Thursday 16 December 2010

Evaluation Video

In the video below i have asked 5 people evaluation questions about my finished music magazine Beatz. 


The first question i asked was 'How can you tell the music genre of my magazine?'
I was happy with the awnsers i got from this question as all but one of the interviewees who awnsered straight away identified the fact that my magazine was under the music genre of RnB/ Hip-Hop. It is important for my magazine to look correctly represent its music genre as otherwise i will not be able to successfully attract my target audience, overall i was happy with the awnsers i got and am confident my magazine looks correctky appeals to people interested in its music genre. I was also happy with the way the interviewees identified how some of my design features were diliberetly used relfect the music genre, an example of these features would be; the images i took.

The second question i asked was 'How can you tell the purpose and intention of my magazine?'
I was happy with the awnsers i recieved for this question aswell. The two interviewees were correctly able to see that the first purpose of my magazine was to inform the reader, they identified this mainly through my use of attractive headings which informed the reader of new nwes / gossip. The interviewees were also able to see that another purpose of my magazine was to entertain, they could see this because of things like my mode of address, images and headings.

Thursday 9 December 2010

User Profile

User Profile of my magazine Beatz;

  • Readers aged; 14 - 24 years
  • Reader genders will be split equally, 50% male & 50% female. The magazine will be aimed at both equally.
  • The readers will have a high interest in music and be especially into RnB / Hip-Hop, they will also know background information on most of the well know artists and role-models related to the genre.
  • The readers will be influenced by the overall life of people who represent and control the RnB / Hip-Hop genre. They will follow fashion trends and understand the language and ways the information is put across.
  • The readers will enjoy listening to music and reading about their favourite artists.
  • The readers will be mostly students and therefore have little disposable income; the money they do spend will be put towards their entertainment and pleasure.
  • The readers will have a busy social life, they will be going out a lot and spending a lot of time with their friends,
  • A large majority of the readers will live in the UK; however they will still have a lot of knowledge on the trends and goings on in the music industry abroad such as in America.
  • Most of my target audience will access music through the internet, using it they can download songs and watch all the latest music videos, they can also keep up to date with what’s going on in the music world with thousands of blogs and sites posting new and exclusive information.
  • The target audience will enjoy going places like cinema, restaurants, parks, ice-skating, & there hobbies may be singing, dancing and producing music.
  • The advertisements in my magazine will mostly be of events and new releases related to music, however there may be products such as games, make-up and clothing also advertised inside.

Wednesday 8 December 2010

Front Cover Analysis

Below i have analysed the front cover of my music magazine 'Beatz'.



Finished Article

Below is the article for my double page spread;


1st Page;


2nd Page;




Tuesday 7 December 2010

Using pages to create my double page spread

To create my double page spread i used a software called pages. After a while i got used to the software and then found it easy to use, i liked how simple it was to add different effects to the photos, text and shapes.

The end result of my article was very good, the shadowing and images make the page very creative and proffesional. Below is a screen shop of my article in the software.


In my article i included some features i saw when analysing an article from vibe magazine. Below i have show the vibe example and then my version.


Pages was very useful for letting me easily add little details to my article which helped make it look alot more like a double page spread. The slideshow below shows some of the factors i included;

Finished Conetents Page

This is my finished contents page;

Making the contents page

To create my contents page i decided to use photoshop, i made this decision as i have become very confident in using it and i feel it will result in a good finished contents page. The slide show below shows some of the steps i took whilst making the contents page;

Thursday 2 December 2010

Magazine Article

I decided that the article i will have on my double page spread will be an interview between the magazine Beatz and the artist Alisha Carter. Below Is The Article;

Q: So Alisha, we can see from your album that you’re very talented, when did you first start singing?
A: Hmm that’s a difficult one, id have to say when i was about 4, singing has always been a major part of mine and my family’s life.
Q: Can any of your family members sing too?
A: Hahaa, all I’m saying is karaoke nights at the Carter house left visitors suffering from mad headaches, but heyy its all about the fun i suppose.
Q: Growing up did you always know that a singer is what you wanted to be?
A: Yeah i suppose, i had a dream and knew if i worked hard and chased it one day everything would work out, and luckily it did
Q: You used to perform at local concerts when you were younger, do you think that prepared you?
A: In some ways yes, and in some ways know, cause theres a big difference between performing in front of a small group of locals and performing in front huge crowds of people, it did help me develop my stage presence though
Q: Coming from a quite life how you adapting to all the recent press attention?
A: Ahh at the moment it’s still a bit overwhelming, but i know at the end of the day if it wasn’t for the press I’d still be back home living with mum & dad.
Q: How did it feel when you first noticed paparazzi following you around?
A: It felt very weird, almost like I’d been picked up and dropped into this new life where everyone knows my name, i guess i gotta make the most of it while it lasts.
Q: So you’ve got your first album out now called ‘Detail’, how would you describe the type of music on it?
A: It’s kinda a mixture between RnB & Hip- Hop, but iv added my own lil twists to some of the songs
Q: Now there are 12 songs on the album, but rumour has it they were picked out of 45 songs you had recorded, is this true?
A: Hahaa yeah its true, i wanted to make sure the album felt right before i released it, & i guess it took a while, this don’t mean the other songs were rubbish tho
Q: Hahaa were sure they are, so you got your first video shoot happening in New York soon, you excited?
A: Extremely excited, i fly out next week and its my first time in NYC so its double the excitement, i booked a day free just so i can go shopping in times square, Hahaa but don’t tell my manager

Typography

Designing My Magazine Front Cover

This slideshop shows how i used photoshop to create the front cover of my music magazine 'Beatz'.
Initial Front Cover;


Finished Front Cover;


Wednesday 1 December 2010

Images;

Front Cover Image;













Contents Page Image;









These two photos are taken from a friend who is also making a music magazine, we decided to exchange photos and premote eachothers artists on the contents pages of the magazines. I chose to use her pictures as i feel they fitted in well with my RnB/Hip Hip theme.


























Article Images;




Analysing Music Magazine Photos

Below i have analysed some of the photos i will be usineg in my music magazine 'Beatz'.

Front Cover;

This image is a midshot of a teenage girl. The image is taken outdoors and the lighting is all natural, this has made the image look very bright and the colours all stand out very well. The pose of the girl in the photo is very confident, she is showing attitude and looking straight into the cameras lens, these factors will apeal strongly to my target market and the overall look of the model fits in well with the RnB/ Hip-Hop genre of my magazine. The model is placed in the centre of the image, this insures all attention is on her when a reader looks at the image. The background of the image is a brick wall, this makes the photograph look very urban, this again will fit in well with my music genre and help attract my target market. The model in the image is wearing a hooded jumper, this is a connotation as hoodys are assosiated with teenagers (my target market) & also hoodys worn a lot by RnB artists and people who listen to it.

The next 2 images are both quite simular. The images are all taken in the same outdoor setting and the lighting is all natural.  The images are both taken in front of brick walls, this is to make the image look very urban, this will help attract my target audience. The brick wall is also a good background choice as it can be linked to the streets and city, these are connotations that are related to my target audience. In the first photo the model is posing with a phone, this will relate to my target audience as a mobile is an accessory most teenagers have become addicted to their phones and so hopefully the audience will see a simularity between them and the model. In both the images the model is wearing an american style hoodie, this is a connotation of youth today, and my target audience will find it very attractive. The hoodie also adds to my artists over image and 'swagga' which is important in the eyes of my target market.

  

The photo below has been cropped out of one of the previous images. I cropped the picture as now are eyes are drawn straight away to the models face when we look at the photo. This is very effective because the model is making ye contact with the camera and her facial expression gives the impression that the model is very young and vulnrable, this will help target my chisen audience as they may relate to her and be interested in finding more out about her.
   
These images are also very simular as they are shot in the same setting. Both the photos are mid-shots/ long shots of the female model i am using as the artist of the magazine. The pose of the model in the picures is very simular however in the first picture the model is looking into the camera and in the second she is looking away. Out of the two poses i feel the second is more effective, this is because the eye contact between the model and the camera creates a connection when looking at the photograph. The setting of the photos is very urban, the brick wall and fence help create this opinion and the the view behind the fence is covered by a tree which makes the setting slightly mysterious.

The next two phots are shot in a music studio. I chose the studio as a setting as i am making a music magazine and i thought the instruments and tecnology around would connect with the theme. Both the images are shot from the front and the lighting is artificial.
The first image is a close up of the model, she is posing infront of a microphone with headphones on, she is also making eye contact with the camera lens . The headfones and microphone in the image are connotaions that represent music and singing, the pose of the model fits in well with the RnB theme as she is showing confidence and attitude.
The second image is a midshot of the model looking into the microphone, she again is wearing headphones, the props clearly show that the model is a singer whcih helps me show my magazine is a music magazine.




















For the second part of my photshoot i decided to take some action shots of my artist rehearsing. I used a dance studio as the setting as i thought it would connect with the story in my article and show that the artist Alisha Carter is rehearsing for her tour. I decided that for this group of photos i would need 3 more models who will pose as backing dancers for my artist. The images worked well as its clear that the girls are practasing a routine that is connected to music. The poses of the models also suggests that the genre of the music is RnB / Hip-Hop, this is down to the attitude they are showing. All the photos were taken in the same room and the lighting is artificial. The slideshow below is of the photos i took;