Research and Planning: Contents progress

Research and Planning: Competition prize

As I am intending to add a competition, I am looking into what makes a good winning prize and there are a few examples above. The examples portray winnings such as festival tickets, autographed vinyl's as well as CD offerings. I like the sound of all 3 examples especially the tickets and vinyl competitions.

For my contents story with my second model image, I have wrote about a band Anarchy have been watching and I am trying to express them as a good uprising band therefore offering tickets for the readers to visit there next gig would be a great addition to the story. 

I have a collection of vinyl in my house including great band names such as guns and roses and Linkin park therefore they will provide a great winning prize for my fans especially if I offer a fare few which will intrigue the fans. Vinyl are a great collectors item and are making a great comeback therefore I believe they will provide a great vintage item to my contents page. As my magazine will be the first of it's issue, I will make the competition prize substantial to generate a good reputation.

Research and Planning: Images of props

The idea behind me taking these prop images is to fill any empty space on my cover and contents page as any empty space is unprofessional.  

The idea behind the guitar images was that I was thinking of creating a signature, Photoshop the signature on the guitar and use the guitar as a competition item. A magazine always contains competitions to interest the reader to buy the magazine, as well as to gain money from them.

The microphone I will be Photo-shopping into my 2nd model image to add to the effect of the live singing as every singer needs a mic. The brightness of the image won't matter as the background of the 2nd model image is black therefore as long as the microphone is slightly bright it will stand out.

I organised a few LP's into a competitions style format where many are on show. I intend to use them as another competition item. I am preferring the LP competition item over the guitar item as they look professional in the way they are set out as well as I think my audience including me, would prefer to get many LP's over a guitar which many people can't play.  

I took images of my earphones for the sake of taking images of items I can relate to metal, or music in general.

I then decided to combine the earphones with an LP which I am thinking of using for the cover for a little taster that the audience can see when thinking of buying the magazine, and once they open it to the contents, they can view the full competition winnings.

These microphone pictures are more images so I can get a range of pictures to decide which image is the better one as the microphone is a big part of my designs for the 2nd model image. 

Research and Planning: Cover progress

Since my last progress post on my cover design, I have managed to add and finish many of the design features corresponding with my new draft of my you cove.

I have managed to add my model image to the cover which portrays a different pose compared to the past attempt. This was due to the fact that screaming directly at the reader allows the reader to feel involved as the audience will sense the model is screaming at them perpersonally.

I have added one of my prop images of the Linkin park LP with the headphones on. The purpose of adding this image to the bottom right was to 1st, fill space, and 2nd, it will act as a teaser to get readers interested in the competition as if more people enter the cocompetition, more money for the magazine.

I have added layer styles onto the cover lines such as textures and strokes to make the cover lines stand out from the background colours.

The 4th model image has also been included into the top right space which was reserved for such image.  The headings have also been placed above and below the image to help explain the cover line.

Research and Planning: 3rd model images

These are my retaken images of my cover model whereas instead of inside with artificial light, I shot them outside where natural light created a clean brightness on the model with little shadows.

I took a range of poses like the original set of images such as the screaming pose with hands on ears, as well as the straight gaze pose, however, another reason why I wanted to retake the images is so I can try out a new pose, which is the hands on mouth screaming shot. I was inspired for the shot by a previous Kerrang front cover which also contained a slight broken glass effect which looked amazing therefore I want to see how the pose portrays with my model.

The model is wearing a grey jumper as I believed the colour matches the 3 colour scheme I am working with. It wouldn't look professional if I was using black, red and white and the model is wearing a bright green outfit it would clash which explains the reasoning behind the grey coloured jumper.

Research and Planning: 4th model images

The reasoning behind the taking of these images is because rock/metal magazines such as Kerrang tend to contain a few comedic stories and I thought to myself, why not have an older model for a little age diversity and a comedic story such as a "65 and still rocking" for example.

With the rocking story in mind, I took a range of poses of my 4th model including the rock pose as well as a few snarls and finger pointing, attempting to make the model look as metal as possible.

I took the images inside in my house as the background will act as the models house where the Anarchy staff have gone to interview her to get the story.

The image will only take a little space on my cover therefore the background will be hardly noticed as well as the brightness of the model however I believe the shadows on the model create a more metal effect as the model looks more dark.

Again, the idea behind the outfit is that the colour matches the colour scheme of my cover therefore background will create a contrast drawing an eye to the image and then the model's outfit will not stand out due to the matching of the outfit colour, and my colour scheme.

Research and Planning: 2nd model images

The images below are photo's taken by me and I intend to use them for my contents page. I am planning to create a contents story to write about a live event of a made up band and one of the images will be Photo-shopped to make the model look as if she was singing live.

The idea behind the model holding her hand to her mouth is so I can Photoshop a microphone in her hand which adds to the effect of her singing. I will be taking other images of props such as the mic in the current few days.

I have specified where I have taken my images in the location locce. However, as I am trying to make a live event setting, there will be no need for a background therefore the wall behind the model can be easily removed so I can add effects such as spotlights and camera glares.

I took the images outside as the natural light produces bright and colourful images expressed by my practice shots in a past post. This therefore allows the model to be fully lit instead of any shadows covering her and darkening the photo.

I chose the model because she is a massive fan of metal, punk and rock music meaning she likes to dress in merchandise as well as where eye liner which adds to the effect of a being a metal singer.

Research and Planning: Contents progress

Research and Planning: Competition story

The story below is the writing I will be adding with my competition photo's to incise the audience to enter the competition which is a great way to make money for the magazine:

How does the sound of 50 of your all-time most awesome albums tranferred to LP’s worth over £1000. Sound good? Well it’s competition time as you can be in with a chance of a truck load of your favourite songs all in original cover LP’s just waiting for you. All you have to do is text “rock” to 08045. Terms and conditions apply which can be found on the back page of this issue. GOOD LUCK!!

Research and Planning: Double page spread design feature inspiration

Looking at the screenshots above, they all have one thing at least in common, they all contain a heading which involves different style fonts styles and sizes clumped into one or two sentences. Usually, the change in style and font size occurs to highlight the main section of a heading to make a reader take notice and let the particular writing stand out. E.g. in the third screenshot, "THE BEST MCR" contains a larger font style compared to the other sections of the sentence. 

With this in mind, I may want to add this feature in my own double page spread as clearly readers must like the feature as it occurs in most double page spreads. 

Research and Planning: Double page design feature (Bottom left and right of pages)

For the bottom left and right corners of the double page spread, I am going to add the page number as well as the magazine name such as these examples shown. They are helpful in finishing the double page spread from where the story ends, to the bottom of the page adding a professional look.

As you can see, the examples express the name of the magazine however the name is still shown in the standard "Kerrang" font style therefore keeping consistency.

The bottom right corner of this double page spread also contains a graphic of an arrow pointing to the next page guiding them through the magazine. I don't like the idea of the arrow being large as it makes it seem like they want you to hurry through the pages and I am sure people know how to turn over a page without having a bold arrow telling you. I may add a subtle arrow to fill up a little space as a small one won't be as patranising the reader.  

Research and Planning: Double page spread start up

I have started my double page spread design and the screenshot above is of my first attempt. 

Seeing the screenshot from the blog perspective, I can see strengths and weaknesses within my design. The most vivid weakness is the background colour of the double page spread. The light grey colour is very powerful which was not the plan. I want to add a even lighter grey, similar to the cover page which creates easy comparison as well as a lesser strong background to allow other features to shine through.

The font style and colour is a little weak as I believe the writing needs to be stronger, maybe adding a black font colour will allow the text to stand out more. The weakness of the text may also be due to the over-powering background colour.

I am thinking of shortening the length of the story to allow more space in the top right corner of the double page spread so I can add more text for the page heading. I can't just add a heading and jump straight into the story therefore shortening the story to move the text down, this will create space for a sentence or two to explain the happenings of the page.

I am also going to change the quote below the "Dark Destroyer" text as in my story, I have portrayed the Dark Destroyer as a little arrogant and a jackass therefore acting surprised that he is "better than Slipknot" is contradicting the story.

In contrast, I like how I have designed the top left corner of the page. By adding a story title, I am able to add the ANARCHY colour and font style found throughout the pages to create similarity as well as filling up some space as I am planning to add a A4 model image on left page and a large image may be too simple.

Research and Planning: Contents progress

Since the last update, I have moved the design from adobe Indesign to adobe Photoshop as I found difficulty importing my contents image from Photoshop into Indesign as the image transfer made the image pixelated and distorted therefore proceeding with the design on Photoshop means the contents image keeps it's integrity and high definition.

I have changed the rectangle on top of the page from grey to black to keep with the 3 colour scheme associated with the colour. 

I have added some page numbers however there are more to some as well as the stories which will be to the right of the page numbers.  

Research and Planning: Model make-over

This post contains the process in which I have modified the 2nd model's image to an image I believe appropriate for the contents page where it will be located.

Out of the two images I have taken, I intended to try and make the pose look like the model was singing live on a stage and I think the image above works a little better compared to the second one as the one above has enough space for inserting a mic for the model to hold whereas the other one doesn't.

To get to this stage, I used a quick selection tool remove most of the background and then a pen tool to refine the edges of the model for a clean edge with no blurriness. I also decreased the brightness a little as a live singer tends to sing inside a dark room, not outside in natural light therefore I had to make the model look like she was in artificial light which is always a less bright.

To get to the third stage, I have added a black background colour overlay as stages tend to have black backgrounds due to dark rooms and spot lights. I have Photo-shopped the mic I edited in a previous blog into her hand to make it look as if the model was singing live. Also I added many spot light effects, some drawn by hand and some were stored on Photoshop. The camera glare is to make the photo look real as the direct artificial light would cause a camera to create glare on it's lens. The brightness of the model was turned right down as a mix of bright colours with a black background doesn't combine very effectively therefore the black and white of the model will mix much better.   

Research and Planning: Contents story

In this post I will be including the contents story I have created to be included with the 2nd model image.

LIVING HIGH

Steph is on point in her latest show in London!!

The crowd were roaring at “Living High’s” latest show as they smashed out their new songs including the insane “Devil’s Cage”. Read about thier blockbuster shows and interveiws backstage with the band with this latest issue.  As well as interviews, we have chances to win tickets to see  “Living High” as they continue to rock form town to town.  To have a chance of winning special backsatge tickets, log onto the website NOW!!

Research and Planning: Production documents of 2nd model

Model release form: 

This is a document which the model has signed to allow me access to use the photo's of the model in which I am going to take in the future. It notifies the model that the photo's will soly be used for the magazine and no money will come from it.

Risk Assessment sheet:

The document above is an assessment of the location I will be taking the images of the model. It identifies the risks allowing me to take time to make sure the location is as safe as possible for the model.

The second part to the sheet involves a product risk assessment which includes the names of the mise-on-scene manager as well as the location contact and address therefore meaning I have the certified location to take my image as well as the location contacts permission.

Location Recce:

A location recce identifies the cinematography of the location including sound and light. It also includes a birds eye view of the location I will be taking my model shots.

Shooting Schedule:

The shooting schedule refers to the date I will be taking my images and the amount of time it will take to photograph the model.

Shot list:

The document above is a list of shots I will need to complete my cover, contents and double page spread. I will be continuing to update this sheet as well as the shooting schedule as I keep updating my magazine as I may need more images as I progress.

Research and Planning: Pod cast update

The video above is a new pod cast which is an update from the last pod cast I produced. I have recorded my voice describing the posts have added to my blog after my last pod cast and posts/tasks I will be adding to my blog in the future.

Research and Planning: Contents page start-up

As I am waiting to take images of the model on my front cover as well as other metal themed images, I have decided to start working on my contents page. The image above is of the progress I have made in the design. I am including ANARCHY in the same font to create a link from the cover. The contents title is currently in a grey background however I am going to change this to black or red to match with the cover's colour scheme.

The large white rectangle will contain a  image of a model for another main story line. I am thinking something to do with a band on tour therefore I can Photoshop a model to be singing live. The story below the model is a little teaser to describe the image and what the story will be about.

On the right hand side, I have placed black rectangles which will contain the different headings on story lines such as "Featured" or "Reviews". The colour of the headings will be either red or white to keep with the 3 colour scheme of black, red and white. The white space below the headings will be reserved for the story lines which will intrigue the reader to read on through the pages.

I am undecided of what to do with the large white space at the bottom of the contents page and I will continue to work on it.

Research and Planning: Double page spread story

For my story, I have decided to write a story on a fake interview with my model who is the lead singer of the made up band "Leviathan".

For my questions, I will be asking them determined on what topics my target audience would like to read about, which I asked during my research.

My audience said that they would like to read about topics such as:

• albums
• tours/gigs
• latest news
• relationships
• top 10 information

Ahead of the there smash hit UK tour, the Dark Destroyer front man talks Casual Fridays, Women drama's and the life of a metal bruiser.

Before we begin, what's the deal with the Dark Destroyer nickname, can you shed some light on the matter?

Let's just say it involves my dark hair and many women. I will let the readers figure out the rest.

You are currently planning your, Lucifer's whipping boy tour, can you tell us how your managing to cope with the pressure of creating such blockbuster gigs, as they are stated to be better than legendary classics such as Slipknot, say our fans? 

Damm. I have a been a Slipknot gig and theirs are pretty hard to live upto. Life as a metal artist has come natural to us. Performing songs and putting on shows is nothing. I don't think we have ever felt pressure because we don't see a show as a job. Anyways, our audience are that mental that I don't think they take much notice on us, they just concentrate on moshing to whatever we play. They are the best fans.

Do you have any superstitions before entering on stage?

The band has a ritual in which we drink a can of Foster's before going on stage. It started from the first gig we ever did as when we were on our way to the venue, our bus collided with a fosters advertisement sign. The gig was delayed but the Fosters has stayed with us ever since.

Our female fans are especially interested in your private life, they are all dying to hear if you are tied up?

Well, all the females out there will be glad to hear no-one is tying me up.  I have no time for relationships. Music is my women and I intend to keep that going. However, I am always up for a bit of fun if you get my drift.

When you were growing up, who were the artist that inspired you to metal music?

Metal music was a big part of my life. I have to say Nirvana and Iron Maiden spring to mind. There was nothing better than jamming to Run to the hills in your bedroom, volume remote in one hand and a beer in the other. In my opinion there is no equivalent.

As your known to be a man of great style, do you think a front man needs to have a good image?

I take no interest in style or image. A good front man is a guy who can put on a great show, nothing more. Corey Taylor has no style, But he is famous for being a great performer of the art. Slipknot may have masks, but the fans don't see the them as an image, more of apart of Slipknot's history and their truth. Trust me, I have been to a Slipknot show, and I will always remember Corey Taylor and his lead man performance, and that's how I want to make my fans feel, to come to a our gigs and be able to remember them for years after.

Life as a metal artist can be rough and full of non-stop action, what does a annual Friday in-tale for the band?

Well we see Friday nights as a rest day.. Do some practising in the morning then we go out and do some things we love besides playing music. I personally love to play games consoles. Get some call of duty and Fifa hours in. Johnny on the other hand continues to write new songs. Johnny finds song writing relaxing and sees pleasure in it. Tracy loves the party life. Going out and coming in the next morning hungover as F***.

After your tour, what are the future plans for the band?

Well we can't spoil the surprise now can we. The readers will just have to wait and see but we promise, Leviathan are planning some big things.

Leviathan kick of their new tour in Manchester next year. For further details and latest news on the band and their upcoming shows, visit the website.

Research and Planning: Re-draft of contents page

The image to my left is the first draft I produced and it's analyses is in a past post. I basically drew the first draft this way as my shattered glass effect took the centre stage in my first cover draft therefore I wanted the glass effect to continue to add fluency however, after I re-designed my cover, the contents didn't suit.

This is my re-design of my contents page which was influenced by the design features I have found from present metal magazines such as Metal Hammer.  I have introduced the heading rectangles on the right hand side as well as the subscription placement in the bottom right of the page. The bottom left corner is where the competition I have posted about will be placed with text surrounding it. The blank white space above the competition will be the main contents image will be placed and possibly a story to be placed over the image.  I still have the masthead dominating the contents page with and added "THIS WEEK" to introduce the contents page.