Risk assessment

What to consider when planning my photo shoot.

My production plan

Q deconstruction

Editorial profiles

Editorial profiles are the short letter at the beginning of a magazine. Depending on the category of the magazine, the writing style and content can vary. I have researched the editorial profiles in music magazines and they change with different genres and target audiences. I have written a first draft of the editorial profile I will feature in my magazine;

Hello, and welcome to the first edition of Download magazine. This is a new music magazine brought to you by people who wanted a brand new, affordable, epic magazine completely dedicated to punk rock music. We've got features on all your favourite bands such as All Time Low and their new album, You Me At Six and their Wembley stint, and the best up and coming band from homeland UK; Running From Lions.
Enjoy,
Editor - Amber

Audience profile

This is Freya; she is 16 years old and enjoys listening to punk rock bands such as All Time Low and We Are The In Crowd. She regularly buys Kerrang! and Rock Sound as she likes the bands they feature. In her spare time Freya likes going to concerts with her friends, taking photos and shopping in shops like Blue Banana and Glamour Kills. She is looking for a new music magazine as she feels that the ones she reads at the moment don't have enough variety; she is always looking out for and discovering up and coming bands.

Band thoughts

American band Paramore

For my music magazine I have put together a band to photograph and feature. I took inspiration from punk rock bands such as We Are The In Crowd, Paramore and Tonight Alive, all of which have a female lead singer.

Australian band Tonight Alive

My band consists of 5 members; Sarah, lead singer, Ed, lead guitarist, Ben, guitarist, Jack, bass player and Miles, drummer. I am planning to dress them in clothes that are seen as "punk rock style" such as checkered shirts, simple t-shirts, skinny jeans and shoes like Vans or Converse.

I am planning to photograph them in or near the woods or a field. A lot of punk rock bands have photo shoots or music videos shot in woods, so it fits in with the style of this genre. Also, as they are featured as an "up and coming band from Devon, UK" woods and fields are associated with Devon and the countryside.

Paramore's forest themed video

Technicals...

Models: Sarah Hunt, Ed Hunt, Jack Lane, Ben Windley and Miles Cullimore. Aged 15 - 16.

Camera height/angle/distance: 

Front cover; Full length shot of band, angled up from the ground to look through trees and give a sense of power and popularity. 

Contents; Straight on shot of the band looking at the camera, more relaxed than front cover shot.

Double page spread; Mid shot of band looking happy and pleased, angled straight on.

Location:

Front cover; Standing in front of trees/woods

Contents; Sitting on steps in woods

Double page spread; Standing in front of woods

Mise en scene: Costume of skinny jeans, shirts, band T-shirts and Converse shoes, all of which are associated with punk rock style. Drummer to be holding drum sticks in some shots to indicate his role in the band. 

Connotation:

Front cover; featured as a band from Devon and trees and woods are associated with Devon. Standing in front to look like they are in control or own the woods.

Contents; Sitting on steps to show their relaxed and easy going personalities. Angled so that the lead singer is sitting at the front and the drummer is at the back, as the lead singer is usually seen as the main part of a band.

Double page spread; Standing outside of the woods in an open area to show how they have nothing to hide, which is reflected in the interview they give.

Contingency: I have at least 2 people who can sub in if 1 of my models can't come to the photo shoot for any reason. If the weather is bad we can either reschedule for a later date, but if it will be too late I will take the photos inside against a plain background and use Photoshop to edit the background in. 

Magazine name

I asked 25 people which name they think is better for a punk rock magazine; 52% said 'Download', 12% said 'Punk Wave' and 36% said 'Uprising". 

Download; I like the name 'Download' for a music magazine as this is a word already associated with music. The only concern I have is that there is a music festival called 'Download' so people may think it is related to that. However, Download festival features punk rock bands so people will already assume the magazine is something to do with the punk rock music genre.

Punk Wave; I thought this was a good name as it immediately tells the reader what genre the magazine will feature. I originally thought of 'New Wave', but 'Punk Wave' actually implies that it is about punk music whereas 'New Wave' could be about anything.

Uprising; My final option was inspired by the band Muse, as they are incredibly influential in the world of rock music. 'Uprising' also sounds very different and forceful, and original punk music back in the 70's was well known for going against everything that was current and setting new trends.

I have decided to call my magazine 'Download'.

Front cover, contents and double page spread analysis

This issue of Rock Sound is very different to it's usual look. The colour scheme used yellow, sky blue and hot pink which is very unusual for this magazine as they focus on the rock and alternative genre and these colours are seen as very pop-like and girly. They use the same colours used for Top Of The Pops magazine even though this magazine is usually aimed at older teens who like rock music. This is because the main bad featured on the cover, All Time Low are seen as the more "poppy" side of punk rock music. By using bright, colourful titles and headings they are fitting in with the theme of All Time Low and the pop side of rock. The masthead is bright pink, which is very different to it's usual colour, and it is both in front and behind the sign one of the band members is holding up, giving it a 3D look.

The sign is on cardboard; rather than using an expensive looking sign to reflect the fame of the band, they have used something that looks cheap and simple. This might connote the band's history; they recently dropped the label they were signed to and set out to make their next album independently and unsigned. The lead singer is the most prominent figure, whilst his band members stand behind him; all of them are looking at the camera with enthusiastic facial expressions.

The magazine cover is crowded and filled with article headlines and pictures of bands; by naming a lot of bands they will appeal to more people. The cover is bright and eye catching, ensuring it will stand out next to all the other music magazines on the market.

The magazine comes with 2 free CDs, one being a mix of new singles of the month and one being a new EP by a band that the magazine is promoting. Whereas Top Of The Pops gave away some cheap make up that wasn't exactly great quality and nothing to do with the magazine, Rock Sound are giving away music; which, as I found out with my questionnaire, is very popular with customers.

Inside, the pages feel thick and more expensive than other magazines such as Top Of The Pops or Kerrang!. The contents page features another posed, studio set picture of the main band, All Time Low. There is a lot of pictures and names of bands, as well as an editorial profile with a picture of the editor holding up signs saying "DON'T PANIC..." and "PANIC!!" to reference All Time Low's new album Don't Panic. The main colours used are red, yellow and black, which are a lot less "poppy" and more like Rock Sound's usual theme. The page numbers are split into sections of "The Noise" (main music aritcles), band articles, reviews and "new bands you need to hear". This makes it seem more organised and easy to see exactly what you want. The picture of All Time Low takes up 50% of the page, making it clear that the main article is about them.

The main article starts with a double page picture of the band, All Time Low. The photo is posed but they aren't looking at the camera; they are looking at each other and seem like they are arguing or shouting at each other. The title is "Destination... anywhere but here!" and underneath it says "All Time Low have been through hell and now their destiny is in their own hands. The only question is... is that a good idea?!" The picture is meant to be implying that they're not agreeing with each other or doing a good job.

The lead singer isn't at the front of the picture, but he is in the middle, therefore the one drawing the most attention. 

The article has a lot of pictures of the band members, together and individually. As a fan of the band, I was interested by the columns of the more personal pictures of the band on the right and would probably buy this magazine just for this interview. The magazine added funny captions and jokes to the pictures, which is very much like the band members' personalities. The magazine creators are obviously very familiar with the band as they know what they're like, and in the interview they talk about how they interviewed them 18 months ago. The language isn't very formal; it is friendly and comfortable with the band. 

The main colours used are sky blue, hot pink and white, similar to the colour scheme on the front page. Everything is very randomly placed at odd angles, rather than laying everything out clearly. As the band is a pop-punk band, their music isn't seen as the classiest, most elegant style, therefore showing why their article is quite random. 

The interview is written in a simple font that is easy to read, with some quotes placed in a larger, different font in the middle of the page. These give the gist of the interview and will tell the reader whether or not they will be interested in it.

In conclusion, Rock Sound have created a fun, colourful magazine that, whilst being slightly different to their usual appearance, have stuck with the theme of rock music. It has given me a lot of ideas and tips for making my punk-rock magazine cover.

Magazine analysis - Top Of The Pops

This magazine is very crowded and colourful. The main colours used are light blue, neon pink and white, therefore leading us to assume it is aimed at young teens and, more specifically, girls. There are 13 artists featured on the front cover and over half of them are boy bands or males; as this is aimed at young teenage girls this is a good selling point as they will want to read about these boys. 

The magazine uses a fashion themed hook which is very appealing to girls. Even though it is a music magazine they incorporate other themes such as fashion, tv programmes, real life stories and competitions. By doing this they are appealing to a wider audience; although it was still be a young generation. 

The magazine costs £2.99 and the cheap price is reflected in the flimsy, paper pages and waxy front cover. As it is for younger teens the producers will know that a cheap magazine is more likely to sell rather than a thick, glossy expensive one.

The style of writing is very informal and humorous. The interviews are laid back and casual and the magazine uses lots of captions and quotes that are informal and funny. Again, this will appeal to young teen girls. 

The magazine came with a free gift, as it usually does. This issue came with some make-up, confirming that it is aimed at girls. the fact that it needed a free gift to sell it shows us that this magazine obviously isn't very popular by itself.