Audience research task (planning)

I have taken the feedback from my peers and have made changes and just want to make it clear as to what was said on my video proposal.

As my proposal did not include how much the magazine would cost, one of my peer asked and I decide that it would cost between £2 - £3.99 as it would include 30-50 pages in the magazine. One of my peers also said that because my magazine consists of mainly black artists, would that limit my target audience? I do not think that it would limit my target audience as in this day and age people are going out and listening to music that is not by there race. Statistics also show that even though black people mostly listen to the genre of music, the next highest percentage is white people.

Photography (construction)

Media photography notes 

There are white backdrops and black backdrops

Using trinity flash light, there are wordings in the lights which are fans. 

The square boxes are called soft boxes, they defuse or soften the light. 

If you press the plus button on trinity the higher the number the brighter and harder the flash. 

Godox is a remote control for the camera it is all infrared. 

There will be a beep on the camera when it is on autofocus letting you know when to take the photo. 

Look through the viewfinder 

Aperture priority

Shutter priority

When the lens is on automatic the focus will be locked if the lens is on manual the focus will be unlocked. 

Once you have taken a shot to see the photo press the play button and the arrows to scroll through the pictures. 

When you are photographing turn the room lights off because it will affect the photo

The boards are used to reflect the light. 

Have the model about 6ft from the back of the backdrop, if your too close to the back drop you will bleach into the background. 

Magazine Proposal

Magazine newsstand task / distribution of magazines

A few days ago I went to Tesco and went to the magazine section. I found the music section and there was not much of a variety to see the difference between other magazine genres.

 

This was the only music magazine section in tesco and it is only the third and fourth row from the right that the magazines actually are. All if the magazines are rock, the ones that are visible are 'kerrang', 'nme' and 'Q'. They have been put in a section near games magazines and science magazines which is alright because I would think that most rock fans are interested in science. They have been placed so that only the name can be seen if the magazine ant the top near the skyline and only small parts of the image from the magazine can be seen. 

All if the magazines have bold mastheads that stand out due to their colour. I cannot see any cover lines as they are hidden behind the magazine in front. 

These are my findings from the magazine newsstand in tesco.

Magazines can be distributed through the mail, through sales by newsstands, bookstores, or other vendors.

Audience Feedback & Evaluation - Preliminary Task/College Magazine

I am going to be evaluating the feedback I have been given by my peer and saying what I think went well and what did not go so well whilst i was making my college magazine front cover and content page.

What I think went well with the front cover is the colour scheme because I made the masthead the same colour as the jacket that the student 'Paresa' is wearing. I also like the image because it is in the centre of the page and it lets the buyer know that it is a college magazine because the model is wearing their college ID card and they are smiling so it is very positive. The image shot type is also very good because it is a medium close up shot and does not show too much and it cuts out from the waist down which is also the same width as the page so it gives the bottom of the front cover an end. The front cover, I think has reached its target audience because the model is wearing their college ID card and in the bottom right hand corner there is the college logo which identifies that it is a college magazine for people who did not know this already.

Placing the image on photoshop was not very difficult until it needed to be edited. Trying to make the image fit and not let it look pixelated was a tough task because it kept on looking squashed. other than trying to get the image to fit, everything else was easy to do. The image is set in the centre of the page and the background is plain so the colours are not too much.

The page layout for the front cover is very basic and simple because the cover lines are all on the left hand side of the page, whereas most magazines have cover lines on both sides of the page covering some of the image. All of my text has the same font, the size is the only thing that varies and for the white font to stand out I made it bold and embedded, because I tried different styles but this one worked best with my colour scheme. My text is all kept to the lower left third as this is where most readers will look first. The layout on the contents page is kept simple as well, as the colour scheme is the same but the sizes of font and images are completely different. I put the image at the top of the page because if it went on the side, the text will be squashed and everything on the contents page will look out of proportion.

The masthead is 'LSC' which is the name of the college in a shorter way. I have chosen this colour which is the same as the jacket because choosing any other colour did not go as much, to find this colour i had to select the colour sampler tool and put it over the jacket to get this colour. This was quite hard as I wanted the same colour in my contents page so I had to find the colour coordinates to get this colour again as my contents page was made on InDesign.

In the bottom left hand corner there is a barcode so this shows that it is a product is to be bought, right next to the barcode it says '100% FREE' so this will attract the person who wants it because it is free, the issue number is also by the barcode but i think that it should be at the top of my front cover because this is where most issue numbers are placed. there is also no date so people do not know when it came out which is not good.

My peers have commented on my front cover and said that the image is really nice and it stands out and it makes the magazine very eye-catching. They also think that the 'C' in my masthead is not very clear as it is hidden behind the models head, I agree with this comment as I think the same but it would not look as appealing if it was in front of the image. For my contents page my peers have commented saying that they do not like the green used, at the time I like the colours used but now i think that they do not go well as much, they like the image and the layout as I have a features column and a monthly column.

I need to improve my contents page as the layout does not look very appealing to me, I think that I need to make it more unique and definitely change the colour scheme.
Three key points for development when producing the main task (music magazine) i would give myself would be:

• To change the layout of the front cover and contents page as they are very plain and it looks a bit boring, change the colour scheme as well so it is a bit louder and attractive.
• Take different kinds of pictures so that there is a variety to choose from and shots that are not as close.
• Make things much more clear and the structure of things to be set out differently. Use more images on the contents page so it looks interesting.

Final College Magazine

This is my college magazine front cover. I like the colour scheme for my front cover but I don't really like the masthead as most of the 'C' is hidden. 

This is my final contents page

Research/Case Study - Double Page Spread - Rock Sound Magazine (re-draft)

Double Page Spread of  Enter Shikari in Rock Sound Magazine

• This is a DPS of Enter Shikari debut studio album.
• The images on the other page are either close-ups, long shots or medium shots.
• There are no drop caps, which probably means that this piece of writing is not really a formal piece or there is not much purpose to the text. the text looks more like a comment page where fans say what they like about the new album that was released.
• The colour scheme is still very consistent as it is the same as the front cover and contents page. I think that the only reason the background is white is because it is trying to fit the theme of the 'Take to the skies' the sky is clear and pure and so is the colour white.
• The language used is quite formal, I would say that the audience would be quite young and not very old. 
• There is one pull quote that is over the image on the other page and it stands out because it is bold and red .
• The relationship between the image and the text is that the image is of the members of the band and it is there new album artwork. They are related because the text is giving opinions on the band.

Research/Case Study - Contents Page - Rock Sound Magazine (re-draft)

The Contents page of Rock Sound Magazine

• The are several images on the contents page of the bands and people who are going to be in the magazine.
• In the top left hand corner you know that it is the contents page and the editor of the magazine welcomes people reading the magazine to Rock Sound. It is really small and the only bit that has a white background which shows that it is a formal bit.
• The colour scheme is still the same as the cover page (red, black, white and yellow), this shows that it is consistent. And it shows more that it is a rock magazine with the images that surround the colour scheme. 
• Nothing really stands out on the contents page other than the images because there are many of them.
• As there are different issues to this magazine, loyal customers will know who each artist is and what to expect, there are page numbers on pictures and little headings telling you what it is that you will be looking for there. 
• The page numbers are in numeric order so you don't need to keep on going back and forth throughout the magazine. Although there are numbers on some of the images placed around the contents page the section that is clear the numbers are in order.
• Where the actual contents is for you to know where things are, it is in three columns so it is easy to follow and understand. Without looking hard enough you would not notice the real contents section. 
• The gutters make it much neater even though it doesn't make a difference because the rest of the page is not organised. with all of the images being placed randomly on the page.

Research/Case Study - Front Cover - Rock Sound Magazine (re-draft)

The Front cover of  Rock Sound Magazine

• The image is a medium close up shot, this is known because the picture captured goes up to their knees. This image shot lets us see what they are wearing and to try and figure out what kind of people they are without reading anything about them, they are wearing dark colours and their make up is pretty dark too. the lighting on the image is not very bright and the band look pale.
• There are two other images on the contents page but they are smaller mid shots as it cuts at their waist, these are like this because they are things and people that will feature in the rock magazine.
• The skyline shows images of artists and there names. It also tells the audience that there is a free CD and poster in the magazine. Advertising something free in a magazine will make the buyer want it more because they are getting something for free, this is a good marketing technique as the production company will make a lot of money from it.
• The cover lines have a red background and the text is either white or yellow. These bright colours atrract people because they are bright and they stand out, I do not think it is really associated much with rock because the colours are brighter than usual, i would have thought that it being a rock magazine black and red would be the main colours.
• The colour scheme for the front cover is red, black, white and yellow
• 'Rock Sound' is the masthead and it does not stand out as much as 'Paramore' which is the main story in the magazine, I think Paramore stands out more because it is in the middle of the cover and it is white and in capital letters.
• The font is pretty much all the same, the text is all in capital letters, and you will only find that on a rock magazine which this is.
• You can tell that it is a rock magazine because of the image and the colour scheme used.
• There is a bar code on the front cover and the price is underneath it in pounds, American, Canadian and Australian dollars showing that it is not only sold in the UK.
• The layout of the front cover is quite messy which goes with rock because rock music is loud and most rock musicians are messy with the way they perform.

Rock Sound Media Kit/Press Pack

This is proof that I sent an email to Rock Sound Magazines, as I was not able to find a media kit myself, I emailed the business development manager and I have not received an email back with a up to date media kit.

Clash Magazine press pack/ media kit

These are statistics and facts on Clash Magazine.

Results show that 37% if the readers are aged between 21-25, 6% are 36+, 11% aged between 31-35, 34% are 26-30 and 12% are under 21. The age demographic shows that the majority of the readers are between 21-25 and the least amount of people that read this magazine are 36+, this shows that the magazine is more for a younger but more mature audience. The magazine is also female dominant as there is a higher percentage of women that read the magazine than men there is a 4% difference between both sexes. 

Statistics also show that the magazine is mainly purchased in London and East, it is not as popular in the Midlands, Scotland, Wales and in the north.

Clash Magazine does not have a publisher but the editor is Simon Harper. The magazine publish more music based products like 'Spotify' and it is a partner with Levi's. 

Research/ Case Study - Double Page Spread - Clash Magazine (re-draft)

Double Page Spread of ASAP Ferg in Clash Magazine

• There are lots of images on this page and they still fit in with the theme of this magazine as the background is white.
• Most of the images on this page, are medium close-ups. The images are also big and I think that they stand out more because the background is white and the image are dark but bright at the same time.
• The lighting used on these images make them bright and stand out more on the DPS. This will attract the readers attention and make them want to look at this page and see what it is about.
• The drop cap is big and bold and it also a quote by ASAP Ferg. Drop caps are an effective way of grabbing readers attention because they add personality and visual strength to the page because it stands out.
• There are two columns per page, when the text is going over an image it has a white background and the text is all black.
• The big text at the top of the page is called an anchorage and the language use is partly formal and partly informal because the word 'THA' is used so it is a form of slang.
• There are no pull quotes and there is a relationship between the picture and the text as the pictures illustrate the interview
• Looking at this DPS give me an idea that the genre of this magazine is R&B but this is only one DPS out of the whole magazine.
• There is a slight messiness of the images which is a bit confusing because the rest of the magazine layout is very neat and organised, I think it is set out like this to represent the music because R&B is not very smooth and neat so the images probably portray the music style.
• The language used in the article is structured very well as it does not jump from one topic to another it goes in order of what is being spoken about.

Research/Case Study - Contents Page - Clash Magazine (re-draft)

The Contents page of Clash Magazine

• There is no image on the contents page as it is a magazine on music, fashion and film. So it will look a bit messy and disorganised if there we images of all parts of the magazine. 
• The masthead of this page is the 'contents' the way it is laid out is like the letters are mirroring one another. I think this is done so that the contents page has its own edginess and it is unique because magazines would normally write it plain. 
• Each header is underlined into categories and the pages are numbered and it is going down the page so it is simple, the gutters is the separation between each category and I think it is shown by the headers of each section being in capital letters.
• The pages are in numerical order which is good because the pages will be easy to find and it shows that the magazine editor and designer did not want the audience to be going back and forth in the magazine. Each section is separated from one another and they do not want to bore the audience so if the section is big they put other things in between and then go back to it.
• The colour scheme is the same as the front cover as it is black and white as well. I think this is because on the front cover it says "1975" and in the 70's I do not think that colour would have been able to be put on every magazine or newspaper.  
• The font is all the same throughout. Also the font looks like it will be for an older audience because the font is not simple and plain it is made to fit the theme. The way the text is aligned is also fitting the theme of simplicity because it is all on left hand side going down.
• The edition of the magazine is at the top of the page. Notifying the audience as it is not written on the front cover so the next place to look would either be on the back of the magazine or the contents page because the contents page is like an information section because it lets you know where you can find things.
• It is all laid out in the middle of the page and there is a white border. Having a white border also goes along with the colour scheme and makes it look classy and like it is in the 70's because they would not have used any patterns.
• I still do not think that the contents page is not giving any clues as to what the genre could be of this magazine as there are no images or vibrant colours used.

Research/ Case Study - Front Cover - Clash Magazine (re-draft)

                                     

This image is a close-up shot and you can tell because the image is zoomed in to the shoulders. I think this image was used because the designer wanted to keep it simple and plain. also the model on the front cover blends in with the colour scheme as he is also wearing black and white. black and white go very well together as they are classy colours.

The image has been move behind the masthead and all the bold writing has the same font type and the smaller sized font is the same as well. The picture has been moved behind the masthead so that the audience will know what the name of the magazine is also because if the masthead was to be hidden behind the image nobody will know what magazine it is. The font is kept the same making it easy too understand and if the font was all different it would not look as nice as it does.
The cover lines are all on the right hand side of the page because that is where people are most likely to look when they see a magazine. I think that the cover lines should be on the left hand side of the front cover so that it is peaking out and buyer have a chance of seeing what is in the magazine but it is a good technique to put the cover lines on the right hand side because it makes people take it out of the new stand.
The front cover is also like the contents page because it lists what will be in the magazine. The cover lines and also the skyline let the audience know what they can find in the magazine, the front cover is like another contents page but more brief.
There is a bar code on the front cover and the price is underneath it, in pounds and dollars. Letting the buyer know that it can be purchased in countries like America and Australia.
The body language of the man in the image clearly shows that he is modelling and it is not very direct because he is not looking directly at the camera. this does not really engage the audience even though he could be modelling for the fashion section of the magazine and this is also the fashion edition.
The black and white colour scheme shows that it is quite old fashioned and it says '1975' on the front cover letting the reader know that it is going to be an edition on something old or an old style of things will be included in the magazine.
The music genre is not really presented as this is a fashion edition, if you were a regular buyer you would know that music will always be in this magazine, whatever the edition. Looking at the front cover I would assume that if it was a music magazine it would be an indie magazine because of the way he is dressed smart.