Double Page Spread

Billboard Drafts

Time Management 09/12/16

Aims

In todays lesson I will continue to develop on my products as well as add to my drafts as I progress. I will receive feedback for my products in a week which.

Reflections

I have continued to add and develop on my products in this session as well as continue updating my drafts.

Front Cover Drafts

Here is the powerpoint which I have used to record my progress whilst creating my magazine.

Time Management 05/12/16

Aims
Today I will finish off my first contents age draft and continue with my billboard creation. I will continue to develop these and record the progress on my drafts page. I will also set my targets for this month on my calendar as well as reflect on the previous month.

Reflection
I have completed and continued my products. Progress has been uploaded to drafts as I progress with the other products. I have also updated the calendar on time management.

Peer Feedback - Website

Here....

Time Management 18/11/16

Aims
In todays session I will continue to develop on my contents page, uploading to my drafts as I progress. Soon, either in this session or the next I will receive more peer feedback on another product.

Reflections
In todays lesson I have continued working on my contents page and drafts section of my magazine. I will receive peer feedback on one of my products next lesson.

Contents Drafts

Here are the drafts for my contents page development.

Time Management 14/11/16

Aims
In todays lesson I will continue to develop on my contents page and update the drafts section as I progress.

Reflections
Today I have further developed my contents page. It now looks a lot more professional and has more personalized images on it. The drafts section has also been uploaded and I will continue to record my progress as I develop my work.

Time Management 11/11/16

Aims
In todays lesson I will begin my third product. I will look at creating my contents page. I will also begin my drafts for this.


Reflections
Today I have began my contents page and will continue to work on it.

Time Management 07/11/16

Aims
In todays session I will finish my second product and upload the feedback I received on it last lesson. Once completed I will then again receive feedback on my product and see which final improvements I can make. I will get a audio recording too. If I have time I will also look at possibly creating my own institution to represent my product.

Reflections
I have now completed my product and received a feedback via annotation and audio. I have also began to look at possibly using my own institution rather than a national institution. I have also uploaded the feedback from my previous session.

My Own Institution

Here I have created my own regional institution and logo to accompany it. In the final Powerpoint slide I have added the logo which will accompany my product. Throughout the Powerpoint I have explained why I would create my own institution and looked at other regional products and their institutions, or lack of, used in their works.

Peer Feedback (Audio)

This is feedback I received and worked on in the early stages of my production process. The feedback was helpful as it gave me an insight into changes my target audience wanted and things they liked about my product. This was a helpful process and reminded me to consider what my audience would want and need.

Peer Feedback

Here are the notes my peers have made on my product. I will use these when progressing with my product to make improvements or remove things.

Time Management 04/11/16

Aims
Today I will aim to complete my second product and receive peer feedback on it. I will also try to compare my product to an existing media product, looking at the professionalism of it.

Reflection
I have almost completed my second product and I have received some feedback on it. I will have it finished by the next session and then receive more feedback on it. I will finish the comparison for next session.

Time Management 31/10/16

Target 

In todays lesson I will continue my ancillary tasks and reflect on my October progress on my calendar.

Reflection

I have now almost completed my second ancillary tasks and have also reflected on my work. 

Time Management 17/10/16

Aims
today I will aim to begin my front cover creation, I will look at adding drafts in relation to this as I progress.

Reflection
I have now created a drafts for my front cover.

Time Management 14/10/16

Aims
Today I will continue with the construction of my magazine website and hopefully finish it whilst continually updating the drafts section.

Reflection
I have now successfully completed my website and drafts for it. I have a finished ancillary with a homepage and two hyperlinked pages.

Image Evaluation - October 6th Shoot

Here are my image evaluations. similar to my previous evaluations I have looked at which images are inappropriate and which are suitable for my work and explained why. I have also mentioned the facial expressions and camera angles used.

Time Management 10/10/16

Aims
Today I will ensure my second studio image evaluation is uploaded.
Continue with website creations and upload changes to drafts.

Review
I successfully completed this task.
I have continued with my website.

Time Management 09/10/2016

Aims
Ensure previously made flat plans are uploaded from my pitch.

Rationale

Created using Visme. The Free Online Presentation Tool.

Here I have created a presentation which includes all of my ideas in the form of a rationale. It looks at a variety of different aspect of my media product such as language and register, colour scheme, layout and more. This outlines the ideas I aim to follow when creating my media product.

Flat Plans

Here are my final flat plans. They show the layout my products will have and help to guide me when constructing my items. The plans help to ensure I stick to my ideas and do not stray into something that otherwise might not be appropriate for my products or make them less appealing to my audiences.

Target Audience Interview

Font Inspirations

Fonts from kylejohntaylor

Here I have researched and outline the different fonts I will use for the different aspects of my media products. I have looked at the masthead, my magazine and its different pages, my website and my billboard. This has allowed me to decide which fonts are most appropriate and why.

Facial Expression Inspiration & Camera Angles

Here I have looked at camera angles and facial expression inspirations. Doing this task has allowed me to further refine my ideas in relation to my images and which styles I will use in the photoshoot.

Model Confirmation

Here is my model confirmation via text. I informed her of the date and time, other possible emergency travel arrangements and the clothing she is required to bring and her hair and make up style. everything is now planned in regards to the photoshoot and I am prepared to take my images.

Website Drafts

Here are the drafts for my website. This will be updated throughout my work as I progress.

Photoshoot Image Evaluation - Shoot One October 4th

Here are my images from my photoshoot. I have evaluated which of them are suitable and which aren't and for what reasons. Because I have so many I have placed them into contact sheets so they are easier to look at and in a more clear layout.

Construction Timetable

Here is my construction timetable for all of my media products. I have allocated a two week time period for each product. This will allow time for me to experiment with different looks and ensure I am happy with each individual product.

Model Contract

Here is a contract signed by my model to confirm she will indeed be my model. I have previously informed her via text of the times and date and she has agreed that is fine (view other post) I did this contract so I had proof she was my model.

Time Management 06/10/16

Facial Inspirations (Which poses I will use and why)
Font Inspirations for my construction
Survey results will be completed and added to a audience profile.
Make sure model contract is ready for the shoot.
Upload photos from the shoot and say which are ok and which aren't.

Time Management 07/10/16

Aims
Today I will look at images I have take in the studio, looking at which are suitable and which are not.
I will also upload a construction calendar, organizing my time for the construction process. I will also create a media rich file for drafts, looking at my website deconstruction. This will allow me to keep my sections tidy.
Reflections
Today I have successfully achieved all of my tasks. The image evaluations has gave me a better idea of which images I will use for my finals. The drafts work will allow me to keep my drafts section organized.

Potential Target Audience Interview (Social Media)

Here I have asked one of my friends to give their opinions in an interview through social media. I felt because she fits into my desired age group and she used social media she would be a perfect candidate for the interview, proving my target audience has an online presence meaning I am able to add social media to my products.

Potential Magazine Mastheads & Slogans

Here I have looked at potential magazine names and slogans. I wanted to mind map a number of potential ideas, inspiring myself whilst trying to base them all on either the regional aspect of my work or the category of my products (Lifestyle)

Time Management 05/10/16

Today I will upload potential magazine names and slogans, looking at which will go best with my magazine and why. This will help me prepare for the actual building of my products.
I will also update drafts as I begin the construction of my products in the coming weeks.

Wix Templates

Here are some of the wix templates I found most inspiring. I felt they incorporated a lot of important aspects such as social media links etc.

Time Management 03/10/16

In todays lesson I will ensure I have updated my time management and calendar and possibly begin the construction of either my front cover, contents page, article, billboard or website. I will also upload my Wix template inspirations

Wix template is uploaded.
Calendar and time management is up to date.

Time Management 30/09/16

In todays lesson I will complete two tasks.
I will look at completing my audience profiles and my photoshoot and organization replies from the studio.

Update
I have completed my photoshoot organization and I am now ready to visit the studio and take my images.

Audience Profile

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Here is my audience profile and moodboard in relation to my results. Doing this task has allowed me to refine my ideas in relation to my product due to the very specific and detailed survey questions I asked. The results will help me to better my final products and will help me throughout my construction stages. Putting them all together into a profile as I have allowed me to sumarise and present my results in an easy to read yet creative look, similar to NME magazine's own audience profiles. Doing this gave me a better insight into who my target audience was and how I can better target my products towards them.

Color Inspirations - Secondary

Here I have explored secondary colors in relation to my different lifestyle categories. By using search engines such as google and pinterest I was able to determine the colors most associated with the different categories and decide which are out appropriate for my magazine and why, trying to keep gender neutral colors to attract the biggest audience possible whilst still keeping them relevant to their category.

Time Management 26/09/16

In today lesson I aim to complete a few tasks.
I will make a start on my audience profiles.
I will also explore color inspirations for my magazine, looking at secondary colors and why I will use them to represent different things.
I will also update my time management calendar.

I have completed my color inspirations and time management calendar but was unable to complete my audience profile because I am still waiting for survey results. The secondary color information was helpful as I now know which colors represent the different categories of my magazine. The calendar also allows me to keep check of what is complete and what is not.

Time Management 23/09/16

In todays lesson I will aim to complete a number of small tasks.

I will further expand on my photoshoot and the permission, emailing the head of department to organise a studio date.
I will also create a script ready for my Target Audience interview.
I will also ask friends Via social media for their opinions on a a regional magazine.

In todays lesson I have achieved all three of the tasks.

Photoshoot & Studio Organisation

Here is more work in regards to my photoshoot. I have so far emailed my college lecture and head of department Joanne, organising a date and time for my possible photoshoot in the studio. In the email (seen in the powerpoint) I have detailed why and when this would need to take place and what I require on the day. Currently I am waiting for a response and will update this once she has confirmed the day and time.

*UPDATE*

Target Audience Survey

 

Here is my survey I have created in an effort to discover more about my potential target audience. This, accompanied with an interview will give me a better insight into my target audience and who they are. I will upload the results of this survey at a later date.  

On reflection of my survey I became aware I had forgot to add a gender section to the questions, fortunately I remembered this as it is one of the most important questions. Here is the updated page.

Time Management 19/09/2016

In todays session I will aim to complete a number of Target Audience related tasks. I will Complete;
-Interviews
-Surveys
-Reader Profiles
-Audience Profile
I will aim to complete these tasks and upload them to blogger.

Target Audience - Primary & Secondary

Here I have outlined my primary and secondary target audiences. I have looked at a number of factors for each, ranging from income, age, gender, location and many more.

Time Management 16/09/2016

In todays lesson I will complete a number of tasks.


I will upload peer feedback and comment on what I can improve on based on the feedback.


Organise time management section.


Look at primary and secondary target audience and upload to blogger.


Then look at interview questions and storyboard too.

Storyboard Interview & Interview Questions

Here is the interview deconstruction. I have looked at a number of different shots, angles and Mise En Scene techniques used throughout the interview. I will replicate a number of these features within my own work in an effort to create a sophisticated and creative interview. Looking at the interview I noticed that the camera switches between only 3 major angles, a two shot mid shot, a single mid shot of the interviewee or a over the shoulder shot. These are used because they allow us to see the interview from as if we were audience members. The shots allow us to see in detail the interview and what is going on. I also noticed the interview sticks with the 180 degree rule, meaning the camera is always on the left of the two gentlemen. Without this the interview can become confusing and it looks unprofessional. I have also looked at potential interview questions. This is good for preparation, ready for the actual interview.

Time Management 15/09/2016

Today I will complete a review of my pitch feedback received from my A2 Media class. I may also extend my pitch to a larger audience of a different age range at another date in an effort to get a wider range of feedback from both younger and older audiences.

Pitch Feedback

Pitch

Here is my pitch that I will present to the class.

Time Management 08/09/2016

Today I will make a start on my model organisation, ensuring everything is well prepared and organised.


I will also make sure my location and prop organisation is properly complete.

Time Management 06/09/2016

Today I will complete a series of tasks.


I will first add  billboards I find inspiring and explain why.


I will also add some website inspirations and why I find them inspiring.


I will also update my draft images.


Finally I will add my Photoshoot organisation. Making sure I have planned and prepared for everything.

Time Management 02/09/2016

Today I will make a start with some possible magazine names.


I will look at who my competition is in the industry, why and how I will combat this.


Finally I will complete my photoshoot recce, looking at all the possible issues and ensuring I am fully prepared.

Time Management 01/09/2016

Today I will add a location scout. Choosing locations I think would be good for my regional magazine's images.


I will also look further into the Millum & Ferguson theory.


Finally I will add magazine that I find inspiring to me and that inspire my work.

Time Management 29/08/2016

Today I will look at Costume, Hair, Make-up & props. Deciding which I will use in my own work.

Time Management 27/08/2016

Today I will add some colour scheme inspirations. Looking at different colour schemes and why I would or wouldn't use them.


I will also look at different media institutions and decide which would be best for my product based on their current products.

Time Management 26/08/2016

Today I will add some font and masthead inspirations.

Time Management 23/08/2016

Today I will add some images and analyse them using the Millum and Ferguson style deconstructions.

Time Management 22/08/2016

Today I will add  some draft images, giving a slight insight into the types of images I may want to add into my work.

Time Management 20/08/2016

Today I will deconstruct some magazine websites.

Time Management 18/08/2016

Today I will deconstruct some billboards.

Time Management 16/08/2016

Today I will deconstruct the double page spread of some magazines. Looking at the conventions and features etc.

Time Management 13/08/2016

Today I will deconstruct the contents pages of magazines, looking at their conventions etc.

Time Management 11/08/2016

Today I will deconstruct the front covers of some magazine, looking at the conventions used.

Time Management 09/08/2016

Today I will look at the differences between both regional and national magazines.

Time Management 07/08/2016

Today I will explore regional magazines and their conventions.

Time Management 27/7/2016

Today I will create a moodboard of my initial ideas in regards to my magazine.

Time Mamnagement 17/06/2016

Today I will re-create a billboard and a front cover. I will then reflect on these.

Time Management 13/06/2016

In todays lesson I will add my AS Reflections, a welcome note and the A2 media brief.

Photoshoot Organisation

Here I have outlined a number of factors in relation to my final photoshoot. I have looked at a number of different factors including lighting, location, props and a series of other important planning procedures.

Draft Images

Here are some draft images I feel may be appropriate for my magazine, billboard and website. The images different between professional, casual and a more creative and fantasy style. I feel that because of the regional backgrounds of many of them they would be particularly useful. For my actual proper shoot I shall visit more locations for the images too.

Website Inspirations

Here I have looked at 3 websites I find most inspiring in terms of what I'd like to replicate in my own work. The websites all have similar features and go well together.

Billboard Inspirations

Billboard inspirations from kylejohntaylor

Here I have presented some of the billboard I find most inspiring and detailed why they appeal to me so much.

Photoshoot Recce

Here I have created a Recce for my photoshoot. This includes issues and how I will combat them when taking my photos we well as safety precautions for the day.

Magazine Competition

Here I have looked at who I believe are my two biggest magazine competitors. One is regional and the other national, meaning they both compete in different ways but are equally as opposing and challenging.

Magazine Inspirations

These are the magazines that inspire me most. I particularly like The Crack, a regional magazine similar to my own ideas.

Location Scout

Photoshoot locations from kylejohntaylor

Here I have looked at the locations I would like to use in my work for photo shoots and general photography. The areas are regional specific and allow me to appeal to a regional and specific audience.

Costume, Hair, Make Up & Props

Here are my initial ideas for costume, hair, make up and props. I want my work to have a mix of relatable outfits etc and very stand out professional images. By doing this my work will have a sense of relatability and also a almost celebrity and professional presence with the more unrelatable images.

Media Institutions

Here I have looked at some media institutions, Bauer, Time Inc & Immediate. Each of them are well known with a number of big brands. I have looked at these and decided which I feel would best represent my brand.

Colour Scheme Ideas

Here are my initial colour scheme ideas. I have compiled a number of different colours and analysed them. I feel looking at what I want my magazine to become (Regional lifestyle) I need to Incorporate a number of colours with black and white being my base. By doing so I am able to include different colours and looks whilst still keeping a professional look with the two base colours.

Time Management Calendar

 Here is my time management calendar. Here I will record my progress as I go through my work using my calendar to fill in the precise day I have started or completed certain tasks.

Font & Masthead Inspirations

Here are my inspirations for font and mastheads. I chose these fonts and masthead for their bold and distinctive look. Their stand out look allows them to be distinguished from other magazines and would give my regional magazine more of a presence if placed near a national magazine.

Image Collage With Millum & Ferguson Analysis

Here is my intiial research into the different images used throughout magazines and websites. I have looked at Millum & Ferguson which help name certain poses used by men and women in magazines.

Website Deconstructions

Here are my website deconstructions. As you can see I deconstructed 3 magazines, 3 pages from each. I decided to deconstruct 2 lifestyle magazines as this is my choice that I'd like to recreate. I looked at one national and one regional magazine. The other was a regional magazine but was an alternative style and was more news related. Through my deconstructions I was able to develop a number of ideas as to what I'd like to include in my own work, as well as colour scheme ideas. Colour scheme's will feature individual colors for individual section. This will allow the different section of my work to be more distinguishable and identifiable as well as adding more color and a more friendly look. I also learned that certain features such as the masthead and navigation bar should be available throughout, on each and every page and in the same area as the home page. This allows for easy navigation.

Billboard Deconstructions

Here I have deconstructed three different types of billboards including a film, fashion and a lifestyle magazine. Each billboard exhibited different features and style although the one I found most appealing due to its aesthetically appealing colour scheme and look was the Tom Ford billboard. I felt the simple look was most attractive and the smooth dominant image made the billboard flow and look smooth, similar to that of the hunger games. I do however wish the billboard featured more text like Vogue, giving more information to what the billboard is about or advertising.

Double Page Spread Deconstructions

Here I have deconstructed a number of double page spread from 3 different magazines, two of which were regional and will help in my research and a third which was national, inspiring me with different ideas that I could possibly defy regional magazine standards by using. I enjoyed a number of aspects from both magazines, some of the ideas I liked best from regional magazines were the dominant image from "The Crack" magazine, spanning over two pages the image was very colourful and set the theme for the page colour scheme, additionally, the page consisted of a few smaller sub images in contrasting colours. This in my opinion helped the page stand out further than it already did and added some different colour without breaking the scheme too much. I also liked that to ensure the font was visible, it was put into a box almost which stayed with the colour scheme but made sure it was visible. This meant the magazine could use any image because the font would be visible regardless. Also, to ensure the font was kept clean they used gutter lines, something I intend to use in my regional magazine as I feel it keeps the page less cluttered. In the national magazine I also liked the image but was initially disappointed it only filled one page, however, I liked the layout between the image and the separate text page. I felt by separating the two you could really take in the image and the model, enforcing her importance, almost suggesting the image is equally as important as the article its self. Another unusual feature I liked was the large S in the national magazine. Although I couldn't figure out the meaning of it, I felt it added something questionable and interesting to the page, also filling some empty space and giving the plain page some excitement. The S also may of had connotations for us to guess. I think if I was to replicate this I would add more of a meaning to it although it is equally as interesting without a meaning, such as this case. I did notice that the national magazine is also more organised and smooth in comparison to the regional magazines which has text in different places. I liked the smoother aspect of the national although I also liked the way the images worked with the text in The Crack.

Contents Deconstructions

These are my initial deconstructions of three magazine contents pages. The slides feature the deconstructions of three lifestyle magazines, two of which are regional and one is national. By choosing to deconstruct national and regional I was able to clearly see the difference between the two and choose which features from both I will incorporate into my own work, now knowing the differences. From the work I have now identified that regional magazines don't generally have a dominant image on their contents pages, from this I have decided that I too will not have a dominant image as I feel it is too much of a focus on a specific article and takes attention away from other potentially attractive articles. This is particularly important in my magazine as it is Lifestyle and contains a variety of different categories. If I was to use a dominant image opposed to multiple sub images, potential audiences might not know my work features sections that may interest them because the focus would be entirely on a dominant image.

Front Cover Deconstructions (Lifestyle Magazines)

In doing this task I have learned a number of things about the front covers of both Regional and National magazines. When looking at things such as mastheads, particularly in The Crack, it became clear that an interesting font made the magazine a lot more memorable. I also liked the other two magazines and their mastheads, however, I felt they were less memorable due to their mundane fonts. I also noticed that sell lines and main sell lines were a lot less prominent in regional magazines, an addition that I liked opposed to national magazines which are host to a lot of sell lines, giving an overall cluttered look in my opinion. Overall I learned that regional magazines generally go for a more minimal look but with a more visually impacting image, allowing it to stand out against national magazine who generally just go for single person mid shot images in 3 point lighting. I will in my work attempt to make a more creative look.

Regional VS National Magazines (Initial research)

So far this is the information I have gathered on the differences between regional and national magazines. So far in my initial research I believe that regional magazines generally have a lot less information on the front and appear to go for a more minimal look unlike national magazines which because of their large variety of article options, has a lot of information, main sell lines and sell lines on the front. Doing this task allowed me to determine a number of conventions followed by both regional and national and those that are regionally or nationally specific. I uncovered a number of conventions which I will use in my own media product; conventions such as a primarily white website are common in both regional and national but allow for a clean and professional look. I will also possibly implement adverts into my magazine or website as these are important sources of revenue for regional magazines, something I noted the national products did not require of feature, presumably because they already make enough profit.

Exploring Regional Magazines

This is my initial research into regional magazines, exploring the different aspects of them including layout, colour scheme, font, style, images, language & register. So far I have gathered that regional magazines go for a very minimal and aesthetically pleasing look, with a under cluttered front cover and double page spreads with quite a lot of information on, spread about the page using gutter lines to keep it clean. I also like that the font colour often matches the image for the double page spread, again going with that aesthetically pleasing look.

Moodboard - Initial Ideas

These are my initial ideas for my A2 genre coursework. I was particularly fond of Empire and their use of the creative mastheads but less so of the work of Total Film as I felt it was often over cluttered and the colours could sometimes be overpowering. So far I am thinking of creating a regional lifestyle magazine, focusing primarily on a more creative aspect, including things such as film, music and fashion.

AS Reflections

What Could I Of Improved On?

As you can see these are my AS Media final magazine pages which include a Double Page Spread, Contents Page and a Front Cover. Although I was generally pleased with my final pages I do feel I could of improved on a number of different areas, primarily things such as a continued colour scheme within my images and general magazine look/layout. The contents page for example features images with different coloured background, although each are creative I feel it stops the fluidity of my magazine. I also think that I should not of capitalised so many parts of my magazine as it can appear too much, overpowering some of the text, particularly in my article.

What Did I Struggle With?

One of my biggest struggles was finding professional looking fonts to go with my magazine and trying to use different once for different pages. This was difficult as it meant I had to search for a number of fonts each of which had to be different, this made it difficult when working on different computers too as I lacked the fonts I used if I needed to make any changes. On my Double Page Spread I struggled to edit my picture in a way that allowed me to use the font style and colour I wanted as the original image was very bright and made it impossible to see the font. I feel like I should of taken and uploaded more screenshots of this process to show the changes my magazine went through. As well as that, I also found it difficult to edit the model on my Double Page Spread so that she and the background were both evenly lit. I feel that my model is too dark when I reflect on my work. 

What Will I Do Better?

In future I will ensure my photographs are evenly lit prior to the editing stage, thus making the process easier, less time consuming and generally more natural rather than editing too much. I will also save my fonts or their names so that I can use them on more than one computer or desktop, thus allowing me to edit my work in more than one place without having to go and find yet another font. 

Recreations

This is my recreation of a regional Crack magazine. As you can see I have learned that regional magazines are very image heavy and have a minimal theme. They have very little information on the front and their fonts are generally small and to the point. I particularly liked the minimal and professional look with the direct mode of address, something I noticed was prominent in a lot of magazines, particularly regional ones. 

These are my recreations of a billboard from Prada's eye wear collection. I enjoy recreating magazines and billboards although in this case it was particularly difficult to find coloured images to match the billboard. This task gave me an insight into how simple and minimal billboards appear to be. They have very little text so that passers by have enough time to interact with them and read all of their information. I realised the masthead was the biggest, this makes  it stand out and the brand generally more recognisable. 

Next time to ensure I achieved the best possibly products I would ensure I was fully prepared and had a thorough plan of action for the creation of a product. I feel if I was to create a billboard I would possibly implement more information onto this as I feel it is important for an audience to understand the point of an advertisement or to determine what it is for. For example, with the advert above, as minimal as it is, it may of served it positively to have social media or website links attached. This would of allowed a potential viewer to find their product better, a feature I intend to have in my own product. 

A2 Media Brief

The first four pages from an original regional magazine (if done as a group task, each member of the group to produce an individual edition of the magazine, following the same house style), together with two of the following three options: • a radio advertisement for the magazine; • two hyperlinked pages from the magazine’s website; • a billboard advertisement for the magazine.

Welcome

Welcome to my A2 coursework blog!