CLOSED BLOG NOTIFICATION

Centre name: Norbury Manor BEC
Centre Number:14343
Candidate Name: Nia Tyrell
Candidate Number: 0216
Unit:G321

Final Front Cover

Final Contents Page

Final DPS

Evaluation:Question 7

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do I feel I have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Evaluation:Question 6

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

Evaluation:Question 5

5. How did I attract/address my target audience ?

Evaluation:Question 4

4.Who would my audience be for my media product?

Evaluation:Question 3

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

Evaluation: Question 2

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

Evaluation:Question 1

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

In this post, I have answered how my Hip hop magazine uses, develops and challenges conventions and forms of existing Hip Hop magazines out there. I have also compared my conventions with another genre to show how aesthetically different a hip hop magazine looks to other genres.

Double Page Spread links to Front cover and contents page

Here I have shown links over my pages I have made. The links range from colours, text and the images chosen.
Links by Slidely Slideshow

Double Page Spread Layout

From making my flat plan at the start of this process I have noticed some changes as well as features that I have kept the same. I decided to use two magazines from 'Vibe' as inspiration for layout. Initially I decided to have a quote in the left hand corner, underneath a stand followed by the interview. Also with a picture of my model in a particular pose. As I furthered my research,I felt that using two magazine for inspiration would help make my layout look original to the my brand and also intrigue my target audience more.

I wasn't to sure what colour scheme I was going to use for my double page spread, however through looking at the double page spread from vibe I noticed the colours chosen come from the image. I also decided to layout my text in the following way: on the left hand side the photograph of Raine Love , then Her name in a sans serif font to resemble handwriting as she considers herself to be a poet, underneath a statement 'no limit' followed by her achievement and small summary of what 'Fresh' thinks of her so far. All of these things that are apart of the layout were inspired by the double page spread of Wiz Khalifa. I however liked how the spread of Bruno Mars and three columns and a question and answer type of interview. I felt that this better suited my artist and decided to layout the rest of the page in this way. I also included my own bar code in the same way vibe magazine does

I feel that the use of my layout including the image makes it very Fresh and new. which also relates to my magazines intentions. Even though from doing research I have noticed that the photograph of the artist has a solid colour background. I felt that the abstract , spontaneous background that Raine Love is in front of relates to her background and how she has used this to help her with her success. I didn't fully use the solid colour background solely because I want my magazine to live up to its name and use different conventions of a Hip- Hop magazine.

Double Page spread - Image decisions

Here are the shots i took of my artist at leake street. I chose this location to prove that she is still a grounded artist who hasn't let fame get to her head. I have made my artist wear a boyfriend blue coat which looks quite formal to contrast with the background to show that she hasn't forgotten where she
came from.She is also wearing black Timberlands and jeans which is trending within teen fashion.






From the shots taken, I decided to experiment with these two. I felt that the poses are quite strong and show that my artist is willing to take on questions and upon up to the readers .

Artist Interview

Raine Love Interview

Three Grammy nominations with her hit song ‘Time Will Tell’ and yet her ego is nowhere to be found. Does she realise her songs nearly kicked all the other songwriters out of the park? Does she realise she’s a lyrical genius? Raine Love lives a private life attends college undertaking 4 A levels, writes music and still has time for a love life, This girl is definitely in a league of her own. No wonder she has no time for celebrity drama.

Raine Love exploded into the Hip Hop scene with her fresh lyrics, the girl the block image and her work ethic.  This buzzing 17 year old catapulted into the music scene when we thought Nicki Minaj was at her A game and was untouchable. Miss Raine Love is sure to give Nicki a run for her money! Love’s music goes from inspiring the nations through bluntly revealing all life lessons, to revealing all about her life in south London. At the age of 12, Love started to record herself rapping over to well-known songs and since then her subscriptions have been on the rise from the hundreds, to the thousands even into the millions. Her most well-known cover to Drake’s song ‘Worst Behaviour’ Left all viewers shocked with the musicality of this teenager. From YouTube, Raine love signed to Young Money. Even though Raine Love is dedicated to her teenage life, she wants to get a degree in English as well as rising up and up in the music industry. Raine love sure knows what she wants. She is still currently working on her album ‘Tick Tock’ which is going to be the first chance to show her versatility.

So Miss Raine Love where did your passion of music come from?

Well, this may sound cliché but my love for music came from my dad actually. (Laughs) he used to sing to me in the morning, in the afternoon, in the night but can we bear in mind he can’t sing but that sure didn’t stop him. He also had a drum and guitar and I remember I used to come home from primary school and sit there and listen to him playing the guitar whilst I attempted to play the drums, which I was really bad at actually but don’t worry I progressed over the years!.And yeah the loves been there ever since.

So where did your love for hip-hop and rap come from?

In my household we listened to all kinds of stuff, from hip-hop to jazz, old school RnB to classical. I love artists that create good music. But my love for Rap and Hip-hop started when I fell in love with all the hip hop artists out there such as Tupac, Biggie, LL Cool J, Run DMC, TLC. But yeah the day I started my own hip hop stuff was when I decided to fuse my love for poetry with a beat and then BAM. I was spitting bars like I was a pro. Poetry and music were my talents.

Since you grew up in a musical household, can you play any instruments?

Ahhhhhhhh I knew you were gonna ask me this. Yes I do actually... I was taught the play the drums as a child but then I taught myself the piano and guitar. It’s all about feeling the music and picking up the timings. I think that even in the womb I was making my own beats! (Laughs) all up in my bones!

I don’t think you realise your talent, like you’ve got crazy flow, what made you start to do covers of other artists’ songs?

Well thank God for technology; YouTube literally is the best way to showcase your talent out there let me tell you! You can be free and that’s what made me decided to start doing covers. I decided to see if I could change parts of artist’s songs with my own lyrics to see how others liked it and how they’d respond. I decided to bring a bit of the south London swag to my lyrics with the hip hop conventions out there.

I know you’re undertaking A Levels and you have a love life.You have an up and coming music career-How do you manage to do everything?

To be honest I have no idea, I guess I must think I’m superwomen. I study from the morning till noon and then I hit the studio and sometimes Miquel comes to meet me whilst I’m recording and yeah. Sometimes Miquel comes to meet me whilst I’m I wouldn’t have it any other way to be honest, I’m still a teenager so I want to make sure I have a normal life and not get sucked up into the celebrity lifestyle. I need to stay grounded.Like I’m from the streets and I’m proud I’m not going to be an artist and pretend I didn’t go to a nursery, primary school and secondary school in south London. I’m quite proud to say.I was born and raised in south London and I’m gonna to keep coming back to my roots. As the streets are what have inspired me and motivated me to do better. So I’ve gotta juggle everything to prove to everyone I can do it and will never forget where I came from no matter my success. Yeah I may dress smart sometimes but I will still happily trek down to the grungy parts of London because it’s a part of who I am and I’m never gonna forget it.

Miss Raine Love, so how are you finding working in the music industry and who have you met?

Do you know what? It’s a lot of hard work but its pleasurable in the end especially as you know that your song will touch the hearts and hopefully relate to others , I guess that where I get my drive from. Well I’ve met quite a few people as I’m currently signed to young money Records. So I have met artists such as Nicki Minaj, Drake, Chris Brown, Omarion, Jhene Aiko and so many other people I have been blessed to meet. The other day , I got to tour with Trey songz it was crazy.

So what does your family think of you being a young rapper. Do they appreciate your talents or do they wish you had gone down another road?

Well, I’m from a very strict background. My parents lived in a different country and we’re brought up to fight for what they believed in and are strong believer that knowledge is power and education is the key to success. They didn’t necessarily think I would become a rapper but I am quite into my studies. So they thought that I would be typical and go to uni do a course and then get a job. They never thought I would become an artist and sell records. I am very blessed to have such a supportive family they respect my choices and strongly believe that I can get my education as well as be an artist. I think I can prove to young people that you can follow your dreams but also the importance of having a backup plan. If God forbid my music career was not to work out I’ve still got that piece of paper that has my qualifications on it.

So, which artists do you admire and  why, and  how  have  they influenced your work?

Well where do I start (laughs) well... I love artists that create good music, doesn’t matter what genre, just pure talent. I like artists such as Whitney Houston, Aaliyah, Beyonce, TLC, Run DMC, Tupac, Etta James, Chaka Khan, Tina Turner and Pavarotti. I adore so many artists to be honest simply because there all different and different things influence their music.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time and what would you have like to have achieved?

Hopefully I would have passed my A Levels, finished my album and be working on my second and, hopefully touring as well as juggling getting my degree. I also hopefully see myself still with Miquel as he’s the Ying to my yang (laughs) okay that just sounded proper cringey. But yeah I just want to make the most of my opportunities and do the best that I can. I also hope to start writing my own books and giving back to the community through giving talks,and performing to the generation of today. Let’s face it being successful in south London is a struggle as we rarely have anything for motivation and if I can help change that then that’s what I intend do to.

Pull quote DPS

Research- Artist Interview

 From looking at the Hip-hop magazines I am using for inspiration. I have notices that their double page spread articles talk about the artist's new music/albums as well as scandal , gossip and exclusive news. The magazines uses these factors to intrigue the reader into reading the magazine as they get to know more about an artist and can make them feel closer to them.

Double Page Spread Magazine Deconstruction

 I have chosen to use Vibe magazine as inspiration for my double page spread. I have used the magazine as I like the clear distinction between the text and the picture and how the logo is also referenced on the double page spread. 

More Shots

I took these shots in the school studio with a white background . The shots I took are displayed in the video below.
 Here are the shots I decided to use:

Contents Page Colour schemes

Here I have linked the colours used on my front cover to my contents page and why I have used the colours.

Changes to section of contents page

Text decisions/Features

For this post I have shown my text decisions and features that i put onto my contents page and why. I have decided to present my decisions in slidley. If you want to see the information in full click the camera icon in the left hand corner.
text decisions by Slidely Slideshow

Contents Page Feedback

I have constructed some feedback asking what my target audience liked and disliked and what I could change to my contents page. I asked the following questions about my contents page: What do you like?,what don't you like ? as well as what could I change? I asked a variation of ages to see if they difference in age would affect their views on my magazine. I intend on using this feedback to improve my magazine further as well as ensuring that it relates and intrigues my target audience

Nisha Rajan (Aged 16)

What do you like?

I like how both the information and the pictures have been laid out with thick borders. It enhances each of the features and draws attention to each one.

What do you dislike?

I dislike how the main image is of shoes; it may confuse the readers to think that the magazine is about fashion.

What could I change to improve it?

To improve it you could add a bevel and emboss effect to the title to make it stand out more.

Atimango Akena (Aged 17)

What do you liked?

I liked the overall layout, I like the thick black lines and where the pictures are laid out. I also like the colours used on the page, as well as the images used. I also think the content likes well to the images.

What do you dislike?

The positioning of some of the images in terms of the big image has an image of shoes i think the image should be different.

What could I change to improve it ?

Bigger numbers on the images as they are very small. 

Changes to Front Cover

Here are some text changes as well as manipulation changes that I made after collecting my feedback.

Contents Page Layout

 My contents page (work in progress)                        My flat plan

 Contents page I used for inspiration 

My flat plan differs from my contents page as I changed the shots taken as on the left hand side with the largest rectangle I decided to instead of having my model chilling on a bench I felt that shot I took of the boots worked better in the space. I also changed the shots of every single flat plan as when I went to my location I tested out different poses and felt that the ones I chose worked better than the poses I had on my flat plan, I used the masthead 'FRESH' as a logo on my contents page which was shown on my flat plan. I also kept the contents page masthead that I initially had on my flat plan as I felt it related well with the name of my magazine. I also decided to add a shot of Raine Love and her current boyfriend as an exclusive for my double page spread. I also made the decision to add text content that involved fashion,hip-hop comebacks,love I felt the content I included is what interests my target audience. However I kept the same layout that was on my flat plan as I liked the intricacy yet clear style. I also used the Red,black and white colour scheme shown on my flat plan and also from my research. I used the XXL magazine contents page for my research and inspiration as I felt it would show my genre of music well. Also this layout is unconventional comparing to other contents pages that use a column on the left hand side. I liked the originality of the contents page and felt that because my magazine is called 'FRESH' it shows a different layout and approach to contents pages.

XXL Magazine Contents Page Deconstruction

I decided to use a different magazine as inspiration for my contents page as I liked the layout and felt it would relate well with my front cover . Here I have de-constructed an XXL magazine contents page that I plan on using as inspiration

Crystal Palace shots

I chose to take photographs at Crystal palace park as it has rough and ancient surroundings. I chose these surroundings as it contrasted with the costumes and I felt that having different surroundings on my contents page would intrigue the readers more .
 Here I took photographs to potentially be on my Contents page.

For my contents page I decided to chose these shots.

I decided to choose this image as I feel that the image is strong and shows my magazine as having people in it that know what they want in life. I also liked how my model costume works well with the background which has the remains of Crystal Palace. I also chose this shot as it contrasts with the other chosen shots that have graffiti in the background.











I Also decided to use this shot as Liked the costume of my model and his angle of gaze he also looks relaxed and works well with the background.

Leake street Shots

I took photographs of my models. I decided to feature young men in my contents page as I felt that the magazine would target a wider audience. I took the photographs in various parts of my locations to see what worked well and what did not.

 From the shots taken I decided to use these shots on my Contents page.

I decided to select this shot as I liked how the light was shining onto my model and the enhanced background behind her. I also liked the way her costume worked with the back ground. the shot brings a youthful approach to my magazine.

 I decided to capture trending shoes in motion as I like the grungy surroundings and the clean boots contrasts with the background as well as the colours the model is wearing.  I chose this shot as in the XXL magazine the contents page uses trainers and boots.










I also decided to use this shot of a teenager with the contrasting background as I felt it show that my magazine uses different cultures as hip hop is a genre that many different types of people  to and respect.

















I used this image of Raine Love and Miquelle as I wanted to include Raine Love's love life into her interview. I felt this shot will intrigue the reader also the colours in their costumes works well with the overall shot.

Contents page Location 2 : Crystal Palace Park

 I decided to also take some photographs at a different location. I decided to use the remains of Crystal palace for the set for my shots. I liked the ancient look of the location and thought that it would contrast with the hip hop costume my models would wear.

Contents Page Location 1 : Leake Street

For my contents page shots I decided to take shots at a different location that suited my hip hop genre. I felt that the grungy tunnel full of graffiti would work well with my colour scheme as well as a background for my photographs. Below I have shown shots taken at different parts of the location which are used in the background of my photographs to give them an authentic look.

Leake street Location 

Front Cover Links to research

 I used these magazines for inspiration. I've chosen these magazines because they are all hip-hop magazines that feature women as the main image. I used was inspired by the cover layout of these magazine covers.I liked how the main images angle of gaze is straight at the the reader which entices the reader to the image and then to the text around it. I liked the overall style of the magazines as I felt that vibe magazine did not show women in a derogatory way.I used colours that worked with my image in the same way vibe magazine front cover do as each issue of the magazine uses colours that work with the main image.


 I felt that magazines such as XXL show women in a derogatory and sexy way which I did not think would apply to my target audience.

I felt that Vibe magazine was the best layout to follow simply because the text is easy to read and the main image is clear.

Cover Feedback

Photograph manipulation

In this post I have chosen to show what I have done to my front cover photograph of 'Raine Love' and how I have been working on the photograph to give it a better quality

Front Cover Features

In this post, I have included my front cover and its features. I have also included comparisons between my front cover and my flat plan as well as changes and why I have chosen to change features I had in my flat plan.

Masthead and Font Decision

Here I have uploaded my Font and Masthead decisions. I decided to name my magazine 'FRESH' which was shown on my flat plan. In this post I experimented with fonts and colours for my masthead. I also have included font decisions on my font cover and why I have chosen the specific fonts

Final shot/Mise-en-scene

Using Emaze. I created a powerpoint to show my final shots and why I chose them as well as mis-en-scene in the photographs and why I chose to use this costume

Test shots

For this stage of my magazine making process. I took images of my model for my front cover. I made sure my model done various poses but all making sure her angle of gaze was straight at the reader. I made sure my model was staring directly into the camera to show Raine Love's Intimidating side as on my front cover the plug is that she's 'in a league of her own'. I also made sure she was wearing a black bomber jacket and a black cap to show her sense of hip hop style and culture.Her outfit which also consists of the grey T-shirt underneath her jacket and her necklace are to show that she is a very chilled out character. Raine Love's mise en scene is to show that she fresh into the music industry and that she's still a typical south London teenager following the trends of hip hop relaxed fashion. Her mise en scene can also show that she's a down to earth artist and wants to let reader get to know her better.

With the image I have chosen for my front cover I intend to use Photoshop to enhance the image as well as removing dark circles from under her eyes, darkening her lip colour as well as removing any blemishes. Raine love tried to do the pose i had originally had in my mind for my front cover with her finger on her lips but after taking the images i noticed that the pose didn't show off the genre of music i am making mu magazine for. The image i have chosen reflects my genre better than the image I had envisioned

Shot List

Here are my shot list pages , which I have roughly drawn on to show what photographs I would like to take in terms of poses that my artist will do as well as photographs for my contents page. I have also tried to consider costumes and poses.