Music Magazine Changes

This is my final magazine. I have changed a few things through the process. 

On the cover I have made the cover line thicker and lowered it down away from the face. 

On my contents I have replaced the free poster with an editors note to make it more professional. I centered the title BASE in the top band as well as adding The All Seeing feature on the left hand side. I also added continue on the bottom right so you know that the contents will carry on.

For my double page spread I have extended my introduction on my article, made the font smaller and then extended the interview. I spaced the lines equally and tried to get the lines the same length so it was neater. The title needed to be bolder so I added COVER STORY at the beginning and made them the whole length of the line. On the right hand side I made the pull quote smaller and created a neater shape with it.  

Evaluation Question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

My skills audit right at the very beginning of the course showed that I was quite skilled on a computer and Mac as all but four of the boxes were ticked yes. The four un-ticked were: scanning images into a Mac, uploading photos into a Mac, burning data to a disk and using InDesign. But I can now say that all of them are ticked except burning data on to a disk. I have not had to scan a picture into the mac in media but have learnt it in photography the same goes for uploading photos. But one thing I have learnt alot about is the program InDesign, it was especially important for creating our magazines and I used it every lesson. I know how to create a double page spread from the options at the beginning, how to insert a photo, how to type and then use all the different options to adapt the writing like italics, lengthening and drop cap, how to create shapes, change their colour and transparency and much more. I am confident that I will remember how to use it whenever I come back to it. I haven't learnt how to burn data onto a disk because I have not had to do that through the course. As well as this I have been taking photos on my phone, emailing them to myself and then opening them in blogger and InDesign which I needed help with doing before. 

My preliminary task at the beginning on the course was to create a student magazine. This was my first ever try at this so mine was extremely simple with a photo, title and two cover lines it did not look like a magazine but more like an empty poster. My music magazine has developed and become so much better; I am quite proud of it. I have improved by actually creating an idea and molding it into a business like professional design. My first step was an actual photo shoot and not just one photo in the college grounds, I planned it then took over 100 images and whittled it down to the tree that I use in the magazine. This gave me the backbone to my magazine and a base to add the writing and plugs. I thought of a catchy title (BASE) and coverlines that would fill the page. I probably spent an hour just trying to pick all the fonts which is important as it adds to the effect the magazine has on the audience. There is a lot more detail in this piece with additional information under the cover lines and most of the writing to the left but I have still kept it simple. As well as this I have upped my creativity by making my own plug, using different transparency boxes and by putting the masthead behind the models heads. I used more techniques to do this, such as Photoshop to put the title behind the heads.
My thoughts on how to create a magazine have adapted so much over the last couple of months and now I have a professional looking magazine that people have said they will buy and recommend.

Evaluation Question 6

Prezi 

"http://prezi.com/embed/kqg7kvftqt9n/?bgcolor=ffffff&lock_to_path=0&autoplay=0&autohide_ctrls=0&features=undefined&disabled_features=undefined"

For additional technical aspects I have embedded my powerpoint and my prezi which I didn't know how to do before this. The link takes you straight to the website so you can go through the Prezi rather than just looking at the screen shots. 

Evaluation Question 4 and 5

Who would be the audience for your media product?

These are two collages of my genre. (alternative)

An annotated illustration of a typical member of my target audience.

The back of the collage.

How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation Question 3

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

Bauer- Bullet point case study

• Bauer is Europe's largest privately owned publishing group  
• Over 300 magazines in 15 countries ass well ass online, TV and radio stations.
• Employs over 6400 people 
• Bauer Media is part of Bauer Media Group, it joined in 2008
• Bauer Media is a multi platform UK based media group with lots of companies collected around two main divisions- magazines and radio
• Strategy is to connect audiences with excellent content whenever, wherever and however they want
• Started in 1953 with Angling Times
• Radio kicked off with Kiss FM in 1990
• Closer launched in 2002
• Grazia launched in 2005
• Bought FHM in 1994- now a best selling
• Empire
• Heat
• Kerrang
• Mojo 
• Q 

Bauer only has two music magazines, Q and Mojo. They are both monthly magazines famed for their amazing journalism and iconic photography. Their audiences of extremely passionate music consumers have helped them reach the status of of the UK's largest music magazines. Q has acquired a world wide reputation as a trusted and premium quality voice of musical authority amongst fans, musicians and the music industry.

I believe that my product will be suitable for Bauer as it is a young music magazines that has the potential to be great like Q and Mojo. Although it could be stiff competition ass the three are quite similar I think there is a gap in their portfolio and room in the market for a more alternative, young music magazine that deals with a mixture of headline acts and beginning artists that are still in their early stages. I feel that it is different and will entice a new target audience to buy it. It would give new artists a platform to be seen by the larger audience and as there are a large number of teenagers wanting to get into music there is a large audience to buy it. 

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

For this question I made a powerpoint. I have embedded the powerpoint with slide share and shown you the screen shots.

 "https://www.slideshare.net/ARD96/question-2-media-evaluation-33119103" 
 

Evaluation Question 1

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

Drafts of Double Page Spread

This is my first draft of my double page spread, I have used one of my best photos from my shoot on here. The photo is about the size of one side of the magazine but I have moved it over so it starts further in and reaches across to the other page, this has created a border on the left and creates a contrast between the edge of the page and the picture.  Then across that I have written the name of the band in the font Times New Roman, it is black at this point. I have put two text boxes on the right side with  large drop cap of the first letter.

On this one I simply changed the drop cap to an even larger red letter to start the paragraph off.

My design has evolved a lot more now as I have thought about it. My photo is now covering the entire right side of the double page spread and nothing more. On the left is a title (the band name) with an extending line across the page then there are two columns with a large red T behind them. The t fills the page but only within the square the line at the top and bottom of the page create, it is red to carry the colour scheme through out the magazine. It is T because that is the first letter of the band name. I have also added a page number and date at the bottom. 

This draft is the same as above but I have put my interview into the text boxes, I had to widen them a bit because not all of it would fit in but it is still kept within the lines. As well as this I have put a drop cap in to mark the start of the interview.  

This is my final double page spread. I have finished it off with a pull quote from the interview on the photo, it is in white to stand out from the background. I would like to arrange it in a better way to make it look more professional but I did not have enough time. 

Planning for Double Page Spread

Mind Map and flat plans

Annotated double page spread 

 

This is a double page spread in Q Magazine of The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Q has used a portrait photo of the band and used it to fill the whole left side even going over a bit to cover the majority of the pages. The photo is a in colour and very vibrant which catches your eye instantly it also captures the personality of the band. On top of the image is the title it is large and white covering half of the picture but so you can still see the photo behind it. It stands out in white with a black outline. 'THE' is in red though suggesting that is the more important word; Red Hot Chili Peppers are the freaks of the industry. Underneath the title is a sub title also in white with the bands name highlighted in red. The colour theme is white, black and gold with an accent of red. Red is Q's main colour but it is also in the bands name so by using it they are linking to both. The white keeps it crisp and clean the black professional and the gold gives it an expensive edge. Q have used two thick columns of writing for the article on the right page making it easy to read and it looks more significant.  They have used a large gold T at the beginning of the article behind the writing, this is the starting letter of it and is an artistic edge that most magazines use. In the center of the writing is a gold circle reviewing one of Red Hot Chili Peppers albums the text is wrapped around it. There is also a plug in the top right hand corner and a box in the bottom right mentioning studio notes. Q has filled this double page spread with information but in a tasteful way keeping it simple and easy to read.

Proposal for Double Page Spread

For my double page spread I do not think I will have a title if I do then it has to be a really good one otherwise there is not point, I will have the bands name written somewhere though. I will have either two or three columns of writing depending on how much I have and whether i decide to write a story or article. I like the idea of using drop caps to start a piece of writing and also the idea of a large capital coloured letter in the background. I think it would be easier to do an interview with the band rather that writing a whole story about them so I will most probably do that. For a pull quote I am thinking quite truthful to friends who are playing the band that way it feels real and is more like a professional interview. The layout will be simple and clear so not cluttered with images or text boxes, my image will fill one of the sides of the magazine with text filling the opposite. My colour theme from the front cover will carry on through the magazine including the contents and double page spread so it will be red, white and black. The photo needs to be portrait to fit the page but I am not doing any more shoots I am just using different images from it. 

Planning for Contents.

Mind map and flat plan

Photoshoot

These are some of the photos from my shoot that I did not use.

Here are five of the photographs that I took during my shoot. I took 138 photos in the shoot so could not use all of them these are just a few examples of ones I didn't use.
I didn't use the first one because although it is a fun image you can not tell that they are a band, you can see Jess (behind the first tree) clearly but the focus is on her and the tree. You can not see the two other girls; they are too small and trees are in the way.
The next one I do really like because the sun is in the perfect place and it is casting interesting light patterns around the picture. But the poses and facial expressions were wrong and I thought that the light was actually the main focus instead of the band which wasn't supposed to happen.
3rd was a close up of their faces which was okay but nothing special. At the time I thought that the pylon was interesting but now I look back it just looks in the way and in the wrong place. I do like the girls weird positions though.
 The fourth one looks awkward and wouldn't have anywhere to go in a magazine. Also it is too bright and not zoomed in enough so they are quite far away.
For the last one it is obvious why I didn't use it. The sun is extremely bright on their faces so you can't see their expressions at all. It was not that harsh in real life, I thought it would be a nice warm glow but then on camera it looked completely different.