Wednesday 8 February 2012

Evaluation Draft

1) Before creating my Music Magazine, I had researched classical magazines and the typical structure is that it would have the Title Block at the top - I used a rather simple font as I wanted to give that impression of the magazine being classical. I also used less puffs (In comparison to a pop magazine, it would have bigger and more puffs, it seems more crowded - whereas classical is more calm and flows) and the fonts would be more classical and thin. I used black, white and red as my main house colours, as they are simple colours, and used it consistently throughout the magazine (Except the article as I wanted to focus and reflect that page on the person), The buzz words are 'GIGI NACARIO -Exclusive' because the magazine revolves around her as its the important part of the magazine as well as informing and catch the audience's attention. For my central image I used a direct mode of address, because I slightly wanted to entice the audience as Its a female, and because she's exclusive and she's new to the music industry. Her chiaroscuro ratio is more lighter than dark, this is to give her that sense of spotlight and give that impression of fresh and new, although the let down is that, she seems too bright. As this is my first issue, I wanted to make it more alluring and persuasive to buy, especially for the targeted audience. I mounted a CD on the front cover of a famous classical trio, as it will familiarise them as well as making them wanting to buy it. Although it doesn’t seem as if I challenged the stereotypical classical magazine, images wise, as some of the pictures seems Indie rather than classical, and because none of the pictures involved any instruments, which is a letdown for the specified genre, finally the page numbers are located at the bottom of the page in small fonts.

For my contents page, I used the typical essentials subheadings such as Features and Regulars, and separated them so it would be organized and easier to look through. I had to put a white-background at the back so it would be visible, without it the text colour would blend in with the image. Again I put an image of Gigi for my front cover to show how important and exclusive this interview is. Furthermore on two images, I've put a page number on them; this is because it's also an important feature of the magazine. I didn't put an editors blog as again, I want to keep that sense of peace in the magazine (Pop or Rock contents are filled with images etc.)

For my Article, I put an Image on both pages; the font size was 9 to make it seem like a real article. As you can see I changed the Housetyles, from my original to feminine colours - Pink and Purple. The reason for doing this is - is to relate the article to her and also because she's dressed in pink and purple, and maybe in some way this can deduce her personality (Elegant, girly and sweet). I've also put quotes on both images, of what she's saying which directs it to the audience. This quote is helpful as people can tell what type of person she is.

2)
My magazine is a Classical Genre, because Classical music isn’t a huge genre, it will be a niche magazine targeted for a smaller audience, so therefore this represent a small social group of those teenagers and adults that listen to Classical Music. The main image I have used (which is the cover feature), she dressed rather Elegant and smart, which implies that she has a simple and well-fashioned style. Her body language is slightly dramatic when she poses, it gives off that sense of independence and we can deduce that she's probably an Alpha-Female, additionally she doesn't try to show her true self in the images, most of the time she's turned away, maybe this is because she's shy. Furthermore her appearance is very stylish and fresh, her clothing isn't trendy, like what other teenagers would wear (Designer Brands i.e. Super Dry)but she's very simple nonetheless, we can tell that she's an easy-going person too. We can assume that the social group targeted, have a clever and a kind personality, they are independent and they may have a dramatic trait in their personality, I would assume that they are talented and smart, as well as being popular and having a good social life.

3)
Bauer links their company with niche and mainstream magazines, they are big and dominant which makes them one of the best companies in the magazine industry, they own most popular magazines such as Kerrang, Q and own niche magazines like Equine or Photography, furthermore they have created websites and broadcast music through radios; Bauer would be the best choice if I want my magazine to be noticed.

4)
I am targeting my magazine to both genders between the age of 15 and above ( as some teenagers start to learn/find interest in music, or maybe lesser than 15 ), my magazine is not directed to any ethnicity as music is universal. Lastly these people that I am targeting to have interest in classical music, those who play certain instruments that relate to classical genre (i.e. guitars or violins), furthermore they have an interest in art and are social.

5)
I've attracted the targeted audience by making the magazine as persuasive and classical as possible, and because this was my first issue, I wanted to do something that would entice them; also because Classical genre is a Niche genre, this would mean I would want to make the magazine as appealing to the specified audience. The main image of my magazine was my key material into drawing in audiences, as it has to relate to them and attract them. Another way of doing this was to mount a CD on the front cover, which is my unique selling point - other ways was through the typical conventions of a magazine, this includes putting buzz words (Exclusive) and puffs to explain and inform the audience of what will be featured in the magazine, additionally I had to use simple, but contrasting colours and use it consistently throughout my magazine. Additionally, by editing the photos and making them more professional this would attract the audience even more. When making the magazine I had to be formal about it, in the sense of the way it’s been laid out, however my article was slightly informal. I didn’t want to look as if my magazine is strict, because I also wanted to make the magazine modern and try to relate with the target audience.


6) By using different programmes such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, I was able to create a proper magazine and show it a wide audience. I learned a lot of things from mainly Photoshop, it helped me to manipulate photos as well as enhancing them to make it seem more alluring and professional. I found out that you can change the brightness of the photo by making it more lighter or darker which changes the mood of it whether you want to make it look serious and dark or illuminating and innocent, additionally you can add filters to it which changes the colour such as 'Sepia' to give it that vintage look on the photo if you want to make a Classic Magazine, or 'Black and White' filter to give it a dramatic or saturated appearance. Photoshop allows me to change the Photo to give it more meaning and show a different perspective to connote different emotions and feelings towards the audience. Photoshop also allowed me to edit photos whether they are photos from your camera or images from the internet. For example I was able to extract a CD Cover from the internet and put an image on top of it to make it look like a CD Album, this helped me a lot as I wanted to persuade audience to buy the magazine, and a barcode to make it complete, finally by using 1001fonts.com I was able to edit and use the font for my magazine by using the erase or wand to highlight areas needed to get rid of. Although I didn't use a lot of options such as Spot-healer I was able to find out its use and probably use it for future. Adobe Illustrator however allowed me to make the actual magazine which was more important and vital for a creation of a magazine, although it wasn't as fun as Photoshop. But it still helped me nonetheless; I was able to try out different layouts for my magazine, use different fonts and colours. All the things needed to differ a magazine from just a picture. Lastly my camera allowed me to take photos of my model; I learned that Mise-en-scene is a must if you want to show location and purpose, because if it was a plain background, it wouldn’t make that much sense (unless it was a model magazine). I was able to use different shots from different angle (Medium Shots, Long-Shots).

7) In making the magazine, I have learnt different skills such as photo manipulation, techniques like filtering and changing the colour of a photo and comparing different genres - this is helpful so you can differentiate a pop magazine from a rock magazine. In my preliminary task I didn't do as much editing and arranging, whereas in my actual magazine, I did a lot of editing to my images to make them look eye-catching as possible and make it look professional. My layouts also improved, and by looking at different layouts of classical magazine on the internet, this helped me a lot. Furthermore I used a house style/colour that would suit the magazine, instead of using random and unrelated colours.

What I also learned to do are, ways of how I can arrange the puffs, anchorage text, buzz words etc, additionally make the magazine more appealing by adding banners that promote the magazine - Free CD, adding the magazine's website address, and decorating it too by adding a lime-coloured circle on 'Issue 1' to instantly catch the audience's eye.






Magazine Survey

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/X3G6Z65

Friday 3 February 2012

Final Magazine - Front Cover, Contents and Article Page



I have chosen this instead of the other magazine with the Itunes card, I realised that people will still be persuaded to buy this magazine, Classical Magazines refer to instruments such as guitars, violins and so forth, so it would be more of a hobby. They would listen to classical music at home, I don't think that they would listen to it outside. Furthermore you can still transfer music from the computer to your phone.



With this Final Contents, I have added a picture of Gigi as the cover feature, furthermore I added a white background on the texts so that the readers can see it properly.



 To this final article, I added more words to it as well as making the fonts more smaller so it makes it look more of an article and making it fit in, furthermore I put 1 quote on each picture of what she is saying

Magazine Article

A simple girl from London auditioned for the Etoiles Classiques. She had a couple of downfalls during the competition, but she never gave up. She got back on her two feet and carried on towards success. Her whole passion revolves around singing and performances, and her only dream is to become a successful singer and to win the competition. On the 10th of December 2009, her dream came true. Gigi Nacario is currently the number 1 most famous classic artist and singer in the UK, already sold 5 albums within 2 years and 3 Grammy Awards. Now, I finally got a chance to meet her at Strongroom Studios and setup an interview about what is going on with her life.
1) So Gigi, It’s finally nice to meet you! Before we start, I would just like to say, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to have an interview with you. So my first question is. What is going on lately and how are you?
{Smile} No problem! Thank you too! Well a lot of things have been going on lately, my dream finally came true, and I am thankful for it. I’ve been busy creating a new album which will be released in a month! I’ve also been going on tours; I had 3 already which were awesome. I’ve also been in 4 TV shows which were kind of exciting. It has been incredible nonetheless, although very tiring, but worth it. Other than that, things are great, I still get to hang out with my girlfriends, spend time with my family. Oh! And um I will be participating in the Classical Music Festival this year so check that out!
2) that’s great! So you still get to do what you want. You mentioned that you’re working on a new album. Can you give us a little insight?
Yep I am, and I am very excited about this album. Personal favourite if I may say. It’s a bit different from my other albums as most of the tracks relates to my life and the things that people had been through in their lives. The album is called Glow and Fly, it is about. Being who you are makes you the perfect person and a role model for everyone out there. That, there is no point of changing yourself just to impress or become more popular, being your true-self is worth more than being somewhat fake.  Don’t be afraid or fear other people because you’re different but, that is what makes you so unique and special. {Smile} That’s about it really.
3) Wow that’s amazing! So it’s an inspirational song! Again you also mentioned that some tracks are about your life?
{Laugh} Of course! I can’t give away the whole thing though! But yes it is actually. This album is kind of sad, tragic, happy and joyful, so it’s a mix of emotions. Mostly the tracks refer to what had happened in my life, what I’ve gone through and so on, but it’s not only that, I’m pretty sure that it had happen to other people to, and I wanted to create this album to send out a message to everyone that, you shouldn’t give up even if your knocked down.



4) When did you start playing the Guitar and/or the Violin?
I started playing the Guitar at the age of 10, I was inspired by the amount of guitarist especially Jerry Garcia, although he played Folk, rock and so. It wasn’t really my up of tea, till I came across a Classical guitarist called Aaron Shearer, his music was just amazing, and I’m a big fan and still am. On the other hand I started playing the violin at a young age, probably when I was about 5 or 6 years old. My mother made me go practices, which I really enjoyed at that time, but I wanted to expand and explore which led me to playing the Guitar, I mostly play the Violin though as its more relaxing and beautiful at the same time. The amount of emotion being conjured makes me want to cry.
5) Was it always your dream to become a singer and a musician?
Well when I was young, I actually wanted to be the typical girl who always wanted to be glamorous and a star! Which was an actress, and when I was around 5, that was when I started playing the Violin, I wasn’t exactly interested in being a musician, I wasn’t actually sure as I was only 5 ha-ha, So I wanted to become a Fashion Designer! But as the time past, when I was 7 or 8, my life revolved around music and that when I knew music was my life.
6) Was your family always musical and still is?
My mother at a young age too, played the Violin and so did her mother and grandmother. So I guess she’s naturally born with music in her blood, however although my father plays the guitar too His family wasn’t as musical as my moms, and yes they’re still musical, especially my mom, she actually teaches Violin at a local school voluntarily, but my dad is a bit retired from it ha-ha.
7) What is it like to perform in-front of people?
At first it’s really nerve-wrecking, and I would sweat like a pig! I would get nervous all the time and I would get this funny feeling in my stomach, but I usually try to look away from the audience, and stare at one point where I look like I’m staring into space, making me look weird ha-ha. You get used to it though, you may make 1 or 2 mistakes, but that’s fine, most of the time it isn’t noticeable, but besides the scary atmosphere, it’s great and fun to perform in-front of people, the end of it is just a relief because you know you’re done and succeeded, and you just get that happy feeling.
8) I know other people already had interview about this question but, can you tell me what it was like to win the competition?
The most amazing feeling ever. I mean, everything was so nerve-wrecking and intense. I would never think of being in the finals! But there I was, knees shaking and sweating {Laugh}. When they called out the winner ‘GIGI’ I thought, I was going to faint! I was in SHOCK! I didn’t know what to do, so it was a really emotional moment for me. The whole experienced was just completely phenomenal. The best thing is I actually keep in touch with Alan and Gina, we’ve become real close after the competition. We hang out, go shopping, and I’m actually really glad that I met them, they are such amazing friends.
9) Do you have any one special in your life? I mean someone as beautiful as you should have a guy!
{Laugh} Aww thank you! I’m flattered, yes actually, a year before the competition I met this guy on an Ice Rink in winter wonderland in Hyde-Park. I and my girlfriends want to celebrate Christmas, and why not go out, skate and have a Christmas dinner later. So, it was my first time ice-skating so I fell on my ass a couple of times {Giggle}, and my 100th slip, a guy caught me in his arms, his name was Alex, I met him later in a restaurant and he asked me out {blushes}, which was very sweet! So I did, and I am having the best 2 years of my life with him.

10) Alright! So, this is the end of our interview, and I’m so glad you came, it was so nice meeting you, and do you have any final comments or inspirational advice to your fans?
Yep, if you’re a fan of me! I will be helping with the C.I.N Charity this year, I will be a singing to raise money for this charity along with Sarah Chang, Guy Johnston and some other people, so if you’re a fan of me please support me by either attending the concert or donating money to the C.I.N website! My advice with my fans is to, always be who are no matter what the consequences are, and you can achieve greatly!



UPDATED Layout/Plan for Magazine

Front Cover

Contents Page

Article Page

Two ideas for Front Magazine


 I have chosen this as my final layout, however I had one more idea of how I can make it more persuasive and worth buying. My first one shows of a free Itunes card; teenagers today are uptodate with technology, they usually buy their songs from Itunes, however there is a problem, it makes the magazine seem tacky, empty and because this is a classical magazine, putting something so modern and up to date, this would take away the classical feeling away from the magazine. Furthermore by putting the CD, this would make it more classical, but then teenagers don't exactly use CDs anymore, so the itunes would be a more eniticing choice.