Equipment

In the production of my music magazine I have been utilising different kinds of equipment to achieve a professional look. This blog post will be looking at some of them.
To take the actual photos I had to book a photo-shoot in my school where the media department provided the backdrops, cameras and lightings.

The backdrops were three different rolls of paper of different colours – white, black and green. The one I used most was the white roll as it presented clear, crisp professional photos with attention drawn to my model. Near the end I chose to use the black roll as I thought it would look great with the style of my model who was wearing black and white. The end results were very professional and visually exciting photos. Unfortunately there were many inconveniences when using these rolls as the chain used to roll them down broke on a couple occasions forcing the model and I to put our photo-shoot on hold while we sorted out the chain.

Luckily, the camera we used was a lot more reliable. It was a High-Tec Canon SLR which produced great quality photos inside and out of the studio. We used artificial lighting to create the most effective images in the studio which flashed when I took the photo. The quality of the photos was essential for creating an effective music magazine and I think I achieved this.

For the production of the magazine we opted to use InDesign as opposed to Photoshop which we used when creating a magazine last year. I have so far found InDesign to be much more effective – especially as it seems designed for developing magazines – and I have made great use of the column feature which is especially evident in my contents page. However I am still using Photoshop for work on individual images such as removing the background for photos and altering the colours. I have needed to familiarise myself with Photoshop as it has been a while since I used it.

Article Box Out Text

The One to Watch – 2012

Before we printed, we were a blog. Here is an extract from an article from a year ago where we (quite rightly) pointed to Nick Decruz as an artist to watch before he took over the world.

By this point you’ve heard Imagine Dragon’s hit song Radioactive. Background song to many a video game trailer and almost always played on the radio. It’s a fantastic song but people are already beginning to feel it’s overplayed.

How refreshing this Acoustic Cover is then.

(On the blog we had a link to the video. Scan this page with the POLARIS MAG APP for a link - Edd)

Nick DeCruz from North West London picked up a guitar and played one of his favourite songs. While the techno sounds that have become synonymous with Imagine Dragons are lacking, their presence isn’t missed due to the powerful guitar’s melody and powerful vocals.

Nick’s suggested the option of recording more songs, something we’d love to hear.

Give it a year and he’ll start writing his own songs.

Promotional Methods

When it comes to launching a new magazine, the early promotion could be what determins whether it sinks or swims. This is why I've developed a variation of promotional methods in order to spread the awareness of my magazine.

Polaris oriinally existed as an online blog which gained enough attention to justify print publishing. While the existing online readership wouldn't be enough to carry to selling of the magazine, these readers will serve to promote the magazine efficiently.

Polaris will create accounts on many prominent social media and networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud nd Tumblr. All of these (aside from Youtube) provide a newsfeed where users can follow other users and share their posts. Those who share/reblog/retweet Some of Polaris' posts/tweets will be promised a follow (where possible) and a feature in the digital magazine which could include a shoutout to their twitter or an embedded video they've produced. The nature of a professional music magazine offering readers the chance to be featured as musicians will become very popular and I feel it is guaranteed to become viral amongst the music making comunity very quickly.

Here will include a feature of Polaris' Twitter account.

 

I also feel that Polaris is responsible for the rise of many artists due to its days on the blog. These artists will likely be persuaded to film a brief advertisment to be shown on related videos on Youtube.

 

Here's a transcript I've written which would star the cover star of Polaris' first issue which would be delievered in a very cheeky but humble way. Clicking on the video would send the viewer to the website.

 

Nick DeCruz

 

Hey, I'm Nick DeCruz. Yeah, that one. You may know me from... everywhere. I'm kinda a big deal right now. But, I wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for Polaris. These guys shared my video with thousands of readers, stuff happened and.. Well, Hello. Look out for the first print issue of Polaris in your newsagents the first week of November and get involved online.

 

(Video shows website address, Twitter handle, "Like us on Facebook" and "Follow us on Tumblr")

 

Polaris, finding tomorrow today.

 

(Nick gives a big grin as the video ends)

 

 

New Media

In this day and age, any magazine which doesn't make full use of the wide variation of online media is likely to fail.

Polaris orginated as a blog, so has always been rooted in the digital world. Despite the move to a bi-weekly printed magazine, the digital aspect will develop too.

Weekly, along with the biweekly print magazine will be the Polaris Digital Experience. Here is the press release.

"Not enough stars in your life? Polaris is going weekly! Starting from December, prepare yourself for the Polaris Digital Experience. Each weekly magazine will be instantly updated with the latest news and information, including embedded music videos and tracks, Q+A and Liveblogs.

This is more than just another digital music magazine.

Combined with the best interviews from the artists who made it big through the new old fashioned way, tips and hints how you can do the same and a network for music fans like you, the Polaris Digital Experience offers the best resource for every aspiring musician."

 

The free app that will feature the PDE as a paid feature will also include a QR scanner for the print magazine, offering readers easy access to videos and songs through their smart phones. These videos will include extra interviews or previews from upcoming songs.

 

Polaris will create accounts on many prominent social media and networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud and Tumblr. This will offer the readers another easy way to interact with the magazine, with their tweets or posts having the chance of being included with the magazine. It would also be very easy to give musicians the control of these accounts for an evening allowing them to do a Q+A with the fans in a very easy and convenient manner.

 

Photo of Polaris Twitter.

Cover Lines

These lines will be at the top. These promise reviews and features the readers will recognise and allows the inclusion of a mysterious unknown artist with the concept that they will become big.




A big bold button detailing a
guide that many readers
will apreciate.



Standard sell lines listed
by the side.Many of these are
established artists who the
readers will recognise and want
to read about.

Model Release Form

Proof that one Mr Nick DeCruz has given me permission to use his image for my magazine.

Sketches

 

Here are the sketches I developed before designing my magazine. I did the cover before my photoshoot as I had a good idea of the photos I wanted to take and the contents was one of the first things designed.

 

For my double page spread opening, I wanted to work out how I was going to incorperate one of my favourite images I had taken. This was also where I came up with the intertextual tagline "To Infinity".

I didn't sketch my other double page spreads as I created them by choosing the images and working around them.

Mood Board

My Mood Board is focusing on some of the interests of my intended readership, covering the sort of bands and tone they would like to see present. These bands include Two Door Cinema Club and Plumtree. Pitchfork is a website with a lot of information on Indie music and Soundcloud serves as a Twitter, but for songs.

Contact Sheet

Mastheads

(TO BE FILLED IN)

Colour

For the development of my Music Magazine, I have put together a small number of colour schemes I could see working with the theme and genre. Apart from two, these colour schemes are all a single colour paired with greys, blacks and whites, hereby creating a very simple yet effective colour scheme.

For the second and last scheme I opted to include another shade of the colour in order to further the theme. For the brown and orange the second shade/colour generates a"grungey" run down feel that is apparent in rock magazines.

The one with the two reds just furthers the colours and offers variation within the colour scheme.

All the single colours are quite dark colours in order to fit with the Indie Music magazine genre.

While a part of me would like to use to purple colour scheme, I am aware that it may exclude the male gender due to it's connotations whereas the first red colour scheme offers no exclusion and is well linked to music magazines due to it's useage in Rolling Stone and Q to name a few.

It would be tempting to use a different colour to be different however it is worth remembering that red is an often used colour for a reason and will help establish my magazine as familiar instantly.

What's in a Name? Part Two

Here you can see my thought process for developing a name for my music magazine, using the three main types of magazine names - Acronym, Compound and Connotations.

Props and Costumes

Props.

Here is a look at some of the props I chose to use for the photoshoot.

As I wanted to portray my model as being as approachable and down to earth as possible, I decided to use some novelty Toys to achieve this. To keep it striking and visually interesting the ones I chose were individual and slightly out of the ordinary - hence the giant Lego Mini-figure and using a Gameboy Colour instead of a newer PSP.

It's normal size - I'm just playing with the persepective.

The Guitars served as a reminder that my model is a musician and as the instruments were slightly battered, it enhanced the themes I was developing - even though they are successful, music these artists don't mind using an older instrument. 

 



This is my model in costume. I specifically asked him to wear these things to create the look I intended. He needed to wear an outfit that would gain him respect (which was presented through the jacket and shoes) but the jeans and T-shirt relay that he is laidback. The smart/casual look was what I wanted to create.

Proposal Feedback

"I like the clear goals of which the blogger establishes, revealing a clear mind set as to what he/she wants to achieve through the medium of their magazine. perhaps the only way to improve is to expand on other aspects that have the possibility to feature in the magazine such as articles. Maybe make reference to more regular features?

These is a very innovative usage of media such as the relationship between the physical and digital copy of the magazine. This lends itself nicely to being the magazine that is hoping to uncover the future.
I do question the name, Polaris. It does have interesting connotations but will the audience be willing to accept a music magazine without any mention to music in the title?

What about the unknown artists featuring on the cover?"



Feedback courtesy of Zak Labiad

The feedback also correlates with my feedback from the survey, meaning that I will be making changes from the proposal to the actual product - I have already decided to feature established artists on my cover.

Proposal - Polaris

This is a music magazine that will place the focus on Indie artists. Indie Artists that are yet to be discovered and are carving a name for themselves on the likes of YouTube and Soundcloud.

This is Polaris.

The name chosen links to the North Star, which is the brightest star in the sky. It is an awesome thing to convey and it gives musicians something to aspire to and interpret in their own way.

This is a completely uncharted genre for music magazines and in this digital age we believe artists and music listeners will jump at the opportunity to discover new musicians as well as the chance to be magazine stars themselves.

Also, when these rising talents become popular the recognition will come straight back to Polaris magazine.

We are also hoping to feature musicians who have hit the big-time themselves providing interviews and exclusive stories to motivate the readers (and we’re aware cover stars need to be able to attract their own audience).

What will be an innovative development is the focus on digital publication. While there will still be a fortnightly printed issue, the focus in-house will be on the weekly digital publication which will update automatically throughout the week once purchased with the latest news, fixing the misconception that in the digital age magazines are obsolete and out of date.

The Fortnightly print issue will be an amalgamation of the two issues, meaning those who want to purchase in print won’t miss out on anything. We are also developing a unique version of QR codes which will allow anyone who downloaded our app to access links to songs or videos on their phone/ipod/ipad.

We want to provide tasteful colour schemes, featuring subdued tones and variations on a set colour each issue, this will provide a recognisable design.

We believe Polaris is the magazine that will find the future before anyone else.

Audience Profile

Scott is a 20something year old who isn’t sure where he’s going in his life. He shares a flat with a roommate with similar taste and is even in a band. Nothing serious - just messing around with guitars and making music. He and his friends are eager to upload their songs to their YouTube and Sound cloud page for people to listen and they love feedback.

Scott often finds himself networking over forums and Facebook with other musicians and is eager to connect with more.

One thing Scott loves more than good music, is new good music. He jumps at recommendations to hear new songs.

Outside of music, Scott appreciates films with Ryan Reynolds in and anything that can make him laugh. He tried watching the Kings Speech once but decided it was too heavy-going.

Scott and his friends all have Iphones and a many of them are eager to invest in Ipads. While his friends are all for purchasing magazines digitally, Scott values the collection aspect and keeps his physical copies. However, for some reason he doesn’t mind digital music; a consensus amongst his friends. “It’s just easier” they said.

While music is, and always will be done for the love of it, Scott dreams of being appreciated, which is why he and his friends jumped at the opportunity to pick up Polaris magazine due to its cheap price and seemingly tailor-made to them.  He waits for the physical copy, content with the QR codes with his IPhone to access digital content but his friends get the weekly digital copy and appreciate the embedded hyperlinks to new musicians.

They are hoping to be featured in the magazine, having just submitted a few of their best songs. Best of luck to them!