My article

Queller Drives to Success

I

n a world exclusive, and incredibly rare, solo interview in this week's Clash! Magazine, Queller drive front woman Beth Warner speaks frankly and openly about everything including plans for a world tour and Writing her own personal songs for their newly released album ‘Voyagers Return’. The album, like Queller drives past work, remains a polished gem of pop-punk/rock, but there’s a cutthroat unique edginess to this album like no other. Tracks like “Future Us” have wowed the public getting to No.1 of the rock charts within a week of its release. This band have been on the scene a while but never with such power. They may become one of the most iconic punk bands and go down in history joining those such as Blink 182 and Green day. Their second album is risky and thrilling but the risk has definitely payed off as their fan-base has only grown since its release.

Britain’s own ‘Queller Drive’ are not only used to the heat, but they've got quite a handle on this whole tour thing as well. Having been set up to play for Leeds 2015, with a tour in between, it's no wonder the band has seen massive growth in their fan base. After all, we are led to believe that hard work pays off and this band is a true testament to that. Its all about the music with this band, they truly do show that you can be whatever you want to be,  despite coming from such ordinary backgrounds themselves they started off playing gigs in pubs or whatever they could get and slowly they have worked their way to the top and we are glad to see them up there.

Here Beth Warner speaks out about the bands sudden rise to fame. A year ago this band was practically unheard of now everyone knows their name.

Hi Beth, Our Clash readers would love to know how you are coping with the sudden fame.

I’m absolutely great everything seems perfect right now, I just hope it stays this way

How does it feel becoming one of the new hit Punk bands?

It feels amazing, me and the guys couldn’t be happier. It’s something that we have always

wanted to do, and although it’s been a lot of tough work to get to where we are it was all worth it because knowing that our music can make goosebumps and induce tears, right now we feel super human.

Previously you’ve toured with All Time Low, how was that?

That seems like ages ago now, but the fans were really supportive with us and cheered us on. All-time low are a brilliant band and we were privileged to be their supporting act. I think this is what really kick started our career as a band so we owe a big thanks to them.

Your first single ‘Future Us’ was a massive success selling over 3 million copies, where did you get the Idea to write this song?

This song was really special to me and the guys because it was the first one we wrote as a band, we said it definitely had to go on one of our albums if we ever became successful and here we are. We really wanted the fans to feel connected to us and the song really puts across the message that you can do anything you want.

You’ve just recorded the video for your current single ‘Future Us’ can you tell us anything about it?

Well it’s out next week, so you won’t have long in waiting to see it. Let’s just say it’s very nostalgic and personal because it tells a story of us as a band basically. It’s very weird creating a music video, nothing like I thought it would be like.

You are now compared to huge bands such as Blink 182 and Green day, how does that feel?

I feel extremely honoured to be compared to such iconic bands, I grew up listening to their music and being even half as good as them would make me proud.

How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?

I think with our first album not being as successful we were a lot younger and weren’t so experienced with the music business, now we have matured more and written a lot of personal songs together, I always think if you’re personal the fans will see that.

If you had three words to describe how you are feeling as a band right now what would they be?

[Laughs] I would say amazing, exhausted and ecstatic

Lastly, what’s your ultimate direction for your band? We’ve heard rumors about a possible World tour is that true?

We were definitely considering a world tour, nothing is certain yet but that’s definitely on the cards and the direction we want to consider in the future. Right now we want to carry on doing what we are doing and hopefully keep up the success.

We hope to hear a lot more music and success from Queller drive. Their next single ‘Generations’ is available now on iTunes and the video will be released this month.

 

My photoshop progress

Feedback Double page spread

Positive 
-image looks good with the blurred background focuses in on model well
-good use of ripped paper 
-i like the image a lot! 
-love the ripped paper
-looks professional 
-good layout 
- colours match image 
-great layout 
-good effect on image 
-great powerful pull quote 
-bold title 
-image positioned well as of she's looking at article 
-headline bold 
-good ripped paper effect 
-relevant image with good model 
-good use of image 
-good colour scheme
-lighting used well on image 
-masthead used on DPS
-Good layout 
-colour scheme matches
-good image 
-Title/font stands out
-Good image 
-good font 
-good image 
-nice font 
-effect on image background is good
-font stands out
-good image 
-the layout is good 
-good effects used 
-great layout 
-Title font is good 
-lighting on image 

Negative
-add a website 
-edges of ripped paper still white fill them in to improve 
-change quote colour so it stands out
-could add sub images 
-could use secondary images to break up block of text 
- add an image caption 
-perhaps a byline 
-text to small to read 
-text to small
-the text is a bit small
-cant read article text to small
-text a bit small
-text to small
-add a byline 
-bit small text in article 



This feedback will help me to Improve my magazine double page spread. I will use the constructive criticism to edit things on my magazine, making it overall more professional and improved. The feedback also highlights the good things on my magazine that basically attract my target audience so I wont change these as these are appealing however the negative things I will make sure to either replace or edit so that my audience are more attracted to it. 

Double page spread

I have edited my double page spread using the feedback I received and made it more clear to in the font. I have also changed the colours in my double page spread however they do still match my colour scheme I just changed my pull quote to yellow in order to make it stand out to my target audience. I have added byline and a named photographer to my article so that it looks more professional and sticks to the conventions of a rock magazine so that mine is able to compete with other magazines that may attract my target audience. 

This is my double page spread; I have chosen an image that shows continuity and a brand identity for my magazine it shows the genre of music my magazine will be displaying therefore showing who my magazine may attract and who my primary audience is. For this I had to write an article for the story of the of my band I used for the magazine. Furthermore I decided to change the text and remove the ripped paper as I thought this stood out more dominantly. I also added a clear drop cap as magazines stereotypically do. I think this has really improved my magazines overall look. 

Unfortunately This file became corrupt and I was unable to remove the ruler line in the middle of the page or move my article so it looked more balanced. However I would have made these changes if it were possible.

Improved front cover final

I think this front cover is more successful than my other one as i have listened to the feedback and changed what was said. I think this magazine looks more appropriate to my genre of music and gives it a more cluttered effect.

 

Inspiration for change 

This was a magazine which i was inspired by, I think the layout is interesting and matches the genre really well, i liked how the secondry images were set out so I tried it out on mine and I think it makes a huge improvment.

Contents page Feedback

Positive 
- good main image
-good features bar and colour scheme
-looks professional
-good continuation of your front cover
-looks professional 
-nice layout 
-good layout and use of colours 
-links to rock genre well
-good use of other items i.e. the pin 
-very good colour scheme 
-good fonts chosen
-good use of items like the pin 
- I like the ripped paper effect
- clear writing and choice on contents 
-Plenty of images to Look at 
-professional
-effective 
-it looks professional 
- nice colour scheme
-great graphics used 
-colour scheme used 
-layout is good 
-colour scheme is effective 

Negative
- A bit to read the 'this week'
-add a editor note
-maybe crop image a bit 
-add a note from the editor
-editors note
-add a editors note


I will use this feedback constructively to improve on my contents page. However I may not have enough room for an editors note but I will experiment further to see what looks the best for a final outcome. From the positive feedback I can see I have created a solid brand identity for my magazine and I will try to continue this on to my further work (dps).

Contents page design

This is my final contents page design. I have followed a lot of the conventions for a contents page such as sub heads, page numbers, essential information, a subscription advertisement, a title, masthead, main image and secondary images. These all follow the rules needed to create a good contents page. I have again used the colour scheme black yellow and red this is to create a strong brand identity and create continuity throughout. I feel that overall my contents page is successful as I followed my flat plan and design. I think there could be some improvements made but I will find out from my peer feedback what exactly needs changing and what is good about it.

Contents Images

These are the images I will use for my contents page. I think that they are appropriate for my genre and are good quality images, I have taken all these images my self.

New technology

Throughout the process of making my magazine final product , I have used a number of programmes and new technologies that I have not yet used, however now I have learnt new skills and now can say I am confident using these in within media.

I had to create a blog account using blogger to post all of my research and planning, my final magazine and evaluation, I hadn't used blogger before so this was a new way of presenting things for me but I am now confident in using it to present my work in a way that I think looks good.

I used Photoshop when creating my front cover, my contents page and my double page spread. I practiced before with the preliminary task and the Simpsons movie poster which I think increased by Photoshop experience and skills to a higher level making my final products successful.

I have used animoto a few times on my blog, this is a creative way to show my progress. Animoto allows images, text and videos which I used in order to create a media rich blog. I feel confident in using this programme now.

 I used slide share on my blog as a way on presenting information from a PowerPoint, this is a much neater way to present my work rather than blocks of writing. I used it for lighting and facial expressions this way I could add pictures and diagrams to make it more understandable.

I used prezi for my pitch of my magazine. This presentation device helps to create a flow of information and can also add images.

 

I used pinterest as a way of gathering photos for my creative process I think this looks well set out and is another way to make my blog media rich.

Peer feedback

- very good,good layout with all features included
-very clear to read
-could add captions to the secondary images perhaps 
-very professional, looks real 
-good colour scheme and nice main image
- id make the secondary images smaller so the main image is more prominent 
-Excellent style of cover 
-3D helps it stand out 
-could add captions with sub images 
-great layout 
-looks real 
-very appealing to the eye
- I like the secondary images 
-very professional layout
-need captions 
-I like the cover-line 
- like main image 
- unsure whether puff works 
- freebies effective 
-barcode to big 
-good secondary images 
-good layout 
- better quality main image
-looks good
- keep font consistent  

Final Magazine Cover

This is my final magazine cover that I have been working towards throughout my blog using the creative process. I think overall it is quite a successful magazine cover because it fits many of the magazine conventions and it matches my rock/punk genre. I like the layout i have chosen however i do feel that the secondry images may be a bit too large for the page. I chose myself as the model because it is the sort of look i wanted to go with. I wanted it to be natural and casual so that people could relate to the band and the magazine itself. my costume choice was a denim jacket a band top and jeans this is a very typical look for a magazine model for my genre which i thought would add to the rock look. for my magazine I decided to use a guitar as a prop to relate to the music genre giving it an edgy look. 

For my front cover I had to consider Laura Mulvey's theory of male gaze this is because I decided to use a female character (myself) for my front cover. By using a strong female character I will try and change the perception of women In the media.

The competition

Kerrang!

Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Soundsnewspaper. Named after the onomatopoeic word that derives from the sound made when playing a power chord on a distorted electric guitar, Kerrang! was initially devoted to theNew Wave of British Heavy Metal and the rise of hard rock acts. In the early 2000s it became the best-selling British music newspaper.

I am aware of this huge competition from this magazine It has the same target audience as me and has a lot of my readers interests i found this out from kerrangs reader profile. however I can challenge the competition using my USP (unique selling point). I will make my magazine better and include the types of bands that i know my target audience will like. 

NME!

New Musical Express, popularly known by the acronym NME, created by Theodore Ingham, is a UK weekly pop/rock music journalism publication, published since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s and 90s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, in the 14 November 1952 edition. In the 1970s it became the best-selling British music newspaper. During the period 1972 to 1976, it was particularly associated with gonzo journalism (self-involved reporting), then became closely associated with punk rock through the writing of Tony Parsons.

An online version of NME, NME.com, was launched in 1996. It is now the world's biggest standalone music site, with over 7 million users per month. 

I will challenge the competition from this magazine by establishing a well-known magazine with a good reputation I will use all of the magazine conventions to a high standard and produce a magazine that grabs my target audiences attention. From NME's reader profile i can see they have a similar target audience to my magazine therefore I will have to make mine unique and different from NME's. 

Time

Time schedule

 I will have done:

Inspiration including covers, contents and Double page spread by Oct 24th

All of my creative process done by Oct 31st

Gathered all my photographs by Nov 6th

front cover final contruction by the Nov 15th

contents page done by Nov 30th

double page spread done by Dec 9th

I have stook to my deadlines from my previous time schedule.

 

More on Laura mulvey and stuart hall

my magazine

Female on the cover: Laura Mulvey theory of Male gaze 

The gaze is a Feminist theory developed to highlight the power imbalance between men and women analysing the way men see women, the way women view themselves and other women. The theory suggests that an audience are forced to view the text from the perspective a heterosexual male, films constantly focus on women’s curves and events that happen to them are portrayed at a male angle. The male gaze denies women human agency, relegating them to the status of objects. Therefore the female viewers experience the text narrative secondarily, by identifying with a man’s perspective (male gaze). In addition she argues that sexism can also occur in the way the text is presented. Moreover, people are encouraged to gaze at women in advertising that sexualizes a woman's body even when the woman's body is unrelated to the advertised product.

Mulvey suggests that the audience view the films in two ways: voyeuristically and fetishistically. As audiences watch films without being watched by the characters they become onlookers of their lives. Therefore they become voyeurs of the people on screen. This can lead to two effects: objectification and narcissistic identification. Voyeurism involves turning the represented figure into a fetish so it becomes increasingly beautiful but more objectified.

Stuart hall

Preffered Reading – This is when audiences respond to the product the way media producers want/expect them to.
Negotiated Reading – This is when a member of the audience partly agrees with part of the product .e.g Film, documentary, TV programme.
Oppositional Reading – This is when the audience are in complete disagreement with the product’s message or setting.

original Gig pictures( secondry)

 

 

 

These are images from a small gig I went to see, the artist is un-established and not well known therefore I think these images would be perfect for my secondary images in my magazine. These images link well to the target audience I am aiming for and also they look more natural rather than staged which is good as it relates to the target audiences interest of going to gigs/concerts. This will give the magazine a more interesting and professinal look because not all of the images should be staged.  

Peer feedback- Pitch

Positive
-I like the choice of colour scheme as it appeals 
to the target audience.
-I like the choice of background
-good detail
-well thought out
-good genre explanation
-In depth target audience
-in depth costume and props
-talked well about the effects of the colours and
imagery on the viewers
-good target audience research
-I like the colour scheme and genre ideas
-nice colour scheme
-a lot of detail including good ideas
-like how you've added a set location
-added peoples hobbies and interests thinking
about your target audience

Negative
- you could have included some examples of bands
which you may include
-include images you may use
-could use images
-could explain using images e.g. outfits
-could talk more about sub-genres
-could show images of what clothing you will use
-pictures of your location more vivid
-need to know what it will actually look like

My Pitch

This is My Pitch for my Music magazine It should explain in extra detail what I am going to produce as my final outcome and show my final ideas. 
other ideas include: 
masthead title: Clash! because it seems appropriate for the genre of music and my target audience. 
price: £2.20 because from my survey it showed they wouldn't be willing to pay over £3.00 for a magazine. 
frequency: monthly 

Some inspirational magazines and camera shots

This front cover of a magazine uses a low Angle this makes the star look bigger along with their stardom being emphasized further, I like the use of this Low angle because it gives the effect the reader is looking up at them like at a concert making the image look more natural. furthermore the pose and stance on this image looks really creative and ties well with the theme of the magazine. The Image looks like it was taken at a concert therefore it has the lighting in the background giving a more natural feel to the magazine.

 However I also like the use of this staged image. It is a close up of the artist therefore emphasizing his facial expression. The image is made to stand out very clearly here and they have used a colour scheme that fits well with the colours on the image, therefore I find this magazine front cover very inspirational. This may effect the final outcome of my magazine.

I like this contents page because it is very simplistic therefore the image really appears to the readers eyes because all the colour is focused on the image. This image is a medium long shot therefore shows a lot of the artist allowing the full costume to be shown. The pose of this artist is sticking his tounge out, this goes well with the punk genre of music and shows rebellion for the teenagers.

This double page spread uses medium close up's along the bottom of page. I like this layout because a lot of attention is drawn to the images without taking too much away from the article itself.  The lighting used is low key which could emphasize the dark side of music, but it also highlights the pops of colour on the rest of the page.

My reader profile

what music i like and what interests i have 

Music likes: the music which genre which i enjoy is rock music or punk. examples of my favourite bands are Blink 182, Bowling for soup, The smiths, Fall out boy and the kooks

Interests: I like listening to music, going to gigs/concerts and going out with my friends. I also like art 

Magazines I like:  I buy kerrang magazines however i do also like NME 

Colours: my favourite colours are green and  purple 

Descriptive: I am quite quiet/shy however can be loud and bubbly with my friends. 

Audience Profiling

 

 

Music likes: The 1975, A day to remember and Fall Out Boy

Interests: socialising with friends, social networks and going to concerts

magazines purchased: Kerrang!

colours: Grey and Black

descriptive: Outgoing

 occupation: student

 

 

Music likes: Olly Murs, All time Low, Paramore

Interests: social networks, going to gigs/concerts

Magazines purchased: NME

Colours: purples

descriptive: Chatty

occupation: student  

 

Semiotics

Semiotics and symbols 

semiotics- study of signs 
connotations- different meanings 
denotation- literal term 

key theorits 
-Ferdinand Saussure- language and understanding and created the term semiotics 
-Roland Barthes- modernised Saussure's ideas and applied them to popular culture such as Andy Warhol's art and advertising 

signifier+ signified= sign

The signifier- could be a word, colour, Image, sound (i.e. the colour blue) 

Semiotics, also called semiotic studies and including (in the Saussurean tradition) semiology, is the study of signs and sign processes (semiosis), indication, designation, likeness, analogy,metaphor, symbolism, signification, and communication. Semiotics is closely related to the field of linguistics, which, for its part, studies the structure and meaning of language more specifically. However, as different from linguistics, semiotics also studies non-linguistic sign systems. Semiotics is often divided into three branches:

• Semantics: Relation between signs and the things to which they refer; their denotata, or meaning
• Syntactics: Relations among signs in formal structures
• Pragmatics: Relation between signs and sign-using agents

This study is significant to me because it helps me to understand that the images I use on my magazine will come across in different ways to different audiences. This helps me as I will now ensure that all the images that I use send the message that I want to be received. I will use colours that have connotations of Rock music and stick with the genre of my magazine so that everything matches. 

Photo shoot planning

Media Production

Photo shoot planning document

What emotional impact do you want your photography do have upon the reader? How? I want the image to be quite laid back and possibly humourous to make the readers laugh and get the idea that the magazine is comical and quite jovial. The image should reflect the magazine on a hole. Furthermore I will edit my photograph using bright and vibrant filters so that picture fits in with the overall mood of the magazine.

What personnel do you need? Who are you going to photograph?

I will be using myself for the cover of my magazine, i chose this because then there will be no trouble in cancelation and can do it in times that are suitable for myself. 

What props will you need?

I will need my guitar to emphasise the genre of the magazine. 

How are you going to emphasise colour?

I will use filters on photoshop when creating my magazine to ensure that it is bright and stands out from the titles etc. 

Have you briefed your personnel/models?
yes i have. 

What lighting will you need? Any other equipment?

I will need the lighting outside to be light so i can take a photograph also the weather will need to be sunny because the rain or clouds would essentially effect the mood of the magazine. 

Where will you shoot? Will you need a backdrop?
the background of my image is a brick wall i think this gives the magazine a rustic look and will match the genre perfectly. This is used on other magazines which inspired me to do the same 

Make-up? Costume?
for my makeup i will just use eyeliner and maybe the festival face paint to make it look relaxed and fun the costume will either be festival wear or band t-shirts.