Dps article

Just an average rainy day in England, driving to the airport to pick his daughter up is where it all went wrong for Hermione Haynes’ father 18 months ago. For the first time the lovely Hermione has opened up to us about the tragedy of her father’s death. As the whole nation knows the wonderful Hermione took a yearlong break from the music industry due to the loss of her father and this is how the incident affected her life.  ‘Of course the death hit the whole family very hard, but no one as hard as my Mum and I, Jesus it hit us like a truck. I don’t think my Mum will ever get over this, he was her everything, I doubt she’ll find what they had ever again even if she’s still quite young’. It’s evident that the death has hurt them all but Hermione blames herself an awful lot, of course she should not do that and her family is always telling her this.

She was always very close to her father and sadly 18 months ago he passed away, however she has not let this stop her Hermione is back, bigger and better than ever before. She is bringing out an album with all completely new songs, its set to sell better than any of her other albums, we decided to ask her about the year she took off and the inspirations for her new album, this is what she told us, ‘The year I took off was not time I spent enjoying or as a holiday, it was a really hard time not just for me but for my family too. This sounds really cliché but losing my Dad did inspire me, the music might not all be about losing someone but he definitely inspired the new music.’ 

We learned from some of the questions we asked her that her whole family were very close knit and the loss has separated the family. Her father was her original inspiration for music as it is, when she was only 3 years old her fathered bought her the first guitar she ever had and that was when she fell in love with music. She learnt to play the guitar to an amazing standard when she was a young 9 years old, won her first competition when she was 11, was in her first band at 17 and now at 26 she’s one of the most successful female rock artists in the UK.

So how does she feel about all these achievements? ‘To be honest when I was growing up I had stereotypical aspirations, especially for a girl, I wanted to be a vet! Even though I learnt so young won the competition when I was 11 and was in the band at 17 I never took it seriously it was just a bit on the side, a hobby was all. The first time I actually thought I was any good was when I was approached by a company and then it was all full speed ahead from there, photo shoots, recording studios, writing songs and magazine interviews. I couldn’t believe how quickly it all happened!’ Rising to fame at the young age of 18 must have been an amazing and scary experience but she told us she had support from the very beginning. ‘My Dad was there with me every single step of the way and supported everything I did’

We talked to her about the early days of her career, the most memorable parts and the highlights. She was only in her band for 10 months and then went solo which is where it all kicked off and this is what she said about the memories and highlights. ‘Oh god there has been so many amazing memories, these last few years have been the most amazing of my life, if I’m honest it’s all been a highlight, I remember this one concert I did, I was just a support act but the crowd was so big and I’ll never forget how nervous I was my heart was beating out my chest and it was just the most amazing feeling, I’ll never forget that!’

So after the last excruciatingly painful 18 months Hermione is finally getting back to her old self and bringing out some cracking new songs and we are delighted to have her back! So what is next for Hermione, of course there is the new album, but we have heard talk of maybe even a book.

If Hermione is bringing a new album out surely that must mean a tour too? You will all be pleased to know that it does! She will be travelling and touring end to end of the UK in late 2016 and we will have more updates about that closer to the time. And maybe a chance for you to win backstage passes to a concert in London with accommodation already paid for! But more on that later!

Dps Draft 2

Dps Draft 1

Front cover draft 3

Front cover draft 2

Front cover draft

draft contents page 3

contents draft 2

contents draft 1

M photoshoot plans

M photoshoot plans

Analysis of my Target Audience Research

Media ta research analysis from oliviamedia

Front Cover research 4

The most outstanding feature on this Vintage Rock magazine is the main image, this is definitely because the image is in black and white which makes in majorly stand out against the deep and bright red background, the black and which image definitely brings a massive vintage element onto this front cover.

The masthead is at the top of the page covering the top 5th it is in white font against the red background. The masthead is in a serif font.

There are 8 cover stories on the front cover, there are variety of font styles, sizes and colours used for the different cover stories. There is a large proportion of the text is in a variety of yellow tones.

Masthead Results Target Audience

This target audience research has shown me which of these masthead my target audience would prefer to see on the front of a magazine. I was really pleased that this masthead design was my target audiences favourite too as I thought it would look good on a front cover. I've not decided completely what colour it is but it will most likely be black and white.

Which is the best Masthead

My TA Questions

1. How frequently do you read music magazines in print or online?

2. Do you prefer articles to be more in depth and complex or worded in a simpler manner?

3. Would you like to be able to relate to an article in a music magazine?

4. Would you prefer the main image on the front cover to be of a male of a female?

5. What colours would you like to see on a front cover?

6. On a double page spread would you rather the article be about a male of female?

7. Do you download music from iTunes or not?

8. Would you like to have a free download with a magazine?

9. Do you mind swearing in a magazine article?

10. Would you like artists on the front cover and Double page spread to have props with them?

11. Do you ever go to concerts? If so how often?

12. What sort of adverts would you like to see in a magazine?

13. Would you prefer younger or older artists?

14. Do you use social media, would you like the magazines to have links?

15. Would you prefer the artist to have natural or heavy make up?

16. Would you like a small news column?

17. Would you like to have an opportunity to win a competition?

18. Do you ever shop online?

19. Would you like a more exciting or simplistic front cover? 

Front Cover analysis 9 - Metal Hammer

The most outstanding feature on this front cover is the big masthead as it covers so much of the page, it is at the top and the top quarter of the page, the font style is San serif. The main image is also very outstanding due to it being in front of the masthead.

This front cover is very simplistic yet effective non the less.There is only one story on this front cover and it is the main one no cover stories are featured. There are no banners featured anywhere, no puffs or pugs are featured either. There are also no CD's or free downloads featured with this issue of the magazine.

The font style of the main story is in a dull ages colour which looks faded in areas and very rugged which is typical of the rock genre. The main colour theme is black and a very dull gold shade, this fits well with the genre as they are both vintage with the gold and rock with the black, black is a typical house style of Metal Hammer as they are a rock band.

I feel as though this magazine appeals more to a male audience, as there are dark colours featured, men on the front cover and no particular girly elements to the magazine at all. The magazine has a slogan which is 'The heavy metal bible'.

As the magazine front cover looks quite simplistic it may suggest that the contents and quality is also of a similar quality.




The image does relate to the headline as the image is of the band Avenger Sevenfold and the title also reads Avenged Sevenfold.




All of the models are definitely facing the camera and all look to be looking into the camera however 3 of them are wearing sunglasses so it is not completely clear if they are or aren't looking directly into the camera. The band are arranged so they all form around the tallest and main member who stands slightly forward.

The photo has only been manipulated to make the masthead behind the artists and the headline to cover their bodies.About one third of their bodies are covered by the headline and that is the only text covering them.The image is in colour and they are all wearing mainly black and a large amount of leather. The hair and make up of all the artists is completely natural, just to enhance features for the photography, which was done in a studio.There are no props featured and they are against a rather simple background.

Contents Page Research 4

This contents page was featured in a Metal Hammer magazine. There are 10 stories with 5 different fonts and a variety of sizes featured on this contents page which spreads across 2 pages. 7 of the articles featured are also paired with an image related to the article. There are 4 regular features and 5 columns of text and 11 photos on the contents page. The page numbers are a lot bigger than the font they are next to and are in a San serif font, placed next to the text they represent. There is not much white space as it is mainly covered by text and pictures however the background is white. 9 different locations,clothes,make up and hair looks on this contents page.

This contents page matches the front cover in a few ways, such as some of the artists featured on the front cover are featured in the contents page again. The biggest similarity is the use of the masthead throughout the contents page. Similar fonts are used throughout the cover and the contents page.

The 'Metal Hammer' logo is used on the iPad and again in the top right corner of the contents page. The publishers of the 'Metal Hammer magazine are Team Rock Ltd.

The page links very well to the genre of rock as it is mainly black and features dark colours and people wearing leather and other black clothes. It also shows the target audience very easily as there is an 'iPad download' available which is very modern technology that the younger generation are seen using more than the older generation is.

I believe Richard Dyer can be very well applied in this situation as all the artists/models are shot in a very specific way or in a certain location e.g a studio which creates a true image not a real person.

Vintage Rock Genre Slidely

Olivia Skerne's Slidely by Slidely Slideshow

Double Page Spread Research 2

This is a Q magazine from May 2014 and the double page spread started on page 54. There are 2 columns of text featured, the text does not fill the width of the page and there is about 1 cm space between the columns. The text is left aligned and is in serif style black font. The font of the headline is black, very large and in a San serif font, I like how the edges of the letters look smeared out it gives a more rock look to it.


There are no pull quotes, drop capitals or standfirsts featured on this double page spread. All of the quote marks are the same size as the font featured which is around 12 point. There is one crosshead featured in this article and it is in a bolder black San serif font rather than the average serif font like the rest of the text. The main image is a distance long shot of a young women wearing a lot of black and leather this is a very stereotypical sign of a rock chick. The model is also holding signs about gender rights, this matches the title as it says 'this is who I am' which is clearly fighting for equality just like the signs are.

I believe the image supports the target audience very well as often rock fans are judged for their music tastes however this is all about fighting for what you believe in so therefore is very supportive. The article is also supportive as it is also about being unique and yourself, not to change yourself and to be different. The model is not changing her fashion or make up to fit in, she is fighting for  her beliefs. The main image is shot outdoors in natural lighting and there are no obvious effects added by Photoshop.

The only thing that has a slight house style to Q is the red puff as the red colour is the same shade of red as the background of the iconic Q logo.

There is not much white space featured on this magazine at all as the image covers a great quantity and so does the text and puff.

There are largely colours such as black and grey and the only vibrancy is the red puff, this is very typical of rock as rock is stereotypically black and darker colours. These colours work well together as they are all very similar.

The language is all rather formal and no slang is used, however I still think this is aimed at a more modern target audience due to the fact transgender people are more easily accepted in a modern world. The tenor used is casual throughout. The keyword mainly used to describe the main image is 'transgender'. I would say the article is around 800 words long as it spans over several pages.

There are a few codes and conventions used on this double page spread such as a headline, photos and text.

This magazine has influenced my creativity because I love the headline font,the way it looks rugged and worn away gives a really vintage rock look and would be perfect on a magazine like mine.

Contents page research 3

 This is the contents page from a Mojo magazine. The magazine contains 154 pages, there are 14 other stories included on the front cover and i can notice 5 features which look regular in this magazine. For example 'the Mojo guide to the month in music', feature as above. The house style Mojo masthead is kept exactly the same in the contents page as the front cover.

 Another feature which creates synergy with the contents page is that on the front cover there is a feature saying 'Mojo's essential £1000 CD collection' this is also featured on the contents page. There are 2 columns of text featured with only one image on the contents page. This image is in black and white which really gives the magazine a more vintage feel to it. 

 The font used on the page number is the same size throughout in a serif style font, the pictures are not in puffs they are just against the plain white background, the numbers are to the left of which story they represent, There is not much white space as it it mostly covered by the text and image, the background however is white. There are 5 different fonts and sizes used on this contents page, 3 of which are San serif the others are not.

The mojo logo is used at the top centre of the page and this is the only feature of it, however the fonts used and page numbers are all very synergistic with other Mojo contents pages. 

Only one article has an image featured on it therefore there is only one location for the photo shoot, one make up look and one set of clothes.

I believe this contents page relates to its genre because it is black and white which gives a definite vintage feel and also it's quite simplistic not busy like a modern 'Q' magazine. The magazine is aimed at an older generation clearly as it is vintage and the artists are all older artists.

The industry which publishes this magazine is EMAP. 

Double Page Spread Research 1

Research TA Profile

My Target audience profile consists of 2 different age ranges due to the fact that I want the magazine to appeal to a younger more modern target audience such as 15-20, but also an older audience due to it being a vintage magazine so an age range of 45-50 seems appropriate. I wish for it to target all genders, sexuality, ethnicity and races, it will probably target english people more as there will not be other cultured features included. As I want it to be widely available to any person who is a fan of vintage Rock i feel these choices make it more open. People who read my magazine will generally have an interest in rock bands, vintage things such as Old hollywood and may shop in charity shops as they sell a more vintage clothing range.

Institution Research 1 - Bauer Media

Bauer Media is a part of the Bauer Media Group, which is Europe's biggest privately owner publishing group. It is a worldwide media empire with over 300 magazines on offer, some of the biggest music ones being 'Q' which Bauer Media bought from EMAP in 2008, this now has a circulation of around 52,800, 'Mojo' with a circulation of around 80,000 and 'Kerrang' with a circulation of around 33,300. There are also online areas, T.V and Radio stations.

The company built up by slowly buying magazines from other institutes, for example in 1994 they  bought a small magazine called For Him Magazine, which is a major magazine. Later on they bought the  digital music TV channel The Box, as a route into the small screen business, which has now led to them having big links with Channel 4 and famous music channel 4Music.

Bauer media mainly publish magazines, not just music magazines, and focus on radio stations such as the famous Kiss 100 station. Beginning it's first radio station in 1990 with the acquisition of London dance station Kiss FM, this is now called Kiss100.


The magazine element stretches back to 1953 when its first magazine 'Angling Times' was launched, this was then followed in 1956 by Motor Cycle News both of these magazine are still very well renowned.

Vintage Rock Make up inspiration

 I really like this make up look and I'm considering doing something similar on my model for my shoot. My favourite thing about this make up look is the lips, I love how the edge of them is black and then it ombre's into a bright red. this would be great on my cover as they are some of the main colours I want on my magazine. The red lips are bold and strong and this could also be an indexical sign for a strong confident women, I feel that this would go against what Laura Mulvey said 'women do things to impress men'. I like that it goes against Laura Mulvey because i think her theory is very old fashions, I agree with Stuart Hall that 'representation cannot possibly be fixed' as we are in a more modern day.

More on my Chosen Genre

My Chosen Genre

The genre I have chosen to research and create a vintage music magazine, a really good magazine to research for this genre would be Mojo and others such as Uncut and Vintage Rock. Conventions of a Vintage magazine are things such as 1/6th of the front page will be covered by the masthead. I will have main colours such as ; black&white, silver, gold and red.

It will have many cover stories as this Vintage rock magazine does. it also features the large masthead and red and black colours I mentioned. I want my puffs and pugs to have shadows.

Comparison of contents

These contents pages have many similarities such as the page numbers are all in pugs, however on Mojo magazine the pugs are the same size, colour and shape. The layout is rather similar as there are several photo and text about them. However it is different because the photos on the Q magazine are surrounded by the images but it is by the side of the images on the Mojo magazine.

I prefer the layout of the Q magazine as I feel it is slightly more modern and the text is more specific to the photos as the text surrounds the photos. Q would more than likely attract a younger audience due to the artists they use and the modern layout.

Contents page research 2

Research- hairstyles which inspire me

I really love this hairstyle, it's so simple yet beautiful. It's not a huge updo but it is still loosely styled, however it does still look very natuaral and slightly messy. This makes for a pop or pop-punk look as it is modern and cool. I believe this hair style goes against what Laura Mulvey says 'that women do things for men' as although it is slightly styled it's messy and not a posh updo so the model is doing it for herself not to impress anyone. 

Researching Different Genres

The main feature of this magazine is clearly the artist, this is created as the convention of putting the artist behind in front of the masthead is used, it really brings the artist right to the front of the magazine. 

Stereotyping is very pronounced in this main image, the artist is wearing a big cowboy hat, which is very country like. The photo is also not shot in a studio it looks like a field although the background is not in focus I can see what looks to be tree with sunlight glistening through them, creating a definite mise-en-scene of country side. This feature also goes against what Richard Dyer says that 'A star is an image, not a person' as the photo is not shot in an artificial environment. Both these signs add up to an indexical sign of a country person. 

The main colours of the magazine are red and black, all cover lines are in these colours, this is effective because it looks very uniform. The fonts are all similar filling the serif house style of the usual masthead. The only different colour is the pug at the top of the page, this also contains a alternate font, this makes it really stand out, especially because of the bright yellow.

I think this magazine will be more aimed at the male gender due to the fact that the artist looks serious and focused on his music, there are no symbolic female colours associated in the front cover either. 

Things I'm Learning

Since I have began studying Media Studies I have learnt many new skill on many different websites and devices. New devices I have been using or using in new ways:

• iMac
• iPhone
• iPad
• Mac book
• Panasonic Lumix Fz62 camera
• Scanner on printer
• Memory card reader

Websites/ new apps I have been using:

• Slide share - I have been using this to post power points on-line, then I have learnt to embed them in order to post the on my blog. 

• I have also been learning how to use Flickr, this is really useful to me because I can get opinions on my best photos and know which would be best to use for certain situations.

• I have used Adobe Elements 11 Photoshop in order to create the front cover of my college magazine, I have learned to used features such as the magic rubber and colour select.

• The website I have learnt the most on is using a blog, I have learnt to; embed a slide share, post a blog, add a photo to a blog. I have also learnt how to change the format of my blog to make it personal to my genre.

• I have not used Prezi much but I am learning to, it will be useful for me because it will be a new and exciting way to incorporate other ways of getting information across and using new technology.