We went out to get photos for the double page spread of my metal magazine. To prepare for this I had to make sure my models had the right Mise en Scene. I started with making sure their outfits followed the conventions for the genre. I had Orlando wear a leather jacket with dark navy jeans and his hair flopping over his face. Ben wore an Apothis (band featured in the article) Tee over a white hoodie with black jeans and white shoes. George wore an Architects (metalcore band) tee with a black zip-up hoodie and black jeans.
These photos are my favourite out of the ones I took as they have good framing for a double page spread; the models are placed in the corner of the screen but the focus is still on them. The poses work for the genre as they have stern facial expressions representing arrogance and status. This is conventional for the genre.
Throwing up, sleeping on cold floors and travelling all across the US in beat up 90s Dodge Caravan. Charlie Spicer, the hardcore break-down God, talks about the shenanigans and tour pranks from before Apothis hit the spot-light.
Charlie Spicer formed Apothis with members Drew Baudains, Zav Pike, Elliot Scambler and Toby Beasley in 2010. The band had a slow start, gaining a small following in their home town of Guernsey. It was only after 4 years when they released their debut full length album and people started to notice them. “Being in the studio recording that first album was so much fun, we just locked ourselves in a house and banged it out in like a week. It was so sick” Charlie recalls. After that album was released Apothis were invited on tour with Knocked Loose all over the US.
“The most notable thing from that tour was our van” Charlie explains with a grin. “We didn’t want to take one over on the boat so we organised to pick up this beat up 90s Dodge Caravan when we got there. It was risky ‘cause we didn’t really know what we were buying.” All members of Apothis, including their newly found manager Eddie Crawford, a long time friend of drummer Toby Beasley, had to live in that van together with all their gear for 5 long weeks of shows every night. “It was a tight fit. We’d had enough of each other by week 4 that was for sure” Charlie cringes. Being rebellious, wide eyed young adults, the pranks through-out the tour just seemed to get worse and even more extreme. Charlie notes with a cheeky laugh that for legal reasons he cannot disclose every detail of what went down over the weeks. He does however go on to reminisce on the prank war between himself and bass player Elliot Scambler. “It started off with little things like, hiding each other’s clean boxers for the next day while we were asleep. However, we quickly realised that living in that van meant hygiene was very important. It got to the point where people were throwing up on the side of the free way mid drive to the next town. So that ended pretty quickly” Spicer added. Another highlight of the prank war was when lead singer zav pike needed the toilet at a service station 20 minutes away from entering the town. “He insisted that he couldn’t wait any longer and needed to go. We decided it would be funny after parking up and letting him out the car to just leave him there and head down to the hotel. We made him walk the rest of the way. To say he was p**sed would be an understatement!” I wanted to find out from Charlie what it was like living on the road in a country where they’ve never been before. Charlie tells me that there were many nights sleeping on ‘beer soaked floors’ of venues they just played. “We ate a selection of fast food and crispy cream donuts from service stations on long car journeys going from town to town. It wasn’t healthy at all but playing a bad-ass show every night kept us going!”
Spicer tells me that Apothis do have another tour planned for may 2021, assuming live shows are allowed by then. The tour will be promoting their 4th full length album where they are experimenting with new sound but still sticking to their hardcore roots.
Charlie clearly looks fondly on these times and tells me that “nothing will ever beat this experience with my boys! I’m truly grateful for all the new fans and support since then and hope to continue to grow. See you in the pit!”
Things I need to change for second draft:
Keep in the same tense
Capitol letters for ‘Zav Pike’
Correct punctuation
Second Draft
APOTHIS: UNTOLD TRUTHS
Charlie Spicer unlocks the vault of APOTHIS’ first US tour.
Throwing up, sleeping on cold floors and travelling all across the US in beat up 90s Dodge Caravan, Charlie Spicer, the hardcore break-down God, talks about the shenanigans and tour pranks from before Apothis hit the spot-light.
Charlie formed Apothis with members Drew Baudains, Zav Pike, Elliot Scambler and Toby Beasley in 2010. The band had a slow start, gaining a small following in their home town of Guernsey. It was only after 4 years when they released their debut full length album ‘Foresight’ and people started to notice them. “Being in the studio recording that first album was so much fun, we just locked ourselves in a house and banged it out in like a week. It was so sick”, Charlie recalls. After that album was released Apothis were invited on tour with Knocked Loose all over the US.
“The most notable thing from that tour was our van”, Charlie explained with a grin. “We didn’t want to take one over on the boat so we organised to pick up this beat up 90s Dodge Caravan when we got there. It was risky ‘cause we didn’t really know what we were buying.” All members of Apothis, including their newly found manager Eddie Crawford, a long time friend of drummer Toby Beasley, had to live in that van together with all their gear for 5 long weeks of shows every night. “It was a tight fit. We’d had enough of each other by week 4 that was for sure”, Charlie cringes. Being rebellious, wide eyed young adults, the pranks throughout the tour just seemed to get worse and even more extreme. Charlie notes with a cheeky laugh that for legal reasons he cannot disclose every detail of what went down over the weeks. He does however go on to reminisce on the prank war between himself and bass player Elliot Scambler. “It started off with little things like, hiding each other’s clean boxers for the next day while we were asleep. However, we quickly realised that living in that van meant hygiene was very important. It got to the point where people were throwing up on the side of the free way mid-drive to the next town. So that ended pretty quickly”, Spicer added. Another highlight of the prank war was when lead singer Zav Pike needed the toilet at a service station 20 minutes away from entering the town. “He insisted that he couldn’t wait any longer and needed to go. We decided it would be funny after parking up and letting him out the car to just leave him there and head down to the hotel. We made him walk the rest of the way. To say he was p**sed would be an understatement!”
BREAKDOWN Magazine wanted to find out from Charlie what it was like living on the road in a country where they’ve never been before. Charlie tells me that there were many nights sleeping on ‘beer soaked floors’ of venues they just played. “We ate a selection of fast food and crispy cream donuts from service stations on long car journeys going from town to town. It wasn’t healthy at all but playing a bad-ass show every night kept us going!”
Spicer tells me that Apothis do have another tour planned for May 2021, assuming live shows are allowed by then. The tour will be promoting their 4th full length album where they are experimenting with new sound but still sticking to their hardcore roots.
Charlie clearly looks fondly on these times and tells me that, “nothing will ever beat this experience with my boys! I’m truly grateful for all the new fans and support since then and hope to continue to grow. See you in the pit!”
This is my Production meeting agenda which includes information about the date, time and location of the shoot. It also has the costume and prop details so that I know what is needed for the shoot.
The article: ‘Adam Lambert: Don’t Look Back’, from Billboard Magazine on June 20th 2015 is an interview with Lambert where he talks about what’s going on in his life at that point and how he’s dealing with it.
The Structure
The first thing the reader sees is the headline, the goal of the headline is to give an interesting and striking title to the content below. The headline ‘Adam Lambert: Don’t Look Back’ does exactly this. It tells us that this article is going to give the reader some insight into Lambert’s past and where he’s heading. It’s effective because it’s dramatic. This is achieved by the choice of short and simple but sharp and impactful language. ‘Don’t Look Back’ is an instruction, there is no arguing with it, that is what is going to happen.
Under that is the Standfirst. This gives a bit more detail into and an introduction to the contents of the article. In this case, the standfirst is a short summary of Lambert’s progression in his career and then a quote from Addam Lambert to get the reader engaged.
The first paragraph in an article is a very key part in getting the reader’s attention. The interview opens with a quote from Lambert which reads: ‘It’s hard for me to be happy with things’, followed by another quote about how he finds it hard to feel good about himself and that he’s looking for an answer. This does exactly that as it’s showing vulnerability in someone who’s has a massive presence in the media. This intrigues the reader as it’s relatable and makes the reader want to understand the problems that someone with so much money, status and influence could possibly have.
After this grabbing first paragraph, the reader is given some information on his up-bringing and origin as a musician. This includes albums that he’s released up to present and briefly addresses controversy between moving labels. The journalist then lists a few of his achievements to give some background on his career. This is all included so that the reader can get to know who Lambert is and make them feel closer to him.
The article then goes on to the actual story that Lambert and the journalist are trying to say. This is mainly about the release of his new music and how it’s changed over time.
Presence of the Journalist
The journalist’s voice is present through-out the article when not quoting directly from Lambert. There aren’t any opinions from the journalist but they have taken what Lambert has said and written it in his own words. This is done to keep the flow of the interview to make it easier to understand for the reader.
Language and Aim
In terms of language, the journalist has to keep the reader engaged by using a mix of words that are easy to understand but also interesting and engaging vocabulary to describe Lambert and aspects of the story. When describing Lambert the journalist uses phrases like ‘a sexually ambiguous rocker with a flair for operatic shrieks and studded leather outfits’.
Representation of the Performer
The performer is represented in a way that shows his vulnerability but also shows how he’s overcome his difficulties and this shows his extraordinary side.
What type of shots have been used to create a variety of shot distances and how has the camera been used to communicate meaning?
Mid shots and close ups have been used to capture the model’s emotion as well as include props and costume. Mise En Scene has been used well with the low lighting over the eyes presenting the model as intimidating and somewhat angry. The model is looking directly at the camera with draws the attention of the viewer (AIDA)
What choice of Mise en Scene is appropriate for the star image and genre?
The low lighting over the eyes is appropriate for the genre. The use of the prop guitar helps reinforce the metal genre. The model’s confident body language makes him look intimidating. The costume features a t-shirt from a band in the genre- authentic.
How far is the font used readable and reflects the genre?
The fonts used for the cover line titles are eye-catching, and attract the reader. The text for the cover line descriptions is appropriately sized and contrasts to the background so it’s easy to read. The text is all justified which makes it look professional and symmetrical. The big text is appropriately sized and suits the genre.
What technical conventions of a Contents page are present and used effectively?
How has InDesign been used to layout the page to convey a brand?
The colours are similar to the front page, the typeface is the same. The graphology and shapes is different and is appropriate for the contents page conventional layout.
How well have the text and visuals been integrated together?
They all fit the colour scheme and genre.
Where has Photoshop been used to manipulate the photos to enhance the star image or genre?
He has been cut from the background as a PNG so he can be inserted onto the contents page. The image has been cropped to a mid-shot. Eyes have been brightened.
How is the language used appropriate for the genre and target audience?
Colloquial, easy to understand. However should’ve used more exclamatives, rhetorical interrogatives and superlatives in the headings to get the attention of the reader.
Before creating my contents page for my own magazine, I had a look at some other examples from real magazines. I looked at examples from Kerrang! magazine and Metal Hammer magazine. I analysed the placement of cover lines and the use of page numbers and index. When creating my potential layouts, I followed these conventions and used AIDA to ensure that it grabbed the reader’s attention. I also had to think about the information that I will include so that it’s interesting for the reader and it attracts them to read on.
These are my layout sketches for the contents page
I decided to go with the second layout as it seems the most streamline and fits well with the front cover. It has all the relevant information and is easy to read.
This is my first draft of my magazine cover and self assessment. In my review I had too look at the design and placement of the masthead, the framing and mise en scene of the cover star, colours, layout, and to make sure it follows all of the conventions of a metal magazine.
After assessing my magazine cover, I’ve picked out some areas that I need to work on for my second draft of the magazine and set some targets.
These are the photos that I took for my magazine front page. I brought in Charlie Spicer to be my model as he likes the genre and owns clothes which follow the conventions. He was dressed in a few different outfits for the shoot. The first was a branded black tee with black cuffed dickies. The brand of the shirt is often worn by people who listen to metal. The second was the same but with a Varials jersey. Varials is a hardcore band and you often find bands supporting other bands by wearing their merch in photos. I encoded him playing the guitar so that the audience can decode that he’s an established musician. The last was a white knocked loose tee, another hardcore band, a supreme cap, and some black shorts which revealed a tattoo on his shin. For him to look extraordinary he wore jewellery, I had him wear a dagger ear-ring and a gold watch. He also wore his Reading wristband which is a music festival in the UK, this makes him seem more ordinary and relatable as he goes to see shows just like everyone else.
When taking the photos of my cover star, I tried to use different angles and frames such as close ups and mid shots, and high and low angles. For the cover photo I wanted to have a mid shot which had his face and his guitar in clear view as this is conventional for my genre. I kept the lighting mainly on one side of the room as I wanted the shadows on his face and the folds in his clothing.
When creating a magazine, I need to be aware of the competition in my genre and what I can do to stand out with my own unique selling point.
For my magazine to have a USP (unique selling point), I will also create some branding for an accompanying radio station. This will help with beating the competition as it is a great way for my target audience to connect and socially interact with the brand. My magazine will have the preferred reading of the fans and it will match and contribute to their personal identity.
