CLOSED BLOG NOTIFICATION

Centre Name: NORBURY MANOR BEC
Centre Number: 14343
Candidate Name: Lois Douglas
Candidate Number: 9511
Unit: G321

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

CONTENTS PAGE

FRONT COVER

Evaluation - Question Seven

Evaluation Question Seven -

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

As you can see from above, I made a video response to question seven from my evaluation about what I have learnt over the course of the year. I speak about my journey from my Prelim till now and how I think my knowledge of technologies and things in general have changed a vast amount. I also speak about differences between my three products to my two products from my prelim and notice the great differences. James Blunt - Bonfire heart is included at the end of the video. I felt that I would put it in as I have used this Indie Pop song to present some of my other pieces of work. Enjoy!

 

 

If the video above has trouble working, here is the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37teV6nVqd4

Evaluation - Question Six

Evaluation Question Six -

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

For question six from my evaluation. I spoke about what I have learnt about technologies from the process of constructing my media product. I created a brainstorm on a site named bubbl.us, where I listed all the sites/technologies I used in the process of creating my product. As you can see I used a lot of websites and have illustrated the names of the sites. I found that I learnt the most about the two sites in general, Photoshop and Blogger. I feel that I have learnt the most about those two sites the most, as before I became a media student, I did not know how to use a blog and my knowledge of Photoshop was very little. This benefited me when I learnt about these two sites, as for Blogger with my organisation skills especially, as I knew when to post updates on my journey of my media product. Also with Photoshop, this was the main site I used when creating my three products, so it was useful to know a lot about the site. It also helped me edit things on pictures I didn't want, such as the clone tool.

Evaluation - Question Five (Extended)

Evaluation Question Five Extended -

This is my second Voki in response to my evaluation question five. As the video before was only allowed to be a minute long, I felt that it was too short and I didn't get to explain properly in full detail what I wanted to say. I created a second Voki which continues on from what I was saying and explains much more in detail in response to my evaluation question five. Again, unfortunately I had some problems with this site, but managed to type what I wanted to say. It's in a males voice unfortunately, but I got my point across.

If the Voki above has trouble working, here is the link below:
I just made a new Voki. See it here:: http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=9620550&height=267&width=200

Evaluation - Question Five

Evaluation Question Five -

How did you attract/address your audience?

I created a response to the fifth evaluation question I was given. I created my response on a site named 'Voki'. Unfortunately, I had some problems with the site not being able to record my voice properly. I had to use someone else's voice to present what I wanted to say through audio. I spoke about how I attracted/addressed my audience. I believe that I attracted and addressed my audience through the use of the colour scheme and in particular the pull quotes. I have also spoken about the main convention in the indie pop genre which is a guitar, as most indie pop artist play them.

If the Voki above has trouble working, here is the link below:
I just made a new Voki. See it here:: http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=9584514&height=267&width=200

Evaluation - Question Four

Evaluation Question Four -

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Here I created a Prezi in response to my evaluation question 'Who would be the audience for your media product'.I believe that a target audience of 15 and upwards would suit the ideal audience for my media product as a lot of the content inside relates to older girls. In particular, the iTunes festival is a feature on my contents page and they only allow people that are over 15 to attend the festival. This is another reason why I think my audience will be slightly older teenagers. It also relates to boys.

If the Prezi above has trouble working, here is the link below:
http://prezi.com/rqxludeuvbnf/evaluation-question-four-who-would-be-the-audience-for-you/#

Evaluation - Question Three

Evaluation Question Three -

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Evaluation - Question Three

 

I also think that Tesco would distribute my music magazine as they have a wide variety of music magazines in store which they sell. They also price music magazines at reasonable prices, so this will attract people to buy the magazine even more, if they know that they're selling them for decent and affordable prices. Tesco is also local so a lot of people live close to one, which is beneficial as they can go to the company and buy my music magazine.

Just like Tesco, Sainsbury's also would distribute my music magazine as they sell a wide variety of music magazines. They sell from Pop to Rock magazines, so my music magazine would be sure to be sold there. They also price the magazines at reasonable prices, so again people would be attracted to buying the music magazine if they know that it is a reasonable price and affordable.  

More PowerPoint presentations from Lois

If the presentation above has trouble working, here is the link below:
http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/loisdouglas01-2108526-evaluation-question-three/

Evaluation - Question Two

Evaluation Question Two -

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

I have created an audio on a site named SoundCloud in response to my evaluation question number two. I talk about how my media product represented a particular social group. I speak about the conventions I have used, for example the fact that I used a checkered skirt on my contents page and a feature which will attract fashion lovers into reading the music magazine. I also speak about the use of celebrities I mention in my music magazine, such as Janelle Monae, Kimbra and Ellie Goulding which are all Indie Pop artists. This will attract indie pop music lovers into reading the magazine as popular artists feature.

If the SoundCloud above has trouble working, here is the link below:
https://soundcloud.com/lois-douglas/evaluation-question-two

Evalutation - Question One

Evaluation Question One -

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

I recorded a video of myself evaluating ways in what I have done to develop real media or challenge forms. I speak about why I chose a type of colour for my front cover, contents page and double page spread. I also look at conventions I have taken to meet my brief and look at the two different music genres, Indie Pop which I have en-cooperated into my music magazine. I focus on the magazines NME, Q and Bliss magazine as they are all either Indie or Pop magazines which is the genre of music I am studying (indie pop).

If the video above has trouble working, here is the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k9OAJ2FKdM&feature=youtu.be

Video Preparation For My Evaluation (Extended)

Here's a picture of my video getting created and looking much more effective to be presented. As you can see, I added pictures from my deconstruction of where I was talking in my video, so there is a clear link. I made sure that i didn't add pictures in right at the end where I concluded what I was saying.

Video Preparation For My Evaluation

For the first question for my evaluation, I wanted to create a video for my response. Before I already made a video, but it didn't look that professional. My media teacher suggested that I use movieplus because it helps to make my video look a lot more authentic and clearer.

DPS Linked To Front Cover And Contents Page

Dps Linked To Front Cover And Contents from loisdouglas01

Here I have linked my DPS to my front cover and contents page using a site named slideshare. I have explained the fact that I have used the same colours which help link and why I have used them I have also explained my three pieces of work in further detail and kept linking them to my genre of music I am studying, which is Indie Pop.

Target Audience Feedback - Double Page Spread

As you can see from above, I got some feedback from my target audience based on my DPS final which is above. My target audience like indie pop so they were the best people to get to critique on my double page spread as they know what to look for in an indie pop magazine. Their feedback was honest and very helpful which I am happy about. In the background I played James Blunt 'Bonfire Heart' because it is an indie pop song and I have already used this song to present my previous work. I felt that it linked, so enjoy! :)

DPS Final

This is my final for my double page spread. I must say that I quite like it, however I have not had much feedback from my peers, only one of my media teachers. I am therefore going to ask my target audience for their feedback as they know what to expect from a double page spread in an indie pop music magazine. They are helpful as they can tell me their honest opinion on my DPS and tell me where I need to improve.

DPS Progress/Layout

On Prezi, I have presented my progress on Photoshop and illustrated my layout. I have explored the use of tools on Photoshop which will touch up anything I want to change to my photos on my double page spread.

Artist Interview (Checked By Teacher)

As you can see from below, I created my artist interview for my double page spread. As I researched other Indie Pop interviews from magazines, I decided to create something similar to meet actual conventions. Previously I created a draft of my artist interview and handed that to my teacher. My teacher gave me feedback. The feedback my teacher gave me was to not overuse exclamation marks, and check my punctuation and grammar carefully. I took this on board and re-read my interview, carefully looking at any errors and things that should be changed which my teacher marked in red pen. My updated version is below on my blog.

ARTIST INTERVIEW 

It has been a hectic year for the ‘indie diva’ Eleni Kapris! We Authentic, have luckily been able to catch up with her for a little chat about her rise to fame. We have also been able to talk to her about her famous collaboration with the successful ‘Hamilton girl’ Kimbra. Eleni is the hottest mega success story to come out of the UK this year. Following on from her recent Brit award, she keeps rising and will not let the UK down! Born Eleni Marie Kapris, the 18 year old has already stolen the number one spot from last week’s iTunes winner, Pharrell Williams with her latest single ‘Last Girl Standing’.

So, Eleni, thanks for talking to us. How did you get started in the music business?

'Ever since I was 7 I knew that I always wanted to be a singer or play the guitar as a profession. I auditioned to be in a girl band when I was 14, but that didn’t last that long as I knew that being in a band wasn’t for me. When I was 16, I signed to a solo record deal, which was highly exciting. Neon Gold records then discovered me as of my 17^th birthday and told me to come down to their studios and listen to some of the songs I had written. They signed me as soon as they heard the music I produced and I have been signed to them ever since then. I love my job as I am doing something I love!

Wow...that sounds hectic! Do you get time to see your friends?

‘Of course I get to see my friends, but obviously not as much as I have a crazy time schedule. I’m sure that they understand as they know that I’m doing what I love the most’.

Has fame changed you?

‘Everyone changes! Yeah...it has in some ways, but I think that I’m still the same person. I still wake up every morning and have work to do like every other person. The only thing that is different is the fact that I’m always in the limelight, so it’s hard to go to the shops regularly without heaps of fans and paparazzi being there’.

What are your fans like?

‘My fans are so crazy, lol! No, they are amazing and definitely wild! They are so loving and supporting. They are a bit like me in some ways as they strive for the best and a lot of them love to sing and play the guitar. I talk to them a lot on Twitter and have conversations face to face. One fan paid £400 just to be front row to see me live at the Summertime Ball last year! How loving and supportive, right? They buy me the cutest presents even when it’s not a special occasion like my birthday or Christmas. They are the best.


Wow...what amazing fans you have! We are dying to know about your collaboration with Kimbra! How did that go?

‘To be honest, it may sound cheesy, but it was the best moment of my life knowing that I was getting to collaborate with my idol! I just adore her! Most of my outfit choices are inspired by her. One day I got a call from my record label telling me that they had a cool collaboration in store for me. I got pretty excited, as I had never collaborated with another artist before. Anyway, they didn’t hold back and told me that it was Kimbra. I literally screamed down the phone. I met Kimbra the following week and we got in the studio and started to work on the single ‘Cameo Love’. I suggest that you guys pre-order yourself a copy, its available to pre-order now on iTunes.

We’ve pre-ordered our copy, cannot wait to hear it. Authentic would love to hear about your amazing opportunity of going on tour with Ellie Goulding later this year...care to share?

‘It’s not every day that you get to go on tour with Ellie Goulding! I know that it’s going to be an amazing experience and me and my guitar will not want to leave the stage haha.’

Which venue are you looking forward to performing at most and why?

‘Hmmm...Definitely the London O2 arena, my hometown! It will be nice to take a trip back home and see my family whilst on that tour date. Also London crowds do it best if I’m honest’.

Thank you so much for catching up with us, and Authentic wish you the best of luck on tour! Don’t forget your guitar!

‘Thank you so much for having me, you guys are the best! Lol, of course I won’t. My guitar is my best friend’. 

Research Interview Writing

I have conducted my research looking at double page interview with Lily Allen I got from the indie pop magazine NME. This is useful for me as I am doing an indie pop music magazine. I looked at how the magazine interview would talk to their artist, so I took this on board and will use the same sort of format to make my interview look realistic like an Indie Pop double page spread interview. I also looked at how the picture is placed on the double page spread where there is a clear angle of gaze and conventions of the indie pop genre (the check skirt and guitar which relates).

DPS Image Decisions

DPS Image Decisions from loisdouglas01

Here I have conducted my image decisions for my double page spread on slideshare. I was torn between two different images to use for my double page spread, so I put them onto a powerpoint and spoke about why I decided to use put the two images on my DPS, obviously knowing that I would have to come to a final conclusion of which one to use for certain. I included why the two images would have been successful because of obvious conventions such as the use of the guitar and angle of gaze.

Research On Double Page Spread

Here I have conducted my research on a double page spread and looked at how they have used stereotypical conventions to present the double page spread. I have also looked at the tone in the magazine and the use of text and colour.

Target Audience Feedback - Contents Page

Here I created a video response for my target audience feedback. On the video the comments are shown from the six people I asked to give me feedback. Their comments are really helpful and honestt. However, one of my target audience members gave me feedback about the fact that the could be a little bit more writing in the contents page which I will take her comment on board and is something I feel I could have improved on.

Contents Page - Final

Here is my final for my contents page! To be honest, I quite like it and feel that it is an improvement from my front cover. I've had some feedback from my peers and they all like it. I am now going to ask my target audience for their feedback as they are into the indie pop genre and know what looks good the indie pop magazines they read. Hopefully they will like the style I have used and the colours which have a link to the front cover. 

More Changes To My Contents Page On Photoshop

I made a few changes to my music magazine on photoshop, such as the microphone the artist, Janelle Monae is holding but I have extended it down the page a bit more. I extended it down the page a bit more as I felt that there was a gap and it look quite plain. When I filled in the gap with the microphone, I asked my target audience what they think of the change I have made. All of the feedback I got what positive and everyone liked it. This benefits me as I now know what people look for when reading an Indie Pop contents page.

A Few Changes To My Contents Page

As you can see from above, I made a few changes to my contents page. With the help from my media teacher, she told me where I can make changes on the page to make it look more eye-catching. Since I took a really good picture of an indie pop artist, Janelle Monae at the iTunes Festival, my teacher told me to make that picture more of a central feature as it looks really vibrant and bold. This is beneficial for me as more people will be attracted to read the contents page as there is a variety of good features to read.

Contents Page Colour Choices

Here is my contents page with colour. I have decided to use a lot of turquoise and burgundy as I have used these two colours on my front cover. I got feedback from my target audience and teachers and they told me that having my masthead for my front cover and contents page in turquoise, is a bit too much and an over flow. I decided to change the masthead for my contents page into burgundy for beneficial purposes of my target audience, as they obviously know what they look for when they are reading an indie pop music magazine. I also used the colour purple as it stands out for my headings. This will hopefully attract a wider audience as it is a bright and bold, happy colour.

Contents Page Text/Features

Contents Page Image Choices

I was lucky enough to attend the iTunes Festival last year and saw Janelle Monae. Here are some pictures I took of the artist whilst she performed. As I am doing an Indie Pop magazine and Janelle Monae is an Indie Pop artist, I felt that it was a good idea to put one of my pictures as a feature on the contents page. When my teachers saw the picture I had taken of Janelle Monae singing into the microphone, they were so shocked that I got such a clear and professional picture. I showed them the other pictures I had taken and they advised me to use it as an even bigger feature because it had it as a small one before. But above is proof that the iTunes pictures were mine and I took them!

Contents Page Image Choices

Here are the images that feature on my contents page. As you can see, a lot of editing has been done to make my contents page look effective. The tartan skirt in the image above had to be cut around in order for it to be pasted into a feature box on the contents page. I done this using my magic wand tool on photoshop. I found this part quite easy. The only part I found hard was the top image on the left hand side, as I had to cut around my whole model in order for her to fit in one of the boxes. I also put some filters on her image to make it stand out more. I decided to choose my model, Jessica as she is into the Indie Pop genre and her personality relates to the indie pop genre. She is quite a shy girl, but when she sings, a different side of her comes out, a more bold and brighter person tends to shine through. This is symbolic with the Indie Pop artist, Ellie Goulding, as when she is not on stage, she is a timid person and gets embarrassed easily. When she's on stage, she is bold and confident. Also, Jessica's smile shows that she is hiding something, as she smiles forgetting about her shy past. Now she is confident.

Contents Page Layout

As you can see from the two images above, I have now started to create my contents page. I firstly thought about the layout according to my flatplan. From my flatplan, I have a lot of boxes which images will be inside them. My layout inspiration came from a magazine which Indie Pop artists feature in. This is beneficial as it relates to my brief according to what type of conventions a typically indie pop contents page which look like. I added the numbers from pages separately to make it look more realistic. For example, I would have the page number 10, then 13 beneath it because it is stereotypical for a music magazine. Plus the pages do not go up in order.

Deconstruction Of Contents Pages

Front Cover Target Audience Feedback

As you can see from above, I created a visual audio video for my target audience feedback. I got a girl named Jhineil Wright who likes the Indie Pop genre which is beneficial to me as my brief is the indie pop genre. I asked her to give me her feedback on my music magazine suggesting what she likes about it and what she doesn't. In the beginning of the video, I asked her what she liked about the magazine from top to bottom and what she might change. She told me that she liked the use of the colour as it is bold and stands out. She also liked the fact that I used the name of the artist on the front cover in bold and that the colour is different to the masthead which creates great effect. However, Jhineil told me that she would change the fact that there were a lot of clear spaces where I have used a lot of white which I need to fill up. Apart from that it is a good magazine front cover.

Target Audience Feedback - Front Cover

Here I asked some people from my target audience to give me feedback on my music magazine. I asked these people as they enjoy reading Indie Pop magazines and that it the genre of music I'm hoping to achieve on my brief.

Natasha Chauhan: The front cover is very interesting and bold which I like. The image is clear and attractive. This looks so realistic. Well done!

Stacey Head: This front cover looks so good and the writing is clear and readable. I would read this magazine if it was real. There are some white spaces, but overall it's a good magazine. 

Sana Khurshid: I like how you have used the colour scheme and the image is good and the layout is really clear. I also like the pull quote as it is something I want to read and it pulls me in. It's a good magazine and realistic as it looks similar to a magazine I read. 

Dawn Gallant: The colours compliment each other and I like how the pull quote is slanted so it goes along the guitar. There's a lot of white spaces though and more text could be added. 

Sophia Tsoukkas: I like it because it is clear and easy to read but, I think that the masthead should have more detail and maybe a different font. Also I like the use of colours as they work well together and compliment her necklace. 

Front Cover Features

All magazines use barcodes, so I used a barcode to make my magazine look more realistic.

I've used alliteration on the front cover to make it look more interesting and this attracts an audience as it is bold and stands out. More people will want to read it. As you can see from above, I've uploaded various features which I put on the front cover of my music magazine. The barcode was the first feature I put on the front cover, as it is vital that every music magazine has one. Also I put some graphics on the front cover to make my magazine stand out a bit more, because I felt that it looked a bit dull before and researched various indie pop magazines and they use graphics. This is beneficial for me because that is the genre I am focusing upon to meet my brief. Also putting black boxes around some of the text allowed my magazine to stand out a bit more as this creates a sense of boldness and  can look quite different which I was going for as this is an aspect of the indie pop genre. 

Photograph Manipulation

As you can see from the print screen above, the model of the magazine is a lot more higher up near the writing, so I had to move her down slightly because I didn't want my masthead fading behind her. I also made a few changes such as the colour scheme which I tested out after photoshop unfortunately crashed on me. This made me even more determined to make vast changes to my work and continuously keep saving my work throughout the procedure.

Flatplan And Final Front Cover

As you can see from above, my flatplan and the final of my front cover has changed a lot due to feedback I got from peers and teachers. I took on board what they had to say and listened to any suggestions that were made. I agree with most of what they had to say, as I'm quite proud of the outcome and without feedback I think that I would have not created this to such a good standard.

Front Cover Linked To Research

As you can see from above, I gained a lot of inspiration for my music magazine from 'Q' magazine. I liked the use of colours they have and the different fonts which I personally think makes the magazine look successful. As the magazine is Indie Pop and for my brief, that is the genre I want to meet, I thought that it would be beneficial to do more research into Indie Pop magazines and see what my peers had to say.

Masthead And Font Decisions

Above, I looked at different possible fonts I would have as my masthead on the front cover of my music magazine. The yellow one, a lot of my peers weren't too keen on so I decided to change it for the benefit of them and not only that, but most of them are a fan of the indie pop genre which I want to create a magazine for. One of my peers, Kimberley Young, told me to go with something vibrant, but authentic. So I took on board what she had to say and looked at other indie pop magazines. The one that interested me most was a magazine called 'Obsession' with indie pop singer, Lana Del Rey on the front of it. This magazine had a green masthead so I decided to make mine green. I then went back to my teachers and peers and asked them what they thought. The first response that was given is that I'm using more than three colours, unless the extra two were black and white. I then decided to stick to my conventions and make the masthead pink as I got good feedback from my peers.

Shots Taken/Mise-en-scene

Here are a few shots that I have taken in order to meet my brief for my music magazine. The picture above is a sample for my double page spread and the picture below I had in mind at first for my front cover, but know I might use it for my contents page. The area in which I took these photos were the studio, in which I felt had very good lighting. Also it benefited my model as she needed to hold her heavy guitar, in which I had a chair for her to sit on. This also made it look more authentic, as you stereotypically play a guitar sitting down. This links to my brief as a lot of Indie Pop singers play an instrument, mainly a guitar. This connotes the Indie side a lot more. I decided to use dim lighting as I wanted my model to look timid as this is a convention an indie pop artist has through my research. I also tried out bright lighting as the bright lighting gave my model a bright light effect on her face which I did not like and wanted to change. Changing the bright light and turning the lights down a bit

As you can see from this picture above, I took another test shot of how I wanted my model to pose on the front cover. Unfortunately the shot did not turn out too well as there was bright lighting used on the test model I used face. This was not the effect I wanted to create. This is what therefore made me want to turn the lights down a bit more to have a clear view of my models face without bad lighting. This shot was also taken in the studio on white background which was what I wanted, it was only a shame about the lighting. The white back drop also made me have to work a lot better with the lighting as it could have given off bad effects several times which I did not want to happen. I therefore took a lot of shots at mid angle instead of low angles, as low angles could have created a shiny, bright effect on my models face as a ray of light could have shined through from the top of the picture.