Task 6: Fat Plan

I have completed my flat plan which includes 40 pages in my magazine. The reason why there is 40 pages is because my magazine will not be monthly released, but every 2 months instead. Because there is a lot of pages, therefore my magazine will be much expensive than any other music magazine due to the costs of paper; however, for people who view my magazine online it will be brought cheaper than buying it in a stores. For advert I have chosen majority brands that would appeal to my target audience, since it'll directly links with my audience profile.

Task 6: Magazine Proposal - DRAFT

Magazine Proposal (DRAFT)

Title of your publication:

Tunes – It sound simple and music based, also is easy to remember.

XX

Substream

SPIN

MUSIQUE

Your chosen musical genre(s): 

My chosen musical genres will be any indie-genre music; however I will also focus on mainstream music as well. So there is a variety of music that will introduce and relate to the target audience.

• Artist feature in my magazine:

-The artist I will feature in my magazine includes indie musician like: Lana Del Rey, The XX and Artic Monkey
-I will also focus on mainstream music as well, but these mainstream artists will only relate to the audience for example hip-hop musician like, The Weeknd, Frank Ocean & Yung Lean

Design features:

• House styles - 

-I will keep the house styles the same in my magazine cover, contents and DPS so the styles can be link; my magazine will looks organised and proficient
-I want an artistic but yet sophisticated layout, since my many indie scene tend to have an arty and classy background

• Colour Scheme -

-For the colour scheme, I will try to use different variety of colours; however it will be kept a minimum of 3 colours
-Analogous pastel colours

Thing I’ll include for the content:

It'll includes

·         Feature & Regular Contents

·         Exclusive interviews with artist/bands

·         Music album reviews of the week

·         Upcoming song and concerts

·         Win a ticket for an artist/bands concert

·         Fashion – trends & tips

·         Other entertainment industry reviews like films reviews etc.

 

- I may also include some indie scene/settings, like urban street art or urban street photography; as indie scene tend to have  'artsy' backgrounds. 

Who are the target audience?

-Age 16-23
-Male and female, mainly Caucasian Races; from my case studies, however my magazine will aimed at any ethnicity and nationality, who enjoys listening to indie music

Distribution methods:

·         Apps & Electronic Brand extension: 
-Allow to extend the magazine brand
-Using social networking like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Tumblr

·         Online Publishing:

-We live in a generation where we can access the internet and wi-fi anywhere

-If you can't buy the magazine in store, you can read it online - accessible anywhere, like the train, bus etc.

Who might publish your magazine?

-IPC Media; not published any indie-genre magazine therefore it will be an good opportunity to be the first indie-genre magazine that’s publishing in one of the world's leading media companies.

-UK is known for their iconic 'indie' scene and famous indie artists/bands. This is a good opportunity to represent UK iconic music culture to the world, since IPC Media is known for their advertising solutions using different variety of platforms.

Pricing

-£3.99

-It's expensive than other music magazine; from my case studies most of indie magazine cost £3.99 or above, this is because most of their social grades is from ABC1 which suggest that most of them are wealthy enough to afford

Photography Notes

In today lessons we went to the photography studio, and I took some notes of the instruction for the equipment so that I would understand how to use them.

White backdrop OR Black backdrop - You can adjust the length and height of the white backdrop

• They will blend in to the backdrop if you stand too near - make sure your model is standing away from the backdrop  
• The light are always switch off in the classroom

Studio flash - 

• Trinity studio flash head; they will 'ping' if the flash is on. 
• To test the if the flash is on, click the 'Test' buttons
• There will be a musical notes; the beat - it allow to make a 'ping' to make sure the flashes is on
• (+-) = BUTTONS /// (-) = 1.0: Smallest flash  (+) = 6: Highest flash

3 point lighting -

• Key light/ Main light: An effect to add more light to the subject area

• Fill light (it has a grid): It allows to take the shadows out, and fill in the light. It also allow to spread the lights out evenly to get an evenly light. 

• Hair light: It has a snoot a dented cone - it bounce light to the subject hair, which allow to separate the model from the backdrop so the model doesn't look flat. 

• Two soft boxes distributes light

3:1 lighting ratio -

• Different ration add more effects and contrasts to the image
• For example: Main light - 4, Fill light - 3, Hair light - 1.5  

Godox - 

• A remote for the lighting
• Acts like a receiver to the camera, it must be placed on top of the camera
• ON = FLASH

Reflectors -

• Bounce and reflect light 
• There is two reflectors - golden: it give a warm glow to the subject / sliver: it give creates a neutral effect on your image. When using sliver reflectors in B&W photo, it give more contrasts and shadows 

DSLR Camera - 

• Nikon D 7000; 17 megapixels; it has 18-105 zoom lens (can be shot in CU, MS or LS)

• Play icon - to view the picture you have taken ; (+) ZOOM IN / (-) ZOOM OUT
• There's a landscape or portrait mode 
• (A) = Auto mode; if there is a 'beep' - mean is in focus / (M) = Manual mode; there will be no 'beep' in manual mode - you control the focus 
• A = Aperture priority & S = Shutter speed priority - THE TWO MAIN SETTINGS
• Shutter speed - the faster the shutter = the more movement it will be capture
• Depth of fields - focus in the foreground then gradually out of focus in the background 
• 'Menu' > camera icon > set picture controls > Standard - Colour & Monochrome - B&W 

Task 5 (b): Distribution of Magazines

Magazine Distribution Methods

Publishers:

Magazine publishers are responsible for making their publications an editorial and commercial success. In the UK there are four large publishers and a number of smaller institutions as well. The main four publishers are Bauer, National Magazine, Conde Nast and IPC. The magazine publishers also define the editorial position and manage business operations so that the magazine provides readers with high quality content while maximising revenue and profit. They also manage relationship with the advertisers as advertising is a critical source of income for the magazines; publishers would recruit an advertising sales team to sell space to advertisers or their agencies. In addition, circulation figures help publishers to plan how many issues to produce and distribute.

Distribution Networks:

Each publisher uses a network of distribution, who manages the flow of magazines from the printer to the final newsstand. The most common form of magazine distribution is through displaying magazines on shop shelves, generally stocked in shops such as newsagents, convenience stores, supermarkets or larger high street shops such as WHSmiths.

Sale or Return:

Sale or Return is the system used by magazine and newspaper distributors with newsstands. If less than the set number sell (e.g. 10) the rest of the magazines will be returned. This is a very wasteful and environmentally damaging system for the distributor, because many copies are going to be wasted and there will be no profit for the distributor. However, the people in the retail benefits from this method as there will be no cost to the retailer. This is why many shops agreeing placing various magazines in their shops.

Direction Distribution (Freemiums):

This is an effective way of distribution, as the magazine goes directly into the customer's hand; these are usually given out at stations or other busy public locations. Since the Freemiums are free, therefore the publisher needs to include more adverts to insure high profits. The most common directly distributed magazine is the Shortlist.

Subscription – Postal:

Regular readers of magazines, particularly niche publications may wish to subscribe to a number of issues, and have the magazines regularly posted to them. Another example of a subscription is the postal subscription which is a beneficial for the publisher, because it is a generated sale. No copies go to waste this way, and it is also beneficial to the costumer because it is directly delivered to the front door, so the reader does not have to go to a shop. On the other hand, it is cheaper than buying every issue separately, as they often include gifts for subscriptions.

Online Publishing:

A modern way of magazine distribution; it is one of the most successful methods.  Readers often have to participate in a subscription model, which can be paid or for free as a trial. There are different variations of the online method, for example: E-zines is an electronic version of a magazine, as it looks like a magazine and it is accessible online. You can turn the pages via a mouse click, zoom in and out also there is adverts and page numbers etc. For music magazines, RWD is a good example as these e-zines are usually free, and they will have electronic features such as video clips and hyperlinks that redirect the reader to another source. Additionally, another method of distribution is to subscribe to a Kindle or iPad version of the magazines, this replaces a physical copy and works like e-books.

Apps & Electronic Brand extension:

Many magazines now have smartphone or tablet apps with some or all the content available in the hard copy of the magazine. These may be linked via a smart QR code on the front cover of a magazine, which are the most efficient ways nowadays. Furthermore, most magazines now extend their brand with an online presence, for example the social networking like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Tumblr is a very helpful way to extend the magazine brand, as it allows the audience to get fully involved in the magazine and creates a community of fans in which they can interact with, also the presence on social media will ensure many more people are aware of the magazine. 

Task 5 (a): Magazine Newsstand

Magazine Newsstand

I visited one of my local Tesco to find a magazine newsstand. The music magazines were placed at a preferred eye-level; therefore it is much easier for the readers to spot a music magazine they want to read. I realised that the magazines were laid out accordingly to their genres, for example Rock music magazine such as ‘Mojo’ and ‘Terrorizer’ were next to each other, while popular music magazine like ‘Q Magazine’ were next to the Rock music magazine to show the competition between them. I also realised that magazines on the bottom part of the newsstand have free gifts such as CD’s so it encourage the buyers to buy their magazines, as many music magazines on the newsstand did not have free gifts. I also realised that popular music magazines are mostly placed in the front, whereas less popular music magazines are placed at the back. This displays that much more recognisable magazines are easier for the buyers to spot the section of where the music magazines is placed on the newsstand. Despite the less popular magazines are placed at the back, however most of the less popular magazine tends to have much bigger and bolder mastheads so at the same time it can catch the attention to the buyers, as most of the buyers would likely buy the popular music magazines as it is recognisable and well-known. The magazine newsstand did not place it over each other however you can clearly see that the rock magazines placed their free gifts on the lower-third left, just in case if other newsagent placed the magazine over each other so the ‘free gifts’ would catch the buyers attention. 

In addition, the magazine newsstand placed the magazine in a full view so the buyers can see how the magazine in general looks like; this is where I also realised the images on the front cover are the main unique selling points, because it is more likely to catch the buyers’ attention, for instant popular magazine like ‘Q Magazines’ uses popular cover star so it can get more buyers. Lastly, for the cover lines most of the magazines use different font’s style and colours to point out the main features that’ll includes inside the magazine, since there is a competition between all the music magazine on the newsstand; therefore, most of the magazine would select a ‘main features’ of their cover lines to persuade and curious the buyers. 

Task 4: Audience Feedback - Preliminary Task

Questionnaire:

1.) Do you like the magazine? State why

2.) What do you think of the colour scheme?

3.) What do you think of the layout? 

4.) Do you think it is suitable for the target audience (college students)? 

5.) Any suggestion for improvement? 

Task 4: Evaluation - Preliminary Task

Evaluation for the Preliminary Tasks

What went well?

Front Cover:

First thing that went well was the colour schemes, because from the feedback I received I was told that the colour schemes were very eye-catching, as I used different variety of colours which made the magazine looks lively; therefore, from the first impression of the college magazine it would not looks boring. Another thing that went well was the photograph, because the model on my front covers is a student which relate to the magazine since my target audience is directly aimed at college student, so it is based on them. For the image on my front cover the model is looking directly at the camera which is a good use of direct-mode-of-address, and so it make the front cover seems welcoming which attract the audience more. Furthermore, from the feedback I received I was also told that the masthead was appropriate for the magazine, as it is bold and it is the largest font on the page and the font style were quite quirky but yet modish so it suit the target audience character, since many of them are young adults. The title of my masthead it’s called ‘College Magazine’ which sound quite basic, however I did that purposely so it is easy to remember and to let the readers know that it is directly aimed at college students only. In addition, I used slogan for my magazine as well which I think it worked effectively, since the title of the masthead was quite basic therefore I’d came out with a catchy slogan: ‘Your College, Your Magazine’. Additionally, I felt like the cover lines went well as well because the cover lines was appropriate for the target audience, since it is related to the main purpose of the magazine, for example one of the main cover lines is ‘TOP 5 Revision Tips!’. I've also used persuasive teasers like giving ‘20% discounts off’ so it would interests the audience.  Meanwhile, for the page layout I used PhotoShop and personally I prefer PhotoShop as I feel much comfortable using it. During the page layout process I tried to make my text aligned neatly and organised so it looks professional, and not too cluttered. Lastly, I used psychological pricing to price my magazine. I made my magazine £1.99 rather than £2 so it looks much ‘cheaper’; I felt like this would appeals to the audience, since the pricing is affordable for students.

Contents Page:

First that went well for my contents page was photograph. From the feedback I received majority of people like the images, this is because it relate to the purpose of the magazine and it shows the diverseness of the college which I think it worked really effectively, as it would appeals to the audience more. Another thing that went well was the layout because I tried to position the text very neatly, and I ensure the page numbers is next to the text. Similarly, I did the same stuff for the picture-based listing as I linked the picture-based listing next to the article page number, so the readers would be able to find the article they want to read easily and efficiently without getting muddled up. For my contents page layout I used InDesign, at first when I used InDesign I find it quite difficult but now I’m starting to feel comfortable using InDesign, and I feel like my InDesign skills has definitely improve. Furthermore, from the feedback I received I was also told that the colour scheme was simple; however it suited the magazine because it is formal and works well with the college magazine concept. In addition, I used bigger fonts on the section I wanted the audience to mainly focus on the ‘Students of the Month’ and so I changed different font’s style and made it bolder, so it’s distinct from the other font’s style.

What do I need to improve on?: 

For improvement, I felt like I need to improve on my InDesign skills because I am still unfamiliar with the InDesign tools as I sometime get confused with certain tools. Also from the feedback I received someone said that I should follow the colour scheme for both of the front cover and the contents, therefore it would make a links and this would make the magazine look much more formal and professional so it’ll suits the college magazine concept. I also think that I need to improve image manipulation on photoshop, because some of images seem quite dull and it did not make my magazine looks proficient.

Three key point for development when producing the main task (music magazine):

·         InDesign Skills – To get familiar with certain tools, so when I produce my main task I can deal with things much easier; therefore I’ll be able to create my content looks much proficient. 

·         Colour Scheme – Despite I got a lot of feedback saying the use of different colours scheme was really effective, however I need to follow a specific colour scheme on both front cover and contents so it make a links, therefore it’ll make the magazine looks much professional and organised.

·         Image Manipulation – Since the first selling points is the main image, therefore the main image need to looks perfect. I felt like most of my images look quite dull due to the camera quality, I could have edited or adjusted the brightness.