IMPROVED DRAFT - CONTENTS PAGE

This is the improved version of my contents magazine for UNDERGROUND magazine I have decided to change it from my first draft because i think that my first draft wasn't as effective. I didn't want to put 'contents' as my title. i wanted to make it different, therefore i have named the page 'what's up?' making my magazine unconvential just like my magazine; keeping the authenticity and originality within my magazine. I kept to the house style of red and black, just like NME magazine which is my influence for 'UNDERGROUND magazine.' However i wanted to keep the contents page simple and more effective.

When i improve this improved draft i am going to have the 'whats up' in bigger writing, making it 'in your face' because this is what i want my magazine to be like. I am then going to have the date in smaller writing underneath. I am going to keep the images at the side of the contents page because i think that this is again, keeping it unconvential. I am however going to play with the effects on the pictures, make it orignial. I have this idea in my head of my contents page having a lot on infomation on it, just like NME magazine, to show my audience just what the magazine has inside of it.

IMPROVED DRAFT - FRONT COVER

Here is my improved draft for my music magazine cover for 'UNDERGROUND' magazine. I have decided to put the masthead at the top of the page, right the way across the top of the page to portray to the reader and potential buyers that this is what our magazine is called. I then chose this is my main picture because i think that having one of the models in the band 'The Pretty Suicides' in the foreground of the picture looks different to any other magazine out there. Having a model in the foreground also gives the impression of 'we dont care' and gives off that attitude look which is my intention. I have chosen the bnd name to go underneath the picture to show whothey are, the fot style is contrasting to the picture. I have also decided to include the best selling albums of the month on the front cover to show what the magazine has to offer, in this case its all the new gossip and all the latet infomation. I have also included a band at the bottom of the magazine showing that the magazine i giving away free posters, enticing the audience in. I have also included a 'star' showing that you can win tickets to see 'The Pretty Suicides' but not giving away how you can win, again, enticing the audience in to find out more inside the magazine. I have also included a barcode which is essential on a magazine, i have put in on the side of the magazine in the middle to be original and not follow the typical conventions od a magazine.

If I could improve this magazine frot cover then I would make it look more creative and i would try to add more onto the magazine. I am also going to photoshop the pictures, putting the left model in the foreground and the other model holding the masthead, over lapping it. The masthead is also going to be a lot bigger, showing what my magazine is. I am also going to have a caption going across the main picture like 'indie girls hit the mainstream' to catch the audiences eye showing them that these artists are really becoming something and that the magazine has all the latest gossip.

  

MOCK MAGAZINE - DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

This is my double page spread for my mock magazine. I am currently perfecting my Q&A article, therefore i have not included it in my draft.
The quote at the top i have decided to use letters from a newspaper, to give the double page spread an edge, making it look authentic and original. The main picture to the double page spread also depicts this well, an 'urban rock chick' look.


I am going to work on this draft to perfect it for my real music magazine UNDERGROUND.

MOCK UP OF CONTENTS

Here is the mock up of my music magazine 'UNDERGROUND.' I decided to use only one picture on this page and the main focus on the magazine would be on 'The pretty suicides.' I then decided to write out what the magazine has to offer in different sized font to make sure that each one was seperated from each other. I also think that this is also pleasing to the eye, and it shows that there is a lot of news too offer in UNDERGROUND magazine.

If I had to improve this contents page then for my real music magazine cover I would put in more pictures illustrating that my magazine does have a lot too offer. I would also put a colour background on the page. To make it pleasing to the eye.

MOCK UP OF FRONT COVER

This is the mock up of my final exam piece. I have used original photography in which i took myself. I wanted my models to look 'school girl' attitude, fitting in with the 'house' style of indie. I wanted them to have dark make-up representing a rebel look, and i wanted their body language to represent this. I feel that being up against a wall looking as if you 'dont care' portrayed this well for a band called THE PRETTY SUICIDES. I wanted my masthead to be at the top 'UNDERGROUND' to portray that this magazine is an indie magazine, and by the name of the magazine you can tell this because this is where indie music started. I then decided to put the band name 'The pretty suicides' underneath the masthead to show who this magazine is mainly about. The font i used was a girly font, and in red to stick to the theme of red yet the style of the font looks like a student has written it. Giving my magazine that 'edge.' I kept this font throughout the front of my magazine in the pug 'free poster of the pretty suicides inside.'

To improve on this mock up, i would definitly photoshop the main image, giving it a 'edgier' look, maybe photoshopping the image to make the front cover as a whole looking like a cracked mirror, again portraying that these two teenagers are 'wannabe' indie chicks. I would also take out the white background in my text boxes and maybe use a different style font for the 'EXCLUSIVES.' In my final i am also goind to add a few more pictures onto the front cover too back up my cover lines.

PUBLICATION PLAN

 Before I make the final draft for my magazine I had to decide on the name for my magazine. I decided on 'underground' for this is the place in which the 'indie' music buisness started for indie bands.

ONE.

For both of my magazines I decided on this type of font, because it looks 'worn and torn' just like the indie bands and artists which are usually portrayed in indie magazines as this. For my first trial of making a masthead I used the colour black because even though I still want the masthead to be recognisable I dont want the attention brought away from my main picture, which is going to be selling the magazine.




TWO.

I then decided to change the colour to red, keeping the same font and formation. I thought that this may keepthe magazine away from the 'rock' genre as this is not what I am going to portray in an 'indie' magazine.



I am going to experiement with these two mastheads to see which one will look better on my magazine.

Positioning of the selling line: I really don't like mastheads covering my main image or cutting into it, therefore my mast head will be in the top third, not covering my main image, so the magazine can show off what the magazine has to offer.

Price: UNDERGROUND magazine will cost £3.50 for a monthly issue.

Rationale: UNDERGROUND magazine will offer to the readers news on latest gigs, top selling albums and singles of the month, interviews with most favourite artists and including exclusives in the magazine. In UNDERGROUND magazine, readers will also get the chance to win competitions and the prizes will be winning gig tickets to go and see their favourite band or signed merchandise. I will also include websites in the magazine so the readers can order merchandise via UNDERGROUND magazine. There will also be 'fan-mail' pages inclded in the magazine to show the readers that as the editors of UNDERGROUND magazine we do take into consideration fans requests and view points.

Style: The style of my magazine is going to be an 'indie' magazine. This particular magazine that I am making will be aimed towards the 'teenage girl' audience. However it will also appeal to all 'indie' magazine readers by the contents page, showing all the things and exclusives the magazine has to offer.

Regular pages in the magazine: The regular pages that will be in my magazine will be:

Artist features/Interviews - This is what customers prefer reading in magazines, getting an insight into all their favourite artists lives.

Fan Mail page - Showing the reader that we do take customers advice, also if there i a lot of fan mail it shows that UNDERGROUND magazine does offer the best infomation and is a popular magazine.

Free Posters and dates to gigs: The posters will include the readers favourite band, there will be at least two in each UNDERGROUND magazine. The dates to gigs will also be provided to the reader, advertising we have all the latest infomation on gig dates.

Frequency of publication: I have decided to publish my magazine monthly, this is because I think that publishing a magazine monthly will let the magazine hold a lot more infomation, this way I can be more flexible with what i put into my magazine, and the readers will get more than they bargained for.

Feature content: UNDEGROUND magazine will contain: competitions and free posters.

BAND NAMES FOR MY MAGAZINE

I have come up with a few potential band names for my magazine:

• The pretty vixens
• The pretty suicides
• The peppermints

I have decided on the band name 'The pretty suicides' because I am creating a indie band for my indie styled magazine I think that this band name suits the teenage girl audience with the word 'pretty' yet had an edge of attitude to it with the word 'suicides.' This fits in with the 'house style' of the magazine and is also similar to the band names in which NME use in their magazine.

POTENTIAL IMAGES FOR MY MAGAZINE

 

Here are the pictures which I have taken for my magazine for the magazine 'the pretty suicides.' I have not decided which one yet. But I am going to use the most powerful one for the front cover. To get these images for my magazine i wanted my models to be 'indie rock chick.' To achieve this i concerntrated on the mise-en-scene. First of all, what my models would be wearing: i chose clothes that were dark but still had an edge to it. The model with the blondest hair (Francesca) i dressed in a black dress with a glittery jacket maybe representing 'fame' The other model (Emilia) i dressed in normal skinny jeans, a black top and a dimond studded belt, again showing the 'fame' they could achieve. Both models are also wearing lots of braclets on their wrists showing the 'rebel' girl look. Showing that they dont care what they look like. Emilia has a cross on her neck also showing the 'rebel' look. Their hair is also represening the 'indie rock chick' look, with their hair being a mess but looking professionally done like that. One model also has rd lipstick on and the other a hint of pink. Showing the difference between the two in the band but also the similarities. The way they are posing also shows that 'The pretty suicides' dont care about anything, giving the posing an almost 'Taylor momsen' look.

This is Taylor Momsen, a well known indie rock chick artist, in which i was trying to make my models relate to and look like in the photoshoot, with Taylor Momsen being a teenager herself i tried to grasp this element from her and use it with my models. I think that i achieved this well, with the dark eye make-up and the 'looking like you don't care.'