Drafting & Planning: Preliminary Task

This is my preliminary task school magazine cover.

This is my draft contents page for my school magazine.

Research into Similar Products: Kerrang Magazine Double Page Spread Analysis

I looked at a double spread in Kerrang magazine as an inspiration for my own music magazine. On this spread I particularly like the layout because it is simple yet amazing. The layout includes everything from images to URLs and the text is positioned so that it is readable and the images are placed in certain areas so that they are not over crowding the space. On the left there is almost an A4 sized image of (the former band) My Chemical Romance's lead singer, Gerard Way and I love how this fits nicely and neatly onto the page as it looks professional and it makes Gerard Way look very important and also shows that he is the singer of the band. On the right hand size there is a little box going down the page which has upcoming tracks from MCR and what it possibly sounds like and this is unique and you wouldn't find it anywhere else. The text in the center on the right side is a lot smaller than the images which shows that the writer of the article preferred to use more images than text to appeal to a certain audience.

The colour scheme for this article is red, black and white which is a consistent colour throughout Kerrang magazine. The colour scheme looks neat and professional with the black and white images and the colour and font of the text is quite big and brighter than the rest of the article which would catch the readers eye. The text is also referring to MCR's album and upcoming projects and the fact that "The best MCR" is in white whilst the rest of the title is red stands out a lot because it emphasis's the fact that this is directly from the band themselves and they want people to know this.The content of the text is MCR talking about their album and all of their upcoming works.
Finally, the images on the page are from either live gigs or the recording studio, which fits with the entire article. The band members are all positioned in a working stance which shows that they are getting down to business and are thinking about what they are going to do.

Drafting and Planning: NME Creative Task

To create this magazine cover I used paint.net. During this creative task I learnt how to bring an image (the cover star) in front of the masthead by using the magic wand. I also learnt how to structure a magazine and within this I learnt how to make Reznor's face the center of attention. By using paint.net I discovered more about importing images into new layers. After using paint.net I imported the image into publisher and added two cover lines, a pug, a secondary image, bar code, price and dateline.I think it is ideal to use publisher and paint.net when creating a magazine cover because it it easier to add layers and remove backgrounds and also add text, images and other conventions.
I looked at a previous post where I analysed Mojo magazine to help me place codes & conventions carefully on this NME creative task, which helped me know what codes & conventions went where and why.
On this task I realised I did not have enough cover lines generally, I only have one other besides the main cover line.
In the future, for my music magazine this task would be extremely helpful to refer back to as I learnt how to do different things in this task. This will help me place my cover star over the masthead, add secondary images, text and barcodes with prices and dates. I feel that by looking back at this task I will be able to create a more realistic music magazine.

Research into Similar Products: NME Contents Page Analysis

I also looked at NME magazine and it's contents page as an inspiration for my own magazine. On this contents page there is a lot going on and it is consistent. On the left side there is a Band Index with lots of different band names and what page they are featured on. I particularly like this because if you like a certain band you can simply scan the index and find what page they are on. The layout (although packed with stuff) is pretty easy to follow. On the right of the magazine there is sub headlines with News, Reviews and other Features. All of the pages and information are sorted so that they fit into the categories on the right. This is useful for the reader as it helps them find which band and which information is in what category. In the middle of the page there is the main story of the magazine which features Oasis and their world tour - this is the most important story so it is in the center. The font used on the entire contents page is big and bold. It is clear to read and is in simple colours like black, red and white. This creates a consistent and professional colour scheme and fits nicely with the clear fonts. 

The images used on the contents page are of members of the band featured in the main story, Oasis. The use of this one image is to draw the readers to the main story. There is no other photography used which shows that this main story is way more important than people thought. 

Research into Similar Products: Magazine Contents Analysis

I looked at the contents page of Q magazine as an inspiration for my own magazine. This contents page has a lot of qualities that I like. The layout of this  contents page appeals to me as it is laid out neatly and it is very clear to follow. The layout has the numbers of pages in the magazine and follows them in order leaving the biggest stories to near the end of the magazine, for example, Arctic Monkeys on page 38. On the top left there are three big stories which are featured in the magazine whereas at the bottom there is a section of smaller stories showing that they are less important. On the right side there are Q reviews and the latest albums which will catch the readers attention. At the top Q have displayed there contents in a big font with a bright red background which is eye catching and shows the reader what page this is in the magazine and it's importance. 

The numbers featured on the contents page are big and clear right next to the story which is on the page, the story title is in a brighter colour and it also clear. The images on the contents page seem to be taken professionally or at a gig, which I particularly like as it gives a range of photography. Finally, the colours used for the contents page are quite dull with black and white but the bright red stands out considerably well in contrast and this fits a nice consistent colour scheme. I like the use of colours and plan to use colours like this for my magazine.

Research into Similar Products: Magazine Analysis

Drafting & Planning: Cover Image for School Magazine

This is the image I am going to use for my School Magazine (My Preliminary Task) as it is a medium close up and it is of a student, Laurence Tibbits from our school in uniform which is good for a school magazine.

Research into Similar Products: Mojo Front Cover Analysis

Drafting & Planning: A Drawing of My First Draft Magazine

Drafting & Planning: Images for School Magazine

These images are some images that I may use for my school magazine and I am definitely considering the first image as my cover photo.

Research into Similar Products: NME Front Cover Analysis

Research into Similar Products: NME Front Cover Analysis

I also looked at NME magazine as inspiration for my own magazine. I like the cover of the magazine, which features Arctic Monkeys, as the layout appeals to me greatly. I like the way that all four band members are split into four squares, all with their own photo, names and quote. I like this because it lets people know that all four members have given their opinions on things and have been asked questions. I love the colour scheme on the magazine as it is consistent and fits well. I like how NME is big, bold and red at the top, which stands out, is clear and eye-catching. I think I would like to use colours like this because they are clear, they aren't too bright (but they are noticeable) and they make the magazine look very professional. I also like how other bands are featured neatly across the bottom, so that everyone knows that this magazine features other bands rather than it just being all Arctic Monkeys. 

Research into Similar Products: AP Front Cover Analysis

I have decided that I am going to do an Indie/Indie rock magazine. I looked a AP (Alternative Press) magazine as inspiration as it includes interviews and information about rock bands, particularly small rock bands. I like the way the 'AP' on the front cover stands out in a big, bold, yellow font which is eye-catching. I also like how all of the band names such as You Me At Six are fitted nicely at the bottom so that you still know they're there. I particularly like the colour scheme as well, as the main focus is the band on the front, Mayday Parade, and the colours they are wearing contrast with the brightness of the yellow, making both stand out and also making them equally as important. I would like to use a contrast of colours and mix it up so that you are drawn to one part of the magazine but don't forget about the rest.

Questionnaire Analysis

Research into Similar Products: Kerrang Front Cover Analysis

Research into Similar Products: My Favourite Band

My favourite genre of music is Indie/Indie Rock/Rock.


http://www.deafhavanaofficial.com/

I love Deaf Havana because I love the sound of their music and they appeal to me greatly. I love their lyrics and how the singer wrote the songs based on himself, his past and the other band members and their pasts and finally I like the way I can sometimes relate to them. I find their music original and different from most bands. I adore the lead singer, James' voice as it is unique and stands out.
I like the website because of the way it is laid out and it is easy to navigate around. I also like it because it gives all of the useful links at the top and the colours are consistent throughout the entire website. I like the website because it is professional and the font is very big and clear. I also like the fact that the website includes an update section which you can scroll through with ease and see what's happening with the band.


http://www.tomodell.com/uk/home

I also love Tom Odell because I love the way he plays piano throughout most of his album whilst he sings. I love how he plays the piano so well, but also how he can have such a great voice at the same time. When I first heard Tom Odell I was drawn to his voice and how different it sounds from most, which is one of my favourite things about him. I also adore Tom Odell's lyrics and they instantly stuck in my mind after hearing his songs.
I love Tom Odell's website because at the top there are clips from Tom Odell's music videos of him singing and playing the piano, which I think fits perfectly as these two things ARE Tom Odell. I also like how "Tom Odell" is in a big, white font at the top because it is clear and very noticeable. I particularly like how the links are also clear and you don't have to go searching for them because they are right there. I love how the colours are consistent throughout the website and they aren't bright or in your face. Finally, I like that as you scroll down you can see Tom Odell's tweets, news about him and his videos.

Post Number 2

This is the first exercise I completed on the AS Media Course. It was an easy task, all I had to do was crop the picture and add a masthead. This shows I demonstrated ICT skills. This will be useful for my preliminary exercise.

Hi!

Hi I'm Meg and this is my first post on my AS Media Blog.