Coursework: Print magazine research and planning
1) Research music magazine cover key conventions. Look over the magazine cover key conventions notes sheet and write which of these you will use for your magazine cover. (This is a film magazine example but the conventions still apply).
- Title of publication
- Slogan
- Central Image
- Cover line
- Colour scheme
- Language
2) Find at least five music magazine front covers (either current or former magazines as many have stopped their print editions) aimed at a similar target audience to your project (mainstream music audience). For each one, pick out one design idea or convention that you could use in your own print work. A few examples to start you off:
1) Plan a title and slogan (sell line) for your new, original music magazine. Sketch out possible designs for the masthead - font, style, colour etc.
2) Plan the content for your magazine front cover. Your double-page spread interview will be the main story and image but what other cover lines and smaller images will you include on the cover?
- Central image for front cover of just the artist (protagonist of narrative for the music video)
- Three smaller images- True Roots, Faze and Hamzah Sheikh
- Masthead: "SOL"
- Slogan- "Music deep-rooted within"
- Strapline/ top banner- "The faces of the future edition"
- Main coverline: "Exclusive interview with Keren featuring her bestselling album prominence"
- Other coverlines:
- "Top ten greatest hits of all time"
- "Keren- singer. songwriter. star", music has changed my life for the better"
- "Gabe E releases his new debut single vibrations"
- "True Roots and Faze give their top tips for battling mental health"
- "Prodigy Hamzah Sheikh on young aspiring musicians"
- Price
- Barcode
- Title of article- "Sol star of the future... Keren... rises in prominence"
- 400+ word interview with four questions
- Quote from artist: "Creating the album was the best experience in my life"
- Small image of artist in the middle around the interview text
- Full page sized photo of artist for second page
3) Plan the content for your tour poster. What image will you use? (Remember it needs to be from a different photoshoot). What cities and venues will your artist play in the UK? This may take some research into venues that are associated with your chosen genre and the right size for your artist.
- I will use an image that will be taken in an external location- in the woods.
- Cities- London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Nottingham, Leeds, Southampton, Leicester and Portsmouth
- Title of album: "Prominence"
- Insert headphone sponsorship
- Mental Health
- Most memorable moment in career
- The process of creating album and the inspiration behind it
- Album date/ tour
5) Write the text for your double-page spread feature. This needs to be a minimum of 400 words and be completely original and include reference to the music video, tour and headphone sponsorship. Make sure you include a headline, subheading and any pullout quotes or sidebar contents.
What has been the most memorable moment throughout your musical career?
Definitely, when I put out my album “Prominence.” It was just such a surreal moment not just in my career but in my life too. I was battling severe depression prior to the release of the album which really took a toll on my mental health and so it’s suffice to say I wanted to channel this pessimistic experience and turn it into something good. To be honest, without all the support from my family, my fans and the remarkable team that have worked so incredibly hard to create “prominence”, I wouldn't be here today. The album itself has been an epitome of the hard work and dedication that has been put into building my career in the music industry, so yes, the album has been a notable moment in my career for sure.
How has creating music shaped who you are?
My music is everything to me. The days where I’m working in the studio creating something new far outweigh the days where I just don’t feel like getting out of bed on chilly London mornings. There is just something so intimate and heartwarming about music and this is why I do the job I do. Infact, it doesn’t really feel like a job, it never has because it’s always been a way of life for me, like the heart in the human body. Coming from a small part of London and being brought up in an Indian household I never thought I would be where I am today. The cultural industries lack diversity in some areas and you don’t often see many representations of young BAME artists like myself in it and so I create so that people connect and can come out of their shells no matter where they’re from. Music has shaped me into a more courageous and adaptable being as a whole.
Could you please talk us through the process in which you created the album and what the inspiration behind it was?
So the process was definitely very extensive. I think people undermine the sheer time and work that goes into a project like this and so after wrapping up the last session in the studio, it was quite a rewarding feeling. My good friend Nick Cannes who actually co-wrote some of the songs and is just such a phenomenal producer and songwriter to work with actually reached out to me and said that we could try out something new in the studio you know, two friends just harmonising and working together and to say the least, it was probably the most finest experiences in my life and we bounced off of each other's energy and were able to produce the album. The inspiration for the album was hugely mental health. I think it’s a topic that is often negatively stigmatised and avoided but shouldn’t be. I wanted this album to be the voice for the people who lack one so that they can rise above everything. Many of my other songs have been quite dramatic you know the usual, typical heartbreak stories that pop songs are often about but this time round I wanted to create something a bit more personal and from the heart not saying that my other songs weren’t personal at all because every song has a story from which we can learn from.
Any final words for the viewers out there?
Yes, make sure to check out my off-the-charts best selling album “prominence” coming to you on July 22nd 2021. We’ve put everything into this and hope you enjoy it and I'm just very excited for the next chapter to unfold!
Photoshoot
1) Who do you need to photograph from your artist/band that will appear on the front cover of your magazine? This is vital for planning the location and time for your photoshoot (note: if it is you or someone in the class it will make things a lot easier in terms of running the photoshoot)
2) What image or images do you need for the double-page spread interview feature?
3) What image or images will you use for the tour poster? Remember, you need seven different original images across the print brief in total and the tour poster images(s) need to come from a different photoshoot.
4) Write a shot list for your photoshoots. Make sure you plan a variety of camera shots you will look to capture - medium shots, close-ups etc.
5) What costume, props or make-up will you require for your photoshoots?
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