Evaluation

Music magazine evaluation 2

final pages

this are my final pages done and dusted.

contents review

this is a contents page from another skate/music magazine. this magazine contents is different from many others as it uses and focuses on one image that is bleeded to the edge of the page. it is quite an arty effect and i like this. i think ill uses an bleeded image on my page. however i dont like the features part at the bottom as you cant really see what the magazine about. the title at the top is good as it is large and bold. i think the editor of the peice is more focused on the picture than the articles but i want to focus on the picture but also keep a focus on the features.

contents page review

this is the contents pagge from a magazine. it is largely picture based and has a white background. it lays out pictures over the top of this background. the pictures link in to the articles and the pictures have the page numbers in the top left. it has two sections; features and regulars.i like this and will use it on my contents page. i like the layout to as ithas several pictures that are eyecatching. i would want want to incorperate this in my page. however i want to use a bleeded image in my contents page as it is different from other magazines. i also think th emast head works well as it ties in with the colour scheme.

another article

this is an article about madonna on tour. this article uses snapshot of the journalists night out with madonna. the pictures have been made to look llike photos spread across a desk by rotating them and outlining them with a white border. i really like this effect and i think i will use this in my double page spread. this article again uses callouts to attract the eye to the page. this article also uses columns giving that professional look. the page has good compostion; the pictures are laid out well and the whole thing 'fits'. i think i will base my article on this but i do need to put in a large mast head to state what the articles about. i will also use my colour scheme in the article.

double page article research

this is an article from 'Beats Magazine'. it is set up across two pages and uses columns. i like the use of columns as it is used by most magazine and newspapers and makes the article look professional and not just something thats been run up on a word document. the large bold title takes up a large percentage of the page with a funky font and spraypaint detail to add to the effect. i really like how this is done and i will use a bold title to stand out on my article. i also like the quote from the article highlighting a point of intrest that would entice readers. however i feel the article could use a few pictures and i will incorperate a few in my article just to add detail and intrest to the page. i will also add in extras like snipets of information and the website including a podcast, which is an item i have seen in other music articles. overall i like some aspects of this article and will use them myself however i think i will add some images and extras which i have seen in other articles.

sketches

this is the sketch for my front cover. i sketched out the style of intended picture i wanted onto a sheet of a4. my idea was to take a picture of a girl in the sunshine playing a guitar to give the front cover a summer tone. i decided i wanted the title to be at the top as most magazine do this. underneath i added a box for the tagline. i am not sure whether i will use the boxes when it comes to my final cover. i may use the ovals i used in my preliminary tasks. i decided from the start to put in extra images to attract the attention of readers. i will put all my hook lines on the right as i feel this looks best. i want to give the peice a calm colour scheme maybe blues and whites?when i get onto photoshop i will work on the mast head.


this is my sketch for my contents page. i will use a different picture of the same artist as the feature on the contents page to add to the cohesion. i think i will use a 'bleeded' image like on the front cover as not very many magazines do this and i want to have some orginality. i have used the same style of writing for the page head to also aid the cohesion. i will use the same calm colour scheme from the front cover as well. i also will try and put images that intergrate with my features on the page aswell.

double page spread

this is my final double page spread. i did this on microsoft punlisher. firstly i turned the page horizontal and put a 'ruler' line down the middle to split it. i also made it a3 so it would come out as a double page a4 page.i also split the article into columns which is a theme used in many articles. i then inserted the pictures. i used the idea of outlining them with the grey boxes to make them stand out. i also added in text boxes highlighting whats in the boxes. for the title i used the white box that again makes the mast head stand out. i wrote the article on word then inserted it into publisher. i hightlighted and put the introduction in blue to state what the articles is about. for the images i also placed them outside the page parameters which makes the articles look free and relaxed.i also used highlighted quotes taken from the article to draw attention. i also put in the fact that there is a podcast to add to the idea that my magazine is a whole brand and magazine.

Contents

this is my finished contents page.i used an image taken from my range of pictures that i took for my front cover. i also\ used the same font to key in with the front cover. i took the bleeded image idea from one of the pages that i reviewed as i feel it looks artistic. i would have including more pictures but i feel i ddnt have space for them and it would have ruined the page. i used the same boxes from the front to highlight the text. i used 3 boxes; 1 for main articles, 1 for feeatures and 1 for weekly. i edited the picture again to make it brighter to add to this 'summery' tone i am looking for. the compostion of the page came out well to as i feel it is balanced. the only thing i regret is not putting in more pictures that draw the eye, which is perhaps a consequence of using a bleeded image, as i would have had to sacrifice some of the image.

Front cover

This is my finished front cover. i decided to use a different picture than the style i used in my sketches. i changed the subject character to be standing up rather then sitting down to give her a more edgy character. i chose this picture from the range i had taken previously and uploaded it onto photoshop. i changed the size to an a4 format. first of all i adjusted the lighting, giving the photo a brighter feel to coinscide with the summery festival mood. i then tweeked the contrast to make the picture a bit more arty and sharper. i also edited the 'Hue' to make the colours stand out more, especaily the blue guitar and the red scarf. i wanted to make them part of the folky style i wanted to show in the singer. i then started on the mast head.


to start with i used an oval shape tool as a backgorund for the mast head to make it stand out. i wanted the artists head to be in front of this oval. i did so by duplicating the image, cutting out her head with the magnetic lasso tool and cuttin git out. i then dragged it across into my original picture and, after postioning the oval where i wanted it,placed her head over the top. i did this because i thought it made the cover look more professional and it would have looked a bit amatuer covering the main artists head. However i wanted the title and brand of the magazine to be over her head. first of all i wrote the word blue in 'Poor Richard' font and placed it within the parameters of the oval. i then wrote the word violin in the 'script' font which shows the more classical side to folk in contrast to the more edgy blue 'poor richard' font. i did this to show the idealogy of my magazine; to provide information and news about traditional folk but also to give a voice to the new upcoming folk stars, expanding the genre to a wider audience. i decided that the blue and white would be the base colours for my magazine as they are basic and calm giving the whole magazine its cohesive and relaxed tone.

i used white boxes to makes the hook lines stand out to the intended audience. i used my tagline underneath my mast head to tell any new readers in one sentence what the magazine is about. i also decided that behind the white hook line boxes i wanted a box to make them stand out more and give the magazine more of a professional look. i used the colour grey for this box as it is also quite clam and goes with the other colours used. i think this gives my front cover good compostion and colouring. to add to the professional effect i wanted to involve and intergrate my picture withing these text boxes which i have seen in other magazines. i did this in much the same way i did for the artists head on the masthead; i duplicated the image then cut out the guitars fret board, dragged it into my main picture and postioned it in line with the original picture.

next i wanted to intergrate another picture onto the front cover to hook the readers. i did this by inserting a picture that i had previously took and writing a hook line underneath. i chose an article about modern folk so as to appeal to a younger audience. i also used the grey box underneath to outline and give the picture an edgy look. finally i added a barcode and the main feature of the magazine; '100 greatest summer songs.' i used the white box and put the black writing over the top. thes colours contrast making the writing stick out drawing in readers. i also entwined the capital 'S' and 'G' to again achieve this professional feel. i am pleased with the outcome of my front cover as i feel it has good compostion and the layout is clear. there is a lot going on but nothing is overshadowed. i like the boxes that give a modern feel to the magazine and add to the cohesion. however if my photoshop skills had been better i could have incorperated a few more images perhaps but overall i am very pleased with the out come.

I took these pictures keeping in mind my contents page and my double page spread. I have kept with the folk theme of my magazine by chosing the blue guitar, the sun and the feilds. Most of the pictures look very relaxed and calm giving the magazine a happy feel. These picture salso are coherant with the picture on the front cover keeping the magazine fixed in the genre. I think i will use one of the pictures of her whole body for the contents page as there is plenty of space around to put in the text boxes and sub headings. I will also use these pictures as hook pictures linking into the magazine.

this is the picture i will use for my front cover as it has good compostion and the lighting is relitively good. there is also plenty of room on the right for the hook pictures and i feel it gives the whole essence of my magazine.

Title

This is the title I would like to use as the mast head and the brand identity of my magazine. I have written the ‘BLUE’ in an edgy bold font showing the modern aspect of my magazine. In contrast to this I chose the font for the ‘Violin’ as it is quite classical and folky. I feel this title would be recognisable making the magazine and the brand something people would look for and maybe trust and come back for more.

preliminary photos

this is my favourite picture as the compostion is good and she looks very relaxed which is what i was going for. however i feel the lighting is a bit dark which i could edit on photoshop.

i took these to coincide with my initail ideas for my front cover; i wanted a folk singer to be playing an instument in the sun. so with these pictures, with the help of my girlfriend, i am able to see what works and what doesnt. i decided to use blue which connotes emotions and makes the singer look like her songs have depth and meaning, which is a theme present in many folk songs that are often about a tradgedy or tale. i also wanted her to look very mellow and i used natural lighting on a sunny day to give the festival folky feel to the picture. i feel like i have learnt a lot about angles and shots and i have tried to think about how the image would affect any writing on the page like the mast head. i feel some shots came out well and others not so well but i now have more ideas for my final photo.

initial ideas for magazine

Genre: Folk/Alternative

Magazine Name: 'The Blue Violin' because the violin is synomous wuith Folk music (and i have always wanted a blue violin)or 'BlueGrass' which is a little known sub-genre of Folk music.

Audience: 16-50 i have chosen such a large target age range for my audience becasue my idea is to bring in readers who already know about folk but also to help young people who like folk to get into it. i plan to make my magazine more contempoary then other Folk magazines because young people have started to enjoy folk and it is very much a music of the people, so everyone should get to hear about it.

Tagline: 'Real music with Real history' 'no dubbing, no editing, just real music'

Editorial mission statement: To provide news reviews and all the newest bands to the fans of real music as well as spreading the word of Folk to the younger generation.

Reader Profile: Readers of this magazine know what authentic, raw music sounds like and prefer it because of the danger it can provide. they have a love of live music and festivals, thriving in the summertime. they have a stories to tell or a story to write and they are the true soul of music. they want to be informed about upcoming live events and festivals as this is what they live for. these are the people who sit back, with the sun beaming down and enjoy life, enjoy their pint of cider and most of all enjoy their music.

ideas for front cover: for my front cover i want to get the real sunny country feel to it. i want the picture to be of someone with an acoustic instument maybe a violin of guitar and have them just playing in the sun. i think this would give the essence of folk music out straight away as it is people playing for the music and not the money. this person will be my feature article as this is a theme most magazines use. i do not want to pack the front cover with too much as i want it to look calm and relaxed so will have a few subheadings and the image and feature article as my focus.

front cover analysis

this is a front cover from the magazine 'rock sound'. it is a magazine that focuses around rock and metal music. it also focuses mainly on the newer bands and the new materail they have to offer and the tagline is 'new music first'. the font used for the mast head is bold and strong; it stands out like the music. the main article is the focus of the picture, in which there is the band 'muse' standing with their arms folded and looking very serious. this gives the reader an idea of what the band in focus are about. the bands name is in bold and is larger than the mast head which shows that the magazine focuses more on the bands and they are the most important thing the reader wants to read. the magazine shows this idea further as one of the bands heads partially covers the mast head, which i think shows that the magazine relies on its big named bands to pull in the readership as the actual brand name is not well known.

the cover is packed with information of what is inside as well as free posters and other articles featured within. this could be showing the style of music as it is very frantic and loud but could also be showing the magazines need to pull in the reader, however this makes some of the sub headings hard to read. i think packing the front cover like this would appeal to the younger generation as they want all the news they can get about their favourite bands and events. however in my magazine i dont think i will packthe front cover too much as i feel it makes the cover look to frantic.

magazine research: MOJO

i have chosen MOJO magazine because it is the magazine i mostly buy and is also the style and type of magazine i am thinking of producing.

facts and history: it is published by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom; after the success of Q magazine its publishers wanted to produce a magazine devoted to classical rock; Noted for its coverage of both popular and cult acts (which is a theme i would like my magazine to have); it acted as the inspiration for Blender and Uncut. 1993-present day

the magazine however has been critisied for focusing to much on these older bands like bob dylan which i will try to avoid as i want my magazine to cover a whole variety of good, real music.

MOJO often includes a cd on the front cover which ties into the main article, which appeals to the reader as they are intresteed in music and 'freebies' appeal to mostly everyone. it would also appeal the the readers of the magazine as the music is in the genre they are reading and most probably listen too.

forms and conventions: the front cover mostly always has a portrait of the band or singer that that weeks main feature is bleeded to the edge of the page. the font used has become synomous with the brand of MOJO as the writing is in bold and bursts of the shelf at you. the font is also quite edgy and ties in with the classic rock genre. the name and brand has also become well known and is a respected magazine which would also draw people into purchasing it, as the magazine can be relied upon. they also often use black and white images on the front cover which yet again fits in with the theme of 'old school' rock. this also makes the mast head and sub headers stand out more which could be conveying the two sides of the magazine; on the one hand they want to remind the readers of the greats and on the other they want to show the new talent coming through. this is what i like about this magazine as it focuses on popular music and also up and coming, new talent; they give everyone a chance if they sound good.

questionaire

i have made a questionaire for research for my music magazine. i have asked how much people would pay and how often they buy magazine. i have also have also asked which genres people prefer and which of my titles they prefer. i came up with a wide variety of titles that could fit into most genres, to make it easy for people to fit a title with their chosen genre. i used a few famous song lines as well as other titles that connote a certain genre.. i also asked what to include in my magazine so i could gain ideas of what to put in my contents page and which pages i should include within my magazine. i then asked for colours that would fit with the participants chosen genre which will help me choose a colour scheme that fits in with the genre.
this is my questionaire
Music Magazine Questionnaire

Hello, my name is Charlie Quainton and I am studying A level Media. For my main project I am making a music magazine and I would greatly appreciate it if you could fill out this questionnaire, to help with my research. This questionnaire is completely confidential and the results are only for my AS project.

(Circle appropriate)

1) Gender: Male Female

2) Age Group: 13-14 15-16 17-18 19-20 21+

3) How often do you purchase music magazines: every week every month

fortnightly rarely never
4) Which of the Genres do you prefer:
Alternative Indie Metal folk

Drum and Bass Garage Rock
5) Which of these names fit in with your chosen genre:
The Tune Turn It Up The Amp Rage Paint It Black

Injection Bass Pedal Music Breakdown What Noise? Walk the Line
Way We Live Can’t stop real sound

6) How much would you pay for a magazine: £1-£1.50 £1.51-£2 £2.01-£2.50

£2.51-£3 £3.01-£3.50 £3.51-£4 Other .

7) What would you like in a magazine: Reviews music fashion

discounts and promotions latest band news interviews competitions

musical events other .

8) Would you like the magazine more about: A) live music B) album/single news

9) What type of colour scheme would go with your chosen music Genre:

Write here: .

10) Do you think a magazine of your chosen genre would sell well: Yes No

Why: .



Thank you for filling out this questionnaire. Your comments are greatly appreciated and will help me to decide the style and look of my magazine.

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Prelimary task

i have to have done some prelimniary work for the course. for my priliminary task i am creating a magazine for school, to get a basic knowledge and skill at making and producing a front cover and contents page. i have to have make a front cover and a contents page. firstly i will do research such as a questionaire to see what pupils want in a school magazine.

Questionnaire
I am a 6th form student from Sheldon School and am making a student magazine. Thank you for filling this form out and it is greatly appreciated.

Year: 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Gender: Male Female

How often do you read magazines?
Often sometimes rarely never

What subjects do u want from a magazine?
Music film school sports Games school news
Other:


How much would you be willing to pay for a school magazine?


What types of articles would you want in the magazine?

Reviews interviews features rants comedy
Other:


Do you think there would be a need for a school magazine?
Yes no

Would you want the colours of the school to be the main colours of the magazine?

Yes No something new

Anything else you would want from the magazine?

this is my questionaire that i gave out to ten students from my year. i think given more time i would have given out more and to other years to actualy find out what people want, but as this is just a preliminary task i just took a small sample. my results showed that pupils would want a magazine and that most would be willing to pay a small sum of money for it. however most pupils didnt want thae magazine to be mainly about school and to have other articles and features mostly on film and music. most people thought that using the school colours would be a good idea for the magazine so i will use the school colours to keep cohesion between the front and contents page.

then i needed to start on the front cover. firstly i drew some sketches of the front cover. i had to meet certain criteria from the exam board. this was to include a medium close up picture and to do a school magazine. i have done a school magazine and so i sketched my front cover with a medium close up bust of a student. i set out the whole page with headers and titles. this helped me picture the end product as i could see what looks good where. for my front cover i decided to use sheldons recent GCSE results as a focus as the main article in my magazine. in my sketch i drew a year 12 student smiling with sheldon success written underneath. at the head of the page i put the magazines title 'sheldon news'. i then went into the common room to find a student. i took some pictures for my page.

these are my original pictures. i took a few pictures so i had more to choose from. i decided i liked the lighting and the compostion in my first pictures of sam. i feel he is well centered and the light on his face is pretty good. i feel the shot is well framed and composed and it is in focus. i dont really like the the background noise because if i use it completely and bleed it on my front page then some of the titles and articles will be hard to read. if i had more time i would have taken some more pictures with a clearer back ground but as i dont i think i will do some editing on photoshop.

i uploaded my chosen image onto photoshop and decided to cut out the background as there was too much going on and would be hard to distinguish any headers or taglines. instead i made the background coherant with the rest of the magazine by using the school colours. this came out pretty well but i dont think i will use it on my magazine.

after finishing off my front cover i proceeded onto my contents. i used the same font and colour scheme to aid cohesion and also put the mast head in an oval like the front cover. i drew out all the sub headers and boxers and in the end the contents page was relitivley easy to do. i feel however again i did not have enough time so ended up rushing it a bit, somehting i will try not to do on my actual project.

i feel this preliminary task was important as i got the basic idea and feel of what it takes to make a magazine. i also aquired some new knowledge of photoshop and how to use it to get the effect i wanted.

this is my final front cover. it ended up reasonably but i dont think it has a very high quality and looks unprofessional which i will try to avoid in my magazine like the blue back ground.

Introduction to project

For my AS media studies i will research about magazines and the industry surrounding them. i have created a preliminary magazine, for my school, so i could get used to using photoshop and other computor programs to create the look of my magazine, whilst reaseaching the magazine industry and useful knowledge, to put towards my main music magazine.
this series of blogs will present my work and how i am progressing each week, showing my research, planning and production of my magazine. this will keep track of what i have done so i can keep up to date with the magazine. first of all i shall do research into the magazine and for things i should include with the use of a questionaire.

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