and It was the first mainstream Muslim magazine in the U.K to also target Non – Muslim readership. ‘Al – Jumuah’ has offices based within the United States, United Kingdom, one in Africa, India and Saudi Arabia. Their main aim is to address the religious concerns of Muslim families; they also suggest that they base their monthly magazine on the Quran, the Sunnah and the hadith, which denotes the seriousness of the magazine. I am hoping to base my magazine on ‘Emel’ as it is the less serious brand out of the two in question and I feel that in order to reach a wider audience and attain my goals I must follow this approach.
For my product research I scrutinized two existing magazines from both ‘Emel’ and ‘Al Jumuah’, which helped me a great deal as I got a chance to see the type of front covers they produce, what the contents pages looked like and what kind of articles they make, I found that ‘Al – Jumuah’ is the more serious magazine out of the two and is a specific religious magazine whereas ‘Emel’ is more of a lifestyle magazine which covers religious issues, the use of a cover star for ‘Emel’ is also key as this denotes a less serious nature whereas with ‘Al – Jumuah’ it suggests the opposite as no cover star is used, ‘Al – Jumuah’ only use graphic religious imagery relating to the specific topics. I also found that ‘Al – Jumuah’ was mainly aimed at the Muslim market as the language within the magazine is a lot of the time Islamic based, whereas in contrast the language used within ‘Emel’ is very simple yet effective. Also in ‘Al – Jumuah’ the use of the black and white font suggests simplicity and that the image is not the most important element of the magazine but the content within the magazine is which is fairly similar to my ideology. The tagline within the magazine is a personal pronoun to engage the audience and finally the fatawa at the bottom could again put emphasis on the seriousness of the magazine and the religious factor of the magazine rather than a lifestyle factor. Whereas in contrast in ‘Emel’ the masthead is being blocked by the cover star which could suggest the importance of the cover which could also take the audiences focal point away from the magazine and its content to the cover star, this could also denote that the magazine is well known across the world, there is also a certain use of color code throughout the magazine which suggests an element of seriousness, the colors used are red, white and black. Finally the tagline suggests that it is not only a religious magazine but also a lifestyle one as well. All of the above information gave me an insight into the type of quality pieces I must aim to manufacture.
PART TWO
My specific aim was to manufacture a media text, which not only represents Islam in an accurate manner but also adheres to the generic conventions of both a lifestyle and religious magazine. In order to obtain these objectives I had to pay cautious attention to the ethics involved as I established that Muslims would be offended if I were to distribute inaccurate information regarding Islam. I had initially decided to name my magazine ‘the thin lines between truth and beauty’, but after careful consideration I felt that this was quite an extensive title so I decided to change it to ‘the lines between truth and beauty’. This denotes Islam as both truthful and beautiful, which is a complete contrast to the way in which it is being depicted by the British media. The sell-line I have selected is ‘live a life of unity not hatred’, I decided to choose this sell-line as it suggests unity for both Muslims and Non – Muslims all around the globe and because I wanted to establish a bond between the two religions, it also implies peace, coming from the word Salam which originally derives from the word Islam.
For my front cover I chose to use a mid - shot of my celebrity looking up towards the right, I felt that this showed my celebrity looking up to something higher than himself and that this takes the main focal point away from his celebrity status and shows that he is nothing in comparison to God, which is a key concept within. He is also dreaming about a future in boxing with the headline “dreams can come true: from the alleys of Accrington to the arena of Alabama”, I believe that the use of alliteration is pivotal in creating meaning and enticing an audience of all kinds as it is catchy yet accurate. This is the same celebrity that will feature throughout my magazine. The celebrity in question was impersonating a boxing legend who is probably the most famous Islamic convert. I felt that I had to alter the image from colour to black and white not only to make the image seem more timeless and because of a higher production value but also because I felt that this effect worked well with the rest of my magazines colour scheme and style. The colour scheme I have chosen to employ throughout my magazine is black, white, yellow and blue, I believe that this connotes simplicity yet seriousness I have kept the rest of the magazines colours simple. In doing this it suggests that the main focal point should be on the content rather than the aesthetics. The typography is both distinctive yet abrupt as it seems to clash with the rest of the colour scheme of my magazine; I have decided to use yellow as it stands out. I came to the conclusion that this would be a respectable colour to use as it stands out and catches the audience’s eye and is serious yet enticing. I decided to use images of people, which is different to some of the religious magazines I have deconstructed, I believe that in doing this it enabled my audience to interact more with the magazine and it got the point of the magazine across with ease. I felt that in not using images I would be portraying the magazine to be too serious, thus resulting in putting some of the Non – Muslim readers off. I have tried to keep the magazine consistent throughout so that it is constantly recognisable by producing the same colour scheme throughout my magazine, using the same fonts, the use of the title at the bottom of every page and finally by trying to position things within the page in similar places.
If my magazine were to be placed on the shelf, I believe it would be issued weekly as I felt that the demand for this type of genre was high as there is a niche gap within the market for this kind of magazine as the content within the magazine is both educational and entertaining, I will use a vast amount of imagery throughout and keep the language within the article fairly simple, I also felt that the use of a celebrity figure would be key to the success of my magazine especially to the Non – Muslims members of the audience. Another element that affected my decision regarding the price was that the majority of the audience suggested they would pay £1.99 for this type of magazine.
After careful consideration I came to a decision to make my contents page a double spread. This was because I felt that this would not only make it more spacious but also it would be easier on the eye. Another benefit was that it would allow me to be able to use additional pictures, which would entice a wider variety of audience. I had been inspired by ‘Emel’ magazine, which had incorporated similar yet diverse ideas to mine. After scrutinizing ‘Emel’ and paying particular attention to the contents page I found out that they use clear and enlarged fonts, I have decided to include this idea into my magazine, another addition I have made is to enlarge the numbers on top of each picture and changed the colours to yellow, this connotes that my magazine will not only be easier on the eye but also will look more professional. I have also broken up the contents page into five various sections which are as follows: cover story, additions, features, sports, cars and gadgets and life, I have decided to subvert the generic conventions of an Islamic magazine as I felt that these categories were not only essential to hold the Non – Muslims attention but also because I felt that my magazine was going to be a lifestyle one as well and that these are essential to lifestyle magazines. The images used are both large and spacious. On the images I have entitled the numbers, which have been changed to yellow, I have done this to emphasise the similarity between the title on the front cover and to emphasise a reoccurring theme throughout. Another key element is that throughout the contents page, as I stated a story I would put arrows adjacent to the writing, which points in the direction of the image. This links both the story and the picture. For the article ‘the real meccah’, I have placed it on page number ‘99’. I have done this on purpose to symbolise the 99 names of God, which connotes the seriousness and religious elements of the magazine. I came up with the decision to construct an advert which involved the media consumption we receive concerning Palestine; the ideology behind this was to create awareness regarding the type of media the British public consume on a subject of such a debatable event, which affects the world. My aim was for the British public to question the Media consumption they receive and to possibly label it as accurate or inaccurate. The simple question I posed to the readers of my magazine was ‘do they feel the media consumption they receive on Palestine is a window on the world or a mirror’, this questions raises all kinds of issues. I simply wanted to put forward the question are we being shown the reality or what they want us to see. I have also used the slogan “Palestinian people are just dieing to live’. This slogan touches hearts all around the world and effects millions as the ironic nature of this line suggests that they wish to live yet they are dieing, this line puts emphasises on the word dieing, which is a key element. This is good use of shock tactics; which makes people think about the situation and sends a powerful message across. The overall objective of the advert is to try to gain opinions on what type of media consumption we receive and also for us to be aware of it as well. I believe that this was a remarkable idea as this consensus ties in with the whole theme and basis of my magazine, which regards the topic of media consumption throughout.
I made the decision to produce two articles; the first was based on a celebrity boxer called ‘Yusuf Joe Khalid’. The idea behind this article was to attract the Non – Muslim readers by using a celebrity figure within my magazine. I initially wanted to formulate an article on the legend himself ‘Muhammad Ali’, but later found out that in order for me to meet the criteria I was unable to do so. I also came to a decision to place a big image at the front of my article, showing the boxer punching the camera in an extreme close up. I felt that this was a great shot, which showed the depth of field tremendously as this makes the audience seem as if they can instantly recognise who he is and it is as if he is almost playing with the audience, which then creates a relationship between them. I also used shots of the boxer in a community centre with other kids, I felt this was beneficial as this showed the type of influential figure that he is. I used a long shot of him walking away from the camera towards the end of the interview which reiterates the interview coming to a close. For the final article I decided to base it on two very different people one was a Non – Muslim lady and the other was Muslim lady, I started by introducing the two people in question and to take away the serious factor of the magazine I decided to put some funny facts about both, which reiterates and denotes the less seriousness nature of the magazine. The ideology behind this was for both people to put questions forward to one another about their religions and have a friendly debate. I had seen this idea within the magazine called ‘observer woman magazine’ and decided to incorporate it within my magazine as I felt that it would help promote understanding between two similar yet distinctly diverse religions and possibly create harmony for all world religions. I have put the Muslims questions and answers to the left of the page and the Non - Muslim questions and answers to the right of the second page, which reflects the way in which Arabic is written from the right to left, I felt that this gave it a very vibrant and desired effect, I also took into account the content which I was producing as well and the language within both articles was fairly simple as I believe that all audiences would be able to understand it with ease.
PART THREE
My main objective for this project was for the pieces I created to be as successful as the media products on the shelves, in addition to having similar traits to ‘Emel’ yet encompassing its own identity. I believe that each page has adhered to the generic conventions of both a lifestyle and religious magazine in its own right as the content within the magazine varies from interviews with celebrities to looking at ‘the real Meccah’, I believe that the content I have produced is accurately aimed at the Non – Muslim and Muslim members of the audience. Once I had completed producing my magazine I decided to create audience feedback sessions, which entailed me giving my finished pieces to diverse members of the audience such male Muslims, male Non – Muslims, female Muslims and female Non – Muslims. This gave them the chance to analyse the samples I had given them and in return for them to give me feedback on what they thought. The feedback I received was mainly positive as many members of the audience who were not media students themselves or had never really studied media recognised the elements and the connotations behind each of the pieces. The first member of the audience I questioned was a Muslim male who suggested that my front cover was different as the majority of the colours used were relatively simple in black and white; this person also stated that the contents page was easy on the eye and very realistic. The second person I questioned who was a Non – Muslim female suggested that my advert was accurately stunning as the ideology behind it was clear yet affective, however they felt that the colour scheme used could take away the seriousness of the advert and the whole magazine. I then showed a Muslim female the two articles I created, she suggested that the first one was excellent and that it adhered to the conventions a generic article, she had also noticed the reoccurring colour scheme throughout and had suggested that the layout was fantastic and yet again easy on the eye. On the second article she suggested that this didn’t really seem to tie in with the rest of the magazine with reference to production value as she felt it looked a little rushed. I then showed a Non – Muslim male the contents page of the magazine and he suggested that the language used was simple to understand and that the pages were uncluttered.
The next person I questioned was a Non – Muslim male who also suggested that I should use more colour throughout the magazine as the current sample suggests lack of capital.
With regards to content within the magazine I questioned a Non – Muslim male who suggested that the content was simple and easy to understand and although there were some terms which may have been difficult to understand the majority of the content was easy, I then questioned a Muslim female and asked her if the content used within my magazine may be offensive or if I have depicted Islam in an incorrect manner, she suggested that the content was accurate and that my magazine was not offensive, I then asked a Non – Muslim male about the celebrity who was on the front cover, I asked him if using a celebrity would make him purchase this type of magazine he suggested that it would help him in his decision and the final question I asked the audience was if they could suggest any improvements, one person suggested that I should have spent more time of the second article and another suggested that I use more colours rather than just sticking to the simple colour scheme, although I wanted to do this to push the focal point away from the aesthetics and more on the content within the magazine.
I believe that the majority of the work turned out the way I wanted it to. However following feedback from the audience members I questioned and after careful consideration I felt that the front cover lacked a little colour although I intended to produce magazine that way as I wanted to focus more on the content rather than the image, I also felt that the second article was a little rushed. The software was very new to me so I felt that it took me a little longer than most to complete the task required. This may have also affected the overall product quality. Another major problem was finding time slots for both my model and myself. However we both managed to find solutions to this inconvenience and as a result I decided to select a model that had the same schedule as me which had benefited me. Another problem I was having was the picture quality and I needed to take extra precautions when taking shots as I needed to use a high-resolution camera as I found that the first images I took when imported into Photoshop were a little pixelated but this was easily rectified.
My overall objective was to produce a magazine that depicts Islam in a truthful yet simple manner, which could be understood by all types of religions and not just Muslims.
I had found that in order to cater for all types of audience I needed to produce a magazine that not only contained simple language that all types of audience would understand and feel comfortable with but also something that would appeal to the Non – Muslim market. Upon first thought I found this difficult to adhere to, but after careful consideration I felt that I had found the solution, which was to use a celebrity figure, this would draw the Non – Muslim market towards my magazine and would enable them to read freely about Islam and allow them to understand Islam in the way that it should be rather than the way in which it is being depicted currently by the British media. I believe that these grounds set my magazine apart from the rest and make it a truly unique experience.
By Ahmad Farhat
Bibliography:
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/6239
AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
Audience Feedback Questionnaire
Would you purchase this type of magazine if it were to be in shops?
YES
NO
Do you feel that the cover of the magazine is simple?
YES
NO
Would the celebrity on the front cover draw you to this kind of magazine?
YES
NO
Would you say the contents page is easy on the eye and not packed with information?
YES
NO
Would you say that the advert ties in with the rest of the magazine with reference to aesthetics?
YES
NO
Do you feel that the content within the magazine is depicted correctly?
YES
NO
Do you feel that the content within the magazine is easy to understand and have I used simple language?
YES
NO
Would you be offended by the content of the magazine?
YES
NO
Do you feel that the articles within the magazine look genuine?
YES
NO
Do you find the overall layout of the magazine is easy to follow?
YES
NO
Can you suggest any improvements?
Would you purchase this type of magazine if it were to be in shops?
YES
NO
Do you feel that the cover of the magazine is simple?
YES
NO
Would the celebrity on the front cover draw you to this kind of magazine?
YES
NO
Would you say the contents page is easy on the eye and not packed with information?
YES
NO
Would you say that the advert ties in with the rest of the magazine with reference to aesthetics?
YES
NO
Do you feel that the content within the magazine is depicted correctly?
YES
NO
Do you feel that the content within the magazine is easy to understand and have I used simple language?
YES
NO
Would you be offended by the content of the magazine?
YES
NO
Do you feel that the articles within the magazine look genuine?
YES
NO
Do you find the overall layout of the magazine is easy to follow?
YES
NO
Can you suggest any improvements?
Sunday 11 January 2009
ACTUAL FRONT COVER
This is my front cover i have stuck to the same colour scheme throughout and have stuck to a simplistic style as i felt that this would portray my ethos briliantly because i wanted to show both audience types that my magazine was about content and not style. However i have also used a yellowish gold colour simply because i felt that it contrasts with the black and white and gives the desired effect,
Tuesday 6 January 2009
ACTUAL CONTENTS PAGE
This is my finished contents page, overall i am very happy with this piece simply because i feel that this looks very realistic, i have stuck to a similar colour scheme throughout my magazine and this is no different i have used black and white which is very simple, i have also used dark yellow and dark blue as well for the writing, i used four pictures in total on my contents page, i felt that in using pictures especially of people may suggest the less serious nature of my magazine, some of the articles that are included in the contents page are an interview, Muslims in the community, finance for Muslims, a day in the life of..., there is also a part on gadgets and cars, i phone vs blackberry, some of the topics i cover range, they are aimed at both Non - Muslims and Muslims, however some are specifically aimed at Muslims and others are simple generalised, i believe that this is a very good piece and probably one of my best simply because of the realism that it shows.
Monday 5 January 2009
ACTUAL ADVERT
This is the advert i have created for my magazine, i have decided to create this type of adfevrt as it is relavant to what is going on in gaza and in palestine in general, i feel that this raises relevent issues. Within the advert i asked the question is the media consumption we recieve a window on the world or a mirror on the world, which makes people question the media consumption they recieve, the audience who see this advert will have to decide whether what they are being shown is the truth or not. I have put up a picture of the palestinian flag in a mirror and behind a window and i have also given the audience a website to visit or a telephone number to call if they wish to make their opinion heard. The colour scheme i have used is contrasting to the rest of my magazine as i use green, black, red and gold, i have decided to use these colours as they are the colours of the palestinian flag and the reason for the gold is because it stands out, i have also used the quotation "PALESTINIAN PEOPLE ARE JUST DIEING TO LIVE", which is a very powerful message to the whole world.
ACTUAL ARTICLE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------This is my first article, i have based it on a celebrity boxer, but have used a Non - Famous person within the article, the article follows a boxer and his illustrious career as he enjoys retirement, i have produced questions and have interviewed this 'celebrity', some of the questions that were directed his way ranged from topics such as religion, boxing and life in general. I have also taken a shot of him with his fists towards the camera, i beleive that this shot was the best one for this piece of work simply because it shows the depth of field and really captures the boxers profession, i also took a shot of the boxer within a community which suggests that he is giving something back rather than just taking, the final picture is of the person in question walking away from the camera suggesting an end to the interview. The colour scheme used within this article is black and white with a hint of yellow which adheres to my colour scheme throughout the magazine and makes it recognisable.
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