Initial Ideas

This is my initial ideas diagram that a drawn to show how I want my magazine to be.

Audience Research Results

These are the results of my audience research questionaire.

Location of shots

This is the media room. There was a mixture of white and green screens used.

This made it easy to edit out the colour from behind the image by using the magic wand tool and lasso tool.

 This was the lighting set up used to take the photos. Triggers were placed on to the top of the cameras by using dipswitch technology. The lights flashed when the trigger was pressed on the camera.
 This is the location where I taken the photo of Mitchell playing guitar. I chose this location due to the nice natural light.

This was the piano that was used on my double page spread.

This the room where the piano is.

This is where I took the photo of the mixing desk. It is in the school recording studio.

Pre edited shots

These are the pre-edited images used in my magazine.

This is pre edited front cover image.

 This is pre edited double page spread image.

 This is pre edited contents inset image.

This is the pre edited image of Ellie Goulding, used on my contents page.

















This is the pre edited image of the mixing desk, used in my double page spread.

This is the pre edited image of the piano shot, used on my double page spread.



This is my double page spread main image, retaken so the image is less blurry and more focused.

Photo Planning

Picture	Time and Date	Model/ Pose/ costume	Location	Lighting	Set-up time	Mise-en-scene	Camera angle + distance
Front cover main image	16 March	Side fringe, checked shirt, looking at the lens of the camera.	School media room	Pro-line lighting kit on quarter power	5 minutes	None	Close up. Straight shot. Camera manually focused.
DPS band main image	16 March	Front man as dominant,others at side.	School media room	Pro-line lighting kit on quarter power	5 minutes	None	Long shot, straight on
DPS inset piano photo	17 March	Actively playing piano.	School music practise room	Black and white, edited	N/A	Piano	Medium shot, from left angle
DPS mixing desk	17 March	Photo of mixing desk in action	School recording studio	Black and white, edited	N/A	Mixing desk	High angle close-up shot
Contents girl guitar shot	21 March	Katie playing guitar with serious posture	School media room	Pro-line lighting kit on quarter power	5 minutes	Electric Guitar	Medium shot, straight on
Contents boy guitar shot	13 April	Mitchell playing guitar outside	Outside D-block area in school	Natural light	N/A	Electric Guitar	High angle, medium close up shot
Contents Ellie Goulding shot (Rena)	7 April	Rena holding a piece of paper showing her record deal	School media room	Pro-line lighting kit on quarter power	5 minutes	Paper	Medium shot, straight on

Codes and Conventions

This week I have been looking into codes and conventions of magazines.
I used mostly examples of NME, but examples of Q and Guitar World were also used. This was to give me a broader experience of magazine conventions.


I found this task helpful, because it helped me know typical conventions used professionally. It also gave me lots of ideas that I could use in my own magazine.

Rough Cuts

I'm in progress of producing my magazine and these are my rough cuts. This includes a front cover, contents page and double page spread.


Raw
Front Cover

This is the rough cut of my front cover.


The things that I like about it are:

• Good central image. The Mise en Scene is appropriate. The compositions of the shot is also
• The front of 'The Bright Nights'
• The band name
• Inside circle 

Popular points of feedback from my teachers and class are:

• Not enough text
• Image is too dark
• Inside is in the wrong place
• 'Nights' clashes with red shirts
• Good composition of shot
• Good title and logo
• No price or issue number

Raw

Double Page Spread

This is the rough cut of my double page spread.

The things that I like about it are:

• Tri colour scheme
• Composition of shot
• Layout of text
• Inset images

Popular points of feedback from my teachers and class were:

• Image is too blurry
• Good colour scheme
• The way the jeans stand out
• Inset images
• Good theme in interview
• Needs more text
• Layout of 3rds needs to be clearer

Raw

Contents Page

This is the rough cut of my contents page.

The things I like about it are:

• Contents logo
• Fonts used, sans serif and serif
• Page layout
• Image

Popular points of feedback from my teachers and class were:

• Not enough text
• Needs more content
• Needs more images
• Nice use of yellow circles

The feedback helped because it pointed things out that I didn't notice my self. It also gave more opinions on my magazine, all allowing it to help me improve. I will use this feedback in help to produce my final cut of my magazine.

Contents Page

NME

Contents Page- Inside This Week

NME took a different spin on this contents page. Instead of stating that it is a contents page, they say 'Inside This Week' this clearly states what is going on in the magazine. The title is written in a black, serif font with the date written in a very small font underneath it.

 NME used their typical tri colour scheme, used a lot in there pages. 7 inset images have been used, all at a similar size, this shows there equal importance. Each image includes text or speech about, or within the article/interview; this shows the reader was is involved.

The majority of the page has been written in a serif font giving it a sophisticated look which contrasts with the front covers and double page spreads usually used in NME. They are usually quite blocky. But this page is a lot more sophisticated and informative. The advertising in bottom left corner is in red, which stands out to the reader. The best articles in the magazine are listed with pictures, where the less important ones are in smaller sized text.

NME
Contents Page- Kasabian

The page is a tricolour scheme of red, black and white, apart from the box in the bottom left. A yellow text is used here, but this is because it is unrelated to the contents of the magazine and is about advertisements. The NME logo is clearly shown at the top left of the page. 'NME This Week' clearly shows what is in the magazine that week. The band index looks good. First of all the 'band index' text is in a black and bold sans-serif font, making it blocky and powerful to the reader. The red sans-serif text, of which the bands are typed in, really stands out to the reader. The page numbers are in black, making them separate as easier to find when reading the band index. I like the use of the band index, because anyone can come and read about bands they like, without searching the entire magazine.  One main image of Kasabian is used here. This may be because Kasabian are a famous band, making the page just for them. All important aspects of the page, such as Kasabian, band index, logo and sub headings are all in sans-serif text, and in a large font, to stand out to the reader. The red arrow at the bottom of the page also stand out to the reader and makes them change page. Use of white on black text in blocks, shows clearly that it is a subheading.

NME
Contents Page- Oasis

A tricolour scheme is used. The white, red and black colour scheme illustrates an instant recognition for the entire of the magazine. The main thing that strikes me are the low angle, long shots, which shows the strength of the particular artist. Oasis is a popular well known band which is conveyed through the magazine audience having to look up at the band. The sweaty and guitar images show the raw sense of the band, typical of NME. 'Oasis kicked off their world tour,' the sans-serif black font shows the importance of the band.  'This week' is the title for the contents page. It is shown in a large bold  sans-serif capitalised font. The images and text are placed on to a white background, showing the unisex target audience. It also allows the red to stand out of the page.  A yellow font is used at the bottom of the page. The the yellow introduces excitement and instantly stands out within the page, attracting the readers eye.

Q
Contents Page- The Courteeners

The Q logo in red and white clearly stands out at the top left of the page. 'Q Contents' clearly shows that it is the contents page. A tricolour scheme is used, red, black and white. A strong theme of rule of thirds is used, so it is attractive to the eye. The features takes up the left 3rd of the page. Features in white is on a red block. This clearly shows that it is a subheading section. The main image takes up  two 3rds of the page. The image is on a high landscape, this shows that the band are superior. The front man is positioned at the front of the other members. He is looking at the lens of the camera, whilst the side members are looking away, which shows they are less important. 'Oasis special!' is written. This shows that Oasis are a famous and popular band and gives excitement and a high expectation to the reader. The issue number and date are clearly in the top left of the magazine, making it easy for the reader to see. The subheadings are in a sans-serif block font, whilst the information is in serif. This shows that the sans-serif text is the most important as it is bold and stands out of the page.

The 'Q Review' is clearly a new section. There are white spaces in between the features and main image, separating it from them.

Q
Contents Page- James Blunt

The Q logo in red and white clearly stands out at the top left of the page. The issue number is in red, to the left of 'Contents' and the issue date is on the right of 'Contents.' This clearly states the article issue, title and date to the reader. A tricolour scheme is used, red, black and white. A strong theme of rule of thirds is used, so it is attractive to the eye. The features takes up the left 3rd of the page. 'Features' is in a white font on a black blocked background. This clearly shows that it is a subheading section. The main image takes up  two 3rds of the page. As it is close up shot, studio lighting effects have been used. Brightness and contrast were also used. This makes the image more exciting and attractive.  'The Lennon issue!' is written. This shows that it is a main feature in a magazine. Only the name 'Lennon' was used because the full name is not used to overstate him.  The subheadings are in a sans-serif block font, whilst the information is in serif. This shows that the sans-serif text is the most important as it is bold and stands out of the page.

Analysis: Double Page Spread

NME
Double Page Spread- Lily Allen


The red shirt really stands out due to the white background. It shows that the image of Lily Allen is the most important part of the page. The magazine also gives a whole page to the picture so therefore it is attractive when flicking through pages, etc. The picture slightly overlaps to the previous page to show that it is related. Only one picture is used which shows a lot of text. A tricolour scheme of red, white and black was used, which from my research is used a lot for NME. Even Lily Allen follows this colour scheme due to her shirt being red and black, and her skin tone is white. All of the words are in black and white, except ‘Lily Allen’ and the writer’s name. The heading is a large sans-serif font, all in capitals. The different sized letters I think are used to make Lily Allen look young and rebellious, due to its uneven capital form. This means that it will appeal to the target group.

NME

Double Page Spread- The Vaccines

This is a double page spread is from an NME magazine, introducing and interviewing 'The Vaccines Teenagers'. The photo contains grey and dull colours with a light but slightly dirty backdrop, this could be reflecting their gritty pop music. The entire band was looking at straight at the lens so the reader feels engaged. The two guitarists held their guitars to show they are a guitar-based band. The photo runs across both pages, purely to emphasize that it is a double page spread, so the pages belong together. It follows a tricolour scheme of black, light blue and grey. These simple colours may have been used to replicate the bands simple pop taste. Blue lines are used across the page in random places, to show the bands raw sound. All of the words in blue are they because they are important and should be emphasised upon.

NME

Double Page Spread- Florence and the Machine

This is a double page spread is from an NME magazine, interviewing 'Florence and the Machine.’ Florence sitting on the American flag and the headline 'The USA got the love' instantly shows the reader that the article is about her song ‘You got the love’ being successful in the USA. NME did not simply use the artists name as a title, but a clever headline to engage the reader. NME cleverly used the colour red as the only bright colour, to make Florence’s hair stand out and clearly to show ‘she has the love.’ The flag also stands out. As Florence is an artist, red was used because it is a colour commonly used to show someone who is pretty. The serif font is used, due to it being more feminine. A sans-serif font was used to say ‘USA’ to show the importance in the article.

NME

Double Page Spread- My Chemical Romance

This is a double page spread is from an NME magazine, interviewing ‘My Chemical Romance.’. The spread is about the band in the studio, typical of a rock band. The fact the top of the page says ‘We’re being the best MCR we can be’ means that the band are trying to create great songs, speech is appropriate. It contains a large mid-long shot taking up the first page and two inset pictures. It clearly follows the rule of thirds due to the three columns. The words ‘The best MCR’ fall onto the previous page, so the reader knows that the two pages belong together.
The spread has very little text. This could be due to the band being a rock band, they did not give as much information or it is to show the laid back context of the band in the recording studio. The tricolour scheme of red, black and white matches well with the band. The name ‘My Chemical Romance’ means the red could be to do with love, or the red could stand for the rock vibe of the band.

NME

Double Page Spread- The Teenagers

This is a double page spread is from an NME magazine, introducing and interviewing 'The Teenagers'. The right hand side of the page is split into three sections to follow the rule of thirds. The spread itself follows a tricolour scheme of blue, white and black, with blue highlighting the heading, subheadings and important words. But the main image is a range of different colours. The the main image of the left page, the band are positioned in shot by casual lying down on a sofa. This shows the stereotypical view of teenagers which has then been protrayed to the band. It could also appeal to the target audience. The sans-serif fonts stick out of the page which contrasts the laid back images.