For my double page spread I had to write an article. I chose one of the cover lines and wrote about live music in the face of the pandemic. First I used a planning table.

I then moved it into a separate document and wrote my first draft.

I then recorded myself reading it out and listened to it to hear how it read.

I also put it in a text to speech generator to hear how it would be read by someone who didn’t already know how it was meant to read.

 

It sounded fine so I was able to move on and put it in my double page spread.

I think that reading a lot of articles by music magazines (specifically metal magazines) has helped me to construct this article as I know how they usually are.

These are the contact sheets for the location shoot that I previously planned. We had a larger selection of props than anticipated, I chose the dynamite (two candles tapes together) and the police tape (but I didn’t end up using it). I took photos under the market, in alleys and on steps.

These were my three favourite photos, I will use some if not all of them in my magazine. I will still probably do my double page spread on Geraint as that is who I’ve planned it for but I could change it if the photos don’t work.

To add variety to my magazine I need to take more photos of different models. This meant I had to make a production meeting agenda for a second shoot.

Before writing my own article to go on my double page spread, I decided to analyse an interview from Billboard Magazine to see what sort of language and structure they used.

The Article

The article is an interview with Adam Lambert called “Adam Lambert: Don’t Look Back” from Billboard Magazine written by Shirley Halperin. The article is from June 20th, 2015 and it is over 1000 words long. The interview is about what’s going on in his life and with his new album (at the time). 

Structure

The article opens with a description of Lambert and what he is wearing. The first quote after the description is “it’s hard for me to be happy”, and Lambert opens up a little about his “inability to be content”. The article then talks about his past successes, and his split from his label RCA due to “creative distances”, and his break up. It then switches gear and starts talking about his new deal with Warner Bros and his upcoming album, changing from despair to hope. As well as Lambert, the interview includes a quote from the CEO of Warner Bros, it is unclear if this was directly to the journalist or a public statement made by the CEO. The article then starts talking about other openly LGBTQ+ celebrities, which in 2015 was a rarer thing than today in 2020. It then closes on a quote by Lambert saying how we all need to keep moving forward and looking for the next thing. 

Presence of Journalist

Surprisingly, other than the implication of the journalist interviewing him, there is zero presence of the journalist. The interview may as well have been a livestream or a speech, as the interviewer is not mentioned once, the only dialogue comes from Lambert. The journalist also doesn’t give much opinion, acting as more of a neutral narrator to the events talked about in the interview than a person with their own opinion. Despite the fact that it is an interview, it seems to be more from Lambert’s point of view than anyone else really, the only opinion being his. 

Language and Aim

The language seems to aim to inspire hope for the future. The article seems to slightly gloss over Lambert’s problems, really focusing on the new album and hope. There is occasionally humour as well. The quotes are well chosen to be mostly short but impactful. Phrases like “there was just one problem:” build suspense for incoming information. Language like “media spectacle” and “vocal sensation” (about Caitlyn Jenner and Sam Smith respectively) make them seem extraordinary and exciting. 

Representation of the Performer

The article seems to paint Adam Lambert in a positive, progressive light, promoting his new album as a blend of multiple genres and promoting his message to keep moving forward.

After analysing this interview, I now have a better idea of how I should write mine to make it a good and successful article.

Peer Assessment:

The camera angle has been used adequately as it shows the bass guitar and the upper half of the cover star.

The use of the leather jacket, the stern facial expression and the bass guitar is excellent. You can clearly see that this is a rock magazine.

The font is great as it is bold and clear which grabs the attention of the reader. The use of uppercase and lowercase could be improved to highlight key words and information.

The use of page numbers and headlines is used very well. The page number in the corner is a great touch.

InDesign has been used to layout the contents page well and with relative ease.

The cover lines and page number could be aligned to the left to give it more of a conventional look as right now it looks slightly like a poster. The free poster text could be aligned to the right so that it fits the shape of the cover star’s neck.

Photoshop was used to cut out the cover star and add more definition to the shadows which works brilliantly with the genre.

The language used is great and grabbing. The use of the word ‘exclusive’ is good as it makes that magazine in particular more desirable.

Targets:

• Improve cut out
• Align text
• Add another image

Before designing my contents page, I decided to research other contents pages for inspiration and to get a better idea of what needs a c0ntents page should fulfil.

Contents pages exist to tell the reader what is in the magazine and where to find it. They have to include an index with cover lines and page numbers, and often have insets and captions. They need to use conventional and eye-catching fonts, colours and images to grab the readers attention, as well as cover lines and captions with language that creates interest and desire for the audience to want to read the articles.

I decided to hand draw some layouts to come up with ideas.

Then I came up with five catchy cover lines for my contents page that would fit in my magazine.

• Is this the end of live music as we know it?
• (band)’s new album will blow your mind.
• The real reason (band) stopped making music.
• Who is the new member of (band)?
• How has metal evolved?

After doing this research and planning, I feel that I am ready to start designing my contents page on InDesign.

The masthead is large and conventionally placed to be visible when stacked. The typeface fits the genre of metal.

Staring towards the camera, the cover model is satisfactorily placed. His stance and stature make him dominant on the page. He is big enough to have a presence on the cover.

InDesign has been used mostly well to layout the text and images. The white outline on the text makes it more visible. Line spacing is fine. Cover is quite empty, could do with more features like pugs.

The colour scheme of red, white and black reflects the genre well, with the occasional blue making the artist names stand out.

The fonts also convey the genre and feel of the magazine. They are all upper case, which makes it seem more aggressive and in your face, reflecting the genre well. They are very similar to each other, and could probably do with some more variety.

Costume communicates the genre very well, the leather jacket is a universally recognized symbol of heavy music. The design of the t-shirt (which is merchandise for another band) also works well with the genre, and the ring on his right hand stands out as the majority of men do not wear rings decoratively. The bass guitar works well, and the colours of the bass fit the general colour scheme.

Language used on the cover is competent, words like “exclusive” and “reinvents” create excitement and importance. The main cover line question “Is this the end of live music as we know it?” creates interest.

The cover is recognisable as a magazine with conventional features such as masthead, plugs, main cover star, main cover line, cover line, issue, price and barcode.

Photoshop has been used to cut out the image mostly successfully, though there is a slight white glow around the hair area. More editing could be done to the photo. The background is boring and does not work well. The inset is well placed but lacks variety and background.

Targets

• Better background
• Fix Photoshop cut-out
• Add more text effects
• Fill more empty space with pugs etc
• Add a background to the poster image

These are the photos from my first shoot. I ended up taking over 300 photos. At first I used the black studio, but soon realised that the colours of the jacket and the background would be too similar, so moved to the white studio. I also used the studio flashes, which helped make my photos a lot better than using the built-in flash on the camera. I chose to shoot in RAW to have more editing options later, although this also takes up a lot of space I usually find it worth it.

First I had my model just play the bass as if he wasn’t modelling and took photos of him from different angles. I also got him to stand in various poses. I found that a slightly low angle worked as it made him look more important and dominant (extraordinary), but eye-level made him feel more equal to the reader (ordinary). While taking the photos I had to make sure they fit the star image and the conventions of the genre.

I think the costume was quite successful. Everything fits the conventions and what I wanted the model to look like. While subtle, the ring on his right hand is one of my favourite parts of the costume as the majority of men do not wear rings just as an accessory so it stands out.

Next I will have to pick out the photo to use on my front cover, edit it and cut it out on Photoshop and put it on my first draft on InDesign.

Before taking my photos for my magazine I needed to plan the shoot, including the time, equipment, location and costume.

To further understand the market for my magazine, I researched the competition (other print magazines and websites in my genre). I then made an infographic showing my research and how I will use it to benefit my own magazine and give the target audience their preferred reading.