Double Page Spread Article

The support act was Damian Okoro, a Nigerian-born Londoner. “He is 23 and possesses a great musical talent. Damian can play the guitar excellently and has an original, croaky voice. “I wanted him support us on the tour because I know how he is capable of building a great atmosphere, the audience love him.” Liam said. As he played his final song, reggae styled rock tune called “Black Streets” there was a solid sense of excitement rumbling throughout the crowd. After the song ended, Damian thanked the crowed for their support, lit-up and walked off stage. The lights dimmed and there was a massive sense of anticipation, after Jay Baines played a short drum roll, an explosion of fireworks erupted from the back of the stage and the other three entered to a rapturous reception. They kicked off the show with their brand new single, ‘Alleyway Grove,’ critically acclaimed and the crowed absolutely loved it, the chilled atmosphere Okoro created was immediately changed to a fever pitched level. Following this song was ‘Torn Up,’ a song written by Paul McCartney. They then went through theirrepertoire with the crowd (and me) loving every second of it. After songs such as ‘Wooden Horse,’ ‘One Long Night’ and ‘Pathfinder,’ they finished with their chart-topping anthem ‘Hard Times Going.’ It had a real ‘Oasis’ feel to it and it was an electric ending to a brilliant evening. Although there was one typically foolish when Liam grabbed a flair that had been thrown onto the stage, controversially and dangerously launched it back into the audience which could, let’s face it, have been a fatal end to luckily, a marvellous night. The Friendly Flies went on from this night to perform in Paris, Berlin, London, Moscow and Madrid. While playing in Madrid, the heavens opened. The rain was torrential and the wind was deafening. Luckily, The Friendly Flies have developed a huge fanbase across the world, and the crowd were fully engaged in the show from the beginning. The atmosphere did not change once, and although the day was grey, (literally,) the crowd lit the day up, along with the excellent performances from the band. During their “Close Shave” performance, there was pandemonium inside the Bernabau. The rain was falling at an intensity many had never experienced. The crowd showed that weather did not bother them and they gave the best support they could, assisting Liam and his 3 friends perform the best show of their career. It had a real ‘Oasis’ feel to it, and it was extremely thrilling to be a part of it. The band performed their chart-topping single with the unhinged intensity that is constantly expected from the four untameable skaterats. Gem Giles met up with the main-man Liam in his Liverpool home, getting the chance to ask him about his and the bands crazy, record-breaking year. 
Gem: “So, liam. It’s taken you 4 years to get where you are now. It’s fair to say you had problems, you managed to turn them around and now you’re here. Has all the hard work been worth it?” 
Liam: “Of course it was worth it. People have told us we’re not good enough ever since our first gig at the 02 in Liverpool. We’re the one’s laughing now. Yes, i’ve made mistakes. So has everyone. I’m just one of the few people who actually learnt from them.” 
Gem: “You’ve been invited to perform at Leeds Festival and you’ve just finished your first European tour and Hard Times Going is sitting at the top of the charts and it doesn’t look like it’s going to be moved. What a year, how do you guys rate it?” 
Liam: “I’d say it’s been my favourite year since the bands been together. The band is going from strength to strength. We’re putting the work in, releasing good songs and the work is paying off. Leeds Festival is just what we deserve I think, it’s going to be f*cking mental.” 
Gem: (with a giggle) “Do you listen to your own music?” 
Liam: “Of course I do. I was listening to Pathfinder on repeat for at least 20 minutes in the bath last night. I own our CD’s and listen to them in the car, I don’t believe cause’ we made it we can’t listen to it.” 
Gem: “Who was your influence when you were a youngster?” 
 Liam: “I was in the house for the majority of my childhood life. I was constantly surrounded by my Dad’s music which I didn’t mind at all. He loved The Specials, he listened to them all the time. I used to get home from school and sit with him at the table while he had the stereo on. I grew up listening to these guys and I still do.” 
Gem: “Sorry Liam, but I have to ask, just what is going on with you and The Shades?” Liam: “To be totally honest, nothing has gone on with us. The whole thing has been exaggerated by the press. There have been a few words here and there but nothing worth talking about. Now that’s on a personal level. If I was going to talk in musical terms, lets face it, The Shades will always be in our shadow.”
 Liam left the interview with a handshake and a wry smile.

Peer Feedback

Using 'Padlet,' I created a wall that my classmates could post comments on.  I wanted them to tell me where I went wrong and where I could improve with my drafts.

Created with Padlet

Double Page Spread Draft

Contents Page Draft

Front Cover Draft

Front Cover Analysis NME

Magazine Name

Undiscovered
I came up with the name Undiscovered as Indie bands used to be bands that weren’t signed by any major music label, so this meant all these bands were undiscovered and so I thought this would be a good idea for my indie music magazine as it has some meaning behind it. I have had some feedback off my target market on this name and they liked the idea of it as it had a background and wasn’t just randomly thought of, they also liked the font that I chose to initally put for it, this is a popular name and I may use it for my magazine.

Rise or Rize:

I have come up with the word Rise as it could mean the artists rise into the lime light but not sure which spelling is more effective, I think this is too short for a Masthead and my target market think the meaning of it is good but it sounds a bit like a food magazine about pastry and other desserts like suflas that need to rise. This is another name that I won’t use.

in the Shadows:

The name in the Shadows was meant to mean artists that have been around for a while but have never managed to make it big time so this was discovering them and showing them off to a more mainstream audience, my target audience liked this but felt that it was a bit vague but could do some creative things with the masthead to make it look cool and give it a good effect, they said that the font I selected was a bit too dull though and if I choose to use it then to pick a more interesting font, but this is mostly good so I will consider using it for my magazine

Uses and Gratifications Theory

This theory suggests that people actively choose their media products based on their needs.

Blumler and Katz discuss

Audiences consume the media for different needs and in different ways.  The media industry is not the only one to blame, people need the media to fulfil their needs and wants.  Media consumers choose texts that fulfil their needs and wants.

• To be INFORMED and EDUCATED about the world in which they live
• To IDENTIFY personally with characters and situations in order to learn about themselves
• To be ENTERTAINED by a range and variety of well constructed texts
• To use the media as a taking point for SOCIAL INTERACTION or DISCUSSION
• To ESCAPE from their 'daily grind' into other worlds and situations.

Indie Magazine Ideas

Here is a spider diagram of the ideas I came up with when thinking of indie rock. 

Second Front Cover Analysis

For my second front cover analysis, I analysed the cover of 'Rock Sound,' which as you may guess, focuses on rock artists.  I like this magazine as it has a simple layout with minimal writing, but the pull quotes on the front make me want to open it up and read inside.

First Front Cover Analysis

I analysed a front cover from the magazine 'Q' which is primarily an indie/rock magazine.  From doing this I get many different ideas for my own magazine as they relate in many different ways. 

College Mag Front Cover

College Mag Contents Page

Font Ideas

When thinking of what font to use, I considered my target audience.  They are loud 15-25 year olds who enjoy having fun and going to gigs. I would like to think people look at my font and think it is unique and current.  When looking for fonts, I visited the website www.1001fonts.com, it has a large variety of fonts and here are five of them that I am strongly considering.



This is the first font that caught my eye.  It has a messy look about it which I like very much and it certainly has a vintage look about it.  On the other hand, I just can't see 'indie music magazine' when I look at this, it looks like it could be used on a horror film.  It is definitely not a font you would associate with music.



I am strongly considering this font due to its informal, effortless look.  I think it would look extremely attractive on the front of an Indie music magazine too.  The font, however, does have a dark, intimidating look to it and this is not what I want as my magazine will be full of humour and upbeat.



I am a big fan of this font.  I can picture it on the front of a music magazine too which is instantly a bonus.  Although I believe that this is past indie and heading towards a rock and roll look which does not match my chosen genre.



I feel there is a lot of potential in this font if the right colours are used with it.  For example, if there was a simple white background and this was the masthead, I feel as if it would be extremely boring.  But if the background was yellow and this was the masthead, I'd immediately be pulled into the magazine.




This font is so good because it is 3D.  When seeing a font that is 3D, I get the idea it is making an effort to 'reach out' to the me and make me read on through the magazine. I think that this font does it very well.  The one problem is that you do not see many 3D fonts on magazines as it doesn't look very professional.

Terminology

Masthead - the name and logo of the magazine.

The Lead - the introductory paragraph of an article.  Usually written in bold or capitals.

Body Copy - refers to the text of your written articles, which should be produced as a printed presentation to accepted industry standards, e.g. correct use of language, font, size, word limits etc.  Usually written in columns with a font size typically between 8 and 10 with the same style kept throughout.
  
Serif font - fonts which have little bars (serifs) on the end of the letter.  Used to make bodies of text easier to read.

Sans Serif font - fonts which do not have little bars (serifs) on the end of each letter.  Used for Headings, captions etc.

Drop Capitals - really big letter to introduce the article.

Cross Head - small sub-heading used to split up a large block of text.

White Space - white parts of a page other than text or pictures.  An efficient way of separating areas of the page.

Mode of Address - how the magazine talks to the audience.

Sell Lines - text on the cover that helps to sell the magazine to the audience.

Banners - text which stands out because its on a coloured background.

House Style - a magazines distinctive design that distinguishes it from its competitors.

Borders - the gaps at the edges of the page.

Gutters - the gaps between the columns of text.

Leading - the space between lines of text.

Kerning - the space between letters.

Strap lines - a smaller headlines, printed above the main headline.

By-lines - name of the person who wrote the article.

Anchorage - the way in which text helps to pin down the meaning of a picture and visa versa.

Cohen's Moral Panic

"A condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges as a threat to societal values and interests: its nature is presented in a stylised and stereotypical fashion by the mass media: the moral barricades are manned by editors, bishops, politicians and other right thinking people, socially accredited experts pronounce their diagnoses and solutions; ways of coping are evolved or (more often) resorted to."  

Alternatively: moral panic involves the institution of "folk devils" that need controlling, which leads to increased social control.  This occurs during periods when powerful groups or the ruling classes face troubled times.  The panic then becomes a substitute for the real social issues.  

Historical Perspectives

• Football in the 1970's and 80's - Hooliganism
• Bicycles - 1890's - Cause of chaos and terror
• Rock + Roll - 1950's - "The Negro's Revenge"
• Video Nasties - 1980's
• Video Games - 1990's up until now
• Internet (I.M, SMS), 2000's up until now

Features of Moral Panic

• Concern: Behaviour of a particular group represented.
• Volatility: Short-lived.  Panics erupt dramatically but are difficult to sustain.  It has negative consequences.
• Hostility: "Folk Devils" constructed to create a clear division between "them" and "us".
• Consensus: Widespread acceptance of the threat posed by this group.
• Disproportionally: Wild exaggeration of evidence.  Not only the number of people involved but also the scale of the problem. 

My Target Audience

I hope to create a magazine that appeals to males and females.  The age of the people I will be looking to target are going to be 15 - 25 year old's.  The reason for this is because my magazine will include fun, upbeat indie rock music that can be listened to in gigs and concerts around the country.  My magazine will be quite shocking and I  would hope this would entice people who live on the edge and enjoy banter.  Many magazines from across the UK are aimed at males as we know and there are not many music magazines that both males and females can fully relate to and enjoy.  The people who read my magazine will love Indie Rock/Indie Alternative bands and artists, primarily including; The Vaccines, Crystal Fighters and Two Door Cinema Club.  In my magazines I will include all the latest albums being released, gossip and I will be advertising concerts, gigs and CD'S that will be helpful for many people.  

My Moodboard

Adobe: Photoshop

    Another piece of software we have been taught for the past few weeks is Adobe Photoshop. This is vital when adding pictures to your magazine, it enables you to edit the picture to your liking, playing a big part in making your magazine look professional and easy on the eye.  We were taught how to 'Colour Correct' a photo, this is basically when you give the photo a 'glow' to make the artist/model more presentable.  We also learnt how to use the 'Spot Healing Tool,' which allows you to remove any spots, marks or blemishes from a persons face, resulting in them looking a lot more attractive.  If the cover model had spots all over their face, this would 'put off' the reader, whereas if they had clear, smooth skin the target audience are instantly drawn in.  

    As we can all see, this is a picture that shows the transformation of a woman's' face which has been performed by using the spot healing tool.  The 'after' picture is obviously a lot more attractive and if this was on the front of a magazine, it would probably get a lot more readers instead of the first picture.  This is because of the amazing spot healing tool.  I am going to be using Photoshop in my project as it enables me to alter any image of my choice, until I am happy that it looks professional, attractive and presentable.

Adobe: InDesign

We have been taught to use Adobe: InDesign in order to create our magazines. This is an extremely important piece of software when producing a magazine as it allows us to correctly position, align and organise text and images. Before we open InDesign, we can decide whether to have guidelines on the page, including: gutters, borders, leaning and kerning. If you want your magazine to look as professional as it can, this is a very useful option to have. 

Feminism

Feminism

    Women have always fought for equality and rights from their male counterparts, after many years of narcissistic identification, women finally won 'equality' and earned the right to vote in the 19th/20th century after the supreme sacrifices made by the suffragettes.  As women got the vote they so desperately wanted for decades, the debate of feminism spread to a range of issues such as sexuality, family and the workplace.  Feminism, even today, is still a big issue as women are often being victimised at work or turned into sexual objects by the media, as you can see in the "Wrecking Ball" video below, by Miley Cyrus.

Laura Mulvey

She is a British feminist film theorist.  She worked at the British film institute for many years.  She believes that Hollywood cinema puts the spectator in a masculine subject position, with the women on the screen as the objects of desire.  This is also known as "The Male Gaze."

Semiotics

What is Semiotics?

Semiotics is the study of signs and their meaning;

• what they indicate
• what they symbolize
• who are they designed for
• how they make us feel
• what they are communicating to us

    Semiotics studies the linguistics in SIGNS and non-linguistic sign systems such as the use of colour and symbols.  There are many different signs that are used in a variety of ways.  For example, when someone puts their thumb up that means that everything is good, it is known as a very positive gesture. Semiotics is often used in magazines too.  If you were to read a magazine and there was a large exclamation mark after a title you'd immediately think that this is an important and shocking story. 
     The word 'Semiotics' was invented by the philosopher Saussure. 

Questionnaire

     I produced a questionnaire to find out how many people purchase music magazines and if not, why.  I think that these are an excellent way to find out information as anyone can answer them.  All questions I made applied to everyone so I have a good mix of answers. 

    Below is a link to my questionnaire, I would appreciate it if you filled it out. 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1IGXUV5DG7g0YoTNdQIfKsc55D7xsOFfzWyHRALew9as/viewform

Youtube

YouTube is a website I visit a lot.  It has literally everything I need and want on it, whether it is learning how to repair my phone or The Vaccines have released a new song.  YouTube has a bit of everything, for everyone. Such as channels for Comedy, Gaming, Music, Sport, Documentary etc. Personally, I normally visit YouTube for music but if I ever needed to know how to lace my shoe in a certain way or build a paper flower then I'd know where to look. 

http://www.youtube.com

Pro Evolution Soccer

Pro Evolution Soccer is a game I have always followed.  I love this game as the graphics are excellent, the game runs smoothly, it is extremely unpredictable and I find it very addictive and that is rare with football games as I normally get bored of FIFA after 2 hours.  Also, FIFA seems to noticeably change every two years, whereas PES alter many different aspects of the game every year.

The Hobbit 2 Trailer 2013 The Desolation of Smaug

This is a film trailer I find amazing.  It is set in a place I can only dream of visiting, it catches my imagination and immediately draws me into the film.  After watching the trailer I found that I, personally, would like to take part in the adventures and battles that go on in the film.

My Favourite Song

   
This is a song called 'Norgaard' by The Vaccines. This is my favourite song because it always make me feel upbeat no matter how bad a day I have had.  Not even some close friends have a positive effect like that!  The Vaccines are a great band who I regularly listen to, their unique style of music and their thoughtful lyrics appeal to me.

Introductionary Text Page.

Hello, my name is Ben Edwards and I'm 16. I live at home with my parents and my dog, Ozzy.  I have chosen media because it covers a range of topics and there is so much to learn.  I'd hope taking media would enable me to succeed and become a football journalist.  This is my dream job as I could combine my writing skills with everything I pick up in my media lessons and put my ideas across on a sport I love.