Friday, 7 December 2012

Results from Photo Shoot

Pictures from Photo Shoot:

Here are my photos I've taken when doing my photo shoot, I think the photo shoot went well because I gained a number of photos I can use for my front cover, cover pages and more.

Studio Photos:

These will most likely be used on my front cover because they have a clean background which I wanted for my photos. But a few of them will be used for my double page spread and other pages in my magazine.

Artist:

Name: Slender

Album name: Blank Faces EP

In my photographs I have tried to portray my artist as a sophisticated, clean EDM Producer. I have tried to do this by keeping the background clean (white) and dressing him in a suit.

Front cover photographs:


 
This photograph is my favourite one to use for my front cover; I think this portrays the clean/sophisticated look I'm creating for my artist. Also being a mid shot makes this a great image to use for my front cover as my model doesn't take up the whole photo also the lighting is great and shows all of my model. This may be used for my front cover.

 
 
 
This photo could also be used for the front cover; Having a pose like this may change what people think of him i.e quite serious, but the pose doesn't change that he is sophisticated. This photo won't be used for my front cover.
 
 
Double page spread photographs:
 
 
 
 
This photo is my favourite choice to use for my double page spread; I will have the text to the left of him and forming around him. This is photograph is clean and looks smart which is what my magazine wants to be shown as. I will be using this for my double page spread.
 
 
This was a second choice for my double page spread as it portrays the same elements as the photo above but I don't like that you can see the outline of the mask. Also because his body isn't in the right position I wanted it to be. This won't be used for my double page spread.

 
Photo shot two:
 
 
This photo will be used for my second artist called Aviators in my magazine. Since my first artist had no facial features or anything I thought I would use a normal person to be my second artist. Doing this it should widen my target audience to people who may be freaked out by my main artist. Being a mid shot and having clear lighting this will  be used as Aviators main photo on my contents page.
 
This photo will be used on the front page as a side picture so people can recognise who Aviators is. I will cut down the top of the photo so that it is the right size for my front cover. This is a great photo for the front of my magazine as it shows all of Aviators and the picture isn't blurry.
 
Other Photos:
 
 
 
 

These are the rest of the photos that I may be using for other parts of my magazine such as my contents page, smaller photos on other pages etc. 

Friday, 30 November 2012

Questionaire and Results

Here is my questionnaire I've handed out to my target audience:
 
 
 
 

Here are my results from my questionnaire:


 

Results from Questionnaire analysed:

From analysing my results I can now see what my target audience wants my magazine to look like and include.

Magazine name: Spectrum

Colour Scheme: Purple, Green, Black, White, Blue (Neon colours)

Articles in my magazine: Artist interview, Gig reviews, Rising Artist, Upcoming Gigs and tours and latest/Hottest songs

Cost: £1.50

The magazine will be released: Weekly (But this may change because new songs don't aren’t released weekly)


 


 
 


Thursday, 22 November 2012

Photo shoot ideas

Model:

The model I will be photographing is going to be the character I created (Which can be found in my last post); this is because looking at most EDM based artist they have their own 'Tag/icon', So I wanted to create my own version. Hopefully by using my own creation it will attract a lot of people to it because of his/her weird costume. I am going to have my model dress up in either a suit or some form of smart wear; he/she will be wearing a white morph mask to create the person with no facial features.

In my cover photograph I will have my artist pretending to be at a gig by having him in front of a laptop with speakers etc. then having the room dimmed and having lights behind him to create the 'club' atmosphere. If i am not able to create the scene I want I will use Photoshop to experiment with lighting and other effects until I get the photo I want.


Locations:

When doing my photo shoot there is a few locations that come to mind....

My main location choice would like to be in a hall because then I can create the scene of a gig going on with my main artist pretending to perform. Doing this will give the illusion that my artist is popular and is performing a good gig. In the centre stage I would have a table set up with laptops, speakers etc. Then I would use low lighting to create the scene of a gig.

If I am unable to do that I would do a photo shoot of my artist on a white background so that it is easy to colour change if needed on Photoshop.

Clothing:

Since I’m basing my artist on the character Slenderman, I will need my artist to dress like him. So I will be dressing my model in a black suit with a red tie; because he has no facial features no facial stuff such as makeup will be needed, I will be giving him a white morph mask which will cover his entire face.


 
 
Props:
 
Props I will be using during the photo shoot will be a laptop because most EDM musicians use it to produce/perform their music; there will be speakers placed around the laptop. I feel using these props will give the illusion that he is performing a live gig. But I can only use these if I can get my hall location because that is the place where I think I can create the illusion of a gig being performed.
If I can't get it there will be no props being used during the normal photo shoot.

Camera Angles:
For my front cover I am going to take a range of different shots. I would like to try from the waist upwards but then also full body shots. I also would like to try different angles as I feel that then I will have a range of different shots to choose from and to experiment with.
I would like to use a range of different close up and far away shots from my inside double page spread as I would like it to be about the making of one of their music videos or about one of their albums.
For the contents page I will be using, again, a range of different camera angles. I will mainly be using closer up shots as the pictures on the page may also be quite small, because of the article listening. I will also hopefully be using different artists so the page is brought to life.

Tuesday, 20 November 2012

Focus group research

Focus Groups:
Focus groups are a group of  a few participants who are there to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas about a certain subject. So for my focus group we will be discussing my Music magazine.
Advantages of a focus group:
By asking my target audience about the magazine I can gain new ideas for what they want in the magazine, such as reviews, interviews, gig dates and tours etc. I can also identify any errors of what in my magazine.
What are the disadvantages?:
Compared to individual interviews, focus groups are not as efficient in covering maximum depth on a particular issue. A particular disadvantage of a focus group is the possibility that the members may not express their honest and personal opinions about the topic at hand. They may be hesitant to express their thoughts, especially when their thoughts oppose the views of another participant.

What I am going to do in my focus group:
When doing my focus group I think that I will ask them about the cover artist hoping to get their opinion of the idea and whether they think it is good or bad. But asking this I will need to say about my genre and show them examples of artist that have done a similar idea to what i'm doing.
I will be bringing up front page and photo shoot ideas also color scheme ideas as well as the masthead, hopefully I may be able to find a name for my magazine by doing this.

I will either do this over Skype or record a voice note of me asking my target audience questions.

Friday, 16 November 2012

My genre for my magazine

After posting polls, asking people and myself, my magazine genre will be EDM (Electronic Dance Music) which covers nearly all of my favourite artist such as deadmau5, Zedd, Klaypex, and Feed Me. I feel that this genre is my strongpoint when it comes to music because I have had experiences of seeing some of those artists live, I listen to the genre daily, I know more artists within the genre and I enjoy finding out more about the genre.

I have a few ideas on what I should include within my magazine. I am thinking of creating my own artist, I want to give him/her their own identity, something that they will be known by. So I want to create a costume that they wear when performing such as a mask or a logo. There is an artist called Danger who wears a costume which hides everything (his face, body etc) and this is what I want my artist to look like. So I thought of basing it on a legend called Slenderman. The idea of having a person with no facial features but wears 'classy' clothing (A Suit) Is what I want my artist too look like.


                                    Danger                  My costume

I will be doing a double page spread of the background and an interview of the artist, doing a review of a concert, showing the latest and most popular EDM artists, showing when the latest gigs and tours will be, a competition to win gig tickets etc.

Thursday, 15 November 2012

Music mood board


 
Here is my mood board of all my favourite artist

My Music: What I listen too....

Music has been in my life for as long as I can remember  from listening to nursery rhymes when I was little, to going to music festivals now that I'm older. I now have a clear knowledge of what my music genre is and who my favorite artist's are.

In the present day, I listen to genres such as: House, Dance, Dubstep, EDM, Indie and Rock. I know that's a random choice of genres but I love all of it, nearly every song I listen to has a great meaning behind it or I generally like the song.

My favorite artist:

deadmau5:


deadmau5 combines elements from various house sub-genres and spins them into a unique style style that is hard to precisely peg. There are bits of trance, strange electro experiments and forays into organic instrumentation — or at least his version of organic.

My favorite songs by deadmau5:

"Ghosts 'N' Stuff"
"Some Chords"
"Proffesional Greifers"
"The Veldt"
"Cthulhu Dreams/Sleeps"

The Lumineers:

The Lumineers are an American folk rock band based in Denver, Colorado. The core band consists of Wesley Schultz on guitar and lead vocals, Jeremiah Fraites on drums, percussion, mandolin and vocals, and Neyla Pekarek on cello, mandolin, piano, and vocals, with added musicians for tours.Their self-titled debut album was released on Dualtone Records on April 3, 2012, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard 200 chart.

My favorite songs by The Lumineers:

"Ho Hey"
"Big Parade"
"Submarine"
"Flapper Girl"
"Morning Song"

Of Monsters and Men:

Of Monsters and Men is a six-piece indie folk/indie pop band from Iceland, formed in 2010. The members are co-singer/guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, co-singer/guitarist Ragnar "Raggi" Þórhallsson, guitarist Brynjar Leifsson, drummer Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson, piano/accordion player Árni Guðjónsson, bassist Kristján Páll Kristjánsson, and trumpeter Ragnhildur Gunnarsdóttir, who joined in the 2012 tour.

My favorite songs by Of Monsters and Men:

"Little Talks"
"Dirty Paws"
"Lion heart"

Zedd:

Anton Zaslavski (born September 2, 1989), known primarily by his stage name Zedd, is a Russian-German electronic dance music producer and DJ from Kaiserslautern, Germany. He primarily produces in the electro house genre, but has branched out, drawing influences from progressive house, complextro and dubstep. Zaslavski was born in Russia but moved to Germany with family when he was a baby. He is a classically trained musician, born to two musicians, and began playing the piano and drums at the age of four. In 2002 he began playing for the German band Dioramic, signed by Lifeforce Records. Zaslavski's interest in producing electronic music was piqued after hearing by French electronic duo Justice. He began producing electronic music in 2009.

My favorite songs by Zedd:

"Spectrum"
"Clarity"
"Lost at sea"
"Fall into the sky"

Monday, 12 November 2012

Magazine Analyisis: Tillate

Tillate

What is Tillate?:

Tilllate Magazine is a global dance music, club culture and lifestyle magazine, It was established in 1988. Its demographic is 18- to 25-year-olds, and it includes fashion stories and artist interviews, club or technology reviews, and coverage of current and predicted trends.

The magazine has hosted parties in locations such as Miami, New York City, Ibiza, Singapore, Thailand, Sydney, Beijing, and Dubai. It has relationships with brands, labels and clubs worldwide, and many of its staff are established club DJs.

Current Content:

The magazine features fashion stories and artist interviews, club or technology reviews, and coverage of current and predicted trends.

The magazine has interviewed with a variety of DJ's these have included Deadmau5, Avachii, Chuckie, AfroJack, Guti and many more.

Thursday, 8 November 2012

Magazine Analyisis: MixMag


MixMag

What is MixMag?:

Mixmag is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine, published in London, England. It styles itself as "the world's biggest selling dance music magazine", with an Audit Bureau of Circulations audited circulation of approximately 20,000 (1 January 2011 – 31 December 2011). Launched in 1982 in the United Kingdom, the magazine covers dance events, and reviews music and club nights.

Current Content:

In addition to the change in editorial tone, the relaunched magazine features a fashion section, larger size and, according to the magazine improved production values.
It carries a covermount mix CD each month by a different DJ or artist. These have included Deadmau5, Richie Hawtin, Sven Väth, Erol Alkan, Tom Neville, Smokin' Jo, Ferry Corsten and DJ Touche. Soulwax released This Is Radio Soulwax into the magazine in 2006.

Target Audience:

http://www.mixmag.net/content/reader-profile

The median age of a Mixmag reader is 26 - 72% male, 28% female - and they tend to be urban and single.
They have a high disposable income and a high propensity to spend it on:
Nights out
Clothes
Tunes
The latest mobile and MP3 player
Nearly 80% do not read another music magazine and they spend little time watching TV, especially at weekends.



Monday, 5 November 2012

Music Magazine Research


Research

Over the half term I have been looking at different types of Music Magazine such as Kerrang, Rolling stones and NME. Each magazine has given me an idea on how a music magazine should be presented and what should be included throughout the magazine. I have noticed on each front cover they have bold, sans/sans serif titles all over the page, this is used to gain attention to the magazine which I think I will use on my front cover. For the photo on the front cover they mainly have a mid shot of the main artist they are covering or they have a photo of the whole band they are covering. One thing I did notice whilst trying to look for and buy these magazine where that they wasn’t in stock or wasn’t being put up to sell. So for the Rolling Stones and NME I had to try and find old copies from different friend’s which was a hard task to do because nearly none of them owned a copy of it, so for the Rolling Stones magazine I had to resort to and Internet version of it when I was analysing it. Kerrang was the only magazine I could find easily in the shops I visited. So I researched into why this was happening and have found out that a lot of the music magazine industries are closing down due to a drop in sales.

Here is an article about Q and NME sales dropping - http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/aug/16/nme-q-magazine-sales-declines

Ideas

So for my magazine, I now have a rough idea on how I will layout the front page and what content I should include in my music magazine. On the front cover I will have a photo of the main music group/artist I will be covering and then around the sides have 'sub-artist' that will be featured in my magazine. I will then use bold and colourful Headings and titles to gain catch the eye of the public which will then hopefully get them to pick it up and proof read it.

For my Magazine Genre I am thinking of doing EDM (Electronic Dance Music), Dubstep or Indie, I will have to do more research into these genres before deciding which one I do.

Sunday, 4 November 2012

Welcome to Music....


This blog will be used for  my Music magazine, I think starting a new blog will help me keep everything organised and tidy.

I have many ideas for my Music magazine and cannot wait to start creating it. Over the half term I am going to collect together  music magazines and analyse their covers and content to gain ideas for my own magazine. I will be also be deciding on genres I want my Music Magazine to include.