CLOSED BLOG NOTIFICATION

Centre Name: NORBURY MANOR BEC
Centre Number: 14343
Candidate Name: ISHLA OWUSU
Candidate Number: 9533
Unit: G321

Final product

My front cover

My contents page

My double page spread

Evaluation 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Here are the images from my preliminary task (left) and my final task (right and below). In this Soundcloud MP3, I am talking about the contrasts between the two tasks and what I have learnt and what I could have done better.

Evaluation 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I used Serif Movie Plus to create this movie. It was very easy to use.

Evaluation 5: How did you attract/address your audience?

I started off by using an app called educreations (top). This app allowed me to record my moves whilst annotating. However, it did not allow me to upload it onto YouTube so I used another app on my iPad called 'Vittle'. This app had a 0:01:00 minute time limit so I felt restricted when annotating,

Evaluation 4: Who would your audience be for your media product?

Most of the models on my magazine are males. Because of this, I think my magazine is more suited for the male audience as they have a lot they could relate to. However, I could also argue with this because it could be mainly for females who are interested in these male hip hop artists and what to get to know more about them. It's like this... More men would be reading a magazine full of female models in prerogative underwear. And more women would be reading a magazine full of handsome topless male models!

I used Serif Movie Plus to create this video. It was really fun using this programme and I feel like my editing skills benefitted me also.

Evaluation 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Harris Publications Inc. is an American consumer-magazine publisher in New York City, New York that publishes over 75 titles, including Juicy, XXL, King Dog News, 0-60, Guns & Weapons for Law Enforcement, Small Business Opportunities, Men's Workout,Exercise & Health, Celebrity Hairstyles, and many more. Seeing as they are based in New York, this means that it is distributed over a large amount of places. I would like my magazine to be a part of this as Hip Hop is a very popular genre. My magazine would have to be well known just like XXL and King magazine. 

King is a monthly men's magazine geared toward African American and urban audiences. It features articles about hip-hop and R&B as well as sports and fashion. The magazine is published by Harris Publications and was a spinoff from XXL.

My magazine would be distributed in a shop like WHSmith as this shop sells magazines from every music genre. 

On the WHSmith website, I checked to see if they sold the magazine that my product is based on and inspired by. As the XXL magazine is sold here, I think it would be appropriate for my media product to be sold here.

Evaluation 2: How does your media product represent a particular social group?

I have used Glogster.com to produce this effective moodboard

Evaluation 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

I used an online programme called 'Powtoon' to create my presentation. This programme took a lot of getting used to but I became familiar with it with practise.

DPS Links to Contents page & Front cover

Artist Interview

Which artists do you think are the most influential in the Hip Hop genre?

Hmm...Definitely Tupac, Biggie Smalls and Nas and that’s because these artists create music that have meaning. Obviously there’s the occasional inappropriate song here and there [laughs] but yeah

.. There’s this song by tupac called ‘Changes’. This song is so meaningful and Tupac for me was a very inspirational person. Not just because of the music that he made but because of his morals. I think it’s important to know what you’re actually rapping or singing to. There are some songs nowadays that just don’t make sense. Like… lyrics used to be like “Let’s change the way we eat, let’s change the way we live and let’s change the way we treat each other.” Now they’re just like “She got a big booty so I call her big booty”. I’m not gonna lie these songs are catchy and I have a lot of respect for these artists in the game and all that but where’s the meaning in some of these lyrics? I admire J.Cole. I think he’s amazing man. I can’t even choose my favourite song from any of his albums cause they’re all just great. Hmm, who else. Yeah, Drake and of course Jay-Z. I really respect Nicki Minaj. I love what she’s doing. There aren’t many female Hip Hop artists but she’s not letting that get to her and I respect that for real. She’s doing her thing big time. One person I really admire is Chris Brown. Really and truly he’s more like an RnB artist but over the years he’s produced some proper Hip Hop stuff and it’s really good. I love that he can rap on his song and sing his own chorus aswell. He’s amazing man.

What audience were you targeting with your new album ‘Pain Vs Pleasure’?

Mainly people from the age range of about 16-25 years old but I don’t really have a specific target audience. I mean, anyone can listen to my music. I wanted my album to have a mixture of sound even though I am a Hip Hop artist. I collaborated with artists that my fans weren’t expecting. I did one track called ‘Living Large’ with Tinie Tempah and another track called ‘Painful Love’ which featured the amazing Jhene Aiko. That track was more relaxed and soulful rather than the usual head banging hip hop music. It’s just so truthful aswell cos where am I gonna get talking about shooting and getting arrested? Nowhere… There’s a mix of slow jams, hardcore rap and soft Rnb on my album and that’s good cos I get different target audiences listening to my music. My favourite track on the album would have to be ‘Get it right’ which features Big Sean. It’s just the realest track I have. My favourite line from the song would be [raps…] “Who are you to judge the life I live uh, I know I'm not perfect and I don't live to be, but before you start pointing fingers make sure you hands are clean!”. Big Sean’s flow on this track is mad! I rate him for that.

Wow, so what are you currently doing right now since you’ve released ‘Pain Vs

Pleasure’ ?

Well, by the end of December, I’ll be going on tour with Kid Ink who also features on my album. I can’t wait. But for now I’ve just been doing shows across London and America. I’m working so hard. I just wanna be the best I can be.

That’s great! Have you had any embarassing moments whilst performing?

Ahh, yeah. [laughs]. I was just casually doing my thing on stage and there was a wire that Ididn’t see and I almost fell over. Ahh, it was so embarassing [laughs]. But it’s cool cause the ladies still love me ha.

Ha ha, that must’ve been embarrassing.Well now that that’s out they way, are there disadvantages of being in the music industry as a Hip Hop artist?

Well I’m currently signed to the major label ‘Columbia’ and it’s a great thing being signed to a major label but I’m not gonna lie it does limit my creativity a bit. It’s cause they have rights to my music I guess. But it’s all part of the game man. I love it. I like being recognised by many people and also getting the chance to meet amazing celebs. And of course the ladies [laughs].

Are there any disadvantages of being in the music industry as a Hip Hop artist?

I don’t get enough sleep though I’m always up rehearsing and doing things. It does get hard but it all pays off I guess. I love to please my fans. I can’t be slacking you know, that would just put my fans off. I always take on board feedback aswell, like, even if someone hated me so much and didn’t like my music. I’d like to know why.

I’m currently signed to the major label ‘Columbia’ and it’s a great thing being signed to a major label but I’m not gonna lie it does limit my creativity a bit. It’s cause they have rights to my music I guess. But it’s all part of the game man. I love it. I like being recognised by many people and also getting the chance to meet amazing celebs. And of course the ladies [laughs].

Ha, so I take it you’re not in a relationship then?

[laughs] Nah.. I just don’t have time for one. I wouldn’t want to put myself in the position where I don’t have time to even spend with my girl cause I’m a busy young man. I’m not gonna put no girl through that. Maybe later on when I’m ready to settle down properly. For now, I’m living the single life!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I want to have sold out shows in numerous amounts of countries. I want to travel and do things! It’s also my dream to collaborate with some of the biggest artists of today. I’m talking Jay-Z, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, J.Cole… the list goes on. I am a fan of them and their music and I would love to feature them or even have them feature on a couple of my own tracks. I want to be able to look at myself everyday in the mirror and be like “Wooowww, is that me yeah?!” haha. I’m kidding. But I would really love to look back at my progress and see how far I’ve come. I’ve already come a long way in the industry but I want to go further.

What advice would you give to young individuals trying to make it in the music industry as a hip hop artist?

Just have faith init, believe that you can make it and keep pushing yourself. That way you’ll make it. Oh, and be yourself. There’s no point trying to be an artist that people want you to be. Be the artist that you want to be. There’s no point in forcing yourself to be like someone else, is there?

Hip Hop Magazine visual moodboard

DPS Layout

For my layout I have decided to use an image for the majority of one side of the two pages. This draws attention to the main artist. I have placed temporary text boxes in the places I would like my questions and answers to go. The 'J Brown' text needs to be really big because when flicking through the pages of a magazine, the name of the artists and the images should attract you instantly to the page. 

Image choices

I like this picture because he appears to be pointing to the light which connects with the pull quote on my front cover which says "My time to shine".

I also like this one as it is similar to the first image. 

This image could work well as it has a black background instead of a white background.

I like this image as there is a big contrast in his face. It shows a dark side to my artists face as the light only brightens a small section on his face. Most Hip Hop artists nowadays have a dark side to them.

 I like this image as it is a long shot image and I don't really have a shot like this between my other two pieces. The light is also shining on him which is a nice effect.

If I were to use this picture, I would crop the other person out the picture and use this image along with another picture. I like the way he is posing with his hands and looking at the camera with a careless look on his face. 

Contents Page Layout

To help me with my contents page, I added my flat plan as a layer on photoshop to see the similarities in them both. Although I did change a few things, I think I stuck to a few things really well. 

Initial and final

My initial contents page (left) and my final contents page (right).

Feedback Responses

After gaining feedback from my previous Editor's Letter, I made another one that now makes more sense. Instead of just talking about being an editor of a magazine and making choices about the magazine layout, colours, etc, I decided to talk about my main headlining artist J Brown. I also talked more about the Hip Hop genre overall. I think this editor's letter is more effective and suits my magazine better. 

I also cleaned up my '(FEATURES)' text as it looked really messy. I used the select tool to select any bits that were making the text look unprofessional. It now looks much neater than it did before. 

I've moved the (FEATURES) text down to the bottom of the page. I think it looks better down here and doesn't distract you from the 'CONTENTS' text at the top.

Research DPS

Contents Page Feedback

Colour choices

The main colour theme for my magazine is very obvious. I have chosen the colours red, black and white for my magazine. These colours are also present on my front cover. I think I have chosen really good colours for my magazine as the colours stand out and match each other very well.

Text choices

These fonts are also featured in my front cover. It is compulsory that I keep my magazine consistent and use the same fonts and colour scheme to make it look realistic. 

To make sure all my texts were in line, I added in a temporary line. This line helped me to position everything perfectly so that it all looked straight. When I am finished, I will be able to remove the lines. It will make everything look in place rather than messy and not straight. 

I have used the same font ('Elbaris Outline' from dafont.com) for my main headings, contents and features. This keeps my magazine consistent. It makes the magazine more recognizable from the contents page alone.

The other font that I have decided to use is called 'Bebas Neue' (from dafont.com). I have also featured this font on my front cover. 

Contents page images choices

 This is my main artist from the front cover of my magazine. I have chosen this image because of the light beam that appears to be shining on him. It relates to my pull quote which says 'My time to shine'.

This is my artist named 'Marvin CA$H'. I've used this image as he looks like a typical hip hop artist with loads of eye-catching jewelry that stands out. The colours he is wearing also match my colour scheme. I have already edited this picture to make it look brighter.














This is another one of my artist named 'Steph Ronae'. She is wearing white with red lipstick. This also matches my colour scheme.
           

I really liked this photo although the colours aren't similar to my colour scheme. But I think she looks like a hip hop female artist and this is why I have chosen this image.

Contents Page Layout

I have now started adding my photos and playing around with the layout of them. 

Contents Page Layout

Ive started off by setting up the layout of my contents page. This will help me know where I need to put the pictures and text.

This is my final layout for my contents page until I gain feedback.

Magazine deconstruction - Contents page

Lens Flare - Brightening

Cross media convergence

Here is a UK Hip Hop music video with Chikaku Untitled clothing being advertised by the male models. The music also suits my hip hop genre.

Cross media convergence - Chikaku Untitled Clothing

My magazine features an advertisment for a fashion clothing line which suits my hip hop genre. The target audience for my magazine and the clothing line are much alike. It also suits my artist profile which talks about the clothing line. 'Chikaku Untitled' is a clothing line which created mainly black and white coloured clothing for both women and men aged approximately 17-25yrs old. 

These are example of the clothing line being advertised on Web 2.0. I am in one of these pictures along with other male models advertising their clothing.

My Graphics

I first chose to add the red line graphic as I thought it made the magazine stand out more.
I then made another change and decided to add the 'J BROWN' text inside the graphic.

Changes made

After gaining feedback, I made a few changes.

 I started off by adding a graphic. I made this graphic by using a circle. I also decided to minimize the text I have on my cover. I realised that my cover had too much text before which was making it look less attractive.

I selected the eyes using the magnetic lasso tool. I then went to Image > Adjustments > Shadows/Highlighting. Here I was able to make the eyes look brighter so that the angle of gaze is much stronger and effective.

Using the healing brush tool, I was able to clear up imperfections in his skin. Like spots and other things. I made his skin look much more clearer than it was before and I think this is really effective. I also selected his earring and made it look brighter.

Feedback on my magazine

What do you think of this magazine?

Feedback 1: I think it looks far too busy. There is too much text which makes it look unattractive. I don't like the red text underneath the pull quote.

Feedback 2: It's way too busy, too much text and not enough graphics. Take away some of the text and also, the 'J BROWN' text is very hard to read. 

Feedback 3: I like the colour scheme but there is too much text on the page which makes it look really cluttered. You need a graphic to make it more attractive. Also, the text that says 'UK's HOTTEST HIP HOP MAGAZINE' isn't really nice. You should either change the font or not have it there. 

Magazine process

  I had a lot of difficulties using this image because when I took it, I used a black background. So it looks like the artist is just floating on the page which isn't really effective.  

I played around with different shadow options to see if it would look better. However, I still wasn't please with the results and after gaining feedback I thought about making some changes. 

This is the image I have decided to use as my front cover artist photo. Although this picture doesn't have a more eye-catching feature like the other image, I think this picture is more suitable as the background is white so it looks more realistic. I've also changed the masthead on the cover as I thought the red was too bright and big. It now looks more subtle.

I played around with different aspects of my image. I used the sharpening tool to make the image look more effective and bold. I have also used the exposure, highlight/shadow tool to make the eyes look brighter so that the angle of gaze is more noticeable. I used the healing brush tool to fix imperfections in his skin. Here is a before and after picture