Location and mise en scene prep

 To take my music magazine photos I used this facility in my school media room which has a green screen backdrop. I used this as it was not only time efficient for myself and my talent as we both attend this school, but it also has various useful equipment that I could use to aid me in my magazine photo shoot session. I used the back drop and had my talent stand exactly in the centre of the screen with her back facing the wall and her front facing the camera which I was using to take the photos. When I analysed other magazines within my chosen musical genre such as VIBE and BILLBOARD I noticed that many of the magazine images had been taken in a natural location which often looked like a studio in the middle of nowhere. I adopted this concept when making my own magazine and this is partially the reason that I chose this location as my backdrop. Even though this room is a classroom, it nonetheless provided me with the perfect 'studio feel' and natural setting that I needed to get my talent feeling and being her best to produce the best images possible.

My favourite part about using this as my location was these lights. They were the icing on the cake when it came to making my images the best they can be. The lights definitely made a huge impact on the quality of my images. While using these I learnt how to control the intensity of the brightness and dullness of the lights as well as discover the various colours of light that were available to me. This was great because I took many images using different shades of light which gave me a wider range of images to chose from in the end, once I had taken my photos. I mainly liked the colours red and yellow for my photos as I think that they complimented the bright-green backdrop and enhanced the overall look of my talent so that she stood out and was the central focus in my images. I stayed away from using colours such as green and blue for my lighting as I found that they resulted in my talent looking a funny colour and the green on green element I had going initially seemed to clash and not work at all. Yellow and Red were the best colours for my photo shoot in relation to lighting and I am very pleased with the outcome of my photos.

UPDATE - Apps and editing programmes - Review

Here are the editing software that I used for my magazine production...

 

1.) Pixlr Auto-desk: 

PROS: 

- Allows text to be written on any image uploaded  

- Has the same features as the on-line programme and is much easier to use on mobile

- Wide range of filters 

- Allows for mistakes to be corrected without ruining any previous work

- Photos can be saved to camera roll and/or uploaded to instagram efficiently

CONS:

- Difficult to place text in an accurate position on the photo

- Adverts can cause disruption during working progress 

- Although text is easy to apply there is not a wide range of fonts

2.) Afterlight:

PROS: 

- Great range of filters 

- Allows high standard of initial editing of any image - sometimes filters are not needed because the basic editing has enough impact

- Allows intensity of each filter to be varied

CONS:

- Once an element of the image has been edited there is no going back

- Issues with saving photos to camera roll 

3.) VISCOCAM 

PROS:

- Has a range of filters too, but also includes various colours and highlight tones for each photo which has a dramatic impact overall

- Also has a wide range of black and white filters to choose from unlike any other editing application that I have tried 

CONS:

- Problems with uploading unedited photos from my camera roll to the application itself

- Application itself uses a lot of storage space 

Choosing a title ' RENEGADE' - what inspired me

Choosing a title for my magazine is something that took a lot of time and planning. Even something so small that will take up a confined amount of space throughout my magazine production is so vital because I think that the title of the magazine is one of the most important parts, if not the most significant element of a magazine.

Here is a short list of some of the 'potential but didn't quite make the cut' titles that I was tempted to use for my magazine:

- ULTRA VIBE
- ENCORE
- RE-ENGAGED
- 7/11
- RUN DMC
- DJ DRAMA

I initially liked the name RE-ENGAGED but I felt as though the hyphen made the title of my magazine a little too long and wasn't 'catchy' enough...

So after looking at further inspiration I was influenced by one of Jay-Z's songs and decided to call my magazine RENEGADE. This was a win-win situation for me because not only did this sound just like my ideal title, but after I conducted some research I found that the meaning of the word RENEGADE suited my chosen genre of music and approach of my magazine too. The meaning of the word 'renegade' is related to an individual that opposes society and social norms... aka a rule breaker. Since I knew that my magazine would challenge existing conventions and styles of classic music magazines, I came to final decision that this is what I would call my magazine.

VIBE | my magazine inspo

Vibe magazine analysis from Avigill123

Typical R&B music | Inspirational music for my chosen genre

Destiny's Child - 'Say My Name' was released in 1999 and was nominated for 'Grammy Award for record of the year'.
This song was reviewed by NME where it was referred to as a 'true reflection of adolescent concern'






This song was released in 2001 and is still a highly popular song within the hip-hop | R&B music fanclub

Research Techniques

Types of Research Methods:

- Internet search engines such as: Google, Yahoo, Bing (All are secondary research methods
- Survey's and Questionnaires (Primary research methods)
- Interviews (Primary)
- Textual Analysis (Primary)
- Industry Websites (Secondary)
- Books & Newspapers (Secondary Research)
- Radio and Television
- Email & Letters
- Audience Feedback

Quantitative Data: This data is either statistical or numerical based. This type of data can be collated from surveys where I may find patterns or trends with the answers that I received. For example, I did a quick survey asking people which front cover they liked the most ( I will be posting my results on this blog soon).
Qualitative Data: This is data that is based on words. For example this type of data may result from using research methods like books and magazines (as I will analyse the words in them).

Data that I used:

- Music Magazine blog portfolio
- Textual analysis of existing magazines
- Looked at all previous notes that I made in class
- I used the internet to search for other and current existing material mainly for inspiration to boost and explore my own creativity
- Survey

Primary Research: Pro's and Con's

Textual Analysis:
Pro - gives me a thorough insight into how to make my own music magazine
Con - I have to take care when analysing other relevant magazines so that I do not simply copy ideas and simply use the analysis as an enhancer for my own ideas.

Questionnaires:
Pro - I can get answers quickly, making the entire data collection time efficient
Con - I have to keep in mind that the answers that I receive may not be entirely true as people may have provided me with answers that they think that I wanted to hear rather than their actual opinion. This is known as desirability bias. In addition to this, if the questions are not planned with caution then the answers may not be relevant or helpful. E.g 'is my magazinegood?' then I may receive an answer such as 'yeah' or 'quite good' or even 'no' without explanation. Instead questions asking why should be put in place such as 'what do you like about this magazine?' or 'what could be improved about this magazine?'

Secondary Research: Pro's and Con's

Internet:
- Copyright issues
- Sites such as Wikipedia may not be accurate and can therefore be unreliable
- SPAM with the internet and cons to donate money as well as pop up adverts while researching
- Information provided may be irrelevant
- Information overload / too much detail makes it increasingly difficult to filter and select information - internet isn't free and taxes are expenses

Editing Continued: Pixlr

After finding the right photo for my main music magazine front cover, I decided that using the Afterlight software was coming to an end. Not because the software isn't relevant but mainly because I needed to use different software to add text to my magazine front cover. Therefore I downloaded the Pixlr software on my phone and found the iPhone application very useful.

I first added the main title of the music magazine 'Renegade'. I then chose the text font 'Sans' in the colour white. This is because the font was simple and easy to read. I also chose the colour white as I wanted the title to match the white dress that Niah has on as well as make the main title stand out so that it contrasted with the lime green background. I will not be making the tag lines white as I intend on the key title catching the most attention and being central to attention alongside the main person on the cover itself.

I decided to use this image of Niah for my front cover. This is because I wanted to use conventions of other Hip-Hop music magazines and after using the internet to look at some others such as 'Vibe' I found that the use of male gaze is a familiar feature amongst magazines for this genre of music, particularly when a female artist is on the cover. In addition to this Niah is smiling at the camera giving direct eye contact making the whole cover seem inclusive, creating the impression that the magazine is only aimed at the person looking at the cover.

Experimenting - It took me a while to try out various colours for the tag line text that will be on the front cover too. I needed to find something that was not only appropriate for the lime green backdrop, but also a colour that does't clash with the white dress that Niah has on. (I did not end up using blue). Moreover, I decided that using one person on the cover is not only following codes and conventions of other magazines, but also following on with my simple rule of 'less is more'. Last year, I used more than one person on every task associated with my music magazine, including my front cover. This meant that the audience focus was not on the title of the magazine, but two people on the cover. I have now learnt that one person is the way forward!

I came to the conclusion that my tag line font was going to be black. I chose the font 'American Typewriter' as it is simplistic and easy to read. It is important that the magazine is kept simple so that audience's first impressions are not dazzling. I chose the colour 'black' as I felt that it contrasted all three important factors of my magazine perfectly. This means the title, the green backdrop as well as the white dress which was my exact intentions. I have not yet finished the magazine front cover, but this last image is a quick glimpse of the process and a small insight into what my music magazine front cover will look like... I hope you like it!

Photo Editing - The process and experimenting

 For the making of my magazine front cover I have found that the editing application called 'Afterlight' is one of the most effective software in order to achieve a finished look. I want my magazine front cover to look as authentic and absolute as possible and I feel that this software is brilliant because not only does it allow for various effects to be applied, but also enables me to adjust the image itself rather than place an effect on what is already there.
Some of the things that I was able to change were significant elements of the photos such as the contrast, brightness, clarity, saturation, exposure, highlights, shadows, fading, temperature, Vignette, grain and sharpening! In some cases I found that after doing all of this, there was little need for me to add an additional effect. However occasionally with the correct editing at the start and effect could make the image look complete as a template for my magazine.
Some effects that I liked were 'finn', 'russ', 'mulberry' and 'brook'.

1.) After choosing the correct image for my magazine front cover I used this photo editing software on my iPhone. I adjusted the brightness and the contrast as well as adding the Vignette effect to begin my editing process.















2.) Next I found a new and interesting effect that allows various outbursts of light and dust.

The image above portrays part of my editing process for the light addition. I learnt that the light outburst could be used anywhere on the photo and the intensity and colour of the light itself could be adjusted too, All of the different effects were numbered to make it easier to pick out the ones that I thought looked best. I liked the fact that more than one dust or light effect could be added at a time, which also made the editing process easier if I decided to use light on my image.

Here is one of the slightly edited photos that I took and edited for my magazine front cover. Here I have also increased the brightness and contrast as well as adding the Vignette effect onto the image. This image does not have an additional effect added to it. This is what the photo looked like right after I had completed the initial editing process.

Finally, here is one of my final images that made the cut for my magazine front cover. I have done not only the initial editing of the photo to make it magazine quality, but this image also has an effect placed over it. This effect is referred to as 'Eqinox'.

Fonts

Choosing a title for my music magazine is important because this is a key element for recognition of the magazine. The font needs to be considered because this will potentially make or break the magazine in relation to how it is represented to audiences or passers by while the magazine is sitting on the shelf.

I have decided that I want to call my magazine 'Renegade'. I chose this name because it reflects the attitudes of the genre of music that my magazine is representing ' Hip-Hop & R&B. The word Renegade itself means dauntless and daring which I feel is highly appropriate in terms of illustrating the themes of Hip-Hop music and artists altogether. I feel that this title will appeal to audiences that are urban followers of the hip-hop culture.

I wanted to test out some practice symbols which could be used to promote Renegade as a music magazine.

I am not yet finished in the font sector and processing but here is my favourite so far:

Risk Assessment

When I take my photos for my music magazine I have to ensure that the area|location is safe for my talent. I have decided that I am going to take my pictures inside a studio - this is what other magazines in my chosen musical genre tend to do. Even though we will be inside, there are still many safety features that I will need to take care of.
I will need to make sure that the following hazards are not causing danger:

-wires and plugs
-heavy lighting equipment
-heavy macs and computers in the area
-tables and chairs surrounding the location
-heavy camera equipment

In addition to this, as the photo studio is in my school, I will need to ensure that any litter or school bags are not on the floor so that nobody falls over. Luckily my model will be wearing appropriate footwear to ensure that she does not trip over. I will not have to consider the weather as the photos will be taken inside a building.