Photographs for Contents Page

A task was set in lesson to take pictures of a person or group to use for my music magazine front cover. It has to fit in the genre I had picked for my magazine which was Indie/Rock. So I picked a location for where I would be taking the pictures and asked my friend Charlotte Evans to pose for them. To make it look like she was from the Indie/Rock genre I looked at pictures of current Indie/Rock artists and noticed that they wore layers, quite subtle colours, necklaces and bracelets so I had her wear something similar.

I  initially settled with this photo to use for my Contents Page. The image taken in a mid shot could represent the genre of Indie/Rock for many reasons. For example her posture with the one arm on the fence could represent the attitude of Rock but the clothes she is wearing represents Indie.

Here is some photos I contemplated using for the Contents Page

Taken in a medium long shot. The image of her with her hands in her pockets could represent the attitude of Rock but the clothes and bow she is wearing could represent the unique style of Indie.

This is taken in a mid shot and is in the same mise-en-scene as the previous photos.

For the photos above the mise-en-scene is outside and nature is clearly visible in all of them. I used this location because with the natural light from the sun the colours of the mise-en-scene didnt take the attention from the person in the photo but enhanced the picture.

I did take some inside this being one of them. I chose to keep the mise-en-scene to a minimum so the attention and focus was on the person in the photo rather than what is around her. I made her the focus by taking the photo with a plain background and used only one prop; the guitar. This represents the instruments used in Indie/Rock and by having her holding it suggests the style of music she plays.

I also had been to a Coldplay concert and taken some good quality photo`s so I decided to use one of Chris Martin.

I chose to use this photo.Taken in a mid shot the image as a whole represents the genre of the band. It is clear that they play instruments and clothes they are wearing could suggest the more mature sound they have. The main focus of the shot is Chris Martin as he is the main thing that is lit in the photo.

Here are some of the other photo`s I thought about using.

                                                          Taken in a medium close up

Taken in a medium close up

Taken in a medium close up

Taken in a medium close up

Whilst thinking of ideas to do for my magazine I went to see Indie band One Night Only and used the opportunity to take some photos that I could use.

I used the picture below for the Contents Page as it was the clearest out of the ones I took. Taken in a medium close up the photo reflects the genre of the band. With his long scruffy looking hair reflect the Rock side of the band and the fact that he is holding a microphone reflects the Indie side of the band. Also the lighting allows the focus to be on George Craig rather than what is behind him. 

Here are some of the others I took and thought about using.

Taken in a mid shot

Taken in a medium close up

Taken in a mid shot

Taken of a side portrait in a medium close up 

Taken in a medium long shot

As I was doing my double page spread on two man band Vertigo I decided to one of the pictures I took to use on my contents page.

I chose to use the picture below.Taken in a mid shot with only one using direct address which invites the reader in. The guitars represent the music they play and the clothes they are wearing reflects the genre of Indie/Rock as they are subtle colours but trendy. (Subtle for the genre Indie, trendy for the genre Rock) The background bricks are also subtle which allows the main focus to be on the band.

Here are some of the other pictures I took.

Taken in a medium long shot

Taken in a medium long shot

Taken in a medium long shot

Taken in a long shot

Front Cover Production

Before creating my music magazine front cover I was asked to draw a rough sketch of what I want it to look like so when I am producing it I know where I want everything to be.

In lesson I was told to create a front cover to an music magazine with the genre of my choice. All the photos used had to be taken by me and I had to create it on photoshop.

I first started by adding the main image and cropping it to the size of my liking so the only background that can be seen is the green door.

I followed the codes and conventions of music magazines when creating my magazine. For example I
created a masthead that is placed behind the artist so the reader will know just what magazine they are reading.

I then placed the name if the magazine behind the main image`s head so only a small portion was covered so you can still see what it says. I chose it to be white so it stood out and could still be seen with the image.

I also had the artists name stretched across the page so the reader will know who is the main feature of the magazine.

I then added the words of her name and a tiny part about the article itself in the same colour to fit the IMM but this time with a black shadow around it to make it slightly different and so it can still be read against the main image

Another codes and convention I followed was by having a bar code on the front cover. I also added the price onto the bar code so the readers will know how much the magazine will be.

Added a bar code to the bottom right hand corner and wrote information concerning the magazine E.g the price

Another codes and conventions of a music magazine I followed was by having graphic features behind words so they are readable and also so they stand out.

I then added writing with graphic features around them to make them stand out and also so the writing is readable against the image. 

I did the same with two other graphic features and writing except I change the colour to red to make them stand out even more.

To finish it I added another graphic feature at the top in black to make the writing in the middle stand out and created red lines in the middle of the words to split them up.

Photographs For Front Cover

In the lesson I was told I had to take the photos I would be using myself. I also had to get the photos to fit in the genre of my magazine which is Indie/Rock so I looked at existing Indie/Rock artists and dressed the person I would be taking pictures up in the same way (e.g lots of layers, skinny jeans, jewellery) 

This was the photo I chose to use as the main image on my front cover. Taken in medium long shot the image represent the genre of Indie/Rock. For example the mise-en-scene is outside and not in some studio with subtle colours so the focus is not taken away from the person in it. The background in which she is leaning on is peeling in places which could represent the attitude in rock of not being perfect. Her posture reflects the genre of Indie/Rock. For example she has her hands in her pockets which gives of a relaxed atmosphere which represents to the relaxed atmosphere of Indie. But it could also represent her attitude which links in with Rock.

Taken in a long shot

Taken in a long shot

Taken in a medium long shot

taken in a long shot

Taken in a long shot

Taken in a long shot

Taken in a medium long shot

Taken in a medium long shot

taken in a medium long shot

Article

In the lesson I was asked to Interview a band or artist that fits my Indie/Rock genre so I organised an interview with the band Vertigo. We set a date and time and when the interview actually happened I voice recorded so I could write up the article later.

Here is the email I sent Vertigo and the one I got back confirming the Interview.

Vertigo Interview

1. How did it all begin?

Danny: To you

Vinnie: Well what happened Dan?

D: It was about

V: It was 1998 we met but then we didn’t actually get into a band till, am not very good with years, 2003 it was

D: We had a lot of practising in between you know when we met and when we did our first gig cause we didn’t think we were good enough or we weren’t very confident in, we were still only learning you know songs

V: But before all that Dan? You started playing guitar right?

D : Yeah

V: And I played guitar but I wanted to sing so you had a band and you needed a singer

D: Yep that’s right yeah

V: So I said well I will sing, cause you were kinda learning to play and I thought well I was willing to sing.

D: Yeah that was it

V: So I joined the band before we started and they said you can’t sing get out but luckily you wanted a singer

D: I was in collage you see, I was in college and I was only just beginning, I was doing a popular music course in the old Wirral met

V: Its flats now

D: Yeah its flats now and obviously we needed a singer so we asked Vinnie to come along and we were in that band for about 6 months and then, what happened then, how did we end up?

V: Well the drummer of the band was a bit weird wasn’t he?

D: Yeah yeah,it was hard to get the full band together was hard, was hard work and we all had day jobs it was getting together at the right time and getting everyone to be as enthusiastic as us I suppose, in the end you just said didn’t yeah?

V: It would be easier to practise and get it right with two people than them all

D: Were still trying

V: It was ruthless

2. Did you have a name for the band?

D: Oh we had loads

V: The Linings was one of them

D: The Wogans

V: The Wogans yeah, don’t ask

D: We booked a couple of gigs as the Linings, didn’t we?

V: Yeah we bottled out and we, should we really tell them?

D: I don’t know

V: We were doing a gig

D: We got booked to do a gig didn`t we? A charity gig and we said we will do it and they actually came here to watch us rehearse and said yeah you’re in and then

V: We bottled it

D: I went to the chippy and looked and there was an advert for it on the wall and it said a list of bands and The Lining and I phoned Danny and said I can’t do it

V: We bottled out and we took a step back but we just kept practising

D: It got to the stage where we were practising for 3 years and then people were saying are you ever going to do a gig? And we were like its gotta be right, its gotta be right and I think we did the right thing

V: Cause we spent money as well, we were getting all the right equipment, we didn`t all just go in with really cheap equipment we wanted to, you know we were gonna do it, we were gonna do it right

D: The thing is you don’t get two chances I don’t think, you go in a pub and you mess up, they will never have you back

V: Or at someone’s wedding, if you go get a gig to do someone’s wedding, you know it’s the best day of their life and then you mess it up

D: So we thought we gotta get it right

V: Yeah so 3 years after

D: So we did a gig it was awful it went well didn`t it?

V: It was family and friends mainly, Bar 54 in Birkenhead, it’s not there now, but it was the first place we played and

D: And in the audience was someone from Liverpool who liked us and who booked us for the next week, the coach and horses it was

V: The coach and horses it was yeah

D: And then suddenly we got loads of gigs

V: Yeah they just flooded in

D: It was lucky

3. So how did you settle for the name Vertigo?

D: We were struggling for names cause were not very good with picking names as you can tell by The Linings and The Wogans erm you were in a pub weren`t yeah?

V: The Danny lad man 2 you wanted to call it which I thought it was a bit out of order

D: No you were in the sportsman’s

V: Yeah and there was a song called Vertigo out by U2 at the time and the singer from this particular band said to me wouldn’t Vertigo be a good name for a band and I thought yeah

D: So he rang me up and I think he was a bit drunk and said let’s try vertigo cause we couldn’t think of a better name

V: It`s come to bite us really because everyone thinks were a U2 tribute band and we don’t do any V: U2 cause err

D: We don`t like him

V: I don`t like Bono

4. So who are your musical influences?

V: Danny

D: You can go first

V: Erm I don’t really have One particular, you know artist that I just loved and look up to, it was all sorts of people. Vinnie`s is The Beatles, he`s obsessed with The Beatles

D: Still obsessed

V: He`s still obsessed

D: Got the same jumper on as they have got on here

V: No, I like The Beatles and I like you know all sorts of music, we`ve got very different tastes in music I think that works well as well doesn`t it? I like a lot of American bands like The Counting Crows and The Goo Goo Dolls and Vinnie doesn`t he is strictly pulp

D: I don`t like pulp I like The Beatles, The Beatles John Lennon is like my hero but I like all kinds of bands, Danny thinks I say I like certain bands to try and

V: Morrissey

V: Yeah The Smiths I love, you know Morrissey was the first person I ever saw live properly, It was great

D: I was too young

V: But we both agree on Michael Jackson

D: Oh yeah Michael Jackson yeah

V: Which is you know

D: Everyone likes Michael Jackson

V: They don`t

5. First gig you went to?

V: Morrissey was the first person I ever saw

D: Brian Adams, first person I saw, I was about 15 I think, No 16 something like that. I was amazed you know it was brilliant

V: But the Bootleg Beatles was the first gig I saw

D: Was it?

V: I just wanted to see The Beatles but I couldn`t so when I was 17 I went to see them live, I thought it was amazing. But then I realized

D: We don`t get to go to a lot of gigs now cause were doing this and that`s i suppose a down side, you know going to see other bands

           

6. How long have you been together as Vertigo?

V: Five and a half years, six years

D: Six years yeah

V: About six years as Vertigo

7. So what`s happening with you at present?

V: Present, we are just getting our Christmas bookings in erm, it’s our busiest time now the end of December and were just carry on as normal, try and learn new songs

D: We aim to learn a new song every year

V: We do a lot of weddings as well

8. How often do you practise?

V: Not as often as we should, or not as often as we used to

D: We used to practice once a religiously and now we just practice if we get new songs

V: Yeah, yeah

9. What`s more important performing or money?

D: I just separate the two completely

V: Yeah

D: You couldn`t live without money

V: You couldn`t live without music, but don`t get me wrong the money is a bonus

D: It`s like saying what do you prefer Tuesday or a piece of string, there just different things aren’t they?

What`s more important performing

10. Best place or time to perform ?

D: I wouldn`t say there is a particular venue I would prefer to play I would say anywhere that`s busy and people enjoy it is the best gig

V: For me it`s Christmas, either Christmas eve or new years eve cause wherever your playing its rammed and everyone`s really into it

D: People think when it`s busy it must be really nerve racking with loads of people their but it`s much easier to do that I think than when there is three, not that that ever happens, It’s harder to play in front of a few people than it is a lot I think

11. What`s the biggest audience you have ever played to?

V: We don`t know the capacity of The Swan, a few hundred I think. Is it a few hundred? Yeah a few hundred

12. Who is your favourite local band?

V: We don`t get to see them as much anymore as we used too but we don't really know who`s out their

D: I mean as you said we don't get to see many these days I mean we used to. I mean I used to watch Hush a lot

V: He actually helped us out

But we never get to watch many bands now cause in a Friday and Saturday we are playing

                                                Here is a voice recording of the interview.

Article Research

In the lesson we were asked to do some research for the article that we are going to write. I used many different magazines to look at for inspiration for my own article.

 I used the first half of the coldplay article in the november 2011 issue of Q magazine as I thought the questions were good and would also fit the band I am interviewing and not just for Coldplay. Also if I didnt think the question suited the band Vertigo I changed it a bit to what I thought would be better for the band.

For example I used the question that was asked to Coldplay about the first gig they went to but changed the question from whats been your own most inspired song writing moment to So who are your musical influences? which sort of fits into the category of performing/writing. 

I used this article of Manic Street Preachers in NME to get an idea of the layout I want so that I know just how many pictures I will need to take to include in my article

I will be taking a picture of the band in portrait as the photo will need to fit the whole page and not become fuzzy when added to it.

Here is Vertigo`s facebook pages and the Information you can see from it.

There facebook page tells us how to book them for any gigs, their email address, there upcoming gigs and it can also be used to contact them.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Vertigo-Gigs/100000032427134


Here are the questions that I eventually came up with that I will be asking the band vertigo

1. How did it all begin?

2. Did you have a name for the band?

3. So how did you settle for the name vertigo?

4. So who are your musical influences?

5. First gig you went to?

6. How long have you been together as vertigo?

7. So what’s happening with you at present?

8. How often do you practice?

9. What’s more important performing or money

10. Best place to perform

11. What is the biggest audience you have ever played to?

12. Who is your favourite local band?

Planning Production

In the lesson I was asked to plan what will be in my magazine  from the Front Cover Images and what text will be included in the magazine.

Planning Production

Front Cover Images

Main image will be of Charlotte Evans posing as a solo artist to represent the genre of Indie/Rock. Also the clothing she is wearing will represent the genre as well as she is wearing suibltle colours and layers which current artists at the moment are wearing.

Cover lines for Front Cover
Exclusive One Night Only`s George Craig Speaks Out
RIP REM
Chris Martin Life Love Lyrics
Festival Takeover
Strap line- Plus The Killers- The Vandoos- Editors- Snow Patrol
Ida Maria
Hellogoodbye
The Strokes
Kaiser Chiefs
Doves

Text For Contents Page

REGULAR CONTENT

Album Reviews- Reviews of this weeks albums in indie/rock bands and artists

Gig Guide- Recommendations of what gigs are worth going to

Posters

News- On the latest Indie/Rock news in the music world

Fan mail

Song Recommendations- A new list every week of great Indie/Rock songs

Celebrity Music Column

What’s in the Indie and Rock Chart- A look at the Indie/Rock chart

FEATURE CONTENT

1.    An interview with local band Vertigo and two acoustic performances that will be found on the website.

2.    Exclusive interview with George Craig from indie band One Night Only

3.    Festival Takeover – An in depth look at the new festivals taking over the UK

4.    Lonsdale Boys Club light it up with their new single

5.    The Vandoos-Talk about being on tour and their new EP out

6.    Chris Martin Interview

7.    The Killers- What’s coming next for the band

8.    Florence and the Machine- A look back at her top songs

9.    RIP REM –A look back at REM

10.  Snow Patrol-Interview

11.   Benjamin Francis Leftwich -Interview

12.   What was in the charts this time 20 years ago

13.   Editors-Facts about the band

14.   Kaiser Chiefs-Interview

15.   The Kooks- Facts about the band

16.   Lovedrug – A look at the band

17.   The Strokes-Interview

18.   Hellogoodbye-Interview

19.   Doves-Interview

20.   Ida Maria- Interview
21.    The Coral  Look back at their time together
22.    The Vaccines What`s in store
23.    Fleet Foxes Talk about Helplessness Blues
24.    Elbow Speaks Out
25.    Bright Eyes  Interview
26.    Florence and the Machine Speaks Out

List of Images On Contents Page

·         Charlotte Evans posing as an artist that represents the Indie/Rock genre

·         Vertigo- Both band members posing as though in a photoshoot with their instruments representing their personalities as well as the genre of their music.

·         One Night Only singer George Craig performing with One Night Only.

·         Coldplay’s Chris Martin playing live at one of Coldplays Concert.

Article for the double page spread will be of local band Vertigo with an exclusive interview along with pictures of the band. These images will be:

·          2 Pictures of both members of the band with guitars. One will be the main image