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Rough Sketch of my Double Page Spread

Double Page Spread Article

Hippy’s member Sean says NO to going solo.

Star in the making Sean Mcminn-Davies is with us for an exclusive interview about his hopes, social life and most of all his band Hippys on The Hill.

He’s been a member of Overload with fellow students Adam Price and Liam Ryan but now he is a member of the well known local band Hippys on the Hill. Sean Mcminn-Davies has been a dedicated member of this band now for over 3 years and whilst playing the main role of the bass guitar player he also plays the role of the backing vocalist. This is the band who everyone is talking about and here at RockOut we managed to bag an exclusive interview with Sean himself.

The next gig Sean is playing with his band is in a place called the Cock and Bottle at the beginning of December but there is a bigger gig at the O2 academy on 15th December where the tickets are around £5-£6. Get your tickets now before it’s too late. You can get in touch via www.myspace.com.

Just like you would expect, Sean has his own personal favourite songs to perform his favourite being called “In the Night” which is one the band have wrote themselves. We can look forward to many new songs off the band as there is more getting written as I am writing this.

The question at the back of everyone’s minds is whether Sean himself is single or not and I can now reveal that Sean is single and ready to mingle. The thing that Sean enjoys most about his performances are when he gets a lively crowd as it makes him enjoy his bands performance more making him feel more confident. Shockingly he does not feel that he gets harassed by girls, maybe he just doesn’t notice it though.

ACDC are Sean’s ultimate favourite Rock band and he even says that they have slightly inspired him in his own music. He has many favourite music genres however thankfully his personal favourite is Rock. In his spare time Sean likes to socialise with his friends just like any other 16 year old. He is a young star and we can already see that he is going to be massive in the future.

When I asked about criticism he receives he said that he takes it well but tends to just go over his head, this shows us that he is a very easy going person and could get along with almost anyone. You wont meet anyone as friendly and welcoming as Sean, he would go that extra mile to help.

As we can tell Hippy’s On the Hill receives a lot of attention from fans as at all of their gigs the crowds go wild and have rememberable nights to look back on. Rather than keep himself to himself, Sean prefers to get the attention of his fans as it shows him that people are enjoying what he is doing and encourages him in the right direction to keep doing what he is doing well.

Luckily Sean gets along with all of his fellow band members with them being good mates. This means he enjoys working with them and him being a member of this band is not seen as a challenge for him because of the great responses he gets from the audience. When Sean performs live he is great at getting the audience involved, this obviously comes naturally to him as it makes him enjoy the performance as a whole much more than if he was to just play his role.

In his own opinion his best gig no far would have to be May 1st in the o2 Academy in Liverpool where there was an outstanding turn out and real buzz to the performance.

The real question we all want to know the answer to and have been waiting for is whether or not Sean Mcminn-Davies would ever consider going solo. To some peoples delight he would prefer to stay with his band showing us that he is a dedicated band member and will go far. We at RockOut will look forward to seeing his progress over the future and hop to see him back with us in a few years time to tell us about what he has been up to and how he is doing.

Edited Photographs on Photoshop

Un-edited Images Taken

Interview Questions for Interview with Sean Mcminn-Davies

1.How long have you been a member of Hippy’s on The Hill for? Has this always been your bands name?

2.What role do you play in your band?

3.When is your next gig and where?

4.How much are the tickets usually?

5.Do you usually receive a big audience?

6.What is your personal favourite song to perform live?

7.Have you got any new songs on the go?

8.So, this one is for the fans, are you single?

9.What do you enjoy most about your performances?

10.Do you find you get slightly harassed by girls?

11.Who is your favourite Rock Band/Artist? Are they your inspiration?

12.In your opinion what is the best music genre?

13.What do you do in your spare time?

14.Do you take criticism about your music well?

15.Do you like getting attention from fans, or do you prefer to keep yourself more to yourself?

16.Do you enjoy working with your band?

17.When you perform you are good at getting the audience involved. Do you get this from other bands or does it just come naturally to you?

18.In your opinion what has been your best gig so far?

19.Are your songs about anything in particular?

20.Would you ever consider going solo?

Rough Sketch of Front Cover and Contents Page

Publication Plan

Publication Plan

Title: Rock Out.

Positioning Statement: Live Rock, Love Rock!

Frequency of Publication: Monthly

Price: £3.00

Distribution: Local shops, newsagents, Rock concerts and supermarkets

Rationale: This magazine is to inform and entertain the reader about Rock music and the upcoming events. Interviews with bands or solo artists will be included so that the audience feels connected to the magazine and can relate to the content and the music they listen to. The target audience is for teenagers to young adults making it more chatty and informal and less serious on the genre of rock.

Style: I would like my style to be informal to the reader but have a formal layout making it look organised. I am going to use music as my main attention grabber and use the artists and cover lines in order to sell my magazine, therefore these features will stand out the most. As the magazine is about Rock music I am going to use a mixture of simple and descriptive syntax in order to convey my genre. My main image is going to be the main focus of the front cover and it will also be the main focus of the double page spread.

Regular Content

· Editors letter
· Interviews with bands or solo artists
· New song/album releases
· Gig information
· Gig reports
· Band/Artist of the week
· Upcoming bands and artists
· Music competitions
· The rock chart

Feature Content

· Which Rock band will win?
· Which Rock bands will compete next month?
· Article about upcoming bands or solo artists
· Rock music chart download
· Gig information
· Most listened to rock band
· A double page spread on a new upcoming artist
· Article on best rock band or solo artist
· How much do you really love rock?
· Put your skills to the test!
· Are you interested in helping out
· Rock performance charity work

House Style

Coverlines: Rockwell

Headlines: Rockwell bold

Standfirst: ArialRounded MT Bold


Features first paragraph: drop capital Franklin Gothic Demi, 6 lines deep, and first word in capitals with first line being in bold.


Body Text: Chapparal Pro

Colour Scheme: Black, Red and White

Questionnaire Results Recording

Questionnaire Results Write Up

The first question I asked was to see if my rock audience was mostly either female or male, below are the results which I got. As you can see there isn’t much difference however there are slightly more males than females meaning that I may want to make my magazine slightly more for a male audience.



I then asked how often they bought rock music magazines and got the majority of the audience buying them monthly meaning I may want to publish my own music magazine monthly aswell in order to attract a wider audience range.



In order to find out what my target audience wanted to see in their music magazines I asked them what they liked to see on a regular basis. I got a varied response to this question however the content which got the biggest attention was interviews, this means that I will use this in order to decide what my regular content will be as I can see which is the most popular and attract the most attention pleasing many of my audience.



In order to find out what sort of background would appeal the most to my audience I asked whether they preferred a busy or plain background. With most people saying plain meaning I am going to have a plain background on the front cover of my own magazine as it appeals to the most people.

Tally Of Questionnaire Results

1.
Male ||||||||||||
Female ||||||||

2.
Weekly ||||||
Monthly ||||||||||||
Other - Not Often ||

3.
Interviews |||||||||||||||||||
Cover Stories |||||||
Headlines ||||
Gig Information |||||||||||
Reviews ||||||||||
Pictures of Bands/Artists |||||||||||||
Upcoming Artists ||||||||||
Upoming CD's ||||||||
New Song Releases ||||||||||||

4.
Slipknot |||
Bonjovi |
Dream Theatre |
The Cab |
Enter Shakari |
Passion Pit |
Biffy Clyro |||||
The Strokes |
Nirvana ||
Foo Fighters |
30 Seconds to Mars |
Muse |
Paramore |

5.
Download Music ||||||||||||||
Buy CD's ||
Both ||||

6.
Band ||||||||||||
Artist ||||
Either ||||

7.
Busy ||||
Plain ||||||||||||||||

8.
Bright & Colourful ||
Black & White ||||
Mixture ||||||||||||||

9.
Italic |
Bold ||||
Big ||||||||||
Small ||||
Other - medium font |
- Varied |

10.
£0-£2.50 |||
£2.50-£5.00 ||||||||||||||||
More |

11.
Kerrang |||||||||
Rocksound ||
NME ||||||||
Classic Rock |

Rock Music Magazine Questionnaire

1. Are you male or female?

Male 0 Female 0

2. How often do you buy music magazines?
Please tick one

Weekly 0 Monthly 0
Other __________

3. What do you most like to see in your music magazine?
Tick which apply to you, up to 5.

Interviews0 Cover Stories0 Headlines0

Gig information0 Reviews0 Pictures of bands/artists0

Upcoming Artists0 Upcoming CD’s0 New song releases0


4. Who is your favourite Rock Band/Artist? Please state why.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Do you buy Rock CD’s or do you prefer to download your music?
Tick which one applies

Download music0 Buy CD’s0 Both0

6. What you prefer to see a band or artist on the front cover of a music magazine? Please state why.

Band0 Artist0

Reason why
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Do you prefer a busy or plain background?
Please tick one

Busy0 Plain0


8. How do you like the appearance of your music magazine to be?
Tick one

Bright and colourful0 Black and white0 Mixture0

9. What typeface (font style) do you prefer to see used on a music magazine?

Italic 0 Bold0 Big0 Small0 Other____________

10. How much money are you willing to spend on a music magazine?

£0-£2.500 £2.50-£5.000 More0

11. Now please list your favourite Rock music magazine.

_________________________

Thankyou for your time.

Codes And Conventions Of Music Magazine Double Page Spreads

- They all have a main image which takes up to one whole page of the article, this is usually of one person and is mainly on the left hand side.

- The magazines description of the story is also included in order to give a brief introduction and intrigue the audience.

- Drop capital at the beginning of the article to start off the story, this makes it look more formal.

- Bylines of the writer and photographer

- A colour scheme, mainly linking to the main image in order for it to look organised and well written, this would also appeal to the target audience and music genre.

- Magazine name next to the page number or sometimes the issue date in order to make a point to remind the reader of which magazine they are reading.

- The website address to get the reader to visit the website for more information of what's to come in following issues.

- An informal mode of address is used in the article in order to relate to the target audience which the magazine has been published for.

- Short and snappy headlines are used making it more eye catching and easier for the audience to read.

- The name of interviewee is usually in a different colour making it stand out from the rest of the text and get attention.

- A border is used around the double page spread which makes it look more appealing to the audience.

- Around 3/4 main columns are used in order to organise the article making it look more presentable and well laid out.

- There is also sometimes a quote from the subject which is often over the main image itself.

- A headline is used at the top of the page to immediately either draw in the readers attention or make them turn the page.

- The stand first is always either near or under the headline itself and it is also before the start of the article, this introduces the article and explains what it's going to be about meaning it engages the reader.

Codes And Conventions Of Music Magazine Contents Pages

- Most have an issue date and number which is there for convenience and to inform the reader.

- There are usually 3/4 columns, however codes as we know codes and conventions can be broken. An example of this is "Mojo" as it only has 2 columns, this may have been done in order for their magazine to be different and to stand out from others.

- A main image of the band or solo artist which the article is about, this article is to do with this artists music.

- A letter from the editor is also included as sometimes the editor speaks to the audience, this is done in order to welcome new readers, appropriate to the mode of address.

- A colour scheme is used, similar to the front cover, this is so that it relates to the front cover making a connection with the target audience.

- One main image, which is the main story, of the artist or band which is to do with the music genre.

- Several subsidiary images are also used to relate to articles inside the magazine which interests the audience. This can then be separated into subheadings in order to make it more clear and audience which comes in useful especially if the mode of address is formal.

- The website address is included so that the reader can go onto the website for more information on the magazine. This is usually at the bottom of the page as it is not the most useful piece of information for the reader.

- The masthead from the front cover is repeated in order for the audience to familiarise themselves with the rest of the magazine and to advertise their publishing.

-

Codes And Conventions Of Music Magazine Front Covers

- Most music magazines have a colour theme of 3/4 main colours, these colours are usually from a limited range as this makes the magazine stand out more to its audience.

- The masthead is at the top of the page and it's main job is to draw in the audiences attention as it suggests the genre and target audience, for example a children's pop magazine like "Smash Hits" has bubbly font which appeals to children.

- Buzz words are used in order to attract attention for example "plus" and "free", these words both get the reader to want to buy that magazine.

- Around 5 cover lines are used which also link/relate to the genre of music.
There is always a main image used which is of the main band or artist, when it is a band it's usually a long shot however when it is a solo artist it is usually a mid shot unless it is a solo artist who is looking at the camera in order to connect to the audience where their body language reflects this audience and the genre of music.

- Subsidiary images are used which may also get you to look at the magazine, especially when well known images are used. These images may be used as a back up if some of the others do not appeal to the audience.

- There is an organised layout which suggests a more mature audience as it is formal, this is then appropriate to the genre and the target audience an example of this is Q magazine as it looks more serious.

- A tag line is used which also is there to attract attention and give the magazine an edge for it's audience.

- There is also normally a plain background used as this makes the other features of the front cover stand out more and make it look more formal.

- Basic information is also featured on the front cover; which is needed for most magazines in general like a bar code, price and issue date. If the magazine is more expensive then this price tends to be smaller so that it isn't the first thing the audience see and get put off by. On the other hand if the magazine is cheap then the price is usually bigger and bolder in order to quickly draw in the audiences attention.

Research On Existing Rock Music Magazine Contents Pages

Kerrang

Rock Music Magazine Publishing Research

Music magazines have long been seen as a way of creating a relationship between bands and fans, therefore they contain information that is of a large interest to these fans in order to make their magazine more popular. Due to this publication of magazines can produce a large amount of profit, making the marketing of the magazine very important.

The NME magazine is usually priced at around £2.30 per issue and is published by weekly. Meaning the reason for it being cheaper than others is due to the fact that in order for fans to but this magazine on a weekly basis it has to have a reasonable price. Also with it being produced weekly it is not going to have as many pages as a monthly magazine, meaning NME only has around 75 pages for each issue.

Kerrang is another example of a rock magazine and is usually priced at around £2.20 per issue meaning it is also a weekly magazine and is at a cheaper price like NME for the same reasons of attracting a wider audience. This magazine only has around 63 pages.

Research On Existing Rock Music Magazine Double Page Spreads

Kerrang



These two pages may be considered as an advertisement due to the way that the writers have emphasised the band as being “the best”. They also advertise the band’s new album, set for release next spring, which begins to create a sense of anticipation for fans, this article both entertains and promotes the band. This positive promotion of the band may also be down to the writer’s ideas about the genre of music, with this being rock.

All of the factors used to produce a double page spread relate to the ideology of the writer and the publishing company, relating to the set of values that the majority of the audience will have. The producer’s intent is to inform entertain and change opinion, while making the magazine profitable to the company. Consumers that buy the magazine are of a young audience, who take interest in the particular style of music that has been taken on by ‘Kerrang’. The medium of presenting magazines that readers can flip through and skip is very important, and must be acceptable for the fans of the bands that are mentioned in order to draw in the audience.

Research On Existing Rock Music Magazine Front Covers

Kerrang!

“Kerrang!” is the worlds biggest selling rock magazine therefore it is very well known and would be my greatest competition. It costs £2.20 and covers all forms of music with attitude from Slipknot to Marilyn Manson. This magazine is produced weekly which suggests why its price is lower than other music magazines such as Mojo which is £4.50 therefore with it being cheaper it would attract a broader audience. The target audience of this magazine has a fairly stereotypical of boys as it uses masculine colours and the main images are both of men; one with a guitar connoting rock and the other with a leather jacket on also connoting a rock star. I would say the age group is for over 16’s up to young adults. This also contains around 72 pages from the ones I have viewed. The mode of address of this magazine is quite serious about music as it doesn’t have a chatty language used.



Classic Rock

“Classic Rock” magazine is the definitive voice in rock journalism, going behind the scenes to bring, for the very first time, the real stories behind rock legends from Led Zeppelin to Metallica, to Marilyn Manson and beyond. In-depth profiles and features on the movers and shakers of rock music. Focuses on hard rock, heavy metal and the older generation of ‘Rockers’. Interviews, news overviews, tour dates, retrospective articles and a hefty reviews section. It costs £4.50 however it is produced monthly therefore it would attract more attention at that time of the month. I would say this magazines target audience is for older more mature adults as its layout is very old fashioned. Words such as; “motorhead” and “Metallica” connote a heavy rock audience and suggests the content will be for an audience of this genre. The mode of address for this magazine is formal as its layout is old fashioned and with it having no images it suggests it is produced for a more mature audience. Its mode of address is formal as this layout appeals more to its target audience.



Total Guitar

Total Guitar magazine is dedicated to making its readers better guitarists. It features product reviews, artist profiles and interviews as well as techniques and tutorial pages. It is Europe’s best-selling guitar magazine. It is a comprehensive guide for guitarists and guitar enthusiasts of all abilities. Its editorial features are; product reviews, artist profiles and interviews, and technique and tutorial pages. It costs £4.99 and is also produced monthly. The target audience for this magazine would be young adults of 25 and above males, this is due to the layout being more masculine and the mode of address being less formal making it appeal more to younger adults rather than an older audience.



NME

This music magazine front cover features many elements that are typical to this genre of music magazine: rock. The main picture features the lead member of a rock band, who is performing on stage, with a bright light behind him. The photo was framed informally, from a low angle, giving this ‘rock star’ a sense of superiority. It was taken so that he appears to be shouting, making the picture seem exciting, and more appealing to the younger audiences of the magazine, who listen to this genre of music. Also most language on the front cover is colloquial, using terms that only younger people may understand, such as “ticket washout”, showing that the magazine is intended for them, and making it seem more ‘fun’. This is also a weekly magazine and is published at a reasonable price of around £2.30.

Basic Information On My Music Magazine

The type of music magazine in which I am going to produce is going to be a "rock" magazine. I have chosen this genre of music as it is by far the most popular genre of music where magazine production is concerned. For example "Kerrang!" is the most popular rock magazine so far therefore this would be my biggest competition meaning i would always relate to the codes and conventions of music magazine throughout my magazine production.
My target audience is rock music fans of the age 16 to young adults this is because through research this age group are the ones which are most interested in the latest rock music, therefore they are also interested in the latest rock magazines which are produced. My magazine is going to appeal to both females and males as I don't want it to be stereotypical to either gender.

Desicions About My Magazine

Price: £3.00

Frequency of publication: Monthly

Average issue size: 225 pages

Regular content: Interviews, rock chart,

Feature Articles: Which rock band will win?, This months most listened to rock band, new gig information, pictures from the latest gigs, rock download chart.

Evaluation of Magazine Front Cover and Contents Page

In order to prepare myself for AS Level Media Coursework, I produced a Magazine Front Cover and Contents Page which were for a school magazine. I first researched school magazines in order to get an idea of what my own product was to follow and look like. Whilst doing this I identified the codes and conventions of magazine front covers and magazine contents pages, these were the codes and conventions which I had to follow whilst producing my own work. However some of these codes and conventions were less important than others meaning they could be broken.

The main codes and conventions which could not be broken were a main image, a masthead which was to be at the top of the page and follow a specific theme. The masthead was to be used at the top of every page and was usually in bold writing in order to stand out to the audience more. In order to follow a specific theme I was to only use a colour scheme of around 3 colours, this would follow codes and conventions as it would cost less to print. The three main colours which I used were blue, red and white. All of these colours connected with the main image which made my magazine front cover look more professional. I also then connected this colours through to the contents page in order for them all to relate and look more formal.

In order to also follow the other codes and conventions I used a main image which was taken as a mid-close up shot, I manipulated this image using Photoshop in order to make it look more professional. I also used a bold mast head, "Weatherhead Wins", this was positioned at the top of the page, however I broke the codes and conventions here slightly by letting my masthead go onto some of my main image. For my background colour I decided to go with white as it is simple and looks more formal with it being a school magazine.

For my contents page I followed the codes and conventions by using 3 columns making it look organised leading to the topic of school with having to be organised for school. However if I was to do this again I would use 4 columns so that I could use subheadings to make it look more sophisticated. I would also use more subsidiary images to interest the reader more with it being to do with school. Therefore I would want to present school in a more fun way rather than being too serious. I enjoyed using "Quark" on my contents page as I found it easy to follow and the guidelines really helped to make my final product look more professional.

If I was to improve my front cover I would also make the headlines stand out more, for example "ice radio hits" seems to fade into the main image and could do with grabbing the readers attention more. I would also make the price of the magazine stand out more as it doesn't cost much making this a strong point of the production therefore it should be showed off and made either bolder or bigger. Overall I am pleased with my final production and I am glad I had this preliminary task to settle me into the actual coursework itself as I feel it gave me a good start and I will use my weaknesses from this task in order to make my coursework more presentable.

Final Draft of Contents Page

Final Draft Of Magazine Front Cover

Progress on Front Cover

My Edited Photo's On Photoshop