Possible Photo Choices

These are some of the photos that were taken in the photography studio to be used in my magazine. I will choose one image for my front cover, 2 or 3 images for my contents page and one to be enlarged and used on one full side for my double page spread.

Photoshoot Planning

I booked the photography studio in order to take the photos needed for my main task. I would need to take enough photos to then choose four images to use in my magazine.

I have decided I need at least three images of my chosen model in various poses to use for my front cover, contents page and double page spread. I will also use one of the photos she takes of me to use for my contents page so it does not seem like the magazine only got in contact with one person for the whole issue. Whilst at a music festival, I will take photographs and then choose one to put onto my contents page to have a visual image of the festival they could attend through the competition.

I will shoot each image (apart from the festival image) in the photography studio to ensure the images are of a high quality and to show the reader that we have access to good quality facilities.

Coursework Stage 2 Planning

Describe your idea for the brief: Make a music magazine, mainly consisting of indie and chart music, including a front cover, contents page and double page spread complete with an article. There will be a main cover line with four others and subheadings below them. The article will be three columns so there is plenty of information but the page does not look overcrowded.

Genre/ sub genre: list similar texts which have inspired your thoughts NME Q Billboard Mojo

Target audience: gender/ age/ characteristics/ behaviour Teenagers-early 20s Both genders People with a broad interest in music People who like chart music as well as indie music

Major conventions I will use Bold masthead in the top left corner of the front cover Large main image of the artist on the front cover Advert at the bottom of the cover to win concert tickets Cover lines about popular artists with subheading underneath to add more information about the article Smaller photos of artists/music equipment/awards on the contents page Column saying which stories are on which page on the contents page Large image in double page spread of artist in black and white with smaller ones on the other side in colour Three column article with questions in bold to separate them

Conventions I may subvert/ change/ not use Page numbers in triangles just above the bottom of the page

Original images: what/ where/ what A student modelling as an up and coming artist for the main cover image. A large black and white image of the artist on stage for the double page spread. Smaller images of the artist with others for the double page spread.

Potential difficulties/ Plan B: Getting enough high quality photos Getting access to cameras when necessary Environment outside could affect the ability to take photos outside

Analysing Previous Student's Work

Name of Magazine	Strengths	Weaknesses	Grade I awarded
Platinum Mine	-Eye catching -Colour contrasts well with the background and the cover lines stand out. -Advertisements on the contents page look professional. -All the features of a front page are on it (barcode, masthead) -Play on words (De Vyn) -Professional use of a pull quote on the double page spread. -Photos on the contents page and double spread are good quality and look professional.	-Masthead isn’t very clear (background) -Colour scheme isn’t co-ordinated -Fonts are not professional with the shadowing -No issue number, date or price. -Front page image is not good quality	C
iMAGe	COVER -Clear black and white image of good quality -Red writing stands out on black and white background -Good word play as masthead has the word ‘mag’ in it -QR code (extra essential info) -Similar fonts and size of text -Pictures and text don’t overpower each other CONTENTS -Good mix of styles for photos -All clear, good quality images -Effective use of blurred background in image -Makes each section look like a section in iTunes/ links to music layout -Not too overcrowded -Simple, minimalistic layout -No clear weaknesses to be pointed out DOUBLE PAGE -Dominant image showing the artist in question -Image takes up whole page without trying to add things around it which would contrast with the simplistic layout throughout -Interesting pull quote put into an appropriate font style that corresponds to the artist -Uses the pull quote as the article title -Three columns of text to not overpower the reader	COVER -QR code and barcode is sharper than the image and text so attention is drawn to them rather than the main image -Quite clear the image has been edited onto the background NO WEAKNESS FOR CONTENTS PAGE DOUBLE PAGE -Could have used other images rather than one -No captions used to anchor the meaning -Words don’t fit onto one line and instead have dashes to connect it to the next line -Text stops halfway through a sentence	A
TALENT	-Clear masthead with an appropriate choice of font -All essential information present -Main image used -Consistent colour scheme -Splits contents page into sections -Includes stories with page numbers -Splits stories into categories -Uses a pull quote in the double page spread -Relatively effective edit of dominant image -Questions and answers in different colours to split them apart and make easier to read	COVER -Bad quality main image -Poor choice of font for text -Overcrowded -White background visible on star in top right corner -Could use background shapes for text -Images overlapped poorly CONTENTS -Poor quality images -Mentions what is on every page instead of picking out key stories -Changes title fonts from cover -Text and images too close together making it overcrowded -Pull quote could be better placed	C

From looking at the work completed by previous students I have learned that the layout, colour scheme, font and the quality of images are the most important factors in the magazine as these are responsible for how professional it looks as a whole. It is essential to make sure none of the pages are too crowded and have decided that a simple, minimalistic front cover is the best way to go. The idea of making the contents page have a music library layout has given me inspiration of how I will design mine. I will also try to blend all of the images and text together so it isn't obvious they have been edited in seperately. I now know that having a colour scheme that doesn't clash but is also slightly different to avoid overpowering the reader is a good idea. Font styles should stick to a specific house style but having the same font for the whole magazine wouldn't take advantage of the ability to use the connotations from certain fonts to the magazine's advantage like #1 of the double page deconstructions.

The more simple aspects of the magazines have proved to be lacking in some examples proving that all parts of the magazine should be focussed on and not just what is seen as the more important, creative sections. For example, ensuring all spelling and grammar are correct is essential as it is difficult to have respect for the brand of magazine if there is an obvious spelling mistake present.

Double-page Spread Deconstructions

                  
                    Double-page Spread Deconstructions

Institution Research

I have chosen Future Publishing to publish my music magazine as they have experience of publishing music magazines of different genres but none that are too similar to the magazine I am planning on making.
I couldn't use IPC or Bauer Media as NME, Q and MOJO magazine follow the same sort of structure and have a similar target audience to me.
Future Publishing sell a large number of issues/get many online viewers so this would be a good way of reaching a large audience. It has won various awards showing they are a very competent publishing company.

Audience Research and Analysis of Data

Survey for target audience

Some Responses:

Most of the responses I received were 16-17 year olds so I will ensure my magazine is appropriate for teenagers but also mature enough for adults to be willing to buy it.

The difference between the amount of female and male respondents is rather small so I will attempt to make it accessible to both genders and not try to appeal to one more than the other.

The most amount of people listen to chart music so I will try to encorporate some celebrities who record this type of music as well as newcomers as this will be the basis for my magazine. There is also a fairly diverse range of interests in terms of music genre so I will try to encorporate as many different genres into my magazine as possible without confusing the reader too much.

It is clear that although more people enjoy having the physical copy of a magazine, it would be effective for me to also have an online version (possibly not as informative as the physical one due to not needing to pay) as this will reach a larger target audience.

It is important to include offers in the magazine that would attract people's attention. If a customers notices an offer and buys the magazine purely for the purpose of attaining the included object/competition, they could then read the magazine as they have already purchased it and think they should at least attempt to read it. If they then enjoy it, they will be likely to buy future copies.

Including a competition is a popular choice of things to offer in a magazine but it is essential there is an interesting enough prize to spark a customer's interest. If the prize isn't worth the price of the magazine, noone will bother trying to win it. These are some ideas of what to offer as a prize from a competition which I could include on the front cover to be noticed by people who aren't necessarily looking to buy the magazine.

These responses offer a small insight into why people enjoy reading their choice of magazine. The only response that offers some advice for how to win over readers is the statement about having a range of genres included in the magazine. As I have already gathered from other responses, this will be an effective method to get customers interested enough to purchase the magazine.

These responses are helpful as it allows me to see how much people are willing to pay for a magazine so anything higher would be too much and noone would be likely to buy it. I think a reasonable price would be £2-3.00 as this seems to be near the middle of what people would pay and it would ensure the magazine is good value for money while still managing to make a profit.

Coursework Stage 1 Proposal

AS Coursework Proposal Table – Stage 1

Type of Magazine (fashion, music, etc)	Mostly indie and chart music magazine including a lot about upcoming artists to look out for as well as exclusive interviews with big stars.
Name of Magazine	NCM or Up&Coming or HORIZON
Audience (male/female)	Both genders. Teenagers-early 20s.
Audience (attitudes and interests)	People who are interested in chart music as well as alternative music.
Outlet (where it can be bought from?)	It will be available from specialist music shops, supermarkets, book shops and smaller convenience stores.
Necessary Information	It will be available for £1.99 per issue.
Selling Point	It isn’t very common for these types of music to be together in one magazine and there will be people working for it who also work closely with musicians so there will be plenty of interviews with people who aren’t usually available.
Theme (article)	Interview with a new breakthrough indie artist including reviews from well-known artists.
Images Front Cover	A picture of the new artist possibly holding a guitar/ standing on stage.
Images Inside	Images of the new artist with other well-known artists from the same genre. Also a large photo of them on their own.