From the feedback on the previous draft I was able to add to my article and improve it. Below is my third draft:

I added punctuation to help the article flow, and clarified at the beginning of the article, who I was talking about. This should help the audience to understand more clearly who I am referring to.

My target for my next draft is to carefully review if the article is appropriate for my target audience and to adapt it so it is the most interesting for them to read.

I drafted the article for my double-page spread. Here is my read-through of the first draft:

From this read through I created some targets for my next draft:

• Add punctuation to make it flow better.
• Check my sentence structure.
• Find some better adjectives and some synonyms for words I repeated.

Reflecting on these targets, I constructed the second draft of my article.

My teacher provided me with some targets:

• Add punctuation to make it flow more.
• Make sure it’s clear who you’re talking about, introduce Tami Cole as a whole.

I have carried out some research into what I should include in the article on my double-page spread of my magazine. From this research I have been able to plan my article. Below is my plan; please click to be redirected to the document in full:

 

 

‘Billboard (June 20 2015), Adam Lambert: Don’t look back’

In order to gain an understanding of articles in music magazines I analysed an interview of Adam Lambert in Billboard magazine. In the article, we are not aware of the presence of the journalist as we only hear from Adam himself.  This creates a conversation-like atmosphere to the article and makes the reader feel like they are closer to the star and more involved and included with them. The interview is written in third person, with quotes from Lambert himself. This helps to remind the audience of his success and star power.

There is a clear structure to the article. The introduction sets the scene for the article as it introduces Adam Lambert as untouchable when it says “ready to kick some ass” and he’s “sauntering through a penthouse” in “Hollywood.” This makes the target audience of teens interested in what he has to say as he is presented as rebellious and powerful, which is something they would look up to. Then we move into the interview which is very honest and real. This makes the audience feel like they know Lambert and can relate to him as he talks about every day things. Finally, in the conclusion Lambert reflects on life and ends with a question which gives us a clear ending to the article. Also the writing helps to communicate the article and its genre as it’s very bold and simple with hints of colour, which fits with the pop genre of the magazine.

The audience is made to feel sympathy for Adam Lambert as he says early on in the article “It’s hard for me to be happy with things.” Later in the article he becomes more positive focusing on the future, which helps the readers to view him as powerful and untouchable after seeing his vulnerabilities.

Overall, I think that Adam Lambert is presented as rebellious, untouchable and successful, whilst at the same time proving to be relatable, real and honest. This is a good use of  Richard Dyer’s Paradox of the Star theory and how we can view these stars as both ordinary and extraordinary.

My aims for the 2nd shoot for my magazine are to get clear, focused images and to capture the narrative intended. This narrative is that we are just catching up with the artist over summer. Below is my production meeting agenda which goes into detail about what is required for and from this shoot.

In order to go out on this location shoot I needed to carry out a risk assessment. Here is the document:

 

Following my own reflection and the feedback given by my peers I have been able to make some changes to my magazine to improve it. Here is my second draft of my music magazine:

Some of the changes I have made include adding a different font, which makes the magazine more interesting to look at. I have also made a pug that includes colours from the colour scheme of my magazine. Overall, I think that my draft 2 is very much an improved version of my magazine front cover as the background colour is less distracting, there is more happening on the front cover and more colour variations have been added.

Some targets for my next draft may include:

• Add a photo of my model from my location shoot.
• Experiment with spacing and the layout.
• I could also edit my model so her skin tone matches the undertones of the background.

This is my first draft of the front cover of my magazine.

I asked my peers these questions for feedback and these were their responses:

• What genre of music is the magazine featuring?

‘Country’

• Describe the front cover star using adjectives – their star image?

‘Friendly, lovely, nice.’

• Are there areas where the integration and copy is distracting?

‘The background colour of the orange is quite distracting and personally I’m not a fan.’

• What aspects do you consider conventional or unconventional?

‘I think the way she is dressed is quite unconventional and contemporary, but the fonts support the conventions of country music.’

 

Following this feedback I have been able to construct some targets for my next draft:

• I could add a filter to my model to make her brighter.
• It could also be improved by the background being more exciting or maybe a different colour.
• I need to add some more details, for example a price and an issue number.
• Add a pug with details of new hits introduced inside the magazine.
• I could also add a plug for my masthead.

Here are the contact sheets from my first photo shoot for my music magazine; Roots.

I feel I successfully met the aims of my shoot as I produced clear, focused images with a clear mise-en-scene of the country genre. Below are my favourite images from my shoot.

 

Above are seven possible mast head designs for my country music magazine, Roots. My personal favourite is the bottom design as it is a font associated with Nashville, the home of country music. This proves to me that this design is clearly conventional of the genre.

My aims for my first photo shoot for the front cover of Roots are to produce clear photos that communicate the country genre. I would also like the photos I take to portray my model as fun, friendly, and positive.

Below is my production meeting agenda, which includes details of costumes, makeup, props and technical equipment, as well as who is responsible for each component of the shoot.