Photoshoot Planning

What emotional impact do you want your photography do have upon the reader and how will you achieve this?

 

I want my photography to attract an audience with the same musical taste as the magazine covers in its contents. I will be drawing influence from the front cover of U2’s album The Joshua Tree for my photoshoot which will be evident through my use of black and white and the seriousness of the models in the shoot. By doing this style of front cover I will connote the dark and serious tone of my magazine without the magazine appearing too pretentious.

 

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

 

I will have one person assist me in taking the photos by setting up equipment and help carry any equipment such as; tripods.

 

What props will you need?

 

I will provide a guitar for the models as a prop. The guitar will be the only prop I need as the models will be providing their own clothing/costumes for the shoot.

 

How are you going to emphasise colour?

 

I will emphasise the colour by using a black and white effect with the camera. I will also do all necessary editing in photoshop in the post-production stage of the photo shoot.

 

Have you briefed your personnel/models?

 

I have briefed my models on the location, the theme I am trying to obtain and the general concept I want to compose with the photographs.

 

What lighting will you need? Any other equipment?

 

I may use some kind of light for the photo shoot because of the photoshoot taking place in the evening. This will be the only other equipment I will need to use.

 

Where will you shoot? Will you need a backdrop?

 

I will be conducting my photo shoot at South Shields beach in the mid evening.

 

Mise-en-scene - Make-up? Costumes? Props?

 

I plan to instruct the models to be dressed in black or neutral colours to coincide with the dark and serious tone I am aiming for with the overall magazine. I want to make the models appear serious in a natural background in a similar sort of style of U2’s Joshua Tree album cover. In the main article it will mention that U2 is one of the band’s major influences are U2 so I believe the audience will respond positively to the models clearly mirroring the famous album cover which was photographed by the celebrated photographer Anton Corbijn.

Location Recce

1.    Are there any potential hazards that could pose a health and safety risk where your photo shoot will take place (trailing cables/traffic/other objects )?

At my photo shoot the only potential risk would be the unpredictability of the weather. Since it is February there may be adverse weather conditions of heavy rain or snow which could damage equipment. We will have to be sure to not go to close to where the waves break as to not get anybody wet or any equipment damaged.

2.    What will you do to ensure these risks are minimised?

We will check the weather forecast before going out and have to reschedule if the weather is forecast to be adverse out on our location. I will also be sure to stay relatively close to some kind of cover if it does begin to rain/snow.

3.    Will the time of day/weather affect the outcome of the photos? Have you allowed for this?

I plan to do my photo shoot at night to enhance the effect of my photos. The weather may have a negative effect on my photos if it begins to rain or snow.

4.    Have you considered the background to your photos, particularly if taken outside? How will you ensure you will get the background you want?

I will be sure to pick a suitable location on the beach to conduct my photo shoot. I plan to have the sea in the background of my photos and I hope that there will be a reflection on the water.

5.    Have you considered lighting? What about the ‘problems’ of natural lighting, either outside, or streaming through a window? Will you need to use a flash? Have you considered reflective objects that might spoil the effect?

I plan to use a flash for my photos to give a dramatic effect to my photos and to ensure you can actually see the people in the photo. I will be sure to stay away from any reflective materials and attempt a trial and error method in the different angles I use.

6.    Do you need permission to take photos in the place/venue you have in mind?

I do not have to gain permission from anyone for my photo shoot.

7.    Do you need to book time in a room (eg the photography studio)?

I do not need to book a room for my photo shoot as I will be taking them outdoors in a public space.

8.    Are other people/crowds likely to be an issue for you? What have you done to ensure that it will not spoil the effect?

Since I will be conducting my photo shoot on a February evening at the beach I do not anticipate any crowds or many people to be around that will spoil the effect.

9.    Are you reliant on lifts/props/friends’ equipment/models? How have you planned that these things will come together at the appointed time? Plan B?

I plan to use equipment owned by Gateshead College and I am reliant on a few friends to help me with this photo shoot. If I can’t get all the necessary equipment from Gateshead College I will ask friends or family if they have any photography equipment I can borrow.

10. Finally, have you thought of every eventuality?

I will not have to rely on others for props as I can supply them myself. I should manage to get all the equipment I need from Gateshead College or if not, family members or friends. The only problem I may face is the weather due to the time of year, however I will be sure to check the weather forecast before going out to shoot to avoid any problems.

Font Choice

I am going to sample and assess a variety of fonts to see which one would work well in regards to coverlines and subheadings. I plan to draw my masthead and later scan it and apply Photoshop to it to make it a more original font, however I still need a style for basic text.

I don't want to use a font like this one (Lucinda Handwriting) as I think a handwritten/calligraphy font would be too informal and distracting, and it may also be difficult to read. I think a printed font would work much better.

The font above demonstrates Helvetica, which I think would work well especially for the double page spread/interview as it is easy to read and understand. It's simple and is used regularly by other publications.



This is example font is a font I will consider using for my magazine. Unlike the fonts used in many current magazines, this font is quite formal and seems quite eye catching and I believe it was attract attention.

This example is Century Gothic. I like this font as it's simple and easy to read, although it looks formal, I think it would look aesthetically pleasing on a double page spread and the contents page.

The above font example is called Adobe Fan Heiti and I think it's similar to Century Gothic, it's formal while at the same time connotes informality, but not too much. It is likely that I would use this font in my magazine on either the double page spread or contents page.

Flat Plans with Written Rationale

Colour Usage:

I will be using a grey/blue colour scheme specifically for the front cover of my magazine. After conducting my research I decided on the colours to bring a more original look to the conventional music magazine cover so my product will stand out among competition. I will be sure to tailor the colours of my main image to the colour scheme of my magazine.

 

Image Usage:

For my main image I plan to take photos of a band in an organic background without instruments. The body language of the band will reflect the overall tone of the magazine as serious but accessible to the target audience as I don't wish to intimidate any potential consumers of the magazine with a magazine that may appear pretentious or too niche.

 

Text Usage:

I don't want to litter a lot of text onto my front page but at the same time I wish to have just enough to attract consumers. Through my research I found that magazines with too much text on the front cover can be off-putting by having a messy presentation with the majority of the contents of the magazine being all over the front cover and distracting attention from the main image. I will have a brief main sell line which will showcase the exclusive interview inside my magazine. I will also have sell lines which will mention the other artists featured inside.

 

Layout and Font:

The overall font of my magazine will be serious and stylish. The font will be easy to read but won't attract all of the attention away from my main image. I aim for my font to have the effect of impressing my target audience through it's style and sophistication, also how it reflects the overall theme of my magazine.

 

 

Colour Usage:



For the colour scheme on the article page, the colour scheme would generally be that of grey/white, similarly to the front cover page. There may be certain colours that are added/changed depending on the colour of the background image. For the background of the article I intend to use white with a very dark grey font to set a serious tone for the article and connote the dark melnacholy of the featured bands music. I will colour the caption box black and use a white font there to give a bit of variance to the overall double page and continue the serious tone.

 

Image Usage:

For the images used within the double-page spread, there will only be one prominent image used. This is the image featured on the left hand side of the page, above the start of the main article. This image will be of the subject of the article, the new artist of whom the article is reporting on who is also featured on the front cover. As for the second image, this will be featured in the top corner of the right page and be related to the article.

 

Text Usage:

The article text would be written as a first person account to start with and then go onto the typical interview format. The language used would be positive, but not hyperbolic and have connotations that resemble the subject's desire and determination to be successful. The article image may be accompanied by a caption which may border on hyperbolic as many other music magazines do. This enforces a contrast to the overall serious tone as to counterbalance the effect it will have the on the reader, ensuring they do not take the publication they are reading too seriously. The article would also feature a drop capital at the start of the article.

 

Layout and Font:

The fonts featured on this page will be consistent, sophisticated and will compliment the styling of the article. Like the previous two pages the font usage will be completely consistent with only one change in colour for the caption. The font would still need to be serious but not gothic, I have been considering a font similar to New Times Rome but with a variance. Impact may be a suitable font to use due to it's simplicity yet emphasis on the text. There is no overlapping on my double page spread in order to keep overall layout tidy. I found in my deconstructions that double page spreads can appear messy if the majority of it's features are going across both pages which would contradict the style of magazine I am trying to make. Now the reader is reading the magazine, grabbing their attention is not required as much as it was on the front cover, so text can be more traditional and plain.

Colour Usage:
Much like my double page spread, a grey/white colour scheme will be implemented. The white gives a subtle and gentle highlight to the page, yet the grey allows a subtle implementation of emphasis without being too overpowering. The grey will standout just enough from it's white background and should provide a good aesthetic for the overall page. For other areas where causing the areas to stand out is not a priority and not required as much as other parts of the page.

Image Usage:

For the contents page, the images which are used would not be as prominent as the one(s) on the main cover, and would generally be smaller. This even includes the image used to represent the main article, which may only be 60% of the original page size. There could also be many smaller images used to represent the numerous other articles within the magazine. The images would link to the magazine's theme of featuring new and upcoming artists, therefore feature images of the artists the magazine will feature, standing confidently to represent their desire to be the biggest they can possibly be.
 

Text Usage:

The text featured on the page would be generally in third-person, and give clues as to what will be featured within the article. This would mean that parts from the article are not revealed in this section, but are hinted towards. This is an example of how the contents page would use teasers to draw the reader into the magazine and get them prepared for the articles inside. A masthead would also be present on the contents page, creating a sense of cohesion throughout the magazine.
 

Layout and Font:

The font style for the contents page must be coherent throughout the magazine to ensure that the font is also professional and simple. The simple fonts work best in professional magazines, such as Times New Roman or Arial. Using fonts that are seen as unprofessional will cause the magazine to appear in the same way. The contents page is also structured so that there is room for everything to be featured on the page without making it seeming overcrowded.

Double Page Spread Deconstructions

For this double page spread, there is an image on the entire right-hand side page but the article is entirely on the left-hand side of the page with the pull quote going across both pages. The pull quote allows the reader to associate the image with the main article. The pull quote is centred in the middle of the double page spread, and appears to split the article into two sections which appears to be used to give the reader a break by breaking up the article in two sections. The pull quote is also large enough to draw the reader's attention directly to the quote when they arrive on that page which can give an indication of the overall tone of the article along with the large image.A drop capital letter is also used at the beginning of the article on the letter 'D' to alert the reader that the article does start there instead of giving any indication that the article starts on the previous page. It also helps to minimise the effect of looking at large chunks of text - much like the pull quote, it makes the article look more manageable than it would be if the whole thing was unformatted and in plain columns with no variance in font sizes. The colours of the image do not match the colour of the article text or background, yet the red text does stand out rather well against the light background of the image.

           Like the previous double page spread there is only one main image included on this double page spread of a magazine. This image also takes up one page to emphasize the importance of the artist, which in this example is Lana Del Rey. The size of the image indicates she is the main focus of the article. The size of this image suggests that this is probably the key article in the magazine. On the double page spread there’s three small columns, with the main image being the centrefold of the article. By separating the text format into three different columns it allows the reader to read the page easier and it makes the information easier for the reader to digest and absorb. The first column has the largest font and the ‘eye puller’ to gain the attention of the reader. The way Lana Del Rey is described in it as ‘looking demonic’ and ‘blood running down her forehead’ is lexis which is used to engage the audience and draw them to read the rest of the article. The font sizing is large on the primary column in the article and it makes it impossible to avoid or miss drawing attention to the article. The text columns take up about three quarters of the image less page with the drop cap ‘S’ taking up the remaining ¼ on the left side of that page, with the main column being placed directly underneath it. The overall colour scheme of the page consists of pale tones such as white and blue with black used on darker elements like the text. The body of the text columns all have the same font which indicates to the reader that they are connected to each other and have the same theme. There is no feature headline used in this specific article yet a drop capital has been used. The drop capital has used the same font as the body of text which immediately creates a direct link between that and the writers of the article. This has been used by the writers to subconsciously create a connection between the elements of the text, without the readers realizing. The way the text has been positioned on the double page spread indicates its level of importance, therefore the drop cap is highest as it is the first thing the reader will notice.  The colour of the text is black, this is used to relate to the artists’ genre of music, if a brighter colour was used then this wouldn’t communicate very well with Lana Del Rey’s focus on the darker indie/alternative scene. There are no pull quotes, headers, further images or side bars that may disrupt the text in any way, this reminds the reader that they will be able to navigate their way through the article without having to break or pause to glance at something else.

 

 

The title is positioned at the top left of the page slightly overlaying the main image. It is in block capital in bold black text, this positioning and styling immediately attracts the audiences’ eye. The layout of the strap-line is very effective as it corresponds to the layout of the title and the image. The magazine has positioned this particular piece of text here in order to fill the blank space and to make the page more interesting to the audience by having an effective use of the page’s space. This particular image is very effective in terms of fitting in with the composition of the overall page. Haley Williams is presented in a way in which she appears to have been caught out which suggests that, along with the title, that she is doing very well in the music industry to the point that she has no time to pose for photo shoots therefore an almost candid looking photo is used. The image also creates the impression of vulnerability however this contradicts her very confident persona. She is wearing bright, provocative clothing which is used to represent her bubbly, fiery personality whilst also connoting the style of music which she is part of which as known to be an energetic genre of music. The colour scheme has been maintained throughout the page. The colour of the main protagonist’s hair holds connotations of fire, linking back to the title and the background colour has been kept simple in order to withhold the high quality standard. The colour of Hayley Williams skirt reflects the colours used for the text and the opposing bright colours which are used for her top create a more interesting tone whilst also symbolising her fiery personality. The article itself overlaps the main image which is very unusual this could suggest that what the article contains is more important than that of the picture. The magazine has also included their name, a pull quote relating to the artist and information about the main image within the double page spread. Due to the large image and smaller amount of text, the audience might be distracted from immediately reading the article like in the previous double page spreads.

 

 

Coursework Stage 2 Planning

Idea Brief: My idea for my magazine is that it will be one of the key sources for new music releases, music business news and interviews with upcoming artists as well as the big name. For example it will have critical and credible reviews on new music, live performance reviews of artists in the pop/rock genre relevant to our target audience, reports on the making of upcoming albums from the biggest bands/artists in the business and commentary articles on the music culture.

Genre/ sub-genre: I aim my magazine at rock/pop/indie fans of the age of 18 and older who may be musicians as well as just casual music fans. In the similar way of which NME and Q magazine target their audience but with more emphasis on the production and live element of music.

Major conventions: I will use all the common conventions that are standard with magazines. This will allow the magazine to not stand out too much when compared to similar magazines as to not alienate my target audience. I will include coverlines, mastheads, subheads, essential information and main images.

Conventions: Whilst keeping the traditional conventions as I mentioned previously I will use them in a way that my magazine’s style will be unique and will somewhat stand out from competitors.

Original images: I plan to use high quality images relevant to my articles and headings including exclusive photo-shoots with a local band.  I also plan to get photos of a band in concert.

Potential difficulties: The potential threat is that some of the bands within the local concert will not allow us to take their pictures. Plan B, would to be take a few shots for something such as an album release or finding a different band/artist to take pictures of.

Photoshop Skills Development

This is the original image before I edited it in photoshop.

This is the image after I edited it in photoshop:

To achieve this I:

• Opened original image
• Created a duplicate layer of the Jarvis Cocker image
• I selected the duplicate layer
• Highlighted background using magic wand tool
• Deleted background
• Added text layer for the masthead
• Dragged masthead between other two layers
• Added coverline
• Adjusted background colour
• Added bar code