My Pictures I Took For My Magazine

Here are a few of my pictures that I took for my magazine.I had no trouble thinking of ideas of poses that the girls could do. I found everything fairly straight forward, however I found experimenting with the different lighting quite difficult. I used girls who are all 11 or 12, which are the type of people the magazine itself is aimed that. I chose this girls as they are all good friends, showing the closeness o the group and reflects the friendly tone of the magazine that I wanted to achieve. I also chose these girls as they people my target audience can relate to due to age, gender, and personalities. Please take a moment to see the results:   

This picture has been taken from a high angle. I thought this was an interesting angle and I used it to show the effect the fan was making clearly. I put the fan on next to the background to make their hair look flawless. This particular photo was an experiment with the fan. I like this picture however as it shows the girls in mid laugh and shows real laughter without the posed look. 

I am going to use this picture to show how close the girl group are. I found the inspiration from the research I done when I looked at other photo shots of pop groups. All the girls look really close like they have been friends for years and been through a lot which I am going to betray in my article based on them.

I am planning on using this picture on either the front cover or contents page as although they aren't, it gives the impression that they are pointing at the reader with the caption '...they are just like YOU!' which adds emphasis to the addressing of the reader. They are doing peace signs as a message for peace in the world as I am planning on mentioning they are ambassadors for a anti bullying charity which will go onto give an idea of what their personality and message is. 


I am overall very impressed with my pictures so far and how they have turned out. I am hopeful that they will work on the magazine very well. 

Contents page - First Draft

Conents page first draft from rebeccamilesmedia

Here is my first contents page draft. I created it on In design, which is the appropriate programme to use. In this design, I used a mixture of both my pictures and ones I found on the Internet. This is because I have began to take my pictures (see following post) but I have no been able to take all of them as of yet. Although I am aware of the pictures that I do need and will be able to get them uploaded act before the deadline.
             In my design, I included colourful boxes for decoration which lay in the background. I chose this particular decoration as when I looked at pop music based magazines, they included a similar design which I have incorporated into my work. My own pictures that I used have been slightly photo shopped as i have boost up their brightness to make them clearer and seem more professional.
            All in all, I am very happy with how my first has turned out and I have established my colour and font scheme, and added basics such as page numbers. I still have pictures to add, and like my front cover draft, some of the story lines will change. They have just been included to give an idea of the layout.

My Front Cover First Draft

Front cover 1st draft screenshot from rebeccamilesmedia

Here is my first draft. I completed it on Indesign. I found the programme fairly easy to use, but only by using the basics features. I found the more complicated features challenging to use. However once I got used to them i found it relatively easy.
Obviously, once I have taken my pictures i will use them but for the draft I used pictures from the Internet to get an idea of the layout.I used a picture of a girl band as the main feature as that's what I am planning to do when I create my final front cover. I'm fairly certain that the layout will remain similar with a similar colour and font scheme. However the headline will change and adapt to the picture I will use.
Overall I'm happy with how this turned out. I think it looks similar to other magazines I've looked at during my research. Also I included features that I know people want from my questionnaires. 

Examples of the Types of Pictures I Want to Take

Here are some pictures that I found from  'We Love Pop' photo shoots. These represent the types of pictures I want to recreate in my own way. I chose these photo shoots as they are for a pop magazine like mine.

In this picture, we see the band having a laugh. I want to have a shot like this as it presents them as normal people who don't take themselves too seriously. I thought is is effective as relates to the reader and presents the gener as fun based. You can also see the set of the photo shoot, and this gives an impression that the band almost 'recked' the set and again this shows them as fun and relatiable.  

Here we see a girl band and I am using a girl band as my main feature of the magazine. This particular picture shows the group as extremely close by the fact they are all smiling and hugging. This makes them come across as having friendly personalities. The fact they are looking straight in the camera smiling may be interpreted as smiling at the reader which reflects a kind personality. I may use a similar shot in my photos.








Here we see an individual shot of a band member. We see a glimpse into his 'charming' personality. Obviously in the magazine there were pictures of all 5 of the individual and members. I think this is an effective way of showing each individual members personality and people usually have favourites within a group. It is also a way of showing the differences between the band members and their personalities which may appeal to a wider audience. I may do this in my magazine.

Here's an example of the jumping shot that I mentioned in my last post. Obviously my jumping shot wont be into a swimming pool but I am using this as an example in the sense of taking it while they are in mid air. Again this brings the aspect of fun.

Plans for Pictures in my Music Magazine

                                  I have decided that for my double page spread, I am going to include an exclusive interview with a girl band. I am going to ask my sister and her friends to be the girl band. I want the pictures to be uncomplex, so just in front of a white background. This is going to give them a professional look. I am going to ask the girls to dress in trousers and a top of their choice, as I don't them to be too dressed up. I want young girls reading the magazine to relate to them. I am going to photograph them just having a laugh with each other, and looking happy etc. I am planning on two serious shots ;however to reflect how they are serious about their music. I have thought of a shot where they jump in the air and I take the picture while they are in the air. This will then be followed by the caption 'On top of the world.'
                                     As the interview is the main feature of the magzine, it will also be the main feature on the cover. I am unsure of other pictures as of yet, but im thinking of maybe photographing some of my frineds near a window to give the pictures differences. I may also photography intruments, such as drums or microphone to feature on my magazine contents page and to create a logo for the magazine.

Publication Plan

Name of magazine: Total Pop!

Font of name: Cooper Black

Positioning statement: Awarded best popular music magazine in the UK

Frequency of publication: Monthly

Price: £1.99

Distribution: UK- all newsagents

Rationale: (what is the thinking behind the magazine - have you
identified a gap in the market?): I am aiming my magazine at pop music rather than a certain age gap as I have discovered that although there are lots of pop magazines, they are more focused at age range rather than the music

Style: Professional yet fun

Regular content: gossip, what's out, tour dates, interviews, reviews, competiton 

Feature content in your issue: Interview

House style: what font will you use? will it be the same for
articles/headings/captions?: Kept the same for cover, contents and regulars but changes for interviews to relate to the topic

Analysis of my Questionnaire Responses

Questionnaire responses from rebeccamilesmedia
I found exactly what I needed from using my questionnaires. For example, I found a link between what age the person was, to what artist they are most interested in. I also found a link between the age group and the music magazines they read. For example, younger age groups read 'Girl Talk' whilst older age groups read more of magazines such as 'teen now'. This tells me that I need to focus on making my magazine appealing across age groups, as although both this magazines are pop based magazines, they have slightly different audiences in terms of age differences.  I also found that  people interested in pop or rock like to attend concerts whilst people interested in indie prefer the festival vibe. This will come in helpful if i decide on advertising a competition, as i could make attending a concert a prize rather than a festival.

Essay- Comparing 2 Double Page Spreads

                      The ‘We Love Pop’ double page spread is an interview with Tulisa. They kept the magazine logo in the corner; however they have changes the name to ‘We Love Tulisa’ so it relates to the interview and also makes to Tulisa seem powerful and important. Instead of a straight forward title, they have used an extract from the interview which may be controversial therefore encouraging people to read on. The introduction seems like they are having a general chat however they are still keeping it relevant to the interview. This makes the reader feel that they be having a friendly chat with Tulisa rather than just a formal conversation, and this will appeal to her fans. The questions again are in chat form but they are still relevant to Tulisa and her current jobs and activities. They are extracts and quotes from the interview scattered across the spread and this breaks it up into sections and makes it much easier to read. Another interesting way to make the interview easier to read is the way they have highlighted certain parts of Tulisa’s answers so if the reader only wanted to quickly read the interview, they have the opportunity to do so. The pictures are relevant to the questions and are position next to a specific question. For example, the picture of Tulisa with Co-judge Nicole is found right next to the question asking about if the judges get along. At the end of the first page, there is an arrow to indicate that the reader should turn over. Similar to this, at the end of the interview itself is a little heart (which relates to the ‘we love pop’ name) to tell the reader that they have come to the end of the interview.

                 The ‘Q’ double page spread is an interview with Biffy Clyro. It looks much more serious compared to the ‘We love pop’ interview and this, may reflect the audience of both magazines. The title is ‘A round with Biffy Clyro’ which refers to a round of drinks. This seems to relate to a more masculine thing to say so it may either reflect the type of band they are or it may reflect the ideal reader.  It also makes it seem more like a chatty interview and this is also shown through the questions. The questions seem more general chat questions which anyone could ask to anyone and doesn’t relate to musicians at all. This may appeal to fans as it gives them an opportunity to discover the real band. The layout follows a common interview convention, with the question being asked and the answer beginning with the band member’s name. In the corner is the ‘Q’ magazine logo, and also similar to the ‘we love pop’ interview, there is a Q and the end to symbolise the end of the interview.  The picture is an action shot, and on the picture is another image saying ‘Winner: Best Live Act’ which is represented through the action picture of the band.

            Although both these interviews follow common interview conventions, they also both have their unique ways of appealing to their target audience. I may adapt some of these techniques into my double spread layout, such as the symbol at the end of the interview and the quotes scattered across the pages. I may do something more like the ‘we love pop’ interview rather than the ‘Q’ one as I am also creating a pop magazine.

ESSAY- Comparing Magazine Contents Pages

Contents pages are a vital feature found in all magazines, including music magazines. They typically include page numbers to articles, pictures relating to the cover or article and a page number. 

                                    The first contents page I am going to analysis is 'We Love Pop' which is a pop based music magazine. I paid particular attention to this contents as I am also making a Pop magazine. First thing I noticed was the continuing use of bright colours, which reflects the target audience which I'm assuming is girls aged 9-16, which is very similar to my target audience. There is a editors column which relates and gives extra exclusive content on the main article. I also noticed the title doesn't bluntly say 'Contents page' as it says 'WE LOVE THIS...' which may make the reader then feel that this is amazing content therefore encouraging them to read the magazine fully and then maybe also encourage them to read it monthly. The other features of the contents page includes; page number, pictures relating to articles, the magazine logo, and summaries or extracts from features. 

                                   The second contents page comes from 'NME' which is aimed at rock and alternative music. There is not a bright colour scheme compared to 'We Love Pop' however, there is a consistent use of red to make page numbers stand out. another thing that red is used for is to make the advertisement stand out. The advert is to promote the subscription deal of the magazine. The title, like the last magazine is not 'Contents page' but is 'Inside This Week' which although is not basic , it is also a lot more formal. The font constantly changes throughout page, but stays in a formal manner. This may represent that they want a wide range of different music tastes that are different in the magazine to be taken all seriously and are all just as important as any other genre. Again, they also use pictures and summaries and extracts.

                                 The next magazine is Q magazine. The target music genre is similar to the previous magazine but focuses slightly more on the rock side. A similar aspect is the use of red, used to to make page numbers stand out as well as feature titles too. The date can also been seen on the contents page. Something different that this page does is the title which plainly says 'Contents page' Maybe this was chosen to keep it simple and not over complicate things. This contents page, although formal in font, language and colours, also presents a comical side, with cartoon characters drawn around the double spread layout based on well know musicians. The pictures show a mixture of posed photographs and ones of performances. A subscription advertisement is also used which is maybe something i could interpret into mine.  

                                My final magazine is 'Mix Mag' which is aimed at people interested in dance music. First thing I noticed is the representation of girls on the contents page alone. It shows mostly females in a swimming pool in bikinis drinking alcohol. This magazine, however is aimed at both genders so this may be the norm in the clubbing scene. Even though the colours on the background and writing is quite plain and simple, the central pictures come off as quite vibrant. This may represent a club as the seating area is usually dark, but the dance floor, usually located in the middle of the club, is known for being bright and colourful from the lights. The features have been sorted into categories which I think is a good idea if someone was looking for a quick read and was trying to find the most things they relate to. I find the font interesting  as the letters seem to be divided in the middle, so as the magazine is aimed at both male and female, it could represent two people.   

                            From looking at these 4 contents pages, I have seen basics that i should interpret into my contents page including; page number of the contents page itself, thought into the title, colours and fonts which reflects the music genre and the use of the pictures. I have also thought of new ideas along the way such as using categorical methods, advertisements of extra features, and an editors column. 

                              

Questionnaire- Target Audience Research

Audience research for future music magazine questionnare from rebeccamilesmedia

                 At the top, I decided to write a summary of the purpose of the questionnaire to inform audience how much help it would be if they filled it out. I also made the questionnaire anonymous as there is more chance that the audience will feel it out more acutely based on their opinions, likes and facts.
                                 The first question i asked was how old are they so I could see if there is a link between age and likes and dislikes. I also included this so the audience know who I am aiming it at so if they're not in that age range they wouldn't feel it out and wont waste any unneeded time. The second most important question i asked as what sort of music they like so I know if i chose the right age range. I used a variety of open and closed questions so I could get a better understanding of what music certain age groups are interested in.
                               Similar to the beginning, I also said 'thank you' at the end after the questions so once again the audience will know how helpful they are being in the process of making my music magazine.

My Final Preliminary Task Draft for the Front Cover and Contents Page

Final school magazine layout from rebeccamilesmedia
I based my final design on the second draft that I have uploaded previously. I thought this was the best idea of a layout that I could think of so i decided to use it for the final draft. I appreciate that it is on PowerPoint and not on a programme software such as InDesign. This is due to problems with the computer network. When the software is working again, I will convert it to the appropriate programme. I decided to use PowerPoint for the previous drafts as I found it easier to move things about and express initial ideas, and then I will transfer the ideas this onto InDesign.