Today we decided to film the car scene in our trailer as the weather has improved. Natasha Rutherford played the driver of the car and Rachel Gillis was playing the passenger. They were sitting in the car driving along and talking when Natasha hits a female pedestrian.
The script to this scene is:
Natasha: I feel slightly tipsy
Rachel: well do you really think you should be driving
Natasha: Yeah i'll be okay I only had three vodkas man
Rachel:turn this song up Tasha
Natasha: Aww I love this song
Rachel: I know me too
Natasha: I can't wait for town tonight
This scene happens just before Natasha hits the pedestrian and the victim is dying and having flashbacks of what's happened. There is a variety of shots in the sequence, most of them being close-ups as we filmed from inside the car. There is also a long shot of the car which creates suspense as the registration plate is framed within the shot so the audience are left wondering if the victim has remembered it as she is having flash backs.
Monday 13 December 2010
Wednesday 8 December 2010
Wasp Analysis
Wasp Textual Analysis
Wasp is an award winning short film which was directed by Andrea Arnold and stars actors such as Danny Dyer, Natalie Press and Jodie Mitchell. It was hailed by many people as it uses a range of shots and shows the challenges that working class people face in life.
The film shows the struggle a mum is having raising her young children in a rough part of Dartford. At the start of the film, the camera shows a person walking down the stairs which the audience later finds out was the mother. She is viewed walking bare foot down the stairs which would again show that she is working class and the audience is left wondering where she is going without footwear on. There is a high angled shot of the mother looking up at her children from the bottom of the stairs then the camera pans as the children begin to walk down the steps. As the children follow their mother outside, there is a close up shot from behind of the mother carrying the baby without a nappy on. This could show how much the mother is struggling to look after her children as she can’t even afford the bare essentials for them. When the mother arrives at the other mother’s house, there is a long shot of her standing at the door followed by a framed shot of the two of them beginning to fight. Once the fight begins to go onto the grass outside, the camera spins to show how the two mothers’ are being spun around by their hair by each other.
The audience can see straight away that she is a working class mum as her clothing appears cheap. The camera shows an establishing shot of the two mothers fighting and as one of them jumps onto the other and they fall on the floor, the camera goes to their level on the ground and shows on lookers watching them. This could appear a significant shot a it could be suggesting that the two mothers are low for using violence in front of their children. There is a strong use of taboo language which again shows their class to the audience. There is a shot reverse shot of the mother’s reactions to their children’s, then back to the mothers. As the children leave the scene of the fight, they all make a gesture towards the other mother; this allows the audience to see they are greatly influenced by their mother’s actions as she had just previously used taboo language in front of them. There is a medium shot of the mother walking home when there is a car pictured in the back of the scene, giving the audience the impression that they are being followed by someone.
There is a close up of the baby once the mother has handed it over to her eldest daughter to look after while she goes to see her ex boyfriend. Once she is at the car, there is a close medium close up of the ex boyfriend talking to the mother. The fact that he is low down in his car and she is shot appearing higher up than him could signify that she is in a stronger position than him. The shot of the mother looking back to her children whilst they are sitting on the curb side makes them look vulnerable as mother’s wouldn’t usually allow their children to sit near a busy road. There is a shot of the family walking off holding hands which could signal that even though they are struggling, they are united as a family. The shot of the flowers in the field and nothing else, could suggest that the family are isolated in the place that they live.
The audience sees a cut to the different shots of the neighbourhood and how it appears everyone in the neighbourhood is struggling, as the area seems downtrodden. The camera shows a variety of pictures that the children have drew while they were growing up, the non diegetic sound of the baby’s toy in the background combats the showing of the drawings as the mother appears happy while she is looking at them and the music is upbeat. The close up of a sticker that says ‘I want to be Barbie, that bitch has everything’ shows that the mother is very outgoing as people who base themselves on the imagery of Barbie dolls usually receive negative comments and criticism. When the baby starts crying, there is shot of the bag of sugar then a shot back to the baby, allowing the audience to assume that mother is going to feed the baby sugar, and she does just that. There is a long shot of the mother giving the eldest daughter the bag of sugar to share out between her children and ironically saying ‘not too much’ as she can’t afford to fully feed them. A close up of the mother’s purse shows the audience that she has barely any money to support her children. As she is counting her money, there is a non diegetic sound of a wasp buzzing in the background and then a close up of it crawling across the window which allows the audience to make the assumption that it is going to sting someone.
The family all set off to go to the pub and as they are walking, the is a shot of one of the daughters pushing her pram with a doll in it then almost a duplicate shot of the mother pushing the baby. The shot of the two prams is very effective as the doll’s eye closes then opens again making the audience think that it is a voodoo for the baby, therefore something is going to happen to it.
This is a clip from Angela Arnold's Wasp:
Wasp is an award winning short film which was directed by Andrea Arnold and stars actors such as Danny Dyer, Natalie Press and Jodie Mitchell. It was hailed by many people as it uses a range of shots and shows the challenges that working class people face in life.
The film shows the struggle a mum is having raising her young children in a rough part of Dartford. At the start of the film, the camera shows a person walking down the stairs which the audience later finds out was the mother. She is viewed walking bare foot down the stairs which would again show that she is working class and the audience is left wondering where she is going without footwear on. There is a high angled shot of the mother looking up at her children from the bottom of the stairs then the camera pans as the children begin to walk down the steps. As the children follow their mother outside, there is a close up shot from behind of the mother carrying the baby without a nappy on. This could show how much the mother is struggling to look after her children as she can’t even afford the bare essentials for them. When the mother arrives at the other mother’s house, there is a long shot of her standing at the door followed by a framed shot of the two of them beginning to fight. Once the fight begins to go onto the grass outside, the camera spins to show how the two mothers’ are being spun around by their hair by each other.
The audience can see straight away that she is a working class mum as her clothing appears cheap. The camera shows an establishing shot of the two mothers fighting and as one of them jumps onto the other and they fall on the floor, the camera goes to their level on the ground and shows on lookers watching them. This could appear a significant shot a it could be suggesting that the two mothers are low for using violence in front of their children. There is a strong use of taboo language which again shows their class to the audience. There is a shot reverse shot of the mother’s reactions to their children’s, then back to the mothers. As the children leave the scene of the fight, they all make a gesture towards the other mother; this allows the audience to see they are greatly influenced by their mother’s actions as she had just previously used taboo language in front of them. There is a medium shot of the mother walking home when there is a car pictured in the back of the scene, giving the audience the impression that they are being followed by someone.
There is a close up of the baby once the mother has handed it over to her eldest daughter to look after while she goes to see her ex boyfriend. Once she is at the car, there is a close medium close up of the ex boyfriend talking to the mother. The fact that he is low down in his car and she is shot appearing higher up than him could signify that she is in a stronger position than him. The shot of the mother looking back to her children whilst they are sitting on the curb side makes them look vulnerable as mother’s wouldn’t usually allow their children to sit near a busy road. There is a shot of the family walking off holding hands which could signal that even though they are struggling, they are united as a family. The shot of the flowers in the field and nothing else, could suggest that the family are isolated in the place that they live.
The audience sees a cut to the different shots of the neighbourhood and how it appears everyone in the neighbourhood is struggling, as the area seems downtrodden. The camera shows a variety of pictures that the children have drew while they were growing up, the non diegetic sound of the baby’s toy in the background combats the showing of the drawings as the mother appears happy while she is looking at them and the music is upbeat. The close up of a sticker that says ‘I want to be Barbie, that bitch has everything’ shows that the mother is very outgoing as people who base themselves on the imagery of Barbie dolls usually receive negative comments and criticism. When the baby starts crying, there is shot of the bag of sugar then a shot back to the baby, allowing the audience to assume that mother is going to feed the baby sugar, and she does just that. There is a long shot of the mother giving the eldest daughter the bag of sugar to share out between her children and ironically saying ‘not too much’ as she can’t afford to fully feed them. A close up of the mother’s purse shows the audience that she has barely any money to support her children. As she is counting her money, there is a non diegetic sound of a wasp buzzing in the background and then a close up of it crawling across the window which allows the audience to make the assumption that it is going to sting someone.
The family all set off to go to the pub and as they are walking, the is a shot of one of the daughters pushing her pram with a doll in it then almost a duplicate shot of the mother pushing the baby. The shot of the two prams is very effective as the doll’s eye closes then opens again making the audience think that it is a voodoo for the baby, therefore something is going to happen to it.
This is a clip from Angela Arnold's Wasp:
Wednesday 1 December 2010
Different Camera shots
As I was making a short film, I decided to look into the different types of shots you can get in a film.
This is a close up shot:
This shot can be used in horror trailers to create suspense or give away short parts of the film like the face of who the killer could be.
An extreme close up shot of something gives the audience a teaser as it can give hints as to who the killer in a film could be due to a shot of their eyes.
A high angle shot can show the vulnerability of someone and give a birdseye view of something
A low angle camera shot can show characters on different levels, for example a character who appears taller than the other could have a stronger personality and a character on a lower level could be weaker.
This is a close up shot:
This shot can be used in horror trailers to create suspense or give away short parts of the film like the face of who the killer could be.An extreme close up shot of something gives the audience a teaser as it can give hints as to who the killer in a film could be due to a shot of their eyes.
A high angle shot can show the vulnerability of someone and give a birdseye view of something
A low angle camera shot can show characters on different levels, for example a character who appears taller than the other could have a stronger personality and a character on a lower level could be weaker.
Monday 22 November 2010
Locations
After considering our options, Natasha Rutherford and I have decided to split from the rest of the group and do a short film. We have decided to do this as we think we will benefit more from doing this.
The story:
The story is about a young woman who has a row with her boyfriend so she storms off, as she is walking home, she gets hit by a car and is left in a life or death situation because the drunk driver leaves her as she is scared of losing her license. The film shows the girl fighting for her life at the road side recollecting how she has been left in this situation and how she desperately trying to get help. The scenes that go backwards show the driver drinking in a local pub then she gets into her car with her friend. They are driving when the driver hits the girl. The driver’s friend tells her to get out of the car and help the victim but she doesn’t want to as she thinks she’ll lose her license and that the victim won’t survive. Her friend fails to convince the driver that the victim is seriously hurt, so they drive on leaving the injured person to fight for their life.
Locations:
We have decided to keep the locations to our film local as we feel there are many places within our area that will benefit our short film. The locations we have decided to include in our film are: The Sutherlands pub, the Windy Nook Nature Park, a house, a roadside and a car.
Filming:
We decided to start filming part of our trailer, the part we chose to film first was when the girl and her boyfriend split up and she walks off. Unfortunately, due to the weather, we have been unable to film this anymore scenes this week so we will have to presume filming as soon as possible.
The story:
The story is about a young woman who has a row with her boyfriend so she storms off, as she is walking home, she gets hit by a car and is left in a life or death situation because the drunk driver leaves her as she is scared of losing her license. The film shows the girl fighting for her life at the road side recollecting how she has been left in this situation and how she desperately trying to get help. The scenes that go backwards show the driver drinking in a local pub then she gets into her car with her friend. They are driving when the driver hits the girl. The driver’s friend tells her to get out of the car and help the victim but she doesn’t want to as she thinks she’ll lose her license and that the victim won’t survive. Her friend fails to convince the driver that the victim is seriously hurt, so they drive on leaving the injured person to fight for their life.
Locations:
We have decided to keep the locations to our film local as we feel there are many places within our area that will benefit our short film. The locations we have decided to include in our film are: The Sutherlands pub, the Windy Nook Nature Park, a house, a roadside and a car.
Filming:
We decided to start filming part of our trailer, the part we chose to film first was when the girl and her boyfriend split up and she walks off. Unfortunately, due to the weather, we have been unable to film this anymore scenes this week so we will have to presume filming as soon as possible.
Wednesday 20 October 2010
The making of music videos
A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a piece of music. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Although the origins of music videos date back much further, they came into prominence in the 1980s, when MTV based their format around the medium. Prior to the 80s, these works were described by various terms including "illustrated song", "filmed insert", "promotional (promo) film", "promotional clip" or "film clip". In Chinese entertainment, music videos were simply known as "MTVs" because the network was responsible for bringing music videos to popularity in that country.
Music videos use a wide range of styles of film making techniques, including animation, live action filming, documentaries, and non-narrative approaches such as abstract film. Some music videos blend different styles, such as animation and live action. Many music videos do not interpret images from the song's lyrics, making it less literal than expected.If you're a film maker making a music video is a good way of getting exposure and experience and bands are often happy to give you a creative free reign. A video doesn't need to cost a fortune what's important is having a good idea and working within your budget. Production companies charge a fortune for even the simplest promo video, but you can easily do it yourself. First things first, however. You have to choose your song.
While it might make sense to make a video for your upcoming single there are a few other factors to consider:
It can take a lot longer than you think to make a video, so by the time it's finished your single might have come out. It might be an idea to think about making the video for a subsequent single. Having said that, in these days of internet downloads, any track can be seen as a single, so there might be a track on the album that you have a great idea for a video for, even if that track wasn't originally planned as a single. Remember that it can take a long time to shoot and edit each second of video so while you might have a good idea for a video for that 10 min epic that closes the album it might be more practical to shoot a video for the 3 min pop song. However complicated (or simple) your shoot is, you'll need a team of people. As well as the actors/performers you'll need:
Camera person – At least one, and maybe more.
Lighting Person – If you're filming inside you'll need lighting, and someone to look after it.
Director/dogsbody – You need someone in charge of the shoot, making sure everything is running smoothly, and who can go buy batteries when you need them.
Music videos use a wide range of styles of film making techniques, including animation, live action filming, documentaries, and non-narrative approaches such as abstract film. Some music videos blend different styles, such as animation and live action. Many music videos do not interpret images from the song's lyrics, making it less literal than expected.If you're a film maker making a music video is a good way of getting exposure and experience and bands are often happy to give you a creative free reign. A video doesn't need to cost a fortune what's important is having a good idea and working within your budget. Production companies charge a fortune for even the simplest promo video, but you can easily do it yourself. First things first, however. You have to choose your song.
While it might make sense to make a video for your upcoming single there are a few other factors to consider:
It can take a lot longer than you think to make a video, so by the time it's finished your single might have come out. It might be an idea to think about making the video for a subsequent single. Having said that, in these days of internet downloads, any track can be seen as a single, so there might be a track on the album that you have a great idea for a video for, even if that track wasn't originally planned as a single. Remember that it can take a long time to shoot and edit each second of video so while you might have a good idea for a video for that 10 min epic that closes the album it might be more practical to shoot a video for the 3 min pop song. However complicated (or simple) your shoot is, you'll need a team of people. As well as the actors/performers you'll need:
Camera person – At least one, and maybe more.
Lighting Person – If you're filming inside you'll need lighting, and someone to look after it.
Director/dogsbody – You need someone in charge of the shoot, making sure everything is running smoothly, and who can go buy batteries when you need them.
Locations we could be using in our music video
On the 10th of October we went to Newcastle to take pictures of locations around the area.
This is a photo of The Gate. We all agreed this would be a really good location to film the party or romantic parts in our music video.
Other photos we took were of a cafe:
A picture of treeland area:
A picture of a part of Newcastle that contains graffiti:
To get an idea of the types of shots I need to include within my music video I analysed the different types of shots there are.
This shoy is a high angled shot and it could show vulnerability and create a new dimension to the video.
This is a photo of The Gate. We all agreed this would be a really good location to film the party or romantic parts in our music video.
Other photos we took were of a cafe:
A picture of treeland area:
A picture of a part of Newcastle that contains graffiti:
To get an idea of the types of shots I need to include within my music video I analysed the different types of shots there are.
This shoy is a high angled shot and it could show vulnerability and create a new dimension to the video.
Analysis of Music Videos
Analysis:
Music video analysis of the number of shots and locations included in certain videos.
Cheryl Cole-Promise: http://www.muzu.tv/cherylcole/promise-this-music-video/766413?country=gb
After analysing this video I found that there were 158 shots in her 3 minutes and 36 seconds video, they were all at a variety of heights, positions, angles and speeds. There were also a number of transitions within the video. with one of my responsibilities in the group being the location setter, I took note of the muber of them in a variety of videos. This particular Cheryl Cole one had locations in: a room, on a balcony, in the woodlands outside and on the ground outside. This particular video had a lot of close up of the artist as the record company see her as a big demand. The lyrics also complement the video.
The second video I analysed was Labrinth-Let The Sun Shine
http://www.muzu.tv/labrinth/let-the-sunshine-music-video/771638?country=gb. In this video the locations were: in an arcade scene, ouside in the rain, indoors with spotlights on the singer, the singer dancing infront of a striped background, indoors with speakers behind the singer, in a basement, outside with a graphically moving background. This particular video had 7 different locations each matching and complementing the song.This particular video has its own music style and iconography.
The next video I analysed for locations was Taio Cruz-Dynamite
http://www.muzu.tv/taiocruz/dynamite-music-video/709500?country=gb
In this video the locations were: An area outside near a garage, in the back of a limosine and in a room with little lighting.
I also analysed The Script's video which is called For The First Time.
http://www.muzu.tv/thescript/for-the-first-time-music-video/727627?country=gb
The locations in this video were: in a house, in the streets of New York, in an area with trees, on the riverbanks of New York, in a darkened room with the artist playing.
Another video I analysed for locations was Roll Deep-Green Light
http://www.muzu.tv/rolldeep/green-light-music-video/710267?country=gb
The locations within this video were: in the streets, in a room with the artist in a car and the dancers around him, in a room with a tiled background that has traffic lights in it complementing the song.
All these videos provided my group and me with ideas of locations that were local and easy to access for filming our music video.
Music video analysis of the number of shots and locations included in certain videos.
Cheryl Cole-Promise: http://www.muzu.tv/cherylcole/promise-this-music-video/766413?country=gb
After analysing this video I found that there were 158 shots in her 3 minutes and 36 seconds video, they were all at a variety of heights, positions, angles and speeds. There were also a number of transitions within the video. with one of my responsibilities in the group being the location setter, I took note of the muber of them in a variety of videos. This particular Cheryl Cole one had locations in: a room, on a balcony, in the woodlands outside and on the ground outside. This particular video had a lot of close up of the artist as the record company see her as a big demand. The lyrics also complement the video.
The second video I analysed was Labrinth-Let The Sun Shine
http://www.muzu.tv/labrinth/let-the-sunshine-music-video/771638?country=gb. In this video the locations were: in an arcade scene, ouside in the rain, indoors with spotlights on the singer, the singer dancing infront of a striped background, indoors with speakers behind the singer, in a basement, outside with a graphically moving background. This particular video had 7 different locations each matching and complementing the song.This particular video has its own music style and iconography.
The next video I analysed for locations was Taio Cruz-Dynamite
http://www.muzu.tv/taiocruz/dynamite-music-video/709500?country=gb
In this video the locations were: An area outside near a garage, in the back of a limosine and in a room with little lighting.
I also analysed The Script's video which is called For The First Time.
http://www.muzu.tv/thescript/for-the-first-time-music-video/727627?country=gb
The locations in this video were: in a house, in the streets of New York, in an area with trees, on the riverbanks of New York, in a darkened room with the artist playing.
Another video I analysed for locations was Roll Deep-Green Light
http://www.muzu.tv/rolldeep/green-light-music-video/710267?country=gb
The locations within this video were: in the streets, in a room with the artist in a car and the dancers around him, in a room with a tiled background that has traffic lights in it complementing the song.
All these videos provided my group and me with ideas of locations that were local and easy to access for filming our music video.
Monday 4 October 2010
Y13 Media Video Production
Media Music Project:
For my project I have to create an entertaining music video. Here are some ideas I have came up with for it:
I chose to design a video to dance music, the song I chose was David Guetta ft Kelly Rowland-When Love Takes Over.
Rachel Burns(myself), Joss Maguire, Sophie Little and Natasha Rutherford are going to be working in a group to create a music video.
We have came up with these possible locations:
* A cafe
* South Shields-the skate park, beach, grassed or idyllic areas
* The Green
* Newcastle centre and Newcastle Airport
* A metro station
Storyline to the video:
A couple are loved up but her boyfriend tells her he has to move abroad, she is heartbroken and decides to let him go until her friend persuades her to go after him. She gets a taxi to the airport to chase after him but the audience are left wondering whether she has caught him or if they are separated forever.
This will be filmed to When Love Takes Over - David Guetta ft. Kelly Rowland
The jobs we have all been assigned:
* Rachel(myself)- Location and Continuity
* Sophie- Storyboard, editing
* Joss- actor and director
* Natasha- costume, make up, props and filming
For my project I have to create an entertaining music video. Here are some ideas I have came up with for it:
I chose to design a video to dance music, the song I chose was David Guetta ft Kelly Rowland-When Love Takes Over.
Rachel Burns(myself), Joss Maguire, Sophie Little and Natasha Rutherford are going to be working in a group to create a music video.
We have came up with these possible locations:
* A cafe
* South Shields-the skate park, beach, grassed or idyllic areas
* The Green
* Newcastle centre and Newcastle Airport
* A metro station
Storyline to the video:
A couple are loved up but her boyfriend tells her he has to move abroad, she is heartbroken and decides to let him go until her friend persuades her to go after him. She gets a taxi to the airport to chase after him but the audience are left wondering whether she has caught him or if they are separated forever.
This will be filmed to When Love Takes Over - David Guetta ft. Kelly Rowland
The jobs we have all been assigned:
* Rachel(myself)- Location and Continuity
* Sophie- Storyboard, editing
* Joss- actor and director
* Natasha- costume, make up, props and filming
Friday 7 May 2010
My Final designs
After making a questionnaire and receiving the thoughts of what people would like to see in a music magazine, I had to draw sketches of what my magazine cover, contents page and article to see what they would look like.
My magazine cover:
For my cover I decided to use a female model, breaking the typical conventions of Q and NME which tend to use male models. The format however follows that of Q as it has a model in the middle of the magazine with the text arranged around her. The model is in an invitational pose, inviting the reader to look at or even buy the magazine. The purple title across the top of the magazine is a stereotypically feminine colour attracting a female audience. The bold headings are also used for this purpose.
My contents page:
The contents page uses colours asocciated with both sexes broadening the target audience. The colour scheme of the text is red and black which gives the magazine a sense of edginess. The shot of the model is a close up, attracting the target audience to her face as the emphasis is on it. The caption at the bottom of the page stating 'three months free subscription' catches the audience's attention as it is in a brighter colour than the rest of the contents page. The editor's letter on the page gives the magazine a realistic look as Q also features this.
The magazine article:
My magazine article breaks conventions of typical music magazines as the format of it doesn't follow that of most magazines. The magazine follows the typical question and answer format seen in most magazines but due to having pictures all down the right hand side of the article, it breaks conventions. The model is seen in an invitational pose againg inviting the audience to read and find out why she is featuring in the magazine.
My magazine cover:
For my cover I decided to use a female model, breaking the typical conventions of Q and NME which tend to use male models. The format however follows that of Q as it has a model in the middle of the magazine with the text arranged around her. The model is in an invitational pose, inviting the reader to look at or even buy the magazine. The purple title across the top of the magazine is a stereotypically feminine colour attracting a female audience. The bold headings are also used for this purpose.
My contents page:
The contents page uses colours asocciated with both sexes broadening the target audience. The colour scheme of the text is red and black which gives the magazine a sense of edginess. The shot of the model is a close up, attracting the target audience to her face as the emphasis is on it. The caption at the bottom of the page stating 'three months free subscription' catches the audience's attention as it is in a brighter colour than the rest of the contents page. The editor's letter on the page gives the magazine a realistic look as Q also features this.
The magazine article:
My magazine article breaks conventions of typical music magazines as the format of it doesn't follow that of most magazines. The magazine follows the typical question and answer format seen in most magazines but due to having pictures all down the right hand side of the article, it breaks conventions. The model is seen in an invitational pose againg inviting the audience to read and find out why she is featuring in the magazine.
Wednesday 17 March 2010
my evaluation
For my project I had to design a music cover, article and contents page with reference to Q magazine and NME. My magazine is called Raw and is aimed at upper working class or lower middle class females aged 16-25. It is available monthly for £2.90. It features indie and rock music.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The conventions of Q are:
· It is usually aimed at a male target audience
· There are no more than four colours in their scheme
· Use bright colours to attract attention
· Is always £3.90
· Use unusual photos to capture their audience
· Basic colour scheme is red, black and white
The conventions of NME are:
· They use a basic colour scheme
· Always £2.30
· Use a red and black colour scheme for the text
· Use bold eye-catching text
· Tamper with photos to attract attention to the magazine
· Basic colour scheme is red, black, white and sometimes yellow.
My magazine challenges the conventions of realistic media products as the model I have used is female whereas music covers such as Q and NME usually promote male artists or groups. The colours I have used on the cover are stereotypically feminine as it is aimed at a female audience unlike Q and NME. My music article(left)features a model in an invitational pose inviting the reader to read about her in the interview. The photo is a close-up of the artist highlighting how attractive she is, so the magazine will sell. The font I have used is Eras Bold ITC. I used this as it is bold which makes it stand out and adds edginess to my magazine. By using a justified bold font it adds to the indie/rock genre. Q and NME always feature artists in an invitational pose either in a medium shot or close-up.
The article follows conventions in the way the textual information is set out in columns however I have broken conventions by having three pictures down the right hand side of the article. They all feature the star which is part of the interview. There is a part of the text at the start of the article which is in bold to introduce the reader to the star who is being interviewed. All of the shots are close-ups or medium shots as i wanted to capture the model and make her appear as an inspiration.
My contents page(left) features a female model against a red background. I chose red as it adds edginess to the magazine. I have only used one image on the contents page which is of an up and coming singer typical of the conventions you find in music magazines. It fits in with the theme of the magazine which is Indie/Rock as rockers are associated with danger or have bad reputations. It follows conventions of music articles as I have included an editor’s letter explaining to the reader what to expect in the magazine. Existing products such as NME and Q also feature editors letters and information on up and coming acts plus behind the scenes access to gigs and concert dates. It is set out by having a picture of the singer in the top left hand corner, an editors’ letter beneath it, information about what’s in the magazine around them and a block colour attracting the reader to the free subscription for the magazine. I have chosen two different fonts for the letter; one is in Eras Bold ITC whereas the other is in a font which looks like a handwriting to make it look like the editor has signed the magazine himself. This is important to include as it allows the fans to feel like they are part of the magazine. I have chosen a red and black writing scheme similar to Q and NMEs’ as it looks effective and applies to both sexes taste.
This is my old cover which I decided to change as the style didn't make it look like a typical music magazine and the photo of the model was unclear.The colour scheme on this cover was too cluttered and too feminine but still breaks the conventions of music magazines as it uses a female model.
My new cover(left)looks more like the type you would find on a real published magazine. I have changed the basic colour scheme to red and black similar to that found in Q. I have kept the model the same but she is now in an invitational pose. I have only used four colours on it so it appears simple but will still attract people to it. It could now attract males however as the colours used appeal to both sexes. The writing around the model is unconventional of music covers as the writing is usually just in the middle or on one side, rarely on both, the model is a female whereas most magazines use male models. It follows typical music magazine conventions as the model is centered with the writing structured around her. The bright red label advertising a free c.d with the magazine would attract an audience as they would be able to read about music but be given the chance to listen to it as well.
How does your media product represent social groups?
My media product appeals to mainly young women who are students or working part-time that can afford to pay £2.90 however the colour scheme appeals to both sexes. Q and NME appeal to males who work part-time and are willing to pay either £3.90 or £2.30. When I carried out research I found that my magazine appealed to upper working class or lower working class females aged from 16-25 who were willing to pay the asking price for it and they said £2.90. Q and NME both target a male audience. My magazine competes with Q and NME as the price for these ranges from £2.20 to £3.90. My product represents the music artist as a successful person encouraging the reader to think they could be the same. It breaks conventions as the model on the cover is female and is shown in a positive light due to her accomplishments. She is in an invitational pose as the emphasis in the shot is on her eyes.Even though there’s sexism within the industry, she would have had to overcome this which would make fans more appreciative of the success she has already achieved. Q and NME present their models by using their experiences to attract the audience so they can relate to the artist. The audience could also be inspired by the model as they might be able to relate to her in some way due to her going public about an illness such as anorexia or bulimia or even something simple like her parents being divorced.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
The media institution I would choose to distribute my product is Bauer. I would allow this company to publish my magazine as they already have Q assigned to their chain. It is a market leader and people have confidence in their brands. The format of my magazine would benefit from the way this company advertises its products but there would also be a secondary purpose as the company’s audience would increase due to my product bringing a new genre to the company. Their profit would increase as the magazine is aimed at a niche audience which is specific to females.
What would be the target audience for your product?
The audience for my media product are people interested in Indie/Rock music aged from 16-25. They should be interested in bands such as The Killers, The Macabees, Oasis, Mr Hudson, Florence and The Machine and La Roux as my product is based on these types of artists. The magazine will promote feminism as well as equality which are both needed as the industry is associated with sexism a lot. It would only cost £2.90 a month but if the reader subscribed it would only cost £40.00 a year, more than half the price of NME which is priced at £84.10 a year. I took time to ask some people their hobbies and the type of music they liked; I chose this audience profile from a select few.
Name: James Ellington
DOB: 01.09.90
Age: 20
Interests: Indie music and loves playing football for his team at university
Income: Approximately £10,000
Buys: Download music to iPod, CDs, music posters
How did you attract/address your audience?
The reader could be attracted to my product as the model on the front cover could appear desirable to them or an interview could reveal an experience the audience can relate to. Naomi Wolf (1991) suggests women buy products that use sexually attractive women in their advertising campaign. She is also suggesting that women have become conditional by patriarchal society (i.e. they are dominated by men) to aspire to the current idea of what attractive is so they buy the product to be like the women in the picture. My magazine takes advantage of this as it uses a sexually attractive woman. My target audience will identify with the lifestyle the music artist is trying to promote. My audience actively seek out media to gratify their need of being socially accepted. The models are of a similar age to my target audience as it adds appeal to my product. This also gives them a sense of personal identity as they can aspire to be like some of the people featured. I have also based my cover hooks, features, stories and magazines’ format on my research and analysis so I could give my target audience what they want. This takes advantage of Katz and E. Blumler’s theory of uses and gratifications. The uses and gratifications are simply that people buy your product to retrieve information and to gain a sense of identity from buying a product that features their favourite artists.
What have you learnt about new technologies from the process of creating this product?
I have learnt through new technologies how to construct a product on Adobe Photoshop and upload it to Blogspot. Last year my only audience would be people like the teachers, examiners and colleagues. This year I’ve published my work on the internet taking advantage of web 2.0 which is an extended part of the internet; this could reach a potential audience of millions who, in theory, can post comments on my work. They can also comment on the blog so I can get feedback from the audience. I used Blogspot to upload my photos and add textual information so others can see it. I altered 2 images, one on my magazine cover and one on my contents page. I did this on my cover as the first picture I took appeared a bit blurry so I took a new picture of my model wearing different clothes; I also changed the font colours so they both would fit in with the genre of my magazine.
The second thing I changed was my contents page to follow the conventions of music magazines and the layout of them. I took a new picture to go at the top of my magazine, added an editors’ letter to it and placed the text around them so that it looked more like a contents page you would find in NME and Q.
Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression to the full project?
Looking back to my preliminary task I have learnt how to use the tools on Photoshop better and the importance of analysis of the conventions of existing products and how to research to find a suitable target audience. I have embossed text, cut out pictures all because of learning how to use new tools. My product has improved more since my school magazine project as the pictures are of a better quality; the effects I have used this time are more effective for the genre of my magazine. I know more about the types of shots you can get for example medium shots, close ups and long range shots so I was able to take pictures which flaunted my model compare to the shots I took last year which weren’t as effective. Most of the feedback the audience gave was positive. I asked a mixed sex audience so I wasn’t being gender-biased to voice their opinions on my product. I did this to get an idea of how the readers would react if my product was being published in ‘the real world’. I could change the colours to make my product appeal to both sexes or use a photo of a male to apply to a stereotypically male audience like Q and NME.
Alex aged 16 said: I really like the colours they’re very feminine, I would definitely buy it.’
Sophie aged 20 also said she ‘would buy it as there aren’t many magazines aimed at females which also include my favourite type of music as well.’
Ryan aged 24 said ‘there is definitely a gap in the market for something like this type of product.’
Joe aged 18 believes the magazine ‘gives a good insight into the lives of music artists.’
These comments are important in the publishing world as a company wouldn’t want to invest in a product which they were unable to sell.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The conventions of Q are:
· It is usually aimed at a male target audience
· There are no more than four colours in their scheme
· Use bright colours to attract attention
· Is always £3.90
· Use unusual photos to capture their audience
· Basic colour scheme is red, black and white
The conventions of NME are:
· They use a basic colour scheme
· Always £2.30
· Use a red and black colour scheme for the text
· Use bold eye-catching text
· Tamper with photos to attract attention to the magazine
· Basic colour scheme is red, black, white and sometimes yellow.
My magazine challenges the conventions of realistic media products as the model I have used is female whereas music covers such as Q and NME usually promote male artists or groups. The colours I have used on the cover are stereotypically feminine as it is aimed at a female audience unlike Q and NME. My music article(left)features a model in an invitational pose inviting the reader to read about her in the interview. The photo is a close-up of the artist highlighting how attractive she is, so the magazine will sell. The font I have used is Eras Bold ITC. I used this as it is bold which makes it stand out and adds edginess to my magazine. By using a justified bold font it adds to the indie/rock genre. Q and NME always feature artists in an invitational pose either in a medium shot or close-up.
The article follows conventions in the way the textual information is set out in columns however I have broken conventions by having three pictures down the right hand side of the article. They all feature the star which is part of the interview. There is a part of the text at the start of the article which is in bold to introduce the reader to the star who is being interviewed. All of the shots are close-ups or medium shots as i wanted to capture the model and make her appear as an inspiration.
My contents page(left) features a female model against a red background. I chose red as it adds edginess to the magazine. I have only used one image on the contents page which is of an up and coming singer typical of the conventions you find in music magazines. It fits in with the theme of the magazine which is Indie/Rock as rockers are associated with danger or have bad reputations. It follows conventions of music articles as I have included an editor’s letter explaining to the reader what to expect in the magazine. Existing products such as NME and Q also feature editors letters and information on up and coming acts plus behind the scenes access to gigs and concert dates. It is set out by having a picture of the singer in the top left hand corner, an editors’ letter beneath it, information about what’s in the magazine around them and a block colour attracting the reader to the free subscription for the magazine. I have chosen two different fonts for the letter; one is in Eras Bold ITC whereas the other is in a font which looks like a handwriting to make it look like the editor has signed the magazine himself. This is important to include as it allows the fans to feel like they are part of the magazine. I have chosen a red and black writing scheme similar to Q and NMEs’ as it looks effective and applies to both sexes taste. 
This is my old cover which I decided to change as the style didn't make it look like a typical music magazine and the photo of the model was unclear.The colour scheme on this cover was too cluttered and too feminine but still breaks the conventions of music magazines as it uses a female model. 
My new cover(left)looks more like the type you would find on a real published magazine. I have changed the basic colour scheme to red and black similar to that found in Q. I have kept the model the same but she is now in an invitational pose. I have only used four colours on it so it appears simple but will still attract people to it. It could now attract males however as the colours used appeal to both sexes. The writing around the model is unconventional of music covers as the writing is usually just in the middle or on one side, rarely on both, the model is a female whereas most magazines use male models. It follows typical music magazine conventions as the model is centered with the writing structured around her. The bright red label advertising a free c.d with the magazine would attract an audience as they would be able to read about music but be given the chance to listen to it as well.How does your media product represent social groups?
My media product appeals to mainly young women who are students or working part-time that can afford to pay £2.90 however the colour scheme appeals to both sexes. Q and NME appeal to males who work part-time and are willing to pay either £3.90 or £2.30. When I carried out research I found that my magazine appealed to upper working class or lower working class females aged from 16-25 who were willing to pay the asking price for it and they said £2.90. Q and NME both target a male audience. My magazine competes with Q and NME as the price for these ranges from £2.20 to £3.90. My product represents the music artist as a successful person encouraging the reader to think they could be the same. It breaks conventions as the model on the cover is female and is shown in a positive light due to her accomplishments. She is in an invitational pose as the emphasis in the shot is on her eyes.Even though there’s sexism within the industry, she would have had to overcome this which would make fans more appreciative of the success she has already achieved. Q and NME present their models by using their experiences to attract the audience so they can relate to the artist. The audience could also be inspired by the model as they might be able to relate to her in some way due to her going public about an illness such as anorexia or bulimia or even something simple like her parents being divorced.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
The media institution I would choose to distribute my product is Bauer. I would allow this company to publish my magazine as they already have Q assigned to their chain. It is a market leader and people have confidence in their brands. The format of my magazine would benefit from the way this company advertises its products but there would also be a secondary purpose as the company’s audience would increase due to my product bringing a new genre to the company. Their profit would increase as the magazine is aimed at a niche audience which is specific to females.
What would be the target audience for your product?
The audience for my media product are people interested in Indie/Rock music aged from 16-25. They should be interested in bands such as The Killers, The Macabees, Oasis, Mr Hudson, Florence and The Machine and La Roux as my product is based on these types of artists. The magazine will promote feminism as well as equality which are both needed as the industry is associated with sexism a lot. It would only cost £2.90 a month but if the reader subscribed it would only cost £40.00 a year, more than half the price of NME which is priced at £84.10 a year. I took time to ask some people their hobbies and the type of music they liked; I chose this audience profile from a select few.
Name: James Ellington
DOB: 01.09.90
Age: 20
Interests: Indie music and loves playing football for his team at university
Income: Approximately £10,000
Buys: Download music to iPod, CDs, music posters
How did you attract/address your audience?
The reader could be attracted to my product as the model on the front cover could appear desirable to them or an interview could reveal an experience the audience can relate to. Naomi Wolf (1991) suggests women buy products that use sexually attractive women in their advertising campaign. She is also suggesting that women have become conditional by patriarchal society (i.e. they are dominated by men) to aspire to the current idea of what attractive is so they buy the product to be like the women in the picture. My magazine takes advantage of this as it uses a sexually attractive woman. My target audience will identify with the lifestyle the music artist is trying to promote. My audience actively seek out media to gratify their need of being socially accepted. The models are of a similar age to my target audience as it adds appeal to my product. This also gives them a sense of personal identity as they can aspire to be like some of the people featured. I have also based my cover hooks, features, stories and magazines’ format on my research and analysis so I could give my target audience what they want. This takes advantage of Katz and E. Blumler’s theory of uses and gratifications. The uses and gratifications are simply that people buy your product to retrieve information and to gain a sense of identity from buying a product that features their favourite artists.
What have you learnt about new technologies from the process of creating this product?
I have learnt through new technologies how to construct a product on Adobe Photoshop and upload it to Blogspot. Last year my only audience would be people like the teachers, examiners and colleagues. This year I’ve published my work on the internet taking advantage of web 2.0 which is an extended part of the internet; this could reach a potential audience of millions who, in theory, can post comments on my work. They can also comment on the blog so I can get feedback from the audience. I used Blogspot to upload my photos and add textual information so others can see it. I altered 2 images, one on my magazine cover and one on my contents page. I did this on my cover as the first picture I took appeared a bit blurry so I took a new picture of my model wearing different clothes; I also changed the font colours so they both would fit in with the genre of my magazine.
The second thing I changed was my contents page to follow the conventions of music magazines and the layout of them. I took a new picture to go at the top of my magazine, added an editors’ letter to it and placed the text around them so that it looked more like a contents page you would find in NME and Q.
Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression to the full project?
Looking back to my preliminary task I have learnt how to use the tools on Photoshop better and the importance of analysis of the conventions of existing products and how to research to find a suitable target audience. I have embossed text, cut out pictures all because of learning how to use new tools. My product has improved more since my school magazine project as the pictures are of a better quality; the effects I have used this time are more effective for the genre of my magazine. I know more about the types of shots you can get for example medium shots, close ups and long range shots so I was able to take pictures which flaunted my model compare to the shots I took last year which weren’t as effective. Most of the feedback the audience gave was positive. I asked a mixed sex audience so I wasn’t being gender-biased to voice their opinions on my product. I did this to get an idea of how the readers would react if my product was being published in ‘the real world’. I could change the colours to make my product appeal to both sexes or use a photo of a male to apply to a stereotypically male audience like Q and NME.
Alex aged 16 said: I really like the colours they’re very feminine, I would definitely buy it.’
Sophie aged 20 also said she ‘would buy it as there aren’t many magazines aimed at females which also include my favourite type of music as well.’
Ryan aged 24 said ‘there is definitely a gap in the market for something like this type of product.’
Joe aged 18 believes the magazine ‘gives a good insight into the lives of music artists.’
These comments are important in the publishing world as a company wouldn’t want to invest in a product which they were unable to sell.
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