Production Log

I have started to make my magazine by firstly, taking photo's for my front cover and contents page.

I've also thought of a name Crescendo and found a font which looks appropriate for my classical crossover magazine.

I've also started to create my front cover with my favourite photo of my model - its a working progress.

Photo shoot plan

People - My friend Sophie Poduval

Location: the woods outside college - kind of nature inspired.

Props: An instrument of some kind... guitar or violin maybe..?

Time line

Weekend 22 - 24th January: MUST take millions of photographs for magazine, including front cover, contents page and everything else!!!



Deadline for photos: Monday 25th jan!! (only got a few photos, will take the camera out again this weekend)



Week beginning: 25th Jan - Start sketching

Friday 29th - by this time I will have made good progress with my sketching and will have put on it my blog.

By Friday 5th Feb - EVERYTHING WILL BE DONE! :D

Final Mood Board

Audience Research: Results

To get my results I posted my mood board on Facebook and people to comment on it, asking them questions like what colours work together? Would you assiociate classical music with this?

Emma Harrison
I would associate classical music with this kind of image. Mostly upper class people would buy this magazine, or people who are just interested in this genre of music. In your magazine you should write about new artists in this genre, but also old songs that readers would also be interested in. :)

Sarah Oliver
1. i would associate this with either classical music, or a dinnertime entertainment selection (romantic).2. posh, upperclasss, sofisticated people who listen to classical/romantic music.3.i think that in your magazine you should do some articles, on newcoming but also the idols and inspirations of new people. perhaps on young/old and focus on onee? :)

Alex Redmond
1. Mainstream commercialised classical music - they sexed them up to appeal to a younger audience.2. 20-40 year old women who are ignorant to non-mainstream classical music. Aspirers and traditionalists.3. Fonts, how the photographs are taken (they've sexed them up!).

Steph Hilton-Turvey
You can tell straight away that the genre is classical due to the particular images chosen. I imagine the type of person to buy this magazine would be quite well-off, maybe a slightly older age range of 20 and above? Mainly upperclass people would be interested int his genre. You could maybe chose a big star, like a really famous operatic singer, ... See Moreand write about what they're up to at the moment, maybe interview. Or maybe write about/interview a musician who was like a child prodigy and see how they're getting on etc. That's the kind of thing I'm thinking.

Audience Profile

My magazine is going to be a classical music magazine so my audience is going to be a little different to say, Kerrang magazine.
At first, I've been a little sterotypical with my generalisation of my audience for this magazine, basically thinking that classical music listeners were over the age of 40 and no lower.
However, looking more at Classic FM website and there magazines, I've come to realise that classical music listeners have quite a large age range, from early 30's (possibly late 20's) to the more older generation.
From the language and images used in the magazine and on the website, I can establish that my audience is going to be a little different, as I want my magazine to appeal to the more classical crossover type music rather than the traditional stuff.
The current classical music magazines tend to stick with the traditional music like Handel for example, my magazine will be about classical crossover vocalists and instrumentalists.

So I would like my magazine to be more like Classic FM in a crossover sense and less like a more serious magazine like Gramophone for example.

I've also included a picture of what my target audience would look like:

Distribution

There is a bit of difference between major and independent distribution strategies of magazines in the UK. Major companies like Frontline are defiantly more mainstream by selling and distributing loads of its partner’s titles. Frontlines partners are BBC, Bauer and Haymarket and they sell and distribute their magazines for them. These magazines (or products) will be things like Heat and TV Quick. Its distribution strategy is by selling the magazines to large retailers like Tesco and Sainsbury’s but there aren’t any other platforms to access like the brand like the internet. Also there audience is very mainstream, magazines they sell and distribute like Kerrang focus on a mainstream genre of music and this will affect there production strategy by selling to big stores.
The independent distribution is a lot different where as their strategy is selling to a few specialists’ shops rather than Morrison’s and a few people working in an office than a larger corporation.

BBC Music: Detailed Research

BBC Music is a little different to Classic FM’s magazine, but not all that different.
The layout is pretty much exactly the same, the font is quite italic and traditional and the colour scheme is the same red, black and white. However, the red on the front cover is different as it’s more of a scarlet red than a pinkie red like Classic FM.
Another recurring trend with these classical magazines is using young attractive women on the cover. I think that they do this to add glamour and style to classical music and to give it a wider appeal to a wider audience. Young girls will aspire to be as successful and talented as these women which I think is a good thing.
I seem to notice that a lot of violinists appear in these magazines, and I think it’s down to the instrument they play. Violin is a very difficult instrument to play and anyone successful in doing so will be recognised. This has already given me an idea for the cover of my magazine, somebody posing with a violin so looking at these magazines has been useful.

Finished detailed research

Detailed Magazine Research

Classic FM doesn’t have a wider appeal than for example NME. The music played on their radio station, would appeal to an older generation of the public in my opinion. I could be completely wrong however; there might be hundreds of teenagers listening to it. But they wouldn’t be telling their mates.
The magazine itself is quite…posh? Sophisticated? I don’t really know the right words to describe it. Looking at the layout it is very streamlined and clean-cut. The articles are pretty much all the same; they all look at classical music – new and old, there a lot of reviews of albums and composers. Plus, a regular feature is interviews with classical stars provide new interest for the reader.
I do think this magazine is dominated by young, attractive women such as Myleene Klass who often appear on the cover, and for this particular issue are actually guest editor. Also on the cover pictures they are always smiling, whereas on a rock magazine for example, the artists or models are scowling and looking moody.I should mention the colour scheme which is a classic look of red, black and white print. The red however, isn’t a scarlet red but a kind of pinky red which is quite gentle.