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. 

weather

weather forecast 

I chose to do it on the 20th of October as this was a Sunday meaning I had a lot of free time in order to complete my photo-shoot and get the right photos. The temperature was reasonable and there was no forecast for rain which meant there would be no issues with my outdoor location.

Rationale

Rationale: for front cover, contents and Double page spread 

Image for front cover: The main image will be of myself as some sort of music artist, I will use props such as a guitar to highlight the genre of music. The camera shot I will use is mid long shot because this is what you would see when talking to a person face to face therefore making it more personal. The main image will be edited on Photoshop and will use mid-key lighting. 
Image for contents page: I will again use a prop for the image that will feature on my contents page and use the same artist to show it is the main story for this particular issue. This image will use slightly darker lighting to relate to the music. 
Image for Double page spread: The image for my DPS will again be of the same artist this will also feature the guitar prop to ensure the photo-shoot looks the same. This image will use brighter lighting to highlight the artist. The mode of address will be indirect and looking at the article to direct more attention to the interview. 
Secondary images:  The secondary images will be of gigs I have been too and photographed of unknown/undiscovered bands. These photographs stick with the genre of my magazine and shows difference on the front cover which sticks to the conventions of a music magazine. I will use 3 of these images in order to stick to my flat plans and and a conventional layout. 
Secondary images for contents page: The images I use on my contents page will be images of gigs that I have taken (original images), these images will reflect the genre of my magazine (Rock/punk). For this I will use 2 sub images which will be used to link in with pages inside my magazine. 

colours scheme: The colour scheme I was thinking of using is Reds, blacks and yellows these colours are used on a lot of rock music magazines therefore are appropriate to my genre. Furthermore these colours clearly stand out and will 'pop'. 

This colour scheme will be continuos throughout to create a magazine identity. 


Masthead: 
The masthead colour will be in red with a black outline this will make it clear and easy to read and the readers eyes will be drawn to it. I will place the image slightly over the masthead so that it gives the impression that my magazine is well established and highly respected. The masthead will be placed in the top left 3rd of the magazine, this is usually where the masthead is placed and also it is how you would read a book so therefore the readers eyes will gaze to that first which will make the readers immediately know the name.
Main sell line:  the main sell line will read 'upcoming band Queller drive' with a sub-heading of 'first interview with lead singer Beth' this will go on top of the image and act as anchorage.

Headline of the article for double page spread:  This will be 'Queller drives into success' this is a play on words of the bands name. therefore creating a humorous and informal feel to the article. 

font:

 This font is from cool text.com and it is called keen I like this choice of font because it looks like others from rock magazines. This font will be featured throughout giving my magazine a identity. 





puff:
the puff will be advertising free concert tickets to the concert of my main storyline which will persuade people to buy the magazine. This will only feature on my front cover page. 

Cover lines: the cover lines will be of existing bands that match with the rock/punk genre that I have chosen. This will only feature on my front cover. 


Ripped paper will also feature on each of my pages (front cover, contents page and DPS). This will help to create a brand identity.  

Double page spread article: this will be written in columns to stick with the conventions of a magazine. This will ensure it is easy to read for the audience and well set out. 


Font tests 

Flat plan for main task

Front cover flat plan 

this is my flat plan for my main task of a front cover for a music magazine. However when producing my magazine these ideas may develop further but so far this is my initial idea because i think the cluttered effect shows theres a lot going on making the magazine look more interesting for readers. I decided on this layout because i have been inspired by other music magazines and what mine to have a certain look. I have stuck to magazine conventions so that it fits the guidelines and looks more professional. 

Contents page flat plan

This is my contents page flat plan I chose this layout because I think that it sticks with cluttered effect I was going for to reflect my genre of music magazine. Although it is 

cluttered I think this layout is clear and easy to read and also has a professional look to it. This will help me when creating my actual final product because I will stick to this layout and it will be easier to create it because I will know where to put everything. 

flat plan for double page spread

 This is the flat Plan for my double page spread it isn't to cluttered so will be easily read. I have chosen conventions typically used on a double page spread so that it is appropriate and completely correct. This will help me when actually creating my magazine because it will show me exactly what i need to do in terms of the layout. 

I chose these flat plans as my final designs over other initial ideas because I think they stick to the conventions of a rock/punk music magazine. These designs allow the magazine to be cluttered and eye catching, however for my double page spread I decided to use a simple layout this is so a lot of the attention is drawn to the article and ensuring it is clear and easy to read. Overall I think these flat plans allow for a professional layout put it is still different to every other product out there making it my USP.

Sub Genres

If I a rock magazine wasn't to work out in my favour I would chose to do either a punk or indie magazine because I don't mind some of this music and I know examples of bands.

PUNK

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock. Punk bands created fast, hard-edged music, typically with short songs, stripped-down instrumentation, and often political, anti-establishment lyrics. Punk embraces a DIY ethic; many bands self-produced recordings and distributed them through informal channels.
The term "punk" was first used in relation to rock music by some American critics in the early 1970s, to describe garage bands and their devotees. By late 1976, bands such as the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned in London and Television and the Ramones in New York City were recognized as the vanguard of a new musical movement. The following year saw punk rock spreading around the world, and it became a major cultural phenomenon in the United Kingdom. For the most part, punk took root in local scenes that tended to reject association with the mainstream. An associated punk subculture emerged, expressing youthful rebellion and characterized by distinctive styles of clothing and adornment and a variety of anti-authoritarian ideologies.
By the beginning of the 1980s, faster, more aggressive styles such as hard core and Oi! had become the predominant mode of punk rock. Musicians identifying with or inspired by punk also pursued a broad range of other variations, giving rise to post-punk and the alternative rock movement. At the start of the 21st century, pop punk had been adopted by the mainstream, as bands such as Green Day, The Offspring and Blink-182 brought the genre widespread popularity.

 

Indie  

Independent music (often shortened to indie music or indie) is music produced independently from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing. The term indie is sometimes also used to describe a genre (such as indie rock, indie metal or indie pop); as a genre term, "indie" may include music that is not independently produced, and most independent music artists do not fall into a single, defined musical style or genre and usually create music that can be categorized into other genres.

The music magazine market

Make a video of your own at Animoto.

This shows a lot of the magazines that have inspired me to create one of this genre, however this will be my competition in the music magazine market so I have done some research into them so that if my music magazine 'Clash' was to go out onto the market it would be unique and stand out from the others therefore I need to know the positives and negatives of each.

NME

Price: £2.20

Circulation per issue: 23,924

Frequency: weekly

The New Musical Express, popularly known by initialism NME, created by Theodore Smythson, is a music journalism publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, 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

Rock sound

Price: £3.99

Circulation per issue: 15,005

Frequency: monthly

Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to more well-known acts. It generally focuses on the pop, punk, pop-punk, emo, hardcore, post-hardcore, heavy metal and extreme metal genres of rock music, rarely covering indie rock music at all. The tag-line "For those who like their music loud, extreme and non-conformist" is sometimes used.

 

Q

Price: £3.99

Circulation per issue: 58,980

Frequency: monthly

Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology. Q was first published by the EMAP media group in October 1986, setting itself apart from much of the other music press with monthly production and higher standards of photography and printing. In the early years, the magazine was sub-titled "The modern guide to music and more". 

Kerrang!

Price: £2.20

Circulation per issue: 42,007

Frequency: Weekly

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

Alternative Press

Price: $5.99 /  £3.76

Circulation per issue: 280,000

Frequency: Monthly

Alternative press - or, Alt Press for short - is an American music magazine based in Ohio. It generally provides readers with band interviews, photos, information on upcoming releases, and music charts. It was founded in 1985 by Mike Shea. At the time of its 20th anniversary in 2005, AP had grown to an average size of 112 pages per issue and now averages between 198 to 220+ pages a month. The magazine's monthly columns include "The AP Poll", "In the Studio", "AP&R (unsigned bands of the month)", "Chalkboard Confessional", "Musician of the Month", "My Favourite Gear", "Next Exit", "Gig Bag", "1000 Words", "Beauty and the Band", and "10 Essential." 

Classic Rock

Price: £5.50

Circulation per issue: 71,242

Frequency: Monthly

Classic Rock is a British magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock published by Team Rock. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, it also includes articles and reviews of contemporary and upcoming artists it deems worthy of note. Despite starting as an on-off project it has become one of the UK's best selling music magazines.  In September 2010 it published its 150th issue and now has a higher circulation than the NME Magazine.