1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

I think that the genre of my music magazine is based on rock/classic rock. My media product uses ‘MOJO’ and ‘Q’ magazine as its inspiration as I like the way these magazines look professional but edgy at the same time. The conventional layout for a music magazine is having the main image slightly over the mast head which show confidence in their target audience, the coverlines do not stick to the left third and they use bright colours to highlight the coverlines. I stuck to mostly all these conventions, although I didn’t have the main image covering the mast head as my magazine isn’t as established as that of ‘MOJO’ and ‘Q’. The other conventions I followed were not sticking to the left thirds for my coverlines and making them bright and bold to attract my target audience. I found that I didn’t have an obvious house style but I did continue with using the colour pink over all the pages.

I based my double page spread heavily on some of the conventions of ‘MOJO’ magazine. The conventions of real media products have a large picture before the introduction on one page and the article starts on the next. Mostly the conventions of articles in real media texts go over more than two pages, so I had to adapt my magazine. I found that after writing my article it wouldn’t all fit onto the two pages, I decided that as I couldn’t find anything to cut out, I made it look like it would carry on to the next page by adding in an arrow. I really liked the idea of using a large picture on the first page before the article intro. I also used smaller pictures to create a collage. However, I challenged the conventions as I decided to slant my pictures to make it look more interesting and busy to show the band’s hectic year. I also added in a side bar which asked fun questions for example, ‘Toast or Crumpets?’, this contrasted with the serious question of their music as I went for a quirky angle which suggests and shows the bands real personality and a more relaxed theme to the magazine; it made the magazine seem a lot less serious. When it comes to pull quotes, real media texts tend to put them in line with the text but they sometimes put them around the main image depending on where everything is placed. I put my pull quote in line with the text as it looked neater and more professional. I did try slanting it but it seemed to take the interest off the pictures doing it this way and it isn’t conventional. It was important to get the background right because if it was too bright it would defer attention away from the text and pictures. I found that ‘Q’ and ‘MOJO’ double pages stuck to a white background and concentrated on the text and pictures adding in a bit of colour every now and then. I followed this example as I found that my previous background of faded pink to white looked too much like a school project, the white background made it look professional and more likely to be read. I also tried it with a white background in which I put all the text in pink, this made the piece look too garish and hard to read, I found that a bit of pink was better than lots. I decided to keep my questions in pink and have the answers in black; this seemed more conventional as most music magazines seem to keep their text in black. When it came to writing my interview, I tried to keep it sounding professional but friendly as I wanted my audience to read want to read it. I found that on my first draft it was too formal and didn’t show off the band’s personality so on my second draft I thought carefully about what the band would say and things that would make it seem more personal. My introduction to the interview was also too formal, so I added in an observation of the scene like where the interview has been set, what they are wearing, what they are drinking etc. to make it more personal and so that they reader can imagine/picture it all while reading.

In ‘Q’ and ‘MOJO’ magazine, they have two page contents; I decided to adapt this convention and combined two pages into one. The first page of the contents page usually has the main features, a picture background, the masthead in the centre at the top of the page and the date and issue number. The second page is all the regulars that are in the magazine for example monthly album charts; in ‘MOJO’ magazine they also have a montage of photos of some of the stories.

Firstly, I had a plain black background which follows the conventions of real media products. I found that this was a bit boring and mundane, so I decided to try out one of my pictures that I took where the light casts a strong shadow upon the person, this picture looks really effective. By using it as a background I found that it complimented the text rather than taking your attention away, which made the outcome look professional and stylish. This went with the conventions of real media texts because mostly music magazines; for example ‘Q’ always seems to put a picture as their background, following this I also added in some pictures of my main stories at the bottom of the page as a mini montage. I liked the way ‘MOJO’ made their page numbers stand out on the page, clearly indicating where to go for the article. I put my page numbers by each of the stories, also overlapping the pictures, indicating and making it easier for the reader to know where to go for the stories. I used the text type Broadway in white, which added to the theme of a classic music magazine. I also put in ‘features’ and ‘regulars’, and the date, issue number and masthead of magazine at the top of the page, these all go with the conventions of real media products. On reflection, I found that my contents page reflects other media products the most out of all my pages.

I challenged the conventions of real media products in this sub genre mostly on the front cover as I have added more colour to my cover, while as ‘Q’ and ‘MOJO’ mostly stick to two or three colours. I did this to go with the theme of my magazine and blend in with the picture, and most importantly to attract the audience to my magazine showing that it is bright and bold and isn’t afraid to stand out. I also have kept the background of my picture while I found that mostly other magazines cut out the background and add in colour instead. I kept my background in as it represented the theme of the photo shoot being set in a park. I think that it helps to project an image or impression of the band as it shows that ‘Eliza Crosses’ has character and a fun personality. However, their clothes and make-up reflect their bands’ persona more then their individual personality. The dark make-up and clothes shows that they are part of a rock band, it was essential for the band to look edgy and strong as they want to be taken seriously and be respected in the music industry. Like ‘Q’ and ‘MOJO’, I kept my magazine cover minimal focusing on the main image and the main cover lines. The wording on my front page was to draw the audience by adding in words like ‘Exclusive’, it makes them feel as if they can read it first and be a part of a community. I made sure that all my text through out my magazine was friendly and welcoming to draw my target audience in.

There are also many ways in which I have followed real music magazine conventions; I have not kept my cover lines solely to the left hand third of the page, I have them on both sides like ‘Q’ and ‘MOJO’ magazine do. A typical view of main cover lines on a music magazine is the name of the band and a brief description and what we are writing about them. I have made the main cover line of the bands name the largest to attract attention to the main story in the issue and added in a quick note of what it is all about. When it came to the main image for my front picture it was important to think about which picture would look the most effective reflecting the band’s personality and grab the attention of my target audience. I had many possibilities for the front page, the one I chose in the end showed the band to be powerful through their stance and positioning in the frame. To also add to the idea of strength, I used different camera angles and shots; I used high angles, close-ups to show the strength of the band and long shots to show their stances and positioning. I did a number of shots to give the magazine a variety of pictures. I think my photo shoot shows the personality of the band well and I think that it does follow the conventions of some real media products as I tried to represent the band as they are by keeping their whole look the same and showing their personalities.

2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?

I think that it may represent women between the ages of 18 to 30 who are essentially interested in music, through the bold pink writing. However it is not limited to just women, men can read it too as it has all different types of music e.g.Rolling Stones. The pink is only a representation of the band being women but I find that the magazine is all about the content rather than the colour. I guess that this could also appeal to women as it shows a strong female band through their stances, their responses and status as the front cover feature. It could also represent teenagers because of the different colours on the cover and the young people in the pictures. Also the lists of the bands at the bottom of the page could follow certain social group of teenagers because of the number of modern bands. However it does not at all conclude that it is just for teenagers, for one reason it has a number of older bands too e.g. ‘The Rolling Stones’ and ‘U2’, this could suggest that a more mature audience may also read it. To support this I have added in a story and picture of an older artist/singer who is ‘returning to the music’, it may interest older audiences as he may have been around in their teenage years. The band 'Eliza Crosses' could represent the strong side of women because of their powerful stances and postioning in the pictures. However, the fact that they're smiling softens the theme and is inviting.

3) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I have looked at the media institutions that distribute different music magazines and found that Bauer media may be suitable to publish it. ‘MOJO’ magazine is one of the many magazines that Bauer media distributes and as it has mostly been the inspiration for my magazine through a more sophisticated layout. I found Bauer media is a more appropriate distributor.

4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

I think that my magazine can essentially be for men and women between the ages of 18 to 30 but mostly for those who are interested in rock/indie music. However, it may appeal to people in the age range between late twenties to mid sixties, as it features new and old artists and gives the reader an option of many music styles and genres. Some people may enjoy the more sophisticated layout and the professional look by text type, mise-en-scene and the layout of the whole magazine.

5) How did you attract/address your audience?

I believe that when it came to attracting my audiences I relied largely on my pictures. I am a confident photographer and understand how to frame pictures, for example I used the rule of thirds. I think that I wanted my audience to look at the front cover and see the personality of the band and get a clear sense of the genre e.g. smiling faces to invite the reader in. Through the picture, I hope that the audience would be able to relate to the band. I wanted the text colours to compliment the photos so I found a colour scheme through the colours in the pictures like their clothes, so that the writing didn’t defer away from the images. I also thought about pictures which would be audience appropriate too, if the pictures weren’t friendly looking the reader wouldn’t necessary want to read magazine. I needed the masthead to be bold so I used black to capture the attention of the reader. My masthead also refers to music as ‘JAM’ which can be a slang word for playing an instrument. The slogan ‘The Music Magazine Jam-packed with all the Music’ is a pun from the masthead, hopefully representing the magazine as fun and interesting with a focus on real musical talent. Showing that this magazine is dedicated to the music and will not disappoint with its contents. I tried out different ways in which to add pink in to the magazine without going over board and putting men off from buying the magazine. I knew that I wanted the pink to represent my band, I found a dark pink looked less girly but kept the established theme of a girl band. I found that in the end this pink added colour to the magazine and became part of my house style for the issue. When it came to my writing I wanted it to be personal so that the audience would be able to relate to it “We’re welcoming him back to the music”, the word ‘we’re’ makes it seem if you can be part of a community. Also by writing in first person in the introduction “I knew they were ready for the interview” shows that there can be a connection with the reader. The language of the piece is colloquial “Well, the band consists of…” it shows that it isn’t too serious and that the reader can feel involved.

6) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I have found that I have learnt a lot about different technologies from the process of constructing this magazine. I used my digital photography skills for my photo shoot. I used a variety of shots like close-ups, mid and longs shots so that it was more interesting. I used Photoshop to manipulate my pictures; I cropped them by altering the framing to make it look more dynamic and to focus on particular aspects. I didn’t want the framing to be too perfect as that is not what I wanted the magazine to be. Also when cropping I managed to edit out distracting elements. For example I didn’t always need all the grass surrounding the figure so I cut it out, in doing so I hoped it made the picture look more professional. In Photoshop I also used different saturations to change the lighting of my photos, it was important for the pictures to be vibrant and clear to go with the band personalities. I found that some of my photos were too dark, for example the original picture of the figure standing on the see saw was too dark by lightening it, it looked more striking. I tried a new skill with a cutting tool on Photoshop, i did it to remove the irrelevant backgrounds from around the pictures, again it worked successfully making the picture stand out. I also used the blur tool in the background, to make the figures stand out.

With this picture, I cut around the figure removing the background.

In this picture, I cropped it and put it in black and white to give the magazine variety and age.

With these pictures, I altered the the saturation to make the picture look brighter and more interesting. I also cropped out excess that wasn't needed.

With this picture, I have cropped and brighten.

I found that the picture beforehand look dull and was hard to see, so I lightened and brightened on Photoshop. I also cropped the excess of the fields out.

I cropped this picture taking out irrelevant background

I lighten and cropped this picture

I constructed my magazine on publisher; I have used it before but only for simple things like posters. Designing the magazine can be differcult especially when it comes to adding in text and pictures together as I wanted to make sure the layout looks evenly laid out. New things that I learnt about were how to put all the elements of the magazine together and where best to put them. I used the process of trial and error for example when it came to positioning my pull quote “it was about time we had a decent girl rock band”; I had to think about where the text will lie around it. I originally had it in text wrapping tight and the text was all over the place and difficult to read, I changed it to square so it fitted nicely around the main text. I don’t think that I have learnt a huge amount when it came to using publisher as I learnt most of it when making the prelim task. Another new technology I used was dafont.com where you can access lots of different styled texts so you can get away from word art. I used it on my Eliza Crosses double page masthead and decorated it in paint; I found that having this made the magazine look more professional and graphic.

6) Looking back at your Prelimary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

I feel that I have learnt a lot more about the conventions and how to follow them. Some magazine do not stick to strict layouts by keeping cover lines on the left third and the mast head in the centre at the top of the page. I have learnt how to use Photoshop to make my pictures look professional and worthy of being in a music magazine however it was important to also think about mise-en-scene as well as Photo shopping. I learnt how to lighten, cut around pictures and use different saturation to make them look more effective. I found that when I made my school magazine it was too neat and kept to the strict conventions, I also found that I didn't use Photoshop to my full advantage. so this time around, I decided that it was vital to use photoshop more so that I could make sure my pictures were of a high standard. I also loosened up on the coventions, I didn't stick to the left thirs for my coverlins and a strict font or colour scheme. Although, I think that I took a lot from the prelim as I learn't the basis. Overall, I have learn't how to set out and make a double page spread as we didn’t do this when making our prelim. Through much research into different music magazine, I have found that making the double page was a fun challenge in which I could learn new ways in which the magazine industry works. Also, the ways in which music magazines set out their pages to make it look effective and readable.

Audience Feedback

Front Page

• Looks classic
• Good cover image - nice use of postioning
• Like how the head looks as if it is coverin the masthead
• Nice picking out of colours
• Banner at the bottom-ood
• Not as girl rock as I thought it would be but still looks good
• text nicely spaced out (good amount)
• Some of the writin isn't alway clear
• black font looks squashed

Contents Page

• Good background
• Nice to see the magazine title at the top
• Lush colours-black and pink
• white is eye-catchin
• Photo is atmospheric and fits well on page
• relevant writing
• really nice font
• one picture looks like an editor pic but relevant for an older artist.
• Date hard to read
• can't really see main image
• Georgia walking-good album cover
• like the light-contrast
• Pink font at times hard to read

Double Page

• Conventional
• Good box interview-want to know questions
• good tone - fits well
• nice selection of photos and nicely edited
• Title looks cool
• Like collage
• like the big quote - real mag like
• nice pictures, they look professional
• Pink font a little hard to read
• Good font
• maybe more pull quotes

Development of Front Cover

I found that after my photoshoot I had a variety of stron photos worthy as my cover image. The first picture made the band look too serious and didn't reflect their actual personality. I found that the next two were strong and did show thir personality, I chose the third picture in the end as they are all on different levels in the picture and I found that putting my coverlines around them was easy. Although I didn't chose the second picture, I made sure that it made it to my double page spread. After chosing the picture it was all about finding the right colours compliment the pictures.

Furthur Annotation of the Cover in the Evaluation.

Development of Contents Page

I looked at example contents pages from 'Q' and 'MOJO' magazine. On my first draft I had a plain background , the contents on the left third and pictures on the left but I just felt that it lacked something.
So, when going back to look at my research on contents pages, I found that they tended to use pictures for backgrounds. I had luckily taken a picture in which I could use for this, the lighting is really effective and it didn't defer away from the text or other pictures. The rest of the alterations were basically moving things around.

Furthur Annotation of the Contents page on the Evaluation

Development of Double Page Spread

All the way through, I knew how I wanted my double page spread to look. My biggest problem was the background and text colours. I found that my first draft looked a bit too much like a school project because of the faded pink to white background and the pull quote bein on a slant. this wasn't really conventional.

My Second draft, I removed the background making it more conventional as most magazines like 'Q' and 'MOJO' stick to plain backgrounds, concentrating on the pictures and the text. I also altered the pull quote, I decided that it may look better in line with the text. I found that the double page seemed to start to come together. However, I still had troubles with the text colour, putting it all in pink was too garish. look attention off of the pictures and was hard to read.

So when it came to my third and final draft, I found that less pink is more. I kept the first part of the introduction and the questions pink to carry on with the house style and the theme of a girl band. I also moved the pull quote over to make it more in line with the text. I found that all these alterations helpes the magazine look sophiscated and professional.

Furthur Annotation of the Double Page in the Evaluation

Double Page Spread - Interview

This is my interview for my double page spread of my magazine. I chose to go with an interview so I could get the band 'Eliza Crosses' across to the audience. Looking at openings for the interviews was helpful as it gave me ideas of how to start it. Quite a bit has changed from the first draft, my first draft didn't show the personality of the band very well, by adding in things like what they are wearing, where the interveiw is set and how they sit and what they drink made it all that more interesting and show the way they live. It was important to indetify each member of the band who are speaking, I added in colour so that it looked more interesting and colourful. Also adding in personal things like [Laughs] in bracket shows that it is an interview and when things are funny/sarcastic.

Eliza Crosses
Eliza Crosses, the new girl rock band talk to Philippa Godden about taking the world by storm, music influences, their crazy lives since being discovered and what they would want on a desert island.

Eliza Crosses are the hot new talent from a small town called Portishead; also coming from that area are a band called ‘Portishead’, who specialise in jazz and hip-hop. Eliza Crosses have recently released their debut album “Lines and Crosses” and have had spectacular success selling approximately half a million copies in the UK alone. Their debut single “Lines” was a huge success reaching number one in its first week and staying strong for a consecutive 4 weeks. The band are starting their UK tour in the New Year and are also hoping to crack that American dream by releasing their super successful album in the States.
So, who are behind this brilliant band? Well, the band consists of lead singer Jenna, guitarist Rae and drummer Andrea (Andy for short). A cosy café in the middle of London was where the band had chosen for the interview and walking in late (it was Andy’s fault; she had to get her daily fix of chocolate), it was bizarre; they didn’t look at all like the rock star persona of wild hair, heavy make-up, rock chick clothes and not forgetting those extremely high heels. Wearing loose fitted t-shirts and baggy jeans, they were looking completely comfy. However, there was still a sense of glamour as Jenna was wearing incredibly high heels like it was her day job. They sat on the brown leather sofa, Jenna chose to abandon the heels and curl up, Rae grabbed the nearest cushion cuddling it while slouching on the chair and Andy lent back and put her feet on the table. Ordering drinks was easy for them as the staff knew exactly what they wanted; Jenna ordered coffee, Rae: a soya latte and Andy went for a hot chocolate. With drinks and smiles on their faces, I knew they were ready for the interview. So, we start by asking how this unique band came together…

So, how did you get together?
Rae: We all met at school. I met Andy in year 7, we were kinda thrown together. We came from different schools into Secondary School without any friends. We helped each other out and the rest is history.
Jenna: Rae and Andy were already friends when I came over from Spain. They made me feel really welcome.
What first got you into music and the rock genre?
Andy: I listened to a hell of a lot of music when I was younger. I was definitely a big fan of the 60s, 70s and 80s electro/rock music and all the hits that had come out at that time. I was a big fan of Blondie and the Beach boys; I was a bit out of my time. I blame my Dad for that; I grew up in a house full of music. I couldn’t escape, but I’m not complaining.
J: Sort of the same story as Andy, I grew up with music. I’ve been singing since I can remember and I started taking classes when I was about 7 years old. I love to sing ballads, which is completely different to what we sing in the band. A bit of Whitney Houston ‘I will always love you’ is always great to sing, you can really belt it out. Maybe we should do a cover version of it. [Smiles all around]
R: I didn’t really do much to do with music until I came into my teenage years when I started learning the guitar. My Mum thought that I was going through a faze but I am still playing today. When I was younger I listened to music but I was more of a dancer back then.
J: [Looking at each other in turn] One day we just said “Let’s start a band, I can sing, you can play the guitar and you can play the drums”.
A: We thought it was about time there was a decent girl rock band.
So, we know you sing, play guitar and drums but can you play any other instruments?
R: Jenna and I both play the guitar, but I’m better at it. That’s why I’m the guitarist.
J: Hey, no fair! Well, I have to admit you are pretty good at the guitar, but it’s debatable whether you’re better than me. [Laughs]
A: Rae and I both play the piano; we played some of our tunes on the piano. It was a great achievement. However, it took us what felt like forever to record the piano, we’re no experts.
R: Speak for yourself. [Laughs]
You play and write your own music, what do think of manufactured pop bands?
R: It’s just not as personal when you don’t write your own music. We write our own music to make it our own. I think that music writers are brilliant though, they have real talent and their music can really be appreciated through different artist. But I think that writing your own music is pure music.
A: Writing your own music is a talent that you need to grasp hold of and not waste.
J: We love to sit down and write music together, we actually come to this café regularly to discuss what we want in our songs and what would sound good. Another place where we put all ideas together is the flat which we share. However, when it comes to practising, we have to go to the studio. The neighbours would complain of the noise at our flat, we can get pretty loud.
The music industry is hard to get into, how did you get to where you are today?
J: When we knew that we wanted to do this for a living, we played at every gig around the Bristol area that we could. That was great fun; however we knew that we may not achieve it so we did have backup plans. The determination was still there though, parts of us were happy just playing at the gigs and going to school or work during the day.
R: At one of our gigs, there was a rep. We couldn’t believe it! We were really nervous and excited.
A: We knew that this was our chance and we went for it. The rep liked us and said that they could see us becoming really big. Apparently there was room in the market for us. We met them the next day and they offered us a record deal.
Before you were discovered, what were you doing?
A: We were all at Uni. I was studying English, I think if I wasn’t going to be a musician I would have definitely become a writer.
J: I was studying Spanish and Media
R: I was studying Art and music; I was more of a creative person than logical.
A: We were at Unis close to each other, so we could continue with the band. When we got the record deal we dropped out and pursued this path in life. Although, I think we are all hoping to finish off the courses in the future, when life calms down a bit. We had to grab this chance when we could, you can’t be picky.
Since joining the music business you’ve had a busy year, promoting your album and starting a tour; how’s it been?
J: It’s been amazing. Completely amazing! It feels as if we haven’t had time to catch our breathe, it’s gone so fast.
R: It’s been great. This year has been a rollercoaster ride.
A: Although we do get on each others nerves from time to time and there have been stressful times, but it’s healthy to have a challenge. If there wasn’t a challenge, there would be no point.
You’ve been a huge success throughout the UK, selling around half a million copies of you debut album and you’ve definitely got a lot of attention, how are you coping with it all?
R: We help each other out. We couldn’t imagine this without one another. We pull each other together when we are feeling down. We save each other from the fame.
J: We’re constantly ringing our families, they keep us grounded. We’ve learnt not to listen to the press, I’ve read something about us before and it knocks your confidence. The critics are the worst; I think that they like to find the bad in you. They’re entitled to their own opinion but it doesn’t mean we’re going to listen to it.
A: You come to accept that the fame comes with this job. You just have to deal with it, it makes you stronger. If you love your job and what you are doing, you can live through it.
Did you ever expect to be this successful?
A: Never, it was a dream come true to be honest. I think we were just happy to get noticed, the success was kind of a surprise to us.
R: We really appreciate the fact that people like our music, it’s all an artist or band can hope for. We’re here to entertain and fulfil our dreams.
J: The success is definitely a peak of the job, but it weird when your music gets played when you are in the shops or at a club. Getting noticed in the streets is really strange; I don’t think we will ever get used to it.
The name of the band is interesting ‘Eliza Crosses’, where did you get it from?
J: It came out of thin air really!
R: We were discussing names. We came up with ‘Rockalot’ and ‘Station Rd’, they were the best but didn’t have that ring to them that we wanted.
J: We were throwing names at each other and I said ‘Lines and Crosses’, that’s where the album name came from.
R: I thought that Jenna had said ‘Eliza Crosses’ and it hit us. It was perfect.
A: I didn’t even disagree with it. [Laughs] It doesn’t really mean anything in particular, but it is precious to us.
R: It was original and slightly quirky. It seemed to define us in a strange sort of way.
What are your plans for 2010, you’ve taken the UK by storm, are there any plans to take over the world?
[Laughs] J: No, not quite yet.
A: But never say never!
R: Were planning to finish our tour first and then take a break for a while. We’ve been working solidly for a whole year. We’ll visit family and go on holiday, somewhere hot though. It’s really cold over her.
J: We are actually hoping to start to promote our album in America after that long awaited rest. I reckon that when were on holiday we won’t be able to wait to go back into that recording studio.
A: Yeah, we are planning to make a new album which is really exciting. Lots to look forward to in the New Year, I can tell you. We’d love to do collaboration with ‘Red Hot Chili Peppers’ and ‘Garbage’. They’re both awesome!
R: Also, we have several TV appearances and photo shots lined up. Which we have to admit can be really fun, we can get dressed up and talk about what we really love.

Now for those questions where we can get to know the real band…

What one thing would you want on a desert island?
J: IPod, couldn’t live without it. I think I’d go insane!
R: Dictionary, so I can learn every word and impress people with my knowledge.
A: Any Big Book, because I love to read. If I wasn’t in the band, I’d be hidden away somewhere reading or writing a book.

Toast or Crumpets?
J: Toast, it’s great to eat anytime of the day.
R: Crumpets, who couldn’t love them.
A: Crumpets all the way!

Chocolate or Crisps?
J: Chocolate; along with my IPod, it’s crucial. I don’t think that any of us could live without it.
R: Seconded
A: Chocolate, our tour van cupboards are full of chocolate. I don’t think I have actually seen a piece of fruit in there.

Favourite Day?
J: Wednesday. I know it’s the middle of the week but Wednesday is just the day when life feels good. No reason in particular.
R: Tuesday, it’s the day when everything just seems so much more relaxed.
A: Friday, it’s the sign of the weekend.

Marmite; Love it or Hate it?
J: We all love Marmite, that’s actually one thing we have on our tour bus.

Curtains or blinds?
J: Curtains are a great in a colour like red. It makes your home seem so much more homely.
R: Blinds, they look trendy.
A: Curtains, that’s what I’m used to.

Coffee or Tea?
J: Coffee, I cannot live without my cup in the morning, it could be dangerous! [Laughs]
R: Neither, I prefer soft drinks, a coke or a smoothie is perfect for me.
A: Can I have a hot chocolate? [Laughs]

Indiana Jones or James Bond?
J: Who’s Indiana Jones?
R: James Bond, twice as good as Indiana Jones. James Bond is a man with many lives.
A: What are you talking about?! Indiana Jones is so much better, there’s just more adventure.

Straightners or Curlers?
J: Straightners, I prefer straightening my hair, it looks better on me.
R: Curlers, I like my hair to have volume.
A: Straightners, my hair is too short to curl.
R: Hair is never too short to curl!

What do you have to have in your dressing room?
A: I have to have something to eat in the dressing room, something like biscuits or cake, they help with any nerves I may have.
J: That’s tricky, it all depends what mood I’m in…I know, a kitchen or a personal chef so that we can make/have Spanish omelette. [Laughs]
R: One thing that we always get whether we ask for it or not, is water. Thank God for water! We always forget to ask for some, but our assistant always remembers that we need water through out the shows. She a saint! Personally, I like to have a lot of pepsi max, chocolate and some feel good CDs.
J: A Spanish omelette and a comfy sofa to eat it on! [Laughs]

Final Question: this could be tricky, U2 or Eliza Crosses?
J: Oh, it is tricky… let me think…oh it has to be Eliza Crosses
R: U2 are a great band and we cannot by compared to them but it has to be Eliza Crosses
A: I’m sticking to our band! [Laughs] but then again if there is a space for me to join…I won't say no. Only Joking, our band all the way.

The reason for adding in these questions at the bottom was to make the interview more interesting and quriky and reflect the type of magazine I am trying to put across to the audience. It goes away from the music and talks about the real band, i think that it adds in an extra depth to the piece. it was to show the people behind the band.

Photoshoot Planning

When it came to planning my Photoshoot, I knew that I wanted to a group picture and separate pictures of each member. I drew out some ideas, one in which was of the band with one member slightly forward in the middle showing a powerful stance. I considered what their make-up would be like, thinking that I could have their eyes shadow in different colours. Jenna-green, Andy-blue and Rae-purple to reflece their personalities. However, I didn't exacly carry out that idea as it was more about the clothes and it wouldn't have been seen in the pictures.

I knew that when it came to the separate photos, i wanted to concentrated on their clothes and their stances, to show off their personalities as individuals. I considered combining instruments into the pieces these worked really well. I also thought of the different angles and shots to use, I managed to use a variety of shots in the end. I used close-ups, mid shots and long shots, used tilts and the rule of thirds to make my pictures more interesting. I found that during doing the photoshoot, I began to really experiment what I could put into my pictures. I also experimented with lighting using a touch.

These are my preferred text types as I think that they reflected the band the most. I also found that they were all bold and could easily attract the reader. I asked my friends what text type looked the best, some of their comments were:

• some of the texts are too hollywood and not really suitable for a girl rock band.
• The first and the second look really effective and suit the genre of music.
• The second to last looks more like it would be for a hairdresser magazine rather than arock magazine.

I went with the second text type as it did reflect the genre of music the best and look the most effective. I decided that my text needed to be colourful to reflect the band and to go along with the house style.

Types of Questions

Interviews (on bigger articles)vary between 30 to 40 questions in 'MOJO' and 'Q' magazines.


Examples of Questions:

• You were nominated for the Mercury Prize and honoured. Do you feel it was all deserved?


• How would you describe your music?


• What kind of year have you had?


• What type of music do you like and what have you been listening to?


• What plans did you make for the albim?


• What's next for the band?


• How would you describe describe your album in three words?


• Your new single ..........., what does it mean to you?


• can you sum up who you are in a Tweet of less than 140 characters?


• Where do you think you'll be in 20 years time?

Examples of Article/interview Openings and ways to introduce the interviewe: from different music magazines:

• Florence Welch talks to David Buckley about a shocking year of inaccurate descriptions, trailers fires and surreal Jako face-offs... -MOJO


• Director Sacha Gervasi tells Andrew Male how... -MOJO


• Animal Collective have made MOJO's album of 2009. Fear the roses, Noah 'Panda Bear' Lennox tells Will hodgkinson... -MOJO


• At an age when most men favour the forgiving loose-fit, Sting, 58, is wearing a figure-hugging grey T-shirt... - MOJO


• The singer looks fit and alert... -MOJO


• LILY ALLEN-At decade's end {THE WILD CHILD} is busy by impending global meltdown, her carbon footprint... Oh, and her new Land Rover. -Q


• NOEL GALLAGHER- {THE CHIEF} kept Oasis on top in the '00s - then walked away. And that, says his friend RUSSELL BRAND, was the best thing to do. -Q


• FLORENCE & THE MACHINE-Before that Brit Award {THE CHANTEUSE} could be found pondering whether to have fish ot beef with her Smirnoff Ice. -Q


• 'He played with Hendrix, toured with Muddy Waters, got tips from BB King and befriended the Stones. Clapton checked him out in Cream days, Kid Rock had him play on his album, he's a long-time fan of Ministry...and he won the Marshall '11' award at this yera's Classic Rock Roll of Honour. He is Billy Gibbons, and these are some of his stories. -Classic Rock


• The biggest new British act of 2009. Florence Welch is a "fussy little English girl", apparently... - Uncut


• Music from the outer limits. This month: Brooklyn drone specialists Mountains and '70s Detroit punks Death. - Uncut


• Alcohol baths, 50 jobs, dronking with Janis Joplin... the blueman abd former hobo answers your questions about his colourful past. - Uncut


• From The Daily Mirror archive, these rare and mostly unpublished pictures from 1963/64 capturethe fresh-faced Fabs enjoying (and enduring) the raging phenomenon of Beatlemania on the rise...-Uncut

Double Page Spread Research

These are some examples of double page spreads, which I have found very influential when making my magazine.
I have found that:

• The article introduction seems to alway be in bold and the first letter is always made bigger to show the start of the article.
• I have found that before the article starts, they put in a picture of the band with a quick description of what/who they are.
• the article normally goes over at least two double pages, maybe more.
• Other pictures that have been taken to o with the article are sometimes put into a collage, they are put straight but sometimes are put on slants.
• Also, the double pages always have pull quotes either putting them by the picture or in the centre of the text.
• 'MOJO' magazine state what the following article is by the bar just before the first page.
• The text style is mostly kept tidy and professional looking however the pull quotes are made to look more edgier.
• In some of the intros, key words ar put in bold indicating feelings and thoughts.
• one the first page of the article, the writer name seems to be just under the introduction.
• the pictures are a certain theme to go with he bands/artists persona.
• In interview shown, you can see that the pictures are taken during different time periods sugesting that the artist has been around for a long time.
• Also on the interview, the questions are in bold.
• There isn't a particular colour scheme, but I have seen some double pages where they have used a colour scheme. However, usually there is minimal colour.
• Some of the individual pictures have quotes of where they were taken or stating something about the band.

Analysis of MOJO Content Pages

2 page contents

1st Page

• Picture of artist -mid shot


• Pull Quote from the pictured artist - then page number leading to where the whole article is.


• Features- either down left hand hand or at the bottom of the page.


• page numbers and features in different colour to rest of the text.


• Names of people and main title in bold.


• MOJO title at the top of page


• names of where the magazine is made/published


• underneath- date: left hand side Issue number: right hand side


• brief description of features under the bold title

2nd page



Regulars

• All back at my place


• Theories, Rants, etc


• Real Gone


• Ask Fred


• Hello/goodbye- new and old


• What Goes On


• Hot news

The MOJO Filter

• Albums


• The MOJO Playists


• Reissures


• Books


• DVD


• Lives


• How to Buy

A list of 'This Month's Contributors Include...' at the bottom of the page- 3 people each week.

MOJO - www.mojo4music.com

2008 Issues

2009 Issues

These are some of my favourite covers from MOJO magazine and I tried to find covers which varied. I found some 2008 issues which i found really interesting as some of the backgrounds and cover pictures look really effective. I like the way in which the coverstars are not always the lastest artists but are sometimes artists from the past such as 'Queen' and 'Diana Ross' it makes the magazine seem authentic. Also, I think that the use of themes each week for example 'Motown' (on some of the magazines) is a really good idea and shows that the magazine has found its nique.

• The title 'MOJO' is always central at the top of the page and the title colour varies between white and black each issue depending on the main image and the back ground colour. The title always stands out even if the main image covers the title. This shows that the magazine has confidence that the audience will know the magazine.
• The main coverline seems to always be in the centre of the page.

My favourite magazine covers are 'Radiohead', 'The Smiths' and 'Kings of Leon' as they stand out more and are slightly different compared to the others. They use different background which look look more effective as the make the magaine look more interesting and eye catching with the bright colour, they make the main image the central point of the magazine, you immediately know the main feature of the issues.

It varies between issues what colour ans whether the coverlines lines are put on a slant, it may depend on the type of pose or band on the cover.

Each issue they give away a free magazine sometimes depending on the theme of that month's issue ie: the motown issue gave away a Motown CD. It suggests that Mojo are trying to advertise/appeal to the audience with a free CD.

The coverlines seem to normally be down the right hand side, however they do vary and sometimes are on the left hand side. Althought every week there does seem to be two coverlines across the top of the page with two pictures to go along with the stories.