Research: Consolidating My Ideas

Cover

For one of the front covers that I analysed I liked how it contained synergy with the articles inside and the contents page. This made the magazine look complete and didn't make anything seem out of place. I also liked how the model broke conventions by not looking into the camera. It was also clever how his clothing and jewellery match the brand of the magazine, for example, he was wearing a rolling stones logo on his necklace whilst posing on the cover of a rolling stone magazine. On another one of the covers that I analysed I really liked how the "I's" in 'Stadium King' are red and joined together even though they were on separate lines. This connected the words and made them seem as one. I loved the pull quote and how it matches his facial expression. I think it is very important that if the quote is very serious or sad that the emotion on the main/biggest picture represents how they were feeling when they said the quote. It also says that I liked the rural background and how it is blurred out, this will include the basic colour conventions of country music (for example, green in a field, or rusty red next to a brick wall). I think it would be great if I could get a shot in a wheat field and blur it out to get the background to a yellow/ orange colour. The lighting in one of the front covers was very nice and doesn't look difficult to replicate because it used natural light from the sun. I will have to take into account that I will get different light intensities at different times of day. Like, if I plan a photo shoot in the morning, the light will be much softer than when I take the pictures during a sunset.

Contents

In my first analysis of a contents page I liked how only a little bit of colour is used to give it an edgy vibe. I think what I meant by this is that I should stick to a colour scheme that doesn't have a lot of contrasting colours in order for it to look more natural. "I like how simple it looks": Similar to my last point, I thought that it looked very neat which makes it look more aesthetically pleasing to the reader. I like how classy serif fonts look. On another contents page I loved that how even by adding the slightest bit of red to it, it ties the whole magazine together by creating synergy. I like how some of the stories have images to show the reader what is on that page without even having to read anything. By doing this it simplifies the magazine and invites the reader into wanting to read about that page. However, I didn't like how vacant it looked and I felt like only using red didn't make the page look full enough. They should've added more colour to make it look less boring.

DPS

I like how the DPS's contain synergy with the front cover and contents. This helps the magazine to be tied together nicely and contributes to it's house style. I also thought it was cool how on one of the DPS's that I analysed had a huge title which spanned half of the page. This was very attention grabbing and people would be able to recognise it by simply flicking through the magazine pages. Another thing I liked was how the pull quote matched the expression on the artists face, so since it was a really serious quote that resembled his rebel lifestyle the way his eyes pierced the camera made his face look haunting. On the next DPS I analysed I thought it was really well presented because of how the gutters create symetry within the page. There were three columns separated by thin lines otherwise known as gutters and they cut the text up to make it look nicer on the page. I thought it looked great the way the picture spreads throughout the two pages, so for my magazine I could incorporate a picture of someone laying down to blend the two pages together to make them seem like one big A3 sheet instead of two separate A4 sheets. I like how they used pull quotes and I liked that the background looks 3D since it is layered in front of the artists (the background became part of the foreground).

Research: DPS 3 (Q Cass McCombs)

The word Maverick compares the image since Cass McCombs looks very rugged and isn't clean shaven (this is most effective when the camera is of high resolution which gives a really sharp image). It looks as if he isn't very interested in the photo shoot taken in this studio setting. His eyes aren't focused on the camera which makes him appear very vacant and slightly distressed. This also links to the pull quote found at the bottom left of the picture saying that he has "slept on the streets and been hungry", his expression is perfect for showing how he has lived a harsh life and is zoned out of his life. His shirt coincidentally matches the colour of his eyes and his blazer matches the colour of his hair. This makes the magazine look quite minimalistic and makes it appear as if it revolves around a specific colour scheme. The dark grey/black background diminished readability but can make other colours stand out. Combined with red or orange, it gives a very aggressive colour scheme.

This is located at the
top of the page, above
the title, to inform the
readers who wrote the
article and who took
the picture.

This quote is a lead and looks and works in the same way as a stand first would since it tells the reader a little bit about the article without having to read the whole thing. By containing ellipsis
at the end of it, it creates suspense like the kind you'd see at the beginning of a movie. It says "Until now..." which makes the reader anticipate what is actually in the content of the article, thus making them want to read more. It contains a lot of complex and unusual words which intrigues the reader and reels them into wanting to read about his life especially now since all of this time he "has been loath to discuss his life". This makes it sound like an exclusive and presents an inside look at his life.

In my opinion this article is quite unusual since it offers a thoroughly in depth look into Cass McCombs life. James Oldham (the writer) writes all about his past and includes quotes from an interview he had with Cass. This, for me, doesn't correspond to Dyers theory that "a star is an image, not a real person" because the article is so in depth that it really expressed how Cass is as a person.

 This drop letter is written in sans serif which contrasts to the rest of the calligraphy in the article. It is also in a bold, blight red box which separates it from the rest of the writing which immediately draws your attention to the start of the paragraph, making you want to read it. Using a drop letter in this was is a great way to attract readers, especially using the colour red since it not only contributes to the house style of Q Magazine but also represents determination, courage and the word Maverick itself. However this could be polysemous as each person could represent the colour red in many different ways as Barthe's theorys suggests that "meanings vary according to interpretation".

 Cass' name is written in a really light grey colour and takes up half of page 63. This could imply that although Cass used to be very elusive and invisible he has still always been present. It is written in sans serif with a gigantic font and is text wrapped around a text box. It has also been layered underneath of a box-out which tells the reader that this DPS is included in a series of biographical articles that inform the readers about an artists life before fame. The kerning between the letters is quite tight but still equal. It is written in. Personally I think that this is a great way to portray the artist because the title really stand out by being so big and eye-grabbing, however the one thing I would change is the deepness of the colour because it still looks a bit too light in my opinion.

From the way the columns are laid out you san straight away tell how the article is meant to be read through the use of gutters. It is split into thirds which makes it seem like it is easier to read.

Q's house style is represented through the magazine with the colour red. This is clearly shown on this DPS since the drop capitals match the Q on the front cover. If I were to scan though the magazine I would find that many of the pages would have been adapted to fit this and the synergy would be present throughout.

This little icon is located at the bottom right hand side of the DPS to act as a sign to tell the reader that the article is continued on the next page.

• The Medium of this article is a double page spread printed for Q Magazines 'Maverick' series of new artists.
• The Domain is informing the reading on how Cass McCombs got his start and explains how miserable his life was before he found music. It reflects on his past and tells the reader how he transformed from a hungry man living on the streets to a well off musician.
• The Tenor is that it is aimed at a target audience of people who enjoy alternative music. Since Cass is an artist who has experimented with a lot of genres such as punk, folk, country and soft rock he will have a wider TA than most other musicians. The age group would look like it would range from anyone (male or female) from 18+ as the colours are quite neutral and refined.
• A casual register is used in this article. James Oldham writes in a conversational tone in order to communicate with the reader on a personal level. He uses sophisticated language but makes it sound informal at the same time through the use of contractions

How this has influenced my planning and creativity:

• I like how on this DPS it has a really big title.
• This DPS is really good because I like how the gutters create symetry within the page.
• I like how the pull quote matches the expression on the artists face.

Research: Locations

Research: Front Cover 5 (Rolling Stone Lil Wayne)

How this has influenced my planning and creativity:

• I like how the front cover contains synergy with the articles inside and the contents.
• I like how the model breaks conventions by not looking at the camera.
• I like how his clothing and jewellery match the brand of the magazine.

Planning Initial Ideas: Concert Pictures From Summer

This summer my Dad and I went to two Country Music concerts (Tim McGraw and Brad Paisley) and since I had my assignment brief before then I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get some pictures from live shows. I could use some of these shots on my contents page with text wrapped around them to correspond to one of the pages in my magazine.

High quality Brad Paisley concert shot

Brad Paisley on the big screen

Brad Paisley with blue and white lights

Brad Paisley on the big screen

Tim McGraw audience

Tim McGraw blue lights

Initial Ideas (DPS)

Initially I thought of writing an article on how Brittany (I haven't decided on her star name yet) is making a comeback and how she has changed her style, so almost like a reintroduction into country music from another genre. A bit like what Taylor Swift or Miley Cyrus had done when they transitioned from Country Music to Pop Music but the other way around. This means that I will have to talk about her star image and how/why she changed genres. I could also talk about the possible changes to her fan base and include an interview with pull quotes from said interview which have been text wrapped.

Adele underwent a similar situation where she had to make a comeback into the music industry after having a baby. Although the DPS above was from before her pregnancy I like how classy it looks and how we it relates to her image.

This Ed Sheeran DPS is very different to the one which Adele is featured in and the techniques used to create it are very different too. However I think both styles are very complimentary to the image of the artist in which it's about which is why I need to do some more considering of what Brittanys star image will be.

As I want to incorporate pull quotes I have been thinking about what they should be in order for the audience to be interested in reading the actual article. Here are some which I think could grab their attention:

• "It was a big mistake"
• "That was never the real me"
• "It felt like I was trapped in a little bubble in a little world"
• "I'm starting a revolution"
• "They always called me 'normal'... they couldn't have been more wrong"

Since I want a young target market I think it would be best to use an informal register using colloquial language in order to really connect with them and make it easier for them to read. I want it to be fun to read and give them the information and gossip that they want to hear.

In terms of columns and I was thinking of splitting each page into thirds with four gutters. The colour of the gutters will match the house style of my magazine so it develops the synergy throughout the pages as well as other aspects like the title and maybe the pull quotes. I will have one or two pull quotes with substantially larger text than the actual article to divert the readers attention to this particular page when scanning through the magazine. I think it would be good to have them split up the gutters and put them in-between the text using a text wrap.

Photo Shoot 2

These are a few of my favourite photos from last nights photo shoot along with some examples of pictures that I will not use. I have created a Slidely to show all of the photos I took during the photo shoot as well which I added to the end of this post.

In my opinion this photo is one of the best pictures I captured as it contains three strong representations of the genre Country and Western (the belt, the banjo and the boots). Her pose is relaxed as she 'sits on her hip' which gives the idea that she is comfortable and the picture was taken in a relaxed environment.

Another one of my favourite shots from last night! This photo accentuates Brittany's eyes and the lighting is great as well. However I didn't plan to actually get her hand in the photo so if I choose this to be featured in my magazine I might have to use photoshop on her thumb nail to make it seem polished so it shows that she is a big Country star.

This shot was taken on the ground which makes her look quite laid back. I especially think that her hair and makeup in this shot are how I want them to be seen in the magazine.

This was the first picture I took where the model wasn't smiling. I think it would change the whole tone of the magazine if I incorporated this photo. Since she isn't smiling it looks less inviting than some of the happier photos I took, however it still works very well as she looks rather high fashion and her eyes are widened. Girls in this generation look up to people in the media who use poses like this because it shows off their confidence and makes them look fierce, for example Beyonce in her "I Am Sasha Fierce" album or Miranda Lambert in her "Gunpowder and Lead" photoshoot (as shown below).

Beyonce (I Am Sasha Fierce)

Miranda Lambert (Gunpowder and Lead)

Although Brittany's face isn't shown in this picture, breaking conventions, I do think it's cool how you can see the motion in her shawl.

This picture is a bit like the previous one however the shawl is static and Brittany is now facing the camera. This would be a good photo to use because I think it was successful in representing being liberated and proud. This would further change the tone of my magazine, thus adding diversity into what I could write about on my double page spread.

This facial expression is similar to one of the previous ones but she looks slightly smug instead of looking fierce, this is due to the tilt of her head and slight smirk. It just goes to show how big of a difference one slight movement can make to your photographs.

The lighting in this photo is all wrong in comparison to the pose as her face is very dark. I would've expected the lighting to have been much more fun and bright to compare with her sassy pose but this just didn't happen. However I do like this shirt as it adheres to the conventions of the genre.

I probably wouldn't use this photograph as it is blurry and the light is far too bright. As you can see it has burnt out their skin. However I do like the different facial expressions of my models since it shows a contrast in the personalities of their star images which appeals to most people in my TA.

Although this picture has many drawbacks like how it is very blurry and the background isn't very practical, it has inspired me to use the same pose in the next photo shoot I do. I loved working with two models instead of just one because it let me use a wider variety of poses.

Open Evening Photo Shoot by Slidely Slideshow

Research: DPS 2 (Bullet For My Valentine)

Domain: Tells the audience about their plan to take over the hard rock world. Informs and explains. Full of anecdotes.

Medium: DPS printed media in a music magazine.

Tenor: Light hearted tone but the reader still gets the feeling that they are serious about their careers. Informal tone from the writer.

Register: Informal Register.

Justification: Right hand side however it is text wrapped around one of the band members shoulders which breaks conventions.

How this has influenced my planning and creativity:

• I think it looks great the way the picture spreads throughout the two pages.
• I like how they used a pull quote.
• I like that the background looks 3D since it is layered in front of the artists.

Photo Shoot 2 Plan

Photo Shoot 2 (Behind the Scenes)

The camera I used in this photo shoot was a Nikon D7200 DSLR (digital single lens reflex) fitted with a 35mm prime lens. I fitted it onto the tripod to get better resolution photographs. I found out that when I didn't use the tripod in the drama studio (when I was taking pictures of Brittany with Ryan) that they turned out too blurry that I couldn't even consider using them for and of the photos in my magazine. However the pictures I took in the classroom with continuous lighting with a soft box looked fantastic and I was over the moon with how they turned out! My teachers set up the white background and we watched how she did it so in the future we could try to do it ourselves.


One of the issues I found in the studio set up was that if I didn't have the camera in the right position the actual light was visible so I'd have to crop that out of the photo or use photoshop to edit it out (if I was that desperate to use one of those photos in my magazine). It was also pretty difficult to get a perfect image of Brittany flipping her hair as it was moving too fast to capture a clear image.

I learned a lot about photography in this shoot. How the camera is positioned (high angle/ low angle) really reflects how the star is portrayed. For example when I took a picture from a higher level than Brittany she looked more vulnerable than when I took a photo from eye level.

It was very easy working with Brittany on set because she is naturally outgoing and doesn't really care what people think (which was good as there were many people watching which would have otherwise added pressure). When I use another model I might have to direct them a bit more to find a creative pose. Ryan is naturally photogenic too so when he made an appearance in some of my photos it looked perfect.

Setting up the framing of my shots was quite simple just as long as I didn't go over the edge of the background area. There was a white tarp on the floor to camouflage with the white background which was great for when I took photos on the floor. This is going to make photoshopping the pictures so much easier as the edges/ outline of my model will be so much sharper than if I used a patterned background.

I'm still not really sure on whether I want Brittany to be smiling or serious on my cover picture so I got her to do a mixture of both during my time with the camera. A blank expression could look quite intimidating however it might be a good idea as it would look like a more modern representation of a woman (which is what I want in order to reach out to my target audience). Smiling, on the other hand would welcome the audience and give her a completely different image.

I did stick to my photo shoot plan for the most part however I found it hard to bring in all of the props because I had so many ideas I didn't really get to do everything since it would've taken so long. So I had to really adapt it for the practicality of the shoot.

In most of the photos I think I adhered to the conventions of a modern Country Music magazine. In a couple of the pictures I incorporated a sparkly silk scarf which doesn't really comply to what people usually do for the type of magazine I want to make, this broke conventions and make my photo shoot unique. To break conventions for shot types I brought in a stool and told Brittany to do a funny face whilst leaning on it. I wanted to capture a bit of the funny/ not very serious side of my star and I thought by doing a few silly faces will show my audience that even though she is a glamourous star she is still human like them. I did this in hopes to inspire the readers that they could get interested in Country Music too.

I used many different shot types including extreme close ups, close ups, medium close ups and long shots. Each of these shot types highlight a different part of my model, for example, the long shot accentuated the cowboy boots so if I use one of those images on my front cover they will act as a sign to show the audience that this is a Country Music magazine as it is a convention to the genre. The close up photos of Brittany's eye being covered by the suede shawl highlights her actual eye and shows the texture of the shawl. As Country Music and has a history with being associated with the Wild West the suede material (commonly used throughout most western movies) is an indexical sign which the audience will then immediately associate with Country Music. I also got Brittany to sit on the floor which I had to adjust the tripod for in order to get on the same level as her since I didn't want her to look inferior or vulnerable.

A wordle of some of the media terminology I was taught during the photo shoot.

Research: Target Audience 2

A few days ago I carried out a survey on Instagram where I got results for what type of font my target audience liked the most. All I have to do now is decide what I'm going to actually call my magazine. I made a poll on polldaddy.com in order to collect data from the public on what I should call my masthead. I will collect the results in a weeks time.

 I didn't get any results from this survey so I will have to ask around 6th form in order to get the results I need.

Most people chose Banjo or Countrypolitan. I asked them to chose their favourite font as well as the name. These two names stood out to me from the beginning but they would both have their perks and their downsides if they were to be used as my masthead. If I were to use Banjo I would have to take into consideration that some people might not know that it is a country music magazine but it might appear to them as a magazine primarily about instruments. The problem with Countrypolitan is that despite being the perfect name for my magazine, it is quite long. This means that I might run into some trouble when editing it as it would have to be so small for it to fit on the magazine (unless I break conventions and have it vertical instead of horizontal). It would also be difficult since one of the things I wanted to do was have the image layered on top of the masthead, and if the writing is too small then it wouldn't look right.

Photoshoot Makeup

The "before and after" picture (eye's closed)

The "before and after" picture (eye's open)

This was a photo I found on Google Images of
a girls eyeshadow which I tried to recreate with Brittany

Brittany's eyeshadow.

Audience Feedback from Instagram (Masthead Fonts)

I used Instagram as a way of getting opinions off of people my age (which is my target audience).
















 After 24 hous I collected the results...

The feedback I got from 14 people showed that 5 people thought I should use the 5th one, 8 people thought I should use the 6th one, three people liked the 7th one and one person liked the first one. Since only one person only liked the first one I don't think I will consider this in my final masthead design. I think the fact that he is a boy who usually likes rock music (not country) could have influenced his decision in choosing which one he thought would be best.

Planning-First Ideas (Contents)

As well as including Brittany in some of the photos on my contents page (to create synergy by using the same model as the front cover) I finally persuaded two other close friends of mine to feature in a few of the photos on my contents. Amy and Amy-Jo are both blonde and are of similar height so they look like they could be made into the perfect girl duo in the Country Music industry.

Amy-Jo (left) and Amy (right)

I want the colours of my magazine to be very natural maybe with a hint of solid red (so it stands out). I like the idea of using red because whenever you think of a classic country and western barn it is always a bright red colour with white frame work as seen to the right. I could use photoshop to colour select the actual colour and use it when it comes to the titles and cover stories (from the front cover). This will create synergy between my pages.

I still need to find a male model who will act as a sort of "bad boy" in the country music industry.

Research: DPS 1 (Resurrection Man)