FABYAN MEDIA STUDIES A LEVELS
2022/2023
MAGAZINE GENRE
Before starting on making my magazine, I have to decide on a genre. As for that, I have opted to make a magazine documenting the local music scene in Brunei Darussalam following an up-and-coming band known as Chlorine which I am apart of.
I chose this genre as music is the number 1 thing that I am passionate about and that this is a subject that is most familiar to myself and would have no issue talking about it in my double-page spread. Furthermore, there is a lack of representation of people in the creative scene in mainstream media in this country. As for that, I feel obligated to at least try to give a voice to this niche to inspire others.
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TARGET AUDIENCE
People who are passionate about music don't really have an age to them but what I notice is that it takes quite a bit of curiosity motivation for someone to tap into the local music scene. A lot the youth in Brunei normally listen to western music and most of the time avoid listening to local music as they already expect it to be bad.
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To combat this, music featured in the magazine has to be hand-picked and have an 'unexpected type of sound a local band should have'. This can appeal to young adults [14 years above].
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My magazine should be sold in leading local bookstores and have a dedicated place for locally published magazines so that people don't really have to look that hard for local music as it has a designated place for it.
MAGAZINE RESEARCH ANALYSIS
To properly craft a magazine, I have to familiarize myself with what makes a magazine a magazine. For that, I have to study the parts and conventions of magazines. This in turn can make it easier for me as I can follow a formula whilst not stressing in coming up with new ideas or thinking outside the box.
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I have decided to conduct research on a magazine named Thrasher Magazine and its house-style and why I like it. House-style is the manner in which a company prefers to present their magazine and their layout. This is one of the ways that a magazine makes itself identifiable by the people and most of the time, when people are asked why they like a magazine they usually unconsciously describe their house-style.
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Here are examples of Thrasher Magazine covers:
Normally photos that are used for their covers have bombastic angles that are low and have a very wide field of view that is achieved by using a fisheye lens. For photos taken from afar, the photographer normally use a telephoto lens. Most of the time, the subject of the cover is featured because of their skill in tackling massive obstacles or pioneering a style or a movement.
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I find that the magazine doesn't really have a specific colour palette that they prefer to follow. The reason for this is that the main focus is documenting the skateboarder's achievement which is spontaneously captured.
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Thrasher magazine doesn't discriminate with age as the skateboarder's featured are only judged by their skill and and the story they have to tell. Children, teenagers, adults and even the elderly can have a chance to be on the cover of Thrasher magazine.
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magazine house-style
cover page
masthead
main image
cover lines
bar code, date line & price
featured article
The purpose of a magazine cover is to create a first impression that can spark curiosity to the viewer that it makes them want to look inside. The reason for this curiosity might be the colour scheme, the beauty of the model, the story, the reputation, the creative direction, bombastic camera angles and more.
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The cover also acts like a trailer for a movie which teases the audience for what is to come. It has to be eye-catching, interesting and maintain the attention span of the viewer to garner excitement or hype.
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This is why I consider the magazine cover to be one of the most important factors of a magazine. It is what makes it sell as most people judge by first impressions and that some people purchase magazines just for the cover so presentation has to be excellent.
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masthead
Thrasher is the name of the magazine. The masthead is carefully crafted to represent the brand using colours, fonts, logos, images and more. It is important for the design to be unique to seperate them from their competitors. The Thrasher logo uses a font known as Banco font created by Roger Excoffon in 1951 France.
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Based on what I've read from switchmagazine.com, the Thrasher logo represents freedom, rebellion and resistance. The cult status it has has led to its commodification through fashion trends. The meaning is lost when it is treated like this.
featured article
Featured article is normally more detailed than the others. It documents the subject on the cover. The indication that this is the main article is that they designed a logo on the name of the article to make it stand out from the cover lines.
cover lines
Cover lines promote the content inside the magazine which is normally just the names of the articles that are put in the front cover. It also gives further context of what the magazine is about. The names on the article can also catch the attention of the reader as they could already be familiar with it which urges them to dive deeper.
barcode, price line, date line
Barcodes are scannable lines of varying width that stores product information [price, description and such] which is important for tracking of inventory. The date line shows when the magazine is issued. The price line is for the buyer to see so that they don't have to ask assistance to know the price.
main image
The main image shows the subject [Jamie Foy] doing a front crook down El Toro, a famous set of stairs where skateboarders come to prove their skill and be a known figure in the community. It also shows the extreme dedication that Jamie Foy has into committing to the trick. One's character and backstory has to be documented in an article for achieving such a feat as skill is just a mere fraction of what you need to tackle such an obstacle.
contents page
extra descriptions
main image
credits
title
The contents page gives a designated place for the reader to refer to the contents so that it is easy for them to look for any specific articles that they are looking for. I like that they put an image in there as it fills up the page nicely and that the sky in the photo blends in with the colour of the page.
double page spread
The double page spread is a page layout typically used for main articles in magazines. My favourite thing about this double page spread is that the whole photo is extended to the next page acting as a background. One sentence in the article says ''the faster you go, the slower time ticks''. This sentence is emphasized by the blurry image that is resulted from the slow shutter speed of the camera which implies that the subject is going fast.
PRE-PRODUCTION PLANNING
Now, I have done sufficient research to start planning on the production of the magazine itself. This will act as a digital notebook or diary for me to put in my ideas in an organized manner so that I can refer to it during the production of the magazine.
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The contents I will put in here are :
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- Magazine name
- Research on poses/camera shots/angles
- Props and Equipment
- Photoshoot schedule
- Magazine layout
magazine content
magazine name
A potential name for my magazine [masthead] would be Diatonic Magazine as a reference to my favourite musical scale to improvise on which is the diatonic arpeggio scale. I think it sounds cool but it might be a little complicated and esoteric as the people who only get the reference are musicians. I actually wanted to abbreviate the masthead to be DT magazine so it will be easier to say but unfortunately it was already taken.
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research on poses/camera shots/angles
I'm planning for my photos to look diffused with a green tint but at the same time look vibrant as well. The look will be similar to rave photos from the 90s combined with the Wong Kar Wai film look. Some photos would also have a subtle of motion blur in them from slow-shutter speed as to indirectly describe the band's sound as hazy and dreamlike. Here are some examples:
diffusion
motion-blur
colours
Angles wise, I would just shoot from any angle and cover as many types as I can but the most important one would be the close-up shot or a medium shot showing another band member behind the subject. As for poses, I avoid being too particular as I tend to disappoint myself with the result. Luckily, taking photos of bands is not really all that difficult as they already look cool playing their instruments so I can just take candid photos of them. All that is left to take care of is the choice of clothes and mise-en-scene.
magazine layout
One thing you should know about me is that I'm not much of a planner so almost everything I do is spontaneous. I prefer this way as it doesn't restrict my creativity and that due to past experiences, plans always disappoint me. Because of this, the sketch of my magazine layout will be very basic and the final product would be quite different. So, this is what I have at the moment.
magazine cover:
thumbnail pictures or cover lines
barcode
subject
thumbnail pictures or cover lines
Since the photos are gonna be candid, the background will likely be a bit cluttered so, anywhere that is cluttered will be covered by thumbnail photo or cover lines.
contents page:
credits
headline
image
page number
articles
The contents page will be inspired by paint catalogues as their layouts are very simple and classy. The extra image is put there to further give context to the audience and to make the page more fuller. The dummy headlines will just be inside jokes phrased as magazine articles.
double-page spread:
The article will explore the band's origins, the status, evolution of sound and more through interviews from members of the band conducted by myself.
photoshoot schedule
Using the information gathered, I can now schedule a photoshoot with the band.
mise-en-scene
We plan to rent out a studio in Tanjung Bunut called Chorz as the place has got moody lighting and I figured that it would be easier to edit the background and also the place looks a bit more like a small gig venue. The disadvantage is that we could only jam for 2 hours which is a really short time and for $22 which is quite expensive.
props
- guitars
- bass
- drums
- synthesizer
- guitar pedals
equipment used
my dad's Canon Eos
