Please answer

Detail feedback questions.

1.     Who do you think the target audience is? Describe them in terms of age, gender, lifestyle, hobbies, social class, and musical genre
2.      What groups do you think is represented and how are they portrayed? Consider stereo types, culture and ethnic groups.
3.    What elements of the magazine do you like and dislike? Positives and negatives
4.     What can be improved?
5.   Which technical skills on Photoshop or InDesign can be improved?      

Call sheet

SOLOMON WEST

Photo shoot call sheet

Date: Tuesday 27, November

Time: 12:50- 13:40                                                                  Timeline: 12:50 Meet outside media studio. 12:55-13:00 models get changed and makeup. 13:00 set up cameras lights in the studio and a couple of test shots. 13:05 shoot time                              

Assignment: Magazine shoot

Concept: A new boy band duo with an modern schoolboy look. Take pictures that makes them look opposite in colours but together in terms of personal. 

Location: Inside photo studio

Client:n/a

Media: Raw capture for 300dpi wed resolution

Compensation:

Primary shoot contact: Solomon west

Photographer: Vancia Fenton

Models: Daniel and Solomon

Special instructions:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.      <!--[endif]-->Blue jeans

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.      <!--[endif]-->Snapback cap

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.      <!--[endif]-->Dark t-shirts

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.      <!--[endif]-->Checkerd shirts red and blue  

First draft of magazine ;)

 Front cover

Contents page

DPS
There still may be some minor changes to alternate

Incomplete
I have the basis of my magazine but using the audience feedback I will need huge improvements

contents page Incomplete problems with up loading

I have made major changes to my front cover considering the audience feedback. Its starting to form a music magazine. There is still a lot of changes and important things to add on.

22/11/2012
The begining stages of my music magazine. I have made little progress but I need to put in alot of hard work.

Task 5 Magazine and Newsstand task

I went into my local newspaper agency and took a picture of the magazine stand. There were many magazines displayed which were layout in a certain way. There were roles of magazines which were set up in order of genre of the magazine. The stands made the so that the magazines are placed in rows which is stacked behind each other. The types of magazines are placed in date of the newest in the front and the oldest in the back, the same type of magazine is in the same row. Each magazine covers two thirds of the one behind it leaving one third of the left hand side exposed. The part exposed is the mast head on the top left hand side of the magazine. Shop keepers do this to advertise the brand which is the first thing customers see and look for. Normally on this side of the page the main headline and featured article is shown.

 

There are many different ways in which magazine companies distribute their magazine products. A magazine distribute method is direct distribution. This means the magazine product goes directly to a potential customer. The distribution is usually given out to the public on the street mainly in busy places, this is so the magazine producers know the their product is not dependent on the public going to buy it but on they to sell it directly to the pubic which ensures them that it is going right into the hands of a customer. This form of distribution is usually free. The sales people also distribute their magazines on the bus by placing them in a noticeable place so the public may pick the magazine up. Companies who use direct distribution do not gain a profit by selling their magazines because it is free but depend on the cost of advertisers putting advertisements in their magazine.

Another way of distribution is newsstands. Newsstands are also like direct distribution because they sell their magazines to the public directly but the companies depend on the customers as well as advertisers for their profit.  These magazines are not free but pay on the spot system. Newsstands also target their audience by selling their products in busy areas like tube station. This type of sale is expensive because it takes money to transport the magazines to the stands. This type of distribution also has a lot of waste because if not all of the magazines are sold it is returned to the retailer and often is thrown away because it is out of date.

Another method of distribution is online. The internet has a wide range of opportunities for to sell their magazines. There are many websites where magazines can be downloaded straight to your pc or laptop. So magazines will cost and some will be free depending on the type. Online is a good way to distribute their magazine because the can advertise it on their main sites or on other sites. On the other hand it is not guaranteed that their magazine is sold.

Another form of distribution is house distribution. This means the magazine is directly going to the customer’s house through the post. This is a good way because the public has to see the magazine so it cannot be ignored. This form of distribution also is expensive because it is free. Linking online distribution to house distribution is another form of distribution. The public could subscribe to magazines online which will be later sent back to the customer’s home or workplace. This is a good form of distribution because the magazine company could get feedback on how much magazines have been sold.

Media technology is another way in which magazines are distributed. On smartphones, tablets and e books magazines are purchased from these devices. Companies make access for portable devices to download their magazines straight to their device using apps. I think this a good technique because more and more of the public are using portable device and it has become common to download. Magazines are creating social networking sites to advertise their magazine; they set up pages on Facebook, twitter and their social networking sites to advertise their magazines. It works because there has been a rising population of the public joining these accounts so the magazines may be recognised more. It is also cheaper for the companies. On the other hand is more expensive for magazine companies to advertise their magazines on TV and radio. This type of advertisement is for more popular and richer magazine companies because it is expensive. 

Task 4 Evaluation- pre lim task front cover and contents page

In this preliminary task I had to design a college magazine cover and contents page. To prepare for this task I had to look at examples of college magazines from other people’s blog. I also had to think of and plan out the layout of my contents page and front cover. I took pictures for my front cover and contents page. After all this preparation for magazine was done all was left was to create the magazine on Photoshop and InDesign.

During my research I looked at many other examples which were very useful and I came to conclude that bright colours are better to use because it will attract more readers. It was difficult to choose what my featured article will be because I had so many ideas and had to choose which one will stand out more. I eventually used sports as my featured article and had the picture on my front cover and contents page. For my front cover I used Photoshop which I found was very easy but for my contents page I used In Design which I found hard. The format of contents page was a double page spread. The image was a long shot which covered both pages and content was on both pages. The front cover had one image of a medium close-up of the student. This is so that there was not too much going on in the background because to image was covering up most of it. 

There were some feedback which other student commented on in the positives and negatives. A comment was “the image is very clear and shows the conventions of a magazine as it is an MCU. The colour scheme was red orange and white; I chose this because it gives a really bright mood to the magazine. I think that the colour scheme goes really well with the blue background and the font used is very clear and easy to read. I also like the way that you have included a QR code on your front cover which appeals to the audience, as college students are likely to have smart phones and therefore be able to scan the QR code. I also really like the masthead. The style is funky and I really like the glow around the text.”  There were cover lines on my front cover which was very clear to read and my mast head was complemented the image and theme. The cover lines had to be interesting to catch the reader’s attention.

 Sport ‘we came, we conquered’ an exclusive in look into the sporting success at LSC. 

 ART ‘get creative’ Art students show off the skill in the art showdown.

Music and Performance Will talent rise in the upcoming performances?

Enrichment Your chance to get involved.

+

Winner of last month’s raffle revealed.

LSC guide booklet inside.

Featured photographs see if you are in this month.

These cover lines main purpose is to appeal to the reader.

On the other hand there were a few negatives which were: “the cover lines do not start with capital letters and this makes it look slightly unprofessional. Also, certain words on the cover lines go over two lines and this makes it less effortless to read. Finally, the date line is slightly ambiguous. Because it says "Volume 26 September", it is not clear whether this is just a volume that was released on the 26th September or the 26th volume that was also the September issue of the magazine.” These comments mean I have to pay attention to detail because I may miss out key points.

Overall my magazine cover page was fairly good which I am proud of. There was a lot of positives and negative to the cover which could be improved on and comments which have been pointed out which was very useful. The techniques that I used on Photoshop and InDesign were text boxes, text styles and transparency of text boxes.   

Working on the contents page was quite a struggle, I think I needed more time to work on it.  I made it a double-page contents page, as a lot of magazines do have contents pages that go over one page and even have a double-page contents page like this one. Comment: “I like that the background image goes with the main image on the front cover, and how there are other images relevant to the articles that they are with.” The background was the same theme as the front cover which clearly gave hints that it was one of the main articles.

Comment: “the orange writing is difficult to read against the background, and the fact that each article description is in a different colour breaks the colour scheme. Also, in the article description of the sports page, the word 'success' splits in the middle; half of it is one size, and the rest of it is bigger, which carries on for the other letters. Finally, the fact that the title for the contents page is on the right doesn't seem quite conventional, as most magazines would have the title on the right on a double-page contents page.” I total agree with this comment because the contents page seems a bit rushed and was not up to the standard of the font cover. I did not consider the original colour scheme which I should have this may be because I was struggling to fade the background image and trying not to let the text blend into the background.

Overall there is much room for improvement but I did include all the relevant information that was needed from a contents page.

Completed flat plan for my magazine UCA!!!!

 

Question for my DPS

Who is Mission?

Mission is a new found duo music group which consist of 2 cousins Solomon West and Daniel West.

Questions

1.       What inspires you to make your music? Our inspiration is our life experiences. Each one of us has had experienced a thing or two about life event if it is major or minor. It is what helps up grow and make our decisions.

2.       Where do you see yourself in few years? We want to be at the top recognised for our good music. Also we want to bring a new style of music to the industry and make lot of calibrations with other well know artist.

3.       What do you think of upcoming artist such as yourself trying to make it into the music business? I think it is good because it gives us youth a chance to show our talent and to show that this generation is not known for a bad trait.

4.       How did your friends and family support you? When they first heard us together they were fully behind us Daniels dad even rented us a studio for our first track. 

5.       What has been your best and worst part of your careers so far? I think our best part was when we got to perform at the “dats a wrap show” performing our first single mission. I don’t think we have any of the worst yet.

6.       What advices to you have to give to other upcoming artist? Keep pushing for the win and don’t let anybody say you can’t make it.

This month’s issue is a must see, an inclusive in look into ‘Mission’ a music group who I am really proud to feature in my magazine. ‘Eazy artist’ and ‘Showa Sho’ really show why they are on top of the game. As usual we have the latest news on the US and Uk charts with SB.TV exclusive news. Hope you enjoy this issue.

Editor signed: Solomon West     

My presentation
From this pitch I will consider the audience feed back in my magazine.
Audience feed back
From my proposal I have considered that I need to change my mast head.
I also need to consider my colour scheme and what it represent in the magazine.

Proposal – I have thought of and proposed ideas which my music magazine is going to be.

Title U.C.A UP COMING ARTIST

The genre of my magazine is going to be hip pop, grime and RnB. I choose this because I think this genre has one of the largest amounts of views who purchase this type of magazine. In my magazine I will cover two types of genre which is hip pop and RnB; this is good because my magazine will have more detail and more articles to write about.

The type of content will be mainly about the music’s chart and the lives of the music artist. I will have information on the music charts and award ceremonies. There will also be advertisements of famous mix tapes and albums along with retail advertisements.  I will also be including famous artist and upcoming artist. These features are what make my magazine different from what’s already out there because it not only has famous people but upcoming artist people.

The target audience will be for teenagers and upcoming artist. It is also for music producers them to read about talent and see who they want to sign. The magazine industry will be aimed at are live performances, record labelling and creative arts.   

I have chosen different mast heads which could be implementing in my magazine. The best mast head has to match the genre and the style of my magazine.

I thought about the colour schemes for my magazine which will suite the masthead and the background.

UCA presentation for proposed magazine

http://www.slideshare.net/solo129bbs/uca-persenation

This is the presentation for my creative music magazine

Audience feedback:
The idea of linking your magazine with youtube is good.
Try to make your mast head a different colour which goes which your colour scheme
I like the topic that you choses which was up-coming artist it will attract more readers from a wider age range

Task 3 Evaluation for pre lim task

In my research in found a lot of information which was useful to my article. Some information was irrelevant which I did not put in. I found both side of the argument and backed them up with facts. The websites that I used were every common websites which was reliable so I was able to use them in my article. The down side of my research was when I lost a lot of the facts and opinions because they were not saved this made me loss vital mark for the magazine. I could have used more than one person’s point of view for each argument this would have given me more of a range of arguments to include in the article. When typing up the article I found I did not have much space to write down all the information I had so I was limited.    

When I was doing my research I had to think about both points of view so it wouldn't be bias. So results that I found only had one point of view so I had to have a counter argument to it. Looking at music websites and celebrities points of views was very useful but trying to find relevant information to put in my article was hard. I had gone through many list of website to find relevant arguments which was very hard because there was a lot. When selecting the points had had to find would there be a counter argument or an argument to backup one point of view. The arguments that I had chosen were all valued so I used it in my article.

During writing this article developed lot of skills like which target audience is it aimed at. The audience was aimed at a younger audience and language techniques were used to suite this type of audience. Some skills I had already because of my previous experiences, some I was a little rusty on so doing this task refreshed my memory. 

Creating this article was a challenge because it was my first time using InDesign. I had used the rule and created text boxes for the first time. The last paragraph of the article needs to be changed because the layout was wrong. One thing in the future I could have done is captions under my pictures.

During my time making this article there was a major web network failure which prevented me from researching and blogging. The feedback that people had told me was that I could have used captions on my photos, clearly state which side the argument is on, also use more evidence.

 Analysing magazines

For my magazine the genre that I am going to choose is hip pop and RnB

The front cover has an image of Eminem which will be the main article of this magazine. The shot of this image is a medium close-up; it gives a view of the head to the waist. It is a shot of Eminem with a serious but innocent face which may suggest to the viewer it is a serious topic the main featured article which the main cover line also suggest when it says ‘comes clean’. The image also suggests that Eminem is exposed because he has a vest on and his skin and tattoos are showing. The image position is in front of text/ mast head VIBE which may suggest that the magazine is well known and the audience who view this magazine already know the name, it also adds importance to Eminem. At the top of the magazine it has a list of names presumably rappers. Next to it in text box in bold the real rap. In smaller print it has the issue of the magazine and the volume. The issue means cover date refers to the date displayed on the covers of periodical publications such as magazines. Under the list of names it has a question ‘is 1998 rap’s last classic year’. This may mean that this is the main question that is answered in this magazine throughout. There are many different cover lines and which tell us what it is featured in the magazine, the language in the cover lines is appealing to the type of audience who would buy this magazine. ‘Hottest rap blogs’ would attract the audience because it means that this is a must see and it’s the hottest which is fresh which draws readers in. The main featured article is in red and bold. The colour scheme is very basic red, black, white and grey. The website is labelled on the bottom left hand side of the magazine so the reader will know where to get to get more information.

The contents page is on a single page which is dark and has an image of the artist Eminem on a medium close up shot. The designer may have done this to shot the expression on this persons face and to shot a bit of what he is wearing.  The image that is given off is a smart look because he is wearing a suit and tie. The bar code is at the top which has its trade mark branding VIBE which makes clear that the magazine is still VIBE. The contents are fairly simple and easy to read, it is set up in number order. The headlines for each of the articles are in bold yellow and the text is in white.  It has the page numbers of each of the articles which is useful to the read because they can locate it in the magazine. There is an editor’s note in small print just below the end of the contents which tells us who wrote this issue, the date it was published, what the issue title is and a note to the audience telling them to enjoy this issue. Everything that was in the contents page appeared in the flat plan/magazine.

This magazine is quite different from the first one but the genre is the same. The cover image is what you first notice. The image type is a close up, which takes up the whole page. The picture is of 50 cent in which this case is the feature article in this magazine. The expression on his face looks a bit serious which may suggest it is also a serious topic. ‘The future is now’ may suggest that it is now or never for 50cent which tells why he has a serious face. The mast head is clearly in bold so the viewer can see unlike the vibe magazine. The main articles of this magazine are listed on the side but it also has a list of names which is an extra to this magazine. Unlike the vibe magazine at the bottom it has the main headline possibly a quote from the featured article. The overall colour scheme is dark; it is mixed with red and white. On the side there is text which seems to be dominated by the image because it is one side of the page. There is a barcode clearly on the bottom right but no QR (quick response) may be because there may be no apps linking to this magazine.

The contents page has the same colour scheme as the front cover but is kind of reversed. The background is white and the text is dark. It has a medium long shot of 50 Cent. 50 cent is posing with his back turned but looking sideways. The cloths that he is wearing are cloths that people wear in the ghetto which may suggest that 50cent is from the ghetto. The content language is arranged out as if it was a poem e.g. ‘hate it or love it’ ‘love and crime’ ‘prodigy’. The language for each featured article is very short. At the bottom left-hand side of the page is the number 48 and the words 50 cent. Half of the writing is in black and half in white because of the contrast of the background and 50cents jeans. This shows that 50cent stands out. There is a visible boarder which the content is in but the image of 50cent comes out of the boarder. This makes him stand out to the audience.

Timetable

Contents page for college magazine

Contents page complete!!

Front cover college magazine

Finished my front cover, a few changes from the original plan but it is complete. (Y)

Contents page is coming soon.

LSC magazine layout

This is my front cover format. there may be a few changes when producing the final front cover.

This my article about file sharing.

First atempt it is not what I expected could do with alot of improvements which I will talk about in my evaluation.
Here is some background research into the magazine

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2010/sep/13/behind-the-music-filesharing

The filesharing debate that's been raging for close to a decade often tends to deal in absolutes from both sides: "filesharing is killing the music industry", "filesharing is good for artists", "filesharing is bad for record labels, but good for artists" (which turns into "record labels are evil" or "record labels are necessary for artists"), "filesharing is inevitable so get used to it", "filesharing should and can be eradicated". The reality, of course, is a lot more complicated.

 

 

The latest people to weigh into the debate are U2's manager, Paul McGuinness, and Philly Byrne, the frontman of Irish thrashers Gama Bomb. McGuinness wrote a piece called How to Save the Music Industry in the August issue of GQ, saying that demand for music to be free is unsustainable. He acknowledges that it's not as big a problem for his band as it is for others, but "indigenous music industries from Spain to Brazil are collapsing". While stating his opposition to lawsuits against filesharers (a tactic record labels are now largely moving away from), he endorses the gradual response initiative set out in the recent Digital Economy Act, which also suggests the music industry develops partnerships with ISPs for music subscription offers.

 

In an open letter to McGuinness, Byrne calls the manager's article "well-reasoned, well-informed and commendable in its aims – though it's crazily short-sighted".

 

 

Byrne's main argument is that it's impossible to police the internet, hence fighting filesharing is futile and artists will have to rethink how to profit from it. "Endorsing the idea of free content is the route to profit, creating a 'goodwill' industry," writes the singer. "Usenet groups currently charge users around £18 per month to download unlimited material. This is the best model for the future, with corporate tie-ins and advertising monetising the interactive space in which people will swap material." Which, I guess, means that he agrees with McGuinness, to a certain extent (though McGuinness does not believe ad-funding is a valid solution).

 

 

In an effort to put their proverbial money where their mouth is, Gama Bomb released their album Tales from the Grave in Space as a free download via Rapidshare in November 2009, with the blessing of their record label, Earache. Their aims, they say, were to increase their fanbase and promote their CD, which was officially released in January 2010, as well as concert ticket sales. They also hoped the exercise would give the album some media attention.

 

 

So has this experiment worked? The album has sold almost exactly the same number (7,653) of CDs to date as their previous album, Citizen Brain (7,665). "Not a spectacular result, but an interesting one," says Byrne.

 

"We expected a big increase," says Digby Pearson, founder of Earache. "Didn't happen. Our reading of the situation is the free album – downloaded over 40,000 times – undoubtedly helped the band's 'profile' with casual fans."

 

It appears US fans were less open to part with their cash than European fans, as sales in the US were down 36% compared to the previous album, while European sales were up 26% – a gain the label attributes to the "overall cheap price of a CD". "Overall the sales, while decent, are also nothing spectacular, compared to similar bands in the new thrash scene, some of which sell 35,000-plus," says Pearson. "I don't think the experiment of sharing a free album on the internet has been the runaway success it promised to be, but I'm glad we tried it."

 

 

Here we see a perfect illustration for my view on the subject: creators should be allowed to choose what happens with their music, and if the artist has decided to sign a deal with a label, getting investment in return for the copyright ownership, then it should be the choice of the copyright owner. If they want to use a Creative Commons licence, for example, then that is their choice. If they don't want their music to be given away for free, that should also be respected. It's important to distinguish illegal downloading from filesharing.

 

 

It's also worth noting that what may work in the thrash metal scene may not work for artists in other genres, as live shows and merchandising are a big part of metal culture. The bands also tend to write their own music, so there is no question of compensating songwriters who can only make money from the actual song, and don't share any ancillary income. However, there's usually a producer who needs to get paid for their work. As producers traditionally get an upfront fee, plus royalties from the record, this would mean that the upfront fee should be higher if the album is given away for free (though, according to the producers I've spoken to, the upfront fees have gone down considerably in the last five years).

 

 

Is there any right answer in the filesharing debate? And what's in it for the record label? "We've got a 360-degree deal with the band," says Pearson. "We share in the income from records, publishing and merchandise – but not live income. So it's probably more like a 270-degree deal. But this is basically why this label can spend money on making an album to give away ..."

 

 

http://www.themusicvoid.com/2010/10/four-reasons-why-fans-are-file-sharing-your-music-and-why-that-cant-be-changed/

In fact in 2008 over 50% of music downloaded were illegal, which is a coincidence that at that year lily Allen was at her peak of her career.  

In year 2000 the world famous music download company napster was shut down and fined $85million for allowing illegal downloads.

 Napster allows users to download software which allows them to access MP3 files on each others' hard drives.

In this year alone 2012 so far 95% of music downloaded was illegal. Trying to stop file sharing is pointless because so many people are doing it. It has now become the primary source of music downloading. It is quick easy and fun. In recent facts it states that people who download music legally are disappointed which the songs and wish they could get a refund. It is also states that more than 60% of people who illegally download music are more likely to buy tickets to concerts. ‘ibiza concerts’ 

 

 

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