Draft of DPS article

As part of my planning for this task, I had to create a draft of my double page spread article so that I could receive some feedback on what was good about it and how I could improve it. At this point, I hadnt finished creating the image for my double page spread so I only handed in the article itself with the interview included. I followed the basic layout of a double page spread by putting the interview into 3 separate columns but I did notice that they didn't fit together. As part of my feedback, I had to make sure that all the columns were aligned in order for everything to look a lot more professional and organised. To make the article a lot more easier and clear to understand, I wrote the questions in bold and kept the answers in a normal font. This way, the reader would be able to follow the interview and know who was talking or asking the questions. Another comment on my feedback was to create a sub heading with some of the text I had already written. This would introduce the reader to the article and helps to give them an idea of what they are going to be reading about.

Front Cover and Contents Page Progress

These are screenshots of my Front Cover and Contents page almost finished. 

As you can see in my contents page, I have altered some of the features to make fit with the magazine and have it more concentrated on music rather than fashion. I still need to change the pictures for the contents page so again they relate more to music and look more professional.

I am pleased with the outcome of my front cover, I think it matches well with the genre of my magazine and you can clearly tell who the target audience is aimed at. I downloaded a range of different fonts from dafont which helps to give it more variety so everything doesn't look the same. I had a few problems trying to crop the image as I wanted it to get as precise as I could but in the end I managed to get it cropped out the way I liked.

Photo shoot Preparation

Before I took the images for my magazine, I decided to take some quick photographs of where the model was getting ready and when she was putting her makeup on in preparation for the shoot. My model done the makeup herself, but I did tell her what I wanted the makeup to look like so she could create the final look that I wanted. I told the model to bring her own clothes but that fitted with the genre of my magazine. She knew that my magazine was aimed at young teens so brought a selection of clothes that she thought would be suitable to wear for the photographs.

Review of preliminary task

As part of my research and planning, I had to create a magazine for a college. This included creating a front cover and a contents page.

This was the first time I had ever created a front cover and contents page so although I had researched about a FC and CP, I didn't fully follow how to design them property. I did do the basic features of including a masthead, main image, sell lines etc but I did miss out quite a few other important features that needed to be there. For example, I didn't include a the issue number of the magazine on which is key feature that needs to be on the front cover.

Looking back at my work, I do believe I done a acceptable job of creating a front cover and contents page as this was the first time I had ever done a task like that before. However, now I know all the important features and techniques that need to be used I wish I done a lot more things differently on my magazine.

The most important thing that I would change in my work is the main image on the front cover. I chose to use a image where the model wasn't looking directly at the camera and was looking at a book instead. At the time I thought this was a good image to use as it related to the genre and audience of my magazine, but after more research and plannin, I understand that it is key for the model to be looking at the camera so it feels like you are making eye contact with them. 

I was also pleased with the text on the contents page as I made it as relatable a as I could to the target audience. For example, I included articles about tips for revision which is important to a student and would be something that they would be interested reading about. 

Work up to date| Progress so far

This is a screenshot of my almost complete contents page. When you see the difference between this and my last post, you can see that I have made a lot of progress. I have added more pictures to the design, in order to make it look more creative and fun. I haven't fully completed my contents page as I am yet to receive feedback to find out how I can improve it and make it look the best it actually can.  I also plan on changing some of the text to make it seem like it is more focused on the music (as this is what the coursework is based around) instead of having the content focused on every day things you would find in an ordinary magazine.

Contents Page| So far

This is a screenshot of my contents page so far. I am still working on it so you can see from this image that my work is incomplete. I am definitely keeping my font the same and am sticking with the pink background.  However, I do plan on moving my image around once I start writing up my subheadings and articles etc. I have chosen to use colloquial language and shorten down the word magazine to 'mag' this is because my target audience is aimed at young teens and it will appeal to them more.  I will continue to start choosing and writing the articles that I want to feature in my magazine so that there is no blank space and everything is filled up. It is important that there is no dead space so it looks professional.

Looking at Last Years Student Work

During one of the lessons, I looked at a range of different work from previous students and analysed them. I wrote down the strengths and weaknesses from the  5 different magazines that I looked at, then graded them on what I think they deserved. I then explained what I had learnt from looking at last years students work and how I was going to apply this knowledge to my own piece of work. This task has helped me a lot for it when it comes to creating my magazine, I now know what sort of conventions and and techniques should be included to get a high grade for my magazine. Also, if I want a higher grade I know what not to include.

Model Confirmation

This is a confirmation message from my model saying that she is available for the time I plan on taking my images for the magazine. It is important that I know she is free and is still fine with modelling for my photographs  so that everything goes as planned when it comes to taking my images.

Practice Film Poster| The Simpsons Movie

As part of my research and planning, I was asked to create a promotional package for The Simpsons Movie, which involved making a film poster. I was given a booklet which had instructions inside on how to use the software Photoshop which I then filled in, in order to give me a good guide to look back on when I am doing my practical project.

After handing in my film poster, I received it back and got feedback from my lecturer. I then swapped with a partner to peer assess each others work. Inside the work sheet, there was a assessment criteria to help us mark how well they done with creating the film poster. When adding all my marks together, I came out with a total of 34 marks which was the equivalent to an A. The person who was peer assessing my work had to write comments in each section so I was able to understand why I was given the mark and what I had/hadn't done well.

My lecturer wrote me some general feedback explaining that I need to take care with scale. The feedback said that my poster would have been better if my font and image was just a little bit larger and that I should take with care with positions and elements within my design. I will take this feedback on board so that when it comes to creating my own magazine, I don't make these mistakes again.

Practice task| Jarvis Cocker

As part of my research and planning, I was asked to create a practice magazine front cover with Jarvis Cocker as the model for the main image. I created the front cover on photoshop, which helped me in preperation for my actual magazine cover I am creating for my coursework. This task helped to get me more used to the tools on photoshop and how to use them all correctly in order to come out with the best possible work.

As you can see, I didn't really follow the typical layout of a magazine as this was my first go at creating my own. For example, the main image is quite a big problem (I learnt this form my feedback) as there is no direct eye contact and he is looking away from the camera.
Also, I didn't include many sell lines and the layout and overall design of it looks very unprofessional.

From doing this practice task, it allowed me to workout how to use photoshop properly and what I shouldn't do for my real piece of coursework.

My Magazine| Colour Scheme

This is the colour scheme that I have decided to use throughout my magazine.

These are the colours that I think my target audience will want to see and also they are fun colours which will stand out on the pages. With the two monochrome colours, I am chosing the majority of the font to be in black or white (depending on the background) as they are typical shades you would see on a magazine and aren't too in your face. I have followed a similar sort of colour scheme to the type you would see on Top of the Pops, which has been my main influence whilst creating my magazine.

My Magazine| Font Ideas

Masthead Ideas 

Pussycat

I like this font and I am going to consider using it for the masthead of my magazine. I like how the font is so bold as it will help to make it stand out more and will contrast well with the pictures. I also think that this style of font matches well with the genre of my magazine, as it doesn’t look like your average bold font and has a sense of quirkiness to it.

I think that this is a typical masthead font as it is big, bold and stands out. This would be good on my magazine as if I want a lot of things going on on my front cover (i.e various sell lines and pictures) then this would help to balance everything out and contrast with everything that is on it.

Wetin Caro Want

I like the style of this font as with my target audience being aimed at young teens, I feel like this is a font that would appeal to them. It fits in well with the genre of my magazine as it looks like a font you would see on the likes of Top of the Pops. However, I think this font isn't the sort of font that would be used for the masthead as it isn't bold enough and looks like it would only be used a subheading on something like the contents page.

Sell-Lines 

 I think that this would be a good font to use for my sell lines as it will make the them stand out and will compliment the pictures. With there being a lot of pictures I think that is key that the sell lines can still be easily seen and using a bold font like this will help draw you to them. On the other hand, some people might think that with the font being so bold, it looks like it is too much for a sell line and should be used for the masthead.



I also think that this font would look nice to use on my front cover for the sell lines. This is still a bold font but with the letters looking long and stretched it helps to make them not look too over the top as it is only for the sell lines.

Copy

I like this font as I think it is a good basic font that isn't too in your face or has a different styles to it. I would like the font in my interview to be very simple as it makes it easier to follow and read and I think this font fits with what I am looking for. 

As  my target audience is aimed at young teens who are mainly girls, I think this would be a good font to use in pieces of text. It is a simple font but looks very effective at the same time. However, this font might not look tidy and professional for pieces of text like my interview. I want the text on my double page spread to look organised so it looks well presented.

Research| Target Audience's Attitudes and Interests

Mindmap of interests of my TA

The target audience of my magazine is aimed at young girls who are aged around 11-16. As you can see from the small mind map, they would be interested in very girly things such as makeup, shoes and painting their nails. They tend to enjoy going shopping, mainly on the high street, and getting new clothes. This links with their attitudes as they will feel like they want to have the latest look in order to be like some of the celebrities that they like to look up to. Due to the age of my TA, they will still be in school full time but still like go out on the weekends with their friends. My target audience will also be interested in the latest bands/boybands and artists (mainly male), this will include the likes of The Wanted, One direction, Justin Bieber, Ellie Goulding etc. The attitudes of the young girls will be that they want to look their best at all times and will want to know the most popular fashion choices and best makeup tips for them.

Potential Problems I could face

Initial Proposal Table

Photographic Techniques

Photographic Techniques

      When taking my photos for my magazine, I have to consider these techniques in order for my images to come out the best way possible.

These are a list of ideas and techniques that are essential when taking a good photograph:

·      Shot distance

·      Use of tilt

·      Shot composition

·      Eye Line

·      Tone

·      Line

·      Colour including vivid, primary and monochromatic colour

·      Texture, and hints on creating texture

·      Patterns and hints on capturing patterns

Shot distance Types:

                                                                                                                  (example of an ELS)

Extreme long shot/long shot- Good for showing the insignificance of a character or for showing characters as powerless within an overpowering environment. Also good for establishing location.

Medium long shot/Medium shot- Good for showing movement or for a balanced tracking of characters and their environment.

Medium close up/close up- Good for portraiture or for moving image interviews.

Big close up/Extreme close up- Good for showing the significance of character or for showing the characters as powerful. Also highly useful drawing attention to character emotions.

 <---(example of an BCU/ECU) 

Tilt Shots:

Tilt up shot (low angle)- Used to convey power of dominance.

Tilt down shot (high angle)- Used to show vulnerability or weakness of person in shot and to demonstrate dominance of point of view.

Tone:

Control of tones, including variations of light and dark, emphasizing important parts of the image, and colour, generally set the mood of your photograph.

Tone Control can be used to emphasise the shapes of the most important elements in your image.

Composition:

Many photographers place their subject in the middle of the photograph, which can often result in a dull image. I am going to take this on board when taking my photos so I can come out with the best images to use in my magazine. Use of off centre composition can create a focal point so this is something to consider for my photos.

Foreground/Background:

When designing a shot it is key to remember to keep in mind both the action in the foreground and the background. I would like my background to be white with the foreground focusing on my model.

   Framing:

When I am designing my shot, it is important to keep the rule of thirds in mind so that the viewers eye is drawn to the cross sections of a frame. 

Lines:

Lines are useful for emphasizing and leading the viewer towards a main area or subject.

They may also divide up the picture space into segments, which vary in size and shape. The shape of lines and their general pattern can strongly influence the mood of the photograph.

The appearance of lines can be controlled in your pictures by camera viewpoint.

Using colour:

Taking control of the way in which colour is used in your photos is a key was of improving your images. Colour sells so I plan on using a lot of bright and bold shades on my magazine cover to help catch the audiences attention. I will also use colours with muted tones so that the magazine doesn't look over the top and will prevent people from buying it.

Textures:

Most of the time when we are talking photographs we think about the subject, but there is another way of approaching picture-taking, which involves thinking beyond the subject and looking at it in terms of textures and patterns.

Textures

The Recce

Even though the photo shoot is being taken at my house which is a safe environment, there may be a few hazards that will have to be taken into consideration when moving around. It is important that myself and the model look out for wires and plugs from objects such as straighteners/curlers so that we don't stand on them or trip up. Nevertheless, I will make sure that these hazards will be reduced by keeping all the wires together or taking the plug out and putting them on a table where they wont be stood on. A safety risk that needs to be considered is making sure that the straighteners or curlers are turned off after using them to prevent people from burning themselves.

Plain Wall

It is key that the area where myself and the model are working has to be kept safe and tidy so we don't come into contact with any hazards. The time of day/weather wont affect the outcome of the photos as the images are being taken inside. If I was taking my pictures outside then I would have to take the weather into consideration. I have gone against taking my pictures outdoors as the weather can quickly change and the difference in lighting would affect my images which is something I don't want to happen.  I have chosen to use a plain white background to my model to lean against as this will make her stand out more and will to help focus and concentrate on only her.

Depending on the lighting in the room, I am undecided on wether to use a flash when taking my photos. I will more than likely go with using the flash from my camera as it will help to improve the quality of images and bring out the colour in my model.

The photo shoot is being taken at my own house which is good for the background of my images as there is a lot of white walls to use and also walls with pale colours if I didn't only want white. With the photo shoot being taken at my house, it is easier for me to set up my camera and sort out the styling equipment. It is an easy location for my model to get to and we don't have a certain time limit of how long we can spend on taking the photographs. By staying in contact with my model has helped me make sure that everything will come together at the appointed time for the shoot. We have organised when we are both free and when is the best possible time to do the shoot. I have given a list to my model to ensure that she knows what equipment and clothing she needs to bring, this is so that nothing is forgot and the photographs come out as planned.

Photo Shoot Planning

With my magazine being aimed at young girls, I want my photographs to look fun and quirky so that it appeals to my target audience. After looking at various music magazines that are the same genre as mine, I found that most of the models on the front covers are presented in a fun and appealing way. I would like the readers to feel like they can relate to the model and will come across in a sort of inspiring way so that they can look up to them and be like how the model is.

I have concentrated on looking at specific makeup looks, hairstyles and clothing to help attract my target audience, it is important that the model looks appealing to them. I am going to be using my friend Ellie on the front cover and plan on dressing her in high end clothes from shops such as Topshop and H&M etc. This will also appeal to my target audience as these are places where you can get relatively cheap and nice clothes from and helps to represent the genre of my magazine. I have briefed my model so that she is aware of what sort of clothes she will be styled in and so that she can make the date of the photo shoot. Nonetheless, she will be wearing her own clothes so that she feels comfortable but still confident. 

On the front cover of my magazine, I don't intend on using any props as I would prefer the models face to be the main focus. Having said that, I do plan on using props for my double page spread but I am undecided on what I want to use. With my target audience being aimed at young girls, I will more than likely go with using props that are makeup, hair or clothes related.

I am going to emphasise colour through the clothes the model is going to be wearing, I would like the clothing to be quite plain with subtle colouring but have accessories with bright colours to represent the feminine and girly side of the magazine. 

I am going to need quite high key lighting with the model standing against a plain white wall in the background. This will be achieved as my house (where the photo shoot is being taken) has plain white walls, which will help to contrast with the models clothing and will make her stand out more.

Posing Ideas

Institutional Research

As part of my design research for my magazine, I was asked to look for information about different institutions. I was given a list of six different institutions and then had to talk about the details of them and what type of publications that they produced. By looking at the different institutions that there is for magazines, it helped me gain some knowledge on what sort of institution I think would want to produce my magazine.

EMAP:

Emap International Limited is a British media company, specialising in the production of business-to-business magazines, and the organisation of business events and conferences. Some brands that Emaps are involved with are; Retail week, Retail Jeweller and Drapers. It has 20 magazines in its business-to-business portfolio including: 

• Architects Journal
• Architectural Review
• Broadcast
• Construction News
• Drapers
• Health Service Journal
• Local Government Chronicle
• Materials Recycling Week
• Nursing Times
• Retail Week
• Recycling & Waster Management
• Screen International

                                       CONDÉ NAST:

Condé Nast is largely considered to be the originator of the “lifestyle magazines” a type of magazines focused on a particular class or interest instead of targeting the largest possible readership. The company itself is based in the US and produces 18 consumer magazines. More recently, Condé nast has expanded its offerings to include marketing services and consumer-focused products such as apps and licensed merchandise. 

Fashion and lifestyle

• Vogue 
• W
• Glamour
• Allure
• Self
• Teen Vogue
• GQ
• Details
• Lucky
• Style.com/Print
•  Vanity Fair
• The New Yorker

                                              NATMAGS:

Natmags (short of National Magazine Company) was a British magazine publisher based in London. It was established in 1910 by William Randolph Hearst and was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation.  Nat Mags merged with Hachette Filipacchi Médias UK in 2011 to form Hearst Magazines UK.

• Best
• Coast
• Company
• Cosmopolitan
• Cosmopolitan Bride
• Country Living
• Esquire
• Good Housekeeping
• Harper's Bazaar
• House Beautiful
• Men’s Health (UK only)
• Prima
• Prima Baby
• Real People
• Reveal
• Runner's World (UK only)
• She
• You & Your Wedding
• Zest magazine

                                           IPC MEDIA:

IPC Media LTD (formerly International Publish Corporation), a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc, is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. 

In April 2012 IPC Media scooped an award for Best Production Team of the Year at the Professional Publishers Association Production and Environment Awards 2012. IPC Media groups its current titles under three magazine divisions each focusing on a core audience.

It is essential that I take this institution into consideration when choosing which one I would like to produce my magazine as "Teen Now" is one of their current publishing divisions. 

FUTURE PUBLISHING:

Future plc is a media company; in 2006 it was the sixth-largest in the United Kingdom. It publishes more than 150 magazines in fields such as video games, technology, automotive, cycling, films and photography. Future is the official magazine company of all three major games console manufacturers. It is a constituent of the FTSE Fledgling Index. The company also owns the US company, Future US. The company was founded as Future Publishing in Somerton, Somerset in 1985 by Chris Anderson with the sole magazine Amstrad Action.

                                               BAUER MEDIA:

Bauer Media Group is a multinational media company headquartered in Hamburg, Germany which operates in 16 countries worldwide. Since the company was founded in 1875, it has been privately owned and under management by the Bauer family. 

Bauer brands include women's weekly and TV listings magazines; namely Bella, Take a Break, that's life! TVChoice and Total TVGuide as well as a number of puzzle magazines. Bauer Media is a division of the Bauer Media Group, Europe’s largest privately owned publishing Group. The Group is a worldwide media empire offering over 300 magazines in 15 countries, as well as online, TV and radio stations. Bauer Media is a multi-platform UK-based media Group consisting of many companies collected around two main divisions – Magazines and Radio - widely recognised and rewarded as being industry innovators. 

When I finished researching the institutions, I felt like BAUER media publishing would suit more with my magazine as when looking at their brands, I found out that they are involved with companies like 4MUSIC and Smashhits. These companies mainly focus on Pop music and stuff that is in the charts which appeals to my magazine as this is the type of genre I am going for.