Double Page Spread Development and Finished Article

Below I have posted a few different versions of my double page spread. The first image shows a work in progress mock up while the second image shows the finished article. My magazine stays faithful to my original design that I created although I did make some developments. For the second version I spaced out the text in order to align the columns up correctly in order to make the main body of text look more structured. I also added some finishing touches such as the page number in the bottom left corner. Originally I was only going to have the red and blue colors on the 3D title as they matched the 3D glasses presented in the picture. I decided to add this effect to the pull quote in addition to the quotation marks as well in order to maintain a sense of color consistency. I also moved the writing credit and subhead text in order to fill out the blank space more effectively.  For the final finished edition I added the logo of the magazine to the bottom of the page in order to keep it consistent with the other pages.

Development version 1 

Development version 2

 

Finished version

 

 

Double Page Spread Article Draft and Flat Plan

For my double page spread I had to write up a draft article that will feature on my double page spread. I decided to base the article around the theme of three-dimensional music videos as this links with the 3D glasses that were  used as a prop for my photo-shoot.  Below I have pasted a JPEG of the article that I typed up on Microsoft Word. 

I have also created a mock up flat plan for my double page spread design. I created this rough design in PowerPoint and I will use it as a guide when I start to create my magazine on InDesign. I was inspired by the Scarlett Johansson NME cover which I analyzed earlier when conducting my research. I decided to follow the general convention of having the main image take up half of the page and have the columns of text sitting next to it. Due to the model leaning to the right I should have enough space to put a pull quote in-between the columns of text and the picture. This should be useful as it will help to attract the audience’s attention.

Double Page Spread Adobe Photoshop Editing

I decided that I wanted to use this photograph as the main graphic on my double page spread. I loaded it into Adobe Photoshop in order to start editing it to make it more suitable. I started out by removing the blue screen background using the polygonal lasso tool and then I color corrected the outer edges in order to get rid of the residue. I also had to manually remove the blue background that appeared in the gap between the glasses and his finger tips because the smart radius could not detect this automatically. After I had finished removing the background I applied a quick color correction filter in order to get the contrast right although form a distance it has not made that much of a difference. I did not make any dramatic changes as I was pretty happy with how the image turned out initially. Below I have posted the original photograph and the edited version.

Before

After

Double Page Spread Photoshoot

I created a contact sheet on Adobe Photoshop with all of the photos that I took during the photo-shoot. I then selected three of the best photos which I will edit on Adobe Photoshop and use for my double page spread.

I like this photo because the focus is very clear and clean. In terms of composition the model is angled to the right of this medium close up shot and he is looking directly at the camera. I think this photo would be suitable for a double page spread as it almost looks like he is starring at the reader of the magazine. The pose is also interesting as the finger tips on the edge of the 3D glasses are a nice subtle gesture that adds a bit of action to the image. In terms of space there is plenty of room on the left and right for me to cut him out of the background in Adobe Photoshop. The top of the image is a bit marginal but it should be fine if I'm careful when positioning the picture on the page.

This image has an interesting dynamic due to the model kneeling down on one leg. I had another image taken from the same angle put I preferred this version because you can see the models eyes peering over the frames of the glasses. This give the image a personal touch as in the other image all you can see is the blue and red filters. There is a clear line that differentiates his outline from the blue screen behind so it should be easy to remove the background without much residue. However, I might need to work on the color contrast in Adobe Photoshop as the positioning of the light has caused parts of his blonde hair to turn white.

I picked this medium shot as it offers a view from a distance as we more of his body is visible tan in the two photos. There is a lot of space around the person which would make it pretty easy for me to cut him out. This gives the image a lot of versatility and it could easily feature on my contents page if I don't use it in my double page spread.

Photoshoot: Equipment List and Health and Safety

Before I started the photo-shoot I wrote a list of all the equipment that I would need to carry out this task. I typed this up on Microsoft Word and I have embedded it below.

 

When planning my music magazine photo-shoot I had to take many different risks into account. I had to be very careful with the industrial lighting equipment because the bulbs built up a lot of temperature very quickly.  I had to be careful when positing the lights and the model to ensure that they were not blinded by the really bright light given off by the bulb. The support legs on the lamps were also very small so we were careful not to navigate near them after they were set up in order to reduce the risk of them being knocked over.  

 

 This is an photo of me attaching the trip pod square base to the camera while the photo-shoot is being set up

I checked the camera numerous times to ensure that it was safely secured to the tripod. This was to ensure that it wouldn’t fall on the floor as I didn’t want to damage the equipment or for it to land on the feet of anybody who was unlucky enough to be standing nearby. When I used the camera for handheld shots I also ensured that I was wearing the neck strap when taking the photos as this acted as a safety net in the event that I dropped it(which fortunately did not happen during the shoot).

Jonas can be seen here in the background modelling a pair of 3D glasses for my double page  spread while I focus the camera.

Researching Photography for Music Magazines

I went and researched  different music photographers in order to have at how they compose their shots. For this task I looked at three specific photographers sand they were Pat Pope, Nick Pickles and Samantha Marble.  I wrote a brief description about each photographer and their individual achievements as well as showing a few examples of their work. I decided to present this research as a Prezi and I have embedded it below.

Music Magazine Artist Collage

On PowerPoint I made a collage featuring the type of music artists and groups who would appear in the sort of magazine that I am trying to produce. For this collage I focussed on Take That and Oasis as two famous British pop boy bands and also I had a look at Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams who are international artist who regularly chart well in the UK.

Magazine Article Research

I went and researched some key terminology for magazine design . Below I have picked out some key words and written a short definition for each one.

I also wanted to have a look at an existing double page spread. Below I have annotated a double page spread from the British NME magazine. I also picked out a few features such as the use of colour and the consistency in the page design and analysed them in a paragraph.

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