Final Two

Here are the final two pictures in the short-list for my front cover image:

Both of these images will need a little bit of editing so that they suit the style and genre of my magazine. I briefly started a little attempt on the first image and this is how it looks now:

The editing on this image gives it a much darker, harder look. I was hoping to make it this way as Metal and Rock music match this sort of grunge, dark style.

Cover Photo Finals

The photos in this post are the ones that I have chosen to put into the short-list to being my final cover photo.

The one below is one of my finals as I like the direct address and the lighting is focused on him. His dark clothes suit the profile for one of my typical readers, however his facial expression could be more serious.

 When taking the photo above, we had a lot of fun playing around with shadows, however without the correct lighting, my camera would not focus properly, producing a rather blurred photo.

 This is quite a playful picture, however I may not use it as it does not suit the style/genre of my magazine.

 The one above is one of my favourites and may be used as my final front cover image. With a little bit of editing I can make it suitable for the style of my magazine.

Photo Shoot

Here are some pictures from my photo shoot I did with my friends band.

 The ones above and below quite good, straight on shots. The lighting was a bit of a problem but it couldn't be helped at the time.

 These two shots are quite interesting as you can see the person, and their shadow. However, due to the lighting my camera wouldn't focus properly.

 I am quite happy with the photo above as it is very vibrant and good quality. Even though he isn't directly addressing the camera, I think the way he is looking down is quite cool.

Framing and Angle

Research

In Mr Murphy's lesson we discussed different types of shots and angles when shooting a video.

Framing

• Establishing shot - sets the scene
• Wide shot - small object of character is a small part of the scene
• Long shot - closer to the person, less of the setting
• Three-quater shot - most of the persons body
• Mid/medium shot - shows the waist and upwards of the person
• Medium close up - shows the persons features and expressions
• Close up - the face, sometimes the shoulders
• Big close up - looks at the emotions of the person, hides the setting
• Extreme close up - shows some of the face, e.g. the eyes

Angle

• High angle - above the person, can create a sense of vulnerability
• Low angle - looking up to the person, can create a sense of power
• Birdseye view - directly above the scene
• Canted angle - everything is on an angle, can make things look odd
• Wide angle - can see a lot of the scene, can create a dramatic feeling
• Shallow focus - only part of the scene is in focus, e.g. over the shoulder shots

House Style Ideas

House style for my magazine

For my house style I will need to choose a colour scheme that looks good and will suit the style of the magazines contents and its readers.

For example, my style model - Kerrang! has a very simple house style, but can be changed when doing special editions of the magazine such as a christmas edition etc. Here is a normal, weekly edition of Kerrang!

The masthead is the usual black colour with Kerrang!'s unique font. The usual articles with the main coverline in the middle are the focal point of this cover. The usual cover photo of a band in the background with their name as a banner going across the page.

Below is an example of a special edition of the magazine that shows how it changes from its norm to fit the event such as christmas:

As you can see, the usual black masthead has been changed to the colour red in the theme of christmas. All of the articles are in some way christmas related but still relevant to the music, e.g. "Metal up your Xmass" and "Xmas dinner rock ruck". All of these lines relate to the christmas theme, yet still stays to the style of music in the magazine: Rock/Metal.

For my magazine I will probably be using black as one of my main colours, because it is used on most metal/rock magazines. Another colour I may use is red because it contrasts well with the black and it is a nice bright colour. I will review my decisions when it comes down to the final design.

My Cover Photo Plan

Cover Photo

For my front cover, I have a few ideas as to what I think my readers will want to see on the front of my magazine. I will organise a day where I can go and photograph my friends band at their practice area.

I know what kind of image I want as the front cover and how it will be presented.

With 5 people in the band, I have decided to go with the generic pose and put the front man centre and the other members stood slightly behind and to the side of the front man. I will not be using any make-up as I don't think the boys need to wear make-up for the shoot.

Here is an example for how I want the band members to stand:

This is one of my ideas for the stance of the band members. The reason I would like them to stand like this is because you can see all members, even though the focus is slightly more on the frontman (Josh Franceschi), the other band members are still clearly seen. This created a sense of togetherness, and the fans will not be disappointed that it is all focused on the frontman.

Here is another example of a cover photo:

This is the cover for one of Metallica's albums (Garage Inc.) However, this image does not follow the norm. Most bands seem to focus on the frontman, whereas in this image it is actually the bass player (Jason Newsted) that is the main focal point. Yes, the other band members are in the picture, they just aren't as forward as Jason is in this image.

In comparison, here is another photo of Metallica for another album:

In this image, all of the band members are the focal point instead of just one. However, instead of following the norm, the frontman (James Hetfield) is off to the side of the image, instead of in the centre. I will be using all of these images when taking my final cover photo.

Cover Images Research

In order to plan my own cover image, I have researched some other magazine covers of the same style. The magazine cover examples have researched are Kerrang! Rocksound and Q.

I plan to use my friends band, with 5 members.

Here of some examples of cover photos that may influence my photos:

Each of these covers are well suited to the amount of band members I will be using for my shoot. Each magazine has a different camera angle, lighting, position of the band members, clothing, make-up.

For my cover photo, I will need minimal to no make-up as all of the band members are male. I have a few ideas as to how I will position them all and what style of clothing they will be wearing. As of right now, I am still unsure on the background of the image and things like lighting and photoshopping. All will be sorted out in the next few weeks and I will plan for us to all get together and I will take a few shots here and there with my camera.