Nearly complete magazine

 

Time management: finalisation of design

My magazine is almost complete, should be within the next week. I just need to add more text to my contents page, a background for my articles trailed and my re-drafted DPS text.

Time management: developed in response to feedback

I have started to develop my magazine in response to the feedback given to me by my tutor. This includes: adding a background to my articles trailed and changing my DPS draft from Q&A format to insinuated questions.

Manipulated images

Image manipulation from Emily852

DPS progress

Dps progress from Emily852

Time management: DPS design

My double page spread is very near completion, the only thing left for me to do is add the re-drafted text.

Contents pages progress

Contents progress from Emily852

DPS Re-draft

INTRO

Sprawled out on his girlfriend’s bed in Fallowfield Accommodation, Harrison Mortley’s presence doesn't go unnoticed. A perfect setting for the indie artist. The atmosphere is chilled in the prison like room. In his element, listening to the Smiths on quiet, I interview this gifted musician about; music, bondage and life as an outsider.

Interview

Red Shores started as a two piece in March with a mate from college, we were inspired by Royal Blood and Death From Above 1979 (drum & bass two pieces) so we covered their stuff and soon started to mess around with stuff I had written. Then I decided to pick up guitar and Red Shores as we know it was born.

Back in last September I decided that I would try my hand at joining a band, it seemed like the right thing to do as I had just started studying music performance at college.

I try to be as glam as possible with Red Shores. With my full goth makeup on. I try to be as interesting as possible, and people are noticing us and it's great. Bueno, that kind of amazing music lifestyle doesn't come until you're drowning in fame. But for me that's not what it's about, I like the fact that it's not glam, this is my own music and people appreciating that, even just one person acknowledging my music and enjoying it is the most rewarding feeling. 

Traveling in the car as a family, my parents always played music where ever we went; I remember Foo Fighters, The Streets, Angie Stone, Macie Grey, Massive Attack, Red Hot Chilli Peppers. A whole mix of stuff got played.

In secondary school I developed a fascination with 80’s pop music. Duran Duran, Japan; Go West’s first record was seminal to me. Naturally when the likes of Ladyhawke, La Roux and Robyn became popular on pop radio for their retro electronica sound I fell in love. However, like all angsty teenagers I soon discovered the likes of Paramore, My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy. With my declining mental health came increasingly emotional and depressing music until at my low point I almost exclusively listening to The Smiths, Joy Division and The Cure.

We’ve produced some songs where bondage definitely affects our sound, such as “Give something”. The lyrics are written to accompany the sound. On this track the guitar is throaty and gives a darker impression. So yeah, bondage does affect the sound of the music, but we don’t feature literal bondage sound affects such as “Master and Servant” by Depeche Mode or “Whip it” by Devo. You wouldn't be able to listen to one of our instrumental tracks and know it was about bondage. 

We’re in the throws of sorting out management and our first goal after this it to record a full length album, hopefully in March. We’re gonna spend January working on what we have and getting all the songs to a point at which we’re happy. Then February/March we will be recording. Hopefully to release in early summer.

“Give Something” is one of our most well received tracks. We played it for the first time last week and it went down really well, maybe it’s single material. There are  a couple of two parters that we’re really happy with. I personally like the bigger, more atmospheric tracks such as Mother Teresa.

Hopefully our sound is something that makes people want to close their eyes, roll their heads back and just move like animals. It can be serene and spiritual at times when we channel our emotional energy. Of course we can also sound filthy and gnarly too but it’s all about power and being heavy- both in tone and emotion. Describing what we sound like is kinda hard because we try our hardest not to sound like anyone else.

I decided that instead of doing my DPS interview as a Q&A format it'd be best to embed the questions which makes the interview flow more easily and targets a more adult audience. The Q&A format was too childish and patronising and most other magazines aimed at a more mature audience use the implied question format for interviews. 

Time management: Contents page design

My contents page is almost complete, the only things I need to add are: artist's names on the images, social networking addresses and more text under the headings. This will be complete within the next week.

DPS draft

How was Red shores formed?

I started Red Shores as a two piece in March with a mate from college, we were inspired by Royal Blood and Death From Above 1979 (drum+bass two-pieces) so we covered their stuff and soon started to mess around with stuff I had written. Then I decided to pick up guitar and Red Shores as we know it was born

When did music become a major thing for you?

Back in last September I decided that I would try my hand at joining a band, it seemed like the right thing to do as I had just started studying music performance at college. I check the local ads and saw that a young band called "Aftercare" was in need of a bassist, well I actually got so close to applying for an audition, I wrote the email and everything but I didn't send it: my gut told me that I wasn't ready, I hadn't even played a live show before. Come January 2015 and I see the same add up on Gumtree again, this time I felt ready and so I sent the email, learned the EP and turned up for that first rehearsal. A good six months went by still without a drummer and as of yet the full band has not even been in a room together due to injury and holidays, the likes. The guitarist was in an accident and couldn't play, there were lots of things that held us back. None of this sounds very glam, I don't think music is that glam anymore though. I mean people get another job on top of it to pay off a mortgage. You know, like "I've got to be in as many bands as possible".

Do you think music is ever glam until you make it big? 

I've always wanted to make it that way. I try to be as glam as possible with Red Shores. With my full goth makeup on. I try to be as interesting as possible, and people are noticing us and it's great. But no, that kind of amazing music lifestyle doesn't come until your drowning in fame. But for me that's not what it's about, I like the fact that it's not glam, this is my own music and people appreciating that, even just one person acknowledging my music and enjoying it is the most rewarding feeling. 

So tell us about The One Siders

I had just started my second year of college and after a month or two one of my course mates (drummer Tim) told be that the bassist/singer had left his three piece band The One Siders, and that he wanted me to try out for bassist. Anyway, I tried out, loved it. They loved me. They are more famous, more profitable, based closer to home, more creative freedom and input, more fun. So I figured why put time and money (train fair to/from Brighton, chipping in for rehearsal studio fees) into something that I'm not enjoying. 

Any sour feelings for your band mates in Aftercare?

No! I wish them all the best, and I hope the band gets off the ground because singer/songwriter/guitarist Aaron Ryan is a great guy. If they play any Gigs I'll be the first to buy a ticket and show up for them, I'm just disenchanted with the ins and outs of being one of them

You've briefly mentioned personal difficulties in other interviews..

Yeah, it was in year 10 that my mental health issues started.. You know; depression, insomnia, academic failure, eating disorders, suicide and family loss. They lasted until the end of my first year at college when I was given a choice- the biggest choice of my life...what to do next? I had completely blown my first year of college (attending the sixth form at my secondary school) and had almost gotten kicked out once or twice for either pissing off teachers or bunking

Instead of studying for class I was going home and jamming to Nirvana on bass so I figured that I could make something of this new found passion and I looked at the music courses available. It was soon recommended to me that I move to Northbrook College. And I applied myself as hard as I could, I had finally found something that I was passionate about, something to live for. Not to say that my struggles were over, in fact I had actually ran away from home for a few weeks and so the when I collected my distinction-star the paper slip when straight into a bag that contained all my clothes and personal effects

What are your earliest memories of music?

My first memories of music are from traveling in the car as a family, my parents always played music where ever we went; I remember Foo Fighters, The Streets, Angie Stone, Macie Grey, Massive Attack, Red Hot Chilli Peppers. A whole mix of stuff got played but my mother always got her say in terms of R&B and soul.

Any idols/music styles that inspire you?

I don't really remember when I started buying my own music but in secondary school I developed a fascination with 80's pop music. Duran Duran, Japan; Go West's first record was seminal to me. Naturally when the likes of Ladyhawke, La Roux and Robyn became popular on pop radio for their retro electronica sound I fell in love. But electronica and cheesy 80's pop wasn't the only love in my life: like all angsty teenagers I soon discovered the likes of Paramore, My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy. With my declining mental health came increasingly emotional and depressing music until at my low point I almost exclusively listening to The Smiths, Joy Division and The Cure.

So, bondage, you were saying about how it influences your sound? (The obscure aspect)

(Laughs) Bondage definitely affects the sound, because the lyrics are written to accompany the sound. So yeah, bondage does affect the sound of the music, but not literal bondage sound effects such as Master and Servant by Depeche Mode, or Whip It by Devo. You wouldn't be able to listen to one of our instrumental tracks and know it was about bondage. I'm sure it definitely affects the tone of the music.

Any new material on the horizon?

We’re in the throws of sorting out management and our first goal after this it to record a full length album, hopefully in March. We're gonna spend January working on what we have and getting all the songs to a point at which we're happy.

Then February/March we will be recording. Hopefully to release in early summer.

From the demos I know I really enjoyed “Give Something”, are there any favourites for you or are they all your babies?

It's funny, we played "Give Something" live for the first time last week and it went down really well, maybe it's single material. They are all our children.There are a a couple of two parters that we're really happy with. I personally like the bigger, more atmospheric tracks such as Mother Teresa.

How would you describe your sound?

Hopefully our sound is something that makes people want to close their eyes, roll their heads back and just move like animals. It can be serene and spiritual at times when we channel our emotional energy. Of course we can also sound filthy and gnarly too but it's all about power and being heavy- both in tone and emotion. Describing what we sound like is kinda hard because we try our hardest not to sound like anyone else

Front cover progress

Front cover progress from Emily852

Time management: Front cover finished

My front cover isn't complete yet but it shall be by the end of the week. I still need to change the masthead by making it larger, add a barcode and any further adjustments.

Time management: Front cover design

I have started my front cover design. My photoshoot has been completed and any outstanding blog posts have been uploaded.

Harrison interview

Tell us about the bands that you've been involved with:





Does bondage affect the sound of your music?




How are you trying to be different from other bands?




Do you think music is ever glam until you make it big?





Are you thinking about incorporating obscure sounds into your music?

Photos to be used

Photos to be used from Emily852

Photoshoot

Photoshoot from Emily852

Photoshoot - Potential make-up, costumes and hair

Make up, costumes and hair from Emily852

Time management: Pitch & Photoshoot ideas

My pitch has been posted on my blog, with question and audience feedback. The mock-ups of each magazine page have been completed and posted. Potential models and location posts are all on my blog. I still need to post the potential make-up, costumes and hair ideas. Other than that I am up to date.

Photoshoot - Potential Models

Models from Emily852

Photoshoot - Potential Locations

Locations from Emily852

Photography Inspirations

Photography planning

Spin Magazine Language analysis

Language from Emily852

Style Sheet

Flat Plan: DPS

Flat Plan: Contents Page

Flat Plan: Front Cover

Pitch Questions and Feedback

Summary of pitch feedback

For my pitch feedback I chose to interview 3 girls and 1 boy who enjoy alternative music, as this represented my target audience. They were all late teens in age (18 and 19). From this feedback I gleaned that the average price that the audience were willing to pay for a magazine was £3. Peel was liked by two of the four as it was "weird". The question and answer format was favoured by the majority because it was more clear and easier to read. Most of the individuals agreed that there is a gap in the market for my magazine as long as it offers something different to the rest (which it shall). The text to image ratio needs to be around 70:30 on the contents page, and for the DPS it should be more photo heavy but with a substantial amount of text so probably 60:40. Equal of subtle colours and bright bold colours should be used, and I'll definitely use a bright colour for my masthead and then carry it through the magazine to show continuity of house style. 



My Pitch

Representation & Photography

Time management: Magazine analysis

I have managed to complete blog posts on analysing two contents pages and two double page spreads from music magazines (from my chosen genre). The only thing left to do this week is develop my pitch on prezi.

Contents Page Analysis: The Wire

Contents Page Analysis: Dazed

Double Page Spread Analysis: The Wire

Double Page Spread Analysis: Dazed

Time management: Magazine research

I have completed the introduction to the main task, my initial ideas posts, analysed the front covers of two music magazines (of my chosen genre) and have completed my institution research post. This week I am on track with my magazine research and have no outstanding blog posts.

Initial ideas

• As I know that the music magazine industry is overcrowded with pop and rock magazines I thought about doing something different. My initial magazine idea was to do a specific genre, however upon thinking about this, this would really limit my target audience. Therefore instead of a specific genre, I thought about producing a magazine which features weird and wonderful music from all genres. This would include artists that promote obscure instruments, lyrics, content, style, genres etc. I'd just like to give a platform to those who create weird and wonderful music who aren't as well known as some artists. 
• The house style would include bright colours, with unique fonts to reflect the weird and wonderful content. 
• My audience would be anyone who would enjoy discovering new, more obscure music but aimed more at young people - 16-25 of all genders. This is because I'd be using a chatty and informal mode of address. 
• The content would include specific interviews, giveaways, top obscure albums of 2015 etc. It would probably be a hybrid magazine, including many aspects of creativity, including music, fashion, film etc.

Institution research

Institution research from Emily852

Music Magazine Analysis 2

Music Magazine Analysis from Emily852

Audience Profile

Music Magazine Analysis

Music Mag Montage and Wordle

The main genres for music magazines are mainly pop and rock. This is due to the fact that these are two of the most popular music styles. This suggests that there's a definite gap in the market for magazines with a niche style. For example a magazine which only focuses on a specific genre or that focuses on a specific audience. Some magazines will be more specific and some will include a range of music genres in one magazine like Rolling Stone. Generic conventions of music magazines include central images of artists, a large bold masthead, bright and dull colours, plentiful coverlines and a strapline.

Action Plan

5th Oct - I will have to complete the introduction to the main coursework task, my initial ideas for my own music magazine and research my chosen subgenre by analysing the front cover of two music magazines. I will also complete institution research and post all work on my blog.

12th Oct - This week I'll research my chosen subgenre by analysing the contents pages and double page spreads of two magazines (of my chosen genre). My pitch will be developed on Prezi by the end of this week.

19th Oct - My pitch will be presented and posted onto my blog with audience feedback included. I will complete my mock-ups of my magzine pages and organise my photoshoot. This includes thinking about props, models loctaions etc.

2nd Nov - I will start to design my front cover of my magazine.

9th Nov - I will have completed my front cover design.

16th Nov - This week I'll begin designing my contents page.

23rd Nov - Start to design my double page spread.

30 Nov - I will have gained all of the feedback on my magaizne pages and developed my magazine in response to this feedback. 

7th Dec - Finalisation of my magazine design.

14th Dec - Draft evaluation should be completed.

4th Jan - Developing the evaluation.

11th Jan - Submit the complete evaluation and do a final blog check.

Introduction to main coursework task

For my main coursework task I have to create four pages of a music magazine. The pages will include; the front cover, contents page and a double page spread. All images and text used must be produced by myself and I need to include no less than four images within my coursework project.

Student Magazine Evaluation

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

Upon designing my music magazine I looked back at my research of student magazines and noticed generic conventions with each magazine. These included a youthful model for the central image, often smiling. I used this knowledge as the basis for my own front cover, hence why I chose a young model and got her to smile in the photograph. The image was a medium close up as was what was set out in the brief. Other conventions showed light, vibrant colours which relate to the target audience as they connote fresh youth. These colours would often be mixed with more neutral colours to give the magazine a more elegant, adult touch. This is why I decided to mainly use the colours of baby blue and pink which contrasted with the use of cream, black and white. The mode of address was chatty and informal to relate to the teenage audience. The labelmaker font was meant to make the magazine look a bit like a fanzine, which usually use a large, bold masthead. I decided to add a price, with included barcode, to make my magazine look that little bit more professional, some but not all of the magazines that I researched had a price and barcode. The front cover has a link to a website, which I believed to be a good idea seeing as most students nowadays look to the internet for information. This was a convention that not all magazines included. My magazine had continuity in house style as I used the same font for the contents text and page numbers as the masthead. I also continued with my colour scheme on the contents page, outlining the circular frames of the images with either baby blue or pink. The house style for my magazine was supposed to have a sort of organised chaos feel to it, this was attained through the use of circular images, which created a free feel to the magazine as they were seemingly unattached. The decision to have the masthead, contents page title and page numbers at an angle, was made to fit in with this idea that the structure wasn't fixed but it was clear enough to read. As if I had stuck on the label font myself as an afterthought, giving the magazine a more casual style. I chose to have a puff on the front cover as most of the magazines I researched had one. Choosing free Nozstock tickets as the puff was a decision I made based on the fact that Noz is a local festival which many students would know of. The tickets for Noz are fairly inexpensive and so this prize is reasonable for a college magazine, especially as I'd be charging and getting money for the magazine. I included secondary images on my front cover, and contents page. These were relevant to the articles they were illustrating and I tried to make them as brightly coloured and interesting to my student audience as possible. I decided to use a strapline on my front over as most magazines I researched included one. I believed that this would catch the readers attention as it makes the magazine seem more professional and unique. For the splash, I thought to use a different font and make it bold, so that it stood out from the rest of the next, showing that the article about Brighton was an important feature of the magazine. Going against conventions, I opted to not go with a student based title, instead goin with "Teen Spirit".This would appeal to all adolescents, thus widening my audience from just "students" to "teens", and therefore giving myself more chance for profit. 

How does your student magazine represent particular social groups?

My student magazine represents a college age group, this typically ranging from 16 to 19. I fall into this age category, and I feel that I have represented this particular social group through the use of images, fonts and colour. Firstly, my central image is of a girl my age, thus representing the female part of the college audience. My thoughts on the colour scheme choice were an attempt to target both genders in my audience, but on reflection my magazine style is seemingly more feminine than masculine, which would be something I'd need to reconsider. I did include both stereotypically feminine and masculine colours, with the blue and pink used, however there are less male colours used. From my audience research I understood that students wouldn't want to spend loads of money on a student magazine, with the ideal price ranging from free to £5. This is why I decided to have the price of magazine set at £1.99. I chose the outfit for my model, as I believed a light pink top would not only fit in with my house style but the simplicity of it would connote comfort and relaxation. Also the central image itself is quite carefree and relaxed, as the subject is smiling and her hair seemingly falls in a graceful disheveled manner. This may be relevant, as a student is most often free spirited, subsequently linking to the title of the magazine; Teen Spirit. 

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

The media institution which would be best to distribute my student magazine would probably be a college. This is due to the fact that it's aimed at college students mainly from the age of 16-19. It includes college news (sports fixtures, student scholarships), as well as local attractions (clubs in Shropshire, places of interest in Ludlow) and up to date teen entertainment (Music and film). The prizes to be won, as shown on the puff, are relevant to students as Noz is a local festival and many students enjoy going to music festivals with their friends. 

Who would be the audience for your media product?

My audience would mainly be students, male and female, with ages ranging from 16-19. I say mainly because the magazine is called "Teen Spirit" and therefore could potentially relate to most teens. Some parents may also want to read parts of the magazine to get a better understanding of what is going on at the college. My audience will also include those who are interested in all aspects of college life, local news and teen entertainment. 

How did you attract/address your audience?

To attract my audience I, firstly, used youthful cover girl on my magazine. This would relate to my audience as she is roughly the same age as them. I used sweets on the central image to connote playfulness, and as it's coming up to Halloween I thought this would be quite apt. The colours used throughout the front cover and contents page were also there to attract the audience as I believed that blue and pink would attract both male and female students. These colours also gave a calm and comfortable style to the magazine, which would appeal to the audience. Another way I addressed my audience was by having my subject look away on the central image. This creates a sense that she is looking at something outside the shot, thus intriguing the audience as to what it is. This captures their attention and makes the audience want to know more about the magazine. I used an informal chatty style of writing and this makes the text easier to read as the students would feel happy that they don't have to strain themselves. There is also continuity in my house style as I've used the same fonts and colours throughout. This adds a feeling of consistency and stability which the audience can trust, making the magazine seem more official. I decided on the title; "Teen Spirit" due to the fact that it was aimed at teens. It's in large bold font so it's clear and easy to read. The content of the magazine also revolves around teenage information and so the title is relevant to the magazine on the whole. The title "Teen Spirit" is also the lyrics of a Nirvana song, which would attract those of the audience who are more alternative, or those who get the reference. I also included a website on the front cover of the magazine, which just shows that the magazine is accessible and this would attract the audience as most students prefer to access information online. The price is also relatively inexpensive, and so would appeal to students who most likely wouldn't be able to afford an expensive magazine. 

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

I found that using inDesign was much easier than I expected. There were some tasks which were a bit awkward, like changing the colour of text. I'm not familiar with the shortcuts, so I wasn't particularly efficient when working with inDesign, however I have learnt some shortcuts when using the programme for my magazine development. The other tasks were very simple, like adding text and images. Using layers was a breeze as I've used Photoshop before, which also uses layers. Photoshop was also fairly easy to use, I only know the basics but that's all I needed to know. 

Student Magazine

Mock up front cover and contents page

Name Ideas

Target audience research

Colour schemes

Fonts

For my magazine I think I'll have Impact Label as the Masthead and Christmas Candies for the Splash. I'll use the Hiragino font for the text on the contents page. I like all of these fonts because they are bold and fun and therefore will appeal to students. 

Initial Ideas

House style - will be bright and colourful, with elements of both feminine and masculine to appeal to the masses (i.e colour).

Mode of address - the mode of address is going to be more informal and chatty appealing to a student audience more so than formal language.

Central image - of a student smiling, natural look (little make-up), with simple clothing so as to not detract from the subject. Props will include student related objects such as textbooks etc.

Content - will have a mixture of entertainment related articles (music, going out, film etc.) and student related articles (college trips, exam results etc.)

Colour palette - bright colours such as yellow and blue, maybe pink, mixed with contrasting colours such as white, maybe some grey. 

Fonts - for the Masthead the font will be capitalised and bold. For the other text the font shall be clear and easy to read. 

Puff - free tickets to a local festival or dinner for two at local restaurant.

Generic conventions of student magazines

Textual Analysis of a student Magazine

Introduction to Preliminary Task

Introduction to Preliminary  Task and Action Plan for Preliminary Task

For this task I will be creating the front cover and contents page of a student magazine using the programs: Photoshop and InDesign.  The front cover of my magazine shall feature a photograph of a student, apprporaite text and a masthead.

Week 1: Research and Planning - Analysis of magazine, research of target audience and planning for production.

Week 2: Production - photo shoot, design the front o0cver abd design the contents page.

Week 3: Production - Design contents page and evaluation

Week 4: Evaluation - Friday 9th October final deadline