Weekly Journal(14)

This week I took the photos for my magazine after making the changes and with a better camera.I had to change my models again(still two girls). I have started working on the pictures with Photoshop to make them more fitting for a magazine after refreshing my knowledge on Photoshop tools. I have started making final plans on the look of the magazine(small details-fonts, pugs, cover lines) and the double spread article.

Weekly Journal(13)

This week I evaluated my photos and decided to redo the photo shoot. I re- planned and made improvements so that the pictures could be more suitable for a magazine and even for my genre. I changed the lighting and took the shots during daytime(it wasnt't a gray day).

Final Pieces Sketches (Final Drafts)

Cover Page:

Contents Page:

Double Spread:

Photo Shoot 2

These are a few of the pictures I took at my second photo shoot. It is clear that these pictures are of a much better quality than the pictures from the earlier photo shoot. They have better lighting and the expressions of the characters are edgier and more reflective of rock. I changed one of the members of the band too, this is because it is very unconventional for a conservative individual to be part of a rock band as rock is associated with rebellion. The new artist brings authenticity to the band and the genre rock. All the pictures have a white background, this will make it a lot easier for text to be readable and the house style colours (red, black and blue) to be emphasised. The pictures all use direct address, this depicts the artists as confident and builds a relationship between the readers and the artist. The artists are wearing casual everyday clothes, this helps make them relatable to the readers. The leather gloves used by the face of the band, helps make her edgier and add to her rebellious nature. 

Photoshoot (evaluation)

 These are a few photos I took during the photo shoot. These pictures aren't exactly good enough to be put on a magazine. The main problem with them is that I should have done the photo shoot in the morning because the sun isn't very dependable due to it being winter. This caused the pictures to be very dark which decreased the quality of my pictures as my equipment wasn't professional enough to support the dark setting. I will try improving them with photoshop and if it doesn't work I will redo the photo shoot.

Finalised Plan (Magazine)

After a few problems and adjustments, I have figured out my final plan.



Band- It will comprise of two women instead of two men and one woman.They will be Robin Deadman and Anastasia Forest, Deadman is the face of the band. I have subverted Angela McRobbie's theory of the representation of men and women following tradition roles and stereotypes in the media, because it might set an inspiration for the female demographic of the target audience making the magazine more appealing ( it is unconventional for an all female rock band to be featured).

Cover and contents page- The pictures used in both have a white background (increased clarity of text, does not distract from artist). The house style of black, red and blue will be maintained. There will be a quote on the contents page, this is a common convention and helps attract more attention towards the featured article.

Double spread- The necessary changes will be made to the article (redistribution of quotes) and one picture will be used to occupy most of the first page. The band name "The Revolutionaries" will overlap the second page.
 The price of the magazine will be £2.60 and it will be monthly.

Weekly Journal(12)

This week's journal includes major changes made to my plan over the week as well.

This week we started finalizing all of our details and were clicking photos for our magazine's cover, contents page and double spread. We decided on our models and fixed all the details for our pictures (angles, models,clothes, props and location). I have changed my featured musicians/ band and have decided to feature two female musicians who work together on music and have released their first album recently; they will still call themselves 'The Revolutionaries'. I will be making changes to the sketches of the final piece drafts, this is because I will be applying further research to the planning. We will be focusing exclusively on making the cover page for at least the beginning of next week.

Location - Cover Page

On visiting the location for my cover picture I found that I won't be able to use it because the site has construction work going on. Instead of opting for a replacement location I will be using either a pattern or a plain white background. This is because it will ensure that focus is not drawn from the featured artist, and the cover lines are still readable (don't clash with the background).

 Here are the most likely backgrounds that I will use-

The Masthead

The masthead tells a lot about the magazine and it's attitude which can lead to different types of people reading it. I have decided for my magazine masthead to be "Insurgent", this is because it reflects typical rock ideals like rebellion and individualism.  

These are a few fonts that I think would look good and would suit the meaning of the word well (these fonts are from Dafont.com)

After speaking to a few people from my target audience I have confirmed the use of the masthead Insurgent and use the font Ruskof by Maelle. k (The audience was given options from the picture above).

It will look something like this-

Weekly Journal (11)

This week during lessons I worked on our audience profiles further and zeroed in on who I am targeting. I also worked further on details of my magazine and how I can make it further suitable for my target audience and got a clear picture of what my final piece would be like. We also worked on our photography plan and tried to work at locations, props, angles , times (amount of natural light) and the risks involved for the photographer and models with the location. We worked on our blogs overall as well and tried to fit all of the pieces of research together. This week was more about revising and planning to get closer to our gaol and tie up all the loose ends.

Teacher Feedback

Research Feedback YS-2">

Student comment- I will work on focusing on the details of each aspect (attention to detail)

Photography Plan

I have decided to take the photos for my cover page and contents page in front of the statue at Mornington Crescent. It will be a lowish mid angle shot where almost the entire bodies of the models will be shown, they will be wearing suits while holding music equipment (guitar, mike, amplifier). I will try to include the traffic on either sides of the statue while keeping them in the centre as the main focus in front of the statue. It will be either in the afternoon or the beginning of the evening depending on  the clarity on the picture. I want to take the picture here because it shows how they even though superior (through high angle shot) because they are famous and successful are more relatable to because of the location which is a very casual and common area in Camden. The risks with this location is mugging, traffic and encountering alcohol induced people who might be aggressive. There will be precautions or solutions for each of these (carefully crossing the road according to traffic lights and keeping equipment well kept until actual photo shoot).

I will be taking the picture for my double spread at Goldington Cresent Garden. The grass will be visible as the image will be a high angle shot with flash in the dark (late evening). Hence, the focus of the picture will be the models and everything around them except a little grass will be dark. This will make a good background for the contents which will be written in the colour white (Any bright colour will stick out).I am also doing this because the only things visible would be very attractive plus the entire spread wouldn't be plain black except for them but there would be some green to make the picture more colourful and attractive. My models will on one edge so that the rest of the picture is available for written content. The risk with this location is mugging which can be avoided if we are careful with wallets and bags. The equipment will not be present for this photo.They will be wearing casual clothes (t-shirt and jeans).

Since the photos might be too busy I might use a plain white background. This is possibly the better option as it will ensure that focus is maintained on the artists and the contents of the page. It will also create a contrast, further emphasising on the article, artists and cover lines. This is also a very common convention followed by magazines, which might help increase the professional appeal of my magazine. For this, if a white wall is unavailable, I will use a white bed sheet for the necessary background during the photo shoot. 

Target Audience Example (profile)

This is Julie, an aspiring middle class twenty year old. She can relate to the lyrics and music of the genre rock. She is currently in university and is close to graduating. She is looking for inspiration and has part time jobs to support her expenses and to pay for her student loans. Her weekly disposable income is around 5 pounds. My magazine is suitable for her because not only is it within her disposable income but it suits her personality. The magazine will be monthly and has free items (CDs) from time to time. It contains honest and inspiring information and stories on talented musicians. It also contains information on both upcoming and already popular musicians. My magazine will not have information on gossip but only on controversies related to the careers of the musicians and information on concerts.

My magazine will break a few conventions which will suit the personality of a young open minded individual. My magazine house style is red(passion), black (dramatics and truth) and blue (coolness). I'm trying to make my magazine suitable to people who are open minded and aspiring in a way that it isn't just a form of entertainment but it can inspire them and be a regular part of their lives. I am targeting 16-25 year olds who are mostly from middle class and maybe a few from working class and upper class.


In Maslow's Hierarchy of needs, Julie can be categorised as a level 4 (Esteem Needs), this is because being a stereotypical rock genre fan, she would have a strong personality with self respect and would need respect from others. She would also command independence and dominance as it is an important part of her personality. She could also be categorised as a level 5 (Self Actualisation), as she would want to realise her potential and seek personal growth and peak experiences which is typical of a rock fan who usually deters from the mainstream while trying to find themselves (anti-authority rebels).

Weekly Journal (10)

This week I went through all the work I did earlier and thought of the improvements in my work over the weeks and the improvements I could make. This week was more on self evaluating and on starting to think about our final layouts on a more professional level.

Weekly Journal(9)

This week we focused on double spreads, first we analysed double spreads and learnt about their conventions. We also analysed a few double spread interviews and learnt about format, structure and purpose. Based on the information we learnt in the beginning of the week we made wrote the first draft of our double spread interviews. We also made a mood board and planned on what we'd want our double spread layout to be. We made a sketch of the layout as well.

Double Spread Sketch (Draft two)

 I will take this picture in the dark and use flash so that the members will be very prominent and the background will be dark so that the text will also stand out. I will use a high angle shot so that the readers can look down on the artists so that they aren't shown as superior to them and I will make the models look directly at the camera so that there is a direct address. I made these changes so that it will suit the target audience more. The band name will be across both pages as well as the image, this will ensure that basic elements of a double spread are maintained. This new draft is more edgy and attractive in terms of photography and layout (colours and fonts). This draft is not finalised and is hence, prone to changes.

Double Spread Mood Board And Layout Plan

Double Spread Mood Board">

Analysis of Double Spreads

This rock double spread has followed most conventions. The band name has been written in a corner and this makes the main focus of this article the pictures and will make this the first thing that the readers will see. The letters of the quote in the article are very big, all this results makes it very attractive that might further appeal to the readers and make them want to read the article.  The picture occupies one page and it is colourful which makes it stand out from the black background. The musician looks directly at the camera while smirking, this might make an impression that the musician has positive plans or thoughts on her mind and is confident, this also forms direct address with the readers. Convention was broken a little when four additional pictures of each band member was added to the second page. These pictures are mostly in natural light and might be taken to depict the personalities of the band members. The house style of this double spread is black and white and pink. Black to denote dramatics, white - purity and pink - tenderness. The article is an interview with one of the band members and is based on the future plans of the band and their latest activities. 

The house style of this article is black,white and red. Red denoted passion while white - purity and black dramatics. The picture covers a bit more than an entire page. The musician of the band interviewed is looking directly into the camera with no specific expression. This might depict sexuality and also forms direct address with the readers.There is also a quote from the article next to the picture, this will further appeal to the readers and make them want to read the interview.  The main title 'Wild Child' is written with fonts that represent the meaning of each of  the words respectively. This title is quite big and will attract the readers as it an insight into the real personality of the musician. This interview is based on a major controversy on a recent change and action the musician made. Hence, this will be very appealing to the readers as they can get to know for themselves the musicians point of view and motives behind this action.

Double Spread Article Draft

This Band is a New Hope by AsMediaAkshata">

Conventions of Double Spread Articles

Conventions of Double Spread Articles by AsMediaAkshata">
MY DOUBLE SPREAD WILL BE AN EDITORIAL.

Weekly Journal(8)

This week we made sketches on what we would want our music magazine's cover, contents page and double spread to look like after combining our ideas with suggestions from the focus groups. We also each had to mark one other peer's blog to help them improve and for us to improve ourselves.My blog's marking has been uploaded and completed all the missing posts and incomplete work.

Peer Marking

Music Magazine Double Spread Draft(Sketch)

I will edit this and make changes as we go further along. I have changed one band member to a female and she will be the one saying the quote. This would help make the magazine appealing to a female demographic.

Music Magazine Contents Page Draft(Sketch)

I would edit this further and make changes according to feedback and new ideas. I have changed one band member to female.

Music Magazine Cover Draft (sketch)

This is a draft of my magazine front cover. I was given feedback to put my featured models a bit more at the centre and for them to be closer to the camera which I will use in the real magazine. I also might include more story lines. I have changed one band member to female and she will be the one saying the quote. It is also possible for the background to be a pattern or plain white, this would help keep the focus on the featured and add professional appeal as it is a popular convention.

Weekly Journal (7)

This week i made my own questionnaire using the knowledge from last week to find out just what my target audience would be and how i could design my magazine according to their preferences. I also learnt how to represent data collected from questionnaires and draw conclusions. I did this and converted some of my questionnaire's qualitative data to quantitative.I also discussed my ideas and views with them for feedback(focus group). Our teachers checked up on our blog and made comments to help us which is also uploaded along with my own comment at the end.

Focus Group

Upon further consideration and feedback, I have decided that the double spread article will be on the entire band instead of the main member or face of the band. It was also suggested to me that my cover page picture uses direct mode of address to express confidence, this will also help build a sort of conversation with the reader.
I have decided to have my main feature be a quickly emerging or upcoming artist with the cover lines focusing on already popular mainstream bands like Linkin Park, Paramore and Guns'N'Roses. This is because not only will it provide information on favourite artists but it will help the readers keep up to date with new arrivals and explore different music. I think this will attract my target audience as it creates a balance between their interests (just popular artists and new bands). Based on this , I've also decided to use a high angle shot for the cover page. Despite being not typical, I think it is suitable as it is reflective of the upcoming and still emerging nature of the band.
The focus group has also helped me decide the content of my double spread article, which will primarily focus on the band's success story and the struggles they faced to get to where they are. This will serve as an inspiration to many readers and would make the magazine more appealing. Based on the questionnaire results, it is appropriate for my magazine price to be around 3 pounds.

Focus Questions

1) What is your age?

2) Do you read music magazines? Why?

3) What basic features or contents would you want to see in your ideal music magazine?

4) Are there any particular things that you never want to see in a music magazine?

5) For my music magazine I have chosen the genre rock. I have decided to always make sure the cover denotes spirit and excitement. I would feature a lot of mainstream musicians but have decided to include talented upcoming musicians as well. Do you have any suggestions or comments to help me improve my idea?

6) Which locations do you think suit this genre the most and could be featured on the front cover (ex- concert halls, gardens, etc.)?

7) What do you think I should mostly feature on my cover page (individual musicians, bands, instruments- guitars, drums, keyboard, etc.)?

Results Analysis (Music Questionnaire)

Questionnaire Results from Faar15

Music Magazine Questionnaire Results

Music Magazine Questionnaire

Questionnaire from Faar15

Weekly Journal (6)

In this week, I learnt about target analysis and how to decide on what your audience would be and how to analysis their preferences.I selected a music magazine of my preference and analysed the magazine as a whole and how each detail would attract a particular kind of audience (In my case it was NME magazine). I learnt a little more about magazines and their features and about how they can be more appealing to the target audience. I also learnt on how to make more informative and formatted questionnaires that would help me understand magazines clearly and on how to frame questions so that I can find out exactly what the readers would want to see in my magazine.

Magazine Case Study (NME Magazine)

Magazine NME by AsMediaAkshata">

Weekly Journal(5)

This week we examined the conventions used by our preference of music magazine(rock in my case) and thought in terms of our own music magazine and how we would or would not use these in it and why.We also thought of replacements or added personal ideas.

Rock Genre Conventions

Conventions from Faar15

Weekly Journal(4)

This week we learnt about what each colour, font or picture used could denote so that we could understand why each detail of the particular page was used. We used this information to analysis the cover,contents page and double spread of two different magazines of the same genre (in my case it was music-pop).

Magazine Analysis(two different magazines)

Magazine Analysis (2- Q and Blender) from Faar15

Weekly Journal(3)

This week we learnt about photography and about how much thought goes into only the photos. We learnt about the angles and lighting techniques and what each shot denotes. On this information we thought about what we want to feature in our magazine and clicked photos that were potential candidates. We used Photoshop to make our own school magazine cover and contents page using the photos we clicked.

Preliminary Task Teacher Feedback

Teacher Feedback by AsMediaAkshata">

School Magazine Contents Page

This is a rough draft of my school magazine's contents page. I have tried to maintain the house style and written down a few of the sections. The text 'Contents' is in bold to catch the readers eye and it's background is an image of the featured article.I have used a simple text font to show simplicity and casualness. I also have two other pictures of the other important articles in the magazine. Through this page i'm trying to show class as well as casualness.(Like a mixture)

School magazine Cover

This is a draft of my school magazine cover.(I have used black and blue as the main house style). 

I have tried to show that the school is a mixture of conventions and modern adaptations.

The right side shows the new part of the building while the left shows the old which is why i decided on this to be my cover picture.In this picture no students or teachers can be seen which shows the discipline of the school during lessons.I have tried using the left third more and have put the regent high logo there as well so it could be the first thing you would see and the magazine could be identified easily.
I've used a very simple font for the article details to convey casualness and a different more classy font for the mast head so that it sticks out.

School Magazine photography

For my version of the school magazine,
the lighting and effects i would use are of a variety, them being:

• low on shot- I would want to give the students an impression of superiority or importance for a change.
• Head on shot- For the successful interaction between the picture and reader and to connote confidence
• High on shot- For students to be able to relate to the picture, because many times the students feel inferior.

I want to use all the different lighting techniques so that the pictures can portray different moods and situations.I want the magazine to be of a variety. I might mainly use natural and face lighting.

Weekly Journal(2)

This week was a basic introduction into finding what the audience of our own school magazines would be and what they would want in the magazine. We made questionnaires after deciding on our target audience and tried to find out what their personal preferences and opinions are on what a magazine should contain so that it would appeal to people of that age group. I found out the results which were very general and supportive of the ideas. I made a power point presentation on what my target audience and what they might want, i also included a draft of the school magazine cover.

Survey Results

The presence of a school magazine is not well known and rarely do a few students read it.
Most agreed to a new weekly magazine published by the students, which is friendly and consists of activities and results that include the students. A clear majority wanted that the magazine should be one that consists of news and updates of all school activities and subjects and should also consist of sections on the partnership schools. There were many who agreed to the idea of the school's students and teachers to feature on the cover page. The idea of having a section to clear the doubts of the students was not as well accepted as the others.

Audience Profile Presentation

Audience Profile by AsMediaAkshata">

School Magazine Survey

STATEMENTS	STRONGLY AGREE	AGREE	NEUTRAL	DISAGREE	STRONGLY DISAGREE	WHY/WHAT/ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
I am aware that our school has a magazine.
I regularly read the school magazine.
I think the students should make the school magazine.
I want the magazine to stay as it is.
I would want for it to have a basic guideline/ethos for us to refer to.
I would want for it to engage the students more directly. (Hold competitions, publish winner and photograph/article)
I want the magazine to be a formal front.
I want the magazine to have a section where all the doubts that students have can be answered.
I want the active participation of teachers.
I would want the magazine to consist of information about all subjects and activities.
I want the magazine to feature students and teachers on it’s cover page.
I would like a section on the partnership schools