Introduction

For my second shoot I decided to go for two different looks for my model, one was a lot more natural and cultural as the head wrap resonates with what Jamaican women use for their braids. I feel like the first look may be best suited for my content page as my second shoot was a lot more of a statement and much more grand which will really capture readers attention on my double page spread.

My Favorite Photo

I think that the costume of the brown toned dress and necklaces symbolizes that this artist is down to earth and does not put herself higher than anyone else she is showing a sign of stability and support and security and well as her letting herself go. I think including the green and yellow eyeshadow goes really nicely with the color scheme as well as the over done red blush that brings in that third Rasta color. I am really pleased with including the plant pot prop and the flowers in the models braids, unfortunately I was hoping to put more flowers in her hair. But I think the colors of the plants are really bursting with bright colors. The green leaves and burnt orange flowers blending in with the color scheme of the model really nicely. However I think the pinkish flowers kind of stand out the most and all though it doesn’t really resonate with Rasta colors or anything I think it helps to just show that femininity of the artist as it helps separates her from all the huge artists that are men such as Bob Marely, Peter Tosh, UB40 etc…

Reflection

I think this shoot went well but there were a lot of things I wish had gone better such as having more time to do each look  and the fact I was unable to do the second shoot in the studio so the lighting wasn’t great and gave us less time to get my model model ready but all though the look wasn’t completely finished for the second shoot and the lighting wasn’t as good as the studio I still am really happy with my shoot and I think for the future I will make sure to get the shoot that is most important done first so I can spend more time on it and get it out of the way.

Introduction

For our second photoshoot we brainstormed what MES we would be including as well as who we would be using for our model and booking the studio out for a certain time. This was the agenda I made for our second shoot:

Reflection

I think this was very helpful task for me to get me to start picturing how I want to dress my model and well as what cool props I could use and positions my model could potentially pose like. I think looking for videos to give me inspiration of how I could use props and what props could work well with my genre.

Introduction

In order to plan our own article for our music magazine we selected a professional article that was based on a similar theme to what we wanted to write about and analyzed it to give us a thorough idea of the type of content we would include in our own work. I decided to base my article on a rising artist so I chose to analyze an article about a new band.

Here is the article I analyzed called ‘The Next Frontier’ from a Billboard Magazine:

In this article I managed to pull out key information on:

• Who this article was about – Steve Angello, Martin Garrix and Scooter Braun
• What this article was about – A new big hit band which you can gather from the quote ‘But Braun, as part of an ambitious foray into the dance-music business, is now also managing Angello and Garrix — and together, the three represent nothing less than a redefinition of success in EDM, emphasizing original music and brand-name, pop-style superstardom’
• Why this article was written – To give recognition to this new band which can be backed up from the quote ‘I get instant respect because of who [Angello and Garrix] are. One is a legend and the other is one of the fastest-rising stars in the genre.’
• How this band came to be – One of the guys who works for Scooter Braun, (Mike George) met Martin when he was DJing at a party. Scooter then saw the boy’s potential and in turn became his manager and they hit it off from there.

Structure of  the new band article

You can get a hint from the headline of the article ‘THE NEXT FRONTIER’, that this article is to do with a new emerging band. There is a drop capital at the start of the article which draws readers eyes towards the text which urges them to read. The stand first ‘Music’s endless dance party is only getting bigger as the genre now dominates major festivals, tops the Hot 100 and accrues hard-to reach millennials (and millions in dollars) for the 30 innovative performers, producers and executives on Billboard’s second annual list’ briefly summarizes the article without giving to much context so the reader feels inclined to read about more. The article also includes credits and some graphic features. The magazine is simple and not overcrowded but very colorful and includes a central image across the double page spread of the band  to make it visual and clear of who this article is speaking about.

Presence of journalist

The article is written from the journalists point of view; it is not the band speaking. The journalist however does include quotes that the band members say but it is the journalists’ take on the band. It is written in third person to demonstrate an outsider’s point of view on the band which makes the information much more credible. The fact the journalist is saying all these remarkable things about the band makes readers believe and actually feel interested to check the band out. If the band was saying all these amazing things about themselves it may not be as genuine as they may choose to just boast about themselves to gain people’s attention but as the information is from an outsider’s perspective then it is more of a reliable and believable article.

Language and aim

‘Next’ pops out two readers as it makes them curious to find out what is next? Or rather who is the next best thing? ‘Bigger’ Indicates that whatever this article is talking about is better than something, as people associate bigger with a better version. ‘Fresh music’ Implies that this music is something that has never been heard before which grabs the reader’s full attention and most importantly their curiosity.

The register seems a little informal as we see in the quote ‘But Braun, as part of an ambitious foray into the dance-music business, is now also managing Angello and Garrix — and together, the three represent nothing less than a redefinition of success in EDM’ all though there are uses well spoken vocabulary, there are a lot of pauses within the text that make the text more casual and spontaneous. It reminds you of how a radio broadcaster would speak to keep the audience engaged and hyped which I think resonates with the genre of electronic dance music as it’s fun and boosts people’s spirit.

The quote, “was becoming so big I really couldn’t ignore it,” highlights that a manager who has worked with some top artists and is usually a picky guy, was even impressed with this band which makes the reader feel convinced that these artists are the new best thing and will want to listen to their music or learn more.

Conclusion

In conclusion the journalist represents this band as the new best thing around. The writer brings passion into his article as if the writer themselves are huge fans too which creates this ideology that everyone loves them so the reader feels inclined to hope on board and love them too or at least find out what they’re like. The journalist also communicates that they are not only ‘the new best thing’, but they are unique and different as their ‘fresh music’ is one of a kind, like nothing anyone has ever heard before and not to mention the unusual band members of different ages, backgrounds and so on – Garrix is the 19 year old who brings raw new talent, Angello is 32 who has already got a legendary reputation in the industry and lastly Braun (33 years old) who has worked with hugely famous artists and also has a huge reputation ties all three of them together with his managing skills and talent. 

Reflection

Throughout this process I have learnt a lot of new things that I feel would be useful to include into my article such as a stand first and headline to give the reader context on what the article is about and hopefully if I include the right words that pop out to a reader I can get the reader to be intrigued and hooked on my article. I learned that most articles include 5 what’s and a how to ensure the reader isn’t becoming lost in what they are reading and to be as informative as possible so the words really reach the audience.

Here is my draft of my front page magazine:

Here is my self assessment for my first draft:

Reflection:

Self assessing myself allowed me to really see what improvements I need to add to my magazine such as the sizing of the text and improving my use of language in my cover lines. For my steps forwards I am going to take in each question I answered for my self assessment into consideration by adding more conventional features such as a pull quote and also better use of language, cover line fonts, information bellow cover lines need to be shortened, and so on. This task also made me aware of what I have successfully managed to achieve and tick off such as the use of mis-en-scene, framing, angle and use of colours and masthead fonts.

Introduction

For our magazine front cover we had to find a model, and plan; costume, lighting, props, positions, facial expression and angles and distances that the shot has been taken from. The overall shoot went very well, it was  well organized and I knew exactly what I wanted my model to do which made the overall shoot go down very smoothly and was quite relaxed.

Here is the contact sheets of all my final images from the shoot:

For my studio shoot I used the black studio and I dressed my model with a worn in brown jacket, a burnt orange t-shirt, Rasta coloured bracelet, a black Rasta hat with three skinny strips of the Rasta colours a small image of Bob Marley, a silver chain necklace, headphones placed around his neck and a wooden beaded necklace. I also included some props such as a fake joint, (as it is part of their identity and religion,) and a classic looking acoustic guitar. I also used a constant light and one flash kit. The constant light was placed facing straight at the model at level with the model, and the flash kit was placed to the left of him flashing down at him creating shadows on the left side of his face.

Two of my best images:

I believe that this photo shows a lot of character. The model is laughing and isn’t looking directly at the camera which shows a lot about Reggae artists who are rather modest in the sense that many reggae artists produce music for the pure love and passion of music instead of for the fame (unless it is to preach about something), they aren’t typically presented as self absorbed people but people who kind of go with the flow and radiate loving, cool, calm and collected vibes. I think the highlights on the models face also accentuates this sort of bubbly personality as if this sort of person is the type to light up a room when they walk in. The lighting and mid shot also will help him to stand out on the magazine because it allows his face to be the center of the magazine which is an initial point people are drawn to looking first. I feel like the fact that the model isn’t actually holding a prop in this photo reflects the whole ‘photo being taken in the moment’ idea. This is because sometimes having a props in a shoot makes it obvious that the shoot has been planned and the prop is just an accessory that was purposely intended to represent something or grab more attention.

I choose this second photo as I think it looks think the model even more so clueless about a photo being taken and looks more distracted in his own thoughts and kind of out of place as if this shoot isn’t really in his comfort zone which I think is perfect because it shows that he is not all full of himself and gives him character and admiration that this artist is mainly all about his music. The medium long shot is taken from a slightly low angle which implies that the artist is an inspirational role model that has tons of dominating potential which is ironic as through his facial expressions show this almost uninterested which sort of reflects the artists authenticity and lack of wanting to fit into society and be what everyone else wants from him; this however I believe may draw the audience to like him more, as he is different and doesn’t stay within the lines of what society wants people to be. I also think that the model looks very familiar and comfortable with the presence of the guitar as it rested on his lap as if he is very accustomed to having a guitar. Say for example he was hold it in the photo he would seem like he is trying to bring more attention to the guitar as if to be like ‘oooh look a me and this guitar’, – it’s not that he does not have a love for his instrument as he is clearly making the guitar a feature in the shoots it just represents that he is not overly eccentric person who needs to shove his instrument in the audiences faces as he can just simply recognize it’s presence an so can the audience. I also think the fact he has a spliff in his mouth illustrates that it is apart of his religion and identity and gives him a sense of comfort as he is habituated to have it with him and makes him feel more accepted as well to have this featured and shared on a front cover of a magazine.

Reflection

In  conclusion I really enjoyed doing the shoot. I felt confident that the two best photos from the shoot really resonated with the genre of the magazine and portrays a typical reggae artist really well. I think everything I was going for with my shoot in terms of making my model seem as laid back as possible and camera shots/angles. I think from this being my first shoot I now have a better gist of how to work my camera and the studio and what looks right for my genre so my second shoot will hopefully be much more successful.

Introduction

To understand further what captures the attention of audience we chose 10 magazines or posters for our genre that stood out to us the most. This helped to give us an idea of what sort of fonts we might use for our magazines, here are the 10 magazines/posters that I found were pretty eye-catching:

After making a collage of the ten images I focused on what sort of font I would want for my magazine. I looked at the colors that were used for each magazine and found that the main colors I saw in the masthead were the traditional reggae colors that you would find in the Rasta flag which I preferred than the other typical plain black or white fonts that didn’t really draw my attention as much it was more the background colors that stood out to me.

Here are 10 practice masthead designs that I choose from DaFont and experimented with on InDesign:

Reflection

All of the fonts that I chose were sans serif as the font type is clear and stands out which I think reflects the whole persona of the audience who would be listening to reggae. From their demographics and psychographics you get to learn that this specific audience seems to be pretty easy going and  prefers simple text that is easy to read and grabs their attention. Playing round with different colours and edits, such as shadows I started to narrow my choices of font for my masthead as some began to really stand out to me such as the distorted fonts as they look fun, inventive and captures the eye. When reggae first came out it was unlike what anyone had heard and lots of reggae lyrics are rather political and talk about standing up for what you believe in and not being a puppet to the system, therefore I think that these wavy looking, untraditional and unformal fonts resonates well with the reggae genre as reggae is a form of music that is very unique and also rebels against people who are in control and the traditional styles or main stream sort of music.

Introduction

For my star image I chose Damien Marely who is on of Bob Marley’s sons. He carries his fathers legacy along with him and he continues to produce reggae and sends similar inspirational and eye opening messages to the audience. After doing some research on my star image for reggae I went on to planning my magazine shoot which made me think of what I want my model to wear, how I want the lighting to be, how I would be framing my model in the picture and what angle I am shooting at, what props I want to include and lastly what facial expressions and body language do I want my model to do.

Here is my research on my star image and my plan for my shoot in the studio:

Damien Marely is a man who, because of his father, was born into fame which makes him seem extraordinary to fans as he lives a rather luxurious lifestyle. However after doing some research on Damien we see that he also is quite ordinary, he is a typically mellowed and chilled out guy who seems to go with the flow and has a big interest in politics as he tries to communicate across to his audience. We also see that he is almost a fan himself as he aspires to follow in his famous fathers footsteps and shares Bob Marley’s messages with the world to continue to share Bob Marley’s light for everyone. Today Damien Marley is a big face of reggae and a perfect example of classic reggae artist in all aspects.

Reflection

After taking a dive into how a big reggae star presents themselves through the media it gave me many ideas for planning my own shoot such as including a fake spliff into my shoot, this is because Damien Marley likes to show off his marijuana to illustrate that weed is part of his identity and lifestyle in Rastafarian culture. I also got to recognize his soft nature and how he conducted himself which was very chilled out in interviews this is why I want my cover page image to seem like the photo was taken in the moment and I want his whole manner such as facial expression and body language to be nice and relaxed and for him to not really focus on the camera in front of him.

Introduction

When it comes to making a music magazine that is aimed at a specific genre there are a lot of things a producer must take into account from their target audience in order to get their attention. This is why I have created a dating profile of my perfect audience member so I can understand what they like, dislike, are interested in etc. If I am able to know what my audience is mainly drawn to then I can design my magazine to attract and intrigue them to buy it.

Here is my dating profile for the perfect audience member of reggae music:

Reflection

Creating this dating profile aloud me to learn a lot about the general, overall demographics of my audience such as people usually from their thirties up to around mid forties  listen to reggae the most and are usually very political which makes sense when you listen to a lot of reggae lyrics. I also found out about my audience’s average sort of behaviors, attitudes and beliefs or in other words ‘psychographics’. There seems to be a pattern of creative people who are into fun and exciting things such as sport or video games. Their attitudes and behavior  show they don’t really pay awful lots of attention to things and most of what they consume of media is on the TV weather that’s video gaming, watching movies or getting news. The information I have learned from my audience I can now encode into my magazine by using mes-en-scene to reach the audience and allow them to decode what I am putting out there for them to understand and be fascinated by.