Drafting and planning - Drafting for articles

Here I have completed my drafting for my articles, this here is the text I will use for my double page spread.

'So how did your love of music begin?

Well Basically, My dad owned a record shop while I was younger and I spent most of days after school there. I'd sort out the vinyls, help customers and just chat about about the most amazing artists and albums out there. Slowly as I grew up this music grew up with me and became apart of me until there was nothing I wanted to except write music!

Have you always known you wanted a career in music or was it a little unexpected?

Truthfully, No. I had no clue I wanted to do music as a career, I didn't think you really could. like I knew people could become artists but I just never thought It was possible for someone like me. I'd wake up everyday and think to myself 'I'm never going to do anything with my life!' until one day I woke up listening to Jimmy Hendrix and I thought 'You know what? Music is my life!' And I decided from there on out that no matter what I did if it didn't have to do with music, Stuff it!

Talking of family, do any of your friends or family think it's crazy how quickly you shot to fame?

Yeah they do! They think its mental. I don't think I've ever seen them so overwhelmed. Then again, so are my fans, Honestly, they are so supportive but some of the fans when I first started out in dingy old night clubs and bars can't believe that their little secret isn't theirs anymore.

Talking of fans aswell, How are they? Are they crazy obsessed or are they calm about the whole thing?

Most of them are pretty chilled but you will get a handful of real wack jobs! One girl has been my number 1 fan since day one I mean she comes to every concert and has even given me her underwear.

Whoa! That's immense! How do you manage to stay so humble? considering you've sold out 5 nights at the 02 Arena this week alone, that's amazing!

To be perfectly honest, I have idea myself. Five nights is just fantastic, That's like what what, 100,000 people who wanted to see me play. It's just... I'm speechless

Aha! So how is your biggest influence?

Oh well, there's so many but I would have to say The Beatles. I mean especially John Lennon... that guy was a legend. If I do half as much as that man did for the music industry I'd be an icon. He influenced so many choices I made in my life and I'd always think to myself 'What would John Lennon do?' and I'd always end up doing the thing that was stupid but in the long hall made me who I am.

Well, with all this fame aren't you scared at all, you're only 17!?

I know that's just what I don't get. It just proves to me that adults like my music aswell because I don't think 100,000 teenagers will come and see me, I am absolutely terrified. The;s the biggest audience I have ever played to. The supports have even played bigger audiences than me so I'm sure that they will calm me down before the shows.'

Any hints to who your supporting acts are?

Of course not!

Aw damn, any tips for inspiring artists who want to shot to fame as quickly as you did?

Just be yourself, don't let anyone change you because as soon as you do that people will expect things from you that you just can't do and suddenly you don't even recognise who you are anymore.All I can say is play the music you want to play and stick to your guns!

Wow, that's great advice! Well one more last thing, I've been dying to know. Can we, the fans, expect any new music or albums to released any time soon?

Well I can't say much but if there is it is going to be completely different to my original stuff. I have had a lot of things happen to me recently and it has really changed me as a person and I really want to reflect that within my music, and hopefully this maybe new stuff will be relatable to my fans out there going through a hard time.

Drafting and planning - Influences

I have recently looked into the Indie pop Genre and discovered the artists that for me have the largest influence when drafting and organizing this first draft.

The first artist I found that inspired me when deciding what genre of music to go for was Hozier. Hozier greatly influenced my decisions on genre, clothing and the overall aesthetic I wanted to achieve through him being the arguably most controversial artist of today for pushing the boundaries of what society conformed to people became obsessed with Hozier's daring and bold personality and his willingness to say whatever he felt was right. An example of this is his first no.#1 single 'Take me to church' which became a hit within the UK though the song discussed the idiocy of religion which greatly offended people, whereas others were attracted to his uniqueness. This influenced me when deciding that the ethos of my magazine would be to be edgy yet professional while also pushing the boundaries of society.

My second artist which influenced me was Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys. This artist influenced me as he is a very true character who stick's with what he believes in no matter what and doesn't care what they media thinks of him, which is what I want to be reflected through my main cover artist to create a more laid back and cool image for him. Additionally, I am influenced by Alex Turner since he too is influenced by the 1950's, the era I am most greatly interested in when considering my magazine. The clothing style and hair this artist has immediately reflects the 1950's and is quite appealing to both younger and older audiences which is why I too would want something similar to this within my magazine especially my cover star.

Organisation - Location and Date

The date for the photo shoot - Friday 8th January 

I have now recently started planning my photography day where I will take my photos of my model for my music magazine. I have decided this to be the date since my model can only work with me on Fridays due to them have previous engagements (E.G a job, family events ect...) but with both Christmas day and New years day being on Friday it has been difficult to find a date we both can work on.  ​

I am hoping to go into Digbeth about 11am and take several shots of my model, I have decided on this location as it really displays the urban yet slightly reckless ethos I hope to display within my magazine. Additionally, I have decided on  this date due to the horrendous weather forecasts that have occurred and so the weather forecast for this Friday will be 7 degrees and so therefore though it won't be too warm there is a low chance of rain, which will mean I will more

likely have clear and high quality photos to work with for my first draft of the magazine. ​

The location I am now set on for my photo shoot is Digbeth due to the streets having an interesting array of backgrounds to support my photography with as well as some streets that could support the laid back and slightly grungy ethos I am trying to reflect within my magazine.  ​

This particular area holds a large amount of urban connotations with a slightly retro and disheveled feel towards it, which in my opinion fits very well with the reckless and laid back aesthetic my magazine is trying to achieve. Additionally, the unique artwork covering the area being graffiti creates a sense of symbiosis between the location and the magazine since both push against the social conformities that are put in place as graffiti is an illegal art form and my magazine will try to experiment with the wild and daring part of the music industry, which is why I have decided to go with the indie pop genre. The bright and vibrancy of this location is perfect to reveal how the world isn't just 'black and white' and so this magazine is trying an alternative view to the rest, which will hopefully appeal to new and younger audiences looking for a magazine that's something fresh, new and ultimately exciting just like this area is.

Organisation - Effects

Here I have looked into different photo effects that I can use for my photography of my cover star and band. After looking on (https://www.befunky.com/) I found 6 fonts which I was particularly interested in which were;

1. Chromatic 1 (Top Left)
2.  Grunge 1 (Top Right)
3.  Instant 2 (Centre left)
4.  Vintage colours 1 (Centre Right)
5. Black and white 4 (Bottom Left)
6. Sepia 5 (Bottom Right)

These are only a few of the ones I selected. I used a temporary image the website provided to test these effects and from these my favourites are 2 & 5 and will hopefully get to use these within my first draft of my magazine. 

The two effects both have a very relaxed yet unusual look to them which represents the ethos of the magazine quite well. The other effects are quite appealing but do not properly reflect the reckless and laid back aesthetic I am aiming for. For image 6 I feel as if Sepia has a little too much of a Nostalgic feel towards it and I am wanting my magazine to still feel modern, fresh and something unique that's never been seen before. Image 3 and 1 both feel that they have been over used with effects for a professional and genuine magazine and is more of a image filter rather than a photography effect for a music magazine. Finally, Image 4 after putting the effect on it I find slightly too bland to use as an effect and don't believe the audience will recognize a difference and so therefore would be pointless to use this effect on any of my images. 

Organisation - Model

 I have know chosen my model for my cover star and will be Josh Vile. I immediately felt that this model would represent the ethos of my magazine quite well as they too reflect an edgy and wild attitude that I hope my magazine will be seen as by my target demographic.

During the photo shoot I will experiment with a variety of angles and distances such as a close up, a wide shot and a mid - shot. The angles I use I want to be quite abstract and not particularly in direct from the model to create some variety within my magazine.

The clothing pieces I have decided that will not only associate with the indie - pop genre but too will suit my model will be pieces such as a denim jacket, skinny black jeans and some plain shoes. This costume was decided on as the clothing pieces are very plain and quite cool to show how the indie genre is a very laid back and casual as they mainly focus on their music and not their image which appeals audiences more to the genre and so will hopefully support me in the attaining my target demographic's attention.

Additionally, I feel that my model is quite photogenic and will be able to pose appropriately for my magazine which will make the process easier as I will be able to experiment with a variety of more photos as the model understands what angles work best for them. To add to this, I feel that the hairstyle I am considering is very similar to my model's natural hair and so will be simple to work with to create the perfect look for it.

Organisation - Style of the artist

I have came to the decision that for my final magazine I will have my main cover star as a solo male artist since I have looked into other music magazine based on the indie and pop genre which regularly include male artists as their cover star, and so felt it would be appropriate for my magazine also. I feel that with a male solo artists I can get the aesthetic and style of my artist across much easier through the clothing, hairstyles, props and blocking of my artist. Additionally, I feel that the Indie genre is mainly dominated by male artists and so it is more likely a Indie pop genre music magazine would have a male solo artist rather than a female solo artist. I have completed research into three artists which i feel reflect parts of my artist and will hopefully combine all three of these artists to form my main cover star.

Here is a selection of artists in which I have took inspiration from developing my artist;

1) Hozier - Though the artist is of the indie rock genre his music has implications of the blues or soul music and so has a very slow and relaxing approach to music, which is very unique within the Indie genre. Furthermore, Hozier has extremely controversial meanings to his music such as 'take me to church' which creates a large dispute when discussing the artist, which reflects how the artist does what he wants and truly pushes the boundaries of music which I hope to implement into my artist too. The artists image is very laid back and slightly 'rocky' which conforms with the stereotypical style of an indie genre and this laid back look implies how the artist does not demand the audiences attention, which may entice audiences
 
2) James Bay - This artist has a more urban and cooler convention with a mixture of Indie and rock genres. The artists rebellious attitude while also being quite a discreet character within music creates a large intrigue towards him as his fans don't know much about him. For this I'm going to create this sense of mystery towards my artist which will be broken through the artist, making it much more exclusive than other magazines. The artist wears clothing that is very casual and slightly basic in comparison to other artists, which makes him appear as though she doesn't care about her appearance and mainly focuses on his music and also makes him seem much more approachable to his audience as they too would wear casual clothing too.His image of the 'long brown hair with a fedora hat' has now created an iconic image which people automatically associate with him, forming recognition from many audiences towards him, because of this I may find a particular feature or piece of clothing to represent my artist to make him much more unique and recognisable to audiences .

3) Paolo Nuitini - As the artist is of the pop rock genre he is constantly experimenting with new music ideas as well as new hairstyles and outfits which always keeps his fans on their toes wondering what to expect from him next, this intriguing and un-expecting approach to the music industry is one   I will hopefully enact within my artist too. At the beginning of his career Paolo Nuitini captured the overall essence of folk music as his 'look' was very basic and laid back while his music has folk and blues inspirations. Though the artist has altered his clothing style slightly Paolo Nuitini still has quite a casual sense of style still which makes the artist seem much more of a normal individual and does not create any kind of superiority towards him.

Drafting & Planning - Blocking

Here, I have analysed locations similar to where I am planning to have my photo shoot and discussed the different positions I am going to have my models be in as well as the facial expressions they will make.

The angles I am hoping to use will vary from low angles to reveal dominance on my main cover star which may imply have they are superior within that genre of music over other artists or a wide shot to capture the whole location and create a more profound image for my double page spread. Also, I could use a medium shot to view all members of the band while still being able to see their facial expressions.The facial expressions I will ask my models to use will be quite stern or moody facial expressions to reflect the more sombre side to Indie pop music and also the facial expressions are usually used by large Indie pop icons such as Alex Turner and Lorde.

Additionally, I looked into different positions my cover star could do while still reflecting the laid back and rebellious ethos of the magazine such as having the main cover sit on some brick stairs while looking away from the camera while holding a guitar. This could be an alternative yet still equally as effective way of portraying the cover star as a laid back and quite edgy character who truly cares about their music which is why I would want my model to look away as it adds this idea that the cover star cares more about his music rather than the media and his publicity, interesting the target demographic even more.

Organisation - Hair

Here I have researched into the hairstyles that are quite popular within the music industry at this time especially within the Indie pop genre and have decided that I would like my cover star to have a hairstyle that is quite un-stylized to reflect a careless and laid back aesthetic to  my cover star and therefore my magazine.

After researching into a wide range of music genres I have leaned towards indie pop and have noticed most artists within the genre are usually quite unkept and slightly scruffy which is why I have decided to have my models hair in a messy and wild look to keep in style with the genre of music I am trying to approach. However, I will use products such as gel and hairspray to keep the hairstyle in place and will experiment with a range of slightly slick to wild hairstyles to identify which one i feel reflects the ethos of the magazine correctly.

The use of slick hair in my opinion will not properly represent the wild and reckless associations made with the indie pop genre and so to ensure my audience can identify what my magazine is trying to achieve I will use a stylized but not so slick hair style for my artist. The hair length can either vary to something quite short to keep a sense of masculinity within my photography or longer like some artists within the Indie genre such as James Bay to emphasize how artists within the genre push the boundaries of music and do not conform to societies boundaries.

Organisation - Props

Here, I have researched into the use of props and how they can benefit the overall vibe that is given off from your magazine, After looking into the props most prominently used within indie pop magazines I have found that these props are the most likely I will want to use;

The use of a guitar as a prop would be beneficial towards the look of my magazine as the cover star holding or being near a guitar could reveal how determined and how focused they are on their music, which will appeal to the target audience who care more about the quality of music and not the appearance of the star

 The use of a cigarette as a prop could be beneficial as it implies a sense of rebellion and defiant artists of this genre are since the indie pop genre is mainly dominated by the younger generations to which smoking would be frowned upon and so appeals to people within the target demographic who refuse to conform to societies rules.

The use of this particular prop could be effective in reflecting the ethos I want for my magazine and will also immediately reveal what style or brand of music I am going for. The use of sunglasses for my model could imply a laid back cool and slightly edgy look to my model since sunglasses connote with large music icons such as Mcjagger who is a music artist known for going against the norm of music and stretching the boundaries of what music artists were expected to do, which appealed to many people since the artist came across as very bold and baring which in turn will therefore create a daring aesthetic for the artist as well as the magazine, which I particularly want.

Organisation - Clothing

Here I have organised the costume I want my model to wear for the first draft of my music magazine front cover.

The clothing ideas I have chosen for example the denim jacket imply the cool and laid back feel since denim is a common material and accommodates the reader more so since they too would wear denim.

Also, the use of tartan material is quite popular and reflects the indie aesthetic that I hope to achieve within my magazine as the material too is quite a commonly wore one and so indicates \that artists of the indie genre are too laid back to care too much about their appearance, which will appeal to the target demographic. The use of black skinny jeans implicates the ethos of the magazine being 'urban yet professional' since black skinny jeans are the current trend and reflect the cover stars and magazines contemporary style.

However, as well as considering a denim jacket I also thought that it may be beneficial if I were to have my model wear a Harrington jacket as these jackets are extremely stylish and wore mainly by young adults, which is the target demographic of my music magazine and so therefore the target audience can relate to the artist more so.

For footwear I have considered either brogues or trainers for my model. I have chosen these two pieces of footwear as they are both on trend yet quite plain and not too ostentatious.

Drafting and Planning: Peer assessment of Remake-remodel task

For my Remake remodel task (http://scarlettasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/organisation.html) I received a variety of feedback on this task from my peers within class on what they found successfully revealed the aesthetic of the magazine but my peers additionally noticed improvements to my front cover that could be changed to benefit the style of magazine I was aiming for.

From My feedback I received feedback that informed me and what particular stood out and benefited my magazine's front cover such as;

• The proportions to my magazine were great and all cover lines and images could be seen well while the most significant parts of the magazine stood out such as the masthead and main cover line
• The skyline used was effective and immediately caught the audiences attention, which I was hoping for
• The layout to my front cover was quite successfully especially having the other cover lines surround the artists face as it lead the audience to notice the cover star immediately

Also, after receiving my feedback I found that there were some improvements that could be made to my magazine front cover which were;

•  I could use the highlighted colours within the mast head 'Billboard' such as Blue, green and yellow as well as the red which I used to create a house style that uses all the colours within my front cover and so nothing on the page looks abnormal or not fitting.
• I could change the colour of my font for the main cover line 'Berina' and for the other conventions such as the URL, the price and the issue date as it is quite difficult to see and may strain the audiences eyes and so to make it easier for the audience to notice both of these conventions I will need to use a font type that doesn't blend in with the photography but actually is conspicuous

This will help me in the construction of my project as I will now be able to highlight what areas of my front cover can be altered to enhance the ethos of the magazine I am hoping to create and to ensure my front cover looks proffessional yet edgy enough to appeal to my target demographic while also looking as if it was a real issue of 'Billboard' magazine.

Drafting & Planning - Draft

Here, I created a draft of my layout for my front cover of my music magazine. I have considered a range of different conventions I could include such as a puff, pugg, anchorage text and a Skyline but in my opinion the front page would then be too strong and I am hopefully going for a more simplistic style so the audiences main focus is on the cover star, which I will not be able to achieve If I use all the different conventions that could be used.

I have chosen to add a skyline to my draft version of my front cover as I feel that it would be effective in portraying the aesthetic of the magazine as a skyline stands out against the rest of the text due to where it is placed on the page, the audience will more likely notice the skyline before any of the text and so ensuring the skyline some how reflects the genre of music I have chosen, the target demographic will directly understand whether they are attracted to this magazine or not and whether they may want to buy it or not.

As I mentioned earlier I decided that I would reduce the amount of conventions I would use so that the audiences immediate attention is drawn to the artist and the main cover line, meaning that if they are fans of the artist they may be intrigued to what the magazine discusses or if the target audience member isn't a fan they will be enticed into buying the magazine through the other cover lines used as well as the sky line that would offer something free that is exclusively available within the magazine so that the target demographic would feel they are receiving more contents for their money or receiving a bargain and so therefore would be more likely to but the magazine.

Additionally, I formed the layout of the magazine so that the artist would be the center of the page and again reinforce the immediate attention grabbing the cover star would do, whilst also deciding that the house style for the magazine would be very demanding colours such as blues and reds to connote to the passion and vibrancy of the magazine while still representing the aesthetic of the magazine as being edgy yet professional.

Drafting & Planning - Visual Thesaurus

 Here, I have researched into synonyms of words that relate to the genre of music I am interested in, through the use of a visual thesaurus. I am not certain what particular genre of music I want to do though I am leaning towards Indie pop and because of this I have decided to use words that generically apply to all genres of music that I could use for my magazine.

For the Indie pop genre I am interested in is associated with rebellious young people which is why I decided to create a visual thesaurus of the word 'wild' since many solo artists as well as bands within the indie pop genre are known for pushing the boundaries of society, which makes the genre so appealing the the target demographic and therefore having a word similar to wild could reflect the genre of music my magazine will have immediately to the audience and also give a more realistic look to the magazine as I will use a title that associates with my genre of music.

The word I found most useful that could potentially be used for my final magazine was the word 'chaotic' which connote to a sense of rebelliousness and over ruling and could also imply that the magazine has an excessive amount of contents making it feel slightly 'chaotic' and therefore would appeal to audiences as they will feel they are receiving more information/contents for their money. Also, what I find useful about this word is that it is very short and quite simple, which is common within many music magazine titles such as Q and Vibe. Having a shorter masthead for my magazine would be beneficial as the target audience would more likely recognize the title as it would be easier for them to remember/absorb. I also feel that this title captures the aesthetic of the magazine quite well and represents the urban, edgy yet professional ethos my indie pop magazine would have, though I will continue my research into the title of my magazine to ensure the title perfectly reflects the style of magazine I am hoping to achieve.

Target Audience - Billboard

Here, I have researched into the specific target audience that Billboard magazine has. From the conventions, house style, photography and layout I have recognised that the target demographic to Billboard magazine is for people above the age of 16, I have come to this conclusion as the billboard magazine not only discusses much more mature issues but includes artists that are enjoyed by those who are +16 years.
The use of photography here implies the target demographic as the artist is using her facial expressions to pull a slightly provocative and sultry look, which her fans will recognise as the artist has an image that 'oozes sexuality' meaning that the photography here emulates the artists style and image which will appeal to her fans as well as the target demographic who are interested in the artists music.
More so, the very bland colour scheme used here furthers this idea that the magazines target demographic is for 16 year olds or more as younger ages may enjoy magazines with much more bright and slightly gaudy colours to appeal them as the colour scheme of younger music magazines are to physically stand out and draw the younger audiences eye. However, magazines for older generations do not need bright and excessive house styles to attract audiences to the magazine as the colour scheme of white contrasting with Beyonce's golden brown hair is effective as the audience is drawn to Beyonce immediately as she is the only thing that the audience can see within the background.
Furthermore, the layout of the magazine is slightly basic and again not too extravagant to allow the main focus of the page to be on the cover star, to reinforce this idea that the front cover is based to keep the audiences focus sustained on Beyonce and therefore reveals that the target demographic of the music magazine is for 16+ years as the main focus is on the contents of the magazine while the magazine mentions very current and up-to-trend artists which younger audiences enjoy.

Remodelling task

Here is my final version of my remodelling task with the original billboard magazine next to it. From this I can see some flaws and some effective techniques used for my own magazine such as the use of a skyline I believe to be quite effective as it stands out against the other pieces of text, and since the

skyline offers a free poster to the reader they will be more inclined to purchase the magazine as they feel they are receiving for their money.

However, I have also notices that the colours of text  I used in certain areas was quite unclear and maybe not the most beneficial for my magazine such as when I included the cover line 'top 50 pop songs' the words 'and much much more!' can only be partially seen, which means that if I were to do this exercise again I would consider other fonts or colours that would not blend in with the photograph but still represents the ethos of the magazine.

Additionally, I have included an an analysed version of my front cover where I discuss whether or not the features, conventions, colour scheme, layout and photography have been successful in reiterating the ethos of the magazine such as the use of my layout being quite effective as I arranged the text to go around the cover stars face, meaning the audience will immediately be drawn to her and so therefore will be intrigued into why the front cover is of her. More so, I have highlighted (within red circle) that the use of the other cover lines are quite effective as they make the target demographic feel as if they are receiving new and 'exclusive' information they will not find anywhere else, meaning they are gaining content that they may find worth the price and so will buy the magazine.

Organisation

Here, I have chosen two of the photographs I took that I thought suited the style of magazine I am hoping to achieve. After completing more research, I have edited all three images into a black and white tone for two reasons. Firstly, to be consistent with the original front cover with Beyonce as the cover star and secondly to convey the  professional ethos of the magazine as the colour black and white has a very from connotation towards it, which is why I asked my 'cover star' to where a slightly my formal yet very chic style piece of clothing as the mise-en-scene of the imagery reflects the ethos of the billboard magazine since the ethos is very cool, laid back yet professional which I feel my 'cover star' conveys clearly.

I decided for my cover star to wear this type of clothing since my previous research (http://scarlettasmedia.blogspot.co.uk
/2015/12/research-into-similar-products.html) I learnt that the clothing an artist can wear can reflect the ethos of a magazine and so decided to use information for my re-model and hopefully my own magazine.

To add to this, I have decided that I will re arrange the size and placement of my 'cover star' by placing her more centre on of the image so that the centre focus of the front cover is on her, meaning the audiences direct focus is brought to her which will allow fans of the cover star to recognise her and so become curious to what the magazine says about the star.

After careful consideration, I have decided that I will use the second image for my magazine front cover as I feel the angles are quite clear and creates a very ambiguous yet cool tone which will reflect the magazine hopefully. From this I have learnt that not only is the photography an important factor to the final of the magazine but also the way you deliver that image to the audience, e.g how the artist is displayed through that photography which I feel I have emphasised by my exploration of editing.

Organisation

Here is a selection of photographs I have took of my model striking the same pose of the cover star to the re-model I am making. Though the stance of the 'star' is similar throughout all imagery, which I decided to do to sustain the similar style yet unique re-model on the billboard magazine I have used a variety of angles, camera shots and different facial expressions to try and create the perfect display of billboards style and ethos, through the model looking moody, happy, sensual or angry any of these could reflect the mood and overall ethos to the magazine

After completing research, I decided to have my model pose with a slightly emotionless facial expression to create a sense of ambiguity to the cover star and additionally add to the cool/laid back style of magazine. To the left are only a selection of the the many images I took with showing contrast to the images where I  used mid-close ups or in certain times using extreme close ups, though after the experience I recognised that the more effective camera shot would be a mid-close up to reinforce the cool and laid back ethos of the magazine as the audience can see the cover stars facial expression less so, adding to the curiosity of the target demographic.

Furthermore, I decided that the angle to which best suited the photography I wanted to achieve would be a low angle shot with the cover star holding their head quite high to make the cover star the dominating character between her and the audience.

Finally, I decided immediately that the model would star directly into the camera as the use of direct address formulates a relationship between the target demographic and the cover star, alluring them to buy the product. I learnt that this would be a beneficial technique towards my re-model magazine from the previous posts (http://scarlettasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/research-into-similar-products_8.html).

Research into similar products

 Here, I have researched into contents pages used for popular and well established magazines such as Vibe and Rock sound. I have decided to look into both of these magazines contents pages as I will be able to recognise what key elements music magazines use to create an effective page, in comparison to other popular magazines and how they adapt their pages to suit their ethos and different music genre. 

The two contents pages were extremely different is some elements such as photography. However, there were features both magazines used that benefited the overall professionalism of the magazine while still consisting to the magazines own style/ethos, such as both using a similar layout to ensure both target demographics immediately were focused on the artist and the main feature, which both magazines hope will entice their audiences which obviously do since they are both so popular.

From this comparison I have recognised that certain features and conventions to a magazine can benefit the successfulness of a music magazine no matter what genre it is based around and so will use this by selecting the most effective conventions that contents page have to include into mine.

Research into similar products

Here, I have looked into the type of photography that Billboard use which is usually a mid-close up to keep the audience drawn to her face and so are aware that the main focus of the magazine is on the cover star, which is relevant for the first billboard cover with the cover star being Ariana Grande as she is a solo artist and so the camera shot gives insight into how the magazine should solely focus on her.

However, there are certain times where the magazine uses a full length shot so that  the audience too see the surroundings of the cover star as well as the mise-en-scene included such as the Selena Gomez Billboard issue, which uses a full length shot to allow the audience to see the exotic and unusual setting which may imply how unusual and stunning the cover star is as exotic areas are associated with beauty and for not being too explored.

Additionally, the use of mise-en-scene within the first issue of Billboard is slightly effective as the use of a spotty helmet gives the impression of how outstanding and uncommon a star like Ariana Grande comes along, since the helmet is similar to a space helmet which could imply that the artist is 'out of this world'.

More so, the second billboard issue uses mise-en-scene by conveying the ethos of the magazine itself since the artist is wearing quite formal clothing (a white and black suit) but in a stylish way it implies that though she is a trendy and fashionable music artist she still takes her work seriously and in a professional manner and also reflects the ethos of billboard magazine being 'cool yet professional

From the research I have completed I now know that the clothing the cover star wears is quite relevant to represent the artist and the magazine itself while additionally, the camera work and angles have a range of different purposes depending on what I want to convey to my target demographic.'.

Research into similar products

Here, I have completed research into the music magazine 'Billboard' as I am planning to create a front cover in the style of a popular 'Billboard' magazine cover featuring cover star Beyonce. I have chosen to do research into the Billboard magazine as it has an edgy yet stylised ethos associated with it.

From the research I have collected on this magazine front cover I can recognise that the magazine does not stick to one house style, but for each magazine changes the colour scheme to reflect the artist and what they stand for. An example of this is Bruno Mars Billboard magazine front cover since the colour scheme of this cover consists of blue with hints of yellow. This reflects the artist as blue connotes to being very laid back and cool, which Bruno Mars presents within his image since even his music discusses being laid back such as a song he wrote called 'The lazy song'.

However, though the house style of the magazine changes the alternative and edgy ethos is consistent with each magazine. The ethos of the magazine is sustained through the use of alternate artists who are up and coming stars at the time, such as Florence and the machines which is a successful way not only to sustain the ethos of the music but also attracts the magazine's target demographic who will both be fans of the cover stars on the front of the magazine and slowly become fans of this style of magazine as they will build a reputation of having a well stylised, edgy yet professional magazine, which Billboard want.

When I come to recreate this magazine I will hopefully incorporate the key features of billboard magazine to therefore successfully convey the style and ethos Billboard magazine is known for.

Page Plus Layout exercise

Target audience

 As I have researched into the pop genre I have decided to look into the target demographic of popular music magazines. The 'welovepop' music magazine in my opinion has a target demographic of females of a younger age around 8-16. The use of the colours pink as the main colour within the house style implies the magazine's audience is mainly females since the colour pink is associated with girls. Additionally, the use of the colour pink implies a sense of love and coolness which relates to the title of the magazine as well as the girly and cool ethos of the magazine.

Additionally, the magazine oozes this sense of playfulness and fun from the stance and smile both the cover stars have, this will attract the target demographic as they will feel as if they are getting to read large amount of contents about their favourite artists and bands while the content is discussing fun and exciting topics appropriate to them.

Additionally, the bold and bright coloured fonts used grab the target demographics attention immediately as the large font will catch their attention before anything else. More so the use of the cover stars such as Rihanna and One direction reinforce this idea that the target demographic is tweens since the artists are young singers or bands writing music that applies to the younger generations as well as there target audience being younger people.

More so, having other topics discussed rather than just music such as fashion tips with images of female clothing supports that the magazine is for younger females who would want a magazine that discusses a variety of issues within their lives rather than having a magazine cover a wide range of content on one topic, and so therefore appeals to younger girls.

Having the skyline within the second issue of 'welovepop' magazine be purple ensures that the topic within the skyline is noticed straight away by their target audience and so having 'Justin Bieber' a world wide famous artist within the Skyline will attract younger people especially girls to buy the issue as Bieber's fan base mainly consists of younger females of the same age as the magazines target demographic.

Organisation

 One location I have research into for my organisation for my photo shoot of my music magazine was Digbeth, a city centre area within Birmingham known for it's artistic and urban feel because of it's unusual and funky graffiti overcoming the area. In my opinion, this would be an ideal location for my photoshoot as my magazine hopefully will have an ethos of being urban yet stylish. This means that it will therefore reinforce that indie and urban style that I want my magazine to reveal.

I have considered this location since the use of graffiti within this location can reveal the rebelliousness and disobedience that I want my magazine to illustrate since graffiti is a crime. More so, the urbanness of the area can imply a cool and laid back feel to my magazine which I am looking to suggest through my photography. The use of this style of graffiti overcoming the area is a benefit to my photograph as the graffiti within Digbeth has a message behind the imagery and also has an alternative way to deliver a piece of art to the world which relates to the ethos of my magazine since I hope my magazine will reflect an alternative yet urban style for a magazine, which this location will enhance.

This location could be effective if my photography is done in a successful way. However, issues I may face with this location is that the area is extremely popular and so it would be difficult to have my model stand within the middle of the street with a large amount of people walking by. I could overcome this issue by having my front cover images took at a time when less people would be there, which would be at night though this could lead to it being difficult to see my artist as well as his surroundings if it is too dark to see, meaning I would have a low quality photograph.

Research into similar products

 Here, I have researched into other styles of magazines for ideas/inspiration for my music magazine. The 'Fault' magazine uses extremely bright and slightly gaudy colours to immediately grab their audience's attention since the bold and arguably over bearing house style contrast with other magazines which use quite simply and slightly plain colour schemes to keep the focus on the artist or cover star whereas this magazine uses their house style to stand out from other magazines and so their target demographic would be more likely to notice this magazine. Additionally, the magazine's masthead is quite funky and original to ensure audiences can recognise the magazine just from the left third of the magazine.

However, the word 'fault' uses edgy and alternative typography's to allure audience's' curiosity but the word 'less' is much more simple and uses a straightforward typography to imply the variety of topics discussed within the magazine through the variety of typography and colours the magazine uses which will attract audiences as they will feel as if they will receive a large amount of contents from the magazine that will more likely interest them as they have a range of topics within the issue.

The funky and alternative texts and colours used are enhanced by the quite edgy and unusual photography of the cover stars since one cover includes a women wearing abnormal clothing and arguably over excessive makeup whereas the other magazine is of a male artist pulling a very stern and serious facial expression. Both covers use of photography are effective as both would appeal to the magazine's target audience as they would be curious to why the cover star is acting the way they are, though the two magazine front covers photography is extremely different and controversial to the normal use of photography.
The first 'fault' magazine uses other cover stars to ensure that the target demographic would be enticed into buying the issue whether or not they are intrigued by the cover star. However, the second issue of 'fault' lacks in other cover lines to ensure the audience's focus is on the artist though this can be an unsuccessful tactic for a magazine as the magazine is solely relying on the magazine sales through the artist and the target audience being interested within him.

Research into similar products

Here, I have researched into the music genre 'pop' to get an insight into a music genre that is arguably the most popular genre within the industry of music since it implements elements of music from all genres within the industry whether it is rap, hip hop, dance or R&B. The pop genre has a variety of world renown artists including Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus and One direction. These artists as well as others are some of the most recognizable names within the music industry since they successfully were able to change/adapt to the current trends and needs of modern audiences.

The artists within the genre of pop music create a brand image that is now associated with pop music through their image and how they are perceived by their audiences. The pop genre is associated with clothing that is extremely fashionable and on trend and actually start many of the fashion trends that are known, showing the influence these stars have on younger generations. Having pop artists wear very stylish clothing makes many younger fans want to emulate said artist since the clothing and overall image they have is attractive to them. However, some pop artists will use their clothing as a way to stand out against the 'norm' and gain more attention through their clothing and abnormal image they stand for, Nicki Minaj is an example of this as she would wear very bright and slightly gaudy clothing which gained her masses amounts of attention from the paparazzi and all areas of the media and therefore created her an image which her fans were attracted to as she stood against what the pop genre stood for.

The artists within the pop genre additionally have a particular image they set out to show their audience, which can be rebelliousness or sexuality. Examples of this are artists Justin Bieber and One direction. One direction have recently tried to change their young and innocent reputation to a much more bold and daring one through the different messages they aim to get across to their fans through their videos, their look and their overall image. They have done this by displaying their tattoos more often and by having a very 'I don't care' look about them. However, artist Justin Bieber has also changed his image from a young boy who sang about falling in love to a young adult who oozes sexuality, which is an obvious attraction to his fan base who are mainly teenage girls. This is shown through his music videos which are much more focused around promiscuous women such as 'What do you mean?'. This new image that Bieber can be appealing to new fans as he has a much more rebellious and attractive look. 

Research into similar products

After researching into the pop genre I decided to analyse a front cover and contents page of a billboard magazine which is a magazine that solely focuses on the pop genre within music, who for this particular issue have their cover star as Taylor Swift. The front cover of the magazine is quite effective as the lack of other cover lines and other conventions such as puffs, pugs or a skyline means that the audience’s attention will immediately be drawn to the artist.  Also, it means that the artist's recognition is the only way the magazine will receive sales from audiences of their target demographic which can be a risky and sometimes unsuccessful move. The colour scheme is successfully used within the front cover as the colours emulate the ethos of the magazine through implying sophistication and successfulness over other music magazines since the house style includes colours such as gold and blue.

However, the cover stars article spread is slightly unsuccessful as the colours used within the page aren’t as complementary as the house style colours used earlier since colours such as yellow, red, black and white are used which neither are associated with the billboard magazine or the artist, and so the small use of yellow is arguably unnecessary. However, the photography is a strong point of the spread as the image is quite laid back and simplicity both reflecting Taylor as she doesn’t try too hard to please everyone which is reinforced by the large quote in the top left hand corner ‘living life on my own terms’. 

Research into similar products

Here, I have looked into artists that cross over into other genres than the one associated with said artist. An example of this is Miley Cyrus who is an American singer, songwriter, and actress who made her debut into the film and music industry when landing the role of Miley Stewart in Hannah Montana back in 2006.

The artist began in the industry as a country artist due to the country roots implemented within her family since her father, Billy Ray Cyrus was known for the song 'achy breaky heart' and had a country legend for a godmother (Dolly Parton). Though as time progressed Cyrus adapted to the demands of modern teens and decided to write music with both country and pop with in them such as 'boom clap' and 'if we were a movie'. Now Miley Cyrus is an icon within music and the culture associated with it as she has now incorporated a vast amount of genres such as rock, pop and country.  

Miley Cyrus is debatebly one of the most famous music icons in history for her dramatic and sudden change from her 'sweet' style of music and look to her more provocative and gaudy appearance and overall ethos to her. This undeniable fame that Miley has came into recently reveals how genre crossover cannot only work for artists but actually make them more successful because of it when properly marketed to suit the audiences that the artist wishes to appeal to but genre crossover can be a risky choice within the music industry as if an artist tries to appeal to too many audiences it would be difficult to incorporate everything an audience expects from artists within that specific genre and even more difficult to target a specific demographic. 

Working with layout and conventions

From my peer assessment feedback on my five magazine front covers where we explored with different layouts (http://scarlettasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/research-into-similar-products_28.html) I have learnt that I gave a clear and detailed analysis of each magazine while justifying the decisions I had made while deciding on things such as font, colour and layout.

A class member informed me that she found that the use of the puff 'exclusive' was effective on my sound magazine. She continued by saying that my choice of band name 'sunny side up' was suitable for the genre of music and ethos of the magazine I wanted to convey. To add to this, My M magazine with the cover star as Drake used suitable fonts to show how Drake dominants the rap industry. My peer believed that my pitch magazine was effective through the use of secondary images to highlight the variety of bands that will be mentioned within the magazine and so seems like the audiences are receiving more content within their magazine, which will attract them. Furthermore, she ended her positive feedback by saying that all magazine front covers refer to other bands or artists within the certain genre the magazine represented which demonstrates an understating of the different musical genres and what specifically attracts audiences of that genre.

However, my peer then discussed that if she were to make improvements to my magazine front covers she would have used a variety of colours for my Music_x magazine since it could look slightly dull if all the cover lines are white but the cover lines chosen were snappy and would intrigue the audience. Additionally, she said that for my pitch magazine I could have used a different colour font to yellow since it is slightly to bright and clashes with the ethos of the magazine.

After this, I self assessed my own magazine front covers and decided that I have justified my decision to use certain colours and fonts for my cover lines but I could have enhanced my blogs by justifying why I decided to do certain layouts for each magazine cover. I plan to use these magazine covers in the future for my drafting/planning area of the course since I was able to experiment with different layouts which will benefit me when I begin to make my magazine and will refer to these to decide which layout would be effective for my magazine.

Research into similar products

Another music genre I have researched into is contemporary R&B which I believe is a music genre that is not only very prominent in today's market but has been a well established genre for many years, which has been and is still a major element is the development of other genres of music and the music industry as a whole. The reason I particularly am interested with this genre is because it is one of if not the only genre of music that I believe that has held the test of time and shows how this certain type of music is enjoyed by a variety of generations and so therefore the artists and bands within this genre have a classic yet slightly urban feel since the artists still keep in trend with modern society with the proper R&B style.

There a range of very successful artists within the contemporary R&B genre such as Rihanna, Adele and The Weekend. For the majority of  artists within the contemporary R&B genre there are some elements of  jazz, soul, blues and more recently pop or hip hop incorporated to make new and up-to-date sounds which attract new audiences whereas some artists such as Adele stick to the classic and very recognisable soulful sound that she is known for. Having two types of artists within the genre is beneficial since audiences who prefer the original sound of R&B can expect it still while others can have a range within their music, which I found intriguing and quite effective.

The artists within the genre are mainly from the UK or USA though there is no particular origin known with R&B which can be appealing to all races. Additionally, R&B is associated with songs of love which can attract audiences as love is a common issue people deal with and so whether the songs are about heart break or first love a wide range of audiences will be able to relate to it. The frequent discussion of love within R&B creates a romantic and relaxing overall ethos to the genre which is reinforced by the light, airy and soft music R&B is.

Research into similar products

Here, I have researched into potential colour schemes for my magazine. I have looked into music magazine covers that feature artists from the rock genre to gain some insight into what colour schemes or house styles are used to reflect the genre and what the artists are trying to convey to their audience. However, I have also looked into artists of other genres to see what artists within other genres such as hip hop are reflected through the colour scheme of the magazine and why. The house style of the magazines include red, white and black. The use of the colour red for the NME magazine suggests anger since the colour red connotes to danger and rage. This is reflected through the facial expressions made by the cover star within the main image. Furthermore, the frequent use of the colour red is significant as it could indicate danger and so implying a rebellious and unpredictable ethos to the magazine as well as the artists and therefore may attract audiences as the magazine is more unconventional than others within the market. The use of the colour black and is arguably the dominant colour within the front cover implies a sense of darkness since black has negative connotations with evilness and immorality, this could reinforce the idea that the artist on the NME magazine lacks a sense of immorality to which could appeal certain audiences since he rebels against the common expectations of the music industry. However, the Vibe magazine uses the same colours but imply different things such as the dominant colour being white with in the cover implies the artist may hold his morality close to him and is quite an innocent artist since the colour white suggests innocence and purity. However, the small use of the colour red could imply how passionate the artist is about his craft and how he strives to be the best at what he does since the colour red connotes to passion.

Research into similar products

A music genre I have researched into is indie pop since I am particularly attracted to this genre which is why I am considering this genre of music for my music magazine. I have chosen to research this particular genre since indie pop is usually associated with outgoing and slightly rebellious lifestyles which implicates that artists of this genre go against the expectations of society which causes the genre to seem quite cool and unpredictable.

The genre has built an identity through the many different artists and bands within it such as wolf Alice, Florence and the machines, peace and Lorde. These artists are known for pushing the boundaries in an alternate and sometimes shocking way to get their point across, which has now caused them to become very successful and highly recognisable and so supported them in the selling of their music. This alternate style that indie pop artists are known for has helped brand the genre by giving it a laid back and edgy identity.

The identity of indie pop has also built this idea that indie pop artists have a certain fashion style which is wearing urban and slightly worn out clothing to reinforce their carefree image by wearing clothing that is trendy and in style the indie genre also are related to this idea of the genre being quite conventional and laid back since it could suggest that bands and artists of the genre don't try extremely hard to impress their audiences with their image but more so with their music. This idea is continued through the facial expressions made by the artists or band members which are usually quite relaxed and minimal and so reinforces the simple image that indie pop artists and bands try to achieve so that their main focus is their music.

Research into similar products

Here, I have looked into artists that are similar to the artist I am wanting for my music magazine. A particular artist I am interested in is Melanie Martinez. Melanie Martinez is an upcoming artist who has become successful from entering 'The voice: US' back in 2012. She is known for her range of genres that she comes under but is mostly associated with indie style music though her last album 'cry baby' included elements of electropop. Melanie Martinez is extremely recognisable for her cartoony and childish style clothing which is incorporated within her music with songs such as 'Dollhouse', 'sippy cup' and 'pacify her' all songs that relate to her childish yet retro manner.I am interested in Melanie's alternative outlook on how music can be portrayed and her original fashion style with retro elements. I personally like how she appears to develop her music more and more for her audience and not for the music industry. Having a variety of songs that appeal to all sorts of genres is quite interesting as many audiences will be appealed to her and will be able to relate to her due to the music she sings usually discusses issues prominently found within the younger generations. The indie genre is mostly appealed to the younger generations and so Melanie portrays herself as appealing for younger generations through her clothing, style of music and overall rebellious ethos implied through her music