Research of images

The first image that caught my eye and appealed to me was this shot of The Strokes. I think this image is good as it shows the band as powerful and mighty as they are looking down at the camera, i really like the shot and may use it in my magazine. This image really shows the typical clothing worn by bands in the 'indie' genre of music and also the colours they wear, black and red which are the typical colours of clothing. They give off the bad boy image as they all have scruffy trainers on and some have leather jackets on. I also like the fact that the background is plain as it helps you to focus just on the band and you can also see there shadows going towards the camera which i feel is effective.

Another image that caught my attention that i think reflects the culture of 'indie/alternative' which is what my music magazine is about, is this picture of The Libertines. I think this image reflects the rock and roll culture as it shows The Libertines playing live, with Carl Barat and Pete Doherty sharing a microphone wearing leather jackets and playing guitars. This image i feel really shows off the 'bad lad rock' image to the public and i think would attract my target audience. I really like the angle of this shot as it is very close up and its almost as if you are at the gig, watching them.

Target Audience

A 'target audience' is the specific group of people you want to target and direct your product towards. My target audience for my music magazine will be for 14-19 year olds and will not be specific to a gender. My magazine will be targeting teenagers as they are usually the type of people who buy music magazine and want to know about the latest music. My magazine will belong in the middle class, right through to subsidence class. I can determine my target audience by using graphic profiling. I will make my magazine out of eco-friendly paper to help the environement as global warming is occuring, this will also boost sales from other target audiences who care for the environment. My music magazine will be available to anyone who wants to buy it and wont be regulated to a specific market. Maslow created a theory called maslows heirachy of needs. In this there was five stages which are: basic needs, safety needs, soical needs, esteem needs and self-actualization. Out of these, i think my magazine will cover the esteem needs as it will show the band in my feature article are down to earth and help the audience to relate to them. I also think my music magazine will cover the self actualization as it will feature creativity and moratlity. My magazine will appeal to its target audience by the colours i use and the style of my fonts etc. Also i will feature bands that my target audience will reconize and want to read about such as Twisted Wheel, The Smiths, The Courteeners, The Enemy and The Coral

Representation

In my music magazine, there will be 5 protagonists as they are the band i have used for the cover/contents and feature article, they are promoting there new cd. My magazine will feature my feature band in different locations and also playing live in different locations. My protagonists will be stereotypcally 'indie' as that is the genre of my magzine, this will be represented from their clothes, how they speak and also the shots of them. The characteristics of my protagonists are shown through the shots in my magazine and this is a feature in my magazine that may extend my audience. Walter Lipmans four functions of stereotypes are: they are an ordering process, sterotypes are short cuts for journalists, they are a map of the world so that people can associate different places with certain stereotypes and also that stereotypes are an expresion of our values and beliefs.

Questionairre

I produced a questionnaire as part of my research into music magazines. I wanted to find out what are the most popular types of magaazine and also what attracts customers to look at them and buy them. Below is my questionnaire which i asked 10 people to fill in, i asked them to tick the appropriate answer.


1. Are you male of female?
male (x) femle (x)

2. How old are you?
under 15 (x) 16-18 (x) 18-20 (x) over 20 (x)

3. Do you busy Music Magazines?
Yes (x) No (x)

4.Do you buy a magazine weekly or monthly?
Weekly (x) Monthly (x)

5.What type of magazine do you usually buy?
NME (x) Kerrang (x) Vibe (x) Pop (x) Other .........

6. What attracts you to a Music magazine?
Images (x) Relavant headings (x) Colours (x) Other .......

7. How much would you be prepared to spend on a Music Magazine?

less than £2 (x) £2-£3 (x) £3-£4 (x) £4+ (x)

8. What type of Music Magazine do you prefer to buy?
Indie (x) Pop (x) Rnb(x) Dubstep (x) Rock(x) Other............

9. Which bit do you like best in a Music Magazine?
Reviews (x) Band Radar (x) Interviews (x) Band of the Week (x) Other ...............

10. Why do you buy a Music Magazine?
Entertains you (x) Interests you (x) Other.............

Narrative

My music magazine will follow the typical narrative structure as this is very popular to an audience and they are familiar with it so therefore will recognize it when they see it. The typical narrative is good to follow because there are set rules for you to follow that everyone will recognize. However, when i actually start my music magazine, i may break the typical narrative structure in certain parts if i think it suits my music magazine better.

Target Audience

GRASS

Gender: When deciding about the gender you are aiming for in your magazine, you have to think about colours/pictures/font etc. I have decided that my music magazine will not be targeted on a specific gender. The genre of 'indie/alternative' isn't focused on a particular gender, it is for both men and women. To show that my music magazine is representative on both genders i will use colours that are quite netural and suitable, i will also use the types of fonts that appeal to both. My magazine will also feature artists/bands of both genders so my magazine doesnt sway towards a particular gender.

Race: Race is a key aspect when thinking about target audiences. The artists/bands you feature in your magazine have to reflect the race you are trying to reach. The race i will mainly be trying to reach is generally white british as 'indie' is the english music scene so will appeal to british students

Age: The age is also a very important factor when discusing target audience. The age is probably the key feature you have to get right in a magazine so it catches the eye of a particular age range. Different things appeal to different age groups so you have to make sure you have picures/fonts/use of language suitable for your chosen age range. The age i have chosen to go for is between 16-20 as after researching into this genre of music, realised that this is the majority age range. In order to make sure i target this range, i need to thing of key pictures and fonts that will stand out to my potential customers and make them want to read on. Artists/bands are a key element in attracting an age range as different artists/bands will appeal to different age ranges. In order to find out further what type of band are popular in this age range, i will be creating questionnaires.

Socio-economic status: Socio-economic status is split up into 5 groups: A B C D E the top is 'A' is upper class and it goes all the way through to 'E' which is subsidence (students) After researching into my target audience, i feel that my target audience will be from the group C1-E because i am targeting the age group from 16-20 which are usually in C1-E because they are only young so haven't reached the higher professions yet. 'E' is a very important group to include because these include students which will be my main target audience.

Feedback - 6/12/09

Some good analysis Emma but you need alot more on here to get a decent coursework - you should now be working on this (research) as homework and all the planning you are doing in class should be put on here also.

Dont forget to put your drawn contents page for your prelim task on here also ( you could lose 15 marks!)

Research : Essential - research your target audience - use your demographic and psychographic profiling - do some questionannires and put your results on your blog. Use Maslows theory and explain how you magazine will appeal to yoru audience.

- Which publisher will publish yoru magazine? (Institution) Look at ones that publish similar magazines. Look at some audience/circulation figures for music magazines.

- research your music genre - put some music videos on here etc...

Planning ( see the 'Before you Blog' handout - last 2 pages)

Include..

-mock ups of pages

-location shots

-props/costume list

- rough draft of feature article

- photographs and final chosen ones etc...

Miss McNulty

Planning Moodboard

In my mood board, i have mainly focused on individuals that are iconic in the 'indie' genre of music. I have used pictures where i like the angles of the shot and the colours that have been used in them. I have used both men and women as my magazine will reflect both genres so i will be incorporating both genders into it. I have used both coloured and black and white images as i am not sure what type of photo i will be using on my front cover and inside my magazine. Aswell as images, i have also incorporated fonts that stood out to me and are eye catching. They are all different fonts and colours but all the writing i have chosen would be suitable for my target audience and i could see myself using in my magazine. On my mood board, i have also used images that i think reflect music such as the 'St Jude- Courteeners album' which i think works very well as the colours used in it are not over-powering and too much. At the bottom of my mood board i have used pictures that are of the same people but are linked together with all the different shots and angles, i think this works really well and i would like incorporate this within my own music magazine.

Feedback - 28/11/09

A promising start Emma- some very good analysis of music magazine covers and contents - dont forget to also get some double page spreads on here. Also have you done a contents page for your prelim task? This needs to be on your blog! Remember this research now needs to be done as homework.

In research you need a little more on audience - who is you target audience (Demographic - GRASS and psychographic profiling - Young and Rubicon) Also how will your product appeal to its audience - use MAslow too.

Audience questionnaires are needed - to your target audience - and feedback on this - charts and graphs are always good! Go onto the ABC website to find out audience/circulation figures for magazines too - is there a market out there for your product?

Now move onto planning this week - ( see the last two sheets on the 'before you blog' handout) Start your mood boards, rough mock up of pages, props list, shooting schedule etc....

Research of music magazines

Front Covers

This is the first music features Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Divison. The target audience for this magazine is teenagers and young adults, both female and male, we know this because the artist on the front cover is icon to young people who like the 'indie' genre which is the genre of the music magazine. This magazine cover stood out to me because the colours used are simple but effective. The image itself is simply black and white but it is distinctive as it is just one artist and very focused on him. The title of the magazine defiantly stands out as it is in bold font and is vivid red, this is very effective as it is eye-catching and will recognize the magazine to usual buyers. The sub title 'Joy division' stands out as 'joy' is bigger than all the other sub headings so this title catches your eye. The colours used are very typical of a music magazine as the conventions match the 'indie/alternative' genre of the magazine. Each subheading is spread out on a white background which makes each of them clear to read without being over-loaded with different colours. The bottom subheading stands out as it is a white grafiti type font projected onto the black t-shirt of the artist featured and also it is split by a red cross which draws you towards this sub-heading because apart from the title, is the only other colour on the page. Overall the magazine cover is plain and simple but at the same time this works in favour of it as it attracts people because it is not covered in pictures/sub-headings. I think this magazine really reflects the genre 'indie' which it is and i think will appeal to the right target audience as it is a well known artist for this genre so people will be interested in reading about. Also other artists/bands featured in the sub-headings will attract people to this magazine.
This magazine cover features a band called Arctic Monkeys. This magazine audience is looking to aim to the audience of young people of both genders as this band are very influencial to young people and when they see this band on the cover, it will attract the right audience. It is for the same magazine 'NME' but it is a christmas edition. There are conventions in the front cover that relate it to christmas, such as snow comming down from the main title of the magazine 'NME' but the typical conventions of the magazine still exist. The majority of the cover is dominated by a christmas style photo of the band dressed up for the festive season. The main heading 'christmas' stands out as it is projected in a bold font across the cover. The different sub-headings stand out as they are in a bold white font, over the background so are eye catching to potential buyers. I think buyers would be interested in this magazine at christmas because it is special designed for this time of year. I think the shot of the band works well as the lead singer is dominate at the front which will attract buyers as they will recognize him. Although there is alot going on in the shot, it still leaves room for the heading and subheads. The typical layout of the cover still exusts, which is the cover dominated by the photo of the artist/band and the name of the magazine at the top, followed by sub-headings scattered round the cover. You can tell this magazine aims to target people who are interested in listening/reading 'indie' music as the Arctic Monkeys and all the other bands/artists mentioned fit this genre and are well known to people who like this genre of music.


Contents Pages

This is the first contents page that caught my eye when researching them. It is a contents page from the music magazine 'Q' and you can tell this by the destinctive title on th left hand side of the page. The 'Q' is in white on a red background which helps it to stand out to te reader. The word 'Contents' next to it is also stands out as it in capital bold letters which attracts the reader. The main focus of this contents page is the large image of James blunt that dominates most of the page. The picture definatley draws the reader in as the shot of the photo is quite upclose and looks as if the artist is looking directly at you. The Page is set up into various sections which makes it alot easier for the reader as they can find specific pages quickly and easy. I think this contents page works very well as it is quite plain but very effective. The colours used are nice and simple, as they just use red, black and white but i think this works as it does not over-load the reader with vivid colours. This contents page definatley has elements in that i will want to use in my contents page.

This is the second contents page that caught my eye and is from the music magazine 'NME'. The traditional title of the magazine is in bold at the top of the page which helps to captivate the audience. The thing that stands out to me is the title 'This Week' at the top of the page as it is in big bold letters right at the top of the page. The colours are kept simple which adds effect to the page as it is not over-powered with colour. The two pictures in the middle of the page really engaged to the right target audience because these artists are very iconic on the 'indie' genre music scence which well encourage people interested in this genre to read the magazine. The page is clear to read as the magazine pages are split up into sections. The second thing that i feel attracts the target audience is the little section under the subheading 'oasis kicked off..' as Oasis are a very big band in this kind of gerne and this repot will be new so fans will be very interested in reading it. I think this contents page definatley does its job as it is not over-loaded with colour and pictures, it has just the right amout of text/images on it but at the same time has used simple effective colours to draw people in.

Double-page Spread

I was attracted to this double-page article from a music magazine as soon as i saw it. The target audience for this page is teenagers and young people, of both genders and we know this because it features the attractive artist Lily Allen who young boys will be attracted too and young girls will look up to her as an icon. The Title i think definatley stands out to me as it is very bold and in your face, it is simple white letters on a black background but i think this is effective as the text isnt over-loaded with different colours. The very large image dominates most of the right page and i think it is a good shot of the artist because it is as if she is looking directly at you and inviting you in to read the text. I would like to use features of this double page spread in my magazine, especially the title as i think it is very effective.


This double page spread attracted me to it whilst doing my research because of bold bright colours used and also the layout. The large picture that dominates the left page of the spread, has been shot to reflect a lazy student so is obiously trying to reasearch the student target audience. I think it works very well as the shot is quite inviting and chilled out. The colour scheme is suitable for the target audience and it is quite neutral so suitable for both genders. The main title 'The Teenagers' stands out on this page because the font is in capital letters and is very big compared to the rest of the text. I also like how down the right hand of the right page, there are little reports from other bands that want to reach the same target audience. I would like to use features of this double page spread in my magazine as my target audience is quite similar to this.

Preliminary Task

This is my preliminary task of a college magazine. I have chosen to take the photo in the college library and i think this worked quite well and the books as props were a good idea because the colours of them make the image sand out. I like the angle of the shot as it is mainly focused on the model surrounding with books which i feel reflects a college magazine. The main heading stands out from the rest of the text and the other sub headings are eye catching as they are all different colours. I like the angle of the shot as it is clear and leaves room for most of the sub headings on the cover. I also like how the different headings are spread out as it is easy and clear to read each. I also think the different colours used really helps to attract potential customers, especially the main title as it is a bright, eye-catching colour. To improve my college magazine, i could of left more room at the top of the shot for the main title as at the moment my main heading is at the side of the picture and therefore doesn't fit the classical magazine cover rule. Another thing i could improve on to make my college magazine better is to use brighter colours on the subheadings to make my magazine stand out more and catch peoples eye when glancing at the magazine quickly.

Music Magazine

I am going to produce a music magazine from scratch of a genre of music that i like. I will create a front cover, contents page and a double page spread article. I have alot of different ideas to base my project around that i will have to decide on later on in my project. I will be doing my magazine based on the genre of music 'indie/alternative' as i am interested in this kind of music the most so i will probably find it the easiest to do. I like many music magazines but my favourite is NME as it is targeted at people who like the 'Indie' genre of music. Some examples of the type of magazines i will be produced are below: