Front Cover- Final

Contents Page- Final

Double Page Spread- Final

Evaluation

The following is my evaluation for my media magazine project.

New Images

Production Log- Entry 13

After recieving my audience feedback, and making the various changes in my productions, I double checked to ensure everything was as it should be, and that my magazine showed the right degree of finish. I had to take more photos, as there seemed to be too much of my one model, which is what I did today. I also edited them applying the correct photoshop changes to make them appear better, and more suited for my magazine. I had some issues with the feathering tool, I was finding it difficult to apply the change onto the photograph, however after various attempts I managed to get the image feathered (edges faded/ blurred) the way I wanted them to be.

Photo's and Photo Choices

I have taken a variety of photos, however I do not believe all them are suitable for my magazine, or that some of them do not look professional enough to be in an established magazine.

The following are the pictures I WILL be using:

This image with a bit off editing and cropping, I believed it would make a good choice, as it follows the common connotations of (female especially) pop singers. I will use this on my front cover.

This image also appears to be a good image I can use. Again after some editing and cropping, I believe it will make a good choice.

I felt like this image went really well with my magazine, I will be cropping it, editing it and improving its vivacity and brightness, and hopefully to make it appear more attractive for my magazine.

The following are the photos I will NOT  be using.

                                  

The top images I have decided to scrap as I believe they are of a quality that is too low. The location also seems to be an issue, as it appears to be TOO bright to pleasantly look at. I will retake more shots as I have found that these are all of medium or close up shots and I would like to find a variety of image choices rather than restricting myself to simply these.

This photo was too bright, the model herself seems to be squinting due to the brightness of the sun. I discarded this image as I did not find it of good enough quality to be in my magazine.

Likewise, this image is similar to the one above, also her hair is positioned over her face blocking the view of it and making it seem less professional.

The angle of the image does not seem to make the image appear better, I feel like it makes the model look uncomfortable and slightly strange. This image was scrapped and I will not be using it.

Production Log- Entry 12

Having received plenty of audience feed back I found that in order to gain maximum marks, and produce a high quality music magazine, I had to make some changes, some subtle, and some drastic.
For one, my music magazine had too much text, on the front page, in the contents page, and the double page spread. I began filtering through everything I believed wasn't needed, and even then I found that I was still left with too much.
Further work on this ensured my magazine did not seem to busy and was overall a lot more successful.
Adding to that, in my contents page, I had too much pictures of my one female model and main artist. I removed three of the smaller unnecessary ones, enlarging the main image and focal point, and inserted an alternative model (male) in the bottom corner to add some variety to it all. Again I also reduced the amount of text in my magazine making it appear generally better, and not as crowded.
Finally, I decided to change my main image on my front page, I went with another similar image from the same photo shoot, however, I found that the new image had better lighting, and looked more 'proffessional' giving the magazine a high degree of finish.

Production Log- Entry 11

Today I aimed to add some additional features and edit my front cover, double page spread and contents page. However I faced some technical problems, when going to open my front cover, the file that came up on Photoshop was just a blank black document, my work was all lost. Instead I worked on reconstructing my front cover again.

Production Log- Entry 10

Today I took some more photos of varying shots. They will soon be uploaded on to my blog as I am currently working on editing them and making them suitable for my magazine.
I have also continued work on my contents page as my focus for the grand majority of this project was based on the front cover and double page spread, and I am adapting my contents page to fit consistently with my overall theme (colour scheme, fonts etc).

Fonts I am using

Letter Gothic Std- The Best For The Best
                          - Artist Name header and footers.
Century Gothic- An Interview with the Rising Star
Birth Of A Hero- Apryl Milano
                           Heart Attack.....

Production Log- Entry 9

These are the main stories and artists I am intending to use in my magazine. This is merely a mindmap where I have mapped out what I may use depending on its suitability and how well I think it goes with my magazine.

Mindmap

Artist Names:
Apryl Milano
Violette
Rachel Greene
Hope Thorne
Jamie
Hayleigh Dobriev
Aimee Anderson
Mia Shires
Kyle Thompson
Hannah Marie
The Cross Roads
Melinda Thomas
Josh Lavigne

Story Ideas:
-Just how awkward is it working with an ex?
-Hayleigh Dobriev debut album reaches #1 on pop charts
-Melinda Thompson takes a break from fame at residential rehab facility
-The Cross Roads, and the women behind the biggest boy band success
-Kyle Thompson caught with mystery girl... cheating?
-The PMA's who won what
-Top 10 Music Charts
- Hottest gigs of the season
-This months top 50 music must have's!

Production Log- Entry 8

I have completed my front cover and double page spread, leaving gaps for the images that i wil be adding later on once I take new ones.
I have done a considerable amount of work on my contents page, Which I found to be alot less challenging than the front cover and double page spread. Although it took alot of time and attention to detail as there were plenty of text boxes and boxes which have been edited to be more opaque, I found the task quite straight forward.
My only real issue with the contents page is that I need to take various new images which I will be doing in the next few days due to issues with the model.

List of equipment I will be using:

1) Camera
2) Memory Card
3) Memory Card Reader/ USB cable
4) Green Screen
5) Plain White Untextured Wall
6) A model
7) Laptop/ School Computer
8) Photoshop

Production Log- Entry 7

After facing a dilemma with font choices previously, I have thankfully managed to find and identify the fonts that I believe work best with my magazine. Today I am trying to find the perfect image for my front cover. I am stuck between the issue of having a cropped out image of a female model with purple and maroon gradient background, or simply having the original image of the model without cropping around her as the backgroung seems to work quite well. After completing additional research into the issue, in order to find weather or not mainstream well established magazines which I aim for mine to be like have plain coloured backgrounds or images. I concluded from my research that both were acceptable, and after experimenting with both types I came to the conclusion that I should use the full image is a background as it gave a more proffesional theme to the magazine and cropping neatly around my models hair proved to be a difficult issue.
My issue now is I need to take more pictures as I am really not happy with the narrow variety I have from before. Due to issues using the green screen I feel as if all my images are really similar to each other and repetitive, so I hope and intend to use new ones  that will provide an even more proffesional look in my magazine and double page spread.

Production Log- Entry 6

I have continued my work on the front cover and double page spread. All though a grand majority of the work I needed to complete is done, I still feel there are some minor things I need to edit to ensure my magazine is up to the highest standards. I am currently working on the typography, choosing which fonts are appropriate in which areas. I don't want to over do the different styles and fonts as I fear that may create a sense of inconsistency however if I do not vary my fonts and colours I will also risk not having enough creativity in my work , and also creating a rather unrealistic looking magazine. I am working hard trying to find the balance between the two extremes, and with some more time I believe I will get there.

Production Log- Entry 5

Today I am continuing my work on my front cover and double page spread. By the end of today I hope to have completed the majority of the work so that all I will need to do is to just insert my chosen images in the required places.

Strap Line- Mindmapping and Ideas

This is the mindmap of all the values that I will be trying to communicate through my title and strapline, I then used these ideas to brainstorm the different straplines I might use, and finally deciding on using the strapline:

The Best for The Best

Below is a powerpoint of my values mindmap.

Strapline from MaryamNaguib

Production Log- Entry 4

Today I took the pictures which I will be using on my magazine. After organising it with the female model, we arranged to use the green screen, however due to another class bieng present in the room we were unable to do so. As an alternative, we went outside and took the photos there instead, I have not decided yet wether I will be using these on the cover or not however I have kept some for use inside the magazine rather than as the main cover photos.
I also narrowed down the images I was considering using, putting aside the shots I didn't think would be suitable for the magazine.

Photography Strategy

Photography strategy from MaryamNaguib

Above is my photography strategy. This is what I intend to do regarding my photographs and the models involved.

Student Peer Evaluation Research

Today I carried out research from a focus group regarding my chosen design for the title/ masthead. Above is the research I have gathered and feedback from the focus group. I will now be applying the feedback in order to ensure my title is at the best it can be.

Production Log- Entry 3

Today I finished working on my masthead. I found it a bit challenging at first as I was somewhat indecisive as to what colour schemes and fonts I wanted to use. However, after hours of experimenting, I found the right combination which I think is suitable for my magazine.

Tomorrow, I intend to plan my photography schedule, and pick out which models I would like to use. I also need to identify all the locations my shoots will be held at.

Title/Masthead

Niche front cover from MaryamNaguib
This is the design I have chosen for my front cover. As my work progresses, I will probably make a few changes however for the time bieng out of all the other designs for the title, I believe this is the  most ideal for my target audience and genre.
The font used here is: Abode (niche) and Letter Gothic Std (the magazine for the elites) 

Title Masthead Brainstorming

Production Log- Entry 2

Today, I managed to successfully update and upload a grand majority of my Research and Planning Work.
During lesson time, I organised my work, tweeking and editing it slightly to ensure no mistakes. I will be going over and ensuring everything is in place before the deadline again , however I gave all my work a once over before uploading it on to my blog.

At home, I have been working on my final drafts for my design of the front cover, contents page, and double page spread of my magazine.
Unlike the sketches I have already uploaded onto my blog, these sketches are much more detailed and will also include colour. The front page, for example, will now include detailed stories and artists names, and will represent the colour scheme which I intend to use.

I plan to have this all completed and uploaded within the next two days.

My Audience Profile

This is a screen shot of my audience profile. It summarises my genre, and the group of girls which I want to target.
The various images represent items that would interest my readers, and the text is a more in depth analysis of who I will be targeting and what they enjoy etc.

Production Log- Entry 1

This is my first official production log entry, however my previous research and planning work also acts as an ongoing log as it ensures that all my work is all here for you- the examiner- to see.

Today I planned to update my blog with any missing work and ensure everything was up to date, however there was a problem with the schools network so instead, as a way to make use of any given time, I worked on finalising my drafts for my front cover and double page spread as these are the two I will be working on for the duration of this week in school.

I also planned what my main images were going to be, and began thinking on what models I will be using and their positioning in my music magazine. I have narrowed down my list of potential models slightly however I still need to look into if they will agree on being used as models for this task or not, and when they will be available to help me so that I can begin to schedule the photo shoots and so that I know when to book the camera.

Tomorrow I intend to finalise work on my masthead, choosing between the two different designs and typography that I have managed to narrow down and finalise according to suitability and my original sketches for the magazine. Unfortunately due to the schools network being down, I do not currently have access to the designs, but during my free period tomorrow I intend to upload them too on to this blog.