Second Draft of Front Cover

First Draft Of My Front Cover

More Images taken for my front Cover

Images taken for my front Cover

Progression of my Front Cover

 



 

I started my front cover by adding the typical conventions of a magazine such as the title, header, barcode and feature stories as I started creating my magazine before I'd taken any images. Doing this allowed me to get a clear idea of how to frame my main image when it camer to taking them.

I then added my main image making sure that it's framed to fit the page properly around the template I had already created.

Once I added the main image, I then changed the levels to enhance the brightness and the colour which enabled the image to stand out more or fit in with the other bright coolours on the page.
I also added a plug and the main feature story. I made the two features both the same colour as I felt that as well as fitting the colour scheme it made the cover as a whole match more. I decided to make the main feature story the largest on the screen as this allows the reader to identify what story accompanies the main image and also, this enlargement is a common feature among music magazines and due to this I felt like it would help to portray the realism of my final cover.

I then changed the colour of my plug slightly by lowering the opacity as I thought that the red was too bright on the eyes and took the readers attention from the main image and feature story. As well as changing this, I then changed the colour of the word 'softer' on my main feature story as I could decide which colour looked better so by experimenting with them all, I could thenn decide which colour to choose which in this case was yellow and this fit better by being the same as 'Callum'.

Test Shots

I took several test images as this allowed me to find the right setttings on the camera and identify the right lighting and camera techniques  to find out which would be suitable for use in the different elements of my magazine.

Close up

 Although it is unconventional and unlikely to use a close up on my front cover, I decided to test it anyway as this allowed me to experiment with different tecnhiques and also discover what I could possibly use for my double page spread as this shot is more likely to be featured on there.

 

Mid Close up

 

 

Mid Shot

 

 

Long Shot
I tested a long shot as I know that I wouldn't use this on my front cover due to the fact that it doesn't make the main sunject easy to identify which isn't what you want on the front cover as you want instant assosiations to be made with the artist on the cover and all the detail and clarity of the image have been taken away.

Two Shot

 

 

Bad Lighting

Experimenting with different types of lighting allowed me to discover what settings of both my camera and the lights should be on. For example, I wouldn't use this image on my front cover as this is badly lit and shadows have been formed which takes away the detail of the image and overall isn't nice or good quality to look at.

 

Bad Framing

Demographics

What are demographics?

Demographics are a measurable characteristic of media consumers such as age, gender, race, education and income level.

For my magazine I will be aiming my magazine at the social classes of C2-E on the social demographic scale. Where C2 are skilled manual workers, D are Semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers and E being Unemployed, students, pensioners and casual workers. I will achieve this and adhere to their needs by including more pictures, include articles such as Q and A's or more gossip geared, I will make the price fairly cheap as these social classes don't tend to have as much disposable income and the quality won't be as good as magazines such as Q.

My magazine will be biweekly and I will price this at £2.20 as I know this is a very affordable and reasonable price for my target audience and the frequency of its publishing.

My target audience would prefer free gifts/prizes such as festival tickets as this is a very popular interest among them all and this was the most frequent suggestion that came up. 

Looking at the social class of my target audience will help me to make the content of my feature stories more appropriate to them for example, people of lower class won't be as interested in articles that contain a lot of of text and the actual content, they'd prefer things such as Q and A's or just finding out about celebrities in their reality rather than learning any knowledge. 

Audience Research Focus Group

Audience Research

Why is audience research important and how will it help you when creating your magazine?

• Because it's important to understand the target audiences needs and interests as they can target articles and adverts to the selected audience.
• They might ask what artists the target audience like so that they can feature the most popular ones in the magazine and therefore sell more issues. 
• It allows you to find out what prices your target audience are willing to pay which is also dependant on how often the issues are published.

Colour Scheme Research

Google Mock Up Of Contents Page

Google Mock Up Of Front Cover

Chosen Colour Scheme

I chose this colour scheme of black, white, yellow and red as these colours are very typical of the ones within the genre I am representing, This is because they focus primarily on very dark, masculine colours unlike a magazine within the pop genre would which would focus on bright, girly colours such as pinks and purples.

Possible Colour Schemes

Possible Names For My Music Magazine

I chose these possible names for my masthead as they are very short and catchy which is a very common aspect of magazines as long titles aren't as effective on the reader.

I also came up with these ideas after doing my music magazine title research, I found that all of their names had meanings behind them that also related and made connections to their genre. For example I chose the title piercing as you get noises and sounds that just pierce your ears and it also makes a reference to body piercings which is very commonly associated with the genre of my choice as my target audience tend to like and have piercings.
I came up with the idea of 'Mayhem' as the target audience of my magazine are known for being rebellious, trouble causes that create mayhem and disruptions. Also with some of the heavier metal, they purposefully create their music to be loud and all over the place which again presents the idea of mayhem.
'Heavy' also refers to the heavy metal aspect of my genre choice, This idea is one I'm not likely going to chose as it doesn't cover every aspect of my target audience.
'RIOT!' refers to the stereotype that all of the people in my target audience are loud and disruptive. It also refers to an album by the band 'Paramore' who are very popular among my target audience and it also describes the loudness of the music.
'Misguided' is to accompany the stereotype that the people in my target audience have been mislead or gotten into the wrong crowd.
'Harsh' is used to represent and describe some of the heavier music within the genre and describe a noise of the electric guitar.
I chose the title 'Uproar' to have as my final magazine title as this has very loud and disruptive connotations that go with it. It's these connotations that are mostly associated with all of my target audience and I felt like this was the better option as it didn't exclude any of my target audience.

Music Magazine Name Research

Experimenting With Fonts

For my titles, I decided to focus on fonts that were 'fuller', less fancy and had a more 'rugged' and cut up look to it. This is because this would be more fitting and appropriate to my chosen genre,

Mood Board

Genre Research

My Own Reader Profile

Reader Profile Analysis

This is a reader profile from NME. The purpose of a reader profile is to show the key information about the reader and to allow the magazine producers to see who reads their magazine. In doing this, it allows them to see who to aim their contents at.
We can see that there are a lot more males that read this magazine as 74% of the readers are male compared to the 26% of females. The median age of this magazine is 23. This information shows us that the content should be aimed at young adults who are primarily male. As we can see by the cars, alcohol, hair products and technology displayed, the content already shows who their target audience are.
They need to know about the price as 42% of the readers are students and the producers know that students don't have a lot of money so if they have an appropriate price, more students will be willing to buy the magazine so they'll hopefully sell more copies. It's also done to meet the audiences expectations as they'll expect to see a reasonable price on the cover. The images are also things that students buy which again is a way to keep their product aimed at their target audience as students will feel more comfortable in buying this magazine as the things inside are the typical everyday things that they use. Readers have stated that they trust the magazine and the magazine is honest. It is important that NME are aware of this as it is essential that they continue to meet the needs of the audience who expect nothing but honesty and this will help to keep and attract their target audience. Another thing NME have included to keep their target audience engaged are opportunities to find out about their other interests such as music, films and technology. This gives NME producers more ideas about what to base and include their features on while focusing on the interests in mind.
This frame will help me when it comes to making my magazine as it will allow me to see all of the information about my target audience and will help me to make thoughtful decisions about my choices and ideas.

Conventions Analysis - Double Page Spread

Conventions Analysis - Contents Page

Conventions Analysis - Front Covers