Evaluation: Question 1

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

RIFF - Music Magazine Double Page Spread

For my article, I wanted to create a question and answer feature. I also, like many music magazines, decided to focus on the lead singer of the band, Rachael Morgan. I called the band, 'Demonic Shadows,' which I think fits the metal genre perfectly. I also wanted the article to focus more on the personal side of the artist, however also including information about their debut album; another reason why I chose the Q&A style format.

For my double page spread, I decided to stick to the original draft I had planned, as it was based on an article I had seen in the American music magazine, Revolver. The font that I used for the article name is called Earwig Factory, and it was inspired by a music magazine article that featured Lily Allen. However, I think that it works with the Alice in Wonderland theme well. The reason why I chose the title, "Rachael in Wonderland," is pretty obvious; to fit with the theme. The bottom of the first page was based on Kerrang!, as they follow a similar layout. Therefore, I added a smaller image of my masthead, the page number, in the same style boxes and fonts as the contents page, and a web address, where the reader can go on to subscribe to RIFF, which is a frequent feature in magazines, now that they are becoming a multi media platform.

  I actually ended up using the image I was initially going to use on the contents page, however I felt that it was perfect for the double page spread, purely for the composition of the shot, and the underlying idea that the reader is going through the gate into 'Rachael's wonderland'. I then added a quote from the article, in the same font and colour as the main coverline on the front cover, to brand the magazine. Whilst researching music magazine articles, I found that this was a reoccuring feature, and in my opinion, it definitely makes the magazine look more professional.

This is the final version of my double page spread. As you can see, I have changed the first page a lot. I felt that a plain white background was a bit boring, so I inserted a black background, which enabled me to continue with the black, white and yellow colour scheme. I also think that it fits the metal genre better, and makes the 'Wonderland' theme seem much more dark and sinister. I changed the questions to a yellow colour, as this makes them stand out as obvious questions, and I created a giant 'A' at the beginning of the article, as this technique was something that I saw in almost all of the articles that I researched.

  I didn't change much on the second page. However I did insert another page number and masthead, because it makes it look like a more realistic music magazine, although I did not often see page numbers and mastheads on full page images. I did feel I had to go against this convention, to produce the best quality double page spread that I could.

  Out of all three of my pages, I think that the article is my least favourite, as although I put the same amount of time into it, I don't think it looks as good as my other pages, and, apart from the image, it is quite boring to look at, which is the opposite of what I wanted.

RIFF - Music Magazine Contents Page

This if my first attempt at my contents page. I modelled this page on a real Kerrang! contents page. I used the same stencil font to create most of the text, as I did on my cover. The image on the contents page was not final, and I was unsure whether to use it in the article instead.















I decided to change the image on the contents page, and use the previous photo in my article. I then added 'FEATURES' under the title 'THIS MONTH,' and added a caption and the page number to the main image. I also decided to stick with the black, white and yellow colour scheme, as in my opinion, it works really well and is a good combination of colours. I wrote the caption 'Curiouser and Curiouser' to the main image because it links in with the Alice in Wonderland theme and also makes the reader want to read on.

I then proceeded to section up the list of stories with various categories that I found when researching contents pages. I stuck with the similar colour scheme as the cover, adding in a bit of red. I also inserted a small copy of the front cover of RIFF, as this was something that I saw in a significant number of contents pages.

This is the final version of my contents page. I added a section at the bottom, promoting the free posters inside, which I saw something of a similar nature in an issue of Kerrang!. I used the stencil font for this section two, as I feel that it makes the page look more professional, and is also a technique that many magazines use. Overall, I am very pleased with the outcome of my contents page, and I am definitely happy that I used a Kerrang! contents page as a template, as it has certainly helped it make the page look a lot more professional.

RIFF - Music Magazine Front Cover

In this post, I will show the process of the production of the front cover of RIFF Magazine.

This is the main image of my front cover. I was inspired by the Q Magazine cover, which featured Florence Welch. At first I was going to feature a full body shot on the cover, however this does not fit the codes and conventions of a magazine cover, so I had to retake my photos.

I then added a circular gradient behind the image, to put emphasis on the model, and really make her stand out. 

I then added my masthead, 'RIFF.' To create the guitar neck that replaces the, 'I,' I took a photograph of a guitar neck, before going into Photoshop and turning the brightness etc. right down, to create the silhouette illusion. I was very happy with the outcome, as it was just what I was looking for. The rest of the masthead I then create using the fonts in Adobe InDesign. 

  After placing the masthead in a suitable area, I added a bar code in the bottom right corner, and created the main coverline, 'Rachael Morgan.' I did try a font similar to the one I was intending on using (see on drawn draft of the front cover), however it did not look as good as I thought it might. Therefore, I spent a while trying various fonts, and found that the 'stencil' font worked best. I coloured it white because I was planning to stick to a black and white theme, to go with the rock/metal genre. Soon after, I added a bannerline at the top of the cover. When researching music magazine covers, I found that many had bannerlines, and I thought that, 'Voted Best Metal Magazine Of 2012,' would be suitable.

This is my third attempt at my cover. This is where I began to look less at my drawn draft, and more at what actually works. I edited the masthead, by adding a red to yellow gradient, which really makes it eye catching. 

  I then added another coverline, 'Back From Hiatus FALL OUT BOY,' which wasn't initially in the plan, however after realising that it was acceptable to use read bands in our magazine, I thought that this was appropriate because it is real, recent news.

In my next attempt, I made another bannerline which I positioned at the bottom of the page. This sort of bannerline is featured in loads of magazine covers, as it is useful for adding extra information that would not fit on the cover as singular coverlines. It is often featured on the Kerrang! magazine covers. For my banner, I used an already existing banner from a Kerrang! issue as a template, and added various rock bands that are featured in the issue.

I then added the sub-main coverline, 'Go Through The Looking Crystal With,' which reflects both the Alice in Wonderland theme and the artist's drug addiction. I also changed the main coverline to yellow, as I think it makes the cover more interesting, and works better than the white that I was previously using.

I then added a flash to my cover, with the line, 'FREE POSTERS,' layered on top. After, I inserted various photos I took of my model, some of which I would not have used. I was skeptical at first as I thought tat subsidary images would look strange, however it appeared to work well. 

  I also changed the colour of the word, 'BOY,' to white, as I felt that it didn't work, and that it made the coverline look like two different features.

This is the final attempt, and my final version of the RIFF Magazine cover. I edited the 'PLUS' on the bottom bannerline, as I felt that red worked better with the theme. I then added another image onto the chain of free posters, before inserting a star with a competition to win a guitar and a games console, as flashes like this one are featured in a significant number of music magazines. 

  I am extremely happy with my cover, and although I didn't stick to the plan/draft, I think that going with my gut feeling was best for the outcome of my cover.

RIFF Double Page Spread - Drawn Draft

This is the drawn first draft of my double page spread. As you can see, I've have sketched a brief outline of the main image, however again, I will need to decide after I have taken the photos, and the use the image that works best.
I have titled the article, "Rachael in Wonderland," as the feature is about the lead singer of a band, Rachael Morgan, and her debut album. I used Alice in Wonderland as a theme because one of the band's songs is based on the story.
I am going to try to stick to my plan, however, when in production, I am willing to change things to fit the codes and conventions of a magazine.

RIFF Contents Page - Drawn Draft

This is the first draft of my contents page. I decided to go for a similar layout to Kerrang magazine, because I thought that if I model an existing contents page, it would make the outcome of my own a lot more professional. I left three spaces for images and coverlines, as I think it is an appropriate amount. Similar to the cover, all the fonts and coverlines are not final, as I will have to alter certain aspects as I am in production.

RIFF Magazine Cover - Drawn Draft

This is a drawn first draft of my front cover of RIFF. I haven't added any images, because I am still unaware of what I am going to do, and from experience, I found it better to actually take the images first, and then work the coverlines etc. around the image. I decided to use the masthead "RIFF" as it was voted the top masthead in my online survey, and I think it best describes the magazine.

I designed the masthead in a way that would reflect the genre of the magazine. Therefore, as a rock magazine, I decided to replace the "I" in "RIFF" with the neck of an electric guitar. I was aprehensive at first whether this would work, however I really like the look of it. Although, when I actually create my cover, I will have to take into account whether or not this will work. For my main feature, I think I'm going to focus on the lead singer of a band, and create a question and answer article. All of the fonts I have used for this draft are not final, as I know that I'm going to have to alter certain fonts to fit the conventions of the cover.