Saturday, 13 March 2010
Finalised Ideas
After analysing my questionnaire results I decided on my final ideas, I was going to aim my magazine at females around the age of older teenagers to young adults. For my front cover I was going to use a mid shot of my model connoting a retro inspired theme to my target audience I was going to use a bold colour scheme so as it would attract the buyers eye and have my title as M is or music as this was the most favoured title for my magazine. For the contents page and double page spread I am still going to continue with the retro inspired theme and have my model connoting this through the type of images I will use and the type of fonts I will use to get across my theme of retro old hollywood glamour.
Questionnaire Analysis
After both creating a poll on my blog and gathering a group of people around the similar age group to my target audience to carry out a survey as it was clear not enough people took my poll. I done this so as to see what ideas I should include in my magazine so as I could aim it towards my target audience.
Results from Questionnaire and Poll
In total 9 people took my poll and 11 took my questionnaire, although I would have prefered more votes than this I still had some data to analyse to help to decided what ideas to use to target my audience.
What is your gender?
Out of the 20 people I surveyed 15 were females and 5 were males showing that I should clearly aim my product at a female audience.
How old are you ?
From the 20 people I asked, 9 people were at the age of 17, 3 were 18, 7 were 18 and over and 1 person was 16. From this information it is clear to see that most of the people answering my questionnaire were around the age of older teenager, young adult. This helped me to determine what type of age group I was aiming my magazine at and so what designs and layout I should use to help to appeal to my target audience.
What is your current occupation?
19 people out of the 20 I surveyed were currently students, this helped me to know how much to price my magazine at, as students are on a budget and would be able to afford an over priced magazine.
Do you read magazines often?
Out of everyone I surveyed, only 1 person answered No and the rest answered yes. This helps me to determine that the majority of my target audience are interested in reading music magazines , as a result I would need to make a magazines that was interesting so as to keep my readers interest in the magazines as it would probably be sold weekly so it would be a vital issue that they wouldn't lose interest too quickly.
Do you prefer to have a magazine based on on genre of music or mixed genres?
13 people answered a select genre and 7 people answered mixed genres. This enabled me to no that I needed to chose a select theme and connote that theme throughout the whole magazine so as it would appeal to the majority of the people I surveyed as they prefer a select music genre of magazine.
Which parts of a magazine don't you prefer?
2 people answered news features, 14 people answered adverts and 6 people voted posters. From this information I could see what features would help attract my target audience to my magazine and what would turn my readers away, this is essential as to create a successful magazine I need to keep the readers interest throughout.
What is your favourite type of magazine?
10 people answered pop and 10 people answered retro style, this enabled me to select a style of magazine and connote that style of look towards the readers. These results show that I am going to aim my magazine towards a retro audience but could also include a pop artist as well so as to appeal to a larger audience.
What Price would you pay for a magazine?
The majority of the people that took my questionnaire stated that they would pay between £2-£3 for a magazine, this is because as from previous questions it is clear to see that I am aiming my magazine at a student based audience so they are on a budget and cant afford expensive magazines.
What first attracts you to buy magazines?
8 people answered the celebrities in it, 3 people answered articles/stories, 2 answered headlines, 4 people answered front page and 1 person voted words used on the cover. From this information is is clear to see that I will need to include a variety of these conventions so as to appeal to my target market.
What title do you prefer?
14 people voted M is for music, 3 people voted for In tune and 6 people voted for Newest noise. After taking into account the results of this question it is clear to see that the most popular choice of title is M is for music and so therefore I will use this as my title.
What colour scheme do you prefer?
The majority of voters, selected that they preferred a bold colour scheme, I will therefore use a bold colour scheme so as to catch the readers attention and attract my target audience. The type of bold colours I will therefore use will be reds,blues, oranges.
What kind of photo do you prefer on the front cover of a magazine?
Overall after analysing my results I can see that the main image style that is preferred is a mid shot of a body, I will therefore take a variety of mid shots so as I have a range to choose from.
Friday, 12 March 2010
Photo Inspirations
These are my photo inspirations that I used to take my pictures, my main image for my magazine is old Hollywood glamour. These represent this by the use of props, hair makeup and choice of clothing.
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Photo Shoot Plans
Photo Shoot Requirements
Front cover- 3 images, secondary images(optional)
Double Page spread- Main image 3 ideas secondary images(min 3)
Contents Page- Main image- has a flow/ link to front cover. Other secondary images.
Other Requirements...
- Lighting
- Props, clothing, hair and make up
- Models
- Background
- Location
For my main images to connote an Old Hollywood, retro style to the magazine I will take several different photos in 3 different outfits with different props and location so as I had a variety of looks to choose from.
Location 1
For the first location and my first shoot for my front cover, I had my model laying on a floor that was scattered with old vinyl records so as to connote the old Hollywood style theme and looks artistic , the look is inspired by the Christina Aguleria photos in my initial ideas. I feel that the old vinyl records and record player create a good mise en scene for the old fashioned style I was aiming to connote. The red lipstick and the tightly curled hair also helps to create this image and attract the buyer as the red lips connote a sexy look to the male audience and could be seen as an aspirational figure to a female audience. For this shoot I will take a variety of different shots at different angles, mostly mid shots as this is a conventional type shot for a magazine cover. I will also direct my model in different poses such as laying down on the records then leaning up against them with her elbows on them as well as others so as I had a few images to choose from and test to see what image would work best for the cover.
Location 2
I also will create another set, with my model laying on a sofa with a white beige rug with old vinyl records scattered over the sofa so as to connote the Old Hollywood glamour. The beige rug adds the glamour and a vintage feel to the image and the records make the image old fashioned and retro. I will also take inspirations from the Christina Aguleria shoot in my inital designs by styling my model to match the old hollywood glamour theme, she will be wearing a sequined playsuit with a matching sequined hat with red lips and tightly curled hair. The playsuit will stand out against the beige rug and look glamourous to connote my theme and address my audience. I will mainly take long shots in a landscape format so as I could consider to use these for my double page spread, also to get the whole mise en scene of the records and the the models outfit in as I thought that the set helped to create my old hollywood glamour theme.
Location 3
The third location is going to be set up like an old fashioned dressing room, I had my model sit on a stall and look into a mirror with spotlights around it this helped to create a mise en scene of old hollywood glamour and portray a vintage image to the photo. To create a unique look to the image I took the photo over the shoulder in the mirror so as the camera couldn't be seen but the model back and front could. I also created another look by having my model lay on a biege rug on the floor with a hand held beauty mirror in a black lace one shouldered dress so as to create a old hollywood glamour look and continue the theme throughout all three pieces.
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Initial Idea Three
Initial Idea Three-Front CoverThis is what I am basing my third image around for the front cover of my magazine. It also continues with the old hollywood style image, this is connoted to the buyer by the use of the old fashioned props of the gramophone, the old vinyl records and the old fashioned big headphones. In my front cover I have acess to the use of an old record player and vinyl records so therefore I am able to recreate an image similar to this. For my models hair and makeup I would link it to the basic colour scheme of the whole of the front cover of my magazine, that would also continue through to the contents page and double page spread so as to create an identity for the magazine. My models hair is going to be tight curls so as to keep in theme with the old 1950's hollywood theme of my magazine. The makeup is going to be dark eyes and red lips so as to connote a sex appeal to the male readers. As well as this as you can see in this photo the models legs are on show as it is a full body shot, I like the way that the whole of the models outfit is on show so as the female audience would see what the model is wearing and then if she looked nice, they would maybe aspire to dress like her, which would help to sell the magazine as they would want to see the other outfits that the model wears later on in the magazine. A negative to this magazine cover is that the model is not giving direct eye contact with the buyer which usually helps to sell the magazine. For my magazine cover I would use a plain background such as having my model pose against a blank wall and a non cluttered floor apart from the props that would help to create the hollywood theme of my magazine, so as the main focus is on the model and not the background. Also to make my model stand out more to the background is by putting her in a bright/bold coloured outfit so as to make sure that she is in contrast to the background. I would direct my model to pose similar to this model in this photo with a curve to the body so as the model doesn't look uncomfortable but looks appealing and attractive to the buyer. The way in which I would use the words on the cover would be to thee name of the magazine along the top of the page with a block coloured strip like background similar to the one in the picture, what ever colour I put as the background to the title of the magazine I would ensure that I used a colour of text that stood out against it. The rest of the text will go down the left hand side and could possibly overlap part of the image but I will have to try and test it to see what looks better.
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Initial Ideas
Initial Ideas- Idea number two
This is my second idea for the cover of my magazine. It continues with the old hollywood style theme as this is definately the style of image that I am aiming to recreate, this image is more of an up to date, modern hollywood theme and would relate more to the modern day target audience. For this idea the image would be similar to this image here of a close up of Christina Aguilera, as the image is a close up the pose and way the model connects with the audience is a key element in selling the magazine. The type of pose I would direct my model to do would be a glare at the camera so as to have direct eye contact with the buyer, the background of the shoot would be a plain background like the one in this image so as to have even more of an emphasist on the model on the cover. The colour scheme would be red, black, greys, I would keep the colours of the background and the colours of font used on the cover simple, bland colours and have the model in a bright colour such as red with red lips and curly hair with sultry eye make up and face make up so as to connote a sexy appeal to male readers and an aspiration if my model was famous for females to look up to.As well as this, by keeping a colour scheme and matching the outfit with the models makeup and image will help to give the magazine a theme and a brand which the buyers can identify with, therefore making the cover look more appealing. The way the image would be postioned on the front cover would be the layout of a large medium close up of the model face so as part of the body would be in shot. The image would be slightly to on side so as writing could be down one side of the image, slightly overlapping if it needs to, the main title of the magazine will go along the top and will be in a bold font so as to stand out against other magazines on the shelf.
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Initial Ideas
Initial Ideas for ImagesIdea number one
The type of image that I think would be suitable for my magazine is an old hollywood music theme. Like this picture here of Christina Aguilera is what I am basing my ideas for my main front cover image around, the image connotes the old hollywood style music and this is the theme of my magazine that I am going for. An idea for my front cover image is a girl laying down with old records scattered around her, with a pair of big old fashioned headphones on. Her hair and make up will be short shoulder length hair that is tightly curled so as to continue with the old hollywood style. The make up and pose will be in the same style with quite dark eye make up to connote a sexy appeal to the cover so as to stand out to the male audience, the image will be taken from above so the pose will be a seductive glare into the camera so as to give direct eye contact with the buyer when it is on the shelf. Also as the shot will be taken from above it will be a medium close up so part of the outfit will be in shot, the type of outfit I will put my model in will be a bright coloured top such as red which will catch the buyers eye when on the shelf. The colour effect will be black and white like the image above, however with colour highlights,for example the red top, so as to give a contrast of different colours to create an effect.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Audience Demographics
Audience analysis is the starting point into any media product. There are vital elements to figure out the audience demographics, such as, age, type of employment, how much their income is, where they live and anything else thats appropriate in determining how to get the media prouduct to the consumer as the more you can relate to the target audience, you can use this to your advantage in making your media product grab their attention. The success or failure is determined by the interest you create in your media product so having a better insight into the type of audience you are aiming at then you can design the magazine to suit their needs.
Uses and Gratifications Theory
Uses and gratifications is an approach to understanding mass communication. The theory puts more of an emphasist on the audience and consumer, instead of the actual message the media products are trying to put portray. It assumes audience take an active role in interpreting and intergrating media products into their everyday lives. Also the theory holds the audience responsible for the type of media they choose to meet their needs, such as if the audience was interested in pop music then they would clearly choose a magazine aimed at their own preference and not a hard rock magazine, they would choose this by the cover of the magazine by the colours, fonts, and the type of celebrity on the front cover to see if this is the right magazine for them. This approach suggests that people use the media to fulfill specific gratifications, so the theory would imply that the media compete against other information for viewers gratification. People's dependency on media proves audience goals to be the origin of the dependency while the uses and gratifications approach focuses more on audience needs. Still, both theories agree that media use can lead to media dependency.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Need
Maslow's hierarchy of need is a theory in physcology proposed by Abraham Maslow. The theory can be represented in a pyramid with the largest and lowest levels of basic needs at the bottom and slowly working its way up to the more luxurious items. This can relate to Media products and on the pyramid Media will be at the top as a luxurious item, they are high up as people will only buy these products when they can afford them as it is not an essential of everyday living. As well as this the theory can be used in media products, for example advertising a brand of food is a low form of advertising so would be on the bottom of the pyramid where as when the products need more creative skills to help the product sell such as a magazine cover then it would be higher on the pyramid.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Audience Profiling
This is Scarlett, she is a 16 year old teenager. She lives in London Isslinton and has a number of different hobbies. She is a keen and able artist and is inspired by music and the surroundings, she likes to take risks in her art work and her favourite artist is pop artist Andy Warhol. She also enjoys dancing and attends weekly classes in ballet,tap and jazz. Her favourite type of music is pop such as Christina Aguleria,Britney Spears, Pixie Lott and is inspired by their abilty to dance and often learns their routines by repeatedly watching their music videos on MTV,The Box, Smashits. As well as this she loves the imaginative and create outfits that artists such as Britney Spears wears to do her performances in and likes it when the concert has a theme to it e.g cirucs themed concert. The types of shops that Scarlett shops in is River Island, Topshop , H&M. Her style is one that follows the fashion and so therefore likes to keep on trend with the latest styles. Also she also enjoys going out with her friends, such as going to the cinema. Her favourite types of films are chick flicks such as Mean girls, Legally Blonde, Factory Girl and Bridget Jones Diary. The types of Tv programmes that she enjoys watching are daily soaps such as Hollyoaks on channel 4 and E4, The Hills on MTV, and Gossip girl on ITV 1 and 2. On the other hand the types of programmes that she dislikes watching are the football channels such as Sky Sports 1, also the type of music that she doesn't like are hard rock bands such as Greenday.
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