drafting and planning - Articles

After receiving from my first draft of my magazine I learnt that to improve my double page spread it is vital that I use drop capitols, find a way to separate the large blocks of text and for a more authentic interview the article could be written in a third person perspective discussing 'Tristan Turner's' Life. And so after this feedback I decided to re-draft my articles to ensure I have a more realistic approach to the double page spread. Though I have not completely finished the article the second draft is;

"After years of working in ‘The smooth groove’ record shop in Tooting, London with his father Tristan decided that the life of music was just too intriguing not to lead. The young man’s years of hard work has slowly paid off with his newly recognized indie guitar riffs, Tristan rises to the peak of musical success. With influences such as The Beatles and Hozier, Tristan feels that years of English music has inspired every piece of music he has written but now wants to try something that nobody has ever seen I’ve always been fascinated with how the Beatles rags to riches story and How truly spectacular their music was, but also I want to incorporate some new stuff Into my music that will really make a new name to Indie music,’ says Tristan and us here at Fierce can’t wait to see what this young man has installed as well as his worldwide fan base 

Living as an only child and being raised only by being his father who owned a  record shop meant Tristan spent most of days after school listening to the classics. ‘I'd sort out the vinyl's, help customers and just chat about about the most amazing artists and albums out there’ Slowly as Tristan grew up his taste for music developed and unexpectedly music became apart of his life that he just couldn’t let go of no matter what was expected of him ‘They all said I needed to find a well paid job not just something for fun but deep down I knew I was made to become a singer!’. After years of private schools within well respected institutes Tristan’s dream of music was put on hold as he followed his family’s wishes of getting a good education and making something of himself but by the age of 20 Tristan came to the realisation that no other career could make him happy,‘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. Until one day I thought ‘you know what?Music is my life!’.  

Though Turner’s family initially weren’t supportive of the idea they came to a decision that as long as he was happy then it didn’t matter what career he has. But this didn’t change the hardships of trying to make it in the music industry ‘I played for hours and hours on end no breaks singing my heart out not because I needed the money but to prove something not only to my family but to myself!’ Tristan came to the bitter truth that maybe the music business isn’t for everybody and decided to put his passion for music on hold. During his last week working in small time bars, pubs and gigs something very unexpected happened to Tristan. ‘I was singing one of my original pieces that is now available on my new album when Ed Sheeran just happens to walk in, I was gob smacked and wanted to ask him so many questions but was performing and decided to make a good impression and keep professional and just keep playing. Once I had finished the gig I was packing up when Ed came up to me and told me he really enjoyed my material and thought that there was no other voice out there like mine! And it just sky rocketed from there!’  

Now 2 years later Tristan is working on his first alum ‘This is life!' After being signed up to Ed Sheeran’s own record label, with offers from other records coming in by the dozens. 

With such a high raise to fame in a very short amount of time people are questioning whether or not the fame will get to Tristan though he believes he will stay quite grounded through the help of his friends and family and spending most of his time with them when outside of the studio.‘The music industry was nothing like I expected’ as he states that the hardest thing about being a musician is having to create these extremely personal and heart felt songs and then suddenly just give it to the whole world, ‘like what if they hate it or misinterpret what I’m saying like it’s so important my fans enjoy my music as much as I do!’

The musical phenomenon is slowly becoming a world wide sensation with having a 5 night show coming up in the O2, London  which sold amount in a matter of minutes. With over 100,000 people coming to see the artist this week alone it’s hard to comprehend how Tristan handles the pressure and since Turner has never played to an audience bigger than 100 it’s an immense jump ‘even the supporting acts have played to bigger audiences!’ States Tristan when Fierce asked him how he felt having so many people wanting to see him perform. With all the opportunities that have been available to Tristan it’s a shock to here that he had only played in small pubs until this year though releasing 3 singles last year all hitting the top of the charts. ‘I am eternally grateful for all the opportunities the music industry has opened up for me I still find it hard to cope with being under the media’s microscope constantly’.

Being raised without a mother has had a large toll on Tristan as he believes he has felt an absence that his father could not fill when growing up that never really left him. Apparently, his mother passing away at such a young age has created inspiration for the majority of the music he writes such as ‘Suzie’ a single Tristan Turner released last year which positioned No.1 for 6 weeks on the charts which was actually inspired by his mother. Although it is evident that Tristan has been deeply affected by his mother’s absence his father  

 From this, Tristan hopes to pursue more into his career and if lucky enough could go on to a world tour ‘being able to show the world my music would be the biggest honour I could have.’ Though Tristan is only travelling to 11 cities during his UK tour, he’s still extremely excited to go around the country."

drafting and planning - clothing

Diagram 1

For my Photo shoot I asked my models to wear something that creates a sense of symbiosis between all three of the girls. I asked them all to wear something with stripes or checks as it adds a feminine touch to the photography. However, I also informed them that to create range between all three of the girls that they should try to range their outfits wearing different pieces to imply the different personalities within the girls though all three of them will still connote the edgy ethos of the music magazine I want.

For my first model, Maisie I asked her to wear a top similar to Diagram 1 as it quite in trend and stylish while looking slightly formal which will support this professional ethos I want to approach within my magazine.

Diagram 2

For my second model, Abi I have asked her to wear a something slightly more girly by wearing a skirt while sustaining the checkered/stripe theme throughout all the clothing within the bands photo shoot. Having the colours clash with Maisie's clothing will create more contrast between the girls to support that the girls are very different with different personalities though they all reveal this similar girly yet edgy ethos. I decided that this particular model would stand out against the other two models as she would be the lead singer of the band and so wearing something slightly different to the other girls would allow the target demographic's attention to be sustained on her.

Finally, my third model Benita will be wearing something similar to Maisie though with a slightly different colour though keeping the symbiosis between all three of the models.

Finally, other pieces of clothing that all of the models will be wearing will be black for again the simplicity to ensure the audiences focus is sustained on the band and not their clothing. Additionally, having the models wear black is effective as black connotes to dominance and darkness and so implies that the band 'Wolf Islands' are dominating the music industry while also revealing the edgy and rebellious attitude I hope to reveal through both the band and the magazine and so creates symbiosis between the magazine and the photography.

Organisation - Photo shoot No.2 location and date

After my last photo shoot I found it important to schedule another especially for my secondary artists 'Wolf Islands' though I have took photos of two models I decided that the two models I chose didn't have a certain coherence that a band needs and also didn't properly fit with with aesthetic of the magazine. For my second photo shoot I will be using my teacher's camera and experimenting with more camera shots and angles to create variety within my images when deciding which photographs to use for my final magazine Me and my models found that the date that would work the best for the four of us (the models and myself) would be on...

Friday 28th January 2016 

We decided on this date as three of us would have media on this day and so use our lesson to have the photo shoot and the other model was allowed to miss a small amount of her lesson but time was of the essence and so could only take a minimal amount of shots. The photo shoot will hopefully begin at 10am and have chose the location of the black box theatre within my school as it is both a convenient location for all three of the models and myself and still has an edgy feel towards it and so supports the ethos of my magazine. More so, with a location that is indoors there is the benefit of not concerning over the weather like last time. Finally, I feel the location will ensure focus is sustained on my secondary artist with the use of a fairly plain background which contrasts with my first photo shoot as I used a more complex background.

Drafting and planning - Font types

After receiving feedback on my first draft of my magazine. I found that the font types I experimented with weren't as varied as I would have hoped. I have now analysed all three sides of my magazine and identified the font types I have used.                                                                                                                                      From looking at this I can see that the fonts used are quite similar and so for my final magazine I will experiment with more fonts to show a variety within my text types. However, I do feel as if the fonts I have used, from 1001 fonts allow the magazine's ethos to be displayed since some of the fonts used such as 'times new roman' ensure professionalism and that the audience can easily read the information. Whereas I would also use fonts such as 'seven deadly sins' to enhance the edgy and rebellious aesthetic I am hoping to achieve with this magazine.                                                                                                                                                                 More so, After identifying the fonts I found that in some cases it is quite hard to read what the text actually says and so I may need to change the font or enlarge the font. To add to this, the fonts colours I chose within all the pages of the magazine are very similar and so if I am to use other colours that have not been used may immediately draw the audiences attention towards as it would clash against the darker tones/colours of the other font types. From my previous research into what should be included within my magazine through social media a friend of mind found that using colours such as purples and blues may be the more appropriate idea as it would contrast with the other colours used within the rest of the magazine.

Drafting and planning - Influences

For my main cover of my music magazine I found a main inspiration for the style I wanted to approach was similar to a particular cover from 'MNE' with music sensation Jake Bugg as the cover star. I personally found the house style is quite wild and edgy which I am hoping to also achieve in my magazine. Furthermore, symbiosis is formed between the artist and the background since the photography is black and white and creates this sense distancing between the target demographic and the audience as they don't really know the artist which could be implied through the lack of colour within the artist as it suggests that the artist's fan base only know his innocent and purity within music whereas the article within may reveal a darker much more rebellious side within this issue of 'NME'.

I took inspiration from this cover and decided that I would slightly enhance certain conventions to properly support the ethos of the magazine. An example of this is the use of photography. For my magazine I used a lack of direct address to distance the audience from the artist to suggest how they lack knowing about the artist whereas this article will bring a new light into the artist's life that no fan has seen before, which will intrigue the target demographic into wanting to know more about the artist. Additionally, I decided that for my magazine I would include more cover lines whereas the NME magazine used less to enhance the focus of the audience towards the main cover star whereas I am hoping that for the target demographic members who do not particularly enjoy Rowan Matthew's music will be interested in one of the few other cover lines available.

Drafting & planning - First draft feedback

For my first draft of my music magazine I received feedback from my peers as well as my teacher informing me on what aspects of my magazine are appropriate and others could be improved.

What went well...

• The masthead is extremely effective as it is attention grabbing and reflects the ethos of my magazine being edgy and bold.
• The use of bright colours to stand out against the black and white background is quite effective as it highlights the most important cover lines of the page
• There is a clear sense of synergy between the background of the photography and the artist
• The use of the house style also reflects the daring and edgy aesthetic I was hoping to achieve with my magazine
• the use of yellow for a puff to contrast with the majority of the front cover is arguably quite appropriate to draw the target demographic's attention immediately towards it

To improve you could...

• Use one or more photographs with direct address to show range within your artist
• The secondary artist/band could look more realistic or appropriate with the genre of music I am approaching
• You could try to use a variety of more fonts as in certain areas it is difficult to read or a font may be overused 
• The font within the double page spread is too large
• The text within the double page spread is too clumped up and seems congested, making it more tiresome and difficult to read.
• The main artist name is slightly too basic or common for a stage name for an artist.

Drafting and planning - Artist identity

Artist Identity

Name - Rowan Matthews (May Change)

Age- 22

Country- England, United Kingdom

Likes- Arctic monkeys, Beatles and Catfish & the bottle men. Enjoys spending time with his family and trying new food

Dislikes - His dislikes differ from country music to anything with a spice as well as bad manners

Name of CD - 'This is life' is his first album to be released on March 15th within the UK and will be distributed around the world throughout the year.

Cultural references - British rock culture has had a large impact on the artist since his father was raised in London and so experienced the rock culture that overtook England within the 1980's and so had a deep impact on his son.

Previous history - Previously worked in a record shop with his father for 4 years while juggling the struggles of university when studying Art History but had an epiphany and realized his true calling in life was towards music and began to play in bars and pubs until world renown artist Ed Sheeran heard of him and decided that Tristan had a talent that the world had never seen

Motivation/theme for album - To experiment a bunch of different genres to find his own new sound

Tracks of album - The album will include 12 songs such as 'Hold on', 'Suzie', 'the one that never got away' 'I don't need your love' 'Goodbye happiness' 'the way I wanna live' and more.

Tour dates - Tour dates will occur within the whole UK in cities such as;
- Birmingham
- London
- Newcastle
- Edinburgh
- Dublin
-  Manchester
- Leeds
- Bristol
- Cardiff
- Liverpool
- Sheffield

Drafting & planning - analysis

 I have analysed the front cover, contents page and double page spread in search of what codes/conventions I found most effective and what the use of this convention brought to the overall development towards the edgy aesthetic.

I found that the use of magazine conventions e.g. Pug, skyline and a left-third have gave my front cover a more authentic and professional style. The colour scheme also highlights the edgy and daring ethos of 'Fierce' Magazine, which I had initially planned and so am pleased that the overall look of the magazine reflects this. I feel that the mast head for my magazine is unique and so the original type face will make the magazine immediately recognizable and the left-third of the magazine too is recognizable. The use of the pug is quite beneficial to the overall aesthetic of the magazine as the bold colour yellow stands out against the black and white background which means the target demographic will automatically be drawn to it and so will be more enticed into buying the magazine for the offer 'New kicks VIP tickets'.

The contents page used a wide variety of techniques to keep attention on the main and secondary artist such as having the layout quite simplistic and having the main text on the left side of the page and the majority of the page is dominated by the images of 'Rowan Matthews' and 'Wolf Islands'. To add to this I have used two pull quotes for these images to give the audience a taste into what the article may include and so will entice them into reading more.

Finally, the double page spread uses different font types to reflect the different side to the artist and how the music has changed him such as using very simply white text to imply how the fan base only see the more laid back and innocent side to him which contrasts with the large over bearing black font for 'The boy behind the music' to suggest the wild and deviant behaviour the artist actually has.

Organisation - How to approach the photography & camera shots

Diagram 1 - middle close up

Diagram 3 - Closer wide shot

After my first photo-shoot's results I found that I may need to figure out the background to my photos and whether I want them to be included within the magazine. I don't want my background to be too complicated or it will detract from the cover star and cover lines but it may be quite difficult to find a background that doesn't detach from the cover star but still adds to the aesthetic of the magazine. The best approach I could have to my next photo-shoot would be to use a background that is slightly basic yet adds to the edgy ethos of the magazine meaning I will not have to manipulate the image in anyway. I will use the same background for all of my images to make sure the cohesion between the front page, contents page and double page spread is consistent in order to form a strong symbiosis between the magazine and the artist. In order to make this happen, font colours and types as well as cover lines and photos used have to be consistent as it will help the message of the artist be more obvious and persuasive.

Diagram 2 - Wide shot

Diagram 4 - Wide shot

I like the idea of using more direct address within my next photo-shoot rather than avoiding the camera; especially since my cover star comes across as superior to the audience when avoiding eye contact with the camera which may be less appealing as the artist comes across quite arrogant and so the use of direct address will give this more down to earth association to the artist, which I am aiming for. To add to this I need to ensure that all my photos have some correlation to a 'music artist' whether it be through props, clothing and make-up or the pose itself.

More so, I did consider some variations in shot lengths and what type of shots I used but for my next photo-shoot I will expand on this much more since it will enable me the chance to either show my artist's facial expression with the use of a middle close up (Diagram 1) or a wide shot to imply how large the artists personality is.

Organisation - Photoshoot photos

These are the photographs took from my photo-shoot on the 8th January. As evident within my photography I experimented with a range of backgrounds to see which I felt properly reflected the aesthetic of my magazine as well as enabling symbiosis between the background and the artist themselves. To add to this I also tried out different distances to either give a clear view to the surroundings of the artist with a wide shot or to indicate the emotion of the artist with a close up.