FINAL PRODUCT

Evaluation - looking back at your preliminary task, what have you learnt in the progression to your full product?

I've learnt alot about different technologies, magazines and photo's since I made my preliminary exercise.

Firstly, I learnt that the quality of camera majorly affects the quality of pictures you get from it, this allowed me to get much better looking photo's than the ones I used in my preliminary exercise, I also payed alot more attention to camera angles in my final product, for example i used a low-angle shot on the cover to suggest he is in control of the situation.

Secondly, I learnt alot about the conventions of music magazines as I progressed through the year. This was by looking at various magazines, paying particular attention to the cover, contents and feature articles. Since the preliminary task I've looked at many different music magazines including: Kerrang!, Total guitar, Rythm, METAL HAMMER, Top of the Pops, Terrorizer and many more.

Finally, I learnt a large amount about the difference in quality from using a more versatile product. For example, sinceusing InDesign my work's qualityand layout has increased dramatically when compared to my prelimary task whic had a very basic layout and very little detail, this was due to the lack of tools on the programme, Microsoft Publisher.

In conclusion, I believe that my work has improved alot since I made my original preliminary task.

Evaluation - What have you learnt about technologies from constructing your product?

I have learnt that using Adobe photoshop and InDesign are much more difficult than standard microsoft programmes. For example, to use more complicated effects on photoshop you must be accurate with the lasso tool whixh is rather difficult.

On the other hand, InDesign is alot like other publishing programmes I have used, but it has alot more options and is a much more versatile programme than, for example, publisher. It allows me to be more accurate making the quality of my work much better than if I'd used a different programme.

I had a small problem using the two programmes together, the problem was that when I transferred some of the images from photoshop into my InDesign project the images lost thier quality making them look unprofesional. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a successful solution and therefor some of my smaller images are of less quality than others.

Evaluation - Who would be the audience for your media product? How you address/attract your audience?

My main target audience Is teenagers and people in their early 20's with an interest in rock and heavy metal music.

I have asked 3 people whio fit my target audience whether they like my product.

Person 1 - Age 16, Male
I like the use of the contrasting colours on the cover, the use of the Purple and Yellow make the picture seem spray painted. Also the use of the dark colours in the article and contents pages are fitting for the music styles.

Person 2 - Age 18, Male
I like the words "Underground" and "Contents" because of the font and also the 'bricks' in the background, they give the magazine a gritty, 'Underground' feel to it.

Person 3 - Age 16, Female
I like the use of the pictures on the first page of the article, it looks profesional and makes it easy to Identify the band members.

Evaluation - What kind of media institution might distribute my magazine and why?

I looked at both Bauer media and Future publishing.

I looked at Bauer as it publishes Kerrang! magazine which s a very popular music magazine which features rock and metal music. It also distributes MOJO which "is the world's biggest UK music magazine" and Q which is "The UK's biggest selling monthly music magazine"

I looked at Future Publishing because it publishes a wide range of guitar and drum magazines, including: Rhythm, Total Guitar and guitarist. As well as the many "music-making" magazines, it is the home of various "music-listening" magazines including Metal Hammer, Classic Rock magazine and Revolver (US) these are all rock and Metal magazines.

In conclusion I would choose Future Publishing to distribute my magazine, this is because it distributes a much larger number of music magazines than Bauer media and the magazines distributed by Future Publishing fit in with the genre of music featured in my magazine.

Evaluation - How does my magazine represent social groups?

I used the website slideshare to upload a presentation I made on The representations of social groups in my magazine.

PRESENTATION

Evaluation - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? - April 2012

I used the website Prezi to create a presentation on "In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products"

Presentation

Article 1st Draft - March 2012

In this Article we’ll be bringing you inside the mind of Liam Kiernan as well as the rest of his new band Skies Are Falling.

Liam Kiernan, formerly known as “MC Orange” has turned a page in his musical career. Last month it was announced on his twitter page that he had started a ‘hardcore’ band, the post read “I’ve been doing the same S*** for the past five years, I need to shake things up and that’s what I’m doing with my new band Skies Are Falling” This post was followed with a large amount of criticism from fans of his previous music.

The Underground team have had a listen to their new debut album, “WE ARE THE END” and we have nothing but praise for this energetic, powerful and insightful band with their politically charged lyrics and awesome guitar riffs, this band are a breath of fresh air compared to most of the other bands in the hardcore scene right now.

Q + A

So how did you guy’s come to form SAF?

Liam - “Well actually the three of us went to school together and have been playing in a band together since we were thirteen years old, It’s only recently since I decided to stop creating Rap music that SAF has had a chance to shine”

So what are your personal influences?

Liam – “Well I personally listen to everything from rap, to Death Metal and I take influence from everything I listen to”

Nathaniel – “My main influences are punk bands like the sex pistol’s and Black flag but I take influence from some metal and ska bands too”

Charlie – “I mostly just listen to hardcore bands like More Than Life and Touché Amour”

So Liam what helps influences your lyrics?

“My lyrics are influenced by the world around me, whether it’s a newspaper article, a news report or just something I see on the street”

What band would you like to be as famous as?

Liam – “I want to be as big I can be, I’m not really interested in standing in someone else’s shoes”

Nathaniel - “Metallica, they’re the biggest metal band in the world. It would be a dream come true if we we’re as big as them”

Who would you guy’s like to tour within the not to distant future?

Nathaniel – “We’re hoping to tour with Touché Amour in the next few years so that should be cool”

 Liam – “personally I’d like to tour with Rise Against, they’re a massive influence on my lyrics and music”

How did you guy’s come up with your strange band name?

Charlie – “Well It’s actually a lyric from a Queens of The Stone Age song, which I was listening to on the way back from practice a few years ago, and when I took it to the other guy’s they liked it and so the name stuck”

How important is the music you make to you?

Liam – “It’s my Life; I couldn’t live without being able to make music”

Charlie – “It’s he only thing I can think of when I wake up in the mornings as well as when I go to sleep at night”

When did you realise you wanted to be a musician?

Liam – “for me it was when I got given my first guitar at the age of ten, I’ve been writing ever since”

Nathaniel – “I’d probably have to say when we started the band back in school, music started to feel more important than anything else”

If you weren’t a musician, what job would you do and why?

Charlie – “I’d love to be a footballer if I couldn’t be a musician, I’ve always loved sport”

Liam – I’ve been working as a musician my whole life, I don’t think I could actually do another job”

What’s the best gig you’ve played?

Nathaniel – “In my Opinion it was our first gig together back when we were only sixteen years old, we played at the Barfly in Camden”

Liam – “for me it was probably the biggest show we’ve played which was last month at Brixton academy”

And finally, how would you describe your sound to anyone who hasn’t heard you before?

Liam - “Hardcore and then some”

Artist Profile

Name: Skies Are Falling

Members: Liam Kiernan – vocals, lead Guitar

                 Charlie Richards – Backing Vocals, Bass Guitar

                 Nathaniel Mir – Drums, Percussion

Years Active: 2005 – Present

Genre: Hardcore, Post - Hardcore, Melodic Hardcore

For Fans of: Touché Amour, La Dispute, More Than Life, Alexisonfire, Funeral For A Friend,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Every Time I die, Gallows, Your Demise, The Ghost Of A Thousand

Out Now: WE ARE THE END – 2012

               Skies Are Falling EP – 2009

More Info: Facebook.com/SAFofficial

                 Myspace.com/skiesarefallingUK

                 SkiesAreFalling.com

                

1st draft of contents page - february 2012

The contents page is split into the two different sections - "features" and "everything else" The writing is unclear due to the positioning of the photo's and the choice of font and colours, these will all need to be changed. The background colour of the page is also slightly too bright for the writing to stand out properly.

1st Draft of Front Cover - february 2012

The first draft is a rough representation of what the final will look like. It shows the layout, with the picture taking up most of the page, the featured articles down the left side, bands featured in the issue along the bottom and finally The main story in a central position. The background of the page needs changing as it is bland and the cover needs to attract the eye of the target audience. The writing on the side of the page is difficult to read.

The front cover is missing a tag line as well as the issue number, price and a barcode.

Photoshoot and other photo's - January/February 2012

My first photoshoot involved one person wearing a "gangsta" outfit (bandanna, cap) I gave him this costume as well as a toy gun as I wanted to portray him as a Rapper, but in the second photoshoot he is then shown in a rock band showing a massive change in music styles, this is the basis of my article.

In the second photshoot i asked the three people to dress how they normally would, this is because it is meant to be a less image orientated genre. In the second photoshoot I gave them instruments as i wanted to show them being "crazy"

I edited the cover photo to make it appear to be spray painted, this added to the gritty feeling of the magazine which is emphasised by the masthead. With the other photo's used in the magazine there is no obvious editing, but i did remove the background on the majority of photo's and framed a photo, this was to improve to the clarity of the photo's.

Finally, I've got a picture of a barcode to make the magazine look authentic, as well as a masthead which i designed on a font and logo generator website where I was able to design the font.

Analysing Codes And Conventions Of Music Magazines, Contents Pages - February 2012

For this piece of work I had to analyse the pictures, written features and organisation of four different Magazines.

Top Of The Pops

Pictures

There is an image of the magazines cover which is at a slightly offset angle giving it a “scrapbook” feel. They also use various different images of products, which are all shot using a straight on mid shot to give a clear image of the product. Finally they have a mid shot of Fearne Cotton showing her upper body and face. She is in front of the various boxes and lines to emphasise her importance and make her stand out.

Written

There are 32 articles listed in the contents page, but there is very little detail n each article.

Organisation

There are 5 sub-headings: We love shopping, all about you, Wins and Offers, Celebs and gossip, we love boys. All feature lists of articles apart from “We love Boys” which states that they highlight all by related articles. Inside sub-heading’s it is ordered by page number.

NME

Pictures

Features seven different pictures of the featured bands and artists, for example: a low angle shot of Damon Albarn using natural lighting. This suggests that the man is laid back, but still in control. Another example is the use of a low angle shot of “Van Halen” as it emphasises the fact that they’re on stage.

Written

It has 19 articles listed on the contents page, the larger stories all feature photo’s and details. But the smaller ones don’t.

Organisation

The Images are scattered across the page for main articles, the sub-heading “plus” plus is used for the regular and smaller articles. The smaller articles are ordered by number, whereas the larger articles, with photos, are ordered by popularity or size of article.

MOJO

Pictures

One main image of “Bert Jansch” – It is a black and white mid shot being used to feature his guitar in the photo.

Written

There are seven articles, all featuring a large amount of detail on the specific articles. This suggests that the articles featured are going to be longer, due to them having information and also there being less of them on the page.

Organisation

It has two sub headings, “features” and “Cover Story” all set out in one long list. It is organised by page number, with the cover story at the back of the magazine.

Mix Mag

Pictures

It features four images with captions, “Fashion”  Close-up of woman’s face emphasising her hair. “RIP DJ Mehdi”  high angle shot showing him lying on a field sleeping. “Jesse Rose”   Close up to emphasise his facial expression and body language, as well as the urban background.

Writing

There are 42 articles shown on the contents page all showing a small amount of detail, suggesting they are of a reasonable length.

Organisation

Pictures all positioned towards the centre of the double page spread, then lists on the outside of each page featuring various sub-headings including: Features, Fasion, Tunes, Don’t Stay In and VIP

Publication Plan - January 2012

This is my publication plan which features the various different pieces of information i need to create my magazine.

Name of magazine: UNDERGROUND

Font of name:

Positioning statement: The UK’s Best Underground Music magazine

Frequency of publication: every month

Price: £2.99

Distribution: Supermarkets, larger newsagents, Subscription.

Rationale: Most magazines only feature mainstream and up and coming bands, but there are very few which feature unknown bands.

Style: Reasonably Formal/Serious

Regular content: Gig guide (up and coming gig’s), Album Reviews, Gig reviews, featured artists, Interviews

Feature content in your issue: Interview with Liam (Rapper turned Rocker), Up and coming artists of 2012, Best bands of 2011

House style: “Rage Italic” and “Papyrus”

peer assesment of my blog - January 2012

I asked one of the members of my table to analyse the quality of my blog and also what I needed to change. Firstly they said that my entry's are easy to read and include lot's of detail. They also mentioned my use of the website "Slideshare" for my questionnaire results. They also mentioned that it is easy to navigate around the page and that it features a good colour scheme. The only thing that they wanted to change was the number of pictures as they wanted to see more images.

Assessed by Charlotte Pugh.

Analysing codes and conventions of music Covers - January 2012

Mix Mag

Technical

The cover of mix mag is a bright and vibrant cover using a simple straight forward mid-shot onto the DJ, this is used as it allows the reader to see what they look like clearly, it also focuses on the way that he’d be seen in a club. The use of the vibrant colours around him almost simulate the lights at a club, the different shades of red, purple and yellow are almost Psycadellic linking to the theme of a club. Finally they use a Ripped corner effect, this gives the idea that they are revealing what’s inside the magazine, as well  as suggesting that it is a very open magazine.

Symbolic

The DJ on the cover of mix mag is shown as being laid back and relaxed, for example his hands are behind his head suggesting that he’s “chillin” Also the DJ is dressed very casually, for example he’s wearing an ‘arty’ T-shirt which is fitting for a DJ as they are creative and normally quite relaxed. It is also suggesting that his music speaks for him rather than the way he dresses. They also use a studio for a setting emphasising that he is relaxed and basic, and also adds to the idea that his music speaks for him.

Written

Firstly the title of the magazine links to the theme of the magazine as mix mag links to DJ’s “mixing” tracks. The biggest cover line is for a dance event, also the majority of cover lines are in capitals, but they also use a mixture of upper and lowercase lettering for some of the extra information. The magazines writing style is fairly consistent due to the use of the same font and only varying it with using Bold. Finally they use various forms of persuasion for example superlatives ad pronouns.

VIVE LE ROCK!

Technical

They use a high angle shot for the main photo, this allows you to see all the members of the band clearly and make out what they’re wearing, this shot also makes the setting of a wide street pavement very clear. Also the heads of a few members of the band are covering part of the Masthead, suggesting that the band are “legends” and much bigger than the magazine, this is proven as this issue of the magazine is only issue no. 4. There is also only subtle lighting used in the photo as it is a “raw” and powerful photo which is based more on the setting and costume.

Symbolic

All of the members are looking towards the camera with very “stern” facial and body expressions, suggesting that they are in control of the situation. They are also stood in a ring like shape suggesting that they are united as they’ve been together for years. All the members are dressed in very smart clothing, similar to that of the 1960’s and 1970’s styles, this is most likely because they are in the rock and ska music movement. Finally the use of a black and white photo is very cleverly used as part of the caption is “2-tone past and present” this links with the photo as black and white is 2-tone.

Written

Firstly, everything that is written on the front page is in bold capitals, this suggests that the magazine and the music it features is aggressive. Also the colours of black, white and red are similar to the colours found in old fashioned comic books, finally linking to the colours the font of the masthead is also very similar to that of a comic book, this is most likely done to suggest the magazine is adventurous and almost ‘Retro’.

.Drummer

Technical

For the main picture they use a very slight low angle – mid-shot of the man sitting at his drum kit, this is used so they can fit the part of the drum and the person. The man’s head is in front of the mast head, but the rest of the cover lines are in front of him, suggesting that the face is the most important part of the photo. Finally the lighting used is most likely room lighting suggesting that he is most likely not playing drums on stage very often and is more likely to be playing in his own home.

Symbolic

The man is sitting comfortably, showing that he is experienced and very comfortable behind a drum kit, he is also holding the sticks in a specific way suggesting that he is very skilled at drumming, the picture also appears to be in his home suggesting that he is a welcoming character and accepts people into his home. Finally, he is dressed in jeans and a Jacket, which is smart-casual suggesting that he no longer needs to dress up.

Written

It uses phrases like “UK’s best value” which is persuasive; they also wrote this in a “torn” part of the page which suggests that their revealing it to the readers. Finally, by writing everything in capitals, they suggest it is “loud”.

Terrorizer

Technical

It uses a straight on, mid-shot to focus on the man’s face emphasising the concentration he’s showing. The face covers most of the title showing the importance of the face in comparison to the rest of the picture as the rest of the cover lines cover the character. Finally they use no specific lighting and no framing; this makes the image feel more open.

Symbolic

He is staring directly at the camera with quite a threatening look; this show’s the readers that he is in control, He is also wearing all black which fits to the genre of music the magazine is based on. Most of the colours are dark for example blue, black, grey and dark gold, emphasising the ‘Dark’ music featured in the magazine. Finally, it was taken in a blank studio with a plain background showing that the way he looks speaks more than the setting.

Written

Everything on the front page is written in capitals along with use of a bold font emphasising that it is a loud and angry magazine also the use of words like “exclusive” and “unreleased” persuade people to buy the magazine over others of the same genre.

What I’ve Learnt

From this task I have learnt that the style of music your magazine is based on will define the way it turns out, for example due to the music made in Terrorizer it has very serious straight forward pictures and very aggressive font styles. Whereas a magazine like mix mag uses much more laid back photos and a much more rounded font’s. This therefore shows that the style of music is the most important part of designing a music magazine as it shapes the colours, fonts and pictures that are used.

Questionnaire and results - January 2012

I made a questionnaire for people to answer to help conduct research for my magazine, I have also posted the results.

The Results