Final Magazine

Media Evaluation

http://www.slideshare.net/JordanField/presentation-media-21246247

First Proof (Feedback)

CONSTRUCTION

Using IT appropriately: LEVEL 3 (36 - 47)
Understanding of conventions of layout/page design: LEVEL 3 (36 - 47)
Awareness of need for variety in fonts and text : LEVEL 3 (36 - 47)
Accurate use of language/register: LEVEL 4 (48 - 60)
Appropriate integration illustration/text: LEVEL 3 (36 - 47)
Framing shots: LEVEL 1 (0 - 23)
Variety of shot distances as appropriate: LEVEL 3 (36 - 47)
Shooting appropriate material: LEVEL 4 (48 - 60)
Selecting mise-en-scene (colour, figure, lighting, objects and settings): LEVEL 2 (24 - 35)
Manipulation photographs (within text, IT programmes, cropping, resizing): LEVEL 2 (24 - 35)

The best aspect of your work is...

The use of language in the double page spread is good.
Sooting the appropriate material is good.

Something that you need to improve on is...

Framing my shots.
Considering mise-en-scene.

First Proof and Description

This is the first proof for my magazine. I am happy with my front cover. My double page spread layout is good but i might chance the half with the text on to a brighter background colour so it isn't all grey, hopefull it will brighten it up and make it look more interesting and appealing. I have struggled with my contents page and i don't really like it, i will be improving it over the next week or so. I don't like the dark black text boxes with the white text, it doesn't fit in with the reast of the magazing and it doesn't look very appealing. I might take away the text boxes and change my background to the same colour my double page spread text half is so it will fit in with the rest of the magazine. Also, the contents page looks very full and i will try and make it look more simple so there is less to read. This will attract the average teenager to the contents page more because the majority of teenages don't like reading in large amounts.

Magazine So Far

This is what i have for my magazine front cover so far. I have started with the basic conventions, the masthead, main cover line and barcode. It looks like the colours are mainly going to be black and white so there is a sense of attitude and a little bit of trouble. I have got the cover star using direct adress because it gives off a rebellious attitude, and i have also got the cover star wearing an oasis t shirt so it is aiming at people who like rock/mod/indie music. I will use white cover lines to bring a bit more colour into the the front cover.

This is what i have for my magazine double page spread so far. So far, i have made sure that the same grey/white/black colours run through the magazine to make it look professional and organised. The cover star is not looking directly at the camera to highlight the rebellious attitude he has and to give the impression that he is to cool to follow instruction. I will include black text on the white background to carry on the theme of black/white/grey colours.

Original Photography Practise

 These will not be used for my final magazine. I have practised photography for my magazine. Since looking at different venues, i have decided to take my pictures of a single person against a white wall so it is easier to fit cover lines on. As you can see at the bottom i did try a picture with two people on it, but i think it would be difficult to fit cover lines on there, although the picture does like good. The picture quality is okay but i am going to try and get a better camera for the magazine pictures.

In my pictures of me (the boy on his own in the pictures) i have gone for the liam gallagher stlyle front cover in the edition of nme to the right. The direct adress and scruffy hair gives a sort of rebellious and confidant attitude. It gives out a youthful and confident vibe and that is the vibe i am going for in my magazine.

Contents Page Draft and Explanation

This is the draft for my Contents page. It has the 'Pick' logo in the corner to make it consistant and professional. The layout is very simple and basic so it's easier to read and find what you want to find. I have done this because when i look at a contents page, i don't look at it in detail, i look through the articles and go to what page it says it is on. The image will be a close up 1 male so the magazine is diverse in music as it isn't all bands. There is a music critics column at the bottom to say what is new and good, and what isn't very good. This is helpful for the reader to find new and good music and a magazine should offer as much music as possible.

DPS Draft and Explanation

This is a draft of my double page spread. It isn't very detailed as i'm not sure what i'm going to write in my article yet. But the big image will be in the same venue and costume as the main image, but with a less erious pose showing that they're laughing and having fun. The image on the page of the article will be of one of the members of the band playing their instrument, and there will be another small image of the all of the band together above the big image and it will be of them all playing their instruments as if the photographer has been there when they were recording. I have chose to use this layout as it is something you would find in most magazines so it looks professional.

Front Cover Draft and Explanation

I'm sorry the quality is very bad but i don't have a phone at the minute so i had to take the picture with my laptop, but hopefully you can see the layout pretty clearly. There's little things there you might not be able to see, the lines between the cover lines is to seperate the cover lines but it has the effect of paper being torn so it gives off a different and rebellious attitude. I've decide to scrap the idea of it being by the forest on the main image because it's not something that you would see often on a magazine so it won't look realistic. The masthead is 'PICK' for reasons explained in my blog, and it's inside the shape of a plectrum so it relates to the title and guitar music which my audience will enjoy. The main image will be a picture of a 3 person band with the lead singer in front and the other two equally behind, i would like to have some sort of outside background, maybe in a forest but not so you can see the background but hopefully i will find a white wall to have it against to make it more professional as that is used in a lot of music magazines. Above the main image, i will hopefully have a small image of the drummer from the band recording in mid drumming as if he is rehearsing so the front cover looks professional and gives it more credibility.

Magazine Front Cover Planning Process

I have started to look closer into the planning of magazine front covers now and tried to look deeper into how a cover star is presented. The cover star in this edition of Q magazine is Morrissey and is a very familiar artist. I think that the white background is used so that we maintain our focus on Morrissey as there is nothing else to look at. Also, i think that he is wearing a white shirt so it blends in with the background and we are still maintaining all focus on Morrissey's face. It will be harder for me to think about these things and take them into consideration when i do my magazine front cover because i am having more than 1 cover star and it is being taken outside but i am starting to look deeper into magazines and how they are being planned.

Magazine Font Research

I have looked into what font i'm going to use in my magazine. It is the font that is used for the new yourk rangers american football team and it also looks very similar to the font that is used in Q magazine. I like this font because it is basic and easy to read, but it also is recognisable because it is used often.

This is another font i am considering using in my magazine, it is called 'Big Noodle Titling'. I like this font because it is simple and easy to read. However, the top font has a distinct edge to the font whereas this font doesn't have a edge to it, it is very basic and perhaps it is too basic.

Another font i am considering is this one called 'Octin Sports'. This colour seems alot lighter and the text is thinner but i like the effect it has with the little line over the letters and on the edge of the letters. It could be too thin but i would perhaps make it bolder if i were to use it in my magazine

Images Research

THIS IS NOT ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHY








The top picture is a picture of Cofton park in Birmingham and the bottom picture is of Lickey Hills in Birmingham. These are the two places i am thinking about taking my images for the magazine at. Cofton park is good because of all the greenland and that you can see for miles benhind and it would be good to take a picture of the band and have that behind to make them look so far away and so different because it will come across that the band are unique and so different to everybody else. However, i'm really considering Lickey Hills because i like the fact that it's at the bottom of the trees where little light gets through so it's dark. I like this idea because i would like to give an impression that the band are by the bottom of the trees because the bottom of the trees are as close as they can get to where the trees began and as the band are young i want to imply to the readers that the band are at the early stages of their music career and potential and they are ready to burst into something much bigger.

Contents Page Research

I would like to take this sort of approach into my contents page. In some aspects the main image is something that i would want to use because they are shown in some sort of greenery and the fact that it looks as though it's in some hills where nobody goes and nobody else is there, reveals that they are away from everyone else and different to everyone else, this is something that i would want to take into my magazine. I also like the fact that the layout is so clear and organised. The house colours are used and there are different headlines such as 'FEATURES' and 'REVIEW' help the reader to know where everything is and know what section to look under when they want to find something. I want my reader to have a good and interesting image to look at in the contents page but i want the content to be simple, clear and easy to find because my audience are going to look at the picture to see what it is, and then use the content to simply try and find what they want to see.

Contents Page Analysis

This is a Vibes contents page and this is an example of what i wouldn't want to include in my contents page. This girl is wearing barely any girls. This suggests that it is more about the image than the actual music itself. Also, it is very basic and the lack of colour and text make it look very boring and dull. The clothes she is wearing will not be included in my magazine because i am aiming it at a very different target audience than 'vibe' magazine are aiming at. I wouldn't have a female solo singer featured in my magazine because my target audience wouldn't enjoy that style of music.

Front Cover Planning

This picture is not how i want to come across on my front cover, but there is certain aspects of this image that i might bring into my front cover. Although i don't like his stance and the way that it's so obvious he is posing, i like the way that he has the guitar between his legs to show that him and the guitar are almost inseparable which expresses how much he loves playing and writing his music. Although i don't like his clothes and that's something i won't use, i like the background of the image which is obviously where the picture was taken. As i have previously stated, i want my front cover image to be taken somewhere with trees and grass to make it look as though they are in the woods. I do like the woodland scenery, but i would like it to be darker and the ground to be brown with leaves. Also, instead of the plank of wood that he is sitting on, i would like my band to be either sitting on a park bench, sitting on the floor, or standing up by some trees.

Front Cover Planning

This is a picture of an old fashioned style diadora t shirt. This type of diadora shirt is not made anymore and that's why it is considered as retro. I will wear this because i have said that i want the band to come across as unique, and this makes the band look unique and individual because not alot of people wear this top anymore. Also, this shirt is a size medium and i am a size small. I am deliberately going to wear this too big because again, it makes the band look individual, and also it draws the readers eyes straight to the band members. This is just one possibility and i will update later on another top that i might wear in the picture for the front cover.

Potential Band Names and Organisation

I know that i'm not going to be able to use an actual band name in my magazines for copyright issues. So i have thought of two names i could use for my band:

Flud - I am considering this name because is sounds exactly the same as 'flood' and when a flood happens it is very overpowering and can have a massive affect on peoples lives. Also, the alternative spelling of the name makes the band seem indvidual and unique.

Lense - I am considering this name because lenses help to see things clearer and i want the band to be linked to the fact that they can make their listeners see life and things in life for what they really are through their lyrics and meaningful riffs.

Organisation

I am planning to do some practice photography on tuesday 8th january after school. I will go to digbeth near the Birmingham city centre where they had some white bricked walls that would be good for my background. I am going to use myself because i think that i have the look that i would be aiming at. I'm going to wear a baggy shirt with my sleeves rolled up because that is what the type of audience i'm aiming at would wear and this will appeal to them.

Double Page Spread Research

For my double page spread, i am going to have one side of the page as the picture of the band and the other side of the page will be the article on the band, layed out similarly to what you see in the picture on the left. However, i will have less text because younger people are my target audience and the amount of text in that picture will not attract them to read the whole article. Also,  like the little image of the lead singer at the bottom in the text, it's effective as it draws your eye closer to the article and this is a device i might use in my double page spread.

The image i've been thinking about for my double page spread is something like the two images underneath. I like the idea of a band having a picture in the woods/forest/wilderness because it makes a band look individually and certainly unique as apposed to having a picture in a studio or on the streets. I personally think it makes a band look more outrageous and 'out there' which reflects onto their music, making it look unique which is the effect i want it to have on the reader. I have chosen these two pictures because i would like to base the image i want for my double page spread on these two images. I like the way the woods are in the background in the image with the dog. On the other hand, i love the way bombay bicycle club have used the instruments in the woods making themselves look very different and real at the same time. I also love the idea of the park bench being in the background on the image with bbc and this is something i will definately try and include in my image.

At the moment, it is likely that i will travel up to cofton park and take the picture for my double page spread there in the woods part of it, with the road in the background. I have chosen to do this because it brings the individualism and realism of the band together which will ultimately make the reader like them.

Contents Page Research

I like this contents page becasue i like the idea of the image being one of the cover star/cover stars playing live because we get to see the them in action and it will make the reader wonder where they're playing and read the magazine to see more pictures from the show and see how the show went. Also, i like the idea of the image being the main focus in the middle and then the other information being on the sides of the contents page. I also like the way the house colours are used in the contents page to make it look official and professional. I also love the way that the preview section is in a different colour and the colour is gold. This is effective because it stands out from the rest of the contents page and the fact that it's in gold suggests that it is really important.

Publication Plan (Draft)

This is a draft of my Publication Plan. It shows what i have decided to include

PUBLICATION PLAN

Your Magazine:

I didn't include one in my practise magazine front cover but I know now that I need to include a Selling line. I might use 'UK's top Indie mag'. It will be a monthly magazine and I will charge £4.00 for my magazine.

Rationale:

My magazine will include interviews from some well known Rock/Indie Bands. It will also include upcoming festival information such as Glastonbury and Reading. I might also have a section for young and upcoming bands so people will buy it to see what new music is coming on to the scene.

Style:

My magazine will be aimed at males and females aged 14-30. It will be aimed at people who like Rock/Indie music and people who are interested in music festivals.

Regular Content:

I had an idea to feature a different band each month that are on tour and the same questions will be asked to each band. These questions will be like: What is the craziest thing that has happened on tour? Which one of the band members is the worst to live and travel with? What are your plans for the future? This way the readers will get to know their favourite bands more so they would be more likely to buy it as they get to know more about popular bands each month.

House Style:

I will keep the same house style throughout the magazine so the magazine looks professional but recognisable at the same time. I don't know my particular style yet but I know i will keep the same font style, size of the font and colour of the magazine throughout the magazine.

Contents Page:

My contents page will feature a different picture of the cover stars (maybe a picture of them playing live) to emphasize that they are the main selling point of the magazine.

Double Page Spread:

One half of the double page spread will be an image of a different band, perhaps doing funny poses or laughing together to make the reader want to read the article on the other side of the double page to see what they found so funny or why they're so happy.