DRAFT - Question 5

I engaged my audience with a variety of methods, In order to have done this successfully; I had to preliminary research into what captivates my chosen audience type. For an innovative in inspiring magazine, I had to consider elements such as; the images, the colour schemes, particular models used and the accumulation of the pages that combine to create a unique magazine.

For my magazine, I chose a very simplistic house colour theme, with just black and white. However with such a basic colour scheme this allowed me to attract the attention to my models face which is covered in multi-coloured chalk. I believe that the colourful feature of her face and wildness of her hair connotes her breaking away from the conventions of society (Black and white) and the multicolours colour shows her own individual style. On my cover and contents, the colour feature is more flamboyant which will attract my target market, in comparison to the image used for my double page spread, but the house theme is present throughout.

The choice of images and how they are framed also add to the overall neatness and presentation of the magazine. My images have no borders because the page already has a large border, so I was careful to not overcomplicate the delicate page and to still have an aspect of simplicity present. This allowed the finish product to look neat and professional. When taking the photos, I used the studio and three lights, which allowed me to be able to control the amount of light in each image. It also allowed me to experiment with ideas to see which ones looked better. I used a Nikon D300 to take the images, and dressed my model in clothes chosen by myself to ensure that they fitted the genre of my magazine, as well as enrapture the audience’s attention. I purposely chose indie clothes for my model to wear as this would attract followers of indie culture, who make up a large percentage of my audience.

After producing research into my chosen target market, I found that being aesthetically different was a crucial factor that is presented widely amongst indie magazines. I made this element one of the most important as it was key to captivating my audience to maximum potential, showing and range of skills and abilities.

During the production of my final project, I took nearly 600 photos, with a range of poses and styles which I experimented with a the shoot progressed. I found this part quite challenging and finding the perfect combination of pose, lighting, angle and shutter speed was something that consumed a large amount of time, but was crucial. I then had to choose the pictures which portrayed my intent. once narrowed down, I chose two for my contents and front cover that had my model engaging with the audience. The shots I used were mid shots and had the perfect amount of light to make them look professional. I believe that the image I chose would connote a very strong feeling of independence and individuality, and this would leave an consumer intrigued, causing them to pick it up to read. Each photo was quite casual to suggest that she is a relaxed person, but still projecting the feel of unconventionalism.