PLANNING TASK 6: Location Recces

For my magazine I wanted to have simple background as I wanted the models images and texts to stand out and for the audience's attention to be drawn to the model and any important information. Therefore I looked at backgrounds where I do not have to edit as much, but have neutral and earthy colours. And so I have taken images of these brick wall backgrounds, the first being a white and grey look and the second the usual brown, reddish with the cement. 

 The first image is not of a real brick wall, but is a wallpaper which is in my brother's bedroom therefore I did not have to go out but easily took the images at home. I had turned off the room light and put the flash light of the camera on in order to experiment with different brightness and tones. And so by doing this, an effect of darker shadow, blur has been created on each side and then increasing on the corners. This gives a very dramatic as well as mysterious look as the center has a spotlight effect, blending out into the darker shade of grey. This gives a very high quality capture and shows how not much editing has to be done.

While the second image is of a real brick wall, therefore took the image outside near my house as a brick wall can be easily found and so I did not have to travel much. This image had been taken in the evening therefore it was quite dark but the flash of the camera was on, making it come out much brighter but still creating a slight affect of the center being slightly more brighter than the edges. There has been some faint graffiti on the wall, but is not as noticeable as it is a neutral colour of light grey, making it not as much of a distraction. But this also adds an effect making it natural yet could work nicely with a genre of hip hop/rock theme.

PLANNING TASK 5: Photo-shoot Planning

For the different genres, a variety of images and poses would have to be taken and used. Therefore I have looked at various images with difference in pose, lighting and camera shots.

There are numerous types of shots such as:
- extreme wide shot,
- wide shots,
- extreme long shot,
- long shot,
- mid shot,
- close-up,
-  extreme close-up,
- two shot,
- over the shoulder,
- point of view,
- low angle,
- high angle,
- establishing shot,
- birds eye view,
- worms eye view

Below are the images I have looked at, each indicating the genre and style:

R&B/HIP HOP:

As you can see, the males within this gene have a very serious and dramatic look, most of the time they are not smiling but keep a "mysterious" feel. The only part of their body they alter is their hands and arms. They keep the rest of their body most of the time straight but pose by moving their hands such as; pointing or doing the peace sign etc. Whereas the females within this genre are slightly more fanatical as they do poses that are very "glamour" look and not natural. Most of the time the females wear very revealing clothes, making it aimed at a higher audience age. And also pose in a way where teenagers and young adults would be appropriate to view.

POP:

Within this genre, the females tend to have many props to pose with, this creates a fun and interesting theme which could range from different age audiences. Some do close ups, therefore the make up is very focused on and some are longer shots, showing the props. Their expressions also change depending on the theme such as; "sassy" looks will have a slight more dramatic expression whereas the "cute" look will be smiles. The males within this genre have a slight laid back look, yet very intense, they tend to not have props but especially in boy bands, they show laughter and "craziness".

ROCK/PUNK:

There are mostly bands within this genre, therefore many of them pose standing altogether to enhance this or they stand with their instruments, showing what each member does within the band. They all have a very "lazy" and rough look by having very casual clothing and quite a "drowsy" expression. The older bands tend to have an even more "grungy" look whereas the new artists have a more simple but very dramatic look.

PLANNING TASK 4:Props/Costume List

PHOTO-SHOOT 1

For the first photo shoot I kept the look very simple, the outfit is an everyday casual wear which most male R&B artists wear as they are very laid-back, informal and composed characters. Most of the time the artist wear black, making that mysterious and edgy appearance with some accessories to invigorate the look. This can include items such as; sunglasses, chains, rings or eye catching shoes. This brings the idea of money and fame which most R&B artists illustrate within their music videos and also most of their songs/albums are about money and fame therefore the accessories bring out even more of this theme.

The clothing that will be worn is a black baggy jumper, with a big white number on the front, a net fabric is then placed at the top, creating a more interesting look. Below the jumper a grey t-shirt has been placed, in order to bring out the collars, this creates a more appealing look as more "effort" has been put. Burgundy baggy trousers have been chosen which is dark but brings colour to the outfit as the whole look is black and grey. The outfit as a whole is very simple but put altogether creates an interesting combination and is also a very popular fashion trend for males.

The props that will be used are a silver chain that most R&B artists where, as mentioned before, this brings out the idea of money. The chain is quite thick, making it stand out against the black top and also works well with the colour theme as silver would look more sophisticated than a gold chain. White earphones and iPhone will also be used, this may work well for sections about downloading or listening to the latest song/album of the artist's. The iPhone is a very popular phone which quite a lot of artists have as well therefore, this type of phone would work best and also as it is an iPhone 4, the back is black with the silver/mirror of the logo. This again blends in with the theme, making the phone not too eye-catching to take the audiences attention away from the artist.

PHOTO-SHOOT 2

FIRST LOOK:

For the second photo shoot I wanted to try two different genres, therefore there are two different outfits. One is dark and dramatic whereas the other look is very girly and bright. This gave me a choice of which clothing looked best for me to then choose the genre from. The first look is of a rock genre therefore having black clothing and quite rough looking. And for the second look is of a pop or country genre, this is because the outfit is colourful and interesting. Due to the props used, it made it look quite country like therefore I thought this look could work with a pop genre as well as a country music genre.

The clothing that will be worn for the first look is blue jeans as this is very casual looking which most rock artists would wear. The t-shirt is black with an image of a mic in grey, this works very well for the look as it is dark and has an image of something that relates to music and the singer. A leather jacket has also been put with the outfit, this is one of the key features all rock artists have, this shows that "grungy" and "bad" look. Also the studs on the colour brings out an even more intense look and keeps it interesting and not too simple.The shoes are black, ankle boots with gold studs this matches the jacket making a theme which creates a very prepared look as it is not too plain but effort has been put by having a matching jacket and shoes.

The props that will be used for this look are an electric guitar, this is another key feature that all rock artists would have as it is the most played instrument within this genre. This also gives a more appealing feel as an instrument has been placed, grabbing the audience's attention even more. Also the headphones which are black, works well as rock artists tend to listen to a lot of loud music, making the headphones symbolise that.

SECOND LOOK:

The clothing that will be worn for the second look is a pink, short dress this is very bright, making ti eye-catching for the audience therefore wanting to pick up the magazine and have a look at the image. The dress and colour creates a very girly look but can be altered in a way to make it look either cute or funky which could work well for both themes pop and country as it can be changed to a subtle, simple look or a loud, bubbly look. The white jacket on the top, keeps the outfit less revealing as it is a quite short dress. This helps me have the magazine, interested for different audiences and not just for teenagers.

The props that will be used for this look are a guitar which is the one which many artists use as it does not have a specific genre to it. Also the colour of it is subtle, making it work well for the country genre as the simple dress and guitar creates a countryside feel. The headpiece has pastel flowers, making it very cute and girly which again can be worked with both genres. This also creates a more enchanting and delightful look.

PLANNING TASK 3: Models

FIRST MODEL:

For my magazine, I have contacted a friend of mines who I think would be best for being the artist for the magazine. Below is a screenshot of contacting my model through "Whatsapp"-message. 

Her name is Daria, I think she will be suitable for the variety of genres I will be testing such as the rock/pop/country genres. For the rock genre, she will be most suitable for due to her having an interest in rock music, therefore her outfits and props would work well on her as she has a broad range of clothing that goes under this theme. Also she has blonde hair that is very slick straight making it easy to work with and change into different styles. And she also has a  "baby" face, therefore the pop theme would look great on her due to her height and expressions. This would enhance the feminist look, making it very appropriate for the pop genre. Another reason why I thought it would be best for her to be the model is because she lives two minutes away from my house, therefore it would be easier to bring the props/costume and also meaning that the images can be taken in the evening as well, giving a variety of lighting.

SECOND MODEL:

For my magazine I have decided to also have my brother as one of the models, this was not originally planned as I had thought I would have one model but when I first got the camera, I wanted to test the quality and so I told my brother to stand at the front, he started doing random poses and I thought I could also use him as one of the artists. And so I decided a date of when we can have a photo shoot, I had contacted him by "imessage" but also as we live in the same house, therefore it was easy and quick for me to contact him. Rather than waiting for a reply on messages I could let him know straightaway to any change of plans etc.

As he has an interest in R&B and rap music therefore I thought it would be best for him to portray as one of the artists. Also his hairstyle which is like a slight brush to the side which most males have as their hairstyle as it is the 'new trend'. Also his clothing matches the theme as he has a range of dark clothing therefore it would work well.

 

PLANNING TASK 2: Mood Board

For my music magazine I have created this mood board below in order to show which images, fonts or colours has inspired me to create my magazine, I have taken out sections which I will be definitely using while some that I may not but would like to see the combinations.

To create the mood board, I have sectioned out each part to show what ideas I have looked at such as; the left, top side I have placed different colours with also different textures for example the stripes or black blur edges etc.

On the top, right side I have put different props that I may be using for my magazine for example the phone and chains etc. Also I have poses of what the genre I will be doing, such as the hip hop theme having that style dance moves.

Below on the left side I have the different texts and fonts I have experimented with by looking at different colours, size and styles. In order for me to have a variety of different parts of text within the magazine and not just the title.I have also literally created text box and altered the styles by changing colours, fonts and also texture of the box.

And on the bottom, right side I have images of the different music magazines that has inspired me and given me ideas to help create my front cover, contents page and double page spread.

As you can see, the colour theme for my magazine I have chosen is black, white, grey and purple. I believe that black, white and grey work very well together and could work for a variety of themes such as a sophisticated look, punk look or even a r&b/hip-hop look.

I wanted to add another colour that would brighten the magazine up a bit, therefore I have chosen the purple. This idea I had got from the magazines that are shown below such as; "VIBE", these magazines have the typical combo of black, white and grey but have added red.

Most of the magazines I have looked at is of "VIBE" this is due to it being the closest of how I want my magazine to look and also because this magazine being one of the most popular r&b music magazine.

Also the poses of the artists shown in most r&b magazines, is very serious, it is not really a pose as it is a very casual looking straight forward stand. With either a slight hand pose or tilt of their body but still having a mid shot view of themselves keeping their face as the main feature.

However, their posture and face expression creates a very dramatic effect, due to the seriousness it creates a very mysterious look, making it seem like it is aimed for a higher aged audience.

The props I have also looked at are quite subtle too, not "in your face" as the idea is to keep the artist as the main item and not having other things distracting the audiences attention but to keep them looking at the model.

Due to the rest of the magazine having a subtle look but dramatic, the use of thick and bold text helps it look powerful and lively by having a contrasting colour such as having a white background with a dark font or to have a dark background with white or light font etc.

The mood board as a whole has a theme going on, making it easier for me to create my magazine as I have an outline of what colours, props and fonts I will be using for my magazine. 

PLANNING TASK 1: Calendar/Timeline

This is my timeline of when I will be starting  and finishing each tasks, when the photo shoots will be taking place, the deadlines for each sections and about any other work I have done either in class or outside of class.

12th January - Mood Board

25th January -  Contacting Models

28th January - Props Organisation

29th January - First Photoshoot

30th January - Second/Third Photoshoot

February - Testing colours/fonts/backgrounds

February/March - Mock ups

March - Complete Front cover, Contents Page and Double page spread

30th March - Evaluation

TASK 5: Readership Profile

One of the magazines I had analysed was “VIBE”, some of the statistics about the audience of this magazine are;

- Out of the audience; 50.5% are males and 49.5% are females, the ratio between the two genders are almost the same, this means that this specific magazine is aimed towards both genders and not at a specific one.

- The age range varies from 16-30 year old who have most interest within this magazine this means that the content featured within the magazine should be aimed at younger adults.

- Education is not a strong point as only 50.7% of their audience have ever went to university and only 19% is currently studying at university. Therefore the content featured should not be aimed at educated individuals and so there will be slang and not have any text of high readability standards included so the uneducated audience cannot read it.

- However, even though there is lack of education, the audience of this magazine are mostly employed, about 73.9%. This means that the magazine should still relate to the world of work and not forget about how important jobs are

And so by seeing the audience who look at and purchase VIBE magazines, I had an idea of who my target audience would be, this is because of the genre being the same and the style of my magazine being hugely inspired from VIBE.

Therefore I believe my target audience would be people who aspire to be like one of those artists featured within R&B and Hip Hop. As a lot of these artists have a very difficult past of not attending higher education, therefore they wish to reach out to their fans by saying that hard work will get them to where they want to be.

And so my magazine is not aimed at a specific gender as I wish for both males and females to look at it. Also the age range can vary as it does not have inappropriate content as most R&B or Hip Hop magazines do have. But as it is quite a “current” style therefore it would not be at interest for middle age or elderly people. But most likely to attract young adults 16-24 year old.