Dear Moderator, my name is Sam Wilkinson and my candidate number is 8043.

I have created two pieces of coursework, a preliminary task and a music magazine, I hope you enjoy marking my work :)

http://prezi.com/lm-n1e-ljsdo/evaluation/


This is a link to my Prezi evaluation. I enjoyed using Prezi and evalating my magazine! Although, my account had trouble uploading pictures every time I tried, so all the pictures you need are on my blogger.

Before this post I had only analysed each side of the double page spread, but this is my entire completed double page spread as it should be. I am very happy with this, even though this didnt take the longest to make, I still had alot of diffficulty with it; how to place the pictures, picture size, page size, text layout, the contents of the text and the layout. I feel I should have planned this more extensively so I could have got it done quicker, but I am still thrilled with the final piece. I like the pictures I took, even though they didnt necassarily match up to my planning exactly, I still think that they came out looking very "music magazine ish'". Personally, I think this is my favourite piece of the coursework. I think the whole thing flows nicely, the contrast between the text and the pictures is very effective and I really enjoyed writing the text. I love to write, and writing that was very enjoyable for me.

This is my final contents page which I will now analyse. First of all, as you can see i've stuck with the theme of red and white because I think it stands out and looks highly effective. I also like the way they are seperated into boxes, which I think looks very proffessional, as some magazines tend to cram too much opnto the page which can look untidy, and not very easy to navigate. This however I think is perfectly simple to navigate, the box at the top first off tells readers that its the contents page, which telling them the issue, month and year. The first box on the left is "THE EDITOR" which I always wanted to put in my magazine. This is a feature I regularly saw in the "Radio Times" and I thought it made the magazine look much more proffessional. I also took a picture of Ryan to make the feature look more realistic. The second box on the left was something I learnt from reading Q magazine, that to add seperate and more extensive sections for some stpries on the contents page is useful to change things up a bit, change the layout, and to also give readers more information. Down the right hand side is the "HIGHLIGHTS" section. These were stories that I made up, that I thought would go with the style of the magazine. Stories including the main artist on the front cover, Skrillex, Ke$ha, and a festival guide. Some music magazines tend to swerve away from music news and go towards the "gossip" end of the spectrum. This is not what I wanted to do, at least not for all my stories. I also decided to add two more pictures onto the page, one of the two artists and one of the main artist. I decided to use males for the picture at the bottom right as I didnt want my magazine to be predominantly female. Overall I am very happy with how my contents page has turned out; I like the layout, my own creative stories and the choice of pictures, colour and text styles.

 This is my final front page which I will now analyse. Firstly, the inspiration for my front page was Q magazine. I liked this magazine because of its simlicity and how aesthetically pleasing it was. The bold text against the striking picture created a perfect front cover, stylish and sophisticated. I decided to use the media techniques used in Q to create my own magazine. For this I picked a primary colour to be a them running through the magazine. For this I chose red, it stands out, and on the cover it matches the colour of her lips which was a technique I decided to use on the photoshoot. First of all, the text was all the same size (apart from the main coverline), which I decided to change to make the magazine look more proffessional. I also added an oppertunity to win something which instantly makes the magazine more desirable. Another technique I wanted to use from the very start was for the artist to give the audience direct mode of address; this makes the reader feel more personally sought out to buy the magazine, catching the artsits eye. My logo is also something which I considered carefully, I wanted a smooth and sophisticated logo which would mathc the style and direction of the magazine. Overall, I am ecstatic whith how my fron cover has shaped up, I think this was partially down to the planning, getting inspiration from other texts, brainstorming which pictures to take and using photoshop and its tools in order to create my front cover.      



This is also another planning sheet I used, this was basically to go into more detail about the points in the previous post. :)

For this I focused on 5 main areas:

Genre: The genre I went for initially was indie, going along the lines of NME or Q. I also wanted to focus on mainly new and upcoming artists, struggling to get a record deal who want to promote their music and get noticed. This was not continued to the final peice, as I decided I wanted a more refined magazine, focusing on big artists worldwide.

Price: I made the price 2.99 initially, but decided to increase the price to 3.99 as the number of features and pages means that it was worthy of a higher price. Also the more sophisticated look to the magazine means that it is worthy of a higher price.

House style: "This magazine is going to be very independant, unlike anything on the market today. I want it to be a very simple cover focusing mainly on the artist in the main coverline, while still showing potential buyers that there is a multtude of other artists included in the magazine." This is reflected in my final product, as the front page comprimises mostly of the main artist, but still showing audiences that their are other story's to read inside. I also said on the planning sheet that I wanted to include the chance to win tickets to DOWNLOAD festival; which is true to a degree, however I decided to change it to CREAMFIELDS festival instead.

Audience profile: "I think the audiences for this magazine would be 16 - 26 year olds, both male and female, people who are interested in discovering and enjoying new and unfound music, brought to light by this magazine." In the path to creating my magazine I swerved from this notion of "promoting new acts" as it could be a very risky move for a magazine to make, also, I wanted to make a more established and defined magazine, recognising well known artists but moving away from the glamour and gossip magazines.

Font and Colour: In my plan I stated that I wanted to keep the font and colour very simple, moving away from rival magazine Kerrang! which uses jaggedy and brash colours. For my magazine I wanted to make it a very 'clean' look but with a bright and distinctive colour scheme so it looks good on the shelf. I think this is true, as the magazine has a recurring theme: the colour red. Also the front cover is fairly reserved compared to some rival magazines, which I think makes the artist on the cover have more precedence over the cover.

This is the preliminary planning sheet for my main piece of media coursework, here I explain the genre, price, audience, house style, images, double page spread, offers, USP and other things. I had a vague idea of what type of magazine I would like to make, it would be a magazine where people can find out about new UK artists, I also wanted to go to London to take my pictures. My plan for my double page spread would to have a page of text and a page of 4 pictures. For offers, I explained that I wanted to give away a chance to win free tickets to a festival. I also made sure that it would be an indie magazine, and definitely not pop, that it would be unique, bright and stand out, and not put too much stuff on the front cover.


How this compares to the finished article:

-it looks much more like a pop magazine than an indie magazine because of the use of colour and language
-its not specifically for new or UK artists
-I decided to go for a cleaner more reserved look, so I decided to take the pictures closer to home. My front cover would initially hvae some sort of photographic background, but after experimenting with adding text, I found it would be easier to use a plain background in order to make the text stand out against the picture.

How this is similar to the finished article:

-I did include an enticement for someone to win tickets for a festival, as I though the idea would help entice more readers to buy the magazine.
-I did stick to my original idea for my double page spread, in which I have text on one page and four main pictures on the other  

    

This is a double page spread in Q magazine about artist Emili Sande. This shows my inspiration for my own double page spread. I was researching double page spreads, looking through various music magazines when I cam across this article. It caught my eye because of the contrast between the headshots and the body of text. I decided to adopt this style and create my double page spread loosely based on this. This just goes to show that research meant that I was able to find inspiration and credible ideas for my magazine which I wouldnt have found without research. On the text page I admired the sophisticated language and how it was different form an interview. Instead it descibed and analysed an artist in great detail. On the picture page I liked the way the four camera angles were used to show the artist as a very diverse person with different sides to her personality. I also liked the way that her hair contrasted her clothes, and how they look like passport photos's. This article was immensely helpful in my research, and inspiring my final product.



This is my completed right side to my double page spread. I think the four pictures on this side, compliment the text on the other side to become the complete picture. I like the way that pictures are all different and show a different side of her physically, but also used to represent different sides of her personality. I am very pleased with how this has turned out! The next post will show you my inspiration!

This is the left side of my double page spread, today I wrote the story to go with the name. To do this I read lots of different aricles and interviews and decided to write about the life of one artist. Writing is my passion, and I really enjoyed making up things about a pretend artsit! I tried to make it sound as proffessional and authentic as possible, taking inspiration from other articles. At first I had one huge block of text, which I decided didnt look very proffessional, so I split it into paragraphs, to break the text up a little bit. This made it look much nicer on the page, and far more proffessional. Tomorrow I'm going to come in and check it again, finish off the right side of the page and go through all of my pieces to make sure everythings spelt correctly and looking as good as it can!

This is how far I have got with my double page spread today:

- I have changed the background colour to the colour of the text on the front cover

- I split the page down the middle, which I didnt know how to do at first so I had to ask a technician, who showed me how to use the ruler tool

- I also added text at the top, using similar fonts to the front cover to keep a continuous flow going through the magazine

I have added two pictures to my four picture page, but I havent yet decided which two pictures to use yet! 

I have come in today to get started on my double page spread! I hope it all gets done by the end of easter, I will have to come in every day until its finished :(

Today I think I may have completed my front page and my contents! I have to go check with Mrs. Breen when we go back to school though, as for the past couple of media session it has been the easter holidays, but I feel I needed to come in to get this done! I added more stories to the right hand side, added a bar code from the internet and added the price, for now I think im done!

This my completed (for now) contents page, I have added more stpries down the right hand side which I have not copied from anywhere, I made all of the storeis up myslef, and have added extra emphasis to the main story. Im so happy I might be done!

Today I added more stories to my contents page, and also added in a story for the two artists in the bottom left corner, I feel like its coming along nicely!

This took some more time to complete, as I had trouble with how to position the text and what size it should be. I feel like I have made good progress though, and only have a few more stories to write! Also, I have added a bubble on the right hand side to help entice readers with the front cover, I like this, as it adds another element to it :)

Today I created my logo! To do this I simply added a red box like I had previously on my double page spread and added a large M in edwardian script, and I also created a strapline; Music Made Marvelous. AS you can see I also added my main coverline too, using bold letters for the artist and smaller text for the explanation underneath.

This is how far I have got with my contents page today, I have added a picture of my main artist, a picture in the bottom box which I can write about tomorrow. I have also cut round a picture of ryan to be the editor, and have written a comment from him about the main artist.

This is the start of my contents page, to start off I have taken inspiration from Q magazine and have decided to use red boxes as the background, one box being for the editor, one for highlights and I havent decided which the other one will be yet :)

This is my edited picture. First I increased the brightness of the picture to make it stand out more, and went round the picture very carefully with an eraser so it was smooth around the edges, I also changed the background to an off white colour, so its not too bright white, just dark enough to let the picture stand out.

The next stage was to cut the picture out from the background using the magnetic lasso tool, as you can see I need to tidy up the edges and create a background!

This is the picture I have chosen to use on my front cover, I chose the picture because I like the pose, her eyes and the positioning of her hair. The lighting is a little dark so I may have to edit it to make the picture slightly brighter, but overall I am happy with the results.
Also Im glad I took lots of pictures on the two photoshoots I did, as it gave me a wide range of choice when it came to choosing which picture I wanted to use.

These are all the pictures I took while I was out on photoshoots, I had a clear idea of what I wanted to acheive, so I got them done relatively quickly. The ones of Alice were more extensive than the bottom two, as I was happy with those straight away. The ones of Alice took time, took brainstorming, but I really enjoyed going out, getting to grips with the camera, trying out different camera angles, high shots, low shots, close ups, medium close ups, two shots etc.

This is the camera I used to take the pictures for my media productions.

This is the second page of the contents in Q magazine, with some annotations around the side.

The contents page, in my opinion, is very picture based with olnly a minimal amount of text. It does however manage to look proffessional at the same time. It uses pictures to entice the readers attention firstly, and by being aethetically pleasing it makes the audience want to read on, and discover whats inside.

I also thought however, that the page was a little disjointed. It didnt contain much real substance, nor did the first page. If the two pages were combined, paying less attention to huge unnecessary pictures, then it could be fitted on the one page no problem. Jpwever, the writers of Q decided to spread it out over two pages and pay more emphasis to the pictures. It also uses screen shots of the pages inside with the page numbers next to it, so it makes it easier and quicker for readers to find the pages they want.

Overall, I thought it had more bad points than good, and it could be greatly improved. However, the use of bright pictures and block layout seems to work in its own way, and maybe swerve away from designs of more mainstream of "pop" or "teen" magazines full of bright patterns and text. This takes a more adult view on the contents page, maybe reflecting the target audience of the magazine.

This is the cover of "Q" magazine with my annotations around the side.

Main picture: The picture on the cover is of Florence and the Machine, a well known pop alternative singer. She is looking straight towards the camera which means she is giving the reader direct mode of address, making the audience feel more personally targeted. The picture is very femenine which could suggest that this issue, or even all of them are targeted at women. If a man went into buy a magazine, they might ignore this because of the femenine picture and colours. From a first glance it looks more like a beauty magazine than a music magazine, so readers have to pick up the magazine to find out what its really about, also men are targeted by the use of language on the front, swearing, casual adult language which may appeal to them.

Colour: Florence is wearing blue eye shadow in the picture, which is complimented by small features of the same blue around the front cover. This makes the features of her face look softer, also making the whole front cover bond.

Main Coverline: the main coverline reads '"I FEEL SO ALONE" WOMAN ON THE EDGE' this is a coverline typical of magazines such as "Hello" or "Closer" which revel in celebritys misfortunes and splash it over double page spreads with glossy pictures of them. This however, is a music magazine, so its rare to see a headline such as this on a more sophisticated magazine. This is also mainly aimed at women, as they are targeted by coverlines about feelings and drastic life changes, especially in other womens lives.

Masthead: The masthead on this particular front cover is dominating the whole front cover. The huge "Q" in bright white against red is instantly recognisable as "Q" music magazine. Its also on the third left which means people scanning the shelves will be instantly drawn to this magazine as the title stands out.

Language: the language used on the front cover is varied. There is informal language like "MEET THE NEW SIMON COWELL...(AND THIS ONES NOT A BASTARD)" which shows that the magazine is maybe for older teenagers, and that the magazine is less formal than others. There is also a rhetorical question; "SKILLREX, DANCE GENIUS OR NOISY GIT?" thsis again has informal language by the use of the word "GIT", but as its a rhetorical question it also reaches out the audience and their opinion.

Audience profile:

Age: 17-34

Gender: Males and Females, this issue predominantly females because of the colours, picture and main coverline.

Interests: New music, information on artists, showbiz news (more sophisticated).

This is the cover of NME with my annotations around the side. In my annotations I described the colour, form, style, and techniques used.

Colour: The annotations are on the copy of the magazine, but we had the original while I was annotating. The masthead, main coverline, the sticker on the right, the word dividers at the bottom are all red, creating a certain mood. The man on the front cover is alos wearing a red t-shirt, integrating him to the overall theme of the page. 

Interactivity: There is a sticker on the right hand side of the magazine that reads; "WIN! SIGNED MIGHTY BOOSH GEAR" this tells me that the magazine are promoting a program that appeals to its audience, also that the magazine is not too serious, as it says the word "gear" which is a fairly relaxed term. This interactivity makes people more likely to buy the magazine, as an opportunity to win something presents itself, the magazine becomes instantly more attractive to its audience.

Masthead: The masthead is usually the first piece of text people are drawn to, and in this case its  on the third left, and its very bold and bright which catches peoples attention straight away. Also the name "NME" is very well known as the magazine has been around for a very long time, so its instantly recognasable among other titles.

Main coverline and other coverlines: The main coverline is obviously about the man in the picture, promoting his band and his music. There are also a multitude of other coverlines around the cover, promoting other bands. This in fact increases the audience interest, as more artists are on the cover, more people are likely to want to buy the magazine.

Audience Profile:

Age: 16-30 - simple layout - more sophisticated than Kerrang!
Gender: Male - prodominantly male colours and all male bands
Interests: New bands, indie, rock

This is my school prospectus. I decided instead of using one or two main images on my cover, I would include lots of different smaller pictures to show more of the school. I have also used lots of different camera angles; the first was an establishing shot to show the new sixth form block outside, taking advantage of the bright sun and blue sky to create a more welcoming photo. There are also two shots of girls working, an establishing shot, a medium close up of a boy playing drums, a girl choosing a book from the library and a two shot of people working, this is to show the variety of lessons taught and to show how hard the students work. I have also used 3 two shots to show that the students and teachers have a happy and professional relationshiop together, which shows the the school as a empathetic and supportive enviroment.

In terms of editing I had very little to do, only small features that let down the pictures overall appearance. For instance in the picture on the far right there was a puddle on the floor, making the picture look messy; to correct this is used the clone tool to clone the other pieces of grey to make it look even. The most editing I did was on the title though, the original sign had lights hanging over it and was very messy, rusty, and looked poor. I spent a lesson carefully editing the red parts to tidy it up, brightening the yellow on the lettering to make them stand out more, editing out the lights and nails, and generally tidying up its appearence. This was all the editing I did, but considering that it was a school prospectus I didnt want to make it look fake at all. Looking at the St. Marks official prospectus it hit me that all the pictures looked too posed, and even though I have got posed pictures, I wanted to make most of them look as natural as possible.

As well as the pictures there is a piece of text in the centre which reads; "At St. Marks we know that there are no limits to a childs potential, and we will treat each one as an individual; because here, every child matters a great deal." I put this in the centre to reflect the views that are at the centre of the school's ethos. I think this could have been in a more imaginative font or colour to improve the overall appearence of the front cover.

Making this school prospectus has been a learning curve for me, which pictures work, tools on photoshop, how house style and font is equally as important as good pictures and how to plan and take successful photo's. In my music magazine I think I should plan in far greater detain to ensure I know exactly what im doing when it comes to taking the pictures and editing the final piece.

today we temporarily swerved away from making the prospectus to learn more about magazines. Using powerpoints and my teacher, I learnt about many different magazines, their audiences, and how they market themselves to change with fashion, and what is popular. This was very beneficial to me, as now I feel more confident in creating my own magazine.

In todays lesson I carried on creating my prospectus. I edited details out of several pictures to make them look more proffessional, added a mission statement, and edited the text. I am just one picture away from completing my prospectus! :)

In today's lesson, I carried on creating my prospectus. I changed the background colour and swerved away somewhat from my original plan. The initial idea is still there, but as I created it I changed the layout to make way for a quote or saying to include on the centre of my front cover. I found editing my prospectus further more fun than I had found it before, as now I could really let my imagination go wild and create a great prospectus. Im still getting the hang of all the tools, but I feel confident that I have got the hang of it.

For the title, I used a picture of the school sign which I extensively edited to make clean and presentable, rather than just coping the name and logo. I then added pictures in rows of 4, which in the middle, I intend to add a qouote or saying which is personal to the school.

As an introduction to the course, Miss Breen explained how the course would progress and what tasks we would have top acheive, even from the onset I was confident that I was going to use my creative side to make a great music magazine. We were also introduced to the preliminary task; which was to create a school prospectus. First though, I needed to plan on paper what my prospectus would look like.

In the next lesson I learned how to use photoshop and all the tools needed to create the prospectus, and then go on to create a music magazine. Personally, I found the tools hard to use and slightly annoying, but after a few attempts, I got the hang of it and was confident in starting my creations.

The next lesson was my favourite; going out and taking shots of the school which I had carefull planned to go into my prospectus. I found this very fun, as I enjoy photography and the practical side to media. I finally had all the shots I needed (with the help of some upper and lower school students).

The I started to create my prospectus, using everything I had learned in previous lessons, and the shots I had taken.