Monday 18 April 2011
Question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task (the school magazine task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full prod
Throughout creating my product i have learned a lot and i have progressed durastically. Research and planning My research and planning has become a lot more effective. For example, i now kow exactly what to look for in an existing products and i now know wat they are trying to achieve by using different colours etc. Therefore, in my Final AS product i created my product inline with other professional products, whereas with the preliminary task i just created it almost on a whim. (have a more detailed understanding of the forms and conventions of real media products). I also managed my time a lot better so i could do my research and planning a lot more effectively and by using new programs such as prezi, i layed out my planning research in a better way that i could look at and use for my construction more effectively. Construction In my construction, my knowledge of using a camera increased durastically, i went from just simply taken a picture with no proper knowledge apart from what button takes the picture, to learning about things such as shutter speed etc. I learned about how shot composition was important and i was thinking whilst taking the photograph how it would fit into my magazine, because of this i used a white background with high-key lighting. My product layout was also a lot more effective in my final product. This was because of an increased knowledge of how professional products look and a superior knowledge of how to use the programs (photoshop and indesign). I learned things such as the leading and height of text and the text to image ratio etc. And i learned about alignment and how this is important along with how to use effective font and make them look clear and bold so that it stand's out to the target audience.
Question 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Throughout this project i have learned vast amount of skills and have now got a transferable skill base within the programs etc. That i used. I learned how to use a stills camera and tripod effectivley and learned how to get good shots.
I also learned and used properly for the first time adobe photoshop and adobe indesign. For example, i learned how to change leading and height of text and i learned how to insert an image. I also learned how to put the model of a picture over text. I learned how to create effective products on both these products. On indesign i learned how to create rows and then how to insert images and work around this. I also learned how to use colours effectivly in the construction phase.
I also learned in the planning and research about how colours, picture angles and how the way the model is looking changed the look of the picture. In the planning and research stage i also used prezi for the first time and used other programs such as youtube and blogspot.
I also learned and used properly for the first time adobe photoshop and adobe indesign. For example, i learned how to change leading and height of text and i learned how to insert an image. I also learned how to put the model of a picture over text. I learned how to create effective products on both these products. On indesign i learned how to create rows and then how to insert images and work around this. I also learned how to use colours effectivly in the construction phase.
I also learned in the planning and research about how colours, picture angles and how the way the model is looking changed the look of the picture. In the planning and research stage i also used prezi for the first time and used other programs such as youtube and blogspot.
Thursday 14 April 2011
Monday 11 April 2011
Saturday 9 April 2011
Friday 8 April 2011
Wednesday 2 February 2011
Screenshots of production
This is a screen shot so far of my cover. I think it has potential but is still very much in the development phase and some of the ideas from my flatplans wont work within the actual cover. For example, in my flatplans the picture didnt take up as much of the covder as in my real product. However i feel that this works a lot better but i will need to make adjustments to the text which will now be placed on top of the picture. I will need it to be clearer. To do this i will use a lighter coloured font instead of the dark burgendy and i will use a more simple font and wont use different fonts for the bands names. 
Here is my next attempt. Here i have made the prodominent colour a lightish blue. This is because it stands out on both light and dark backgrounds and suits the cover, in my opinion. I have also added more features that appeared in my flatplans. For example,t he review box near the bottom. However, i feel that this still does not look neat enough and i will work towards making it look neater by using a different font and laying it out slightly different.
This is the layout and effect my magazine will now take. I have changed the fonts and colour scheme mainly and think this works much better as a magazine cover. 
This is my final cover. I will now start work on the contents.
This is my first try at the contents. I am relatively happy with the sresult but i think i need one large picture instead of two smaller pictures.
This is the final version of my contents that i edited and changed from the earlier picture.
Today i did my double page spread.
Photoshoot images
Article Drafts
Introduction
First Draft
Live, Love, Learns new up and coming album has been largely anticipated for months now and the excitment of the loyal fans is almost unbearable. It is considered to be one of the top albums of the year, according to crtitics everywhere.
When we first heard it here at feedback! magazine, we had to note the huge emotional release of the vocalist throughout the album, along with the melodic riffs written by the band.
It is clear throughout listening to the album, and the way they now play, that they have transformed as a band from when we at feedback! first heard them as a small, unknown band from Bristol, all the way back in 2004. They have struck a balance between the rough around the edges first album and the perhaps over-refined second album to find the perfect sound.
We catch up with them in an exclusive interview:
I feel that this is an okay introduction, however i think it sometimes sounds a bit impersonal, for example not naming the band and not treating them too much as individuals, this is something that i will change in my final draft. I also think the name of the band works better without commers.
Final Draft
Live Love Learns new and upcoming album has been largely anticipated and is considered to eb one of the top albums of the year, according to critics nationwide.
We heard the album here at Feedback! magazine and thought that we had to note the emotional release of vocalist Sarah Newman and the melodic riffs written by guitarists Tom Allen, Sam Thompson and drummer James Mathews.
It is clear that they've come a long way since the last album and have almost transformed as a band fromt he early days when we first heard them at Bristol back in 2004! They have struck a balance between the rough around the edges first album and the perhaps over-refined second album ro find the perfect sound. We catch up with them in an exclusive interview;
Here i have used the first draft and targetted bits that i thought needed changing, that i mentioned in the first draft, such as the impersonal approach that tyhe first draft took.
Interview with band
First draft
FB: Cheers guys, im glad you took the time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions for us today. So, how do you think your album will be recieved?
TA: We are really excited about the new album and hope we found a good balance between the two former albums. I also hope the fans can handle it as it sounds like nothing we have done before. haha.
SN: It has been a while, so i think we are all quite nervous, but i hope we have still kept fans and maybe we will even find some new ones. haha.
FB: You mentioned its been 3 years, are you a bit nervous about the way the music scene has changed?
TA: Yes, but i hope the fans will have stuck by us. Haha. But we have all stayed in music, with side projects and such that have all seemed to go down well, so im sure we will be fine, we're definatly excited about the future.
FB: Whats happening in the future then? Any plans of tours and such?
JM: Well, to go with the new album, we have a loosely planned tour across europe and Australia, which we are really excited for, it will be probably be loosely planned for the whole thing. Haha. But we are really excited cos we rarely get the chance to play outside of the uk, so to have the oppertunity to do a whole tour abroad will be amazing.
FB: Is it fair to say that this album has had more band input than indivisual input?
JM: I think weve all influenced past records, but probably now more than ever. We have all worked together on this one, instead of writing individual parts.
ST: We have definatly gone a different way with this album, but the leaks that have been exposed to the internet have gone down well, so i think we have pulled it off! Haha.
FB: So when can we expect to hear this album and have you got any plans for writing in the future?
JM: You can expect our album to be released mid march, and it will be called Brave enough to fail.
ST: We are all just goina take it how it comes i think, but hopefully writing in the future is a possibility.
SN: I think we are all up for writing more, but we dont want to make any promises! Haha.
FB: Cool, cheers! Anyone you'd like to say thanks to then?
JM: Yeah, we'd like to thank all the fans that have stuck by us, our record label; Purgatory records , and all the other bands that have helped us out with writing this album and touring.
I am generally happy with this. I like the way all the band has a equal imput and i like the way it is layed out, question and answer in a discussion format. However, i will change the 'haha' to (laughs) and i will also change some of the language used to make the interview 'flow'. However, i liked the way i used both correct grammer, but some slang to portray the way it was said in real life. For example, words such as 'goina' and 'cos'. I also feel that its got to be more directed at the UK, since its a UK magazine, for example, in the touring question, I will also mention that they are returning to the UK.
Final Draft
FB: Cheers guys, im glad you found the time to escape your busy schedule to answer some questions for us today. So, how do you think your album will be recieved?
TA: We are really excited and hope we have found a good balance of the last two albums.
SN: It's been 3 years, so we are always going to be a bit nervous. But i hope we have still kept fans and will maybe even find some more.
FB: You mentioned it's been 3 years, are you not a bit nervous of the way the music scene has changed?
TA: Yes, but i think fans will have stuck by us (laughs) we have all had side projects that seemed to go down well so we are just excited about the future.
FB: What's happening in the future then? Any plans of tours and such?
JM: We are planning on touring across Europe and maybe Australia this year. We are really excited because we have never toured out of the Uk. We are also excited to go back to London because we always get a really good reception there.
FB: Is it fair to say that the whole band has had a much more creative influence on this album then?
JM: I think we've all influenced the band in the past, but probably now more than ever. We have all worked with each other, instead of writing our own individual parts.
ST: We've definitely gone a different way with this album, but the leaks have been recieved extremely well on the internet, so i think we've pulled it off! (laughs)
FB: So when can we expect to hear this album? And have you got any plans for the future?
JM: You can expect our album to be released in mid march, and it will be called Brave Enough To Fail.
ST: We are just goina take it how it comes i think, but hopefully writing in the future is on the cards.
SN: I thinkw e are all up for writing more, but we dont want to make any promises! (laughs)
FB: Cool, thanks! Would you like to make any thanks then?
JM: Yeah, we'd like to thank all the fans that have stuck by us, our label; Purgatory Records and all the bands that have supported us with writing this album and touring.
First Draft
Live, Love, Learns new up and coming album has been largely anticipated for months now and the excitment of the loyal fans is almost unbearable. It is considered to be one of the top albums of the year, according to crtitics everywhere.
When we first heard it here at feedback! magazine, we had to note the huge emotional release of the vocalist throughout the album, along with the melodic riffs written by the band.
It is clear throughout listening to the album, and the way they now play, that they have transformed as a band from when we at feedback! first heard them as a small, unknown band from Bristol, all the way back in 2004. They have struck a balance between the rough around the edges first album and the perhaps over-refined second album to find the perfect sound.
We catch up with them in an exclusive interview:
I feel that this is an okay introduction, however i think it sometimes sounds a bit impersonal, for example not naming the band and not treating them too much as individuals, this is something that i will change in my final draft. I also think the name of the band works better without commers.
Final Draft
Live Love Learns new and upcoming album has been largely anticipated and is considered to eb one of the top albums of the year, according to critics nationwide.
We heard the album here at Feedback! magazine and thought that we had to note the emotional release of vocalist Sarah Newman and the melodic riffs written by guitarists Tom Allen, Sam Thompson and drummer James Mathews.
It is clear that they've come a long way since the last album and have almost transformed as a band fromt he early days when we first heard them at Bristol back in 2004! They have struck a balance between the rough around the edges first album and the perhaps over-refined second album ro find the perfect sound. We catch up with them in an exclusive interview;
Here i have used the first draft and targetted bits that i thought needed changing, that i mentioned in the first draft, such as the impersonal approach that tyhe first draft took.
Interview with band
First draft
FB: Cheers guys, im glad you took the time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions for us today. So, how do you think your album will be recieved?
TA: We are really excited about the new album and hope we found a good balance between the two former albums. I also hope the fans can handle it as it sounds like nothing we have done before. haha.
SN: It has been a while, so i think we are all quite nervous, but i hope we have still kept fans and maybe we will even find some new ones. haha.
FB: You mentioned its been 3 years, are you a bit nervous about the way the music scene has changed?
TA: Yes, but i hope the fans will have stuck by us. Haha. But we have all stayed in music, with side projects and such that have all seemed to go down well, so im sure we will be fine, we're definatly excited about the future.
FB: Whats happening in the future then? Any plans of tours and such?
JM: Well, to go with the new album, we have a loosely planned tour across europe and Australia, which we are really excited for, it will be probably be loosely planned for the whole thing. Haha. But we are really excited cos we rarely get the chance to play outside of the uk, so to have the oppertunity to do a whole tour abroad will be amazing.
FB: Is it fair to say that this album has had more band input than indivisual input?
JM: I think weve all influenced past records, but probably now more than ever. We have all worked together on this one, instead of writing individual parts.
ST: We have definatly gone a different way with this album, but the leaks that have been exposed to the internet have gone down well, so i think we have pulled it off! Haha.
FB: So when can we expect to hear this album and have you got any plans for writing in the future?
JM: You can expect our album to be released mid march, and it will be called Brave enough to fail.
ST: We are all just goina take it how it comes i think, but hopefully writing in the future is a possibility.
SN: I think we are all up for writing more, but we dont want to make any promises! Haha.
FB: Cool, cheers! Anyone you'd like to say thanks to then?
JM: Yeah, we'd like to thank all the fans that have stuck by us, our record label; Purgatory records , and all the other bands that have helped us out with writing this album and touring.
I am generally happy with this. I like the way all the band has a equal imput and i like the way it is layed out, question and answer in a discussion format. However, i will change the 'haha' to (laughs) and i will also change some of the language used to make the interview 'flow'. However, i liked the way i used both correct grammer, but some slang to portray the way it was said in real life. For example, words such as 'goina' and 'cos'. I also feel that its got to be more directed at the UK, since its a UK magazine, for example, in the touring question, I will also mention that they are returning to the UK.
Final Draft
FB: Cheers guys, im glad you found the time to escape your busy schedule to answer some questions for us today. So, how do you think your album will be recieved?
TA: We are really excited and hope we have found a good balance of the last two albums.
SN: It's been 3 years, so we are always going to be a bit nervous. But i hope we have still kept fans and will maybe even find some more.
FB: You mentioned it's been 3 years, are you not a bit nervous of the way the music scene has changed?
TA: Yes, but i think fans will have stuck by us (laughs) we have all had side projects that seemed to go down well so we are just excited about the future.
FB: What's happening in the future then? Any plans of tours and such?
JM: We are planning on touring across Europe and maybe Australia this year. We are really excited because we have never toured out of the Uk. We are also excited to go back to London because we always get a really good reception there.
FB: Is it fair to say that the whole band has had a much more creative influence on this album then?
JM: I think we've all influenced the band in the past, but probably now more than ever. We have all worked with each other, instead of writing our own individual parts.
ST: We've definitely gone a different way with this album, but the leaks have been recieved extremely well on the internet, so i think we've pulled it off! (laughs)
FB: So when can we expect to hear this album? And have you got any plans for the future?
JM: You can expect our album to be released in mid march, and it will be called Brave Enough To Fail.
ST: We are just goina take it how it comes i think, but hopefully writing in the future is on the cards.
SN: I thinkw e are all up for writing more, but we dont want to make any promises! (laughs)
FB: Cool, thanks! Would you like to make any thanks then?
JM: Yeah, we'd like to thank all the fans that have stuck by us, our label; Purgatory Records and all the bands that have supported us with writing this album and touring.
I am happy with this interview, i think it gives a good insight to the band and it sounds personal to the band. It also gives the fan all the information they would want to know, in a funny, conversational kind of way, which is, in my opinion, layed out properly and shows how the interview happened.
Article Planning
For my article (double page spread), the main focus will be to entertain the reader. The style of the article will be as an interview with the band 'livelovelearn'. It will be entertaining and mainly informative. They will be talking about an upcoming album and tour and because the interview will be kept short, this will all have to be answered quickly.
The narrative will be in 3rd person. This is because as i will script the interview as a conversation between the interviewer and the band. For example;
interviewer: what did you have for breakfast this morning?
band: toast
I feel that this is the best and most simple way to record an interview. I feel that if there is any humour in the interview it will be shown best this way and the whole interview when written down flows better like this. I will use the initials for anybody talking, for example, for the magazine (FEEDBACK!) it will be FB: and then for the initials the person, for example, for Sam Thompson would be ST:
As it is an interview, when it is written down it will be seen to be quite formal with basically a question then answer, but it will actually be more like an informal conversation with the band. Even though it is generally question and answer, the band will develop on some questions and it will become more of a conversation than a strict question/answer interview. For example, when more than one band member contributes to an answer and it develop's from there. However just so its easier to read it will be kept quite formal in the magazine. I feel that by keeping it as more of a conversation will get more out of the band members and allowing them to develop more on the questions brings out more humour and more information.
The language will be kept at a good medium between using 'slang' and keeping it grammatically correct. So that it's easier to read it will generally be kept gramatically correct. However sometimes so that the reader can get a sense of an accent or a joke etc. Slang will be used. For example; using 'cos instead of because. I also think that this will help the reader relate more to the band because if it seems they use 'posh' language it might defer the reader a little bit from the band as opposed to if they spoke like the reader. I also think that slang should be used for example if someone says something such as chillin' or cruisin', just to add to the effect of what whoever is saying it is trying to achieve and to make it more humerous.
It will open with a introduction of the band to the readers, named each member, their role in the band, a little bit about the band and what style they are etc. then it will quickly develop into a question/answer layout. The questions i will ask are; and it will end with the band saying thanks to anyone they feel helped them, for example, parents, record labels etc.
The narrative will be in 3rd person. This is because as i will script the interview as a conversation between the interviewer and the band. For example;
interviewer: what did you have for breakfast this morning?
band: toast
I feel that this is the best and most simple way to record an interview. I feel that if there is any humour in the interview it will be shown best this way and the whole interview when written down flows better like this. I will use the initials for anybody talking, for example, for the magazine (FEEDBACK!) it will be FB: and then for the initials the person, for example, for Sam Thompson would be ST:
As it is an interview, when it is written down it will be seen to be quite formal with basically a question then answer, but it will actually be more like an informal conversation with the band. Even though it is generally question and answer, the band will develop on some questions and it will become more of a conversation than a strict question/answer interview. For example, when more than one band member contributes to an answer and it develop's from there. However just so its easier to read it will be kept quite formal in the magazine. I feel that by keeping it as more of a conversation will get more out of the band members and allowing them to develop more on the questions brings out more humour and more information.
The language will be kept at a good medium between using 'slang' and keeping it grammatically correct. So that it's easier to read it will generally be kept gramatically correct. However sometimes so that the reader can get a sense of an accent or a joke etc. Slang will be used. For example; using 'cos instead of because. I also think that this will help the reader relate more to the band because if it seems they use 'posh' language it might defer the reader a little bit from the band as opposed to if they spoke like the reader. I also think that slang should be used for example if someone says something such as chillin' or cruisin', just to add to the effect of what whoever is saying it is trying to achieve and to make it more humerous.
It will open with a introduction of the band to the readers, named each member, their role in the band, a little bit about the band and what style they are etc. then it will quickly develop into a question/answer layout. The questions i will ask are; and it will end with the band saying thanks to anyone they feel helped them, for example, parents, record labels etc.
Journalism skills development
I took some time to look at existing journalism articles such as reviews for albums, live concerts and interviews. Things i looked out for were; the style of the article, word count and words per line in each article, how the article grabs the attention of people, seeing wether or not there is a 'kicker' paragraph and wether or not there is a use of alliteration and play on words. I also looked for the structure of the article, Articles can work like newspaper stories with the most important content at the start, with progressively less important content following on. If the most important content comes later, how will you make sure your readers keep reading till they get to it?
Ive also got to look for the beginning and end. How does the content sound important, dramatic, exclusive, new, different, something that must be read? And what would make the ending of your article have impact, be punchy or dramatic? Is there something that would sum up the spirit of the article, what it has found out or revealed? What will the future hold for the artist / band? Etc.
Below, is an album review that i attempted to write about the more than life album 'love let me go'.
The huge emotional release of the singer James Matthews was the first thing that struck me when i began listening to the increadably aggressive, angry and meaningful album that is love let me go. The lyrcisist that is James Matthews could make you forget that the whole album is written about a single girl and makes the album even more impressive. Especially since most of us can relate to situations like what he's shouting about. His raw and limited voice goes perfectly with the ratty image that is more than life and migth we remind you that the band recorded the album in 4 days onto garage band. So they barely think of themselves as proffessionals, and although you can hear the recording quality, the guitars are top notch, dishing out moments of dissonance before beautiful ambiance and aggression. As with scarlet skyline and daisy hill, there is a demonstration of prominent lead guitar that magnifys the emotion dripping feel of the track.
This album is the reason i will look back on 2010 with positive eyes, saying it was a good for uk hardcore. Love let me go is the sound of a sorrow filled heart going through recuperation and James' lyrics are amazing for this. This album is a definate hidden gem amongst a sea of average music with every single. song being a gripping emotional story, a definate all killer no filler album.
The album is messy. Recorded in 4 days onto garage band, we can see why. These guys dont see themselves as professionals and definatly arnt obnoxious rock stars. However the amount of effort and emotion that is put through the mic shows how much music means to them and just because the album is messy doesnt mean it takes anything away from it.
More than life are a band that lie calmy beneath the surface of uk hardcore, occasionally bursting out with something huge, then just retreating to the background once again to work on their newest project, but they never burn out and i cant wait to see what their next project is.
I am working simply with what i have picked up from reading other articles etc. as i did not take english. However i think this is okay, i just need to keep it creative with the language and follow the conventions, because i feel with text, it is better to follow the conventions because it gets to messy if you dont.
Ive also got to look for the beginning and end. How does the content sound important, dramatic, exclusive, new, different, something that must be read? And what would make the ending of your article have impact, be punchy or dramatic? Is there something that would sum up the spirit of the article, what it has found out or revealed? What will the future hold for the artist / band? Etc.
Below, is an album review that i attempted to write about the more than life album 'love let me go'.
The huge emotional release of the singer James Matthews was the first thing that struck me when i began listening to the increadably aggressive, angry and meaningful album that is love let me go. The lyrcisist that is James Matthews could make you forget that the whole album is written about a single girl and makes the album even more impressive. Especially since most of us can relate to situations like what he's shouting about. His raw and limited voice goes perfectly with the ratty image that is more than life and migth we remind you that the band recorded the album in 4 days onto garage band. So they barely think of themselves as proffessionals, and although you can hear the recording quality, the guitars are top notch, dishing out moments of dissonance before beautiful ambiance and aggression. As with scarlet skyline and daisy hill, there is a demonstration of prominent lead guitar that magnifys the emotion dripping feel of the track.
This album is the reason i will look back on 2010 with positive eyes, saying it was a good for uk hardcore. Love let me go is the sound of a sorrow filled heart going through recuperation and James' lyrics are amazing for this. This album is a definate hidden gem amongst a sea of average music with every single. song being a gripping emotional story, a definate all killer no filler album.
The album is messy. Recorded in 4 days onto garage band, we can see why. These guys dont see themselves as professionals and definatly arnt obnoxious rock stars. However the amount of effort and emotion that is put through the mic shows how much music means to them and just because the album is messy doesnt mean it takes anything away from it.
More than life are a band that lie calmy beneath the surface of uk hardcore, occasionally bursting out with something huge, then just retreating to the background once again to work on their newest project, but they never burn out and i cant wait to see what their next project is.
I am working simply with what i have picked up from reading other articles etc. as i did not take english. However i think this is okay, i just need to keep it creative with the language and follow the conventions, because i feel with text, it is better to follow the conventions because it gets to messy if you dont.
Photoshoot plans
As you can see from the planning, i will use a studio with a large white background. I will also use high key lighting on the subject in the photo. To do this i will have two large flashes that will go off when the camera goes off. They will be at opposite sides to ensure that liughting is equal. I may also have the background looking a bit ratty if i can do this without vandalising it. This will give it a good effect that im trying to create in my cover.
Flatplans
I will make my cover look quite clean, with a block of features inside the magazine on the left hand side and sell lines etc. With a large picture of a band int he middle and a large title.-
For the contents, i am going to write in a fairly small font and simply make it informative about where everything is in the magazine. I will have a featured and regulars section to make it easier to understand and quicker to get to where you want. I will also include an image like most other professional contents pages just to make it look more interesting. The descriptions of whats in the magazine will be quite brief however they will be more indepth than on the cover.
For the double page spread i will have on one page a large title and picture of the band with a quotation and then on the next i will have the full interview. I will have the image overlapping into the interview slightly to show they are together and to give it that 'ratty' feel to themagazine
( like in most metal magazines). however, it msut still look quite 'clean cut' in the way it is rpesented, suing continuity with the use of colours (red white and black) and making it easy to read and look at.
Proposal of ideas
I intend to create a music magazine in print format. I intend the target audience for this magazine to be between the ages of about 17-27 (i found from my audience research and by going to shows etc. that it is approximatly this age that are into this genre of music) who are interested in hardcore/metal music and are passionate about it enough to look for music, buy magazines, go to shows etc. As this genre of music is not mainstream, the vast majority of readers would be passionate and interested in music and will search for music as this genre is primerily quite underground. The purpose of the magazine, like other music magazine's is to inform and entertain the reader. To inform them with news on albums, new artists, dates for shows etc. and to entertain them using interviews with bands etc. Therefore my cover includes advertisments for interviews and album reviews etc. The main reason people buy magazines is because they are interesting to read and entertaining. Because it is about the type of music the readers listen to, interest will already have been generated. For the cover of my magazine i will have a large picture of the artist i will interview in the magazine. I want this artist to look a little big crazy, on the edge and also superior to the reader. I will also use free postors and exclusive's to try and draw attention and put my magazine above other's of the same type. I will also advertise what else is inside with the name of the artist and a brief description. In the contents i will use a small font to try and fit all the information needed onto the page. I will have a picture surrounded by information of whats inside the magazine, including the magazine regulars ( letters etc.) and the interviews etc. The double page spread will include a picture of the band on one page and an interview in a small font on the next. The picture will overlap a bit to form more of a bond between the interview and picture. However i want my product to be origional. Therefore because my magazine is more hardcore than it is metal im going to stick to a simple format instead of making busy. This will make it look clean which is unconventional for a basically metal magazine. I will also keep to basic colours. Black and white will be the main colours along with the colours within the pictures i will take. I got my inspiration for this from my textual analysis. Whilst it was mainly indie magazines that had simple designs and colour and metal magazines with busy designs, for the double page spread i preferred the look of a simple design and the idea of trying something new. However i will keep the cover with a fairly busy design to draw potential readers to this magazine. Also, metal/hardcore is a very wide range of genres but all the genres take influences from one another so they will be relativly easy to link together. This magazine will also be quite cheap. This is because with hardcore music, things are done for the love of the music not entirely for the financial profit. I will also have the artist on the cover looking at the camera. I think this helps form a connection between the cover artist and the reader.
Audience Research - Focus Group
For my focus group, i showed three people (Max, Graham and Josh) some covers, double page spreads and contents pages that i chose specifically to contrast and see what the potential audience im asking what they prefer and what would stand out to them more.
Next, i showed them a couple of contents pages. Everyone agreed that they were both very different and were both clearly designed for vastly different audiences. Max said that the kerrang contents looks very basic compared to the cover. We agreed that this is appropriate because the cover is designed to attract the audience and the contents to inform the audience. We also agreed that they cant make it look busy because there is that much information, it would become confusing. Graham agreed that the contents looks very derelict and continues the theme of the cover with the yellow and black representing 'warning' etc.
Max said he found the imagery interesting. He said he liked the use of yellow and black as they are both contrasting colours and the black makes the yellow stand out more. He also agreed that the use of black and yellow represents a warning sign, which i feel is a prodominent feel throughout the magazine. He also likes the use of the colour red, saying that it represents passion, anger and hell. He also said he thinks its an independant colour, making a stand and 'sticking it to the man'. Graham said he likes the logo and the way it looks 'used' and 'shattered'. He said it does look like a shatter due to a loud guitar and agreed that kerrang! an onomatopoeic sound. It represents the thrashing of a guitar thus illustrating the genre that ‘Kerrang!’ attempts to appeal to.
Josh said that he likes the way that the cover is busy and all three of the people and me agreed that right away, at first glance, we can see that the magazine is a rock/metal magazine.
We then discussed theThe cover lines help the magazine to appeal further to their ‘hardcore’ heavy metal audience as bands such as ‘Lost Prophets’ and features such as “25 metal anthems you must own” are included. Many bands (as with the three other magazines I have analysed) are featured in the cover line to influence fans of the genre and fans of the band to purchase the magazine. Furthermore the signature ‘Kerrang!’ tagline ‘Life is Loud’ infers further that their music is loud and that will attract fans of loud noise. Moreover, the ‘Life is Loud’ tagline is obscured by the band which infers that the magazine is so renowned that it does not even need to let people know it’s tagline every issue. The masthead of ‘Kerrang!’ is also concealed which further reinforces this message.
The background colour of black was also dicussed, and it was agreed that The colour scheme is dark which accentuates the dark, metal undertone of the magazine. Whereas the lighter, more mainstream magazines such as Rolling Stone and Q. avoid clutter in their cover, ‘Kerrang!’ seem to welcome it. This may be due to the fact that it is attempting to appeal to a particular genre and is more niche hence not needing to conform to the neat and tidy stereotypes of magazine covers. Moreover, the font is not as simple and bland as in the other magazines, illustrating a broader selection of fonts thus making the cover seem more abstract and further appeal to their target audience.
Max and Josh said that they prefered the bright, visual kerrang cover as opposed to the more subtle cover that Graham liked more. I think this opinion is generally divided to personal opinion and cant be tagged to a certain age group or class of people.
Next, i showed them a couple of contents pages. Everyone agreed that they were both very different and were both clearly designed for vastly different audiences. Max said that the kerrang contents looks very basic compared to the cover. We agreed that this is appropriate because the cover is designed to attract the audience and the contents to inform the audience. We also agreed that they cant make it look busy because there is that much information, it would become confusing. Graham agreed that the contents looks very derelict and continues the theme of the cover with the yellow and black representing 'warning' etc.Max also said that the kerrang contents looks more like a 'comic book' whereas the Q contents page looks more like a conventional contents. I feel that this is because the kerrang magazine is aimed at a younger audience, for pre-teen and teenagers mainly, whereas the Q magazine is aimed at teenagers plus. graham raised the point that we can also see this by the way that the kerrang contents is more visual than the Q contents. With the Q contents being more clear. We also agreed that one convention of the contents pages stayed the same; the way that its mainly pictures followed by text. This i think is a basis for a contents page and is essential so basically all contents pages for magazines follows this. Everyone agreed in this case, that they prefer the basic Q contents more than the visual kerrang contents. Which is expected since the Q magazine is more aimed at their age.
Lastly, i showed all three people a couple of double page spreads. Max immediatly said that he liked continuity in an article and he likes them to link with each other, like the title 'the teenagers' in the first article. Josh said that he like the teenagers article because it looked clean cut and basic with the white background etc. And agreed with Max that they liked the way they've made it so it looks like postors hung on a wall at angles etc. However, Graham said he likes a simple, easy to look at, basic approach. Max said he didnt like the way the teenage stereotype is portrayed and thought it was 'pathetic'. Everybody agreed immediatly that it was blatant what the target audience is for both of the articles. For examples the imagery of black and red for the my chemical romance article and blue and white for the teenagers interview. My chemcial romance are considered an emo band so we agreed that this is why they used black and red, which is a conventional colour selection for this genre and represents anger and passion, whereas the indie magazine uses mainly blue and white which is a more cheerful and happy colour choice. We also talekd about the way that it seemed like a deal between both the band and magazine. For example, both of the articles are like adverts for the band. Portraying them as a 'must' listen to and showing them as the next big thing and in return the magazine is covered with things like 'exclusives' which makes the magazine look as though its the one on the shelf worth buying.
Lastly, i showed all three people a couple of double page spreads. Max immediatly said that he liked continuity in an article and he likes them to link with each other, like the title 'the teenagers' in the first article. Josh said that he like the teenagers article because it looked clean cut and basic with the white background etc. And agreed with Max that they liked the way they've made it so it looks like postors hung on a wall at angles etc. However, Graham said he likes a simple, easy to look at, basic approach. Max said he didnt like the way the teenage stereotype is portrayed and thought it was 'pathetic'. Everybody agreed immediatly that it was blatant what the target audience is for both of the articles. For examples the imagery of black and red for the my chemical romance article and blue and white for the teenagers interview. My chemcial romance are considered an emo band so we agreed that this is why they used black and red, which is a conventional colour selection for this genre and represents anger and passion, whereas the indie magazine uses mainly blue and white which is a more cheerful and happy colour choice. We also talekd about the way that it seemed like a deal between both the band and magazine. For example, both of the articles are like adverts for the band. Portraying them as a 'must' listen to and showing them as the next big thing and in return the magazine is covered with things like 'exclusives' which makes the magazine look as though its the one on the shelf worth buying.Tuesday 1 February 2011
Audience Research - questionairre
To make sure my product will meet the expectations of my audience I am going to carry out some research. To get the most effective results I will need both quantitative and qualitative data. To get quantitative results I am going to carry out a questionnaire, and to get qualitative,I will ask several people the same questions.
Here is the questionnaire im going to produce and distribute:
Questionnaire
Gender:Male Female
Age:15-18 19-20 21-25 25+
Do you read music magazines?
................................................................
Do you prefer simple designs or more busy designs?
...............................................................
Do you prefer more pictures or more text in a magazine?
...............................................................
What’s your favourite musical artist and favourite genre?
................................................................ ................................................................
What is your favourite music magazine?
...............................................................
Would you prefer more expensive, higher quality magazines, or cheaper, lower quality magazines?
...............................................................
Would you prefer weekly or monthly magazines? ( There would be more content in a monthly magazine)
................................................................
Would you be more interested in magazines if there were free gifts? (It may make the magazine more expensive)
.................................................................
Would features such as ‘world exclusives’ make you more interested in buying a magazine?
..................................................................
Do you tend to ‘stick’ to one magazine or read various music magazines?
..................................................................
Thank You
This questionnaire will help me find out what my target audience like from a magazine and this will help me design a magazine that will attract to my target audience. I focused my questionnaire mainly, on people aged between
15-25. This is because it is the age i think are most interested in new music of the genre that i intend to write about. I have also based all the questions around what the target audience would want to see within a music magazine with a rock or indie genre.
Male/ Female. It is 70% male and 30 % female
Age grouping: 50% of the people i asked were betw
een 15-18, 30% w
ere between 19-20, 21-25 was 10% and over 25 was 10%
this graph tells us that 80% of the people i asked read music magazines, however 20% do not buy them but still said they sometimes take interest in them.
This graph tells us that 50% of the people i asked prefered simple designs and 50% prefered complex designs.
this chart tells us that 80% of the people i asked actually prefer lots of text, however most say they also like pictures as well.
This chart is about the artists and genres. There was a wide range of genres, but the most popular was metal/rock with 30% other genres included pop, drum and bass, dance etc.
This chart is for faveroute music magazine. The majority of 60% said kerrang magazine ( a metal magazine) and the other 30% said NME (indie, rock). Only 10% choose Q magazine (pop, indie).
This tells me that 70% of the people asked prefer higher quality, more expensive magazines and 30% prefer cheaper, lower quality magazines.
This chart tells me that 60% prefer monthly magazines with more content and 40% would prefer weekly mag
azines with less co
ntent. However it seems monthly is now more popular because people ca
n hear about immediate news on the internet so dont use magazines for immediate news. This also ties up with the
last question. Monthly ma
gazines are more likely to be more expensive and higher q
uality than weekly magazines.
60% said theyd like free gifts even if it made the magazine more expensive, wheras 40% said they wouldnt.
80% said that features such as world exclusives would attract them more to a magazine. Wheras 20% said they wouldnt be bothered.
70% of people asked said they stick to 1 magazine and only 30% said they read various magazines and 'skip' around.
Write up:
I asked 10 people aged between 15-25 tom complete my questionnaire. I found out that all of the people i asked are interested in music magazines, even if some may not buy them.
The most popular genre i found out was the metal/rock genre. I found this from asking the target audience for their faveroute artist, faveroute genre of music and what musical magazines they read. Therefore i could find out what exact genre they like most, but also what else they like. I also concluded that the people more into metal tended to prefer busy desings and the people into the more indie genre prefer simple designs. I also concluded that there seems to be more of a market for the indie genre as that was the most popular genre in my questionairre. However, as there is still a market for the rock music, i think i will make my magazine attract audiences from other genres as well as the metal genre. However it primerily attract to a metal audience.
I also found out from this research, that my target audience tend to prefer a cheaper, weekly magazine to keep on top of news etc. (like kerrang). In general i also found out that my target like free stuff such as postors, stickers etc. but not large free stuff that would increase the price of the magazine. Also i know that things such as world exclusives etc. Attracts the target audience and maybe other potential readers that are not particularly the target audience.
I asked 10 people aged between 15-25 tom complete my questionnaire. I found out that all of the people i asked are interested in music magazines, even if some may not buy them.
The most popular genre i found out was the metal/rock genre. I found this from asking the target audience for their faveroute artist, faveroute genre of music and what musical magazines they read. Therefore i could find out what exact genre they like most, but also what else they like. I also concluded that the people more into metal tended to prefer busy desings and the people into the more indie genre prefer simple designs. I also concluded that there seems to be more of a market for the indie genre as that was the most popular genre in my questionairre. However, as there is still a market for the rock music, i think i will make my magazine attract audiences from other genres as well as the metal genre. However it primerily attract to a metal audience.
I also found out from this research, that my target audience tend to prefer a cheaper, weekly magazine to keep on top of news etc. (like kerrang). In general i also found out that my target like free stuff such as postors, stickers etc. but not large free stuff that would increase the price of the magazine. Also i know that things such as world exclusives etc. Attracts the target audience and maybe other potential readers that are not particularly the target audience.
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