Planning: Front Cover Progress

The title of my music magazine is 'NG' which stands for 'new generation' (as in of the music industry).

I used photoshop to play around with various different fonts (all from http://www.myfonts.com). I prefer the last font as it is bold and large therefore stands out the most. 

I have also used the technique of superimposition, where the placement of the title is covered slightly by the models head. This makes the magazine appear more established as it suggests that the audience are able to recognise it by means of other conventions, such as house style, rather than just the title.

Planning: Front Cover

Front cover from bethanyjmoss

Planning: My Magazine Article

I decided that the first practical step, when starting the production of my music magazine, was to write the article for my music magazine, since this would help me when deciding on cover lines for the front cover, perhaps anchorage of text, and for features on the contents page. 

There was a lot to think about when planning my article, I needed to think about the following questions when writing about my featured artist:

1. What will be the subject of my article? I will be writing about my featured artist, I have two ideas presently... 1) a mix of artists - (two coming together to make a single or album) OR 2) the story of how my featured artist got to where she is now
2. Who will it feature? featured artist "Aerin" (unique name - indie fits with genre) 
3. How will they be represented in the article? (positively / negatively) positively... there will not be much negative representation in my magazine because the purpose is to inform - gratify the audience (talk positively about artists that the audience would be interested in) 
4. Who is their target audience? Who is the TA for the magazine? How will you reach them in the article? TA of magazine will only be slightly different to the TA of featured artist -- she will have a more male based target audience where as I will try to target my magazine at both genders and of ages between 16-24 [LINK TO TA POST]
5. Narrative... why are you writing about this? I want a good feature which will entice people to read it... at the same time I want to entertain and inform the audience

Research: Articles in Music Magazines

There are a few different types of layouts which can be used in music magazines. I bought a copy of Q magazine (the December 2013) and found a few types:

Here are three examples of double page spreads in a 'Q' issue

 

On this one, pictures and text is spread across both pages, there is not an obvious break point between the two pages. There are multiple images, which gives the reader a deeper insight, showing them more 'information' about The Beetles. This type of layout works well for stories or talking about a past/historic band. On the right page, there is an extra box of text which does not relate directly to the main article and pictures. This could be to keep readers amused and informed about different things. The page shows two completely contrasting artists, The Beetles and then Miley Cyrus in the bottom right-hand corner. A pun has been used on the left page 'Let it Beeb' in the main title which captures the reader immediately as it relates to the band. Fans of The Beetles will understand that the title is referring to one of their famous hit singles, 'Let it Be'.

Again, the picture has been spread slightly across the pages. However unlike the DPS layout above, there is only one image which is therefore dominant. The size of the image fills a whole page, which is a reoccuring layout used in magazines and attracts the reader's eye. Dominating the band like this may entice the audience to read the article as they may recognise the band or if not, they may like the look of them/their style and want to read about them. Although the page is taken up by one large image, a usual convention is to have an enlarged quote displayed to break it up a bit. The title 'Q Introduces' suggests that the band are less recognised and famous than perhaps a more established band like Bastille. This could make the reader want to read the article as they may want to find out more about the band and what type of music they make/play.  

Differently again, this layout shows one large image spread across the whole double page spread, used as a background in comparison with the plain white background in the other two examples (this make text clear and easy to read). The text is still significant as it is white against the dark colours of the image. The title is very large and the length spreads from one end of the page to the other which makes it stand out to the reader. It also introduces what the article is about as 'The Changing Man' suggests that it is about the artist 'changing' in some way which would make the reader what to read it.

 

All three layouts are different buy at the same time, have some consistent codes and conventions. The audience can recognise a house-style throughout all pages of red and white which establishes the magazine making it easier for the reader to identify. Images and text are also shown on each page and lastly, page numbers are shown in the bottom corners of all pages.



Research: 'Q' Genre & Target Audience

Q Music Magazine...

Genre and Target Audience

I researched into Q music magazine so that I have a better insight into the general conventions, genres and target audiences of music magazines of a similar genre to my own; indie, rock, pop. 

Planning: Flat Plans for Music Magazine

I thought that it would be useful to draw up some flatplans for my magazine before actually putting it together so that it's easier for me when coming to my drafts and final productions.

 

 

                         Front Cover                                                       Contents Page

 

Double Page Spread

 

I used a grid on my front page flat plan to show the rule of thirds - although this rule says that the top horizontal line should meet the models eyes, although in my plan I added the grid after drawing the model, to mainly plan where coverlines and anchorage would go. It has been useful when editing my magazine, to have these flatplans because they show if the layout would work or not.

Planning: Lexicon of Words

This lexicon of words shows some language which would be associated with the genre of my magazine (indie rock) and some that you would expect to see in my magazine, i.e. articles, contents, cover lines etc. 

Research: Music Magazine Analysis

Research: Youth Subculture

 

Youth Subculture is a youth-based subculture with distinct styles, behaviours and interests.

 

Youth subcultures offer participants an identity outside of that ascribed by social institutions such as family, work, home and school. Youth subcultures that show a systematic hostility to the dominant culture are sometimes described as countercultures.

 

 

Youth music genres are associated with many youth subcultures, such as punks, emos, ravers, Juggalos, metalheads and goths. The study of subcultures often consists of the study of the symbolism attached to clothing, music, other visible affections by members of the subculture, and also the ways in which these same symbols are interpreted by members of the dominant culture.

 

 

Example: EMOS

 

Influences:

• Upbringing
• Social - eg. friends, colleagues, school
• Digital - eg. social networking, music
• Environment
• Peer Pressure

Values:

• Dress in a certain way: stereotypically, emo's are thought to wear all dark clothing, mainly black, with dark make up also
• Behaviour: emo's are stereotypically thought to have emotionally issues, people believe that emo's self harm when they are unhappy or have problems that they do not know how to deal with
• They are also thought to be very rebellious, often with dyed hair and piercings

 

 

 



Research: NME

NME stands for New Musical Express. I am going to use an acronym for my magazine title (New Generation = NG).

Institution: Created by Theodore Ingham and first published on 7th March 1952. Now published by: IPC Media. It was first published in a newspaper format, but gradually moved towards a magazine format during the 1980s and 1990s and transitioned from newsprint in 1998.

Frequency & Price: £2.40, weekly

Genre: pop/ rock

Audience: the publication below shows the reader profile for NME magazine

Research: Target Audience

 

I made this video to represent general interests, likes and hobbies of my target audience for my music magazine. I managed to get a few of my friends to answer brief questions about their music tastes also in the video. It is not too long, but is more like an overview.

 

 

 

 

Overview of Video Content

 

The post before this one shows my focus group, 5 students who I believed would be interested in my music magazine. (http://bethjmoss.blogspot.fr/2013/11/research-focus-group.html)

 

Also, in my prezi of 'Initial Ideas' I briefly mentioned my target audience:

• Age: 16-25
• Female and male but higher percentage of female readers (70% : 30%)
• Mainly students
• Which means that readers will most likely be in socio-economic group E (the lowest group) since students will generally not be earning a massive income
• Psychographic: Explorer - energy - autonomy, experience, challenge, new frontiers. Brand choice highlights difference, sensation, adventure, indulgence and instant effect - the first to try new brands

 

Interests & Hobbies mentioned in video:

• Gigs
• Festivals (V Festival mentioned)
• Skateboarding
• Fashion
• Make-up
• Art
• Magazines (music magazines)
• MUSIC - artists mentioned: Jake Bugg, Haim, Two Door Cinema Club
• Ticket - concert
• Dancing
• Instruments - guitar
• Friends - social
• Downloads (music consumption - ipod, phone, itunes)
• Photography
• Football
• Driving
• Holidays (vacations)
• Television - music chanel (music videos)

 

 Secondary Audience

 

The secondary audience are those who have influence exerted on them by the primary (or target) audience. For my music magazine, the secondary audience would be friends or family of readers, as they may hear about the magazine contents from the target audience who is interested.

Research: Focus Group

  

Name:  Christie Goodchild
Age:  16
Hobbies:  Dance: street, jazz
Music Interests: alternative bands i.e Bastille
Education: college 
Subjects: dance










Name:  Cameron McCrimmon
Age:  19
Hobbies:  video games
Music Interests: Jake Bugg, Vampire Weekend 
Education: Sixth Form
Subjects: English, Geography, Media Studies, Maths










Name:  Kiah Chapman
Age:  18
Hobbies:  singing, art
Music Interests:  The 1975, Haim
Education: Sixth Form 
Subjects: Art, Music, English Language, Psychology 









Name:  Ben Burrows
Age:  17
Hobbies:  
Music Interests: (indie, acoustic) Ben Howard, Mumford & Sons
Education: College
Subjects: Geography

Name:    Marlee Zimmerman

Age:     21

Hobbies:     piano, dance

Music Interests:  Ellie Goulding, Lorde 

Education:   University

Subjects:  Business Studies 

Research: Representation of Male Artists

Although my main feature artist will be female, I will also feature my own male artist, therefore I thought it important to research the representation of male artists in the music industry and media.

 

In the Media...

 

Males are usually represented in the following ways:

1. Dominant (over females) - Strong, intelligent etc... eg. hero
2. 'Bad boy' - takes drugs, associated in fights etc
3. A geek - in film, the geek usually ends up 'getting the girl' or succeeding in some way
4. Violent

Traditionally, males were portrayed as 'macho', commonly in the 1970s and 1980s eg. James Bond. However, more modernly, men are represented as more in touch with their feminine side, showing emotions and taking pride in their appearance, eg. on the TV reality programme 'The Only Way is Essex'.

 

In the music industry, male artists are represented by their music genre. For example, rap artists are usually associated with drugs, alcohol, sex and sometimes violence, like for example Snoop Dog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contrastly, a pop singer has a very different representation since they usually have a younger base fan audience. Justin Bieber for example, when first immerged onto the music scene, was portrayed as a sweet, young boy, appealing to a younger female audience. However, even this pop star was driven off the rails, caught with drugs. It appears as thought fame and the music industry can take its toll on the lives of most celebrities.

 

 

 

 

 



Research: Featured Artist Inspiration

Music Magazine Featured Artist Inspiration

 

When Miley Cyrus was first introduced into the music industry her image was quite different than it is today -

 

Below, on the cover of 'Teen Vogue' magazine, Miley is being represented as a young, innocent pop artist, as she has a light, smiley expression. Her direct mode of address attracts readers as they may feel more involved. Miley is wearing white which connotes purity, adding to her innocent representation. She also has flowers in her hair connoting a child-like  feature. She is shown with a white horse, reinforcing a sense of purity and innocence, but also shows her love for animals, which gives a positive representation of her to her young fans.

 

Miley's image began to change as she is represented on the 'Billboard' front cover as a more edgy, rock icon, wearing all black leather. Her dark eye make-up also adds to this image. 

My featured artist will be represented similar to how Miley Cyrus is below.

 

 At present, Miley Cyrus's image is completely different. She is represented as a more sexualised female artist, showing more flesh, with a provocative expression on her face (which is ironic since she is wearing all white). This 'Cosmopolitan' cover is much more feminine with a girly, pink colour scheme. 

Miley Cyrus is a good example of how young artists can be provoked and pressured to change by the music industry and media. These three different representations of the young singer show her transition over time, you almost wouldn't believe the young actress who played Hannah Montana is the same crazy singer who shocked millions with her performance at the VMA's in 2013. Both examples can be shown below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research: Female Representation in the Media

The main ways in which women are presented in the media are:

 

1. The hegomistic view of women as housewives or mothers (domestic)
2. Sexualised, women are often viewed as sex objects in the media
3. Stereotypical: eg, less significant than men (less intelligent, less able to look after themselves - damsel in distress due to the patriarchal nature of our society
 

 

There is also an 'idealised image' of women in the media - an idea of 'perfect beauty', where they are often presented as:

 

• Young
• Slim
• White
• Societies idea of 'beautiful'

From as early as the 1920's, women have been presented in the media as objectified and sole purposely to 'please' the male audience. Many ideas such as Laura Mulvey's 'The Gaze' can reinforce this idea.

Mulvey claimed that women are turned into sex objects due to how they are portrayed in cinematography, that by showing only body parts and not the whole body. This is thought to be present for male pleasure. She called this fragmentation which leads to objectification. 

 

Some people may feel as though this representation has improved over recent years, and in some ways it has. It is true that in reality women now have the vote, and can have almost any job that a male can, so why is it also true that we are just as likely to see the domestic woman in a cleaning product advert today, as we were in the past?

 

 

A contrasting viewpoint is that of some audience members who believe that representations of women in sexual contexts connotes not the exploitation of women but an example of their freedom and libety to express themselves. 

Lily Allen, Music Video Controversy

I thought that the controversy related with Lily Allen's newly released music video for her latest single is a perfect example when discussing the ways in which women are portrayed in the music industry and media as a whole. Allen uses exaggerated sarcasm to get her viewpoint across in this video, showing what unfortunately the music induustry is like for women.

 

 

This is the music video to Lily Allen's new single 'Hard Out Here'. She has received lots of controversy for her choice of content in the video, and people have different opinions on it. It is a great example of the representation of female artists in the music industry as her lyrics and video mock the stereotypical and general views of women and female musicians. 

This article from the daily mail shows some views on the matter.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2507615/Lily-Allen-hit-race-row-sexist-Hard-Out-Here-video-parody.html

'The gaze' is mentioned where Allen sings the lyrics "don't you want to have somebody who objectifies you?" as in the idea that women are representated to please men.

In my opinion, the video simply reflects the lyrics being sung, where she explains how women are exploited in the music industry, shown in her video, although this does not necessarily mean that she agrees with it. For example, she sings 

"If I told you about my sex life

You'd call me a slut

Them boys be talking 'bout their bitches

No one's making a fuss"

which shows how women are much more criticised in the media in comparison to males. I do not think that Lily Allen is exploiting black females in her video, although it is very uncomfortable and stereotypical, I think that these measures needed to be taken in order for her point to be made. It has aroused publicity and debate, which is what I think she wanted in order for her views to be recognised. 

Robin Thicke also received negative criticism for his music video to the single 'Blurred Lines' however, I think Allen's video is vastly different since sarcasm is clearly highlighted in both her lyrics and the video contents itself.

For example, in one part of the video, Allen parades in front of balloons spelling out "Lily Allen has a baggy pussy", a sarcastic imitation of the Blurred Line's "Robin Thicke has a big dick" display. Although, Lily's choice to open the audience up to such a personal remark, shows her strong self confidence, where she says this about herself so that the media can not.

Planning: Genre

The first step for me when thinking about my music magazine was deciding on the genre that my magazine would be. There are many different music genres, as shown below:

 

• Rock
• Pop
• Jazz
• Reggae
• Dance
• Disco
• Psychedelic
• Soul
• Country
• Hip hio
• Folk
• Blues
• Musical
• Urban
• Rap
• Punk
• Electronic
• Acoustic
• Indie
• House
• Garage

There are other genres of music too as more and more are being created and introduced into the industry at present. Hybrid genres are often used in music magazines, eg. NME = rock pop, the two genres of pop and rock together.

 

The genre of my own music magazine is indie rock, which is a hybrid as I am crossing two genres. There will also be some pop aspects to my magazine aswell.

 

 

Planning: Initial Ideas

My Music Magazine Ideas

Research: Narrative of My Magazine

Narrative:

The narrative of a product in Media Studies, is any account of connected events, presented to a reader or listener in a sequence of written or spoken words, or maybe even moving images. 

It is the way in which a story is being told.

Difference between narrative and story...

• STORY = sequence of events known correctly as the plot
• NARRATIVE = the way that those events are put together to be presented to an audience

Narrative of my Music Magazine...

The purpose (way that my magazine will be put together to be presented to the target audience = narrative) is mainly to entertain the readers because music is something that people listen to and enjoy. However, another value of my magazine will be to inform the audience (will reviews, charts, stories/features etc) so that they are gratified by what they're reading.

Research: Music Magazines

Music Magazines

Popular music magazines have played a key role in the emergence of rock and pop styles since the mid 1950s.

This is reflected & reported by musical trends over the past sixty or so years.

The genre 'pop' comes from the word popular 

Popular music is a mirror to pop culture and has helped to shape the way in which music is heard and consumed.

There has been a decrease in the number of purchases of music magazines over recent years due to the internet-  

• People have more and easier access to the internet - it's described as more 'on-the-go'

Due to the growing use and popularity of the internet, music magazines are now -

• More retrospective
• Increasingly niche marketed

Music Magazines can be used to create a representation of a band / artist. 

For example - 

On this cover of NME, Lana Del Ray is being represented as a "psycho", which may make her more relatable to her audience as she appears as a normal, crazy girl.

   

Role of the 'gatekeeper'...

A gatekeeper is something / someone who decides what will pass from the artist to the consumer and vice versa.

They used to record labels, but now are promoter - (even social network sites eg. YouTube) 

ARTIST  ---------------------------     RELATIONSHIP    ---------------------- CONSUMER

What the ARTIST wants / needs -

1. Promotion 
2. Adulation
3. Money £$€ ... (originally came from record sales.. but due to a decline there are many more concerts and festivals, where money from tickets can be made. As well as merchandising)
4. Affirmation - (justifying their existence) 

What the CONSUMER wants - 

1. Entertainment!!! - music has different uses for consumers, eg. different playlists. It can establish memories also. 

INKIES  VS.  GLOSSIES

Been a long running struggle between them...

INKIES = newspapers

GLOSSIES = magazines

In recent years, the mainstream press has taken an increasing interest in pop and rock matters.

NEWS VALUES:

Introduction

For my AS coursework project, I need to produce a front page, contents and double-page spread of a made up music magazine. There are many things that I will need to research in order to be able to effectively plan my own magazine and in order to do this I will research other magazines, analyse codes and conventions and discuss representations and how target audiences are reached and addressed.

 

When I start thinking about my own magazine, I will need to plan vigorously so that I include codes and conventions. The five main aspects I will think about when creating my final product are: genre, language, audience, representation and narrative - 'GLARN' (this is also the method I will use when textually analysing pre-existing media).
                       
 

Sixth Form Magazine Annotations

Front Cover

Contents Page

I annotated the front cover and contents page of my sixth form magazine using the concept of 'GLARN' which stands for Genre, Language, Audience, Representation and Narrative. I did not use this technique when annotating my first magazine cover (http://bethjmoss.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/blog-post_9.html) because I have only recently become familiar with this concept. I think that it will really help me when analysing other magazines, especially when I come to start the production of my coursework, music magazine. 

Sixth Form Magazine Final Product

Front Cover 

After practicing with a few different images, I preferred this one over the other two examples I had previously narrowed down to. The reason for my change in decision, is that I have decided to make my issue a seasonal themed publication, and the orange leaves in the background established this well. I have also reinforced this theme by using a specific colour scheme of what are thought of as 'autumn colours' like red and orange. 

Contents Page

Sixth Form Magazine: Progress

I have been experimenting with a few images to which would suit a front cover. Here are two examples. I think that the second works better because the font is easier to read and the positioning of the photograph is better in my opinion. 

Sixth Form Magazine - Progress

I took many photographs of the same model so that I had a variety to chose from for the front cover of my sixth form magazine front cover. In this task, we need to produce a front page and a contents page, although when I carry out my coursework, I will also need to create a double-page spread. 

I have narrowed the photos down to the following four. In all of them, the student is smiling, which will give my magazine a light hearted ton and represents the school as a good place to go, since the student is happy. Furthermore, the model has a direct mode of address with the audience which can suggest a relationship between them and the reader. 

Codes & Conventions of Sixth Form Magazines

Codes and Conventions 
(+definitions)

Target Audience

The target audience for sixth form magazines are primarily sixth form students, as they can relate to the articles, being students themselves, in the socio-economic group E. The psychographic is mostly 'aspirers' who are described as people who seek status which means they have strong ambitions and want to succeed. For example, the main image will relate to its audience by having a photograph of a student. 

The secondary audience are people who would only read the magazine if they are given it, or connected to the primary audience in some way. The secondary audience for sixth form magazines are parents of the students, or other family members and some friends, since they may be recommended it.

Representation

The sixth form magazines are always represented in a positive light, as of the purpose is to show people what the sixth form is like. Usually in the main image, students are shown with a happy expression, as well as school achievements which reinforces this representation.

Sixth Form Magazine Examples

Sixth Form Magazine Examples from bethanyjmoss

Vogue Textual Analysis

When I start researching and planning for my music magazine, I will need carry out a few textual analysis's to identify codes and conventions of music magazines. Here, I have analysed the codes and conventions of 'Vogue' magazine. It is not a music magazine but some elements are consistent over all genres of magazines, like the masthead for example.

Shot Types

These storyboards show the most useful and important types of shots. It was a fun task and useful to experiment with different shots and also, I can use these storyboards to help me decide which types I will use for my sixth form and music magazines.