Contents page first draft

Contents

Cover first draft

Cover

Double page spread first draft

Double page

Interview for double page spread

Classy: The Interview

Paige Harris

Quote ‘What made you come out of your shell’

In an interview with Q, Paige reveals all from her upcoming release to early life. Normally like a clam, Paige has agreed to reveal her secrets to Q, and talk about her upcoming release, as well as share facts.

Words: Photos: Quote – I’m more experienced

Q: What made you come out of your shell?

I decided it was the right time. There’s nothing to hide and the public is going to continue to scrutinize, so you should be open.

Do you specifically refer to the fiasco with the Sun, with drugs?

Partly. It’s annoying because they like to pick a target, I happened to be one of them, and I went in arms and managed to win the court battle.

Would you say you have a temptation to get back in drugs?

No. This is when I was younger, I’ve matured, so that’s behind.

How do you feel about the buzz for your upcoming album?

It feels good. I’d say this is me at my most creative, and there’s been scrutiny, so to come to the public and give them a show, feeling of elation.

What would you say to haters?

I’d say I’ll give a show. In the past I’ve felt shy to talk to press, unable to show myself, but you bite the bullet, prove the audience you can put a show.

Any regrets?

No. I believe if you have regrets, it consumes you, you worry about what you could have done different so there are things I’d have liked to do different, but you move on.

How do you feel about your album?

It feels good. In the past I’ve had varied experiences, where results don’t turn out so good, but this time I’m more experienced, and know what I’m doing, so it’s good.

How much do you want to reveal about it?

Not a lot. I believe the element of surprise, so I’d like people to experience it anew. Though I can say I’ll be talking about memories more, considering I’m making a comeback, and it feels fresh. There will be more of a personal vibe than you’d expect in most techno music.

It’s been a while since you last officially released an album. Do you prefer working in chunks or was it a choice to add variety?

It was a choice to take a break, as I’ve been on tours, amongst doing other things, but I feel its good to have variety.

Did you enjoy your recent tour around Britain?

Yes. I felt it would be a good way to make a comeback, and other bands were doing a tour, so I felt it would be the best way for awareness.

What’s your favourite tour experience?

Probably going to Manchester last summer, as it’s a busy city and something I haven’t experienced.

How about when you went to France?

That wasn’t so much a tour, but more I was enjoying the country. There were a few places I performed at, such as the Au Café de Paris and the Le Club, but there wasn’t a lot of hype.

I love the Au Café de Paris. A couple of years ago I went there and it has a great vibe.

Yes. The customers were great and the staff were friendly. It has a better vibe than most places.

How early do you have to book to get a spot in a place?

Depends on how famous you are. I’d say mine’s moderate so compared to Daft Punk, I’d probably have to book earlier.

What have your past experiences been like?

I’ve had some hits, some not. One of my best hits was a few months ago, and there was a period of saturation. You go through stages where creatively you’re saturated.

Are you specifically referring to the period during 2009?

Yes, in 2009 I went through a stage where I didn’t do a lot of hits. You win, lose some.

Talk about ‘Lonely Hearts’, one of your greatest hits?

This was a few months back. It comes from personal memories, having a lonely heart, and fed into the techno.

You don’t think you’re ready for a relationship?

It’s not that. I haven’t found the right person, and I’ve been in relationships in the past but I don’t want to rush, so until I find someone…

What kind of fan mail do you get?

It varies. I’ve got a Facebook group so a lot of it comes through that, but I get a share of mail, and most of it’s positive.

Would you give advice to fans?

Yes, never back down and believe.

Would you consider yourself an inspiration?

That’s a good question. I’ve made mistakes, stuff I’m not proud of. In the sense that I don’t back, whatever happens, I carry, so in that sense I’m an inspiration.

What’s your favourite song?

Around the World – by Daft Punk.

So was Daft Punk an influence?

Not as such, but there are things I’ve poached subconsciously.

Such as?

Their style, elements from music.

Have you met them?

Once I went to one of their gigs, and I met them backstage, so it was a good experience.

How was your early life?

It varied. I had a complex childhood, starting with the separation of my mother, so I grew up with my father. I knew I wanted to work in music from the age of 8, and I became a techno musician.

Being Aspergic, it makes you have fixations so this is why from 8, I knew what I wanted to do.

Who was your hero growing up?

I didn’t have one as such, but there were a variety of people I enjoyed, such as Inner City.

Do you feel maybe people prejudged you before because of your Aspergers?

Growing up, Aspergers wasn’t as aware, so people didn’t understand, but now more people are aware, there’s less judgement.

Did friends notice your talent?

They did. I used to perform in school concerts, at the front. One suggested one day I should be a musician.

How did you take that?

With flattery. It confirmed my belief that from a young age, I wanted to be a musician.

What influenced the techno choice?

It was a variety of things. General taste, and I wanted to stand out, and I felt techno would be the way to go, as it’s a different genre, and growing up liking Daft Punk.

Do you have brothers or sisters?

I have two brothers and one sister. The three of them are younger. Growing up I felt like the dominant figure, as previously I didn’t have any cousins.

Do you believe any of them wanted to be a musician?

No. One of them, Daniel, went through a phase where he wanted to be a singer.

What’s it like where you live, in London?

I live in Hounslow, in a moderate house, as I want to live like others, and I get attention, but not as much as others, so I’m better off.

You’ve got a talent for pool. Do you like to show off?

Not really. I play pool with friends, but I don’t tend to show off.

Did you consider being in a group?

I believe if you’re a techno musician, it’s better to perform solo, and I knew where my career’s headed. Plus being in a group brings complexity, so it’s better to perform solo.

Lastly, is there anything else you can say?

Look forward to my album, and never back down.

Thanks for your time!


I wrote this based on improvisation and inspiration from magazine interviews.

First drafts done

The first draft for my double page spread, cover and contents pages are done and ready for feedback. I'm going to upload them now.

Photoshoot for cover update

The first photoshoot for my cover was done in the studio, with Samantha.  We took 10 photos, it took half-an-hour and it taught me things including thinking about the mise-en-scene and camera angles more to achieve different effects.

Contents page progress

The first draft of the contents page is almost complete, as I'm playing around with the fonts and changing coverlines and it should be uploaded soon. I'm pleased with it so far because the coverlines are looking good and I'll get feedback from my tutors and classmates.

Writing the double page spread interview

I spent three days preparing and writing up the interview for the double page spread and will upload it. I'm the interviewer and Paige is the interview subject - she's a media shy techno musician.

Double page spread update

The masthead has been spread across the top, writing resized and I've learned to put transparent boxes in. Some of the content of the questions has been changed as well as the masthead and I'll try to upload it soon.

Getting to grips with InDesign

I haven't used InDesign before so it's been a steep learning curve and it's about getting to grips with the programme regarding how to modify documents and add text and get a general overview.

Photoshoot Images

Photoshoot Images

I selected the image for my front cover as it sums the genre of techno as the model appears enthusiastic and young, the choice of clothing also goes with the genre. The headphones she wears look techno and the background provides a template to expand.

For my contents page, Hannah’s positioning and clothing, along with the rural backdrop all go well with the music genre I have selected, Techno. The way Hannah appears dominant too, meant overall this felt like an ideal choice for an image.

The second image for my contents page was selected because of how the framing of the image asserts Paige’s relaxed pose and the background would seem to fit naturally in a techno magazine. The clothing, a pair of jeans and a purple jumper, should fit naturally with the readership.

The image for the double-page spread of Techno Beat was selected as the composition of the frame looked natural, along with the choice of shot type medium helping Paige to stand out and the background is similar to the image of her on the contents page where I felt it would be nice to have a sense of continuity.

I selected the image for my front cover as it sums the genre of techno as the model appears enthusiastic and the choice of clothing goes with the genre too, as well as the headphones she’s wearing and the background provides a template to expand.

The second image for my contents page was selected because of how the framing of the image asserts Paige’s dominance and the background appears a natural choice for a techno magazine, along with her clothing, a pair of jeans and a purple jumper.

For my contents page, in terms of how Hannah’s positioned and her clothing, along with the rural backdrop all go well with the music genre, Techno and the way she appears dominant, meant I felt like this was an ideal choice for an image.

The image for the double-page spread was selected as the composition of the frame looked really good, along with the choice of shot type medium and Paige appears dominant and the background is similar to the image of her on the contents page where I felt it would be nice to have a sense of continuity. 

Photoshoot Plan

Photoshoot 1: The first photoshoot will be in a park close to  college with Hannah and Samantha acting as upcoming techno musicians.

I am aiming to get images to use on both the contents page and double-page spread. The theme is to try and make the images look naturalistic, this is why a park has been chosen as my photoshoot location. In terms of shot type I plan to for it to be a mixture of wide, close-ups and two shots.

Photoshoot 2: Paige is my second subject and photos will be taken of her by the college gates, as well as by a graffiti area, continuing the naturalistic theme.  She's portraying a media-shy techno musician, fitting in with the natural theme. However, despite the naturalism, I want all my models to be dressed appropriately for the theme, although in the first photoshoot, Paige be dressed formally and in the second, she'll have more of a casual image.

The models will look expressive as my target audience is people aged 16-24. Due to the theme, the colour scheme isn't planned on being bright. The lighting should come across as a mixture of high and low-key lighting.

Photoshoot 3 : will be in the studio with Samantha. She'll be expressive to lighten up the theme and she's a techno star, so the brightness is necessary. The cover will have a bold introduction, so her clothing is planned to be a yellow T-shirt and wear some headphones. Around 20-44 photos combining all of these photoshoots should be taken, to get a variety of different results.

I've begun my drafting

I have begun my drafting of the actual magazine, including planning the photoshoot, the content I want to appear and the type of images I want. The part I'm focussing on is the cover.  

Aims and introduction

My target audience is young teens and the age is 16-24. The main gender, collected from my questionnaire results appears to be male so that’s whom I’ll be aiming towards. In terms of psychographics from my research I’m aiming for mainstreamer and the style of the magazine will be urban and I aim for the price to be mid-range, as it’s most likely to attract my audience. The basis is a general music magazine.

The inspiration came while I was doing coursework and I liked the design of some urban magazines. I studied NME, Mojo, Uncut and Rocksound and NME appealed the most because of the simple design. My magazine aims to centre on the young and upcoming bands and it’ll have an impact on the cover-lines and features so to attract the audience the cover lines will be placed in the centre and features include interviews and articles about the history of bands. 

The type of artists I’m focusing on is techno because it’s a techno magazine and being 4 of them, this should enhance the appeal. Being one of the most modern genres techno artists are likely to draw in the demographic, some examples being The Prodigy and Daft Punk.

Images I’m going to use are ones of models. I’m going to feature four girls as my models because they’ll bring males in more. The alternative shot is planned to take place outside the college entrance, to give more of an isolated feel, as the entrance outside college is relatively empty so it’s the right environment. My lighting planned is naturalistic, as I want to portray the musicians as they are. This will give the intended effect. The theme will continue as I want the models to wear natural clothing, so it feels down to earth. I would describe the shoot as realistic as this is how I want the models to feel and in editing the plan will be to introduce some light and shadow, give it more style. I'll select my favourite shot based on which looks the best. 

The feature article is going to be an interview introducing the artist to the readers. 

The front cover will have 4 cover lines, and spread the page with a bright colour scheme, enhancing the techno appeal and the text will mainly be on the left, and one column. It will have one photo. 

In terms of the contents I plan on having a similar colour scheme, with one column and the text mainly on the right. It will have a few photos on the right.

For my double page spread I intend on having a lot of text in both columns, and one big photo per each and to use more colours, including red. The overall colour palate will be a mix, with the cover having purple and blue mixed, which reflects modern and I plan on the contents page being more muted. I chose these colours based on the decision that they’ll reflect techno because of the brightness, and which suits each section.

The title is The Techno Beat and the reason I chose it is it reflects the genre and suits my demographic as it sends a clear message. 

Font choices

    Font choices

Below are three options of choice for my masthead. The first possible choice is Edifice, that doesn't appear to reflect the genre of techno so much because although it's a techno font, it's not vibrant enough. It's also not distinguishable enough to be able to recognise it as the magazine's masthead.

My second choice is Fabada. Again the choice of font doesn't represent the genre of techno too well or the style, plus it looks kind of similar to the Edifice font so it's not going to be distinguishable enough to stand out as the magazine's masthead. 

The final choice of font DS-Digital. This stands out more and reflects the techno genre better, as well as  conforming to it's style in a better way and standing out more, it makes it quite a distinguishable font and the best choice for my masthead. 

Mindmaps

http://prezi.com/6_pdfd5i8xkp/mind-maps/ 

http://prezi.com/9iplqkvphrqf/mind-maps-2/

http://prezi.com/kjkwuc9j3zqz/mind-maps-3/

Mood Boards

These are images that relate to 'techno', my music genre and relevant fonts