Magazine Mock-Up

This is a mock up of my music magazine:

Final Magazine Pictures

For these two pictures i think that they would work well on the double page spread as the band are spread further apart which would work well when stretching over the two pages.

I think that these two pictures would work better on the front cover as they are close together, and all in the centre of the frame.

Font Cover Edits

DPS Pictures

After taking many photos i choose a picture to use for my double page spread, i then had to try out different editing techniques, which are as followed:

This edit is called Boost, it brightens up the picture and emphasis's the colours.

This edit is called Lomo-ish, it blurs the edges which makes the reader focus more on the main point being the band. it also emphasises the colour slightly making them stand out.

This edit is called Cross process it changes the colour of the photo slightly giving it a more darker look, which fits in great with the genre rock and it is considered a dark genre.

This edit is called CinemaScope, which makes the picture lighter with a hint of brown making it look like an slightly aged photo. Which is very vintage.

I choose this picture because after doing some research i noticed that on double page spreads the artists seem to be spread out and many pictures seem to be taken within a natural area, and so i followed this convention when taking my photos.

Risk Assessment

When taking pictures for magazines, a risk assessment must be carried out. All professional photographers carry out a risk assessment and so i did the same with the pictures i wish to take for my final magazine. Doing a rick assessment will limit the risks of something going wrong which means i will most likely have a successful and efficient photo shoot. With the location i have chosen, i must consider the risks involved when shooting on this location, then i will be able to decide how i want them to look and what i want to achieve. The risks with my location are as followed:

Risks

1. Working outside-It may be cold
2. Consent-I must make sure they are comfortable with me using the photos taken and putting them on my blog.
3. Dropping props-When moving to different spots.
4. Animals-The spot i have chosen is a popular place for people to take there pets and so there may be faeces on the ground. So someone could fall and stain the clothes.
5. Rain-may effect equipment such as cameras or ground could be slippery so there is a chance of injury.
6. Tripping on uneven ground- such as bridges or pavement.
7. Small pathways-could fall into the water.

Solutions:

1. Make sure that the models are warm or if there warm clothing does not match the look that i am going for, then there can take photos in clothes given and then when moving to different spots or between shots they are able to put on something warm while they wait.
2. Explain to them beforehand the full terms of the photo shoot, and make sure that they are aware and happy with the arrangements.
3. Be careful when moving props and if necessary carry one at a time or get someone to help.
4. Examine the area before hand and make sure there is no faeces, if there is then warn the participants before hand.
5. Make sure the correct footwear is worn or reschedule for another day when there is better weather.
6. Look where you are going at all times and make sure that the participants are aware of the ground and are concentrating on where they are standing/walking.
7. Make sure everyone is concentrating on the ground and not getting distracted.

Attracting Audience

When making any product you need to take into consideration the target audience and how you are going to appeal to them. So when creating my magazine target audience is vital, as the more it appeals to them the bigger the target audience which means a bigger income from the product. To appeal to my target audience i must take into account their interests and opinions this way they will be interested in the magazine.

New Artists
Many teens are interested in the new artists around and are keen to know what they are like, and so the fact that i am advertising new bands on my front cover is a an advantage to appeal to my target audience, to match this i will also be doing a double page spread on the new band with information and pictures and maybe even some tips for aspiring artists to help them to become successful themselves.

Reviews of albums and singles
I think that it is quite important to include this aspect because before anyone buys any sort of music we want to know whether its going to be worth it, and so reviewing music will make them depend on us for good reviews, also by doing this i will be advertising certain artists, making the genre more popular as a whole.

Concerts and festivals
Rock artists do tend to perform at many concerts and my target audience being late teens are usually very interested in live performances and so this is a massive appeal to them. I will include information such as previous reviews, line ups, ticket prices, dates and venues.

Rock Sub-genres
I will be including many different aspects of rock because some people may have one typical view of rock music and so i will be talking about different rock artists that come under different sub-genres, in order to show the differences within the rock genre. I believe that this will appeal more to the audience as there will be more variation in rock artists the rock artists that will appeal to more people.

Awards
In my magazine i think i will be mentioning things about the Brit awards, this can then involve a lot of information that will appeal to different people and therefore increasing target audience, for example it can include fashion, up 's and down's, who won and even give information about how to become successful like the stars.

Competition
Competitions within magazines makes it more interesting and allows the reader to become more involved. I think it is very important to have at least one competition section and so i will be including this in my magazine, the prize can be something like concert tickets or backstage passes, these kind of prizes instantly increase target audience appeal.

Free Promotional Gift
A lot of people like the idea of free gifts and it is another convention of magazines in general to include one. To fit in with my genre and to appeal to my target audience i could include things such as posters, t-shirts or vouchers for shops, i-tunes etc.

Shooting Schedule

To prepare for my photo shoot for my final draft i made a shooting schedule, this way i am organised and know the order of events in order to get my pictures. After i take these pictures i will be using editing techniques for it to look more professional and fit in more with the genre. I want my photos to show the way the band stand out so instead of taking the pictures in a typical rock location like rural i will be taking them in a more nature location to really emphasise them.

• Pick out the outfits for the band members that have a rock feel to them. (30 minutes)
• For the female models, put on their makeup and style their hair. (20 minutes)
• Leave to go to the location, which is the brook near my house (5 minutes)
• Arrange the models on the bridge and find the correct angle to take the pictures. (10 minutes)
• Take different pictures in different angles and different positions. (10 minutes)
• Move around the brook to get different backgrounds. (30 minutes)

DPS Article

Here is my double page spread article, I have used these questions because i think that they address the main magazine title on the front cover, to answer these questions i have used informal language as i believe that this will engage more with the readers and keep them interested, i have also made it quite casual which is a typical trope of rock.

Toy soldiers, Even the name is powerful. They are the new voice of 2012 and have recently released there new single ''I Will Not Go'' which went straight to No. 1 in the charts. They have come to talk to Six Strings to tell us how there all feel about the recent events and a little in sight to there previous and present lives. So lets here what you new kids on the block are here to say.


What is it like to be known worldwide?
Alice: “Well it is quite surreal, and to be honest for me it hasn't quite sunk in, I am still quite shell-shocked that people are singing our songs and talking about us. In one way it is so exciting but in another it’s really scary.”
Rob: “It's Amazing, I love the fact that people are talking about us, good bad i don't particularly care, but the fact that we are known is enough for me, all the hard work has finally paid off. I mean not only are we known worldwide but we have officially been crowned the voice of 2012, which is crazy, it is such an Honor. And when that news came through i was gob-smacked, it's one thing for people to now you but another for them to actually like you."
Ryan: It is so weird, to me it kinda feels like i am in a dream or that its not really happening to us its just all in my head.
Rob:...We;re not in Cansses anymore Dorothy.(Rob and Ryan start laughing)

Now you have just released your new single "I Will Not Go", and it is at number one, it has been praised for it's deep meaningful lyrics, tell us about that.

Alice: Well we all contributed to making the song, we wanted our first ever single to represent us, so of course we wanted it to be meaningful not only to us but everyone else. We have said right from the beginning we want our music to help people and aspire many. That is our aim with this son as it encourages people to stand up for what they believe in and stay strong and not run away from problems, people or anything hence the name I will not go.

What’s the best aspect of being famous?

Jamie: “For me it’s the freebees” (turns to Ryan and they both giggle)
Ryan: “She loves her free bees, she always says to me if life gives you lemons, take them there free”
Jamie: “And meeting all the celebrities that I had (coughs "have") crushes on. It is just so strange meeting people that you are normally only able to see on your TV screens, and I get very nervous so when they talk to me I make an absolute idiot of myself.  Just last week at the Brit awards I met Noel Gallagher from Oasis and Beady Eye, I stood by him on the red carpet where he turned to me and said "You alright" It was such a simple little question and for some reason I could not answer him instead I just froze on the spot and let out a little squeal, like some obsessed teenage girl, I felt really embarrassed, but inside he did actually come up to me, saying things like it was OK to be nervous and ow you just have to take it on then chin, he kept making me laugh to take my mind of being nervous, he was my night in shining armour. So it was nice to know someone was in the same boat as me.
Ryan: “For me it has to be the performances, It is such an amazing buzz to be up on the stage in front of thousands of people who have paid money and come along to see you perform, I love it, it is so scary yet so exciting at the same time, it is like a very powerful adrenaline rush. Aside form that, yeah I do like the free bees, free bees are good.” (Gives a Cheeky smile)

What was the biggest struggle to getting where you are now?

Rob: "It's probably the music scouts, we did have many scouts come to our performances, and we would always get nervous when we knew they were coming to see us."
Jamie: "Because we are rock artists most people expect us to be confident and not get nervous, but we do and maybe in time the nerves will go but we have only just become famous so we have been telling each other that we are the exception and we are allowed to feel like this."
Ryan: "But saying that we have been told on many occasions that we look really confident and powerful on stage so as long as we carry on like that then i think we will be just fine."

How do you all know each other?
Alice: Well I know Rob from college, we were both studying sociology. When I moved from secondary school to college we were in the same class and we just hit it off, and became our own little social group.
Jamie: Well I moved over to Kettering half way through my college year, I was also studying sociology and so I was in the same class as these two (nods towards Rob and Alice) unfortunately (Jamie and Alice both start laughing) but for the first few months we did not really acknowledge each other until we were asked to do a pair project, and the pairs were picked by the teacher, so I was put with Alice, after that I started to hang around with them more often.
Ryan: …This is where I come in, I began dating Jamie, and when I was first introduced to her friends I did not get the warmest of welcomes from one particular band member (He looks over to Rob, who starts laughing) Rob did not trust me, and was acting like an older brother towards Jamie, I cant say I blamed him those three had been friends for just over 2 years. Alice was the one to sort us out, she literally knocked our heads together. No seriously in the hallway me and Rob were not speaking  at all and Alice got hold of our hair and pushed our heads together and said that if we did not sort this crap out, we would be in serious trouble.
Rob: Coming from Alice that is something to be feared so we had a male bonding session, where we went to this concert which Jamie and Alice had sorted out, so we had no idea who was going to be there. It was in fact my absolute favourite band, and as it turns out it was also Ryan’s, we both call that day the start of a wonderful bromance.

Have there been any major disagreements within the band?

All: YES! (All burst into fits of laughter)
Jamie: The band name was one of the biggest arguments we have ever had. We all had completely different ideas.
Alice: I wanted to be called barbed wire. because i thought it sounded edgy, but when i told them i thought of it when walking past a barbed wire fence they went of the idea. It took us absolutely ages the think of a name that we wanted to represent us, When most people think that us girls would be the picky ones t was actually the boys, there was no pleasing them. Finally we did come up with the name Toy Soldiers, we choose this name because we think it says a lot, the word 'Soldiers' shows the battles we had to overcome to get here and 'Toy' represents the fun we have also had together. Other than that there have not really been any other disagreements, we all get on really well and have the same sort of idea of what we want ad so other than the name, everything else has been a breeze."
Rob: "So Far."

Who has the most rock tantrums?

Alice and Jamie: ROB!
Alice: Yes defiantly rob, he is the biggest diva and drama queen i have ever meet. But it is what makes him absolutely hilarious, most of the time he does have tantrums that he purposely goes over the top with it. Then there are some times where he is deadly serious, and we just can not take him serious and we do tend to take the mick out of him, which winds him up even more. He just gets so annoyed, it is so funny.
Ryan: I am probably the one who provokes him a lot of the times to encourage these tantrums, we do tend to play a lot of pranks on each other, mine are better than his obviously, but my pranks are always taking him by surprise so he tends to become a right diva when he gets pranked.
Rob: Guys! i can't believe you are saying this i am not a drama queen....I am a drama KING!
(all burst into laughter) Ryan does seem to play some pretty hardcore pranks, but it is all just fun and games and i do like to be very dramatic so it is just a great opportunity to do that.

What would each of you want to do before you die?
Alice: i would want to do something that is weird. Probably jump and swim into a pool of cubed jelly or chocolate, just something that i would love to eat my way out of. (all laugh)
Rob: I would love to throw a party with fake alcohol and see how many people actually act drunk. i think it would be hilarious.

Inspiration Double Page Spread Pictures

I thought it would be a good idea for my magazine double page spread to do the same thing that i did for my front cove, and thats to look for some inspirational pictures to help me for my DPS picture. I was mostly looking at composition and editing techniques. So the photos above are the possible are the possible poses that my models might do.

Looking at all of these pictures i have noticed that the bands seem to be standing quite a lot to show power and dominance that is conveyed in there music and is the typical convention of rock. I have also noticed that the 2nd and 3rd pictures have backgrounds that do not at all fit with the genre and style of the band, which i have mentioned in a previous post i would like to have in my magazine because of the way it conveys them standing out and being bold. The majority of pictures use eye contact which is used to intrigue the audience into reading the article, so when taking my photos i will use direct mode of address. The lighting used in many of these pictures have high lighting to highlight the band making them stand out even more.

DPS Questions

I have decided for my double page spread i would like to do a Q&A interview on the band that will feature on the font cover of my magazine this way i can show the fluidity. To do this i needed an idea of the sort of questions i wanted to ask and the type of responses i wanted so i looked at some magazines to get some inspiration which i did in a previous post, after looking at these interviews i have finally come up with my own questions that you will typically find in a music magazine.

Questions from the Interviewer

What is it like to be known worldwide?

What’s the best aspect of being famous?

What was the biggest struggle to getting where you are now?


Who would you say is your main inspiration?

How do you all know each other?

Have there been any major disagreements within the band?

Do any of you have any rock tantrums, if so who is best known?


Questions from the readers


What would each of you want to do before you die?


What's the weirdest thing you have ever received from a fan?


What's the craziest thing you have ever done?

DPS Inspiring Articles

This double page spread is on Lily Allen from Kerrang magazine. I love the title lettering as it gives of a really edgy vibe which is what i want my double page spread to look like so the main aspect of this magazine article is the title font. The colours used are very dark with only the image wearing more colour that way you are drawn to the page.

This Article is also from Kerrang and is about Paramore. My favourite part of this the the way the picture is not separated completely from the text instead it blends behind it. There is also more than one picture making it more interesting for the reader, so i will be considering this when making my own. The only thing i don't like about this article is that the singers eyes are closed, and so does not make it look as professional as it should be.

This is from Kerrang also and about Davey Havok. The best aspect on this double page spread is the colours as is is mostly dark colours with a hint of colour, this to me gives of a very rock vibe, and gives it more appeal. I also love the way they have highlighted the questions to make them stand out and show where questions end and answers begin, making it much more easier for the reader as they may not want to read everything in the article, so this way they can skip to the questions they really want to read about.

Here are some more interview's i looked at to see what sort of questions i need to be asking on my double page spread:

Coldplay Interview

Paramore Interview

Oasis Interview

My Design Philosophy

One of the most important factor when designing not only my magazine but every magazine is the four F's, as this way i will be following typical conventions. Throughout my research in magazines i have noticed particular traits in music magazines one being that continuity must be used, this means that colour schemes, picture editing and fonts should be keep practical consistent throughout the magazine.

Four F's

Frame is important when making my magazine as i must make sure that the gutters and margins are kept the same  around every page. I must make sure i present the correct formula, as this is how readers find there way around the magazine and what gets them interested in the first place, in my case it will be interviews with the people who appear as the main image. Format of the magazine must be presented right, format includes the colours and fonts used, these aspects must represent or present my chosen music genre, which in this case is alternative rock. And lastly, function, this is a very important part of the magazine as it tells the audience and reader what the magazine is about, that is is a rock magazine, they must be able to know this just by looking at the front cover. This function must be consistent throughout the magazine.

Ideologies

Ideologies are things that you associate with genres, for example many people associate indie with festivals, and rock with guitars and leathers. It is a massive and important part of any magazine, as this tells the audience exactly what the magazine is about just by looking at the layouts of pictures used. Audiences are used to certain house styles for different genres, if i were to go against and attack the ideology of rock,it may confuse the reader into thinking it was not in fact the genre is was supposed to be representing. A rock ideology is someone playing an electric guitar and dressed in dark clothes, if i challenged this ideology i could use someone wearing a checked coloured shirt and posing with a banjo, the audience would typically think of country music not rock, this could then lead them to be confused about the magazine and uninterested. When making my magazine i will stick to the ideologies of my genre as i think it is important when making a new publication.

Retro vs Modern

When making my magazine i think that i will make it more modern as i believe this will appeal to a wider range audience (broadcast). The age group that is more likely to buy a music magazine is adolescents and so modern will appeal to them more. As my target audience is late teens  and early adults, a more modern and up to date vibe will appeal to them more, for example up to date music, artists and features. Target audience is the most important thing to consider when making your magazine and so i must do what i think is best from them, this is why i will be sticking with a modern magazine throughout.

Minimal Vs Cluttered Design

When it comes to design minimal and cluttered can have both advantages and disadvantages depending on different aspects of the magazine one being the genre. Having a cluttered design means that it is eye catching and can show the reader a lot of what is inside meaning that there is more chance of the magazine being bought. However a cluttered design can be too busy and compact, which can repeal a reader into buying it as it can sometimes come across immature. A minimal design is what i will be using for my magazine in my opinion less is more, some rock magazines are cluttered but because my magazine is alternative rock i will be using a minimal design as the genre style is considered quite casual and simple, a cluttered design is something that most people associate with pop magazines.

Conventional Vs Unconventional

If you are aiming to mass market magazine then the best design would be a conventional design as the are more popular, and better at selling. Even though it is well known that unconventional designs do not sell as well, some original publications can become successful such as Ray Gun even though it was a hit with some people it did eventually go out of business, this shows that as a whole audiences prefer a conventional design over unconventional, this is mainly because they are more familiar with it. The specification or my magazine must e conventional and so i will be sticking with this convention when making my music magazine, to do this i will be using things such as direct mode of address and typical conventions associated with my music genre in order ti appeal to my target audience.


Colour
During my research i have noticed typical colour schemes throughout many rock magazines. The typical colours used are very dark with one or two brighter colours in some words that are supposed to stand out. When making the magazine i will be sticking to a 3 colours scheme, 2 being dark and one being bright and links with the main image.

Eye for DetailWhen it comes to magazines small details can make the biggest difference, these are very important a they can tie the entire magazine together. If details are overlooked or not spent time on then these can make the magazine look unprofessional and untidy. It is very important to perfect the product as much as possible to make it look sophisticated and professional, this way the target audience is more likely to but the magazine because of the good quality. When making my magazine i will take care and make sure all details are looked at and are presented at the best possible level.

Consistency Vs. Inconsistency
I want my magazine to look very professional and therefore i need to make sure that i am consistent with many aspects such as text font and colour schemes throughout my front cover, contents page and double page spread. This way the magazine will look polished and tidy, even though i am making a rock magazine and i want it to look edgy many people would think that inconsistency would apply, however i want my magazine to look professional and so i will make it look edgy but keep the edgy look though out the publication keeping it consistent, as this is the house style i want it to be carried on though out.

Conclusion:
Taking all of these aspects into account i have a vivid idea of what i want my magazine to look like in order to look its best and meet the criteria and look its best to come across professional.

Fonts

Throughout my research into rock magazine covers i have noticed that a lot use different sizes of font when it comes to the subtitles, and so on my magazine i will be using bigger fonts on important words and names that i want to stand out. Also when it comes to bands, they are usually standing and are very close together, whereas single artists usually have head shots.

I decided to use one of these pictures for my front cover, however i wanted to give them a more professional look, so i tried out different editing techniques shown below. To do this i used http://www.picnik.com/

Edit 1, Cinema Scope













Edit 2, Cross Process

Edit 3, 1960's








Edit 4, Boost

  

RECCE

For preparation for my magazine i went around my school taking pictures of potential backgrounds that i could use for my magazine cover, I tried many different settings that i thought would be a good place to take my picture, most were very natural settings.

This is a very natural scene, it is not something you would usually associate with rock, however because this background is so different it will make the models who will represent the rock genre stand out and in a way make them seem 'Loud' which is  very important aspect of the rock genre, and not to mention the focus group in my questionnaire said that they think of rock as being 'loud'

This Background is what i could instantly see as a rock magazine background because it is grungy and dirty which is the aspects that i would associate with my genre. 

This is a very simple picture as it is just white boards, however with the right editing i think that it would work very well as most magazines that i have seen, seem to stick with plain and simple backgrounds, this way the main focus will be on the model who is representing the genre.

Uses and Gratification

In 1983, McQuail classified 4 categories for common reasons for media uses. elements of these are shown in most music magazines. The four categories are:

Information- finding out about relevant events and conditions in immediate surroundings

society and the world.

• seeking advice on practical matter or opinion and decision choices.
• satisfying curiosity and general interest.
• learning; self education.
• gaining a sense of security though knowledge.

Personal Identity

• finding reinforcement for personal values
• finding models of behaviour (to some extent)
• identifying with valued others in the media (in this case a music artist)
• gaining insight into oneself

Entertainment

• escaping, or being diverted, from problems
• relaxing
• getting intrinsic cultural are aesthetic enjoyment
• filling time
• emotional release
• erotic/sexual arousal

Intergration and Social

• gaining insight into the circumstances of others; social empathy
• identifying with other and gaining a sense of belonging
• having a substitute for real-life companionship
• helping to carry out social roles
• enabling one to connect with family, friends and society (mainly friends)
• finding a basis for conversation and social interaction

Questionnaire

Today i devised a set of questions about alternative rock and rock magazines and interviewed some people in my year group in order to find out what they would want in the magazine in order for them to buy it, this gave me more depth into finding out what people think of the genre and what they think about rock magazines. (primary and Quantitative)

What would you expect to see in an Alternative rock magazine?

• Photo Shoots-More pictures than words.
• Pictures at Gigs
• Upcoming tours and concerts
• New Artists

What would appeal to you to buy it?

• Bold colours
• Free bees- Poster
• Information on someone who is well-known
• Interesting Articles-Interviews with celebrities

What colours do you associate with rock?

• Dark Colours
• Clashing colours
• Black, White and Red

What kind of artists would you want to feature in the magazine?

• New Artists
• Old artists- not much but still included
• Mixed

What do you know about rock?

• Not Much
• It's guitar based
• Some old artists-The Beatles, ACDC
• Its loud

What is your first impression of Rock/Artists/Fans?

• Wrecking hotel rooms
• Rebellious attitudes
• Scary
• Aggressive
• Loud
• Bold
• Dangerous
• Adventurous
• Edgy
• Smoking
• Drinking
• Black Leathers
• Biker boots

What do you think the main style of rock is?

• Light rock
• Heavy Metal
• Rock N Roll

What bands do you like?

• Two Door Cinema Club
• Rizzle Kicks
• One Direction
• Taylor Swift
• Coldplay
• Kings Of Leon
• Oasis
• Beady Eye
• Katy Perry
• Vampire Weekend
• Ed Sheeran
• The Beatles
• ACDC
• Queen
• Rolling Stones
• Bon Jovi
• Nickleback
• U2

How often would you want it to be released?
Minority said Weekly
Majority said Fortnightly

The information highlighted is what i will be focusing on and taking into consideration when i produce my magazine. After conducting this focus group i can see that there are many aspects linked to the rock genre and so i have a wide range of material i can work with in order to create a magazine.