Article

This is my final double page article.

Contents Page

This is my final contents page.

Magazine Cover

This is my final magazine cover.

Article

This is the article for my double page spread. 

Falling into the music industry

Down to earth, confident and catching the limelight. First time meeting the new internet sensation. Skylar Fall.

Becoming famous on YouTube for her hit cover videos and being known as the number one music icon; who would have thought that she only started at the tender age of sixteen?

Now eighteen, she already possesses a massive fan base. From the east end of London, and filming her cover videos in her small bedroom to having over 800,000 subscribers on YouTube; she is the number one talked about singer to date.  

In a small café in Shoreditch, I am currently with Skylar; coffee is brewing, and the smell of hot chocolate is in the air. With the silent sound of chatter amongst people, we sit opposite each other. With her dark brown hair, a navy shirt, and a thick leather jacket looking like a total bad ass, we begin…

Hey Skylar, how are you?

I’m fine, it’s freezing outside, and I can’t wait to get warmed up with your questions. (Laughs)

Ok right, how did you get discovered?

Well, I have no idea to be honest! (Laughs)

I suddenly got an email from Sony Music Entertainment saying they would like me to record a song in their studio- I literally freaked out, I phoned my parents, screaming on the phone.

They said they found me on twitter because someone shared one of my covers from YouTube, I guess it was luck- or fate. But I thank the Gods for it, (Laughs).

What made you want to start YouTube videos?

I’ve always addicted to the internet to be honest, since birth! (Laughs), so I was one day I just decided to make a cover. And I think my first cover was Blue Jeans by Lana Del Rey. I uploaded it and shared it through facebook, twitter and tumblr, and the views started to increase; which was a total surprise since I thought no one would watch it. But now it’s really hard to upload covers for my fans, because I’m so busy- but I try my best.

                                                                                                                                   

How do you decide on what cover you are going to do next?

Interesting question. Before I was ‘not famous’ let’s just say. I just covered songs that were quite old, because I sort of found many people covering recent /trending songs, and I thought that was really mainstream. But it got me to where I am right now, so I guess it was a good idea. But now I ask my fans what they would like me to cover- so I go on facebook and ask them for suggestions.

So only two songs out, which stayed in the charts for four weeks running, congratulations!

Yeah, I was so surprised, thank you! I was working on the first song ‘ivory’ when I was seventeen, coming up with the lyrics and rhythm, and I improved over time- now it’s out and I’m really happy.

When I got the call from my agent that it reached number one I screamed into the phone- I just released it, and it went straight to number one- it was the biggest shock of my life.

Who are your favourite artists/bands?

Well, my music genre is indie rock, but I like some pop, and r ‘n’ b at times so Macklemore, Beyonce, Bruno mars and Lady Gaga. But my all-time favourites are the Arctic Monkeys (They’re album AM is so awesome, oh my gosh, it’s absolutely wonderful! (Laughs), Phoenix, erm, the 1975, and the neighbourhood.  I actually covered ‘knee socks’ by the Arctic Monkeys, which pretty much, went viral, and I guess that was the cover that led me to fame.

Where do you get the inspiration to write your songs?

I mainly like going out of London, to my grans house in Brighton, to get ideas- the train journey really helps, the scenery is beautiful. It’s peaceful and calm, and it’s the perfect scenery to get my head down and just let my imagination run free. I take fine art in uni, so drawing also helps.

Do you have any tips for beginners who want to be a YouTuber and upload their own music?

Ah, well, first thing you need is patience. A lot of it. The second thing I think you need is a lot of social networks to share your videos on. Also pick the right song for your voice, and remember to make it your own- viewers love originality. And keep uploading videos even though you didn’t get much views- don’t lose hope.  Hopefully soon one of your covers will get a hella lot of views, and may fate run its course. Good luck one and all!

So you are still in University, what are you doing now?

I’m still studying in university but right now I’m working on my album, so I think I have written about five songs for my album already, and I want to write five more, so that the album is packed and juicy for my fans to indulge in, (She laughs). I would upload previews/snippets of some of the songs that are finished, to keep updated, and to give my fans something to look forward to.

So, the new album’ Azure Mist’, when is it coming out?

Well like I said I am currently working on the rest of the songs for it, but the release date is going to be 24^th November 2014. I am currently working on a song with Tom Odell which is going really well, and I hope my fans love it. I have other artists featuring on my album but they’re not revealed yet as I don’t want to ruin the surprise.  I’m opening for the 1975; and the tour begins on the 26^th November 2014 so just in time to promote my new album. I personally don’t think I am ready for my own tour, so probably around the time after the tour with the 1975, I’ll decide the date.

Photographs for the contents page

These are the photos I have taken for the contents page: 

These are the photos i have picked for my contents page:

I choose this picture for the double page spread article, it is also a similar photo to the cover, which then links it. 

My dad is in a band, so therefore i have taken a photo of his band on stage.

These are some of the older photos, so then i scanned them, as I thought the old effect related to the indie rock genre, as it is quite antique.

This related to bands nowadays as they have professional photos taken of them.

I took this at a concert that I went to; I thought it was a good image to use in the contents page as it relates to the gig section.

This is an image of a band called 'the xx''s logo on a laptop; I thought that it would relate to the music magazine, as by having a music symbol and something to do with internet (the laptop), it relates to my target audience, as they are teenagers, who are always internet active.

The final image i used was for an album cover, for an advertisement, referring to a band.

 

Photographs taken for the cover and article pages

These are the photos that I have taken for the cover and article pages:

This is the image I have chosen to put as my cover:

                                           

I have chosen this image, as I thought that she gives off the indie rock look really well, and the shot is really clear.

These are the images I have chosen for the article page:

  

I have chosen these images because they are a wide variety of shots and angles, and different outfits, to show off my artist. 

Planning for photoshoot

Improved Contents Page

This is my improved contents page; referring back to the peer assessment I have spaced out the page numbers as well as adding a coloured image so that the colour images and black and white images balance out. 

Improved Mock Cover

This is the improved mock cover, referring back to the peer assessment, i have added more puffs at the bottom to balance it out. I have also made the date and issue number larger, so that it is clearer. 

Peer assessment

This is my peer assessment, where it shows what I have done well, and what I need to improve on.

Student Name 2: Megan	How To Improve
Level/ Mark	Front Cover	Contents Page
Front Cover: Level 4 / 55marks Content Page: Level 4/54marks	Firstly I can’t really fault your magazine front cover; the only problem upon the page is that the puffs could be slightly lower to balance the page out. Still the front cover is great with the colour scheme continuing onto the content page.	The content page again looks great. The whole theme which you’re trying to show stays and continues.  The content page has been numbered appropriately looks fab well done.

Student Name 1: Megan	How To Improve
Level/ Mark	Front Cover	Contents Page
Front cover Level 4 – 57 marks A very professional execution of skills! Very excellent and professional layout. Keep up the great work! Contents Page Level 4 – 55 marks Again, very professional!	-          Add more puffs/contents because the underside of the anchorage text looks empty. -           Make the issue date and the price a little bit larger.	-          Coloured image looks out of place. Balance coloured and black-and-white images. -          Put more pages in between articles. Music magazines usually have adverts inserted in between pages.

Mock Article

This is my first draft of a mock article.

Mock Contents Page

This is my first draft of a mock contents page.

Mock front cover

This is my first draft of a mock cover.

Plan for my artist for the front cover

This is a description of my artist, who would be featured on my cover and in my magazine. 

Name of your front cover artist/band:

Skylar Fall

Brief biography about your artist:

Skylar is 18 years old; she was born and still currently lives in London. She was found on YouTube, and by uploading daily covers and her own songs- her genre is indie rock. Eventually she got famous on YouTube with over 798,000 subscribers; she was found by a talent scout from the Sony Music Entertainment. She is currently still in university studying fine art- but her passion is music. She now has two songs out, which were both in the music charts for four weeks, and is now currently working on her first album.

How will you represent your artist?

What will their style be? Grungy- e.g. leather jacket & black jeans

What will their attitude and personality be like? Confident, charismatic, down to earth and independent.

Will they reinforce or challenge any stereotypes? Yes, as normally indie artists/bands are men, so by having a girl in the indie genre challenges the stereotype.

Chosen Title Block

From the previous post of the different title blocks, this is the final result, that my audience have picked. 

From this poll:

People have chosen 'D' which is this title block:

Therefore this is going to be my title block for my magazine.

Article Moodboard

This is a article mood board, where I have a collage of various article pages, from similar magazines; showing the conventions.

Conventions

• Main image
• Header
• Pull quotes
• Drop letter
• The article
• Smaller images
• Page number
• Promotion of album
• Social media links
• Sub headings
• Magazine logo 

The conventions that are featured on this article is there is the large bold title of the article running along the left hand side and along the top to tell readers who the article is about and what it is about. Underneath the title is a small introduction to tell readers what the whole article contains. To begin the article it begins with a drop letter which is commonly used in articles to start off the article; which also attracts readers into reading it due to it being large and bold. There seems to be only one font colour which is black- this then makes it look simple and professional.

On the left hand side is the main image of the artist which automatically draws the reader’s attention as it takes up the whole left hand side of the page. In the middle of the article is a pull quote which is in capital bold letters so that readers would look to see what is actually featured in the article.  

The conventions that are featured on this article is there is the large bold pull quote at the top of the page, which is in red and white to attract readers. There is a colour scheme which is black, red and white which seems to be consistent which then makes it look well structured. On the left hand side of the page is the main image and another small image which automatically attracts the reader’s attention. At the top left hand corner it says ‘News; world exclusive’- which links back to the contents page as that is what this article is under; this then makes it easier for readers to look for this article.

The article starts off which a red drop letter to show readers that, that is where the article begins. The colour of the article font is white, which is very eye-catching as the background is black. Underneath this are several small images, which makes the whole page look interesting as there are images that link to the article. Beside the article is a news header, which tells readers of other news.

The conventions that are featured on this article is there is the large title ‘USA got the love’- which automatically draws the reader’s attention as it takes up half the page. The double page is constructed very well as the main image overlaps the title, which shows the importance of the artist. It also grabs the attention of the readers as she takes up the whole page.

The article begins with a drop letter which attracts the reader’s attention due to it being bold. The colour of the font is black which makes the whole article stand out.

Contents Moodboard

This is a contents mood board, where I have a collage of various contents pages, from similar magazines; showing the conventions.

Conventions

• Main Image for the main article
• Bold page numbers
• Other images featured in the magazine
• Pull quotes
• Magazine logo at the top of the magazine
• Sub headings e.g. features
• Bold heading
• Same house style
• Social media links
• Editor’s note
• Advertisements
• Date at the top of the contents page
• Structured layout
• Subscription and contact information

     The conventions that are featured on this contents page is that, at the top of the page, is the magazine title, which is bold as it is the same style as the front cover. Underneath are the sub headings which relate to the magazine.

      Above the features is the month and year of the magazine, and next to it is the issue.

      The colour of the font are different, so the colour of ‘features’ is red, which also matches the page numbers, so that it stands out, for the readers to easily see which page number to go to for a specific article.

      Each title of the article is in a big black bold font, and next to it is a paragraph explaining what the article is about.

      In this article there is only one image, which is the background of the article page, which tells readers that she is the artist for the main article, as it is the only picture featured on the page. 

      The conventions that are featured on this contents page is that, at the top of the page, is the magazine title, which is in big bold capital letters ‘Inside this week’. Underneath is the date of which the magazine is published. 

      In the middle of the contents page is a large square photo for the main article, around the picture are other smaller images for the related article. Beside each photo there is a large bold page number, to direct readers to the specific article. Underneath the image, is a little caption telling readers what the article is about, in some it includes a pull quote from the article. In-between two pictures there is a small list of what else is featured in the magazine, under the sub heading ‘plus’. The entire font is in black, which tells me that they do not have a specific house style.

      In the bottom right hand corner there is a big red advertisement which attracts readers as they are looking through the contents, and they obviously see the ad.

          The conventions that are featured on this contents page is that, at the       top of the page, is the magazine title, which is in big bold capital         letters ‘contents’, as well as beside it, is the magazine logo ‘Q’ . Underneath that is written in a red font the slogan ‘discover great music’. Underneath that is the issue number, which is on top of a red circle so that it stands out. The layout is very simple and neat, which makes it look very professional.

      There is a large image on the right hand side of the page, which automatically tells readers that that is for the main article as it is larger than the others. Beside each photo is the page number, which is in white on top of a red square which follows the house style as it is red, white and black.

      On the left hand side is the sub heading which is ‘features’ and underneath is the different articles, which has a title and paragraph telling readers about the article.

     At the bottom of the page, is also a small logo of the magazine next to the page number date. 

Cover Moodboard

This is a cover mood board, where I have a collage of various cover pages, from similar magazines; showing the conventions.

Here is a collage of magazine covers; the genre being the same as my magazine. 
The camera shot are varied as it depends on the artist, as for example for bands the shot is normally a long or mid shot so what it shows all of the band members. If it is just an artist, it is normally a mid or close up shot as they are alone therefore making them the main focus. The costumes are mostly jeans and a t-shirt- clothes that are comfortable to show that they do not have to dress up to attract attention- instead only wanting to focus on the music,instead of how they look. The overall representation of the covers is quite simple yet eye catching as the magazine only focuses on the artist/band. 
The font style is very bold and striking to catch the readers attention- the colour of each of the title blocks are different as it depends on the background. The colour scheme is normally white, red and black as these bright colours are very noticeable. The articles are normally about the artists that are popular at the moment which then attracts the readers as they would want to be updated on the latest music news. 

Title Block

These are the title blocks I made for my magazine, which I put together to make a poll for my audience to pick which one attracts them the most. 

a.) 

The colour version:

b.) 

c.)

d.)

Title Block Analysis

This is an analysis of various title blocks. 







The genre of this music magazine will likely be Soul, blues or/and rock due to the edgy sort of still which makes it look antique.

The colours that are used are a dark red, black and grey, these colours tell me that they have used these specific colours to attract a certain audience; maybe the dark red for an older audience as the young audience would like a more vibrant red.

They have been used because the red is very dull yet eye catching this then attracts the audience’s attention as the colours behind the red make it more appealing and creative.

The font used is bold italic and is 3D this then relates to the genre as it may symbolise rock due to the bold font, which then may relate to being rebellious. It could also relate to soul or blues because of the italic font being smooth.

The actual title ‘Rolling Stone’ tells me that the magazine maybe trending, so something that is popular nowadays, as the connotation for ‘Rolling Stone’ would be that it is continuing rolling therefore continuing being ‘in’ trend.  

I presume that there is a wide range of target audience because Rolling Stone is just not one music genre, but a lot (so pop culture) , although it’s not as retro, and its aimed at the adults more than the teenagers. I think the audience would mainly be men aged 20+ due to the edgy colours that are manlier rather than feminine. 

The genre of this music magazine would be Pop, R&B and Indie Rock due to the bold and eye catching font and colour.

The colours that are used are red, black and grey; these colours tell me that the magazine’s style could be funky and unique as they are very vibrant colours which contrast well together. They have been used because the red is very vibrant this then attracts and the audience’s attention.

The font used is bold and quite masculine as it is quite thick and outstanding; this then would tell me that maybe the genre for the magazine is rock as stereotypically men are in rock bands. Due to the eye catching font, it connotes that the magazine is very popular.

The actual title ‘NME’ (new musical express) would tell me that it is a well-known magazine due to the actual magazine title being an acronym which then tells me that because it is such a famous magazine it doesn’t need to be spelled out for the audience as they would already know.

The target audience may be mainly men aged 20+ due to the vibrant and bold colours/font, also because of the genre being rock, it would mostly appeal to men.

The genre of this music magazine would be rock due to the type of font that they use, as it is quite edgy and rugged.

The colour that are used is black, these colours tell me that the style of the magazine could be very edgy and rusty which symbolises that there might only be one genre because there is only one main colour. They have been used because the black is very powerful this then attracts the audience’s attention as it is such a bold colour.

The font used is bold; it has thing white lines that are going across the font in different directions- this may suggest an outburst of music, it could also connote being rebellious as it looks like an explosion which then suggests an explosion of anger.

The actual title ‘Kerrang!’ tells me that the magazine would be very rebellious because of the colours and font, and due to the exclamation mark- this connotes that someone is shouting therefore relating to rock music as the genre is quite loud and powerful, it could also mean that due to it being a magazine they are giving you information.  

The target audience may be men aged 20+ as it is stereotypically know that men like the rock genre, it would also appeal to them due to the font and colour being manly.