Oasis

The band Oasis formed in Manchester.

  

Although Oasis had many band members, the final members in the band were Liam Gallagher, Gem Archer, Andy Bell, Jay Darlington, and Chris Sharrock. Chris was only in the band for 2 years (2008-2010).

• Liam Gallagher did the lead vocals and played the tambourine. He was involved in every single release that Oasis did. 
• Gem Archer played the guitar, keyboard, harmonica and did the bass, as well as doing the backing vocals. He joined the band in 1991. 
• Andy Bell played the guitar, keyboard and bass. He joined the band in 1999.
• Jay Darlington played the keyboard and the Hammond organ. He joined the band in 2002.
• Chris Sharrock played the drums, however he joined the band in 2008 so his time in the band was extremely short. Although he was in the band, he didn't contribute to any music which had been released, he just performed with them.

Some of the people in the images have not been named as they were not in the last years of the band because they left for various reasons. 

The star image changed as times went on as they were a band for so long. They went through the leather jacket faze, as well as the denim shirts and baggy denim jackets. Their hair didn't dramatically change, however there were tweaks which meant that their hair would look different. Their shoes were fairly normal as they were trainers and lots of people wore trainers (and they still do). 

The backgrounds of their photos are always very plain and blank, there is nothing else for the audience to focus on as they can only see the artists themselves. This means that the audience feel like they're closer to the band because the band are always close to the camera. The band always look directly at the camera and this means that it seems as if they are having eye contact with the audience.

The band never seem to be smiling in their photos and I feel as if this is because they would like to seem mysterious and angry. 

The 1975

The 1975 is a rock band which was formed in Manchester. The band members are Matt Healy, Adam Hann, George Daniel, and Ross McDonald. Matt Healy plays the guitar and does the vocals, Adam Hann also plays the guitar, George Daniel plays the drum and does the backing vocals and Ross McDonald is in charge of the bass.

   

Their star image is the stereotypical indie image. They don't dress how a typical man just going out for the day would dress. Matt Healy is known for the way he never buttons up shirts and his wild hair. He wears black jeans which usually have a rip at the knee and he wears black boots which are similar to Chelsea boots but they're slightly pointed and worn out.

All of them wear mostly black, and leather clothes. Some of the clothes that they wear are chequered (such as a shirt tied around their waist).

The background of their photos (above) are all in the locations where you would expect an indie photo to be taken. The black and white one is located in a place which seems very grey and bleak. They are trying to portray the idea that they come from the 'streets' and everything is gloomy and dull. It is also a mid-shot to show the artists closer up and get their faces more well known.

In the last image is showing a broke, messy and dirty room and they're all in the room just sitting. They are not sitting together and I think this is to create a sense of tension and awkwardness between them. They are trying to show that they are different to other bands. The most prominent colour in the image is purple and for a group of men to be sitting in a purple room is a little bit unusual.

The backgrounds are always simple, following the usual convention of the indie type of video or photo-shoot. This is to put the focus onto the artists. The way their audience can relate to them is through the way they dress as it gives their sense of character and individuality, and through the way the images of them portray their emotions. The audience will feel like if they can see their emotions, they can connect with them because they can relate to the way they're feeling.

Chosen Genre

My chosen genre is Indie and this is because the model I have chosen to use is best suited to that style. She would not look right in a pink fluffy dress as it is not her sort of style and doesn't necessarily suit her. I also chose indie as I quite like the way they look and present themselves, and they seem to have more personality than people in the pop genre as they seem a little bit plastic.

Main Conventions
The indie genre is known for being low budget and their settings are usually places which are already there and don't have to be paid to use. For example they will go somewhere where there is a tunnel and film in front of the tunnel, or have a photo-shoot there. A reason why they might go to these sorts of locations is because they are very easy to access and not only this but the places they go will create a sense of mystery or edginess. It might arise the questions of 'why are they there?' and due to the fact that they are in gloomy places, the mysteriousness then becomes more intense.

Keeping the locations simple yet mysterious puts more focus onto the artists and their performance.

Recently, in the music videos, narrative is beginning to become a huge part of the music videos because it gives the video more meaning and character with a story behind it, and involves the audience much more and creates more of a sense of involvement and closeness. People who watch the music video might also want to find out what happens in the story so this therefore keeps the audience more interested and grabs their attention more than just simply watching someone dance around the screen.

The most commonly used camera shot in an indie music video would be a close up as it is then complete focus on the artist, and promotes them as a 'star'. Having these close ups emphasises and highlights the artists talent. When a long shot is used, it is usually for the audience to get an idea of their surroundings and the story that is going on, meaning it is an establishing shot.

Target Audience 
Stereotypically, the sorts of people who would buy an indie music magazine would be teenagers, and usually the teenagers who wear beanies and big glasses.
Stereotypically, it is mostly men who would listen to indie music, and this would vary from the ages of around 16-24. (http://www.slideshare.net/jonese3/target-audience-of-indie-rock-music-magazines) 

Publishers
In the UK, for indie magazines the publishers are always either Bauer or Global.

What is Star Image?

Star image is the way which people represent themselves to their audience. The audience will often get their views of the famous people through the media and the way it portrays them through images and headlines. This is their publicity.

For example Miley Cyrus began being famous as 'Hannah Montana' which is a children's TV show on Disney Channel. Once she got older and Disney Channel stopped making more episodes of 'Hannah Montana', she moved on to make her own music with her own style. To change her target audience, she became outrageous. She wanted to make music which was aimed more at older people in their teens rather than young girls, however her young fans still really like her which then shows them the wrong type of role model because she dances in minimal clothing which then makes her young fans think it's okay to do the same thing and will grow up wanting to be the same as her.

Her image went from sweet and innocent, to outrageous and shocking the whole world. As Miley is now an adult and no longer a teenager she no longer wants to be portrayed that way, which lead her to exaggerate some of the things adults do such as:

• drinking alcohol
• partying
• making women sexual objects
• drugs (only some)

And there are many more things which she does even the way she behaves in her music videos and the people and the way she sings and now raps.

She's done this so well that it is almost impossible to know what parts of her is actually her and which parts of her image is just an act.

Even the way her social media, such as 'Instagram', portrays her is as a little bit strange.

Initial Ideas

My magazine is probably going to be an indie magazine, however my model will be a girl which therefore challenges the stereotype that all indie music artists are men. Due to this fact, I think my magazine would interest more people because it's not something which is seen every day.

I have chosen to print my magazine on glossy paper because I think it looks nicer and it feels nicer to hold rather than normal paper which books are made from. I also think that glossy paper keeps nicer than regular paper because if it gets wet it isn't as damaged and regular paper is more associated with books rather than magazines.

I have tried to make the price reasonable because if the price is too much, less people will want to buy it, however if it is too cheap then I would not be making any money and it would then be pointless as the money couldn't go back into making any more magazines.

The magazine will be printed weekly and this is to keep regular buyers and keep people updated weekly rather than spreading old news which people already found out elsewhere.

Mode of Address

The mode of address is the way the text speaks to the audience and influences them. It is the way the audience is positioned. This is the way that people are made to interpret the text and the way and the way they perceive a person's point of view.

Mode of address could also be the way a person is addressed through the text. Someone may be referred to as 'Sir' or 'Madam' which is a way which somebody has been addressed.

Mise En Scene

The placement of text and colours is very important in a magazine.

Typography

The placement of the masthead and the text and font is very important because it allows people to understand and interpret the feeling of a magazine.

Most front covers of magazines will use the font 'Sans Serif' for the masthead.

This is when there is not a little flick on the writing and the letters would have the strokes all even.

 

Serif has the flicks coming off of the letters, giving it a more old fashioned feel. This type of writing is more likely to be used inside of a magazine rather than on the front cover, however sometimes magazines use it on the front in the masthead.

Kerning is the spaces between the letters, and they can be adjusted. For example, the writing could be spread more across a page by making the spaces between the letters bigger. 

Some font types would be really bad to use as they are hard and unclear to read. Here are some examples:

TEXT

TEXT

TEXT

Whereas other texts are more easy to read. These would usually be used for mastheads, captions and just general texts inside a magazine or book. Here are some examples:

TEXT

TEXT

TEXT

These texts, although they might look similar, are very clear and would be good to read from a distance. The fonts which were used for the examples of bad fonts to use would be difficult to read from a distance and people would not know what the word said. 

A good example of a clear font used on a masthead would be a vogue magazine.

If the font is on a coloured background, then the text must be written in a colour which shows clearly on the colour rather than clashing.

If you were going to use coloured text, you could not use green on top of blue for various reasons, such as people who are colourblind would not be able to read it. Also it would be very difficult to read and see anyway.

However using violet on yellow would work as it would be easy to see. 

Colour

Throughout a magazine, there are usually 3-5 consistent colours. The colours used may depend on the season. For example, in Spring, a magazine might use blues, pinks, yellows and greens. Usually magazines would choose a colour scheme which matches the weather at that time.

There are certain colours which probably wouldn't usually be put together. For example yellow and green wouldn't be placed on top of each other.

This is a colour wheel.

Magazines also use basic colours, however not ones which would clash because this makes it harsh on the eye and people may not be able to read what's written, and this could be down to an eye disorder such as colour-blindness.

Magazine Conventions - Contents Page

To make a good contents page, it must have:

At least 50% of the page should be covered in images revealing the inside of the magazine to make people more interested. Some magazines don't follow this rule but generally, this is the amount which should be covered in images.

A masthead stating that the page is a contents page. This way people are able to find which page they are looking for or would like to read with ease.

The page numbers should stand out so people are sure what page is what article and can see the page they want to read without having to search the whole magazine to find the article they found appealing to read.

The logo or information of the company the magazine is made for (for example a school magazine would have their name and logo) in the bottom left hand corner of the page. This is to allow people to know the company they're reading from.

In the bottom right, it will usually say 'Page 1' or simply just '1', so most articles or information will start from page 2.

A contents page will also have a colour scheme (as does the magazine cover) so colours don't clash and there isn't too much to look at. There would usually only be around three different colours in a colour scheme.

To keep order in a contents page, there will be columns. This is to ensure that the contents page is neat and understandable without any confusion for which page number goes with which article.

On a contents page there will be a part showing the regulars, the special features and the articles in the magazines. Regulars are the things which are in the magazine week by week, special features are things which are in the magazine this week or month which aren't usually in there, and articles are just the articles which are in the magazine this week.

Social media is often included on the contents page. This is so regular buyers of the magazine can follow them on websites such as Twitter and Facebook (as they are the most commonly used websites). This allows people to know what's coming up in each edition of the magazine and keep up to date on anything which might not be in the magazine.

Anchor text is usually underneath an image which is in the magazine, explaining what is going on in the image and who is in it. This is so people know more about the picture and why it might be there or is relevant to the article.

The editors letter is just when the editor writes a review about what is in the magazine and describes it. They explain what is inside the magazine and reviews it, also giving information about the inside of the magazine

The colour throughout the whole of the magazine should remain the same, as well as the style of the text throughout.

Magazine Conventions - Cover Pages

To make a good magazine cover, it must have:

A main image should be with the main person looking at the camera to seem more inviting. If the magazine should be scary then they might be very straight faced to seem intimidating, however if it is a music magazine, the artist might want to smile to seem more inviting and open to people.

A masthead which stands out and is memorable without any colour clashes to make the writing easier to see and make sure it is easy on the eye as well as bold enough to be seen.

Cover-lines which are interesting to make someone want to read the inside of the magazine. They should be written in sans because block is easier to read than serif from a distance.

A strap-line should be something which brings the audience in by stating the extra parts of the magazine, for example '3 pages of extra pages with exclusive images and witness reports'

A dateline so that people know how old the magazine is and whether the information inside is up to date.

There should also be smaller images to allow people to have a sneak preview to the inside and grab their attention so they want to buy it and read the contents of the magazine.

Lead article, which would normally be about the story which is linked to the people in the image on the front of the magazine.

Every magazine has a barcode on the front (usually).

The price is usually somewhere printed somewhere quite large to make it seem like its a really good deal. For example 'ONLY £1.29'.

Sometimes magazine covers will also have a puff with some 'shocking' or 'revealing' news to make it stand out.

Usually the magazine would have a colour scheme which keeps similar colours throughout.

Throughout the whole magazine, the font that the actual articles are written in would usually be the same font throughout, however the mastheads of stories might be different to add a different affect.

Hip-Hop Music

This magazine is called '#5' and the target audience would be teenagers and young adults. It is a music magazine and I would probably buy it. This is because Nicki Minaj is on the front cover and she is very well known and I actually like her which would make me interested anyway. Not only this but there is a section which is called 'Up close and personal' with Drake's name above it which might make people buy it because they like Drake as he is well known and would like to know more baout him.

The shot is a close up with bright lighting, enabling the famous rapper/singer to be easily seen and making people more interested.
The model is wearing bright coloured clothes (her hat is yellow) and her makeup is also very bright.

Vogue Magazine

This magazine is a 'VOGUE' magazine which is all about fashion. This would mean it would be aimed mostly at young girls, especially with Taylor Swift on the front because lots of younger girls or women like Taylor Swift and she is appealing to them.

The genre of this magazine would therefore be fashion. Personally I would buy the magazine because I think that it is laid out quite clearly and the coverlines make me more interested to know what is on the inside because it gives you tips, for example how to 'update your style for spring'.

The model of the front cover of the magazine is placed in the middle of the cover so she is the main and first thing you see when you look at the magazine. The shot is a close up (just a bit higher than a midshot) and shows off the hat and jacket which she is wearing, which represents the magazine really well as it is a fashion magazine. It is also an eye-level shot which gives us the clearest shot. Eye level shots don't tend to be very dramatic but for a fashion magazine the person doesn't need to be dramatic as it would take the attention away from the clothes.

The model has a relatively blank expression which I don't think brings much emotion or a postive vibe to the magazine, however on the majority of the magazines the models are always very serious as the clothes are not very odd clothes, they're quite formal or smart clothes.

First Post

My name is Chloe Stephenson. I'm 16 and I have chosen to do media studies as an A-level. This is beause I have previously had an interest in it and wanted to do it more in depth.

Our first official piece or work is a music magazine. I am now aware of how to use Photoshop for my images, InDesign for the text and have been told what lighting would be best for taking photos. I have been told what not to do when taking pictures, for example I shouldn't open the curtains and take a picture, then have a break and go back because the lighting from the outside might have changed since the last image was taking, making the images ineffective.

My magazine will consist of a front cover, contents page and a double page spread. The colours which I will use will not be harsh on the eye (I won't use yellow on top of pink). This is because it would make the writing difficult to read, and if someone is colourblind they will not be able to even see the writing at all anyway.

On the double page spread, I will try to include a pull quote if I do an interview. This is when you select an interesting part of the text which would drag the reader in, and put it into a bubble with larger font than the text is being written in.
Not only this but I will also try to include images to bring the pages together with an image going across post pages.