Codes and Conventions of Indie Rock Magazines

As I have changed the style of my magazine to indie rock, I have decided to revisit codes and conventions in order to gain further understanding; specifically in this updated style. This meant I had to choose three new magazines, and then analyse each one. Below is each magazine chosen:

Q Magazine



Classic Rock



The Rolling Stone

Teacher's Comments

Photography Experimentation with the Nikon D800

In order to get more familiar with the camera, I have taken some portraits using it. I also experimented with a music theme with the 'shh' pose and dressed the model in softer, pastel colours for a vintage/retro effect. This photography would conform to an indie-style magazine, as the genre can include appreciating the otherwise unappreciated. The model I have chosen is also mixed race; often magazines of the indie genre include models/artists of different ethnicity in order to show diversity. In addition, I used direct mode of address in order to create a more personal connection between the model and audience. These are the photographs that I have taken:

Nikon D800 Camera Research

The Nikon D800 is my chosen camera to take pictures with for my magazine as it is of a high quality and I am familiar with it. It is a DSLR camera of 36.3 megapixels. It has a wide sensitivity range of ISO 100 to 6400 and a shutter speed of up to 1/8000s.


















I have researched into how to change the ISO, aperture and shutter speed of the camera, in order to understand how to use it effectively.

ISO Research

• The ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor.
• Higher ISO settings are generally used in darker situations to get faster shutter speeds.
• To change the ISO, hold down the exposure compensation button (top of camera) and spin the rear control dial.

Aperture Research

• The aperture is the opening in a photographic lens that admits the light.
• Use the over/under scale to find your exposure settings. To set your exposure using the aperture, depress the shutter release button until the meter is activated. Then rotate the Sub-command dial to change the aperture.

Shutter Speed Research

• The shutter speed is the nominal time for which a shutter is open at a given setting.
• Select OK after your selections. Hold Fn and turn the front dial to lock or unlock aperture. Hold Fn and turn the rear dial to lock or unlock shutter speed. You also can set this more permanently in f7 and not need this option.

Sources:
http://digital-photography-school.com/iso-settings/
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aperture
http://cdn-10.nikon.com/pdf/manuals/dslr/D800_EN.pdf

Existing Media

Now that I have researched the codes and conventions of music magazines in general and have chosen my target audience for my own magazine design, I can now look at the commonalities or conventions of this genre in particular. To make this specific to my target audience, I have asked my focus group on what front covers of indie music magazines they find attractive or appealing.These are the results that they came up with:

 Planning

In  order to understand why these magazines were more appealing to my target audience, I decided to look at the similarities between the images so that I can use these features/techniques in my own work. These are the similarities I came up with:

• All of these magazines have a white masthead- most commonly in capitals for a bolder effect so that the name of the magazine stands out (for marketing purposes in order to make the magazine more noticeable). 
• The masthead is also positioned at the top of the cover-either central or to the left-hand-side. I could use a similar font to this in my own work. 
• They all have a plain-coloured background so that the model/artist is the main focus and nothing distracts attention away from the main image. 
• This focus is emphasized by the use of direct mode of address in close up shot as a way of targeting and creating a more personal relationship between the artist and audience (uses gratifications theory). 
• The colour red is used in all of these images, whether in the typography, hair or lipstick (mis-en-scene). Red is a bright, bold colour that catches attention- I could incorporate this colour in my design.
•  All of these models are female, are wearing make-up (specifically eyeliner to draw attention to the eyes and emphasise the direct mode of address used), and their hair is worn down and voluminous.I could re-create this look by taking pictures of females dressed in this similar style.
• The same colour of the makeup worn around the eyes is often also used as the background colour- this is to bring the eyes out even more.
• The models are not smiling- if anything they generally have a more moody expression. 
• These magazines all have bar-codes of a small size (so it does not distract attention away from the main image). 

Indie Rock

I particularly like the last image for it's design. This issue is of an Indie style magazine (Q) but is styled with elements from the rock genre. This is portrayed through the use of it's black, white and red colour scheme for a bold, striking effect (including the bright font colour for the word "rocks"). The model is also wearing black on a black/dark grey background with dramatic, smoky makeup. I could add a rock style to my magazine in order to make it look more interesting by using similar techniques.

Creating My Focus Group

Now that I have decided on my intended target audience for my music magazine (people of both genders between the ages of 16-25), I am going to create a focus group consisting of people representative of this. This will help me with the planning of my magazine, as I can ask them questions on their preferences; which will help me to understand what will be appealing to people in my target audience. I have created a group-chat on Facebook Messenger, as this will be a quick and easy way of accessing everyone's opinions on the production or design of my magazine.

Target Audience Research

Q Magazine

Q is the UK's number one purchased music magazine.

• This magazine is the most popular with the ages 15-24.
• 68.3% of the readers are male.
• 70% of the readers are middle class.

Sources: http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines/detail/Q
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_(magazine)

Rolling Stone Magazine

This magazine focuses on pop-culture.

The following image (from the Rolling Stone official website) shows the statistics of their target audiences:

This also shows that the majority of the readers are young (between the ages of 18-24  at 26.8%) and male (at 62.6%).

NME Magazine

NME magazine focuses on indie, rock and alternative music.























Based on a survey (see the NME official website) the target audience of the magazine are as follows:

• 73% male
• Aimed at the average age of 25
• 73% of the readers are middle class
• 34% work full-time, 18% part-time and 26% are students

My Target Audience

Based on my research, the majority of magazine-purchasers are young adults, male and of middle class. I would like my magazine to be aimed at late teens and young adults (ages 16-25), as this would coincide with this research, plus the conventions of the target audience of the indie genre. However, I would like my magazine to be applicable to both genders so the magazine would be of interest to more people.

I would like my magazine to be Indie as this is a style of personal interest to me and I can replicate this style on a considerably lower budget compared to other genres. I particularly like the first image (Q magazine) for it's rocky style, so I would like my magazine to be indie but also have features that are rock-inspired- this would also conform to my younger target audience as the majority of rock music listeners are young adults.

Codes and Conventions of Music Magazines

In order to produce a front cover, contents page and double page spread of a music magazine, I need to research the codes and conventions of different ones. This means the technical features as well as features to do with narrative, representation and audience. These factors may vary due to the styles, genres and intended target audiences of these magazines.

The Codes and Conventions of Front Covers



The Codes and Conventions of Contents Pages



The Codes and Conventions of Double Page Spreads



In order to understand what the magazine elements are called and to help me analyse them, I have looked into the following slide-share glossaries for the correct terminology:

• http://www.slideshare.net/shsmedia/magazine-conventions-andterminology
• http://www.slideshare.net/willsyran/layout-glossary-16162482

My Preliminary Task

Evaluation

My preliminary task fullfils the brief; I have completed a front cover of a school magazine using my own medium-close up of a student, along with a contents page. Both documents were produced on Adobe Photoshop. For the image, I have chosen a sixteen year old female student, as this is the age of the appropriate target audience of this magazine. I chose to have the model in smart dress and in a working or learning environment to reflect on typical schooling conventions and to convey an archetype of a model school pupil as a positive example to other pupils. In addition, I have laid-out the text and masthead in a style appropriate to the stereo-typical conventions of a school magazine.

I overcame obstacles in order to complete this task as I have never used Photoshop in this way before. To help me to do this, I researched into tutorials to help me work out what to do, especially when enlarging or reducing the photographs.

In order to improve the production values of my design I would take this stereo-type of a model student further. I would do this by taking more suitable photographs with props e.g. by showing an ideal pupil being studious with a book, writing or by a computer. In order to make the layout more visually appealing, I would also change the text styles and colours.

In order to complete the preliminary task and understand the software, I researched into multiple YouTube tutorials as they are easy to understand because I am a visual learner.

In preparation for completing my main task, I have learnt to become more familiar with Adobe Photoshop; as I had little experience with the software beforehand. This will help me with my main task as I now have a beginner's understanding of how to use it, so I can therefore push myself further and produce a more visually appealing main task.

Hands On with the Panasonic Lumix LX7

In order to get familiar with this camera, I have taken some photographs. I have played around with the ISO, f-stop and shutter speed in order to create different effects. Some of these images are over or under-exposed, or have a shallow depth of field. Next time I use this camera, I will make sure that the images will be in focus and that the settings on the camera are more suited to the composition or required effect. I will also edit them.These are the images we took:

Under-exposed

Panasonic Lumix LX7

The Panasonic Lumix LX7 is a good camera popular with photographers due to its advanced features (e.g ultra-fast aperture), whilst being a small size. This camera will take decent quality photographs and suitable for travelling as it is compact.

In order to understand how to use this camera, I have done research on the basic information (e.g how to change the battery, check the memory card and look back at recorded images or videos), as well as looking into how the following factors could affect the image you take:

• Setting the camera into manual mode
• Setting the camera into video mode
• Setting the camera to record in MPEG mode
• Setting the camera to take stills in RAW mode
• Changing the ISO, f-stop and shutter speed
• Zooming into specific areas and adjusting focus before taking the image or video
• Using the light meter

The following links will show you how to do these and how to use this camera:

• http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/panasonic_lumix_dmc_lx7_review/
• http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/panasonic-lx7/panasonic-lx7A.HTM
• ftp://ftp.panasonic.com/camera/om/dmc-lx7_en_adv_om.pdf
• http://danielrutterfilms.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/lumix-lx7-tool-for-beginner-film-makers.html
• http://www.adorama.com/alc/0013976/article/Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-LX7-Product-Review

Photography/Videography Research

In order to understand how to use your camera, you must know how to control the camera iris (aka f-stop or aperture), shutter speed, ISO (or film speed) and depth of field.

To research these factors in a camera, I have looked at the following websites:

• https:photographylife.com/what-is-aperture-in-photography
• http://digital-photography-school.com/shutter-speed/
• http://www.slrphotographyguide.com/camera/settings/iso.shtml
• http://www.mediacollege.com/video/camera/focus/depth-of-field.html

Blogger Tutorial

I have never used blogger before, so in order to understand how to use it I have done the following research:

https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/1623800?hl=en