Preliminary Video:

 

Here is a video of me creating the prelimianry Task, displaying the imesne growth of my product:

 

 

 

 

Thoughts and Feelings: Genre Research:

Throughout the week I have been gathering research as to what could be the begging of my music magazine. after drawing up a proposal for my magazine and actually finishing it I had decided to pick the distinguished genre that is Rock. I chose this for two very obvious reasons, that I believe will be of an advantage to me:

1.) I'm Interested: I'm interested in this genre so I believe it is more realistic that I would do a far more greater depth of research as well as a dedication on my magazine, where as the little amount of work that might of come to follow if I had picked something that I had not so much have liked such as Hip-Hop.

2.) My genre contains a multitude of different types of rock that could all be part of my magazine in someway; this would be resulting in a much wider readerships, thus a far better profit and success rate.

Here are just some of the Sub-Genres that are categorised into the Rock Genre:

Indie Rock
Alternative Rock
Contemporary Rock
Soft Rock
Ska Punk
Grunge
Rock 'n' Roll : Elvis Presley ; Buddy Holly ; Bill Hayley
{original} Heavy Metal : Led Zeppelin ; Black Sabbath
Hard Rock : Meat Loaf ; Deep Purple
Punk Rock : The Clash ; The Damned
Glam Rock : T.Rex ; Sweet ; Slade
Soft Rock : Fleetwood Mac {post-1975}
Prog Rock : Jethro Tull ; Pink Floyd ; Mike Oldfield
Blues Rock : Fleetwood Mac {1967 - 1970}

for so many types of music that all belong into one simple genre that is known throughout the world, I think I have chosen correctly.

Product Research: Three Music Magazine Articles/ Double Page Spreads:

Typical Target Audiences:

The Typical Q Reader:

Jake Evans comes from Leeds. The he has two siblings, a young boy and a small girl. His favourite colour is yellow yet as he got older it changed to red. He had quite a few friends at school, yet he was not the centre of attention and was more familiar with chipping into conversations or discussions here and there. He achieved average grades in his GCSES obtaining A in music, a B in PE and C’s for both English and Maths.

He went on to join his school sixth form of which he lives fairly close too. He has a gym member ship yet often forgets he has one as he has stuffed hastily in the back of his wallet, as he is in no way a morning person. He dreads the moment on when the alarm clock rings and dashes to the nearest Costa or Star Bucks where he is very precise on his coffee (he likes half a tea spoon of sugar with plenty of milk). He is familiar with the tube his job is situated in the central city on where he himself, is a designer for the Argos catalogs. Yet he still make sure that he has plenty of time for meetings with his mates of whom have gone of in there own individual direction.

 He as singed up to his local football team, of which his favourite channel to watch is either Sky Sports or film four of which he likes to sit back and watch a film at the end of a stressful day. He has a cat called Ben of which he has a close relationship with. He love takeaways (normally treating himself on a Friday night). His most treasured possessions is his new generation I Pod (which he has taken care to keep safe with a pass code and a rubber cover) as well a his collection of Q Magazines (of which are the only things that are neat, preserved in a large shoebox in the front of his wardrobe).

 

The Typical Kerrang! Reader:

David Howard is 27, and is from London. He was the good looking cool kid at school who possessed a lot of popularity, along with the warnings and attentions that came from the teachers at his school. He did not achieve the greatest  of grades yet achieved enough to enter university, preferring to be close to his close friendship group; however he dropped out halfway through university because the courses he was taking bored him. Ever since he ahs been in deep love with his music and is one of the most distinguished You Tubers on the net where he posts frequently on his owns views and opinions. He is well in the understanding of social media having Twitter, Facebook and an Instagram (on which he spends most of his free time). He is also avid Blogger as he enjoys sharing his own personal views and opinions as well as seeing what others think of his ideas. He enjoys takeaways and spending time with his girlfriend, of whom they both share very close ideas with a swell as evidently sharing the same style of music (that would have been non-negotiable).

 

The Typical TOTPs Reader:

Katie Bell is nine years old and lives with her mother and farther is Surrey. Her favourite colour is pink (but she also likes any primary colours) her idol is Hanna Montana, and her favourite programme to watch at the moment is the X Factor. She is one of the founding member of the popular girl group at school on where they discuss clothes and boys that they have crushes on. Her favourite collections of books are the horrid Henry books, yet most of her reading is due through the TOTPs magazine. Although 50% of her only purchases the magazine with her pocket money, so as to gain the many freebies that include poster, glitter and nail vanish. She immensely enjoys going to Lego land or Chesington world of adventures. Her favourite foods are pizza and pasta, washed down with a glass of grape juice. She loves to listen to all the latest pop songs and even takes the time to learnt the words and dance routines with her friends.

Here is a typical reader for my Rock music magazine:

Alex Johnson is 17 years old and in three months will be 18. Currently he is at his school sixth form but after plans to attend University of which he hopes to finally find a job inside the music industry of which he feels most passionate about. He is deeply in love with his music, his I pod and mac being his two most precious possessions. He likes to share rock songs on social media, and has a twitter and YouTube account, of which he sings and plays the guitar so as in a hope to get noticed by the general public. He loves our rock magazine, always entering competitions, writing reviews on albums and artists, as well as subscribing to my magazine for he loves to collect the special edition  covers that exclusively come with the subscription. He gets good grades at school and participates in a large social group.

My Music Magazine: The Proposal:

Music Magazine: Proposal:

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for your time, as I will now share with you the idea that is sure to re-ignite the golden age of music magazines.

 

Rocking Rebellion

 

This is the phrase that encapsulates the growing immortality of the slick urban genre that will be the building block for my ROCK magazine that is sure to become a soaring success.

The soon to be discovered ROCK magazine will be seen in every teen’s hand as this magazine will be the stepping stone to successes, containing any worthy upcoming music artists. My magazine will help the talented and skilful young artists/musicians turn from unknowns to over the thresholds of superstardom.  It is here that the young adult audience will very much be able to relate to a new generation of rock artists of whom are their own age as both reader and issue will embark on a journey of self-discovery and successes.

My magazine will been seen in the form of a neutral minimalistic approach that is simple, clear, and is easy to read, understand and digest information. What my target audience wants the most (proved by statistical product research as well as proven by the Gratification theory) is information; a cornucopia of information that will soothe readers needs and hunger of questioning as to what is going on in the music world. I intend for my magazine to be the hotspot for anything that is related to the Rock genre, from 'Roll' to ‘Brit’. This is the magazine to buy, in order to gain the most up-to-date news.

 

The Hot spots for my Magazine:

What my makes my magazine shine among the others is that although it bears the familiarity of original magazines that all audiences are comfortable with (front cover, contents, double page spread, exclusive articles) but also that it holds many aspects of originality that are most likely to capture the attention of readers; here are just a few:

Memory lane: An exclusive article that is to feature in every issue where the magazine will pick out a past Band, Artist, Musician of memorable event and talk of it in deep detail of the bio of that person or place,  pleasing the reader by expanding the knowledge of Rock  to an even greater extent. Examples might be 'The British Invasion' and the how The Beatles or The Rolling Stones have taken off into the music industry after such interesting happenings. 

 Interactivity: interactivity is a huge part of magazines (espically in the cyber world of today), yet one primary reason of the existence of magazines is to that we feel more closer to artists, either with images or articles. Yet with continuing growth of social media, I plan to take this idea of interactivity with a few steps further:

 

*Social media- a Facebook, and Twitter page so that the young adult audience, whom are aware of such sites as these, will instantly be able to receive the latest news, either with music, subscription details or about the actual magazine itself. Instagram is another account that my magazine will have where a reporter will go out to post detailed images of the latest gigs or event etc. Along with this, my magazine will also have a YouTube account to post videos and interviews with the musicians and artists that we have caught up with, along with our very own music magazine website that will offer fans to come together to form discussions and ideas in chat rooms. As proven by the gratification theory, this simple idea of relating and sharing views and ideas on such a divine topic such as the ROCK genre, will exemplify the same enjoyment and interest that will be experienced through my Magazine.

 

*competitions- unique competitions will be included in my magazine so as involve the audience by actually having to make them think and use the knowledge that they have gained through either general, or the information they have picked out throughout that specific issue of the magazine.

 Another competition that will be included in every issue of the magazine is the lyric of a well known song, if the reader knows which song the lyrics belongs to than he or she can either post through the website, twitter of Facebook page there name, email and answers- if they get it right and are chosen than they are given three tickets to any gig of their chosen. The idea that I have given the choice for any three free tickets to any gig emphasises my intentions for the reader to gain a decent reward. Also the tickets can be used as a gift to someone else (this in a way, is acting as free advertisement).

*Radio: One of our biggest points of interactivity will be our exclusive Radio channel all day every day. Readers and audiences will be a or to ring up, ask questions as well as request favourite songs. Radio has a very large audience and generates a great amount of profit with the ability of adverts, calls and competition. Radio is also a brilliant way for advertisement.

Subscription Deatails: Our readers have the ability to signup For a subscription which will give them the ability to receive exclusive gifts and prises as obviously a copy of the magazines that will be issued monthly. The magazine and subscription gifts will be delivered to the readers doorstep; This will read any worry and inability to gain the issue of my ROCK magazine. Gifts have to be as attracting to our audiences as possible, So therefore the gifts are aimed at our young adult target audience; These can include iTunes vouchers posters of favourite Rock artists/musicians as well as limited edition front covers for My music magazine where the front cover will only consist of that particular artist that is the main feature for that specific issue. This in a way, is the alluring quality of collecting something that is unique and original and is sure to greatly tempt the reader into applying for the subscription.

The Basics and a Typical Issue:

As it has been Discussed, my Magazine will be released every month. This. Is due to the fact that my magazine will be something of great importance and collectability the average reader;  This is for my magazine will be full of information contents and entertainment as well as the texture of the magazine will be of a glossy quality to signify the importance. Because of the price of publication and the following reasons above, I have decided that the price of my magazine will be up to £3.00. I feel that that this is a fair and average price of a magazine  so dedicated and cared for, as well as the young adults (whom will be the majority of my readership) having enough money to buy the magazine itself.

Articles will be in depth and normally be followed by simple double page spreads as almost an introduction for the reader. Visual imagery of photos will be part of the backbone of my magazine as photos are key to help illustrate the information, entertainment and points of which my magazine hopes to achieve.

Here is the very basic blueprint of the format of my ROCK Magazine:

Front Cover:

Contents Page:

Double Page Spread:

Beginning of Feature Article:

If you have any further questions, than please, don't hesitate to ask, and once again I thank you for your time.

Music Magazine: Survey LINK / RESULTS:

  I have also been creating a few surveys on SurveyMonkey that will bring forth not just the majority of views on what appears to be good or bad for a music magazine, but also of personal opinions that are sure to shed a new light on this topic. I've been publicising these surveys through social media so as anyone will be able to access and answer the survey. Advantages to social media are points such as 'ReTweeting' which I have used for other twitter accounts to re-tweet my link of the survey which I have tweeted so that a much more wider scale of people are aware of the questions that I have been asking.

It is here as you can see that I have taken a screen shot to prove that I am publicising my product research through the medium of social media.

It is here in this post that I will be continually feeding back the results of the survey that I had created in Survey Monkey, asking questions that would help me gain a better perspective of the readers expectations. Thankfully there were some answers and here are the results:

 Have a go yourself to answer the questions on my survey!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/39KVPTR

The Preliminary Task: Evaluation:

Evaluation:

I have now come to the end of creating the Preliminary Task ( the challenge of creating a front cover and contents page for a school magazine). Here, in this post, I will display a number of screenshots, where detailed commentary will take place on the way on how I created part of Haydon's school  magazine, but also an explanation on the decision I took (or not took) through the progress of making these two pages.

 

The Front Cover:

 

The front page headline is of a comical one, so as to appeal to younger reader (the majority of the readership) stating 'EXAMS GET TO STUDENT AS HE SLEEPS ON THE JOB'. This light hearted quirky heading is sure to put a smile on any readers face thus putting in the reader into a positive mood of which we as a school hope to achieve in every student. The image of my friend Tom, sprawled out against the grass again supports the idea of that comic imagery- the photo also happens to be in full bleed so that the reader can fully digest the silly playfulness of the article. The masthead 'Haydon Express' is simple and easy to read for the younger audience. It is displayed in the particular font above so as to give the magazine a aspect of professional look, for the font is intertextuality relatable to other magazine/newspaper mastheads such as the 'The Daily Mail' or 'The Times'. The Barcode is placed towards the corner of the magazine, for it is an insignificance for the attractiveness and will not in any way help to sell that issue of the magazine. The distinguished Haydon school banner is placed at the bottom with the logo that is the trademark blue and gold stag.

The plug lines are in an orderly format and are displayed to one side, presented in a white font. My magazine is sticking to the clear use of shades, despite are colour scheme being yellow and blue (the same colours as the school uniform) for too many colours would be a distraction for the reader and would seem more like a TOTP's magazine. that is why I have only chosen two colours at the very most, which are balanced eventually with either white or black.

The Contents Page:

 

 

 

Contents is put towards the side in a large font, so that it is clear for the younger audience (as well as the primary colour of yellow that is also part of the traditional colours of Haydon School) to associate themselves with, for in normal circumstances, this would be tha age range that would display the majority of the readership.

A clear an orderly format is placed on where three images have been expanded so as to to be displayed. these are of the library, the bins and of the school head teacher Mr Jones. Each image is suited to that typical article that would have featured in the magazine; with the aid of such an illustration as well as the simple page numbers seen on the side of each picture, it helps to immediately convey to the reader on what they might like or prefer in the article. for example a student reading this magazine might see the medieval shield, and be interested for he ahs taken history as one of his options. As seen on the front cover, I have decided by maintain a familiarity and regularity but not only using the same colour scheme, but to also adding the Haydon banner that is seen on the top of the page. I chose to place the banner at the top for it is one of the first things the reader will see and that this magazine is represented fully by the school that they attend, and will hopefully encourage the reader to buy the issue.

a letter from the editor is seen towards the top left of the page, who welcomes the reader and thanks them for reading the magazine as well as giving them hints and snippets of what will be contained in the issue. with the use of a clear personalised voice being placed in the magazine and being specifically directed to the reader, seems a  lot more warming and approachable which will again count as a subtle pull towards the reader, to purchase the magazine.

Thoughts and Feelings: Magazine Purchasing:

Throughout the week I have been gathering research on contents pages which have been disused and analysed through the last post. As well as looking at the contents pages, I have also been contemplating through the front covers of various music magazines. I intend to look through a variety of genres instead of one particular genre, for by expanding my knowledge on how different magazines are displayed, I will be able to digest the knowledge of whether a particular part of a magazine would look better in one magazine than the other (example being that it would be very unwise to use a mixture of bright colours in a magazine that is not Pop related and suited to a child audience) thus helping and aiding my research in the task of creating the best Music Magazine possible.
 Here is a cover of one of the magazine I have purchased in the shops so as I can fully read and view the aspects of a music magazine with close inspection.

 

Product Research: Three Music Magazine Contents Pages:

In todays Post I will be selecting three music magazine contents pages of my choosing and fully evaluating them so as in the hope to support and help me in the stage of when I will have to start to create my very own Music Magazine.

Thoughts and feelings: Independant Research:

This week ahs been very busy indeed.

I've been thinking deeply about my magazine and what sort of aspects it might include or even exclude. My ideas on the colour scheme is straining towards the shades area- this is because that not only do many magazines use this effect but that the less you have the more professional and simplistic the cover will look, giving  more attention to the photo of the main article which really is the bread and butter of any magazine cover.

Also, I've been out and about looking for ideas and inspiration into helping me creating the greatest music magazine that has ever been printed. These include looking through a maze of shelves in shops such as TESCO or WH SMITHS, where I have taken a multitude of photos displaying magazines, which I will saving for the next post or two.

Product Research: Three Music Magazine Covers:

In todays post I will be discussing and analysing three music magazine covers of my own personal choosing. I will go into each cover in a multitude of detail, noting everything this magazine has decide to place/or not place on first page that will either make or break that issue. This is all to help me get to grips with the codes and conventions on what really is the fundamental recipe to creating a professional magazine:

 



Preliminary Task Continued: Photos:

Here are the rest of the remaining Photos that I took that have a possibility of featuring in the preliminary task:

Preliminary Task: Desing Ideas:

It was on the fifth of September that I was informed in my media lesson on the Preliminary task. This task consists of one creating a school magazine (that must consist of a front and contents page.) it is on this post that I will share to you some of my ideas for the task ahead:

The Masthead:

Here are some ideas I've had over the past few days of what the masthead for my Haydon school could be:

- Haydon

- The Stag

- The Haydon Times

- Haydon News

- HAN

After some thought however, I feel that HAN (Haydon Academy News) is my personal favourite; this seems to be short as sweet, as well as easy to remember- the more convincing and intriguing, the better!

Photos:

Last media lesson I was given some very good advice, that I would like to share or remind you fellow bloggers;

'When creating a magazine, the more photos the better'

I could not agree more with this advice. You look in any professional magazine, from Top of the Pops to Total Film, and they will have a multitude of photographs all helping to illustrate points. Here are some interesting photos that I took that have a strong chance of being front page on HAN:

 

TARDIS found in Haydon school car park

Studies get to Haydon student as he sleeps on the job

Or...

Canteen takes advice from Wonka as they invest in Plum flavoured wallpaper 

You get the general idea.

Colour Scheme:

My thought of the colour of the colour scheme were simply sticking with the same colours that are found on the Haydon uniform- shades of blue, white and gold. These are simple attractive colours that I think will also add a good consistency with the students.