Friday 21 March 2014

DRAFT Evaluation Question 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 completing the preliminary task, i have acquired a set of brand new skills which i have used whilst designing my draft and final magazine.

When set the task of designing a school magazine, i had very little knowledge on how to use software such as Photoshop and therefore was only able to produce a basic, unprofessional page. However, since completing the preliminary task, i have been able to develop and enhance my skill set on software such as Photoshop and have progressed by learning a large variety of techniques which have enabled me to create a semi-professional, draft magazine as well as a professional, aesthetically pleasing final piece.

To create my prelim, draft and final magazine covers I used a particular computer programme commonly known as Photoshop. When the course commenced, I had very little experience on Photoshop and therefore did not have any understanding of how to use the features provided.  Whilst designing my prelim magazine I took a substantial amount of time just to create a simplistic page, which did not appear very aesthetically pleasing. However, as the course progressed and I continued to use Photoshop, I was able to acquire a brand new skill set which enabled me to widen my options whilst designing my draft magazine. Although this new skill set allowed me to do a vast amount more, I had not yet perfected them and so was only able to create a draft magazine which was not as aesthetically pleasing or professional as I had first hoped. As more time passed and I began to design my final magazine I became extremely comfortable whilst using Photoshop and was confident whilst using the provided features. I had managed to learn the system and was now able to use a wide range of features including how to crop, re-size and edit images, to make them appropriate for the particular page and to make them look professional and aesthetically pleasing.  I was also able to add, re-size and re-colour text and shapes, as well as adding images to the existing page e.g. the bar code to the almost finished front cover. By looking back on my time spent using Photoshop, it is clear to see that I have made a huge progression since designing my prelim.

In order to capture realistic, authentic professional Images a large amount of preparation took place. To set the scene for the Photoshop I had to set up the screen, the lights and the camera itself. Whilst setting up the lights, I used my knowledge on three point lighting (a technique discovered at the beginning of the course) this enabled me to place the lights in a position which would allow my models to stand out and appear as a professional band at a professional photo-shoot.  To do this, I ensured that the back light, the fill light and the key light were all in their correct positions in order to create the images needed for my music magazine. To ensure that I had a range of images to choose from, I opted to position the camera in different positions e.g. I moved the camera closer to the models face for a close up shot etc.

At the very start of the course I opted to design a magazine for the indie/alternative genre, and therefore knew that at some point I would have to find a model or a group of models who would fit this particular genre. My immediate first choice was my friend Harry Julian. I wanted Harry to be my main model as in my opinion, he fits the genre perfectly. Not only that, but Harry is a big fan of indie/alternative music and plays in a band himself. His clothes, hair and all round arrogance are just a number of characteristics which made him in particular stand out. However, whilst creating an artist, I decided that to fit to the genre’s authenticity, I wanted to create a band, (as indie/alternative music magazines such as Q and NME often feature bands rather than soloists) After making this decision I was then set with the task of finding two more models, as my created band consisted of 3 members.  Although finding two other models was not easy, I eventually decided to ask two of my other friends, Harry Lunn and Angus Cox. Similarly to Harry Julian, these two also fit the genre perfectly as they to dress in indie/alternative clothing and listen to indie/alternative music.

When given the task of designing a preliminary magazine, choosing the model was an extremely difficult aspect. Whilst choosing the model i was unaware of the techniques needed in order to make the model appear realistic and authentic. Although my preliminary magazine is a college magazine featuring a sixth former, the choice of clothing and persona of the model does not automatically suggest this, meaning that the entirety of the page is flat and is not at all eye catching or aesthetically pleasing.
As the course progressed and i was set with the task of finding models for my draft and final magazines, i began to develop my understanding of how to manipulate the models stance, clothing and personalities in front of the camera in order to make the final image appear realistic and authentic - aspects needed when shooting a successful photograph. To do this, i picked clothing suitable to the genre e.g. leather/bomber jackets, interesting t-shirts, patterned shirts etc. in order to make the models appear as an indie rock trio and to give them the presence needed.

Below is the progression from my preliminary magazine cover, to my draft magazine cover and to my final magazine cover.

Preliminary Magazine Cover, LC LIFE



Draft Magazine Cover, REVOLUTION



Final Magazine Cover, REVOLUTION





DRAFT Evaluation Question 6 -



What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Whilst creating my music magazine, i used a variety of technological resources which aided me during the process. Below is a list of the types of equipment i used whilst creating my music magazine -



Google Chrome -
During the research and planning section of the course, i opted to use Google Chrome to discover style models of magazines, images of what types of artists/models were best suited for my genre of magazine and information on specific audience types.





Microsoft Word -
The use of Microsoft Word enabled me to type up my article and discover a variety of fonts which i then went on to use on my final magazine e.g. i discovered the font 'HATTENSCHWEILER' from Microsoft Word and then went on to use it as the main font on my magazine. The use of Microsoft Word also allowed me to correct any spelling or punctuation errors before inserting the article onto my final double page spread.





PowToon -
During the pitching process of the course, I was required to create a pitch in an interesting way which could clearly portray my ideas. PowToon allowed me to complete this task as i was able to create a 20 word pitch video using this particular application.




Scribd -
This particular application was also extremely useful during the planning stage of the course. I opted to use Scribd as a way of publishing my magazine analysis from Microsoft Word to my blog, in a way which allowed the page to appear neat whilst on the blog.





Camera -
This particular piece of equipment, commonly known as the Nikon D3200, is what i used to photograph my chosen models. This particular camera allowed me to produce a vast amount of photos which appeared crystal clear and extremely professional, something required when creating an aesthetically pleasing, professional music magazine.







Blogger -
Blogger was a crucial piece of technology which I used throughout the entirety of my coursework. Blogger allowed me to upload and publish every piece of coursework (including images, articles, videos etc.) it also allowed me to give and respond to peer feedback, and enabled the teachers to view my work in an extremely clear way. 













Computer -
This particular piece of technology is what enabled me to produce the majority of the work. This is in fact the school computer which is officially known as the Intel core 13 system and edge 10 monitor. This particular piece of equipment allowed me to research magazines, design my magazine and add images to my magazine, it also enabled me to post regular updates to my blog as well as allow me to type the entire article. However, during the designing process i also opted to use my home laptop to ensure that all work was completed on time, my home laptop is the Samsung RV511.



Photoshop -
This particular piece of software, commonly known as Photoshop, allowed me to design and create my prelim, draft and final magazines. After being taught only the basics at the start of the course, i was able to develop my knowledge, skills and understanding on this programme and was able to use my newly found abilities to create a variety of magazine pages.




Memory Stick -
To enable myself to upload images to my computer i needed to use a memory stick. This device allowed me to upload a vast amount of images from the camera onto the computer so that i was able to edit the images in order for them to appear throughout my magazine.



DRAFT Evaluation Question 5 -

How did you attract/address your audience? 

Front Cover -

REVOLUTION front cover 
Whilst designing my music magazine front cover i opted to use a variety of techniques in order to make the page noticeable and appealing to the target audience - indie scenesters. To do this, i used a variety of bright, eye catching colours in order to give the front cover a certain uniqueness which in turn allows it to stand out from any other. This uniqueness is highly appealing to the target audience as they are a group of people renowned for being unique and different from anybody else, i feel that through the use of bright, interesting colours, the uniqueness of the magazine cover can appeal to the unique personalities of the indie scenesters. 

Whilst researching existing indie/alternative music magazines, i decided that the overall style and appearance of NME, was the style which i would attempt to emulate in order to produce a magazine cover which was eye catching, simplistic and aesthetically pleasing toward the target audience. By recreating techniques used by NME, i have created a magazine cover which is appealing toward a similar target audience, the indie scenesters. Therefore, whilst designing my music magazine front cover, i used a number of techniques used by NME in order to create a professional, indie looking magazine which is extremely appealing toward the indie scenesters. 

Whilst designing my final magazine cover i opted to replicate a common feature used by indie magazines such as NME and Q, and used the main image as the CVI of the page. The use of the main image on my magazine cover allows the cover to become a statement and an extremely eye catching and intriguing page, and one which is once again unique from any other. The image used is of featuring indie rock band,Marshall Stacks front man, Harry Julian. The image consists of Julian staring directly down the lens of the camera in order to target the audience and give the audience a sense of his arrogant personality. By using an intriguing image with many connotations behind it, the target audience is likely to be attracted toward the magazine, due to its appealing aesthetics. 

Contents Page -

REVOLUTION contents page 
Whilst designing my contents page i opted to use a number of techniques in order to keep the target audience attracted and interested. To add a fresh appeal to the page i decided to use a different colour palette and used the traditional 3 printing colours of black, white and red. I decided to use these particular colours on the contents page as they have been proven to complement each other exceptionally well and allow important information, in this case what is featuring in the magazine, the be read simply and clearly by the target audience. The use of a different colour palette also keeps the audience attracted as the difference between each page suggests that the magazine is ever changing, as is the music industry and the indie scenesters themselves. 

Another technique used on the contents page to keep the audience attracted and interested was the use of linguistic devices such as interesting lexis e.g. "Kasabian to headline V" The use of language such as this keeps the reader interested as it is intriguing and simple to understand. Information such as this is extremely dysphemistic, something which is needed on a contents page. Language such as this is used in order to state exactly what is featuring in the rest of the magazine, this avoids unwanted confusion and allows the contents page to be the simplistic, easy to understand page which it needs to be. 

Whilst researching existing music magazines and their contents pages i discovered a particular technique which i attempted to emulate whilst designing my music magazine contents page. This particular technique was the use of a variety of features on the contents page. Whilst designing my contents page i added a list of the main features within the magazine e.g. "Marshall Stack Exclusive, find out why the tremendous trio are taking the UK by storm" by using a feature such as this, the audience is able to see clearly who is featuring inside the magazine and what their article will be about. Another feature i added to my contents page was reviews. I discovered this technique whilst analysing Q magazine and opted to emulate their style in order to create a contents page which appeared realistic and held a substantial amount of information. The reviews section of the contents page features singles reviews, album reviews as well as artist reviews. This extra amount of information allows the audience to have a variety of options whist choosing what to read. 


Double Page Spreads -

Marshall Stack Double page spread part 1
Whilst designing my two double page spreads i once again opted to change the colour palette in order to stick to the theme of change, to symbolise the constant change which takes place within the music business. The use of a different colour palette (black, white, yellow and blue) on the double page spreads also suggests that Marshall Stack, the featured band, are different and unique from anything else in the magazine due to the use of the different colours. This choice of colour allows the target audience, indie scenesters, to see just how unique Marshall Stack are. This uniqueness is what appeals to the scenesters, therefore, the use of colour allows both the artist and the magazine to appear to the target audience. 

On both double page spreads a CVI has been used in order to capture the audiences attention immediately. On both pages, the CVI is in fact an image of the band. I opted to use this particular technique to portray to the audience that the band are the main focus point of both pages. The use of the CVI also makes it easier for the audience to be drawn is, as the CVI is able to capture the readers attention immediately, due to its size and presence on the page. 

Marshall Stack Double page spread part 2
After analsying existing examples of double page spreads from indie/alternative music magazines i discovered a particular technique which made both the page and the entire magazine memorable, this particular technique is commonly known as a pull quote. The pull quote is a quotation from an artist which has been taken, or pulled, from the text and highlighted elsewhere on the page. The use of pull quotes on my double page spreads allows the audience to be entertained whilst reading, as the quotations picked are amusing yet sum up the band in a single sentence. Techniques such as this appeals to the indie scensters, as the members of this particular social group are youthful people who are not extremely interested in reading, so by using a pull quote the article is broken down and is made more interesting and therefore appealing toward the target group. 


DRAFT Evaluation Question 4 -

Who would be the audience for your media product?

After completing my audience research i discovered that the specific audience which were best suited to my genre of magazine (indie/alternative rock) were a group commonly known as the indie scenesters. There are a variety of reasons why this particular social group are best suited to my magazine, firstly, the scenesters enjoy listening to and discovering music from the past, present and future, here a key match can be made between the group and my magazine as this is exactly what REVOLUTION has to offer. Not only does it feature current artists, but ones from the past and ones from the future. The scenesters also enjoy listening to artists which fall into the indie/alternative category, once again, REVOLUTION is the perfect choice for a scenester, as this is the exact style of music which my music magazine features.

A group of Indie Scenesters at Leeds Festival 
The second reason why the scenesters would be well suited to my music magazine is down to their interest in fashion. The scenesters are renowned for wearing interesting, unique clothing which allows them to acquire an extremely individual look which separates them from mainstream fashion, it also allows them to portray their musical tastes and preferences through the power of clothing; this allows them to make clothing statements each time they take to the streets.By analysing each artist which features in my music magazine, it is clear to see that they have a similar taste in clothing to that of the indie scenesters. The artists pictured in my music magazine wear clothing which is not ordinary or mainstream fashion, but is different, unique and makes each individual stand out. The clothing worn by the artists also allows each member to show the world their musical style. This similarity in fashion and a desire to be different is a clear factor as to why the indie scenesters are the perfect audience for my music magazine
The third reason why the indie scenesters would be well suited to my music magazine is once again down to their desire to stand out and be different from any other social group. By reading my magazine, the scenesters would be going against any other social groups (who may read the NME etc) as they would be reading a new, unknown music magazine which has been tailored to fit their exact musical preferences. Also, by reading REVOLUTION, the scenesters would be partaking in an activity which they are known for, this activity is trendsetting. The scensters are renowned for starting off some of the biggest trends in music, as they are a group who are not afraid to be different and are not afraid of what others think. This terrific trendsetting technique may be the key to getting my music magazine to a similar level of popularity as the NME, as if more people were to see interesting, unique people reading an interesting, unique music magazine, they themselves may be more inclined to read it. Having said that, it would not be in mine (the magazine creator) or the featuring artists best wishes for the magazine to become popular with a mainstream audience, however i would want the magazine to become popular with people from the indie scenester social group. 


Thursday 20 March 2014

DRAFT Evaluation question 3 -

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

What does a publishing company do?
A Publishing company enables information available for public viewing. Many publishing companies commonly produce and sells pieces of literature or other important information, such as newspapers and magazines. In many cases, authors may be their own publishers, meaning developers of content can also provide media, which they deliver and display.

Bauer is  Europe’s largest privately owned publishing Group. The Group is a worldwide media empire offering over 300 magazines in 15 countries, as well as online, TV and radio stations. Bauer Media is a multi-platform UK-based media Group consisting of many companies collected around two main divisions – Magazines and Radio - widely recognised and rewarded as being industry innovators.

Whilst planning out my music magazine i decided that the publishing group most suited to my magazine and its particular genre was 'Bauer.' By choosing Bauer my magazine would be able to be viewed by both a British audience, as well as global one. This would allow the target audience (indie scensters/hipsters) from other countries and cultures to view and discover new British talent and see what British music has to offer. Although Bauer is a huge global company, it does not publish 'run of the mill' everyday magazines which feature pop/chart music. However, it does in fact publish alternative magazines such as Q and Kerrang, therefore my magazine genre (indie/alternative rock) would be a perfect fit. Also, due to Bauer's popular reputation and successful history, my magazine would become extremely well known and recogniseable by audiences due to its publisher.

DRAFT Evaluation Question 2 -

How does your media product represent particular social groups?


Below is an image of Marshall Stack lead singer Harry Julian and an image of Kasabian lead guitarist Sergio Pizzorno. 



The two artists pictured above have a variety of similarities between them. The most noticeable similarity between the two is their gender; of course both are male and are portrayed as being extremely masculine to add to their arrogance and strong personality, which in turn allows each artist to appeal to their target audience, as stereo typically, fans of this style of music (alternative rock) are masculine males. Both Marshall Stack lead singer Harry Julian and Kasabian lead guitarist Sergio Pizzorno have an extremely similar appearance. Both artists have long, out of control hair which adds to their unique personality and confident stage presence as well as their authentic indie/alternative appearance. Both artists also have an extremely similar fashion sense as each mans wardrobe is bound to contain a variety of t-shirts, patterned shirts, sportswear such as Adidas, bomber jackets and skinny jeans. Each artist wears these certain types of clothes in order to appeal to their followers, the indie scenesters, who also wear similar styles of clothing.

Although the artists are extremely similar in appearance, gender and personality, their age gap is key to their differences. Julian is one of the freshest faces on the indie rock scene, whereas Pizzorno has been one of the most popular figures within this genre for over a decade. Therefore, in terms of popularity and respect Julian and Pizzorno are on opposite ends of the scale, although this difference does not affect the artists audience as their genre of music is able to appeal to everyone in the specific age group (16-24)


Wednesday 19 March 2014

DRAFT Evaluation question 1 -

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

Whilst designing and creating my indie/alternative music magazine, i opted to use a variety of features which are used on some of the UK's most popular music magazines within this specific genre. I decided to do this in order to make my magazine appear realistic and aesthetically pleasing. From personal knowledge and further research, i discovered that the magazines which suited my chosen genre (indie/alternative rock) were NME and Q magazine.

Whilst analysing existing indie/alternative music magazines i discovered that arguably, the most noticeable aspect of the page is the Masthead (title). Both NME and Q magazine use elements which highlight the masthead, portraying its importance. Whilst creating a title for my music magazine, i decided that i wanted to emulate the techniques used by NME and Q, and therefore opted to use a crisp, white font on a red background to highlight the importance of my masthead and make it the most noticeable aspect of the page.


The front cover of my music magazine features a particular technique which is not commonly used by modern NME covers. Whilst designing my front cover i opted to use the 'Z' layout in order to challenge existing NME covers and add some originality to my front cover. Another reason why i opted to use the 'Z' layout was to create an effect which allowed me to fill specific parts of the page with information, yet keep the main image clear and text free as this aspect is arguably one of the most important on the page, as it shows the reader exactly which artist is featuring in the magazine.

Whilst styling my models i opted to use a variety of costumes to make the trio appear similar to current indie rock bands Kasabian and The Arctic Monkeys. To do this, i dressed the models in bomber jackets and a variety of t-shirts and shirts, as this is the type of clothing that the likes of the Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian wear. By using these costumes, i was able to create an authentic looking group who appeared as if they could in fact be in an indie/alternative rock band. 


Whilst tanking my photos i opted to use a mixture of close-up shots and mid-shots. I decided to use these particular techniques to make the models extremely visible. To create these images i positioned the models in particular ways which could make this possible. For the mid-shots i positioned the models away from the camera so that the upper body of each model was visible. For the close up shot i moved the camera closer to the chosen model in order to focus specifically on the face. Whilst taking my photographs i decided that i wanted my models to look straight into the lens of the camera in order to target the audience and create a personal relationship. This technique also allows the models to appear arrogant and full of self confidence, something needed by members of indie/alternative rock bands. After analysing a variety of NME magazines i discovered a popular technique which i decided to emulate, this technique was the use of a close up on the front cover. I decided to emulate this technique so that the audience could focus on the most important artists in the magazine, the lead singer of the latest, extremely popular indie rock band. 


From researching and analysing existing magazines i discovered that the font used is a crucial aspect of each page. On the front cover and contents i have used a clear, bold font commonly known as 'HATTENSCHWEILER" This fonts crisp, bold appearance allows the magazine title to become easily noticeable and extremely recogniseable, something which is key when attempting to attract readers. I opted to use a second font on the contents page to add a noticeable difference from the front cover. The second font 'VERDANA' is extremely clear and simple to read and is ideal for a contents page, as a large amount of writing is used and therefore the text used needs to be clear and simple for the reader to see. On the double page spreads a third font has been used, this particular font is known as 'CRYSTAL LAKE' once again the font is clear and crisp, yet exciting and intriguing. I opted to use this font on the double page spread to reflect the bands style and personality and to once again keep each page different and unique. The font used for the main article is basic, simple yet extremely effective, this font is commonly known as 'Times New Roman.' This font has been tried and tested and has been proven to be the perfect font for an article as it is clear and extremely simple for the reader to see.

Whilst designing my music magazine i ensured that each page matched the specific genre by analysing existing indie/alternative music magazines such as NME and attempting to emulate a similar style. I also decided to use images of the featuring  artists in order to form a connection between the artists and the audience. Whilst researching audience types, i quickly discovered that the audience best suited to my magazine were indie scenesters/hipsters. To ensure that my magazine was suitable for this particular target group i used a variety of images in order to portray to the audience what genre/style my magazine was. The images featured are of indie/alternative musicians who have similar fashion tastes to those of the indie scenesters, as the clothing the artists wear are unique and are extremely different to 'run of the mill' mainstream fashion.

The main artist which features in my magazine is an indie/alternative rock band commonly known as Marshall Stack. By using my previous experiences of artists from this particular genre, i wanted to make all three members appear arrogant and full of self confidence in order to emulate existing artists/band members e.g. the Arctic Monkeys and Oasis/Liam Gallagher. I decided to use this technique as it is a well known fact that artists with arrogance and self confidence are very popular with the target audience as they add a certain spark into the musical world. 

Whilst designing my music magazine i precisely planned out each page and their specific colour schemes in order to make each page different and unique. The front cover uses a mixture of orange, yellow, red and white as each of these colours combined together allows the front cover to become a vivid, powerful statement and one which is unique from any other magazine in this specific genre. The colour scheme used on the contents page is that of the classic black, white and red. These tried and tested colours allows the contents page to appear completely different from the cover, and allows the audience to view crucial information in a simplistic way (as neutral colours do not draw the readers attention away from the text) The colours used on the two double page spreads are black, white, yellow and blue. Once again a different colour palette has been used to symbolise the ever changing world that is the music industry as well as the featuring bands uniqueness.

Monday 17 March 2014

My final magazine -

REVOLUTION cover page featuring Marshall Stack front man, Harry Julian





REVOLUTION contents page




Opening double page spread featuring Marshall Stack 





Main double page spread featuring Marshall Stack 

Monday 3 March 2014

Style models for my Final Magazine -

After completing my draft and receiving feedback I discovered that I had made a number of crucial errors whilst designing my music magazine. According to the feedback, although my front cover was extremely aesthetically pleasing, it was in fact the wrong genre, as it resembled that of a Kerrang (heavy metal/punk rock) front cover rather than my chosen style model/genre which is NME (indie/alternative music.) After taking these comments on board, I opted to search for examples of modern NME covers in hope that they would give me a sense of what techniques I would need to replicate in order to create a magazine cover which appeared realistic and one which is the correct genre.

Below are the top 3 examples I discovered whilst undergoing my research -










After analysing these modern NME front covers i have noticed a number of features which i will attempt to emulate whilst designing my final magazine cover. The most noticeable feature is the way in which each word is placed in a box. This allows each word to become and eye catching aspect of the page. The covers featured on this post also contain one main image, which allows the reader to see exactly who the featuring artist is. My own personal favourite from the following covers is the first example featuring The Smiths. Both the colours and layout of the page is extremely unique. This uniqueness is another aspect which i will attempt to emulate whilst designing my final music magazine cover.