Task 2: Tech Recce (P3)

Below is a Tech Recce sheet, which provides all the details of the tech being used during the shoot, and the times of when each part of the photoshoot is due to take place. This helps as a reference to use when any details need to be found out. 

Task 2: Moodboard (P3)

Below is a mood board, created for part of Task 2 as a piece of pre-production material. This mood board summarises themes and culture behind the music genre of grime and enables a sense of a typical grime scene in London, and who the big artists currently are.

Task 2: Call sheet (P3)

Below, is a Call sheet, which I have created as part of the pre-production for task 2. The call sheet acts as a plan and information guide to all the details of the photoshoot, that took place to get good quality images for the front cover and article. The call sheet is also used to plan the day, therefore its importance is relevant to pre-production as it gives an idea of everything that happened during the photoshoot. 

Task 2: Plan and Develop Pre-production materials (P3, M2)

Cambridge Technical In Digital Media Unit 3: Task 2 Plan and develop Pre-production materials

Models: For this I expect to use the artist himself as the main image to act one of the focuses of the front cover, as the artist is an important part of the grime scene that I am showing. 

Risk Assessment:

This is a process that is used in production, experiments, or any form of activity that could have its dangers if not completed safely. The idea is to state a possible risk of going ahead with an activity and you can assess it on likelihood, level of risks, consequences and precaution. In my example below, I have shown the exact risks of taking photos or filming in public areas. I will be able to use this to refer to, when attempting to go somewhere or do something based on photography, and then take the correct precautions to avoid harm or danger. 

Possible photography locations: Recce’s

Location recce’s sum up the details of filming or photographing in certain places. The location recce that I have created below shows the possible risks of filming at particular locations, meaning that it is important to take into consideration when taking my own photos to avoid any unnecessary issues.  

High street:

Possible risks:

Danger of being hurt by transportation Eg Cars, Buses, Bikes. 

Angry people causing issues

Busy (People can get in the way of the shot)

Loud. 

Underground station: Dark, will need to pay for extra sources of light.

Possible risks:

If the station is busy, photography might cause “Traffic” amongst passengers

Tracks: High voltage of electricity, However many passengers stand alongside the tracks every day. 

Trains: Life threatening if you fall in front of one. 

On-stage: Could fall off of stage, 

Might not want to be photographed while performing.

It is important to consider these risks because otherwise photography will be an issue and it could cause further trouble involving police or the public, therefore risk assessments and Recce’s must be carried out to ensure nothing bad happens.

Possible colour schemes:

Black, Red, White, Blue. These colours are strong and bold colours that suggest the idea of danger and strength within lyrics and the genre itself. 

Timescales:

Production materials as well as  post-production techniques and processes must be completed by the 21st of March. I will do this by ensuring that I am working on production in and outside of lesson time. Post production starts on the 21st of March and must be completed by the 5th of april . I will spend 12 + hours creating both the front cover and double page spread. 

Production schedule:

Tech:

Equipment: 

Camera

Lighting (Can be existing or my own)

Spare camera

Step 1: Meet artist at decided location - 4 pm

Step 2: Ensure location is completely safe to film in. 

Step 3: Set up camera in correct positioning - 4:30 - 4:45

Step 4: Take photos from different angles. Aim for a mid-shot and a medium - long shots. 4:45 - 5 (To get good shots and a vast range)

Legal and Ethical issues:

One of the most important ethical issues to consider is privacy. There will be many artists or people mentioned in the magazine, and they will not want any private information about themselves published, or even certain images. 

A legal issue to consider is copyright. This means using images or content that you don't own the rights to. In magazine production, therefore I must ensure that I use content legally and with permission. The cost of paying for a copyright strike will have a very negative effect on the money that I am earning from the magazine.

Moreover, another important ethical issue that needs to be addressed is libel. This means that I should ensure that I don't place any false information about any person in the magazine as it could cause them damage within their community. This ethical issue also violates the law therefore it could cause further issues with the court. 

To avoid the dangers of further problems with these issues, I need to ensure that I think aout every piece of content that goes into the magazine, and the correct research must be conducted before production .

Fonts: The font that I intend to use for the masthead needs to be large, bold, and gripping, it also needs to be strong in colour, being different to that of the background. This is because I want people to see the masthead first and understand that the magazine will be exciting and interesting to read. Therefore I have created an idea for a potential font to use called “Raptor”, which when looking at, is associated with anger based on its colour and the emotions that you feel viewing this font. Other similar fonts will be used for the rest of the front cover and articles, using black or white text and something that stands out. 

Layout

I have sketched a draft of what I wish the layout of the front cover of the magazine to look like, this was also on task 1. It shows an idea of where I plan to place everything on the magazine front cover. 

Task 1 sample materials for proposal (P1, P2, M1)

Firstly, I created some hand drawn templates suggesting where I could potentially put everything within the front cover and double page spread, this did then change slightly for my actual hand drawn designs and could potentially be different during production for the best possible outcome. Below the drawings are the rest of the sample material in relation to the proposal.

Task 1: Create a proposal for a media product (P1, P2, M1)

Initial plans

My plans for this magazine is the idea of creating the first issue for a new magazine idea, based within the northern district of London and on the music genre grime. Grime is a sub-genre of rap, and originally gained its popularity in the UK, as our own version of hip/hop which is a largely known and loved genre of music that originated from cities in the USA such as New York and Los Angeles. Specifically from London, Grime is associated with artists that came from working class backgrounds and has been highly popular within the UK in recent years. Because of this growing popularity, I have decided that using grime as a genre could be potentially successful when creating a magazine that informs residents of North London, more about the grime scene going on in this half of the city. 

The aim is to produce a monthly magazine around North London called “NorthCityGrime”. This name grips buyers attention, because they instantly know that “NorthCity” is a reference to north London. The front cover for the first issue that I will be creating will be based on a Grime artist called Avelino , this is because I completed research on Grime/Rap artists that are based around North London and found this one, who seems to be growing in success. I will go and conduct further research about him and learn about his career or research into venues where grime music is sung, allowing me to provide interesting information within the double page spread. The audience that I am looking to target is teenagers/young adults age 15-24. This is currently the type of person that would typically listen to grime music and they are also regularly people from working class backgrounds however, the genre does appeal to lots of people of this age. Anybody younger than 15 may struggle to have the money to buy the issue, and have less independence to go and do so. 

Fonts

The font that I intend to use for the title was found on a website called “Dafont”, and is called “Raptor”. I found it from the “Rap” category of fonts to use and then edited it on photoshop to make it look original and unique. The colour is red fading into black to give the angry and darkness effect. Essentially, the font shows the themes of grime music through its style.  The size of the font will be large enough taking up most of the width of the top of the front cover, this is so the catchy name of the magazine stands out and people read the masthead before anything else and the target audience will know that it is aimed at them. The font also appears to be heavy and strong because of the fact that it is bold and bright.

Content

On the front cover, I intend to  use a giant image of him, placed directly in the middle, with a serious face, along with a dark and interesting background that shows a typical grime scene or the artist performing at a gig. This is because the main image and background needs to work well with the theme of grime, which is a genre of music that is not associated with happiness and light as such therefore, I could ensure that I use codes that connote the type of city life or performing that many readers will be able to understand is associated with the genre. I may however, use photos of the artist performing on stage. The city life also links to the background of grime and the place  it actually rose from. There also needs to be many other things such as skylines/strap lines, cover lines, Bylines and so on, to make the front cover seem interesting. It also gives it the ability   to grab someones attention. These added features will show the reader exactly what they will see inside. For example, a cover line telling you about the page on music venues. Whilst the cover lines might be on bigger artists, the content of the front cover also has to be engaging, this is because the front cover provides the readers with their first impression of the magazine, so by creating an eye-catching front cover I can feel assured that readers will want to open the magazine and read on. To create the design of the front cover, I took ideas from current magazines covers  (RWD and XXI) This was to help decide on where things should go and what I could include, however I used creativity for my own ideas. Both the XXI and RWD magazines have bold mastheads, interesting cover lines and large images, both with colour scheme that I would expect to see on these types of magazines. These are also competitor magazines, so when creating my own I must consider the ways in which I can make mine the best one. 

The articles within the magazine will also be created. I have taken ideas an inspiration from an existing double page spread from a magazine that I found online to use for my own layout as well as what I wish to include. The double page spread shows a large image on one half, and the article on the other with a huge headline at the top to tell the audience that it is a “must read” article. Having completed this research it is clear that creating articles within my own product, I need  to include a main image and make the article(s) as informative and interesting as possible. The first idea that I thought of is a feature article,  meaning Im focusing on a topic based on research that I have conducted. For example, music venues around North London. The second would be an interview of the artist that I will be showing on the front cover. Many young people that I would be looking to target might be unaware of different music venues. This will benefit the target audience as it acts as an interesting learning tool, as it informs them about different places to go to gigs. I can also create an article focusing on an interview of Avelino whilst including a location and venue list on the side. 

The magazine will also include information on new music, rising artists, competitions, interviews, and fas mentioned, feature articles that go into detail of grime artists and their backgrounds. I have also researched into music venues around North London and found that a number of them are linked with grime artists performances. All of this is so i can provide a vast range of content suitable for all types of readers, meaning there is something to interest everyone. It is highly important to do so as it enhances the success of the readership. In other words, more people will pay for it if it includes content that catches their eye. This is one of the first things that I need to focus on, after seeing what content works best, I will be able to reduce the amount of content that isn't as interesting for  readers, and then include more of what people want to see. The content is highly important for magazines, because it is contains the main bulk of information that audiences are consuming for this type of media product. There needs to be a range of designs amongst the pages otherwise they're too repetitive and it isn't as exciting to read. For example, different colours, fonts, images, placements and so on. 

The main idea is to create something that people in the area have not seen before, however it can also be inspired by the layout of other local magazines (Eg double page spreads). After completing research I have an example of what a local magazines of Enfield (North London Borough) look like inside. As you can see, there is a large image at the top of the double page spread, followed by the actual article underneath. There will need to be many more words. This example also shows that the lack of competition of local music magazines might help the success of mine, but at the same time other competition exists around the city and country, therefore mine needs to be unique.  In other words, people should be able find out more about the music scene in their area. 

How I can bring the magazine to fruition

The most important factors that I need to consider when looking to bring this product to fruition is the what the front cover entails. For example, I must make sure that it is not too busy and full of information, otherwise potential buyers will decrease as it is too much for them to consume. There are other grime magazines on the market, therefore this one needs to be the better competitor and I should make this one as interesting as possible. Moreover, sticking to a particular colour scheme is something that many magazine covers are designed to follow. I need to do so as a form of identity for the magazines reputation and the way it is unique compared to other magazines. Lastly, I should ensure that the magazine does not contain too many pages, otherwise readers become bored and may not even want to buy it in the first place. 

Another one of the most important factors to consider is advertisement and marketing. This an important concept to consider, because without it, you cannot reach the audience that you want, or even much of an audience at all. Advertisement is there to help you promote what you are selling meaning that this will need to be done effectively and usefully to get the best possible outcome and as much awareness of the product as possible. One method of advertising would be in local newspapers. While this would be seen by a large number of people, not many youths would be reading local papers in the current day, therefore I need to market in areas which would reach the target audience on a larger scale. Another method of advertisement would be television, however magazines are not often advertised on television, and it will also cost lots of money, therefore the final idea to consider would be other forms of print such as posters in supermarkets, leaflets and so on. This method would encourage many people to read the magazine and would also be the best way of reaching the target audience. 

The best way of advertising and the best way of reducing costs would be through the use of social media. For example, I could create a Facebook page and pay around £40 - £50 to get the adverts of the magazine appear on the feed of people living in North London, they will then see this and start to follow the page, eventually leading them to mention it to people that they know. Twitter is also a useful social platform, as I can use hashtags in my tweets to get the magazine noticed by different people, however it will be difficult to target those living in North London, as using hashtags such as “Grime” could be seen by any person who searches that tag. I should also be able to earn followers on twitter, most of them being readers of the magazine.

Some of the problems that I foresee can be very important to be aware of because they could prevent any  success for the magazine. One of the main issues to be aware of, is the number of competitors and similar magazines already on the market. The reason that this is a problem is because it could prevent my own magazine from selling as many copies as planned because the target audience might be a lot more used to other magazines of the same genre. Examples of similar magazines include “RWD” which is currently one of the most popular grime magazines. Additionally, other problems that I can foresee are based around start-up costs, selling prices, and the ability to create monthly issues of good quality. 

Organisation

For this magazine, I wish to include a great variety of different types of articles. These will include Interviews, artist gossip, Q&As, articles on our opinions of new grime songs, artists history and career summaries, quizzes, giveaways and articles on famous grime artists. All of this must be linked to the North London scene. This is so that there is something for every type of reader meaning I can gain more monthly readership figures. The regular sections within this magazine will be rumours on new songs and what artists are working on. Many readers will be interested to wanting to read the magazine as they're going to be able to read what they want to see the most. This does apply for the slightly older people within the target audience (Young adults).

I will have to overcome the competition of other magazines by creating as many different ideas for the monthly issues as possible to help encourage shoppers to buy it. Additionally, by actually selling the magazine every month, I will be able to keep an active business whilst simultaneously earning customer loyalty, meaning that they might prefer to spend their money on the good quality monthly issues rather than regular weekly issues of other magazines. Likewise, this magazine will be different from other magazines because of its variety of interesting and engaging content which will engage a wide audience within the target audience. For example, many other magazines will not include competitions and exclusive content like this will. 

As already mentioned, the audience demographics are the kind of person that would typically be interested in Grime music. For example, a young British male. The demographic table might link to who this magazine would appeal to, such as people within category C2,D,E. These are jobs would typically pay less meaning many young people with less job experience and working time might be involved in this type of employment, and since Grime music is usually associated with middle or working class people, the demographics of target audience suggested suits the magazine perfectly, especially as I am aiming to target the younger readers. My initial assumptions about this audience are that that they're looking for an affordable product that interests them through the content and style of the magazine and one that really goes into depth and world of the genre. It should contain real information allowing all readers get what they expect from it such as information on new music. 

Based on this, I must aim to make the magazine appeal to the target audience through the use of a range of magazines codes along with eye catching themes and ideas, such as the colour scheme and using a variety of features on the front cover such as puffs, bylines, anchorage text which will all excite the audience, providing an increase in circulation figures. I will also ensure that I include advertisement and promotion that will appeal as much as possible to the target audiences possible interests. Many grime artists wear known brands of clothing meaning that these brands might be useful as advertisers to appeal to readers of the younger generation, such as Adidas or Nike.

Editing

Editing will be completed well and up to a high standard for the highest possible outcome. The cover will be made through the use of photoshop for the best product possible, and will be completed professionally so that nothing looks out of place or wrong. For the content including the double page spread, manuscripts will be well written using the best techniques to engage an audience. One of the concerns to consider during the editing process, is that production may not be completed in time to release the issue, this might be because of negative work ethic or any other disturbances. I will need to overcome this to be completing tasks effectively and participating in enough production each day to get this completed on time, so that it can be released on the correct date. 

Introduction

I have been asked to produce a new music magazine for North London. This is because there is a growing music scene arising locally and I think it would be good for people to know about it.

I am required to make sample pages from the first issue of the magazine, to show the venues and talent in the local area.