These are the images from my second photoshoot. I felt that this shoot went better than my first as I was more prepared and was able to take more images. I taking my photos in two locations allowed for a wider range of images. I feel that the costumes, hair and makeup worked well to project my target star image as well as helping to convey the pop genre that I want to portray to my target audience. Throughout the shoot I tried to focus on the lighting and exposure, and the composition of my images and the camera angles that I was using.
I have chosen the two images above as I feel that they best fit the genre of Pop Music. Using props such as fairy lights and a stool has allowed me to create my desired images. Out of the two images I prefer the top one and will use this on my double page spread as I feel it will be a better fit for my article. However I may use the second Image I have chosen on my contents page or my front cover as that’s where I believe it would work better.
In order to have a successful photoshoot, I have to be prepared and know exactly what I have to do and when it has to be done. To do this I have created a production meeting agenda for myself and my models allowing us to know what we each have to bring to the shoot. This includes:
What they need wear
Their makeup
The props that are needed
The time they need to be there
Where they need to be
Planning my shoot ahead of time allows me to create an idea of what I want my final images to look like in order to best fit the genre of Pop.
This is the first draft of my double page spread article:
Anastacia : Her road to fame and fortune
Anastacia is an 18 year old singer songwriter who grew up on the outskirts of Manchester. From a young age Anastasia has always been interested in creating and performing music, with her family often referring to her as a young “Taylor Swift”. After spending the majority of her teenage years performing her own songs to family and friends, she eventually plucked up the courage to audition for ‘The Voice UK’, starting her music career.
Recently, I was invited to give an exclusive first interview to Anastacia about her career so far in music and her win on ‘The Voice’. Meeting up in the heart of Manchester, where she spent a lot of time growing up. We spoke over coffee and I had the opportunity to ask a few questions about her journey to stardom. As we spoke Anastacia opened up to me about her childhood and how her love and admiration for music has grown over the years. She spoke of how she was always encouraged by friends and family to ‘follow her dreams’ and to not shy away from her natural talent.
During her time at school, Anastacia found her true passion in writing and performing her own music, ‘Growing up in a musical family really helped me express myself’. Often quite shy about singing in front of others, her parents encouraged her to join a local choir in order to help her confidence grow, this allowed her to finally feel comfortable and less embarrassed about singing her own songs in front of others. It was around this time that she realised singing and songwriting was something she was truly passionate about, and was something she wanted to do after she left school but was worried that it wouldn’t be possible.
Anastacia began to put as much work as she could into her singing, picking up gigs wherever she could and busking whenever she had the time as well as juggling her school work. It wasn’t until she saw an advert that ‘The Voice’ was holding auditions not too far from where she lived, and immediately she knew it was her time to shine and with the full support of her family she signed up to audition.
The audition process was hard work but she managed to make it through, “the day that I received the news I was in complete shock”. Finally all the hours of hard work and dedication had paid off. When the day came for her to sing in front of a live studio audience as well as the four celebrity judges, excitement set in, “it felt as if all my dreams were finally within arms reach” and they were. After making it though blind auditions and the battle rounds, Anastacia became more and more determined to at least reach the final and she did.
Over her time on ‘The Voice’, Anastacia’s confidence massively increased and it could be heard in her singing. When it came to perform her last song, Anastacia chose a never heard before original, showcasing her broad talent and ultimately sealing her fate. “The final moments before the winner was announced felt like time had slowed down…” when finally, Anastacia’s name was announced and she was crowned winner of the voice 2021. “The outpouring of love from my family, friends and new fans after winning was amazing. It was the best feeling in the world.”
At the end of our interview, I asked Anastacia what advice she would give to any new artists struggling with finding their feet. “I would say to keep preserving, practice and dedication will get you where you want to. You just need to believe in yourself because anything is possible when you put your mind to it.”. Here at Horizon Pop we believe that Anastacia’s future within the music industry is bright and we will continue to follow and fully support her journey as she inspires the next generation of young artists.
Written by Aoife Todd
This is a recording of my first draft. It allows me to hear any mistakes that may need changing:
This is my final, edited draft article for my double page spread:
Anastacia : Her road to fame and fortune
Anastacia is an 18 year old singer songwriter who grew up on the outskirts of Manchester. From a young age Anastasia has always been interested in creating and performing music, with her family often referring to her as a young “Taylor Swift”. After spending the majority of her teenage years performing her own songs to family and friends, she eventually plucked up the courage to audition for ‘The Voice UK’, starting her music career.
Recently, I was invited to give an exclusive first interview to Anastacia about her career so far in music and her win on ‘The Voice’. Meeting up in the heart of Manchester, where she spent a lot of time growing up, we spoke over coffee and I had the opportunity to ask a few questions about her journey to stardom. As we spoke Anastacia opened up to me about her childhood and how her love and admiration for music has grown over the years. She spoke of how she was always encouraged by friends and family to ‘follow her dreams’ and to not shy away from her natural talent.
During her time at school, Anastacia found her true passion in writing and performing her own music, ‘Growing up in a musical family really helped me express myself’. Often quite shy about singing in front of others, her parents encouraged her to join a local choir in order to help her confidence grow, this allowed her to finally feel comfortable and less embarrassed about singing her own songs in front of others. It was around this time that she realised singing and songwriting was something she was truly passionate about, and was something she wanted to do after she left school but was worried that it wouldn’t be possible.
Anastacia began to put as much work as she could into her singing, picking up gigs wherever she could and busking whenever she had the time as well as juggling her school work. It wasn’t until she saw an advert that ‘The Voice’ was holding auditions not too far from where she lived, and immediately she knew it was her time to shine and with the full support of her family she signed up to audition.
The audition process was hard work but she managed to make it through, “the day that I received the news I was in complete shock”. Finally all the hours of hard work and dedication had paid off. When the day came for her to sing in front of a live studio audience as well as the four celebrity judges, excitement set in, “it felt as if all my dreams were finally within arms reach” and they were. After making it though blind auditions and the battle rounds, Anastacia became more and more determined to at least reach the final and she did.
Over her time on ‘The Voice’, Anastacia’s confidence massively increased and it could be heard in her singing. When it came to perform her last song, Anastacia chose a never heard before original, showcasing her broad talent and ultimately sealing her fate. “The final moments before the winner was announced felt like time had slowed down…” when finally, Anastacia’s name was announced and she was crowned winner of The Voice 2021. “The outpouring of love from my family, friends and new fans after winning was amazing. It was the best feeling in the world.”
At the end of our interview, I asked Anastacia what advice she would give to any new artists struggling with finding their feet. “I would say to keep preserving, practice and dedication will get you where you want to. You just need to believe in yourself because anything is possible when you put your mind to it.”. Here at Horizon Pop we believe that Anastacia’s future within the music industry is bright and we will continue to follow and fully support her journey as she inspires the next generation of young artists.
Music Magazines can contain many different types of articles, which could use different types of language and writing techniques. This includes stand-firsts, headlines and pull-quotes which help to intrigue and grasp the attention of their target audience as well as informing and entertaining. In order to understand what needs to be included in a magazine article I have analysed the language used in the double page spread of the billboard article from 2015 about singer Adam Lambert, allowing me to grasp the type of language used and how it fulfils AIDA as well as the Uses and Gratification theory. This article is an interview written in the third person with the writer often refers to direct quotes from the singer, with no reference to the journalist themselves. On the first page of this article there is the article headline, a stand-first and an introductory paragraph as well as a by line and credit to the photographer. On the second page of the article, the interview continues with the writing placed around an image of the main star. The article ends with a direct quote from Lambert and no clear conclusion, leaving it feeling unfinished. The quotes that have been used throughout the article fulfil social interaction as the target audience will feel as if they are personally interacting with the star, the main article also informs and entertains the reader. The way the article is written and the language used throughout, portrays the idea that the singer is vulnerable and lonely. Through use of direct quotes it makes it easier for the audience to connect with and relate to the star, this fulfils social interaction as well as informing the reader. The purpose of this article is to inform and entertain the target audience of the stars personal life and career, it also allows the target audience to feel closer and more connected to the star.
This is the first draft of my contents page for my music which I created using Adobe InDesign and Photoshop. A contents page is a key element in any magazine as it is used to inform the audience on what is included in the magazine and encourages people to buy it.
Please click on the image to see the PDF
5 Targets to improve my contents page:
Include another image (possibly a different model)
Add lines to space out my coverlines and create depth
As a producer I need to create headlines and coverlines that are interesting and attractive to my target audience. The language I use within the coverlines has to create desire. Some coverlines ideas I have include:
Shocking Secrets of the Grammy Awards
New Releases All the best albums of 2021
Top 10 tips to sing like Beyoncé
Adeles secrets to songwriting
Selling Out Ed Sheeran’s final tour
A contents page is one of the most important parts of any magazine, it allows readers to know what the page number is of the article they want to read as well as giving them more information of what’s included through the use of coverlines and possibly images. The coverlines included on the contents page need to be interesting and exciting, they have to include exciting topics that attract, interest and inform the reader. I have to consider the layout of my contents page and what information I’m going to include that is relevant to the genre of my music magazine.
My first draft of my pop magazine is currently reaching a B grade, it includes most of the conventional design features of a magazine. It provides entertainment and information for my audience. However in order to achieve a higher grade I will need to include more exciting and interesting cover lines, a pug or a plug and possibly add insets to the cover. I will also need to include something that helps to adapt my audience personal identity and offers social interaction. Another way I can improve my magazine is my moving my coverlines from the right to the left of my page and moving my model to the right in order to have a better flow and make it look more aesthetically pleasing. With my next draft I aim to create a front cover that best fit my genre and the needs of my target audience.
During my photo shoot for my front cover I felt that I conveyed my star image well through the use of costume, lighting and body language. I wanted to create an Image with my brand in mind and in order to do this I had to focus on mise-en-scene and how to portray my music magazine well. The most important part of my shoot was focusing on how I wanted to highlight my brand and how I want to portray my model which is as an empowered young woman.
I believe that the two images I have chosen are the best fit for the star image I want to convey to my readers. My model looks natural and empowered which is exactly what I want for my brand. I believe that the first image I have chosen is the best fit for my front cover and the second image would be a better fit on my double page spread or contents page.
A Masthead is crucial when it comes to branding. It is one of the most important parts of a front cover, it has to inspire and attract as well as being recognisable and memorable. It is important to think about what you want your masthead to imply, fonts, effects and colour should all be considered when choosing a masthead design as it has to fit the genre of your magazine and attract an audience.
I decided to pick the fifth masthead for my magazine as I feel it best reflects my brand. However when I come to design my magazine cover, I’m going change how tall the masthead is as well as the thickness and possibly the colour as it is quite plain and simple. I want it to best fit my branding and fulfil the interests and desires of my audience.
As a producer I need to research other magazine covers that I might want to take inspiration when come to I create my own front cover. Looking at layout, use of graphics, cover lines and colour palette I chose these covers as I feel they all flow well, the positioning of the model and the coverlines, the large masthead at the top with the models head covering it, the name of the star at the side of the page and the how the cover star is the main focus. All of the magazines have a slick, simplistic font for the masthead and the coverlines making it very pleasing for the eye. The colour palettes vary from cover to cover however for my magazine I want to focus more on the palette of the Billie Eilish Vogue cover as I like the simplicity. The main use of photo manipulation in these covers is the masthead being put behind the model along with editing of the cover star for things such as brightening and smoothing. When I begin to design and produce my front cover I’m going to take inspiration and produce something that different and stands out.
