Health and Safety: Photo shoot

During our photo shoot we used redhead lights there were elements we had to take extra care with for example:

The lights are extremely fragile, and when transporting them we had to use padded bag, and be careful not to knock them.

Lights got very hot, so we had to take care when handling them.

Do not cover them because of the heat.

Do not look directly into the lights as they are extremely bright.

Switch off when not in use.

Be careful with bulbs as they are fragile and expensive.

Tape down cables so nobody trips or knocks the light.

Music magazine questionnaire

 So that I could establish what my magazine required in order to appeal to my target audience, I created a questionnaire to gather information about features my target audience believe are essential within music magazines, and also their likes and dislikes about current music magazines. These are the results from the questionnaire.

Would you prefer a music magazine to cover different genres of music, or one in particular and why you would prefer this?

My results show very mixed views on this topic, I think this will be an aspect of my magazine that I will have to try and find a balance between only having one genre, and having numerous. The reason people prefer to have one genre is so they know they will be interested in the content, and the reason people prefer numerous genres, is to offer variety to the magazine.

Name five music magazines that you could find in most shops and supermarkets today?

The results shown that Q, Kerrang, NME, Mojo, Rolling Stone were the most recognisable and popular music magazines in the market today, this helps as I can analyise these magazines and pick out ideas which make them popular to import into my magazine.

What information do you expect to see in music magazines, and what features would you like to see?

My results suggest people expect to see interviews, concert and gig dates, band/artist info, and posters, this tells me to have a successful magazine I should include these elements in my magazine 

Who are your favourite music artists?

The results show no clear winner but most artist I found repeated were just up to date artists currently in the pop charts, this shows that a successful genre of musicto focus on would probably pop, and I have found in my magazine research there are not a lot of magazines that just cover pop music.

Is your image influenced by the genre and artists you listen to?

Most my results reveal that most people dont believe their image is influenced by music, although I have these results I believe otherwise, as I believe I could guess someones music taste just from their image.

Do you consider your self to be in a particular social group e.g. Chav, Mosher, Emo, which is it, and do you think people can see this solely from your image?

Most my answers show that people dont believe they in any particular social groups, but my results also show that the people who do consider themselves in a particular social group also believe it can be seen solely from their image and style. 

Which would you prefer a monthly or weekly magazine, and why?

I had mixed results on this questions, the people reasons for saying monthly was they are usually bigger and better quality magazines with more to read, whereas the people for weekly magazines said they were more up to date and cheaper. As my results were mixed I might have to find a medium to appeal to all people.  

How much are you willing to pay for a single magazine?

All of my results were in the region of £2 - £4, this tells me this is what I should aim to make my magazine cost in order to appeal and sell to my target audience.

What element of a magazine front cover attracts you the most to a magazine, e.g. the band or artist featured on the front cover, or the actual magazine name?

Almost all my results show that it is the band or artist on the front cover that appeal to people, this shows me to have a successful magazine it is vital to chose the right band or artist to put on my cover, and should spend more time on this than a magazine name. 

  

When taking these photos I took all the camera techniques I understand into consideration to give me the best images and results possible. These are just some examples of the photos I took that demonstrate the camera techniques I used. When taking these
 photos I thought about framing techniques, and focused on trying to use nartural surroundings to act as a frame around my images for the best results. I also considered angles when taking the photos, I took all my photos from different angles to give different effects wheter they enhanced detail or scale. Next I considered depth of field and perspective, I did this by keeping  objects in both the foreground and background in focus for effect. Another element I looked at was the rule of thirds, in which I used this technique so that I could show the audience what the important piece of the photo is easilly and effectively. Finally I concentrated on balance and juxtaposition, I did this so that opposites could be used to emphasise elements within the photos such as size and scale.

Avenged Sevenfold continued

Although Avenged Sevenfolds image has never really changed it is typical to the genre of rock/metal, it is clear to see who they have been influenced by just from their image. The rock/metal genre often demands an image including dark clothing, long hair or short crazy hairstyles, and lots of tattos, and as you can see from the images, Avenged Sevenfold have definatly conformed within this genre. As Avenged Sevenfold have adopted this style they are perfect looking band for magazines such as kerrang, and metal hammer, the reason being rock/metal fans see a band like Avenged Sevenfold and can instantly associate them with a genre just off a photo from a magazine, without even hearing the music. This shows how important image is to a band, as people often see bands in magazines, so if they dont look similar to bands they like they may not give them a chance, and thats why Avenged Sevenfold are an ideal band for kerrang, as they look similar to lots of bands also featured within the magazine.   

Here are some images of Avenged Sevenfold starting from their early career, to their current image. I think these images show that Avenged Sevenfold's overall
style has not changed
and they have always
been perceived and
portrayed
the same way.



I think they have not changed their style or image alot as they have always been successful with it and have probably thought why change a good thing, and maybe they wanted to be loyal to what they were originally like and influenced by. Although I dont think their style or image has changed much, I think these images show a rise in popularity and the fame they have gained, as some of the recent images have a 'expensive' look, they seem more professional photos from their earlier ones, and the clothing and hairstyles seem more neat and expensive too. 

Avenged Sevenfold

Avenged Sevenfold are an american rock/metal band, they formed in 1999 in Huntington Beach, California. The band consists of vocalist Matt Shadows, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ and temporary drummer Mike Portnoy from Dream Theatre, his place in the band is due to the death of James Sullivan 'The Rev' Avenged Sevenfold's original drummer. Avenged Sevenfold have had lots of success over their time as a band, and are still popular having just released their new album Nightmare, this along with thier four previous albums shows they are a consistant band who have withstood the test of time, and are an important figure in the modern rock/metal scene.

Kerrang magazine front cover (Machine Head)

 This magazine cover is successful in appealing to its target audience of rock and metal fans, as it uses a large image of a well known metal act to draw the fans in. Although it does this well it does nothing to appeal to any other audiences as it only involves bands of a certain genre, this leaves it with a smaller audience than if it involved music and artists from all genres. The main colours in this magazine cover are black which is associated often with the genre of rock/metal, using this black is a clever way of showing the audience what this magazine will involve, which again entices its target audience. The other main colour is used in the heading of the bands name which is yellow, this is done as it contrasts well with the black background which makes it stand out, and to all fans it is the colour associated with the band on the cover, this again is the magazine using colour to entice its audience.

My Media blog

My first blog, just got started but its looking better.