Evaluation Questions: 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?


As there are no Dubstep orientated music magazines on the market it is difficult for me to show comparisons to other magazines as I am trying to challenge stereotypical perceptions on such music based publications, much like Dubstep is doing as a music genre. There are however elements which I have taken from existing magazines. Below show's some magazines I gained inspiration from for the creation of my front cover in terms of the model and layout.

Here are 3 magazines in which I gained inspiration from, along with my finished front cover. My magazine featured in the top left hand corner shows my model dressed in a white lab coat, popular "geek chic" glasses, and wearing Dre Beat Headphones. I used this costume to give my model a believable persona, to make him stand out against the majority of bland looking artists, and to also relate back to previous ideas gained from looking at magazines. Artist persona's are not uncommon in today's music industry and are in fact becoming a more popular feature within upcoming artists. Deadmau5 featured in the bottom right hand corner on the cover of DJ Mag epitomizes this statement, using a persona which the majority of people would agree is 'out there' and challenges the common conventions and associations people have in what a music artist should look like. This is the reaction I would like my artist to have on readers and having such a unique style would spark interest in passers by. The slightly visible clipboard is also a prop that was frequently suggested for me to use with the whole science idea and I have done so with the models posture showing resemblance to Ludacris showing a fairly vacant facial expression.


The cover-line I have used to associate with the picture is "Rewriting The Formula For DUBSTEP". The almost pun-like statement can easily be connected with the picture with 'Rewriting the Formula' a common phrase used when talking about scientific related subjects. This connection of the phrase with the picture is similarly shown in the picture opposite, on the cover of Hip-Hop magazine XXL. This shows Hip-Hop artist Ludacris holding a camera with the tag line "Will Shoot Yo' Ass" once again using a play on words with the term 'shoot' commonly used in association with filming.


This is shown again in the example from NME featuring the Arctic Monkeys, dressed up as elves for a Christmas issue with the cover-line "Their favourite worst nightmare before CHRISTMAS". Although not in the same context as this is not the bands general style and persona, it is still relevant in the sense my cover-line is clearly teamed with the picture.


If you want to know why I chose the clothes for both my front cover model and my featuring artist 'Syla' in the contents and double page spread you can find more information (here).


Similarly there is more evidence about the decision of creating a persona for my artist (here).

Although I briefly cover my clothing choices for my other model I felt it vital to show some relevance towards them and to show that this style is visible in real world publications such as Atmosphere Magazine. Here you can see the popular Dubstep artist Sub Focus.


The similarities to my fictional artist 'Syla' are clearly evident. I decided to use my picture in black and white much like Atmosphere magazine. The desaturated effect is seen repeatedly when describing such artists. Both are wearing hooded jackets which backed up by my previous research (link above), is seen as a stereotypical look on Dubstep artists.


It could be argued that both pictures strongly focus on the eyes, Nick Douwma's being the centre of attention due to the rest of his body being blocked by text and a CD, and mine by the vinyl record, a common sight when genre associated gigs are witnessed, blocking his body, resting just below the eyes.

 Here is my double page spread, overlapped with Dubstep artist Gemini. This picture of Gemini helped me base my models overall stance for the Double Page Spread and the similarites are obvious, with some slight differences such as the angle of the shot and lighting although the overall expression and positioning is mirrored. I used this rather than a magazine picture as there are very few magazines which are made using 'Dubstep' as a main featuring genre (if any). This along with the process of getting an accurate representation of the genre based research as well as common conventions of a Dubstep artist, is why this is an approriate choice and would be accepted by the potential readers in the social grouping.

Evaluation Question: 1

After completing my Front Page, Contents & Double Page Spread of my Music Magazine, I will now undertake the task of evaluating my work and the various elements and aspects surrounding the creation of my work. 
In today's fragmented market, it is becoming increasingly harder to be able to consistently keep circulation of your magazine high. As of January '11, the points below show the circulation figures of the most popular music magazines along with the percentage change of this figure from the previous year:

• Mojo ( Bauer Consumer Media ) : 87,555 ; -7.5%
• Q ( Bauer Consumer Media ) : 77,522 ; -12.1%
• Classic Rock ( Future Publishing Ltd ) : 62,354 ; -7.9%
• Kerrang! ( Bauer Consumer Media ) : 42,077 ; -2.1%
• Metal Hammer ( Future Publishing Ltd ) : 35,259 ; -15.7%
• New Musical Express ( IPC Media Ltd ) : 27,650 ; -14.0%

It is made quite evident very quickly that the music magazine industry is a steadily decreasing market, with well known names such as Q (-12.1%) and NME (-14.0%) showing decreases in sales, the level of competition is assumed to be fierce and whilst this may be seen as a problem for a new music magazine intending to enter the market, it can also be seen as an opportunity to bring something slightly different into the market, something which is not widely known and available. With my genre of music chosen being Dubstep, this could be a USP and would allow me to provide a product which there is no direct competition for. Whilst there are Dubstep orientated magazines out there, none are widely bought and talked about amongst the public, in particular my chosen area of target audience, the Clubbers & Ravers. With the popularity of Dubstep related music and news increasing, it appears I could quite easily become market leader and dominate this genre of the music magazine industry.


When reading through the various elements of my magazine it is key to note that as there are no real similar media products apart from large companies such as UKF and smaller companies such as those that I found in my research (here and here). I have had to incorporate new ideas into the magazine as well as make reference to the leading magazine publishers which show some key characteristics that appear in music magazines currently.


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

This task is made slightly more difficult by the fact that there are no mainstream music magazines which focus solely on Dubstep & Drum 'n' Bass. Due to this I have had to improvise and show elements from magazines with Dubstep based credentials aswell as showing resemblances with well known mainstream magazines such as NME & Q.

Here is the masthead of popular Drum&Bass, Dubstep and Garage magazine Atmosphere (now currently non existent). As you can see they use a stencil like effect on the Masthead. I feel that for this genre it is extremely effective. Although mainstream magazines such as Q and NME sport rather simplistic mastheads, this is due to both the added familiarity for the reader base aswell as tying in with the genre of music that the magazines are writing about. 

With the strong focus on simplicity within the indie/alternative genre, this is sensible however for the Dubstep genre which is a relative unknown using a masthead similar to this can prove to be popular amongst my readers aswell as providing a sense of familiarity once again, giving potential customers an incentive to buy it. The similarities are evident and shows my idea would work in a real word media product. 

My clothing research proved that using headphones would be a sure-fire way of allowing a passer-by to identify just what genre my magazine was about. There is vast amounts of evidence proving that the image of a well known Dubstep artist wearing headphones is a common concept and I used this knowledge I gained from the research throughout my magazine, frequently featuring headphones on the front cover (seen above left), the contents seen here and my double page spread (scroll down). An example of this being used is found on the cover of an issue of popular dance magazine MixMag (above right). Here the female model is wearing headphones indicating the magazine or at least the feature in the magazine is associated with music, typically that of the Dance/Trance/Dubstep/Techno variety. This once again shows my products elements are similar to those of existing media products and therefore would indicate my front cover would not look out of place on a shelf next to this magazine.

Referring back to another issue of the music magazine Atmosphere, you can see I have annotated it on photoshop to show the use of artist listings on the front cover. They have used coloured rectangular bars from the sides of the magazine to exhibit the featuring artists in this issue. This is done in 3 areas of the magazine as I have highlighted here--------------------------------------->.

This is a way of clearing showing the potential buyer who is featuring in this issue and also as a form of advertising the inside of the magazine, showing popular names sparking interest from the reader as to what the stories on these artists are going to be about. I used a similar method after gaining inspiration from Atmosphere magazine. As seen below, I used the rectangular bars to present to the reader who is appearing in the magazine.

I used popular artists at the minute Rusko, Nero and FP (an abbreviation for the dubstep artist Flux Pavillion). Attempting to incorporate a coherent house style, I have used similar effects to that of my mast head, opting for the black and white theme. This allows the names to stand out and really be seen by passers by. I also opted to adding an extra bar entitled "&MORE" I did this as a way of sparking even further intrigue as to who else is featured in the magazine, a similar approach to the popularly used "find out inside" coverline. Once again the similarities amongst the element to a real media product would allow it to exist in the real world.

The final component on my front cover I shall analyse is my created graphic showing the chance of winning a competition inside. Competitions are frequently seen on the front covers of music magazines and are used to lure possible customers into buying the magazines. My particular item directly links with the front cover picture of a hypothetically well known artist which would allow this to be used as a strong USP for this particular issue. I used the logo for Dre Beats as to add to the pulling effect and added the extra incentive of having them signed by the artist to link the competition with my story that features in my contents.
The layout of a similar item featuring on a cover of NME is strikingly similar to mine with the 'WIN' clearly shown aswell as to entice the reader into entering and therefore buying the magazine. Offering a product signed by popular artists (in this case Pete Doherty) allows giveaways to tie in with music magazines and provides added value to a product which is being given away. This is a key and evident alikeness from my product to a real world magazine.


Moving on to the contents page, here (left) is my artist index for my magazine providing readers with the opportunity of finding "your favourite artist". This features in NME especially and is a key selling point which they obviously know due to its frequent appearance in the contents page. It allows buyers the ease of finding the artist story which they are most interested in and for my magazine would be vital as the genre is upcoming, many unknown artists would feature. As to not turn away a percentage of the market who are new to the genre and are only interested in the big names, this allows them to still buy the magazine with assurance they can find their favourite artists. I included what I thought to be the most popular artists at the time with some new faces in the Dubstep world as to differentiate from normal lineups. I then provide the customer with a page in which to search for this artist, a slight but important detail. The index's that appear in NME follow the house style of the magazine using the colours red and black, the consistent colour scheme of the NME as to provide coherence within the magazine. I have chosen to also instigate this and have used the teal/turquoise shade as the outer glow (seen on the front cover and contents mastheads) as well as stick with the black and white simplicity of the text as to ensure it is easily readable. This is a simple and subtle distinct synonymity between my magazine and real world publications.
To the right you can see one of the fundamental aspects of my contents page. As to ensure my product is easily accessible and as to keep with real world publications and modern technology, I decided to insert a QR Code to allow readers who purchase the magazine to read it on their iDevices. As the market for Apple products becomes increasingly larger, it would be ignorant not to accept this is an untapped resource in which music magazine publishers could exploit. Although they are starting to, seen in an anniversary edition of Q magazine (right), it will become increasingly popular and my magazine using the QR Code which is able to be read by all iPhone's and iPad's and some iPod's is a simple but effective selling point, allowing my product to reach the masses and to ensure longelivety much like other music magazines are starting to, showing similar conventional thought. 
The use of the QR code is rapidly expanding and is increasingly becoming the way of using the internet. Please click here to find a prime example of its repeatedly used technology. This is an example of a music video using QR Code technology. This was posted on 8th May 2011, the popularity of this technology has increased since then. This perhaps more so shows my product is developing common known forms of real world media publications.

 My double page spread also features some conventional similarities to music magazines with my quote featuring on the actual picture instead of being used with text wrap within the article. The common misconception with pull quotes is they cannot feature on the picture, this of course being untrue. The use of the quote on the picture is used in an issue of MixMag in the interview with Groove Armada as highlighted against the blurred background below. 
Although I feel their use of the pull quote is aesthetically not that impressive I have developed the idea and used a picture across the DPS with the pull quote featuring on the picture of the person. The conventional manner would be to as said earlier place it into the article's text. I feel the quote gains vibrancy when contrasted against the main image and would work with the colour scheme etc. in the real world.

Another point I would make on my double page spread is that I focused strongly on the positioning of the model as to ensure it looked realistic and could be existent in the modern day market. For this I focused my attention on the same issue, and the same article in MixMag. This once again involved Groove Armada. One of the members is seen in a jacket leaning against a wall with his hands closed together looking casual but also giving the impression of thought. Similar stances are seen throughout various issues of MixMag and I felt I could use this information to create an effective double page spread and take a strong picture.

Here I have roughly blurred the double page spread whilst bringing the main attention and focus onto the model's stance. I have also taken the photo with the model leaning against a wall with his hands closed together with the facial expression of thought. I used 1 halogen spot lamp to light this photo taken outside whilst incorporating the headphones mentioned earlier to ensure my model stayed true to the characteristics of common music magazine conventions. This is a clear similarity to a real world publications and along with the various other elements that feature on the DPS which can be related and attributed to not only MixMag but NME & Q also, I feel that this would not look out of place when put up against real world products.


The final element I will point out which perhaps is the most important when trying to relate to real world conventions and perceptions is the coherence of the colour scheme. Briefly mentioning this earlier I have ensured that all of my magazines various pages have a stereotypical blend of the same colours whilst still incorporating various effects throughout as to ensure the magazine does not become 'bland'. Below are my pages up against those from an issue of Q which show the similarities of house style and that in this instance, my magazine 'Duble Take' does not dangerously challenge the public's typical perception of what a music magazine looks like and will not be put off or find it unattractive or aesthetically unpleasant.

Dubstep Artists: What are they like live?

Recently, me and a few friends visited the O2 Academy Brixton to see popular Dubstep Act Nero. This was done purely for educational purposes of course..... nevertheless it allowed me to further insight into the Target Audience of this genre of music, comparing it with my research on UK Tribes. It allowed me to see if the perceived stereotypical specification associated with a fan of dubstep is as it's commonly thought of. Below shows a few video's that my friend recorded from the gig along with a youtube user's interviews with people at the gig.

Here is one of their more popular songs ^'Crush On You'^ as you can see the pictures shown on UK Tribes linked clubber gallery website Dont Stay In shows similarity to that which you could screenshot from here. This gave me some re-assurance that the classification I have chosen to represent my Target Audience was correct. As you look at the various videos taken, you'll notice that the similarities become more and more evident.

 

 ^Nero-Me & You^

^Nero- Must Be The Feeling^

As you can see in ^this video^ and as stated earlier, a youtube user recorded fans reactions before and after the gig. I can use this video to show comparisons between the images collated and the people who are interviewed, turns out, there is much more variety in terms of the types of people than I first anticipated. Many age ranges were taken into account, this can be used to help develop my ideas for my evaluation questions associated with my target audience (questions 2, 4 & 5)

Double Page Spread Construction

Unlike my previous two magazine elements which were both created using Photoshop CS4, my double page spread was constructed partly using Photoshop, but mostly using Indesign, a software which allows the creation of columns to easily and neatly create layouts for text. It also has a tool to create a text wrap effect to make sure that text does not pass over the picture. To show how the tools can be used to good effect for my magazine I have shown the various steps in the creation of my DPS below.

Here is the photograph I have chosen to create my double page spread with. The image was one of very few which turned out with such high clarity and personally I liked the stance and found it to show the artist deep in thought with his hands clasped, a look which I replicated from other magazines. The following images show the steps I undertook to alter and improve the image to turn it into my final DPS.

 





Here is a screen shot of photoshop showing the first change I made to my picture. I decided to liquify the face of my model as the process is commonly used within real world publications and I felt my models facial expression could benefit from a slight change in shape. I used a large brush to ensure a smooth effect.

I decided to use a radial blur on the background to intensify the main image and to bring clarity to the model. It also brings a connection to the genre with this effect, along with long exposure settings on cameras frequently used. I firstly used the quick selection tool to select the background. I then opened filters, selected blur, then radial blur and proceeded to create the effect seen above.

To ensure there wasn't an obviously seen effect & that the point where the back wall meets the grass was not evident, I decided to use the smudge tool and smudge the line which divided the two in such a way as to create a similar effect to the radial blur aswell as providing consistency within the DPS. This was done around the model slightly also to allow for the radial blur effect to look as free-flowing as possible.

After creating this effect. I thought the picture looked dull, with the monochrome effect from my Nikon J1 camera providing no differentiation in tone or shade. To ensure that the picture's clarity was intesified and that the monochrome effect would work I decided to increase the contrast levels.

Moving on from my opinion of the picture looking dull, I decided to create an outer shadow effect. I duplicated the layer and used a brush of size 484px. I reduced the hardness of the brush to 0 and changed the opacity to 74% to ensure a soft glow. I then used a circular brush round the edges to gain the desired effect that you see opposite>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Here, I created a new layer and set the layer style to colour. This was to ensure the glow effect on the double page spread remained vibrant and provided a sense of atmosphere to the picture as the colour blue/turquoise  generally provides a feeling of distance in the picture and brings perspective to the model within the picture. I used the same brush specification as previously mentioned and selected the colour mentioned.

Here you can see where I have created the artist name on my double page spread. On the text layer I have inserted a black drop shadow along with a turquoise inner glow. I have embossed the text and added a black outer glow along with the colour overlay as the original text was block white, here you can see I added a weak transparency to the text to match the misty, dark theme I am trying to create amongst my coherent house style.

Although I liked the font, I felt the 'y' did not aesthetically compliment the rest of the page. I decided to alter the text slightly by first rasterizing the text layer to allow editing. I then used the polygonal lasso tool to draw out my graphic which will be connected to text. This was followed by using a brush with hardness, opacity and size all at 100 to elongate the y and draw the futuristic looking curve.

I then decided to insert my pull quote using photoshop as to allow for greater manipulation possibilities and to ensure I could place it outside of column boundaries. This uses turnpike font with a strong black drop shadow.

This process was repeated with the creation of my article introduction. I inserted this on a new layer and changed the layout of the text to look like it is text wrapped. This is to ensure the text is completely seperated from the picture and that it stays on the right hand side page.

 For the majority of the article I used adobe indesign. The text taken from my Microsoft word document was inserted into a file with 6 columns in an A3 landscape. I then inserted a black outer glow to the main body of text. As you can see with my highlighted areas, I used the pencil tool to ensure I could apply the text wrap to my picture for the text. Finally, the page numbers appear on the bottom corners. These are made using the font turnpike and are black with a white stroke. The magazines name appears in white font next to the page numbers.

 

This page was created mainly due to the amount of text I wrote in my article needing to run over. As I decided to split my article into two parts, I made this page into a quick fire questions section. This was made with the same outer shadow effect on the picture along with the same contrast levels. I then inserted the edited picture into indesign onto A4 portrait with 3 columns and used the same font as in the double page spread. I used a text wrap around the models face as well as recreating the Syla logo. The Syla text layer was copied from the double page spread and transformed using the free transform tool to fit into the page whilst still allowing the audiences perception of the identity of the artist to remain continuous.

Finished Double Page Spreads

Revised Double Page Spread Article

 My original draft article was fairly well received by my peer and teacher however there was a continuous point that was raised and that was that firstly my use of quotation was appalling! Another point made was that both the unstructured interview along with the Q&A perhaps is too much and to allow it to fit aesthetically into a DPS, I may have to either shorten the article or to spread it over 3 pages. This evidently meaning that the unstructured interview is on the DPS with another structured Q&A session on a seperate page. Possible subtitles/names for this session could be '60 Seconds with: [Syla]' or "The Grill" I shall decide on this after my article is re-read and finalised.

It's not easy to go out in public without hearing the name 'Syla'. The Chart topping dubstep producer from the east end of London, recently crowned the prince of dubstep and is letting people know that he is ready to take over the electronic music scene.

His recent domination of the iTunes Electronic Top 10, in which he is currently holding an unbelievable 9 spots, provides evidence of that. No other artist has ever reached that feat, not deadmau5 or Chase & Status, not even the king of dubstep Skrillex! Syla, once lead singer of the popular band 'Neurosis', has incorporated a new style into the genre, which is obviously loved amongst his vast fan base but perhaps the key question would be has all the success gone to his head? Well, we went to find out:

The noise was deafening and he had finished his set. Of course this was not the speaker shattering bass created by Syla, but the screams of his adoring crowd. As the man in question takes a bow I peer round the corner of the stage, attempting to reassure myself that this sound was man made and not a faulty speaker. Sure enough, the almost 5000 strong crowd at the Brixton O2 Academy were all shouting for more, at this point Samuel Morrison walks off the stage to come and meet me for the interview.

I barely get in the word "Hello" before he grabs me and runs me to his car, a customised Range Rover Evoque, complete with tinted windows, a must have for such a high profile celebrity.

As we drive onwards into the misty December night, he explains the exhilarating series of events that just occurred.

"Sorry man, need to make a quick getaway at places like that or you'll be mauled!" "I have enough of it when I enter the building, don't get me wrong it's amazing, just need to make sure you don't hit traffic 'n' all that you know?" Unbelievable that traffic is even a distant thought in this musical magicians mind.

As the journey progresses we listen to his new EP "Unwanted Distraction" (more on that on page 28!). As I go to talk I'm interrupted:

"I know right? It's fucking incredible! I couldn't believe just how high the quality of the tracks ended up! A lot of it was down to how great Daniel (Stephens) was and the amount of new stuff he and I created for it!"

For those of you who don't know, Daniel Stephens, one half of the popular electronic act 'Nero' signed Samuel to his label, GodWaste Records after hearing the talented producer at a 'Neurosis' gig, trying out his DJ set as an intro for the band. Believe it or not, he was actually booed off stage when originally doing this.

"Daniel saw something in me and my music!"
"He listened to what I was coming out with and saw the potential!" "He knew the vision I had for it, something a bit different from the norm'."

As we conclude the conversation we reach the premises in which we would be conducting the scheduled interview, this being his house which he shares with 3 friends, a modest living environment for a person who has sold over 2.4 million copies of his debut EP "Tackle Bug".

We enter the house, followed by the throwing of his keys straight on the floor. He grabs 2 mugs out of the cupboard, tells me to go out to the garden. There I find the stereotypical £9.99 garden furniture, of course for a normal person of his age you would expect this, perhaps I was being slightly snobbish, but why did this multi million record selling artist not live someone far nicer than a semi-detached 3 bedroom house in Bromley?

The lights come on, whilst Samuel comes out of the back door to join me. Clutching two cups of tea, a strange beverage for a guy who's just finished delivering some of the heaviest basslines I've ever heard! He hands me a cup, sits down, and breathes what I gathered to be a sigh of relief.

DT: Okay so this isn't on the list, but whats with the run-down bargain furniture & the cups of tea?
Syla: Hey, there's nothing wrong with the basics mate!

DT: Fair enough! So tell me, who would you say is your inspiration?
Syla: You would not believe how much I get asked this question, it's difficult to say really, since I started listening to music, I always liked a mix of genres. I can listen to something like Jamiroquai, then move on to something like The Prodigy immediately after. In terms of my electronic stuff, I really liked anything on Warp Records when I was younger, people like Squarepusher, Aphex twins and stuff like that

DT: Where did the name 'Syla' come from? 
Syla: Um, well I guess my mind? Haha, shit, no I seriously don't know, it's just a name I came up with, I wish I had a mysterious description for you but no such luck!

DT: We mentioned it briefly in the car, but what happened with Neurosis? 
Syla: Ha, knew this was coming. There was a lot of speculation over the Internet, stuff like I slept with Coles girlfriend and that John coming out as gay  caused it. The most entertaining rumour I read was the one about being threatened from the local gang! To be honest, we just decided to do different things, I loved the band, I loved the music, it's just I felt that my Dubstep stuff reached out to so many more people! We're still good mates, Me and Cole went for a drink the other day, not the controversy you were expecting?

DT: No, not quite, was still hoping the "Bromley Massive" threats were true! 
Syla: Haha, I know right? Fucking classic!

DT: Is there any DJ you really want to work with in the future?Syla: Oh too many to name! I guess I would love to do a track with Nero, I reckon Dan would be open to the idea but I'm a bit reluctant to ask him, the reply might not be what I was expecting!

DT: Let's hope he reads this then! 
Syla: Hell Yeah!

DT: How big of a role has Dan and Joe had on your development? 
Syla: When my EP was being released, they mentioned me in all of their interviews, put my EP up on their Facebook Page, were just constantly alerting the press of my existence and what they thought of the tracks, which, they actually helped me mix. In short, I owe the guys EVERYTHING!

DT: Nice, thanks for taking the time out for this interview Samuel but, we gotta ask, on a final note, are the rumours your headlining Coachella 2012 true? 
Syla: Aha, no comment man, no comment.

Double Page Spread Research

Here is a double page spread article that features in MixMag. It's based around the dance/techno music partnership Groove Armada. This is clearly seen by the fact that the colour of the font on the name has been changed to red, which really makes it stand out on the white background with black lettering. The opening paragraph is set as the introduction for the rest of the article. This is symbolised by the fact that it is far bolder and bigger than the rest of the article. 

The subject of the article, Groove Armada is clearly shown by being in red, contrasting from the rest of the text in Black. The question asked is one which I believe would have been on many peoples minds at the time therefore showing relevance to the target audience. A black banner is spread across the double page on the top of the article, a consistent feature in Mix Mag when they are conducting a Q+A interview. This is re-iterated by the Q+A written in the top left in red font, and VIP written on both sides in a white font. This is showing the interviews are with well known artists. The colours also match the rest of the magazines colour scheme showing a coherent house style.


Text Wrap is used in the article where a page is taken up with 4 columns of text with a polyroid style snapshot in the mid bottom of the page, and the other page is dominated by the main picture of the article. The interview is all layed out in a Q+A format with the question being asked in a bolder font than the answer by the artists, both names being mentioned giving separate answers. A pull quote appears on the picture in bold and underlined to give the reader of the magazine reader an idea into the tone of the article. The picture is annotated in the bottom left hand corner.

Here is a double page spread that appeared in NME of the pop artist Lily Allen. Once again the artists name is highlighted in red and bolded from the surrounding introduction. The pull quote is used extremely effectively in a font resembling the effect of newspaper clippings. 


The unconventional style of the font helps to draw the readers attention aswell as effectively ensuring that all space available is used. The picture of the artist Lily Allen is on the right hand page slightly spreading onto the left hand page. She is giving direct eye contact to the reader sparking interest. 


Drop Caps is used for the first letter showing a difference to the previous article in MixMag. Unlike the MixMag article a more informal writing style is used showing humour, both in the writing and the fonts used. The introduction is as clear evidence as any for this talking about dodging paparazzi and "tabloid-baiting breath of fresh air".


Both approaches are acceptable forms of writing an article. I shall attempt for a mix of different features, taking various attributes from both of these examples as well as a few others. I shall mix my article between a Q+A session and a written interview as to widen its appeal to people.

Double Page Flat Plan

For my double page spread, I have created a basic hand draw flat plan to allow myself guidelines when making my double page on Photoshop & InDesign.

 This is the basic layout I want for my double page spread.

1. This is where I am planning on putting the artists name onto the page. Generally when people turn a page in a magazine their first instinct is to look at the left hand page as it usually dictates what the following article is going to be about.


2. Here I am planning on writing a simple introduction to my article, explaining what it will be about and also ensuring that there is a clear coherent link seen with the front cover and contents descriptions. This will allow people to find out a little bit about the artist if they have never heard about the person before however my fictional assumption is that he will be known by every reader.


3. Around this area is where I am planning on inserting a pull quote (when an interesting quote is highlighted, enlarged and placed into the article to grab the readers attention). It will be about the artists personality and really create an interest surrounding both the artists interview and the article in general.

4. This will be at the end of the article and be a brief description on the release of the artist's (Syla) new album.

It is key to note that elements may change as I progress through the creation of my double page spread however it provides me with guidelines which I can use to create my final submitted piece. 

Double Page Spread Draft

I have completed my double page spread draft article, I used both Q & A layout aswell as a basic unscheduled layout:

You've heard the name, regardless as to whether or not you've listened to his music. It's not easy to go out in public as of late without hearing a murmer or whisper of the name 'Syla'. The Chart topping dubstep producer from the east end of London is becoming known as the prince of dubstep and is letting people know that he is ready to take over the electronic music scene.

His recent domination of the iTunes Electronic Top 10, in which he is currently holding an unbelievable 9 spots, provides evidence of that. No other artist has ever reached that feat, not deadmau5 or Chase & Status, not even the king of dubstep Skrillex! Syla, once lead singer of the popular band 'Neurosis', has incorporated a new style into the genre, which is obviously loved amongst his vast fan base but perhaps the key question would be has all the success gone to his head? Well, we went to find out:

The noise was deafening and he had finished his set. Of course this was not the speaker shattering bass created by Syla, but the screams of his adoring crowd. As the man in question takes a bow I peer round the corner of the stage, attempting to reassure myself that this sound was man made and not a faulty speaker. Sure enough, the almost 5000 strong crowd at the Brixton O2 Academy were all shouting for more, at this point Samuel Morrison walks off the stage to come and meet me for the interview. Now this may seem slightly insulting to the devoted fan base, well I would have agreed with you if it were not for the fact that this was his 4th encore.

I try to enter in conversation, I barely get in the word "Hello" before he grabs me and runs me to his car, a customised Range Rover Evoque, complete with tinted windows, a must have for such a high profile celebrity.

As we drive onwards into the misty December night, he explains the exhilarating series of events that just occurred.

"Sorry man, need to make a quick getaway at places like that or you'll be mauled!" "I have enough of it when I enter the building, don't get me wrong it's amazing, just need to make sure you don't hit traffic 'n' all that you know?"

Unbelievable that traffic is even a distant thought in this musical magicians mind. As the journey progresses we listen to his new EP "Unwanted Distraction" (more on that on page 28!). As I go to talk I'm interrupted:

"I know right?" "It's fucking incredible!" I had to agree with this assumption!
"I couldn't believe just how high the quality of the tracks ended up! A lot of it was down to how great Daniel (Stephens) was and the amount of new stuff he and I created for it!"

For those of you who don't know, Daniel Stephens, one half of the popular electronic act 'Nero' signed Samuel to his label, GodWaste Records after hearing the talented producer at a 'Neurosis' gig, trying out his DJ set as an intro for the band. Believe it or not, he was actually booed off stage when originally doing this.

"Daniel saw something you know?"
"He listened to what I was coming out with and saw the potential!" "He knew the vision I had for it, something a bit different from the norm', something edgy."

As we conclude the conversation we reach the premises in which we would be conducting the scheduled interview, this being his house which he shares with 3 friends, a modest living environment for a person who has sold over 2.4 million copies of his debut EP "Tackle Bug".

We enter the house, followed by the throwing of his keys straight on the floor. He grabs 2 mugs, then tells me to go out to the garden. There I find the stereotypical £9.99 garden furniture, of course for a normal person of his age you would expect this, perhaps I was being slightly snobbish, but why did this multi million record selling artist not live someone far nicer than a semi-detached 3 bedroom house in Bromley?

The lights come on, whilst Samuel comes out of the back door to join me. Clutching two cups of tea, a strange beverage for a guy who's just finished delivering some of the heaviest basslines I've ever heard! He hands me a cup, sits down, and breathes what I gathered to be a sigh of relief.

"Come on then man, let's get this party started, fire away!"

DT: Okay so this isn't on the list, but whats with the run-down bargain furniture & the cups of tea?
 
Syla: Hey, there's nothing wrong with the basics mate. You don't need luxury's when you're barely at home. I spend most of my time in the studio now, it's where I want to be. That, and I like tea! Simples!

DT: Fair enough! So tell me, who would you say is your inspiration?
 
Syla: You would not believe how much I get asked this question, it's difficult to say really, since I started listening to music, I always liked a mix of genres. I can listen to something like Jamiroquai, then move on to something like The Prodigy immediately after. In terms of my electronic stuff, I really liked anything on Warp Records when I was younger, people like Squarepusher, Aphex twins and stuff like that

DT: Where did the name 'Syla' come from?
 
Syla: Um, well I guess my mind? Haha, shit, no I seriously don't know, it's just a name I came up with, I wish I had a mysterious description for you but no such luck!

DT: We mentioned it briefly in the car, but what happened with Neurosis?

Syla: Ha, knew this was coming. There was a lot of speculation over the Internet, stuff like I slept with Coles girlfriend and that John coming out as gay  caused it. The most entertaining rumour I read was the one about being threatened from the local gang! To be honest, we just decided to do different things, I loved the band, I loved the music, it's just I felt that my Dubstep stuff reached out to so many more people! We're still good mates, Me and Cole went for a drink the other day, not the controversy you were expecting?

DT: No, not quite, was still hoping the "Bromley Massive" threats were true!

Syla: Haha, I know right? Fucking classic!

DT: Is there any DJ you really want to work with in the future?

Syla: Oh too many to name! I guess I would love to do a track with Nero, I reckon Dan would be open to the idea but I'm a bit reluctant to ask him, the reply might not be what I was expecting!

DT: Let's hope he reads this then!

Syla: Hell Yeah!

DT: How big of a role has Dan and Joe had on your development?

Syla: When my EP was being released, they mentioned me in all of their interviews, put my EP up on their Facebook Page, were just constantly alerting the press of my existence and what they thought of the tracks, which, they actually helped me mix. In short, I owe the guys EVERYTHING!

DT: Nice, thanks for taking the time out for this interview Samuel but, we gotta ask, on a final note, are the rumours your headlining Coachella 2012 true?

Syla: Aha, no comment man, no comment.