The 'recce'

Are there any potential hazards that could pose a health and safety risk where your photo shoot will take place (trailing cables/traffic/other objects)?
My model will be travelling from her house to my house therefore traffic could be a potential hazard, although this is only a ten minute journey. There will be two trailing cables of my two lamps as they are plugged into a socket.

What will you do to ensure these risks are minimised?
I will choose a day and time where the roads will be quiet to minimize this certain risk. I will ensure these cables are hidden away to prevent any tripping or falling over the cables.

Will the time of day/weather affect the outcome of the photos? Have you allowed for this?
The time of day and weather will not affect the outcome of the photos; this is because I will be shooting inside using artificial lights rather than natural light. I will be using two bright lamps. I chose to use artificial lighting as this has a similar effect to a professional studio photo shoot and is more reliable than natural lighting. It also can be adjusted to my preferences and liking.

Have you considered the background to your photos, particularly if taken outside? How will you ensure you will get the background you want?
For my background I will use a plain white sheet as a backdrop. This will give a professional look and will keep all the focus on the main image rather than the background.

Have you considered lighting? What about the ‘problems’ of natural lighting, either outside, or streaming through a window? Will you need to use a flash? Have you considered reflective objects that might spoil the effect?
I will use my black out blinds to avoid any interference with the natural lighting with the artificial lighting. The problems with natural lighting are that it is too unreliable and you cannot change it manually to make it lighter or darker. I will use a flash on my camera to make the image more clear and aligned. The picture will be taken in front of a plain, white sheet therefore no reflective objects will spoil the effect.

Do you need permission to take photos in the place/venue you have in mind?
I do not need permission to take photos in the venue I have chosen, because it is my own house.

Do you need to book time in a room (eg the photography studio at Shiney)?
No.

Are other people/crowds likely to be an issue for you? What have you done to ensure that it will not spoil the effect?

No.

Are you reliant on lifts/props/friends’ equipment/models? How have you planned that these things will come together at the appointed time? Plan B?
I am reliant on my friend to come and be my model. We have arranged a time and day suitable to us both. The equipment; lights, camera backdrop are my own.

Media Production - Photo shoot planning

What emotional impact do you want your photography to have upon the reader? How?

I want the reader to look up to the new artist (model for my photograph) as an inspiration, as in the double page spread I will describe how she has fought hard to achieve her goals as a singer/songwriter and has put up with and overcame many let downs and failures in her past.

I will achieve this by: tightening the shot, because emotion gets lost in a busy scene, and focusing on the face as this will influence the reader’s reaction and will convey similar emotions.

What personnel do you need? Who are you going to photograph?

I am using one young female model for my front cover. For my contents page I will include a variation of about 3-5 photographs, one of these will include my front cover model and one will include Ed Sheeran; a singer/songwriter who I personally photographed at his recent gig. The other photographs will be taken of other relevant people who will be featured in my magazine.

What props will you need?

I will not include any props in my front cover, which are not clothing/jewellery. This is because I want the emphasis on the model, her hair and her clothing rather than a physical prop. The ‘chocolate box’ pose emphasises ‘flawless beauty’ therefore props are unnecessary.

How are you going to emphasise colour?

My model’s dark hair will be emphasised by the use of the plain, white backdrop. The light, pastel blue dress is a contrast to the dark, black leather jacket.

Have you briefed your personnel/models?

I have briefed my model by asking them to look directly into the camera and to keep their lips slightly partnered. This is then following the ‘chocolate box’ pose regulations. I also told them about my magazine genre, what would be featured inside my magazine and who will be the target audience. This will give them a clearer understanding and hopefully help them with the poses.

What lighting will you need? Any other equipment?

I will use two strong, bright lamps for the use of lighting. I will also have the flash on the camera. I will change the positioning of the lamps for each of the photos to try and vary the photographs.

Where will you shoot? Will you need a backdrop?

I will shoot in my room as there is enough space and a suitable place to attach a backdrop. I will use a backdrop of a white sheet for the photo-shoot. This will help with the professional look for the photos and the magazine. It will also allow no background therefore all the focus will be on the main image.

Make-up? Costume?

My model will wear, for the selection of photos, a black leather jacket and a pale blue, floral but simple, dress and diamond earrings. The makeup will be a tanned face with possibly fake eyelashes or mascara, finished with pink or nude lipstick.

This is my text between me and my model, Rachel, arranging the photoshoot.

CONSENT
I do not need a consent slip because my person is not a minor.

Audience Research



This question is useful for knowing what shops to advertise for in my magazine
and also could be used as part of a competition. Online independent
retailers and Topshop are proven most popular so I will use these two.





Based on these results I will price my magazine between three to four pound:
£3.50



Indie Rock and Indie Pop are the most popular favourite genres of
music therefore in my magazine these will be the two main genres. I will also add in
 some rock and drum and bass as these two were
the next highest.



Based on these results I will need an eye catching main image to draw in the
audience and this must include a new music artist.



I may choose to include a free gift with certain issues of my magazine.
The gift will have to be relevant to the target audience's preferences and worth buying for.

Even though many people do not buy music magazines I will make my issue
monthly. The reason to this is probably due to the internet. Most people
use the internet to read up about music therefore I will include links
in my magazine to various musical online resources.

Since gigs and concerts are quite popular I will use this as a topic in my magazine
and also as an idea for a competition to win gig tickets for a certain artist.

Since music magazine competitions are not that popular I will only include one in
certain issues and will make them good enough for my target audience to want to enter them.
I will also make it easy to enter as I feel this is why people refrain from entering them.

I asked ten males and ten females a set of ten questions and these are my results displayed in graphs and charts.

The final two questions were 'who is your favourite solo artist?' & 'who is your favourite band?' - All twenty contributors listed a various amount of people but the artists and the bands who appeared more than once were; Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, Lana Del Rey, Enter Shikari, Kings of Leon, Kasabian and Coldplay. These have proven popular with my target audience therefore I will include these artists in my magazine as either part of a competition, part of an advert or part of a sell line.

Moodboard

This is my moodboard full of inspirational texts, images and fonts for my magazine. Some of these images include vintage elements and black and white edits.

Initial Research - Student Work

Name of product	What I thought were the strengths	What I thought were the weaknesses
BEATZ	The magazine front cover has a consistent colour scheme of blue, black, pink and white. The main image also incorporates this as the model is wearing pink headphones and has blue and pink eye makeup.  The layout is positioned professionally and the two font styles are used appropriately and complement each other. The main image on the contents page looks professional and the edit of black and white makes a nice contrast to the text. Overall the layout on the double page spread is professional looking and clear to read. The interviewer’s questions are in a different colour to the artist’s answers. There is a striking main image and a pull quote. The variation of font styles work well together and the colours come together nicely and match with each other.	The photo quality of the model on the front cover is a little pixelated. The cropping of the image is quite rough around her face and hair. The front cover is rather crowded and there is too much writing. This makes everything stand out instead of one main article feature. On the contents page there is too much writing and the page numbers do not stand out as much as they should, overall the page looks rather unorganised making it unclear to the reader. On the other hand the text next to the main image should be kept as a column and not as a gradient as this is distracting. The pull quote should be larger and maybe layered on top of the main image.
VUE	The fonts used on the front cover are unique and correspond to the genre of the magazine which is shown clearly through the main image. The colour scheme is consistent and the layout is smart and appealing. The polaroid pictures fit with the vintage theme and work nicely for the contents page giving it individuality. The background for the double page spread is a beautiful shot of the beach. The framing in which the subject is situated in the frame with the pull quote overhead works very well. The pull quote font is appropriate to the genre and stands out instantly.	On the front cover the bar code should be made smaller and less obvious. More sell lines should be used to draw in the reader. The main image should be in a medium shot to make the cover more eye-catching to the potential buyer. The contents page should include more page numbers and titles and it is unclear what the top image is about. The font colours on the contents page should be more consistent. The first column on the double page spread overlaps where the page folds together. This is not very effective or well organised and this will create difficulties for the reader when reading.
CURRENT	The front cover includes the main features a front cover needs; main image, necessary information, barcode, strap line, pull quote, main sell line and sell lines. The layout is good with the use of layering. The use of colour on the contents page is used co-ordinately and the font colour and style is used consistently. The photographs used are good quality and not pixelated. It includes a ‘subscribe’ section at the bottom of the page which keeps up to date with the magazine and allows regular readers to keep buying the magazine. The layout of the double page spread is very smart and professional looking. The ratio between the big main image and the text is equal in the frame, making the composition look balanced. The interview questions and answers are split into different colours allowing a clear read and organisation.	The main image does not have eye contact as she is looking to the side. Eye contact is important on a magazine in order to catch an audience’s attention. The choice of a sepia photo does not really match the font colour on the front cover. On the contents page the photographs of the three models are cropped out in a way that makes them not look apart of the page as they are in a squared shape. The anchored text to the three photographs does not stand out as well as it should and should be bigger and in a contrasting colour to the photo. The main image of the girl is not a very appropriate shot as she looks bored and is not looking at the camera. The pull quote also does not stand out and perhaps should be layered on top of her a bit like the text underneath.
	What I have learned from looking at student’s work : I have learned that main images on the front cover look more proficient in colour rather than an edit of black and white or sepia. The subject must be making eye contact to the camera and it looks more effective in a medium shot. Contents pages should not be overcrowded with writing, but must be enough to direct a reader to their chosen page and have an insight to what will be found on that page. Double page spreads look most engaging and attractive when half of the page includes a main image and the other half holds an interview of questions and answers (in different colours) about a music artist’s life. Pull quotes on a double page spread are also very effective, especially when they are big and in a unique font.	How I will use this new knowledge to help me create my own product : I will use this knowledge on my front cover by choosing a striking medium shot of my model with eye contact. On my contents page I will include all my page numbers and their titles. For the important pages I will include a sentence of what will be found on that page. I will also include images and anchor these will a page number and a title. On my double page spread I will include one or two main images on the first page accompanied by an intriguing pull quote and on the other page I will compose an interview with my artist of questions and answers. My font will be consistent with a use of two different colours which break up the Q & A, making it clear to read.

Magazine Poses

For the Front Cover of my magazine I will use the Chocolate box pose.This is because it will appeal to the target audience, males and females but mainly female, and suit the genre of my magazine. The romantic/sexual pose would not be suitable as this appeals mainly to only a male reader. The super smiler does not fit a indie pop/indie rock genre as this genre is usually associated with a unique and solemn look. The chocolate box pose is emphasis on flawless beauty, which I feel is important for the front cover to represent the article inside.

Analysing a Double Page Spread #3

Layout There are three columns used in Kerrang’s double page spread as well as paragraphs to break up the text. There is one main image on the left page featuring the band Rolo Tomassi. There are then, on the right page, five mini images on the bottom of the page. The strap line also acts as a headline as it introduces the band Rolo Tomassi. There are no subheads used. The pull quote from Eva Spence is layered on top of on the photograph of the band and situated next to her. The drop cap is in bold red, significantly bigger than the other letter, to indicate where the reader should start reading. The colour palette is mainly red, white and black. The red is a dark, blood-like red and this is matched with the splodge of red next to the article title implying blood. This shows creativity, mystery and a punk/rock type genre.

Images There is one main, dominant image which takes up the full first page. It is a strange picture of an evil looking rabbit lying down as the band members kick him as the girl holds his ears down. This unusual photograph represents the bands individuality and tries to make a statement. The image includes four males and a female. The female is sitting down next to the person dressed as a rabbit and the four males are behind her. She stands out the most out of the bands members as she is situated by herself and is the only one making eye contact. The pages are equally led by both text and image. On the second page the five mini pictures are anchored with text. The point of view of the images could be seen through a male or female gaze, this is not apparent. Although it leans towards the more male side as they are more overriding in the photograph. The clothes the band members are wearing fit in with the colour scheme as they are quite bland and basic. The emphasis is on their actions rather than what they are wearing. This could also be another statement the band wants to make, that they are not about the image but more about their music.

Language The main typeface is in a small, black, simple font in lower case. It is written in third person. At the start of each new paragraph the first two words are in bigger, bolder red letters. The language is very informal and relaxed, due to the use of slang and conversation like style. This gives off a friendly tone and will attract the audience very well as the target audience is male and females between the ages of around 14-24. The language involves swearing “dogsh*t”. This is typical language of a younger generation rather than a more mature one. The double page spread would appeal to either males or females. Stereotypically it would appeal to males more due to the slang language, the male dominant photo and the fact that they are kicking in a light-heartedly way. The language is not technical or specific to a certain field therefore many people will be able to understand it; this widens the audience as people from many different kinds of backgrounds will recognize and appreciate it.


In response to the feedback comments:
I like how the article title has a coloured strip behind the text. I will use this for my article title on my double page spread.  This helps make the article title and introduction stand out clearly.

Analysing a Double Page Spread #2

Layout There are three columns used in Q magazine’s double page spread. There is one main image which is spread across both pages, although the dominant part of the image, where the subject is featured, is on the left page. The strapline is used as an introduction which also pulls the reader in. There are no headlines or sub-heads used. There is a drop cap to signify where the reader should begin reading. This is in an elegant font to represent the genre of the music. Florence, who is the lead singer of Florence and the Machine, is placed layered on top of the writing “USA”. The colours are red, black white and grey. The red cloth matches her bright, red hair and her black clothing matches the black text. These colours in the colour palette complement each other and set a refined, stylish finish.

Images The main image is a photograph of Florence from Florence and the Machine. She is posing deliberately for the shot and looking directly into the camera. The representation is not so apparent due to the lack of people and props. Her clothing, on the other hand, give off an Indie rock vibe due to the plain black matching outfit, boot heels and bright red hair. The outfit is unique and not something you would wear casually every day. Florence is sitting on some steps which are covered with a red and white shiny cloth. The page is image led as the photograph is more dominant to the text. The photograph of her is in the point of view of a woman. This is because she is dressed smartly and not provocatively. She also appears independent due to her being photographed alone as if she doesn’t need anyone else alongside her. This is the only image/photograph on the double page spread and the image is also incorporated to look a part of the background as well.

Language The text is written in third person and includes quotes from Florence herself. It is written in small, black font, smaller than the strapline. The strapline includes two metaphors to add a dramatic opening to the spread. The typeface is in lower case and the font is in a style of Times New Roman. There are no “screamers” used but the text is sensationalised with the use of “captivated” and other descriptive language. There is a friendly, relaxed tone to the text which enthrals the reader. Caps lock is used in certain parts taken from a direct quote. This represents someone shouting and this stands out immediately before the other text. Metaphors and similes are used throughout to give emphasis and exaggeration: “why is Florence Welch lying on the floor attacking herself?” The pace is regular but often speeding up with the shorter sentences.

In response to the feedback comments:
I like the Drop Cap use in this double page spread which I will use in my own double page spread. I also like how there is only one main subject and no other images on the article. This is something I will also follow in my magazine. I like how the double page spread flows into one, this is something I will consider for mine.

Generic Conventions

Real music magazines out there in the media today include information on upcoming festivals, I have chosen to follow this generic convention in order to please readers out there who are already fans of music magazines.
Most music magazines do not include fashion advice, style and trends. This is a convention I have decided to subvert and include fashion in my magazine. This is so my magazine stands out compared to other music magazines. It will also widen the target audience as there is room for people who like more than just one theme of music.