potential problems

The potential problems I may encounter include being unable to gather my actors on a certain time and day. This is a problem as it is difficult to find a studio space when everyone is unavailable.To resolve this , I have decided to persist until I find a time and date that is suitable for everyone. Another issue is my inexperience with Photoshop and InDesign , But all I can do to improve my skills is practise , which I have already begun.

Teacher feedback

As part of my feedback , I was given some points in which I could improve my cover , contents page and double page spread.

Cover

-Reposition cover image
-Reposition sell lines

Contents page

-The images need cropping
-Add subheadings underneath the sell lines
-Look at kerning as there is too much space

Double page spread

-The page number is too big
-The pages are too text heavy
-The fill quote should be positioned in the centre of the page
-There should be a bigger contrast to text used in the subheading

I took this advice , but mainly concentrated on the contents page and double page spread as I though my cover was the strongest. I went back through the work and readdressed and recreated the two pieces from scratch , making they appear more modern and up to date for audiences. Before the were very plain and lacked any real interesting elements but I think that they have been improved vastly.

Double page spread article first draft and how I will improve

Below is my first draft for the double page spread article I was asked to create-

It’s a wonderful life

New band explain how they rose to fame

Sleep. Eat. Sing. That is the life of “Golden Age” who have took the world by storm over the last couple of years with, most recently, their sell out tour-Who we were. “It all started when we were children. I had just bought my first guitar and me and my mates were amazed by it. Although, admittedly, it was a little slow to start, I learned that playing was my passion. I played every night when I got home from school , and honed my skills until I mastered it, “Explains lead singer Dean smith ,22, on how he and his friends rose to fame and established themselves as something special.

Fight the demons

Drummer, Frank Jones, tells us that he “found a way to channel the pain I was going through in music at some of the most difficult times in his life. “This was built upon in the emotional number “without you” on their new album –Growth that stole Coldplay from the top spot of the album charts. The group have explained that they have had a wild ride since their humble beginnings in London. They go on to tell us that they originally started to play in pubs and clubs around the country.

The group explain that they believe that music is a way to explain the problems people find within their lives and that it’s good to “express” yourself. They have been compared to the likes of the “arctic monkeys” but have arguably brought their own style to the genre and turn it on its head. Whilst the band originally had a negative reaction from Indie fans they have now found themselves at the pinnacle of their career despite failing to set the scene afire at the beginning.

Looking to the future

As the group , get set for their fourth studio album , they state that they want the material to go “darker” and focus on recording very soon.”we seem to have matured over as time has went on , exspecially after some tough decisions last year” explains smith when questioned over the future of the band and what will hold for them.

“Its not about getting a number one “ laughs Alex Jones , Franks brother , who is the guitarist in the group.”we love to bring pleasure to people through our music and its our fans that makes us who we are.We are so greatful for the support we have been given and warm welcome.Its more than we could have dreamt of.”During the interview with sound magazine the group exclusively revealed that they would like to collaborate with other huge names in the industry and venture out into other genres.”we would love to work with various artists.The possibilities are endless , but we would love to work with the likes of Emili Sande or James arthur.We love a challenge and like to push the boundaries.Its what we do, smirks Dean.”

When commenting on their opinion on gigs the band stated that”there is nothing like that feeling on a Friday and Saturday night.The week is nearly over and the crowd are ready to let their hair down.When we go on stage we get a buzz that is impossible to gain by doing anyhting else. It is magic.”

No holding back

It is also a known fact that the group dislike streaming or downloading music , as it has lost that “ wonderful feeling” of walking into a record shop and buying the “newest release of a band or artist you look up to”.They think it s a “high” not available on itunes that could “damage the industry”.When questioned about if they would consider making it  crossing the border to america Dean explained that” were in no rush to go to america. When we do it we want to do it right.”The leap to America is , of couse , massive and it seems that they are hppy at the position they are at at te moment. Golden Age love to “ experiment” in the studio and see what sounds they can create and use.

“Our last gig , was a blast.It seems to get better and better each time we go on stage and we are not gonna quit doing what we love in a while yet.” Explains Alex.”Were only just beginning” adds Frank , who laughs.So it seems that this fantastic band are not going anywhere for a while yet and we can look forward to a long and enjoyable array of musical excellence.The talented trio have officially released tickets for “ who we were” which were made available from yesterday and it is garanteed to be an amzing experience for fans.After going on hiatus and their music going under the radar a year ago it looks a sif they have finally found their niche and have found themselves as  a band.

Finally , dean adds “ we hope we can keep feeding the fnas appetite as we are so grateful to them.We owe them it.”The band end the interview smiling and are excited about the new prospects and oppertunities that are open to them in the forseeable future.It looks very bright from for the London based band and it is astonishing the ammount of record sales they have sold.We can only hope they continue to make the wonderful music that made them famous.

What I did well:

With this article I managed to use an interview style to keep the audience interested and engaged.Generally , I had done well to create the illusion that this was in fact a really famous musician.

What I need to do to improve:

For this piece of work I achieved a c grade , but I know now to always read through and check my work as there are several errors such as spelling mistakes. I also need to check if I have used speach marks correctly and apply capital letters for names and places.I was told by my teacher that my writing style was good.

AS magazine progress

 

 

 

 

Choosing the images for my magazine

When shooting material for my three tasks , I took a variety of different shots so I had much to choose from. Here are some of the images I used and some I didn't and my reasoning for including or rejecting it:

This shot was rejected because it seemed as if the artist was too laidback and it would be difficult to position this image on a double page spread.

I decided to use this image for my double page spread as it was a good proportion and used direct gaze to connote confidence towards the audience.

This was my cover image because I felt it was similar to that of an NME or Q page in that the artist appeared focused and confident.

This image simply was not taken very professionally , being to far way from the camera and taken with the backdrop clearly visible.

I rejected this high angle shot because the artist seemed uninteresting and was not facing the audience. This is a problem as an audience would be unable to connect with the artist if he was in a magazine.



This image is overdramatic and a bit far fetched to appear in a magazine. It also did not meet my  goal  of making the artist seem relaxed and confident.

This issue with this mid shot is that we can not identify that this is the artist and therefore it will not grab the attention of his fans.

I decided against adding this image because my model is not looking at the camera , and therefore it does not involve the audience as much as it could.

Again I did not like this image , it was not easy to identity the artist and ultimately the artist should be facing the camera , which I have learnt to do in the future projects.

Magazine design progress

This is the progress I have made when designing this cover as I had to use photoshop to remove the background and used the rubber and magic wanted tool to make sure that it looked as plain as possible so the image at the front would stand out. I tries to make the masthead cover the top of the page and made  the font much larger so that it instantly gave an impression on the audience. I have found it difficult to  find a way to place the sell lines in the correct position.Also , I know I have to reduce the amount of sell lines and make the remaining ones bigger.

I have also started work on the contents page as I tried to make similarities between this and the cover by using similar text . I tried to make it easy to navigate to a specific article that someone would want to read. To improve I will have to add the minimum of five images for my contents page and create one large image that stands our.I chose my fonts by using the website Dafont but struggled to find a way to position and write my text to the right scale and style that would suit the indie genre.

Magazine development

 

This is the front cover of my magazine that I am creating. To improve I have to obviously add the centre image and alter the masthead and other aspects of the magazine to complete the piece. I intended to get the general template and layout correct before I added the images, simply because structure is very important to a successful product.

As you can see , I have tried to add sell lines to make the design resemble typical; magazines and I made the masthead bold and in italics so it sticks out to the audience.