Question 4: How did you integrate technologies (software, hardware and online) in this project?
March 1, 2024
Category: Component 1
Question 3: How did your production skills develop throughout this project?
March 1, 2024
Above is my letter addressed to future media studies students about the transferrable, technical and creative skills I have learnt throughout the creation of my magazine.
Below is my MP3 recording of me speaking my letter aloud.
Question 2: How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?
March 1, 2024
Question 1: How does my product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?
March 1, 2024
Complete Magazine Draft 4
January 16, 2024
Below is my 4th draft of my whole magazine.
Front Page –
Contents Page –
Double Page Spread –
Front Page – What’s New?
- Removed ‘this week’s issue’
- Shrunk barcode
- Added price
- Added edition
- Spread out coverlines
- Made the CKC coverline bigger
- Added plug for ‘tekky’ masthead
- Removed gold font on ‘stardom’
Contents Page – What’s New?
- Added page numbers
- Moved contents to the side so it doesn’t overlap spotlights
- Made model bigger
- Made contents more consistent – e.g all lined up, same font sizes etc.
- Added more contents
Double Page Spread – What’s New?
- Made page numbers smaller
- Made every CKC on the page red to stand out more
- Removed hyphens
- Added drop capital
- Added quote from interview as a coverline
- Aligned columns
Reflection:
Throughout this process I have learnt that producing media takes a lot more time and effort than I expected; especially the process of ironing out the final details towards the end of my project to make everything perfect. I believe i have fulfilled the brief, as I have created a full magazine with a front cover, contents page and double page spread with 4 of my own images.Throughout the process I didn’t particularly feel I had any lightbulb moments, I rather found the whole process was more of a gradual learning curve rather than me having specific lightbulb moments. In terms of failure and learning from my mistakes, it took me a while to grasp I needed to save my copies after I was finished with an editing session, rather than just clicking off after I was done. After the first couple times, I learnt from my mistakes and began embedding it into my routine to save my drafts after I had finished working on them for that day. If I were to start my magazine again, I would tell myself to get started on the photography side of things much quicker, as both of my shoots were left to the last minute and it all felt a bit rushed. Perhaps if I was more on the ball I could have done my photoshoots more efficiently as I would not have had the pressure of needing to finish it quickly on my shoulders.
Complete Magazine Draft 3
January 12, 2024
Below is my 3rd draft of my whole magazine.
Front cover –
Contents Page 1 –
Contents Page 2 –
Double Page Spread 1 –
Double Page Spread 2 –
Front Cover – What’s New?
- New Background
Contents Page – What’s New?
- Changed background of page 21 to better suit the background on page 22
- Changed image of model as it was the same as the double page spread image before
Contents Page – What’s Next?
- Add page numbers (4 & 5)
- Move contents to the side so it doesn’t overlap spotlights
- Make model bigger
- Make contents more consistent – e.g all lined up, same font sizes etc.
- Add more contents
Double Page Spread – What’s New?
- Added album cover below article and mentioned where you can listen to it
- Made page numbers smaller
My teacher has given feedback on my draft 3, as shown in this video.
I have summarised the feedback given in this video and created a list of what to improve for the front cover, contents page and double page spread.
Front Cover – What’s Next?
- Remove ‘this weeks issue’
- Shrink barcode
- Add price and edition – e.g. £4.99 February 2024
- Spread out coverlines
- Make the CKC coverline bigger – main coverline
- Add plug for ‘tekky’
Contents Page – What’s Next
- Add page numbers (4 & 5)
- Move contents to the side so it doesn’t overlap spotlights
- Make model bigger
- Make contents more consistent – e.g all lined up, same font sizes etc.
- Add more contents
Double Page Spread – What’s Next?
- Make page numbers smaller
2nd Draft of the Double Page Spread
January 11, 2024
Shown below is my second draft of the double page spread for my magazine.
1st page –
2nd page –
What’s new:
- Photo of song cover has been added
- Different page numbers have been added
- Article has been made more fluid, and another paragraph has been added
- Credit to the article writer has been added
What’s next:
- Advertise to the reader where you can listen to the song
- Change the model
- Add more imagery
- Make model stand out more
- Make page numbers smaller
Typeface Layouts
January 10, 2024
Shown below is my 4 chosen typefaces which represent my genre (Drum and Bass) well, and have annotated each one and stated why it works with my genre and star image.
I have done this in order to create some more ideas for typefaces for my magazine, as it is crucial that my magazine engages my audience from all aspects; not just the photography. The layout, typeface and fonts will be a major cause to engage my audience.
2nd Draft Contents Page
December 22, 2023
Below is my 2nd draft of my contents page.
1st page
2nd page
What’s new:
- Added coverlines
- Changed font of ‘contents’ to a more techno theme to suit my genre.
- Added different backgrounds
- Added more colour
- Different photo of my model
What’s next:
- More colour
- Add a better background for the first page so it blends more with my model
- Add photo of model with necklace not half tucked behind his shirt
- Change coverlines to make them more eye catching
Draft Feature Article
December 15, 2023
Draft Feature Article 1:
| Research
/ Notes |
Read websites, articles, fanzones, Daily Mail (!) celebrity gossip, features, newspapers, tweets, social media links. | |
| Planning | ||
| Headline – sum up the story, tempt the reader in one short, sharp sentence. | Rising D&B star CKC tells us about his rise to Stardom, what it’s like to be the new face of D&B, and his new single ‘Spud Riddim’. | |
| Hook – Standfirst
Introduce the issue – sum up what the reader is likely to discover in the article. Don’t give it all away but tempt the reader to read |
The reader is likely to discover how exactly CKC rose to fame so quickly, his opinion about this lifestyle and the latest gossip in his life. | |
| Background – Context
The article is likely to outline a brief history of the person or event which the article concerns, so that readers are fully aware of the background facts… |
During this article CKC’s childhood and upbringing will be discussed. His family will be mentioned, and it will be explained how he overcame his hardships.
|
|
| Discussion, Q and A or interview.
The article is likely to return to the present-day situation at this point, discussing and giving different viewpoints of the person or event, with details and examples and quotations, and making comparisons with the past or with similar topics. The writer’s own viewpoint may be inferred, alternative views might be given equal weight. |
CKC began his drum and bass career mixing with his friends in his room 7 years ago, and since then has gone on to headline Boomtown. His quick rise to fame is admirable, going from 35,000 monthly listeners on Spotify in late 2021, to 7.4 million currently. CKC tells us, “The support I get from my fans is overwhelming at times, especially recently after my new song has dropped. They really seem to like it. There’s a lot of hate that comes with being a drum and bass artist too though, but to be honest I don’t really take much notice of it. I make more money in a month than they do in a year, it doesn’t bother me”. CKC ended contact with his parents upon turning eighteen five years ago, and seems to lack any remorse regarding his decision. He told us: “After ending all contact with my biological parents in my late teens, my Dad has heard about my fame and has begun contacting me again multiple times begging me for money. Obviously I told him no.” We raised the question to CKC of whether being famous comes with its downsides, and he wittily replied: “To be honest I hear some celebrities wassing and talking down on being famous, and I can’t understand it. The pros completely outweigh the cons in my opinion, it’s the best thing since sliced bread mate!” | |
| Prediction – Future?
At this point the article may deal with the future developments or predicted outcome of the present situation: That the star will go on to become even more famous and successful, or that a current predicament will become worse if nothing is done about it. |
CKC isn’t just limited to the music scene, and has collabed with Nike to create a limited edition signature pair of dunks due to go on sale late 2024.
When asked what inspired him to start selling clothes, he jokingly told us, ‘well the money is fairly mint isn’t it.’ |
|
| Conclusion
The article needs a neat conclusion, which may be an ironic reference or humorous comment, or an evaluation of the different viewpoints, or a reference back to the standfirst or a quotation from the star. |
CKC’s newest tune, ‘Spud Riddim’, has already been tipped to win multiple awards. In just under 2 months, it has reached 36 million streams on Spotify alone, set to become one of the biggest songs of the year. CKC told us about the tune in his own, rather unique way, saying, ‘the drop is fatter than Nanny Plum on a three day bender mate.’
It seems like this is only the start for CKC, and he is set to stay a prevalent figure in the drum and bass scene for the foreseeable future. He shows no signs of slowing, and has already made a successful name and brand for himself, drawing a loyal and trustworthy fanbase. And most importantly of all, his choons are fatter than Nanny Plum after a three day bender mate. |
|
Shown above is my first draft of my feature article for my double page spread.
Shown below is me speaking my first draft of my feature article for my double page spread.
Below is my finalised double page spread feature article.
CKC was a child of 4 who grew up with alcoholic parents, meaning he and his 3 brothers were in and out of foster homes, or spending time staying at his grandparents. For CKC’s 16th birthday, he received a set of mixing decks, allowing him to escape from the hardships of his life and focus more on pursuing his passion of making drum and bass. The rest is history. CKC began his drum and bass career mixing with his friends in his room 7 years ago, and since then has gone on to headline Boomtown, and dropped what has been labelled as the most groundbreaking performance in drum and bass history to date. His abrupt rise to fame is admirable, going from 35,000 monthly listeners on Spotify in late 2021, to 7.4 million currently. CKC tells us: “The support I get from my fans is overwhelming at times, especially recently following the drop of my new song. They really seem to like it. There’s a lot of hate that comes with it too though, but to be honest I don’t really take much notice of it. I make more money in a month than they do in a year, it doesn’t bother me”. CKC ended contact with his parents upon turning eighteen five years ago, and seems to lack any remorse regarding his decision. He told us: “After ending all contact with my biological parents in my late teens, my Dad has heard about my fame and has begun contacting me again multiple times begging me for money. Obviously I told him to do one.” We raised the question to CKC of whether being famous comes with its downsides, and he wittily replied: “To be honest I hear some celebrities wassing and talking down on being famous, and I can’t understand it. The pros completely outweigh the cons in my opinion, it’s the best thing since sliced bread mate!” CKC isn’t just limited to the music scene, and has collabed with Nike to create a limited edition signature pair of dunks due to go on sale late 2024. ‘I wanted to branch out and not just be a plain, vanilla artist; I want to carry on extending my brand and I’m hoping to drop more clothes soon.’ When asked on what inspired him to start selling clothes, he jokingly told us, ‘well the money is fairly mint isn’t it.’ CKC’s newest tune, ‘Spud Riddim’, has already been tipped to win multiple awards. In just under 2 months, it has reached 36 million streams on Spotify alone, set to become one of the biggest songs of the year. CKC told us about the tune in his own, rather unique way, saying, ‘the drop is fatter than Nanny Plum after a three day bender mate.’ It seems like this is only the start for CKC, and he is set to stay a prevalent figure in the drum and bass scene for the foreseeable future. He shows no signs of slowing, and has already made a successful name and brand for himself, drawing a loyal and trustworthy fanbase. And most importantly of all, his choons are mega fat.