Organisation of models

In order to get my model (Morgan Faulkner) to be in my photo shoot, I had to book in time with her when we were both free. I allowed myself 3 hours for the shoot, including costume changes and setting up. The photoshoot for the front cover and DPS took place inside my house and I hung up a white sheet as a background to avoid me having to cut out the photo on Adobe later.
During the shoot I told Morgan exactly how to stand, smile and where to put her hands. The light source I used a single lamp shining directly onto the model.

Getting familiar with the cameras

Before studying media I'd never before used a camera properly besides taking normal photos. I think the only thing I already knew was that the photo should be sharp. I learned about the depth of field in a photo, and how to get the right setting for low light photos. I learned how to keep the camera still by resting it on my knee when taking the photo to avoid blur. I learned about the rule of thirds, and the correct lighting to use when taking my photos., and using reflector to highlight the models' face and make their eyes appear welcoming. I feel I have learned a lot about using camera in a short space of time.

Getting familiar with Elements 11

I started out knowing knothing at all about how to use Elements 11. After just a few lessons on it I discovered so many things I could do on it. One of the first tools I successfully used was the "spot healing". I found this particularly useful on all of my photos. I learned how to adjust the levels on a photograph to give it the desired effect. Now I feel as though I am confident in using a lot of editing tricks on Adobe Elements 11.

Contents page copy on Adobe

I began to try and copy some of the main elements of a contents page on Adobe. I soon found that it was a lot harder than I was expecting as there still remained a lot of things i was unable to do. I managed to get in some of the basic shapes but even just this proved very difficult.

Contents page paper mock up

DPS paper mock up

Front cover paper mock up

Analysis of TA research

http://www.slideshare.net/BeckyReynoldso/analysing-target-audience-research-ppt

I created a powerpoint on the analysis of my target audience research then uploaded it to slideshare.

Changes after TA research

In my target audience I got most of the answers I was predicting. I was already thinking of constructing a boyband to photograph before One Direction came up so popular on the audiences answers.
I think we'll do the masthead slightly thicker than planned as this is what our audience has said they prefer and it's become clear afterwards we just needed their input.

Designing the masthead

My partner and I were struggling on finding a way to make our masthead look more professional by adding a border. In the end we decided on drawing around the cloud on Adobe Elements 11.

Mastheads

I took a look at some mastheads of the most popular music magazines read by my TA. From these two, "Top of the Pops" and "We love Pop", i can see that they are san-serif fonts which are simple and easy to read. Top of the Pops has a swirl on the S which would probably have been customised for effect.

     This has helped in the design of "PopWorld" masthead because i know it should be an easy to read san-serif font to stick to the conventions of the genre.

Second set of photos on Adobe

http://www.flickr.com/groups/vale_media/




This is one i started to edit on Adobe Elements 11. I adjusted the levels on it and also sharpened and lightened her eyes however i'm not sure if this has made her appear too fake or just the usual airbrushed look of magazines.

Following the photoshoot

After doing my photoshoot for the front cover and DPS last week, I found that the desired lighting effect was extremely difficult to achieve. I pinned up a white sheet, and shone a single light onto the model. I also used a reflector in an attempt to highlight her face but the shadows were still visible. I will be able to sort this out on Adobe Elements 11 using a range of different tools.

Media Institutions Pitch - Bauer

Hi.
I'm here to present to you my magazine "PopWorld" in the hope that you'll see potential and sell this on to your audience.
I've examined current pop magazines that are out there, aimed at young children and teens. PopWorld is different because it caters for a wider range of audiences. It includes features aimed at younger teens such as freebies and cluttered pages. However it isn't too immature looking that a 16/17 year old wouldn't be tempted to pick it up. It has artists inside similar to One Direction and Selena Gomez, these are a couple which really stood out in our TA research. I think that if you invest in PopWorld magazine, more teens will be encouraged to buy pop magazines. Also, a new magazine look on the shelves will entice new audiences to buy as we've tried to give it a slightly different look from existing ones, but still followed the vital conventions and sell points needed in order for the target audience to be drawn to our magazine.
I hope you choose to sell PopWorld because getting a new magazine on the market will definitely widen your audience to the teens who perhaps weren't interested in pop magazines before.
Thanks.

Using Celtx - models accessories

Prezi

Research into media institutions

Wordle

Planning the photo shoot

CONTENTS PAGE

Portrait photo
Models; unsure
Location; Music studios in school
Costumes; unknown
Props needed; maybe microphones
Type of shot; long shot/ mid shot, Group shot
Lighting; artificial
Pose; arm around each other, smiles

Planning the photo shoot

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

Date; 14/11/13
Landscape
Model; Morgan Faulkner
I will need 1-3 photos from this shoot
Location/ Mise en scene; White background, sheet
Costume; Different dress to front cover
Makeup and hair style; same as front cover
Props needed; microphone?
Type of shots; long shot, mid shot, medium close up
Artificial lighting
Pose; Laying/sitting down

Planning the photo shoot

FRONT COVER

Date; 14/11/13

Portrait

Model; Morgan Faulkner

I need 1 image from this shoot

White sheet background 

Costume; Christmas lights, tinsel, christmas dress

Makeup & hairstyle; Natural wavy hair, glitter eyeshadow

Props needed; christmas lights, tinsel

Type of shot; Long shot

Lighting; artificial

Pose; happy, stood up, leant forward, face visible

Model clothing ideas

I'd looked around for dresses that i could dress my model in as i have decided on using a female model for the front cover with help from existing magazines and my TA research. As i am creating a December issue i thought red was quite a Christmassy colour however it might clash with my masthead which i was also thinking of doing in red.

This type of dress also stood out to me as its sparkly and during the Christmas party season my teenage girl TA will be wanting inspiration of what's fashionable to wear this year. If there is a star on the front wearing a certain style or colour of dress it might inspire their outfit choices.

This stands out to me as a pop outfit. It's also wintery and if my cover model was wearing something similar to this then it would compliment the rest of the cover well.

Problems with Celtx

I tried using Celtx to create a storyboard of my model clothing ideas. However i wasn't able to upload photos of the 3 outfit ideas that i had chosen.

More initial ideas- freebies

I have discovered that pop magazines sometimes use freebies as a good selling point for the magazine. By giving away nail polishes such as these, it will help give me the leisure and fashion section i will need to briefly include in order to stick to the codes and conventions of a pop magazine, although i still want to make mine different from existing magazines otherwise i'd have no chance of the company selling it.

In my TA research, I asked my audience which freebie they'd most prefer out of a given choice of Christmas orientated gifts. A very large majority of the people who were asked said they'd like a santa hat in a Christmas special of the magazine.

Mood Board

I created a mood board to link together a few of my ideas about the codes and conventions of pop magazines, and the pose i might want my models, the outfits i might want to dress them in and the colours i'm likely to use. I've also included some Christmas features of pop magazines into it.

Initial ideas- posing model

I came across this photo of Lady Gaga wrapped in Christmas lights. I really like this idea and think it would be perfect for the front cover of my magazine as it will be a christmas issue.
I could put a white background behind my model and dim the lights so that the lights are visible.

DPS analysis

I found this double page spread, it isn't for a pop magazine but i wanted to see what differences between genre there were.
Straight away i can see that the overall look of the page is darker and more mature. They have used the same red, white ad black colour scheme as one of the pop DPS's that i analysed, but they've focused a lot more heavily on the black, which will appeal to a different audience.

They've used a drop capital at the start of the article, which is conventionally used in magazines, and works really well here because it ties it together with the lead.

The model is posed across both pages, which again brings together the whole article and clarifies that it is definitely about her. The pose, hair and makeup of the model are giving off an "I don't care", dark sort of attitude, which is the opposite of what I am looking for in my models.
In the headline they have used 2 different fonts and colours for the words. The "Wild" might have been done in this scratched out, handwriting font to show the wildness of Taylor. Then the "Child" has been done in a bold, white, san-serif font. This contrasts the black background and is the first word people see because it's the biggest and most noticeable. This could be because she's most known as a child actress in "The Grinch" and she's trying to break away from this reputation.
There are 2 columns in the article and the font is very small. This suggests to me that it is targeting an older, more mature audience than teen pop, because older teens/ young adults will be more likely to want to read the article without so many visuals.
The model has half her face covered by her hair, which suggests mystery and that there is more to her than sees the eye. For my pop magazine i will be looking to pose my model completely differently so that they're clean cut and the reader can see their face, making them feel involved.
This DPS doesn't have a border to link the pages, i think this is because it would go against the conventions of this grungy look and make it look too cluttered.

Christmas edition

After research and discussion,  I've discovered the different ways in which magazines, especially pop, change their style slightly in a December issue to make it visible that it's a Christmas special. I need to make sure i don't let the seasonal aspect take over, as it will be a music magazine and should be planned around music, not Christmas. To do this i will plan out the magazine first, going by the typical codes and conventions of a pop magazine, and then add the seasonal specials on top of this, so that they are just extras. I can also plan the outfit, hair and makeup of my model around the Christmas season so that the photo will fit in with the rest of it.

DPS analysis

 This is another double page spread for a pop magazine.
They have used a red, white and black colour scheme across the 2 pages and Justin's outfit also fits in with these colours. I think this is why they have used a long shot so that he links the pages together well. I can see two red banners across the page, these pull together the pages, making it a double page spread.
The headline is also a pull quote, which automatically makes the reader feel engaged with the article. The pose of the model and the fact that he is looking directly into the camera also engages the reader and makes them feel involved with what's going on.
They have their signature jagged line feature at the top which makes the magazine recognisable for the reader.
By posing the model on a white background, he fits in really well with the style of the rest of the page, and could make the reader feel like he's really there on the page with them. He is a young boy, which teenage girls find appealing so i will try to take this into consideration when choosing my models.

DPS analysis

This is a double page spread for the December edition of a pop magazine. The colour scheme is red, blue, yellow and white which is christmassy. The yellow contrasts the other colours which is why they've highlighted certain parts of the interview in yellow to draw the readers' eyes to that section. They've placed the pull quote "Rylan walked around naked most of the time" at the bottom of the page. It's white writing on a red background which links to the dps colour scheme.
A speech bubble has been inserted near Olly's mouth which links to their house style and masthead.
For the photoshoots, they've used a medium shot because this allows you to see his jumper which also keeps to the colour scheme. In the other shot they have him dressed in a santa hat and wrapped in tinsel which shows the reader that it is a December edition. The white and blue snowflake background also shows that it is a Christmas themed issue of the magazine and it creates a border around the pages which links them together.
I've noticed that the page with the interview slightly crosses over to the next page, not a lot but it still looks very effective.
The main image also doubles as a poster to cut out which is a good selling point for the magazine as it appeals to their target audience-teenage girls.
A sans-serif font has been used for the title and interview text which is easy to read and also appeals to the TA. The title "Merry Christmurs!" takes up a lot of the page leaving little room for a lot of text as the target audience they are aiming to please won't bother reading it if there is too much. It is also a pun which is made clear by the "murs" being in a yellow font whereas the rest of it is white. This also adds a little bit of fun for the reader before they've even began reading the interview. The title is on a banner which looks like the ribbon you would use to wrap a Christmas present, this links back to the December theme.
They've placed a lead under the title which is in a different font and colour. This separates the title from the text and gives the reader a little bit of what it's about before they start reading.
For the actual interview they've written it in a question-answer style. To clearly show where Olly starts speaking, the interviewers question is in red. They've used a drop capital at the start of the text which is a convention in magazines. The text is 2 columns long which is not too much for the reader to handle, and the spacing between each question and column is typically larger than other magazines but it appeals well to the target audience.The arrow at the side of the writing shows that there is more to read overleaf, and it's red to fit in with the rest of the double page spread.

Contents page analysis

This is the second pop contents page i have come across. It is in the magazine "Top of the Pops."It has a feature where they label the different stories on the front cover with page numbers so that readers can flick straight to the story that appealed to them when they chose the magazine.I like this feature because it is visual and easy which appeals to my TA. However from my TA research i've found out they would prefer to see different pictures in the contents page than the front cover because they would like to see lots of stars.
In this contents page they've used a purple colour scheme which appeals to the target audience because it's a colour that teenage girls are typically supposed to like. Most of the camera shots used are group shots because this appeals to the target audience as they are very social. They have used an informal mode of address "Hey girls!" which makes the reader feel involved, this wouldn't work on any other genre of magazine but it works perfectly to this one.
This contents page has the different sections with page numbers underneath, i prefer the way "We Love Pop" magazine did this because there is a lot less writing which is perfect for my TA and what i have found out through my TA research.

I've also noticed that pop magazines like using group shots in their contents pages. I like this idea because it makes the magazine sort of like a social event for the young teen readers.

Both the contents pages I have looked at follow some sort of colour scheme. This one has a purple colour scheme which brings the whole page together nicely. The colour schemes don't actually tend to match the masthead which i find interesting because that is what i was planning on doing before i discovered these contents pages. This has made me change my mind as to maybe do a complete different colour scheme in the contents page than the masthead but still obviously use bright pop colours.

Follow up of the contents analysis

After analysing a pop magazine contents page, i have decided that although it would be difficult to have a poster banner along the bottom of my contents page, i could quite easily create my own stars in photoshoots. This would make my contents page look more "pop like" and professional. I would dress my models accordingly to my genre but still try and have different genders and slight style changes. This will mean i have to take a lot of photographs in order to fill the page however i will still have to make sure each one is good quality and well thought through.

Contents page analysis

I collected this contents page for "We Love Pop."I noticed features such as the large images and page numbers to get straight to that story. This appeals to my target audience of young teens because they're more visual therefore they can easily see what they need to without having to read too much. If i had a lot of writing like the more mature magazines such as classical, then my TA would be less likely to want to read my magazine.

They have the same slogan "WE LOVE THIS..." in every issue of this particular magazine. It links the contents page to the masthead as it follows the same font and colour scheme.

They have a banner along the 

bottom full of posters which are inside the magazine. Including a poster feature in my magazine will appeal to my TA greatly because they love to have pictures of stars to rip out of the magazine.

Front cover analysis

MAGAZINE4

The masthead on this magazine is a sans serif font in a nice pastel colour. This appeals to its target audience because it's easy to read as it aims at a younger audience. As it is aimed at mostly a female audience, the main model could be represented as a female role model for them. This front cover shows a fashion\lifestyle section which i would probably try not to include in my magazine as it would take the focus away from the music part of it. This particular magazine doesn't have a lot of celebrity pictures around the outside which differs from the stereotypical pop magazine. I think this makes the cover look bare and more mature which could suggest it is for a slightly older teen audience however i will try and clutter my cover with as many photos as possible to follow the codes and conventions of pop magazine front covers.

Front cover analysis

MAGAZINE3

This magazine cover is a 'teen pop'. It continues with the cluttered theme and colourful house style. There is a banner along the top to make sure every part of the cover is filled as the target audience are visual readers and lots of images and large writing will appeal to them. There are a lot of popular young celebrities such as One Direction and Justin Bieber to bring their attention to this particular magazine.

This front cover has a lot of lips and hearts on it which suggests to me that it is aimed at a young female audience. A theme that seems to carry through on teen-pop magazine front covers is cluttering the page so much that the masthead is barely visible, but the reader is still able to recognise what it is due to distiguishable fonts.

Front cover analysis

MAGAZINE2

This magazine instantly shouts teen pop because of the pose of the models and the easy to read serif fonts. They've shown about the posters on the front which definitely will appeal to thier young female audience who want to plaster their walls with their favourite celebrities. As well as all the popular artists around the main photo, they have included a small fashion section even though it's a music magazine. The pug is in the bottom corner and isnt easy to see so they are hoping for the reader to buy the magazine on what will be inside rather than the price. This issue has a slight change to the masthead to link to the main story. It follows their pink house style which appeals to their target audience.

I like the colour scheme of this particular magazine as i think it would appeal to my target audience.

Same issue comparison

My partner and I have decided on creating 2 different issues of the same pop magazine. To help us with this, we collected some existing pop magazines and compared different issues of them to point out the similarities and differences. We noticed that the masthead occasionally changed colour for special editions, this helped us to decide on the colour of our masthead.

December issues

This is a December issue of "We Love Pop". They've changed the masthead slightly to fit this theme. The silver glitter is Christmas related and contrasts the black which is also on the masthead. Under the masthead there is a boxed image where both people are looking directly into the camera which draws in the attention of the reader. The front cover follows the conventional idea of a busy, cluttered page on a pop magazine. There is a pink puff on the bottom left hand corner which promotes the fashion feature inside the magazine and gives the reader an idea of what to expect inside. The bright pink also links together the rest of the page but it is a very big part of the cover. At the top there is a banner which fills the page and stands out because it's on a pink backsground as well. The language used has been aimed at their target audience because it is very speech like and will make the reader comfortable with reading the magazine. The headline is on a white background and intrigues the reader as to what more of the main story they can find out.The pug is hidden into the boxed images at the bottom of the page as it has a black-white colour scheme and fits in perfectly which means the reader is not likely to see the price when buying it. Underneath the barcode they have a small message about the danger to young children linking to the gift they get with the magazine. Gifts and freebies appeal to my target audience because they see it as a present and will make them a lot more likely to buy it, especially if it's placed in the shop next to a pop magazine without a free gift. I browsed the internet for December issues of pop magazines to see if there were any specific changes to the house style during special occasions. On a lot of the front covers there was almost no differences besides a few snowflakes or a Christmas play on words. This We Love Pop magazine has a few snowflakes, some glitter on the masthead and a play on word "Merry X-Murs". I would like to use a few of these ideas in my December issue of PopWorld because i think it looks professional.