Draft questions for the DPS

Q and A

Explain 2016 in one sentence.

For our American readers, what’s it like growing up in the ghettos of east London?

Gun crime is a big problem in America. Is it similar or different in the UK?

What are your opinions on the new President-elect?

Your mixtape has already sold 1.2 million copies in the US. Have you been surprised by your recent success in America?

You have released tour dates for 2017 in the UK. Can America expect a visit?

Explain how Krept and Konan asked you to go on tour with them, and how did it feel joining them on stage?

Is it true that you’re in a WhatsApp group chat with Drake, Future and Skepta, and if so, how does it feel to be a text message away from such big artists?

Do you admire the US rap scene as much as the UK’s, and who are your favourite artists right now?

In the US, upcoming rappers can get their music out through the Youtube channel World Star Hip 

Hop. Do you have a similar platform in the UK?

Finally, can we expect any more music from you this year?

Cover Page

Contents Page

Double Page Spread

Distribution of Magazines

Distribution Methods

XXL

XXL offers a Subscription to its readers which gives readers a discount overall. This encourages readers buy the subscription. This is good because it guarantees XXL money , and for a better price than selling them in shops because the shop stake sometimes even 50% of the profit. It has a Twitter, Facebook and Instagram page. It also has a Youtube channel.

Popular outlets that XXL distribute their magazine to include WH Smith and Tesco. Distributing to popular shops increases sales, as more people are likely to see XXL on the shelf and want to buy it. Also, it means the magazines widely available in shops near you.

Double Page Spread - Progress

Cover Page - Progress

Contents Page - Progress

Contents Page - Progress

Cove Page - Progress

Masthead Final

I have decided that this will be my masthead for my cover page, as the red colour scheme makes it stand out. Furthermore, the simple font makes it easy to read and bold.

Masthead Ideas 2

Masthead Ideas

My Magazine Proposal Presentation + Feedback

Feedback Reflection

What Went Well - Many of my peers agreed that the price was good because it gives the magazine enough prestige for it to be popular, while also being cheap enough for my younger target audience to purchase regularly

How To Improve - The masthead needs to include features that connote the Hip Hop genre to show that it is not a grime magazine. In order to solve this issue, I am thinking about including a dollar sign to make it clear to readers that it is a Hip Hop magazine

My Music Magazine Proposal

Photoshoot Studio Tutorial

These are the notes I took during the Photoshoot Studio Tutorial.

Before starting the shoot

- When taking photos, turn the room lights off, so that the light will not affect the shoot

- Do not position the model at the back of the backdrop, because they will bleach into it and not light up properly. Make sure the model is 4 to 5 feet from the backdrop

- The room in infrared, therefore make sure that the bones transmitter is on the camera, so that when you take a picture, it activates the flash simultaneously

The 3 Flash Lights

- Key (main) light - left side
- Fill light - right side
- Hair line light - behind model - separates model from backdrop

- Each light has a soft box, which makes the lighting look natural. They do this by softening and diffusing the light and distributing it evenly

- Each light has a built-in fan, which prevents it from overheating

- You are able to adjust and height and brightness. To adjust the brightness, there is a dial from 1 to 6, from a low burst of flash to a higher burst. 3 is recommended as it distributes the flash evenly

- Note - when turning the lights off, make sure you turn them off by the switch, then unplug them. If the lights are not switched off, and just unplugged, the flash charge will destroy the light when turned on

Camera - Nikon D7100

- The camera is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex)

- It is a 24 mmp (mega million pixel) camera with a 118-185 lens zoom

- The depth of field (DOF) is the distance between the foreground and background. Adjust the
F - number to increase or decrease the DOF

- You can switch the mode using the left hand bar. The 2 modes recommended are:

                           - A - Aperture - more control of DOF

                           - S - Shutter - used when  camera movement is involved. The higher the number,                                                        the faster the shutter

- WB - white balance - this gives the photo natural colours
- ISO - film speed -  100 or 200 recommended as any higher will allow too much light into the lens

- AF - autofocus - this is recommended
- M - manual - use this if you want to take a close-up

- Note - Leave 10 minutes at the end of the shoot to download the photos


                                                                                                                           

Masthead Draft - Adobe Illustrator Tutorial

Tutorial on Adobe Illustrator

1. We opened Adobe Illustrator CC 2015.3 and created a new document, opening the layers tab. Throughout the tutorial I had the layers tab open, because It helps organize everything in the document and allows you to modify or delete specific layers which don't work. 

2. I chose the font Orator Std, which I used for my college magazine. I have not yet decided on my magazine name, therefore I created the template: TITLE. 

3. I used the Direct Selection Tool to distort the text into a more sharp and triangular font. This made it unique and stand out from other fonts.

4. We then found an image on Google of a texture. I chose yellow and black snake scales. By selecting both the text and image, and making a clipping mask, the image appeared inside the text. This created a more professional look and added interest to the text.

5. To make the texture more visible I used the Direct Selection Tool to widen the letters, allowing more snake scales to be seen.

6. Here is the finished product:

College Magazine Evaluation and Audience Feedback

College Magazine - Contents Page

College Magazine - Cover Page

College Magazine Plan

College Magazine Test

Here I was trying Photoshop to get used the tools.

Audience and Institution - Vibe

Audience
I studied the Vibe Media Kit to help research the magazines target audience.

 

- Vibe had a primarily young adult audience, between the ages of 18 and 34 years. This shows that the magazine appealed to the the core audience of Hip Hop fans.

- With an almost equal ratio of male and female readers, it shows Vibe is aimed at both genders. This increased the audience and therefore made the brand more successful and popular. 

- The Media Kit also shows that 71.3% of the readers were African-Americans. This was accomplished by including their interests and culture in the magazine, such as a heavy emphasise on Hip Hip. 

Institutions

- The publisher for Vibe was producer Quincy Jones, in partnership with Time Inc, who launched the magazine in 1993. 

- Time Inc. own over 90 music magazines such as 'Time' and operates over 60 websites such as 'MyRecipes'.   

- Time Inc. has cross-media interests in magazines, which often have their own website.

Audience and Institution - XXL

Audience
I looked at the XXL Media Kit to help research the magazines target audience.

- The 'Demographics' page shows us who exactly reads a XXL. They has a predominently male audience, as they take up 78% of the readers, and appeal to men throughout each issue as articles focus on the success of male rappers. If women are featured, they are often sexualized to appeal the male audience, and entice them to read the magazine.
- 67% of the readers are African-American. This shows that even though rap has branched out, appealing a mainstream audience, XXL stick heavily to the roots of rap and where it started, umong African-Americans.
- The average age for an XXL reader is 29. This shows that fans of the earlier rap music, who were supporters from the beginning, enjoy reading the magazine. It also shows that an older more sophisticated audience read the magazine, presenting XXL as bringing a classy and mature tone to rap.
- 'The Reader' page tells us why readers in the rap community buy XXL. XXL respect its readers as much as they respect the magazine. This creates a tight community and connects the audience to the industry, to help them enjoy rap the best they can. Many readers are part of the rap industry. The magazine helps musicians and producers grow and create a following. 

Institutions
- XXL is published by Townsquare Media, who acquired the magazine in 2014 In October of 2014, they announced they would be releasing four issues a year, one for each season.
- Other publications by Townsquare Media include the country music news website 'Taste of Country', the MOG Music Network and the amusement park comapany 'North American Midway Entertainment'.
- Townsquare Media has cross-media interests in webites, streaming services and magazines.

                                                                                       
                                      

Case Studies - Vibe

Case Studies - XXL

College Magazine Template

FINISH College Magazine Analysis

College magazine Analysis
A college magazine

FINISH The Genre of Rap

Introduction

I have decided to base my music magazine on the genre of rap because I enjoy listening to it. By being part of the target audience, I know how to create a magazine that will successfully appeal to them.

Calender

Intro to my Blog

My name is Stanley and welcome to my AS Media blog. This is where I will be posting my coursework progress and development throughout the year. Enjoy!

Top 5 Rappers Evaluation

Evaluation

I found the journalism easy because i already new a lot about the topic of rap and who was the richest. I just needed to collect some facts to back up what I wrote.

I found InDesign hard at first, but when I got used to the layout of the programme, I was fine with it. When I knew where all the tools were and what to click, it became easy to use.

I think the finished product is good because it has a strong colour scheme of red, white and black. The layout makes it easy to read and easy to see who is the richest and who is the least richest.

To improve my magazine page, I would include a pull quote in red to catch the reader's attention and invite them to read the article.

Top 5 Richest Rappers Magazine Page