Production Task One : Photography

 In order to realise the idea of my first edition, which was focused on an upcoming star who produced from his bedroom, I decided to create a more relaxed photoshoot which aimed to highlight a more natural, and authentic style of photography to accentuate the ideas I hoped to promote. Therefore, the mis-en-scene of the shoot is meant to create the idea of everyday life and reality rather than something crafted or done especially for a produced shoot, desoute its manufactured nature

I experimented with different positions for my model in order to see what would best suit the ideas which I wished for the magazine to evoke, both with and without a jacket. However the photo which I eventually chose was one taken with a jacket rather than without, due to the desirable effect which it created, seeming more natural and realistic than other photos which seemed to be more clearly directed and produced.

I also tried to use different forms of gaze, both with the model holding direct address and also with him looking more directly at the guitar, as if he was performing at the same time and while the direct address may have drawn the audience in, making them feel more connected, it appeared to more clearly create the ideas I wished when he was looking at the guitar as he played it rather than simply idly holding the guitar like an accessory.

This is the photo I intend to use for the front cover of my first edition which creates the idea of a star who still operates out of their own home, showing how down-to-earth and relatable the experiences he has are rather than a star who has been forced to their position at the top of stardom. The setting feels quite personal and close to the singer potrayed here, as it is meant to represent their bedroom where they produce the music which is the focus of the coverline, therefore creating anchorage.

For the contents page I wanted to continue with the same location in order to create a sense of cohesion between both the front cover and the contents page in order to draw the whole edition together. Moreover, it added to the idea of just how central and important the room was to the subject due to his deep connection with it, especially in relation to the music he produced. The pose used was to try and evoke a sense or relaxtion and comfort which the room allowed for in the subject to again highlight the way it has shaped and affected his music, however I expiremented with different places for him to look and facial expressions to hold as many looked extremely unnatural and forced which would have created a level of uncomfortability in the shoot which I wanted to eliminate overall.

The photo I choose to use for my contents page will accompany the reference to the story within that page allowing for an alternative view of the photo shoot which continues to add to the relaxed and natural essence of the photo shoot, however the photo will need to be edited prior to being added to the magazine, to truly focus on the model rather than a wider focus on the background.






This edition of the magazine will also be aided by another story about a recap of the very best concerts throughout the past year and so it will be a compilation of images from different pop concerts throughout the year in order to show the year of events which we've had. This will be a smaller image and will be used to accompany only one of the stories in the contents page, showing anchorage.

While the photos are from a limited amount of concerts, they encapsulate the year of concerts we've had with the massive production and presence provided by these events allowing for millions to experience a collective wonder that can't be found without such events. The way these will be compiled in the image will almost be a sort of pinboard style like they're memories pinned up on a wall to show how fondly they're remembered and the idea that it's looking back at the memories made throughout the year. As the edition will be published for an autumn release, it allows for a more retrospective look at concerts in the pop genre, reminiscing at the very best throughout the year.

Initially I had planned the front cover for my 2nd edition to be a side profile seen from partially behind the model, as if she was looking out into nature, however upon experimenting with the different locations of my photoshoot I decided to use a focus which had her as the focus with a direct gaze in order to draw the audience in and make her feel more warm and welcoming, as the pop genre is expected to be. The photo still encapsulates the idea of nature as a central theme with the bright sunlight creating a sense of life and the background being dominated by flowers and greenery highlighting the connection that the artist has to nature.

Due to this shoot being an outdoor shoot to show a clear distinction in location between the two front covers, it allowed for a greater variety in exploring settings and areas for photos to be taken in order to create a wider range since the 2nd edition will be featured within my website also in order to draw cohesion between all of the aspects of my magazine. 

This is the photo which I decided on for my second edition and utilises the idea of direct gaze in order to draw the audience in and feel more comfortable with the artist depicted on the front page. I experimented with different levels of blurring in order to make the background seem more or less focused to draw attention to the model, who is the main focus of the cover. While I wanted to draw more attention to her, I was careful not to detract heavily from the background since it was also essential to fully realise the message of the magazine.




For the contents page of the 2nd edition I revisited the idea of having a photo taken with the model facing nature rather than the camera and so I took photos in different locations yet utilising the same idea of having her back towards the camera. This was successful in highlighting the importance of nature to the artist and especially the photo looking out on to the lake allows for a greater sense of how powerful and important nature is to everyone, making the model look almost minute in comparison to the rest of the nature in the foreground. Therefore, I chose the lake photo as my contents page due to the ideas it helps to create. As a contents page this shows a different aspect of the photo shoot yet helps to build upon the ideas presented in the front page of her connection to the subject and its importance within her life.

For my contents page on my 2nd edition I also wished to include a story relating to Vinyls within the current climate and how their sales are continuing to skyrocket with a resurgance of physical forms of media. Therefore, the photos I used to accompany this clearly show a connections to vinyls with someone looking through vinyls. The selection of vinyls presented are still clearly pop music linking to the overall magazine genre and also they feel very candid as if it's just a natural scene rather than produced. I chose the second photo as by beginning to pull a vinyl out it actually appears to be with a purpose rather than searching in order to fulfil the intention of the photo and adds to the story of the photo, especially in relation to the coverline it links to.

I chose another photo from the shoot for the 2nd edition for the website in order to again create a greater and link between the two entities which would encourage audiences to engage with both, rather than just one.

The photo I have chosen for the website combines different ideas created throughout the other photos with a deep connection to nature, yet due to the positioning of a low angle photo, the power of nature appears greater and far more important than us and allows the themes and ideas of the magazine to manifest itself within the website also.

Planning Task 8 : Photography Planning

 For my first edition I plan to use a boy and then a girl for the second edition in order to clearly show two different demographics within my main images. I will be directing and taking the photgraphs using my phone camera in order to make sure that the images match the visions I have for each of my individual magazine front covers.

For my first edition, I plan to use an indoor setting with the model sitting on a bed with an acoustic guitar used as a prop to show the style of homemade production that the artist will be notable for. They should wear baggy clothes such as cargos, tshirts and a jacket to make the image feel relaxed and casual. Their body language should reflect this casual feeling as they are comfortable within their own space and therefore relaxed as they are familiar with the space. The background of the image should include photos or images that are close or personal to the model as to show the idea that this space we are in is their own and that they are comfortable in it. The image should use daylight rather than any artificial lighting, however if the lighting is undesirable then artificial lighting would be used in order to create the same effect.

For my second edition it will take place in a field/countryside as the main coverline relates to nature and the artist encapsulates the theme of nature. It will be a wide shot taken from the left side of the with the model turning to facing out into the nature. The model will be very relaxed as they should feel in their element in this setting and therefore the photo will go off a very fixated but carefree feeling as if the presence of nature is calming. The photo will be taken during the day so that it is bright and not with any sort of limited light such as during sunset. The model will be wearing very casual clothes to highlight the idea of this artist as very relaxed and down-to-earth. They should wear jeans, a blue top and a dark jacket so they have cohesion with the colour palette of the magazine yet also stand out from the rest of the mis-en-scene in the image.

I will also take photos of vinyls to accompany my coverline 'Vinyl Records: Just a craze or here to stay?' which will allow for anchorage between my image and coverline but also add diversity to the images with them not being solely from the main coverline. I will also insert images that I've purposefully taken from previous concerts/events in order to create sections based on retrospective views of concerts this past year but also that of which upcoming music events to look forward to.

Although not photography, my mutli-media content will be filmed using my phone to show both me asking the questions and the model acting as Cora answering. This will allow for both of us to be shown when we are actively talking which will mirror the usual editing of interviews where each person is shown when they are talking to either ask or answer a question. I will edit the video in post-production in order to create this effect.

Planning Task 7 : Website Homepage and Linked Page

For my header, I will make sure that my masthead is central so that the audiences attention will be immediately drawn to the masthead creating a shared brand identity for my magazine and website. The linked sections of my website will be below the masthead with only the subscribe, sign in and search on the same level as to keep it a central point within the home page. The masthead will be in a bold, sans-serif font in order to make it stand out from the rest of the typographic elements which will be in a serif font to further emphasise the masthead and draw an audience's attention to it. To further imprint this brand identity, unlike my newspaper, the masthead will remain the same colour on my website to familiarise viewers with it, however the colour of the website will change according to the focus of the magazine as this will help to improve the cohesion between the two products rather than making them seem distant from each other. While the changing colour scheme may make the website not as recognisable, it will keep it interesting for the viewers as it isn't constantly the same if they continue to revisit the website. The search bar will remain prominent in the top left of the page as it is the recency optical area and therefore if a user is searching for anything specifically on the website they will be able to find it easily. Although this may decrease the overall time someone remains engaged with the website as they are not actively searching for the product they want, the opportunity to easily find the stories they're interested in will help them to engage with other similar coverlines.

The homepage will include content linked to the current magazine edition with not only more photos to accompany the ones used on the front cover and contents page but also some more information into the stories. This will include the coverlines on the front page as well as some of the other sections mentioned on the contents page to make the product cohesive between the different areas. The images related to the current front cover and main coverline will be towards the top of the website as users may be on the website to specifically search for that story and therefore it would be helpful to quickly engage them with more information about the main coverline. The main coverline will feature an image reminiscient of a main image, however seperate from the magazine as to show the differences between the two products while still focusing on the same subject. This way users will be intrigued by the main coverline and wish to read more into it and spend more time engaged with the website. The other coverlines will come below the main coverline and may feature accompanying images, however they are more for the viewers to read if they are interested and their placement will make them focal as to draw the readers attention to them. 

My featured page will be an 'Featured artists' section where more information about the featured artists (both the main coverline and other coverlines) is available so that audiences are able to become more familiarised with these artists that may not be as recognisable as other major pop artists. This would increase the draw to the website as while the magazine would feature information relating to the story, lots of information about the artists would be available to the audience through the website, which would then be teased in the magazine to increase the likelihood that audiences go from one to the other. This section would feature my multi-media element of an interview with the featured artist of my 2nd edition (Cora Reed) in which more personal questions would be asked for the audience to quickly familiarise themselves with the artist possibly increasing the chance that they pursue more about her music.

Mock up of a possible website main page for my magazine

Planning Task 6 : Contents Pages

 I initially experimented with two seperate designs for my Contents page one with two images of similar sizes and one with a larger main image and then an additional secondary image. I preferred the second option as it allows for the main coverline to still stand out on the contents page while also allowing for more additional coverlines and other features of the contents page to be added. The initial idea which I didn't use is shown at the top followed by a mock up of the first contents page and then one of the second edition with the coverlines and sections included.

This mock up shows how a contents page for the second edition could look with a different main image being used for the main coverline, however keeping it as a focal point for the magazine with it dominating the page. This also shows of the other coverlines that would be featured on the front page and allows for an image to anchor one of those coverlines, in this case 'Vinyl Records: Just a craze or here to stay?' This mockup also allows for an additional 'Pop Perfection' section which gives readers another story to look forward to in each addition as it would be a reoccuring list within each addition. The socials where audiences could contact the magazine would be included so that they would be easily found. Furthermore, the page numbers for each coverline are clearly placed next to them so that readers can find any story which they are interested in quickly without having to go through the whole magazine.

Planning Task 5 : Mock Up Of Covers 1 and 2

                 Front Cover 1                   

Front Cover 2

Through these mock ups I've tried to craft a quite relaxed brand which features new or upcoming pop artists in order to give them greater coverage. Both magazine front covers follow the usual conventions of a magazine front cover with the main image being the background and the only image on the cover. Moreover, this main image has anchorage with the main coverline in both examples and then is surrounded by the other coverlines.

My mock ups also include the barcode, website link, date and masthead which is placed at the top of the page in the centre which would allow it to be seen when positioned in a store with other magazines and also makes it an easily recognisable brand for audiences. Both covers utilise puffs to advertise exclusives for that edition with one showing the reduced price and the other one emphasising an exclusive interview with an artist which bring these to the readers attention and make them more likely to want to purchase a copy of the magazine.

Planning Task Three: Masthead Design

                                           Masthead and Strapline in Quicksand bold

                                          Masthead in Infinity and Strapline in Chantelle

Strapline and Masthead (partially) in Caviar dreams and Masthead also in Infinity

As my masthead is longer than the majority of magazine masthead's, I've used two separate lines in order to position it in the space available at the top of the magazine front cover. With the separation between the two parts of the masthead I decided to experiment with different fonts for the separate parts in order to draw greater attention to the word 'Booth' through the contrast of the masthead. So that there would still be cohesion and not too many fonts, I kept the strapline in the same font as part of the masthead to make the magazine easy to digest. I also changed the positioning of the strapline from the top right corner to under the masthead to see where it seemed to fit better on the page and I eventually decided to leave it below the magazine as it seems to incorporate the strapline into the product more effectively as a whole.

Planning Task Two : 60 Second Pitch