Masthead!- Front Cover Page

My masthead!
For my masthead I named it Mosh. I thought this would be a good name as moshing is associated with my genre of music. Its also short and catchy so the readers will remember the name. The font I chose is
distressed this links with the genre of music and is very eye catching.

I included the issue number to the side of the masthead I thought this looked professional and unique. 

Positioning the masthead:My orignal idea to place the masthead behind the image like in magazines such as Kerrang but I wanted  to try different positions to see which one looks 

Photo shoot and Main Image!

Aims:
For my photo shoot im planning on taking a close up photo of someone with good eye contact, as I think its most effective and draws the reader in. The clothes I want them to wear is dark colors to fit my genre of music. However I might make them wear something such as a hat or necklace to include some color without effecting the image. 

Contact Sheet!
This is my contact sheet from my photo shoot!

Thoughts on the Photo shoot!

My chosen photo: ----------------------->   

I chose this photo as it was exactly what I was looking for as the eye contact is good and the style fits with my genre of music very well. The hat she's wearing is also quite unusual and stands out which would draw potential readers in. However I think theres to much shadow in the face so I'll edit it on photo shop and also get rid of the back ground. 

Editing the Photo!

On photo shoot I edited the curves to try and make less shadow and make it lighter in some places, mostly around the face. By using curves it allowed me target specific places I needed so I could still keep the sections dark where I wanted them to like the dress and her eyeliner. This helps keep the 'rock' theme I'm looking for. However I think this has made the face look slightly red so i'll play around with the colour balance and put a small amount of blues in to even it out.

While I was changing the colour balence I jogged and added more blue than I needed but I thought it made it look for eye catching and now im planning on changing my original colour scheme to fit with it. I orignally wanted the colour scheme to be white, black and red, but now im making it dark blues instead of red.

I've also deleted the background using magic wand too and I smoothed out the edges so it looks a lot neater.

Double Page Spread Drafts

Contents page drafts and ideas

Draft 1

Notes on this draft:

• I would make sure all the columns were the same size- This will make the page look more professional and would make it a lot easier for the readers to read. However I understand that with my chosen genre the style tends to be more cluttered which is why I have split it up into to halves. The top half will be for images and the layout will have two images overlapping each other to give this effect.
• I defiantly wanted to include a editors comment section as I think its an effective way to connect with the readers. I will use informal, chatty language to make the readers feel as if I am talking directly to them.   

Cover page drafts and ideas

5. Magazine Analysis

Cover Page Analysis

Main Imagethe main image they've chosen for this magazine represents their specified genre of music very well as the clothing Rob Zombie’s wearing is very Gothic as its all very dark colours and the leather jacket this shows that the majority of the magazine would most likely be about heavy metal.
The facial expression on Rob Zombies face is quite aggressive with could symbolise that the magazine is heavy metal as most people link those characteristics to this particular genre of music.The lighting on Rob Zombies face is quite dark especially around his eyes this could imply that he might be hiding a secret that he might reveal in his article which would then influence the readers to read on and find out 

Masthead
The masthead is positioned behind the main images head this could imply that it’s a well-known, and can be recognized by the font being used. The way they've positioned the word metal (going up the side of the H) makes it look more unique.

The colour they've chosen for the masthead is quite an aggressive colour which then fits well to the theme of the cover page as Rob Zombies facial expression and the genre of music.

 Main Headline
The main headline they've chosen is about Rob Zombie which they've positioned at the top of the page in almost the same font size as the masthead. This makes it stand out and clear to readers what the main story is. This font they've used looks  as if its dripping and looks like the font used in old horror films. I think they did this intentionally to fit with the Robs last name Zombie. 

Contents Page Analysis!
(couldn't get a photo as my copy had been drawn on)

Colour theme:
The colour theme for the contents page matched the colour of their logo so in this case red. This is a good way of linking the two pages together. The colour red also links with their chosen genre, heavy metal, as most people think red implies aggressiveness which is also the impression heavy metal music gives off. The background colour supports the idea of the colour scheme to symbolise the genre as its grey with an added effect to make it look like real metal.

Layout:
The layout on this contents page was set into two main columns, both the same size to make it look more professional and easier to read. In these columns they've headlined them features and regulars, this gives off the impression that costumers buy the magazine regularly so they understand what sort of things they include each week. This will look good for new costumers as they will think that the magazine is popular and worth buying as it must be good in order for costumers to buy it regularly. On the right hand side there is a separate column for the editors letter. This makes the readers feel that the editor wants a close connection with their readers and want to involve them in the magazine and update them with everything going on , the language they've used is informal and chatty. This makes the readers feel like they're talking directly to them in the same way they would to their friends.

Images:The images on this page are arranged on the right hand side in a block. The images are slightly overlapping each other, because of this technique it makes you look at the picture in order, it makes you look at the top image first then work your way down. By having all the images close together it makes the music they're representing seem more angry as most are dark images and positioned in a group.  On this images are the page numbers this makes the page look more interesting and breaks up the text rather than having to list down all the main articles. They've made the page numbers in order of when you look at each image. In other words the further down the page you look the further into the magazine the article is.
All of the images in this page are quite dark and the connotations given off reflects on the genre of music the magazine focus' on as its aggressive and seems almost dangerous . The images they've used are all of famous bands so the target audience automatically responds to this.

Double Page Spread:

Colour Scheme:
The colour scheme for this double page spread is quite dark and after reading the article I decided fits very well as the article talks about the struggles this band, Motorhead, had to tackle with.  This fits with the connotations of black such as depression, death and mystery. 

Image:
I think the image they’ve chosen represents the article extremely well due to the colour and editing. In the photo they’ve made the section around the jack Daniels bottles creating the illusion of being drunk. This then links with the article as he discusses about drinking. By editing the colour so it’s grey also reflects on the idea of it being in the past and how it was a struggle back then. As the connotations of grey suggests anxiety and fear. The fact he’s smoking in the photo could suggest he’s under a lot of stress which would influence readers to read the article and find out why. 
Unlike in most images we don’t have direct eye contact however we see his whole face in the mirror, this may suggest that he is hiding something that he might reveal in the article. This angle could also represent the genre of music as it makes him look dangerous and dark.

4. Magazine Analysis

Cover Page Analysis:

Posters:
Adding the extra posters influences buyers as it gives them something they can keep and use. The small previews of the posters show that they’re fairly rare photo shoots because they’re specifically designed for Halloween. The way they've positioned them makes the layout interesting as they’re crooked. The words they've used also impacts the Halloween theme by using the word ‘Spooktacular’ and placing it on a pumpkin

Masthead:
The masthead has been positioned in its usual place at the top and behind the main images head. They've used the same font as usual so it’s easily recognised.

Main Image:
The main image they've chosen for this front page shows that it’s a special edition to a usual one as its Halloween themed. This would influence readers to buy it as it would include special extras such as the posters. The picture they've chosen also links to their chosen music genre as the facial expression on Matt Tuckers face is slightly aggressive and looks like he’s shouting and being loud like the music

Colour Theme:
The colour theme for this issue was based around the Halloween theme therefore the colours they’ve chosen are red, black and orange. This helps sell the magazine as the time it was being sold most people would be shopping for Halloween items and those are the colours they’d be looking out for and would stand out to them.

Contents Page Analysis

Image:

The image on this page is based around the Halloween theme so they've made the image more simple to take the attention of the well-known band down to try and make the pumpkin the main focus. In order to do this they've dressed the band members in neutral, boring colours. Then chose a simple light background. The lighting of this image is really bright which is quite un-usual in a rock magazine but in this case it was effective as it contrasted again the pumpkin making it stand out more. This image also draws the readers in as each band member has direct eye contact.
Each band member has a different facial expression . This could have been done intentionally to show their own personalities this could make the readers want to find out more about the band and find out what they’re like.
In this magazine issue they've focused on a Halloween theme. They’ve managed to approach this by their choice of colour and images. For example in their main image on this page they've placed a pumpkin almost in the centre on the page, so this is one of the first things you see on the page as it contrasts against the dull colours the members of the band are wearing. The picture of the pumpkin makes the contents page has a strong link to the cover page. They've taken the pumpkin idea further on this page by making the colour scheme the same. They've used the orange on the main headlines with a black background behind it to make it stand out more and seem darker to fit the ‘scary’ theme.
Another way they’ve made this page Halloween themed and link with the cover page is the header background. The background looks like dripping blood; they used the same thing on the cover page. This then helps keep the theme flowing throughout the whole magazine which makes it look more professional 

 Editors message:

In this magazine they always include an editor’s message on the bottom left hand corner. I think this is good to have as it makes the readers feel that the editor wants a personal connection with them. The language he uses is informal and chatty which magnifies the idea of a personal connection as this technique makes it feel as if you are being spoken directly to as if you were a friend. This may influence the target audience to buy the magazine more as they feel like they are being treated individually and not just another costumer.

Theme:

In this magazine issue they’ve focused on a Halloween theme. They’ve managed to approach this by their choice of colour and images. For example in their main image on this page they’ve placed a pumpkin almost in the centre on the page, so this is one of the first things you see on the page as it contrasts against the dull colours the members of the band are wearing. The picture of the pumpkin makes the contents page has a strong link to the cover page. They’ve taken the pumpkin idea further on this page by making the colour scheme the same. They’ve used the orange on the main headlines with a black background behind it to make it stand out more and seem darker to fit the ‘scary’ theme.
Another way they’ve made this page Halloween themed and link with the cover page is the header background. The background looks like dripping blood; they used the same thing on the cover page. This then helps keep the theme flowing throughout the whole magazine which makes it look more professional 

Double Page Spread:

Image:
The image being used in this double page spread is effective as it interprets the genre and target audience as they’ve chosen to show the tattoos by taking of the top. The choice of lighting empathises this also because by making it very light the black tattoos contrasts against its causing it to stand out more. Young Guns are also a popular band among the genre so the target audience automatically recognises who it is increasing their interest The eye contact in this image is very strong as his eyes are positioned where your eyes fall on the page. Also his eyes are very bright and as there is very little colour on this double page spread it stands out and grabs the reader’s attention.
This image is very affective at tying the two pages together as the positioning of the photo over laps the two pages.