Focus group videos

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sy22f870kdagpwx/VID00005.MP4?dl=0

Weekly Journal

Friday 11th December 2015

This week in media, we are starting to create our front covers of the music magazine, with the images we have taken or are still taking.

My images of my model, are too dark so they will be taken again. I have used a studio for a venue for my contents page. Alongside the studio as a background, I have used a plain white background for the front cover, double page spread and contents page, For the other two or three images on the contents page I will use a canal, cafe or a wall.

Choosing the images for the front cover and double page spread

For the front cover, I changed my original image from:

to:

I changed the shot for my front cover, as in the previous image, I didn't feel that the model was close enough to the frame of the shot that I had anticipated. I noticed in the first image, that the lighting hadn't worked - making my model look darker than he is in the second image. The first image was also blurred due to the camera not being held properly. This could have been avoided if I had used a tripod. The reason why I had changed this shot to more of a 'selfie' was due to research into different magazines, I found that through a popular magazine "Interview" magazine they got celebrities to take a selfie which was then used as a magazine cover. I felt like this was a good idea as this type of image makes their audience feel welcome and allows them to see the model/artist in their natural environment. The image I asked my model to take, shows that he is a shy person who is doing what he loves through music, in comparison to the previous image where he looks "bossy" in a way. 

For my double page spread, I have decided to use this image: 

instead of this image:

 and 

I chose the first image over the second and third image, as the second image doesn't look as serious as the first image, and the third image was taken as a portrait and not as a landscape. In the second image, lighting had made my model look angelic but had made the side of his face look like shadows. The image was not intended to be top lit, but due to the lights in the studio, it was. 

The first image shows that the model is giving much more passion towards singing which gives the audience an insight into the studio where the model/artist is.

Images for my magazine

Possible images for my front cover:
    


Possible images for my contents page:

Possible images for my double page spread:

Research feedback

Feedback

Student comment: I will work on finishing all incomplete tasks

Double page spread draft

In the draft of my double page spread, I aimed for a back-to-back conversation between the interviewer and the artist to be across the whole page. The layout for this would be: question, answer, question, answer etc. 

Contents page draft

For the contents page, I intended for it to be simple with words that stood out such as "competitions" and "free". This would make the audience more desperate to buy the magazine due to its give aways.

Front cover draft

For the front cover I will use an extreme close-up of the artist. Through the draft below, we can see that direct eye contact would be used to make the audience want to buy this magazine.

I have decided that the positions of everything in the front cover, would be suitable for the final design.

Photo plan

For the front cover of my magazine, I am aiming to have a shot of a model against a white background. This model, will be the main artist for my Blues & Soul magazine, so they will be the main focus of it. In the front cover, I will have my model posed against the background and looking straight into the camera. This will seem as if they are challenging the reader/buyers of the magazine to buy the magazine.

For the 4 images on the contents page, I will have a variety of different shots of the models. 

• The model in a different location (preferably outside a bar or besides a canal)
• The model in a studio recording
• The model facing the camera
• Long shot image of the model

For my double page spread, I will have my model leaning against the camera frame. The background for this image will also be white. On this page, will be the interview between myself and the artist/model in which I will ask them questions about their career etc..  

The lighting for the front cover will be front lit, as the models will be facing the camera. I will also have lights shining from different angles of the shot so that the lighting will be even. For the double page spread, there will be a light facing the front of the magazine, but will be side lit as the model will be facing the side of the camera, not directly at it. 

Conventions Table

We designed a conventions table, focusing on the different functions of our specific genre magazine.

Weekly Journal

Friday 30th October 2015

This week in media, we conducted a short list of questions we would use to ask a focus group. These questions, would allow us to engage more with the group and help to expand the answers for the questions asked. They would also allow us to make changes to some of our ideas, as we would include them in our magazines. The focus groups were very useful, as they helped to gain more interactivity with our target audience and get more feedback about our magazines more than the questionnaires would.

Focus group

For my focus group, I will use the following questions to build up a rapport between the participants and myself. These questions will allow me to fns out what my target audience would find appealing in a Blues & Soul magazine.

Teacher feedback

For this task, I was informed to film myself asking extended questions, that I was unable to ask in the questionnaire. These questions, are open questions so they allow me to communicate more with the participant and build a rapport with them. The questions, also allow me to receive descriptive answers, so I can know more about the participants views on the questions.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nad7gou1qztkmnw/Movie%20on%2020-10-2014%20at%2009.36%20%232.mov?dl=0

Audience profile

This is Victoria, an 18 year old middle class university student. She finished her A levels with 2 A's and 1 B in Music, English Literature and Media. During most of her free time, she sometimes listens to mainstream popular music artists such as Beyonce and Chris Brown, but enjoys listening to Blues & Soul artists such as Lianne La Havas, JP Cooper, Angie Stone, Jill Scott and many more. She is interested in upcoming artists, and is willing to learn more about the background of Blues & Soul music. She manages to buy the Blues & Soul magazine when it comes out every term, as her student loan and monthly income from work, provides the £3.95 she needs to buy this magazine. Weekly, she earns £43.25 from her job as a sales assistant. Every term (every three months), she earns £519.00 which is enough for her to buy the Blues & Soul magazine, and pay her monthly bills.

My magazine is suitable for Victoria, as it will feature different artists that she is interested in. Due to her interests in knowing more about Blues & Soul artists, this magazine will provide that information for her.

Victoria will receive this media product through in-store purchases. Others, may prefer to view this product via a different media platform such as the internet or a mobile phone app, however this magazine is only purchased in-store and not via technology. 

Questionnaire analysis

After conducting my questionnaire, I analysed it to find out the views and opinions of those who took part in this questionnaire. This helped as I was able to manipulate their answers for my magazine. 

Target audience for magazine

For my Blues & Soul magazine, my extended target audience is ranged between 11 - 50. However, my target audience should be ranged between 18 - 45. This is because, below the age of 18 people are least likely to spend over £3 on a magazine, as found in my questionnaire. Also, they are least likely to buy a magazine as the internet can provide the same sources that a magazine would. A magazine, would usually have a website and/or social media site that will update their readers on what they have missed in the magazine (if they have missed anything).

I chose my target audience, by comparing it to the target audience of a normal Blues & Soul magazine. I felt that I could relate to the target audience of a normal Blues & Soul magazine as I felt that they are suitable for the content of the magazine. This, being the reason why I narrowed my target audience down from 11 - 50, to 18 - 45.

Magazine questionnaire

We were told to create a questionnaire, based on our music magazine, to find out information on what we could do to improve our magazine and what needs to be changed.

Weekly Journal

Friday 16th October 2015

This week in media, we have been making three documents. Firstly, we made a conventions table, deciding on what colours/fonts/background images we would use in our magazine. Secondly, we made a Case study based on a genre of a music magazine of our choice. My music magazine, will be based on Blues & Soul. Finally, we made a questionnaire that we will hand out to the target audience of our choice. Also, we will make an audience profile, deciding roughly, who will most likely buy that type of magazine.

Some of these, are not yet completed.

As I am targeting my magazine to young adults, I will conduct a questionnaire to identify what exact age group is most likely to read a B&S magazine. This questionnaire, will also allow me to get the audience to choose what the magazine will look like, based on their answers. 

Suggestions of questions for questionnaire

• What genre music do you enjoy the most?
• What genre music magazine do you read most?
• Why do enjoy reading that specific genre of a music magazine?
• What is your favourite music magazine?
• What interests you when a new music magazine comes out?
• Do you know any Blues & Soul artists?
• What would be a suitable name for a Blues & Soul Magazine?
• What location do you think, would be suitable to use as a background for a Blues & Soul magazine?
• Would you prefer a male or female to be on the front cover?
• Do you listen to Blues & Soul music normally?
• When passing an advertisement in a music magazine, what do you do?
• What would your main colours of a Blues & Soul magazine be?
• What clothing would be suitable for a model in a Blues & Soul magazine?
• What would be a good name for a Blues & Soul magazine?

Interview layout for double page spread

Introduction: artist, age, inspirations & successes

• 1st Question: How would you compare your life now to what it was before?
• 2nd Question: Did you ver think it was possible as a child, to grow up and have as much support as you do, from family, friends and fans?
• 3rd Question: What was it like adjusting to a different lifestyle?
• 4th Question: Had you already written some of the music on your first album, or did you work on it with someone?
• 5th Question: Which song is your favourite on the album, and how do you relate to it?
• 6th Question: Would you say, that some of your life events has shaped who you are today, and has inspired the lyrics to some of your songs?
• 7th Question: What do you think the future has for you in the music industry?
• 8th Question: What has been your favourite thing since you have been exposed to fame?
• 9th Question: Which artists in the music industry, would you compare your style to, and who would you say gives you the most inspiration?
• 10th Question: What do you think differentiates you from other artists?
• 11th Question: Do you have any future collaborations in mind? Who with?
• 12th Question: What was your experience like in Middlesex university?
• 13th Question: Were your aspirations different then, or had you always wanted to become a musician?
• 14th Question: If you stop producing music and performing, what would you want your legacy to be?

Case study

I have decided to create a Blues & Soul magazine. I decided to base my magazine on this genre, as it is not as popular as Pop and RnB magazines, but does tend to feauture well known artists. This inspired me as I can base my magazine on an artist who may not identify with Blues & Soul, but with a different genre. This shows how conventions of a Blues & Soul magazine may be followed or subverted.

Research below, shows the success Blues & Soul magazines have, and how well they interact with their target audience.

I have analysed the target audience of this genre magazine.