Photo shoot Planning

The central image on my music magazine cover will be a 'Rock' band called 'Saint Lucinda' which is made up of three members. The main photograph is inspired by the classical rock band 'Queen' so I aim to make the photograph dramatic and as effective as possible with the use of the lighting, the location and the models involved.
My photo shoot will take place in a large dark room to lure the audience into the models to replicate 'Queen' but I do not intend on making it a copy as the band I have chosen are unisex and I would like to demonstrate female empowerment through the photo.
As there are three members in 'Saint Lucinda', the female lead singer will be in the centre of the image with the lead guitarist and the bass guitarist at her sides to present a dramatic feel to it and to emphasise the female in the band. Every member will look directly into the camera to captivate the audience to draw them in to buying the magazine.
I want the central image to have a light shining upon everyone's faces to emphasise their diverse features and to also capture the audiences attention. The light will be from an iphone torch and the light shining on their faces would create a gothic and scary effect to demonstrate their power and their musical instruments will be included.
I chose to take the photographs in front of a black curtain so that the audience focus specifically on the band and to also create a sense of darkness and dramatize the shoot to resemble the rough and edginess of 'rock' music.
The props I have decided to use in the photo shoot are a bass guitar, an electric guitar and a microphone to demonstrate to the reader that each member is individual and to display that they all have the ability and the talent to play an instrument reinforcing the fact that they create their own music. They will all hold their instruments into the light to convey the importance of 'rock' music and to show their energy during a performance.
The clothing the models will wear will be dark colours such as black, grey and dark blue or green to blend in with the background. The lead singer will wear a band t-shirt to demonstrate their dedication and constant passion towards 'rock' music. The lead singer will also wear jewellery to convey her femininity and to display to the audience that women can be in a 'rock' band as it is rare to find a unisex band.
I will also take photographs of each band member individually so that I can use them for the images inside the magazine; specifically for the double page spread. The individual shots will have the same effect as the group photo as they will be in the same dark room with a light shining on their face with an iphone torch. The individual shots shall be very dramatic as I will use a low-angle shot to make each member seem superior and powerful.

For the secondary images on the cover, I plan to use three main photos to be advertised as posters on the front cover. I will use two girls who are roughly the same height to convey they are as talented as each other and they will wear dark clothes; preferably black to demonstrate stereotypical 'rock' music. One of the models will be chewing gum and the other listening to music with their earphones to suggest their rebellious personality which is shown typically in 'rock' music. The location of the photo shoot shall be outside against a brick wall with natural light shining upon the wall to show how natural 'rock' music is and I intend on making the shoot as natural as possible; showing their friendship through touching and laughing together.

Layout of Front Cover

Questionnaire Analysis

I created a questionnaire which consisted of twelve questions and I asked ten people who fell into the target audience of my music magazine. I chose random people of the same age (14-16 and 17-19) but they are all different so that I receive a range of answers.

As a result of the questionnaire, I discovered that 'Rock' music is the most popular genre for the teenagers so my music magazine is going to be mainly focused on 'Rock' music. The second and third most popular genre is 'Alternative' and 'Metal'. I will take this into account so I will include 'Alternative' and 'Metal' themes and styles in my magazine to provide more of a diverse and edgier vibe to the magazine.

The majority of my chosen target audience purchase music magazines weekly, therefore my magazine will contain weekly news and updates to keep the reader consistently interested.
Everyone I asked reported that they enjoy listening to music in their spare time. Activities such as art and watching television are also popular interests so I have decided to provide the target audience with an artistic style in the magazine.
I have found out that 'Kerrang!' magazine is the most popular out of the eight magazines on the questionnaire. 'Kerrang!' consists of similar features with my magazine. From the questionnaire 9 out of 10 people said that they prefer magazines containing freebies.

I discovered that listening to music with an iPhone or MP3 player is extremely popular for teenagers  which demonstrates how significant social media is. YouTube is used a lot to find new trends and exploring different genres which is used a lot amongst my chosen target audience.

The contents that my target audience are most interested in are interviews, albums and news, so I will include the latest updates. As interviews were a popular request, I will include an exclusive interview with a 'Rock' band.

Music magazine mock-up

 

I have created a mock-up for my 'Rock' music magazine as a result of the feedback from my target audience questionnaire. My magazine is going to be focused on 'Rock' music; especially as my target audience feel that 'Rock' is their favourite genre because it is expressive. The reason why I chose to make the masthead large, white and in capital letters is because I would like it to be the first feature people notice. I made the masthead white so that it contrasts effectively with the background and it is rough and artistic to convey a powerful message to attract the audience. I chose to include a tagline to portray the importance of the magazine; "Music magazine of the year" which immediately captures the readers attention. The colours I chose are black, red and purple which stand out and contrast well as they are bright. Black suggests the darkness and edginess of 'Rock' music whilst red suggests different emotions such as anger and passion which they reinforce in their music. I included cover lines to demonstrate to the reader that there is more content inside and I also used cover lines to capture the attention of the reader encase they like a specific band I have used. The cover lines and the secondary images both have red backgrounds to attract the reader and to give an empowering effect. The red also represents passion which suggests the importance for fans to read more so they purchase the magazine. The purple font for 'The new Queen' suggests royalty and importance which is ironic as the Queen is royalty whilst the classical rock band is called Queen and Saint Lucinda intend on following in their footsteps. I advertise posters for another rock band with a purple font to suggest how special the reader is to have one. I included three free posters as the majority of my target audience said they would love a freebie in their ideal music magazine. I have included a pug at the bottom of the cover stating a festival giveaway which is in red to highlight the excitement of the event and to show how vital it is to enter. I have used a puff to advertise a competition for winning Saint Lucinda merchandise which is purple and the shape of the puff is circular to provide a sense of excitement and to suggest the winner will be extremely special and lucky to win it. My central image is inspired by 'Queen' as they are icons in the rock industry, as well as the image being effective and dramatic with the use of lighting and their facial expressions. The image is black and white to resemble the darkness behind the music as well as the dramatic effect drawing the audience in. 

Music Magazine Questionaire

 

I created a questionnaire to find out and analyse different peoples music and music magazine types. This questionnaire is for people that fit into the target audience for my music magazine which means I will be asking young females.

 

 

Semiotic Analysis of Advertisement

I decided to use a Prezi to present my advertisement which I did a semiotic analysis on. I chose to do a L'Oreal hair colour commercial and I identified the significant features used and I explained why the advert would use those features and what the effect was on the audience. This is the first Prezi I have ever made and I am quite happy with the result.

Intended target audience and profile of Imaginary Entity

Target Audience:

The target audience for my music magazine are female and male teenagers (mostly females) who are aged 13-19. The audience will explore rock bands and singers whilst familiarising themselves with new bands through exclusive interviews given by my magazine. The magazine promotes new artists, advertises upcoming albums and singles which is effective and helpful for young adults who are trying to find time for listening and buying music whilst managing increasing levels of school and college work.

Lifestyle Profile:

17 year old Georgina Roberts is an A-level student who is passionate for music and art. She enjoys socialising with her friends and listening to rock music but she is trying to keep up with her school work at the same time. Her dream job is to either be a singer or a music journalist and she loves investigating new rock bands with a difference to all the others. Georgina grew up playing multiple instruments and she is thankful to her parents for always giving her a chance to follow her dreams which was music. She is looking for a rock music magazine that offers new songs and new bands. She would also love to purchase a magazine with an artistic flair to it which would portray her personality perfectly.

Understanding Audience Profiles

In todays lesson, I learnt a lot about the importance of understanding the target audience profiles as it enables the supplier to target the communication. I learnt that there are different types of audience profiles which are Demographic profiles and Psychographic profiles. Demographic profiles are statistics of a given population and the most used demographic variables are age, gender, job, location, martial status, educational level, income and nationality. Psychographic profiles show a persons interests, opinions and the activities they enjoy as well as attitudes and values of those people. I also learnt that ACORN is a demographic classification of British social classes. ACORN is used by market professionals, entrepreneurs and researchers.

The target audience for magazines is separated into different social classes which are known as A, B, C1, C2, D and E. The social grade 'A' is for the upper class customers in comparison to social grade E which is for customers that are at the lowest level of subsistence.

Different magazines and advertisements appeal to the diverse social groups. For example, the upper class may be attracted to a chocolate bar with the words; 'indulgent', 'luxurious' and 'elegant' because it seems more expensive and therefore is most likely to be a better standard chocolate bar. In contrast to a chocolate bar aimed at members of the lower class, the words and slogans used may be simple and basic. The words on the chocolate bar may consist of 'cheap', 'chewy' and 'crispy' which are vague descriptions of the product which would appeal to someone of that class immediately.

The magazine covers are extremely unalike because they aim to different target audiences. 'Seventeen' is clearly targeted towards young girls because of the bright luminescent colours featured and the cover model (Rihanna) who is popular and seen as a role model by young teenagers. 'Marie Claire' is a fashion magazine aimed towards older women (aged 20-40). The cover includes dark and neutral colours which appear to be sophisticated and would attract older women.

 

 

Semiotic analysis of 3 music magazines

School Magazine Front Cover

The software I used to create my school magazine cover was Serif Page Plus and the magazine is based on art at St Gregory's school.
The image I have chosen for the cover is of an A-level art student painting in one of the schools art rooms. The image attracts other art students and I decided to take the photograph in an art room so that the reader understands the atmosphere. The cover model is a sixth former and they are not in uniform to convey a sense of students expressing themselves as they are all given a choice on what to wear which relates to art because everyone has their own style.
The masthead is in white with a navy blue background to specifically link to the school's logo which consists of the same colours. I used the blues and whites because they do not clash with the image and also blue can be suited to any audience. My magazine is called 'School Style' which means it is aimed at parents and children and also implies a fun and artistic magazine. 'School' and 'style' are in different fonts to convey that school can be smart as well as creative and fun.
The tagline is directly below the masthead and also has a navy blue background to explain to the reader what my magazine is about. The tagline states; 'Art special issue at St. Gregory's school' which informs to the reader that it is a significant issue/magazine which makes them feel that they would miss out if they did not purchase it.
I have included the St Gregory's logo to emphasise that this magazine specifically came from that school which also reinforces individuality as well as the logo being one of the first features the readers lay their eyes on. I have added an issue date which is important especially to the reader, I have not made it too large but the potential buyers will be able to notice it.
I have also used secondary images to show the reader that there is more exciting content throughout the magazine. One of the images I used was of a classroom which specialised in photography so the reader gets an idea of the size of the rooms and the photos on the walls imply the creativity that takes place. The cover lines are simple yet effective such as 'Art and photo fun' which relates to a younger audience and sums up what is featured in simple way. I am happy with my school magazine front cover because it is eye-catching and aims at a wide target audience. I also enjoyed learning more about Serif Page Plus.

Mock-up Contents Page

I have created a mock-up of my contents page for the magazine. I decided to use the same sense of style that I used on the front cover so that the inside of my magazine is as exciting and colourful as the front cover. The colours I have chosen compliment each other because they are very eye-catching which makes the writing more noticeable and exciting to the reader and makes them want to read on. I made my contents page with Serif Page PlusX5 which was quick and easy. The colours I have chosen are suited for male and female, old and young so that the magazine appeals to everyone. This contents page is a mock-up; so I do think that certain features need improvement. My finalised contents page will include more of my own photographs. I used images of paint from the internet but for my actual contents page I will use my own photos of paint and stationary. I will change the colour scheme to blues and greens because I want it to look similar to the cover and that would also reinforce a calming and natural effect. Finally, I will move the writing into the centre. I am quite happy with my mock-up because I think that it aims at a large target audience.

Planning my Photo Shoot

The first three photographs I have taken are going to be the Secondary Images on my magazine cover. The first photograph is of some of the A-level art work in the classrooms to demonstrate to the reader that there are more amazing drawings and photographs in the magazine.






My second image is of a photography classroom showing all the photographs on the walls. I used this image for my Mock-up front cover but it was a landscape photo and it did not look as professional as I hoped so I am using it as a secondary image instead. The photo is showing the reader the conditions and the facilities of the classroom.



The third image I took is of A-level students in a classroom showing the reader students working. A student is smiling displaying that the art community at St Gregory's is friendly and approachable.









The fourth image I took was of an A-level art student in an art classroom. I chose to take the photo in a classroom to display to the reader what the art rooms actually consist of and the level of work we are expected to do. I took a mid-shot of the student so I also added the work they were doing as well as the art on the walls behind the cover model. This image is my favourite because it is mid-shot, the photo shows a student doing their actual GCSE work and the photograph is A4 so it fits perfectly with my cover because I want it to take up the whole page. My cover model is wearing dark green which compliments the painting which is also green and it also reinforces how natural and calming art is.

Mock-up of Front Cover for my School Magazine

The Mock-up of my school magazine cover was created using Serif Page Plus X5. My magazine cover is based on Art at St Gregory's School and I have used different magazine features to capture the readers attention. My cover image is of an art/photography classroom, it is not perfect and it is not a mid-shot so I am going to plan a photo shoot so that I take photographs that will be appropriate. My cover consists of a Masthead called 'School Style' which is bold and in large writing so that it is the first feature the reader looks at. Along side the Masthead is a tagline stating that it is a St Gregory's magazine, I have also included the school logo to reinforce that St Gregory's is a Catholic School and to suggest individuality. I have used Secondary images and cover lines to display to the reader that there is a lot of content in the magazine and they also help to promote other features in the magazine. A puff and a pug is included on the cover which helps draw attention to the reader and I have also made the Puff and the Pug colourful to make it seem more eye-catching. I have used a Pug above my Masthead which advertises a free art book.

Deconstruction of a magazine cover- Heat magazine

Heat Magazine is a weekly magazine which specialises in entertaining readers with recent celebrity news and gossip. Heat magazine is published by Bauer which is one of the oligopoly of magazine publishers. 

Representation of women- Females celebrities are often shown on the front cover but are usually referred to as the victim or sexually objectified for a male audience. Many female celebrities on the cover are portrayed in a negative light to satisfy the reader.

Target audience- The primary audience is 18-35 year old women and the magazine is also read by 35-55 year old women who are known as the secondary audience.

Communicating with the target audience- The covers use bright saturated secondary colours as well as high key lighting to interest the reader. The majority of the front cover is taken over by photographs of celebrities to show the reader what else is in the magazine. The masthead is in bright red writing and lower case letters are used to imply creativity. There is also a shadow effect on the letters making it look three dimensional and stand out more to the reader in terms of brand identity. A sell line banner is used above the masthead which has a direct mode of address. The image content occasionally has a dominant and oppositional reading. There are many exclamation points to provide an upbeat and a positive mode of address to excite the readers. Binary oppositions are used to reinforce representations.

Annotation of non-music magazine

Annotation gq from 10ADunne

Annotation of school magazine

I have chosen to annotate this School magazine because it contains many features a magazine needs to interest the reader and to make them want to read on so they buy the magazine. The Masthead is the name of the magazine which is placed at the top of the front cover so it is the first thing the reader looks at. The colour and the font of the Masthead stands out because of the contrast between the green and the pink. The magazine font may have been carefully chosen as the colours green and pink stands out and seems appealing for children and suggests a childish nature. The front cover also includes a Tagline which states 'Parents guide to primary school' which shows who the magazine may be aiming their audience at or what it is about. The central image is of a young girl in school uniform which immediately demonstrates that the magazine is about school life and how to make 'back to school' a lot easier for parents and children. The central image is extremely important as it suggests what the magazine is about and who their audience is. The magazine has used secondary images to display what else is included in the magazine and so that the reader is enticed by the picture and to promote other features. There are a few cover lines informing readers of the magazines content and it is a way to capture the readers attention to different topics in the magazine. The cover lines includes techniques such as rhetorical questions so the reader asks themselves the same question. Furthermore, the front cover has a 'Puff' which helps to draw the readers attention and to promote other elements. The Puff states 'Plus notice board' which suggests that the magazine is sharing some extra information with the readers.

Conventions of a magazine cover

In todays lesson, I learnt that the front cover of a magazine has many important features which are significant in convention magazines. I learnt that the Masthead is the name of the magazine which is usually followed by the Tagline which shows what the magazine is about or who it is aiming at. The central image of a magazine is extremely important because a lot of features in the image can be denoted and connoted. Most magazines have a model on the cover so as a class we thought about how they dressed in a certain way and what the connotations of the image were. We also learnt that Anchorage gives an image meaning, that Puffs are used to promote certain elements and that Pugs display a promotion from the magazine. Secondary images are very significant because they help promote other features of the magazine to interest the reader.
The 'Bazaar' magazine cover is extremely eye-catching because of the masthead and the tagline because the font is large which reinforces power suggesting female empowerment. The colour of the font is red which implies love and passion which makes the cover model seem desirable. The tagline is at the bottom of the page instead of being underneath the masthead; it is explaining to the reader what the topic of the magazine is which is 'Best Dressed Women Of The Year'. The use of a pug is really effective for this magazine because the tag is golden which emphasises the importance of the 'Affordable Luxuries' and also the Pug is overlapping the masthead so it is one of the first things someone reads. The central image is of Pop star Katy Perry who is well-known which automatically draws attention to the reader if they are interested in the celebrity on the front page. The anchorage is a useful concept on a magazine cover because it explains what the image is referred to so the cover model is Katy Perry and the anchorage explains that in case people are not aware who she is.

 

 

My First Post

This is the first time I am using 'blogger' and I am really excited about using a blog. For A-level I am taking Media Studies, Theatre Studies, English Language and Art.