Layout Research

Layouts Research

I have researched into the top three magazines my target audience chose; NME, Kerrang and Classic Rock. The layouts used by these magazines work well with appealing to audiences judging by their popularity with my own.

COVERS

I have looked at the covers of Kerrang but I find the layout is too complicated for my rock genre as they have too many colours, fonts and images, I would rather have a simpler cover.

I like the layout of this magazine as the image and title are the main factors rather than the cover lines. The title stands out and is easy to read and the pose of the models is fun, this is the style I want to create with my own magazine.

 
I find there to be too much negative space on these covers as the image takes up most of it but is not carried with text either, personally I would like more text.

CONTENTS

Again I do not like the layout as it is too complicated though I do like the large image at the top. The colours are too bright and over packed with the text harder to read. 

I like the use of image but the colour is too dull and there is too little text for what my audience wants. They  want to be properly informed on the content of the product they have bought, so I will not be using this layout.

I like the contents page for NME as the layout is easy to navigate and the main article is easy to find. The use of a large header saying "Inside this Week" works well as the audience learns it is a weekly magazine. I like the use of the few main colours and the amount of informative text versus amount of image.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

I like the double page spread of Kerrang for the large amount of image and text. As it is an article it is expected to be packed with image and information. I like the large headers as they link to the colours of the rest of the page and the text is easy to find and read. The images are gritty and realistic and showcase all of the band members and at least one colour of their costume is seen in the title. Therefore I shall use this layout.

The layout is too simple and will not catch the eye of my audience as the colours are not bright and the headers are not punchy enough. The text is too small and long to keep the attention of my target audience and the amount of negative space is overwhelming.

Though I like the cinematography and mise-en-scene used I feel the rest of the colours is lacking. The main article should be bright and worth the money spent but the colours used in NME are lacklustre. There is not a lot of text in comparison to the images as the images take over more than half the page, I do not want this for my own.

Therefore for my inspiration I have chosen the following...

Inspiration

I got my inspiration for my product from these magazines as my questionnaire results proved these to be my target audiences favourites. This will help me decide on layout and style as well as appeal to my audience directly. My product will sell more and be a success as my target audience has identified the mode of address and house image they like. 

The cover of Classic Rock. The layout and colour is ideal.

The use of text of NME's contents page is the preferred layout of Rocket Ship.

The layout of the text and pictures is perfect for my product as it showcases the information and visuals.

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Eleanor Wemyss

Photography Shooting Script and Shot List

Photography Shooting Script and Shot List

Photo shoot date: Friday 22nd November, South Downs College drama department room. Used for the dark background and good lighting. Medium Shots, and Close-ups. 8:30am.

My images for front cover, contents and double page spread. 

The first photo shoot was on Friday 22nd November 2013 at 8:30am-9:00am. 106 photos were taken, of which 12 were considered for use. The models were J. Maxim and M. Cottrell of South Downs College, whom are both studying music. They were ideal models as they have the rock look and have inside knowledge to music. I have yet decided which image I would like to use.

Thursday 28th November 2013

After putting my images onto the desired size of my magazine, I realised they would not appropriate as they were mostly landscape and lost pixels when being expanded. This led me to do another shoot, but this time with a different background and different number of subjects. This led me to having 100 photos, with 34 considered for use, before narrowing it down to 4. The shoot was at 1:30pm-1:40pm on Thursday 28th November. I may use the previous images for my double page spread, but I shall be using the new images for the cover. The background is much more consistent and the subject is in better light. The use of the long shot makes him look more imposing and strong to match the genre of rock. The use of the acoustic guitar versus an electric one is symbolic to the preferred magazine title at this current time in production. It also symbolises the changing media mode as rock is not just the one genre any more, it has become a variety of sub-genres, but with the underlining aspect of power and presence to the individual musician. Therefore, these photos are much better than the previous through a combination of different setting, pose and camera medium. 

I put my chosen image of the grey background on my cover but I was not happy with it as it now had too many colours and was distracting from the text. Instead I went back to the first shoot and re looked at the photos and have finally decided on this photo:

I have chosen this photo as I can manipulate it for the colours. I will need to crop it and change the lighting slightly as it looks too bright against the background. The use of the guitar is significant as it links to my double page spread and shows the genre of the music. With this image I believe my magazine will be conventional to the genre.

After audience feedback I again changed the image as it would definitely appeal to my audience as they told me specifically what they want. They said for a more studio based photo, so a black background and good lighting, and for the subject to actually look at the camera as they felt they were being ignored by the model. The use of eye contact makes the audience feel included in the piece. Therefore my new images look like this:

I will not selected one until I create my magazines cover lines and masthead as the image has to compliment them. For my other pieces I have already selected some pictures from earlier shoots, though the image for the contents page comes from a concert I went to as the crowds in the image were on such a large scale.

Shooting Script for Final Pieces

The shooting script shows the times, location, props and costume of each of my final photos to be used in my magazine. There are over 4 of my own images throughout my work of different people and settings to show my variation in cinematography. This also makes my product more conventional to the standard a magazine should be.

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Eleanor Wemyss.

Special thanks to: J. Maxim and M. Cottrell for being fantastic models and for putting up with my constant change of location and position.

M. Miles for helping me to turn on and set up the camera.

E. Aldworth and A. Cooper for letting me borrow their cameras, and for E. Aldworth for uploading the photos to my laptop.

Photography Magazine Ideas

Photography Magazine Ideas

These are some magazine covers that link to the rock genre and have a good pose. The red coloured side is for covers that would not work as they are either not linked to the rock genre or the pose is too formal. The blue side is of poses that adhere to the genre clearly and give the reader an insight to the lives of rock stars.

I tried the poses of some of the blue side with my model, but found they are not completely flattering to my magazine image or that of the subject. Instead I conducted research into the poses that would flatter my subject and the brand image I want to create. 

The use of two shot medium/medium close-up shows the relationship between the musicians that are the subjects as well as their clothes and facial expressions. It uses the rule of thirds and can identify to the reader the genre of music and the content of the magazine.

So I may be using the same camera angle for my images, though I prefer the idea of a single subject with a long shot to get any instruments and fashion statements on the full page.

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Images from Google.com

Initial Ideas

Initial Ideas Mindmap

Inital ideas for my magazine in the form of a mind map. I shall use the webs to work out what information of work I shall need to complete. The different labels are important as they are the different sections of a magazine designing process.

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Eleanor Wemyss