Original Images

I like this photo as the location looks good in the background because it shows something completely different to the other studio shoots that are going to be in my magazine. It also adds to the Indie genre as a shoot outside is something more unique which makes it fit in well with the conventions of this genre. I think the fact my model isn't dressed up in any particular way or doesn't look too over the top works well because it makes it more part of the genre and means that the target audience can relate to it more. 

I really like this photo because I like the aspect of the bridge because it gives something to the image that makes it good to look at. It will also make the reader wonder about the symbolism of the bridge which is something I would like because I like the idea that the photo could provoke thought. I also think the model captures the Indie genre well because he doesn't look too different from any other normal person which is what he is meant to portray. 

I think that this image works well because of the imagery with the tree behind as well as this there is the nice lighting just behind my model which makes it look like a good image as this would be good to play around with. As well as this the tree itself makes an image that looks more unique again appealing to my target audience. 

The thing that I like about this image is that there are a variety of things to look at within the image. There is the obvious thing to look at which is the model. But then there is also the location behind with the tree he is sitting on, then the river in the background and the water beneath him. I think this added bit with the water makes the photo more interesting and different to the ones before. The only thing I don't like about this image is the fact that you can't really see the model's face which takes away from the fact it should be a focus on him. 

Contents Page Plan

For my contents page I do not need to do a whole seperate photoshoot as for my main image I will use one that I didn't use for my front cover, as this creates a flow between the front cover and the contents page. As well as this it means that it is clear that the cover model is going to be the main feature within this issue. Although I can use this image as the main one I will need to take some live photos and a photo of a different location as a contents page needs a variety of images so that the reader can see the divesity that will be within the magazine. These photos will be laid out in a confined way with the text easily assisting them as I will ensure that the images used link in with the text so that they are relative.

Front Cover Process

This is the image that I started with for my front cover, I think this image works well because she is centred which makes it easy to put text around her. Also she is looking directly at the audience member which makes them more likely to get drawn in. I edited this image by making the brightness and contrast levels higher to ensure that stands out more and looks bold. To make this even more apparent I added spotlights on her face and hair to make her look more flawless and to give her more of a shine that is always clear on magazine front covers. 

After editing the main image the next step was to decide where to place the masthead and how big to make it. I put my masthead in the top left corner as this is a common convention of magazines so I thought I should stick to this to ensure that my magazine looks just as professional. I made it this size because it is big enough to be noticeable for an audience member to be attracted to straight away but I didn't want it to be too big so that it started taking over from the models face. 

The next step after placing the masthead was to start putting the text around the main image. As this first piece of text is the main article because it's about the model featured on the front cover, I thought that it should be right at the top because being will notice this first. As well as this I though it should be quite big and in a different font that stood out. I chose this handwriting font because it links in with the genre of my magazine because this font is more individual therefore suiting what my genre stands for. 

As I continued to put the rest of the text on I decided that I wouldn't use the handwriting font anywhere else because then it wouldn't stand out as much. Instead I started to use fonts that looked a lot more like the professional bold fonts used on magazines that already exist. I think this starts to make it looks professional and as if it's an actual magazine rather than one just made simply. I also used the + symbol to link to more stories rather than just putting and because it means there's less writing for the reader which means it isn't text heavy. As well as this I think it looks more effective being a symbol because the reader is more likely to look at it then. 

I kept with the idea of keeping my fonts relatively similar as it creates a flow on the front cover and gives it the professional aspect by creating a theme within the front cover. As well as this I kept a simple colour theme with the light blue, black and white as this makes it look appealing to the reader and doesn't look garish like it would with too many colours used. Especially as there is already the added colour from the model's cardigan it looks more effective for the text to remain in a simple colour theme. An extra detail I noticed on other magazine covers is the idea that certain parts of the text should be highlighted in a different colour or in bold. So I added this detail in my text so that the overall cover stands out more for the target audience as it has these little details that give it the professional aspect. 

I furthered from the screenshot by filling out the front cover more with different stories but still keeping to the same idea of having similar fonts and a simple colour scheme. The thing I made sure I did with the stories that I put on the cover was to ensure that they were worded in  a way that would attract a reader into buying the magazine. An example of this is the line "The up and coming sounds you will not want to miss" as this line is telling the reader that they don't want to miss out on this information and therefore making them want to buy the magazine. 

I decided that to make my front cover look more interesting I added the yellow spot with a "plus" section of different artists that will be in this issue. I found this is a common thing to appear on magazine front covers and is a good idea as some people will see the name of an artist they like and will buy it just for them. As well as this it adds another area of interest because the yellow stands out which will capture the readers attention and make them more likely to look at the magazine. 

On this I just added the intricate features that must be on a magazine cover, these were the barcode and on the barcode the date and issue number. As these let the consumer obviously know the price and they can find out how recent the magazine is. 

Masthead Choices

These magazine mastheads above show some of the conventions behind magazine mastheads. These conventions behind mastheads are that a masthead needs to take up an 1/8 of the whole front cover. This means that the font chosen needs to be one that will look good in a big font. Another convention behind a masthead is that it needs to be a font that stands out so it needs to be bold and have something interesting involved in it so that the audience member gets attracted to it.

These four mastheads above are ones that I found would fit in with the style of my magazine. I think all of these would work well at being a large enough font to fit in with the convention. Although I'm not sure if all of them would be eye-catching enough. As my magazine is meant to have a unique style I wanted the masthead to be slightly different to others already out there. I decided that the best masthead out of these is the first one as it's the most eye-catching yet still fits in with the originality side of my magazine. This also reflects some of the mastheads already out there as there is often some form of border around the masthead to make it clear. So this means that my masthead will be clear yet still slightly different to existing ones. 

Photoshop Spotlight Tutorial

For my front cover I wanted to know how to make a spotlight to put on my model's face to make her look flawless like on typical magazine front covers. I found that this video showed me how to do that in an easy manner.

Original Images

I like this photo above because the model looks elegant in the way she is holding herself which is the kind of image I want for my front cover as it shows a female in a light that isn't just about sexiness. I also like in this photo the added detail of the flowers in her hair because it adds a bit of uniqueness that is part of the Indie genre yet still works well for the imagery in this photo. The only thing that I don't like about this one is that you can't see much of the model's outfit which makes it less of a representation for my target audience. 

I like this photo because it displays a completely different edge to the first photo as here she is representing more of an angry rocker which is the kind of angle I think looks interesting and is likely to get the target audience interested. The other aspects within this photo are mostly the same as the one above as it isn't that different. Although here you can see more of the detail on her clothing which is more representative of the target audience although I think for my cover image I would still want more of a full outfit than this. 

I think this photo already looks better for a cover image as you can see her full outfit which makes it link in more with my target audience. As well as this the use of the different outfit looks better as it's brighter colours which makes it much more likely to be able to attract the reader's attention. I also think that this style of image would be better for the writing to fit around it because it's centred so will ensure that the text fits around it easily. 

I like this photo because of the way that the model is posed as it makes a good image because she looks so natural on the front cover which is always true of the models on front covers as it portrays them in a flawless beauty way. As well as this I think she is adding focus to the clothing on the way she is holding it which links to my target audience as style is important in their lives so it needs to be shown that it is also important in this magazine. As well as the above image this image would also be good for a front cover as it would be able to have the text fitting around it nicely. 

Photoshoot Plan

For my front cover I need to do a photoshoot to be able to come up with the final image that I want to use.  To get the images looking how I would like them to I need to ensure I have everything I need and that I have planned everything out.

Equipment needed:

• Suitable Model 
• Outfit's fitting with the Indie style
• Studio Lighting
• White Backdrop 
• Camera
• Make-Up 
• Hair Accessories 
• Acoustic Guitar 

The above equipment links to the type of photos I would like to produce. The suitable model refers to the fact that I need my model to reflect the kind of indie music icon that would be represented on a magazine cover. While the outfit the model is wearing must be an individual choice that makes her also represent a style icon as well as a music icon. The studio lighting and white backdrop will help me to produce a photo that looks professional enough to be my magazine's front cover image. The camera is an obvious piece of equipment needed as I wouldn't be able to get the photos without this. The make-up and hair accessories are needed to ensure the model looks how I would like them to. While the acoustic guitar is a prop I would like to use as it links to the style of music my artist would play so for them to have this in the photos seems suitable.

Model choices

I chose my model because I feel that she fits the Indie image well through generally the way that she looks. As well as this she is pretty so therefore this fits well for the front cover as model’s on the front cover are usually very attractive. I also thought that because of her hair style she can represent the target audience well as this curly hair style is part of the genre. Also her hair colour is slightly different as the two different colours make it more vibrant which adds to the individual style of the Indie genre. Also the model I have chosen is of a young age so therefore this represents the target audience as they are of the age range 17-24. This also links in with Stanley Halls theory that “youth must seek excitement and if this is not in the form of intellectual furthering’s then it will be found in sex or drink.”  Therefore the fact that my model is young, pretty and is representing their style means it’s something that will excite them rather than drink or sex. As well as this the fact that I chose a female model links in with Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze that a women is only put in the media for two reasons, the first being for other males in the image for an object of desire and the same for the spectators. This means that my model being female will present her as an object of desire for the spectator making more of a male audience interested. Although this wasn’t the reason I went for a female model as my target audience is primarily female. So therefore the cover model being female is more so they can relate to her which makes it more personal.

Locations list

I decided to do my main front cover image and the images on my feature article as studio shoots as this is a convention in magazines that are already out there. As these images needed to show my model of clearly I wanted them to be studio shots as this ensures that the lighting is correct on her face and that her outfit can be seen clearly. These especially need to be done for my front cover image as it needs to be an eye-capturing image so that it makes my target audience interested in the magazine.

For my contents page I wanted to do an outside shoot for a different kind of location to the studio shoots that I had already decided to do. For this I got a male model so that it was different to the female model on my front cover to add a bit of variety. I want these photos to have the imagery of trees so I will go to a wooded area to take the photos. For this shoot I think I will take a prop such as an acoustic guitar to add something else to the image as well so that it is clear it’s a musician.

Another type of location I wanted for my contents page and feature article was live photos as this gives the reader something to be interested in because they want to imagine they were there. For this I needed to go to some gigs because the location is wherever a gig is I couldn’t really set anything up myself I just had to ensure that I had the settings correct on my camera to be able to get good lighting. As I needed more diversity than just one live show I also had to use live photos that I have taken before but I put them in Photoshop to ensure they are at a good standard.

Mise-en-scene

For my main studio shoot the mise-en-scene that I used was important to represent my target audience. This was done through the make-up and hair especially by making my model look the way that my target audience do. I did this by ensuring her hair was curly but slightly messy as this is part of the Indie style. Although because of my model’s hair being slightly vibrant with the fact that it’s dip-dyed style with one half being blonde and the other brown. This adds a slight bit of boldness and originality which represents my target audience even more as this is how they all want to be seen. The make-up links in with my target audience by only being slightly bold with the focus mainly on her eyes by making these have black outlining so that they stand out. As well as this in this shoot I used props such as an acoustic guitar to represent the music behind the Indie genre as this will appeal to people of the Indie style. I think by incorparting these all together it shows the kind of style that my target audience would wear and how they would look. This makes my imagery appealing to my target audience and therefore making them interested in my magazine. 

Costume Designs

These are some sketches of the style of clothing that I would like my model to wear in my shoot. I wanted them to be slightly bold and different.