AS Media Coursework: 2011

Monday, 2 May 2011

Planning for Photo-shoot

Planning for Photo-shoot

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Planning and Story-Board

Story-Board

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Manipulated Photos

Manipulating the Photos

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Thursday, 31 March 2011

7. Looking Back At Your Preliminary Task (The School Magazine Task), What Do You Feel You Have Learnt In The Progression From It To Full Product

Since doing my Preliminary Task I feel that I have learned how to use ‘inDesign’ and I have really enjoyed learning how to use it. Before I did my college magazine on word because I felt that, that gave be the option to do so much more. I used ‘Publisher’ however, when doing my mock up for my college magazine. But being able to use ‘inDesign’ enabled me to create the layout I wanted for my whole magazine of the front cover, contents page and double page spread.

As seen underneath, I feel that I have really improved and learned how to layout and work with more photos and typography to get a more professional look to my magazine. For example, I am playing with some more dramatic and eye catching colours as well as more appropriate graphology and typography for the buzz, plug and puff words.

I also feel that my Photoshop techniques has increased as I am now able to understand more clearly how the layout and the whole package makes an successful magazine.

6. What Have You Learnt About Technologies From The Process of Constructing This Product

I have learned quite a lot from the different technologies I used. ‘inDesign’ was the software which I learned the most because when I began with this project I had never used ‘inDesign’ before and I enjoyed using it allot and will and hope to use it in the future. I have for example learned how to add the photos, text box chnage the colours, fonts, size and just learn how to do the basics of the layout of the magazine.

I also used ‘Photoshop’ allot when editing my photos; however I already knew how to use that. Then the rest of the technologies were mainly word, ‘PowerPoint’, publisher and then the Blog. I also relied allot on my memory stick to transfer photos from home to the college database computer.

I also used 'Slideshare' to upload documents and transfere my 'Word', 'Powerpoint' and other documents to the Blogger.

5. How Did You Attract/Address Your Audience

After doing my research on my target audience with the questionnaire I decided to take an inspiration from a fashion magazine and make it contain music features. The reason for this is due to the amount of people within my audience who seem to prefer to buy more fashion magazines rather than music. This therefore made my decision to try and make these girls to become interested in my magazine, which has a fashion look and style yet all contents are music features. So to address my audience I did a lot of research and looked in a lot of Vogue and Elle magazine as they are the top fashion magazine out on the market.

Therefore I attracted and addressed my target audience by doing this fashion looks style, with the inspiration from Vogue and Elle and to make a front cover influenced by them-as this is what most people are attracted to when buying a magazine.

4. Who Would Be The Audience For Your Media Product

The target audience for my music magazine is mainly females at the age of twenties up to the fifties. This is a very broad age audience, but is aimed at a more formal and well educated students and adults. This will therefore narrow the audience down to a more niche based group. Because most of the girl does not buy music magazine, I made the magazine look more like a fashion magazine, so that the audience could be towards music magazine buyer fans as well.

3. What Kind of Media Institution Might Distribute Your Media Product and Why?

I think that Prometheus Global Media would be a good distribution to my magazine because the CEO of the company is the previous executive at Condé Nast and Fairchild Publications, and former publisher of magazines GQ and Vogue Richard D. Beckman. The music magazine ‘Billboard’ has this distributor now, and I think that therefore Prometheus Global Media would be an excellent company to work with this magazine, as Vogue was an huge inspiration to my magazine and ‘Billboard’ magazine helped me to get the idea of using studio shoots, and some photo shoots with the guitars (seen in my contents page)

2. How Does Your Music Magazine Represent Particular Social Groups?

I got my influential inspiration mainly from vogue magazine. Even though this is a fashion and not a music magazine, I chose to make the graphology, discourse structure and the typography similar to Vogue and Elle magazine, but the contents are all about music.

I have decided to compare this photo of Naomi with my magazine. This photo and my photo have a similar shot with a close up used on the front cover. It is also vital that on a front cover that the model is looking into the camera lens to make contact with the viewer and audience. The white furry jacket around her face, only showing the skin on her face is what took me to my inspiration to shoot the photo I have on my front cover. The facial expression is also quite similar, with the calm innocent yet romantic eyes starring on the audience.

Over all I think that these small detailed elements represents a higher social group of educated students and middle aged females mostly.

Tuesday, 22 March 2011

1. In what ways does your music magazine use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real music magazines?

1. Mast Head and Fonts of Music Magazine

My music magazine has different forms of conventions of real music magazines, like the double page spread has an interview inspired by Vogue magazine and their language and forms of register. The contents page and front cover also has an inspiration from Vogue, Elle and other classic and sophisticated magazine. One reason why I got my inspiration from Vogue and why I did my music magazine in a similar and inspired look is because, from my questionnaire and research is that most people within my target audience prefer to buy fashion looking magazines. Therefore, I would make the magazine look like a fashion and vogue style but have the contents of a music magazine. This will make sure that the audience is kept interested in reading the magazine.

For my masthead I used the font of 'Palantino Linotype'. The reason why I choose the typography used throughout my magazine in the front cover, double page and contents page was because it was all an inspiration from Vogue and their classy and sophisticated look. I used the light blue colour on my mast head because the models eyes are blue and the whole colour scale would go very well together. To compliment the blue I also used a bright pink to contrast with the blue, and then also a white colour just to balance out the colours where it needed toning down. The other puffs and buzz words which is on the front cover are also influential from Vogue and Elle magazine.

The double page spread and contents page has some very elegant fonts and colours. For example in the contents page I have the name of my magazine in a more handwritten twenties style this font is called ‘Gabriola’ and seems to really work together with the layout and the colours in the contents page, which are (black and red). These ideas are all inspired by some more fashion and classy looking magazines rather than rock magazines itself.

2. Mise-en-scene/Background

I have chosen to have most of my photos done in a studio with a backdrop and or a close up so that only the face is seen. I wanted this because it looks like the magazine has done this photo shoot with the celebrity and therefore makes the magazine seem more respectful towards all the celebrities. I also did this because it again looks classier than having a paparazzi looking photo of the model (singer).

(Here are two photos done by the same model but one in a photo studio with lights. The other outside taken by a paparazzi on the red carpet. I think that the outcome of a photo with a backdrop (when thinking about a magazine) looks better.)

3. Costumes and Props

The only props I used where a red guitar. I also used different costumes for different photos and shoots. I wanted the magazine to have a hint of fashion in mixed with music therefore I used some very dramatic fashion pieces and thoughts when doing my shoots. I took some costume inspiration from Vogue and the front cover of Naomi, I relly liked the furry idea. So to make the photo my own I only took a fur hoddie jacket but shot the photo is a similar close-up. Also to add and link with the music feel I used a red guitar a prop to my magazine.

4. People

I only have one model in my magazine with the front cover, double page spread and contents page. The reason for this is because I want each issue to be like a tribute and honour towards them. However the whole magazine would not only consist of one model if it was made with all pages. Therefore each magazine will have to be thought of the artists and bands that are in at that time. This is also something that Vogue has, they have the same model or celebrity on the front cover as the double page spread.

5. Title Fonts and Styles

I made my titles in 'inDesign' but just having the normal text font. The reason for this is because I wanted the fonts to look classy, sophisticated and formal. If seen in Vogue or Elle, where I found my inspiration from, they have a very simple font, which seems to be the reason why it looks so elegant. I have taken some ideas of conventions and put them into my music magazine like the fonts and size. However, for example the word drop seen in the colum is not added to my magazine- and the reason for this is because I felt that, that word would take some of the attraction away from the photo and the rest of the layout.

(This is my inspiration for my double page spread discourse structure, graphology and typography.)

6. Written Content

The written content of my magazine follows the codes and conventions of a real music magazine by covering similar topics. For example, I have done an interview with the same kind of chatty, yet formal mode of register and tone with added pull quotes in with the text to allow the audience to her the singers’ voice. The mode of address has been specified and considered, so it would suit and target the main audience. However, it does have a quite wide lexis and grammar so that not only the ideal niche audience will be able to enjoy and read the magazine- but so that others can as well.

7. Music Genre and How Your Magazine Suggest It

The genre of my music magazine is pop. It is quite formal and the codes and contentions are mostly seen through the photos and the language used. E.g. the puff on the front cover says ‘classics’ this could be a wide variety or music. But the photo is not a very rocky, punk, indie or rap style. Also the double page spread has a quite friendly and toned down style to it, this may be something that ‘Vibe’ or ‘magazine would consider and include.

These are all conventions that I have dried to portray through my magazine shows and represent the music genre of the magazine (which is pop). Again I have taken the ideas from other types of magazines, such as fashion and put and transformed them into the music magazine.

8. Layout

The layout of my magazine is mainly conventional. This is highlighted on the double page spread which displays an interview in columns beneath a stand first and title. In addition to this, the graphology and discourse structure is similar to magazines, like the photo is on only one side of the double page spread with columns, pull quote and a title on the other. The front cover consists of buzz words, puff text, a barcode, cost and masthead. This is in a similar layout as most magazines. However, to make the layout my own I did not use a word drop in my column for example and obviously the camera shot, angles, costumes and colour scheme are not the same.

9. Contents Page

My contents page contains elements that follow the codes and conventions of existing music magazines. In the beginning of this project I tried to analyse how different contents pages in different magazine looked like to make mine look as good and contents like as possible. I decided to not have an editorials letter, not on the contents page- this is because I wanted the free space that I could have to be left. Therefore if this magazine would be made there would be another page for this letter to be placed. However, despite this the contents page include the date of the monthly issue, the cover stories has an individual column and the other feature are also listed. The page number I choose to have ain a different font from the title of the categories and the text, just to make it a more formal and I believe it would make it look better. I choose to make some words and the category titles in red to make them stand out, and it would make it easier for the reader/ audience to follow. The photos are again, linked with the cover artist and the singer that would be represented within that issue.