Musical Interlude

Here are some videos of songs which have inspired me. 

These have inspired my magazine so far, especially the front cover, because the songs are all a different style of rock music, and this is what I want to represent in my magazine, as it is about all sub-genres in rock.
In the first two videos, I have looked at the clothing and the colour scheme, which is mainly red, black and grey, which proves that my research was accurate. However in the final video, "Familiar Taste of Poison" by Halestorm, has a much more dramatic side to it which can be seen in the storyline of the video, the clothing and the lyrics. This is inspirational for my type of magazine because for the front cover in particular, I want it to stand out so if it's quite dramatic then that could add to the feeling of standing out of the crowd and putting on a show. 
In Shinedown's "Enemies", there is a lot more anger in the video, and it is generally much louder than the other two videos throughout. I think that these differences could come in handy when thinking about my articles for the contents or the double page spread because I can use a variety of stories inside the issue of the magazine. There is also some humour in this video so this can also give me ideas as to how to write my articles. The song also has the idea of a rebellion between the two band members, and that the bassist is uprising against the lead singer. 

-Janet

My Chosen Photos

This is the photo I want to use for my front cover:

I think it would look effective because it has the whole band wearing black and white, standing against a colourful, graffiti-styled background. The girl at the front isn't looking at the camera, unlike everyone else which I think would relate to the title of the magazine, "Uprising", because what I found with most main photos is that the model(s) always look at the camera, whereas here, there is a sense of rebellion. 

For my Contents Page, I want to use a variety of photos, to use as posters as well as for the article. These are some I might use:

For now, I haven't decided on a final photo for the contents page, or if I am going to use more than one. I think that I will definitely use some of these individual shots for posters because then I will fulfil one of the briefs which is to use more than four photos, and it will give the readers more to look at. 

Finally, this is the photo I will use for the Double Page Spread:

This is one of my favourite photos, because all of the band members are looking at the camera, so it is engaging with the audience already, and making them feel like they are a part of the article and the photo shoot. I think the main colour scheme of black and white really stands out against the brown background, however, I think when it comes to editing, I will try and see if I can change it because I don't think a brown wall will necessarily connote "Rock and Roll Girl band". 

-Janet

"Fan Photos"

In my magazine I want to include photos from gigs I've been to, the most recent being Thirty Seconds to Mars. I thought it would make the magazine more interesting to have photos taken by fans, to put into the contents page as a "Reviews" or "Fans Photos" section. 

These are some of the photos I think could be included:

Masthead Ideas

These are some of the ideas I have come up with for how my masthead will look: 

Photoshoot

These are my photo's which I took for my front cover, contents page, and double page spread. Eventually I will choose and edit my final photos to fit them onto the magazine. I think that the photo-shoot went quite well, because I managed to get a wide variety of photos, including group shots as well as individual shots. 

Risk Assessment

Photo shoot Plan

Flat Plans

I decided that a photo of a whole band would look good on my front cover, because from my research, that tends to be the case. I would also like to have a band because then they can hold instruments and it will connote that it is a music magazine.
For the contents, I will use other photos, such as ones from gigs because I think it will make the magazine more realistic. However, because the band on the front cover will be the main story, there will be a photo of them too.
Finally, on the double page spread, I will use a different image for the band which will probably take up one side. This means that there will be enough space for the interview, and the picture will again be of the whole band.

-Janet

Mise-en-scene research...

Articles Mise-en-scene

Article

This article is of Halestorm, a heavy rock/metal band. The photo has the whole band looking straight at the camera, so the audience is immediately drawn in.  There is a white background, and the writing has a black textbox behind it, so the actual article stands out too.  

None of the members are smiling properly, so this could imply that they are really serious about making it in this industry. The fact that they are all looking forward could also suggest that they are looking forward to what the future brings them and that all want to progress as a band. 

At the top, "Introducing" is written in red, so this is the important part of the article because red is often used to catch attention. 

This article of The Kings of Leon is quite different to the first article because it is on a double page spread, and there are different colours used. 

In this article, the band are sitting down in a brown room, which isn't a particularly appealing colour. The colours of the clothing have quite neutral, subdued tones so it could suggest that they are not trying to make a huge statement, unlike some other artists who often wear the opposite. There is a single light bulb in the middle of the room, so this could connote hope for new albums in the future and to be successful. 

The article is written in red and black, so these bold colours stand out against the relatively plain background of the photo. However, it could be that each of these colour schemes bring out each other, so the reader is drawn in either way. 

"Kings of Leon" is written in big, black and bold writing so the audience immediately knows who the article is about. 

-Janet

Album covers Mise-en-scene

Album Cover

In this album cover for Walk the Moon, the colours used are very bright, and can connote the liveliness of the album and the music. The background also looks like it's been painted in watercolours, so it could show that the music blends in well with each other and also could imply that they are a band that blend in well with the music industry, showing that they know what to do. 

There is a treehouse in the middle of the album, in white so it stands out against the rest of the colours in the background. The treehouse can make the audience relate to childhood memories of being active and happy, and the music is very upbeat so along with the colours, it makes the audience think of a dreamy, make-believe child's world. The visual and musical mood of this album cover help to represent the carefree atmosphere of childhood. 

This is Shinedown's album cover for their 2008 album "The Sound of Madness". In comparison to the previous album, this one has only two colours- black and white. It could represent that their music is simply just rock music and nothing more to it. 

The lettering looks like graffiti, and at the end it has been smudged so it could connote rebellion. It could also mean a lack of permanence or the fact that someone tried to rub it out, but it didn't completely disappear. This implies that they are not going to go away anytime soon.  The birds could symbolize freedom, so this idea of rebelling and uprising could link to freedom fighters through music and its artwork.  

-Janet

A letter from The Editor

Hello, readers!

Welcome to our first edition of "Uprising", the rock magazine with all the information, photos and interviews you need to keep up to date with your favourite artists today. As a magazine, we appreciate Rock music as a whole, including all it's sub-genres like Alternative rock to Punk rock- our aim is to keep every single one of our readers happy and interested with the information they are getting from us. 

"Uprising" is unique, because we feel that it is important to keep you guys up to date with your favourite bands, but we also encourage you to expand your knowledge of our genre by introducing new up and coming rock bands who we believe have so much potential in this competitive industry. 

We can assure you that every month you will get an exclusive look on what your bands are up to, whether it's going on tour or making their next studio album, "Uprising" will aim to satisfy all of your musical needs so don't worry- you won't be dissapointed. 

Thank you so much for supporting us, and remember to enjoy the magazine!

To get your voice heard, visit our website at the back of this issue. 

All for now, 

-Janet

Pitching my magazine

Dear Bauer Media, 

I am writing to you to show my ideas for a new magazine for rock music, "Uprising". 

"Uprising" is a unique new magazine, specifically for Rock Music as a whole, and will include information about many different sub-genres of rock, including Alternative, Indie, Heavy metal as well as good old classic rock.

My hope is that "Uprising" will appeal for a younger audience, by initially aiming at 15-21 year olds, as my market research has shown that this age range are the most likely to buy a magazine of this genre. Further research showed me that most popular music magazines cost between £2-£3 , so I am planning to sell "Uprising" for roughly £2.40, on a monthly basis. 

I was drawn to Bauer Media because I am aware that you are one of the biggest music magazine publication companies in Europe, and I would really love to see this new and creative rock magazine thrive in this competitive market. Together, I strongly believe that we can make "Uprising" stand out from the crowd and rise above.   

Yours faithfully, 

Janet Bargmann.  

Music Publishers

The two most popular magazines I found were:

• Bauer Media- Q Magazine, KERRANG!, Mojo magazine
• IPC Media- NME, Uncut

I think I will use Bauer Media as my producer because they are already very popular with magazines who specialize in Rock music, so I think that even though it would be a tough market, the magazine could benefit because they know what they are doing. 

-Janet