Double page spread- Article (Interview)

Interview with Funky House music artist- Fenix Taylor

This is my improved article for my music magazine. I made it more colourful and eye catching which looks more exciting to read, capturing the audiences attention, making them want to read on. I cropped images of the music artist and used different sizes making it look more exciting. I also used 'Render-> Lens flare' effect on the artists image to almost give a celebrity affect, making a spotlight on her. Other tools were also used such as, the airbrush tool, rubber, blur, sharpen, smudge which I used again, on the images of the artist to touch up. The background of the article was initially just the pink colour, however I thought it was too plain and didn't look like a typical magazine article. I therefore added some pictures (stamps) which I used from the pattern stamp tool, using different colours making it look more fun for the reader.

FINAL ARTICLE
Above is the final article for my music magazine. I added page numbers to make it seem more realistic, following the conventions of a magazine article, I also noticed a mistake within the text as it says 'Charlie' for the artists name in the previous article which I had changed, therefore I touched up the final article to correct it. Overall, I am very happy with how my article developed, as I think I have shown improvements from my initial ideas. Furthermore, I think I have been able to stick to the typical conventions of a music magazine of this type of genre and have been able to keep my article of interest to my target audience.

Developing the front cover

When I originally started creating my front cover experimenting with different ideas. I noticed that the figures hand on the front cover had been distorted, therefore I had to crop the hand from the original image and fix it onto my front cover. I also did this around the mouth area, when I saw that this technique worked quite well.
This is the first stage I got to when developing my front cover:

Images

I took a range of images of a friend, who was representing the young female music artist in my magazine. I took a variety of images from different angles which I would use for my magazine, some shown below:

High angle camera shot:

Medium shot:

Medium shot:

High angle shot:

I decided to use the image shown below for the front cover of my magazine as I thought it looked quite 'funky' and jolly, which not only represents the magazines genre, but also the audience being young, outgoing females.
Medium shot:

First draft of double page spread- article

This is a brief draft of my article- an interview with a young teenage girl- a new popular music artist from the UK- North London. I experimented with different colours and layouts and have decided on completely changing the layout of the interview as I didn't think it showed the typical conventions of a magazine article. For example, I want to include columns so that the questions don't cross the whole of a page. I also need to include my images of the artist and again, experiment with more colours and styles to make it more interesting for my target audience.

Experimenting with text types for title

I was experimenting with particular fonts which resembles the title of my music magazine. For example, 'Funky' has a really crazy, wacky aspect to it, therefore I chose quite spontaneous fonts, some of the fonts almost looking like handwriting. Below are some of the texts I created:

Below are two different fonts which I really liked and I found it difficult choosing which text I would use for my final title font. Therefore I decided to put both the fonts together to make 'Funky' and 'Fuse' stand out from each other. The 'Funky' word would be the handwriting text shown below (2), emphasising on the 'Funky'. Then for the 'Fuse' I decided on using the other font shown (1), which looks mechanic, modern and musical which again emphasises on the 'Fuse' which is a technical aspect to music, which could resemble, an amp-fuse for example.

1.

2.

Below is the basic title text I am using for my music magazine, however I am still working with it therefore this is a only the basic outline of my text:

Title Ideas for Music Magazine

I thought of a few ideas for my music magazine title, including, 'Outlandish', which was to symbolise the magazine and music in the magazine being unique. I also came up with 'Vibe' emphasising on the music genre of the magazine, which is short and bold for the reader. Then I thought about 'Old-School Beats!' which really lets the audience know what type of music the magazine is about. However I thought this title was a bit too long and wasn't catchy enough to catch the audiences attention. Lastly, I then came up with 'Funky Fuse' which I have decided on using for my final magazine. I like it because of the use of alliteraton, making it really catchy and memorable for the audience. It also resembles the Funky music, and old school garage which the music magazine is based on.

Ideas for Music Magazine

Brief Plan of Music Magazine- Ideas
Throughout researching different kinds of music magazines, I have a broader insight of how different types of music magazines have different conventions. For example, the type of language used when the target audience differs, such as using informal language to a younger target audience. I have a rough idea of what the outcome of my magazine will be and have planned out my initial first thoughts of my magazine shown below.

Targeted audience:
-Females in teens, 15+ years of age

Genre of magazine:
- Old school garage and funky house (new modern music, as well as older music which then makes the magazine target a wider audience, from older people to the younger generation)

Front cover:
- Girl band imagery. Girly colours, such as pastel pale colours- pinks, blues, yellows. Feminine font and text type.

Article (double paged spread):
- Interview with a girl band- maybe the featured girl band on the front cover

“Kerrang!- the brand with attitude” Interview

“Kerrang!- the brand with attitude” Interview
Interviewing Stuart Williams- Article by Stephen Hill.

From the interview based on how “Kerrang!” has positioned itself the leading rock brand, it really gives the readers of the article an insight on what the magazine is exactly about and what it’s trying to do to satisfy its readers as the target audience.
Stuart Williams is the Publishing director of “Q”, “Mojo”, and “Kerrang!” magazines and discusses the aspects to the magazine.

From particular quotes taken from the interview we can see what type of people listen to the radio station. For example “Kerrang! 105.2 in the West Midlands” From this quote it lets the reader of the article know what type of audience is captured into this type of music. For example, Birmingham is in the West Midlands which is known as the home of heavy metal which Kerrang! specialises in. This shows that the radio station really engages its particular target audience from not only the genre of music they play, but also where the station is based. This is crucial for engaging a wider audience, especially basing the station near fans of heavy metal which enables the station to be as popular as they possibly can.

Another aspect in which Kerrang! knows how to capture its target audience, is shown in this quote. For example, “Kerrang! is very much written by the fans for the fans so the tone of voice is supposed to be that of your average reader”. This quote shows us that the magazine creators know what their readers would like to read, and by engaging their readers in an informal, friendly aspect it would be really affective to entice more people, especially as the readers are usually a young generation.

In the article, it says, “Kerrang! tends to ignore the stuff it doesn’t like and just be enormously enthusiastic, passionate and evangelical about the stuff that it does like”. The writer of this article has engaged the readers by making Kerrang! seem alive from giving the actual magazine feelings and opinions. This makes the magazine seem more exciting and as though it’s a real person.

Stuart Williams also lets the readers of this interview know what Kerrang! needs to do to satisfy its readers. For example, “Never patronise your readers... debate something but don’t slag off something you know people have come to the magazine to read about”. This shows that the magazine has a wide audience of readers that have different opinions on bands, for example. It also shows that the creators of the magazine want all readers to be happy with what they read, rather than the writers being insulting towards the likes of the reader.

As recent technology has made a greater impact on the general public, magazines have had to broaden their use of the media, using websites for example. It says, “It has brought it to life. A music brand which only exists on paper can seem quite subdued and recessive. The beauty of new media is that you can play people the new music you want them to hear”. This shows how Kerrang! has been able to work with new media in a positive aspect, by using websites where Kerrang! readers can not only read, but also listen to their music.

Music Magazine Questionnaire + Analysis

Music Magazine Questionnaire
(Circle more than one answer if necessary)

Name:______________________

Gender:
Male -
Female

How old are you?
Under 10 years
10 - 15 years
16 - 20 years
21- 25 years
26- 30 years
30+ years

What type of music do you like to listen to?
Pop
R&B
Grime
Hip Hop
Indie
Drum and Bass
Rock/ Heavy Metal
Country
Funky house/ Garage
Classical
Rap
Jazz
Soulful
Other (please state) ___________________

What radio station do you listen to?
Radio 1
Radio 2
Kiss 100
Virgin
Heart
Choice FM
Capital FM
Radio 1Xtra
Kerrang
NME
Other (please state) ___________________

What sized magazine do you prefer to read?
A4
A5

How much are you usually willing to pay for a music magazine?
Under £1
£1-£2
£3- £4
Over £5

How often do you buy a music magazine?
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Every so often
Rarely
Never (if so why? ________________________)

Does you like “freebies” included in your magazine?
No it doesn’t interest me
Yes to get more for my money
Yes I enjoy the free gift.
Other- please state ___________________

What type of freebie do you enjoy in your magazine?
Please state__________________

What features do you like to be included into your music magazine?
Chart hits/ new singles
Horoscopes
Artist/ band gossip
Competitions
Advertisements
Real life stories
Discount offers on products
News
Celebrity gossip
Posters/ celebrity snap shots
Other- please state___________________

What magazines do you usually buy?
Heat
Cosmo
Closer
Empire
Esquire
Vogue
Kerrang
T3
Soap magazines
NME
Playstation/ Edge
TV times
The economist
Elle
Radio times
Other- please state _______________

Why do you buy magazines?
To pass time
To find out information
I find them interesting





RESULTS of Questionnaire
(Red number symbolizes the tally's for participants answers)
[12 participants]

Music Magazine Questionnaire
(Circle more than one answer if necessary)

Name:______________________

Gender:
Male 8
Female 4

How old are you?
Under 10 years 0
10 - 15 years 1
16 - 20 years 11
21- 25 years 0
26- 30 years 0
30+ years 0

What type of music do you like to listen to?
Pop 1
R&B 8
Grime 2
Hip Hop 7
Indie 6
Drum and Bass 4
Rock / Heavy metal 5
Country 1
Funky house/ Garage 11
Classical 0
Rap 4
Jazz 0
Soulful 0
Other (please state) ___________________

What radio station do you listen to?
Radio 1 1
Radio 2 0
Kiss 100 3
Virgin 1
Heart 2
Choice FM 9
Capital FM 3
Radio 1Xtra 5
Kerrang 0
NME 1
Other (please state) ___________________

What sized magazine do you prefer to read?
A4 9
A5 3

How much are you usually willing to pay for a music magazine?
Under £1 3
£1-£2 8
£3- £4 1
Over £5 0

How often do you buy a music magazine?
Daily 0
Weekly 0
Monthly 0
Every so often 1
Rarely 7
Never (if so why? ____________) 4 *too expensive

Does you like “freebies” included in your magazine?
No it doesn’t interest me 1
Yes to get more for my money 5
Yes I enjoy the free gift. 6
Other- please state ___________________

What type of freebie do you enjoy in your magazine?
Please state__________________ (CD's, vouchers for downloads, makeup)

What features do you like to be included into your music magazine?
Chart hits/ new singles 9
Horoscopes 3
Artist/ band gossip 9
Competitions 4
Advertisements 3
Real life stories 5
Discount offers on products 6
News 1
Celebrity gossip 3
Posters/ celebrity snap shots 4
Other- please state___________________

What magazines do you usually buy?
Heat 4
Cosmo 2
Closer 3
Empire 0
Esquire 0
Vogue 1
Kerrang 2
T3 1
Soap magazines 2
NME 5
Playstation/ Edge 3
TV times 0
The economist 0
Elle 1
Radio times 3
Other- please state _______________

Why do you buy magazines?
To pass time 4
To find out information 2
I find them interesting 6


ANALYSIS
From the results I have been able to discover aspects which are more popular than others, which I can take into account when creating my music magazine to make it more interesting for the reader. For example, I can see that the general people who took the questionnaire are aged between 16- 20 years of age which then shows me the results are from people of this category which shows me what type of things they like, it could also show me that magazines are more popular within this age group, which is who I could direct my target audience at.

Furthermore, I can see that Funky house, Garage and RnB have been the most popular music genres, which I could base my music magazine on. However, other music genres are also quite popular which then shows the wide variety of music the same age group enjoy. From this information I have discovered, I can create my music magazine on maybe a variety of music genres which could then be interesting for different people rather than specifically reaching a small targeted audience who like one particular genre of music.

In addition to this, from the different radio stations, I can see that Choice FM has been the most popular. This radio station plays RnB mainly, with some other genres such as Funky House etc. This also links into the most popular genre of music, which then gives me a better understanding of not only the type of music people like, but also the station- as Choice FM plays similar music to Kiss 100, yet Choice is more popular- maybe because Choice FM features DJ’s with comical aspects, whereas Kiss 100 doesn’t do this. This could then show that the participants who took the questionnaire like comedy which I could also feature within my magazine.

From the features and articles question, it lets me know what type of features I could include in my magazine to capture my particular audience’s interests. For example, I can see that Artist Band Gossip and Chart Hit Singles is very popular which therefore gives me a better understanding of what I should include in my music magazine to reach out to my specific audience.

Lastly, I can see that NME is a very popular music magazine. From this, I can then research into NME and find out why it is so popular and how it engages its target audience. For example, what types of features are included in this particular magazine. I will then be able to see the type of colloquial language used within the magazine to capture its audience and the features included etc, which is used to engage its particular audience.

Jude Rogers' Interview
(Journalist for NME, The Guardian, and The Word)

Jude Rogers (shown to the left) visited my media lesson and gave some great advice which could help me in creating my music magazine.

Jude Rogers was able to talk with my fellow class mates and I and gave some really helpful advice which could initially develop my music magazine into being more interesting for my target audience. It also gave me a better understanding of what magazine connotations I should include such as my type of writing which could entice my target audience and engage them more into the type of magazine I am going to create.

Jude Rogers gave an insight on how she develops her interviews, explaining how her style of writing changes with different magazines and newspapers she writes for. However, she doesn’t change her particular personal style of writing but more so how she would address the different magazine particular audiences. For example, writing for a teenage magazine would maybe use some slang and informal text, whereas in the Guardian this would not be the case. Also, picking on different genres of writing, such as writing for different media, whether it’s a newspaper or magazine article or an interview, Jude Roger made it clear that you need to know your audience in terms of what information they need and addressing certain subjects to particular audiences. For example, NME readers would most definitely know who the band Muse are, whereas New Statesman readers may not, so the writer would have to go into more depth about the band. However, by writing about different things especially in different genres of media, does not necessarily mean changing your personal writing style.


In every interview Jude Rogers does, she also adds more of an informal approach to it, such as describing particular things the person being interviewed is doing. For example; twitching, fidgeting, eating and their general behaviour. This gives the reader a better insight of what the person being interviewed are like, whether they’re shy or down to earth, etc. The reader of the magazine may find this interesting, as the person being interview may be a high class celebrity where the reader had different perceptions of them. Jude Rogers also spoke about actually giving an interview verbally to a total stranger. Being in a weird environment with somebody you’ve never spoken to could really be a challenge to get information out of them. The key for a good interview is being able to elicit something interesting about them and their lives that hasn’t been exposed or written about before. This would really entice the magazine/ newspapers target audience as they would be able to find out some ‘juicy gossip’ about a celebrity they might like. Imagery included in articles and especially interviews is crucial to capture the audiences’ interests and make it clear who it being highlighted and who the interview is going to be on.

Jude Rogers was really able to help me think about my magazine which I will be creating and what I should be including. For example, I may decide to base my music magazine on not only one genre, but a mix, as readers nowadays are more eclectic than they were many years ago when people only enjoyed one particular genre. People in those days were strongly stereotyped, for example, “Goths” only liked heavy mental. However large portions of the population now enjoy a mix of different music genres which makes me able to create a wider target audience for my magazine. This could be due to teenagers growing up and trying to engage in themselves more.
Thinking about what type of genres I will base my magazine on and who my target audience is aimed at, also made me think about the type of font I will use, as well as colours, catchy phrases, imagery and the type of people shown on my magazine. These are crucial for drawing in the reader, especially to capture not only a specific audience but a wider range of different people maybe, who like different kinds of music. I have already decided to base my magazine on young adults/ teens, preferably females, which then leads onto deciding the type of text I will use. Such as being quite informal, welcoming and not too clever, maybe using some younger text on the front cover, such as “u” instead of “you”.

Overall, from Jude Rogers visiting my media lesson, I think it has made me more able into thinking about the type of magazine I will create. It has directed me more into a pathway where I know the gists of what I want to be included in my magazine.

Top of the Pops Magazine Article

Top of the Pops case study
From analysing the Top of The Pops magazine, I found a range of different articles and features which were included throughout the magazine. For example, advertisements, celebrity pages, soap opera gossip pages, competitions and discount offers, “Your Oops!” pages- where readers can send in their embarrassing stories, “Oops!” celebrity pages- where celebs are caught ‘slipping- up’ on camera, celebrity interviews, celebrity posters, real life articles and many more. All these different connotations of a magazine really engages their particular audience of which the magazine is aimed at.

I decided to look at a particular article which is featured in the magazine; an interview of Cheryl Cole (an established member of pop group Girls Aloud and a judge on popular TV show X Factor) which is shown below: From the specific colours chosen for this article and the type of font used for the text and imagery we can clearly see who the target audience is. The feminine colours of pinks, purples and whites let us know that it is aimed at young “girly girls”- maybe aged in their teens. The interview captures the interests of Cheryl Cole fans, as well as those who are interested in X Factor or Girls Aloud, as Cheryl Cole almost acts as a representation for both of them, as questions involved in the interview not only pin point Cheryl, but also her career and the media that she is involved with, such as the ITV show- X Factor. For example, the interviewer asks about the band 'Do you girls ever argue?' and 'Back to the show- is it true you said "Yes" to everybody in auditions first?'. This shows the different topics the interviewer asks to get personal information as well as just asking general questions. Interviewers always aim to get at least a piece of information no other journalist has or any other media, therefore its unknown and almost secretive. This then engages a wider audience as this specific magazine only has this information from Cheryl, for example. The page is structured in a really neat and clear way to be more inviting for the audience, it also seems more gripping and could tempt the audience into reading it, rather than skipping to the next page of the magazine to find something more interesting. Imagery has also been used throughout the article which makes it seem more exciting and visual, rather than quite boring and just text which could lead away the audience.

Certain criteria used throughout this interview have been included, again to capture the audiences’ interests. For example in the figure shown to the left, taken from the article, we can see a competition feature to win tickets to the X Factor. Particular words and phrases within it have been used such as, 'Grab your best outfit and make a banner, quick! One lucky reader will get VIP access to the X Factor studios'. This straight away grips the audiences attention and really makes them imagine themselves winning the competition which makes them more enclined to enter it. This is also to bring in the targeted audience to get them more involved within the magazine by giving them the chance to win gifts. It is also promoting the ITV programme, as well as a previous winner of the show- Leona Lewis. Leona Lewis is a music artist like Cheryl, and is well established within the public and media. However, this could promote her music even further by giving readers the chance to see her perform live for free. It could also get her even more established within the general public.

From this image shown to the right also taken from the magazine interview. It captures the audiences’ attention by highlighting in bold “CHERYL COLE” which lets the reader become even more interested in the article as they are given an insight on what the interview will be about. Furthermore where it says “opens up about... her secret struggles” this again entices the audience as they are told they will hear maybe some exciting secret celebrity gossip. In the image shown below it also welcomes the audience by bringing in some comical aspects to the interview. The conflict between Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole in speech bubbles, in the image also relates to X Factor viewers as they know the characteristics between these judges on the show.

In the figure shown to the right, shows Cheryl Cole and fellow Girls Aloud member Nicole Roberts, performing in Radio 1’s Live Lounge. This image not only promotes the girl band by also showing their website, but also Radio 1 which could let the radio station become more popular as they engage the Top of the Pops magazine readers.

Top of The Pops Information and general magazine sales

Top of the Pops magazine information
Top of the Pops is published by the BBC and is still rather popular, even after BBC stopped broadcasting the original show. The magazine is published monthly and features chart information, star and celebrity gossip, fashion and beauty advice, quizzes, song lyrics, competitions and posters. The magazine was launched in February 1995 and is well established in the media industry from not only the BBC programme, but also for giving the Spice Girls their nicknames- Ginger, Scary, Posh, Sporty and Baby Spice. The Top of the Pops magazine was originally resembled as the “missing link” between Smash Hits and NME magazine, but the genre of the magazine gradually changed from music, towards a less musical, and girlish magazine. Top of the Tops also links into many different types of media. For example, as it is published by the BBC, it is associated with other magazines and programme’s such as Cbeebies.

Magazine sales
In the media industry, magazine profits have gone down as they’re sales figures have decreased. For example, “Kerrang!” the heavy metal genre magazine suffered a 27.9 per cent drop from its June 2007 figure of 83,610. It had an average sales figure in the first half of 2008 of 60,290. This shows us the dramatic decrease in sales from just one particular magazine. The decrease in all magazine sales could relate to many ecological issues in the environment. For example, the recession could have a huge impact on the sales as members of the public are cutting down on the things they buy which arent necessarily needed. Another reason could also be the particular genres of magazines sold in the market. For example, every magazine is a specific genre such as Hip Hop. However, the times have changed and many young people don’t like only one specific genre of music anymore. Many young teens enjoy a variety of different music, this could be because theyre still developing and havent found their true inner soul yet. This shows that the magazine industry arent responding to the needs of the customers. Leading on from this, relating it towards my project, a magazine could be created of a mix of different genres. A mixed genre magazine could then entice a really wide audience of different ages, genders and backgrounds- which could make the magazine more successful.

Top of the Pops front cover

"Top of the Pops" semiotic deconstruction

Forms and conventions
The Top of the Pops magazine front cover holds the original forms and conventions of a magazine. For example, it includes a bold colourful title to capture the target audience’s attention and direct it towards the text. It also includes sell lines and teasers to entice the audience into the magazine. For example, “Jonas Brothers come clean about EVERYTHING!” this entices mainly young girls interested in the Jonas Brothers- which are also the target audience for this magazine. It captures the interests of Disney Channel viewers too, as the Jonas Brothers are broadcasted by the Disney Channel which then also promotes the channel throught the magazine. Furthermore, the magazine also says “WIN! Tickets to the X Factor”, this again, entices a wider target audience as it is of interest to X Factor fans too. X Factor's audience are also not only girls, which could then entice the male gender too, as well as a variety of ages. “Strictly Confidential and Exposed” is another teaser from the front cover as it creates suspense for the reader, and makes them want to read what’s featured inside the magazine as it sounds secretive- maybe some extreme celebrity gossip.

Title- connotations
“Top of the Pops” was already an established television programme showing the chart hit music, and therefore captures the interests of the audience who previously watched the show before it stopped showing on BBC1. The title implies the top or best songs from pop in its time- modern music of today. This attracts readers who enjoy pop music and also those interested in the features shown on the cover such as real life stories.

Imagery
The main imagery used on the magazine is a photograph of the Jonas Brother’s centred in the middle of the cover. This brings the attention of the viewer towards the image rather than the rest of the features/ images/ text shown on the page also. The cheery facial expressions of all the different artists and actors which are also photographed on the cover, bring a really welcoming and enticing aspect for the audience. The front cover as a whole looks well presented and organised, almost representing the organisation and perfectionism of young girls- which is again, who the magazine is targeted at.

Colour codes- connotations
From the colours on the front cover of the Top of the Pops magazine, we can see who the target audience is. Lots of pinks, purples, yellows and whites have been used to capture the audiences eye and also reflects who their particular audience is, as they're very feminine girly colours.

Articles and features
The front cover gives the audience a good indication of what is featured inside the magazine, which is a benefit as it entices its particular target audience more as they know what they’re buying (what they’ll be reading about) before they buy the magazine. The features which are shown to be included in the magazine are, celebrity gossip pages, real-life stories, competitions to win girly prizes, television and film gossip, as well as shopping bargains. This again shows us that the magazines target audience is mainly young feminine girls.

Typefaces/ graphics/ stylistic features
Lots of different fonts with different colours have been included on the front cover of the magazine, again to entice their particular audience. Some bold dominant fonts have been used, as well as smaller, more fragile fonts. This shows that the creator of the magazine wants the viewer to be drawn to the bolder text first. This could be because the bolder text might be more interesting and exciting for the reader, therefore wanting the audience to read this first to be captured into reading the magazine.

Audience
From the cover of this particular magazine, it is quite easy to see who the audience is targeted at. We know this from the colours used, the font, the images and the features which have been chosen to be included into the magazine, which I have previously identified. For example, in the competitions, one of the prizes included is makeup, making it clear to us who the competition is directed at. The target audience is mainly aimed at young girls who are into music- preferably pop music.

Issues raised
No strong issues have been raised by the representation of people shown on the cover. However, we can quite a feminine approach from not only females on the cover, but also the young males. For example, we can see they take pride in their appearance by using hair products and posing infront of the camera. This again, also relates to the target audience being aimed at females.

Improvement
I think the magazine could be slightly improved by making it clearer to the audience that the magazine is about pop music. Without the title, I think the viewer would be oblivious to the music aspects to the magazine. For example, the magazine itself looks as though it is a general magazine for young girls, including all the connotations of a celebrity gossip magazine, such as Heat.