Evaluation

Michael Bobin AS media coursework

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Media Institutes

For my magazine to make its mark on the big market, a well-established publishing company would need to be considered. Without it, the magazine is most likely to stay underground.
The qualities of a publishing company I would look for would include:

• well known and respected for good links
• a publisher that had a number of well-established rock/metal magazines published by them - this would allow affiliations and links between each magazine, giving them easy access to good advertising and partnerships
• the publisher must be in the UK, but could also run US magazines for affiliations and links to the large market in the USA

The publishers of Metal Hammer, Future Publishing plc, also publish many other well-known rock and metal magazines, such as Classic Rock, Total Guitar and Revolver. This would give reLOAD great possible links and advertisements in these magazines.

Future Publishing plc. has managed to keep Metal Hammer to be seen as an underground magazine. My target demographic enjoys feeling part of an underground community such as this, yet Metal Hammer still maintains itself as a well-known magazine. The mix of these two opposites being maintained at the same would be perfect for my magazines image. Future Publishing plc. would be the ideal magazine publishing company for reLOAD.

I used Wikipedia & the official Future Publishing website for my information.

Final print piece

Here are my fully completed 3 items of work.

The 5 bottom images on my contents page were not taken by me, however I contacted all 5 bands and received permission of all 5. The Patriot requested that I put a copyright ownership footer, which can be seen in the bottom left-hand corner of the contents page.

Double-page spread - design alterations

Once I had finished my design for my double-page spread, I took some feedback from people who were included in my target demographic. The main criticism I received was that the electric blue colour used in my design idea didn't follow the metal style visually, and it also didn't follow my colour scheme. I will alter the design so that it will fit my colour scheme, and follow the metal visuals, by changing the colour scheme from electric blue to blood red.

Double-page spread - 1st and 2nd designs

After spending time working through some layouts for my double-page spread, I now have a full double-page spread layout which I am going to use for my final piece.
Below are my 1st and 2nd design ideas. I will be using the 2nd of the two.

Use of language within a text

The interview from the band that I am using for my double-page spread interview includes colloquial language and swear words. The use of both of these will appeal to the demographic I am targeting. However, I have quoted, and thus enlarged, a certain quote with the use of a swear word. After contemplating whether or not to censor this quote, I have decided that I will censor it on the enlarged quote, but leave the swearing in the smaller text. I came to this decision because censorship in the way of stars can look very punchy, if you still know the real word. Though my demographic will appreciate such words, it could deter other interested readers who are not used to such language. Therefore, censoring the large quote whilst leaving the swear words in the actual text will increase my potential audience.
I have made sure that the quotes I will use on the front cover will not include any colloquialisms or swear words. This will mean that first glances at the cover will not put people off of buying the magazine, and also that shops will be able to display it without needing to censor it.

Editing the images

Editing my pictures will happen once they have been inserted into the layout. However, whilst going through my images I noticed that my portrait photos were not good enough, and something was unsatisfactory with each. This caused a problem when choosing an image to use for the front cover.
I had to use my Photoshop skills to take an image I liked, and bring everyone close together to emulate a portrait-styled image. Luckily, as this image was going on the front cover and would include a Photoshopped background, with images and writing over the actual image, I was not required to be too clean with the cutting. This also goes for Jake's (3rd from the left) right leg, as it will not be visible and noticeable once there is text in front of it.
Below is the transformation from the original image to the portrait style image I will use for my front cover.

Masthead banner

Below are the three most popular metal magazine mastheads.

Looking at these three, the first thing I noticed is all three mastheads have a decayed, broken look. Terrorizer is the most decayed, whereas Metal Hammer is the least. However, the 'METAL' in the logo has been cut out of the H in a fairly rugged way. The Kerrang! logo is meant to look like smashed glass.

I have used a decayed/grunge-style text for my masthead. I have also stayed in line with my colour scheme, and I have also incorporated a large version of my emblem behind the text. This will be used for my masthead on my cover page, and also inside on the contents page. The masthead I will use is below.

Double-page analysis

I have analysed certain points of different double-page spreads. An example of one I have annotated and scanned in is below.

Conventions of a music double-page spread

• The imagery and text must not cross the page joint.
• Large, colourful quotes to attract the reader to an interesting point in the article.
• Band/artist name in the top corner closest to the edge of the page.
• Captions underneath some images.
• Band name & album names in full caps whenever mentioned.
• Information about the bands current album/tour in a separate box/shape.
• A large letter to start the article, which indicates a starting point to the reader
• Images may intrude the columns of writing to keep the article structure interesting and non-conformist
• The interviewer and interviewee must be in different coloured fonts, to distinguish easily when the speaker changes

Whilst looking through Metal Hammer & Kerrang!, the majority of interviews are 3 or 4 page spreads, rather than just 2. This means that I will have to restrict the space I use for pictures to fit in a respectable amount of text.

Pictures for the magazine

I took pictures for my magazine in four different locations: under a bridge, next to a motorway, on a field in the sunset, and in an underpass. My four different locations will allow me to play with what I see fits my magazine article. I chose these four as they can all connote different things about the band, and so I will be able to use the correct pictures depending on what I want to portray. For example, under a bridge & in an underpass are both very run-down areas. This background and shadowy lighting will connote grunge and decay. If I wanted to make the band appear to be very strong, proud and epic, the shots in the sunset on a field makes the band look valiant, and almost 'fantasy-like'.
I used a professional SLR to be able to pick up the high quality and distinct colours I needed. I could also change the effects to suit the background and effect I was attempted to achieve.
I took 199 pictures overall, using a variety of different angles, colours and backdrops. I cut these down to just 30 I deemed good enough to make the final choice for the magazine. I will choose which pictures fit during the process of creating each page.

Mid-angle shot

Low angle shot

Close-up

Side-on

Terraced

Focused foreground shot, with unfocused but recognisable models in the background

These are all the original, unedited images I have taken. I am yet to edit them. I've planned to edit most of them whilst, or after, I have worked on my layout on Photoshop of my pages. This way, I'll be able to fit the images around the layout, rather than the other way around. Doing it this way will allow me to perfect the layout style I want.

Models

The people I used for my photo shoot were Elliot Bobin, Jake Pearce, Luka Milic and Eddie Pickup. I chose these four people because they all have the right look that I was going for, and are all local to the area I wanted my pictures. I told them to bring metal clothes, and anything which is close to the 'black t-shirt & jeans' outfit. Jake brought a great metal look to the shoot, as he had a heavier style of clothing, including New Rock Boots, full black clothing, and gothic-style pin-stripe. I'm happy with the way they all looked. Each person brought a different side of the metal look to the shoot, which gave an excellent overview of the metal genre.

Metal photo shoot examples

I have researched the metal genre's style of photography for bands and artists.

Priestess

Black Tide

Children of Bodom

In Flames

I have made a few observations about these images:

• The clothes worn by all are typical of the metal genre. The 'uniform' includes a black t-shirt, jeans, leather jackets, chains, long hair and as little bright colours as possible.
• The backdrops are always in a run-down urban environment. The image is as filled with the band members as is possible, so the background is only there to hint at the grunge element of the image. This adds to the mise-en-scene of the imagery, connoting decay, and that the bands music is the grunge style.

Colour scheme & recurring emblem

In my first post where I reviewed the Metal Hammer front covers, I noticed that Metal Hammer had a recurring colour scheme and emblem, which they used all over the magazine. For my magazine to mimic this, I have decided on a colour scheme of white, grey, red & black. Along with this, I have decided to use a 'blood/paint splatter' effect across the magazine, incorporating chaotic and messy splats wherever I see fit. These will be in red, to keep with the colour scheme, and the blood connotation with red will add to the effect.
I have also decided to use a certain emblem across the magazine. I will try to put this in where I can, as bullet points or to emphasize something. This will be set up as something that frequent readers would be able to recognise as from reLOAD.

Fonts usable for the magazine

I have used www.dafont.com and www.1001freefonts.com to obtain various fonts for my print task. I will try all of these fonts, and fit the ones that work where applicable.

The font names are:
Defused
JudasPriest
Metal Lord
Idiot
Preview
XXII Ultimate Black Metal
Brutal Tooth
Birth Of A Hero
Pulse Sans Virgin

In order, they are below:

I can see that some of these may be a problem, due to their illegibility causing a problem for the reader. I am considering using the illegible ones for small band logos, as they will not need to be read properly, due to their name being written in a legible font elsewhere.

Closed-end questionnaire

I handed this questionnaire out to 25 people, 16 boys and 9 girls. The gender bias was partially intentional, as when looking for metal magazine reader demographic, 64% were male. I calculated it so that 64% of the people I used for my questionnaire were therefore male, so I would receive a more relevant set of answers.

1. What is your favourite genre of music?
Rock/Indie 4
Pop 2
Metal 8
Classical 0
Rap 5
R&B 3
Garage 3
Jazz 0
Other (specify) 0
2. How often do you buy music magazines?
Not at all 2
1-3 a year 5
4-6 a year 11
7-9 a year 3
10-12 a year 2
I own a subscription to a magazine 2
3. Out of these magazines, how many have you heard of? (you may tick more than 1)
NME 24
Kerrang! 17
Metal Hammer 16
Terrorizer 2
Power Play 0
4. What is the main thing you enjoy to see in a music magazine?
Band/artist interviews 17
Gig reviews/guides 6
Music news 1
Upcoming bands 1
Competitions 0
Album reviews 0
Free gifts 0
5. Do you find more about music from music websites or magazines?
Music websites 19
Music magazines 4
Both 1
Neither 1
6. What would you look for on a front cover that would draw you in to that magazine?
Familiar band name 14
Giveaways/competitons 1
Free gifts 1
Eye-catching colours 3
Imagery linked to your favourite genre of music 6
7. Would free gifts encourage you to buy a magazine?
Yes 23
No 2
8. Of these titles, which one represents the rock/metal genre to you the strongest?
reLOAD 10
Charged 3
Jumpstart 1
Pit 5
Thrasher! 6


The results I received gave me this outcome:
1. Metal was seen as the most popular of the people I asked, followed by rap. This meant that I will have a good audience for my metal magazine.
2. 4-6 a year was the average of when people would buy magazines. I will therefore make my magazine monthly, as releasing them weekly/fortnightly may become lost on many people.
3. Almost all 25 had heard of NME, a much more mainstream magazine. However, as the magazines became themed on heavier rock/metal, less people had heard about them. This will mean that heavier metal is where I will want to place my magazine, as I would not receive as much competition as if I went for the same demographic audience as NME.
4. Band/artist interviews were seen to be the most interesting, and the favourite part of a magazine for readers. I will use an interview for my double-page spread, and my magazine will include as many interviews as it could get.
5. Most people got their music information from music magazines. This meant the magazine does not have to attempt to compete with music websites, and that people will choose a magazine over websites. However, as some people do use the internet for their music news, I will put the web address of the magazine's website on my print task.
6. Most people will look for a familiar band name, and then imagery linked to the genre of the music. This meant I will have to fit lots of band names onto the front cover, in an attempt to catch a variety of my demographic. It will also mean I will have to keep the metal element strong on the front cover, so people could instantly recognise it as a metal magazine.
7. Free gifts encourage people to buy magazines, and so I will advertise this on the front cover, to get people interested.
8. reLOAD was voted as the name which represented the genre the best, so I shall stick with this name.

Front page - practise run

As I do not have my pictures that I will be using for my actual magazine yet, I have designed an edition of a fake magazine called 'Red Shift'. The images used are all copyright, and thus this is only a test of my skills in making a metal-genre magazine cover. I personally feel it has gone well, and this has increased my confidence in using Photoshop to make my metal magazine. I will now be able to be more imaginative without having to compromise due to skill, as I know that I can produce such work.

Base outline of a front cover & contents page, from the analysis of both

These are sketched versions, which I have scanned in, of the basic outline of what I will attempt to fit my front cover to.
The word "Institute" on the front cover sketch is the name of the band that will feature in my magazine. They will also be the subject of my double-page spread. These designs will be elaborated on once my production has started using Photoshop. This way, it will be easier for me to visualise and edit my designs accordingly. I find it much easier planning and editing using Photoshop than on paper.

Real life contents page analysis

I have analysed two different contents pages, both from well known rock/metal magazines. These are Kerrang! and Metal Hammer. I scanned the contents pages, resized and reprinted them onto A4, then annotated and rescanned them.

These two different contents page, and the analysis I have done to both, has given me some conventions to stick to for making a music magazine contents page:

• The contents page must consist of three different sections - the contents list, the image section, and the editors section.
• The editor's section needs to include an image of the editor, along with their signature.
• The contents must include the word 'Contents' in large, bold writing.
• The page must have the issue number & date.
• The page must include the name of the magazine somewhere.
• The contents section should have subheaders, splitting the contents into sections such as features, regulars, reviews etc.
• The contents page could have a grey/white background colour, as these are neutral colours and thus does not side towards any bands in particular in the magazine. The background, however, should be 'rugged', to fit with the grunge look.

I will follow these conventions within my own contents page.

Print task - why?

After the success of my magazine product in my preliminary task, I have decided on doing the print task. Due to my interests, I am very familiar with Photoshop and have been using it for a good 4-5 years for various needs. My preliminary task reassured me that I was much more skilled in Photoshop than I am using video editing software such as Adobe Premiere. I was praised by my teachers and my fellow class mates for my magazine cover, and often requested to help people. This gave me great confidence into going for the print task. I am also much more interested in music than films, so I could bring my own influence and knowledge to a piece of music print work rather than a movie sequence.