Saturday 13 April 2013

AS Media Foundation Portfolio Contents

Researching and Planning


AS Media Foundation Portfolio Brief

Key Features of a Magazine Cover
Powerpoint Presentation - Deconstruction of 3 Music Magazine Covers
Blog Post - Deconstruction of 3 Music Magazine Contents Page

Friday 12 April 2013

Evaluation Question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from making it to the full product?
This is the audio that I have created for question 7.

These are the different programmes I have used when making this media product.

Evaluation Question 6

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
This is the video that I created for question 6.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/95035863@N03/sets/72157633270083983/

This website above shows you a set that I have created in Flickr and once on these click the Photoshop icon and this will then take you to another page and once there use the keyboard button to move left or right.

Thursday 11 April 2013

Evaluation Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?



After using the questionnaire I created on Survey Monkey I then went onto a social networking site called Facebook and uploaded my music magazine (front cover, contents page and double page spread) and here are the responses.

Evaluation Question 4

Who would be the audience to your media product?


This is a prezi that I have created for my AS Media Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 3 part 1 and 2

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?


Part 1
After looking at the different institutions I thought that IPC would be the best institution as they have magazines that are similar to mine in style and layout and they even use the same colour scheme in some of their magazines for example NME. The publisher of NME is Tracy Cheesman and the publishing director Emily Hutchings. On NME’s website they have posted that they feel that ‘NME is the longest published and most respected music weekly in the world’ and ‘gives its readers the most exciting, most authoritative coverage of the very best in new music, including award-winning features, the latest releases, live reviews’. 
















Part 2
This music magazine is one of the closest matches to my magazine and it has the same age range for their target audience: ‘intensely engaged audience of 16-24 year-olds’. NME however is more interested in Rock styling of music and they also appeal more to men rather than woman, which my magazine is however this is a stereotypical view on music and which genre like particular sub-genres of music. NME is a UK based company and with me being in the UK I think that if I were to distribute my media product, just like NME I would like to get as much of a fan base as them.


This is an Animoto video that I have created for question 3 of my AS Media Evaluation.

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?
This is a audio that I created for question 2.


 

Evaluation Question 1


In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge form and conventions of real media productions?      




Introduction – discuss key features – cover lines, pull quotes, masthead location
When creating my magazine I had already done some research into where key features should go in a front page, contents page and a double page spread (link to Powerpoint Presentation - Deconstruction of 3 Music Magazine Covers Blogger). In this deconstruction I highlight the key features in what it takes to make a front cover. After getting enough research into what to expect in a typical magazine, I then looked at the institutional research to see which magazine would best fit my genre and my target audience. (Link to Institutional Research) Then using all the research I have collected and then presenting it onto my blog I decided to create a flat plan to outline where I should put the key features of my magazine. (Link to Front cover, contents and DPS flat plans with written rationale).

(1) For the masthead of my magazine I think that this is quite conventional to most mastheads, and the reason to why I think that is because mastheads that are similar to my genre, as they have thin text and they use contrasting colours: red, black and white, which I have used in my magazine and have used the same colours to my masthead, throughout my magazine to keep consistency in my magazine.  


When creating my masthead I had to think about the scale of the image (masthead), as you didn’t want the masthead to be too overpowering on the magazine, as I wanted an equal amount of imagery and text and I also wanted the content to also help people want to buy the magazine.
When deciding on where to put the masthead I decided to try out the different positions on the page to see where the masthead would look best.










(2) This image fits in with the conventions of magazines as this image is smaller that the main image, typical of this image and layout. The connotations of this image would be that she is happy and she is looking forward to the future and I think this because the model has her head up to the ceiling. This doesn’t really fit the conventions of normal magazines as images used in the magazine usually have the model looking straight at the camera, so that you know who the person is instead of having an obscure view of the ‘celebrity’. The connotations of this image would be that she doesn’t want to be noticed that much and would like to blend into the background however she has red hair which could possibly be that she was in the shadows is now slowly coming out into the spotlight. There is also a lot of attention around the model’s face, as there is a lot of light on her face compared to the rest of her body and this would suggest she is more recognized from her face than anything else.

(3) This image fits in with the conventions of magazines rather than the previous image (2) as the model is looking directly at the camera and this is the normal convention of a magazine because the magazine would only put the image in the magazine because they think the magazine will sell better with their ‘face’ in the image. The denotations of this magazine would be she may want to blend into the background as she is wearing a white top, the same as the background; however she is wearing a sparkly collar and necklace which would suggest she has some confidence.

(4) This image fits in with the conventions of a magazine as the person is looking at the camera, the image is from waist height however the image is quite dark and may not look very conventional to a ‘real world’ magazine. The connotations of this magazine is that she is conflicted with confidence as she is wearing a black top, the same as the background however she is also wearing a red scarf which suggest she is quite bold.

(5) This image is similar to the previous image (4), in what the model is wearing however the connotations and the denotations are different all because of the lighting and the background. The denotations of this image would be that she wanted to stand out from the ordinary, using the white background as plain and then using the textures from her coat and accessories, these things are also quite bold in style and colour which would suggest confidence. Also the fact that she is siting backwards on a chair suggest that she is a little cocky and cheeky and this is seen al by the way she has been positioned. The connotations of this image would be that she is looking straight at the camera with ease and confidence.

(6)This image is probably a lot more interesting than the other image all because of the positioning and the clothing used in this image, as the connotations of this image would be a person twisting her body around to look at the camera, and the denotations of this would be that she is twisting her frame towards the camera and yet her body is facing the other direction suggesting that she is teasing the camera. She is wearing a very bold red dress which would suggest she would like to stand out from the crowd and likes to be noticed.

(7) I decided to use this font as I thought that this type of text fitted in with the normal conventions of masthead’s for music magazines that match my music genre - POP, as they follow the convention that they are thin and long, which I think this text does. When deciding on the different font styles in my magazine I made a list of the different choices of text I could use.
Cambria (body) - TODAY
Ayuthaya - TODAY
BIG CASLON - TODAY
COURIR - TODAY
DIDOT - TODAY
FUTURA - TODAY
LETTER GOTHIC STD - TODAY
LITHOS PRO REGULAR – TODAY
MENLO - TODAY
MOACO - TODAY
PRESTIGE ELITE STD BOLD – TODAY
BRITANNIC BOLD – TODAY
Gill Sans MT – TODAY
Lucida Calligraphy – AaBbCc


(8) I decided to use this font Lucida Calligraphy, as I thought that this type of font would look professional, I had got this curvy text inspiration after looking at ‘real-life’ magazine, on a double page spread from NME magazine. I thought that this font would appeal to all of my target audience because it had already worked for a magazine that has a target audience the same as mine – 16-25.

(9) I decided to use this font as I thought that this style of font is easy to use and would appeal to a large amount of reader because of this, as I am using this font for the main content in my magazine and have found from my own preference and personal research of double page spreads that magazines tend to use a simple font with not a lot if not any special tails etc. in the font.

(10-11) For the content and layout used in my magazine I tried to keep it looking professional by using the same amount of space between each sell-line on the contents page and again on the double page spread for each section of the article. I also used the same house throughout the magazine to keep he magazine looking consistent. Consistency is another convention in a magazine as people like reading things when the layout and format are simple and easy to read and the same on each page.

Friday 1 March 2013

Double Page Spread Construction

In this blog I will be showing how I created my double page spread and I will also include the reasons why I used certain things.
For my double page spread I added an image of the 'artist' on the right hand side and the masthead on the top left and I positioned these images using the Move Tool.

I then had to write up my article and so I decided to write up a the notes of what I would like to include in the article with a few typical responses and questions.

DRAFT

Q: How do you feel about been nominated for 4 awards?
A: good artist, so happy have been nominated


Q: What was it like performing at Brit Awards (2013)?
A: Really enjoyed it and I love the feeling of the crowd


Q: What did you think about the Awards presented?
A: I got to present the award that I won last year.


Q: Is there anybody you would like to collaborate with in the near future?
A: I would like to work with Ed Sheeran and Alicia Keys maybe and album

Q: So is there anything on the album that you think we might be surprised at?
A: Honest lyrics represent her accurately


Q: Are you excited about you your upcoming tour?
A: Starting casino de Paris – most events have been sold out already!


Q: What artist influenced you when writing?
A: I like to write from the heart so my songs are personal and I’m glad that I can do this but the people who influenced me the most in life would be Nina Simone, Massive Attack and Toni Michell.


Q: Not only do you write music for yourself, I understand that you have written songs from some big names, the likes of Leona Lewis, Cher Lloyd, and Chipmunk.
A: Yeah, that was exciting and I know when writing the song, more or less straight away if I am going to give it to somebody else and some of my favourite songs have come from the songs I have written for other people: Leona Lewis – Treble and Cher Lloyd – Lifetime.


Q: With your busy lifestyle of gigging and concerts, when do you have time to write songs?
A: Usually between the hours of 10pm and 4am. I usually get the best song at around 2 am.


Q: Are you glad that you became a singer or do you wish you had stuck to song writing?
A: Yes definitely, OK there are times when I would ask that question but when I perform in front of people is what I want to do.
ACTUAL ARTICLE

Hello Emeli.

Q: After winning last year’s Critics choice award how does it feel now to be nominated for 4 awards this year?
A: I feel very honoured to have been at least nominated for the awards and to be in a category with so many talented people. As you said, last year I was only just been noticed and this year I have been through so much to get where I am now it is so good to be nominated for: British Female Solo Artist, MasterCard British Album of the Year, British Single and British Breakthrough act.
I am honoured that I was even nominated for these awards so actually being the winners of two of them is overwhelming: British Female Solo Artist and MasterCard British Album of the Year.

Q: What was it like performing at Brit Awards (2013)?
A: I really enjoyed it and I love the feeling of the crowd. When performing, I get really nervous back stage but as soon as I get out there and feel the energy from the crowd it gives me a great feeling and so I know I have chosen the right career for me.

Q: What did you think about the Awards presented?
A: It was a real honour to get the chance to give someone an award, as well as getting the chance to give someone the award that I had received the year previous: Critics Choice Winner. It is also quite strange to be on the other side of the award and I wish Tom (Odell) the best of luck for the future.

Q: Is there anybody you would like to collaborate with in the near future?
A: I would like to work with Ed Sheeran and Alicia Keys as their music is similar to mine and I think it would be really fun for people to see a different side to me. For my album I also got the chance to work with a lot of talented people. I am really pleased so far with people reaction and I couldn’t have hoped for better.

Q: So is there anything on the album that you think we might be surprised at?
A: For this album I wanted to create an album with honest lyrics and represent me accurately and I hope that comes across on the album…? For many album I wanted the lyrics to tell people a story and for them to understand me and what I was about. It was also good that some people found similarity to my music and could relate to my songs.


Q: Are you excited about you your upcoming tour?
A: Yes, I am so excited and I never expected everything to have happened as quickly, as I am starting in Casino de Paris – most events have been sold out already!  I am really looking forward to starting my tour as if it wasn’t for all my fans I wouldn’t be the places I am today without their support, so thank you!

Q: What artist influenced you when writing?
A: I like to write from the heart so my songs are personal and have a lot of meaning to me and I’m glad that I can do this as I know people can be manipulated by their producer to do what they want so I am glad I get to put my songs across the way I intended them to be.  The main people actually influenced me the most in my life would be Nina Simone, Massive Attack and Toni Michell.

Q: With your busy lifestyle of gigging and concerts, when do you have time to write songs?
A: Usually between the hours of 10pm and 4am. I usually get the best song at around 2 am. You see after the day is finished I like to think back on the day and reflect on what’s happened and I usually get my starting idea from that of how I want my new song to sound.

Q: Not only do you write music for yourself, I understand that you have written songs from some big names, the likes of Leona Lewis, Cher Lloyd, and Chipmunk.
A: Yeah, that was unbelievable and when writing the song, I know more or less straight away if I am going to give it to somebody else. Some of my favourite songs have come from the songs I have written for other people: Leona Lewis – Treble and Cher Lloyd – Lifetime.

Q: Are you glad that you became a singer or do you wish you had stuck to song writing?
A: Yes definitely, OK there are times when I would ask that question when I have been in the studio for weeks on end and missing my family back home but performing in front of people is what I really wanted to do and I can’t imagine myself not doing what I love. 

I then moved my finished article into my double page spread using the Horizontal Type Tool.



I moved them into three columns of equal proportion by placing red squares in-between each  column.I added a new layer and then I used the rectangle tool and chose a red colour so that I would be able to read the writing if it went over the box.


I then had to add the quotes in from my interview/article. I used the same technique as before to move the text (Move tool and Horizontal Text Tool). This time I used different font as this time I used Myriad Pro Bold Italics.






I needed to add the name of the singer in this article as I had not included her full name in the article and so thought it would be a good idea to have a title (her name) at the side of the image of her. For the third image I used Lucida Calligraphy and placed it behind the writing in the article and then used the opacity tool to turn the text down so that you could read the article more clearly.I knew what type of text that I wanted to use for the title (name) however I didn't know which way I wanted to arrange it and so decided to experiment on Photoshop with the different text tools and decided on using the fourth experiment (on the far right with the model in the image). 



I needed to have a Drop Cap at the beginning of the Article and so moved the article using the Move tool and the Horizontal text tool to move the text out of the way and added an extra layer to add the drop cap. I used Lucida Calligraphy Italics.

I then decided to add a title at the top of the page and so used the Horizontal Type tool to write the title in Lucida Calligraphy font. I decided to use the title to give a brief description of what will be included in my article.

I needed to change a few things in my magazine because after reading through my magazine again I noticed a few spelling and grammar mistakes. I used the Horizontal Type Tool to change these faults. I then added an ellipses after the title I done this so that the reader's would then go onto read the article.

I then used the Ellipse and Rectangle Tool to make a big exclamation mark beside the 'artists name'. I have done this to match the style of the masthead.




After reading and re-reading the article I thought that the title at the top was maybe a little misleading/not enough information as it did not include the artist name. I then changed the title from 





and to make sure that the artists name stands out I wrote the artists name out again and put this layer above the layer already there to give a bold effect (I was unable to change the font itself to bold because of the style of font I had chosen. I had considered, changing the font however decided against as I thought the style of font I have works well in my magazine.


I then changed my name at the bottom of the article as it did not stand out very well against the rest of the text I had used and so changed it to Bold Italic.


After reading my article again I noticed a few mistakes and so used the Horizontal Type Tool to click and correct the errors and move the words onto the previous line.





I also noticed that after my correction earlier that the text looks bad (in bold) and so decided to use a different technique in making the text bold by clicking onto the text tool and then onto Toggle the Character and Paragraph panels.