AS vs. A2 re-take

This is what my front cover looks like now (left image) and to the right of this is how my magazine looked last year. As you can see there are only subtle differences this year compared to last, no major changes. I have changed the image used, changed the colouring for the sell-lines from black and red to white, added a little bit more text for the main sell-line changed the font for it also, got rid of the website information, moved the date onto the '!' as when researching I thought it looked good in the YOU magazine and the last element I changed from the last time was that I changed the colour of the 'O' for 'TODAY' and the'.' for the '!' from black to white. I feel I have kept the layout of the magazine as elements of the magazine have only been slightly changed/moved and the colour changed. I feel that this change makes the magazine a lot easier to read as the white background was just too plain looking back I feel I should have added a colour to make it look too drab.

 The image on the left is what my contents page looks like now with the improvements and the image on the right is what my contents page looked like last year. I have kept the same layout in sense as I have kept the main image in the same place, used the same size images for the smaller articles but added an extra article, added how to get in touch with the magazine including social networking, I have just used a list of names and page numbers rather than a few names and a little bit of information on each, I have changed all of the images and finally I have got rid of the word contents and the masthead and instead got the words 'In this issue'

The image on the left is what my double page spread for my music magazine looks like now after the alterations and the image on the right is what the double page spread looked like last year when I handed it in to be marked.Layout wise nothing too dramatic has changed in the sense that the image is on the right and the writing is on the left and the article is about the same person, but I think after that the similarities change completely as I have included a massive 'E', the colour palette has changed, not because I don't like my colour palette but you don't always have to conform to your colour palette when it comes to the double page spread as this is where your artist/model needs to shine through and so matching the colour palette to what the model is wearing is something that makes the double page look different compared to the rest of the magazine

FLATPLAN

REECE

REECE 

As I have mentioned in my previous posts I have been involved in 3 photo shoots and from them there are several images that I could potentially use and some that I can just discard as they are not what I envisioned me using for my product. I have placed the images together so that you can see the amount of images I had to  chose from when decided whether or not to use them photographs or continue on to do another studio shoot.

As you can see in the beginning I started to take images of my model, I used a variety of close-ups on the model, because having that variety now will help better decided my choice later. I asked the model to then pick up a guitar, as I felt that it was fitting that the person should be holding a musical instrument as they are going to be shown in a music magazine. I went back to taking a variety of close-ups on the model. Once I felt I was happy with the result I then decided to move onto taking images of another model. This time it was a female model, after looking at images of Cameron Diaz in YOU.com magazine I felt the way she had been positioned and the style of the photograph was something which I felt I could take inspiration from and so decided to find clothing similar to what Cameron was wearing in YOU.com magazine. We went to the shoot and I asked my model to sit in the same pose, as you can see it took quite a while to  'perfect' the pose and to get the camera and lighting correct as I have then continued to take more images of the same pose in the next page.

I then moved onto  directing somebody to take images of myself as there were limited people to take photographs of, but also this was the most reliable thing to do. I first off start posing, resting my hand, in a similar position to the previous model, I move so that my hands are crossed over my chest however this didn't turn out so good and so will difinitely not be using that selection of images, but the images with the similar pose from the previous model I feel were successful and so feel that if they look good blown up to the size i am going to use them I will definitely be using them

I continue to take more images from the previous page and by taking a few images that look similar it allows me to make sure that at least one of them images will be in focus, correct positioning, the model isn't blinking and the composition is right. I go back to taking images of the male model however this time I ask the model to stand up and put his hands in his trousers in a authoritative way (I will not be using these images nor the images of me following as this is not my idea but were taken the same day and could potentially use these images). 

I go back to doing my own idea for the photographs and yet again I am standing in front of the camera as I now want photographs so that I can use two different images on my front cover and on my double page spread and as you see here I am practising getting the lighting just right for the type of image I am after. From what I can see I think the best one out of this selection is the first image on the first row as the position and expression on my face looks to be better than the rest. After that I ask my model to go back in front of the camera so that I could take some more images of her this time wearing a different outfit, the main part of these images is the purple and black scarf she is wearing as although this is a music magazine I did want to have a focal image for people to see when they first opened the inside cover of the magazine as I plan to have this image on the contents page. The following images are again not my idea however I did have an input as to how the image was lit, how the model (me) looked.

Studio bookings

I have arranged to have two studio bookings, hours each, this will allow me to comfortably take photographs without rushing and I felt that if there are alterations to be made it wouldn’t matter dramatically as I have already made a new front cover, contents and double page spread and have worked out where I want the images placed and what orientation space I want the images to fit into, if I did need to go into the studio again I would already know what to do.

Potential problems

There a certain problems with re-doing my work as the work load may become too much for me to handle as I will have not only my current work but also my re-sits and so that is the first potential problem. If the work load becomes too much of a problem I can either make a clear and decisive plan of action and make a timetable of when and where I can achieve this (this would be my first option) and if this doesn’t work I could try my best and get the most important pieces of work completed and then work on completing the rest whatever doesn’t get done won’t affect my grade too much. The final solution I see to this problem is to stop my re-take and focus on my A2 courses because there is no point trying to better last years grade if you can’t achieve the same or a better grade this year. Potential problems that I foresee happening with my media product is that I may start to focus too heavily on changing my idea and loose complete focus on what I have planned on doing and to stop myself from doing this I can focus heavily on my plan of action rather than going off track. My first idea might end up looking better and this could all be for nothing and to stop this from happening I could print out a copy of what I done last year and remember what I need to improve on. More important problems could be my product itself as I might not have access to the facilities to make my new product at home and if that is the case I could use the facilities in ILC at my campus and other campuses and if the ILC is too busy another alternative would be to use classroom time during our scheduled break or before and after class as the classroom is usually open. I have decided to use the same colour palette for my magazine and as last years work didn’t work out too successfully it might mean that I am not using good use of the colour palette and if this is the case I could look at other magazines to see where I am going wrong. I might not be able to use the studio facilities as other media or art students may be using it the times I am free from college and if that is the case I might not have to use that campus I might have to find out another campus that have similar facilities, or I could ask my lecturer to take images during lesson or just not use the facilities at all and find a location which best represents a studio or an environment that would suit my magazine. I may not be able to use the college camera as I don’t have one of that standard for myself and if that problem arises I could ask someone at college if I could use the camera the same time as them, use my own camera, or I could try and book the camera out at a different time as the camera can only be booked for 3 days and at the end of them 3 days you have to bring the camera back. When it comes to take the photographs my models might not turn up and if that is the case I either need to use myself as the model and put the camera on a setting which makes the camera take the image itself. I could ask someone more reliable or I could ask people in my class as they understand how valuable it is to have these images and so would probably be more inclined to turn up and if the worst comes to the worst I might have to use images I have taken previously.

Resources needed

For my re-take I will need to have access to a computer which has Photoshop or some kind of editing software as I need to edit my photographs so that they are ready to put in my magazine as I don’t want to place a image on my magazine that needs cropping etc. I will also need access to a professional or college camera as I need to take image of a high standard for my magazine. Another thing that I will need access to is a studio as I need to take my images in an environment where I can control the area around for example how bright the light is on the model.

Conventional - follow/change

I plan to still follow the basic conventions of a music magazine as I plan to have musical content in the magazine. My main content is going to follow artist from the north east however as this is such a small amount of people and yet I plan to draw in a large variety of people I will use other people in the magazine but I am going to try and give it a sense of loyalty to the local celebrities. I am going to use the masthead in the conventional top space of the magazine, I will also use sell-lines around the main image (another conventional I am following having an image on the front cover), and I am having a contents page which will give audiences a better understanding of what is in the magazine.

Time management

I have just finished my two studio shoots which lasted approximately 2 hours each, from this I feel I have taken enough quantity and quality that I can make a start on editing them ready to put in my magazine and as there is still time I felt that if there are alterations to be made it wouldn’t matter dramatically as I have already made a new front cover, contents and double page spread and have worked out where I want the images placed and what orientation space I want the images to fit into, if I did need to go into the studio again I would already know what to do.

Time management

I have two studio shoots planned within the next week and from my experience I know I will need more than one studio shoot to get a mix and quality of work high enough to use throughout my product as only having a short amount of time to take photograph will show in work as you will see in the image that it has been rushed.

Time management

I have already started to re-work my work from last year as I have started re-writing my main article as last year I used a question and answer format and feel that to raise higher grades I need to go for a more professional format and so have gone for a format similar to YOU.com magazine as they produce their text as if their audience were in the room by first off telling people what the audience is wearing, where they have just came from before coming to the interview and then getting into a more relaxed interview as the interviewer will use quotes from what the celebrity has said and then add some more body to it so that the reader can understand why the interviewee has said such things.

Target Audience

Target Audience My target audience still remains the same however feel that when making my product last year I was more focused on what needed to be in the product than how the media product actually looked like and how my target audience would get attracted to my product and so this time around I have looked at even more media products but as well as looking at media products similar to mine I have looked at media products that my audience would like to read and by having a wider knowledge of what my target audience wants not only from my genre of music magazine but also from a media product. I am still targeting an audience who like chart music and are going to use artist who are in the charts.

Inspirational texts

Inspirational texts

As I mentioned earlier in my blog I have decided to do another magazine and the reason for this is because I didn't feel that the previous years work was good enough as a year later I can see improvements where I can make my grade a little higher. I have decided to look at different texts that would still appeal to my audience range however they are fashion magazines however I liked different elements of the magazine that would work well in my magazine.

I have taken most of my inspiration from YOU.com magazine as I particular liked 12th January 2014 edition of the magazine which featured Cameron Diaz. The reason I have chosen this magazine in particular is because the magazine used the same colour palette as I had the year previous, there were sell-lines which used a variety of sizes and colours just like the professional magazine and the front cover also had a model with blond hair in a medium close up. As I didn't want my product to be the same as the previous years I still wanted to have the same theme running through just this time I wanted a better functionality and I felt by finding a product similar to mine as template would be the best way to go about it.


 I really like the layout for the front cover of the YOU.com magazine as they have the masthead in the top, left-hand corner, the conventional place to place it. They have made the most of the 3 colours in the colour palette as they have used the red to highlight the different elements of the front cover for example where the magazine has ‘WORLD EXCLUSIVE Dazzle Like DIAZ!’. They have made the most attractive parts of the text more stand out as well as the colour they have also capitalised the text so it pops out in the text more.

 I really like the front cover image as the Cameron Diaz isn't wearing anything too stand out and as my magazine isn't a fashion magazine I feel that this would also be a good approach when coming to decided what my model should wear.

Another element I really like about this magazine, its probably the smallest feature that they have used and yet I feel the most effective at placing something that needs to be on the front cover and yet not have it staring you in the face as they have placed the date in the vertical line of the ‘U’ and they have used the combination of white on red which is again something I would like to use.

They have stuck to a plain background, not to confuse and not to clutter the front cover as if you have a colour behind it makes it harder to place coloured text over the top and it makes it harder for different features to stand out and so plan on not using coloured backgrounds.

The pose the model is sporting is another subtle thing about this magazine as nothing looks too forced and yet it looks professional.


 The double page spread which follows the front page is very similar in style to the front page especially the style in which the model is sitting however this is another convention as you need to have an image similar to the front page on your double page spread so that your audience can associate the person on the front as being the same story and so you get the model to wear the same clothes. The model as cleverly been positioned so that the she is looking over to the article and so if the image is what you see first you are then guided towards the article alongside which is clever constructed.

The differences from the front page to the double page spread would be the background as the producer has decided to go for a gradient grey to white background which I feel is really effective especially when there is minimal colour on the page except from the model. This gradient change works really well and I like that they have went for subtle, non-intrusive colours which also match the colour palette of the magazine.

I like the font they have used for the huge ‘C’ they have used on the left page of the double page spread for the beginning of the celebrities name and this clever lettering is really eye catching and a feature I would like to use in my work.

The context itself is also something I enjoy reading rather than the standard question and answer I am so used to seeing as it feels like the interviewer is trying to help you picture you actually there and you have to read into the facts a little more rather than it been put down in front of you.

They have also included the date, website address and the fact that it is the cover story in the corners of the double page spread they aren't too big so that it isn't the first thing you notice when you open the page however they are there if you are wanting the information.

Another thing that I have noticed is that the font in this double page spread, it isn't different however the size, boldness and italics is different the actual font isn't different which is a clever trick not to overwhelm the reader as all the text looks to be different however if you look closely you can see that its slightly bigger, in italic or just of different font size which is the more conventional thing to do because reader’s are known to switch off and loose interest in the feature if there is too many fonts all piled in together.


 The contents page which follows after the front cover featuring Cameron Diaz doesn't look as professional as the front cover of the double page spread however I do like the layout and some of the image used on there as they have used a bright yellow coloured background image on the contents page as the contents is quite a little dull and so I feel that they have done this to brighten it up and have used softer colours around so not to make it too overwhelming on the eyes. I really like the styling of the main image as again the image is very simple, the model is not wearing anything too in your face and yet it is powerful enough for you to keep drawing your eyes into the contents page.Another thing about this image is that they have placed a number 16 in the top right hand side of the image in black which helps stand out and also tells the reader where to find the feature in the magazine, they have done the dame in the other images on the page.

 The layout as I said I really like as it is conventional to most magazines you have a contents list along the left, big image to the right of this and then below there is more text and then an image beside this to emphasize the main points in the text. I like the styling of the text beside the image as they have gone for a red number, bold, capitalised titles and then normal text beside that.

At the top left hand corner of the page they have placed a big piece of text with a reasonable amount of space around it which states ‘In this issue 12.02.2014’, this not only tells you what date the issue but it also titles the contents page rather than having the masthead in this place and it is a refreshing change. They have also used a combination of black and red, bold, big italic font for this part of the page which is another way of guiding your attention.

Another element which I like is that they have a strip of information at the bottom of the page to tell their audience how to get in touch with the magazine, who created it and how to join the social network sites however I don’t like the layout of this as I feel the boxes are too weirdly displayed for the amount of information that is being given.


 Another feature that I like the look of was a feature of Maimie McCoy and the reason for this is the image as she looks so calm and there is nothing too clever about the image except the way she is lying and some shallow depth of focus used, it is pretty much polar opposite of the Cameron Diaz feature even though they are in the same magazine as the colours for started don’t reflect the magazines colour palette, they have used the image across the full of the double page spread and they have a box around the article to show people where the article starts rather than a massive C.

However I do like this feature as there is nothing too stand out as the image again gets your focus in the beginning but because of the chair she is sitting in your gain slowly follows down the chair and into the article.

I really like the use of clippings of quotes in the bottom right hand corner of the double page spread.

 In the top left hand corner there is a word which describes the nature of the double page spread and in this instance it is an interview.

Again they have been clever not to put the models face too close to the middle of the two pages.


 NME magazine is another magazine where I got some ideas from as I really like the idea of having a artist index and I like that they have put the artist names in red and then put the number where you will find the information of the artist beside in black. Another feature that I really liked about this magazine is that they have clear sub-titles showing you what is inside the magazine and I really liked the idea of having a news, new artist, reviews, live and features section.

Changing idea

Changing of idea The main reason for re-doing my work from last year is after looking back at my work from last year there were improvements straight away I could see that could have been improved and so felt that if I could alter the alterations I had in mind this could not only make my product look better but it could also improve my grade if and only if I work hard enough to balance on my AS and A2 work and that is why I plan to use time management posts to help focus what I have done and what is left to be done. As I am revisiting this work I still plan to use the same dates and artist used on my previous work as I felt the content and idea of work was correct it was just the way I followed through with this idea.