Double page spread article

En(ore say Coelho to Noel - Exclusive interview with the most talked about 19   year old.

Noel Coelho has been impossible to ignore since Late Night Fairness hit the charts in 2010,  and we've been fans of her music, charisma and savvy songwriting ever since. Her 2011 debut album Tears Exposed reached number one on the UK albums chart and has sold over 900,000 copies in the UK, the 19 year old has since shot to superstardom. After endless amounts of gigs, award ceremonies and tv appearances Noel Coelho has landed back in Liverpool to have a breather before hitting the road again. En(ore had a chance to have a shindig with the well-travelled Liverpudlian before she embarks on her next project. 

You've been very busy recently on tour, most people would take a break but we have heard about a project you are embarking on can you elaborate on this?

Well I have been asked to collaborate with Coldplay. Christ Martin approached my agent and I couldn't resist the opportunity.

What was your motivation to become a singer songwriter?

My dad was in a group and I was his biggest fan, I was brought up in a very musical environment so I don't really know anything different, it was always the route I wanted to pursue.

What do you do when you are not singing?

I like to kick back and watch films, bake and walk the dogs. I'm the most boring 19 year old you'll ever meet.

Thank you for your time we are all looking forward to your collaboration.

Second draft of my front cover

This is my second draft of my front cover I have looked at specific things that people liked and disliked about my first draft. Creating a second draft allowed me to change some of the things that my target audience picked out, although it is not my favourite I have changed the main points that my target audience said about. Firstly I changed the size of the masthead, when I looked at main magazines that have been published their masthead is rather large and with my first draft it was to small for people to pick out in a shop. I do prefer my masthead to be bigger as it is eye catching, however as I am only using pixlr to create my font cover I can not make it too big as it will go over my models head which is not very flattering. The problem with pixlr is that it is hard to try to create something that looks like a well known magazine as they have all of the best programs and tools to use which I do not have access to, although this is a downside I have created something which I do like, also with my magazine I do not want to follow all of the conventions of a typical magazine therefore it is nice not to have the masthead behind my models head as we can actually read the name of the magazine, in addition because this will be the first edition of the magazine it will be nice to make it stand out as people will not of heard of the magazine before so it is best for them to read it so they can take note of the name of hopefully their favourite magazine on the shelf. I removed one of the sell lines so I could make those bigger as well this makes the front cover look less cluttered and makes it is easier for my audience to read. I did keep the + and the box as this was one of the things that my target audience liked however I did remove the - signs so it was less like a list, I thought that if it looked like a list that it was more formal and it didn't want my front cover to look like that. The 'December 2013, issue 1 £2.20' was moved to the bottom right hand corner I will defiantly keep it there as it makes the magazine look professional as a lot of magazines have the price in that area. Also because I am not having a barcode on the front of the magazine I thought that it would be perfect to be put in its place otherwise there would be nothing in that area. The font is different which makes it clearer to read and also goes better with the other fonts rather than the one I used before. I did choose to use a different colour as the black was difficult to read in this font however it is not my favourite. I asked people for their opinion on the two drafts of the front cover and they said that they liked everything on this one apart from the colour so I will defiantly change the colour to something that will appeal to my target audience. I don't think that I will change anything with the free download as I have made 'The XX' bigger and also in a different font so it stands out, also I moved it down from the boarder and used again a different font to create the circle. In my last draft it was more of an oval shape which was not what I wanted, this is more circular which makes it look more like a stamp therefore I will not change anything with this one and use it in my next draft.  

Things to change in my next draft

• The colour of the font
• The edges of the box to make them level
• The white blocks inside the box
• Maybe add an extra sell line or competition

Break down of first draft of front cover

Here is my first draft of my music magazine front cover.
Firstly I used the front cover image that most of my target audience liked, I asked them to look at a recent blog post and to pick which front cover appealed to them and this was the chosen one. This was one of my favourites as it fits the theme that I wanted to use and also it looks relaxed and not to poesy. I confirmed with my model noel and she also liked this image, I think it is good to use for a front cover image as it is a full body shot however is unusual as it is not showing every part of her body. I have looked at recent NME magazines and there are no front cover images like this therefore it is not following the conventions, I did a recent blog post with images that I liked which looked rather indie so I took that inspiration rather than any of the images on any magazines, the images that I found did not look like any of the images that would go with my specific theme therefore I think this one works well. When I edited it I used pixlr which is the website that I normally use I did find this easier as I have used it a lot of times before firstly I used an overlay of vingette and then added the ink boarder. I will defiantly use this effect for my front cover and will always use the same edit of the photograph. I looked at some popular NME front covers and looked at what they included in that issue of the magazine, this allowed me to look at some of their sell lines and then change them slightly for my magazine. As my magazine is at the end of the year I thought it was ideal to have 'Meet the stars of 2013' also I looked at some interesting words to use for the ticket scandal and found on the thesaurus website Ritzy which was the word that I used. Also as my genre of music is soft indie I thought that the main sell line 'Noel's Addiction to music' worked well. A lot of musicians are known for their addiction to drugs and alcohol however as my image is soft and clean I thought it would be good to use addiction to music instead. Also this will allow me to make the interview interesting and could attract my target audience as it is an intriguing sell line. All of my fonts that I used are sans which makes it less formal and makes it more engaging to my audience as they are quite young they do not want to read something that looks rather boring.
So on to the good and bad points of the draft for my front cover.

Good Points

The + and the box that adds extra information. People say that it stands out and is a good way to make things less cluttered on the front page. Also this could be used on every front cover for the magazine so it is consistent. For some added ideas they said to use the + throughout the magazine in articles, contents page ect. The font of the masthead is good and they like the two colours, they also like the extra turquoise colour for some text. They like the fonts that I used and the position that they are on the page.

Bad Points

The masthead could be bigger so that it can be seen easier by the target audience, also the 'December 2013 and Issue 1 £2.20' could be placed on the bottom right hand corner to allow the masthead to be bigger. 'The XX' could be in bold and the circles need to be lower so that it doesn't overlap the border. I will change the sell lines font as I think it doesn't really go with the image however if I do not find anything else that I like I will still keep this one. If I don't change the fonts then I will have to make the main sell line bigger or a different colour as it doesn't stand out from the others.

                                      

First draft of contents page

Here is one of my drafts for my contents page. I have not included anything in the news, reviews and features yet because I will design my front cover first, this will allow me put the sell lines on my contents page. I have looked at a typical indie magazine and I prefer the first contents page shown below, it looks modern and can be targeted at a higher age range than my draft. Although I do like the colour scheme of my draft it will look a lot simpler if it was black and white with many images. I had

some feedback and people said that it doesn't fit my target audience as it looks like it is aimed for the younger generation. They like the image that I have used and they also like the font however they think that the main text looks like snow. The black and white lines below the main text does not fit with the other images and it overlaps the other text. I do like the 'Top 10 Indie Tracks' as it will attract the reader as it will be one of the first things that they will see in the magazine. I will change the 'This week' to one side as the top 10 indie tracks will look better in a straight line. In the NME contents page that I looked at I saw the band index down the side which made me think of making the top 10 indie tracks. Also the news, reviews and features is the style that I had on my draft, this does look good however it is a bit simplistic. I will try to recreate my contents page and try to add more pictures to make it look modern, also the numbers on the pictures allow it to look clearer and easier to to follow

the magazine. With each picture there is a clear piece of text to show you what exactly is going to be on the page which I do like.

Encoding and Decoding

Contemporary semioticians refer to the creation and interpretation of texts as 'encoding' and 'decoding' respectively. 
In 1973, Stuart Hall published a paper entitled 'Encoding/ Decoding'. This had a major influence on cultural studies, the essay takes up and challenges long held assumptions on how media messages are produced, circulated and consumed proposing a new theory of communication. Stuart Hall's model claims that all media audiences are presented with messages that are decoded or interpreted in different ways, all depending on an individual's background, culture, economic standing and personal experiences. He advanced the idea that audience members can play an active role in decoding messages because they rely on their own social contexts, and might be capable of changing messages themselves through collective action.

Decoding- How audience members interpret messages on a page

Encoding- The actual written words on a page and the production of the message

In Stuart Hall's essay he advances a four-stage model of communication that takes into account the production, circulation, use and reproduction of media messages.

These four stages are:

1- Production- This is where the encoding of a message takes place. The creator of the message in the magazine (this will be me) is feeding off of society's beliefs, and values. In this case looking at other magazines and how they encode a message to their target audience.

2- Circulation- How individuals perceive things

3- Use- This is the decoding of a message

4- Reproduction- This the stage after the audience have interpreted the message in their own way based on their experiences and beliefs. At this point, you will see whether individuals take action after they have been exposed to a specific message. 

When I make my music magazine I will encode messages for the readers to decode. One of my sell lines is about the scam of festival tickets this is encoded however my target audience could decode the message in a negative way and will be very careful when buying tickets. Also the model that I have is very young so people could decode this and think about how they could become her.

Advantages and disadvantages of questionnaires

Advantages:
It is cheap to make and easy to gather information.
You can collect data from large amounts of people quickly.
As people answer the same questions it is easy to convert it into a graph.
Also they can be private as they do not need to put their name on the top so people might be more comfortable to fill out a questionnaire.

Disadvantages:
It can be easy to misunderstand the questions by ticking two boxes which could make the answers unreliable.
Some people could be persuaded to put something as they might not be sure what to put
It can be just a yes or no answer so does not give any information about changing the front cover etc.

Overall I think that I will be more likely to use a questionnaire rather than a interview as it is much easier to do. I shall be creating one for my front cover, contents page and double page spread to show what my target audience like and dislike and how they think I should change it.

Front cover choices

These three pictures are the ones that I am contemplating using for my front cover. I have used pixlr to choose the specific effects that I would like, however I have not decided what image I like for my front cover therefore I have made two different effects on three different pictures. I am going to ask my target audience which front cover they like and the one with the majority of votes will be my front cover.

Attracting an audience

When creating any media text that will be on sale the editors and publishers will have to think about how to attract their audience. There are many music magazines that are on sale which makes it highly competitive therefore they have to make sure that they can keep on attracting their target audience. When I make my magazine I will have to include things that will keep my target audience interested in the publication. Pleasing the target audience is extremely important as without them then there would be no sales. Therefore I have come up with a few things that I may like to put in my magazine. As I am only making a front cover, contents page and double page spread I will not be able to show all of these articles however I could put them as sell lines on my front cover. 

New artist 

Competition

Free cd

Indie artist articles

Quiz

Greatest Indie songs of all time

Reviews

International stars

Reunited groups

These extra touches of information about what is inside the magazine will allow the audience to be attracted, when people see things that are free or big juicy gossip they will want to buy. When you have free items on the front cover or competitions then the reader feels the sense of being given to this is good as they will need my magazine rather than want it, therefore my magazine will have sales as the free item that I am giving away as attracted them to buy it. On my front cover I think I will have a free download of a very popular band, the popular band will have to be indie to fit in with my genre this will make the magazine easier to understand what it is all about and people will be able to spot the genre straight away. I will not be giving a rapper's song or a classical as it will not work and my target audience will not buy the magazine as it is not personal to them with their typical music taste. Using a free gift will make my magazine stand out on a shelf as people will be drawn to it. When on a shelf in a supermarket it needs to stand out from other indie magazine and draw in the reader's eye, this is why I will put a free gift on it and also make sure the image and writing stand out as well. 
When I think about how it will look from far away I will have to make sure that the writing is big enough, the font is easy to read and also the image is engaging. 
The colours and fonts that I use are also big parts on how the magazine will sell. When you look up at a shelf you don't want to buy something that has a very small font, in a colour that you can't see on top of the image. I will have to make sure that the colour is suitable and that the font is big enough. The font also has to be appropriate for my genre as I don't really want a big bold masthead for a indie magazine. 
My sell lines will have to be written also to engage the reader, the sell lines will have to be specific to the genre of the magazine. I can't have a new classical singer article and the sell line is on the front as this will not go with what I am trying to sell. Therefore I will have to think carefully about the specific sell lines that I will use as this will be what is written inside the magazine which hopefully they will buy. 
Also I will have to think about the use of miss-en-scene, the clothes that my model is wearing, the location of the photo. These will all help to attract my audience. 

Using all of the above will help me to create my magazine which will then allow it to easily be brought buy my target audience, using the things above on my front cover will attract my audience which will therefore make the sales of the magazine high. So when I am creating my magazine I will defiantly add sell lines that go with my genre and add a free item.

A few of my favourite pictures

Original Photos

Prelim of Double page spread

So this is my first ever double page spread. I have used the article that I have previously posted on my blog and used pixlr to create the double page spread. It was quite easy to use however some of my writing you can not see and also it is not in line which makes it look less professional. I did want to put the pull quote in the middle of the text however not all of the text would fit and it would then go onto the picture of The wombats which would of made the text less readable. I used a white background first then added a picture of The Wombats which I found on google images, then as I wanted the magazine to be quite vintage looking I found an effect to make the whole page look as though it had in stains on it. I really like this effect and I shall ask people who contribute to my questionnaire about this as I would like to here some feedback. I would defiantly change the pull quote as it is not really indie and also I think it would have to be WERE not WAS which was a big mistake! Also it did take me a couple of attempts at creating the black and white text as I had to do each word separately and then put them together however I do think it looks good. I have changed the pull quote which you can see underneath the post! In addition I do like the font which is 'aaargh' as I think it looks a bit more polished and it makes the words clearer. I could change the picture to the other side and see how it works that way to play around with it and change it, however the next double page spread I will create will be my my first draft of my prelim so I shall see using my feedback which way the image should be.

Change Of Technology

As I have earlier mentioned in my blog I will be using my camera and a tripod however once I got to my location the camera ran out of batteries I did take spare ones but unfortunately these ran out as well  ( I blame it on a dodgy pack). Therefore I had to use my phone to take the pictures, this then didn't allow me to use the tripod so I had to be extra careful of taking them to make sure that they were in line and straight. The camera on the iphone 5 is very good and the photos looked quite clear, also it was a lot easier to put them onto my computer as they sync automatically. This was a very last minute change however I was able to handle it easier than I thought.

Indie Music videos

I thought that as I am soon approaching my final task it would be a good idea to put some music videos up of indie music groups. This would be good to see as they have a certain image that I will have to put across also some of the music videos could give me ideas for where I could take my image, how to dress my model and also what sort of target audience I am aiming for.

I think this Arctic monkeys video is ideal to show how I want the feel of my image to be, I would like it to be outside and very relaxed. Also the video is in black and white which is one of the effects that I will use. However I will not be using a tractor!

The next video is by Two Door Cinema club again this is black and white so I now know that I can have a black and white or sepia effect on my front cover as many indie stars use it in their music videos.
                       
The next is from Bloc Party which is a very famous band and this song is very popular again it is in black and white however they have a pop of colour throughout this looks good. In addition it contrasts with the black and white however I can not do this effect if I am taking the image outside.

Shooting schedule

I have chosen my model for my main task and shall be taking photos in a few days. This is to make sure that I do not waste any time, also to make the most of it. I have made a shooting schedule for the day.

Firstly I will go into school to book a tripod as I will be using my own camera, however using the tripod will be difficult as I have never used one before so I will try and figure out how to use one before I take the picture so it will not waste any valuable time. Also using a tripod will make my pictures look professional as they will be straight which can make the editing process easier. 

I have said to my model how I would like the pictures to look as well as where I would like to take them and how I would like her to dress. She is also a fan of indie music so she gets my vision. I asked her to wear a dress and some wellies as we would be outside however nether of us have any so we decided on boots.  Also I have looked at the weather forecast and it will me mild but as I am only going to allow us to be outside for a couple of hours so she will not need a hat or gloves or even a hot water bottle, also having extra items will make the time short as we will have to take them off a put them back on again. I have decided that I will have Noel's hair (my model) up for the start and then see if the wind is up to get some shots of her hair blowing in the wind.

As I have a part time job it is difficult to fit in the day of shooting fortunately we had a day of school which allowed me to take my media photos in the middle of the day and to also post some of the original photos that I will take.  

I have contacted my model and we have set a time of 1 o'clock this will make the photos have a bit of sunlight which is what I would like. We will both walk to my location which is now wickstead park it will only take 10 minutes therefore it will allow us to have more time shooting. 
Once we get there I will find the best possible location to take the first images and set my tripod out with the camera that I hopefully will now know how to work. I will have to take Noel to different locations however I want the same feel throughout, at the different locations I will spend at least 10 minutes. Also after each location I will look through the photos to see which ones I like and do not like and delete them as it will take me less time to look though and edit.
Once we have finished shooting we will both walk back and look at the photos that we have taken during the day. Noel has a time limit that she has to be home by 3.30 so that gives us 2 and a half hours to shoot which is plenty of time.

Plan of the day

10.00 Go into school and book a tripod
12.00 Get everything ready for the shoot and make sure I know how to use the tripod
1.00 Meet Noel and walk up to Wickstead park
1.15 Look at possible locations and set up the tripod
1.30 Take the first images 
1.40 Look at the images and discuss with Noel her thoughts and opinons of the images that I have taken
1.45 Walk to a different location and take some more images
2.00 Have a quick break and maybe go to the cafe and have a drink
2.30 Again look for a good location thinking about the front cover, dps and contents page.
2.40 Hopefully buy then we will have enough shoots as it will gradually get colder and I do not want my model to be standing in the cold.
2.50 Walk back home
3.00 Upload the photos on my laptop                                                                                                                                                 

Audience Pleasures

When it comes to making my magazine I will have to ensure that my product will attract the target market is vital. Not taking into consideration of my target audiences interests and opinions could result in them not buying my product. As target audience is extremely important in media I will make sure that I will focus on how my magazine will appeal to my target audience. Here are a few things that are known to make a magazine sell.

What are Audience Pleasures?

They are a set of techniques that a magazine will use to persuade an audience to buy their magazine and to maintain that readership. They are things that people like that make them feel good, how people spend their free time, how something is presented to suit their audience and what the magazine thinks the audience want.  

One of these is direct mode of address which is how the magazine speaks to the reader by the use of colloquial language which is language that is personal to you for example slang words. Also personal pronouns which allows the audience to feel as though they have a connection with the magazine, these include 'you're, I, We, Us, You, our. This will allow my magazine to be a bit more personal to my target audience. Also imagery is used that will appeal to the specific audience.

Secondly a lot of magazines give freebies to their audience, firstly this attracts new customers and old. These could be cds, downloads, competitions and even vouchers. Customers love the sense of being given to as they can feel as though they are having the magazine for free as they are paying the price of the free item and getting the magazine free.

They are a good way of giving information to fans of that certain genre. Some information that magazines could give are tour dates, charts and interviews.

I will defiantly use this one humour! I will want my magazine to have a sense of humour as that us what I look for in a magazine and I believe that my target audience will like to see this in a magazine.

'Ritual Pleasure Of Consuming Of Readers' this is when people subscribe to a magazine so they get the magazine every week when it first comes out and they have it even if it is a popular issue and is normally sold out. 

Belong for self definition is another point that readers like to follow as they want to talk to people with the same interests and interact with people that enjoy the same hobbies as them. Although people can talk to people on forums it can be dangerous as they might be lying and could lead up to something a lot more serious. 

I will like to make people have an opportunity for self definition. This states that people like to define themselves as a person  whilst reading the magazine, as it will have things that can make people allow them to have time to find out new things about themselves for example the type of music they listen to and enjoy.

I will defiantly be using these in my magazine as it is official that they make the magazine sell and still keep their readership high.

Socio-economic Group

Socio-economic Group

A- upper middle class people. They could mainly be a big business owner, or could even be a sir or lord (land gentry).
B- Middle class people. These are mainly professional people and people that are high- up in the army.
C1- Lower middle class. These are professesional admin workers, junior managers and supervisions.
C2- Skilled working class. These could include plumbers, carpenters and mechanics.
D- Working Class. These are unskilled workers such as Supermarket workers, cleaners etc
E- Subsistence level. These are unemployed and students.

So What is the socio-economic group?
The socio-economic group is when an individual is placed into a certain category that is based on either their status eg Land Gentry or their job e.g. Managers. There are six categorises that people are split into which are shown above. 

What is wrong with the socio-economic group?
People could say that it is dated as some people might be a student however they could have a lot of money due to their parents. We could say that this focuses on the individual rather than the conditions that they live in.

So what do I think about the Socio-economic group?
I believe that this grouping is not reliable as I do not think that people should be placed in categories according to the income that they have. I am a student so I will fit into the E category however I have a part time job therefore I would be in category D. Although my job is just at the weekend I do not think I am unskilled the same as people who work in supermarkets, this should not be labelled as that. Also when creating my magazine I am not going to think about who will be allowed to buy my magazine due to the money they earn. I will not base my magazine for only people who are surgeons and earn a specific amount of money compared to students who earn none. My magazine will be based on specific genre for anyone who wants to buy it no matter who can afford it or not. I think that the socio-economic group should either be updated or disbanded. I think that people should not be labelled by their profession instead they should be labelled as individuals that can have as many opinions as they like. 

RECCE number 2

As I have little time to take the pictures I thought that where I wanted to take them was quite a long way to go, although it is only and hour and a half walk we would have to leave earlier and come back probably when it is dark. Therefore I have chosen a very popular place in Kettering Wickstead park it is only a 10 minute walk from my house and my chosen model and it still has some good locations to shoot outside. 
Wickstead park is an amusement park that opened in 1921 it is believed to be the oldest amusement park in England. With these faculties available I could get my model to have pictures taken on some of the park benches or even a swing but that would probably not happen. Wickstead park is a busy place with lots of kids around and cars at the weekends. However the month that I am going to be taking the picture in is the month where the rides are not open this will make the park less busy and will make it not as dangerous to take the pictures. The park has some lovely gardens where I can take some pictures however they might not work with my genre.

Risk Assesment

When walking to the park I will have to look out for cars and also be careful of the equipment that I am taking.
I have to think about the temperature outside and make my model wear some warm clothes such as a coat, hat , scarf and gloves etc.

The leaves in the park will be slippy so I will have to take great care of the model to make sure that she doesn't slip when I am taking the photos. I will make sure that if the weather changes dramatically then there will be somewhere to rest or shelter close by.
As I am using my camera and the tripod there will not be any wires in the way to make anyone trip.
I will have to take into consideration that the park could be busy however as I am taking the pictures in school time it is less likely to be busy. Also as it is a public park I will have to make sure that I do not make a mess or damage anything in the park.

Media institutions

So what are Media Institutions?

A media institution is an established, and often profit based organisation, that deals in the creation and distribution of advertising, entertainment and information services. 

Magazine publishers in the UK

Bauer media group

Bauer media group is a multinational media company which originates in Germany and is operated in 16 countries worldwide. The company was founded in 1875 and is now privately owned. They produce around 38 million magazines a week, including the biggest selling music magazines; Q, Kerrang! and Mojo. 

http://www.bauermedia.co.uk

Bauer media group would be a good choice for my music magazine as it the most established media publications. If my magazine was published by Bauer then it would be along side some of the most famous magazines, this makes Bauer sound like a very well organised company that makes the magazines that they publish sell. Although the magazines that they are currently selling are not my genre they have many different magazines genre so they do not just cater to one style of music. As we know Kerrang! is a rock magazine and Q is mainly based on chart music, they are two very different styles of music so I think that Bauer would benefit from having an Indie style music magazine.


Oyster house media

Oyster house media is the UK's number one independent publisher of newsstand music magazines. The main magazines they publish are Namely, Drummer, Guitar Buyer, Acoustic magazine and bass guitar magazine.
http://www.oysterhousestudios.co.uk/index.html 

Oyster house is good for a small magazine about a specific thing such as acoustic instruments or country magazines. None of these magazines are the same as mine and even though it  does not cater for Indie it is not as well established as Bauer so therefore I think I would prefer to go with Bauer media group.

BBC Magazines


BBC magazines is a branch from the company BBC. It publishes magazines such as Top of the pops, Radio times and top gear.

BBC magazines do not have any major big music magazines which might suggest that they are not well known for the premium magazines. When I was looking for publishers I did not know that the BBC published any magazines, therefore I do not think I would pick these as they do not have any magazines with the same genre as me and also it is not that well known.

IPC Media

IPC media is another privately owned company which was founded in 1958. It is most known for the magazines NME and Uncut.

http://www.ipcmedia.com

I think that IPC MEDIA would be the best media institution for me, as it already publishes NME which is the closest magazine to mine. Also it is well known so people would recognise that my magazine is published by IPC. However if I did have IPC as my publisher then I would have a competition of NME which is based on tht same genre and has the same target audience.