Here is my article that I intend to put into my double page spread. I have decided to write in a Q&A style, after each question putting a name and address to make the questions more personal.

Draft Article

• Draft 1 Type your article here.  
• Get someone or yourself to read Draft 1  out loud and record it on an MP3 and embed in your blog.
• Make appropriate changes.
• Submit the amended, updated Draft 2, article to your teacher for feedback before inclusion in indesign.

HEADLINE

Standfirst (more detail on the headline to hook in the reader to want to read on)

Article (including quotes?)

Byline (who has written it)

Here is my voice thread for the Interview

Here is my double page spread that I have made which will contain the Q&A I have created speaking to the ‘fan favourite’ Elly Anslow.

I have inserted the title of the magazine at the top left of the page and put ‘Q&A’ in red writing so that people know what they are looking at. The picture is focused to the right hand side of the page, but I have used Photoshop and Indesign to create the effect of the background going on to the next page, however I think I need to work on it a little bit longer. A quote from the interview is spread slightly across both pages that is dramatic and intense and will attract the reader into reading the Q&A. The actual article itself is spread about in three columns of small writing to give a neat and tidy presentation.

5 Targets for Next Draft

• Change picture (this one is used on my new front cover)
• Liven it up a bit, make it less plain
• Get actual article into the page
• Have more detail in the article section, (different colours, font size)
• Brighten up eyes and jewellery in photo

Feedback

• manipulate the photo, brighter, bigger
• paragraphs
• drop capital
• standfirst
• reposition the quote?
• add some graphics…lines….shapes to frame the article/photo?

Here are is my contact sheet with all the photos I took at Castle Cornet:

Out of all the photos I took, these are some of my favorite. I find these have the best angles, lighting and backgrounds as well as my models looking their most R&B – esque.

I find these photos have the best colours and angles in them that fits perfectly with my theme. The models poses are also really good as they convey that image of coolness that you can often see in R&B artists.

Separate shoot photos

Although I really like the photos I took at castle cornet, I also took pictures of my friend, Lilly, which I thought would fit with a contents page better. Here is an example of some photos I might use.

I think these photos look more professional and more visually pleasing for a contents page. The camera we used was better quality and had better lighting. We had pink lights in the background which allowed me to capture a nice dreamy vibe similar to the front cover.

So that I can go and take my photos for my contents page, I need a plan to help me and my models and to guarantee there will be no stress or unorginisation.

I hope that with the setting we are in, I can get lots of images with the bright blue sky and fluffy white clouds. There are also spectacular views from castle cornet which would provide me with a topic to talk about for a headline.

My article I have chosen is called ‘Cash for Questions’, written by Paul stokes and with photographs taken by Adam Lawrence. Under the title is a subheading stating; This Month: ALT-J. 

The journalistic techniques of ‘what’ was used a few times, however I think it could be used a lot more when asking questions. The layout of the magazine shows that it is evidently a Q&A. Aside from the title having ‘questions’ in it, the questions are highlighted in bold and the names of the people asking the questions are highlighted in red which makes the magazine more personal and interactive for the target audience.

The journalist makes his presence known when asking questions by saying stuff such as ‘tell us’ and ‘I heard’. This is impactful as it allows the reader to feel more connected with the writer and the questions feel more personal. It’s written in a mix of first and third person text. The main introduction is made clear as the writer talks about the band and some of their background in third person, before switching to first person when writing the questions and answers. This allows us to feel one with the writer and fellow readers of the magazine, as our perspectives are all merged together through first person narrative. A key feature that makes the introduction more noticeable is a large capital letter in a box to start off the sentence. I think this presents it as an introduction very well and is a key feature that I would like to use in my own work.

We get a sense of location in the library as the writer talks about the band making jokes with each other about being dressed in leather in a library. There is a picture also which confirms the idea of their current surroundings.

The tone and register of the writing is very fitting to the genre of the article. The questions are very personal and direct and the bands replies are quoted exactly, making it sound very human and realistic. This is perfect for a Q&A as the readers will obviously love how in-depth and personal the replies are to the questions. As a result of reading the article with quotes from the band members, the reader will walk away with the experience of feeling more close with their favourite band members.

In conclusion, the journalist represents the band through their writing as the questions from the public and the answers give a more in depth look into each of the members lives. It creates the vibe of the band being more ordinary, allowing them to sound more relatable to the people at home.

This is the first draft of my contents page. It needs a lot of editing and changing, but this was just to give me an idea of what I wanted and what I need to improve on. I have use images from the internet as I do not have any other suitable pictures at this moment in time.

I put ORBIT at the top to create the affect that the magazine is important and that its title should be impactful. I added a subtitle ‘what’s inside’ so that people knew that this was the contents page. The page numbers also allow people to understand this is a contents and they are put into categories of the front cover and extra’s.

CONTENTS PAGE PEER ASSESSMENT

What type of shots have been used to create a variety of shot distances and how has the camera been used to communicate meaning?  

Although Max has used examples for now, he has chosen both a close up and a medium long shot. These satisfactory shots present the models both ordinary and extraordinary. 

What choice of Mise en scene is appropriate for the star image and genre?

The casual clothes are good for representing her as a R&B star, who are often laid-back and relaxed. The glamorous makeup also shows the elegant side conventions of this genre.  

  How far is the font used readable and reflects the genre?

The masthead is clear, strong and easy to read, the cursive titles help keep it classy. They are successful in presenting both sides of R&B. 

What technical conventions of a Contents page are present and used effectively?  

There is a captivating masthead used which captures the attention really well. Cover lines are present which are great in giving an insight into the magazine. Pictures are included which is useful in making the page more interesting for the audience. 

How has Indesign been used to layout the page to convey a brand?

The layout is clear and functional, making it easy to read and understand. It is clear what is going on and is  not overly busy. 

 How well have the text and visuals been integrated together?

The different sized images paired with the coverlines work well together, the colours also don’t clash and give an easy read. 

Where has photoshop been used to manipulate the photos to enhance the star image or genre? 

He has not used Photoshop yet as they are only example images. 

 How is the language used appropriate for the genre and target audience?

 ‘Iconic’ and ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ help keep it colloquial, modern and youthful. This                            is appropriate for his target audience (16-25)

5 Targets for Next Draft

• Find better photos
• Find a way to present photoshop skills effectively
• Display the fonts better
• Perhaps different colour scheme
• Find a better, more organised layout, the picture and texts overlapping isn’t ideal)

Now that I have this draft, I will be able to go on to make a better and more effective draft that fits more into the vibe of R&B and has more impact on my target audience.

Going forward, I have to start thinking about my contents page. The contents page is the page that has everything you need to know about the magazine in it and is like an index. It is filled with cover lines and page numbers that draw the reader in and make it sound even more interesting. It provides just the right amount of information so that an audience is attracted, but doesn’t give away too much information or make the page too crowded.

This is my mood board of magazine contents pages that inspire me. The magazine’s I have chosen and appeal to me most are all very neat and sophisticated, yet have some fun aspects to them like in the pictures or the layout and typeface of the fonts. A lot of the pages have the magazine name included in them which I think is quite good as it shows that the magazine is important and compliments its own brand. I will be able to use this collection of media to create a magazine contents page that fits the vibe of my front cover.

Here are a few hand-drawn ideas for me contents page layout:

These are my ideas for how I want my contents page to look. They are all fairly simple layouts that I think would  compliment my front cover well. I will make use words like ‘Contents’, ‘What’s Inside’ and ‘In This Issue’ to make it clear what the page in my magazine is. I will have coverlines presented neatly and with page numbers to direct the reader to each part of the magazine. I will have a pug included that directs the reader to a page number attached to an interesting picture to leave the reader wanting to see more and know what is happening on that page.

5 eye-catching headlines:

• Exclusive interview with Elly Anslow
• Q&A with Meg reveals secrets of music industry
• Rhianna’s do’s and dont’s
• Drake talks about breakup and its influence on his music
• Trl talks upcoming album

These are headlines that I want to use in my contents page that I think will grab the attention of the reader and make them want to read more. I will make some of the words bigger and bolder like the dramatic language and names that would hook the reader in.

Now that I know the technical design features and how to layout a contents page, I can move on to trying to make one of my own.

Here is my first shoot contact sheet. These are all the photos I took with my model:

Unfortunately, many of the photos turned out quite blurry. I believe I need to work on my camera skills and  how to work one. However, I found styling and directing my model fairly easy. The model, Elly, was very good at posing and it came very natural to her. The poses were very glamorous and flirty, which is the exact vibe i was going for.

As you can see here, I tried taking photos from a low-angle to try capture the feeling of her confidence and dominance. 

Here are my favourite photos from the shoot:

The first three are close-ups/mid-shots of my model. She is wearing sunglasses but has her eyes peering over them. I like the first and third photo as I managed to get no reflection from the sunglasses and got the shine in her eye. Her blingy jewelry and sparkly pink top connotes that she is extraordinary. I think the last two pictures are best as the makeup, hair, wardrobe and the quality of the picture is better than the rest. I think my target audience will be able to decode this picture and see the conventions that makes it R&B, for example the butterflies in her hair and the sparkling jewelry.