Photoshop 4

This is my fourth Photoshop attempt, and it involves the merging of two artists for a collaboration. Fifty Cent and Susan Boyle had to be merged, and though the quality is not great, I have successfully done the task.  In order t achieve the effect I desired, I duplicated Susan Boyle, and cut around her arms, placing 50 Cent in a middle layer, over the original body and under the cut-out arms. 

Magazine Analysis

Mixmag uses a white masthead to stand 
out against the background and create a colour scheme with the white logo. It has a skyline that brags about popularity, "The world'd biggest dance music and clubbing magazine"

The image used is one of Knife Party, and the duo is visible in the corner of the logo, perhaps connoting that the music is more important than themselves.

The large writing and colour used creates a sleek look, and the purple bullseye-like look allows the logo to be noticed, the logo is the key image. 

Cover-lines run down the right as a free CD takes up the left side, which would be a key selling point against rival magazines.   

The magazine's simplistic nature and large logo create a link between the magazine and the music it specialises in. This genre of music often has DJ's playing other musicians songs, showing the genre is more important than the people. 

Electronic music

As previously stated, I am likely to choose Electronic music as my genre for my music magazine, and thought it would be appropriate to share some examples of some kinds of electronic music I enjoy and am likely to reference in my magazine. 

Photoshop 3

This was my third attempt at using Photoshop, and my first slightly complex attempt. I have used a variety of different methods and tool so create the image below. I duplicated the picture and desaturated the original layer, before erasing the parts of the picture I didn't want in colour. I applied text and added a shadow effect, before introducing a glow around the two students in the picture and a shadow around the picture itself, I finally added another piece of text and shaded that as well. 

Music magazine ideas

After today's lesson, I now understand what it takes in order to get a high level mark for my music magazine.
I have very basic ideas for the structure, pictures and the overall contents of the magazine.

I am aware who I will use and the scenarios I will place them in, as well as very basic ideas of the lighting and know what my music magazine will be called. 
The genre I have chosen for my magazine is electronic, encompassing House, Electro and Dubstep, I intend to use the logos of other artists to increase the authenticity of my magazine, so I will contact certain musicians asking if it is ok to use said logos on the magazine. The magazine is intended to be for people of my own age and slightly older, so this will be taken into consideration when creating the magazine.

Photoshop 2

This is my second attempt at using Photoshop, and there is a clear state of progression. I have used 3 layers, the main picture is duplicated with the original layer desaturised. the duplicated layer is increased in saturation and the background is erased to create a black and white effect. 

Ideology

Ideology is a set of beliefs or values that we have or that we hold, ideology is very important in advertising, as it is often entices us into buying a product, and the same is true for music magazines. Magazines rely on an ideology that encompasses a large group, as this enables them to gain the most sales. 
My own personal ideology is that success doesn't determine motivation, motivation determines success.

Often the ideology behind NME Magazine is one of a more 'rock' and 'rebellious' attitude, but not so much as magazines such as 'Kerrang'. this gives it a large amount of room to work and be recognised as a magazine that contains a large amount of indie-rock music. Whilst never doing so explicitly, it wants to be known as encouraging artists to embrace their darker side. 

Photoshop

Today, I used Photoshop for the very first time. whilst not immediately apparent, i have learned to use border, eraser, glow, shadow, and text tools. Thought I did not use them on the file below, i have a very basic understanding of all the above tools and some others. The picture below was taken by myself specifically for this lesson, and i intend to continue to develop my photoshop skills, that will hopefully mean I no longer have the incredibly poor technological grasp I do. 

Analysis of college magazine

This is an example of a typical college magazine that has both formal and informal qualities.

*Informal: Slanted pictures, gives impression of relaxed atmosphere. 
*Formal: Wearing the uniform, shows the school takes pride in appearance. 
*informal: Graffiti on the walls give a creative and artistic vibe. 
*Formal: School's logo makes it apparent this is a place of learning and determination. 
*Informal: Message from the head teacher makes it seem this school is supported by those who run it. 
*Formal: Lots of text make this seem like a place filled with intellectual individuals. 

These together create a hybrid magazine that is interesting to read without being overly-formal. This makes it appear akin to a broadsheet, but with the pizzaz of a tabloid newspaper. As it is a college magazine, it is likely to have an ideology about work ethic. In this case, it is "Respect, Believe, Achieve"

Analysis of a music magazine cover using feminist theories.

Feminism

The magazine cover seen here defies traditional values of how we define beauty or attractiveness based on 'the male gaze theory'. Instead of showing a conventionally attractive woman who conforms to what many feel is 'sexy', the cover breaks away from this and presents the image in a way that tries to popularise that all women are beautiful. The fact that Beth Ditto is shown with a lipstick mark and the phrase 'kiss my ass!' is used may show how she is unwilling to conform with today's standard of attractiveness and is uninterested in a male perspective.

Alternatively, it could be parodying other music magazines that support the male gaze theory. One such is the cover of Cheryl Cole on Q Magazine, that is conformative and presents a similar 'edgy' or rebellious vibe as the Beth Ditto cover, and both have a strong presence of red, which could connote danger. Whilst one uses someone who could be perceived as unattractive to oppose the male gaze theory, one is intended to be viewed in a voyeuristic manner by males, or so it seems. 

Feminism

Feminism is the act (or belief) of equality in social and political aspects for women. Feminism had a strong presence during the late 1800's with the suffrages movement. However, with the first and second World War, feminism was left as an issue unsolvable at the time. However, during the 1970's, feminism once became prominent during the first media breakout during the Vietnam war and the civil rights movement.

A prominent feminist during the Suffrages was Emilienne Pankhurst, who was well renowned in Britain.

Whilst feminism in these times started out as a legal-based system, it has since evolved into a much more socially dedicated movement. A popular feminist, even today, is Laura Mulvey. 

Mulvey argued that women were represented in the media in a way that emphasises appearance and sexuality. She cited three trends in Hollywood films:
*Men controlled the action, and moved the narrative along.  
*Women are represented as 'passive' objects for the male gaze. 
*The pleasure of viewing comes from a combination of voyeurism and narcissism.
These points together make up 'the male gaze theory'.

However, there have been some criticisms of this theory, and many films do not support it. James Cameron's 'Titanic' has a female as the lead and someone who rescues the male character, breaking this convention. As well as this, the female character is not only central to the plot, but is in fact the one driving it.

As well as this, Gammon and Marshment used semiotic theory to explain how texts are interpreted in different ways by different people, and 'the male gaze' can't exist if 'the female gaze' doesn't. This can be supported by numerous modern day magazines and adverts (Including one for Diet Coke) applying 'the female gaze'.

Semiotic theory

According to Morris, human action involves signs and meanings in three ways:
The perception stage - the person becomes aware of a sign.
The manipulation stage - the person interprets the sign and decides how to respond to it.
The consummation stage - the person responds.

The denotation of something is what it literally is. i.e, a red rose would be a flower that is red.
The connotation of something is what it's inference is. I.e, a red rose may connote love but could also represent the death of a loved one, as blood is red and a rose symbolises love.

Semiotic theory is, essentially, the study of signs. This means signs and symbols can be interpreted in different ways, by different people. 

Music magazines and semiotic theory...
Semiotic theory is very important to driving the sales of music magazines. By showing an artist in a particular light, people can be influenced to buy the magazine based on their manipulation stage. An example could be the music magazine on the left, which shows an artist (Carl Craig) in low key lighting wearing a suit and holding a dog. Someone could interpret this as an artist who takes their music very seriously and is determined to become the best. A different interpretation could be that this is someone with power and status within the music world. His almost condescending glance makes him seem a harsh individual who already knows he is 'top dog'.                                                  

Research Methods

Research Methods

There are two man types of research, qualitative and quantitative. Both are different yet equally useful in gathering research. Quantitive involves gathering research statistically, such as questionnaires and other numerical data. Qualitative involves an opinion based system, whereby you explain your views.

The two types of research are primary and secondary. Primary research involves a first hand account, essentially your own research that you conduct. Secondary research involves using other sources to get access ti useful information that pertains to what you are doing. Music magazines can often use reviews of their magazine (qualitative analysis) they can determine the magazine's best features. They can often determine the magazine's success based on the circulation and sales of their magazine (quantitate analysis) and help find out where the magazine sells the best.
I believe that both research types will be needed in terms of my own music magazine, as both are very important. I can use primary research using my questionnaire and other devices similar to a questionnaire. In terms of secondary research, I have access to the entire internet as well as numerous other blogs from fellow students. 

Questionnaire

Filling this out would be a massive help, great if you would. It is essentially about music magazines and if you do/do not read them, either way, it helps me dramatically and can certainly make a difference to my A-level's. Much appreciated if you do! 

Music magazines

What is a music magazine? 
A music magazine is a magazine that is created and designed around music or a specific genre of music. It can be a variety of sub-genres or 'niche' markets. The longest running music magazine of all time focuses on Banjo\s, which shows how varied music magazines can be. Music magazines have evolved considerably over time. Kerrang is an example of a magazine that has kept its incarnation for many years, since its inception in the early 70's.

One of, if not the, most popular music magazines currently in UK circulation is NME magazine, and the most popular US magazine is Rolling Stone magazine. Music magazines appeal to audiences in many ways, most notably by featuring an artist famed for their contribution to a certain music genre, and featuring them prominently with interviews and concert reviews. I believe the future of music magazines lays primarily on the internet and social media sites. I believe these allow the music producer greater freedom over their promotion and production.

I am a fan of DJ Magazine, as it features the kind of music I most enjoy, and is one of the few to do so. It is largely interactive through polls of the top 100 DJ's. The current winner, Hardwell, recently won the title from 5 time winner Armin van Buuren. As well as artists, the magazine covers venues and festivals, as festivals are a crucial part of EDM culture. Many people enjoy EDM and it's culture, and there is no specific age people listen to EDM at. This allows the magazine to appeal to numerous people and create a magazine that appeals to several different kinds of people who all share a common love. Due to it's great community and interactivity, coupled with its strong internet presence, it becomes a very enjoyable magazine for all fans of electronic music.

Introduction to my blog

Welcome to my blog, set up completely by myself on my own accord. here, there will be a variety of AS Level posts about a variety of music magazines, specialising in Electro, Drum and Bass and Dubstep, because all other music is pointless. There is no specific thing posted here, this could contain questionnaires or just hardcore rave music, or even just my ramblings.

You can bet that there'll be a decent amount of insight into the production of music magazines and you can expect a regular flow of blog posts of the above things, and maybe a few other things to get you/me through the year.
in terms of what you should know about me...
-I'm 16 studying AS-Level History, English literature and obviously media. 
-As I've already said, Electronic music is just 'it'. Zedd, Knife Party, Deadmau5, Gemini are all great.
-I'm probably over-opinionated, but trust me: that's not a bad thing in what I'm doing.

Enjoy reading this and be prepared for the ridiculous spam of pretty much anything I do, all logged for your viewing pleasure, and please listen to the godly music brought to you by Zedd (Who I recently saw live) trust me: You won't regret it.