Final Double Page Spread

This is my final double page spread.

I think this is my favourite page of my magazine as I think it looks quite professional and unique if it was looked at by my audience.
I took on my audience feed back and changed some things on my DPS and I think it looks better now than it did before they were changed.

Final Contents Page

This is my final contents page of my music magazine.

I am also happy with this and I think it is different from other existing magazines which in effect would make it stand out if it was to be sold in a shop.

Final Front Cover

This is my final front cover of my music magazine.
I am very happy with how it turned out and I think it reflects the look of my style model well, but also has its own twist which makes it unique.

Evaluation Question; 7.

This link will take you to my answer for the evaluation question

Q: Looking back at your preliminary task (College magazine) What have you learnt in terms of progression from that to the full product?

http://www.slideshare.net/megsmedias/looking-back-at-your-preliminary-task-college-magazine-what-have-you-learnt-in-terms-of-progression-from-that-to-the-full-product

Evaluation Question; 6.

This link will take you to my evaluation answer for the question
In what ways does your media product challenge forms and conventions of real magazine products?


http://prezi.com/awzch-knncze/evaluation-question-6q-in-what-ways-does-your-media-product-challenge-forms-and-conventions-of-real-magazine-product/

Evaluation Question; 5.

This link will send you to my evaluation question 5.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

http://www.slideshare.net/megsmedias/q5-2

Evaluation Question; 4.

This link will take you to a Prezi for the evaluation question

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

http://prezi.com/qnu9jny9xkwn/present/?auth_key=o52qf1b&follow=s18pwsqdm91c&kw=present-qnu9jny9xkwn&rc=ref-14728485

Evaluation Question; 3.

Q: Who would be the audience for your media product?

As the genre of my magazine is musical theatre/ Broadway, I know it would be sold to a small, niche market due to not everyone liking musicals. 
Young theatre fans
However, there are some audiences that would buy my magazine, such as young theatre fans. These people could have an interest in theatre, could be aspiring actors or musical theatre students, or just someone who has an interest in musicals. As I have including a range of different actors/actresses from different times, it should apply to many people. 
The older generation
The older generation may also be interested in buying my magazine as I have involved actresses such as Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland, also older musicals such as Singin' in the Rain. These people may have a high income as they can spend money on tickets to the theatre as a hobby. 

When I was developing the idea for this magazine, I had an image of the type of person I would sell it to and thought of the character Rachel Berry from the TV show 'Glee.' As Rachel is an aspiring actress with a high interest in musicals and musical theatre, she is the type of person who I would plan to sell my magazine to. 

Evaluation Question; 2.

This link will take you to a slideshare for the question;

How did you attract your audience?

http://www.slideshare.net/megsmedias/q2-how-did-you-attract-your-audience

Evaluation Question; 1.

This link will take you to a Prezi presentation for the question, 
'What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?'

http://prezi.com/n90ok7xisqmh/what-have-you-learnt-about-technologies-from-the-process-of-constructing-this-product/?kw=view-n90ok7xisqmh&rc=ref-14728485

Changes Made After My Audience Feed back

After taking my audience feed back into account I decided to change my double spread a bit to fit the feed back.
I moved the quote to the page with the photo of my cover star and it turns out it did add more to the page and made it look more professional.
I also added a title to my aritcle and made it like to the concept of the interview as well the cover star by using a quote/pun from  a song from the musical she is staring in.

This is now my final double page spread.

College vs Music Magazine

This post shows both my college magazine front cover and my music magazine front cover, and how different they are.
I have definately improved on my work with Photoshop and othe technologies and it is clear that I have put in a lot more effort with my music magazine than I did on my college magazine.

Audience Feedback

I posted my magazine on my Facebook profile and my Tumblr account and asked people to comment on my magazine as a whole and say what they liked about it and what they think could have been improved.
This is some of the feedback I received. 

"Help with your media coursework: The photographs and photo editing are brilliant seriously. And I like the continuity of the font and cinema style headings. If I was you though. I'd use a more professional style of font for the article headings on the front cover. And maybe a lighter colour of red as the dark red blends slightly into the black background. But other than that it looks really epic. Hope this helps :)"

After receiving this feedback, I am going to look back on my front cover and the criticism mentioned and decide whether or not to change it. 

I also got a feed back comment saying my double page spread could be improved if i gave my article and interview a title and moved the quote from my cover star over to the other page to give it more to look at.

Double Page Spread Step By Step

This is the picture I used for my DPS. It was inspired by a Cabaret photo shoot.
I used photo shop to make it black and white, and altered the brightness and contrast settings to give it a darker and more old fashioned effect.

I then put the picture on a background, which I made the same colour as my contents page and the font of my front cover, so it adds to the synergy of my magazine.
I used the ruler tool to find the centre of the page, and divided the page into two, so I could make sure the picture fit exactly on one side of my page.

I then looked back at the interview/Q&A I wrote and added the quote from my cover star that is taken from the interview, that would be used to catch the eye of the reader and make them want to buy my magazine.

I then started to write my article.
I started with an introductory paragraph about my cover star, mentioning things like her 'taking the big apple by storm' and her personality in the interviewing room.

I then started writing my questions and the answers my cover star gave.
Starting with a question introducing them and asking how they are, and following up with asking about her up coming role in a musical.
In the answers I have included bits of the stars personal life to make it seem more professional.

I then carried on with my interview mentioning the quote at the top, to link it.
Also asking questions about her future.

I then wrote the rest of my interview, talking about the show and her 'fans.'

I finished off my DPS by adding a picture in the bottom right of a promotional poster of an actor that was mentioned in the interview of being a friend of my cover star.
I also added a page number in the top right corner to finish it off.

Double Page Spread Mock Up

This is a quick sketch of what I want my DPS to look like.
I am going to take a picture of my cover star, a close up shot of just her face and possibly her hands, and that is going to take up all of the left page.
I may also put a quote from my cover star in the top left corner.
On the opposite page I am going to put an introductory paragraph with some information about my cover star and then follow it up with a question and answer session with my cover star.
I am going to make the font of the article the same colour as the font on my contents page, to add synergy to my magazine, and make it recognisable to this magazine.

Journalism/interview research

After looking at the interview portion of double page spreads in various magazines, I have found that the most popular writing style is a Question and Answer session with the cover star, like this one with The Strokes. This often includes questions about an up coming album or just general questions. I have also found that sometimes the questions are asked by the readers of the magazine.

However there is also the style of an article which just talks about the star, and includes quotes from the star themselves, as well as quotes from others about the star. These often talk about what is coming up for the star in the near future and the life/early life of the star. Like this article for Lana Del Ray.

After looking at different interviews with a Q&A session, I have decided to do that in my magazine.
I think it is a good way of getting in a wide range of information about my cover star, and the way I set it out should look more professional.

DPS Analysis

This double page spread is from Playbill magazine, which I used as a style model.
This is very different from the other DPS I have looked at, as it is very simple. In most DPS there is a section which introduces the cover star and there is often a quote from the interview to attract the readers attention, there is none of these on this page.
I like this DPS as it is simple, but I don't think it looks that much like a magazine rather than a programme. However, I like the layout of the pictures and the text.

DPS Analysis

 

This double page spread is from Kerrang! magazine, and is different from the past spread I looked at, as this one seems to have more pictures than text.  This is also different, as the image goes over both pages, instead of taking up one page like I am thinking of doing for my magazine.
What I like about this spread is that they have used a question and answer format for the interview, which is what I want to do in my magazine.

Double Page Spread Analysis

This double page spread is from Q and focuses on Florence Welch.
The colour scheme for this page is red, white and grey and as it is simple, Florence stands out.
The use of the red of the flag reflects the colour scheme of the magazine, as Q use red a lot.
I am thinking of making my double page spread like this with one of the pages having the focus of my cover star and then the interview on the opposite page.
However, I will have to edit the style a bit to fit my genre instead of the indie/alternative genre of Q.

Contents Page Step-By-Step

 I created this picture to go at the top of my contents page and to act as an advertisement of a new musical which I have made up.
I made it took more professional by adding a rating and a comment from an existing magazine.

I then added the picture to the page.
I decided to use the same colour of red for my contents page background that I used for the cover lines on my front cover to add synergy to my magazine.











   


I decided to break up the articles on my contents page into three different columns ; 'this month' 'regulars' and 'coming up.'
I used the same font I used for my masthead to add more synergy to my magazine which will hopefully be recognisable as the same magazine.

I then started to add my articles to my contents page.
I used articles such as
'Your Favourite' which would be a list of favourite musicals chosen by the readers of my magazine
and
'New Musical Judy' which would a sneak peak at a new musical coming to London. This also links with the advert at the top of my contents page.

I then added more articles to my contents page and the 'regulars' and 'coming up' sections.

I then added an editors note and signed it as if it was a letter to the reader.

I also looked back at my page and decided to make the font a bit smaller and added in more articles.

promo shot for contents page

 

I have created this poster like image to put on my contents page to make it look professional and also have more additions to my magazine. I am going to put this on my contents page with a page number to direct the reader to the page needed. It can also act as a promotional shot for a Broadway show. 

Contents Page Mock Up.

I drew up this rough drawing of what I want my contents page to look like, I have already created the top section of my page on photoshop and it will act as a advertisement for a new musical.
I have chosen to have my articles in three separate columns as I think it looks more organised and professional. I have also thought about the font of the titles and I think I am going to use the same font used for my masthead so my magazine has synergy.

Contents Page Analysis



I like this contents page from NME magazine.
I think the style is unique and interesting.
As the articles which will appear in the magazine are in categories the page overall looks ordered and professional. This is something I want to do in my magazine to give it a unique look but also make it ordered and therefore easier for the reader to find what they are looking for.

As the position of the picture is in the centre of the page, at the top, it is clear that it is the focus and therefore the band/artist in the photo is going to be featured largely in the magazine. I like the placement of the photo, and I could possibly put a photo on my contents page of my cover star.

Contents Page Analysis

This contents page from Kerrang! magazine is very different from others I have looked at, as there is a lot more going on in terms of articles and order. There doesn’t seem to be many articles shown, and the font is larger than other magazines, but there is an order of placement.
There is also more pictures of bands/artists featured on this page, which is different from the usual one or two on other magazines. I like the look of having more than one picture, but I’m not sure whether it would fit in with the look of my magazine, so I will probably stick to one or two pictures.
Unlike other magazines I have looked at, this contents page has an editors note at the top. I like the look this gives to the magazine, and it also gives a more personal feel to the magazine, this is something I may do in my magazine.

Contents Page Analysis

This contents page, from Q magazine is quite different from other contents pages I have looked at, as the picture used is very large and it is clear that the band is going to be featured a lot in the magazine, possibly on the double page spread.
It seems like there is less articles featured on the page than on some others I have looked at, but the order, keeping the articles to one side is effective and the page looks tidy.
I like the fact this contents page has a review box at the bottom as an extra feature, it looks professional and makes the magazine look different from others.
There is clear synergy in this page and the front cover, as red, white and black are used, which are typically Q colours.
This is something I will use when creating my contents page, using certain colours and fonts to add synergy to my magazine and to also give it that unique look which will be recognised as my certain magazine.

Style Model



My style model is the national theatre magazine, Playbill.
I am using this as inspiration as it is a musical theatre magazine, like my magazine. Playbill is usually used when creating programmes on the musical which involves the star on the show on the front and lists the actors inside. I am going to change this up and use the cover for inspiration and make the inside more like a magazine rather than a programme.

What I am taking from this cover is that I have used a fairly close-up shot of my cover star and I am going to keep my cover lines to a minimum.
Another thing I am taking away from my style model is the use of old fashioned styled photographs, like the middle image.
After I do my photo shoot I am going to edit my image on Photoshop and create an old fashioned style, using a black and white effect as well as altering the contrast and brightness to create a darker effect. By doing this I hope to make my image and front cover look more sophisticated and stylish. 

Audience feedback - front cover

I put this image on my facebook and asked people to comment on it and mention any changes I could make. 

This is the response I got. 

As a result of this feedback, I changed the font of my cover line, made them larger and added a drop shadow to almost everything on my cover, which made my magazine look bolder and stand out more.

Front Cover - Step By Step

I started my front cover by editing my original photo into black and white using Photoshop and cut around my model using the magnetic lasso tool.

 

 I then found a font I liked that fit with the genre of my magazine and imported it into my photo of my model.

I found a simple picture of a piano and
made it the background of my cover.
I then put all three components
together. 
I decided to put my cover star over the top of my masthead so the audience will be able to see that they are the main focus, also I made the figure smaller so you can still understand what the title says.

After doing research on other music magazines and their cover lines, I added some onto my front cover.
The cover lines I went with were a 'Top 20..' and adverts for new musicals which will be further explained in my contents page and possibly my double page spread.

I added a drop shadow to the font to make the words stand out more against the black background, this makes it look more professional.

When thinking of a cover star to put in my magazine, I thought of an actress who is making her debut in a Broadway show in New York, and then I went for the musical 'Chicago.'
I got the logo for Chicago and cut it out to put it on my cover.
I played around with the size of the logo, and decided on making it larger as it took up more room and looked like it fit more.









I then added the cover line 'Sam Appleton In..'
this shows the reader who the cover star is and why they are on the cover of my magazine.

I then added the final touches to my magazine, such as a bar code, the issue number and the price that my magazine would be sold at.

Photo Shoot

These are my favourite photos for my photo shoot for my music magazine.
I think I am going to use this picture for my front cover as it would look good on the right of the page and it would look different from other magazines which tend to have their cover star in the middle of the page.
I am thinking of editing this picture into black and white to give it a sophisticated and old-fashioned look.

I am thinking of putting this picture in my double page spread as the main picture and focus, with an interview on the opposite page.
I like this picture as it is bright and will fit on a page well.

I took this picture as a side shot as I am thinking of making this into a promotion picture for a musical. I am going to cut out the person and make it black and white to give it a professional look.

These are extra photos I took which I may use if the others do not work as I want them to.

Front Cover Mock Up

This is a rough drawing of the front cover of my music magazine.
I have found a font to use off a website and have chosen the masthead, 'Showcase.'
I am going to position my cover star on the right and make them quite large so you can tell they are the focus.
As I have chosen the genre of my magazine as musical theatre I have made up that my cover star is going to be a star in the musical 'Chicago' and I will use the logo for Chicago on my cover.
I will have my cover lines on the left and will try to keep them to a minimum to reflect my style model of 'Playbill Magazine.'