Planning: My Flat Plans (Paper)

For the planning part of this task, I created a few flat plans on paper as a few examples of what I predict my magazine to look like. I have a few different ideas for where things are placed and what is added to the front cover.

Research: Survey Questions, Results and Analysis

Here were the survey questions I came up with to ask my target audience:

1. Would you rather see an old artist or a new artist featured in a rock magazine?
2. Would you like to see album reviews?
3. What is the maximum price your willing to pay for a rock magazine?
4. What kind of colour scheme is related to the word 'rock'.
5. Which of these mastheads (names) that we have considered do you think is best for the magazine:
Rock Radar, Rock Prodigy, Heavy Sound, Rebellion.
6. How often would you buy the magazine? E.g Weekly? Monthly? etc.
7. What would you like to see/expect to see as the main image?

I asked up to 15 people these questions and there was a variety of answers. This is an example of answers (Answered by Zhen Huang)

1. Old artist
2. Yes
3. Around £3-£4
4. Black
5. Rock Radar
6. Monthly
7. A Famous Band 

I find that it's more successful to directly ask people your survey questions instead of sending them out online. This is because they have to take the time to listen to you whereas online a person could easily ignore your questionnaire - since there is known one there to pressure them into answering. Everyone who I asked did the questionnaire and all responses were helpful in one way or another. With this significant part of research, I feel that my knowledge for what is expected of a rock magazine has expanded and I feel more confident on what to include in my own one.

Research: My Target Audience and Mis-En-Scene

Who is My Target Audience for this Magazine?

My target audience for this project is going to be teens between the ages of 14-18, and who mostly listen to music within the rock genre. In order to create a magazine that will attract my specified audience, I have come up with a number of things that will help me do so so: Going out into the public and doing surveys: this will help me find out what the vast majority of my audience are interested in. Also, doing interviews with them will go further into depth and give me an even more detailed answer as to what they're looking for in the ideal rock music magazine.

Mis-En-Scene

Using mis-en-scene will help me thoroughly figure out what my target audience attract to in terms of images on the front cover, the contents page and the double page spread. The main image (or sometimes known as star image) is one of the first things that people will notice when looking at a magazine for the first time. Because of this, I want my main image to immediately attract the audience.

This picture is of the well known band 'Bring Me The Horizon.' It is very stereotypical, when thinking of the conventions of music genre rock. I would also say that in terms of being used as a main image for a magazine- it's the perfect picture. 

Costume in this picture greatly follows the conventions of what is expected of a rock band today. They're all wearing simple, casual clothing and the targeted audience will connote that they don't really care about their appearance all that much - a typical convention that is very much associated with the rock music. Also the colours they're wearing are very bland and plain which again emphasises they don't too much thought into what they're wearing.  They also have very unemotional facial expressions on their faces, and this suggests to the audience that they as a band should be considered intimidating. A majority of the band members also seems to have many tattoos - especially the lead singer who is covered in them. This connotes to the audience that they're tough, rebellious and that can are not to be messed with. Rock bands usually represent themselves in this way, and this would definitely attract their audience.

Facial expressions is something that magazine editors rely on a lot within images for their magazines, and in the rock music magazine case, it's a popular choice to make sure the rock artist/band has a look on their face that suggest a rebellious nature. The camera shot used for this image a medium long shot, and it' also important to think about the camera shot used when using an image for a magazine. This allows the audience to see their body language, which is subtly sturdy as they're all standing without their shoulders slouched or anything. Again, this connotes to the audience that they have a tough exterior and follows the stereotypes and conventions that are expected. Lastly, the whole band is giving the audience a direct mode of address, which could be their way of trying to connect with their fanbase. This once again suggests to the targeted audience that they're a fearless band and this will be symbolized in their music.

This is an image of another well known rock band; Asking Alexandria. It's another great example of what would be expected to be seen inside a rock magazine. Maybe not as the main image, but on the contents page or the double page spread. 

They have once again looked to have relied a lot on costume in order to attract their target audience. The majority of the band are wearing leather jackets and this a very typical convention of a rock band. As well as wearing leather jackets they're wearing black - and black usually connotes dark themes, which is very much associated within rock music. They all also seem to have messily gelled hair, which like the previously mentioned band bring me horizon, suggests to their target audience that they don't really care too much about their appearance as much as they would about their music. One of the band members (which so happens to be the lead singer/front man) looks as if to be smoking, (could be considered a prop) and this creates an impression on not just him, but the whole band to be disregarding of what is considered an unhealthy habit. The audience they're trying to target will see them as rebellious and possibly outgoing too.

These images have acted as an inspiration tool for what images I will take and use for my own magazine. I'll make sure to remember to take into a account the expected conventions associated with rock so that they're incorporated with all the aspects of my magazine.  This will indeed help me attract the audience I am aiming for.

Research: Analysis of a Rock Magazine - Double Page Spread

Research: Analysis of a Rock Magazine - Double Page Spread

Research: Analysis of a Rock Magazine - Contents Page

Research: Analysis of a Rock Magazine - Contents Page

Research: Analysis of a Rock Magazine Front Cover - The Conventions

Research: Analysis of a Rock Magazine Front Cover - Main Image

Research: Analysis of a Album Cover

Research: Inspiration Through Mood Boards

Here is a collection of mood boards that I've created. I've used these as a source of inspiration, therefore they have helped me with ideas for my magazine.

This first mood board is made up of album covers. I made this in the very early stages of the project - that's why this mood board consists of other genre's of music besides my main focus on rock.

Once I was certain that the genre for my magazine was rock, I made another mood board that consisted of examples of rock magazines. These have also helped me, in terms of what type of layout, colour scheme and main image I should think about using.

The Main Project and The Deadlines

For the main project, we have been asked to create a front cover, a contents page and a double page spread for a music magazine. In order to get these three things done in the time frame that's been set, I will have to make sure I plan out my time accordingly so that the final result is as good as it can be. The type of magazine I've decided on is a rock magazine. A rock magazine has all the conventions of a stereotypical magazine but they usually feature it with things to do with the rock genre like bands/artists. I'm trying to create something that could be as successful as rock magazines already out there like Kerrang and NME. I've decided my target audience to be from the age range of 12 - 18, so from preteens to young adults.

The deadline for all work to be handed in is 28th March 2013 and I have set out what is to be done before then on different dates.

December 2012:

11th - Write out deadlines

15th - Analyse a few front covers, contents pages and double page spreads

17th - Carry out surveys for research 

19th - Draw out Flat Plan

21st - Look at the appropriate props

January 2013:

7th - Start production
9th - Choose the official design for the masthead

12th - Produce 3 Images for the Front Cover,
19th - Proudce 3 Images for The Contents Page to chose from 
26th - Produce 5 Images for The Double page spread to chose from 

February 2013:
9th - Begin designing the front cover on Photoshop
16th - Begin designing the contents page
23rd - Begin designing the Double page spread
28th - Write up the article for the double page spread

March 2013
11th - Finalise everything, make sure everything is up to high standard
18th - Write up Evaluation
28th - The official deadline - everything should be finished