Front Cover Drafts

This is my very quick initial mock up of my front cover that I made on www.picmonkey.com, I made this with influences of an NME magazine featuring Florence Welch. I like my variety of fonts as they are appropriate for my genre, although there isn't enough information on the page and there is a lot of space free that I could have taken advantage of. I feel that a big magazine such as NME could pull this off although it is unconventional in comparison to their other magazines. This doesn't work for me as a busy magazine looks more effective, such as Kerrang.

Here is my second mock up made on www.picmonkey.com. This is pretty close to what my final outcome will be. In comparison the the mock up above, there is much more text and visual imagery (boxes, a second plug and secondary images). I have created a footer which is inspired by the 'Featuring' column on the cover above. This takes up much less space leaving more room for stories that are more likely to reel in the readers. I've used feature stories influenced by my 'WAVES' google mock up I created in December. Although I have used the same image as I feel that it is appropriate for my main feature story. I have used the idea of the outlines on the boxes so that there is more colour on the page and also that they don't get lost in the main image. I can contrast the outline cp;our based on the type of feature. This is what I am going to recreate when making my final front cover draft on Photoshop (See below).

Cover Image - Before and After

Constructing My Front Cover Drafts

Original Images & Behind The Scenes

These images are taken of my main model, Dionne. She wore the exact outfit I had planned, this is iconic for my genre as it is an individual style. The checked shirt makes the images instantly look more casual as it is worn open, as if it has just been thrown on. Her hair is also 100% natural, I love it because it is wavy and has a nice length which meant that she could play with it in some shots. Because her hair is natural she looks more relaxed, this is just how I want the readers to feel when they see the images. Converse are a rough, comfortable but popular item of shoes. Wearing branded clothing can look good on magazines because if the readers get inspiration to buy the product themselves, then they know that they can research the brand or buy from them almost anywhere. Dionne's make-up was an 'every day' look, this adds to her natural look. It shows that you don't have to try so hard to be beautiful. I hope this message comes across to the reader; I can get opinions on this or include this in a feature story so that it makes sense. I asked her to pose in many different ways that I think will look good on the cover page, the contents page or the double page spread. I used props that either look fun or inviting, or props that I could create a feature story from. For example, the film reel could demonstrate the 'artist' having a song played in an upcoming, known movie. 

Here Dionne is wearing another outfit. This floral style is to bring out the more feminine, flirtatious side. Here she is pouting more or smiling innocently. More of her skin is on show here which makes her look more formal. Red lipstick was used to bring out her facial features even more, this bright colour goes with any coloured clothing. I love the image below of her facing the left, holding her hair. This is because it is giving depth to the image, her eye contact is also locked onto the camera. Dionne also looks confident and 'girly' as she smiles. I took many natural shots throughout this photo-shoot because they sometime look more effective as they aren't forced. Although, some were unsuccessful and are blurry - as shown below and previously, my model also isn't centre frame. 

Here are the images of my second model, Corey. I took images of Corey so that I could put them on my contents page, or as secondary images on the front cover. I chose props that are more masculine, like the gun and mask. The gun shows attitude, it could tell a story as if the artist is struggling or has been in some sort of dilemma. The mask shows that he is hiding his true identity, I could use this as a deep feature story that grasps the readers attention because it is pretty much an Indie version of a 'gossip' story. Corey could be hiding from the 'haters' or even suggesting that he isn't being himself through the eyes of fame. I could include a feature story of him revealing his true being to my readers. I took a lot of long shots this time because these are usually conventional for a contents page, whereas medium close ups are ideal for front covers. Corey is wearing a black t-shirt with a band design print. This is casual although common for people in the indie genre. He is also wearing hoodies showing that he is relaxed and in a natural state. They also show a bit of a gangster look, especially with the mask. This is not the look I was going for, although the hoodies hide Corey's appearance from the readers, just like the feature story I've just mentioned.

Here are all of my two shots. I decided to take images of both Dionne and Corey so that I have a range of feature stories for my contents page or double page spread there in case I need them. I am also featured in a rare few of these, therefore I could even use the images of me and Corey as if we were a group/band members. I took many informal/humorous images here because they will be smaller on the page, so not as noticeable, also they suggest different types of stories. It also looks fun because there is two people and they are having a good time. This looks more realistic than two people posing dramatically just for a contents page - I found this isn't very common.

Dionne has taken these images of myself. We actually made the unforgettable mistake of not turning the key lights on in the green room, which has resulted in many dark, blurry images. However, most of these images without the checked shirt on were taken incorrectly. I have posted these because it shows our mistakes and our 'before and afters'. They could also be used on my contents page as another feature story. The last collection of images were taken correctly, you can tell by the lighting and the quality of the image. After this happened I took all of the images above. There is a big difference! Luckily we realised and now have a strong variety of original images to use.

Here is a simple, short behind the scenes video made with the app Magisto. It automatically selects parts of the video and merges them. This is to show what location the photo-shoot had taken place and what happened on and off camera. Also, this video shows myself being a model to show what happened behind the takings of my images.



This is my official Behind The Scenes video. I filmed the whole shoot from an angle of the room to get a dimensional view of the white screen and behind the camera. This shows my models posing and how I asked them to position themselves and what props to use. The video was relapsed and muted with the song Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne playing to make it a more professional video - from previous research. It is roughly 15 minutes of footage reduced to 3.

Social Class & Demographics

        What is demographics?

        Demographics: Measurable characteristics of media consumers such as age, gender, race, education and income level. The characteristics and statistical information that distinguish a group of people. These characteristics commonly include age, gender, ethnicity, occupation, interests and other quantifiable criteria. A business’ target demographic captures the group of people at which their products or services are aimed. By looking at these characteristics of an audience it helps us understand how to target a product, it helps to differentiate how to appeal directly to an audience.

Audience Research & Focus Group

Why is audience research important?
Audience research is vital to any project, regardless of whether it’s a magazine, film, video games or television shows. It gives an insight into what the audience enjoy and look for in a product and ultimately help the producers to bring in as many of their target audience as possible. There are various methods of gathering this information but the most common would be questionnaires/surveys. It allows the producers of the product to ask the questions and get direct yes/no answers. Without audience research, a film could be produced and could completely miss interpret their target audiences’ interests, habits etc. and the film the product wouldn't sell as intended.

How is it going to help me when creating my magazine?
This will help me because I have opinions from an outer perspective, they will know nothing about my magazine but can answer my questions completely honest and open. This will tell me what other people really want from a magazine, so I can then put their ideas forward for the construction of mine.

Questions I asked my focus group:

• What is your age/gender?
• What levels of education have you completed?
• What hobbies do you have?
• Where do you hang out in your free time?
• Would you rather buy a paper copy or download an electronic copy? Why?
• How much are you willing to pay for a magazine?
• Do you normally subscribe to any magazines that you like?
• Do you enter any competitions if you see them advertised in magazines?
• What competitions are you likely to enter?
• What do you want to see more of in music magazines?
• What costumes/props do you associate with the genre?
• What 5 artists do you think of in the Indie genre?

Here is my focus group video. I asked many of the questions above to a small audience; who are all of the same age group as myself. I will put their answers/opinions towards the planning and construction of my magazine.

Model Looks

1. My first look is relevant for my genre because it is a casual style that doesn't need too much effort. The shirt can be worn in several ways paired up with a strap top underneath, so I can take a variety of images based on this same style. A buttoned-up look would show that the model is smart, quite reserved or more girly. If the shirt is unbuttoned then the model would have quite a rough-casual edge, be relaxed and have a bit of attitude. The high waisted jeans are very in fashion at the moment which is great for a modern magazine. Because they are black I can pair any accessory or shoes with them. The necklace is simply to add a bit of style, the model will look a more like an artist wearing accessories. Converse also go perfectly with such a casual look. They are white which are very popular and also affordable. Converse are comfy which makes my model look comfortable rather than in pain wearing high -platform feels.

2. My second look is floral which stereotypically is a girly attire, for example, you rarely see 'tomboys' or 'chavs' wearing floral tops. Daisy prints are also one of the top trends at the moment which is appealing to my target audience as it is for the younger generations. I have used the same jeans and shoes for the reasons stated above. Black is also an easy colour to work with when choosing the colour scheme for the feature stories, masthead, etc. I've also included some bracelets that are what 'Indies' wear. Multiple bracelets often show different memories or meanings, or just look different drawing a line from accessories that any other genre would wear.

3. My third look is very appealing to my audience as it has the floral, girly personality; and the attitude from the black Dr. Martens boots. The shirt is colourful which helps me with the colour scheme and again there is a theme of black going on with the skirt and tights. The velvet skirt was chosen as it shows that my model is a little more dressed up in comparison to the other looks, it also may look more attractive and make a wider audience pick up the magazine. However, the purpose of my image is not to look appealing in a sexual way - which is why the other two looks are more reserved - although I still want to make my image clear and appropriate according to my genre and target audience.

Test Shots

Medium Close Up - I took this image because this is the most common shot used for magazine covers. This means it is important to get it right. Taking this shot helps me understand exactly how I am going to take the medium close ups during the photoshoot for my front cover image. This shot shows their outfit as well as their face, which is important because the outfit completely defines the person - as the reader can only judge from what they see.

 

Close Up - A close up is used to dramatically show facial features or put all of the viewers focus onto features that we will not recognise from for example, a long shot. I like this shot because if it is taken correctly it is rather flatering, although I do not need this type of shot to be used in my magazine.

 

Badly Framed Image - This image was taken incorrectly as the top of the model's head is not in the shot. The person needs to be shot in centre frame with their head fully within. Badly framed images can also be taken on slants, which creates a sense or disorientation or distortion. Overall I will not be taking any badly framed shots in my photoshoot.

 

Long Shot - The long shot includes the whole of the person's body. It is used to capture everything that they are wearing and also to establish the background or location that they are in. This shot is often used on magazine covers although it is most commonly of bands (which is technically a four shot, five shot, etc). I will take many long shots in my photoshoot so that the readers get an image of their full body, I can put the models in any background. They will be useful on my contents page to give diversity to all of the images and a difference from the front cover. I could also use this shot on my double page spread as it will be taken of the same model on the cover, except it will show more of her in comparison to the medium close up.

 

Bad Lighting - This shot demonstrates how the use of bad lighting can effect the image. If the image is too dark it makes it hard to understand the image, if it is too bright then it takes too much of the contrast away and can often look faded. It can make the image hard to look at, especially if it looks really unrealistic.

 

Good Lighting - Having good lighting on an image shows the true features of the image. For example it isn't saturated or highly contrasted, which makes it pleasing to look at and more attractive. My model's facial features stand out here as it is natural and realistic.

 

Two Shot - A two shot simply shows two people in the same shot. It is used to establish something happening between multiple people, or their closeness. Here my two models are linked by the arm around the others' neck. This shows that they are close and it has a positive outcome. I will definitely be using this shot for the images on my contents page.

Photography Research - Existing Magazines

Google Mock Ups TBC

Cover Page 1

Contents Page 1

Cover Page 2

Fonts, Names and Colour Schemes TBC

Name Ideas

 Fonts Mood Board

Inspirational Quotes for a Slogan

Colour Scheme

Hand-Drawn Drafts TBC

My hand-drawn drafts show rough ideas of the layout for cover pages, contents pages and double page spreads. There is a development shown throughout each layout.

Costume

Why is costume so important?

The attire in which the artist wears will give the viewer an idea of what genre the magazine is. For example, if somebody was wearing a fitted cap and gold chains with baggy jeans, the first thing you would suggest is that it is a Hip-Hop/R&B magazine. It is the same with rock and so on, if someone is wearing dark clothing with metal chains around the torso, you would suggest that it is a music magazine. The type of clothes the models wear can completely change the genre or style of the magazine. That is why I have to be very careful and make sure my model's attire matches the conventional clothing for the Indie genre.

I have collected images of costumes I would like to see in my magazine. If I stick to these items of clothing it will look professional, realistic and most importantly, indie. Below this are hair styles and colours that are popular, I think that my model will make the magazine more effective and will explain the genre if they have coloured hair. It can also create a colour scheme for the magazine, for example, if the model had green hair I could have the masthead and subheadings green. I could edit my model's hair colour on websites such as www.picmonkey.com or Photoshop, this means I can use the same model's hair and make it multiple colours and compare them to see which looks the most effective.

Indie Artists

Indie rock includes recent artists such as: The 1975, 30 Seconds To Mars, American Authors, Arctic Monkeys, Bastille, Florence and the Machine, Imagine Dragons, Jimmy Eat World, Kaiser Chiefs, The Killers, Kings of Leon, Coldplay, Kodaline, Mumford & Sons, Of Monsters and Men, Snow Patrol and The Script.

Indie pop includes recent artists such as: Lorde, Lana Del Rey, Ellie Goulding, Marina and the Diamonds, Florence Welch, American Authors, Bastille, The Lumineers, Mumford and Sons, and more…

These are gifs I made of music videos from some artists above.

Mallory Knox - Shout At The Moon

The Killers - Mr Brightside

Florence and the Machine - Cosmic Love

Lana Del Rey - Ride

Some of the artists are on these chart lists below, these are specifically the independent music charts from Official Charts and BBC Radio 1.

Indie Genre

What does genre mean?

A genre is a specific type of music, film, or writing. Your favourite literary genre might be science fiction, and your favourite film genre might be horror flicks about cheerleaders. In music, genre refers to musical style such as jazz, salsa or rock. In film or literature, the genre is determined by the subject, setting or plot of the story. When you are wandering around a book store, books are usually arranged by genre. Many genres, such as "mystery" or "fantasy," overlap in film and literature, while others, such as "romantic comedy" in film or "historical fiction" in books, are specific to one or the other.

What is 'Indie' music as a genre?
Independent music (often shortened to indie music or indie) is music produced independently from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording and publishing. The term indie is sometimes also used to describe a genre (such as indie rock, indie metal or indie pop); as a genre term, "indie" may include music that is not independently produced, and most independent music artists do not fall into a single, defined musical style or genre and usually create music that can be categorized into other genres. Independent labels have a long history of promoting developments in popular music, stretching back to the post-war period in the United States, with labels such as Sun Records, King Records, Stax, etc.

As this is such a wide category to explain, I looked online for a definition and found this YouTube video. This video explains a lot about 'What is Indie?' and a little bit about how the music industry and Indie genre has changed over the years.

How has the genre changed throughout the years?

Indie Rock

Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include indie pop, jangle pop, C86, and lo-fi, among others. Originally used to describe record labels, the term became associated with the music they produced and was initially used interchangeably with alternative rock. As grunge and punk revival bands in the US, and then Britpop bands in the UK, broke into the mainstream in the 1990s, it came to be used to identify those acts that retained an outsider and underground perspective. In the 2000s, as a result of changes in the music industry and the growing importance of the Internet, a number of indie rock acts began to enjoy commercial success, leading to questions about its meaningfulness as a term.

A number of prominent indie rock record labels were founded during the 1980s. During the 1990s, Grunge bands broke into the mainstream, and the term "alternative" lost its original counter-cultural meaning. The term "indie rock" became associated with the bands and genres that remained dedicated to their independent status. By the end of the 1990s indie rock developed a number of sub-genres and related styles. Following indie pop these included lo-fi, noise pop, emo, sad core, post-rock, space rock and math rock. In the 2000s, changes in the music industry and in music technology enabled a new wave of indie rock bands to achieve mainstream success.

In the early 2000s, a new group of bands that played a stripped-down and back-to-basics version of guitar rock emerged into the mainstream. The commercial breakthrough from these scenes was led by four bands: The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Hives and The Vines. Emo also broke into mainstream culture in the early 2000s. By the end of the 2000s the proliferation of indie bands was being referred to as "indie landfill".

Indie Pop

In the United Kingdom the C86 cassette, a 1986 NME compilation featuring Primal Scream, The Pastels, The Wedding Present and other bands, was a document of the UK indie scene at the start of 1986. It gave its name to the indie pop scene that followed, which was a major influence on the development of the British indie scene as a whole. Major precursors of indie pop included Postcard bands Josef K and Orange Juice, and significant labels included Creation, Subway and Glass. The Jesus and Mary Chain's sound combined the Velvet Underground's "melancholy noise" with Beach Boys pop melodies and Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" production, while New Order emerged from the demise of post-punk band Joy Division and experimented with techno and house music.

The Jesus and Mary Chain, along with Dinosaur Jr, indie pop and the dream pop of Cocteau Twins, were the formative influences for the shoegazing movement of the late 1980s. Named for the band members' tendency to stare at their feet and guitar effects pedals onstage rather than interact with the audience, acts like My Bloody Valentine, and later Slowdive and Ride created a loud "wash of sound" that obscured vocals and melodies with long, droning riffs, distortion, and feedback. The other major movement at the end of the 1980s was the drug-fuelled Madchester scene. Based around The Haçienda, a nightclub in Manchester owned by New Order and Factory Records, Madchester bands such as Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses mixed acid house dance rhythms, Northern soul and funk with melodic guitar pop.


Why have I chosen this genre?
I have chosen to create my magazine based on the Indie genre because it is the music I enjoy listening to the most. A lot of the artists I will mention in my research and planning will be artists that I listen to and are most fond of. I feel that the results will be better as I will be learning more about what I enjoy and creating my final product will be based on this. Although, it is a challenging genre as it could have 10 completely different but still be an Indie music magazine. This is shown in the mood board below; they are completely different but still based on the genre, therefore I need to choose carefully what type of layout I want it to be. The more conventions that are on the product, the better, although if I do it wrong it could look like a 'rock' magazine. I will enjoy choosing from such a variety in style as I wouldn't be able to do this in other genres.

These are examples of previous magazines that include Indie artists or events.

Reader Profiles

What is a reader profile?

The term “reader profile” is used in several different senses in the computing community. It can refer to a profile of an individual that includes self-reported information designed to give people a picture of who that person is, a demographic analysis of site users developed by a company for advertisers who want to know if they will be a good fit for that company, or a profile developed by a content creator with the goal of determining who content is being produced for so that it can be tailored for the audience. In all cases, a reader profile provides information about people engaging with online content, and this information can be used to make that content more relevant to the interests of readers.

In terms of individual profiles, many websites allow their users to create reader profiles. While the profiles are ostensibly designed for the purpose of networking with other users who want to find people with similar interests, they are also used by the site itself. Sites keep track of information disclosed in their reader profiles to learn more about the demographics of their users. This information is used to create unique and appealing content. Some sites have algorithms that serve up specific pages to particular readers and offer other customized features.

Publications that want to attract advertisers must also develop reader profiles. The profile provides an overview of demographic information about their readers including age, interests, background, place of residence, and history of interaction with ads. Some of this information is collected through surveys and studies, while other data can be collected from user profiles. Advertisers can look the profile over to see if the readers of a site are a demographic they are interested in engaging with.

Sites that are in development can use a reader profile to shape the way the site will be designed and laid out, and what it will contain. The developers create profiles of fictional readers that they are trying to attract, identifying the demographic the site is aimed at. They use this information to create a site designed to appeal to that demographic. For example, a site that wants to create a network for young, disabled Internet users would build accessibility features into the site to appeal to potential users and think about features that would attract youth.

Individual devices and software programs can also have a reader profile feature. In this case, the reader profile stores information about the user that can be used to autocomplete fields, provide people with content recommendations, and offer other features to make the user feel like the device is tailored to her or his use.

Reader profiles are also used off the Internet. Print publications use profiles in the same way to develop content and attract advertisers. Likewise, similar demographic studies are used to collect data about television viewers, music consumers, and many other populations.

Why do magazines do so much research? How does it help to make the magazine?

Magazines need to do a lot research so that their magazine is exact in every detail. They cannot give out false information and need to know how to structure their magazine. They need to know what the audience is looking for when reading their magazine; therefore they need to look at previous magazines, social media, a lot about what the magazine is based on, etc. The better the magazine the more readers there will be and the more money they will make.

Having a reader profile helps them understand what the public is interested in and what they want to read about. It also tells them exactly what the audience is which helps them improve the magazine to how the audience would want their magazine to be, this then widens their audience and brings in more money. More money can also help the company get better equipment and people involved.

I have made a reader profile based on the genre I am going to make. I found many images that I find - from research - will appeal to my genre; such as items of fashion and technology. I edited them using the quick selection tool on Photoshop and rearranged them all in different layers. I have also made key statistics based on the kind of audience it will have. I looked at the reader profiles from NME *above* for inspiration.