Feedback on Music Magazine

Front Page

"Cover Page: Consistent colour scheme, good use of the conventions: barcode, masthead, skyline ect. clear image." - Kyra

"Front page: Good use of colour scheme, kept consistent throughout. Just keep the font size of your Coverlines (not the main one) the same size." - Tyrell

Contents Page

"Contents page: nice layout, consistent colour scheme, social links and clear pictures." -Kyra

"Contents page: Best page of the magazine! Layout is clear and you have included relative photos to link with Coverlines." -Tyrell

Double Page Spread

"DPS: conventions are present, colour scheme is present. could of changed the black text box to another colour." -Kyra

"DPS: Your quote should have had a drop shadow, but nevertheless, decent layout. Just feel in the space in at the bottom of the second page!" -Tyrell

Overall

"You've followed the colour scheme all the way through your work and you've followed the conventions of a music magazine mostly. One criticism is that your dps looks slightly empty" -Kedeidra

Completed Music Magazine

Music Magazine Unfinished Draft

First Journalism draft

Demarion, how exactly has this past year been?

Well it’s actually really hard to describe due to how much that has happened, with my single doing well making everyone get to know my music. With more on the way and more surprises too, this is certainly the start of something new and huge.

How do you feel about your song “Down Town” has been number 1 on the billboard hot 100 for 21 weeks?

Incredible Its a

It’s amazing, not even most big names can do that.

It’s just a blessing, to even be on the charts. I think this is all happening at a great time in my life. I’m still getting used to all this attention but I’m taking it one day at a time.

I heard that your debut album is coming next month, what can we expect?

Well least just say that you can expect the unexpected. [Injustice] have a little bit of everything in it from my raps to my singing but overall it will just be a great piece of art.

I’ve seen the track list too and might I say you have quite a powerful line-up.

Yeah man, I have been working with these people for over a year now, I’ve got artist from Usher to Nicki Minaj to Kanye West. It’s been such a dream come true to have been in the studio with them let alone have them on my album. I mean what could be better than know that people you have watched and idolised over the years support you and your craft.

Word on the streets is that you’re planning a tour. Wow, big things happening man.

Yep. Well… it’s still in process but if so it would probably begin at the top off 2015. However I think it’s something that needs to happen, not for me but my fans. After all they’re the main reason why I am here today if I’m being honest with you. Therefore we are trying our best to make it happen.

Finally, after breaking into the music industry like you did, where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Hopefully with a Grammy [laughs]. I’m kidding but that’s a possible but I just want to continue making music and to have created a movement for myself and my fans. I’m still young so I don’t plan on slowing down my career for a good while as this is just the beginning. You only get one chance in life so I’m going to keep hold of it for as long as I can.

Media film festival trip

Original Masthead Design

This was my original masthead design before I decided it would not be right for my magazine. This was created using Adobe illustrator. 

Dps music magazine design

Contents music mag design

Front cover music magazine design

Images used for magazine

Contact sheet

These are the photos I am going to use for my magazine

Proposal

Call Sheet

Rashaan’s Call sheet

Date: Thursday, November 13^th, 2014

Time: 1:50pm – 3pm

Assignment: Music Magazine Shoot

       

Location: Leyton Sixth Form College

Client: N/A

Media: Nikon DSLR

Compensation: Trade

Primary Shoot Contract:

Scott

Photographer:

Rashaan Muir

www.rashaanleytonas.blogspot.com

MUA:  N/A

Hair Stylist: Himself

Wardrobe Stylist: Himself & Rashaan

Model 1: Jezayah

Timeline:

1:50pm – Shoot until 3pm.

My Prezi Music Magazine Proposal

Photography Notes

While being taught the basics of what to do when taking the photos for our music magazines, we had to take notes about thing we should be aware of during this process. Notes such as...

- Models have to stand at least 5-6 away from the backdrop

- All photographs should be taken with the class lights off

- There are 3 flash heads available

- On the flash short spur of light (1), while (6) is the most powerful

 

3 Point lighting: Key/Main light, Fill light and Hairline light

- Both of the large lights use soft boxes.

(3-1 lighting ratio)

The camera that will be used is Nikon D-7000 (DSLR) 

- Lens 80-135 

Reflectors: Gold, White

*The play icon on the camera will show the images*

*The beep means the camera is in focus*

A & M on focus

A - Means you get the beep (auto)

M - Full control of the lens, no beep (manual)

A & S

A - Aperture Priority

S -  Shutter Priority

Menu > Set picture control > Colour (Standard)

                                                Black & White (Monochrome)

 

Magazine Newsstand Task

Example #1

For this task I had to go to a newsstand or supermarket and find some music magazines and take a photo of them. These are my two examples, the first one on the left was taken at the post office. As you can see there aren't a lot of selection when it comes to the music mags. The main ones are obviously Q, NME, Rolling Stone and XXL, all popular music magazines. They're placed so at least you can see some if not all of the mastheads. However they're all tightly packed together and it is hard to see some of the front covers on the middle row. Also for most of the magazines the ones next to them are cover half of them as they are stacked on top of each other. This is defiantly a downfall as it makes it hard to see the available magazines.

Example #2

The next stop was Sainsbury's, although there was more magazines but it was very short on music ones. As you can see the music magazines that are available aren't very popular ones. They are laid on top of each other so you can still see the mastheads.
Most of the magazines are of rock or band music. You can see most of the mags front covers to catch the attention of people actually interesting in purchasing them. 

Distributions of Magazines

Publishers

These are the institutions that produce the magazines. There are four main ones in the UK and little ones as well. The main four publishers are NatMag, EMAP Bauer, Conde Nast ans IPC. These control the design and the editorial content of the magazines. These also manages the partnerships between advertisers. To help plan things such as how many issues to produce and distribute, the publishers use circulation figures.

Distribution Networks

A publishers uses something called a network of distributions. They manage the flow of magazines from the printer to the newsstand. These magazines are taken to vans and lorries to regional distributors. This is how the magazines get to the shop or newsstand. Supermarkets and newsagents are the main places where magazines are sold.

Sale or Return

This is a system used by magazine and newspaper distributors with newsstands. This means that with no cost to the retailer, any copies that are not sold are returned to the distributors. Because of this there is no risk or wastage involved which is a benefit to the retailer. However to the publisher/distributor it is very wasteful and environmentally damaging system.

E-zines

These are not magazine websites but electronic versions of a magazine. These include similar features that a physical magazine has such turning pages, adverts and page numbers. E-zines are usually free and will have exclusive electronic features such as video clips and hyperlinks to other sites and sources.

Electronic Brand Extension

Magazine companies nowadays expand their brand to their online audience. For example having and updating on social networks and accounts such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube etc. They could also extend into concerts and other featured events.

Apps

Majority of magazines now have apps on smartphones and tablets with some, if not all the content available on the physical copy. This may be linked by a QR code on the front or back page cover of the magazine issue.

Subscriptions - Postal / Electronic

This is when regular magazine readers wish to subscribe to the magazine issues which means they have the magazine regularly posted to them due to a discounted price. The electronic distribution is similar, however it will be delivered to the customers inbox or tablet.

Freemiums - Direct Distribution

A popular method of distribution today is giving out free magazine issues. These are usually giving out at busy areas/locations or train stations. Revenue is made from advertising.

Practice front cover

Images for Music Magazine #1

This is for my contents however only one of these will be used as an image for the article

Short Proposal

Task 6

I have decided I want to make an R’n’B / Hip - Hop magazine which will be aim at teenagers to young adults. The main colours I want to use are red, black, white and possibly yellow. The masthead will definitely be either one of this colours, most likely red. As for the cover lines and sky line too. The most suited person to be on an R’n’B magazine would be a black person as the music genre is mostly view and listened to by them. Preferably the cover star will be male as most R’n’B artist are male and less likely to be female. Props such as sunglasses, shirt or maybe even a suit. This magazine would take certain aspects and have a lot in common with ‘Vibe’ magazine. Taking inspiration from this such a page layout and colour scheme for the purpose of my own music magazine. Referring to my case studies, the magazine ‘Q’ would not be the best magazine to take inspiration and elements from as that specific issue is aimed at a Rock or a Band audience. However my second case study is the magazine ‘XXL’, this features the genre of both R’n’B and Hip Hop so taking a look and gathering ideas from this would be very appropriate. A new addition of the issues would come out every month, for the price of £3.99. It will be distributed in stores, online (E-Zine) and even subscription postal services. 

College Magazine: Audience feedback and Evaluation

What went well?

I think the front cover turned out really well. It included all the elements of a magazine cover such as the masthead, the cover lines, the barcode and main image of course. The main image was perfect as it was a portrait picture and the main focus was in the middle. This made it easy to surround it with the cover lines. The colours of the titles and the fonts all match and fit really well with the image. The contents page overall went really well too, with the use of the colours and the layout is much more organized as plan. One pupil from my class said that the aesthetics are very pleasing to the eye. I kept the colour pattern constant as well as with the front cover.

What do I need to improve on?

With the front cover I think I could have done more with the image such as cropped out the main focus and put it in front of the masthead to add in more focus. And I could have made the image a little bit clearer as it is a bit blurry. With the contents page, one pupil said I could have made the page number smaller which is understandable.

Key points for development:

-Plan out the layout beforehand so it will save time when actually making the magazine.

-Plan out what I am going to write before I make the magazine

-

College Magazine Contents Page

Finished College Magazine Cover

This is my college magazine, final edit. It took some time but eventually I finished it. I included most if not all of the conventions of the cover such as the; masthead, barcode, cover lines, date, price and skyline. The picture was taken by my classmate and used it for my background. 

College Magazine Plan

Magazine Plan


This is my plan for my college magazine I did in class. It includes all the conventions such as the mastheads,cover lines, barcode and price. This is just a simple template of how it will actually look when i design the cover in Photoshop.

Magazine case studies

This is the front cover of the popular magazine “Q”. It consists of an image of one of the Foo Fighters members. He is placed bang in the middle of the cover, with a long camera shot. The foo fighters are a rock group so he represents that through his sartorial. For example his hair is quite long; his prop is a guitar which is very conventional for his represented genre. There are a lot of shadows in his body and face which could mean there was lighting facing right at him. The background is completely white, no backdrop.

The title of the magazine is in the top left hand corner of the cover. It is actually quite big and in portion with the rest of the magazine. It is white on a red square so it is very easy to see. It is very simple as the title is just a letter. The one and only subtitle is red and black. It contrasts well with the white background making it clear to see.  It is align with the title box. The word “foo” is the biggest word of the whole subtitle; this is to make sure people know who the main focus of the magazine is. There both on the left side of the image which doesn't really fill up the page.

“This will kill me”. This has a very loud and alerting tone, which will catch the reader’s eyes and attention making them want to read on. This is why that is the first thing that is said in the subtitle.

The cover represents rock and band music and that specific genre. The foo fighters are a really popular band so this will attract a lot of people that love them and love that genre of music.

Same as the front cover, the main image is right in the center. However there are a lot of other images placed around it. It is also a long shot so it takes up most of the single paged contents page. The other images are mostly of other artist and groups that are included in the issue such as Nicki Minaj and The Vaccines.

The other artist’s images are placed all around the main one which fills up the space the page. The font for the different section description is very small proportion to the rest of the texts. All the test is placed on the left of the main image which makes it look every organized. There are numbers placed beside the images so we know where to find a specific article.

There are quite a lot of images on this double page spread. Along the bottom there are a lot of people that got a medium or large camera shots. Most of them are dressed like rock stars or stereotypical band members which is what this issue is mostly based around. At the top right hand corner there are images of people playing the guitar which fits in with the theme of the double page spread. All these images have very low lighting and is a little hard to see at first glance. All of those images are all based on a stage which could mean they were taken while they were performing. The main image at the top left hand corner is of the famous band Arctic Monkeys. They are the main focus of this article; this is why they have the largest image. The picture is of them all in a sports car facing the camera. The light is the natural lighting from the sun.

The images on the page are all spread out around the text. Very small font in compared to the images. There is not that much big bold writing either except for the masthead. The page is mostly red black and white which makes it look simple while looking very powering too.

I think they are portraying the rock genre as very dark by using colours such as red and black.

The front cover is of the rapper Jay Z, 

There are two images, one on each one of the contents pages. Both very different images, both take up the whole page. The first one is of the rapper Rick Ross, he is framed right in the middle and it is a medium shot. The image is black and white and he is dressed like a stereotypical, with lots of jewellery, sunglasses etc. Not very much lighting as the picture is quite dark. He is also placed in front of a white backdrop. The other one is very different; it is of a female framed in the middle of the page. It is also a medium shot. This image includes colour and is very saturated. she is wearing underwear and a revealing top. she has a really happy facial expression as she looks like she is laughing.

The texts are all to the side of the pages because the images take up most of the page. The masthead is at the top of the first contents and is a variation of black and yellow. Very large and bold. As usual the titles of each of the contents sections are much bolder then the rest f the texts.

XXL magazine is for mainly the genre hip hop so having  rick ross on one of the contents pages is very suitable and conventional. He is dressed like a typical rapper with the tracksuit and all the jewellery. the female on the other page isn't very conventional as she is very joyful and vibrant.

There is only one image on this double page spread, this image of Jay Z takes up one whole page. It is black and white with quite bright lighting. He is wearing an old fashion gangster costume with a cigar in his hand. It is a medium shot and he is placed right in the middle of the page which instantly attracts all the attention to him. There is no location as he is just place on a white background.

While the image of jay z is on one page, all the writing is on the other. The subtitle at the top takes up a fair amount of space on the page and is placed on a black mount making it easier to see. There is a lot of text which is why the font is so small. It also does not help that it is all on one page.

The facial expression Jay Z has is very serious; this actually reflects the mood of the double page spread which seems very dark because of the black and white colour scheme. The costume is very formal and seems very upper class which links to the serious mood.

Production Schedule

College magazine anaysis

Magazine cover analysis (23 Sept 2014)

In this lesson we were taught how to properly analyse a magazine cover. 

As a class we analysed this magazine cover: 

• Medium close up is used, we can see his attire.
• The colour red is used to connote danger, however white creates a sense of purity.
• Direct mode of address, looking straight at you.
• The line “people have been comparing me to Tupac” attracts attention.

After I then chose my own magazine to analyse which was also on vibe too:

•    Close up shot of Usher, centre of magazine
•    In front of the title to show his importantance, main attraction
•    Ring, watch, sunglasses to show wealth
•    Bright bold coloured fonts and titles to capture attention
•    Captions like “Usher, He’s No.1” make people want to read it
•    Focused on his hand gesture because it looks like the controversial “middle finger” rest of his body is slightly blurred

·          

Evaluation

The first step to completing the induction assignment was to do some research on music piracy. Having to research facts and opinions on the piracy of music, especially the opinions of music artist was not easy. I think what went well with the research is that I found a lot of artists opinion on piracy. However not many facts but luckily I already got some from the class discussion we had the lesson before. Also most of the artists opinions I found while researching where pro piracy. Therefore I had to ask my fellow classmates for their take on the subject.

Next I had to summarize all my notes into a 400 word essay of a sort. This required me to put all the research in order and section each side of the arguments. I found quite easy since I don’t really struggle in writing. But I had to write it in a magazine article style, this included rhetorical questions etc. I had a little bit of trouble writing my own opinion and what side of the argument I was on but in the end I got there.

Now it was time to actually create the magazine spread using the program “InDesign”. This was my first time using this software so it too some time to get used to how to work my way into actually making the magazine. It took me a few lessons but I managed to get a few images and some titles on the pages. After I laid out everything, I exported my essay onto the magazine. Overall I found it very difficult to use the program and I still do. Eventually with the help of my teacher and classmates I finally finished it.

Finally I made a blog on blogger.com to publish my magazine article. Also this will be where I will be putting all my coursework. We all had trouble creating a blog as the internet was not working as we all tried to make a blog at the same time. Eventually over the weekend I made a blog. Then I put my article online, to do this I had to convert the InDesign file into a jpeg and then upload it to my blog.

My feedback that I received was quite helpful as most of was positive. They said it was very neat and well laid out, but they also said I need to write more about my opinion. This was helpful because it gave me a clear view of what I need to do next time.

Finished Article