Production Task Two: Production Log

 The screenshot below shows the initial progress for cover 1. I have created a new file, uploaded my main image on the male model, added the masthead and strapline. I have chosen the blue colour for the masthead because it anchors with the denim jacket of the male model and is aesthetically pleasing to the audience. 

Next, I focused on adding the content plugs. In my original design, the content plugs were to be at the top of the page but I have moved them to the bottom because with the layout of the main image and masthead positioning, text would have been blocking the model's eyes from the audience. I have coloured the plugs red because blue blended in too much and I colour matched the red of the letters to the red of the patch on the denim jacket. I have changed the font of the strapline to Gabriola because Vallite was easily missed on the page. Gabriola has the same hand-written feel to it but is bolder and you can see it better on the page. 

After that, I focused on the main coverline 'Finn Johnson / Student Turned Rockstar'. 

The image below shows the stage further along the production process where I have added the coverlines, the barcode and the date. I have also made alterations since the last log: I have added a rectangular box over the content plugs and changed the font to white to make them stand out. I made the masthead smaller and widened it to make room for more content on the page, without making it looked cramped. I lowered the main coverline to make room for the other coverlines. 

The image below is the finish point for cover one of my Apollo Music Magazine. I finished by adding the puff to alert the reader of the discount of the first publication. 

Cover 2

Below is the first log of my second front cover for Apollo. I duplicated the masthead, lower rectangle for the content plugs, strapline and dateline from the first cover to the second. This way both of the front covers have the same positioning for the major page furniture. I adapted the colour of the masthead to fit more with the colour palette of the main image. I changed the date of this cover to be the following month's edition from the first.

The final log for the second cover below shows that I have added the main coverline and other coverlines for this edition. I chose the white font colour because it is the most visible colour and follows the colour palette of the cover. I used the same fonts for the coverlines as I did on cover one which creates consistency and familiarity between the covers. I positioned the website differently on this cover because it makes the cover look less clustered and it uses the natural lines in the photo.

 

Production Task One: Photography

The process I went through when taking my photographs is positioning my models in multiple poses and taking many pictures so that I can later choose from a wide selection in order to get the best photo. I experimented with lots of different backgrounds like the brown of the fence and grass or the white wall. 

These are the pictures I am going to pick from for my first front cover:

These are my photos that I can choose from for my second front cover:

Contents page 1 picture options are:

These photos will be under the heading of 'Gigs Galore / Most student friendly gigs this summer!'

Photograph options for contents pages 2 are:

This photo will be on the second contents page, anchoring the line 'Feminism in Music'.

The website photograph options are:

The first pictures will accompany the feminism article on the website.

The picture below is the photograph that I will use on the website to anchor the upcycling and recycling of CDs content.

Planning Task 8: Photography Planning

 For my photos I intend to use for my independent music magazine, Apollo, I will use a boy and girl as my models in the two front covers. The boy will be the model for the first front cover and the girl will be the model for the second. 

For the first front cover, I plan to take to photo in an indoor setting with the background of a white wall. This will give me the plain background that makes superimposing content plugs and mastheads onto the photo easier to read and less cluttered; I can also change and manipulate the background colour if I want to in editing. The male model will wear casual clothes like a regular, solid colour t-shirt and jeans so that the magazine is instantly relatable to the 16-25 year old target audience. I have ideas of poses for the male model that can be seen in Task 5. The facial expression of the male model will be neutral/smodering at the camera to make the photo look more professional but I will also have a few photos where he is smiling or fixing his appearance to put inside the magazine and website to emphasize the casual feeling of the artist and magazine. 

For the second front cover, I plan to take the photo in an outdoor setting with a female model; this would meet the requirements of both editions representing two distinct social groups and using different mise-en-scene. The female model would also be dressed in casual clothing to continue the casual feeling of the magazine, relatability to the audience and consistency through  both editions. The photo will be taken in the garden of "Emily Campbell's childhood house"; this correlates with the audio visual element of the website which is based around an interview with Emily in her childhood bedroom. The background will have solid colours to make the superimposition of the content of the front cover stand out. The weather will be sunny to reinforce the feeling of summer music and the pathetic fallacy of the photo will communicate happiness and upbeat pop music. 

Both models will have a relaxed stance in the photos giving off a care-free and confident feeling to the reader of the magazine. They will both give direct gaze to the camera. No props will be needed in the first photo but in the second photo, I will use a summer item for my model to pose with like a sun lounger or a sun umbrella and I will use my mobile phone to take the pictures for the magazine. 

In terms of the other photographs for the magazine and website, I have taken a photo of CDs arranged in a way that shows off a variety of them and fills the camera space. This photo is to accompany the how-to article on upcycling and recycling CDs so there is anchorage given there. I have taken a range of photos from past concerts and music/record shops in the area to accompany articles and content plugs. For the 'Feminism in Music' article, I will take a picture with my female model surrounded by vinyl covers of other female artists like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Adele. This anchors the topic of the article with other popular, well-known female artists and Apollo. 

For the video on the website, I will also use my phone to record the video of Emily speaking in the style of an interview. I will use alternating shots of me (the interviewer) asking the questions and Emily answetring said questions. Finally, I will superimpose name tags and the website and unique code onto the video in the editing stage. 

Planning Task 7: Website Homepage and Linked Page

The header for my homepage will be one of the first thing the visitor to the website will see so the font of the masthead will be in the same font that is on the magazine's front cover. This creates consistency and familiarity throughout my music magazine branding. The positioning of the masthead in the middle of header, in larger font, makes it very visible and makes it clear to the visitor what magazine website they are on. The simplicity of the header allows it to be navigable to visitors which would increase their enjoyment on the website because they aren't being confused or frustrated into not finding what they want to see.

In terms of the linked pages on the website and the content on them, I have decided to feature articles that are included in the contents pages on each of the magazine editions. This further elevates my magazine because it makes all the work cohesive. The articles will be based on the headings 'Turning Old into New / How to recycle and upcycle your old CDs' and 'Feminism in Music'. I can use old CDs that I have at home to create a picture for the first article and I can use a photo I took from a previous concert to attach to the second article. This also shows a range of content from my magazine to interest a wide range of readers; those interested in DIY and those who are interested in the music industry. 

For the audio visual element, I will make a video interviewing the artist, Emily Campbell, who is the man featuring artist on the second edition. I will market this as an exclusive with the artist before her UK tour; there will be a unique code at the end of the video that, when entered into her website, puts the visitor into a draw/competition for two free tickets. I will make an animation to superimpose onto the video that shows the code and website, as well as her name at the start of the video. This adds another element to my coursework that elevates it further and makes it more sophisticated. The video will be set in a bedroom which I will present as Emily's childhood bedroom where she wrote all her early music from; the topic of the video will be an interview focusing on how Emily grew her career and music and where she comes from, before shifting the focus of the talking to her upcoming tour. An example of a script for the interview is:

Emily: Hi, my name is Emily Campbell and I am a singer/songwriter from London. 

Interviewer: Hi Emily, so where are we today for this interview?

E: We are in my childhood bedroom right now, this is where I wrote most of my early songs and where I first fell in love with music. 

I: And how did you fall in love with music and decide that this is what you want to pursue?

E: Well, I was in primary school when I heard about guitar lessons being offered to us from an external company. That night, I went home and begged my parents to let me try and pay for the lessons. I really liked my teacher and I picked up the basics of guitar pretty quickly and I just got better and better on the guitar, then in secondary school I learnt how to play the piano for music GCSE. That’s why my songs have a mixture of both guitar and piano in them.

I: So that explains the initial attraction to playing instruments, but how did you discover you could sing?

E: I used to sing along to songs in the car and on the radio and my parents always said I had a good voice but I never believed them. Then I watched some Youtube videos of people playing instruments and singing at the same time so I gave it a try, recorded myself, watched it back and thought to myself, ‘maybe my voice isn’t so bad after all’. I just kept practising after that and then my songs started getting noticed and it’s been a whirlwind ever since.

I: For those watching that don’t know, how did you get noticed for your music?

E: Easy, Tiktok. I just posted a video one day of me singing my original song and it blew up. Next thing I know is that I have agents calling me left, right and centre and all my songs on Spotify have hundreds of thousands of streams. I think it was purely luck on my part that my video was the one that went viral over thousands of other artists.

I: So you signed for a label and agent… What's next?

E: I am so excited to announce that I will be going on tour in the UK and in Europe over the summer. Tour dates and venues will be announced tomorrow.

I: Sounds wonderful! How do you feel about that? Must be such a whirlwind of emotions. 

E: Oh yes, I am really looking forward to travelling and meeting all the people who love my music as much as me but sometimes I wake up and I still can’t believe that this is my life now. 

I: And finally, how can people find out the important information on the concerts and where to buy tickets?

E: All the information will be on my website emilycampbell.com/2025tours and the tickets will be available on Ticketmaster. But if people go to my website and enter the unique code EMILY2025 then they are automatically entered into a competition for two free tickets and a chance to meet me at any show that they want. 

I: Amazing, what a great idea. Emily, thank you for your time and letting us into your home and good luck on your tour next summer.

Planning Task 6: Contents Page

To come up with the topics to include on my contents pages, I brainstormed ideas and words which turned into sentences that I reworded multiple times to make the best sounding version. 

By looking at already existing contents pages of magazines, I determined that my pages should have around 8 different topics on them to follow the generic conventions of a magazine contents page. Across my two magazine editions, I will need 16 topics so to create variety in my magazine that ensures that the reader isn't bored. 

Edition One's topics:

• Lana Del Rey / On her upcoming 24/25 tour
• Naseer Aziz / From back-up singer to front and centre
• Daisy Wilson / It's just the start for this Bristol-based singer
• Turning Old into New / How to recycle and upcycle your old CDs
• Summer Music Previews / A look into pop's future this summer
• Gigs Galore / Most student-friendly gigs this summer!
• Solve! / Find the starred artist in our crossword to win 2 tickets to Reading and Leeds Festival
• Change / Evolution of Pop Music

Edition Two's topics:

• Sam Fender / On his brand new collab with Noah Kahan
• Elise Benoît / How she is turning her tour net-zero
• Tom Walters / Talking about the inspiration of his new album
• Madness behind the beauty / Emily's music journey to writing her next song
• Resurgence / How oldies like Kate Bush became top of the charts through TV
• Top 5 Festival Must-Haves this year
• Solve! / Find the starred artist in our crossword to win 2 tickets to Reading and Leeds Festival
• Give it a go / How to the next big hit
• Have your say / Reader reviews of the latest music

I drew multiple content page mock ups, combining different designs of the masthead and lines of content and position of the image. I liked the designs where 'contents' was bold and visible to the reader but 'Apollo' was also incorporated into the top of the page so the readers are reminded of what magazine they were reading. The contents page is supposed to be easily navigable and simplistic but still dynamic enough to impress the reader; I felt that the last mock-up achieved this because it includes one image but it is integrated into the contents pages with the subheading linking to the image over the top of it rather than beneath. I also felt that the last contents pages mock-up had a simplistic but most effective layout because it promotes the content further in the magazine but also includes social media and website links so the reader can engage with the magazine more through digital platforms. Therefore, the chosen design and layout of my magazine's contents pages is the last one.

The numbers given to each topic on the contents page will be spaced out, numerically because not all the magazine's contents appear on the contents page so this will give the reader the impression that there is more to read than what's on the contents page. The word 'Apollo' will remain in sans-serif font, reflecting the masthead on the front cover, whereas 'Contents' will be in serif font to counteract the title of the magazine. This will look pleasing on the page and suggests that whilst the magazine wants to keep the content modern and contemporary, there will be aspects of the magazine that follow generic conventions. The  images in the contents pages will change on which edition it is and will continue the promotion of the main artist on the front cover. 

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Planning Task 5: Mock Up of Cover 1 and 2

In these front cover mock ups, I've attempted to create a contemporary and modern but simplistic style. Through this process, I've made the models the prime focus of the front cover by centring them in the middle of the page because in each edition, they are the main feature. This creates familiarity for the audience with the front covers and connects both the editions, despite the topics and numerous coverlines being different. I've made the main coverlines bold so they are one of the first things that the readers see.

The masthead has gone at the top of the page but below the content plugs. The content plugs are at the very top of the page so they are visible to potential buyers in shops and some of the mainstream music artists' names can attract more readers. Each part of the front cover has been placed there to alert readers of what the magazine contains in an attempt to tempt them to buy the edition of which I would receive profit. 

Planning Task 4 : Front Cover Design

Main Coverline:

For my first edition of my magazine front cover, the main coverline will be:

• Finn Johnson: Student Turned Rockstar

The font for the main coverline on cover 1 will be Kingsley Rockstar. This replicates a signature and can be perceived as Johnson's actual autograph which creates a level of familiarity with the audience and artist.

For my second edition of my magazine front covers, the main coverline will be:

• Emily Campbell: London's Latest Star

The font for the main coverline on cover 2 will be Brush Signature. This gives the feel of Emily's autograph and carry on the pattern of signature-like fonts for main coverlines which connects covers 1 and 2.

I have chosen these main coverlines because they hit different demographics inside the set brief's target audience of 16-25 year olds through 'student' and 'London'. A significant proportion of people inside this demographic are students either in secondary school, sixth form or college or in university. Therefore, the first edition's main coverline directly addresses this key demographic and appeals to them by promoting someone they can relate to being an ex-student. 

The second edition's main coverline targets people who live in or around London mainly because of the explicit mention of London in the main coverline. London is also the capital of England and is an extremely famous city globally so those international audiences who have never visited London would be intrigued by my second main coverline. Furhermore, it appeals even more through the alliteration with 'London's Latest' that sounds pleasing to a reader. 

Other Coverlines

• Music to your ears / Best Songs of the Month (2)
• Live it cheaper! / Best Gigs for the Best Prices (1)
• Live like a pop star / One Week with Winona Riley (1)
• Feminism in Music / The women fighting for equality in pop (2)
• How to... / Guide to find the best new music (1)
• EXCLUSIVE / Interviews with Reading and Leeds' headliners (2)

The coverlines above are what I plan to position around the model in the main image of my front covers to entice the reader to read more of my magazine and, subsequently, buy it. They are shorter and snappier coverlines than coverlines with kickers and teasers because my aim for my front cover is for it to not look overcrowded. The font for the coverlines will be Dream Orphans.

The coverlines address a wide range of subjects that music fans aged 16-25 year olds would be interested in like 

Images

This images shows some initial outlines of potential images for my front cover and poses that my models could do. When I am taking photos, I can experiment with my model to see what fits and looks the best. To comply with the set brief of reaching two different social groups, one model will be female and one will be male. 

Some vary from having direct gaze with the camera and audience whilst some do not eg, they are looking into the distance or they are playing the piano. The models in the images will pose as up and coming pop music artists that are being promoted in the main coverline and are being exclusively interviewed by my magazine for their future tours and albums. This addresses the audience research I conducted where most people wanted to see interviews, future events and promotion of new artists to the music industry as content in their music magazine; this increases the appeal of my magazine towards audiences making it more likely that they will buy a copy. 

Page Furniture

On my two music magazine front covers, I will use a variety of page furniture to produce the covers.

Firstly, I will use content plugs at the top of my front covers that name other artists that is not main artist in the images or main coverline. The names include:

• Lana Del Rey
• Daisy Wilson
• Naseer Aziz
• Sam Fender
• Elise Benoît
• Tom Walters

The font I will use will be Dream Orphans, like the coverlines which will create consistency on the page between the coverlines and content plugs. The combination of names of already famous artists and 'new artists' shows that my magazine promotes new musicians but does feature pre-existing and successful music artists. This appeals to the audience and fans of those singers because they are connecting with their favourite artist whilst finding more. It also increases the attractiveness of my magazine because, in my research, I found that mainstream music dominates audience's interests so by having interviews with them and chances to win tickets to their concerts, I widen the potential market for my magazine. 

Furthermore, the variety in names from different cultures and nations, eg, i-cirmcumflex, implies to readers that the magazine has international appeal and markets itself to all cultures. 

I will also include a puff on the first edition to advertise that it is the first edition and thus it is half price to attract readers. It will say First Edition, Half Price! Therefore, the price will be slashed from the usual retail price of £4.99 to £2.50.

I will use a banner puff in the bottom right corner to promote the puzzle/game in the magazine that would help the reader win tickets for future gigs.

The date of publication will be incorporated into the mastead at the top of the page eg, on the other side of the stem of the 'p'. The barcode will be placed in the bottom left corner of the front cover.