Sophie Bennett AS Foundation Portfolio

Thursday, 9 February 2012

Planning my article.

Mode: My double page spread will be an interview with the main subject, a DJ of whom has just finished their tour. The field of the interview will be the artists success, their tour, recent and upcoming projects and amusing anecdotes from back stage. I believe these subjects will be of interest to the reader as they are likely to want to get to know the artists as much as possible.

Narrative voice: Throughout the interview I will include the first and second person narrative. The second narrative voice will be used when the interviewer is asking the questions and the first being used when the artist is answering. I believe this will allow the tenor between the artist and the reader to become closer and also feel much more relaxed and informal than if it were in the third person narrative.

Introductory paragraph: This will also be in the second person narrative, it will make the reader feel as though the article is talking directly to them. Additionally it will add much more personality to the article and therefore making it much more interesting.

Lexis: The language I will be using throughout the interview will be of an informal yet somewhat professional tone. When the artist is answering the interviewers questions they will obviously have their own idiolect. I want them to appear relaxed, however still excited about their up and coming projects, I also inevitably want them to be liked by the reader so I will therefore make sure their language is one of which has a lot of their personality being exemplified though what they say and how they say it.

Additional information: I think it will be a good idea, (due to the fact my audience are likely to be passionate about the music inside the magazine) to also include further tour dates, websites and any extra information that may be of use to the reader. This will lead the reader into believing they are getting something really useful out of buying the magazine and it also makes it seem much more than 'just an interview'.

Friday, 3 February 2012

Planning my article- narrative voices.

Using a second person narrative allows the reader to immediately become involved in what the article is saying and therefore they are more likely to be interested in the content. Additionally, along with a second person narrative, in an introduction, usually comes a rhetorical question, of which gets the reader thinking and puts them in the artists shoes somewhat. It also acts as a hook to the reader and entices them to keep reading the article.

The first person narrative will be interesting for the reader as it conveys how and what the subject thinks. It adds an aspect of their personality which is likely to make it also less formal and a little bit more fun to read. Majority of the time the first person narrative is used in interviews.

The third person narrative is a way of explaining to the reader the situation and it also allows you to summarise the article without using biased language. It lets the reader make their own mind up on the subjects and the article itself. It can also be quite factual, with dates and names etc therefore appears more trustworthy so the reader then feels what they are reading is true. This will entice the reader to read on and even perhaps keep buying the magazine.

Wednesday, 1 February 2012

Image analysis.

Paolo's eyes are facing downwards and are in the middle third of the image which would suggest that he has something to hide which acts as a hook to the audience. The lighting of the image is pretty natural- coming in from the end of the tunnel, however the image as a whole is quite dark which anchors the subjects eye line. His costume is simple and there's nothing too extravagant about the location either which allows all of the attention to be on the subject. It is a medium close up with the subject edging to the left third of the page, this conveys the significance of the artist.

The subjects costume and the background of the image contrast with his skin colour- this emphasizes the importance of him and his black rap genre of music. His eye line is central in the top third of the frame and they are looking down upon us, this would suggest he is of importance. His pose is quite threatening without being agressive- his head is tilted backwards and his hands are in his pockets, this morrors the genre of music of which he is associated with.

Wednesday, 25 January 2012

Flat Plans.

Front cover: I have used a medium close up shot for my front cover as I think it sets the page off well, without making it appear cluttered. The models eyes are placed in the centre of the page and her face therefore becomes a focal point to the reader.The way in which the sell lines, masthead, insentive and sky lines are laid out allows the text to act as a frame for the models face- this coveys the subjects importance to the magazine. The background of the page will be of a dark, grey scale so that not only the text stands out but also the models make up too. The masthead will be a different, contrasting colour to the background and the sell lines, this will allow it to be the first thing the reader notices. It is on the left side of the page which is also convenient as we read from left to right and also to the way the shops layout the magazines on the shelves. I have made a left alinement of 6mm to make the page have a professional feel (most of the magazines already on the market have done this). Other than the masthead the main sell line is the largest text on the page as it is the most important sell line on the page. The models name will appear in a different font so that it stands out and people recognise her name, this will act as a persuasion to the target audience as will the insentive featured at the top of the page. The insentive overlaps both the skyline and the masthead and gives it a slightly informal feel. Both the insentive and one of the sell lines will have a frame around them so that they stand out from the dark background.

Contents page: The contents page will be kept relatively simple with lines acting as seperaters inbetween each column and image, this will make the page easier to follow. Each page will have a bold, stand out banner above it so that it is easier for the reader to find what they are looking for, it also makes the page seem fuss free. I have repeated the masthead, yet made it smaller so that the reader will get used to seeing it and therefore be able to recognise the magazine. The colour and font of the text will be kept the same throughout so that the magazine stays professional. Again, the text will frame the image, therefore making it the most important feature on the page. I have included another skyline on this page as I think it sets the page off and draws your eye across the page, it's also a useful way to include extra information without having to make the page feel cluttered. I have kept the left alinement of 6mm to keep up the professional feel.

Double page spread: The main image on this page is large and takes up nearly a full A4 page, this conveys the importance of the artist and it also makes the text feel less daunting to read with too much text. The text is set out into columns across the right hand page so that it is easier for the reader to read and it keeps the professional feel throughout. The article title will be in a bold contrasting font so that it stands out, it also overlaps onto the right hand page, this immediately draws the readers eye across the page. The article page will be in bold so that the audience will have their attention on that, it will act as a kind of hook to the reader and will therefore make them want to keep reading. The main image will be one of a flirtatious manor so that it also appeals to men aswell as women.

Target Audience

I have been doing research regarding music magazines' target audience and how it is conveyed through different aspects of the magazine, such as; colours, the certain subject featured on the front and the theme of the articles themselves. Due to this I have come to the conclusion that the target audience of whom will read my magazine are very likely to be a certain way and interested in certain things.

Age: 14-30
Gender: Both male and females, ideally equal.
Class: Working class- middle class.
Music Interests: House/ Dance/ Dubstep.
Media Influences: Music, advertisements (clubs, CD's etc), YouTube and social networking sites.

Taking my target audience into account I will have to balance the article themes equally so that both males and females are interested in buying the product. The same applies with every other aspect of the magazine. For example if I am willing for both genders to buy my magazine it wouldn't make sense to have the colour theme pink as it would immediately be disregarded by males. The same if I were to have very attractive, half naked females on almost every page in the magazine, females would be lead to believe the magazine is aimed at males only. Class is something that will also affect my magazine- it will be reasonably priced and the target audience can expect to get a lot of read for their money. Additionally, without being disrespectful to the lower/middle class people, the language used in my magazine will not be of a high vocabulary, therefore those of whom don't have the same language ability as those of a higher class will not feel inferior or as if they are not able to buy the product. Due to the fact my audience will be interested in DJ's and of a lower class I will include insentives so that they will be persuaded in buying my magazine. I will also include, reviews of new and upcoming artists and their albums/gigs so that the audience feel that they are recieving useful information rather than just interview articles and photo shoots. Generally, my target audience are relatively young and likely to be interested in social networking sites, consequently I will make sure there are websites that the reader can use inside the magazine. For example there will be a Facebook page and the magazines own website for further information.