FOUNDATION PRODUCTION PLANNING

1. FOUNDATION PRODUCTION PLANNING BY SANDRA AGGREY

2. FOUNDATION PRODUCTIONPLANNING • Proposal • Draft layouts • Draft fonts • Photos and their stages of manipulation • Your knowledge of similar bands • Your target audience • The style look etc that you hoped to achieve

3. PROPOSAL The music genre that my magazine will be based on is R&B/ soul music. However compared to the typical connotations of an R&B magazine, mine will be very different as it will have less of a hard hip-hop edge and will lean more to a soft soulful sound. I was initially aiming towards making a pop magazine but I decided against it as I wanted to do something poles apart that would challenge me. I know that doing an R&B/soul magazine will be a risk and challenge as there are not many out there to base my magazine n but this will also be an advantage for me as it will make my magazine more unique. My magazine will be aimed at dedicated fans of R&B music between the ages of 15 and 21 who will be interested in keeping up to date with their favourite artists as well as be aware of any up and coming artists. The magazine will be relatable to both male and females due to its context but gear mostly towards females as it has a softer feel. I would like my magazine to be sold in most big name stores like WH Smiths as well as all local newsagents to make it easily available to people, as from past experience I know how hard it can be to find the right magazine for you in local stores. TITLE OPTIONS: • Feel The Rhythm • The Beat • Exclusive • Faith • Eternity • Angel The current artists that may be featured in my magazine and I will use as inspiration include: Alicia Keys, Leona Lewis, Chris Brown, Trey Songz, Mary J Blidge, Keri Hilson, Neyo, Drake, Mariah Carey just to name a few. All these artists portray the type of music I aim to have my magazine based around. TOPICS THAT MAY BE INCLUDED IN M YMAGAZINE: • Competitions for a meet and greet with a favourite artist • Make up/style tips to look like your favourite artist • A day in the life of... • Interviews • New artists: 5 facts, mini biography, fun quiz( likes and dislikes) • Artist of the month • Top ten R&B/Soul hits • Quizzes- what R&B/Soul queen are you like?, Which R&B star would you date? Etc • Song reviews by the fans • Latest music news POETENTIAL COLOUR SCHEME: • Gold and Black • Sea Blue and Black • Purple and Black

4. DRAFT LAYOUTS The following layouts are the basis of how I want my magazine to be constructed and formatted. CONTENTS PAGE IMAGE IMAGE IMAGE IMAGE FRONT PAGE

5. DRAFT LAYOUTS DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD IMAGE IMAGE QUOTE IMAGE IMAGE

6. DRAFT FONTS How did your parents take it when you told them that you were serious about becoming a singing? (Laughs) i don’t think they really believed me, they probably thought i was just going through a phase because the day before, I think i told them i wanted to be an actress. My dad was the one who really encourage me especially when he got really ill when i was about 15. I remember telling him that i wanted to focus on him getting better rather than being a singer. But he just kept on telling to focus on me and that seeing and hearing me sing brought him joy. From then on I have never stopped singing and although my dad is still ill, he seems to be getting a little bit better every day. He seems to be enjoyin’ my sudden hit of fame more than me (laughs) especially the freebies and gifts I give him. (DokChampa) “BE YOU” is a non- profitable youth programme which helps young people build up on their musical talent as a form of distraction towards any issues in their personal lives . “BE YOU” is unlike any other music charity as it is mainly run by professionals like Russell Taylor who is the big name behind the success of artists like Aysia King and Estelle but to name a few. It’s also the biggest in the UK with almost 300 young people signing up each year to either of our main headquarters in Central London and Manchester. What’s more we offer the chance for each young person to show-off their skills at a big event held at indigo 02 in Greenwich, London at the end of the year. The live event also includes guest speakers in the form of high profile names who give advice on how to break the music industry. In the past we have had former students Aysia King and Estelle come and speak. Now that the scheme has become a huge success in the UK, with many famous names on our list of credits, we plan on taking it stateside, so watch this space for worldwide denomination! EXCERPTS FROM DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD What age did you start singing? Every since I learned to talk, there are home videos of me singing along to the teletubies theme tune (laughs) but could really hold a decent tune when I was about 7 or 8, that’s when I became serious about it. Wow, you were brought up with good musical taste, who are you a huge fan of now? That is a really hard question for me..... there are a lot of great artists. As far as who I’m lovin’, I’d say.... Lady Gaga. She is just amazing! I’ve seen her perform live and I never really expected what I saw, she sounds really incredible live- her vocal range unbelievable. In terms of the RnB artists out there, I would have to say Keri Hilson or Alicia Keys. I admire everything about them from their style to their musical talent.

7. THE STYLE/LOOK I HOPED TO ACHIEVE:

8. ANALYSIS OF TWO FRONT COVER MAGAZINES The magazine title “VIBE” has many connotations, for example , a feeling or an atmosphere. It might be called this to suggest that the genre of music discussed gives the particular target audience a special kind of feeling. It also shows that the magazine is only exclusive to their audience of R&B and Hip-Hop fans and that there is a connection between the two as the magazine aims to relate to its niche market. The buyers of the magazine remain loyal and dedicated to sticking with the magazine. The way she is dressed would also attract readers as it is quite casual and laid back, she is not wearing a formal gown, and so woman in particular can relate to this as she is keeping true to her image and not conforming to the “celebrity image” world. This could also be the reason why the magazine editors deliberately chose not to use a typical skinny model but a celebrity who has been known for weight problems. The purpose of having an image on the front cover is to make the magazine more attractive and to also relate to audiences of a specific kind. This magazine cover uses Janet Jackson on its front cover as a famous artist. This will also bring in new audiences who are fans of her but have never read this magazine before. For example Janet Jackson may have many pop or rock fans that would turn to read this R&B/ Hip-Hop magazine just because she is on the front cover. The target audience of this magazine is mainly represented towards R&B/ Hip-Hop music fans (depicted through the artists mentioned). Also as the magazine is based in America, it also targets the youth of America between the ages of 16 and 23 who may mainly be of black ethnicity.

9. CONNOTATIONS/ DENNOTATIONS • Camera- no privacy, invasion, • “Exposed”- embarrassing, bare, real • “Wild Night”- exciting, dangerous, chaotic, fun, freedom • “History”- past, background, old, forgotten • Paparazzi – ruthless, hounding, annoying • “Untold story”- hidden, secret, lies • Mouth open- surprised, shocked, unconventional (not smiling or pouting) • Hand near crutch area- sexual, intimate • Bracelets- feminine, girly, image • Blue- calm, sea, fresh • “Seduction”- flirty, This front cover could also be quite controversial in the way she is posing with her hands in her trousers as it could give off the wrong connotations of this magazine being quite sexual and seductive and not really about the music which could alienate readers who are hardcore music fans.

10. The title of this lifestyle magazine is “Glamour” which also has many connotations attached with it. For example it gives the impression that it is aimed at women and those who take pride in their appearance and are glamorous. Also as the word “Glamour” is in pink letters, this gives the impression that it is aimed at females as this is a girly colour which is often associated with females. The focal images on both front pages differ enormously from each other. To start off with their races are different meaning both target different ethnicities. Furthermore in terms of clothing, the two females are styled differently perhaps deliberately as a way to relate to their target audiences. For example on this magazine, she is wearing what seems to be a glamorous dress which gives the impression that this magazine is of a high standard and aims to target women with their same sense of style and class. This magazine cover does its best not to alienate most of its readers but interact with them more. For example by advertising 20% off selected stores such as “Oasis” and “Office” which they know their audience of predominantly females who are fashion/style conscious would be interested in finding out more. The names of the different stores are in upper case lettering, and white which makes it stand out on the page and pop out to a potential buyer when they first look at it.

11. On “Glamour” magazine she is hardly posing, it is very subtle, she looks relaxed and serene, whereas Janet Jackson on “VIBE” magazine in posing in quite a seductive way. • CONNOTATIONS/ DENNOTATIONS • “Looks”- beauty, make- up, fake, self- image, shallow • “Nightmare”- scary, fantasy, another world, not real, dream, • “All sizes welcome!”- inviting, non judgemental, universal • Exclusive- private, special, intimate • Different shops ( Dorothy Perkins, Warehouse, Wallis etc) - female, fashion, image, stereotype, typical, • Male- opposite, masculine, strong, • “Stalker”- persisting, intruder, invasion, obsessed • “Weight”- image, self- conscious, diet, issues, unhappy • “advice”- helpful, reassuring, • “No-Bull”- straight to the point, serious, truthful • “Your body”- health, looks, unhappy, self-conscience, female, intimate, private, precious Provides a human insight into her life as she discusses her weight, which most women can relate to having issues with so they would be more inclined to buy it for this purpose. Intended for women and targets them in different ways. This heading on the front of the magazine draws other women who may not be avid magazines readers in as it shows that they are successful in catering to the needs of women.

12. POTENTIAL POSES To help me with the photo shoot, I have researched different poses from various female artists intended for the artists featured in my magazine (in particular my female solo artist).

13. As the original image’s exposure was too dark, I decided to edit the image by increasing the brightness and adjusting the contrast so that it fit the image perfectly. For the finishing touches, I cropped the image so that part of the bus in the background couldn’t be seen.

14. I thought that this particular picture of my main artist would look unique and interesting in a black and white, so I added this effect to the image. It makes the image look like an old photograph. I cropped the image slightly and expanded it so that it could appear more zoomed in. I chose to keep the people and chairs in the background so that the image appeared more realistic like she was in her own world but still based in an everyday setting.

15. WHO WOULD MAKE THE MAGAZINE? WHO WOULD SELL IT?BIG MAJORS OR SMALL INDEPENDENTS • What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? Through my research beforehand I found that magazines of this genre were rare and not presented enough through mainstream stores but only scarcely seen within small newsagents in certain areas, even these magazines tend to be American focused. for these reasons I would like my magazine to be distributed in supermarkets and newsagent chains so as not to alienate any readers and show that in fact RnB is becoming more widespread but needs the push by the major media institutions to effectively do so.