Evaluation blog

Thankyou for viewing my blog. Here is a link to my evaluation blog.
 http://jamesvhmusic.blogspot.co.uk/

Audiance feedback video

Completed Feature article

Completed front cover

Completed contents page

Photography development

I used adobe fireworks and adobe Photoshop to edit these photos.

Some of the techniques i used to edit these photos are:

. Magic wand tool. This is a tool to take away part of the photo that is not wanted. It takes away part of the photo that is similar in color and tone.

. Rubber tool. I used this to manually get rid of some of the photo. This is good as you can manually take away the parts of the photo that the magic wand couldn't reach. However, his might take longer to do.

. I also air brushed his skin to make him look slightly brighter.

. I also used the simple crop tool which manually crops out the photo which can make the further editing a lot quicker.

Chosen photographs

I have chosen these two photographs because:
. All 3 are very good quality
. They adress the pages that i am making very well. They suit what i am planning to do
. They should all appeal to my target audience
. Suits the "hip hop" context

Feature article draft

Contents page final draft

Front cover final draft

Photography for artist 1 (Konrad)

First front cover draft

Feature article script

The unknown sensation, Konrad fresh out from college has struck many people’s minds with his unique music. Recently around the world, Konrad has hit new heights he has never experienced before and "loves it". After touring America Konrad wants to settle down in the UK and focus more on his tracks to complete his albums.

Since the age of 6 Konrad has wanted to be involved in the rap game. He was first inspired by the song "big pimpin" by Kanye West in 2000 and he has been his idol ever since. From 9 years onwards he has had singing lessons and guitar lessons and has thrived in it ever since he started. At the age of 11 he started rap music and that’s where he thrived most. Through his teenage life he has excelled in music, getting as through all his music exams and thriving in all of the music productions at his school. At the age of 18 he left school to focus on his music life. He passed all his main exams which make him equip able for any job, however I don’t expect he will do anything other than music.

At the age of 14, Konrad has started writing some of his own songs. He writes, sings and performs all his songs. He normally has a bass to rap with, however he designs the base track as well making him an all-round performer. He has posted his songs onto YouTube and has a large amount of views. A well-known music producer saw his video and was very impressed and contacted Konrad, his music career started from here. He has his own YouTube channel and has thousands of subscribers and is increasing daily. His channel is so well known, it is advertised on other YouTube videos increasing his fame and popularity.

Many people call him "the young Jay-Z" "rap maestro". His music reflects these nicknames and he is improving every second. We were fortunate enough to have a chat with Konrad. When recently asked "Is your music for your entertainment, or for the fans?" He replied “I do what I do as I love doing it, of course I take into account the fans reactions and reviews, but I mainly do it because I like too". We also asked him "Is your music lyrics based from experience, or made up?" he said "I write my music from personal experience, otherwise it would be fake and I am not that type of guy".

His debut album 'Spark' was a big seller; it was rivalling all the top main rap artists. His album went into the top 20 in the UK; this is incredible for his debut album. He is set to release his next album in the upcoming month and expects a bigger outcome than his first. Even though he is only an upcoming artist, he still achieves big things in his early days. Konrad is set off on a UK tour and will be performing at most of the UK festivals. He is the guy that can do it all, performing, wiring and promoting, what a guy. He takes every chance to get what he wants and thrives for success. All of his income is earned from his rapping, selling his CD's and performing at gigs. Even though he has not reached a global level yet, he could still rival all the top rappers as he is an all-round performer.

Contents page draft (hand drawn)

feature article draft (hand drawn)

front cover draft (hand drawn)

Inspiration for background shots

These three photos are what I plan to make my photographs look like. I like the way the photos all connote different things and I believe this would suit my magazine cover very well. Even though I will take more photos and will probably be different to these, I will try to base my photos around these as they fit the rap style/genre very well.

Photography planning

Setting/Location

I will try to use an urbanized location for my background. I will try to use an old train track or an old and dirty ally way. I believe these two locations are appropriate for a rap magazine as most rap music videos feature these types of locations and the rap audience will recognize this. These locations could connote poverty or negativity. This is similar to the rap style/genre which will be appropriate in my magazine cover. Another location that I might consider is the underground train environment which is similar to the rap genre and styles making it look more professional. 

Framing

Framing is very important when taking a photograph. You have to think of what will be in the photo and what will not be as you want to feature all the things that need to be in the photo. Framing can make a person look very big or very small as you can position them in a way that they give across a specific message.

Light

The lighting in any photograph is very important as it directs the thoughts and feelings. Having a light photograph can connote a very bright and happy mood. This is not always good in a rap magazine as rap is not a typical happy type of song. Having a dark background connotes a completely different mood to a bright background. A dark background connotes a scary or evil vibe. This is more suited to a rap genre as the lyrics are more associated with that type of vibe. Whereas a light background connotes a happy and light hearted vibe, this is not suited in a rap magazine.

Choice and re-shoots

My re-shoots will be taken if any conditions are not acceptable. The re-shoots will be taken if the photos aren't what I expected or don't match my criteria that I want. I will take over 50 photos and I will filter them down into about 10 to 15 possible photos. This will enable me to choose the best ones, this means that my re-shoots won’t be so difficult and time consuming.

Photoshoot schedule

Main feature artist - Konrad

Date: 10/11/14

Time: 12:00 - 15:00

Location: Newbury train station

Outfit: Black skinny jeans, high tops (preferably red), flat cap, baggy hood (preferably red), black T-shirt 

Makeup: No makeup

Hair style: Spiked up, however will not be seen in the hat but more shots will be taken without the hat.

Shot type: Medium shot, showing the background as well but mainly the artist being the centre image. Two locations will be an ally way and a train track, will get a wide shot and a few medium shots showing most of the background.

Lighting: The lighting will be fairly dark. I will try to dim the surroundings to make it as dark as possible. I will also add additional effects in the editing process.

Props: A flat cap and some golden chains will be used on my cover as they represent a rappers style.

Re-shoots: Encase any conditions are not appropriate, the re-shoot will be scheduled on 20/11/14. This re-shoot will be taken if:
. The weather conditions are bad
. I don't get all the shots I need too
. The shots do not work out/photos are bad

Cover artist 

Date: 13/11/14

Time: 11:00 - 13:00

Location: Newbury train station, Chieveley wreck.

Outfit: Black skinny jeans, high tops (preferably red), flat cap, a baggy hoody 

Makeup: No makeup

Hair style: Pulled down, whipped to the side showing over the flat cap.

Shot type: Medium shot, showing the background as well but mainly the artist being the centre image. The two locations I will use are an ally way and any brick wall.

Lighting: I want the lighting to be fairly bright. This will be helped by the timings of the shoot as the day is at its brightest around mid-day. 

Props: 
. Flat cap
. Chains
. Sun glasses

Re-shoots: In case any conditions are not appropriate, the re-shoot will be scheduled on 24/11/14. This re-shoot will be taken if:
. The weather conditions are bad
. I don't get all the shots I need too
. The shots do not work out/photos are bad

Possible outfit ideas

Style 1

Style 2

Both of these outfit ideas are suited to my artist. I believe style 2 is more suited as the clothes chosen are more appropriate. The jacket symbolises his English presence as Enlang is stertyped as cold and dull, this is the need for the jacket. The blue shoes are a modern trend that is going on at the moment. The hat and sun glasses are just accessories to the whole outift. It will make my artist look more diverse and different, this is good as he will stand out.