Below is the first draft of my double page spread:
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What I like:
I like the size of the image as the audience will be able to clearly identify who the star is
I like the size of the headline as it stands out of what the article will be about
I have included many conventional features of a double page spread, eg page number, image, headline etc
What I need to do:
Experiment with the image, eg editing the image
Experiment with the placement of the headline and space out the words more from each other
Add in an official date
Identify some other ways I can interpret the word “Rises”
Frame my image well so the whole guitar is in it and doesn’t cut off
Reflection
When creating my first draft of my double page spread I carefully considered the layout of where I was aiming to put my headline, image, information etc. I also had to make sure my image and headline was a good size to ensure I would catch the attention of my audience, and I had to consider a catchy headline that would hopefully get the interest of them too and real them in to reading further. I chose to include an image that used a guitar as a prop so it gives a potential relation between the star and the audience and give them a chance to show their personal identity.
Below is my second draft of my front page of my magazine:
What’s new? x6
I changed the colour of the background to white
I added a barcode, price and date
I put some information in my pug and changed the border design
I changed the main cover image
I put in my coverline information
I changed some fonts to suit my genre more
What’s next? x6
Consider the layout of my cover lines and possibly add more to fill the negative space
Position “The road to independence” so it is central in the red box (width/height)
I could make the image a bit bigger to really emphasise my star to the audience
Fix the gap in the border of my pug
Consider changing the colour of the red box so it isn’t red against red which may clash
Centralise the text in my pug
Reflection
When improving my front cover I considered the targets from my first draft, these included; adding in my cover lines, using different fonts which fit in with the conventions of my genre, and I added in my barcode and price of my magazine. By incorporating these aspects in my magazine it makes sure it has conventional features which will make it more succesful. By changing the font to suit the conventions of my genre more, it will interest my audience to ensure it is their preferred reading, and therefore socially interact with it.
What type of shots have been used to create a variety of shot distances and how has the camera been used to communicate meaning?There are two images used on this contents page. Both of these images are mid shots taken at a flat angle. The use of the mid shot allows the audience to see the stars face, shirt and jacket. Ensuring the costume is included in the image by using a mid shot helps to reinforce that the magazine is of the indie pop genre as the outfit is conventional. In the bottom image, the model is in the centre of the shot, with her face pretty much central. Having her face in the centre of the image draws attention to her. When the audience’s attention is drawn to her they can also see that she is staring directly into the camera, potentially creating a form of social interaction as she is subsequently looking at the audience. It also allows the audience to see their factual features and expressions causing the audience to potentially feel closer to the star.
What choice of Mise en scene is appropriate for the star image and genre? The star is wearing a red one shoulder top, leather jacket and black sunglasses. The pairing of the leather jacket and red feminine top in the costume fits the conventions of indie pop. It shows the star is still feminine and wears clothes that would be conventional to the pop genre but the leather jacket contrasts this creating the idea she is more edgy than other people as leather jackets are typically associated with the rock and heavy metal side of music. Therefore, pairing these items together creates a representation of the star being feminine but edgy at the same time. This representation could be strengthened by potentially including a full body shot of the model. Including a full body shot could also help to reinforce the genre of the magazine. The sunglasses also create a representation of the star being slightly mysterious as they block out her eyes. The sunglasses fit the conventions of the indie pop genre, however some shots could be included for the audience to see her face and emotion clearly. There could also be the inclusion of some shots with props to link to specific articles within the magazine. These shots could interest the audience and make them invest in the magazine to find out more.
How far is the font used readable and reflects the genre? The fonts used a very readable. There is a mix of serif and san-serif fonts. This makes it slightly harder to decode the genre. It may be more conventional to use a san-serif font in order to attract the demographic that generally listens to indie pop and convey the genre. The typeface used for the main headline ‘contents’ is conventional and clear. It is also in black against a white background ensuring it stands out against the page catching the audience’s eye. The same font is also used for the coverline ‘features’. This cover line is over the larger image of the star and in white standing out against the blue, red and black in the image.
What technical conventions of a Contents page are present and used effectively?This contents page includes: a headline, a place for coverlines, images, an issue date, a pug and section headlines. Overall, this contents page covers the most important technical conventions found on a contents page. As there aren’t any headlines on it yet, there are no page numbers so it’s not possible to judge that. Including the features section will help to attract the audience as it will have names of various famous artists/bands. There is also an area that says ‘also inside’. This will be a useful way to intrigue the audience.
How has Indesign been used to layout the page to convey a brand This contents page is a single page. On this page, there are various boxes with borders to separate the various sections of the page. This allows the reader to know exactly where to look for the section or article they want to find. The sizing of the headlines is also appropriate to the page as they are larger than the text indicating where the headlines will go.
How well have the text and visuals been integrated? On this contents page, the majority of the text is black as it is against a white background. This stands out making it easy to read and matches the leather jacket and sunglasses used in the stars costume, linking the images to the page. There is also the use of red in the text ‘december 2023’. As the model is wearing a red shirt this further integrates the images and text to appearing more coherent. The red also stands out against the white background.
Where has Photoshop been used to manipulate the photos to enhance the star image or genre? It is apparent that photoshop has been used to separate the star from the original image and place her against a different coloured background. The colour of these new backgrounds link to the genre of indie pop, reinforcing the mise-en-scene of the star and the rest of the contents page. There are no obvious errors in the cutting out of the star resulting in a smooth appearance, however on the bottom image with the blue background, there are some sections of white around her leather jacket.
How is the language used appropriate for the genre and target audience? The headlines and slogan under the main headline, intrigue the audience encouraging them to buy it. In the next draft, the headlines of the various articles and the artists found within the magazine will help to represent the genre of indie pop and attract the target audience.
MY 5 TARGETS IN RELATION TO PEER FEEDBACK
Cut out the excess white background around my models leather jacket to ensure photoshop has been used really well
Include my headlines in the template I have placed for them
Add page numbers to make it clear to the audience what page they are on or so they can identify other pages
Stick to one type of font (sans serif or serif) so my genre can be easily decoded by my audience
Change the font for the headlines so it isn’t the same as the masthead. I would do this to add a sense of creativity and show my ability on InDesign
Edie Dorian grew up as an only child, and her family experienced many financial struggles meaning she didn’t have much access to things like other children had. She always reminded her parents how grateful she was, knowing that they only wanted what was best for her. On her 8th birthday, her parents gathered together the money to buy her a guitar as she had always had a love for music, and wanted to make her birthday more enjoyable! Things didn’t always go as planned and her dad got fired from his job, which left the Dorians struggling to afford to pay for their bills. By accepting that they could no longer afford to pay their bills, they ended up living on the streets of Manchester. Edie kept her guitar with her and began busking on the streets to see if she could earn a little more money to afford food, water, etc. Over time they had earned some money, but sadly not enough to live off. Luckily, Edie was becoming quite a success and was creating a substantial audience. The big crowd of people caught the attention of many passing people around but one man changed her life drastically. This man is called Paul Epworth and has worked with many famous artists in the past, he stated, “As soon as I heard her voice, I knew she had great potential.”. Paul gave Edie an offer of a lifetime. He wanted to work with her and help her create her own music to release. Edie was thrilled and took him up on his offer almost immediately as she knew if she became a hit, she could earn money to help support her and her family. “I will forever be grateful for the opportunity I was given, I wouldn’t be here without the help of Paul Epworth.”-Edie. Since this, Edie has become a star which has inspired many others. From busking on the streets to being the headline of magazine articles! Edie states; “Never did I think I would make it this far, from playing my guitar in the streets to playing at Wembley Stadium in front of thousands and thousands of people!” In the future, there have been potential rumors of Edie collaborating with Darcey Hodgson to create a hit, and there’s hope for it to reach number 1 in the charts! This is a huge achievement for Edie because, despite her challenging experiences, she has still managed to become a success and discover her passion for music. As she states; “I believe you should take up every opportunity that gets thrown at you, you never know where it could take you.”
My final draft:
Edie Dorian grew up as an only child. Her family experienced many financial struggles meaning she didn’t have much access to things like other children had. Her mother and father were both dedicated musicians, singing and playing in local pubs. She always reminded her parents how grateful she was, knowing that they only wanted what was best for her. On her 8th birthday, her parents saved the money to buy her a guitar as she had always had a love for music, and had been fascinated by their musical skills. However, owning her own guitar was fundamental to her own growth and development as a musician and was soon trying to accompany her parents whilst they rehearsed regularly at home.
Things didn’t always go as planned and her parents lost their positioning in the pub to perform, which left the Dorian’s struggling to afford to pay for their bills. By accepting their situation, they resulted in living on the streets of Manchester. Edie kept her guitar with her and began busking on the streets to earn a little more money to afford to eat. She covered many songs by The Cranberries, Florence and The Machine, and Arctic Monkeys who were all her ultimate inspirations. Over time they had earned some money, but sadly not enough to live off. Luckily, Edie was becoming quite the success and was creating an audience. The big crowd of people caught the attention of many passing people around but one man changed her life drastically. This man is called Paul Epworth and has worked with many famous artists in the past, and he stated that, “As soon as I heard her voice, I knew she had great potential.”. Paul gave Edie an offer of a lifetime. He wanted to offer her regular slots on a Tuesday night to perform in front of a small crowd at a music hall. Edie was thrilled and took him up on his offer almost immediately as she knew if she became a hit, she could earn money to help support her and her family. “I will forever be grateful for the opportunity I was given, I wouldn’t be here without the help of Paul Epworth.”
Since this, Edie has become the ultimate indie star which has inspired many others. From busking on the streets to being the headline of magazine articles! Edie states; “Never did I think I would make it this far, from playing my guitar in the streets to playing at Wembley Arena in front of thousands of people!”
In the future there has been potential rumours of Edie collabing with Darcey Hodgson and there’s hope for it to reach number 1 in the charts! You can discover more on page 85. This is a huge achievement for Edie because despite her challenging experiences, she has still managed to become a success and discover her passion in music. As she states; “I believe you should take up every opportunity that gets thrown at you, you never know where it could take you.”
I incorporated a wide range of props to make it more interesting and create more of a story to the audience
I used a range of camera distances (close up, medium, long shot) to show off my models emotions, body language and elements of MES (costume, props etc)
I considered different types of framing to make my images more interesting (e.g. model positioned slightly on the left side and not just in the middle)
What could I do to improve?
I could use the studio next time to get a white backdrop and no additional things in the background
I could also use a DSLR camera next time to ensure I am getting top quality images
Style their hair more as there is some stray strands which looks slightly messy
My favourite images:
Why I chose these images?
I chose these images because I think they represent my model very well in relation to the indie genre. Since majority of my selected images included props, they encourage more of an interaction between the model and audience, and develop the audience’s knowledge on the star and what they use to produce their music. The costumes also relate to the indie genre and somewhat conventional to similar artists outfits. These aspects of MES are vital when taking photos to ensure my shoot is more successful and is able to communicate to my target audience.
Reflection
From taking in the feedback from my first shoot, I was able to hit those targets and make this shoot more successful. I think this shoot as a whole went quite well as I was able to direct my models into certain poses so they were confident in what they were doing, I considered a lot of the elements of MES and, since I didn’t do my shoot in the studio I had to be creative and see what I could use to make the lighting good so the images can be used throughout my magazine, therefore I used a mini ring light for phones and the flash on a phone.
For this shoot I will also use more long shots and mid shots, different model poses like laying on the floor, sitting on a chair and using the props to do different stances (eg foot resting on the amp). I will experiment using some low angles but majority straight on as I want my photos to turn out to be the “same but different” from other competing magazines.
Reflection
From creating a production meeting agenda it supplied me with more confidence to have a more succesful shoot. This is because it enabled me to be more organised with what I needed and how to direct my models. I included my models facial expressions, costumes, props, equipment and photos of MES to allow me to have more of a visual representation of what I was aiming for. For this shoot I included two models and both being a different person from the first shoot I did. My second shoot will either be used for insets on my front cover, contents page, double page spread or all of them as they will be important to portray a story and interact with the audience of what similar artists have been doing, eg a tour, releasing new music etc. This time around, I included more props as they help to communicate messages to the audience and portray my chosen genre more clearly, eg records and guitars. During this shoot, I will consider AIDA to ensure my audience will engage and interact with my magazine.
When making my first draft of my front cover of my magazine I had to consider the conventional features of the indie music magazines I have researched as inspiration, whilst also bearing in mind the elements of AIDA to ensure I was attracting my target audience’s attention, their interest, their desire to accept my product, and taking action to buy it.
As well as this, I need to put into consideration my target audiencespersonal identity. This is because if I can be more aware of their own identity, I know what will interest them more into being influenced in my magazine. Social interaction is also vital when putting together my front cover and I can consider this effectively by not putting too much information in my cover lines, so the audience won’t get bored of reading, and therefore potentially lose interest.
For my first draft, I believe it went well but there is room for improvement. That being the case, I have made myself 5 targets for my next draft:
Fix the white background in her hair that didn’t get photoshopped well
Add in my cover lines
Add in the barcode/price
Discover more fonts for the main cover line and cover lines to see if there is one that portrays the indie genre more effectively as at the moment it gives a formal impression which isn’t what I am aiming to do
Since I have used a gradient background from dark red to red, and my masthead is in black, it looks somewhat dark so I can look into the colour choices
A masthead is located at the top of the front cover of a magazine, and its role is to showcase the name of the magazine. It also must fit in within the theme of the brand and the conventions of the magazine, this therefore helps to attract and influence your target audience to buy it.
Below is an document containing potential fonts for my masthead, and the one I have chosen to use:
Reflection
I found my fonts from a website called “DaFont” which I thought stood out and was conventional for my genre of music. I think this because from other magazines I have researched, they have used similar font types which means my magazine would be “the same but different” so it can still stand out to my target audience. I also need to consider AIDA to ensure the masthead is more interesting from the rest of my competition and encourages my audience to be drawn to my magazine.
I have decided to choose the font “Walton” because it is close to the fonts of other music magazines I have considered when designing my front cover, and I like how the letters have got a slight slant on them as I think it makes it more interesting but still simplistic at the same time. It also attracts a more mature demographic group, so young and middle aged adults which is the age range I am aiming my magazine towards. Since it is a sans serif font, it creates a more casual, informal approach to it, and I have written it all in capital letters for a sense of importance/significance from my competing magazines to ensure mine will stand out from the rest.
Below is a slideshow with 10x images I have used as inspiration for my contents page
By doing this research, it has given me a lot of inspiration on some contents page ideas for my magazine. It also has helped me to discover which ones look more professional, and therefore more appealing to the audience to want to read further. In majority of these magazines, the title is at the top of the page, maximum of two images, not too much colour and usually a medium shot/ long shot of the star to capture their full self.
I hand-drew some contents page layouts of my own below:
When designing these contents page layouts, I have taken into account what looks appealing in other magazines to present onto mine and considered what the common conventional features of a contents page is. I have include, a pug, most titles positioned at the top of the page and big images to really show off the star even more. By creating these layout ideas, it will benefit me when it comes to editing so I have a rough idea of what I would like my contents page to look like.
In the contents page I will aim to include:
Editors hello
Page numbers
Images
Reminder on the magazine’s name and mission statement
Graphic designs/illustrations
Cover lines
Within the contents page, I will include headlines of the pages in my magazine. This would engage the audience to want to read further if they get a slight insight on what this magazine contains. Some examples can also include:
The secret to writing music
Exclusive interviews with your favourite artists!
How I got into the music industry
5 tips for an easy going life
How karma caught up with me
Ultimate guide to success
How I survived the battle with the devil
Sneak peak! New music coming soon…
“Stars name” most asked questions
“Stars name” rise to fame
Reflection
When I am making my contents page, I need to put into consideration Blumler and Katz theory which includes social relationships, personal identity, entertainment and information. By considering social relationships, it can build a hypereal relationship between the star and my target audience. Personal identity might influence the audiences identity based on how the role model is presented, for instance, if they star is portrayed as joyful, the audience might get a joyful appeal from it and present the star as having a joyful personality. Entertainment can include images, graphics, fonts etc. These all will affect how the audience will feel about the magazine and if it’s their preferred reading. If it is their preferred reading, they will use this magazine as an escape from their normality. Lastly, information to influence the audience on facts about the star to get a general idea on them.
Other than this, I will also use AIDA (attract, interest, desire, action) in order to make the audience take action and engage with my magazine. By doing this, it will give my magazine more of a chance of becoming a success against my competing magazines.
Below is an image of an article on the 10 Tips for Life
Please click on this image to view the full article
The 5 W’s and 1 H of Journalism
Who – This article is written by a famous rapper and musician, who is called Wyclef Jean
What – An insight on his tips on life as a rapper and musician in the format as a magazine article and promoting a new album being released
Where – N/A
When – September 2017
Why – To encourage people to be a ‘perfect gentleman’
How – A numbered list with each number being a different top tip (eg, KARMA IS GONNA GET YOU)
How do the headlines, stand firsts, pull quotes and captions appeal to the audience and encourage them to read the article in full?
The headlines, ’10 Commandments’ and ‘Wyclef Jean’ may appeal to the audience because they are in a bold format to ensure it stands out. The ’10 Commandments’ has also been placed inside a red arrow which appeals to the audience as they are being more creative in terms of how they present their headlines. The other headline, ‘Wyclef Jean’ is formatted in a large font size which grabs the audience’s attention almost immediately as it makes it really clear who this article is based on and if they are interested in this famous rapper, they will want to read this article in full.
The stand first ‘The rapper and musician’s rules for life’ is a simple but effective way to make it known what this article will consist of. This is because it is clear and gets straight to the point of what it is the audience will be reading about as if it was too confusing and the audience had to decode it in a certain way, they might not bother reading it.
The pull quote, “What makes a perfect gentleman? Leave big tips baby!” gives the audience some information about what the article is going to be about. It also includes a bit of slang, “Leave big tips baby!” which engages the audience as it could make the article more approachable because of its less formal nature behind it.
The captions, such as “MUSIC CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE. LITERALLY” gives detail about what each paragraph is going to be about. This could appeal to the audience so they get a rough idea what each paragraph will be on so they know if they will want to carry on and read it.
What is the article about?
It is about a famous rapper called Wyclef Jean and he writes about his top tips on life from a musicians perspective. From this double page spread magazine article, the audience could learn how to have a better outlook on life which could affect them positively as it could change their perspective on some things so they can live a more free life. For instance, “do unto others as you would have them unto you.”
What is your sense of the location/event/person that the journalist is writing about?
Wyclef Jean uses slang language, which could present him asman informal, fun individual even though he is a grown man, as the audience can discover from the front cover. He also uses a lot of short, simple sentences and when this is used in media it could be to tell the reader exactly what they need to hear rather than putting unnecessary information the audience might skip past and ignore.
How does the journalist represent the star?
The journalist represents the star through the use of colloquial language. This is mostly shown on each of the captions, for instance “KARMA IS GONNA GET YOU”. By using the word “gonna” and not “going to” it sets quite a casual tone for the rest of the article so the audience can understand what type of person the star is (laid-back).
Focus Forward
When doing articles in my magazine I am considering using interviews, Q&A’s or possibly top tips/advice on things as I think those elements relate to my target audience more because of the most popular age being millennial when I researched the indie genre. In terms of language, I will also consider using techniques like alliteration, colloquial language and metaphors to make my magazine stand out from others.
