Final First Draft: Double page spread 2

Final First Draft: Double page spread 1

Final First Draft: Contents

Final First Draft: Front cover

Favourite photos from shoots

Double page spread so far...

This is the progress I have made so far on my double page spread; I have a lot of improvements I want to make to it. Firstly, although I like the image I think that it may be two dark on the left hand side of her face, I also think it takes up to much of the page. I like how the bubbles stand out and make the image quite unique and interesting. I will improve this by adding the introduction to my article and a background to this page.

Contents page so far..

This is what I’ve done of my contents page so far. I really like my contents page because I feel that it conforms to the codes and conventions of a music magazine. I like the image because it is very simple; however because of the blurred background the image fits into the page and highlights that she is an indie artist. I have decided that because I have a few more things I want to add to the contents page, such as a band index, contents models photos and a description under each heading, so in order to fit all this in I will be making my contents page a double page in order to fit it all in. I know that this works in a music magazine as Kerrang! magazine do this too.

Front cover so far..

Contasct Sheet

Masthead feedback

Schedule

Articles Pull Quotes Etc

Drafts

These are my initial draft designs for my magazines. My front cover, contents page and  follows the typical conventions of a indie/rock magazine. I will use these draft designs when making my final copies, as they give me a good starting point. I plan on creating a contents page similar to one found in a magazine such as NME or Kerrang! as they are filled with relevant information yet are interesting at the same time, i tried to do this with my contents page design. My double page spreads are basic, but i plan on using more pictures on my final copies, i have also decided that i might include a third double page spread.

Mise en Scene

Mise en Scene & Props


This powerpoint about mise en scene shows why I used the different props, and why I picked the outfits for my model to wear. The powerpoint helped me to pick out some of the photos that I will want to use on my magazine.

Article draft

17. How have things been this year so far?
18. Things have been really good, very busy at the moment. It's something you have to get used to but I seem to adjust to the whole hectic-ness of it. I’d never complain though, I’d rather be busy living my dream than busy doing a repetitive 9-5 job.

17. When did it all start for you?
18.  I was signed on an independent record label in the UK first as a songwriter to Sony, and then I flew to America. I tried to get signed in the UK but there were so many other girls so I flew over to America, not to disappear from the UK, it was just so I could do some writing. Whilst I was over there I did a showcase then got spotted by American labels. Basically I thought that this kind of opportunity doesn't come along very often in the industry so I decided to sign to the US label but on a worldwide deal. So I had a UK label as well, so I just begged them to let me release my first single here first.

17. How was it being over in America?
18. I was never based over there, which is what a lot of people think. I've stayed there for long periods of time, I was there for nearly three months in LA when I first got signed but I’ve never lived there. I know now that I will probably have to but that's part of what comes with the job I do I guess.

17. How do you find writing for other people?
18. Most of the time I’m writing for myself but it just ends up sounding like it should be for someone else. It was only in the last couple of months that I have actually sat down and written a song for Britney and written a song for Willow Smith and actually had them in mind. Most of the time it's songs that haven’t been right for me and I’ve pitched them to other people.

17. When did you decided to start releasing your own material?
18. I was in a girl group for two years and as soon as I got signed at seventeen I started writing. I know there is a confusion that people think that I was a songwriter and then I did this but it was always for myself first. I always wanted to be an artist straight off the cuff. I wrote my first song 'All Over Again' when I was seventeen.

17. Do you have a particular writing process?
18. I have my own personal style but I'm not obsessed with it. Purely because when you go half the way around the world you have to adapt to how different people write. You can't be like sorry this is how I write the songs can you adapt to me. It's not like that, I’m new to this game so I learn to write melody and lyric at the same time, which is how I prefer to write.

17. You've been in a lot of polls this year – how did you find that?
18. It's like a really odd competition. I’ve won the Critics' Choice, but that doesn't mean that everyone else who didn't get the award won't be as successful as me. I think people think I’m this kind of non-human robot that thinks I’m brilliant. That is not the case at all. I get upset and have bad days like everyone else but I love being under pressure. I don't think I would still be here doing what I'm doing if I didn't love a struggle and a challenge.
    
    
19. What do you use as inspiration when writing?
20. Life. Not really other songs, its more situations that I go through. I'll pick up little things that people say and elaborate on it to make it a song.

17. It must be strange making the jump from singer-songwriter to pop star…
18. ‘Totally, you don’t go to pop star school to learn how to be a pop star, or how to be ‘papped’, or what to do when a fan attacks you in Westfield, you just have to get on with it. And that’s the kind of thing people think, you know, that if you sign up to be a singer-songwriter you know how to deal with people setting up hate websites, or people being obsessed with you and crying when you touch them, but you don’t, and you just have to deal with. People will hate you, rate you, shake you, and break you. But how strong you stand is what makes you.  

17. You’re also quite clean living for a 22-year-old pop star…
18. ‘Music is my drug and the only drug I’ll ever want. The clean living thing is a bit drastic – I won’t say I’ll never have a glass of Champagne to say well done for the Brit award or whatever. I’m not someone who’s anti partying; I just don’t depend on it. Alcohol and drugs don’t give me the confidence to be who I am and that’s why I really wanna embrace being a role model, I want to show young people that you can be who you are with purity, you don’t have to kind of inject it with a double shot of G&T or a spliff. It’s just part of the role I have to play now, which I’ve always played, to be honest – ask my girlfriends, they’ll all tell you I’ll have half a shandy and I’m done!’

17. Yeah, you seem hyper enough without any assistance…
18. ‘Can you imagine me with alcohol? Not a good look, is it? A Lucozade is enough for me. I’m irritating enough without it all.’

17. You got your first big break when Chris Brown’s manager spotted you singing on YouTube and booked you to support him for six dates – how important is it for you to be known for your vocal abilities?
18. ‘For me, there shouldn’t be anyone who can’t do it live. Ever since I was a kid, I was taught that you have to be good at what you do. If you’re a masseuse, you should know what to do to make someone’s back feel better. If you’re a singer you should be able to sing live. In the last four or five years I’ve been working on my vocals, because if it’s not amazing, people will say its crap. Because that’s my job. I should be good at what I do. But I love singing live.

Contact Sheet

Contact Sheet Lauren

This is my final masthead design. I have chosen this as my masthead because i think it incorperates everything that i want from my magazine. I chose the Indie/Rock genre for my magazine, which gave me the inspiration to try and create my masthead name from the word Indie. After playing around with the word i eventually came up with indiependence. The word 'Indie' is shortened from independent music, as most of the origional music in the indie genre was unsigned bands which were not considered mainstream. I incorperated the word Indie in front of pendence to creare indiependence. Whilst researching the indie genre on the internet i found the urban dictionary definition of indie: ' an obscure form of rock you can only know about from someone slightly more hip than yourself'. I decided to put thos definition below the masthead to make it look like an actual definition, i added a colon to the end of the word to add to that effect.

Names Designs

These are some of the masthead designs I created whilst trying to decide on my final one. I thought about using colour in my magazine masthead, so experimented with blue, red and yellow. I also used several effects such as stroke and bevel on some of the masthead designs.

Masthead design

One of my ideas for my masthead was to create a collage of letters cut from a magazine and placed them together. I cut out the letters from different newspaper headlines to create the masthead design. I set up a video camera to film me sticking together the letters to form the word indiependence. I put the video on premiere and sped it up so it all happens over 26 seconds. I thought this was an interesting way of showing my masthead idea.

Colour

Inspiration

This photo bucket presentation includes a handful of photos which I also found inspiring when researching into magazines and photo shoots. I need to make my model stand out whilst also conforming to the genre of the magazine which is rock/indie. I researched into Lady Gaga, Taylor Momsem, Jessie J and Florence Welch as I feel they correspond best to the genre I am trying to recreate in my magazine. Not only are these photos providing me with inspirational stances to use in my photo shoot but also artists to include on my front cover and contents page.

My Proposal

My Proposal

Type of magazine

I plan on creating an Indie/ Rock magazine, as I feel it relates closely to the type of music I already listen to so it will be easier to create a magazine based upon it. My magazine will be based on existing bands, and will feature reviews of their gigs, upcoming tour dates and articles and interviews with them to keep their fans up to date. However I will also include information about new bands, so that the audience can hear about them and maybe take a look at their music. The magazine will be written by journalists; however the audience will get lots of input with reviews etc. It will be fan based rather than academic as I feel it will be able to reach a far wider audience that way.


Content of magazine

The magazine will feature a front cover, a contents page and 1 to 3 double page spreads. The front cover will include an image of the artist that features on my main article; it will also have stereotypical features of a front cover such as a masthead, sell lines and plugs etc. The contents page will also follow a stereotypical music magazine style, featuring page numbers and article headings; it will also have images from recent gigs that audiences have reviewed. I plan on making my double page spreads as unique and interesting as possible, it will probably include 3 double page spreads with an even spread of pictures and article writing.


Competition to your magazine 

The main competition to my magazine will be NME, Mojo, Q and Kerrang! This is because the genre of those music magazines is Indie or Rock will also be the genre of my magazine. The magazines range in price, so I will make the pricing of my magazine competitive to theirs. I will look into the aspects of my competitor magazines and incorporate some of their features into mine.


Target audience


The target audience for my magazine is 15-25 year olds who are interested in music, both current and up coming, and also people who want to find out about their favourite bands and artists. My magazine will be aimed at people in the social grades of ABC1 because they are more likely to have an interest in indie music and will be able to afford the magazine on a weekly or fortnightly basis. I have chosen this age range as my target audience because they are the highest percentage of people that listen to the latest music, they are also at that age when there is a lot of pressure to be the same as others, so the magazine can be used as a way of escaping the ‘real world’ for a while. The target audience is both male and female because they will both be interested in the genre of music. However boys are usually more likely to buy music magazines, so I will try and include more features in mine that will appeal to a female audience. The types of people that will read my magazine are Aspirers and Individualists because they would have an interest or a passion in music and are likely to stand out from the crowd rather than blending in with the majority.


Business features

My magazine will cost about £2.20, I have chosen this price because I feel it is a fair price to pay for the magazine, but it will also make it fit in with an already competitive market. It is cheaper than Kerrang and NME, which makes it more appealing for audiences as it will include similar features and articles as them but for a cheaper price. A new issue will be released either weekly or fortnightly, seeing as most music magazines are released on a weekly basis it might be better to do the same to make the magazine more competitive. You will be able to subscribe to my magazine, and I will add a section informing the reader how to do this on the contents page. I will also promote us on face book and twitter by advertising this on the contents or the double page spreads. The magazine will also have a website, this way people can check out music news on a daily basis as well as buying the weekly edition. Due to all the new technology such as ipads and mobile phones were people can download apps, I have decided to include a feature promoting the audience to download the app for my magazine.

Why you feel it will succeed 

I think my magazine will be successful for many reasons. Firstly, due to the genre of my magazine being a mixture of Indie and Rock I feel that I will have large target audience that will buy the magazine. Secondly, I provide a competitive yet fair price for my magazine and feel that the features of my magazine will appeal to the readers. By making features of the magazine available on the website and on apps I think it will give the readers a quicker way of accessing information if they cannot afford or do not wish to buy the magazine that week.

 

My proposal allowed me to begin to prepare my ideas for my magazine; this is the first time I began to really think about the types of things that would be included in my magazine. Focusing on the number of pages, the price of the magazine, who my audience were and how I would appeal to them. This helped me to build the basis of my magazine which I can know use when I begin to form my actual magazine.

Inspirational images

I collected these images whilst researching magazines; I liked them because I felt they were quite inspiring. I haven’t quite decided how to dress my model and these images have given me several ideas for a few themes I could try.

This image is fairly plain, but at the same time is quite intriguing. The individual in the image doesn’t have direct eye contact with the audience; this is quite mysterious and enticing to audience members. I would like to recreate this image when doing my photo shoot.

The above image caught my eye because it reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, which is one of my favourite films. Since I haven’t quite chosen a theme for my magazine yet, I thought this could be quite an interesting idea. I could have my model dressed as Alice, The Rabbit and The queen of hearts which would show different personalities of my model.

This image is very eye catching due to the fact that it’s in black and white; the models eyes really stand out and captivate the audience. Her stance is also quite interesting and the angle of the shot makes her appear very mysterious. This type of image would be perfect for my magazine as my magazine is of the rock/indie genre.

All of the images above have provided me with plenty of ideas and inspiration for my photo shoot and magazine. I have now got plenty of ideas for themes I could have in my magazine as well such as the theme of Alice in Wonderland. I will refer back to these images whilst doing my photoshoot to provide me with ideas.

Whilst reading through a copy of kerrang magazine i came across a questionnaire that had been published in the middle. Kerrang! magazine have given all readers of the magazine a 'free copy of Niravana covers cd and would like something in return'. An additional benefit for filling in the questionnaire is given because you will be entered into a competetion if you send it back by a certain time.

 

The above Prezi is about my key concepts research. In this key concepts research I looked into codes and conventions, audience, representation and institution. I believe that this will help me to create my actual magazine as I will be more aware of the different types of things that are involved in making a magazine. For example I am now aware that technology is over taking magazines and more people are getting information off the internet and devices such as iPods and iPhones which means I might need to offer an app version of my magazine. I have also noticed how different genders are represented by certain genres of magazine, for example the Hip Hop genre represents men as having lots of money emphasising on the jewellery they where, whereas the women are portrayed in a more seductive way wearing provocative clothing. I now know I should represent my model fairly to how they would be represented by other magazines in the same genre.

Similar Product Research

Similar Product Research

The above presentation is my similar product research. I gathered 3 front covers, contents pages and double page spreads from different magazines, by doing this I was not only able to see the typical codes and conventions that appeared on music magazines but was also able to gain some inspirational ideas for my own magazine.  

Preliminary Task

For the preliminary task we had to create a school magazine.The prelimary task is completed to prepare us for the main task further on in the year. I decided base my school magazine upon Haydon school. To begin we had to create a front cover and a contents page, we also had to use a mid shot image on the front cover.I sketched a draft design, took my photos and then finally created my final design on photo shop. Firstly, i sketched my initial design on A4 paper. I decided i would have a mid shot image of somebody holding up their GCSE results, with a headline saying 'GCSE RESULTS'. I chose the name of my magazine to be the Haydon Times because my magazine is about Haydon school.

   

 I took my pictures in the school library, i took a photo of a student holding up their GCSE results to link in with the main headline. I also took a photo of a sign against littering and of some other students holding their GCSE results to put on the contents page.

I created my front cover using photo shop. Firstly i cropped my main image and made it the background image of my front cover, i chose the image of the student holding their GCSE results because it was a mis shod . I chose a Sans font for my title Haydon times as i thought it was professional looking to appeal to the adult audience but also eye catching enough for a younger audience such as students. I put the title at the top of the page as it will be the first thing the readers look at when they pick up the magazine. Underneath the title i added another title saying 'Autumn 2011' so that the readers are aware of when the magazine was made and when the articles are relevant for.I chose a blue and red theme for my magazine, as blue is the Haydon School colour and red is the Challenger House colour. I added sell lines along the left hand side of my front cover, some of the sell lines i included were ' Sixth Form News', 'New Languages' and 'Haydons Got Talent'. I made these sell lines blue to fit in with the colour scheme of the rest of the magazine. Above the sell lines i added a heading that said 'Inside' so that the audience were aware these are the articles they can find inside the magazine. I added a main sell line to the right hand side of the page, in the middle of the main image, to highlight that this was the most important article and is what the picture is also about.

I gave my contents page a simple design so that people can easily find the information they are looking for. At the top of the page i added the title 'Contents', i made this a sans font, in the colour blue to keep with the theme on the front cover. I added the same sell lines from the front page onto the sign and gave them page numbers. This makes it easier for the readers to find the correct artcile they are looking for and will know the page to go to. I used the same font to once again keep the theme of the entire magazine. In the top right hand corner of the page i added a image of a anti littering poster, this image correspondes with the sell line 'New Litter Policy' with the page number in the right hand corner of the image.At the bottom of the contents page is another image of two students holding their GCSE results, this corresponds directly to the main sell line on the front cover, the page number on the bottom corner of the picture gives the audience the opportunity to go straight to the page.