AS Media Studies Foundation Portfolio 2011: November 2011

Friday, 25 November 2011

front cover image after design (image only)

Wednesday, 23 November 2011

design of front cover (Image only)

First of all I edited the levels. making the image more neutralised.

Then I edited the curves to change the lighting.

Then I edited the vibrance and saturation creating a more visually appealing photograph.

I then edited the exposure. making the image more bright.

I copied the image and selected the healing brush tool

using this I masked over 'the beatles' to make it look more professional.

I cropped the image to make i larger to fit a Masthead.

Finally I use the healing brush tool to make the white background merge with the photograph.

Institution

An appropriate publishing company for my music magazine is 'Time Inc'. This is because it is an extremely successful publishing company, publishing music magazines such as ‘PEOPLE’ magazine. Because of it's massive success in publishing magazines it is an obvious choice as i know that it would get well published but also because magazines they publish such as 'PEOPLE' and 'GOLF magazine' aren't within the same genre of magazine as mine I can guarantee no threat to come to their audiences for previous magazines.

In the first six months of 2004 'PEOPLE' magazine was ranked number 3 in the 'Top 100 ABC Magazines', having a total of 2.281.395 subscriptions and being paid a total of 3.730.287, which can show that 'Time Inc' is a highly successful publishing company and i could feel secure in trusting that this company could publish my magazine well.

Wednesday, 16 November 2011

Edits of band photos

Here are some edits I made using photoshop creating ideas for my music magazine:

Singer- potential centrefold - nuetral colour scheme

singer- potential centrefold/ contents

bassist - potential contents - nuetral

band - more nuetral colours

band - front cover

lead guitarist

original photographs

Here is a section of photographs i have taken for my music magazine for my front cover, contents page and centre fold.

Picture of bassist - potential for contents page

drummer - potential contents

singer - potential contents

singer - potential centre fold

singer-potential centrefold

singer - potential contents, centrefold

potential centrefold, contents

singer - potential centrefold/contents

band - too wide for a front cover, not enough spacial awaerness for centrefold

band - potential front cover

lead guitarist - potential contents

band - potential front cover

Ideology of my magazine

My rock magazine expresses the new and old content of rock and communicates to audiences that Rock is still standing and very much alive and exciting than ever. This magazine will go back and show recordings of when Rock was very popular and exciting and new to the modern day of Rock to being alternative and still exciting the public.
         My magazine is not your every day magazine that is mainstream within the majority of people within it's audience range (15 - 30) as it does not cover other Genres such as Hip Hop and R&B but it only covers Rock and Roll through the ages. It also isn't traditionally conventional within the typical rock magazine as they usually only criteria to one section of rock, whereas my magazine will aim to cover different sections of rock ( Heavy metal, punk, indie, grunge, rock and roll, classic rock) and give an accurate account of old school to modern rock.
            My magazine certainly doesn't follow trends as it is a new and exciting magazine covering previous trends through the ages when Rock was 'On top' within the music industry but it will not follow modern day trends and aim to be alternative and different. This magazines aims are not to set trends or try to become the most popular magazine within a massive variety of audiences but to be an interesting, exciting magazine for a large section of the public interested in it's content.
              My magazine will not aim to show the full rebellious nature of Rock and to try and pretend to be different but to give accurate accounts of artists and bands, whether that is the'r abstinance or addictions for Drugs, this magazine will cover modern and ancient bands and artists that have lived and created extremely succesful careers without the use of drugs for example Avenged Sevenfold but also artists such as Jimmi Hendrix who's career got to a stage where it almost depended on Drug taking.
             The closest my magazine will get to addressing political associations is past politcal matters and issues such as the creation of punk and the rise agazinst Margaret Thatcher, but other than that it will try to avoid associating itself from anything other than the main criteria that is Rock music.

the creation of my music magazine - Magazine Name

Name:                                                                reasoning:
T.E.L - The Electric Lady-                                    Jimmi Hendrix studio name.

Overdrive-                                                            going over board on an idea or subject

Tempo-                                                        It means pace and can symbolise the magazine going fast

Feroce-                                                                Italian meaning 'fierce'

Fuoco-                                                                  Italian meaning 'fire'

Allegro-                                                               Italian meaning quick

Anima-                                                                Italian meaning soul or spirit

Distorted-                                                            common music term meaning not clear or clean

M.R.M-                                                              Modern Rock Magazine

Octave-                                                            high, or low, pitch, or scale.

M&S-                                                                 Music and sound

Fret magazine-                                                     Fret is a section on the guitar

Stacatto Magazine-                                             Italian meaning sudden notes

Watchtower magazine-                                        Bob Dylan reference

Def Fret-                                                            Def as in Def Leppard and Fret as in Fret on a guitar

Hammer on-                                                       slapping notes on a guitar hard and fast

Cross Rhoads-                                                   A reference to the film 'cross roads' about
                                                                          selling your soul to the devil to play guitar well and
                                                                        Randy Rhoads who is a well known guitar legend

The Reason most of these magazine name ideas are translations to italian is that because in most music schools and colleges they teach the Italian terms instead of the translation to english, the main languages used in music terminology are Italian, German and English.

The Music magazine name i am going to go for is 'Def Fret' as it is short and snappy with also two references, one to an amazing rock band and the other to a musical term for a section of a guitar, not only thiss but when said it is pronounced Death Threat which sounds exciting and threatening which modern rock fans enjoy.

Wednesday, 9 November 2011

LIIAR analysis of 3 music magazine front covers

Kerrang!:

L - Media Language: studio photograph, long shot or an establishing shot of the band,

The models also makes eye-contact with the camera, connecting with the reader and making them feel more involved with the magazine and the heavy metal genre, font is bold and bright standing out and causing lots of attention towards the content of whats being said. The models are wearing all black showing against a white background.

    I - Institution: The original owner was United Newspapers who then sold it to EMAP in 1991 In 2008 EMAP sold its consumer magazine to current owner Bauer Media Group. Bauer Media is a division of the Bauer Media Group, Europe’s largest privately owned publishing Group. The Group is a worldwide media empire offering over 300 magazines in 15 countries, as well as online, TV and radio stations

I - Ideology: the ideology of this magazine front cover is that this magazine represents heavy metal music and that anyone who reads KERRANG! magazine is up for fun, excitement and being eccentric.

A - Audience: (From website) Young, individually minded and passionate consumers, an audience defined by attitude, passion and loyalty.
                                                     total circulation : 42,967

R - Representation: That Rock music is fun and exciting and always in your face wherever you go and it's very loud. Kerrang! are representing that even though these men are having fun they are also violent and threatening maybe symbolising that Kerrang! are threatening also and shouldn't be messed about with.

L - Media Language: studio photograph, medium shot of the side of the subject,

The model also makes eye-contact with the camera, connecting with the reader and making them feel more involved with the magazine and the rock genre, font is bold and bright standing out and causing lots of attention towards the content of whats being said. The model's wearing all black. The cover is in black and white except the font and this shows that the magazine goes for classic rock and is mellow and relaxing but also crucial and important.

                         I - Institution: Classic Rock is a British magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, it also includes articles and reviews of contemporary and upcoming artists it deems worthy of note. Despite starting as a one-off project it has become one of the UK's best selling music magazines, and attracts much attention and respect of many of classic rock's biggest names^.

                   I - Ideology: That Rock music has been around for a very long time and it is still as appreciated and loved as it was 50, 30 or 10 years ago and the music our previous generations have loved can be loved by modern generations also.
                  A - Audience: rock and roll fans varying from the ages of around 17 to 50.

                  R - Representation: That rock music isn't always shouting and angry and in your face, but it can be chilled out and serious. Also with the front cover using the lead singer from Def Leppard as the front cover it shows that this music doesn't just follow current and new bands but also follows bands that have been around for decades.

L - Media language: studio photograph, medium close up shot, The model also makes eye-contact with the camera, connecting with the reader and making them feel more involved with the magazine and the rock genre, font is bold and bright and on a slight angle standing out and causing lots of attention towards the content of whats being said. The model's wearing all black. The cover is in colour and this shows that the magazine goes for the younger more 'in your face' audience that like the strange and talented bands and artists.

I - Institution: published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. It is the largest selling metal music magazine in the UK, currently outselling Kerrang! and NME and is often viewed as the more underground magazine of the three. In Germany, Metal Hammer has been the market leader since it was launched in 1984.

I - Ideology: That rock music doesn't need to be outlandish and loud by shouting and showing aggression or serious and quiet because that's what previous generations of rock have done, but it can be fun and strange because rock and roll is strange and it is alternative

A - Audience: new and exciting rock fans who are alternative and interested in new things

R - Representation: . Rock can be different and is allowed to do things like hold up the skull of a bird because no one needs or wants an answer. The fact Dave Grohl some form of skeleton skull off of some form of bird shows that he is slightly alternative and strange and because he is the only model on the front cover shows that he is representing the rock communities strange-ness and how alternative it can also be.

Music Magazine brief

create a front cover, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text used must be original, produced by you - minimum of four images.

Friday, 4 November 2011

evaluation of college magazine

AS Media Studies Evaluation

Matthew Nolan

My college magazine follows many conventions of the normal media product. I have included a medium close up of a model as the main image, I have included a masthead that takes up roughly 4 and a half of the page and my main articles are all positioned on the left third of the screen. Also, I have included a barcode, date and issue number and a website. I have also gone against the conventional media magazine by placing the issue number of my magazine on the skyline of my magazine so when it is stacked on the shelves people can straight away see that the magazine is successful by the amount of issues publishes prior to this one. Also my magazine is free so a price isn’t included on the front page. Something else I did that goes against the usual conventions is placing my background image in black and white. My college magazine represents students and teachers that are interested in photography, even people who aren’t students or teachers but are just interested in photography could buy my magazine and be interested it. The magazine includes advice on how to buy the right camera so it doesn’t just include gossip but actual facts and interesting points. My target audience for my magazine would be people interested in photography including; students, teachers and other outside education people interested in photography. I attracted my target audience on my front cover by placing the background image in black and white. By doing this I have attracted the audience’s attention by the fact not many magazines are in black and white so when it’s placed against other magazines that are in colour it will stand out instead of fading into the background. Also, I have placed my writing in a slightly crimson red, this is usually the colour that represents desire or passion, this symbolises people that have a passion for photography. I placed this in colour instead of black and white because it stands out better, rather than colour on colour or black and white on top of a black and white image, and grasps the audience’s attention. Within this product I have used such programmes as Photoshop which means I can manipulate and edit photos that I have taken and made them more visually attractive to the audience. I took these photographs on a still digital camera which meant, instead of using a film camera where I would have had to develop the pictures and scan them in and edit them to make them appropriate to place on my front cover, I can instantly upload them onto a computer and begin editing them. For this project I could have used a programme called ‘prezi’ this is a presentation programme which I would have had to learn how to use this programme and then created a presentation. When I had a small space of time to get everything done in this project I felt that this was a waste of time as I have already uploaded my drafts and images onto my blogger. My blogger was also a new technology that I have used for my project, this is a way to store my drafts and ideas and let people, such as my teacher and peers, to see my progress. Also a search engine such as ‘google’ is an extremely useful technology because it helped me find research on previous magazines similar to mine and help me understand what my magazine cover needed to include.

audience feedback

AS Media Studies

Audience Feedback:

Morgan Mills – AS Photography Student – “ I am interested in photography and taking photographs so I would by this magazine as it has used Photoshop as I do when I am editing photographs, also it contains interviews and useful stories that a photography student would be interested in”

Chris Davies – Wyke Student – “I think the magazine looks good but I personally wouldn’t buy this magazine as I don’t study photography and have little interest in it”

Paul Hughes – Photography Teacher – “I would read and recommend this magazine to my pupils as it obviously has contents that criteria to the photography community”