Practice shots and analysis of body language

The model is facing his head towards the camera, and his body away from the camera suggesting that he is now suddenly interested in the camera. He is smiling slightly and appears to be friendly and welcoming. His hands are in his pockets which adds to the image of being 'cool' and collected.

By wearing sunglasses, the model appears to be more powerful as he can see everyone, but no one can see his eyes. He is standing infront of the camera straight on and is looking up, again adding to his status and making him look like he has a lot of authority. The camera angle is from below, adding to the effect of the model looking up, making him look more dominant.

While looking up the models facial expression is amused, he is smiling and appears to be trying not to laugh, making him seem approachable and friendly. Looking up can be seen as the model day dreaming or -it can be seen as him being bored and his attention is diverted away from the camera, making him seem like a fun loving individual, who gets distracted easily, like a lot of teenagers. By appearing bored he can appear to be the typical teenage boy who does not enjoy too much fuss being made.  

This image seems to be more proffesional, as the model is posing in a more un-natural way. Wearing sunglasses again, makes him seem more mysterious and powerful, as we cannot see what he is looking at. He is smiling which shows that he is confident and happy. One arm is resting in a natural position, and the other is resting behind his head. This is a classic position for male models as it makes male models appear confident and relaxed. Wearing bracelets, makes the model more approachable as it suggests he enjoys going to music concerts and has a passion for music as well.

Possible artists that would feature in the magazine

Katy Perry would be an appropriate artist to feature in the magazine as she has been named 'the queen of pop'. Her music pushes boundaries and is exciting. A lot of young people can relate to her songs such as 'teenage dream' a lot of teenagers can remember their first love. 'Last Friday night' is a song that a lot of people can relate to again, as it tells the story of a slightly shy, un-confident person transforming and becoming confident and fun, and going out to a party, and not always remembering what happened. 'Firework' is also about becoming confident and over-coming any problems. 'Circle the drain' is something the older target audience may relate to as it involves the issue of domestic violence and watching someone you love, be down on themselves.

Beyonce is also an excellent example of someone who would be a great artist to be featured in OBSESSED magazine. She is strong, independent and fun! Her previous song 'Single Ladies' gives women confidence and guidance, and that being single is not necessarily a bad thing. She embraces her womanly figure and is not afraid to show off her curvy body. She is proud to have curves and show them off, and wants other women to feel the same confidence. She believes that 'Girls run the world', her song shows that she believes her fans are powerful and fun!

Take that will attract the older generation of the target audience, as they were first popular some years ago. They have recently returned to the music scene showing that they had a large fan base and over come any troubles and are now successful again. The five men may be attractive to some women and their songs are powerful- 'We can rule the world' is an inspiring song, which will influence readers to be strong and follow their dreams. OBSESSED readers will love looking back in time as well as to the future and learn more about the group.

Lady Gaga is a controversial artist and is not afraid of what other people think. OBSESSED is a magazine that loves artists like her, as she is strong, powerful and a good role-model for readers. Her quirky fashion style is also a topic of debate, OBSESSED magazine will focus on her music as well as her fashion sense. Her music is loud, fast and crazy, something that the readers will enjoy every now and then. Her dancing is also very bold and braze, catching people's attention, and adding to the mystery of who Lady Gaga is. People love to find out more about her and would love to find out about her and her music in OBSESSED magazine.

Bruno Mars is a popular artist as many women enjoy his songs as well as the lyrics in them. 'Catch a grenade for ya' is a thought provoking song as it gets the reader to wonder who he would catch a grenade for, and makes them wish that there is a man who would do the same for them. He has a cheeky and charming personality which many female fans enjoy. His style of music is slightly old-fashioned but still very popular today. OBSESSED readers would definately read an article on Bruno Mars if he featured in the magazine, as many are obsessed with him!

Rhianna was recently in the press as she was associated with domestic violence. She has shown the world that she has over come her issues and is strong and independant. She was ranked seventeenth most glamourous women in glamour magazine. Her image has undergone some changes, she had a good girl image, which then turned bad girl and now she is a mixture, showing she is glamourous but can also have a lot of fun and be crazy. She is a great role model for OBSESSED readers, as she is an individual who did not stand for domestic violence and took a stand against it. Her song 'we found love in a hopeless place' gives hope to young women that they will find  true love and be happy.

Kesha is a recently new artist and has popular songs, that appeal to the younger target audience. She is known for her crazy style and unique voice, as well as her elaberate make-up and costume. She as many other artists appears to not care what other people think and does what she wants to do.  Her song 'we are who we are' represents her personality as she wants everyone to be accepted for who they are. Her loud and crazy style of music makes people cheer up and want to dance, OBSESSED reader's would like to find out more about her crazy personality and how she came up with lyrics and song titles. A feature on Kesha would draw a lot of people to the magazine as she is new and trendy.

Inspiring Images

I originally took images of my model with lipstick kiss marks on his face but was unsure if it would be appropriate for a magazine. Although the image is on a fashion magazine, i think it will apply to my music magazine as it suggests that the target audience are obsessed with boys- seen by the lipstick kiss marks- as well as music. I did some research on images on front covers and found this image, which made me make my mind up and definately want to include the images i already took. I used photoshop to add some more marks as i was unsure if three would be enough, but after seeing the image of Justin Bieber, with only three, now i am unsure of how many there should be. I may try and have some of the marks different colours to suggest he has been kissed by more than one woman.

Feedback for names of the magazine

Feedback for names of the magazine

I asked what do you think of the name inspired? The reply was that it reminded the focus group too much of a fashion magazine, rather than a music magazine. Or it is to inspire someone to make something like arts and crafts, or possibly to be more active and take up a sport.

Muse- It reminds me of the band too much, and i would only buy it if i liked the band i think, i m not sure about other people. Muse sounds arty and like an inspiration of a piece of art- i suppose you could relate music to it, but i would also be reminded of the band.

Neon- It sounds quite young and modern, and for some reason jumping in a crowd dancing at a concert or club. It reminds me of Rhianna- I'm not sure why but it does- but i can imagine her on stage with big bright neon lights, lighting behind her. Another view point was that it sounded to much like a dance music magazine and too harsh to be a name for a pop music magazine.

Guitarist- Immediately makes me think of music, of someone sitting and playing a guitar. Country music is the first thing that i think of, i am not sure if it would relate to pop music magazine so much. I think it would only be a magazine that focuses on, only music and mostly guitars being used in that music. I think the name is too old for the targeted audience, it sounds a little bit like a jazz music magazine to me.

Obsessed- sounds more like a girly magazine, which fits the target audience group better. It makes me think of teenage girls screaming at Justin Bieber or One Direction. Obsessed also makes me think of girls being obsessed with boys, make-up and beauty and fashion. When i mentioned the idea of being obsessed with music, i got good reactions and the name seemed a perfect fit.

After suggesting possible names and getting feedback i asked a focus group what they would possibly call a magazine similar to the one i am creating.

Zoe Smith said:

I would probably call it something like, mu-now. It reminds me of the 'now' CD's and it sounds young and up to date with music news now. 'Mu'- is like short for music and it sounds modern and exotic, and the 'now' is reminding the reader that the magazine will be up to date with the best music all the time.

Findings of the questionnaire

Findings of the questionnaire

I distributed a questionnaire and also typed it up and sent it to people, through a social networking site, to people that are in my year at school and other people that do not go to school with me, they were all however aged between 14-19.

The first question asked how often they bought music magazines and read them, the response was predominantly ‘Never’ followed by ‘Every few months’. OBSESSED magazine would like to change this, and have more people buy and read OBSESSED magazine, more often. Only two people said they bought and read a music magazine every month.

I then wanted to find out what type of music-the audience I am targeting enjoy the most. I gave them multiple options to choose from: Pop, pop rock, metal, heavy metal, indie, country, jazz, soul, rock, RnB and world music. Most people ticked pop and RnB music, which applies to OBSESSED magazine- as it is mainly celebrating pop music. One person chose world music, and stated that they enjoy Arabic music as well.

Next I asked them to name their favourite band. The results were very mixed, reflecting the different types of people in the target audience. A younger person answered their favourite band/artists were the Parlotones and Justin Bieber, because they are amazing. Others said their favourite artists were: Eminem because he is a legend at rapping and his lyrics are meaningful, Ed Sheeran, as he had original music and they liked his voice. The Wanted, because their music is upbeat and the person generally likes their music. Lady Gaga is also a preferred artist as she is strong, powerful, crazy, outgoing and has a good voice. Tinie Tempa was popular as his songs were had a catchy beat/tune and relate to real life. Another artist liked by the audience was Michael Jackson, as he was an amazing singer/dancer and person. His songs were one of a kind and meaningful. Drake and lil wayne were also favoured as their lyrics are inspirational and true. And finally Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez were favourites as they both have songs you can relate to with the lyrics and are both good role models.

Nine out of twenty people had not been to music concerts, and only one out of nine did not want to go to a concert as “It would be too loud and noisy, crowds aren’t my thing, I would generally be irritable”. Everyone else would love to go, to experience the atmosphere and show their support for their favourite artist or band, and get the chance to meet and greet them. Others that had been to concerts had seen the following: Taylor Swift, T4 on the beach, Luique Essien, X Factor, Cold Play, Bryan Adams and Destinys Child. Everyone except one person, rated the importance of music in their life all above 6, the majority rating it ten out of ten and only one person rating it as 4.

Pink, purple, gold and black were the most popular choices for colours that they would expect to find on the cover of a pop music magazine aimed at older teenagers and young women. The feedback was that the colours should reflect the personality of the readers and the content in the magazine.It was also found that if the colours did not grab their attention, and they did not particularly like the colours on the cover they would probably not even pick it up- this gives me valuable information to make the cover as eye-catching as possible.

Things that would divert their attention to the magazines cover would be the image on the front cover, followed by the colour of the name and the name interesting the reader. Advertising a lower price than usual also entice the reader to buy the magazine, as well as provoke a person who the magazine is not targeted at- made it a popular convention that would help sell the magazine.

Finally i asked what price the target audience would be prepared to pay for a high quality music magazine, the feedback was mainly £3 - £3.50 and some were prepared to pay £5 or even higher. OBSESSED magazine is keeping the price low, to attract more readers and make it affordable to the wider population.

Costume ideas

Costume ideas

The costume that the model-artist or band in the case of music magazines- wears represents their personality, as well as the magazine’s personality. Costume reflects the genre of music too; it can be key iconography that helps identify the type of music. The audience may also have a similar personality, to what is being portrayed and may like what is being portrayed. In fashion magazines, what the model wears may be more for advertising purposes, and to persuade the audience that they need to look as glamorous as the model. Music magazines use costume to show the style of the music, that they celebrate. A classical music magazine may have the model in a long elegant dress, but a rock/metal music magazine may have their models wearing ripped clothing or a lot of leather, to represent their crazy, loud music and their rebellious personality.

For a pop music magazine, if the model was female I would have her smiling, looking bright and colourful and try to add some glitter or sequins to the costume- to reflect her style of music and fun personality. She will be wearing high heels to present herself as confident, statuesque and powerful. The shoes will probably be brightly coloured, and shiny. Flat shoes being worn will give the impression that the model is relaxed and calm.

Wearing long trousers would give her a more masculine look, which would make her seem independent and not appear to be the typical stereo type of ‘girly-girl’. If the trousers were, lose and did not cling to the models legs then it would appeal less to the tiny male audience, but main gain respect from the majority of the female audience- as some believe that men and women have un-equal rights in the office. Women would respect her as she would not be flaunting herself in-order to get people to buy the magazine but she is showing a more professional side of herself. On the other hand if she wore tight long trousers she would be appealing more to the small male audience, and also get a different sort of admiration, women would want to be slim and healthy as the model appears, it also shows that the model would be more confident and comfortable within herself and her body, and may want other women to follow her example and have a good self image of themselves. Tops that are generally worn on the covers of music magazines are either extremely simple, like a blue or white blouse, or wild and crazy torn up t-shirt. Female artists do often wear ‘tight’ clothes that flaunt their curves. This makes females want to be like them as they want to be desirable too.

If the model wore shorts it would again give the idea that she is comfortable in her body and want other people to feel confident within themselves. Depending on what type of shorts she wore, she could present herself as sporty or more sexy than usual as she is showing more skin. Usually when performing on stage, performers were more revealing costumes, possibly because they get hot from running around the stage or to appeal more to the audience. If worn with tights or leggings underneath, it is suggesting she is being conservative, but still composed.

A dress being worn would give the impression that the model is more of a stereo-typical girly-girl. Innocence is often associated with mid-length dresses, while floor-length dresses are associated with glamour and sophistication. Short dresses are seen as daring and possibly provocative, but actresses and singers are often seen in them, making them more acceptable. Female pop artists often wear dresses to appeal to the girly-girl stereo-type..You do not often see skirts on the front of any magazine cover, mainly dresses and shorts are seen being worn on music magazines that target men and women.

 A male model on a pop music magazine would be friendly and have a warm smile, inviting the target audience to buy and read the magazine. His costume will be casual and not too over the top, reflecting his personality of being relaxed. Pop music magazines usually have a male model that is famous, a singer or actor. He will usually have an innocent-‘boy next door look’ and appear to be sweet and charming. He would have had some styling to his hair but not too much, as he is relaxed and not too concerned about his appearance. An example of this is someone like Justin Bieber or Zac Efron. His costume can vary- at home he could be found wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts or generally casual clothing- which reminds us that he is human and normal like everyone else, which in turn makes him easier to relate to. A male model wearing shorts on a magazine cover is not a usual choice of costume, unless they are trying to make a statement. Shorts indicate that the artist is relaxed and may be sporty. A sports t-shirt, will show that the model is definitely sporty and again is not usually seen on the cover of a magazine. Men in suits appear often as well as men displaying their tattoos and a lot of skin, they seem to want to appear as more masculine, and ‘show off’ their muscles. Some go for the more classic, classy look by wearing suits and looking smart and others present themselves as scruffy and rebellious. Pop music magazines and music magazines that have a younger target audience tend to dress the model in a more everyday costume. Jewellery- usually necklaces- are often included in more RnB and rap music magazines, but are added to pop music magazine covers to give the artist a more tough appearance.

The type of jewellery that it worn on the front of a music magazine, can portray the type of music that the artist represents or the music that the magazine represents. For example a gold chain necklace, suggests that the artist is tough and is not afraid of anyone and their music will probably be rapping or more harsh music.’

For my music magazine cover I will probably have my model wearing something smart but casual, so that he comes across as relaxed but still making an effort. I will not have my model wearing any sports clothing or showing a lot of skin as that is more of a convention found in RnB and rock music magazines. The model will not wear a necklace to appear more tough but possibly bracelets to give off a more pop/indie feel, the bracelets will be or look like the bracelets you wear to get into a concert or festival. By wearing them it will show the audience that he also enjoys music and going to watch other people perform, making him more approachable. I will have a medium shot of him so will not be too concerned about what type of trousers he is wearing, as it will not be seen on the cover- but he will probably wear darker trousers or dark coloured jeans.

Sun glasses are used often in music magazines, but usually are used more to hide the emotions of the artist or make them seem more mysterious.

Target Audience Profile

Target Audience Profile

OBSESSED is the newest music magazine for anyone who is obsessed with music! The main target audience is young adult and older teenage women aged from 16-25. The magazine is for women who are obsessed with music and any news around it. OBSESSED is a music, life style and fashion magazine, making sure to appeal to most women. The type of women that OBSESSED is targeting at are strong, independent young women who like to have fun and enjoy music. It is written by women for women! The magazine will be focused on mostly ‘pop’ music- through research I have found that ‘pop’ music is the most popular type of music then followed by RnB, Hip hop, dance and country.

The magazine is for young, fun-loving, modern and independent, strong women. They may be leaving school and going to college or starting university or even finishing university and start working in the professional world e.g. getting a job in the music world or advertising, somewhere where they can be creative and work with music. When they need a break from their busy schedule or want to know where their favourite band or artist is performing, or would like to be inspired by what their favourite music icon is wearing; they will turn to OBSESSED magazine. The target audience will love all music, but mostly ‘pop’ music. They will appreciate any cover mount by will not buy a magazine just because there it is giving a free gift away- it will be an extra special bonus!

The target audience is independent but also enjoy having fun. She will just be starting her working career- after completing high school and her a-levels, as well as finishing university- she will be possibly working with something within the music industry, or at a magazine. She may be doing her a-levels and want to be more independent, by getting a part time or full time job. She gets pleasure from her work as it allows her to not only be independent but also to use her creativity and interact with others. She has her own apartment and enjoys having friends around and socialising; she often has her friends over to visit and her friends also want to read the magazine. She spends a lot of her leisure time with her friends, going out to lunch or dinner together and they enjoy going to clubs and finding new talented musicians as bars, clubs and community centres or shopping centres for younger readers. The target audience are hard-working, and well educated- with a high disposable income- enabling them to be able to afford extra luxuries such as magazines. She doesn’t at present read any music magazines, as none of them appeal to her, she mostly reads fashion magazines such as ‘GLAMOUR’, ‘ELLE’, ‘COSMOPOLITAN’ and occasionally ‘VOGUE’ when she feels like an extra special treat.

The target audience often go shopping and always want to remain in fashion and are always looking out for quirky unusual items of clothing. Shopping and music are also hobbies they like. Some play musical instruments for fun, sing and some are even aspiring musicians. Music is a passion for a lot of the readers! When they were younger some of the readers used to perform regularly in school plays, and played their musical instruments at primarily school events, a lot sang in their school choir. As they have grown up they are still obsessed with music! They cannot go a day without listening to some sort of music, e.g. when they wake up they turn on their radio or iPod and get ready, they listen to their iPod on their way to wherever they are going. The songs they have on their iPod are mostly of the pop genre, such as Katy Perry, Brittney spears, Rhianna, Avril Lavigine and a few boy bands like: One Direction, Westlife, The Wanted, and finally they also have some solo male artists such as Olly Murs, and Bruno Mars. The readers are healthy and like to keep fit, they go to the gym twice a week and, of course, always take their iPods with them. Exercise is not a must in their lives but they enjoying working out to their favourite songs. Relaxing is also important to them- often you will find them watching TV with a hot drink and chocolate in each hand the ultimate indulgence for most! When relaxing at home they could be watching TV; the target audience will enjoy watching anything on the ‘MTV’ channel, such as ‘When I was seventeen’- a TV program that famous singers usually appear on and talk about what they did when they were seventeen, thus giving the audience a sense of feeling closer to their favourite artist. ‘MTV cribs’ is also a popular show as it shows the audience what their favourite star’s house is like, and again makes them feel closer. The audience like to watch music awards, and find out if their favourite artists or bands won any titles, examples of this would be the ‘MTV EMA awards’ and some even like finding out about other cultures and like to watch the ‘Eurovision Song contest’. ‘Glee’ is a favourite of theirs, as it takes songs that everybody knows and changes them slightly, as well as following teenagers at school and their lives, the target audience can often relate to their problems. They also have the music channel on regularly, and enjoying listening to music they wouldn’t normally think of buying. When they have had a hard day at work or school they will have a bubble bath, and have more relaxing music playing, and will sing along, to their favourite songs. They also watch tv programs that have nothing to do with music such as, ‘Goks fashion’ to find out tips with fashion, ‘Pretty Little liars’ to give them an adrenaline rush as well as test their brains to find out what is going on. They sometimes spend an evening with their parents and watch soaps such as ‘eastenders’ and ‘hollyoaks’ with their parents- this would probably be the members of the target audience still living at home.

Some do have steady boyfriends, very few are already married and the majority of readers are single and happy to be! If a member of the target audience breaks up with her boyfriend, her friends will be by her side, supporting her, and bring junk food and tissues to help their friend. To cheer her up they would probably persuade her to go to a club, and dance as much as they can to forget her ex-boyfriend. The music will give her a burst of energy and act as an anti-depressant!

OBSESSED target’s audience uses other media as well, predominantly the internet, using social networking sites, such as Facebook or twitter. Using twitter makes the audience feel they have a connection as they know more about what their favourite artist or band is doing, and they can send short messages to the favourite artists or bands and be guaranteed that it will be seen by them or by someone who works with the artist- who can pass on the message if it is particularly touching. The younger end of the target audience, those girls aged between 16 and 19, will relate music to their everyday life. They often post song lyrics on the social networking sites, to let others know how they are feeling. The reader will pick up a free magazine or newspaper-if living and working near London- and enjoy flicking through the pages and finding out if any of their favourite artists or bands are performing. They also watch films regularly, such as ‘Band Slam’ a film about a boy who starts to manage a band, and the problems they face. A younger target audience member would like to watch something like ‘High school musical’. Other films they like to watch are the Twilight Saga, Alice in Wonderland, Toy Story 3- relating back to their childhood, The Proposal a more grown up comedy and the Hangover.

The target audience are young and fun loving young women, who love music and want to be surrounded by the music world and its influences, they want to dress as if they are musicians as well as be musicians or work with them. They will be obsessed with OBSESSED as soon as they buy their first copy!

Mission Statement - for OBSESSED magazine

Mission Statement

OBSESSED is a new music/lifestyle/fashion magazine! It is aimed at young women ending their school career and beginning their work career. It is written to celebrate the achievements of women within the music industry. The name grabs the audience’s attention and suggests that the magazine is actually obsessed with music and anything surrounding it. The readership is also obsessed with music and once they read the magazine they will be waiting for the next issue, to find out even more about their favourite artists.

As women like to and tend to do the majority of the shopping, the magazine will be on sale in most large supermarkets. The magazine will be on sale monthly and available in most large supermarkets and music stores. The readers will have the choice to subscribe to the magazine and receive it in the post. The magazine will be £ 3.50 as through research I have found most people will be willing to pay £ 3.50 for a high quality magazine. A website will also be available to view the main stories in the magazine, but not all of them! You can become a ‘member’ of the online obsessed magazine- an online subscription for those who are on the go and do not have time to go to the shops or prefer to view the magazine on a laptop or smart phone- they will obviously be able to view all the stories and have privileges that the normal subscription members have, such as more competitions and more chances to meet their favourite star.

The magazine is focussed on the music world, and any stars that are popular, as well as include a small section of fashion and a larger section of life style, due to popular demand in research. This ensures that it will appear to the target audience in more than one way, as most women enjoy fashion and gossip magazines, the no longer have to choose between fashion/gossip or a music magazine, they will get both.

OBSEESED is a music magazine but also has a few sections on fashion and lifestyle- this is what the reader needs and wants, other magazines on the market do not provide this, so obsessed will fulfil all the needs of the target audience. The magazine will focus on music mainly and concerts as well as reviews of concerts, CD’s and interviews with the latest stars. The interviews will be predominantly with female artists and will be regularly included in the magazine. Interviews with aspiring musicians and fans will also be included. The magazine will satisfy the target audiences needs as it consists of fashion tips, life style tips and most importantly music. The artists are trendsetters and inspire a lot of people in the way they dress or style themselves, therefore the magazine will have a page or two of fashion advice and ‘how to dress like____’. This will interest the target audience that aspire to be like the artist. The lifestyle section will be focussing on music in day to day life, for example having an article on people busking on the underground and how it affects travellers and what the buskers experience, their views and opinions on music of busking. Or having an article on an aspiring musician, and following them through their journey.

The magazine will feature mostly strong female figures in the music world, and inspiring the target audience to be strong independent women. Giving advice and encouragement to the target audience, the magazine wants to be the audiences ‘friend’ and provide them with everything that they need for entertainment as well as information about the latest concerts etc. The beauty and talent of strong female artists or bands will be celebrated and success will be promoted. An example of a strong female artist is someone like Beyonce or Lady Gaga. Recently more strong and successful female artists are emerging on the music scene and becoming more popular. They are presenting themselves as fun, fierce and full of energy. This inspires other women to be the same, being professional, confident and celebrating their talent! The audience aged roughly 16-25 want to know how to be successful. The majority are aspiring musicians and love all types of music. They see these artists as role models and as an inspiration.

Sometimes the magazine will have a cover mount or freebie, as a little thank you for being a loyal reader, and a way of promoting an artist or band featured in the magazine. Possibly having a CD, this will also appeal to other consumers as they may just want the free CD, however the loyal readers will continue to buy and read the magazine and the free cover mount will be a nice surprise treat for them. This CD could provide opportunities for new artists to be heard alongside established ones.

The magazine will run competitions regularly to win tickets to see or meet their favourite artist or band. And sometimes have the possibility to win v.i.p backstage passes. The magazine will also feature images of the fans at the concerts, creating a sense of reader involvement and interactions.

The magazine will strive to encourage women to be independent and follow their dreams to become musicians. The magazine will always have a friendly manner and tone, and invite the reader in by having the cover bright. Through some research I have found that mastheads that have contrasting colours to the background attract attention more than those that have a similar colour to the background and the masthead. Bright colours will also reflect the vibrant and fun personality of the magazine as well.

The model on the cover will be friendly and probably smiling. There may be a musical instrument, and the background will be different often therefore making the magazine interesting and appeal to a wider target audience every month. The target audience will automatically buy the magazine no matter what the cover looks like, but other members of the public will see the magazine and wonder what it is all about so possibly buy it on an impulse- like many magazines are. Certain features will be repeated so the loyal readers will be drawn in and will also be lured in by interesting artists and cover.

OBSESSED will provide music, lifestyle and fashion every month to young women, who need a break from work or their busy social life. At only £3.50 the magazine will be an affordable treat! Another small treat will be the posters of their favourite artist and band, they can admire and decorate their rooms and show off their taste in music. Providing information about the best bands and places to be, the reader will be envied by all their friends and want to have the knowledge and style that the reader does, as well as attended the best concerts and gigs.

Beth Porch- Aspiring musician and member of the target audience!

Beth Porch is a typical member of the target audience for OBSESSED magazine, as you can see, she is obsessed with music! Beth is a aspiring musician, and plays a range of music instruments including: the piano, saxaphone, guitar and drums- as well as singing. Beth regularly writes her own songs and music and performs them for friends and family. You can find Beth playing her guitar, and other instruments at school, on the beach or around town. Colbie Calait, Jason Mraz and Ed Sheeran have been big inspirations for her songs recently. Beth's saxaphone teacher's contact is in charge of a launch product for a store in Exeter and is looking for a guitarist/ singer to play background music at this launch, it's about an hour's worth of music and hopefully she will be getting paid and will recieve goody bag! These are the first, exciting steps to becoming a professional musician! She has a true passion for music and OBSESSED magazine would love to do an article on Beth in the near future!

Evaluation of the preliminary task

Evaluation: Preliminary Task

The preliminary task is a bit like a ‘practise run’ that is meant to help us fine tune and improve our skills. We had to produce a front cover of a new school magazine as well as design a contents page. We presented the front cover and design of the contents page, and design of the front cover, as well as the target audience profile and the mission statement on a blog that we also had to create. This offered me some experience of blogging before the main task too.

 My magazine cover followed the conventions of magazines better than my contents page. The magazine cover I created, I had the masthead in the usual position and added a drop shadow. I presented most of the sell-lines on the left hand side of the magazine cover. I added a ‘glow’ to the text as I thought it would be difficult to read it clearly. I added a more visible glow to the text ‘how to celebrate your 18^th’ as I thought it was appropriate that ‘celebrating your 18^th’ was highlighted to emphasize the idea that a person’s 18^th birthday is an important event. My contents page though was made up entirely. I did not think a lot about what other magazine contents pages contain or the positioning of images or text. I think I should have thought more about following the conventions of magazines as it looks a bit ‘messy’.

 The symbiotic link between the front cover and contents page, I imagine was average, I think it could have had a stronger link, but at the time I was designing my contents page I did not pay enough attention to how I could link the two together. I have however kept the colours similar, red and blue for the text, as on the cover the masthead is blue and the banner is a red-ish colour. I also had the same puff on the contents page -almost in the same position as on the front cover. I have a picture of a car on the contents page linking to one of the main sell lines. There is a smaller image of the model -on the front cover- on the contents page, she has a different facial expression and is standing in a altered position, the lighting and background are also slightly different to the image on the front cover- but her hairstyle, make-up and costume is exactly the same. I think I should have had the exact same text on the contents page as on the front cover to make it very easy to link the contents page to the magazine.

 I believe I have successfully made it clear to the audience that the school magazine will both inform and entertain as I have stated in my mission statement and target audience profile that- “Douay Matters will educate and entertain students”. I have provided information that shows that the magazine will inform or educate the audience as there will be national and international news as well as guidance about homework and exams. Entertainment in the magazine has also been highlighted as stated again in the target audience profile and mission statement. The magazine will provide random facts and there will be articles on music, films and books- including reviews. I think that the ‘promises’ will be satisfied on the front cover by having a sell-lines that relate to it, and more information about it on the contents page.

 The front cover and contents page I believe is appealing to both male and female six form students. The colours used on the front cover and contents page- red and blue- are traditionally associated with male and female. The main sell lines are attracting both audience’s attention as there are sell lines targeted at specifically male audience- such as the sports section- and there are articles targeted at the female audience- “how to be smart and stylish”. There are also sell lines that will appeal to both members of the target audience such as “learning to drive” and “best songs to study to”. Both members of the target audience are interested in learning to drive and music appeals to both genders as well. Ensuring that the male target audience are paying attention to the sports section and that the female target audience are paying most of their attention on the fashion section, as well as both genders focusing on the music and other parts, will enable the magazine to have a strong pull on both genders.

A strength of my front cover is that it looks like a school magazine. It looks professional but also has a twist to it, the masthead has a classic text that looks educational, but with the drop shadow it adds a more modern effect- thus suggesting that the magazine is educational but also fun. The model I used presented her-self in a smart manor but she also gave a friendly smile, inviting the target audience to pick up the magazine. I do think that the lighting could have been better but due to limited time, the weather and the location it was not easily possible to perfect everything. I was fond of the background of the front cover, but later found it was difficult to air brush signs. The background of the image was of the front of the school with a large sign displaying the school’s name, showing that the magazine relates to school.  I thought that the ‘glow’ around ‘celebrate your 18^th’ was appropriate and thought it  made all of the text easier to read- although I think it would have looked better if the text was a different colour. I believe adding a puff and a banner made it more interesting and eye catching, as well as making the magazine look more sophisticated and professional. I could have improved the banner by adding some images but I only remembered this once I had already presented the final front cover. If that happened again then I would ask my teachers if I could change it, or if I could stay afterschool to add images. My contents page had large text saying ‘Oct’ as that is the month it will be published in, the text was the colour red, which related to the banner on the front cover. My first design of the front cover was not very good and I went to see my teacher and she said I had the basics but I should re-do it. I re- designed the front cover and made improvements, I am glad that I went and doubled checked with my teacher about what to do.

I definitely need to work on my photo shop skills! This is the first time I used the program, while having a help sheet next to me I still struggled slightly. The layers on the program confused me a lot and I would be trying to select something for a while before realising I was on the wrong layer. I think I should possibly work on my photography skills as well, the image I ended up using was okay, but I think I could have gotten a better image if I had better knowledge of cameras and knowing more about mise-en-scene and the power of the outside location. I think I could have had a more simple background and used some iconography to give more of a hint that the magazine is a school magazine, instead of using the school’s name in the background. However I only became fully aware of the importance of iconography and mise-en-scene after the deadline for the front cover. I think introducing a book or folder or even a pen or pencil to the front cover would have shown that the magazine is definitely, one hundred percent a school magazine. Learning more about technology is something I also need to do. It took me a while to be able to transfer the image for my front cover onto the computer at school a while, also I found it challenging to load the final front cover onto a memory stick so I could upload it onto the blog. Luckily one of my teachers helped me. The blog is also new to me and I am having to learn how to import images and publish things.

 

To conclude I have learnt a lot of new skills on photo shop, blurring, changing the colour, changing the brightness of an image and adding drop shadow and glow onto text. I need to work harder on the photo shop and photography skills I have to ensure that I get the best possible result. I think I should also spend more time and care preparing the designs as I had to re-design because they were not the best they could be. I would like to practise using photo shop more and knowing exactly what each tool is meant to do, something I will make a priority in my free time. I would like to take more images of my model, with different mise-en-scene, different props, lighting and possibly outfit, in different locations so I have more of a choice when choosing my final front cover. I will plan my time out better next time so that I do not panic and have to make last minute decisions. I will practise using the photo shop program and I will ask if I am unsure of something as I wasted time by trying to figure something out by myself instead of just asking a teacher. I did not come across any method or technique that particularly went well, but I do think that using the drop shadow on my masthead helped reflect the target audience- as it had old fashioned text, which reflects the educational aspects of the students, and the drop shadow is more modern and fun, showing that the students also enjoy having fun, but do still study. I did learn how to edit certain things out of an image, I will probably edit my next image in some way or have a more simple background. Overall I think my final front cover was a good start considering that this is the first time I am studying media but I would have liked it to have been better, even if it was just changing the text colour, I feel like there is something I can improve on but I am not entirely sure what it is.

More images relating to the target audience

An image of the typical target audience of OBSESSED magazine! This young woman is at a Cold Play concert, with her boyfriend. She enjoys going out with her friends and boyfriend regularly, and going to concerts when she has the time. She works, so does not always have time to go out but still maintains a busy social life, often you will find images of the latest concerts she has attended on her social networking profile- like facebook. She enjoys listening to music and relaxing with her best friend when she has the day off work. When she was younger she used to do hip hop dancing with her sister, and loved to move around to the music! She loves going to bars and clubs to discover new bands and singers. Singing is also something she enjoys, she sings around the house, while doing the doing the dishes, tidying up and getting ready. Her and her friends often sing along to the radio when they are in the car together on their way to their favourite bands concert!

 

                                

The images above are of the stadium that Cold Play performed at recently, they had more of a 'pop' sound rather than their usual 'pop/rock' sound. Their fans describe their style of music as very dynamic and that it varies between pop and rock. The band wore everyday clothes, making the audience realise that they are like everyone else, and being able to relate to them more easily. They were described as very British, as their accent was strong- to an international audience. Cold Play's performance beat the expectations of their fans, and they also interacted really well with the crowd.

Target audience images

This image is a representation of my target audience, it shows the three friends on a beach, the older teenage girls are socialising and enjoying music together. Playing musical instruments, singing and performing in general is a passion of many of the readers of OBSESSED.

This is an image of 'Katy Perry's' tickets to her concert recently. The target audience would enjoy her music as she is fun and feisty. Young female adults will look up to her as she is strong and independent and also successful in her music career.

This is an image of Katy Perry performing, it reinforces the idea that she is strong and independent. She is showing a lot of skin which may appeal to the male audience but also makes the female audience admire her self confidence, and be inspired to follow their dreams. The colours of her costume and the feathers possibly a peacock- one of her songs is titled peacock. The colours, blue and green suggest that she is being natural, and that it is natural for a women to be strong, independent and attractive.

This image is a more 'girly' stereo type. Katy Perry is wearing mostly pink but still showing a lot of skin. By wearing a skirt Katy Perry gives the feeling that she is being old fashioned and this may relate to one of her songs or to represent the slightly less confident fans, and to encourage them to embrace their inner beauty. Iconography is used in this image, she is holding a guitar that has a vintage look and also singing into a glittery microphone stand.

Finally this image was taken by a fan at a Katy Perry concert. The target audience of OBSESSED will often go to concerts such as these and enjoy themselves there. They are willing to travel a distance to watch their favourite artist or band perform. The older teenage audience will sing along to the songs and dance their hearts out!